After being announced (or at least leaked accidentally on purpose) at the CEDIA 2007 tradeshow last September, the DirecTV HR21 Pro is now available deep into 2008. Priced at $599, this is the top of the line HD DVR for DirecTV users, packed with the same software as the HR21, non-pro but with a rocking 500 gigabyte Seagate hard drive that allows you plenty of room to record anything and everything you might ever want to watch on TV - specifically in HD.

For those loving TiVo, switch to cable because you aren't going to be able to get an HD DVR/receiver that can pull in the MPG4 stations and record in HD with the TiVo. Rupert Murdoch is done with TiVo when it comes to DirecTV, as they want to sell their own hardware. Is the software better on the DirecTV HR21Pro than TiVo? Not really. With a slight learning curve, however, you can make the HR21Pro do what you need it to do without thinking twice. With the pro version, you can also control it with RS-232 and connect it via HDMI 1.2.

High Points
• The hard reset button on the front of the machine is a welcome addition. Press it instead of the 30-minute order to "restart" your DVR that is at the start of every support call to DirecTV.
• The size of the hard drive is big and worthy of the extra investment.
• RS-232 should always be on all DirecTV receivers. Make a note of it, DirecTV. Never spec a receiver again without it, please.

Low Points
• The interface isn't TiVo, and it should be. DirecTV should have worked to make things better than TiVo or not do away with the TiVo relationship.
• There isn't any way for consumers who fell in love with TiVo to use TiVo on DirecTV. which is nothing short of lame. Why sell consumers on the concept and then take it away from them? Is this a conspiracy to get people to switch to cable? I doubt it.
• The unit isn't made very well and still breaks pretty often. While DirecTV will replace it for you, readily assuming you have their replacement guarantee as part of your whopping satellite bill every month, it would be nice to see a really well-built unit for even more money with more hard drive space and beyond.

Conclusion
The HR21 represents a good upgrade for DirecTV users, assuming they can ever get over the way TiVo was taken from them so violently. The new unit with RS232 is a big upgrade, as is the hard drive. The restart button on the front of the unit shows DirecTV is listening to their customers' complaints, at least a little bit. You'll get used to the DVR functionality and, considering the HR21Pro is the gateway to the most HD channels in the world, the DirecTV HR21pro is an absolute necessity.