Does anyone have DirectTV DVRs?

[CJBaby]

If so, do I really need to have a phone jack next to every tv for it to work?

Thanks!

 

[hiwaygal]

If so, do I really need to have a phone jack next to every tv for it to work?

Thanks!

No, only if you want to order pay per view from the remote/box. You can always order them online or over the phone.

We have Directv DVR and no phone lines connected.

 

[CJBaby]

No, only if you want to order pay per view from the remote/box. You can always order them online or over the phone.

We have Directv DVR and no phone lines connected.

Thanks for the fast response!

I have another question for you! Is your guide is always current, even when a show changes it's scheduled time? (Like when you use it for a series pass or whatever DirectTV calls it.)

Thanks again!

 

[hiwaygal]

LOL! You have just about tested the limits of my Directv knowledge and now I'm paraphrasing my DH:

Directv has the ability to edit/control the guide 24/7 so they should be able to keep it up to date.

However, we've never tried to automatically record a series so I'm not sure how or if it would make those changes.

 

[lfeikert]

We have one and honestly we've had a lot of problems with them, but they always send us another one when we do. That's the good part. It's just annoying to have to hook up another one all the time and loose what we've recorded.

That being said, I would have a phone jack if you can. They do a lot of downloading of software and the guide through the phone line. We had trouble with our guide not being current and always saying info not available for some of the channels because we weren't hooked up to the phone line. Now we are and we've never had any problems with that. Plus, if you're hooked up through the phone line, the caller ID comes up on the screen when the phone rings. That's kinda cool

 

[Lanshark]

We have one and the guide is usually current. It does update once in awhile and it takes a few seconds.

We have the DVR that can be accessed from two different TV's but do not have it hooked to a phone jack.

 

[irishbosoxfan]

Our is hooked up to the phone for the updates you need to have.

We went out and bought INSTAJACK--it is a wireless phone jack system--you plug it into an outlet near a phone jack then run a phone wire to it.

we do not have a phone jack in the living room so we set it up in the kitchen and have had no problems at all and have had Directv since July 05

 

[marybet]

We have DISH and ours is called a PVR. It works but if a program goes over the time slot, like LOST would go 5 minutes over, it wouldn't tape that. And Letterman or Leno, it will start on time, but I always miss the last 5 minutes. The best example is I would program for Eureka on the SciFi channel, and the show before it was wrestling, if that ran overtime I would never get the end of Eureka, it would just tape for an hour.

 

[Fire14]

If those that have issues with prior show running over or your show starting early there is an options thing in program setting to record starting/over 1, 5, 15 min I believe. I've used it mutiple times for various shows.

as for guide updating for season pass if time changes yes if it's a preplanned thing for say amazing race to be a 2 hour show instead of 1 it will pick that up, if it's a case breaking news causes show to be postponed for a day probably not, you would have to manually go in and set to record for time slot show will be on as title may not be right.

I've learned with certain shows on certain nights to just plan recording show following program I want as 95% of time my show doesn't start on time because game ran over or whatever.

 

[CJBaby]

Thank you guys for all your responses! I actually have an instajack that I bought last time we had Dish network, but we never used it and then switched to Comcast, so I totally forgot about it! I guess since I have it, I'll use it! I wonder if it interfers with DSL?

OH, and hiwaygal, this made me

LOL! You have just about tested the limits of my Directv knowledge

 

[MommyPoppins]

No, only if you want to order pay per view from the remote/box. You can always order them online or over the phone.

We have Directv DVR and no phone lines connected.

When we got ours hooked up I had a phone line there for them to use. They never did, didn't even ask me about hooking it up. Never said one word about it. I thought it was strange. We went to order Pay Per View and were able to order it from the remote, no phone line connected.

 

[TiggerStac]

We have one and honestly we've had a lot of problems with them, but they always send us another one when we do. That's the good part. It's just annoying to have to hook up another one all the time and loose what we've recorded.

That being said, I would have a phone jack if you can. They do a lot of downloading of software and the guide through the phone line. We had trouble with our guide not being current and always saying info not available for some of the channels because we weren't hooked up to the phone line. Now we are and we've never had any problems with that. Plus, if you're hooked up through the phone line, the caller ID comes up on the screen when the phone rings. That's kinda cool

did you have to do anything for the caller id to work?? I noticed it on our new HD/DVR, we didn't have it on our old DVR, but nothing comes up on the screen when our phone rings....I could probably read the instructions, but who knows what DH did with them!!

 

[Anewman]

I have been using a Directv Tivo box for a couple years now, only time it was hooked up to phone line was during the activation.

I have never had an issue with guide not being updated, but I do get daily notice(message) that my box has not phoned in 500 days(and counting) and that it needs to. But no adverse effects besides that.

 

[lfeikert]

did you have to do anything for the caller id to work??

Really, ours only works about half the time. That's one of the things about the DVR that has caused us to have to send them back in. You have to go into the menu and select Caller ID and make sure it is on. Other than that, it just works. We didn't even know it did that until the phone rang the first time after it was hooked up! Of course, you do have to have caller ID from your phone company.

 

[Fitswimmer]

I have 2 DVRs, the HD one and the regular one. Only my regular one has the caller id thing going. The HD one doesn't.

I've had a bad year with hardware and Directv, but they have done their best to make everything right. I got a 6 month discount and they've sent people out at no charge to make sure things were running smoothly.

 

[TiggerStac]

Really, ours only works about half the time. That's one of the things about the DVR that has caused us to have to send them back in. You have to go into the menu and select Caller ID and make sure it is on. Other than that, it just works. We didn't even know it did that until the phone rang the first time after it was hooked up! Of course, you do have to have caller ID from your phone company.

Thanks, I'll try that after I bring DS to school. It will be great for those times, i can't find the phone...that way, I won't run and try to find it if I don't have to