They can be connected to a network and the DVR shows can be shared. Go to the DirecTV site and look into Media Share and Multi-Room operation. It's pretty cool. With the H23 in my bedroom and the R22/200 in my main system, I can record, watch and edit the playlist from either room. This is only in the Beta stage but so far, so good. I saw something on TV after I went to bed last night and there was no way I was going to get up to do it, so I just set it the same way I would in the other room. Also, all of the new receivers are handling MPEG4, which some of the older ones can't do.