Problem recording the wrong channel

[funtoupgrade]

I have a customer who bought a lifetime stand alone series 2 140040 and is trying to use it with DirecTV which I understand is supposed to work. Here is a description of her problem: "The display screen will show one thing but what it is actually recording is something else entirely. This happens probably 20% of the time. Example - It showed on the display that it was recording Gilmore Girls last night but what I actually got was a program from PBS. I'm also often getting a black screen with a message that says 'This channel has not been purchased' for the entire recording except that that's not accurate. It show's the correct channel as recording in the display (example WE which I do have) but I get nothing but a black screen. Any ideas?"

I've never had DirecTV so it is difficult for me to be of any help. Anybody out there familiar with this problem? The unit worked fine for me here with Comcast cable.
She has just done a new guided setup with no improvement.

Hope this was the right place to post this.

[goony]

Firstly, this should be posted in the Help Center (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=4) forum as it's not an issue with a "DirecTV Receiver with Tivo software" problem.

Sounds to me like the SA Tivo isn't 100% successful each time in telling the D* receiver to change channels - that is why you are getting wrong channels or 'not subscribed' messages.

Imagine that you have a remote control with dying batteries and faulty keys... thus, not all of your keypresses for a channel change would be seen by the D* receiver - you might get a wrong channel, a black screen channel, no channel change at all, or change to a "You are not subscribed" channel.

The display on the Tivo still says the right thing because it assumes that the channel change occured correctly every time - it gets no feedback as to what channel the D* box is receiving after it tries to change the channel.

I doubt that the SA Tivo is using a serial cable to control the D* reciever (means almost 100% accurate channel changes, but few new D* receivers will accept serial control); instead the SA Tivo is using an IR signal output to pretend it is the remote control doing the channel change.

If possible, an 'IR blaster' should be connected to the back of the SA Tivo and its 'sender' be taped to the front of the D* receiver where the IR sensor is. This would greatly improve the reliability of the channel changes. Without the IR blaster the Tivo is just sending the IR signal out the front of the Tivo box and is hoping to hit the receiver - can be be frought with problems unless the Tivo box and D* receiver are facing each other just inches away - a very unlikely configuration.

IIRC, when the SA Tivo is setup, you can set a remote code and keypress speed (slow, medium, fast) to mimic a person changing channels with a remote control; this screen also permits you to test the function by entering a channel to change to. Can the SA Tivo reliably change the channel each time out of 20 attempts? If it can't change the channels 100% without fail then you can have the results you are getting.

DirecTV Tivo DVRs never have a channel change problem because the D* receiver and Tivo are all in the same box.

[funtoupgrade]

If the title of this forum was "DIRECTV Receiver with built in TiVo" I would not have posted here, but I assumed it would cover the situation of using a DirecTV receiver with a standalone TiVo. Am not trying to ruffle any feathers - just get a quick answer to the problem. I just emailed my customer to see if she is using IR or serial. I do appreciate this quick response.

[goony]

Nope, no feathers ruffled, just trying to get you to a place with the right answers.

Most of the info that I posted should help though.