HR24-700. HR44-200. D12-100. Everyone knows what the number before the dash means, but what about the number after the dash? Does it matter?
The number after the dash is the manufacturer code. Back "in the day" it was pretty important because not every manufacturer was up to the same product standards. Real dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts swore by one maker or another, and some still believe it's important.
Starting with the HR24 and all succeeding models, it's practically impossible to tell the different manufacturer boxes apart. In many cases the outside parts are interchangeable. The insides, while all unique, are all very high quality. Still, you might want to know who made your DIRECTV box, so here's an easy table to help you know:
-100 Technicolor (Thomson/Audiovox/RCA)
-200 Samsung
-300 Philips
-400 Hughes
-500 Humax
-600 LG
-700 Pace
-800 NEC
That "-100" is a little misleading, because you might think it applies to different manufacturers. In fact, in the last ten years the same factory has had all four different names. The company itself hasn't changed but it did reorganize under one name. Of all of those, really only four manufacturers are still active: Technicolor, Samsung, Humax, and Pace.