Can U record 2 shows on TIVO w/ DirectTV?

1713 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by dtremain, Oct 14, 2007

Davecv67

Discussion Starter · Oct 14, 2007

Hi I'm brand new to Direct TV but have had a Series 2 TIVO with cable for a while.

I was majorly disappointed when after getting everything installed that the option to record 2 shows was gone.

I have picked up enough on this site to understand I need "something" to be able to use my Series 2 TIVO and record 2 shows....just not sure what it is. The Direct TV reps said it can't be done but my Neighbor has Direct TV and a Series 2 TIVO and he says it works...something about a LNB splitter that is needed.

Can anyone simplify this for me? Or perhaps link me to a good sticky?

Thanks!!

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TonyTheTiger

· #2 · Oct 14, 2007

If you have a DirecTV Receiver with TiVo, it has two tuners, so you can record two shows at one time and watch a third, pre-recorded show. You can do this also with the non-TiVo DVRs from D* and also from most cable providers and, of course, E* (Dish).

To record two different channels from D* at the same time requires one of the above or two separate receivers. There is no way to record two channels without two tuners of one description or another.

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SullyND

· #3 · Oct 14, 2007

If you are talking about a standalone dual tuner TiVo there is no way to record two programs at once with DirecTV. The Dual Tuner unit only supports recording to channels at once with cable. (Even if you had two DirecTV receivers the S2DT can only control one STB - one of the tuners is analog only.)

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Davecv67

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 14, 2007

Damn...Bogus!!!

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SullyND

· #5 · Oct 14, 2007

Davecv67 said:
Damn...Bogus!!!

How so? How would you have assumed the TiVo would be able to record a second DirecTV channel?

You could get a DVR from DirecTV, and their DVR fee is cheaper than TiVo's subscription fee (even moreso if you have multiple units). DirecTV's current DVR offerings are NOT TiVos - the R15 and HR20 (HD). I have two R15s and find them barely better than a non-DVR reciever - YMMV. More people seem to be happy with the HR20, but I have not tried one. DirecTV used to offer DVRs "with TiVo". These DVRs (commonly called DirecTiVos) have the TiVo interface to which you are accustomed to and many, but not all of the same features as the standalone units (primarily lacking networking features - though some of these features can be activated via hacking and some will be enabled in a future promised software update from DirecTV). DirecTiVos are the only way to get a dual tuner "TiVo" with DirecTV. Unfortunately as they are no longer manufacturered the only means to get one is second hand via ebay, etc. Some of the vendors which offer hard drive upgrades offer remanufactured units from time to time.

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Davecv67

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 14, 2007

I still can't understand why a signal can't be split from a satellite. Just from a technical standpoint a signal is a signal is a signal! There is no device to allow that?? What about LNB splitter? What the heck is it a and what's it for?

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SullyND

· #7 · Oct 14, 2007

DirecTV uses a proprietary signal from their satellite. Only DirecTV receivers can tune DirecTVs signal. This is why you cannot simply connect coax from your satellite dish to a cable ready television and tune the channels using the built in tuner in your TV. Likewise a standalone TiVo does not have a tuner in it which is capable of tuning DirecTV's signal. You can hook up a standalone TiVo to a DirecTV receiver and record one channel - you would conceptually need a second DirecTV receiver to record a second satellite channel, however that is not supported on the TiVos as they are designed only to control one STB.

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ForrestB

· #8 · Oct 14, 2007

SullyND is correct. You'll find exactly the same info in Tivo's Support area if you search 01-05-05

If you did buy a used DirecTV Tivo (they haven't been made in 1-2 years) or a get a new DirecTV DVR's - then you could record two shows at once and watch a third but you would need to run a second line from your dish thru a multiswitch. More info here

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Davecv67

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 14, 2007

OK That makes sense to me thanks....I hear there is a gizmo that when attached to the actual satellite and by running a second line you can then have 2 signals....but what I am starting to understand is that the TIVO itself cannot handle 2 digital signals?...only one analog and one digital?....I guess I wasted my dough on the S2Tivo.

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John T Smith

· #10 · Oct 14, 2007

Davecv67 said:
OK That makes sense to me thanks....I hear there is a gizmo that when attached to the actual satellite and by running a second line you can then have 2 signals....but what I am starting to understand is that the TIVO itself cannot handle 2 digital signals?...only one analog and one digital?....I guess I wasted my dough on the S2Tivo.

That gizmo is called a multi-switch, and is NOT the same as a simple line splitter as used with Cable... it is specific to satellite signals

A non-DirecTV Tivo needs to be connected to a DirecTV receiver to record at all, since the DirecTV signal is also specific to satellite, and may not be received directly by a non-DirecTV Tivo... the DirecTV receiver sits between the dish and the non-DirecTV Tivo to translate the signal

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dtremain

· #11 · Oct 14, 2007

Davecv67 said:
OK That makes sense to me thanks....I hear there is a gizmo that when attached to the actual satellite and by running a second line you can then have 2 signals....but what I am starting to understand is that the TIVO itself cannot handle 2 digital signals?...only one analog and one digital?....I guess I wasted my dough on the S2Tivo.

A stand alone TiVo itself cannot handle even one Directv signal. As you were told above, it is a propritary signal that requires a Directv receiver. That is why you either need a Directv receiver and a stand-alone TiVo (and record only one signal), or a Directv DVR (TiVo or not).

With the latter you get several benefits.

1) The ability to record two programs at once (and watch a third recording)
2) The service is much cheaper than stand-alone TiVo ($6.00 a month regardless of the number of units)
3) The recorded quality is much better because the unit directly records the bitstream to the hard drive.

Dump the stand-alone unit and buy a Directv DVR, either an older TiVo version or a new one.

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