SD-DVR40 bad tuner, what should I do?

[mlctvt]

I've got a Hughes SD-DVR40 with a bad tuner 1. I'm positive it's bad and it's not the wiring/multiswitch. Can I just purchase a new / refurbished/ used SD-DVR40 and put the card and hard drive from the bad unit into the new unit? Or is the card married to the unit? Would I have to call Directv to tell them I have a new unit? I'd like to keep the Tivo unit and not go with a Directv DVR. Any suggestions? This unit is used in a secondary room and there's no need for more storage space / larger hard-drive than the 35 -40 hours this unit has.

[litzdog911]

Yes, you can move the hard drive into another SD-DVR40, but you'll have to perform a "Clear and Delete Everything" before you can use the drive in that DVR (which means you'll lose all of your recordings and settings). The Access Card can probably be moved, but it's up to DirecTV's CSRs to make the decision. Sometimes they'll insist on sending you a new Access Card for ~$20.

[mlctvt]

So there's no way to save the recorded programs on the existing drive?

[ForrestB]

There's no easy method to transfer shows - because all shows on the Tivo are encrypted and will only playback on the unit they were recorded on. As long as you leave an access card in the old Tivo, you can unsubscribe the Tivo and still watch the old shows on it.