DirecTV PLUS DVR, PLUS HD DVR, HD DVR User Manual

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DIRECTV PLUS® HD DVR

DIRECTV PLUS® DVR

DVR RECEIVERS

USER GUIDE

DVR RECEIVERS

USER GUIDE

DIRECTV PLUS® HD DVR

Your receiver is ENERGY STAR qualiﬁed, giving you the beneﬁt of saving energy and helping our environment (This may not apply to older models).

When used in conjunction with a DIRECTV Subscription, this receiver meets ENERGY STAR criteria without requiring the consumer to take any additional steps.

Welcome! Now that you’re plugged in, it’s time to start enjoying access to over 265 channels of TV programming, including satellite music channels and an extensive Pay Per View selection. We’ll take you step by step through everything from pushing the POWER button to recording your favorite programs. If you want a quick overview of your system, read Chapter 1, Quick Start. Detailed information starts in Chapter 2. This user guide applies to the DIRECTV Plus® HD DVR (Digital Video Recorder) and DIRECTV Plus® DVR. Because this user guide

was designed to accommodate several models of DIRECTV® Receivers, your receiver and its user interface may vary slightly from what is shown here.

Getting Connected

If a professional installed your DIRECTV® Receiver, you’re ready to start watching TV. If your receiver was not professionally installed or you just added a surround sound system or other equipment, please see Chapter 3: Connections for TV and Auxiliary Equipment.

• You must subscribe to DIRECTV DVR service in order to use the recording features.

• You must subscribe to HD Access in order to be able to view the HD channels included in your programming package.

• You must subscribe to the Multi-Room HD DVR service in order to used the multi-room viewing features

• DIRECTV hardware, programming, DVR service and HD Access fee available separately.

For information and pricing please visit directv.com.

IMP ORTA NT:

Welcome to the DIRECTV Family!

TA B LE O F C O N T E N T S

Viewing Live Television..............................................18

Program Guide .......................................................................18

Local Channels ........................................................................18

HD & SD Channels .................................................................19

Unsubscribed Channels ........................................................19

Guide Banners .........................................................................20

Mini Guide ...............................................................................20

Recording Programs .................................................25

Recording a Single Show .......................................................25

Recording an Entire Series .....................................................27

Watching and Deleting your Recorded Shows .....................28

Program Guide Features and Options .........................30

Filtering the Guide ...................................................................30

Guide Options ..........................................................................31

Live TV Features and Options ..................................32

Live TV Options .......................................................................32

Live Buffer ..............................................................................34

DoublePlay™ ...........................................................................35

QuickTune ................................................................................36

GameSearch™ ........................................................................36

CHAPTER 2: DETAILED INFORMATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Using Your Remote Control.........................................14

Turning Equipment On and Off ................................................14

Navigation and Destination Buttons ........................................15

Shortcut Buttons ....................................................................15

DVR Control Buttons ............................................................16

The Progress Bar ...................................................................17

Welcome to the DIRECTV Family ..................................3

Product Information ...................................................8

Notes ...........................................................................9

Safety & Care .............................................................10

Interactive Channels ...............................................................21

Channel Banners ....................................................................23

Main Menu ..............................................................................23

DIRECTV Cinema® and Pay Per View Events .................................24

CHAPTER 1: QUICK START

DIRECTV on DEMAND ................................................52

Finding On DEMAND Shows ...................................................52

Channels On Demand .............................................................53

Cinema On Demand ................................................................54

Showcases ...............................................................................54

Downloading On Demand Shows ...........................................55

Checking the Download Queue ............................................. 55

Pausing Your Downloads ...................................................... 56

Playing Your Downloaded Shows .......................................... 56

Smart Search™ (HD DVR Receivers) .........................57

Suggested Searches ...............................................................57

Search Results .........................................................................58

Movie or Show .....................................................................58

Person ...................................................................................59

Channel .................................................................................60

Category ................................................................................61

Keyword ....................................................................................62

Recent Searches .....................................................................64

Search for Shows (SD DVR Receivers) ...................65

Search by Title .........................................................................65

Search by Person .................................................................. 66

Search by Channel .................................................................67

Search by Keyword ................................................................68

Recent Searches ...................................................................68

Manage Recordings ..................................................69

To Do List .................................................................................69

Queue ...................................................................................... 70

History ..................................................................................... 70

Recorded TV Special Features .................................37

Bookmarks .............................................................................37

Recording from a Computer or Phone....................................38

My Playlist .................................................................43

My Playlist ...............................................................................43

Playlist Options .......................................................................44

Managing My Playlist .............................................................45

Multi-Room Viewing ................................................................47

Main Menu - Overview ...............................................40

CHAPTER 4: TROUBLESHOOTING

Connections ............................................................100

Your Phone Connection .........................................................100

Connections for Auxiliary Equipment....................................100

Setup and Activation ................................................104

Guided Setup .........................................................................104

Activate Your DIRECTV® Service ...........................................104

Troubleshooting Tips .................................................106

Resetting/Reauthorizing Your Receiver ...............................106

System Software Updates ....................................................106

On-Screen Error Messages ...................................................107

DIRECTV Receiver or TV Problems .........................108

Recorded TV Troubleshooting ................................. 116

Remote Control Problems ...................................... 120

Running the System Test ......................................... 121

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 3: CONNECTIONS FOR TV AND AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT

Caller ID ..................... ...........................................77

TVmail ........................ ...........................................78

Parental, Fav’s & Setup ..........................................79

Parental Controls ...................................................................79

Favorite Channels ..................................................................85

System Setup ..........................................................................86

Help Topics and FAQS ............................................................98

Music, Photos & More ..............................................74

Purchases .............................................................................. 70

Series Manager (Prioritizer) ..................................................71

Manual Recording ................................................................. 72

Recording Defaults ............................................................... 73

CHAPTER 5: WARRANTY & OTHER INFORMATION

Appendix 1: Receivers Front and Back Panels .......138

Appendix 2: How to Network Your DVR ....................146

Appendix 3: About High-Deﬁnition ..........................154

Index ....................................................................160

Limited 90-Day Warranty ......................................124

DIRECTV Protection Plan .........................................127

FCC Customer Information ...................................129

Terms & Conditions for Use of Software .................133

APPENDICES

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Keep your receipt to obtain warranty parts and service and for proof of acquisition. Attach it here and record the serial and model numbers in case you need them. These numbers are typically behind the card door on the front panel of your receiver.*

Model No. *

Serial No.

Acquisition Date

Dealer/Address/Phone

Access Card *

Receiver ID *

Product Information

Notes

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Important Safety Instructions

1) Read these instructions.

2) Keep these instructions.

3) Heed all warnings.

4) Follow all instructions.

5) Do not use this apparatus near water.

6) Clean only with dry cloth.

7) Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8) Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampliﬁers) that produce heat.

9) Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not ﬁt into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10) Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11) Only use attachments/accessories speciﬁed by the manufacturer.

12) Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table speciﬁed by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

13) Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

14) Refer all servicing to qualiﬁed service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

Your DIRECTV® Receiver has been designed and manufactured to stringent quality and safety standards. You should, however, be aware of the following important precautions for safe and optimal use of the equipment. Meaning of symbols printed on the rear panel of the product:

This symbol indicates that there are important operating and maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying this unit.

This symbol indicates that dangerous voltage consisting a risk of electric shock is present within this unit.

Safety & Care

CAUTION: Avoid moisture to reduce the

risk of ﬁre or electric shock. The DIRECTV® Receiver should not be used near water (for example, kitchen sink, bathtub, pool, damp basement). Also, never spill liquid on the receiver, and do not place vases or other vessels containing liquid on top of it.

WARNING: To reduce the risk of ﬁre or

electric shock, do not expose this product to rain or moisture. The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing and no objects ﬁlled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.

IMPORTANT: Be sure not to place your

DIRECTV® Receiver near anything WET or HOT! If this product is used at 240VAC, a suitable attachment plug should be used.

TIP: We highly recommend plugging the

DIRECTV® Receiver into a surge protector to prevent damage from ﬂuctuations in your power supply.

CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electric

shock, do not remove cover (or back). No user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualiﬁed service personnel.

RISK OF ELECTRIC

SHOCK DO NOT OPEN!

CAUTION

Safety & Care

• Ensure proper ventilation — the vent slots on the DIRECTV® Receiver must be left uncovered to allow proper airﬂow to the unit.

Blocking the airﬂow to the unit could impair performance or damage your receiver and other components.

• Do not stack electronic components or other objects on top of the DIRECTV® Receiver. Also, do not stack the receiver on top of a

“hot component” such as an audio power ampliﬁer.

• Protect your components from power surges by connecting all the components before plugging any power cords into the wall

outlet. Use of a surge protector is also recommended.

• Don’t overload power outlets or extension cords, which can result in the risk of re or shock. It’s also important to use only the

type of power source indicated on the marking label or in this manual.

• Avoid audio hum or interference by inserting all cable plugs rmly into their jacks. Also, place Audio/Video (A/V) cables to the

sides of the TV back panel rather than down the middle once connected. Try not to coil any twin-lead cables and keep them away from A/V cables as much as possible.

• Never insert objects of any kind into any openings in the DIRECTV® Receiver (other than the DIRECTV® Access Card as detailed in

this manual).

• Place it on a at, hard surface — do not operate the DIRECTV® Receiver on a carpet or other padded surface.

• Always unplug your DIRECTV® Receiver before moving it.

• Always unplug the DIRECTV® Receiver, TV and other equipment before you connect or disconnect any cables.

• The only way to disconnect the DIRECTV® Receiver from the power supply is to remove the power cord. The DIRECTV® Receiver

unit must therefore be installed next to the power point which must be easily accessible.

• CAUTION: Electric Shock — never attempt to disassemble the DIRECTV® Receiver yourself; always take it to a qualiﬁed

service person when repair is required. Opening or removing covers may expose dangerous voltage or other risks, and incorrect reassembly can cause shock when receiver is subsequently used. Attempted self-repair may also void your warranty. Changes or modiﬁcations not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance (by the warranty or by the manufacturer) could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

• Do not drop your DIRECTV® Receiver and always move it with care.

• Have your DIRECTV® Receiver professionally serviced (do not attempt to service it yourself).

• Any changes or modications in construction of this device which are not expressly approved by the party responsible for

compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

• If you move your DIRECTV® Receiver between locations at different temperatures, allow it to reach room temperature before you

apply power to it.

• Do not pick up or otherwise move your DIRECTV® Receiver while it is connected to the AC power supply. If you want to move your

set-top box, ﬁrst disconnect it, then wait at least 30 seconds before continuing

• CAUTION: To reduce the risk of ﬁre, use only No. 26 AWG or better telecommunications line cord.

• CAUTION: Replace remote control batteries with same or equivalent type. There is danger of explosion if batteries are incorrectly

replaced.

• For your information: The identiﬁcation sticker can be located underneath or on the back of your receiver. The telecommunication network voltage used is the category number 3.

Note to Satellite Dish Installer: This reminder is provided to call your attention to articles 810 and 820 of the 2005 National

Electrical Code. Refer to article 810, in particular 810-1 and 810-15, for required grounding of the metal structure of the dish antenna. Refer also to the 810-2 which, by reference to article 820, requires that the satellite dish coaxial cable shield be connected to the grounding system of the building as close to the point of cable entry as practical.

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

USING YOUR REMOTE CONTROL ....................................14

VIEWING LIVE TELEVISION .............................................18

RECORDING PROGRAMS.................................................25

CHAPTER 1 - QUICK START

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Mode Switch

Note: Each time you press a button, a green light at the top of the remote ﬂashes. If the light ﬂashes several times for just one press, it means the batteries (size AA) are getting low and need to be replaced.

These two buttons turn your TV and DIRECTV® Receiver on or off together. If your DIRECTV® System was installed professionally, your

remote has already been programmed to operate your TV. If you need to reprogram the remote for a new TV or for any other reason, press MENU, select Parental, Fav’s & Setup, then System Setup, then Remote Control, and follow the step by step instructions.

Use the POWER (PWR) button and Mode Switch to turn a single component on or off (for example a DVD player or surround sound

system). Simply slide the mode switch to the position that matches the component you want to control and then use the POWER button to turn it off or on. The mode switch must always be in the left-most position to control your DIRECTV® Receiver. If the mode switch is in a position that has not been programmed, or if you press a button that is not supported by that particular piece of equipment, an on-screen message will pop up to alert you.

This universal remote control is your touch point to the system, so we’ll start here.

Turning Equipment On and Off

Using Your Remote Control

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

CHAPTER 1 - Quick Start

Shortcut hints

The buttons in the middle of the remote are navigation and destination keys.

Press the GUIDE button to go to the program guide screen. Press the ACTIVE button to go to the DIRECTV Interactive services home page. The LIST button takes you to the Playlist. See Chapter 2, “My Playlist” for details. Press EXIT to get out of any menu screen and return to live T V. Use the ARROW buttons and SELECT button to navigate though the guide or any menu screen. Press BACK to move back to the previous screen. (You can also use the LEFT ARROW button to step backward one column at a time.) The MENU button takes you to the main menu where you go to access all of the features available in your system. Press INFO on any show to see information about that show.

You can move through all of the DIRECTV user screens using only the direction ARROW buttons and the SELECT button as appropriate. However, the RED, GREEN, YELLOW, and BLUE buttons on the remote are special shortcuts that change function depending on which menu screen you are looking at. As you use the system look in the bottom right of particular screens for hints that tell you which color button to use for a particular shortcut. You’ll see several examples in this chapter.

Navigation and Destination Buttons

Shortcut Buttons

Using Your Remote Control

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Starts the recorded video or paused live TV currently on screen. Hold this button down for slow motion.

One press allows you to record programs in the Guide and live TV. Press twice to record a series.

While watching recorded TV, pressing this stops playback, displays the recorded program info screen and inserts live TV in the top right.

Jumps the program you’re watching backwards 6 seconds and starts playing from that point. Holding down REPLAY jumps to the beginning of the program.

Jumps ahead in recorded or live-stored video by 30 seconds. Press multiple times to skip multiples of 30 seconds. Hold down to continue to the end of the program.

Freezes the action of any live or prerecorded television program. While paused, press FFWD or REW to move forward or backward frame by frame.

Fast-forwards recorded or live-stored video. Press up to four times to fast-forward at increasing speeds. Press ADVANCE while fastforwarding to go to the next 15-minute tickmark.* Pressing PLAY returns to normal play.

Rewinds recorded or live-stored video. Press up to four times to rewind at increasing speeds. Press REPLAY while rewinding to go to the previous 15-minute tickmark.* (Pressing play returns to normal play.)

PLAY / SLOW MOTION

PAUSE / FRAME BY FRAME

FFWD / JUMP TO TICKMARK

REW / JUMP TO TICKMARK

RECORD

STOP

REPLAY / JUMP TO BEGINNING OF PROGRAM

ADVANCE / JUMP TO END OF PROGRAM

These are the DVR control buttons (Rewind, Fast Forward, etc.). They can also be used along with the mode switch to control a DVD player or other auxiliary equipment.

DVR Control Buttons

*Some Standard-Deﬁnition DVRs (models R15/R16) work

differently. If you have one of these receivers, press and hold the REW or FFWD buttons to skip to the previous or next tickmark.

Using Your Remote Control

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

CHAPTER 1 - Quick Start

Football

12:30p

12:00p

12:09p

Football

12:30p

12:00p

12:09p

When you use the DVR control buttons, this indicator bar appears at the bottom of the screen to show where you are in the program and how far you can go for ward or back. For live programs, the progress bar is green and the time shown is the time of day.

If you press the RECORD button during a live show, the progress bar turns orange and the orange record icon appears next to the title of the show.

The Progress Bar

The white line shows where you are in the program you are viewing.

The left end of the green bar shows how far back in time you can go.

The right end of the green bar shows how far ahead you can go.

Using Your Remote Control

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Look for shortcut hints here.

To see what’s showing, press the GUIDE button to display the on-screen program guide. The guide holds up to 14 days of programming information for you. You can navigate in the guide three ways: use the ARROW buttons to move one cell at a time up/down/left/right; use the CHAN/PAGE button to scroll a whole page up or down; type in the channel number to go directly there. Look for the color-button hints at the bottom of the screen for shortcuts (use the GREEN button to move ahead in time 12 hours, once there use the RED button to come back 12 hours). If you press GUIDE twice, you’ll see a screen that lets you ﬁlter the guide. See Chapter 2 “Program Guide Features and Options, Filtering the Guide” for details.

Your DIRECTV-provided local channels can be found in the guide from channel numbers 2 through 69.

Program Guide

Local Channels

Viewing Live Television

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

CHAPTER 1 - Quick Start

HD and SD Channels

Channels in the guide that are not part of your subscription package are shown grayed out. You can customize your guide to hide those channels. See Chapter 2 “Program Guide Features and Options”, “Guide Options” for details.

DIRECTV has a tremendous offering of HD channels and they

are spread throughout the guide. To ﬁnd them, look for HD after the channel call sign (i.e. STZHD or CNNHD) in the channel column of the guide and also look for HD after the program title in the guide. If you want to see only the HD version of a channel in the guide go to Chapter 2, “Parental, Fav’s & Setup”, “System Setup, Display” for instructions on how to make that setting.

Unsubscribed Channels

Viewing Live Television

Unsubscribed Channels

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

If you are watching a show and want a quick look at what’s on next, press the BLUE button to display a one-line mini program guide. You can use it

for the current channel or you can type in a new channel number to see what’s on there. Press SELECT on the new show if you want to go to that channel.

Mini-guide

One-line mini-guide

Guide Banners

In the guide you will also notice from time to time a special row sandwiched between channels. We use these “banners” to post important messages, or helpful hints, or to alert you to new products or services. If you are interested, simply press SELECT on the banner and it will take you to that destination.

Viewing Live Television

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

CHAPTER 1 - Quick Start

Interactive Channels

Interactive channels are unique. In addition to video and audio, they also

contain a software application that lets you interact with what you see on screen. When accessing these channels you will have to wait a few seconds for the software to download.

Press the ACTIVE button on your remote to get the latest weather,

horoscopes, lottery results and more. The channel is ready to interact when the yellow highlight box appears.

To exit an interactive channel, press GUIDE and pick the channel you

want to move to or you can type in the new channel number while in the interactive channel.

To ﬁnd other interactive channels, take a look at the program guide from

channels 100 to 115. The News Mix and Sports Mix channels let you see up to eight of the hottest channels on one screen. Move the yellow highlight box around using the direction arrows on your remote to hear the audio associated with each channel. If you want to see one of the channels full-screen, move the yellow highlight box over it and press SELECT.

Viewing Live Television

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

The Game Lounge™ ser vice contains memory and skill games that you can play on-screen using only your remote. There are free as well as subscription-only games. If you become a top scoring player you will see your name on the leader board.

Interactive content, like scores, statistics and other information, is also provided along with some of our special sports and entertainment channels. Look for an on-screen popup that lets you know when

interactive content is available and follow the on-screen instructions to use the interactive features.

Viewing Live Television

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

CHAPTER 1 - Quick Start

Use the main menu to access key system features such as, My Playlist, Smart Search, Parental Controls, System Setup, Manage Recordings and more. Press MENU on your remote to display the menu. Press MENU again (or EXIT) to make it go away.

Main Menu

Note: The menu options may be slightly different on a Standard-Deﬁnition DVR than on an HD DVR. These differences are described in Chapter 2.

When you ﬁnd a current show in the guide that you want to watch, press SELECT and the receiver will tune to that channel. A channel banner will brieﬂy display at the top of the screen, showing you the program name, channel number, date, time and other information. You can display the channel banner at any time by pressing the INFO button. The icons near the upper right give you more information about your show or your system such as whether a second audio language is available or if you have a system message waiting. If your program has an alternate audio track, press the GREEN button to hear it. Go to the inside of the back cover of this manual to get an explanation of all the icons.

Channel Banner

Icons

Shortcut hints

Viewing Live Television

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Viewing Live Television

You don’t have to go out for the best and biggest movies and special events! Recent hits and events like sports, comedy and more are available 24 hours a day on DIRECTV Cinema™, channel 1100. You’ll also ﬁnd them listed in the program guide starting around channel 120.

To buy a program, tune to it directly or press INFO on the highlighted program in the guide. Select the Record option and follow the on-screen instructions. As long as your receiver is connected to a land-based phone line, you can use your remote to order.

You can cancel your Pay Per View order for any reason as long as none of the program has been watched. Your receiver will let you record Pay Per

View programs before you buy them; you will only be charged if you watch them. If the program has already been recorded, press LIST, highlight the show and press the RED button to delete it. If the program is set to record in the future, press MENU, then select “Manage Recordings” then “To Do List.” Highlight the program and press the RED button to cancel it.

DIRECTV Cinema™ and Pay Per View Events

Note: You can also order your Cinema On Demand movies and Pay Per View events on the Internet at directv.com or over the phone at 1-800-DIRECTV. Keep in mind, though, there is an additional ordering fee for purchases placed over the phone.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

CHAPTER 1 - Quick Start

Recording Programs

Note: You can record two shows at the same time with your DIRECTV DVR if you have made the proper connections to your satellite dish.

To record a show you are currently watching, simply press RECORD once. The progress bar will appear and turn orange and the circle R icon will appear next to the title to let you know your show is now being recorded.

You don’t have to be watching a show to record it. Simply ﬁnd it in the program guide and use the RECORD button as described above. The orange record icon appears to let you know that your show is being recorded or is scheduled to record.

From Live TV

From the Guide

Recording a Single Show

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Recording Programs

If you press the RECORD button a second time on a single show (like a movie), an on-screen message will appear giving you the choice to “Keep Recording,” “Change Recording Options, or “Stop Recording.” On a Standard-Deﬁnition receiver, the options are “Cancel This” and “Don’t Cancel.” This is an easy way to cancel a recording.

Some live events and even a few TV shows run past their allotted time slot. Your DVR is very smart, but it sets up all recordings based on the start and stop times the broadcasters give us for the program guide.

If you are watching while recording and you think your show might go into the next time slot, press INFO on the remote, then select “More Info” and “Recording” from the on-screen choices to see the recording options for that show. Once there you can change the stop time or any other option. To save your changes select “Save Changes” (for StandardDeﬁnition Receivers, select “Update.”)

If your show is set to record in the future, you can ﬁnd it in the guide or To Do list, then press INFO to display the Info screen. To change a recording option for that one show, select “Episode Options” and choose whichever option or options you want to change. If you want to change a recording option for every show in the series, select “Rec. Series” and then choose the options you want to change.

Changing a Record Option

Stopping an In-progress Recording

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Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

CHAPTER 1 - Quick Start

Recording an Entire Series

Recording Programs

If the show you are currently watching is a series and not a single event (like a movie), simply press the RECORD button twice to automatically record every episode of the series. The RECORD icon is now a repeated circle R to let you know that this is a series and not a single recording.

As mentioned previously, you don’t have to be watching a series to record it. Simply ﬁnd it in the program guide and press the RECORD button twice to record all episodes of it.

If you are currently watching a series show and need to extend the recording time or change any other recording option, press INFO on the remote, then select “More Info” and then “Record Series” from the on-screen choices. If you see a series set to record in the future in the program guide or the To Do List, to change a record option press INFO and select “Record Series.”

Stopping an In-progress Recording

From Live TV

From the Guide

Changing a Record Option

If you press the RECORD button a third time on a series, an on-screen message will appear giving you the choice to “Keep Recording,” “Change Recording Options,” or “Stop Recording.” On Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers, the options are “Cancel This,” “Cancel All” and “Don’t Cancel.”

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Recording Programs

Watching and Deleting Your Recorded Shows

To see your list of recorded shows, press LIST on the remote. Alternatively, you can also press MENU and select “My Playlist.” Use the arrow keys to highlight the desired show, press SELECT, then select “Play” (or “Resume” if you’ve already watched part of the show) to start the show. You can use

any of the DVR control buttons (like PAUSE, FFWD, ADVANCE, etc.) while watching your recorded show. If you press STOP, the show will stop and

an information screen with various options will appear. The last channel viewed in live T V will appear in the upper-right corner of the screen. To return to full-screen live TV, press EXIT or select “Done.”

If you want to delete a show from your playlist, use the arrow keys to highlight the desired show and press the RED button. You will then be

asked to conﬁrm the deletion.

Look for shortcut hints here.

CHAPTER 2 - DETAILED INFORMATION

PROGRAM GUIDE FEATURES AND OPTIONS ........................ 30

LIVE TV FEATURES AND OPTIONS ......................................... 32

RECORDED TV SPECIAL FEATURES....................................37

MAIN MENU

OVERVIEW .......................................................................40

MY PLAYLIST ...................................................................43

DIRECTV ON DEMAND .....................................................54

SMART SEARCH

™

(HD DVR Receivers) ............................57

SEARCH FOR SHOWS (SD DVR Receivers) ........................65

MANAGE RECORDINGS ..................................................69

MUSIC, PHOTOS & MORE ................................................74

CALLER ID .......................................................................77

TV MAIL ...........................................................................78

PARENTAL, FAV’S & SETUP ............................................79

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

There may be times when you want to temporarily trim down the channels that are shown in the guide, ﬁltering them according to the type of program you are looking for. For example, you may want to see just sports or movies or news. In that case, press GUIDE twice to display the guide ﬁlter.

Simply use the arrow keys to highlight the category you want and press SELECT. The guide will now show only that the channels that match that categor y. Look for the label in the bottom left of the guide to see how it is being ﬁltered.

Filtering the Guide

Look here to see how the guide is being ﬁltered.

Program Guide Features and Options

Note: Since the ﬁltering is temporary, it only lasts as long as you keep the program guide up on the screen.

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From the program guide, press the YELLOW button to display “Guide Options.”

Select “Sort programs by category”, then select a category to see a list of shows in chronological order that match your sort criterion.

Select “Jump to a date & time” to quickly go to a future date and time in the guide.

Select “Pay Per View” and then the type of show you want, to see a complete listing of what is available in the guide in chronological order.

Guide Options

Sort Programs by Category

Jump to a Date & Time

Pay Per View

Program Guide Features and Options

By default, your program guide displays all channels offered by DIRECTV, some of which may not be in your programming package. “Change favorites list” allows you to toggle the channels displayed in your guide between any of the following: “All Channels,” “Channels I Get” (channels you subscribe to) or a custom list of channels you have deﬁned. The “Edit Settings” option allows you to modify the channels in your custom list. See the “Parental, Fav’s & Setup”, “Favorite Channels” section near the end of Chapter 2 for details.

Change Favorites List

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

While watching Live TV you can press the YELLOW button to display a list of options to choose from: View Previous Channels, Closed Captioning, Change Favorites List and Audio Options.

Select “View previous channels” to see a short list of the channels you have watched previously. If you select a channel from this list the receiver will tune to that channel. This is an easy way to toggle between the channels you watch most often.

Live TV Options

DIRECTV Subtitling/Closed Captioning

View Previous Channels

Live TV Features and Options

Displays an on-screen transcription of a program’s soundtrack. Select “DIRECTV Subtitling” or “Closed Captioning” to toggle it ON or OFF. Both options display the same text so only one or the other can be “ON” at a time. The display format is the only difference so check out both to determine your preference. Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers support ‘pass-through,’ allowing your TV to display captioning when available.

High-Def inition Receivers

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Audio Options

Speaker Icon

If the program you are watching is being broadcast with additional language audio tracks (such as Spanish), a speaker icon is displayed at the top-right of the channel banner. Select “Audio Options” and select the language you want (not all shows have an alternate language) or press the GREEN button to cycle through the available languages.

Live TV Features and Options

Change Favorites List

“Change Favorites List” allows you to select a custom list of channels that you want to see when channel surﬁng in live TV. You can toggle between “All Channels” (some of which may not be in your programming package), “Channels I Get” (channels you subscribe to) or any of your self-created lists.

You can also choose “Edit Settings” if you want to create a new favorites list. See the “Parental, Fav’s & Setup”, “Favorite Channels” section near the end of Chapter 2 for details.

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Live Buffer

Note: You cannot fast forward during live TV until you pause or rewind a program.

Progress Bar

Your DVR saves programs to the hard drive instantly and continuously, while you watch. This “live buffer” lets you pause, rewind, fast forward or instant replay (jump back 6 seconds). If you start watching a program late, even if it is not set to record, you can back up to the beginning (up to 90 minutes) using REWIND, as long as you haven’t changed channels since the program started. Simply press PLAY during a show to display the progress bar and see how far back in time you can go.

Live TV Features and Options

If you change channels, you lose what is in the live buffer. If you want to ﬂip between two shows at the same time and not lose the ability to go back in time on either channel you can record them both and then use the PREV(ious) button on the remote to toggle between them.

Standard-Definition Receivers

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DoublePlay

™

Program 1

Watc hing Progra m 1

Press DOWN bu tton on rem ote

Program 2

Program 1

Note: You cannot fast forward during live TV until you pause or rewind a program.

With DoublePlay™ you can easily switch between two programs on at the same time without missing a minute of either. Your HD DVR stores up to 90 minutes of live TV on two channels. If you tune to a new channel (a third channel) the saved portion on the original channel is cleared. DoublePlay™ expires after two hours of nonuse.

1. While watching one program press the DOWN arrow on your remote. A message displays conﬁrming DoublePlay™ has started.

2. Press the DOWN arrow again and tune to the second program.

3. Now use the DOWN arrow to switch back and forth between the two programs.

4. You can pause, rewind, fast forward, slow-mo or instant replay both.

High-Def inition Receivers

Live TV Features and Options

Watc hing Progra m 2

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

QuickTune

GameSearch

™

Use QuickTune to get to your nine “must see” channels fast! While watching live TV, press the UP arrow on your remote control. A display with spots for nine channels will appear on screen. To ﬁll the spots, press the GREEN button on your remote control. The channel you are currently viewing will be added to the QuickTune display. After you’ve made all your picks, press the UP arrow whenever you want to bring up the application. Use the arrow keys to highlight the channel you want to watch and then press SELECT.

High-Def inition Receivers

Sports blackouts, a long time source of frustration and confusion for sports fans, occur when a sporting event is not televised in a certain area. But thanks to DIRECTV’s cutting-edge technology, whenever you tune in to a channel with a blacked-out game, GameSearch™ recognizes the blackout and immediately looks to see if the game is on another channel. If a broadcast of the game is found, GameSearch™ displays an on-screen message that gives you the option to tune in to that channel. If it can’t ﬁnd one, an on-screen message will let you know the game is not available.

Live TV Features and Options

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Bookmarks appear as notches in the progress bar.

Bookmarks

For shows you have already recorded, press PAUSE and then press the GREEN button to bookmark your favorite scene. You can then press and hold the FASTFORWARD or REWIND buttons as appropriate to advance or return to that scene.

Delete a Bookmark by pressing the PAUSE button, then the DASH button (bottom left corner of the remote).

Recorded TV Special Features

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Record to Receiver

Have you ever forgotten to set a recording and wish you could do it remotely from work or while on the go? Now you can with DIRECTV’s DVR Scheduler. A brief description of the process is provided below, but go to directv.com/ dvrscheduler for all the details.

Before you can use remote scheduling, you must be registered as a user on directv.com. Once you register, do the following:

Recording from a Computer or Phone

To schedule a recording from a PC, go to directv.com/tvlistings to see an on-line version of the program guide. Navigate through the guide to

ﬁnd the show you want to record. Choose the DVR receiver you want the recording to go to, then indicate the priority of the recording you want to make, then click on “Record to Receiver.

From a PC

Note: If you have a mix of HD and SD DVRs in your home, make sure not to pick an HD movie for your SD DVR. It will not record.

Recorded TV Special Features

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Note: Remote connections vary. In rare instances, scheduled recording(s) may not

be recognized. You will receive an email conﬁrming the scheduled recording request. It is still possible the recording will not occur.

From a Mobile Phone

To schedule a recording from a mobile phone, use your Internet browser to go to m.directv.com. Sign in with your user name and passcode. (As with

the PC, you must be registered as a user on directv.com before you can use remote scheduling.) Use the Search for Shows feature to ﬁnd your program based on Title & Description or Channel. Pick your title from the search results and follow the step-by-step instructions to set the recording.

If you have an iPhone or iTouch you can download the free DIRECTV application from the iPhone app store. To learn more go to www.directv.com.

Recorded TV Special Features

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

DIRECT V Plus® HD DVR Menu

High-Def inition Receivers

Press MENU on the remote to display the main menu.

My Playlist - Displays the shows you’ve recorded that are ready for

viewing.

Music, Photos & More - A optional item that appears if you connect your

DVR to your home computer network. See Appendix 2 for instructions on how to network your DVR.

On Demand - Connect your DVR to your high-speed Internet service to

gain access to thousands of free and Pay Per View titles.

Smart Search™ - Just start typing and we’ll instantly ﬁnd movies, shows,

people, sports, etc... for you to watch or record.

Main Menu - Overview

Overview

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DIRECT V Plus® HD DVR Menu

Main Menu - Overview

High-Def inition Receivers

Manage Recordings - Prioritize upcoming recordings, view recording

history and change recording defaults.

Caller ID - Contains a log of the phone calls into your home (assuming you

have a connected land line and subscribe to Caller ID service from your telephone provider).

TV Mail - DIRECTV Messages to you about new features, free views, tips &

tricks and more.

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - Set parental control limits, choose favorite

channels for a customized program guide, and choose settings for your TV, remote, and DIRECT V® System.

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

DIRECT V Plus® DVR Menu

Main Menu - Overview

Standard-Definition Receivers

Press MENU on the remote to display the main menu.

My Playlist - Displays the shows you’ve recorded that are ready for

viewing.

Search for Shows - Finds shows by title, actor, channel, or keyword.

Manage Recordings - Prioritize upcoming recordings, view recording

history and change recording defaults.

TV Mail & Caller ID - Contains a log of the phone calls into your home

(assuming you have a connected land line and subscribe to Caller ID service from your telephone provider), as well as DIRECTV® System messages to you.

Customer Care & Help - Provides access to a list of help topics.

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - Set parental control limits, choose favorite

channels for a customized program guide, and choose settings for your TV, remote, and DIRECT V® System.

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The Playlist screen displays all your recorded programs. To get to the Playlist screen directly, press LIST on the remote, or press MENU and select “My Playlist.” Titles that you have not viewed yet are shown in bright, white letters, while titles that you have already viewed (partially or completely), are light blue.

The time, date and channel of each recorded program is displayed to the right of the program title. Any icon identifying program status is displayed to the left of the program title (for example, a circle K for “Keep Until I Delete”). See the inside back cover for a list of all the icons.

Highlighting a program title displays the program description, just as in the Guide. If you press SELECT or INFO on a program, an Info screen is displayed for the program that offers several actions including Play, Keep, Delete and others.

Series programs are identiﬁed in the list with a folder icon. For example, if you record a weekly comedy series, the title for that series is shown with a folder icon. Press SELECT on the series title to see the recorded episodes for that series. The number of new (not viewed) programs and total programs for each series is displayed to the right of the series name; for example, “2 New/5 Total.” Press PLAY on a series to play all the episodes in the folder, in order from oldest to newest. Programs recorded as a result of a search are also saved under a folder with a star icon next to it, where the title of the folder is the search name.

My Playlist

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

My Playlist

Select “Mark programs to delete” if you want to delete two or more programs at once.

Choose “High-Def” to sort exclusively for HD shows.

This is just a temporary ﬁlter for your list, so just press the left arrow or BACK to see your full Playlist again.

Select “Sort Programs by Category” and then select Movies, Sports, News, Kids, etc., to ﬁlter the playlist as desired. This option will help you ﬁnd what you want faster, once you start to record a lot of programs.

Select “Change order of Playlist” to pick how you want to arrange the order of your recorded shows. You can sort by date with the newest at the top (that’s the factory default setting), the oldest at the top; alphabetically with A at the top, or Z at the top; by expiration date with ﬁrst to expire at the top or last to expire at the top.

From the Playlist screen, press the YELLOW button to display Playlist Options.

Mark Programs to Delete

Sort Programs by Category

Change Order of Playlist

Playlist Options

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37% Free

My Playlist

Series programs are grouped in folders in your Playlist. Select “Open/Close All” to open all of your folders so you can see each episode without having to select each series individually. You can also use this option to close them all.

Your DVR has lots of recording space but it is possible to ﬁll up the hard drive if you record regularly. A quick way to check how much space you have available is the Disk Space Bar.

The Disk Space bar is at the bottom of your Playlist. It shows the approximate amount of space available on your disk at any given time.

The Disk Space bar shows programs you have designated “Keep Until I Delete” in dark blue, programs subject to expiration or automatic deletion in light blue, and the remaining unused disk space that is available for recording in black.

When your disk is full, the oldest shows (viewed or not) are automatically pushed out to make room for the new ones. If you have a show that you don’t want pushed out, press the BLUE button to “Keep” it in your Playlist until you delete it.

Open/Close All

Disk Space Bar

Managing My Playlist

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Highlight the show you want to keep and press the BLUE button on your remote. A blue,circle K icon will appear next to the program title indicating it will be kept until you delete it. You may be tempted to make all of your recordings “Keep Until I Delete”, but if your hard drive ever ﬁlls up, new recordings can’t take place.

Another way to manage your Playlist is to delete recordings you no longer want.

Highlight a single show or a series (indicated by a folder icon) and press the RED button to delete it. If you delete a folder, all episodes of that series will be deleted. Don’t worry about pressing the RED button accidentally. You will always see a conﬁrmation message before you delete anything.

Press the GREEN button to go to the Cinema On Demand home page.

Note that HD programs take up more disc space than SD. Thus, you may want to record your favorite content in HD, while recording other shows in SD to optimize your use of the available recording capacity.

Keep

Delete

Cinema On Demand

My Playlist

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Multi-Room Viewing

My Playlist - Multi-Room Viewing

High-Def inition Receivers

With DIRECTV’s Multi-Room HD DVR service (aka MRV) and the proper equipment, it’s like having a DVR in every room. Now even rooms with HD Non-DVR receivers can schedule and watch recorded programs. Start watching a recorded program in one room, stop it, and then continue watching it in another room.

Here’s how it works:

1. Network Your Receivers:

When your HD DVR and HD Non-DVR receivers are networked, it allows them to share content. This is typically completed by an installer during your installation appointment. To learn more about upgrade and eligibility requirements, go to directv.com/multiroom. To get a quick understanding of how recorded content is shared by your household, skip to step 7.

Note: To access DIRECTV Multi-Room HD DVR service functionality, you need a DIRECTV Plus HD DVR receiver (models HR24 or R22, HR20-HR23 with DECA), a second MRV-capable receiver (models H24, HR24 or R22, H21, H23, HR20-HR23 with DECA), a SWiM network, HD Access, DVR service and Multi-Room HD DVR service.

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

My Playlist - Multi-Room Viewing

High-Def inition Receivers

2. Activate Multi-Room HD DVR Service:

Once Multi-Room HD DVR Service is activated on your account, press the LIST button on your remote. The message on the right will display, conﬁrming the service has been enabled. Select “Continue”.

3. Name Your Locations:

You’ll be prompted to give each receiver a name. We refer to this as “Location”. We recommend using a name that you’ll easily associate with the room or it’s location, such as, “Living Room.” The name must be 14 characters or less. You must be at the receiver to assign its name.

Note: Service activation and location naming are typically performed by the installer during your installation appointment.

After you’ve assigned a Location Name, you can change it as follows: Press MENU, select “Parental, Fav’s & Setup,” “System Setup,” “MultiRoom” and then “Name Location.”

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My Playlist - Multi-Room Viewing

High-Def inition Receivers

You can change sharing options at any time. Press MENU, select “Parental, Fav’s & Setup,” “System Setup,” “Multi-Room” and then “Share Playlist.”

4. Set Playlist Sharing Options (DVR Only):

During initial setup, if the receiver is an HD DVR, you’ll be prompted to set the following Playlist sharing options:

Share Playlist

An HD DVR has the option to share its Playlist with other receivers.

Let’s say you have an HD DVR in your Den, an HD DVR in your Master Bedroom, and an HD Non-DVR in your Kitchen. If you set Share Playlist to “No” in the Master Bedroom, the other rooms (Den and Kitchen) won’t be able to access the Master Bedroom’s Playlist.

Allow Deletion

An HD DVR has the option to prevent another location from deleting

programs that were recorded by that an HD DVR. In our previous example, if the DVR in the Den is set to allow deletion “From this room only”, a person trying to delete a program (recorded in the Den) from the Master Bedroom or Kitchen would be prevented from doing so.

5. View Status:

To view the Multi-Room status for all your connected HD DVRs, press MENU, select “Parental, Fav’s & Setup,” “System Setup,” “Multi-Room” and then “Status.” This screen indicates if Multi-Room service is authorized, as well as the Playlist sharing settings for all networked HD DVRs.

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

High-Def inition Receivers

6. Record Programs:

If you’re in a room with an HD DVR, and you’ve authorized Multi-Room HD DVR Service, you’ll still record programs in the same way you did before. See Chapter 1, “Recording Programs” for details.

If you’re in a room with an HD Non-DVR receiver, once you authorize MultiRoom HD DVR Service you’re able to request programs to record.

You can also book a recording from a program’s Info screen.

To record a program you’re currently watching or to record a highlighted program in the Guide, press the INFO button and select either “Record Once” or “Record Series.”

If your recording (requested from a Non-DVR receiver) conﬂicts

with other recordings already scheduled on the DVR, a message will display letting you know that your program cannot be recorded.

To record a show you’re currently watching or to record a

highlighted program in the Guide, press the orange REC (record) button. A message displays on screen asking you to select the HD DVR you would like to record on; then select either “Record Once” to record the current episode, “Record Series” to record the entire series or “Do Nothing” to cancel your request.

Note: Pressing the REC button twice to record a series or pressing it three times to cancel the request does not work on Non-DVR receivers.

My Playlist - Multi-Room Viewing

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High-Def inition Receivers

Recordings can only be managed from the HD DVR receiver that

recorded the show (even if they were originally requested from a NonDVR receiver). In order to check the status of scheduled recordings on the To Do List or to change the priority of a series you’ve scheduled to record, go to the HD DVR and press MENU, select “Manage Recordings” for options.

To delete a program from your Playlist, use the arrow keys to highlight the desired show and press the RED button. You’ll then be asked to conﬁrm the deletion.

You can limit access to programs with Parental Controls. See Chapter 2, “Parental Controls for details”. Your parental control settings restrict access to both recorded and live programs. Parental controls must be set at each receiver.

Note: Only two locations can access a recorded program at the same time (the HD DVR the program was recorded on and one other location). If a third location tries to a recording, a message will display explaining that the program is not available.

7. Watch Recorded Programs:

By networking your receivers, the recordings from all the HD DVRs in your household are combined into a “shared” Playlist . The shared Playlist is accessible by all networked receivers, even if the receiver is not a DVR! To access the Playlist, press the LIST button on the remote control or press MENU, and select “My Playlist”. Highlight a show and press SELECT to play. If you’ve already watched part of the show in another room, you can select “Resume” to pick up where you left off. You can use any of the DVR control buttons such as PAUSE, FFWD, ADVANCE, etc… while watching your recorded show.

My Playlist - Multi-Room Viewing

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

To see what’s available, Press MENU, select “On Demand”, then select either:

Channels On Demand (Channel 1000)

Cinema On Demand (Channel 1100)

Showcases (Channel 1999)

The DIRECTV on DEMAND service provides access to thousands of movies, shows, sports and more, that you can download and watch anytime you wish. Many are free, but we also offer a full selection of the best DIRECTV Cinema™ movies and Pay Per View events.

On Demand

Finding On Demand Programming

Note: In addition to getting here via the main menu, you can also tune directly to the channel using your remote control.

DIRECTV on DEMAND

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Channel 1000 is the DIRECTV on DEMAND home page from which you can access thousands of movies, shows, sports and more. Browse the listings by categor y such as, Movies, Kids and Family, TV Series, etc..

You can also choose “High-Def” to ﬁlter the listings to see only HD titles.

Channels On Demand Home

Be sure to check out your favorite programmer’s home page to see previews of their exciting new shows, or catch episodes you may have missed. Just like the Channels On Demand home page which is located on Channel 1000, these programmer home pages are located in the 1000s. Simply add a 1 in front of the regular DIRECTV channel number. For example, DIRECTV original programming is shown on channel 101. The 101’s DIRECTV on DEMAND channel is 1101.

Note: To enjoy the DIRECTV on DEMAND service, you need a connection to the Internet, HD Access and DVR service, broadband Internet service with a connection speed of 750 Kbps or higher (DSL or cable), a network router with an available Ethernet port, a land-based phone line connection, and an available wall outlet. If your receiver was connected to the internet during your professional installation, you’re all set. If not, see Appendix 2, “How to Network Your DVR” for instructions.

DIRECTV on DEMAND

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Channel 1100 is the Cinema On Demand home page where you can access all of the biggest and best movies. If your DVR is broadband connected you will have access to the entire Cinema On Demand library. But even if you’re not connected to the Internet, we’ll have a selection of top movies available for you to watch right now.

Showcases offers you DIRECTV content such as instructional videos, behind the scenes clips and video extras, information about DIRECTV sports subscriptions, special offers, trailers and more.

Cinema On Demand

Showcases

DIRECTV on DEMAND

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To record DIRECT V on DEMAND programs, browse the home pages to ﬁnd a title you want to download. Select the title to display the program’s info screen. From here, select “Add to Queue” and the program will be placed in your download queue. An orange circle icon with the letter “Q” in the center, appears next to the program title to indicate that it has been scheduled for download. Once a program starts downloading, it appears in your Playlist and is ready to be viewed.

After adding a show to your queue, press the YELLOW button to see the VOD Queue screen, which lists the shows you have waiting to download. The ﬁrst title is currently downloading and the ones below it are next in line.

Highlight a title and press the RED button to delete it from the queue. Highlight a show and press the GREEN button to move it to the top of the queue. Highlight the arrow to the right of a title and use the UP or DOWN ARROWS to adjust download priority.

Some programs are available to watch immediately and do not require download. Select the category “On Now” for available titles. Also, if you’re browsing titles and see one with a green circle icon with a white check mark in the center, this also indicates that it’s “On Now.”

Downloading On Demand Shows

Checking the Download Queue

Note: HD shows will take longer to download than SD shows.

DIRECTV on DEMAND

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

If your home network gets congested, you can pause your downloads by pressing the YELLOW button from the Queue screen. Press the YELLOW button a second time to resume downloading. To get to the Queue screen from Live TV, press MENU, select “Manage Recordings”, then select “Queue.”

Once the program has started downloading, it will appear in your Playlist like the rest of your recorded shows. How quickly it downloads depends on

the speed of your broadband connection. If it is fast, you can start watching your show immediately while it is downloading. If the connection is slow, you may start watching the show, but when you “catch up” to what has been downloaded, the show will pause. The color of the download progress bar indicates whether the program will pause. Green means that it will not pause. Yellow means it might. Red means the program will eventually pause if you start watching now. (Note: Program playback pauses, but the download continues.)

You can easily tell which shows in your Playlist came from DIRECTV on DEMAND by the “VOD” label next to the program title. “VOD” stands for “Video on Demand.”

Pausing Your Downloads

Playing Your Downloaded Shows

DIRECTV on DEMAND

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Finding something to watch or record is fast and easy! Whether you’re looking for a movie, show, person, channel, sport, etc… as soon as you start typing we’ll instantly give you results. Smart Search ﬁnds all matching programs within the 14-day program guide as well as, within the DIRECTV on DEMAND library (if you’re connected to your home network).

Press MENU on your remote, select “Smart Search”, and start typing. There are two ways to input your search term:

1. Number keys on your remote – Use the number keys on your remote like

a cell phone to enter your search term. To erase letters, press the LEFT ARROW.

2. On-screen keypad – Highlight a letter in the keypad and press SELECT.

To erase the last letter, select DEL (delete) or select CLR (clear) to start over.

Smart Search

™

When you ﬁrst get to the search screen, select a poster for recommendations such as, interesting new programs, the most popular shows this week or programs about current events.

Tip: There’s no need to enter articles like “The” or “An“ preceding your search term.

Suggested Searches:

Smart Search (High-Deﬁnition Receivers)

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Results appear as soon as you type in the ﬁrst letter of your search term; but with each character entered, your results become more precise. The label on the right side of each item in the results list that tells you what type of content it is. The content types are: Movie, Show, Person, Channel #, or Category. There are many categories but a few examples include: Action/Adventure – Movie, Comedy – Movie, Romance – Movie, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Cooking and Travel. When you see what you’re looking for in the results list, highlight it and press SELECT.

If you select a Movie or Show:

A list of all upcoming airings of the movie or show displays with a short description of the program at the top of the screen. Highlight an airing and press the orange REC (record) button on your remote to schedule it to record. Alternately, press SELECT on a highlighted listing for detailed program info and additional options.

A few options you may want to try are “Cast & Crew” and “Similar Shows”. Cast & Crew provides you with the actors, directors, producers, composers, etc. that worked on the movie or show. Select a person’s name for a list of their other programs available in the program guide. Similar Shows offers titles of shows that are similar to the current program, such as prequels and sequels.

Search Results:

Smart Search (High-Deﬁnition Receivers)

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If you select a Person (i.e. Actor, Director or Producer):

A list of their upcoming programs displays. You’ll have the option to highlight and select individual programs to record or you can select “Autorecord” to record all programs matching the name of the Person you searched for. Autorecords are persistent. Therefore, any time a program becomes available in the Guide that matches your Person, it will automatically be recorded. To cancel an autorecord, press MENU, select “Manage Recordings” and select “Series Manager”. Highlight the autorecord and press the RED button.

You can also review the person’s “Filmography” which lists the movies or TV Shows spanning their career. In addition, “Awards” lists the titles of all the person’s movies or shows that were nominated for, or won, an award.

Smart Search (High-Deﬁnition Receivers)

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

If you select a Channel:

A list of all programs available on that channel displays in chronological order. Press select on “Tune Now” to view that channel. You can also highlight a program and press the orange REC (record) button on your remote to schedule it to record or press SELECT on a highlighted program for detailed program info and additional options.

Smart Search (High-Deﬁnition Receivers)

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If you select a Category:

Sample categories are: Movies, Science Fiction, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Cooking, Exercise/Fitness, Travel, etc…

A list of upcoming programs matching that category displays. Highlight a program and press the orange REC (record) button on your remote to schedule it to record or press SELECT on a highlighted listing for detailed program info and additional options.

Smart Search (High-Deﬁnition Receivers)

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DVR USER GUIDE

Keyword Search

A keyword search is an in-depth search that looks for programs by matching a keyword (of your choice), to a program’s title or description. The more speciﬁc you can be with your keyword, the better your search results will be. If you enter a word that’s part of a larger word, you may get unintended results. For example, if you enter “cats” you may get results that include “Catskills Mountains” as well as, “Cats in Washington.”

You can enter a phrase such as, “Wild Cats” but it must match the program information exactly. It’s usually better to use single words.

Smart Search (High-Deﬁnition Receivers)

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RED button

To perform a Keyword search:

Press MENU on your remote and select “Smart Search”.

Type in your keyword and press the RED button on your remote.

Select a category to narrow your results or if you don’t want to

narrow, select “All”.

A list of programs matching your keyword displays.

When your search results display, you’ll have the option to highlight and select individual programs to record or you can select “Autorecord” to record all programs matching your keyword. Autorecords are persistent. Therefore, any time a program becomes available in the Guide that matches your keyword, it will automatically be recorded. To cancel an autorecord, press MENU, select “Manage Recordings” and select “Series Manager”. Highlight the autorecord and press the RED button.

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DVR USER GUIDE

Recent Searches

If you’ve ever used the search feature to ﬁnd a favorite movie, actor, sports team etc…you can reuse your search (and avoid extra typing). Your receiver displays your 25 most recent searches.

Press MENU on your remote and select “Smart Search”.

Highlight and select “Recent Searches” at the bottom of the keypad.

Highlight a previous search from the list and press “SELECT”.

Smart Search (High-Deﬁnition Receivers)

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Use the “Search for Shows” option to ﬁnd programs based on Title, Person, Channel or Keyword. This powerful tool ﬁnds all programs that match your criterion within the 14-day program guide as well as the DIRECTV on DEMAND service (if you are connected to your home network).

To start your search, press MENU on your remote, select “Search for Shows”, and then select the search type: “Title”, “Person”,“Channel”, “Keyword” or “Recent Searches.”

Using the on-screen keypad, enter one letter at a time by highlighting the letter you want and pressing SELECT. Select DEL (Delete) to get rid of the last letter or CLR (Clear) to start over if you make a mistake. You do not have to enter the initial article like “The” or “An.” Each time you enter a letter, the search becomes more precise. You don’t always have to enter the complete word. Just the ﬁrst few letters will usually get you close enough.

If you select “Title”:

Use the on-screen keypad to type in the ﬁrst 3-4 characters of your title. A list of all movie and show titles matching your search term will display. If a program is being broadcast on more than one channel, a folder icon will display next to the title. DIRECTV on DEMAND titles have a VOD icon next to them. Highlight a title and press SELECT for program info and recording and other options.

Search for Shows

Search for Shows (Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers)

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

If you select “Person”:

Use the on-screen keypad to type in the ﬁrst 3-4 characters of person’s last name. You’ll see a list of names which include actors, actresses and directors. After you select a name, you’ll be given the option select a category to narrow your search results. If you don’t want to narrow, select “All”.

A list of program titles will display. Highlight and select an individual program to record or select “Autorecord” to record all programs for the person selected. Autorecords are persistent. Therefore, any time a program becomes available in the Guide that matches your Person, it will automatically be recorded.

Search for Shows (Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers)

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If you select “Channel”:

Use the on-screen keypad to enter the ﬁrst few letters of the channel name. For example, type in “BL” to ﬁnd Bloomberg. Highlight and select the desired channel from the list.

A list of programs scheduled on that channel will display. Highlight a title and press SELECT for program info and recording and other options.

Search for Shows (Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers)

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

If you select “Keyword”:

• Press MENU on your remote and select “Search for Shows,” then select

“Keyword.”

• Type in your keyword and select “Continue”.

• Select a category to narrow your results or if you don’t want to narrow, select

“All”.

• A list of programs matching your keyword displays.

If you select “Recent Searches”:

This handy feature displays a list of your 25 most recent searches in case you want to update or reuse a search you used previously.

• Press MENU on your remote, select “Search for Shows” then select “Recent Searches.”

• Highlight a previous search from the list and press “SELECT”.

Search for Shows (Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers)

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Manage Recordings

Once you have scheduled recordings, you can ﬁnd the status and histor y of those recordings by pressing MENU and selecting “Manage Recordings” to see the following options: To Do List, Queue, History, Purchases, Series Manager (or Prioritizer), Manual Record (or Manual) and Record Defaults. These features are described on the next few pages.

The To Do List displays recordings your DVR is scheduled to make in the future. Icons next to the titles indicate whether the recording is a single

event, part of a series, or an autorecord based on a person or keyword search. The list is ordered by time with the next recordings at the top and the furthest in the future at the bottom. You can use this screen to make sure your recordings are properly scheduled or to delete future scheduled recordings you no longer want to record. The To Do list does not display DIRECTV on DEMAND programs scheduled for download over the Internet; these are shown in the Queue screen.

Deleting single shows is easy: Simply highlight the show you want to delete and press the RED button on the remote. A conﬁrmation message will appear before you can delete the show.

If you want to delete an entire series from the To Do List, select the show, select “Series Options”, then select “Cancel Series.”

To Do List

Manage Recordings

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

The Queue screen displays DIRECTV on DEMAND titles that are in the queue waiting to be downloaded to the hard drive. See the DIRECTV on DEMAND section earlier in this chapter for details. Programs that have completed downloading are displayed in the Playlist.

Queue

Provides status information for every recording scheduled, whether they were completed, canceled or deleted. If you think something should have been recorded, but wasn’t, check here to look for an explanation.

Provides status information for all Pay Per View programs that were bought and, if viewed, the date and time.

History

Purchases

Manage Recordings

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The Series Manager screen (or Prioritizer screen on Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers) displays a prioritized list of all the series you’ve scheduled to

record. If there is a series recording conﬂict and the receiver must choose which show to record, it uses this list to determine the priority. As you set up series recordings, the most recent series goes to the bottom of the list in last priority. You can change the order of the priority at any time by selecting “Series Manager”, selecting the show you want to move, moving the highlight to the right, and then using the arrow keys to promote or demote the series.

There are a couple of color key short cuts on this screen as well. Use the RED button to delete an entire series. Use the GREEN button to move a highlighted show to the top of the list in one press.

You can also adjust the recording options used for a particular series from this screen. Select the series you want, then select “Series Options” (or Rec. Series) and change the recording options as desired.

Series Manager (or Prioritizer)

Manage Recordings

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

There may be times when you want to set up a manual recording based on channel, time and date. In this case, select Manual Record (or Manual) and enter all of the options as you wish, including whether you want this to be a one-time or recurring recording (i.e. every Tuesday), channel, day and date, start time and duration. You can schedule a manual recording up to 14 days in advance.

Manual Recordings

Manage Recordings

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The Record Defaults screen lets you set the recording options you want the receiver to use every time it does a recording. The receiver’s default settings work best in the vast majority of cases, but you may want to change them to your personal preferences.

Record Defaults

When recording a series, the Episode Type gives you the option to record

ﬁrst run only, repeats only, or both.

The Keep at Most option lets you decide how many episodes you want to

keep: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 or All. If you select “All Episodes” for a show that appears many times in the guide, you may ﬁnd it uses disk space rapidly.

The Keep Until option lets you keep a recording until you delete it or until

the disk is full, in which case the DVR can delete it automatically if the disk ﬁlls up. A recording that is labeled “Keep Until I Delete” will never be deleted until you do it manually; if all of your recordings are labeled that way and the disk ﬁlls up, no new recordings will occur until you manually delete some of your “Keep Until I Delete” recordings.

Finally, the Start and Stop options let you adjust the times of your

recordings to ensure you don’t miss a thing. Keep in mind that starting early and ending late on all of your recordings may create more recording conﬂicts than if you started and stopped on-time (according to the program guide schedule). If you ﬁnd a particular series runs habitually late or early, it is better to adjust that series using the program’s Info screen rather than set the recording defaults, which would affect all of your DVR recordings. Press MENU, select “Manage Recordings,” then select “Series Manager” (or Prioritizer). Select the program you want to adjust, then select “Series Options” (or Rec. Series).

Manage Recordings

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

“Music, Photos & More” is an optional menu item, only seen if your DVR is connected to your home network, see explanation below. Compatible models include the DIRECTV Plus® HD DVR (models HR20 or later) or DIRECTV Plus® DVR (model R22). Other models may support DIRECT V Media Share in the future.

Your DIRECTV Receiver can be connected to your home network to show photos and play music and videos that you have saved on your personal computer. You must have at least one personal computer running a media server (e.g. TVersity, Windows Media Player, Intel Viiv) in your network for this service to work. The setup is similar to that used for the DIRECT V on DEMAND service. See Appendix 2 for details on how to connect your DVR to your home network. Please visit directv.com/mediashare for more information.

Once your DVR is properly connected to the media server on your home network, a new item will appear in the main menu: “Music, Photos & More.” When selected, the DIRECT V Media Share screen will display.

Music, Photos and More

Music, Photos & More

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Select “Music” to go to the Music submenu, where you can access music by Artist, Album, Song, Playlists and Channel. Your favorite music will play as you watch T V or view photos from your PC.

Once the desired songs are selected from the Music submenu, the song’s information will display on the Progress bar.

Select “Photos”, go to the Photos submenu. Select “Browse” to see several photos at once.

Music, Photos & More

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

You can listen to music and display photos at the same time.

Press the GREEN button on your remote to toggle between music, photos and video control modes. Pressing the STOP button while in music control mode stops the music from playing and the audio from the current channel is then heard.

Pressing the STOP button while in photo control mode stops the display of photos and displays the video from the current channel.

Music, Photos & More

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Caller ID

This feature allows you to conﬁgure and review your Caller ID (if you have that phone service and your receiver is connected to the phone line).

To set up your receiver to display an onscreen notices whenever you receive a call, press MENU and select “Caller ID,” then select “Turn on Notices.” This will toggled the option to now read “Turn off Noﬁces.”

You can review your 25 most recent calls in the call log at any time. To see your call log, press MENU, select “Caller ID” then select “Call Log.” Highlight and select a name to delete that listing from your log.

Standard-Definition Receivers

On Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers, set up your receiver to display onscreen call notices as follows: Press MENU, select “TVmail & Caller ID,” then “Turn On Notices.”

To display your Call Log, select “TVmail & Caller ID,” select “Edit Settings”, then select “Caller ID.”

Note: You must subscribe to caller ID service through your phone company and your receiver must be connected to the phone line.

Caller ID

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

DIRECTV sends messages to you via satellite for important news items or special promotions. We also summarize important software changes or new features that we download to your receiver. When you have new mail, the “envelope” message icon will appear in the channel banner of any program you are watching.

Simply press MENU and select “TVmail,” to see your DIRECTV Messages.

TVmail

Standard-Definition Receivers

On Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers, press MENU, select “TVmail & Caller ID,” then “TVmail” to see your messages.

TVmail

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Parental, Fav’s & Setup

Selecting “Parental, Fav’s & Setup” in the main menu displays items that lets you customize and adjust your DIRECTV viewing experience.

Parental Controls enable parents to place certain restrictions on just who’s watching what, and requires a passcode to view restricted programming. Whether it’s for mature content, spending amounts, or even the number of hours of TV watching allowed, you’re always able to keep limitations where you want them for the whole family.

Press MENU, select “Parental, Fav’s & Setup,” select “Parental Controls,” and then “Edit Settings.” You’ll see the current status, showing any restrictions. The system default is “unlocked” for all categories.

Parental Controls

Select “Parental Controls” to limit what ratings your children are

allowed to watch, how much they can spend for Pay Per View shows or even what hours they can watch DIRECTV Programming.

Select “Favorite Channels” to set up your own personal list of favorite

channels and then use it in the program guide and while surﬁng live TV for a more customized experience.

Select “System Setup” to adjust and conﬁgure how you want your TV

and DIRECTV® System to work together.

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - Parental Controls

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - Parental Controls

After setting the restrictions you want (see below for options), choose “Lock Now” from the left menu. You’ll be asked to create a passcode. You’ll want to make it easy enough to remember, but hard enough so someone can’t guess what it is! This passcode will be your entry to unlocking and adjusting limitations in the future.

An on-screen message will appear whenever anyone tries to tune to a channel or program that has been restricted, or attempts to spend or watch beyond limitations set. He or she will not be allowed to proceed without the passcode. Using your passcode, you can easily override the limits.

Making multiple entries aimed at guessing the passcode is discouraged by a time delay; each invalid passcode entered lengthens the delay for subsequent entry by one second.

To change your passcode at any time:

1. Press MENU, then select “Parental Fav’s & Setup”, then “Parental

Controls”, then “Edit Settings.”

2. Scroll down to Passcode and press SELECT.

3. Enter your old passcode, then enter a new one twice to conﬁrm.

Lock Now

Note: If you forget your passcode, call 1-800-DIRECTV to reset it. You must be the registered account holder and have your account number.

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Parental, Fav’s & Setup - Parental Controls

Note: If you have Parental Controls set and temporarily unlocked, turning the receiver off will turn the parental controls back on.

When parental controls are locked, a message appears if you try to tune to a restricted program explaining why the program is blocked. To temporarily unlock a particular program select “Unlock Now” and enter your passcode.

For more unlock options, press MENU, select “Parental Fav’s & Setup”, then select “Parental Controls.” Various options for removing restrictions temporarily or permanently will appear. Select one and enter your passcode.

Unlock Your Receiver

Set rating limits for Movies, TV and Other (unrated) shows. From the left menu, select “Rating Limits” then select either “Movies”, “TV” or “Other”.

Rating Limits (or Ratings)

On Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers, select “Ratings” and then highlight the desired tab using the GREEN and RED buttons on your remote to switch between tabs. There is a separate tab for Movies, TV and Other.

Standard-Definition Receivers

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - Parental Controls

Select the button next to the overall rating limit you wish to impose. Brief descriptions of the ratings appear for your guidance.

-Movies

Highlight and select the TV rating limit you desire. In addition to allowing or blocking shows by TV rating (i.e. TV_MA) you can also set rating limits for particular types of content such as, Fantasy Violence (FV), Dialogue (D), Language (L), Sexual Content (S) and Violence (V). A description of each content type displays when highlighted.

Highlight and select the box to toggle the setting between “Allow No Rating” and “Block No Rating.” If you choose “Block No Rating”, programming that has no rating such as, news and sports will not display.

-TV Programs

-Other Shows

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Parental, Fav’s & Setup - Parental Controls

Adult Channels

Hide adult channels in the program guide, Manage Recordings screens, and when channel surﬁng. Select “Adult Channels” (or “Adult Ch’s” on StandardDeﬁnition Receivers), then highlight and select the box to toggle between “Hide Adult” and “Show Adult”.

Prevent children from viewing pre-selected channels. Select “Channel Blocks” (or “Chan Blocks” on Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers). Scroll down the channel list and select those you wish to block. You can also key in channel numbers for quicker access. Use “Block All” or “Allow All” to save time.

Channel Blocks

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - Parental Controls

Limit the amount that can be spent on each Pay Per View purchase. Select “Spending Limits” (or “Spending” on Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers). Then enter your preferred spending dollar limit using the numbers on your remote.

Specify days and times when TV watching is allowed in your household. Select “Viewing Hours” (or “Hours” on Standard- Deﬁnition Receivers), then select the start times and durations for viewing. You can set hours based

on “school nights” — Monday-Thursday – and/or weekend nights—Friday-

Saturday, and Sunday.

Spending Limits

Viewing Hours

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Parental, Fav’s & Setup - Favorite Channels

The Favorites feature lets you create lists of your favorite channels. If a favorites list is active, you’ll see only those speciﬁc channels listed in the guide as well as, when you’re channel surﬁng in live TV. You can create up to two custom lists on this receiver. You can also choose “Channels I Get” to see only the channels that are in your DIRECTV programming package.

Access the Favorites feature from the main menu, the guide, or live TV. From the main menu, select “Parental, Fav’s & Setup,” then “Favorite Channels.” From live TV or the Guide, press the YELLOW button, then select “Change favorites list.”

If you haven’t created a Favorites list, the “Setup Custom 1” and “Setup Custom 2” options will be displayed. Select the one you want, and follow the on-screen instructions to create and name your list. Once your list is created, press the YELLOW button while in the guide or live TV, select “Change favorites list” and select the list you want to use.

Selecting a Favorites list makes it active and hides the display of all other channels in the guide. The name of the currently selected Favorites list is displayed in the bottom left of the program guide screen to remind you which list you are currently using. To return to displaying all channels, press the YELLOW button while in the guide or live TV, select “Change favorites list”, and select “All Channels”.

Favorite Channels

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

Go to System Setup to review or change your system settings which include, audio options, video format, tv resolution, network setup, remote control setup and more. Press MENU, select “Parental, Fav’s & Setup,” then “System Setup.”

Select “Info & Test” to display the System Info & Test screen.

Select “Run System Test” to initiate a test of the tuners, access card, receiver ID and phone line.

Select “More System Info” to review your basic system information such as receiver model, receiver ID, access card number, software version etc… as well as, current receiver settings. This information can be useful during troubleshooting.

Note: Running the System Test will interfere with live TV and any current

recordings.

System Setup

Info & Test

For Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers select “Info & Test” and then press the GREEN and RED buttons on your remote to move between the System Info and System Test screens.

Standard-Definition Receivers

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Select “Display” and then select either “Preferences”, “Captioning” or “Clock”.

Display

For Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers select “Display” and then press the GREEN and RED buttons on your remote to move between the Preferences, TV Ratio and Time Zone screens.

Standard-Definition Receivers

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

These are user interface display settings which include:

Recording Tips (High-Deﬁnition Receivers ONLY): Turn “On” or

“Off” helpful tips that display on screen whenever you schedule a recording.

Guide HD Channels (High-Deﬁnition Receivers ONLY): Choose

whether you want the guide to show you HD channels and their duplicate SD channels or to hide the SD duplicates.

Guide shows: Select whether you want the ﬁrst press of the GUIDE

button to take you directly to the program guide or to go to the category ﬁlter ﬁrst. No matter which one you choose, pressing GUIDE a second time shows you the other option.

-Preferences

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

On High-Deﬁnition receivers, select “Captioning” to turn closed captioning on or off, and to select the font style, size and color for the display of captions.

High-Def inition Receivers

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

Language: Select your preferred on-screen text language.

Scrolling Effects: Turn scrolling effects on or off. This affects the

appearance of large text areas when they scroll.

Banner Time: Set the channel banner time to determine how

quickly the banner disappears after moving to a new channel.

-Captioning

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TV Ratio

On Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers, select the “TV Ratio” tab to set the “aspect ratio” of your TV. Most Standard-Deﬁnition TVs are 4:3. Most high-deﬁnition (HD) TVs are 16:9. This option is also available on HighDeﬁnition Receivers. Go to Chapter 2 - System Setup, HDTV for more information.

Standard-Definition Receivers

Select “Clock” (or “Time Zone” on Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers) to set your time zone and whether you want the receiver to show Daylight Savings time or not.

-Clock

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

For Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers select “Audio” and then press the GREEN and RED buttons on your remote to move between the Language, Sound Effects and Dolby® Digital screens.

Standard-Definition Receivers

Select “Audio” to make a persistent change to your audio settings.

Not all TV programs deliver Dolby® Digital 5.1 audio. Look for the Dolby® Digital icon in the program description and Channel Banner.

HD Channels include 5.1 surround sound when available from the programmer. Additional equipment is required and sold separately. “Dolby” and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

Audio options include:

Audio

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

Note: To change your preferred audio language temporarily, use the Audio

Options item from the Options menu in Live TV, or press GREEN while watching live TV to cycle through the available audio tracks.

Language: Select your preferred audio language, i.e. English,

Spanish, Chinese, etc…

Sound Effects: Select the volume of sound effects

Dolby® Digital: Select whether you want Dolby® Digital audio output

on or off, i.e. for a surround sound system.

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Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

HDTV

Select “HDTV” and then select either “Video”, “TV Ratio” or “TV Resolution”. Before you get started, you may want to review Appendix 3, About High-Deﬁnition, which describes HD formats and resolutions.

Set your preference for the following screen options: Native, Screen Format and Bar Color.

Native: You can turn Native mode ON or OFF. When Native Mode is ON,

your TV auto-changes to match the resolution of the program coming into the receiver. For example, if Native mode is ON and a program is being broadcast in 480p, your High-Deﬁnition Receiver tells the TV to show it in that same format. If the next program changes to 1080i, the receiver tells the TV to change to that format. Native mode slows down the system’s response time to channel changes since the receiver and TV must adjust the picture resolution at every channel change. Because of this, the default setting is OFF. When Native Mode is OFF, your receiver will display the program at the highest resolution set on the “TV Resolutions” screen.

Screen Format: When a program is broadcast in a format that does

not exactly ﬁt your TV screen, your receiver will automatically size the picture. Screen Format options include Original Format, Pillar Box (Widescreen 16:9 HDTVs only), Letterbox (Standard 4:3 HDTVs only), Stretch and Crop.

-Video

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

Set the aspect ratio that matches your T V. Options are Standard 4:3 or Widescreen 16:9.

Select the resolutions your TV can support so your receiver can pass the proper signal. To ﬁnd the resolutions your TV supports, check the user’s guide that came with your TV. If you select a resolution your T V doesn’t support, the receiver will reset the setting after a few seconds.

-TV Ratio

-TV Resolutions

If you’re watching a widescreen movie on a Standard 4:3 TV, you may want to choose “Letterbox” which places bars on the top and bottom of the screen.If your HDTV is 4:3 aspect ratio, you may want to “Crop” or cut off the content at the left and right side of the screen while preserving the proportion of the picture that remains. You can also “Stretch” the picture vertically or horizontally to ﬁll up the screen.

Bar Color: Select the Bar Color option to set the color of the bars

displayed when you view programming in Letterbox or Pillar box modes.

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Network Setup

Select “Network Setup” to setup and test the connection of your DVR to the Internet. See Appendix 2, “How to Network Your DVR” for details.

For Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers, select “Remote” and then select either “Program Remote”, “IR/RF Setup”, or “Receiver Mode”.

High-Def inition Receivers

Standard-Definition Receivers

When the MODE switch on your remote is in the left-most position, it controls your DIRECTV Receiver. However, you can also program the AV1, AV2 and TV positions to control other equipment such as your TV, DVD, VCR or Stereo.

Remote Control

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

Follow the step by step instructions to set your remote to control your TV or other A/V equipment such as, a DVD player or surround sound system. For best results, it is helpful to know the model number and brand of your equipment.

This is also where you’ll have the option to “Reset Remote” which clears the AV1, AV2 and TV modes.

-Program Remote

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

Select “Receiver Mode” if you want to use one remote to command a second DIRECTV® Receiver.

Use this option to setup your remote to control 3 or more receivers in one room.

Certain remote control models feature RF (radio frequency) capability. Refer to the model number printed on the top left corner of your DIRECTV Remote Control. Look for the letter(s) “R” or “RB” are at the end of the model number which indicates that the remote supports radio frequency.

If you have a remote with RF capability you can change the remote’s signal from Infrared (IR) to RF. While the IR signal requires a clear line of sight to the front of the receiver, RF signals let you put your receiver inside a cabinet or behind solid doors and still be able to command it from up to 200 feet away.

-Receiver Mode

-Advanced Setups

-IR/RF Setup

Note: Not all DIRECTV Receivers are RF-capable.

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Sat & Antenna (or Satellite)

Location

On High-Deﬁnition Receivers, the “Antenna Setup” option can be used to display channels received via your off-air antenna in the Guide. You must have an off-air (terrestrial) antenna connected to your HD DVR Receiver. Not all HD DVR’s have a built-in off-air tuner.

If you’re using DIRECTV’s Multi-Room service (aka MRV) you can use this option to set or change your DVR Playlist Sharing preferences or to create or change the names of each receiver location. To learn more, read the “Multi-Room Viewing” section in Chapter 2.

High-Def inition Receivers

This option is used by installers when your system is initially set up; you should not have to use it. However, you can use this screen to view the satellite signal strength your receiver is getting or to repeat the satellite setup procedure.

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

Reset

WARNING: All your recordings will be erased from the hard drive!

The Reset screen lets you restart the receiver, reset to factory defaults, or reset everything.

“Restart Receiver” is the same function as pressing the red reset button

behind the access card door on the front of the receiver. This option does not affect your settings and scheduled recordings.

“Reset Defaults” erases all of your personal preference items, such as

parental controls, favorites, language and scheduled recordings, and restores the receiver conﬁguration to how it was set at the factory.

“Reset Everything”: Completely erases everything from system memory

and starts over like a new receiver, starting over with Guided Setup.

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

Note: If Parental Controls are locked, you must enter your password to reset

the receiver.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

CHAPTER 2 - Detailed Information

Access Card

Do not select Access Card unless you have a new access card provided by DIRECTV. DIRECTV will provide new access cards and instructions when necessary. Follow the on-screen directions to replace your access card. You will need your old and new access cards to complete this process.

Standard-Definition Receivers

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

On Standard-Deﬁnition Receivers, press MENU, select “Customer Care & Help” and then select “Help Topics”.

Standard-Definition Receivers

Parental, Fav’s & Setup - System Setup

For helpful information about your receiver as well as, frequently asked questions (FAQs), press MENU, select “Parental, Fav’s & Setup” and then select “Help”. Select a folder to open it, and then select a topic of your choice. Press the GREEN button to go to the FAQ tab.

Help Topics and FAQs

CHAPTER 3 - CONNECTIONS FOR TV AND AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT

CONNECTIONS ..................................................................100

SETUP AND ACTIVATION .................................................104

DIRECTV PLUS

DVR USER GUIDE

100

Your Phone Connection

Connections for Auxiliary Equipment

Connections

Tip:

To obtain the best picture quality, make sure the receiver is connected directly to the TV.

Note:

Never connect an IN to an IN or an OUT to an OUT. All A/V jacks and inputs are color coded. Always match the color of the plug to the same color of the jack.

For the best user experience and system performance we highly recommend that your system be professionally installed. Call 1-800-DIRECTV to schedule an installation.

Connecting your receiver to a land-based telephone line saves you money because it allows you to purchase DIRECTV Cinema™ movies and Pay-Per-View events without calling DIRECTV to order. It is required for sports package subscriptions and is also used to enhance the interactive features available on our interactive channels. The receiver uses a toll-free number once a month for a few minutes and is designed not to interfere with your regular phone service. You will need an RJ11-type modulator jack (the most common type of phone jack). If you disconnect the phone line, the receiver will not allow you to purchase PPV programs and some features of our interactive channels will be limited. Do not connect your receiver to a digital PBX phone system — doing so may permanently damage your equipment and

void your warranty.

The following instructions apply if you are upgrading to a new TV or adding a surround sound system, DVD player/burner or VCR some time after your professional installation. Due to restrictions imposed by copyright holders, certain programming may include content protection measures that may restrict viewing or recording with certain consumer electronics equipment attached to the receiver. Please contact the manufacturer of such equipment for additional information.

Not all cables come with your digital satellite receiver; you may need to purchase additional cables depending on your setup.

DirecTV PLUS DVR, PLUS HD DVR, HD DVR User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual