DSR704 questions..

[rkim87]

some background info:

please understand that i'm a complete noob when it comes to this stuff, i just got interested in this subject no more than just a few days ago

i'm a new customer to directv (just switched from charter cable to directv no more than 2 months ago). i currently have 4 receivers, all of them are SD. my situation is a bit odd..just had to clarify that before anybody read further. i'm interested in purchasing a DSR704 so i had some questions before i did so.

1. if i get a dsr704, what do i do in order to have it work? do i just take it out of the box, follow the instructions and i'm good to go? or do i have to call directv? if i do have to call directv..what do i say/ask?

2. since i don't have hd right now, i will buy an antenna for HD channels such as CBS, NBC, CW, ABC and channels of that nature (the main ones, nothing premium like espn, discovery, tnt). so with the antenna i'll be picking those channels up, will the dsr704 record those channels for me in HD? or will it only record SD shows?

3. on the ptvupgrade website, it says there are related items for the dsr704..can someone explain to me what instantcake is? do i need the utility cd? do i need the universal boot cd?

thanks in advance guys, i'll probably have more questions so i'll post again when i can think of them. i really appreciate it

-ray

[ForrestB]

1. To activate the DSR704, you'll need to install an access card from one of your receivers, or you'll need to purchase one from DirecTV for $20. You'll also need to call DirecTV (phone number is on your bill) and tell them you want to activate the DSR704. They'll ask you for the Model, S/N and RID number - all printed on the back of your DirecTivo. You'll also need to have the unit plugged into a phone line (at least for the initial setup).

2. The DSR704 can only record SD shows from the satellite. If you have a HD TV, then you can attach an antenna to the TV to watch HD shows - but this is independent of the DSR704.

3. Instacake is for installing DirecTV software on a new hard drive and the utility CD is for enabling extra features like MRV (multiroom viewing among multiple DirecTivo's) and video and audio streaming. For more info, check the Tivo Underground forums here.

[rkim87]

thanks for your help forrest.
i have some more questions for you or for anybody else that can give me their input.

forrest, when you said to activate the dsr704 get an access card from one of my receivers or get a new one from directv, can i use the current access card from my current receiver? or will i need one for my current receiver as well as my dsr704? basically, do both receivers need access cards?

on top of that question
once i do get the access cards needed, will i need to program the dsr704 to record a show at lets just say 7pm-8pm? or can i pick it out through a guide and set it up to record the rest of the season as if i had the hr-10 or hr-20? basically, can i be lazy and have it record by the show air dates, or will i have to program it to record by manually putting in what times to record at?

also, on top of the previous question about the dsr704, are there any other stand alone receivers like the dsr704 that come with harddrives? if so can you recommend them to me in a list-like format? it's greatly appreciated but if it's too much of a hassle, please don't worry about it.

thanks alot again

-ray

[ForrestB]

Each DirecTV receiver or DirecTV DVR (digital video recorder) needs it's own access card. I assumed you were going to replace one of your DirecTV receivers with the DVR. If this is the case, call DirecTV and tell them so - they MIGHT let you move the access card to the DVR. If not, then it'll cost you $20 to get a new one.

The DSR704 will let you record your favorite shows by setting up a Season Pass, which will automatically record your shows even if they change time slots or move to a different day.

The DSR704 is a series 2 DirecTivo and it's guts are essentially the same as all of these: Hughes HDVR2, SD-DVR40/80/120
Phillips DSR7000, DSR704, DSR708
RCA DVR39, DVR40, DVR80, DVR120
Samsung SIR-S4040R, SIR-S4080R,
SIR-S4120R

The DSR704 is a DVR - it records shows on a hard drive(s). DirecTV receivers by comparison don't record shows and they don't have hard drives.

[rkim87]

i was in talks with directv earlier today and they led me to be under the impression that once i get something along the lines of a DVR, HD Receiver, OR an HD-DVR by any means (purchase at best buy, ebay, or costco) that once i activated it with them, i would then renew my commitment to them for 2 years?

i'm currently on a 1 year commitment to them, and i do not know if i'll be staying with them. any knowledge about this?

pretty much, can i use the dsr704 any way possible, whether it be connected to my current receiver or just use it as my receiver, and not have to renew my commitment to directv?

[goony]

pretty much, can i use the dsr704 any way possible, whether it be connected to my current receiver or just use it as my receiver, and not have to renew my commitment to directv?dsr704 is a DirecTV recevier and DVR that are a single unit that can only record signals from the DirecTV satellite program stream - basically, if the box isn't subscribed in cannot view or record anything from any source and can only play back previously recorded programs. Exception: Whatever channels are 'free' to a non-subscriber can still be tuned/recorded - so if you like to watch that stuff you are all set.

[John T Smith]

>renew my commitment to them for 2 years?

As far as I know, Dtv has always had a policy of any new equipment means a new contract

[ForrestB]

Hmm. I bought a used DirecTivo off ebay a few months ago and was able to subscribe it thru DirecTV without any sort of commitment. As long as you buy your own equipment and install it yourself, I don't see why DirecTV would want an additional commitment. Just make it clear to DirecTV that this is your owned equipment and not leased equipment supplied by DirecTV.

[dj maniac]

I found a Hughes dtv with tivo and am dying to test it out. Anybody know how I can do this without buying the acess card? Or is that pretty much the only way to do it. :(

[rkim87]

yea i think you need an access card from them, but i'm not completely sure..

forrest might be able to help you more, or anybody other than me for this matter :P

[ForrestB]

Yes, you'll need to subscribe to DirecTV and buy a $20 access card. If you want more info - checkout www.directv.com

[John T Smith]

DirecTv boxes do not receive until there is an access card AND the card is activated to an account

Well... with an access card and no activation you may view the guide channel(s)

[dj maniac]

Thanks guys, I have directv. I'll probably spend the $20 to see if it works. I found it in the garbage. I'm a garbage man, I find good sh-- all the time, and it's a pretty upscale neighborhood too where they'll just throw stuff away.

[dj maniac]

Ok, it powers up and I was able to get to the Now Playing but it was excruciatingly slow. The menu background was freezing up and all the commands were just taking forever. I guess that's why they threw it out. Anyone know if this is a fixable problem?

[bnm81002]

Ok, it powers up and I was able to get to the Now Playing but it was excruciatingly slow. The menu background was freezing up and all the commands were just taking forever. I guess that's why they threw it out. Anyone know if this is a fixable problem?


I think it could be a failing hard drive, maybe a new drive will make it work

[rkim87]

any thoughts on a media center pc?

[ForrestB]

any thoughts on a media center pc?

Why would you want that? A DirecTivo can record 2 shows at once and playback a third - and you can buy a factory refurbished model off ebay for about $70 and the monthy DVR charge is $5.99

A Media Center PC will cost you at least $250 for the hardware and software, you'll only be able to record 1 show at a time from a DirecTV receiver and pay $5 per month to DirecTV for the mirroring charge.

[rkim87]

a big part of it is the 2 year commitment once i activate the dsr704..i haven't called about it yet but i'm pretty sure if i get a dsr704 and activate it, they'll make me renew my commitment to 2 years, opposed to my current 1.

on top of that, if i get HD through directv i'll have to DEFINATLY renew the commitment to 2 years. i'm about 95% sure i'll be leaving directv after the year runs up on my account.

i was thinking like this, please tell me if my thoughts are correct, incorrect, dumb, etc..

i'll pick up an hdtv antenna (probably the silver sensor or terk hdtvi) and that will be my hdtv section, and with the media center pc i'll have a dual tuner as well as an hdtv tuner, so i can record just as well with the media center pc? i think? unless the directv set top box leaves me stranded with this idea?

[ForrestB]

Still makes no sense to me - DirecTV forever baby :)

[rkim87]

EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED WITH DIRECTV!

just got off the phone with retention..

i asked them if i needed activation on a receiver which i owned that wasn't leased at all through directv what would i need to do in order to activate it? (this receiver is a new dvr+hdd)
he then told me i needed to call them and give them all the information about the receiver like the serial number, model number, etc... which was all expected and then he said i needed to renew my contract with directv to activate this product as well..

i threw another question at him asking, if i own the product completely and all i need is an access card, why would i need to renew my contract if i'm not leasing any product affiliated with you?

he then told me that it's just how the new rules are over at directv..sigh..so disappointing

[ForrestB]

I'd be curious what DirecTV would do if you canceled your service in 6 months. Would they demand you send them DVR that they don't own? Has anyone else had this problem?

[dj maniac]

I think it could be a failing hard drive, maybe a new drive will make it work

Can you replace the hard drive on a dtv reciever? I thought it was all built in into one unit, and how much would that run me? Anyone?

[cowboys2002]

Can you replace the hard drive on a dtv reciever? I thought it was all built in into one unit, and how much would that run me? Anyone?

Yes you can.

Refer to the ads at the top of of this page!

[shackyc]

I just called DirecTV to also put a DSR704 in my home. I have an HDVR2 already and a standard receiver. I want to replace the standard receiver with the DSR704 by swapping the access card in the standard receiver to the DSR704. At first, customer service said I would need to extend my contract 1 year. I asked her to confirm that and she came back to say I just needed to buy a new access card. I asked to be transfered to the access card department and they told me the same thing, no contract and $20 for a new access card.

I tried to dive a little deeper and the access card guy was saying since my old receiver was not broken, I would need to purchase a new access card and swap receivers because swapping access cards can be difficult.

So in the end, I have a perfectly good access card in a receiver I want to swap out for a DirecTivo. I will have to buy a new access card from DirecTV for $20 and will not have to sign a contract. Is there anyway to get out of buying a new access card?

[classicsat]

Play more CSR roulette.

[rkim87]

shackyc, the reason they didn't require you to renew your contract for another year or 2, 1 in your case as you said was because you already had the hdvr2.

the reason they want me to renew my contract for 2 years is because i don't have any HD or DVR's or HD DVR's at all in my house from directv.

my situation really sucks :(
but, it's ok i've come to live with it and i really appreciate everybody's help with my problem.

i do however have another question

is it possible to just purchase a dsr704 and a harddrive then connect that to the SD receiver i currently have and then just record to the dsr? instead of using the dsr as the receiver? that way i wouldn't need to worry about directv's contract renewal..

well its a longshot, and i'm expecting an answer that consists of a, NO but it's worth asking anyway

thanks again in advance guys

[ForrestB]

rkim87,
nope

What's the penalty for breaking the 1 year commitment with DirecTV if you're using your own DSR704?

[shackyc]

classicsat,

Okay, I'll give that a shot, as soon as the tivo arrives.

rkim87,

The reason using the existing SD won't work is the directivo has no encoder, as I understand it. The satellite stream is in digital and just saves the files as is to your HDD.

What you can do is make a Media PC and use the IR blaster, like the one that comes with WinTV PVR 150 to change the channels on the SD receiver. I've found that process to be more work than I would like, which is why I'm trying to get another directivo instead.

Also, since you just joined DirecTV, what kind of contract are you in now? I would think you could add to you service without extending it by more than 2 months. Maybe we both need to play csr roulette. :)