# How do I change DVR status from leased to owned?



## crowtoo (Jan 3, 2006)

About 5 or 6 months ago I purchased several Philips DSR704 DirecTivos to add to our Direct TV account so we could have Tivo DVR's in the rooms that were previously using just a single tuner box. When DirecTV added these to our account they listed them as leased units instead of owned. What is the best/easiest way to get them to change the status of these units to owned on our account.

I realize that the lease fee is the same amount as the mirror fee but when we cancel DirecTV service I am NOT going to return my DVR's to them. These units were refurbished units so DirecTV has already gotten their money from the original owners. I will most likely sell these myself on eBay to recoup some of the cost of our "early termination fee" that we will most likely be charged.

I'd love to stay a customer with DirecTV but since they refuse to allow us to get Baltimore locals in addition to the DC locals we are stuck with, we are going to be forced to take our business to Comcast. Who, like all other cable companies in our area offer both the DC and Baltimore locals (we are almost exactly 50 miles from both cities). I know that a law was passed that allows DirecTV to give us neighboring cities local channels but for some reason I can't get anyone from DirecTV to answer why I can't get them.

Thanks for any assistance anyone is able to give me.

Chris
[email protected]


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## Mertzen (Dec 8, 2006)

Talk to the access card dept.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

To answer the main question, you need to call DirecTV and ask to be transferred to the Access Card support team. They're the ones who can fix your recevers' status.

To address some of your other issues, you may want to verify that adding the owned DVRs (as leased) didn't mistakenly extend your commitment. The access card team can correct this as well.

As for your locals, DirecTV doesn't HAVE any options; they have to give you the locals the FCC and NAB have assigned for your DMA. Cable's rules are a little different, and they can often offer adjacent areas, but satellite can't.


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## dorfd1 (Jul 16, 2008)

doesn't cable receive stations from satelites also?


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

dorfd1 said:


> doesn't cable receive stations from satelites also?


Not in the sense you are thinking. Most network television is sent across the nation via satellite, but that is big dish stuff, not direct broadcast to the consumer. The cable company will receive various programming via satellite, mix it into their cable system, and send it out to the customer on a cable channel.

DirecTV does the same thing, they receive the original programming from the program source, a lot of it via satellite, combine it into their programming package, then send it out to customers as part of one of their subscription packages.

A cable company probably does not get locals via satellite, but they could. In most cases, they either do an off-air capture, or have a direct (wired or fiber) feed from the tv station. Regardless of how they get the local stations, they have different federal regulations to follow as far as what they can offer than the satellite (DirecTV and Dish Network) companies.


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## denvertrakker (Feb 6, 2009)

When I lived in the Baltimore area, originally via cable we could get 2,11 and 13 (and 45) as well as 4, 5, 7, 9 and 20. Then some regulation was put in and we lost 4, 7 and 9 - since they were the same networks as 2, 11 and 13 - but we kept 5 and 20. Same thing with PBS - all we kept was MPT, and lost WETA as well as the other one (Howard U?). I don't think the satellite companies or cable companies have any control over this - it's all FCC decisions.


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## dodge boy (Mar 31, 2006)

You could see if you can pick them up OTA...


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