To anyone that is planning to have HR10-250 installed soon

[newsposter]

I'm a bit sad when I keep reading these postings of installers 'forgetting' to leave all the appropriate cables with the customer. I know some of you don't want to 'pest' the installer or you may not be personally present upon installation. Or maybe you don't want to rip open the manual and see what you are really supposed to be getting with the HDtivo right as he's installing it.

But do yourself a favor. At least download this manual and print out the page with all the cables on it

http://www.directv.com/learn/pdf/System_Manuals/DIRECTV/DIRECTV_HR10-250.pdf

and make sure before you sign your work order that you have everything. Every new system must have these cables or you are not getting what you (have/haven't) paid for.

With so many things that can go wrong or need servicing in your system, you don't need to start off your HDtivo's life being shortchanged. It's just not right.

[kiddk1]

the problem is if you are missing the hdmi cable and you dont sign the work order then the equiptment will probably go back with the installer and your out a day and the equiptment until they can send a replacement and then you will waste another day to get it set up. It is probably easier to just order a cable from ebay for $10.00. I know it was for me. But in any case this is a good heads up for others.

[tall1]

This is good advice because I believe it happens frequently. I had an installer last year who packed up the HR10-250 box with the extra cables and began heading for the door. I said, leave the box and cables, I paid for them. He looked nervous and rightly so, I called the installation company and filed a complaint.

[Andrew_S]

It is probably easier to just order a cable from ebay for $10.00. I know it was for me.

Where do you think those cheap cables on ebay are originating? I'm guessing DirecTV installers. :)

[Leila]

I had a DirecTV installer who was very neat. He cleaned up everything and
even took DVR box to the end of my driveway, next to the trash can.

After he left, I was looking for the owner's manual... couldn't find it...

Called him on his mobile and he said he didn't take them... I went to
the curbside and found it in the DVR box next to the trash can. Also
inside were all the audio/video cables, owner's manual, spare AA batteries,
phone cords,and even a spare DirecTV access card still in the plastic wrapper!
(I used another access card while he installed the new DVR)

[jamesd00d]

First off, thanks for all of the information that I have gleaned from these forums! This is a good example of what people should know, I am getting a "free" HD Tivo from D* on Saturday and I appreciate the heads up! Knowledge is power

[newsposter]

the problem is if you are missing the hdmi cable and you dont sign the work order then the equiptment will probably go back with the installer and your out a day and the equiptment until they can send a replacement and then you will waste another day to get it set up. It is probably easier to just order a cable from ebay for $10.00. I know it was for me. But in any case this is a good heads up for others.

Actually if everything is installed and it's just a matter of you signing, i'd bet the house that he will 'find' everything you need in his truck to avoid wasting his time and also I dont know if he gets paid if you dont sign?. Let's be serious, if he opened a factory fresh box, chances are everything was in there.

Even if not, he can 'borrow' from another person's hdtivo :) Point is, I can't believe they wouldn't have spares laying around from 'whatever' source.

And personally, if DTV said send everything back, I'd need to speak to a very high level supervisor. It's certainly NOT cheap for DTV to accept back that box and then send you a new one. And you may not even get new. And I can't see the logic of needing to send back all the stuff in a box just for one missing part. Someone hoodwinked you.

[kiddk1]

Someone hoodwinked you.
"Bamboozled, we didnt land on plymouth rock, plymouth rock landed on us"

[DeDondeEs]

Another piece of advice, don't let them charge you for diplexers. I had an installer want to charge me $15 for each one saying that he had to pay for them out of his own pocket. I told him fine, then just run another wire for the antenna instead of using the diplexers. The nice guy he was, he decided to throw them in for free in the end.

[newsposter]

Another piece of advice, don't let them charge you for diplexers. I had an installer want to charge me $15 for each one saying that he had to pay for them out of his own pocket. I told him fine, then just run another wire for the antenna instead of using the diplexers. The nice guy he was, he decided to throw them in for free in the end.

I think a copy of your post of praise for his good work (full details of course) should be sent to his employer and DTV. When good service like that is had, frequently we forget to send letters and instead only send letters when we have bad service.

[MurrayW]

I think a copy of your post of praise for his good work (full details of course) should be sent to his employer and DTV. When good service like that is had, frequently we forget to send letters and instead only send letters when we have bad service.I interpreted DeDondeEs' "nice guy" remark as sarcasm -- as in the diplexors suddenly became free when he was going to have to do more work running an additional line.

[newsposter]

oh me too...i guess i need to add more smileys and here i thought i was quite transparent

[volcomsurf09]

it appears hdmi is not allowing for sound on hd channels through my tv (no problem with non hd). i have hdmi through my dvd player and no problems. could this be a problems with how they compress the signal? i though the hd tivo was all mpeg2 for now. is my dvd player compressed into mpeg4? or do i need to call samsung about my tv?

[volcomsurf09]

sorry posting to the wrong thread ..... meant to start a new one...any info though? thanks

[cheer]

Your DVD player connects to your TV via HDMI and you get sound? Do you have your DVD player downmixing the sound?

The problem is that your TV doesn't have a DD5.1 decoder built in, so it doesn't understand digital surround sound. (SD channels are not typically DD.) Your best bet is to connect your HR10-250 to a surround receiver via Toslink cable. There might be some way to set the HR10-250 to downmix to 2-channel sound; I dunno as I've never tried.

[aclure]

As an installer fo D* we do pay out of our pockets for the diplexers. But I would rather waste the $2 on diplexers than the cost and time of adding a new cable run.

[DeDondeEs]

As an installer fo D* we do pay out of our pockets for the diplexers. But I would rather waste the $2 on diplexers than the cost and time of adding a new cable run.

Really? Does that mean D* doesn't want you using diplexers in installs? Just curious.

[newsposter]

sounds to me he's implying that it's better to eat the 2 bucks then run the line, apparently at his expense. Because if he was getting paid for the extra work, wouldnt he be happy to make more money?

[aclure]

depends on the type of install and if D* is paying for it or not if they arent and the customer wont I eat the 2 bucks to get out of there. Plus cable and faceplates and my time costs me more than 2 bucks. Plus D* pays per Receiver not per Line.

[newsposter]

I dont understand how you can make money being an installer if DTV doesn't pay you for everything you do/install? Based on what I've read on multiple forums, dtv is a PITA and with all the difficult intalls, you'd be a fool to be an installer

[Budget_HT]

it appears hdmi is not allowing for sound on hd channels through my tv (no problem with non hd). i have hdmi through my dvd player and no problems. could this be a problems with how they compress the signal? i though the hd tivo was all mpeg2 for now. is my dvd player compressed into mpeg4? or do i need to call samsung about my tv?
The digital audio on the HDMI from the HD TiVo may be putting out Dolby Digital for HDTV channels and PCM audio for SD satellite channels. If your TV is like most, it cannot decode Dolby Digital audio.

There are options you can set in Settings>Audio to turn off the Dolby Digital and instead send downmixed stereo PCM over HDMI. That is exactly what I had to do for my HD TiVo connected HDMI to my HDTV.

But, the HD TiVo optical audio output is controlled by the same option setting (to turn off DD) so if you have the optical connected to your home audio system for DD 5.1 audio, you can't have both. IOW, leave the DD on in the HD TiVo to get 5.1 surround audio from your home audio system, but you will not get any audio from the TV itself for any broadcasts that come with DD audio.