Helpful Tip for Direct TV

[Daylightdon]

If you use Direct TV for your TV Reception and have a DVR, here is a helpful tip for those not in the know!



In the program guide scroll all the way to the left side to highlight the Channel number and its letter designation.

Press the INFO button on the remote. You will get a listing of all programing on that channel for the next week or so.

Press "R" to record anything you want.

Works GREAT!Cool

[MrBoylan]

If you use Direct TV for your TV Reception and have a DVR, here is a helpful tip for those not in the know!



In the program guide scroll all the way to the left side to highlight the Channel number and its letter designation.

Press the INFO button on the remote. You will get a listing of all programing on that channel for the next week or so.

Press "R" to record anything you want.

Works GREAT!Cool

Hey, Don,

Do the DirecTV DVRs have external USB hard drive support yet like the DISH DVRs?

And do the DirecTV DVRs have a "Save to VCR" or playlist type of function which basically allows you to set up a playlist of multiple stored recordings that you can then record onto a DVD recorder or VCR in one batch? This is something that I heard was on the Tivo units and would make life a lot easier when I want to transfer an entire season of "Survivor" from the DVR to a recordable DVD. The DISH DVR doesn't have this function. You have to play them back in real time, one at a time in order to transfer recorded programs to an external recorder.

Thanks,

-Chris

[Daylightdon]

Hi Chris, I don't know, but I will post your question without your name or source on the DTV Forum and pass back to you any good answers.

[BADuHamel]

Hey, Don,

Do the DirecTV DVRs have external USB hard drive support yet like the DISH DVRs?

And do the DirecTV DVRs have a "Save to VCR" or playlist type of function which basically allows you to set up a playlist of multiple stored recordings that you can then record onto a DVD recorder or VCR in one batch? This is something that I heard was on the Tivo units and would make life a lot easier when I want to transfer an entire season of "Survivor" from the DVR to a recordable DVD. The DISH DVR doesn't have this function. You have to play them back in real time, one at a time in order to transfer recorded programs to an external recorder.

Thanks,

-Chris

The DirecTV DVRs use eSATA connectors for external hard drives, not USB. I have one hooked up to my DVR. I'm not sure about the save to VCR function. I know the old MPEG-2 HD Tivos did, but I never used that. I'd have to actualy dig through the menus on the HR20 to see if it does it.

[Daylightdon]

Chris, here is the reply back on the DTV forum:

1. No, USB is not supported. eSata drives are but they replace the internal drive, not add to it.

2. The old boxes had "record to VCR" but no longer. You have to set the programs up manually and record one at a time in real time.

[BADuHamel]

Chris, here is the reply back on the DTV forum:

1. No, USB is not supported. eSata drives are but they replace the internal drive, not add to it.

2. The old boxes had "record to VCR" but no longer. You have to set the programs up manually and record one at a time in real time.

Don,

Are you positive connecting an eSATA drive replaces the internal drive altogether? I was under the impression that connecting one caused the two drives to act in tandem as a RAID.

[Daylightdon]

That was a direct reply from the DTV forum. Apparently from one in the "KNOW". I myself do not know what an eSaTA drive is, or where to interface it.

[spartanstew]

Don,

Are you positive connecting an eSATA drive replaces the internal drive altogether? I was under the impression that connecting one caused the two drives to act in tandem as a RAID.

Yes, Don's correct.

Adding a drive replaces the internal drive. I currently have a 1TB drive hooked up to one of my HR21's.

If I disconnect it, I can see the one show that is still on the internal drive, but can't see that show when the external is attached.

[BADuHamel]

Yes, Don's correct.

Adding a drive replaces the internal drive. I currently have a 1TB drive hooked up to one of my HR21's.

If I disconnect it, I can see the one show that is still on the internal drive, but can't see that show when the external is attached.

Yeah, the same thing happens to me when I disconnect the 1TB drive I have attached, but I just assumed that it had something to do with the raid data structure, I guess I was incorrect.

Oddly enough, though, the last time the external drive came disconnected whilst I was reattaching another component in my system, I noticed that some of the programs that were saved on the internal drive before were no longer there, like Broken Flowers and a few episodes of Weeds, which I is sort of odd.