DirecTV R10 User Manual

DIRECTV

DVR User’s Guide

User’s Guide

DIRECTV DVR

To navigate the DIRECTV® DVR’s on-screen menus, use the remote control’s arrow buttons to move the highlight bar onto the option you want, then press SELECT.

The LEFT arrow button often takes you to a previous screen.

Select

Arrow Buttons

Two Types of On-Screen Arrows

The On-Screen Menus and the Remote Control

The arrows that appear beside or near the highlight bar show possible directions. For example: on this screen, you could press the RIGHT arrow to highlight Options or the DOWN arrow to highlight Edit Keyword WishList.

Highlight Bar

Arrows Near Highlight Bar

When you see page up or page down arrows at the top or bottom of the screen (or a list), press the CHAN UP/DOWN button to jump to more items an entire page at a time.

Page Up Arrow

Page Down Arrow

Chan Up/Down Button

Chan

102

798

465

Vol

Chan

TVSAT

( )

DIREC

Hints & Shortcuts

DIRECTV Button

Window

Arrow Buttons

Exit

List

Select

Thumbs Down

Mute

Volume

Play

Pause

Back (rewind)

Slow

Instant Replay

Number Buttons

Clear

Remote Active Light

Live TV

Info

Guide

Thumbs Up

Chan Up/Down

Record

Fast Forward

Advance

SAT/TV Switch

Enter/Last

TV Power TV Input

Press GUIDE to see the DIRECTV Advanced Program Guide™, then

press INFO (while the guide is visible) to see Guide Options and change the day or time, or show only a category of programs.

Press EXIT while watching a program to hide things that aren't part

of the program (like the channel banner and status bar).

Press ENTER/LAST while watching live TV to jump to the last

channel you were watching.

ADVANCE moves you quickly through saved programming. Press it

while you are fast forwarding or rewinding to jump to the next tick mark on the status bar.

When you’re watching “behind” live TV (for example, if you paused live TV and later resumed watching from the paused spot), ADVANCE catches you up to the live broadcast. In a recorded program, press it once to jump to the end of the program, then again to jump to the beginning.

If you program your remote control (as explained in chapter 6), the

TV POWER, VOLUME, MUTE, and TV INPUT buttons can control your TV and A/V equipment.

The SAT/TV switch sets the remote control to send channel

changing signals to either the DVR (SAT) or the television (TV). Many of the remote control’s buttons are disabled when this switch is set to TV (for example, SLOW, FAST FORWARD and PAUSE), so if your remote control doesn’t seem to be working, check to make sure this switch is set to SAT.

Press the DIRECTV button once to go to DIRECTV Central, or twice to

go to the Now Playing List.

LIST brings you directly to the Now Playing List.

Press (fast forward) and (back or rewind) up to 3 times for 3

speeds. Press a fourth time, or press PLAY, to resume normal play.

INSTANT REPLAY replays the last 8 seconds of a program.

Press CLEAR to delete a title in a list (like the Now Playing list) or to

clear things that aren’t part of the program you’re watching (like the channel banner and status bar).

INFO brings up the channel banner. Press RIGHT arrow while the

banner is visible to switch among three versions of the banner, each with a different amount of information.

CHAN UP/DOWN does more than change the channel—it also pages

up or down through lists of programs or menu items.

With dual tuner enabled, press LIVE TV or DOWN arrow while

watching live TV to switch between the two tuners.

Inserting Batteries in the Remote Control

Hold the remote with the battery door facing you. Place your thumb

in the depression of the door and slide the door towards you.

Insert two AA batteries (supplied). Be sure to match the + and -

marks on the batteries to the + and - marks in the compartment.

Replace the battery door by sliding it back into the case with the

tabs towards the rear of the compartment. You’ll hear a click when it’s securely back in place.

Welcome to DIRECTV

TOCOM 16390140

TiVo, the TiVo logo, TiVolution, Overtime Scheduler, Ipreview, the Instant Replay logo, the Advance logo, and the TiVo and Smile design are registered trademarks of TiVo Inc. Season Pass, WishList, the Thumbs Down logo and text, and the Thumbs Up logo and text are trademarks of TiVo Inc. 1999, 2004. All rights reserved. TiVo Inc., 2160 Gold Street, P.O. Box 2160, Alviso, CA 95002-2160.

Product and service are covered by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,241,428; 6,233,389; 6,327,418; 6,385,739; 6,490,722; 6,642,939; 6,643,798; D435,561; and D445,801. Other patents pending.

Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. “Dolby” and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

iii

Welcome to the DIRECTV family!

Whether you've been enjoying DIRECTV® service for years or this is your first experience with us, we are excited to introduce to you the DIRECTV DVR. Now you can enjoy the best and widest variety in digital entertainment with the added convenience of digital video recording, all in one receiver.

All digital, all the time. DIRECTV offers access to over 225 channels of Hollywood hits, classic movies, family programming, news, and exciting sports action. Plus access to up to 36 commercial-free music channels—all in digital-quality picture and sound.

DIRECTV

Pay Per View movies and events. With DIRECTV service, the main event is in

your home! You’ll have access to great movies, exclusive special live sports, concerts and special events. DIRECTV offers up to 55 different pay per view choices a day. Just use your remote control to give all your friends and family a front-row seat! (Connection to a standard phone line required.)

DIRECTV knows sports. DIRECTV offers access to more sports than you ever thought possible. So you can follow your favorite team across the country with our pro & college sports subscriptions. DIRECTV will take you to the arena for the best sports has to offer.

With DIRECTV

DVR with TiVo®, you're in control. The DIRECTV DVR brings you the

latest in television technology, including the DIRECTV Advanced Program Guide

™

, with up to 14 days of program listings, and the ability to pause and replay live TV. Plus, with Pick Programs to Record and the other easy-to-use features of your DIRECTV

DVR with

TiVo

service, you'll never miss your favorite shows again.

Table of Contents

Using this Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Chapter 1: Connecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Useful Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Cables and Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Setup Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Chapter 2: Guided Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Satellite Dish Guided Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Activate Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Phone Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

DIRECTV Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Chapter 3: The Basics in 5 Short Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Tour 1: Play with Live TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Tour 2: DIRECTV Advanced Program Guide™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Tour 3: Find and Record Your Favorite Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Tour 4: Find New Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Tour 5: Now Playing List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Cool Things You Can Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Chapter 4: Pick Programs to Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Season Pass, Recording Options, To Do List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Using the Guide to Find Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Find Your Favorite Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Find Programs That Match Your Interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Pay Per View and DIRECTV

On Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Chapter 5: Watching Live TV and Recorded Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Using the Control Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Channel Banner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Watching Live TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Watching Programs from Now Playing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Save to VCR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Music Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Chapter 6: Messages and Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Messages from DIRECTV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Purchases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Phone Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Remote Control Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

System Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

System Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Restart or Reset System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Standby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Chapter 7: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Contacting Customer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Questions About Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Questions About Live TV (Including Satellite Signal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Questions About Pick Programs to Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Questions About Parental Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Questions About the DVR’s Phone Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Questions About Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Questions About Pay Per View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Questions About the Remote Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Questions About the DIRECTV

DVR with TiVo® Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Chapter 8: Warranty and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Limited 90 Day Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

DIRECTV PROTECTION PLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

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

Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Appendix A: Back Panel Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Appendix B: GNU General Public License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Glossary of Icons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover

vii

Using this Guide

This User’s Guide describes how to connect your new DIRECTV® DVR to your television and other audio/video equipment. It also provides valuable information about the features and use of the DVR.

Remote Control Tips & Glossary of Icons. The inside front cover of this guide provides an introduction to the remote control. The inside back cover has a Glossary of Icons that explains many of the graphic symbols you will see when using your DVR.

Useful Terms. Many technical terms in this guide are explained in the Useful Terms section beginning on page 4.

Menu Paths. Notes at the bottom of some pages show you how to find the screen being discussed on that page. For example, page 51 describes the “Record by Time or Channel” feature. At the bottom of the page is the note “DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to

Record Record by Time/Channel.” This note means you can find Record by Time/

Channel, the screen being discussed, by going to DIRECTV Central (press the DIRECTV button on your remote control) and selecting Pick Programs to Record, then Record by Time/Channel.

DIRECTV

DVR with TiVo® Service. This is the program searching and recording service

provided through the DIRECTV

DVR.

DIRECTV DVR. Refers to the digital video recorder (DVR) hardware.

Throughout this guide, you will

see important and helpful notes

and tips in this format.

viii

The TiVo Logo. As you use your DIRECTV DVR, you’ll see the TiVo logo in places like

the Now Playing List and Suggestions. Your new DVR incorporates the latest DVR technology from TiVo. This means you have access to exclusive TiVo features such as WishList

™

searches, Season Pass™ recordings, Thumbs Up™ and Thumbs Down™,

Suggestions, and TiVolution

Magazine, all in one seamlessly integrated product that will

change the way you watch television.

Getting Started

After a satellite dish antenna has been installed, you’re ready to start using this guide:

1. Connect the DVR to your satellite dish and your TV. (See Chapter 1, “Connecting.”)

2. Complete Guided Setup to point your satellite dish antenna and activate the DIRECTV DVR service following the instructions in Chapter 2, “Guided Setup.”

Start using your DIRECTV DVR. It’s easy! Take the five tours in Chapter 3 for an interactive way to learn about the DVR’s powerful features. Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7 describe the DIRECTV

DVR with TiVo® service in detail. Read through them to become familiar with the service. Chapter 8 provides comprehensive troubleshooting in case you have questions.

Before you install the DVR, mount

the satellite dish antenna.

Professional installation is highly

recommended. Your dish must be

mounted, with cables running to the room

where your DVR will be installed, before

you can begin the DVR installation as

described in this guide. A Dual LNB dish

antenna connection is required for full

functionality.

CHAPTER

Connecting

Overview 2

Useful Terms 4

Cables and Accessories 7

Setup Examples 9

Chapter 1

Connecting

Overview

Television used to be so simple: all you needed was an antenna and a TV. The antenna captured audio and video signals and sent them to your TV over a wire.

As TVs have acquired more features, and new devices have been created to work with your TV, it may seem that everything has become more complex. You may have a VCR, a DVD player, and a game system connected to your TV, in addition to your DIRECTV

DVR. However, one thing has remained the same: you still need to get audio and video (sound and pictures) from their source (your satellite dish) to your TV.

Connecting to a Phone Line

Your DVR needs to be connected to a standard analog phone line to communicate with DIRECTV. The DVR occasionally makes a brief phone call to get updates to the DVR service and for pay per view functionality.

You do not need to install a new telephone jack or phone number for the DVR to work; it can detect when your phone line is in use and will only make calls when the phone line is available. If you don’t have a phone jack nearby, you can use the 25 foot phone cord that ships with the DVR. If your phone jack is being used for a phone, you can use a phone splitter (not provided) to connect both the phone and the DVR to the same phone jack.

Connecting a Dual LNB or a Multi-Satellite Dish Antenna

Your DVR comes equipped with two jacks for satellite input. Connecting both allows you to record from two channels at the same time (see Dual Tuner on page 5). All of the connection examples in this chapter give instructions for configuring the DVR with connections to both satellite input jacks.

Both a Round Dual LNB dish antenna and an Oval 2 or 3 satellite dish antenna connect to at least two Coaxial RF cables. To connect both of your DVR’s satellite input jacks, you

Your DVR should not be used with

a digital PBX phone system. Doing

so may permanently damage your DVR’s

modem and will void your warranty.

Digital PBX phone systems allow many

phones to share a single telephone

number and are usually used in hotels and

office buildings. If you are installing the

DVR in your home, it is very unlikely that

you are using a digital PBX phone system.

If you have a Single LNB satellite

dish antenna, you will need to

upgrade to a Dual LNB for full

functionality. Contact your satellite dish

antenna manufacturer for more

information about upgrading.

Overview

must have two Coaxial RF cables coming from your satellite dish antenna to the room where the DVR will be installed.

If you currently own a Dual LNB satellite dish antenna that is already connected to two TVs, you can purchase a multiswitch (described on page 5) that will allow you to connect two cables to your new DVR as well as one to an existing receiver for your second TV.

Using an Antenna or Cable Connection in Addition to DIRECTV Programming

If you have an antenna or cable connection in addition to your satellite dish antenna, you can watch antenna or cable channels while recording DIRECTV

channels. However, recording and other features (such as parental controls, purchasing pay per view programs, viewing on-screen menus, or pausing live TV), do not work on cable or antenna channels.

Caring for your DIRECTV DVR

Moving Your DVR. To prevent damage to sensitive components such as the hard disk

drive, ALWAYS unplug your DVR and then WAIT a moment for the hard disk to stop spinning before moving it. If you take your DVR with you to a location without satellite access—for example, on a weekend get-away to a mountain cabin—you will still be able to connect it to a television and watch programs saved in the Now Playing List.

Do not drop. Your new DVR contains a hard disk drive that is constantly in motion; it may be damaged if the DVR falls or is dropped. Place the DVR in a stable location.

Do not stack. Your DVR is NOT designed to carry the weight of other consumer components such as VCRs, DVD players, or A/V receivers.

Flat, hard surface. Rest your DVR on a flat, hard surface. Do not operate it on a carpet or other padded surface. This can inhibit proper ventilation and cause the DVR to overheat.

Use a surge protector. Like all electronics equipment, your DVR can be damaged by fluctuations in your power supply. Purchasing a surge protector is highly recommended.

For information on how to switch

between watching antenna or

cable channels and watching DIRECTV

channels, see the connection example in

this chapter that is most appropriate to

your configuration.

The DVR does not have an on/off

switch. To turn the DVR on, plug it

in. The DVR, like a clock or a refrigerator,

is designed to be “always on,” and does

not need to be turned off. This lets it

record programs and connect to the DVR

service to keep its data up-to-date.

If you must turn the DVR off—for example,

to move it—simply unplug it. (The DVR

does have an optional standby mode,

explained on page 104.)

Chapter 1

Connecting

Useful Terms

If you’re not an audio/video wizard, you may find yourself stumbling over some of the names, features and functions of various pieces of equipment. Here’s a quick reference to help you understand some of the terms you may encounter during installation.

Satellite Terms

Round Single Satellite Dish Antenna, Oval 2 Satellite Dish Antenna, and Oval 3 Satellite Dish Antenna. The names Round single, Oval 2, and Oval 3 satellite dish

antennas refer to both the most common shape of the dish and the number of satellites from which a dish can receive information. To determine what type of dish you have, look at the arm extending out from the dish. At the end of this arm are one or more “fingers” ending in mushroom shaped parts pointing back at the dish. A single satellite dish antenna has one of these “fingers” pointing back at the dish, a 2 satellite dish antenna has two, and a 3 satellite dish antenna has three. If you own a 2 or 3 satellite dish antenna, your DVR will not work properly unless you have connected a multiswitch with at least four inputs and two outputs. For a definition of a multiswitch, see page 5.

Single LNB and Dual LNB Satellite Dish Antennas. Single LNB and Dual LNB refer to the number of independent signals a dish can send to your audio/video equipment. A Single LNB sends one signal and has one jack, or connector, inside the arm extending from the dish. A Dual LNB sends two signals and has two jacks. The easiest way to determine what type of dish you have is to consult the documentation that came with the dish. Disassembling the dish to determine its type is not recommended.

Satellite Receiver. A satellite receiver does what its name suggests and more. It “receives” the signal from your satellite dish antenna, then translates it into a signal your TV can understand, then sends pictures and sound to your TV. Your DIRECTV

DVR has

a built-in satellite receiver.

Your DIRECTV DVR is multi-

satellite capable if used with a

DIRECTV Multi-Satellite Dish Antenna.

Round Single satellite dish antenna

Oval 2 satellite dish antenna

Oval 3 satellite dish antenna

Single LNB (Single Satellite)

Dual LNB (Single Satellite)

Satellite Receiver

Useful Terms

Dual Tuner. A tuner picks one channel out of all of your available channels. This allows you to view a single channel and to change channels. “Dual Tuner” means your DIRECTV

DVR has two tuners. It can pick out two channels at once, allowing you to

watch or record programs on two channels at the same time. See page 69 for more.

Multiswitch. A multiswitch lets you use the signal from one satellite dish antenna for more than two TVs. If you currently own a Dual LNB dish that is connected to two televisions, a multiswitch will allow you to connect two cables to your new DVR as well as one to a satellite receiver on your second television. If you own a 2 or 3 satellite dish antenna, your DVR will not work unless you have connected a multiswitch with at least four inputs and two outputs.

Access Card. Your access card contains information about your DIRECTV programming subscription. It must be properly inserted and activated for your DVR to work.

Transponder. A transponder is a piece of equipment on a satellite that broadcasts a set of channels to your satellite dish. If the DVR does not receive a signal for an individual transponder, it will not be able to show that transponder’s channels. Each satellite may have a different number of transponders on it.

Video, Audio, and Electronics Equipment and Terms

Switch Box. A switch box allows you to connect multiple devices to your TV, even if

your TV doesn’t have enough inputs to connect them all directly. It allows you to switch easily between devices, such as your DVR, a DVD player, and a game console. Switch boxes are inexpensive and can be purchased at electronics stores.

A/V Receiver. An Audio/Video receiver is the hub of a home theater system. It allows you to connect multiple audio and video devices and manage the signal from each device. With it you can switch easily between watching TV, viewing video from your DVD player, or running your game system, by changing the input source. An A/V receiver may

ACCE SS CARD

DIRECTV

Chapter 1

Connecting

also be used to drive two or more loud speakers for a theater-like audio experience. It may also offer features such as Dolby Digital audio.

Dolby Digital Audio. Some programs are broadcast with Dolby Digital audio: the soundtrack is recorded on six separate channels, each of which can be heard on one of six separate speakers. To hear Dolby Digital audio, you must use an Optical Digital Audio cable (not supplied) to connect your DVR to an A/V receiver capable of supporting Dolby Digital audio. Not all A/V receivers with optical audio inputs are capable of receiving Dolby Digital audio. You must also set your DVR to record using Dolby Digital audio. For more information, see page 80.

Dolby Surround Sound. Dolby Surround Sound audio is a technique for encoding surround sound audio on two channels. When decoded by a compatible A/V receiver, audio on these two channels is separated into as many as five signals which play through your home theater speakers. To hear Dolby Surround Sound audio, you must connect your DVR to an A/V receiver that supports Dolby Pro Logic or Dolby Pro Logic II. You can use either L/R (red and white) audio cables or an Optical Digital Audio cable.

Digital PBX Phone System. Digital PBX phone systems allow many phones to share a single telephone number and are usually used in hotels and office buildings. If you are installing the DVR in your home, it is very unlikely that you are using a digital PBX phone system. Do not connect your DVR to a digital PBX phone system. Doing so may permanently damage your DVR’s modem and will void your warranty.

Surge Protector. Like all electronics equipment, your DVR can be damaged by fluctuations in your power supply. Purchasing a surge protector is highly recommended. If you purchase a surge protector that allows you to plug in both your DVR’s power and your telephone cord, you may prevent damage to the parts of your DVR that are connected to your phone line as well!

Be sure to read the safety

instructions on page 131.

Cables and Accessories

In addition to your television and the equipment that shipped with this DIRECTV® DVR (shown below), you’ll need a satellite dish antenna

—which should be properly mounted

before you connect the DVR

—and a standard, analog phone line (see page 2 for details).

Composite A/V cable

25' Phone Cord Power Cord

1. These are the basics: 2. See page 8 to choose audio/

video cables. The carton contains one of each of the following:

3. You may need to purchase

these additional cables for some setups:

Coaxial RF cable

DVR

DIRECTV Access Card

Remote Control and 2 AA Batteries

Extra Composite A/V cable

102

798

465

Vol

Chan

TVSAT

( )

DIREC

ACCE SS CARD

DIRECTV

S-Video cable

Optical Digital Audio cable

Chapter 1

Connecting

Choosing Audio and Video Cables

Sounds and pictures travel through cables. The choice of cables may seem overwhelming, but they all perform the same function: they transfer sounds and pictures to your TV at varying levels of quality.

Most TVs and other audio/video devices have connectors (jacks) for Composite A/V cables (). Composite A/V cables have three ends, two (white and red) for stereo audio (left and right), and one (yellow) for video, providing excellent audio and video quality. If your equipment has composite A/V jacks, use this cable. If your TV has only one audio connector, connect just the white end, instead of both the red and the white ends.

The DVR’s back panel also includes connectors for S-Video (). S-Video provides a higher quality video signal than composite. You may want to use the S-Video cable instead of the yellow video end of the Composite A/V cable, if your equipment supports it. (You can still use the red and white ends of the Composite A/V cable for stereo audio.)

Some TVs only have Coaxial RF () jacks. If your TV only has an RF In connector, use a Coaxial RF cable (not supplied) to connect your DVR to your TV.

The DVR includes a Digital Audio (

) jack for Dolby Digital audio output. To use this

feature, you will need an Optical Digital Audio cable (not supplied), and a device (such as an A/V receiver) that accepts Dolby Digital input. If you use an Optical Digital Audio cable for sound, you'll also need a connection for the video signal. You can use an S-Video cable, or the yellow end of a Composite A/V cable. If you use a Composite A/V cable for video only, you don’t need to connect the red and white ends.

Ordinarily, your DVR produces tones to indicate when certain buttons on the remote control are pressed or to indicate signal strength when you are positioning your dish. If you are watching a program with digital audio, you will not hear these tones.

(S-Video)

(red)

(white)

(yellow)

(white)

(red)

(Coaxial RF)

(Digital Audio)

Composite A/V cable and jacks







Composite L/R Audio with S-Video cable

Coaxial RF cable (not supplied) & jack



Optical Digital Audio cable (not supplied) & jack

Setup Examples

Before you begin, make sure that all of your equipment is turned off and your DIRECTV

DVR is unplugged.

Your equipment has connectors, or jacks, where cables can be connected. Some jacks are labeled “In” and some are labeled “Out.” Pictures and sounds enter audio/video (A/V) equipment through IN jacks and leave through OUT jacks.

The remainder of this chapter provides detailed examples showing how to connect your DVR to your existing home entertainment system. First, follow the steps in the Basic Setup. Then, if you want to add additional devices, see the optional Setup Variations.

Basic Setup

• Connecting the DVR to your satellite dish and your TV. See page 10.

Setup Variations (optional)

• Variation 1: Adding an A/V receiver with Dolby Digital audio. See page 12.

• Variation 2: Adding a VCR. See page 14.

• Variation 3: Adding a second TV program source (antenna or cable). See page 16.

Connecting Other Devices. You may have other devices in your home entertainment system, such as a DVD player or game console, which don’t connect to your DVR. These devices should be connected to additional inputs on your TV, or to an A/V receiver. Be sure to consult your other devices’ owner’s manuals for setup information.

If you have trouble connecting equipment, or if your configuration isn’t covered by one of the setup examples in this chapter, see the “Back Panel Reference” on page 137.

Be sure to read the safety

instructions on page 131.

To meet FCC requirements,

shielded cables are required to

connect the DVR to your other equipment.

See the FCC Information on page 129.

OUT IN

ways connect cables from the

OUT jack of one device to the IN

jack of the next. Never connect an IN to an

IN or an OUT to an OUT.

Chapter 1

Connecting

Basic Setup: Connecting your DVR to your satellite dish and your TV

The audio/video cables shown

here are for example only. Use the

best connections available on your

equipment. For help choosing cables, see

page 8.

AudioVideo

A/V INPUT

Television

DIRECTV® DVR

Antenna In









Setup Examples

 Connect the Coaxial RF cables from your satellite dish to the Satellite In jacks on the

DIRECTV

DVR. You can connect either cable to either jack.

If you only have one Coaxial RF cable coming from your satellite dish antenna, connect it to the Satellite In 1 jack. Keep in mind that your DVR won’t have Dual Tuner functionality with only one satellite cable connected. (See page 2 for details.)

 Connect the S-Video cable from the DVR’s S-Video Output jack to the

S-Video Input jack on your TV.

If your TV doesn't have an S-Video Input jack, use the yellow end of the Composite A/V cable to connect video. If your TV only has an RF In connector, connect a Coaxial RF cable from the DVR’s RF Out jack to your TV.

 Connect the red and white ends of a Composite A/V cable from the DVR’s L/R Audio

Output jacks to the L/R Audio Input jacks on your TV. If your TV has only one audio

connector, connect just the white end.

 Take the Access Card out of its envelope and insert it into the slot on the DVR’s front

panel as shown in the diagram to the right (with the gold chip down). Stop when the card makes contact with the back of the slot. To watch DIRECTV

channels, you must

insert the card correctly and activate it. The Access Card slot is behind a small door.

 Connect the phone cord. (For more about the phone connection, see page 2.)

 Plug in your DVR and turn on your TV. Once you see the Welcome screen, you can

continue with “Guided Setup” on page 19.

If you don’t see the Welcome screen, make sure the correct input is selected on your TV. You may need to use the “INPUT,” “SOURCE,” or “TV/VIDEO” button on your TV’s remote to change the input. If you need help, see page 107.

If you use the DVR’s RF Out jack to

connect video to your TV, you

must also set the Channel 3/4 switch on

the back panel. Tune your TV to the same

channel (3 or 4) in order to view the signal

coming from the RF Out jack.



Chapter 1

Connecting

Variation 1: Adding an A/V receiver with Dolby Digital audio

The audio/video cables shown

here are for example only. Use the

best connections available on your

equipment. For help choosing cables, see

page 8.

AudioVideo

A/V INPUT

Television

DIRECTV® DVR

Antenna In



 

AUDIO INPUTS

VIDEO INPUTS VIDEO OUTPUTS

A/V Receiver





Setup Examples

 Connect the Coaxial RF cables from your satellite dish to the Satellite In jacks on the

DIRECTV

DVR. You can connect either cable to either jack.

 Connect the S-Video cable from the DVR’s S-Video Output jack to the S-Video Input

jack on your TV. If your TV doesn't have an S-Video Input jack, use the yellow end of the Composite A/V cable to connect video. If your TV only has an RF In connector, connect a Coaxial RF cable (not supplied) from the DVR’s RF Out jack to your TV.

Alternately, you can connect video from the DVR to your A/V receiver, then from the A/V receiver to your TV, using S-Video or Composite A/V cables. Consult your A/V receiver’s owner’s manual for its capabilities.

 Connect an Optical Digital Audio cable (not supplied) from the DVR’s Digital Audio

Output jack to the A/V receiver’s Digital Audio Input. Set your A/V receiver to play

audio from that input. (Consult your A/V receiver’s owner’s manual if you need help.)

 Take the Access Card out of its envelope and insert it into the slot on the DVR’s front

panel as shown in the diagram to the right (with the gold chip down). Stop when the card makes contact with the back of the slot. To watch DIRECTV

channels, you must

insert the card correctly and activate it. The Access Card slot is behind a small door.

 Connect the phone cord. (For more about the phone connection, see page 2.)

 Plug in your DVR and turn on your TV. Once you see the Welcome screen, you can

continue with “Guided Setup” on page 19.

If you don’t see the Welcome screen, make sure the correct input is selected on your TV. You may need to use the INPUT, SOURCE, or TV/VIDEO button on your TV’s remote to change the input. If you need help, see page 107.

If you use the DVR’s RF Out jack to

connect video to your TV, you

must also set the Channel 3/4 switch on

the back panel. Tune your TV to the same

channel (3 or 4) in order to view the signal

coming from the RF Out jack.



Chapter 1

Connecting

Variation 2: Adding a VCR

Before you begin:

Connect your DVR to your satellite

dish and your TV before adding a VCR. See

page 10 for Basic Setup instructions.

The audio/video cables shown

here are for example only. Use the

best connections available on your

equipment. For help choosing cables, see

page 8.

RF In

Out

3/4

Audio R

Video

OUT

AudioVideo

A/V INPUTS

Television

DIRECTV® DVR

Antenna In





VCR

Please see the DIRECTV Customer

Agreement for information about

private viewing of DIRECTV

Service.

Restrictions related to recording third

party content can be found in the DIRECTV

DVR Service Agreement. Both are

available at DIRECTV.com and in your first

bill.

Setup Examples

Before adding a VCR, see page 10 for Basic Setup instructions.

The DIRECTV

DVR has two sets of A/V Output jacks. You may have used one set

(labeled Output 1) when you completed the Basic Setup steps on page 10. You can connect a VCR using the other set (labeled Output 2).

 Connect a Composite A/V cable from the DVR’s A/V Output 2 jacks to the A/V Input

jacks on your VCR.

If your VCR only has RF jacks, connect a Coaxial RF cable (not supplied) from the DVR’s RF Out jack to the RF In jack on the VCR.

 Connect a Composite A/V cable from the A/V Output jacks on your VCR or DVD

recorder to another set of A/V Input jacks on your TV.

If your TV only has an RF In connector, connect a Coaxial RF cable (not supplied) from the VCR’s RF Out jack to the RF In jack on your TV.

To watch a video tape, change your TV’s input setting by pressing the INPUT, SOURCE, or TV/VIDEO button on your TV’s remote control until the correct input is displayed. If you have trouble changing your TV’s input setting, consult your TV’s owner’s manual. If you need help, see page 107.

To save recordings from your DVR to a video tape, use the “Save to VCR” feature. See page 75 for more information.

If you use Coaxial RF cables in

steps  and , you must set the

Channel 3/4 switch on the back of the

DVR to match the switch on the back of

your VCR. Then tune your TV to the same

channel (3 or 4) to view the signal.

Chapter 1

Connecting

Variation 3: Adding a second TV program source (antenna or cable)

Before you begin:

Connect your DVR to your satellite

dish and your TV before adding a second

TV program source. See page 10 for Basic

Setup instructions.

AudioVideo

A/V INPUT

Television

DIRECTV® DVR

Antenna In





Setup Examples

Before adding a second program source, see page 10 for Basic Setup instructions.

You may have a rooftop antenna or cable service subscription in addition to your DIRECTV

programming subscription. The DIRECTV® DVR has RF In and RF Out jacks

that can be used to pass an antenna or cable signal through the DVR and to your TV.

You can connect your antenna or cable signal to the DVR, or directly to the Antenna/RF In jack on your TV. Whichever method you choose, it’s important to remember that you will not have any DVR service functionality (pausing and rewinding live TV, setting up recordings, etc.) on cable or antenna channels.

 Connect the Coaxial RF cable that carries your antenna or cable signal from the wall to

the RF In jack on the DVR.

 Connect a Coaxial RF cable (not supplied) from the DVR’s RF Out jack to the RF In

jack on your TV.

Alternately, you can connect the Coaxial RF cable that carries your antenna or cable signal from the wall directly to your TV.

To watch antenna or cable channels, change your TV’s input setting by pressing the INPUT, SOURCE, or TV/VIDEO button on your TV’s remote control until the correct input is displayed. (If you have trouble changing your TV’s input setting, consult your TV’s owner’s manual.) Use your TV’s remote control to change channels.

While you are watching antenna or cable channels, the DVR will record any programs you have scheduled on DIRECTV

channels. When you want to watch video from your DVR again, press the DIRECTV button on the DVR remote. Then change your TV’s input setting until you see DIRECTV Central.

If you connect your DVR to your TV

with a Coaxial RF cable in step ,

you must set the Channel 3/4 switch on

the back of the DVR. Tune your TV to the

same channel (3 or 4) to view the signal.

Chapter 1

Connecting

CHAPTER

Guided Setup

Overview 20

Satellite Dish Guided Setup 21

Activate Services 25

Phone Setup 26

Chapter 2

Guided Setup

Overview

Now that you have finished connecting your DIRECTV® DVR, you are ready to begin Guided Setup. When you first plug in the DVR, screens appear which display its progress as it starts up. After a few minutes, you will see the Welcome screen, indicating that you are ready to begin Guided Setup.

During Guided Setup, you will point your satellite dish antenna (if you haven’t already), activate your DIRECTV

programming and DVR service, and set up your DVR to access service updates by phone. Guided Setup includes on-screen instructions. If you need additional assistance, this chapter contains detailed directions.

Guided Setup includes three steps:

1. Satellite Dish Guided Setup (see page 21)

2. Activating services (see page 25)

3. Phone Setup (see page 26)

Using the Remote Control

To complete Guided Setup, use the DVR’s remote to move through screens and select items displayed on your TV. For an introduction to the remote control, see “Introducing the Remote Control” on the inside front cover of this guide.

Welcome. When you first turn on your DIRECTV DVR, you will see a screen that says “Welcome. Powering up...” followed by the Welcome screen. Read the screen, then press SELECT to start Guided Setup.

If you do not see the Welcome screen, see the troubleshooting steps on page 107.

Satellite Dish Guided Setup is

used to test signal strength,

position the satellite dish antenna and

configure the DVR for use with a

multiswitch or new multi-satellite dish

antenna.

Satellite Dish Guided Setup

Satellite Dish Guided Setup tells the DIRECTV® DVR what type of satellite dish antenna you are using, so you must go through it at least once, even if you are only replacing a DVR that was already working. Satellite Dish Guided Setup usually takes about five minutes, plus whatever time you may need to position your dish.

Connect Cables. After you press SELECT on the Welcome screen, you’ll see a reminder to make sure all cables are properly connected to the DVR and to your TV. Press SELECT when you are ready to continue.

Satellite Dish Type. Choose the type of satellite dish antenna you have installed. If you have the manual for your satellite dish antenna, you can find its type there. Most people should select “Round dish (Single or Dual LNB).” This type of dish receives a signal from one satellite in the sky. Some manufacturers produce a dish that receives a signal from one satellite but is slightly oval in shape. If you have such a dish, choose “Round dish (Single or Dual LNB).”

An oval 2 satellite dish antenna can receive signals from two satellites. An oval 3 satellite dish antenna receives its signal from three satellites. 2 and 3 satellite dish antennas are always Dual LNB. To see the next screen, highlight the type of satellite dish antenna you are using, then press SELECT.

Notice the progress bar at the

bottom of the screen. It can help

you keep track of how far along you are in

Guided Setup.

Most new satellite dish antennas

are Dual LNB. One cable extends

from a Single LNB dish to a home; two

cables extend from a Dual LNB dish to a

home (or to a multiswitch).

Oval 2 satellite dish antenna Oval 3 satellite dish antenna

Round dish antenna (Single or Dual LNB)

Chapter 2

Guided Setup

Satellite Connections. If you connected a Coaxial RF cable to each of the DIRECTV

DVR “Satellite In” jacks, select “Two cables.” If you connected only one Coaxial RF cable (to the “Satellite In 1” jack), select “One cable.” To be able to record two programs at the same time (dual tuner), you must connect a Coaxial RF cable from the satellite dish antenna (or a multiswitch) to both of the “Satellite In” jacks and then choose “Two cables” on this screen.

ZIP Code. Use the number keys on your remote control to enter your ZIP code. The DVR uses your ZIP code to determine the direction your satellite dish antenna should point. If you make a mistake, press LEFT arrow to correct it.

Satellite Dish Direction. Based on your ZIP code and dish type, this screen shows roughly how to position your satellite dish antenna. You will fine tune the position later on during Satellite Dish Guided Setup at the Test Signal Strength screen. Before positioning the dish, be sure the mast (the pole on which the dish is mounted) is straight up and down. For 2 or 3 satellite dish antennas, the screen provides a required tilt in addition to side-toside (azimuth) and up-down (elevation) information available for round dishes. Professional satellite installers are available in most areas to ensure correct installation. If your satellite system was installed by a professional, the satellite dish antenna direction should be correct. To see the next screen, press SELECT.

Satellite Checklist. The items on this list help ensure you receive a clear satellite signal. To see the next screen, press SELECT when you are satisfied that each item is complete.

Test Sig n a l St r e n gt h . You use this screen to check the strength of the signal received by your satellite dish antenna. If you have two cables connected to the Satellite In jacks, it shows you the signal strength for each connection. It lets you see the signal strength from individual transponders one at a time. To be sure you receive all your channels, you should check signal strength on all transponders.

A transponder is a piece of radio

equipment on a satellite. The

DIRECTV transponders receive information

from DIRECTV and rebroadcast it to your

satellite dish antenna. Each transponder

rebroadcasts a different set of channels. If

the DVR does not receive a signal for an

individual transponder, it will not be able

to show that transponder’s channels.

Satellites may have different numbers of

transponders.

Satellite Dish Guided Setup

You can check signal strength while you adjust the position of your satellite dish antenna. The signal strength meter on this screen provides audio feedback—a tone that becomes higher pitched as the signal gets stronger. You may be able to turn the volume on your TV up so you can hear the tone while you adjust your satellite dish antenna. Alternatively, you might have someone watching the signal strength meter and then reporting through a cell phone or walkie-talkie to the person who is adjusting the satellite dish antenna.

• To change the currently selected transponder, use the UP arrow to highlight the transponder number. Press the RIGHT or LEFT arrow to change the transponder. It is best if each transponder has a signal strength above 60.

• If you have connected both Satellite In jacks, the signal strength for each connection is shown. You should have a good signal on all transponders for both connections.

If you have a 2 or 3 satellite dish antenna, you should check the signal strength from transponders on each satellite.

• To change the selected satellite, press the UP arrow until the satellite number is highlighted. Press the RIGHT or LEFT arrow to change the satellite.

When you have finished, select “Done Testing Signal Strength.” If you cannot acquire a good satellite signal, see Satellite Signal Troubleshooting on the next page.

Confirming Setup, Satellite Info. At each of the next two screens there is a short wait while the DVR confirms your setup, then gathers a list of channels from the satellite.

Chapter 2

Guided Setup

Program Guide Data. Over the first 1 to 2 days, the DIRECTV DVR will gather and

process up to two weeks of program information from the DIRECTV satellites. Program information includes program titles, times, channels, program descriptions, and more.

Many of the DVR’s features use program information. Although you may be able to use such features immediately, you may not be able to find all the programs you are looking for right away. If programs you are looking for do not appear in the program information, check on them again after the DVR has been set up for a while.

Steps to Activate. This screen explains the next steps of Guided Setup, activation of DIRECTV services. When it appears, press the LIVE TV button on your remote control and go to the next page of this manual.

Satellite Signal Troubleshooting. If you encounter problems during Satellite Dish Guided Setup, you will see an error screen with some suggestions. For example, you may have made a mistake entering your ZIP code or your type of satellite dish antenna.

If you are trying to set up the DVR, choose one of the options that return to part of Satellite Dish Guided Setup. For example, if you received the “Satellite Info Error,” choose “Try Again to Acquire Information.” You can also repeat Satellite Dish Guided Setup. This allows you to check that your ZIP code and satellite dish antenna type are correct. If you repeat Guided Setup and still receive error notifications, it is possible that your satellite dish antenna is not pointed correctly or the dish or multiswitch is miswired. Check the cabling, or consult a professional satellite system installer.

If you are trying to bypass Satellite Dish Guided Setup—for example, if you are setting up the DVR in a place without a satellite signal—the bottom choice on the error screens allows you to continue without resolving potential problems. While you may receive fewer or no TV channels, you can still watch previously recorded programs.

If the DVR is low on Program Guide Data, a

essage at the bottom of the screen tells

ou how much Program Guide Data it has.

Activate Services

Now it’s time to activate services for your DIRECTV® DVR. Before you call DIRECTV:

• Tune to Channel 201. The DVR should be on, tuned to channel 201, and receiving a signal from your satellite dish antenna.

• You will need: A valid service address, social security number, and a major credit card (deposit or prepayment may be required). You will also need the 12 digit number on your DIRECTV access card and the make, model, serial number, and 12 digit Receiver ID number of your DVR, found on a label on the back of the DVR and on the System Information screen. (Press the DIRECTV button, then select Messages & Setup then System Information.)

• Important! The access card that came with your DIRECTV DVR must be inserted in the appropriate slot in front of the DVR before you call. Also, be sure to tell your customer care agent that you have a “DIRECTV DVR” and that you also want to activate the DIRECTV

DVR with TiVo® service. Without the DVR service, your

DVR will not be able to record programs.

When you are ready, call 1-800-DIRECTV. After you have activated, you can begin Phone Setup, the last step of Guided Setup, by pressing the DIRECTV button.

What does the DIRECTV DVR with TiVo service provide?

The DVR service provides you with the ability to record programs, create Season PassTM recordings and WishList

searches. It also gives you access to Showcases, Suggestions, and several convenient ways to find programs to you want to record. Without the DVR service, the unit functions only as a DIRECTV Receiver, without recording capability.

Remember to place the access

card in the appropriate slot in

front of the DVR. See the setup examples

in Chapter 1 for details.

Chapter 2

Guided Setup

Phone Setup

Press the DIRECTV button on your remote control to start Phone Setup.

Final Steps. The last step of Guided Setup—Phone Setup—begins automatically the first time you press the DIRECTV button on your remote control. The DIRECTV

DVR should be connected to a telephone line. The DVR occasionally makes a brief phone call to get updates to the DVR service, and for pay per view functionality.

By default, the DVR will not pick up the phone if the line is busy. If you pick up the phone while the DVR is using the line, the modem will disconnect. To use the phone line you should hang up, wait at least 45 seconds, then pick up the phone again to get a dial tone.

DVR Service Terms. This screen appears after the Final Steps screen. The DIRECTV Service Agreement is printed on your first monthly statement from DIRECTV. We encourage you to read it.

Area Code. The DVR service uses your area code to determine which local dial-in numbers are available. Use the numbers on your remote control to enter your area code. If you make a mistake, press LEFT arrow to correct it.

Phone Dialing Options. Most people will not need to change the settings the DVR uses to dial out. However, if your phone system uses special dialing options, select “Yes.” See “Phone Dialing Options” on page 91 for help with the various settings.

Update Dial-In Numbers. The DVR makes a toll-free call to get a list of local dial-in numbers. The call usually takes less than five minutes, and its status displays on the screen. If the call fails, check the troubleshooting steps on page 117.

Dial-In Numbers. The DVR uses the dial-in number you select from the list on this screen to make its calls to the DVR service. The list may be too long to fit on one screen. To see more numbers, press CHAN DOWN.

Phone Setup

No Local Numbers. If you selected “None of the Above” on the Dial-In Numbers screen, you will see a reminder to go back and choose a local dial-in number. If you are concerned about toll charges associated with any of the available dial-in numbers, keep in mind that the DVR’s calls are very brief. You are responsible for any such phone charges.

Dialing Format. Choose the dialing format you need. For example, should the dial-in number be preceded by your area code, and should a “1” precede the area code? In some areas, even local numbers must be dialed using the area code.

Test Phone Connection Call. This screen appears while the DVR tests the phone dialing options and local dial-in number you have chosen. You should see a message that says “Test Successful!” Press SELECT or the RIGHT arrow to continue. If the test does not succeed, you may need to pick a different dial-in number, or change the dialing format. Use the LEFT arrow to go back to previous screens and make changes to dialing options.

Congratulations! You’ve completed Guided Setup. You can now press the DIRECTV Button on your remote control to go to DIRECTV Central.

After completing Guided Setup one time, whenever you unplug the DVR and plug it back in, it will search for a satellite signal. When you see the message “Acquiring Satellite Information,” you can press the DIRECTV button on the remote control to go directly to DIRECTV Central. From DIRECTV Central, programs in your DVR’s Now Playing List are always available.

If you start your DVR without properly connecting it to a DIRECTV satellite television signal, the DVR will not show live TV or provide any live TV functions.

Chapter 2

Guided Setup

DIRECTV Central

Almost everything you do with the DVR service starts from DIRECTV Central. You can set up recordings, watch live TV or recorded programs, read messages from DIRECTV, and access Showcases featuring entertaining and informative video clips. To get to DIRECTV Central, press the DIRECTV button on your remote control.

Icons. Occasionally, you will notice icons beside some of the options in DIRECTV Central. These icons will let you know that you have received something new from DIRECTV:

When you see this icon, you know you have Messages to read. See page 78 for more about DIRECTV Messages.

This icon appears next to selections that contains special video content. Highlight the selection and press PLAY (or SELECT) on your remote to play the video.

Choose the selection next to this icon to watch a special preview or visit a Showcase. See page 37 for more about Showcases.

You can find a complete glossary of icons in the inside back cover of this guide.

Next Up, the 5 Tours. Now that you are finished with Guided Setup, you’re ready to have fun with your DVR! We suggest you start with the five short tours starting on page 29. These will guide you through the basics and show you some fun features of the DIRECTV

DVR.

CHAPTER

The Basics in 5 Short Tours

Tour 1: Play with Live TV 30

Tour 2: DIRECTV Advanced Program Guide™ 32

Tour 3: Find and Record Your Favorite Programs 34

Tour 4: Find New Programs 36

Tour 5: Now Playing List 38

Cool Things You Can Do 39

Chapter 3

The Basics in 5 Short Tours

Tour 1: Play with Live TV

In this tour, you’ll take a look at how you can control live TV. So grab your remote!

First, press the PAUSE button—the program you’re watching pauses. Now you can stand up and stretch, or go to the kitchen and get a snack. You can pause live TV for up to 30 minutes! With Dual Tuner, you can switch between two channels in live TV without losing the saved portion of either one.

But for now, press PLAY and the program resumes.

Next, press BACK and the program rewinds. Press BACK a second time—it goes faster! A third time—faster still! Both the FORWARD and BACK buttons have three speeds. Press BACK a fourth time to return to normal speed.

Press PAUSE once more, then immediately press FORWARD and you get frame-byframe forward! Press BACK and you get frame-by-frame backward! When your show is paused, FORWARD and BACK let you go frame by frame. Press PLAY to resume watching at normal speed.

Try out the INSTANT REPLAY button. INSTANT REPLAY jumps you back 8 seconds—useful for when you miss a great sports play or a bit of dialog, or for when you fast forward too far.

Press INSTANT REPLAY again, then immediately press SLOW — you get your own slow-motion replay!

Finally, try the ADVANCE button. Presto! You’re caught up to live TV.

Vol

Chan

TVSAT

( )

Tour 1: Play with Live TV

Status Bar

Press PAUSE or PLAY to see the status bar. It shows a one-hour period. The green segment is the portion of the current hour that has been saved by your DIRECTV

DVR.

The right edge of the green part is always the current time.

The white line marks the part of the program you are currently watching. If it is anywhere back in the green segment you are “behind” real time.

Press CHAN UP. When you change channels, the DVR starts to save what is showing on the new channel. With Dual Tuner, 30 minutes of live TV is saved on both tuners. That means you can use the instant replay, slow motion and pause features on either channel. If you leave one of these two channels, however, the saved information on the original channel is cleared, and the DVR starts saving live TV on the new channel.

Channel Banner

The channel banner describes the program you’re currently watching. Press INFO or the RIGHT arrow to see the channel banner. The channel banner is only there for a few seconds, but you can bring it back by pressing INFO or the RIGHT arrow again. While the banner is visible, press the RIGHT arrow to switch from a small, to medium, to large banner. Each version has a different amount of information.

Keep pressing the RIGHT arrow until you see the largest version of the channel banner. Notice the icons on the right side. Each symbol represents a useful feature, like swapping tuners or setting Parental Controls. Press the UP and DOWN arrows to highlight different icons. Pressing SELECT while an icon is highlighted will take you to that feature. Finally, press the EXIT button—the channel banner disappears. (EXIT gets rid of graphics that aren’t part of the program you’re watching.)

Now go have fun playing with live TV, then come back for the next tour!

Status Bar

This white line tells you where you are.

selectable icons

channel banner

Chapter 3

The Basics in 5 Short Tours

Tour 2: DIRECTV Advanced Program Guide

™

While you’re watching live TV, the Advanced Program Guide lets you see what’s on, change channels, schedule recordings, and more. To see it, press the GUIDE button on your remote control.

Changing Channels

The guide shows a list of channels on the left and different times across the top. One program is highlighted—it’s a different color than the others. Its description appears at the top of the grid. Press the UP or DOWN arrows to move to a different channel, then press SELECT. Pressing SELECT on a program that is currently showing changes the channel to display that program and hides the guide.

Scheduling a Recording

Press the GUIDE button to bring back the Program Guide. It’s easy to record a program using the guide. Simply highlight the program you want and press the RECORD button. A transparent screen appears, from which you select “Record this Showing.” If the program is currently playing, the DVR changes channels and begins recording; otherwise, the recording is scheduled for the future. When you’re recording, the red light on the front of the DVR illuminates.

Making a List of Favorite Channels

You can create a list of your favorite channels and then set the guide to show only channels that are on the list. This is a quick way to see programs coming up on the channels that are most important to you.

If you find that the Program Guide

or the CHAN UP/DOWN buttons

are not showing channels you want to

see, filtering or a custom channel list is

probably turned on. Check the Guide

Options (from the Program Guide, press

INFO).

Tour 2: DIRECTV Advanced Program Guide™

First, create a list of favorite channels. Press the DIRECTV button to see DIRECTV Central. Highlight Messages & Setup, then Settings, then Channels, then Favorite Channels. A list of all DIRECTV



channels appears. (DIRECTV provides many, many more channels than will fit on one screen!) Press CHAN DOWN a few times. Each time you press it, you see the next screen of channels. Press CHAN UP to see a previous screen. You can also jump to a specific channel by entering the channel number on the remote.

Highlight a channel you want to include in your list of favorites and press SELECT. A checkmark appears beside the channel. To remove a channel, highlight one that has a checkmark and press SELECT—the checkmark disappears. Now find a few more channels for your list and select them to give them checkmarks.

Using Your Channel List

When you want to change the way the guide appears and what it displays, you can use Guide Options. Press the GUIDE button to see the guide. While it is visible, press the ENTER button to see Guide Options.

On the Guide Options screen, press the DOWN arrow once so “All” (to the right of “Channels”) is highlighted. “All” is the current channel list and includes all available DIRECTV channels. Press the RIGHT arrow twice to change the list to “Favorites,” then press SELECT. “Done changing options” becomes highlighted. Press SELECT again and voilà, the guide appears using your new custom channel list!

Now the guide only shows channels in your list. Use the UP and DOWN arrows to move around a bit on your new customized guide, then press the EXIT button to hide the guide. Press CHAN UP a few times—notice it skips some channels now. CHAN UP/DOWN is also affected by the channel list; it only tunes to channels that are on the list. You can still tune to other channels by entering numbers.

Chapter 3

The Basics in 5 Short Tours

Tour 3: Find and Record Your Favorite Programs

You can always record a program you’re watching by pressing the RECORD button on your remote control. What’s more, if you have not changed the channel for a while, your DIRECTV DVR will add to your recording whatever part of the program it has already saved, up to 30 minutes. Your DVR also provides many ways to quickly search large numbers of programs, find your favorites, and schedule recordings in advance. Even buying and recording pay per view events is quick and easy, without any need to use a phone. What’s more, if a program is part of a series, you can get a Season Pass

™

to the

series. A Season Pass records every episode of a selected program on a given channel.

Search by Title

In this tour, we’ll show you how to get a Season Pass. As an example, we’ll be searching for a fictitious show called The Downtown Lawyers, but you can use the same steps to search for your favorite program.

To get started, press the DIRECTV button to see DIRECTV Central. Press the DOWN arrow to highlight Pick Programs to Record. Press SELECT. The Pick Programs to Record screen appears. As you can see, there are many ways to search for a program. Since you know the program’s title, highlight Search by Title and press SELECT. The next screen lets you limit your search to any of several categories, but for now, choose “All Programs” and press SELECT.

The next screen has a picture of an alphanumeric keypad. Notice the white box around the “A”. Use the RIGHT, LEFT, UP, and DOWN arrows to move the box. To find The Downtown Lawyers, you would move the box to “D” and press SELECT. A list of programs appears on the right side of the screen. (Notice, the list alphabetizes without “A” or “The.”) Move the white box to “O” and press SELECT again. The list changes. Your DVR searches through all available programs (usually, data for the next two weeks) to

If you do not see the program you

wish to find in the list of programs,

it may be because the DVR is still gathering

Program Guide data. A message at the

bottom of the screen will tell you how much

data the DVR has. The DVR should be done

collecting Program Guide data within 48

hours of finishing Guided Setup.

Tour 3: Find and Record Your Favorite Programs

find those that begin with “DO,” then lists those programs. This can be a great way to find a show if you are not sure of its full name.

If you make a mistake entering text, select “DEL” on the screen (or press BACK on the remote control). To clear all text, use CLR on the screen (or press the CLEAR button on the remote control). Next, enter a “W.” If The Downtown Lawyers existed, you would see it in the title list at the right. Press the RIGHT arrow until you move off the alphanumeric keypad and onto the list of programs. Press the UP or DOWN arrow to highlight the show of your choice, then press SELECT. The Program Information screen appears. This screen tells you about the program and lets you set up a recording.

Highlight Get a Season Pass, and press SELECT. A screen appears to confirm your choice. Confirmation screens help you make sure the DIRECTV DVR is doing what you want. Press SELECT again. You now have a Season Pass.

To see all your scheduled recordings, go to DIRECTV Central, then Pick Programs to Record, then To Do List. To cancel a recording, highlight it and press SELECT. The Program Information screen appears. Select “Cancel only this episode.” On the next screen confirms that the recording has been deleted from the To Do List. Press select to return to the To Do List. To cancel an entire Season Pass, go to DIRECTV Central, then “Pick Programs to Record,” then “To Do List.” Select a program, then select “Cancel/edit the Season Pass.” Select “Cancel this Season Pass.”

Pay Per View

You can order pay per view events using your remote control. Some events have dedicated channels that allow ordering more than 24 hours in advance, but for most events, pricing information becomes available within 24 hours of the event’s air-time. Once that information is available, you can select and record the event as you would any other program. When you select an event, a special pay per view Program Information screen will appear with options to purchase it. For a complete description, see page 60.

There may be more than one

listing for the show you are

searching for. Select the one that airs new

episodes of the show on a channel you

receive.

Chapter 3

The Basics in 5 Short Tours

Tour 4: Find New Programs

Your DIRECTV® DVR makes it easy for you to find what you want to watch—by responding to your interests and collecting the best the networks have to offer.

Suggestions

Suggestions is a personalized list of shows selected to match your preferences. How is this magic possible? Any time you watch programs, live or recorded, or browse programs with the Program Guide or in Showcases, you can rate them using the THUMBS UP

™

™ and

THUMBS DOWN

™

™ buttons. You can give a program up to three thumbs up or down.

Over time, the more shows you rate, the better Suggestions will be at finding programs you like. The suggested programs are listed under Suggestions in order of how closely they match your preferences.

It’s important to remember these characteristics of Suggestions recordings:

• Suggestions never replace shows you request, or prevent your requested shows from being recorded

• Suggestions are always the first programs deleted to make room for recordings you request.

Try it! Press GUIDE to bring up the DIRECTV Advanced Program Guide

™

. Highlight a

few programs and rate them by pressing the THUMBS UP

™

™ or THUMBS DOWN™

™

button. Then go to DIRECTV Central and select Pick Programs to Record, then Suggestions. Suggested programs based on your THUMBS ratings are listed here. (If you don’t see programs yet, come back later—it may take a few hours the first time.) You can press SELECT on a program, then set up a recording.

Thumbs ratings

Only programs airing on channels

in the Channels You Receive list

can be recorded as Suggestions.

Your personal TV preferences are

just that: personal. (DIRECTV

privacy policies are included in your first

monthly statement.)

Tour 4: Find New Programs

Auto-Recording Suggestions. As an added bonus, when the DVR has empty space, it automatically records Suggestions. Auto-recording Suggestions is an easy way to find programs that you never knew about, or old favorites you may have forgotten. (You can turn this feature off if you prefer; see page 89.) You will find them at the bottom of the Now Playing List, below programs you requested. Or, if you have the Groups option turned on (see page 73), recorded Suggestions appear in their own group. Suggestions are marked with a TiVo icon ( ).

Showcases

Showcases is an interactive content area which often includes opportunities to schedule recordings of featured programs, or lets you watch previews of upcoming movies or TV shows. The selections in Showcases are grouped in theme packages, giving you “one-stop shopping” convenience when browsing for programs to record. Packages may include exclusive content, the inside scoop on hit movies, exciting miniseries, hot specials, popular series, and shows featuring the biggest stars of the screen and stage. Showcases is updated during your DVR’s regular connections to the DVR service, so you won’t see this selection on DIRECTV Central until after its first regular connection.

TiVolution

Magazine. TiVolution Magazine is one part of Showcases where you’ll

always find something fun and different. It’s a guide to the best upcoming shows on television. You’ll find premieres, specials, and offbeat gems, making it easy for you to schedule recordings. New content is delivered fresh to your DVR during regular connections to the TiVo service.

Use the arrow buttons and SELECT to explore selections in TiVolution Magazine. Once you get to a list of programs, select a title to see the Program Information screen. If you get the channel the program airs on, you can set up a recording here—it’s that easy!

Chapter 3

The Basics in 5 Short Tours

Tour 5: Now Playing List

Your DIRECTV® DVR can record many hours of programming—enough to fill a slew of video tapes! Fortunately, it also labels and organizes all those saved programs. Unlike a VCR, your DVR’s Now Playing List gives you instant access to all recorded programs— no need to spend time scanning for an episode somewhere on a tape.

To go to the Now Playing List, press the LIST button. Programs you recorded are at the top of the list, in the order they were recorded. An icon (like this one: ) to the left of a program’s title tells you the recording’s current status. (For a summary of what these icons mean, see the inside back cover of this guide.)

Programs you request will appear in the Now Playing List the moment recording begins. You can watch any title in the list—even one that is still being recorded—by highlighting it, then pressing the PLAY button.

Try it! Highlight a program in the Now Playing List and press PLAY. OK, now for the cool part: Watch the program for at least five minutes, then press the LEFT arrow to go back to the Now Playing List. Select the same program again—the Program Information screen says “Resume Playing” instead of “Play.” Select “Resume Playing” and return to the program from the point you left it!

Keep until . . . Programs you choose to record are saved about two days by default. To see options for saving a program longer, highlight the program in the Now Playing List, then press SELECT.

The Program Information screen appears. Select “Keep until....” On the next screen, use

the UP/DOWN arrows to highlight the date, then use the RIGHT/LEFT arrows to change it. When you are done, press SELECT.

Cool Things You Can Do

Record two programs at the same time with Dual Tuner! Your DIRECTV® DVR has

two tuners—which means it can record programs on two channels at the same time. To activate both tuners, both Satellite In jacks on the back of the DVR must be connected to cables from your satellite dish antenna (or a multiswitch), and you must choose the “Two cables” option in Satellite Dish Guided Setup (see page 22). With Dual Tuner you can watch more of your favorite programs, even when they’re on at the same time.

Never be late for your favorite programs. Working late? Stuck in traffic? Don’t worry. If you scheduled a recording, the program will be waiting for you in the Now Playing List. You can even start watching from the beginning while it finishes recording.

Make your television wishes come true with a WishList

™

search. Have a favorite

actor? A favorite hobby or interest? How about a favorite sports team? If they’re on TV, chances are a WishList

™

will find them. See page 54.

Looking for good movies? Kids’ shows? Science fiction? With Search by Title, you can browse all the upcoming programs in a particular category and find shows you didn’t know were on. See page 34.

See a good preview, record the show. If you’re watching live TV and a promotion comes on for an upcoming program, you may see an Ipreview

icon like this

one: Press THUMBS UP

™

while you see the icon to automatically set up a recording for the program. You don’t have to remember when it’s on—it will be recorded! (If you didn’t schedule a recording when you saw the icon, rewind until it’s visible again.)

Filter the Program Guide. Want to try something new for dinner tonight? It’s easy to make the Program Guide show only a certain kind of program—for example, cooking shows. You’ll use the Guide Options screen to choose the desired filter (in this example,

Chapter 3

The Basics in 5 Short Tours

it’s “Lifestyles,” then “Cooking”) and turn on filtering. (See page 48.) Once you’ve turned on the filter, programs that do not fit the selected category appear in gray on the guide until you highlight them. In addition, if a given channel doesn’t have any shows that fit the category within the next six hours, that channel doesn’t show up in the guide. You can always turn filtering off to show all channels in the guide.

Use the Overtime Scheduler

(and don’t miss overtime!). Programs sometimes start

before they’re supposed to and often end later than scheduled. With Recording Options, you can “pad” your recordings to account for variations by using the Overtime Scheduler

. See page 44.

Use the EXIT button. The EXIT button hides the status bar, guide, channel banner, and anything else that is not part of the program.

The Star and the Clapboard. You will occasionally see a yellow star ( ) on DIRECTV Central. The star signals a new selection that may change the next time you visit. Depending on the selection, it may allow you to record a program, watch a preview, or go to a special Showcase. Don’t worry if you pass up a particular new selection; keep going back to DIRECTV Central until it appears again.

The clapboard icon—on DIRECTV Central, or in a Showcase—indicates that a selection includes a video preview. If the clapboard has a green triangle in it ( ), you can press PLAY to play the video. If there is no green triangle, the current selection takes you to another screen where you’ll find the actual video clip.

CHAPTER

Pick Programs to Record

Season Pass, Recording Options, To Do List 42

Using the Guide to Find Programs 48

Find Your Favorite Programs 50

Find Programs That Match Your Interests 54

Pay Per View and DIRECTV

On Request 60

Chapter 4

Pick Programs to Record

Season Pass, Recording Options, To Do List

Your DIRECTV® DVR makes finding and recording programs easy—so easy that you may find more programs to enjoy than you ever expected! Your DVR can help with this by giving you simple ways to manage your recordings and make sure you watch what you want, when you want to watch it.

Season Pass and Other Repeating Recordings

There are three types of recordings that repeat automatically:

• Season Pass. Records every episode of a series that airs on a certain channel—even if

the day or time slot changes! It is totally automatic and easy to set up. Just select a program (from the DIRECTV Advanced Program Guide

, or from search results) and

choose “Get a Season Pass.”

• Manual Repeating Recording. Records on a specific channel at a specific time, just as

you would with a VCR. See page 53 for more information.

• Auto-recording WishList. Records all programs a WishList search finds. See page 59.

These three types of recordings also recordings have the following in common:

• No duplicates within 28 days. If you watch or delete a particular episode or showing,

it will not be recorded automatically again for 28 days. This prevents the Now Playing List from filling up with shows you probably don’t want. If you want to record duplicates, go to Recording Options, Show Type, and select “All (with duplicates).” You can also schedule a single duplicate recording for a particular program.

• Parental Controls. If Parental Controls are on when you schedule a repeating

recording, the DVR checks its current program information to see if any upcoming

If some Season Pass programs are

not recording, you may need to

change their priority with the Season

Pass Manager. See page 45.

An exception to the 28-day,

no-duplicates feature may occur if

the program wasn’t watched but was

deleted from the Now Playing List to make

room for another recording you

requested. Another reason a duplicate

recording might be made is if the program

information describes the program

incorrectly.

Season Pass, Recording Options, To Do List

program violates a Parental Control. If it does, the DVR requires the current password to continue. See page 82 for more information.

• Keep at Most. By default, five episodes of a program are kept in the Now Playing List.

You can change this setting. See page 44.

• Resolving conflicts. The DVR service resolves scheduling conflicts between

repeating recordings by comparing recording priorities. You can change recording priorities using the Season Pass Manager. See page 45.

Recording Options

You can set Recording Options when you set up a recording. You can change them later by selecting the program in the To Do List or Season Pass Manager.

Setting Recording Options. The Program Information screen that appears when you select a program includes choices to “Record this episode” and “Get a Season Pass.” When one of these actions is highlighted, “Options” appears to its right. To see the current Recording Options, use the arrow buttons to highlight “Options,” then press SELECT.

To set your Recording Options:

1. Use the UP/DOWN arrows to highlight an option on the Recording Options screen.

2. Use the RIGHT and LEFT arrows to change the setting.

3. When you are done, press SELECT or highlight “Record with these options.”

4. Press SELECT again to schedule the recording with the new options.

To cancel your changes, press the LEFT arrow, or highlight “Don’t change recording options” and press SELECT.

Chapter 4

Pick Programs to Record

Recording Options include:

• Keep At Most. This option sets the maximum number of episodes to be saved—useful

for keeping only the most recent nightly news or only a few of your kids’ daily programs. The default setting is 5. (Only available for a repeating recording.)

• Show Type. You can select “Repeats & first run,” “First run only,” which records only

new episodes, and “All (with duplicates).” (Only available for a repeating recording.)

• Keep Until. You can change this setting from “Space needed” (the default setting) to

“Until I delete.” (Only available for a repeating recording.)

• Keep At Least. You can set the minimum amount of time the DVR keeps a recording.

The default setting is “Until space needed” (about two days), except for pay per view events, which default to “Keep until I delete.” (Only available for an individual recording.)

The Overtime Scheduler

consists of these two options:

• Start Recording. You can choose to start recording up to ten minutes before a

program begins. The default setting is “On-time.” (This option is not available once recording starts.)

• Stop Recording. You can set a recording to continue—for a few minutes or up to three

hours—after it’s scheduled to end. For example, you can extend the recording of a sports event and be sure to catch the whole game—even if it goes into overtime. The default setting is “On-time.”

Season Pass, Recording Options, To Do List

Season Pass Manager

The Season Pass Manager shows a list of your Season Pass programs in order of priority. With Dual Tuner, you can record two programs at the same time. Conflicts will occur only if you try to schedule a third recording that overlaps the other two. By default, the oldest Season Pass has the greatest priority. If some Season Pass programs are not recording, you may need to change their priority with the Season Pass Manager. To do this, go to DIRECTV Central, then select Pick Programs to Record, then Season Pass Manager.

Changing the priority order. If you don’t change priorities in the Season Pass Manager, repeating recordings are prioritized by the order they were set up: the first has highest priority, and so on. To change the priority order:

1. Use the UP/DOWN arrows to highlight one of your repeating recordings.

2. Press the RIGHT arrow to highlight the arrows to the right of the title.

3. Use the UP/DOWN arrows to move the selected title up or down in the list.

Priorities and resolving conflicts. If a conflict occurs when you’re setting up a new repeating recording, you’ll be shown which programs are involved. You’ll also be given options to resolve the conflict:

• Record only those programs that do not conflict with others previously scheduled to

record. This gives the new repeating recording the lowest priority.

• Record all programs requested. This gives the repeating recording the highest priority.

Canceling a Season Pass. To cancel a Season Pass, just highlight the program’s title in the Season Pass Manager and press CLEAR. Or, from a Program Information screen, select “Modify the Season Pass,” then “Cancel this Season Pass.”

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record Season Pass Manager

Chapter 4

Pick Programs to Record

To Do L ist

The To Do List shows all your scheduled recordings and lets you cancel or edit them. To view it, go to DIRECTV Central, then Pick Programs to Record, then To Do List. Individual recordings are marked with a single checkmark ( ) to the left of the program title. Season Pass and manual repeating recordings have a double checkmark ( ), and WishList recordings (see page 54) have a star ( ). Season Pass recordings with no upcoming episodes scheduled to record appear at the bottom of the list.

Select a recording from the To Do List. Then you can:

• Change recording options. Highlight “Record as planned,” then press the RIGHT

arrow and select “Options” to change the recording options for a single episode.

• View upcoming episodes/showings. This displays a list of upcoming episodes/

showings of the selected program. Programs scheduled to record have a checkmark, double checkmark, or a star. Select a program to see the Program Information screen.

• Cancel this recording or Cancel only this episode/showing. Cancel a single

recording or a single episode from a Season Pass. You can also cancel a recording from the To Do List by pressing CLEAR on your remote.

• Cancel/edit the Season Pass. From this screen you can cancel the Season Pass, view

upcoming programs, or change recording options for the whole Season Pass.

• Cancel/edit manual repeat recording. Lets you cancel or change recording options

for a manual repeat recording.

Canceling the recording of a pay

per view event does not

automatically cancel the purchase. You

must cancel the purchase on the

Purchases screen, described on page 79.

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record To Do List

Season Pass, Recording Options, To Do List

View Recording History

This is an advanced feature in the To Do List for those who really want all the details. Selecting this option takes you to a list of three types of programs:

Deleted. To find programs that were deleted, press the UP arrow or CHAN UP. (You will find these programs listed above the point where the highlight bar starts off.) Selecting a title will take you to a screen that tells you how and when the program was deleted.

Not recorded. To find programs that were not recorded, press the UP arrow or CHAN UP. (You will find these programs listed above the point where the highlight bar starts off.) Selecting a title will take you to a screen that tells why it was not recorded.

Won’t record. To find programs that will not be recorded, press DOWN arrow or CHAN DOWN. (You will find these programs listed below the point where the highlight bar starts off.) Selecting a title will take you to a screen that tells you why the program will not be recorded. You can then select “More recording options” on this screen, which will display the Program Information screen. You could choose “View upcoming episodes” to find an episode that doesn’t conflict with anything else, or change Recording Options, which may allow the program to be recorded.

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record To Do List View Recording History

Chapter 4

Pick Programs to Record

Using the Guide to Find Programs

The DIRECTV Advanced Program Guide™ displays up to two weeks of TV programming at the touch of a button. You can use the guide to quickly find programs and set up recordings by customizing the channels and filtering the types of programs shown in the guide. To view the guide, press the GUIDE button on your remote.

Customizing the Guide

The guide has options that let you quickly change what programs and channels it shows. To see Guide Options, press ENTER while the guide is displayed. Available options are:

Channels. Choosing a list here selects the channels displayed in the guide. The three channel lists are:

• All. This is the default list. It displays all DIRECTV

channels.

• Channels You Receive. This list displays only channels you have selected in Channels

You Receive. See page 81 for details.

• Favorites. This list shows only the favorite channels you have selected. See page 80.

Day and Time. Sets the guide to show what’s on at a particular day and time.

Style. Change the style of the guide to Grid Guide or List Guide. See page 70 for details.

Filtering. Turn guide filtering on or off. When you want to see all programs in a selected

channel list, turn filtering off.

Choose filter. Choose a category with which to filter the guide. When filtering is on, programs that do not fit the selected category appear grayed on the guide until you

By customizing the guide, you can

use it to display only program

information you want to see. For example,

you can use the movie filter to quickly

check what movies are on, or use the

“Favorite Channels” list to see

information for your previously selected

channels.

Using the Guide to Find Programs

highlight them. In addition, if a channel has no programs in the selected category within six hours of the time on the guide, the guide will not show that channel.

Recording a Program from the Guide

If the program is in progress, highlight it in the guide and press RECORD. If the program is on later, highlight it and press RECORD or SELECT. If the program you have chosen is not a pay per view event, a transparent screen displays. Select “Record this showing.” If you have chosen a pay per view program, the pay per view screen appears.

Recording the Program You Are Watching

You can always record the program you are watching: just press RECORD. From the options that display, choose “Record this showing.” Or you can choose “Season Pass and other options” to see the Upcoming Program screen and other actions you can take:

• Record this program/episode. Schedules a recording of the current program. You

can also use the RIGHT arrow to highlight “Options,” then press SELECT to change Recording Options.

• Get a Season Pass. (Only available if the program is part of a series.) Select this to

get a Season Pass for the program.

• View upcoming episodes/showings. Displays a list of upcoming episodes/showings

of the program on all channels.

Stopping a recording. The recording will stop automatically when the program ends. You can stop it before that by pressing the RECORD button while in live TV. A transparent screen will appear with a selection to “Stop the current recording.” You can also select the program in the Now Playing List, and then choose “Stop recording.”

Up to 30 minutes of the current

channel’s broadcast is always

being saved, even when you are not

recording a program. With Dual Tuner

enabled, the DVR saves up to 30 minutes

on each tuner. If the DVR has saved a

portion of a program, the saved portion is

added to the beginning if you choose to

record that program.

Chapter 4

Pick Programs to Record

Find Your Favorite Programs

Search by Title

If you know the name of the program you’re looking for, or even the first part of the name, choose Search by Title from Pick Programs to Record. Then follow these steps:

1. If you wish, you can first narrow the search with a category and sub-category.

2. The next screen has a grid with numbers and letters. Spell out the title by using the arrow buttons to move, then pressing SELECT on each letter you want. As you select letters, an alphabetical list of programs appears on the right. Keep selecting letters until you see your program in the list.

You can use other buttons on your remote control to help: CLEAR erases all the letters you’ve selected; BACK erases one letter at a time; FWD inserts a blank space.

3. When you see your program, press RIGHT arrow to move the highlight to the program list. Use UP and DOWN arrows to move the highlight within the list. You can also press CHAN UP/DOWN to move quickly up or down the list one screen at a time.

4. When you find a program you want to record, highlight it and press SELECT to bring up the Program Information screen.

Browsing a category. You can browse through all of the programs in any category and sub-category. Numbers come before letters, so to start from the top of the list, enter a zero.

If you only know one word in the

title, use a Title WishList to find

the program. See page 57 for details.

Replace hyphens ( - ), slashes ( / )

and periods ( . ) with spaces. For

example, use CATS DOGS to search for t he

title “Cats/Dogs.” Any other marks, such

as apostrophes ( ’ ), asterisks ( * ),

ampersands ( & ) and dollar signs ( $ ) are

ignored. For example, you would use

6 OCLOCK NEWS to search for the title

“6 O’Clock News.”

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record Search By Title

Find Your Favorite Programs

Record by Time or Channel

Record by Time or Channel offers you three options: Browse by Time, Browse by Channel, and Manually Record Time/Channel.

Browse by Time. Browse by Time lets you browse all programs on a particular day and time. For example, you can browse all the movies on Saturday night. With Browse by Time, you can filter the list to see only programs on your Favorite Channels or only programs in a particular category. To learn how to set up your list of Favorite Channels, see page 81. To find a program:

1. Use the arrow buttons to highlight a category (for example, “Movies”) to narrow the list of programs. Then press SELECT.

2. Select a subcategory (for example, “Comedy”), then press SELECT.

3. Use the UP and DOWN arrows to select the day of programming that you want to see. Press the RIGHT arrow to move the highlight to the time column.

4. Use the UP and DOWN arrows to select a time. The time will advance in half-hour increments.

5. Press SELECT to bring up the list of programs without leaving the time selector (or press the RIGHT arrow to bring up the list of programs and move to the list at the same time). When you find a program you want to record, highlight it and press SELECT to bring up the Program Information screen.

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record Record by Time or Channel Browse by Time

Chapter 4

Pick Programs to Record

Browse by Channel. Browse by Channel lets you browse through programs on a

particular channel. You can start with all channels or just your favorites. To browse by channel:

1. Highlight and select either “All Channels,” which includes all the channels you receive, or “Favorite Channels,” which includes just the channels you have selected as your favorites.

2. Use the UP and DOWN arrows to select the date you want to browse. Press the RIGHT arrow to move the highlight to the channel column.

3. Use the UP and DOWN arrows to select a channel. (You can also use the numbers on the remote to type in a channel, then press ENTER/LAST.)

4. Press SELECT to show the list of programs without leaving the channel selector. Press the RIGHT arrow to show the list of programs and move to the list at the same time).

5. When you find a program you want to record, highlight it and press SELECT to bring up the Program Information screen. Then you can view upcoming episodes, set up a Season Pass, or record an individual showing.

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record Record by Time or Channel Browse by Channel

Find Your Favorite Programs

Manually Record Time/Channel. Manually Record Time/Channel lets you schedule a recording on a specific channel at a specific time, just as you would with a VCR. You can also create a manual repeat recording for every week, every day, or every weekday. To create a manual recording:

1. To choose the Recording Type, use the UP and DOWN arrows to select “One Time,” or “Repeating.” Then press the RIGHT arrow.

2. To choose the day(s) for the recording, use the UP and DOWN arrows to change the current selection. If you chose “Repeating,” you can also choose to repeat the recording on a specified day of the week, on every weekday (select “Every M-F”) or every day (select “Every Day”).

3. To choose a channel, use the UP and DOWN arrows or enter a number from the number keypad. Press the RIGHT arrow.

4. To set the hour, minute, and am/pm for the start and stop time, use UP/DOWN arrows to change the current selection. Press the RIGHT arrow to move to the next step, LEFT arrow to move back.

5. To schedule the recording, press SELECT. A confirmation screen appears. The recording will be named with a “best guess” based on program guide listings for that time and channel. This will help you find your program later in the To Do List or Now Playing List.

Record by Time or Channel is

useful for times when you want to

record only a portion of a program, for

example, the opening monologue of a talk

show.

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record Record by Time or Channel Manually Record Time/Channel

Chapter 4

Pick Programs to Record

Find Programs That Match Your Interests

Try a WishList™ Search!

If you know what you like, WishList searches are great! A WishList search automatically finds programs that match your interests, tastes, passions, and whims on any channel you receive. And it keeps on searching for as long as you keep the WishList.

For example, you could create a Category Only WishList for the category “Movies” and subcategory “Action/Adventure.” You could then use it occasionally to look at a list of all action/adventure movies airing in the next two weeks. The list would be constantly updated by program guide data.

You could search for something more specific by creating an Actor WishList for Elizabeth Myer, and then include the category “Movies,” and subcategory “Romance.” This WishList would only find romance movies with Elizabeth Myer.

With a Keyword WishList, you can look for something very specific. For example, the Keyword WishList “LIGHTNING” with category “Football” would find Lightning football (but not baseball) games for you.

Here’s another example: You could create a Keyword WishList to find a 1986 remake of a movie called The Fright, starring Chris Fields. The keyword entry would look like this: “CHRIS FIELDS” FRIGHT. Not only does this WishList search find a specific program—it finds the specific version! (You could also find this movie by making a Keyword WishList for the movie’s title and year. In that case, the keyword entry might look like this: “THE FRIGHT” 1986.)

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record Search Using a WishList

Find Programs That Match Your Interests

After you create a WishList search, you can periodically view what it finds by selecting “View all upcoming WishList programs,” or selecting an individual WishList, then selecting “View upcoming programs.” Then you can schedule recordings for the programs or episodes you want. (See page 59 for more details.)

Can a WishList Do More Than Search?

Yes it can! You can set a WishList to auto-record, and it will record every program the WishList finds, on any channel you receive. For example, if you set the Elizabeth Myer Actor WishList (discussed earlier) to auto-record, you would automatically collect Elizabeth Myer romance movies in the Now Playing List.

Some WishList searches are better suited to browsing than to auto-recording. For example, you could create a Category Only WishList for the category “Documentary.” This WishList would find every upcoming documentary. You might not want to record every documentary, but you could occasionally browse the WishList and choose the ones you do want to record.

The more specific a WishList search is, the better suited it is to auto-recording. For example, an auto-recording Keyword WishList with the keywords SNICKS and RABBITS, and category “Sports/Basketball” would only record basketball games with both of these teams—a great way to ensure that you enjoy this season’s rivalry. (For more on autorecording a WishList, see page 59.)

If you set up an auto-recording

WishList search for sports

broadcasts, consider using the Overtime

Scheduler

(described on see page 44) to

make sure you don’t miss the most

exciting part of the game!

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record Search Using a WishList

Chapter 4

Pick Programs to Record

Creating a WishList Search

From Search Using a WishList, select “Create new WishList.” Next, select the type of WishList: Actor, Director, Category Only, Keyword, or Title. For most WishList searches, you use the keypad on the next screen to spell out what you’re looking for.

As the last step, you’ll then be able to select a category and subcategory to narrow your search. For example, if you want movies with Elizabeth Myer, but not documentaries or talk shows, select “Movies.” To search every category, select “Don’t specify a category.”

Category Only WishList. Use the UP and DOWN buttons to highlight a category, then press SELECT. A subcategories list appears. Highlight a subcategory, then press SELECT. To search all subcategories, you can also select “Don’t specify a subcategory.”

Actor or Director WishList. Spell the person’s last name first by using the arrow keys to move the selection box around the keypad and pressing SELECT to enter the highlighted letter. As you select letters, a list of names appears to the right of the keypad.

If you see the person’s name, press the arrow buttons to highlight the name you want and press SELECT. To search for a name that is not on the list, enter the name in the format: LAST NAME, FIRST NAME. You must match the spelling of the name exactly, and you must use a comma (in the keypad under the letter W). If an actor or director is not listed, and none of their programs are in the Program Guide, try a Keyword WishList.

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record Search Using a WishList

Find Programs That Match Your Interests

Keyword or Title WishList. You can create a Keyword WishList with one keyword or with several. If you enter more than one keyword, the WishList only finds programs that match all of your keywords. With Keyword WishList searches, the DVR service checks for your keywords in the program or episode title, description, actor, director, year, and category information. Title WishList searches work very similarly, but the DVR service searches only program and episode titles.

Spell your keyword(s) by using the arrow buttons to move around, then pressing SELECT to enter highlighted letters on the keypad. You can enter as many characters as will fit on the screen. When you have finished, use the RIGHT arrow to highlight “Done creating keywords,” then press SELECT.

Using * in WishList Searches. To search for similar words in Keyword and Title WishList searches, use the asterisk (*) as a special symbol that replaces the endings of words. For example, the keyword HELI* would find shows containing “helicopter,” “heliport,” “helium,” as well as the movie “Helicopter Cops.” To enter an asterisk, press the SLOW ( ) button as you are spelling out your keyword or title.

The asterisk can be helpful when you’re looking for a range of similar words, or if you’re just not sure how something is spelled. Pop quiz: is it “irresistible” or “irresistable?” Use the keyword IRRESIST* and don’t worry about it! Remember, when using the asterisk:

• It can only be used at a word’s end; it cannot be used to omit letters at the beginning or in the middle of a word. (For example, HELI*ER or *COPTER would not work.)

• Be as specific as possible. For example, do not use keywords like TH*. There will not be enough room to show all the results of a keyword that is too general.

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record Search Using a WishList

Chapter 4

Pick Programs to Record

Tips for entering keywords:

• To specify an exact phrase in a Keyword or Title WishList, surround a set of words with quotation marks (to enter quotation marks, press PAUSE ( ). For example, the keyword BILL SIMON might also turn up a documentary about Simon Branden with a director whose name is Bill. Use “BILL SIMON” to be certain you find programs that only feature Bill Simon.

• If you enter more than one keyword in Keyword or Title WishList searches, only programs that match all of your keywords (for example, “CHRIS FIELDS” FRIGHT) are found.

• If you want to include an exact phrase and additional keywords, there should be a space between the final quotation mark and the beginning of the next word. You can place a space character by selecting SP on the grid of letters or by pressing FORWARD ( ).

• Replace hyphens ( - ), slashes ( / ) and periods ( . ) with spaces. For example, you would use the keyword phrase 10 10 to search for the title “10/10.” For an Actor WishList for Sarah Mills-Jones, use MILLS JONES, SARAH. You can place a space character by selecting SP on the grid of letters or by pressing FORWARD ( ).

• Any other marks, such as apostrophes ( ’ ) and ampersands ( & ), are ignored. For example, you would use the keyword phrase 6 OCLOCK NEWS to search for the title “6 O’Clock News.” (Note that commas ( , ) are also ignored, except in actor and director WishList searches, where they are essential.)

• For dollar signs ( $ ) substitute the letter S. For example, to find “$50,000 Chance,” use S50000. (In Search by Title, skip the dollar signs to find these titles.)

Title WishList searches are an

excellent way to search for a

program that is not on in the next couple

of weeks, but that you would want to

record if it ever came on. For example, if

you want to record “The Shadow Country”

the next time it airs, create a Title

WishList for the phrase “Shadow

Country.” Set the WishList to auto-record.

If you want to make sure the program will

record, give the WishList a high priority

with the Season Pass Manager. (See page

42.) The next time “The Shadow Country”

comes on, your WishList will record it.

If you see too many programs

when you select “View upcoming

programs,” the WishList you are using is

probably better suited for searching and

browsing than for auto-recording.

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record Search Using a WishList

Find Programs That Match Your Interests

Browsing, Recording, and Editing a WishList Search

Browsing all WishList searches. Select “View all upcoming WishList programs.” This

displays a list of up to 10 upcoming programs from each of your WishList searches—and up to 200 programs total (so it may take a long time to display). To record a program, select its title, then choose “Record this episode” on the Program Information screen.

Browsing an individual WishList: Highlight the WishList and press SELECT. Select “View upcoming programs,” which searches through current program information and creates a list of up to 200 unique upcoming programs that match this WishList. This list displays the first airing of an episode or program.

To see all the showings of upcoming episodes (up to two weeks into the future), select the title of the program in the “Upcoming programs” list generated by your WishList. Then select “View upcoming episodes.” A comprehensive list appears, including several episodes with showings on different channels and different time slots. The Program Information screen also includes an option for recording a particular program.

Auto-recording WishList searches. When you create a WishList or select it, you can choose to “Auto-record WishList programs.” This means every program the WishList finds will be automatically recorded.

Each auto-recording WishList search and its upcoming recordings are marked with a star ( ). To be sure that all the matches your WishList finds are recorded, give the WishList a high priority in the Season Pass Manager. See page 42 for details.

Editing a WishList. You can change a WishList—for example, to correct a misspelling or to add a category or subcategory. Just select the WishList, then select “Edit WishList.”

If you create an auto-recording

WishList search with the category

“Sports,” previews of pay per view

programs may be recorded and appear on

your Now Playing List. These will be

marked as partial recordings on the

Program Information screen. You will not

be charged for such recordings.

DIRECTV Central Pick Programs to Record Search Using a WishList

Chapter 4

Pick Programs to Record

Pay Per View and DIRECTV® On Request

DIRECTV offers up to 55 different pay per view choices each day, plus unique recording opportunities through DIRECTV

On Request.

Pay Per View

Your DIRECTV® DVR makes buying and recording pay per view events a snap. You can order them when they are promoted on live TV, or during a search for programs, to watch or to be recorded to watch later. And the whole transaction can be handled using your remote control. (A connection to a standard phone line is required for pay per view functionality.)

Ordering from live TV. While watching live TV, you may see a promotion for a pay per view event with an Ipreview

icon like this one: Press THUMBS UP™ or SELECT while you see the icon to view the Program Information screen for pay per view. From here, you can purchase the event and schedule a recording.

You may see similar messages reading “Press Select” and “Next Showing” while watching previews on pay per view channels. Press SELECT to see the Program Information screen for pay per view, which includes purchase and recording options.

Pay Per View Program Information. When you order a pay per view event from live TV, or select a pay per view event in Pick Programs to Record or the Program Guide, you see the pay per view Program Information screen. Options on this screen vary, depending on whether the selected event is currently showing, is already scheduled to record, or is currently available for purchase. Though some events have dedicated channels that allow ordering more than 24 hours in advance, you usually cannot use the DVR to purchase a pay per view event more than 24 hours before the event airs.

If a pay per view program exceeds

spending or rating limits you have

set with Parental Controls, a password

will be required to purchase it.

Pay Per View and DIRECTV® On Request

The pay per view Program Information screen gives you the following options:

• Purchase & record info. If the DVR does not have purchase information (such as the

price of the pay per view event) immediately available, it can do a short check for it. If the DVR gets purchase information, the event will become available to purchase and record. To check for purchase information the DVR must briefly tune to a special channel. If you are recording a program, checking for pricing information this way may create a short skip in the recording. The skip is usually less than two seconds but may be up to ten seconds long. The DVR provides a confirmation screen so you can avoid such a skip by choosing not to check for purchase information.

If the DVR finds purchase information by tuning away, the pay per view screen will be refreshed with the new information and you will have the option to purchase the program. If the DVR cannot find purchase information, you will be informed that purchase information is not available.

• Buy and record. When you select this option, the pay per view event is purchased and

a recording of it is scheduled on the To Do List. A verification screen appears describing any scheduling conflicts. If you verify that you want to buy and record the event, a second screen confirms the purchase. You can select “Options,” to the right of “Buy and record,” to change Recording Options for the pay per view event.

Recorded pay per view programs are marked “Keep Until I Delete” (the green icon) by default. That way your recorded selections are saved until you manually delete them from the Now Playing screen.

• Buy; don’t record. When you select this option, you purchase the pay per view event.

A verification screen appears with a description of any scheduling conflicts.

Chapter 4

Pick Programs to Record

• View upcoming showings. Press SELECT to display a list of upcoming showings of

the program. Highlight a showing and press SELECT to display options on the Program Information screen. LEFT arrow from the list returns to the previous screen.

• Watch Now. Available if the program has been purchased and is currently playing.

• Review/cancel purchases. You’ll see this option if you have already purchased a

program. Select “Review/cancel purchases” to display the Purchases screen, where you can cancel any purchases you have not yet watched or recorded.

• Record as planned. Available if you already scheduled the program to record.

Selecting this leaves the pay per view screen without making any changes.

• Cancel this recording. Available if the program has been purchased and is being

recorded. Selecting this option cancels the recording. (Because the DVR began recording the program, you will still be charged for the purchase.)

• Continue recording. Available if the program is already recording. Selecting this

option leaves the pay per view screen without making any changes.

Purchases Screen. You can review your pay per view activity using the Purchases screen. You can also use this screen to cancel purchases of pay per view events that have not yet aired. From DIRECTV Central, select Messages & Setup, then Purchases. See page 79.

Pay Per View and DIRECTV® On Request

DIRECTV On Request

The DIRECTV On Request service makes it easy for you to find and record new and exciting shows. You can find programs through the DIRECTV On Request service either by browsing the On Request screen, or by using Search by Title. With the On Request service, you’ll be able to watch previews of selected programs and set up recordings of entire packages in just one step.

When programs are offered through On Request, you will see an On Request selection on DIRECTV Central. To view details and to browse all current On Request offerings, highlight On Request and press SELECT. Use the ARROW buttons to navigate through the On Request screen, and press SELECT to get more information about the program. You may have the option to watch previews, see a list of upcoming showings, or purchase a package of recordings.

Auto-Recording Package. On Request may offer you opportunities to record a series of programs collected and recommended by DIRECTV. Auto-recording an On Request package works just like an auto-recording WishList

search:

• Each recording or upcoming showing scheduled to record is marked with a star ( ), blue for a free package, and green for a purchased package.

• You can change the priority of the recordings using the Season Pass Manager. See page 42 for details.

Purchases Screen. You can review your On Request purchases using the Purchases screen. You can also cancel an On Request purchase using this screen, anytime before the first recording of a package begins. From DIRECTV Central, select Messages & Setup, then Purchases. See page 79.

Chapter 4

Pick Programs to Record

CHAPTER

Watching Live TV and Recorded Programs

Using the Control Buttons 66

Status Bar 67

Channel Banner 68

Watching Live TV 69

Watching Programs from Now Playing 72

Save to VCR 75

Music Channels 76

Chapter 5

Watching Live TV and Recorded Programs

Using the Control Buttons

Part of the fun of watching programs with your DIRECTV® DVR is using the pause, instant replay, and slow motion features. Here’s an overview of the control buttons:

RECORD. Records a program. You can press RECORD when you are watching a program in live TV, or when a program title is highlighted on the guide.

PLAY. Shows programs at normal speed. The status bar appears for five seconds.

PAUSE. Freezes the picture. To resume, press PLAY, or press PAUSE again. You

can pause live TV for 30 minutes. You can pause a recorded program indefinitely.

Frame-by-Frame. To move frame-by-frame: first press the PAUSE button. Then press either the BACK or FORWARD button. For continuous frame-by-frame back or forward, hold down the BACK or FORWARD button.

BACK. Plays the program in reverse. Press BACK once, twice, or three times to go backward fast, faster, or fastest.

FORWARD. Plays the program in fast forward. As with reverse, pressing the FORWARD button repeatedly cycles through three speeds of fast forward.

SLOW. Plays the program in slow motion.

INSTANT REPLAY. Instantly plays the last eight seconds of the program again.

ADVANCE. (a) If you are watching live TV, catches up to the current time. (b) When

you are fast forwarding in a recorded program, instantly jumps ahead to the next tick mark (short white line on the status bar). When you are rewinding, jumps back to the previous tick mark. (c) If you are watching a recorded program, jumps to the end of the recording. Press again to jump to the beginning of the recording.

When you fast forward too far,

press INSTANT REPLAY to rewind

eight seconds. Press it again if you really

missed the mark.

WARNING TO PROJECTION AND

PLASMA TV OWNERS! Be careful

about using the pause feature for long

periods of time if you have a projection or

plasma TV. Most projection and plasma

TVs are sensitive and “burn in” still

images very quickly. If you pause your

program for too long, you may

permanently damage your screen. See

your TV’s owners manual for more

information.

Status Bar

When you press PLAY, PAUSE, FORWARD or BACK, the status bar appears on the lower part of your screen. In live TV, the status bar represents one hour (notice the white tick marks every 15 minutes). In recorded programs, the bar shows the program’s length.

The green portion of the bar represents the part of the program saved by the DVR. The DVR automatically saves up to 30 minutes of live TV. You can rewind and fast forward through the saved portions of a program.

In live TV, the right edge of the green segment represents the current time. A white vertical line shows where you are in the saved portion of the program. If the white line is anywhere back in the green segment, you are behind live TV. When you’re behind live TV, you can press the ADVANCE button ( ) to catch up.

The EXIT button hides the status

bar, guide, channel banner, and

anything else that is not part of the

program.

This is where you catch up with live TV and the current time.

This is where you are now.

Status bar for live TV.

This shows which special feature you are using. (This is the symbol for pause.)

Status bar for a twohour recorded program.

The BACK button has been pressed twice.

This recorded program is two hours long.

tick marks (15 min. apart)

Chapter 5

Watching Live TV and Recorded Programs

Channel Banner

The channel banner appears at the top of the screen when you change channels or press INFO, THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN, or the RIGHT arrow during a program. It disappears after a few seconds. You can set how long the banner stays on the screen when you change channels; see page 81. Press EXIT (or INFO) to hide the channel banner.

Use the RIGHT arrow to cycle through three versions of the channel banner: small (with only the current time and channel), medium (adds the title, running time, and ratings), and large (with a program description and icons for useful shortcuts). The size of the banner you last viewed becomes the default size when you change channels.

Channel Banner Shortcuts. The large channel banner has a number of selectable icons. To select an icon, use the UP and DOWN arrows to highlight it, then press SELECT.

Select to start a recording. This icon is bright when the DVR is recording a program, dim when it is not recording.

Select to display what’s on the other tuner (for Dual Tuner). This icon is bright if the program on the other tuner is being recorded. It is dim if the program on the other tuner is not being recorded.

Select to view audio options, including alternate audio tracks or closed caption options. If alternate audio is available, this icon will be bright, otherwise it will be dim. Highlight the icon and press SELECT to choose an alternate audio track. If Dolby Digital audio is available, the Dolby Digital icon will appear bright.

Select to display Parental Controls (see page 82). If Parental Controls are off, the padlock appears unlocked and dim. If they are on, it appears locked and bright. If they are temporarily turned off, it appears unlocked and bright.

If this icon is bright, you have new messages. Select to display Messages & Setup.

Pressing the RIGHT arrow cycles through

channel banner styles, from

small . . .

to medium . . .

to large . . .

Watching Live TV

When you’re watching a program as it’s broadcast, you’re watching live TV. To go to live TV at any time, press the LIVE TV button on your remote. You can also select Watch Live TV from DIRECTV Central. If you’ve used the pause, rewind, slow, or instant replay features and are “behind” live TV, press ADVANCE to catch up.

Changing Channels

There are several ways to change channels:

• Use the Guide. Tired of channel surfing? Press GUIDE to bring up the Advanced

Program Guide

™

. Use the arrow buttons to highlight a program and press SELECT.

• Use the Number Pad. To go to a specific channel, use the numbers on your remote

control, then press ENTER/LAST. (If you don’t press ENTER/LAST, the channel changes automatically after a few seconds.) To clear the number before the channel changes, press CLEAR. Use the ADVANCE button ( ) for channel numbers that include a dash.

• Use CHAN UP/DOWN. Use the CHAN UP/DOWN button on your remote control to

tune to channels on the current channel list.

• Use ENTER/LAST. To jump back to the previous channel you were on (without

entering any numbers), press ENTER/LAST.

Changing Channels with Dual Tuner

With Dual Tuner, you can switch between two channels using the DOWN arrow or the LIVE TV button. The DVR saves up to 30 minutes of live TV on both channels. If you move to a new channel (that is, a third channel), the saved portion on the original channel is cleared, and the DVR starts saving live TV on the new channel (in addition to the other

Chapter 5

Watching Live TV and Recorded Programs

most recent channel you were watching). You can use the pause, fast forward, instant replay, and slow motion features on either of the two current channels.

The DIRECTV Advanced Program Guide

While you are watching live TV, the Advanced Program Guide™ shows you current and upcoming programs. You can use it to see what’s on, change the channel, schedule a recording, purchase and/or record pay per view events when pricing information is available, set Thumb ratings, or select a channel filter. The guide has program information for up to the next two weeks.

To display the guide, press the GUIDE button. To hide it, press GUIDE again (or EXIT).

Choosing a Guide Style. You can choose between two styles of the Advanced Program Guide

™

: the Grid Guide and the List Guide. They provide similar information, but in different formats. To change the guide style, press the GUIDE button to display the guide, then press INFO to see the Guide Options. Highlight “Style” and select either the Grid Guide or the List Guide. The Grid Guide is the default style.

Moving Through the Guide. Use the UP, DOWN, RIGHT and LEFT arrows to move around in the guide. Use CHAN UP/DOWN to page up or down. In the Grid Guide, use the FORWARD and BACK buttons to jump through programming information 90 minutes at a time. In the List Guide, the FORWARD and BACK buttons jump through 30 minutes of programming information at a time.

Upcoming Programs. Press SELECT on a program that is not currently airing. This displays some information about the program. You can choose to “Record this showing,” or select “Season Pass & other options” to see the Upcoming Program screen and other actions you can take. See “Recording a Program from the Guide” on page 49.

Watching Live TV

Program listings

Grid Guide

The following icons may appear

beside programs in the guide:

This appears beside pay per view

events that are All Day Ticket

replays.

This appears beside programs

that have an alternate

audio track.

This appears beside programs

that have a Dolby Digital

sound track.

This appears beside programs

that are broadcast in letterbox

format, which displays the full

width of the program and leaves

a black margin at the top and

bottom of the screen.

Program description

and Thumb rating

Time slots

Channel list and

category filter

currently in use

Title, date, time the program airs, and other applicable information (rating, alternate audio, CC, Dolby Digital)

Guide options (Push INFO button to set)

Channel number and channel call letters

List Guide

Programs during this time slot

Upcoming programs on the selected channel

Selected channel

Current time

Chapter 5

Watching Live TV and Recorded Programs

Watching Programs from Now Playing

All programs recorded on your DIRECTV® DVR are listed in the Now Playing List (no more searching through unlabeled videotapes!). To go to the Now Playing List, press the DIRECTV button on your remote control twice, or press the LIST button.

As soon as a recording begins, the program’s title appears in the Now Playing List. You can watch any program in the Now Playing List, even one that is still recording. Just highlight it and press PLAY. If you have watched part of the program already, it resumes from the point you stopped watching. When a program ends, you have the option to delete it. If you don’t delete it, the program is available to watch again from the beginning. To delete a program from the list, highlight it and press CLEAR.

Program Information Screen

Highlight a program in the Now Playing List and press SELECT to see the Program Information screen, and these options:

• Play (or Resume playing). Plays the program from the beginning, or from the last

paused point.

• Keep until.... To change the date when the program may be deleted, press the DOWN

arrow until the date is highlighted, then press the RIGHT or LEFT arrows until the date you want appears. Press SELECT to return to the Program Information screen.

• Delete Now or Stop Recording (if recording is in progress).

• Save to VCR. See page 75 for information on this feature.

The Program Information screen includes a brief description of the selected program. It also shows the program’s start time, channel, duration, ratings, advisories, and other attributes. For more details on a given program, press INFO at a Program Information screen. The Program Details screen appears.

Watching Programs from Now Playing

If you have given a program a Thumb rating, Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down icons appear at the top of the Program Information screen. You can change the rating here by pressing THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN.

Ratings and Advisories. The Program Information screen also shows ratings and advisories for the selected program. For a description of movie and television ratings, and of television advisories, see “Parental Controls” on page 82. A movie may also have advisories, regardless of whether it has a rating. The following movie advisory codes may appear in parentheses after the description:

Sorting and Grouping Programs

When you are in the Now Playing List, press ENTER to see Now Playing Options. You can also press 1 on your remote control to change the sort order of programs on the Now Playing List, or press 2 to turn Groups on or off.

Sorting Programs. Choose how you want the programs in Now Playing to be listed:

• Alphabetically. Programs are listed alphabetically by title (from A to Z).

• By date recorded. Programs are listed by the date they were recorded, with the most

recent at the top and the oldest at the bottom.

Grouping Programs. The Groups option lets you group like programs together to “tidy up” the screen. A number in parentheses to the right of each folder shows how many programs it contains. When you turn on Groups, a folder appears in Now Playing for:

• Each television series with more than one recorded episode;

• Each package recording from DIRECTV

On Request;

AC: Adult Content SC: Sexual Content N: Nudity

AL: Adult Language MV: Mild Violence BN: Brief Nudity

GL: Graphic Language GV: Graphic Violence RP: Rape

Other attributes may appear in

parentheses after the description

of a program. These may include genre

information or technical notes such as CC

(closed captioning is available), letterbox

(which means the program is broadcast in

letterbox, a wide-screen format), and

Dolby Digital.

A note at the bottom of Now Playing tells you which sorting option you are using and whether groups are on.

Chapter 5

Watching Live TV and Recorded Programs

• Each auto-recording WishListTM search with a recorded program;

• Suggestions (if you have auto-recording of Suggestions turned on)

A recorded program may fit in any or all of these categories, so it may appear in more than one group, even though only one copy of the program is actually recorded. For example, say you have an auto-recording WishList

search for an actor who also appears in a

series, and you have a Season Pass

for that series. Each episode of the series that records will appear in two folders—one for the WishList search and one for the Season Pass recordings. If you delete the program from one folder, it also disappears from the other.

The Glossary of Icons on the inside back cover of this guide shows the folders used to represent each group.

Save to VCR

If you have a VCR, you can save a program from the Now Playing List to a videotape. Save to VCR happens in real time, so if a program is two hours long, it will take two hours to save it. You will not be able to watch live TV or recordings while saving.

Most of the buttons on your remote that control live TV work as usual during Save to VCR—you can fast forward through the boring parts! The VCR will record the video exactly as it appears, including the status bar, channel banner, and any icons on the screen.

Preparing for Save to VCR

1. Make sure your VCR is connected to your DVR. See page 14 for details.

2. Set your VCR’s input to record from your DVR. See your VCR’s instructions.

Using Save to VCR

1. Insert a videotape into your VCR.

2. Go to Now Playing, highlight the show you want to save, then press SELECT.

3. Highlight “Save to VCR,” then press SELECT.

4. Select “Start saving from the beginning.”

5. A title screen appears for ten seconds. When you see it, press your VCR’s record button. When the program is over, press stop on your VCR.

You can cancel saving to VCR by pressing the LIVE TV or TiVo button on your remote. A videotape icon appears as a warning. Press the same button

again and a confirmation screen appears giving you the option to resume saving at a later time, or cancel saving to VCR. If you choose to cancel saving, be sure to press stop on your VCR as well.

You can use the “Save to VCR”

feature with a DVD recorder; just

connect a DVD recorder to your DVR

instead of a VCR. The steps to follow are

the same. (See your DVD recorder’s

instructions for details on how to record a

DVD.)

Chapter 5

Watching Live TV and Recorded Programs

Music Channels

Some DIRECTV® channels feature continuous music. You can tune to a music channel just as you would any other channel. You cannot record music channels or use special features—such as pause or rewind—on a music channel.

Music Channels have a special music banner that displays for five minutes when you first tune to them. You can bring the music banner back to the screen by pressing the RIGHT arrow, or INFO. The music banner is updated continuously as information comes in from the satellite. It may not always have complete information.

CHAPTER

Messages and Setup

Messages from DIRECTV 78

Purchases 79

Settings 80

Phone Setup 90

Remote Control Settings 94

System Test 101

Troubleshooting 102

Restart or Reset System 103

Standby 104

Chapter 6

Messages and Setup

Messages from DIRECTV

From time to time DIRECTV may send you messages about updates to your service and other important notices. These messages are important, useful, and easy to find. When your DIRECTV

DVR receives a new message, a message icon ( ) appears on the

channel banner and in DIRECTV Central. To read a message:

1. From DIRECTV Central, select Messages & Setup.

2. Select Messages.

3. Select the message you want to read.

Use the CHAN DOWN button to see text that does not fit on the screen. When you are finished reading a message, select Done or Delete Message.

Selecting the message icon in the channel banner will take you to your list of messages. The message list will display “No Messages” if there are no messages to read.

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Messages

Purchases

The Purchases screen displays a list of all pay per view and DIRECTV® On Request programs you have purchased. To see the Purchases screen, press the DIRECTV button, then select Messages & Setup, then Purchases. Each program is marked with its date and time, and is designated “Upcoming,” “Purchased,” “Canceled,” or “Unviewed.”

• Upcoming. These programs are scheduled to be purchased but have not aired yet. You

have not yet been charged for them. You can cancel upcoming purchases by selecting them. The Purchase Info screen, described below, will appear.

• Purchased. These programs have been viewed. You were charged for them.

• Canceled. Purchase of these programs was canceled before the programs aired. You

were not charged for them.

• Unviewed. These programs were scheduled to be purchased but were not viewed and

not recorded. You were not charged for them.

Purchase Info. The Purchase Info screen shows a selected pay per view event’s date, time, channel and purchase price. You can cancel upcoming purchases on this screen. Canceling a scheduled pay per view recording in another place—for example, the To Do List—does not cancel the purchase. You must cancel the purchase from the Purchases screen. To see Purchase Info, highlight a program and press SELECT.

Canceling a Purchase. To cancel an upcoming purchase, highlight an upcoming purchase and press SELECT. The Purchase Info screen appears. Select “Cancel this purchase.” Press SELECT on the confirmation screen that appears, and the purchase is canceled. If you cancel a purchase that is scheduled to record, the recording is also canceled.

For more information about pay

per view and DIRECTV

Request programs, see page 63.

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Purchases

Chapter 6

Messages and Setup

Settings

With the selections in Settings, you can customize the DVR to work more to your liking. To view the available options, press the DIRECTV button on the remote to go to DIRECTV Central and select Messages & Setup, then Settings.

Audio

Audio Language. This sets your DVR’s default to automatically play the sound track in

the language chosen, if that language is available. If the language you choose here is not available, the program’s default language is used. When programs include alternate audio tracks (alternate audio usually provides the sound track in a different language), you can change the audio track for individual programs by selecting the Alternate Audio icon ( ) in the channel banner.

Dolby Digital. Some programs include Dolby Digital audio. If you connected your DVR to an A/V receiver that supports Dolby

Digital audio (using an Optical Digital Audio cable), you can set your DVR to record and output Dolby Digital audio by default when it is available. You can also switch to Dolby Digital audio for individual programs that include it by selecting the Dolby Digital icon ( ) when it appears in the channel banner. If you are watching a program with Dolby Digital audio, you will not hear the DVR’s sound effects.

RF Audio Output. You can use this setting if you used a Coaxial RF cable for an audio connection from your DVR to your A/V equipment.

Sound Effects Volume. Allows you to change the volume or turn off your DVR’s sound effects (the tones played when you press buttons on the remote control). The default setting is Medium. If you are watching a program with Dolby Digital audio, you will not hear the DVR’s sound effects.

You can set Audio options when

scheduling a recording. See

Recording Options on page 43.

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Settings Audio

Settings

Channels

Channel Banner. When you change channels or press the RIGHT arrow while watching

live TV, the channel banner displays, then disappears after a few seconds. If you want the channel banner to disappear quickly, select “Clear banner quickly.”

Channel Lists. With DIRECTV

service, your DVR receives information for all channels available through DIRECTV. You may not subscribe to all of these channels, so to make it easier for you to find and record programs on channels you do receive, you can set up custom channel lists.

• Channels You Receive. Use the Channels You Receive list to select channels you

actually subscribe to, and that reflect your viewing preferences. For example, if you never watch a channel and don’t want to record from it, uncheck it on Channels You Receive. Features such as Search by Title and Search Using a WishList look for programs only on channels you have selected in the Channels You Receive list.

• Favorite Channels. Use the Favorite Channels list for channels you watch frequently.

Include only a few channels in this list, so that you can quickly look at what’s coming up on them using the program guide. See page 81 for information on customizing the guide to show your Favorite Channels.

Use SELECT to check and uncheck channels in your lists. You can scroll through the list using CHAN UP/DOWN. To go directly to a specific channel, press the number buttons, then press ENTER. Your changes are saved automatically.

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Settings Channels

Chapter 6

Messages and Setup

Parental Controls

Parental Controls allow you to set limits on movie and television ratings and to lock specific channels so that a password is required to view them. Programs in the Now Playing List that violate Parental Controls also require password before viewing.

The padlock icon shows the current state of Parental Controls:

Off. No password or controls set. Padlock appears unlocked and dark.

On. Password and controls set. Padlock appears locked and bright.

Temporarily off. Parental controls are set, but a password has been entered to

temporarily turn them off. The padlock appears unlocked and bright.

While Parental Controls are on, you can watch a locked program or channel by pressing SELECT, then entering the password. This temporarily turns off Parental Controls.

To turn on Parental Controls and define a password ( ): Select “Turn on Parental Controls.” Use the number buttons on the remote control to enter a four-digit password, then enter the same password again for confirmation.

To temporarily turn off Parental Controls ( ): Enter the password to watch a program or channel, or select “Temporarily turn off Parental Controls” on the Parental Controls screen, then enter your password. When Parental Controls are temporarily turned off, any program or channel can be viewed, but the correct password is still required to change Parental Controls settings.

To re-enable Parental Controls ( ): On the Parental Controls screen, select “Re-enable Parental Controls.” Or, you can put the DVR into Standby, then exit Standby mode. To do this, press the DIRECTV button and select Standby, or press the Standby button on the DVR’s front panel. To exit Standby, press the DIRECTV or LIVE TV button.

The large version of the channel

banner has a shortcut to Parental

Controls. Press INFO, then press the

DOWN arrow to highlight the lock icon,

then press SELECT.

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Settings Parental Controls

Settings

Auto Re-lock Option. When Parental Controls are temporarily turned off, they re-lock automatically after four hours if you don’t use your remote. Parental Controls won’t relock in the middle of a show. By default, the Auto Re-lock option is on. To turn off Auto Re-lock, go to Messages & Setup, then Settings, then Parental Controls. Press the DOWN arrow to highlight “Auto Re-lock,” then press SELECT. Enter your password, then highlight and select “Auto Re-lock off.”

Rating Settings for TV and Movies ( ). Movies that are originally meant for release to theaters have a different rating system from programs that are made for TV. You can use Parental Controls to set limits for both rating systems (see page 86). You can also set limits for specific types of content—such as sexual content or violence.

To set Rating Limits for TV and Movies: From Parental Controls, select Rating Settings. Enter the password and select the kind of limit you want to change.

The next screen contains a box listing all potential ratings. Ratings shaded in green are not locked; those in red are locked. Use the UP and DOWN arrows to move the red shading and adjust which ratings are locked. Your changes are saved automatically. When you’re done, press the RIGHT or LEFT arrow to return to Parental Controls.

To set Rating Limits for Specific TV Content:

From Parental Controls, select Rating Settings, then enter the password and press SELECT. Select Block by TV Content. A list of categories appears on the next screen. Select a category (for example, V-Violence).

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Settings Parental Controls

Chapter 6

Messages and Setup

A box containing all the possible ratings appears. Ratings in green are not locked; ratings in red are locked. (Ratings in gray do not apply to the category. For example, a TV-Y program would not have V-Violence content so there is nothing to block.)

Use the UP and DOWN arrows to adjust which ratings are locked or unlocked. The display to the right of the box will change to tell you exactly what ratings level you are allowing. Your changes are saved automatically. To return to the Parental Controls screen, press SELECT or the RIGHT arrow.

Broadcasters are not required to provide ratings for specific types of content. If you want to be sure to block programs that do not include ratings for specific types of content, you will have to use age-based ratings to block content. See “Rating Limits for TV and Movies,” on page 83.

Movies and TV Programs with No Rating Information. Some movies and TV programs are broadcast with no rating information. From Rating Settings, select Block Unrated to choose how the DVR’s Parental Controls will treat unrated movies and TV programs.

Channel Lock for Live TV (). You can lock individual channels so that a password is required to view any program on those channels. To lock or unlock channels:

1. From the Parental Controls screen, select Channel Lock, and enter the password.

2. A channel list appears with a padlock icon to the left of any locked channels. Highlight a channel and press SELECT to add or remove a padlock icon. Use CHAN UP/DOWN to move through the list quickly. You can highlight a specific channel by entering its channel number with the number buttons on the remote.

3. When you’re done, press the RIGHT or LEFT arrow to return to Parental Controls. Your changes are saved automatically.

gray = does not apply to the category

green = not locked

red = locked

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Settings Parental Controls

Settings

Spending limit. You can limit the amount that may be spent on a single pay per view event. When Parental Controls are on, a password is required to purchase any event that exceeds the limit. To set the spending limit:

1. Select “Spending Limit.” A password screen appears.

2. Enter the password and press SELECT. If Parental Controls are off, you are asked to create a new password and they are turned on.

3. The Spending Limit screen appears. Use the number buttons on the remote control to enter a spending limit. If you set the spending limit to zero (“0”), pay per view programs cannot be purchased without entering the correct password.

4. Press SELECT to save your changes and return to Parental Controls, or press LEFT arrow to discard your changes and return to Parental Controls.

Changing the Password (). To change the password for Parental Controls, Parental Controls must be on. Select “Change Password” on the Parental Controls screen. Enter a new password, then re-enter the new password to confirm.

Turning off Parental Controls (). Select “Turn off Parental Controls,” enter the password and press SELECT. When Parental Controls are turned off, the password is deleted and anyone can view any programs or watch any channels.

When you turn Parental Controls

off, you don’t need to know a

password to turn them back on. You may

prefer to temporarily turn off Parental

Controls, so that another person in your

household does not choose a new

password.

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Settings Parental Controls

Chapter 6

Messages and Setup

Motion Picture Association of America ratings for movies

Ratings for television movies and programs (including content ratings):

G: General Audiences. Most parents would find this material suitable for all ages.

R: Restricted. This material is

specifically designed to be viewed by

adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17.

PG: Parental Guidance Suggested. Parents may find portions of this material unsuitable for younger children.

NC-17: Adult Content. This material contains intense, disturbing, or graphically portrayed themes or content that are not suitable for viewing by children under 17.

PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned. This material contains portions many parents would find unsuitable for children under 13 years of age.

X: Explicit Sexual Content. This material contains explicit sexual content and is intended to be viewed by adults ONLY.

NR: (Not Rated). This program has not been rated.

TV-Y. All children. This program is designed to be appropriate for all

children. Whether animated or live action, the themes and elements in this program are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 2-6. This program is not expected to frighten younger children.

TV-PG. Parental guidance suggested. This program contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. Many parents may want to watch it with their younger children. The theme itself may call for parental guidance and/or the program contains one or more of the following: moderate violence (V), some sexual situations (S), infrequent coarse language (L), or some suggestive dialogue (D).

TV-Y7. Directed to older children. This program is designed for children age 7 and above. Themes and elements in this program may include mild fantasy or comedic violence, or may frighten children under the age of 7. Programs where fantasy violence that may be more intense or more combative than other programs in the TV-Y7 category are designated TV-Y7-FV.

TV-14. Parents strongly cautioned. This program contains some material that parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age. Parents are strongly urged to exercise greater care in monitoring this program and are cautioned against letting children under the age of 14 watch unattended. This program contains one or more of the following: intense violence (V), intense sexual situations (S), strong coarse language (L), or intensely suggestive dialogue (D).

TV-G. General audience. Most parents would find this program appropriate for all ages. Although this rating does not signify a program designed specifically for children, most parents may let younger children watch this program unattended. It contains little or no violence, sexual dialogue, or situations; and no strong language.

TV-MA. Mature audiences only. This program is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17. This program contains one or more of the following: graphic violence (V), explicit sexual activity (S), or crude, indecent language (L).

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Settings Parental Controls

Settings

Satellite Settings

Options under Satellite Settings affect the basic functioning of the DVR. Most of these settings were established before or during Guided Setup, and you may not ever need to change them.

Repeat Guided Setup. After selecting this, you need to enter a safety code (press THUMBS DOWN three times, then press ENTER). This option lets you repeat Satellite Dish Guided Setup. For more information, see page 21.

Test Satellite Signal Strength. This screen shows approximate pointing information for your satellite dish antenna. You can also use this screen to check the strength of the signal received from each transponder on a selected satellite dish antenna. It shows you the signal strength from individual transponders one at a time. To be sure you receive all of your channels, you should check signal strength on all transponders.

A transponder is a piece of radio equipment on a satellite. The DIRECTV transponders receive information from DIRECTV and rebroadcast it to your satellite dish antenna. Different channels are rebroadcast by different transponders, and different satellites have different numbers of transponders.

You can check signal strength while you adjust the pointing of your satellite dish antenna. The signal strength meter on this screen provides audio feedback—a tone that becomes higher pitched as the signal gets stronger. You may be able to turn the volume on your TV up so you can hear the tone while you adjust the position of your satellite dish antenna. Alternatively, you might have someone watching the signal strength meter and then reporting through a cell phone or walkie-talkie to the person who is adjusting the satellite dish antenna.

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Settings Satellite

Chapter 6

Messages and Setup

When you first come to this screen, it shows signal strength for the transponder that carries the current channel. If you are having trouble with a specific channel, tune to that channel, then come to this screen to check the signal for that transponder.

• To change the transponder, use the UP arrow to highlight the transponder number. Press the RIGHT or LEFT arrow to change the transponder number. It is best if each transponder has a signal strength above 70.

If you have an Oval, 2 or 3 satellite dish antenna, you can check the signal strength from transponders on each satellite.

• To change the selected satellite, press the UP arrow until the satellite number is highlighted. Press the RIGHT or LEFT arrow to change the satellite.

• Press the DOWN arrow to highlight the transponder number, then press the LEFT or the RIGHT arrow to check the signal on different transponders.

If your signal strength is low, see “Satellite Signal Troubleshooting,” on see page 24.

Time Zone / Daylight Savings. DIRECTV sets the time on your DVR to be accurate at your billing address. If you temporarily move the DVR to a new location, you can change the time zone here. After changing the time zone, you can change the Daylight Savings setting.

Auto-Detect Satellite Information. Only use this feature if directed to do so by a professional installer or a DIRECTV customer care representative. In most cases, you can use Repeat Guided Setup, rather than this option.

Replace Access Card. If you need to replace your DIRECTV access card, follow the onscreen instructions.

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Settings Satellite

Settings

Suggestions

This screen lets you turn automatic recording of Suggestions on or off. When automatic recording is on, Suggestions may be recorded onto free disk space. Programs you have recorded or scheduled to record will never be deleted to make room for Suggestions. If space is needed to save programs you have scheduled to record, Suggestions are the first things to be deleted. Automatic recording of Suggestions is on by default.

Video

TV Aspect Ratio. Aspect Ratio refers to your TV screen’s size, specifically the

relationship between screen width and height. If you have a wide screen TV, select “Wide Screen - 16:9.” Doing this allows programs transmitted in a wide screen format to fill the wider screen. The default setting is “Standard Screen - 4:3.”

4:3

Standard Screen Wide Screen

16:9

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Settings Suggestions or Video

Chapter 6

Messages and Setup

Phone Setup

The DVR makes brief, periodic connections to DIRECTV and to the DVR service to ensure that your DVR receives updates to the DVR service. A connection to a standard phone line is also required for pay per view functionality.

On the Phone Setup screen, you can see details, including the time of the last successful connection to the DVR service and last connection attempt, as well as the status of the last connection.

• Edit phone settings. This selection takes you to the Phone Dialing Options screen. Selections on this screen are explained in detail on page 91.

• Test phone connection. When you select this, a test connection to the DVR service will start automatically. You may wish to use this option for troubleshooting or other unusual circumstances. Test connections usually only take a couple of minutes. When the connection has finished, press SELECT to continue.

• Connect to the DVR Service now. Under normal use, you do not need to connect to the DVR service manually. However, for troubleshooting or other unusual circumstances, you may wish to use this option. After you start the connection, the status indicator reads “Starting Up” and will change as it goes through several stages. You can watch live TV, set up recordings, and search for programs while a connection is in progress.

• Troubleshooting. This selection takes you to the Troubleshooting screen, where you will find Phone Troubleshooting steps among other selections.

DIRECTV Central Messages & Setup Settings Phone Setup

DirecTV R10 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual