Your Uncensored Thoughts
It sounds to me like you might have a bad amplifier on the dish. I'm assuming that you have a dual LMB dish. If you have more than 2 boxes, then you also have a special splitter which could also be the problem. I guess one was to test it would be to hook it up where your working box is and see if it works there.
I've never had this much trouble with dirctv. They have always been very good as far as customer service goes. Well maybe except for the guy who kept asking for the husband, and that was really just funny.
Good Luck!
Zoe,
Well we tried hooking up the the first replacement box to my TV and it didn't work. Now I put the box from my parent's bedroom downstairs and it works fine.
I personally think it has something to do with the brand that they are sending us. We originally all had Philips receivers and they keep on sending a Hughes replacement and it doesn't work anywhere. I asked if maybe the card that I am using won't work with the Hughes, but the tech lady said that wouldn't be it.
I asked if they could send a refurbished Philips and she said she has no control over what they send, they just put in an order and it gets send out from a different department.
So like I said, we'll see if 3rd times the charm.
What an odd problem. It could be a brand thing though. BP got a USB jump drive that turned out to be a counterfiet and it didn't work. We got knock off parts in at work that didn't work. You may be on to something.
Maybe you should buy a TiVo for yourself and put your old box downstairs, problem solved. Just make sure you get a Phillips brand.
Zoe,
Does TiVO work as a receiver? I did not know that? I know you can order the DirectTV receivers with the DVR, but I didn't realize TIVO could solve the problem.
TIVO is on the list of things that I want to get, but I'm gonna get that job first. But I do like the way you think.
Yep, TiVo works as a reciever and a DVR. You'll need a phone line connection so TiVo can call out to download the program listing, TiVo guide. I think it has to do that something like every 8-10 days.
I can't remember, did you say you tried swapping the cards. I have had my card go bad before. Maybe they have a bad batch of cards.
Zoe,
I asked them if it was the card and they said no. You can't just swap it into another machine without them activating it for that machine, I think. But I suggested that and the tech said no. She was just a bitch though so if I have the same problems with this next one, that's what I'm gonna do. I'll put my card instead of the old one and see if it works.
Let me ask you a couple questions about this TiVo because now I'm intrigued. So I could technically tell DirectTV that I don't want 1 of my receivers (thus making my bill $4.99 cheaper) and then just replace it with a TiVo? Or do I still need to pay for the DirectTv for that room? How much do you pay a month for the TiVo?
With TiVo, is there a way to connect it to your PC so you can transfer a TV show digitally onto your computer, to edit or burn on a DVD?
I already have a Pinnacle PCTV Deluxe for my laptop so I connect that via a USB port and then I can watch TV on my laptop or plug in a VCR, video camera, etc. However, when I used it to record a DVD onto my computer, the quality wasn't as good as when I put the DVD in my computer to copy.
With Tivo you'll still get charged for it being a reciever and then TiVo service is, I think, $4.99 a month. So, essentially it will cost you an extra $4.99 a month since you are already paying for the reciever part now.
You will have to have them come out and do an installation for the Tivo because they will run two lines into the TiVo box. That way you can record two things at one time, or watch on thing and tape something different. It's brilliant.
As for the last question about recording, I'm not sure. Our TiVo box is more than two years old and things have changed a lot in that time. I'd have to look at the spec sheet for the box you are looking at to be able to answer that. I have seen boxes that come with DVD burners built into them. I might have seen those at Sam's Club, but I'm not sure. Hell I could even just be imagining that. You might look on line for TiVo boxes, you don't have to buy them from directv.
I hope I hit on all of you questions. I'll check back.
Thanks for all the info Zoe. Luckily our replacement box came today and everything works. They sent us a different brand receiver and this one works with the old card. Maybe it was just a compatibility issue with the other brand that they kept on sending us.
Commenting by HaloScan
