Echostar’s TR-50 just got a new name, price, and release date.

The TR-50 is now the “DTVPal DVR“, and it could be the one device that frees you from paying monthly fees to a cable or satellite provider forever!

To my knowledge it’s the only standalone ATSC tuner-equipped HD DVR on the market…basically just an HD DVR for people who get their TV from an antenna.

The price is $250 and there are no monthly fees whatsoever. And, oh yeah, there no ads thrust upon you anywhere in the software. It runs the same DVR software that Dish Network uses on their 622 and 722 receivers – even the remote is the same.

Check your local coverage to see what kind of programming you can expect to receive with an antenna. In most cases (at least in Southern California) a small, easily concealable indoor antenna is all you need to watch HD.

The DTVPal DVR is available to pre-order now, and orders start shipping December 17th.