Apparently, DirecTV will not upgrade customers that have the HR10-250 unless the unit needs replacement. The following is a response I received to my inquiry on the subject:
"Thank you for writing. Our move to renting our equipment will start March 1st. We have not sent out a general notification to our customers because the switch to rental will not affect our current customers that own their equipment. Billing will not increase as a result of switching to rental equipment. Current customers that own their equipment would have it replaced by rental equipment in the event of a receiver going out and needing to be replaced.
The only upgrade possible for an HR10-250 would be to the new MPEG-4 HD-DVR that will be released later this year. We do not have any information yet on how an upgrade to this receiver will be handled, but the first option will be rental of the receiver. Please stay tuned to DIRECTV.com for more information as it develops. We hope this is helpful; we remain at your service."
