If only one other receiver can pull from it at a time, is it really a home media center at all?

It is if you only have two TV's!

And yet, many people have it and we've not heard complaints about this most logical issue before. Perhaps it's okay just as it is.

Consider using it yourself and be realistic about how often, or if ever, this might be a problem for you. You might end up seeing it's okay, too. We designers and installers tend to get all wrapped up in details that might be issues, but then aren't. My favorite example is people agonizing over all the light cans, and God forbid we add speakers, going into a kitchen ceiling when a major remodel is being designed. Then they decide to put in all the stuff anyway... two months later, and forever, nobody notices the dozen holes in the ceiling. But everybody would notice a dark kitchen with only the sounds of knives and boiling and grease spatter.

This is what an HR34 is used for. You can be watching something in the main room off the HR34, while 3 other rooms are streaming at the same time.

Most of the time an HR24 with its ability to stream to 1 other room works just fine. How many times are you going to have someone wanting to watch a recorded show, while 2 other people in the house are already watching a recorded show. I would say that would be rare, people do watch live TV to (which would use thier local box and not a stream).
And don't forget: Add another HR24 in a system and you get more recording time and streams (the interface is integrated across DVRs).

John,

DirecTV said only one other location could stream from the HR34 at a time.

And you believed them? hahahaha!

No, seriously. Sarcarsm aside. You believed them?

From DTV's website

And these 4 streams can be 1) the TV the HR34 is attached to, and 2) any combination of RVU's clients, HR clients and H clients not totaling more than 3.