# Has the TIVO Phase Out Begun?



## KY Mike (May 3, 2006)

As a 12 year Direct TV customer I have seen many changes. It appears that the winds of change are blowing again. 

Last evening I retired to my bed to watch recordings of the King of Queens (please no jokes, I love the show). I noticed that the show had not recorded for several days. I highlighted a show to record and was quickly informed that my DVR service was not activated and to call DTV. I didn't think anything else about it until today. Today I looked for a recording on another TIVO based DVR in my home. I was greeted by the same message. I looked at my DTV based DVRs and determined they were fine. I then called DTV.

Tech support had me do numerous things, reset, resend the signal, etc., etc.. The end result was that my 2 TIVO based DVRs must have incurred card reader problems at EXACTLY the same time and date. The tech informed me that the units will be replaced with new DTV DVRs for no charge. 

While I do not mind switching them out for DTV DVRs I wish they would be honest in their business practices. These were units that are owned by me and have never given me a problem. Come on DTV. Tell me the truth. I can handle it.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

Doubtful that it was anything deliberate. In fact, they are updating the Tivo software in the next few months.


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## KY Mike (May 3, 2006)

tonyd79 said:


> Doubtful that it was anything deliberate. In fact, they are updating the Tivo software in the next few months.


Maybe but I find it odd that 2 different units stopped functioning in the same manner at the exact same time on the same date. All the while the DTV units continue to function fine.

See the irony?


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## shmengie (Apr 12, 2007)

hey, my directivo unit in the bedroom gives me the same thing. i didn't think too much about it as i don't watch in the bedroom much. i'm gonna check this out...


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

DirecTV is not doing anything to the SD TiVo to phase them out.

Higher probability that something happened to your account that the DVR Activation sequence somehow was lost on your account.

Why a re-authorization didn't work... don't know.

But with over 2 million SD DTivos out there.... 
www.tivocommunity.com would have lit up like a blazing fire if something was going on.


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## KY Mike (May 3, 2006)

Sure Earl. And there were 2 shooters in Dallas that ill fated day. Maybe I am the first to report. 

Drink some more kool aid.


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## Gonesouth (Dec 26, 2007)

KY,

Irony? Yes

2 shooters in Dallas, who really knows.

But do you really feel that a company would spend the money to disable your equipment that they have made there money on and spend another $600 to send you more units?

I just do not think so.
As for the Kool Aid, it is tasty!


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## say-what (Dec 14, 2006)

KY Mike said:


> Sure Earl. And there were 2 shooters in Dallas that ill fated day. Maybe I am the first to report.
> 
> Drink some more kool aid.


Well, if you're so sure that they're being phased out that you won't accept an answer from an informed source, why did you ask in the first place?

Oh well, you caught them. But they're actually just phasing out your TIVO's.... :grin:

Technically, the phase out began when they stopped manufacturing the TIVO's, but it's still a supported product until there aren't enough left in the field to justify additional updates - that's not now, though.


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## KY Mike (May 3, 2006)

Gonesouth said:


> KY,
> 
> Irony? Yes
> 
> ...


It was a joke. I never stated they disabled my equipment. But thanks for playing.


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## KY Mike (May 3, 2006)

say-what said:


> Well, if you're so sure that they're being phased out that you won't accept an answer from an informed source, why did you ask in the first place?
> 
> Oh well, you caught them. But they're actually just phasing out your TIVO's.... :grin:
> 
> Technically, the phase out began when they stopped manufacturing the TIVO's, but it's still a supported product until there aren't enough left in the field to justify additional updates - that's not now, though.


Einstein, I was simply postulating.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

I can tell you for certain...

Nothing is being phased out with the SD-DTiVo units.


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## KY Mike (May 3, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> I can tell you for certain...
> 
> Nothing is being phased out with the SD-DTiVo units.


I'll take you at your word.

Thanks Earl.


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## litzdog911 (Jun 23, 2004)

Heck, DirecTV still supports the long-discontinued Ultimate TV DVRs.


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## KY Mike (May 3, 2006)

litzdog911 said:


> Heck, DirecTV still supports the long-discontinued Ultimate TV DVRs.


I'm not lying about this crap. It happened. 2 units dead at the exact same time same day.


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

KY Mike said:


> I'm not lying about this crap. It happened. 2 units dead at the exact same time same day.


Try calling back.

Have them remove the box from your account and re-add it.

My 2 DirecTIVO boxes did this about 2 months ago, and I talked to a really helpful gal at DirecTV. She tried Reauthorizing the boxes (as I had already done via the website), and it didn't work. When it didn't work, she tried removing the box from my account and then adding it back (or at least that's what she said as she was clicking away on the keyboard), and after that they worked again, and have worked ever since.


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## lukep10 (Apr 13, 2007)

run the diagnostics program on them both, if they both went down something localized to your house may have caused it. phone line power spike that damaged something, electrical spike or something. i apparently had a power spike come through the phone line at my old condo that screwed up 3 dvrs at the same time and they lost their "dvr service" and nothing DTV did was getting it back. they finally fixed themselves after running the diagnotics and then refeshing my service online.


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## Jeremy W (Jun 19, 2006)

KY Mike said:


> I'm not lying about this crap. It happened. 2 units dead at the exact same time same day.


We believe you, but we're trying to tell you that it was not some deliberate act by DirecTV.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

I would call "Customer Retention" as they are better at doing things with higher supervisory functions. They reset my HD Package shows after HDNET and a couple of other channels were disallowed after their new HD Package deal expired (they unplugged everyone but the ones who had signed up for that package and screwed up the grandfathered older "HD Package" customers).


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## DJPellegrino (Nov 18, 2005)

KY Mike said:


> I'm not lying about this crap. It happened. 2 units dead at the exact same time same day.


KY...
I have 1 SD DVR that did the same thing...but the reason for it was that I upgraded my old programing package to the Choice Extra or +DVR and then that message started showing up. Called Customer service...they had me reset that box...still no good. Unplugged...still no good. They resent the signal and all is well. The explanation was that their systems sometimes don't catch the SD DVRs when a package upgrade occurs. I was fine with it as long as it was fixed. No need to call retention and beg for a bone...it's just something that happened and was fixed in a relatively short period of time.


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## Jeremy W (Jun 19, 2006)

richierich said:


> they unplugged everyone but the ones who had signed up for that package and screwed up the grandfathered older "HD Package" customers


The old HD Pack customers were *not* grandfathered, they didn't screw up. You just got lucky and got something for free.


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## Pink Fairy (Dec 28, 2006)

Jeremy W said:


> The old HD Pack customers were *not* grandfathered, they didn't screw up. You just got lucky and got something for free.


Well, not technically. If a customer has ONLY mpeg 2 equipment, and no MPEG4, then they do get grandfathered for the two channels that they lost.



Jeremy W said:


> We believe you, but we're trying to tell you that it was not some deliberate act by DirecTV.


Exactly. If they were doing something like this, TONS more people would have said something.

The more likely cause is that the DVR service for TIVO is not on the account - perhaps it is there for the R15/HR2X's - that is actually a common problem - especially if a recent change in programming has occured.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

To reiterate, nothing has changed with DirecTivos... they are still supported. DIRECTV has not to my knowledge EOL'd any receiver or DVR fully... by which I mean you can take any receiver or DVR made for DIRECTV since day 1 and it should still work more or less the same as always.


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

Why don't we all just admit that someone was behind KY's DTIVOs going dead, and this someone _is our government_--you know, the same people who brought down the Twin Towers on 9/11 and who are hiding aliens in Roswell, NM.

Jeez, people, face reality already, will ya?!?


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## dhhaines (Nov 18, 2005)

Lord Vader said:


> Why don't we all just admit that someone was behind KY's DTIVOs going dead, and this someone _is our government_--you know, the same people who brought down the Twin Towers on 9/11 and who are hiding aliens in Roswell, NM.
> 
> Jeez, people, face reality already, will ya?!?


 Oh... now you did it! Now everyone who reads this thread is going to get their email read and be followed by black SUV's.


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

Hey! I got my information from Rosie O'Donnell, so it _must_ be true. Besides, I'm wearing my tinfoil hat and am immune!


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## bhelton71 (Mar 8, 2007)

Lord Vader said:


> Hey! I got my information from Rosie O'Donnell, so it _must_ be true. Besides, I'm wearing my tinfoil hat and am immune!


I thought Sith armor was Durasteel


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

It is, but the tinfoil is just added protection. You know how sneaky the government is.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

Since it appears the OP has had his problem corrected and that DIRECTV is in fact NOT phasing out the TiVo as postulated .. plus the thread is diverging into something totally unrelated (was that a run on sentence or what ), I'm closing the thread .. 

Cheers all.


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