# Eulogy for a DirecTiVo



## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

According to the label, my DirecTiVo was manufactured in November, 2002. It was installed in August, 2003. Two months later, the drive was expanded to 160 GB, but because of a BIOS limitation, it was really 128GB. Three months later, it was expanded with another 160 GB hard drive. It started giving me tuner trouble two years ago, and I shut off one of the tuners. Last January, it was swapped out with DirecTV's DVR, which I believe has reduced functionality. I kept the DirecTiVo while I cleared out the movies. Today, I took the screwdriver, pulled the two hard drives, and sent it to a friend for electronics recycling on Saturday. Unfortunate, _The Cranes Are Flying_ and _Fires on the Plain_ remained unwatched.

That leaves how many members with a semi-working DVR?


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## doctrsnoop (Nov 20, 2007)

I have two Hughes units working but deactivated.


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## SteelersFan_in_CA (Jan 1, 2008)

6 total. 3 work, 3 don't. All are deactivated save for a week or two here and there.

Once you go HD it's hard to go back.


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## HarryD (Mar 24, 2002)

I have one Philips DSR7000 (that just started acting up - won't power up from Standby - have to pull the plug)... since 2002... and a Samsung unit still in the box.


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## Rob1956 (Aug 22, 2007)

I have a Philips DSR-704 that I've used at my summer home in MI sice 2004. I leave it up there all winter, when the place is closed down. It gets frozen every winter and when I open up in April it starts up and keeps going. Same is true of the 1999 Sony Vega 32 inch tube tv I have paired with it. I don't think I'd leave a plasma up there all winter tho...


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## crkeehn (Apr 23, 2002)

I have a Samsung and an RCA. Both still work but are retired from active service.


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## admdata (Apr 22, 2011)

I have a Huges DVR2 that I use everyday and it works great!


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## walpoledan (Jan 27, 2010)

DSR6000 from Feb of 2001 and an HDVR2 from a few years later. HDVR2 has decided to die but the DSR6000 soldiers on. There's an HD DVR upgrade coming, I just hope nobody tells the DSR6000 before it gets here...

I can still remember the days of coming in and forcing an call home to see if the upgrade that enabled the second tuner was there yet... those were the days


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## Surveyor40 (Jan 5, 2006)

Inactive but working, HR10-250, Phillips DSR7000 & 704, Sony Sat T-60, all stored. Inactive and saved for parts, HR10-250 and another DSR704. I've only replaced hard drives to add recording space never personally experienced any problems with the units.


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## HarryD (Mar 24, 2002)

and my Philips has died... after 8 years (and two HDs) of excellent service...


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## daperlman (Apr 2, 2003)

bumping this 1 year and a half after the fact. I just had to retire my last working DSR6000. They don't make anything like these wonderful devices anymore


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## GregAmy (Jan 7, 2008)

Can't seem to let 'em go to the scrapper. All had HD upgrades and the bottom one even had a network card/memory upgrade...


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

I am listening to Sonic Tap (DMX) on my original Hughes DirecTV receiver as I type this! I looked back in my records and I originally activated it in December 2000 so it's twelve years old and still working like the day I brought it home from the store. Once every couple of months I have to refresh it on the web site as it doesn't have a phone line connection and apparently that's how the software worked back then if it couldn't call in.

There was a rumor awhile back that DirecTV was going to discontinue the old-style program guide by the end of the year thus forcing folks with ancient legacy receivers to upgrade but I haven't heard a thing from DirecTV. Maybe they didn't realize how many legacy receivers were still out there generating $6.00 a month for them!

One of my R-15's which is leased was delivered to me in 2007 but it was manufactured in 2005 and the date code on the HDD is also 2005 so it's the original. It too is still bumbling along working just fine. I treat it nice and once a year in the spring take the cover off and blow out all the dust.


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## ndole (Aug 26, 2009)

ThomasM said:


> I am listening to Sonic Tap (DMX) on my original Hughes DirecTV receiver as I type this! I looked back in my records and I originally activated it in December 2000 so it's twelve years old and still working like the day I brought it home from the store. Once every couple of months I have to refresh it on the web site as it doesn't have a phone line connection and apparently that's how the software worked back then if it couldn't call in.
> 
> There was a rumor awhile back that DirecTV was going to discontinue the old-style program guide by the end of the year thus forcing folks with ancient legacy receivers to upgrade but I haven't heard a thing from DirecTV. Maybe they didn't realize how many legacy receivers were still out there generating $6.00 a month for them!
> 
> One of my R-15's which is leased was delivered to me in 2007 but it was manufactured in 2005 and the date code on the HDD is also 2005 so it's the original. It too is still bumbling along working just fine. I treat it nice and once a year in the spring take the cover off and blow out all the dust.


Not sure about the timeframe, or about rumors. But the plan seems to be to phase out any IRD using the old MPG (Master Program Guide).


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## ss_sea_ya (Dec 12, 2012)

I finally deactivated my HDVR2 and Directivo (and an R10 or so) as part of my upgrade to modern equipment. Can't recall how old they were, maybe 8-10 years? 

The DirecTivo(40hr) was working good. The R10(?) had recently died and I didn't attempt to repair it. The HDVR2 was upgraded with a 250G drive(300hrs) , which I replaced once. I also had the "bad tuner 2 pixelization" capacitor $1.40 + sixpack of good beer repair which lasted a couple good years. It finally degraded again to where I was using just the one tuner and single RCA A/V out. Was fine for what I was using it for. But with the nice offer from directv for some upgrades, it was a good opportunity to let them go. Probably will reuse the two 250g hardrives somewhere as some point. Still have the original 30G or so drive with prob 3.4a'ish or so software on it.

For the HDVR2, kinda feels like I've taken my ole' dog to the vet for one last visit. But there are new puppies doing exciting things in the home to worry about now.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

I have 2 HR10-250s that I Deactivated when Directv went MPEG-4 and they still work but are just gathering dust.

I had the hard drives upgraded via PTVNET along with the Software but I had to go HD so the HR10-250s became Doorstops!!! :lol:


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## Rent_Share (Aug 31, 2011)

Looking to Euthanize a DSR708 still in Place


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## sda3 (Nov 29, 2005)

I still have an HR10-250 and a Phillips DSR-704. As far as I know both still work, both are deacitvated. I kept the HR10 on the account until I went to whole home a couple years back.


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## dmurphy (Sep 28, 2006)

I took 4 of them to the township's electronics recycling dumpster last year when I moved. Sad moment, but it's time to move on. They had a good run.


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

Well, my original DirecTivo R10 has long been trashed, but the HDD still lives on in an external enclosure for use with my Wii.

- Merg


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## xmguy (Mar 27, 2008)

I have an 80 Hour R10 TiVo. Works ok but SLLLLOOOWW. Takes about 1 hour to boot up.


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## gov (Jan 11, 2013)

Was over at the neighbors house (spose it was about 2 years ago) and the DirecTV guy was FLOORED to see a Panasonic DirecTV receiver. 

I knew it was old, the Panasonic TV it was originally paired with took a dump several years ago, and the garage sale Mitsubishi 32 inch CRT finally died, so he upgraded the Panny D* when I put in a Sony LCD panel.

The DirecTV guy was just fascinated with the early history of the DirecTV boxes. I told him Radio Shack had Optimus receivers, Sony had a few models, Magnavox of course, and RCA had a boat load of models along with Hughes. He'd only ever seen D* stuff.

I've got 2 Samsung HD receivers (360s I think) out in the work shop somewhere.

Many times in the 90s I would set up an RCA CRT TV, RCA VCR, and an RCA D*. People liked how everything worked, and since many of my customers had pretty much all the same equipment, my job got easier.


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## ndole (Aug 26, 2009)

gov said:


> Was over at the neighbors house (spose it was about 2 years ago) and the DirecTV guy was FLOORED to see a Panasonic DirecTV receiver.
> 
> I knew it was old, the Panasonic TV it was originally paired with took a dump several years ago, and the garage sale Mitsubishi 32 inch CRT finally died, so he upgraded the Panny D* when I put in a Sony LCD panel.
> 
> ...


Chances are that the D* tech hasn't been around very long, and nobody mentioned the old D*Tivo's :lol:


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