# DIRECTV2PC Discussion and Troubleshooting



## Stuart Sweet

I've split off all troubleshooting posts from the first look and put them here. Please use this thread to help each other through issues.


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## Tyrate

I have 2 HD DVR's but I'm getting the no servers found messege. Do I have to wait until friday to get an CE update or will there be a release prior to friday to activate the server? Any ideas how to correct this issue?


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## Dirk

Don't think I am going to be able to use it. My Dell 2405FPW doesn't support HDCP.


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## schneid

The HDCP display requirement seems a high hurdle to meet. The only one I have is my 50" Sammy but that is already connected to my HR20. My main PC has a 24" display connected via DVI but I doubt it is HDCP.

I don't see the point of this offering with such high requirements. It is obviously much, much cheaper to add more D* receivers than new HDCP compliant video cards and displays.

Before you make the plunge, don't believe the Nvidia cards listed are HDCP no matter what they say. I built a Blu-ray HDCP compliant PC and all the Nvidia cards I tried, failed. The ATI 3650 I settled on passes Cyberlinks BD Advisor test and the D* Advisor posted today. It's a P4 with XP and passes while my Core-duo Vista Ultimate box fails the video.

If you want to read up on HDCP read the following link. Short version is it is a DRM scheme that screws the consumer by making them buy all new equipment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCP

D* TP31 is beaming Firmware 0x0290 right now (noonish). The current release is normally on TP25 and the CE on TP24. Maybe a download can be forced right now.


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## ejjames

schneid said:


> The HDCP display requirement seems a high hurdle to meet. The only one I have is my 50" Sammy but that is already connected to my HR20. My main PC has a 24" display connected via DVI but I doubt it is HDCP.
> 
> I don't see the point of this offering with such high requirements. It is obviously much, much cheaper to add more D* receivers than new HDCP compliant video cards and displays.
> 
> Before you make the plunge, don't believe the Nvidia cards listed are HDCP no matter what they say. I built a Blu-ray HDCP compliant PC and all the Nvidia cards I tried, failed. The ATI 3650 I settled on passes Cyberlinks BD Advisor test and the D* Advisor posted today. It's a P4 with XP and passes while my Core-duo Vista Ultimate box fails the video.
> 
> If you want to read up on HDCP read the following link. Short version is it is a DRM scheme that screws the consumer by making them buy all new equipment.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCP
> 
> D* TP31 is beaming Firmware 0x0290 right now (noonish). The current release is normally on TP25 and the CE on TP24. Maybe a download can be forced right now.


An analog VGA connection will work.


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## bonscott87

schneid said:


> The HDCP display requirement seems a high hurdle to meet. The only one I have is my 50" Sammy but that is already connected to my HR20. My main PC has a 24" display connected via DVI but I doubt it is HDCP.
> 
> I don't see the point of this offering with such high requirements. It is obviously much, much cheaper to add more D* receivers than new HDCP compliant video cards and displays.


It's not that they *want* to have high requirements, it's just the nature of the technology.

By the way, pretty much any decent flat screen monitor you buy for a computer nowadays is HDCP compliant as are pretty much any video cards, even cheapo ones (at least from ATI). I can run this on my wife's old PC with a 4 year old ATI card. Won't do HD (processor is only a 2.8 ghz) but it'll run SD just fine.


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## dettxw

Dirk said:


> Don't think I am going to be able to use it. My Dell 2405FPW doesn't support HDCP.


Dang! 24 inches and you can't use it for Blu-ray or DirecTV2PC. :eek2:


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## Mindhaz

veryoldschool said:


> I've been testing with a 3 GHz PentiumD and it's been working fine.
> What is the "problem/error"?
> here is a thread about running this on old computers: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=131230


Not having issues. I think I just missed the cut... Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz  Maybe D* could lower the system requirements a bit for those of us not paying the Vista performance tax.

My machine shipped in January of 2006. If yours is older, we are probalby in the same boat. No DTVPC for us.

Any word on a Mac version? I have newer Macs.


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## bonscott87

Mindhaz said:


> Not having issues. I think I just missed the cut... Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz  Maybe D* could lower the system requirements a bit for those of us not paying the Vista performance tax.


Again, it's just the technical limitation of the way the technology works. Not really anything DirecTV can do to lower the requirements. Pretty much need a dual core with a pretty recent video card in the last year. Playing Blue Ray takes a LOT of resources for a computer to run. DirecTV can't change that.


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## Mindhaz

bonscott87 said:


> Playing Blue Ray takes a LOT of resources for a computer to run. DirecTV can't change that.


I can play BluRay.


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## Stuart Sweet

Mindhaz said:


> Any word on a Mac version? I have newer Macs.


I haven't tried it but if you ran Parallels, VMWare, or Boot Camp you could probably run DIRECTV2PC under Windows. However, I've heard no plan for a Mac version. I do know some people at DIRECTV who really like their Macs though, so it's not impossible.


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## Herdfan

Anyone know the total size of the download?


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## MikeW

Herdfan said:


> Anyone know the total size of the download?


It is 31.4 MB


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## Herdfan

MikeW said:


> It is 31.4 MB


Thanks. I'm close.


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## waynebtx

very good. now i can get on my laptop.


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## rorkin

schneid said:


> The HDCP display requirement seems a high hurdle to meet. The only one I have is my 50" Sammy but that is already connected to my HR20. My main PC has a 24" display connected via DVI but I doubt it is HDCP.
> 
> I don't see the point of this offering with such high requirements. It is obviously much, much cheaper to add more D* receivers than new HDCP compliant video cards and displays.
> 
> Before you make the plunge, don't believe the Nvidia cards listed are HDCP no matter what they say. I built a Blu-ray HDCP compliant PC and all the Nvidia cards I tried, failed. The ATI 3650 I settled on passes Cyberlinks BD Advisor test and the D* Advisor posted today. It's a P4 with XP and passes while my Core-duo Vista Ultimate box fails the video.
> 
> If you want to read up on HDCP read the following link. Short version is it is a DRM scheme that screws the consumer by making them buy all new equipment.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCP
> 
> D* TP31 is beaming Firmware 0x0290 right now (noonish). The current release is normally on TP25 and the CE on TP24. Maybe a download can be forced right now.


My slingbox works fine.. Can view anything and can do it over the internet.
Just as cheap as a card and display that can run this.. I don't get it..


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## s2hotty

Herdfan said:


> Anyone know the total size of the download?


31.4 MB took about 21 minutes to download for me

Good Luck


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## Stuart Sweet

rorkin said:


> My slingbox works fine.. Can view anything and can do it over the internet.
> Just as cheap as a card and display that can run this.. I don't get it..


Does your slingbox let you view HD programming at the same resolution as your TV? (I know mine doesn't.) Does your slingbox let you watch something different than what is being shown on the TV?


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## evan_s

HDCP shouldn't prevent you from viewing most content. It only seems to actually be required for DoD content at least so far. I've got a fairly old 20inch dell lcd that doesn't support hdcp and it only complains when I try to play DoD content.


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## compnurd

I dont know about Wireless N being some huge requirement because i am using G and streaming HD works fine. nice write up


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## JonW

How long does it take to get a Serial Number from Cyberlink?

Were they expecting my DirecTv account or something other than just my name and email address?


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## Inches

Herdfan said:


> Anyone know the total size of the download?


The file size I got is 32,969,768


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## veryoldschool

JonW said:


> How long does it take to get a Serial Number from Cyberlink?
> 
> Were they expecting my DirecTv account or something other than just my name and email address?


~ 10 min [but they maybe getting swamped right now]


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## belogical

Stuart Sweet said:


> Does your slingbox let you view HD programming at the same resolution as your TV? (I know mine doesn't.) Does your slingbox let you watch something different than what is being shown on the TV?


good points


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## Inches

JonW said:


> How long does it take to get a Serial Number from Cyberlink?
> 
> Were they expecting my DirecTv account or something other than just my name and email address?


I got mine within 5 minutes after the d/l completed. The d/l was quite slow however.


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## dettxw

slinger45 said:


> i have the latest ce, but when searching for a server nothing shows up any help?


Do you have a firewall, and if so, will it specifically allow DIRECTV2PV(TM).exe access to your network?


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## robaross

The install is asking for a name, company, and serial number. I've got the serial number from the side of my computer but what else does it need? My name, the computer name?, and I don't work for any company!


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## dettxw

compnurd said:


> I dont know about Wireless N being some huge requirement because i am using G and streaming HD works fine. nice write up


But the point is you may want or need spare bandwidth for other things like a simultaneous VOD download or two, surfing, file downloads, etc. And what if your neighbors get home and fire up their g networks and interfere with your throughput? You can't have too much bandwidth!


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## slinger45

dettxw said:


> Do you have a firewall, and if so, will it specifically allow DirecTV.exe access to your network?


i do have a firewall, comodo....and im pretty sure i allowed it to access the network, ill check again,


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## Inches

robaross said:


> The install is asking for a name, company, and serial number. I've got the serial number from the side of my computer but what else does it need? My name, the computer name?, and I don't work for any company!


You can put anything for the company name but they will email you with the serial number.


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## JonW

veryoldschool said:


> ~ 10 min [but they maybe getting swamped right now]


Hmm... I still haven't gotten it. I had tried it using Firefox, so I just tried it again with IE7. Hopefully it'll come through.


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## schneid

Dirk said:


> Don't think I am going to be able to use it. My Dell 2405FPW doesn't support HDCP.


I have the same display and the Dell site says it does but then the devil in the details seems to state otherwise. My Nvidia video card says it's supported but it fails. Probably spring for a Sapphire 3650HD PCI-E for $60.00 on Amazon. I have the AGP version on my P4 XP box that passes the tests just fine. I guess $60 won't kill me to find out.


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## slinger45

nevermind had to dig around in comodo and found it, thanks for the help


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## JonW

robaross said:


> The install is asking for a name, company, and serial number. I've got the serial number from the side of my computer but what else does it need? My name, the computer name?, and I don't work for any company!


I believe for serial number it wants the license code they're supposed to email to you. If it insists that you type in a company name, you can type in anything - silly as that may be.


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## bakers12

When I used my generic email address, I didn't get the email. I tried again, using the address I signed up to DirecTV.com with and got a serial number.


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## Inches

The first program I tried to view was not rated and I had to enter the unlock code but I never created a lock code to begin with. So I had to lock my HR20-700 and unlock it and then used the same code on the PC and the show played. I never would have thought a cooking show would be locked :lol: :lol:


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## belogical

Inches said:


> The first program I tried to view was not rated and I had to enter the unlock code but I never created a lock code to begin with. So I had to lock my HR20-700 and unlock it and then used the same code on the PC and the show played. I never thought a cooking show would be blocked :lol: :lol:


man, what are they cooking?


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## JonW

bakers12 said:


> When I used my generic email address, I didn't get the email. I tried again, using the address I signed up to DirecTV.com with and got a serial number.


Hmm, that could be it. I just logged in to my account and I did register with a different email address.


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## Inches

belogical said:


> man, what are they cooking?


Mini corn dogs :sure:


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## yuppers519

Working Great


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## Doug Brott

JonW said:


> I believe for serial number it wants the license code they're supposed to email to you. If it insists that you type in a company name, you can type in anything - silly as that may be.


My favorite choice for Company is 'Company'


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## belogical

Doug Brott said:


> My favorite choice for Company is 'Company'


lol, that's what i always put


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## JonW

Doug Brott said:


> My favorite choice for Company is 'Company'


Boooring...

I'd probably go with something like "Why are you asking users of a home product for their company name?"

But I'm sure there are a lot more creative possibilities.

btw, still no email from Cyberlink. Has anyone gotten an email from them in the past 30 minutes?


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## belogical

JonW said:


> btw, still no email from Cyberlink. Has anyone gotten an email from them in the past 30 minutes?


yeah, buddy of mine just got one


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## Altcool

Do i need a different activation code for each of my home computers. Will DTV send more then one to the same email. If so is their a way to change it with out reinstalling the software. THanks


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## mchaney

Installed and the menu system works but when I go to play any of the things on the list, I get the ultra-informative "An error has occurred" with "Close" as the only option. I'm running the CE from 3 weeks ago (skipped the last two due to the number of reported bugs).

Mike


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## veryoldschool

mchaney said:


> Installed and the menu system works but when I go to play any of the things on the list, I get the ultra-informative "An error has occurred" with "Close" as the only option. I'm running the CE from 3 weeks ago (skipped the last two due to the number of reported bugs).
> 
> Mike


Using dual monitors? [it doesn't support dual monitors]


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## SParker

Altcool said:


> Do i need a different activation code for each of my home computers. Will DTV send more then one to the same email. If so is their a way to change it with out reinstalling the software. THanks


Yup you can get 2 per email address.


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## Amerikes

Click on Scan, and it says searching for server but nothing come up....

What am I doing wrong?

Status: 0 servers found


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## premio

Dirk said:


> Don't think I am going to be able to use it. My Dell 2405FPW doesn't support HDCP.


I use this monitor and have been using Direct2pc for months. Perhaps the HDCP is only enforced for content higher than 480 like most HD DVD players, assuming the content is flagged? I have watched Discovery HD on my PC with no issues. I have NVIDIA 8600GT cards.


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## Dirk

I guess. What I am really interested in is watching HD stuff though, since most of my recordings are in HD. I need to buy a new monitor anyway. 

Hmm. Maybe it will work. I'll check it whenever I get the new software. Hopefully it let's me watch HD stuff.


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## Dirk

schneid said:


> I have the same display and the Dell site says it does but then the devil in the details seems to state otherwise. My Nvidia video card says it's supported but it fails. Probably spring for a Sapphire 3650HD PCI-E for $60.00 on Amazon. I have the AGP version on my P4 XP box that passes the tests just fine. I guess $60 won't kill me to find out.


Our monitor isn't on the Dell site anymore. Those are the updated version that are up there. Our monitor does not at all.


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## Tyrate

Updated the receiver it works great, Thanks!


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## xmguy

A few questions.

1; Is the software free to download and use?
2; Can it be used with a R22-200?
3; If free can someone post a link along with steps on how to link the app to my DirecTV DVR?

Thanks


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## Yoda-DBSguy

Stuart Sweet said:


> Does your slingbox let you view HD programming at the same resolution as your TV?


Actually yes. the new Slingbox ProHD keeps it at 1080i on the viewign end if you have high enough upload bandwidth. Also the slingcatcher product lets you dconnect straight to a remote tv without the need for a computer to scale/decode at all; and adds a physical remote to boot.....

(


Stuart Sweet said:


> Does your slingbox let you watch something different than what is being shown on the TV?


Actually yes and npo. If you use the model above; it incorporates 4 inputs (1 composite, 1 svhs, 1 component and 1 digital/analog tuner. You can watch a different source then the one being viewed by your HD-DVR isf you simply choose to view a different spource. However not in the same manner as the directvhosting app is supposed to allow.....


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## Stuart Sweet

The HD DVR cannot put different programs out on different sources. When you are slinging you are always watching the same thing as the person in front of the DVR is watching. On the other hand, DIRECTV2PC will let you watch two different programs from the same DVR.


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## T_N_T

I hope they get the new firmware out soon, if not, how does one go about becoming part of the "CE" program?


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## dettxw

T_N_T said:


> I hope they get the new firmware out soon, if not, how does one go about becoming part of the "CE" program?


Go to this link and sign up!


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## xmguy

T_N_T said:


> I hope they get the new firmware out soon, if not, how does one go about becoming part of the "CE" program?


Just start by downloading the CE for the type of DirecTV DVR that you have. For HD DVR's CE Download happens on Fridays and Saturday nights from 10 PM CT to 1AM CT. Just see the Cutting Edge thread for more info.


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## Doug Brott

xmguy said:


> A few questions.
> 
> 1; Is the software free to download and use?
> 2; Can it be used with a R22-200?
> 3; If free can someone post a link along with steps on how to link the app to my DirecTV DVR?
> 
> Thanks


1) It appears to be that way at least for the Beta .. check the link
2) That is my understanding, yes
3) http://www.directv.com/directv2pc


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## xmguy

Doug Brott said:


> 1) It appears to be that way at least for the Beta .. check the link
> 2) That is my understanding, yes
> 3) http://www.directv.com/directv2pc


Thanks Doug, Downloading now at 32Kbps on a 10MbDN connection. :lol::nono2:


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## Stuart Sweet

I think given the demand for this product, it's not surprising that DIRECTV's servers are a little bogged right now.


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## dettxw

Stuart Sweet said:


> I think given the demand for this product, it's not surprising that DIRECTV's servers are a little bogged right now.


DBSTalk.com seems a bit sluggish too.


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## xmguy

I wonder if my HP notebook will work? 

Specs: 1.0 Ghz AMD Processor, 512 MB RAM, 64 MB Go Nvidia video card.


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## kinsale

For anyone waiting for the update just push the red button and when the welcome screen comes on just type 02468 on your remote. This will force a download of the new software.

One question I had is how do you control the resolution. If I have recorded a HD show on the DVR can I only watch it in HD on my laptop? HD is a bit choppy sometimes on my laptop. Do you have to record in SD to playback in SD on your computer??


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## dettxw

kinsale said:


> For anyone waiting for the update just push the red button and when the welcome screen comes on just type 02468 on your remote. This will force a download of the new software.
> 
> One question I had is how do you control the resolution. If I have recorded a HD show on the DVR can I only watch it in HD on my laptop? HD is a bit choppy sometimes on my laptop. Do you have to record in SD to playback in SD on your computer??


Yes.


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## veryoldschool

kinsale said:


> For anyone waiting for the update just push the red button and when the welcome screen comes on just type 02468 on your remote. This will force a download of the new software.
> 
> One question I had is how do you control the resolution. If I have recorded a HD show on the DVR can I only watch it in HD on my laptop? HD is a bit choppy sometimes on my laptop. *Do you have to record in SD to playback in SD* on your computer??


yes


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## F1 Fan

it took 24 minutes to download the app but the second it completed i had the email with the key in it


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## schneid

rorkin said:


> My slingbox works fine.. Can view anything and can do it over the internet.
> Just as cheap as a card and display that can run this.. I don't get it..


Agreed. I use my Slingbox all the time to primarily schedule my HR20.


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## T_N_T

I have no idea what the problem is, but it just won't update, it just goes to a black screen and the blue light in the middle spins a bunch of times.

I also lost my locals after resetting.


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## jrJR

Using an integrated geforce 6150E graphics card (which is nothin special) and I am streaming HD Micky Mouse Clubhouse for my daugther just fine!!!


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## Busterbear

Herdfan said:


> Anyone know the total size of the download?


3MB for Advisor and 31MB for the apps.

Works real well on my new HP notebook! 2.0Ghx Core 2 Duo with 3MB of L2 cache; 4GB of 1066hz DDR2 memory. Displays from my HR20-100 with a 1TB esata drive that is 80% full. menu responce is very good dispite over 250 listings.


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## SParker

Busterbear said:


> 3GB for Advisor and 31GB for the apps.
> 
> Works real well on my new HP notebook! 2.0Ghx Core 2 Duo with 3MB of L2 cache; 4GB of 1066hz DDR2 memory. Displays from my HR20-100 with a 1TB esata drive that is 80% full. menu responce is very good dispite over 250 listings.


Those should be MB not GB! :eek2:


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## veryoldschool

SParker said:


> I take it that 0x255 for my HR21-700 is the same as the 0x290?


"Nope"


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## jrJR

Update::
Not playing content coming from my AM21 or over the air antenna...... Just get audio..... Everything recorded over satelite no problems...


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## SParker

veryoldschool said:


> "Nope"


Oh okay, so I guess I will at least get to play with Direct2PC on my HR20-700!


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## mikela

Something interesting is happening. I forced a download and my reciever (HR-20 700) is picking up software update 0254. After it downloaded i forced another update and it started downloading 0254 again. Does anyone know anything about this? 
Thanks in advance,
Mike


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## SParker

Is there a way to watch Live TV with Direct2PC?


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## ejjames

SParker said:


> Is there a way to watch Live TV with Direct2PC?


No.


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## SParker

ejjames said:


> No.


Okay that would be a good feature, also an always on top option when in windowed mode would be good.


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## x1hdtv

Will we need to get a different key or serial number for each PC on the network to use this?


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## T_N_T

mikela said:


> Something interesting is happening. I forced a download and my reciever (HR-20 700) is picking up software update 0254. After it downloaded i forced another update and it started downloading 0254 again. Does anyone know anything about this?
> Thanks in advance,
> Mike


The same thing is happening to me, I don't know why we are not getting it when other people are.


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## steff3

This is way cool. Downloaded without issue, althoug it took several minutes, received email before fairly quickly. Installed program and activated. Within minutes was watching last night's Dancing With The Stars in Hi Def on my 22" monitor. Using wireless G without a problem. Fairly new system with Quad processor, 4 gig ram with Nvidia8800GT video card. Very cool. Don't know that I will use it often but way cool.


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## T_N_T

Check that, I just got an update message popping up when I was watching tv finally this must be the CE software, I wonder if everyone is getting this now. If this works I'll be like a kid on christmas morn'.

It said "Your Reciever needs to download new Directv Data" and I hit yes, it is doing the process now.


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## evan_s

Forcing the download isn't usually going to be successful. Even once a new release is available it isn't available to everyone at the same time. If it's available in your area your receiver will automatically download it tonight. If not forcing a download will not do anything. If you've tried once and still got 254 or 255 thats the newest available in your area. Trying again multiple times isn't gonna get anything different. Just gotta be patient until it's available in your area.


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## JACKIEGAGA

Does the activation number goes where it says serial #


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## Paznos

JACKIEGAGA said:


> Does the activation number goes where it says serial #


Yeah that's where it goes.


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## blusgtone

Never received the email with the key since 2 pm this afternoon. Is this normal?


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## SParker

blusgtone said:


> Never received the email with the key since 2 pm this afternoon. Is this normal?


Check spam/junk folder.


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## coolyman

I can't even load the page to view the first look. Is anyone else having trouble?

Nevermind. Suddenly it now works.


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## jessshaun

The playback advisor claimed my Graphics card was not good enough, and that I should upgrade my CPU. I have the minimum requirement of an Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ CPU. My graphics card is an old Radeon X1300 with current drivers(monitor and/or card doesn't support HDCP). HOWEVER.....

After playing with the software for a little while, it runs VERY good. No problems hardly at all. I'm assuming my 4 GB of memory is helping a little with that.

...anyway... Good one Directv! 2 Thumbs up!!


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## dchamero

I am waiting for the key since 3pm , is 7 pm now.... and no, is NOT on the spam folder.....


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## petergaryr

After disabling virtually everything that was running, I can play SD recordings fine. HD video stutters, though the audio keeps up.

Using a Pentium 4 3ghz dual core with 1 gb ram and an ATI Radeon X1300 video card.


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## petergaryr

SParker said:


> Check spam/junk folder.


That's were I found mine.


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## veryoldschool

dchamero said:


> I am waiting for the key since 3pm , is 7 pm now.... and no, is NOT on the spam folder.....


Was your email address the same as you have for your DirecTV account?


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## dchamero

veryoldschool said:


> Was your email address the same as you have for your DirecTV account?


Yes, it is the same.... I just resend... but I don;t know what happened (and no, it is not on the spam folder, in fact I received another email from directv.... but it was just an ad...)


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## blusgtone

veryoldschool said:


> Was your email address the same as you have for your DirecTV account?


mine was the same email. waiting since 2pm edt


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## TahoeTeal

Yes....I'm unable to open the First Look also.

Yep....it finally opened upfor me too.


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## veryoldschool

blusgtone said:


> mine was the same email. waiting since 2pm edt


:lol: maybe we've crashed the server. :lol:


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## Chuck W

jrJR said:


> Yes its downloading.... did the 02468


Kind of unfortunately I DIDN'T have to force the download, it forced itself on ALL my DVR's by itself, about 7:30pm. A bit frustrating because about an hr or so earlier, all my DVR rebooted, at the exact same time, without downloading the new software. Then it does it again and does download the software. My 4 yr old was not a happy camper, when she had to wait for a software download and reboot.

Whatever happened to the 2am forced download window?


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## schneid

Got the software.

Got the activation code.

Got 290 firmware.

Got two displays.

Don't got DirecTV2PC as it will refuse to run on dual monitor systems.

Too bad as it seemed like a cute idea.


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## dettxw

schneid said:


> Got the software.
> 
> Got the activation code.
> 
> Got 290 firmware.
> 
> Got two displays.
> 
> Don't got DirecTV2PC as it will refuse to run on dual monitor systems.
> 
> Too bad as it seemed like a cute idea.


Nothing is more important than DRM concerns.


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## donjuan2007

I got two displays and disable one on them and it works, I do not have a Dual or Qua system, 256 video memory, 1.5 gb of system memoty and this think still works like a charm even HD


----------



## biggie4852

I wonder is this just slow because it is a beta launch and loads of people are getting it at once. I've gotten spoil by Fios speed but I'm having a serious flashing back to my AOL dial up days waiting on this download. Wow 15 minute and counting I hope this worth the wait..


----------



## dchamero

dchamero said:


> Yes, it is the same.... I just resend... but I don;t know what happened (and no, it is not on the spam folder, in fact I received another email from directv.... but it was just an ad...)


I sent another one at 7pm and after half an hour, no email.... (neither the one from 3pm today or the new one)...


----------



## xmguy

Well it plays NOTHING on my HP ZV5000 Notebook PC. Specs, 1.60 Ghz AMD, 512 MB RAM, NVidia GForce4 GO64 64MB video card. No HDCP.
SD content only. R22-200. _WILL RUN_ on my Dell Inispiron 530, 2.2 Ghz Intel Duel core, 2 GB Ram, Nvidia 8600GT. Dell HD monitor with DVI.


----------



## rustynails

I downloaded the sofware and used the activation key and I get a screen that say DIRECTV and then searching for server. Zero server found! Anyone have an idea what to do next?


----------



## henryld

rustynails said:


> I downloaded the sofware and used the activation key and I get a screen that say DIRECTV and then searching for server. Zero server found! Anyone have an idea what to do next?


Probably a firewall issue. It was on mine.


----------



## SParker

1080i stuff is choppy as all get out. 720p stuff runs smooth. If I disable 1080i on my HR20 would 1080i stuff downrez to 720p and thus run smooth?


----------



## veryoldschool

SParker said:


> 1080i stuff is choppy as all get out. 720p stuff runs smooth. If I disable 1080i on my HR20 would 1080i stuff downrez to 720p and thus run smooth?


"nope"


----------



## dchamero

Now... if someone has a key and could not use it because it doesn;t work on your pc... can you please send me the key so I can try it..... :nono2:


----------



## mikela

Does anyone know why the software would fail activation? I disabled my firewall and it found the hr-20 okay, but it will not activate saying theirs no connection to the internet when their clearly is and needs to open port 443 which is wide open.


----------



## Fezmid

My two HR21s were locked up when I got home. Rebooted them. Started watching a recorded show, and after 10 minutes or so, it asked if I wanted to download the latest data. I said sure, not knowing what it was or meant... BAM, receiver reboots again. Gee, thanks for that warning...  

Anyway, I downloaded the software, took an hour or two to get the key, installed it, I can see my DVR, navigate through the menus, select a show... And then I get a message that says, "DirecTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time."

Any ideas? I met all of the specs, except for the HDCP compliant monitor -- but I'm trying to playback a Simpsons episode that isn't even in HD... (oh, and it doesn't recognize my two Opteron processors -- says "unknown").


----------



## henryld

I have a 2/3 year old HP with dual-core 3 GHz processor and Radeon X1300 video card, connected wirelessly (G), and it works fairly well with HD in my initial test. Not sure how much I will use this feature but it is a step forward toward true MRV.


----------



## smassey22180

Works great on my Dell Latitude E6400 laptop w/ Vista. I was surprised because IIRC the Nvidia video card is only 256mb. This is a top of the line Latitude with a 2.8ghz CPU and 4 GB of RAM. It worked great even though the laptop was on wifi. The DVRs are both on ethernet.


----------



## biggie4852

Download the software and play back is ok in SD. Heroes in HD was unwatchable there was lots of buffering and frozen pictures but this box is located in another room. Playback on the other HR20*100 which is directly connected to modem and PC works at about 75% PQ and sound are in sync TV still look better. One thing that makes this nothing special is you can''t run dual screens. This was the cool factor for me. I had hope we'd be able to watching TV and use the PC at the same time but it is not possible. This is like when DTV started the VOD and it is now a non factor in my house no one use it. The more I think about it is really not that useful for my family. We have TV in every room and kids have wireless laptop but it will not work over wireless network so why they or anyone will find use for this feature escapes me. oh well.....


----------



## Cozmo85

Looks like no luck with vmware fusion on a mac. app works but black screen on video.


----------



## Jason Whiddon

Forgive me if I missed this already. I travel a lot and would love to be able to access this stuff on the road. Any way to set it up where I can connect while traveling and watch some of my pre recorded shows?

Or is sling the way?


----------



## biggie4852

elwaylite said:


> Forgive me if I missed this already. I travel a lot and would love to be able to access this stuff on the road. Any way to set it up where I can connect while traveling and watch some of my pre recorded shows?
> 
> Or is sling the way?


Not going happen only works in your home network..


----------



## ejjames

elwaylite said:


> Forgive me if I missed this already. I travel a lot and would love to be able to access this stuff on the road. Any way to set it up where I can connect while traveling and watch some of my pre recorded shows?
> 
> Or is sling the way?


Must be on the same network. Sling is your option.


----------



## Jason Whiddon

biggie4852 said:


> Not going happen only works in your home network..





ejjames said:


> Must be on the same network. Sling is your option.


Well, forgive me for my lack of excitement, but....

I have a $2500 tv in the living room, why do I care that I can watch dvr programs on my laptop?


----------



## Slatts

The video content stopped playing because your monitor does not support the playback of protected content.....

Any ideas...

Downloaded client. See both servers. HR20-100 and HR20-700 will not play SD or HD off of either one. 

Again Any ideas...


----------



## Fezmid

elwaylite said:


> Well, forgive me for my lack of excitement, but....
> 
> I have a $2500 tv in the living room, why do I care that I can watch dvr programs on my laptop?


Speaking for myself, there are times when I'd like to watch a quick Simpsons episode (or similar) while doing some other work on my PC. This should let me do that.

However I admit that I'm more excited about the possibility to stream from one DVR to another DVR in the house -- so that things I record in the basement are watchable in the 2nd floor bedroom.


----------



## veryoldschool

Slatts said:


> The video content stopped playing because your monitor does not support the playback of protected content.....
> 
> Any ideas...
> 
> Downloaded client. See both servers. HR20-100 and HR20-700 will not play SD or HD off of either one.
> 
> Again Any ideas...


Do you have the latest video drivers?


----------



## Jason Whiddon

Fezmid said:


> Speaking for myself, there are times when I'd like to watch a quick Simpsons episode (or similar) while doing some other work on my PC. This should let me do that.
> 
> However I admit that I'm more excited about the possibility to stream from one DVR to another DVR in the house -- so that things I record in the basement are watchable in the 2nd floor bedroom.


Yeah, I think your idea is a better feature.


----------



## schneid

biggie4852 said:


> Download the software and play back is ok in SD. Heroes in HD was unwatchable there was lots of buffering and frozen pictures but this box is located in another room. Playback on the other HR20*100 which is directly connected to modem and PC works at about 75% PQ and sound are in sync TV still look better. One thing that makes this nothing special is you can''t run dual screens. This was the cool factor for me. I had hope we'd be able to watching TV and use the PC at the same time but it is not possible. This is like when DTV started the VOD and it is now a non factor in my house no one use it. The more I think about it is really not that useful for my family. We have TV in every room and kids have wireless laptop but it will not work over wireless network so why they or anyone will find use for this feature escapes me. oh well.....


I agree. Don't need VOD as Netflix in mail or streaming is cheaper, better. DirecTV2PC would have been nice but I have dual displays too. Wanted to window DTV on my second display.

Wish they would stop blowing money on this crippleware and concentrate on giving us more non-PPV programming, especially HD.


----------



## kirkus

Anyone else having trouble getting the software? The download page I'm on says "access error".


----------



## schneid

elwaylite said:


> Forgive me if I missed this already. I travel a lot and would love to be able to access this stuff on the road. Any way to set it up where I can connect while traveling and watch some of my pre recorded shows?
> 
> Or is sling the way?


Yep, it's called Slingbox. Absolutely amazing. Seems daunting but it is under $100 and surprisingly easy to setup.


----------



## ohills

Mindhaz said:


> I guess this would be great if my 2 year old antique of a computer would run it. My 3.0 ghz Pentium D Dell XPS 400 doesn't meed the product specs. As a result, it is refusing to run.


I have the same computer. It works just fine!


----------



## Jason Whiddon

schneid said:


> Yep, it's called Slingbox. Absolutely amazing. Seems daunting but it is under $100 and surprisingly easy to setup.


Thanks, sounds like a much better option for me.


----------



## ejjames

elwaylite said:


> Thanks, sounds like a much better option for me.


Sling is great on the road, but this app displays a much higher resolution.


----------



## Jason Whiddon

ejjames said:


> Sling is great on the road, but this app displays a much higher resolution.


I understand, but I travel a lot and sling is better. I thought this Directv app would be more like that. If Im at home and cant watch a show for some reason on my HDTV, then Ill just wait till another day to watch. On a PC in the same house as my bigscreen just doesnt add up. Wasteful feature that even less will use than use DOD now.


----------



## Slatts

veryoldschool said:


> Do you have the latest video drivers?


Yes I have the latest video drivers. I am running a dual core machine with 2.80 Pentium D and ATI Radeon X600 with 256MB Hyper memory. 
XP
1gb ram

Steve


----------



## iowaberg

So, if after downloading the D*2PC app, and bringing up the Playback Advisor, it comes up with any red circles, am I just out of luck for now until I upgrade my laptop? What particular buttons on the Advisor should I see if I am able to watch shows?


----------



## TAnsley

I have not set up a parental lock code on my dvr, but directv2pc seems to lock everything...what is the code it is using to unlock?


----------



## veryoldschool

Slatts said:


> Yes I have the latest video drivers. I am running a dual core machine with 2.80 Pentium D and *ATI Radeon X600* with 256MB Hyper memory.
> XP
> 1gb ram
> 
> Steve


Does this support HDMI?
You may need to switch to analog VGA.


----------



## rickeame

I am connected, it sees the box, everything is great except:

"Activation Failed. Could not connect to the internet". 

Um, sure you can. And the router is fully UpNp compliant, and you already are connected because we just did VoD, so I know you're connected. 

So, what seems to be the problem and how do I fix it -- I'm stymied.

I am also, for what it's worth, getting an "Unable to connect to network services (301)" on the actual box when I go into network settings. It has unfettered access to the net, so not sure what it's problem is.

update: got it to work, but wow is it choppy. And this is on a gigabit network. I have plenty of bandwidth, but it's choppy with anything HDTV.


----------



## mchaney

Now running 290, I still get "An error has occurred" with "Close" as the only option. I get the list but none of the videos will play. Pentium 4 3.4 Ghz with Vista (32 bit).

Mike


----------



## infomag2003

I have mine working with no problems. I'm wondering though, is the DirecTV Play Bar supposed to stay on the whole time? or did I miss a setting somewhere to turn that off.


----------



## DBSooner

How big is the download? It's downloading pretty slow.


----------



## atljoe

Can you stream through media server ( PS3 ) to another TV?
If not I'll be keep slinging


----------



## ncxcstud

DBSooner - its just over 30MB

infomag2003 - just don't move your mouse for awhile, it'll go away.

mchaney - I got the same thing...then I thought to turn off one of my monitors (within the computer settings not just the power button), now it works like a champ. You don't happen to be running a dual-monitor setup would you?

Also, I hope directv patches it soon so it can work with dual-monitor setups 

Still a pretty awesome feature to watch (recorded) tv from the DVR to my computer. Will come in handy during baseball next year


----------



## infomag2003

I tried the no mouse movement, the play buttons at the bottom of the screen go away, but I'm trying to get the DirecTV TimeLine bar to go away. It stays up the entire time.


----------



## iowaberg

ok.....so where do I go after using Advisor to actually watch my shows?? do i need to log into directv.com? I want to try it even though Advisor says i don't meet minimum requirements.


----------



## ncxcstud

iowa - after you click the link for the advisor it should send you to a page to download the file. 

I think there is a big orange/red button that says "download" after you download the advisor.


----------



## Amerikes

And, I got mine by googling Directv2pc....


----------



## iowaberg

ncxcstud said:


> iowa - after you click the link for the advisor it should send you to a page to download the file.
> 
> I think there is a big orange/red button that says "download" after you download the advisor.


cool...i didn't read close enough to realize I had to download both the advisor and the actual application.


----------



## mchaney

ncxcstud said:


> mchaney - I got the same thing...then I thought to turn off one of my monitors (within the computer settings not just the power button), now it works like a champ. You don't happen to be running a dual-monitor setup would you?


No. No dual monitors here. Checked the setup too: only one shows activated. I got it to play one... once. Can't figure out how I did it. The time it worked, I got a message about the program trying to use ffdshow and whether or not I wanted it to use ffdshow or not. Only got that message that one time that I actually got a program to play.

Mike


----------



## ncxcstud

mchaney - you might wanna go try downloading a codec pack. possibly the k-lite full codec pack (not the exact name, but close enough).


----------



## Zyeox

Works flawless on my system watched Heroes, Fringe, My Worst Enemy all fine. Full screen and everything.


----------



## Rambler

Any difference between this new DirecTV beta version and the last CE 4526 version?


----------



## jonny4

i just installed the new beta and for some reason out of 3 dvr's on the network it is only seeing 1. anyone have any ideas?


----------



## yngdiego

ncxcstud said:


> Also, I hope directv patches it soon so it can work with dual-monitor setups


Yes, I have dual monitors and that's a show stopper for me. I did disable one monitor to validate it works, and sure enough, I could watch recorded material.

I'd LOVE to be able to watch live TV..so I could keep CNN or something on in the background while working.


----------



## billcoff

yngdiego said:


> Yes, I have dual monitors and that's a show stopper for me. I did disable one monitor to validate it works, and sure enough, I could watch recorded material.
> 
> I'd LOVE to be able to watch live TV..so I could keep CNN or something on in the background while working.


I just started recording the program I wanted to watch live. Might have a little lag, but it works for me.


----------



## SParker

My guess and hope is that a future release will include a live TV option. Make it happen Directv.


----------



## Rambler

SParker said:


> My guess and hope is that a future release will include a live TV option. Make it happen Directv.


+1
Please!


----------



## Doug Brott

x1hdtv said:


> Will we need to get a different key or serial number for each PC on the network to use this?


Yes


----------



## ulfius

I'd trade this for the ability to search and schedule programs from my computer. I'm not talking through the slow web interface, but something locally that has the full program schedule and transfers updates to the box via my local network. It would be a much quicker interface and give better screen real estate to work with rather than the limited TV screen size.


----------



## ejjames

ulfius said:


> I'd trade this for the ability to search and schedule programs from my computer. I'm not talking through the slow web interface, but something locally that has the full program schedule and transfers updates to the box via my local network. It would be a much quicker interface and give better screen real estate to work with rather than the limited TV screen size.


I use my slingbox for maintenance such as scheduling and deleting recordings. I also use it if there is a live show I want to watch such as baseball. I just hit record, close the sling app, and watch it with directv2pc.


----------



## canekid

I am a little frustrated.

My HR-21 is locked in standby mode, (oh great this is just getting worse) Then at 5 pm it actually requests to perform an update, after I pressed the red button to reboot. I think hey this is cool. I go to GameStop to reserve Gears of War 2, while the update is performing. Discover nothing special but it is 0x290. I came here to find out what new, after some weeks and see that today is CHRISTMAS for heaven's sake.

I jump to the threads and find the link to download DirecTV2PC.... Nothing...
www.directv.com is ... down...

I google DirecTV2PC and see threads on TGB, to find that Cyberlink has something to do with this too. Hey they requested DTV to take down DirecTV2PC, then apparently they have a link themselves only that it points back to DTV's website.

Can you see my angst?

BTW: I just checked my HR-20 is also now at 0x290 @ 4:55p

Man I have two receivers; I can shut the office door, to watch in privacy and the angst just builds.


----------



## eckhart

I have 3 HD DVRs which appeared at the initial screen to view. I chose one DVR and it worked fine. Now, however, I wanted to stream from a different DVR and I don't see a way to change to a another DVR on my home network. Am I stuck with my initial pick or is there a way to change? Thanks


----------



## SParker

eckhart said:


> I have 3 HD DVRs which appeared at the initial screen to view. I chose one DVR and it worked fine. Now, however, I wanted to stream from a different DVR and I don't see a way to change to a another DVR on my home network. Am I stuck with my initial pick or is there a way to change? Thanks


Click Menu then system setup and server and you can change it from there.


----------



## canekid

canekid said:


> I am a little frustrated.
> I jump to the threads and find the link to download DirecTV2PC.... Nothing...
> www.directv.com is ... down...


Everything is up now.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=P4920044

brings up the initial page to download the [beta] Which redirects you to:

http://www.cyberlink.com/prog/event/2008/directv2pc/enu/index.jsp

to download the advisor, however you don't have to run it. You can just enter your email address and download the program.

It's slow to download.


----------



## Blurayfan

I've notiiced cyberlink does not send the activation key until you have successfully downloaded the directv2pc application, for each request you must re-download the app to get the new key. The e-mail submitted does not need to be registered with your directv account.


----------



## HoTat2

Well....

Downloaded DIRECTV2PC application (finally!). Installation went fine, saw my receiver (HR21-200) alright. So I thought everything was good to go, except the software repeatedly refuses to activate so far. Says it "cannot connect to server"- "Activation failed"-"Make sure you are connected to the internet," which of course it is. Nothing I can see which might be blocking it on my end. All software firewalls are down since I connect through a router (and the router's UPnP is enabled), and the receiver is connected to the net and working just fine along with all DoD features.

So unless the problem is on DirecTV's end with their servers, I'm stumped and still no joy as of yet...:nono2:


----------



## rustynails

I downloaded the software but had to wait until about 10pm central time for the software download on the dvr. Its up and running but I don't see much use for it. I want to watch tv on my bigger LCD not on my pc!


----------



## wingrider01

Cozmo85 said:


> Looks like no luck with vmware fusion on a mac. app works but black screen on video.


Because of the way vmware fusion handles the video card on the VDI setup, card is way below specs


----------



## DanER40

I am now getting an icon on my PS3 XMB for DirecTV2PC. It lists some of the shows on my HR21. It won't play the content, but it was interesting how it is showing up now. Anyone else notice this on their PS3?


----------



## dettxw

Rambler said:


> Any difference between this new DirecTV beta version and the last CE 4526 version?


One and the same.


----------



## jhloney

Ok, how do I download the actual application? The only download available appears to be the advisor.

thanks


----------



## ncxcstud

Toyo said:


> I dont understand what is so great about being able to watch a Tv program on your PC, when you could just watch it on your TV. If you were able to get it on your PC away from your house that would be different.
> 
> You can buy a new Plasma or LCD TV these days plus get another reciever setup for less money than a PC that plays 1080P. Dont think that I am against technology. I love it. Its just I dont really see the big benefit. I have a Panasonic Tough Book CF-30 that I would love to watch some of my shows on while I am out in the real world working. Could you imagine being in a remote place in the world and being able to watch your programs from your STB? That would be cool.


I have one TV and one box.

Being able to play DirecTV is PERFECT for my wife and I. Especially once they get it setup to run on dual-monitor systems.

When my wife wants to watch something, and I want to watch sports...presto..I can do that now.

jloney - after you click the link for the advisor, it should take you to the page with the actual application for DirecTV2PC


----------



## mchaney

ncxcstud said:


> mchaney - you might wanna go try downloading a codec pack. possibly the k-lite full codec pack (not the exact name, but close enough).


OK. Did that and still no go. No matter what I try, I get "An error has occurred". I guess there's about no chance of solving this as long as the error message contains no information whatsoever as to what the error is. Another clue though: if I click "Close" at that error message and I click play or resume again immediately afterward, it locks up cold and has to be shut down with Windows task manager. BTW, using an HR22-100.

Mike


----------



## Dan1

jessshaun said:


> The playback advisor claimed my Graphics card was not good enough, and that I should upgrade my CPU. I have the minimum requirement of an Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ CPU. My graphics card is an old Radeon X1300 with current drivers(monitor and/or card doesn't support HDCP). HOWEVER.....
> 
> After playing with the software for a little while, it runs VERY good. No problems hardly at all. I'm assuming my 4 GB of memory is helping a little with that.
> 
> ...anyway... Good one Directv! 2 Thumbs up!!


Same here. Advisor said I needed to update graphics and processor, even though they are well above minimum specs listed. It runs fine, so don't believe the advisor. My display is not HDCP, so I expect issues on protected programs.


----------



## dparisoe

I downloaded the adviser and it passed all of the tests.

I then download Directv2pc and installed, it found the server and activated without any issues. Everything seems to be working perfectly on my machine even my media center remote works with it.

I'm running a HP m9060n
Core 2 Quad Q6600
3GB Ram
nVidia 8500gt
Built in HD-DVD and Bluray drive


----------



## dettxw

Toyo said:


> I dont understand what is so great about being able to watch a Tv program on your PC, when you could just watch it on your TV. If you were able to get it on your PC away from your house that would be different.
> 
> You can buy a new Plasma or LCD TV these days plus get another reciever setup for less money than a PC that plays 1080P. Dont think that I am against technology. I love it. Its just I dont really see the big benefit. I have a Panasonic Tough Book CF-30 that I would love to watch some of my shows on while I am out in the real world working. Could you imagine being in a remote place in the world and being able to watch your programs from your STB? That would be cool.


I'm a bit of a gadget guy so I've got pretty good PCs including a 24" monitor on the desktop. I'll run a DIRECTV2PC window in the corner while emailing and surfing and chatting and whatever. 
Running DIRECTV2PC is handy on the laptop in the bedroom accessing recordings on the living room DVR, though I really do need to set up a spot where I could easily connect it to the HDTV via HDMI. 
Maybe soon we'll have capability to stream from DVR to DVR without the PC.


----------



## VARTV

Having the HDCP issue. Advisor told me to upgrade to the latest driver which didn't help. Shows play great on the laptop but can't view on my Sammy HDTV connected via HDMI...


----------



## VARTV

Dan1 said:


> Same here. Advisor said I needed to update graphics and processor, even though they are well above minimum specs listed. It runs fine, so don't believe the advisor. My display is not HDCP, so I expect issues on protected programs.


I haven't been able to watch anything via HDMI with DIRECTV2PC...


----------



## DFWHD

canekid said:


> Everything is up now.
> 
> http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=P4920044
> 
> brings up the initial page to download the [beta] Which redirects you to:
> 
> http://www.cyberlink.com/prog/event/2008/directv2pc/enu/index.jsp
> 
> to download the advisor, however you don't have to run it. You can just enter your email address and download the program.
> 
> It's slow to download.


I'm still getting the error page. Did they take down the beta?


----------



## Blurayfan

jhloney said:


> Ok, how do I download the actual application? The only download available appears to be the advisor.
> 
> thanks


After clicking the download button for the advisor you'll be asked for your name and email. Submit that information and a new page with a download link for Directv2PC will be displayed.


----------



## dettxw

VARTV said:


> I haven't been able to watch anything via HDMI with DIRECTV2PC...


Not sure of your setup, what you're trying to do, but sounds like maybe you're trying to use two displays at once. Can only use one at a time due to DRM. When I hook up my laptop to the TV via HDMI then I have to disable the primary display.


----------



## HDTVFreak07

DirecTV2PC is great however, the closed captioning doesn't work for programs recorded via local OTA programs. There is a closed caption feature on the software and I DO have it turned on. It works for recorded program via DirecTV but not local stations.  It's probably the local station's encoded (?) software.


----------



## kregger

FYI: After downloading the x290 update, I had to re-connect to the network from the box (which was previously connected).

Now, I'm watching shows but the "timeline" popup doesn't go away. The one in the bottom-third of the picture, I mean. The FF, Stop, Pause button panel goes away if the mouse stays stationary for a bit, but not the one showing the timeline.

Anyone else seeing this?

OOPS: Moving this to the issues thread.


----------



## bllreed

Well this is great. I have everything I need, the Directv2pc app, a pc that will run it, 2 HR20-700s, everything but the password to unlock the app. Don't know if my filters intercepted it or what but I can't do much without it?


----------



## wolfmark

HoTat2 said:


> Well....
> 
> Downloaded DIRECTV2PC application (finally!). Installation went fine, saw my receiver (HR21-200) alright. So I thought everything was good to go, except the software repeatedly refuses to activate so far. Says it "cannot connect to server"- "Activation failed"-"Make sure you are connected to the internet," which of course it is. Nothing I can see which might be blocking it on my end. All software firewalls are down since I connect through a router (and the router's UPnP is enabled), and the receiver is connected to the net and working just fine along with all DoD features.
> 
> So unless the problem is on DirecTV's end with their servers, I'm stumped and still no joy as of yet...:nono2:


I'm having the same problem on my desktop... "Activation failed. Could not connect to the Internet." I can access the internet, including the sites suggested in the error message, have verified that I am not blocking port 443 on the desktops firewall or on my router. I even disabled the desktops firewall completely to no avail.

After messing with this, I installed on my laptop and had no trouble whatsoever activating. Any ideas?


----------



## jhillestad

If you have multiple monitors setup you have to actually turn off the other monitor in Windows or the program will complain.... When they said multiple monitors not supported I thought it meant it wont slide over.. but the video will refuse to play if it detects another monitor connected. I had to go into the Nvidia controller software and tell it single monitor before dtv-pc would work.

But it seemed to work great.


----------



## buzzdalf

I started downloading this when I left for work this morning. I'm hoping to install it on my HTPC feeding the projector in the basement.
If I understand it right, this should allow me to watch my shows on the big screen downstairs while the wife is watching dancing with the stars or something upstairs on the TV. 

That is very good for me


----------



## Kevin872

DVDKingdom said:


> I've notiiced cyberlink does not send the activation key until you have successfully downloaded the directv2pc application, for each request you must re-download the app to get the new key. The e-mail submitted does not need to be registered with your directv account.


Interesting! I had downloaded a copy for one of my computers then decided to put it on another one and waited hours for a new key until giving up. Naturally I just cancelled the download after the key request since I already had a copy. I guess I am forced to download that whole thing again at MightyMo speeds (anyone remember those?). :icon_dumm


----------



## Dusty

I downloaded it last night. Had it set up. I was able to connect to the DVR just fine. But there is no listing on the playlist. Any clue how I can fix it?


----------



## HDTVFreak07

Dusty said:


> I downloaded it last night. Had it set up. I was able to connect to the DVR just fine. But there is no listing on the playlist. Any clue how I can fix it?


You probably lost them all after your receiver downloaded the latest version. I lost a couple but didn't care for them. It kept only one (probably because I had the program set to KEEP).


----------



## rorkin

Stuart Sweet said:


> Does your slingbox let you view HD programming at the same resolution as your TV? (I know mine doesn't.) Does your slingbox let you watch something different than what is being shown on the TV?


True but ... not that big a deal to me..All I see is ability to watch recorded programing on a PC.. Just not all that important when that and more can be done on Sling set up.. Chocolate and Vanilla I guess


----------



## drew64

I downloaded the program on my 2 year old dell. Ran the advisor but figured lets give it a shot anyway. The program works and it finds my DVR but nothing shows up on the playlist even though I have at least 10 shows still on it. I know my video card failed the advisor test but I should still see whatever shows that I have on my DVR now on the computer list right?


----------



## TAnsley

BUMP! Still don't know what the parental lock code is.



AustinA6 said:


> I have not set up a parental lock code on my dvr, but directv2pc seems to lock everything...what is the code it is using to unlock?


----------



## Bathel

Kapeman said:


> My version, and I think the classic definition of MRV, uses the Sat tuners as hosts and not PCs.
> 
> Dish can do this and has for some time, why not DTV?


Maybe I just am not bright enough to understand....

The DirecTV box is the host that hold the recorded data and streams the data to your PC or are you saying you want it to stream from one DTV box to another DTV box.

The later for me would be a poor implemtation as I use HTPC throughout the house to stream my DVD movies to. Streaming from one DTV box to another is VERY limiting on implementing a home theater distribution system. With a PC in the mix you have a ton more options for internet, music, DVD's, pictures. Yeah, DTV box has a "media center", but it's pretty crippled when you put it up against a full blown PC running vista.


----------



## lexxsf

Directv2PC runs perfectly on my 24" iMac 2.4ghz under Boot Camp. No go with VMware. I haven't tried Parallels yet though.


----------



## JonW

Still no email of any sort from Cyberlink.


----------



## blusgtone

Still no email here been over 26 hours


----------



## gio12

I thought Iread that you can watch a program while it's being recored right?

So If I set a game to record, I can start watching it once it's being recored live?


----------



## Michael D'Angelo

gio12 said:


> I thought Iread that you can watch a program while it's being recored right?
> 
> So If I set a game to record, I can start watching it once it's being recored live?


That is correct.


----------



## evolusion1

Does the DVR support mutiple streams of the DirecTV2MypC application. i.e. Can I have 2 computers on the same network streaming 2 different programs?


----------



## nino2469

if I want the app on two computers do I need to register twice or can I install it on two computers and use the same activation key?


----------



## CrazyforYeshua

Someone said earlier you need 2 keys.
My pc flunked on the advisor, but it works. HD is alittle choppy, SD is fine.


----------



## jveloza2

I have the same problem.
Did you ever find out what the code is?


----------



## bobpenn

rickeame said:


> I am connected, it sees the box, everything is great except:
> 
> "Activation Failed. Could not connect to the internet".
> 
> Um, sure you can. And the router is fully UpNp compliant, and you already are connected because we just did VoD, so I know you're connected.
> 
> So, what seems to be the problem and how do I fix it -- I'm stymied.
> 
> I am also, for what it's worth, getting an "Unable to connect to network services (301)" on the actual box when I go into network settings. It has unfettered access to the net, so not sure what it's problem is.
> 
> update: got it to work, but wow is it choppy. And this is on a gigabit network. I have plenty of bandwidth, but it's choppy with anything HDTV.


How did you get it to work? I am having the same issue with "could not connect to the internet."


----------



## iamqnow

Stuart Sweet said:


> DBSTalk.com, in cooperation with DIRECTV, is proud to provide our readers an exclusive first look at DIRECTV2PC, the innovative software solution to allow for multiroom viewing over a PC!
> 
> Thanks to Doug Brott, dettxw and Grentz for authoring this First Look!
> 
> _DIRECTV2PC First Look_
> 
> _Note: This software has a fairly high requirement for the PC, and you must be using version 0x0290 or later on your host DVR. _


Keep getting screen asking for my name, business name and serial #. Of what? Says DVR HR20 700 # is incorrect.


----------



## jveloza2

AustinA6 said:


> BUMP! Still don't know what the parental lock code is.


I had the same problem but was able to figure it out.
You need to set a lock code on your DVR. You can than use that code to unlock the shows on the PC.


----------



## veryoldschool

iamqnow said:


> Keep getting screen asking for my name, business name and serial #. Of what? Says DVR HR20 700 # is incorrect.


The serial number for DirecTV2PC software that would be sent to you in email.


----------



## mecohen

I installed DirecTV2PC, but it only scans. All green. Received an activation code from Cyberlink, but there is no place to enter it.
Any help is appriciated.


----------



## spidey

From reading the first look it implies that 802.11g isnt stable enough for HD playback. Do we think any wireless networks will work for HD playback or only wired receivers and wired PCs will work?


----------



## DBSooner

mecohen said:


> I installed DirecTV2PC, but it only scans. All green. Received an activation code from Cyberlink, but there is no place to enter it.
> Any help is appriciated.


Your suppose to enter the code during the install process.


----------



## veryoldschool

spidey said:


> From reading the first look it implies that 802.11g isnt stable enough for HD playback. Do we think any wireless networks will work for HD playback or only wired receivers and wired PCs will work?


The "N" has worked for some.


----------



## 15_Off

Is there an issue with the advisor? It says "access error" when I try to get it.

Thanks!


----------



## iamqnow

veryoldschool said:


> The serial number for DirecTV2PC software that would be sent to you in email.


Hey there old school. Who would this e-mail be from? I actually got 2 updates this week also, which no one else seemed to mention. Thanks for your reply.


----------



## 15_Off

15_Off said:


> Is there an issue with the advisor? It says "access error" when I try to get it.
> 
> Thanks!


Nevermind, it was wacky in IE7 so I used Firefox and all is well.


----------



## carl6

CrazyforYeshua said:


> My pc flunked on the advisor, but it works. HD is alittle choppy, SD is fine.


Ditto here with regard to my laptop. Works great with SD but has a little trouble keeping up with HD. I failed CPU, CPU acceleration, Graphics Card Driver and Video Connection Type. But my laptop has one major positive that my main desktop doesn't have - it is only single monitor so this will work on it. My desktop has the horsepower, but has 3 monitors so no go.

Carl


----------



## veryoldschool

iamqnow said:


> Hey there old school. Who would this e-mail be from? I actually got 2 updates this week also, which no one else seemed to mention. Thanks for your reply.


My latest was from: Cyberlink [[email protected]]


----------



## veryoldschool

carl6 said:


> Ditto here with regard to my laptop. Works great with SD but has a little trouble keeping up with HD. I failed CPU, CPU acceleration, Graphics Card Driver and Video Connection Type. But my laptop has one major positive that my main desktop doesn't have - it is only single monitor so this will work on it. My desktop has the horsepower, but has 3 monitors so no go.
> 
> Carl


And you know if you turn two of those off [disable them] it will work there too. :lol:


----------



## sacalait

NEVERMIND, IT JUST POPULATED.

I really hate to ask redundant questions, but...

I saw earlier that someone asked about the playlist not being populated. Since the adviser said I was not "Up to speed", I didn't pay attention.

But now that I'm home and have read that others who failed are having some success I figured I would give it a try.

I downloaded and activated the Directv2pc software, but my playlist is blank, so was an answer given earlier.

I know I am being lazy, but sitting at home having a couple of cold brews, I don't want to look through 265 posts for the answer.

Any help?

Thanks


----------



## memory1

I still have not recieved the email key after 3 days
tried again, but still no key
It is a mistake to do a public beta and not have the capacity to serve the users


----------



## TAnsley

jveloza2 said:


> I had the same problem but was able to figure it out.
> You need to set a lock code on your DVR. You can than use that code to unlock the shows on the PC.


Yeah, but I don't WANT to set up a lock code on my DVR.


----------



## bobore

Ya think they might do somehing simpler like...
Being able to watch something recorded on one rcvr on another one - kinda like "networking" (cause they're on the same network) or being able to save your "profile" i.e. channels, faves, scheduler on a thumb drive!


----------



## Radar103

I've downloaded and used two different email addresses. I have not received the access code on either, after waiting almost 24 hours. Am I doing something wrong?


----------



## Bitz69

I downloaded the public beta, installed the app, used the code I got in my email. now it wants to activate but fails saying invalid CD key but wont let me do anything until it activate properly. now what?


----------



## dreadlk

GREAT Write-up, very well done, thanks

As for Directv2PC itself:

I am still wondering who this software is marketed for.

You can do the same thing a lot easier using two methods:

1) All you need is a Long HDMI cable, they come in up to 50ft lengths or you can get longer ones that use built in amplifiers, couple that to an HDMI to DVI adapter with audio out and your set. Just run the HDMI cable from your receiver to your PC and with the remote in RF mode and the DVI adapter hooked up to your monitor you can watch TV with your PC Monitor without having to spend money on a better PC. (Distance is of course a limiting factor)

2) Better yet just get another receiver.

Its not that I don't like the Directv2PC idea it's just that I cant figure out why I would want to go through any major work for this. Right now I have a PC that can handle 1080P easily and I have it on the same network as my HR20 and yet I still can't find a reason why I would want to do this. If I am on my PC working I don't want the TV going because it is a distraction, and if I did want to watch TV I already have a 20" HDTV in view from my home office.

Bottom line is that Directv2PC lacks that compelling reason why I would want it. If I could record on the PC then it would be great.


----------



## flogduh

Wow - this worked right from the get go, but I must disclose that I have a brand spanking new Lenovo T61p that is maxed out. My only obstacle was that at first the software couldn't find the server, then after about three attempts, I remembered my Cisco Security Agent was active and blocking access. Once I turned it off, all was golden, both hardwired and even wireless - in both SD & HD!!

IT now allows me to watch recorded programing while in the kitchen, a location I earlier chose not to install a separate TV & receiver. I just wish there was some way to remotely access my network and use this while away from home - wouldn't need a Slingbox


----------



## Maverickster

FYI, this works fine (not perfect; there's a little ghosting; but certainly passable for what it is) on my Dell D820 notebook (Core 2 Duo 2GHz, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 120M 512GB; 2GB RAM; 320GB 7200RPM HDD; Vista Ultimate SP1; Intel PRO/Wireless G Network Card) even though the Playback Advisor indicates it shouldn't.

This is a very, VERY nice feature. Well done DirecTV. Now for internet access!

--Mav


----------



## judson_west

I've downloaded the program onto my PC. Received an install code. Used it during the install. Started the program and it asked which of the 3 HR20's I wanted to work with. Then this screen came up:









This was followed by this screen:









I requested another code. Uninstalled the software. Reinstalled the software using the new code and received the same error. One change was that after the first install, it never asked me which HR20 I wanted to use.

Any suggestions?


----------



## CyborgNY

Same Problem here!! Anyone????


----------



## Bitz69

CyborgNY said:


> Same Problem here!! Anyone????


Seems to be a problem for everyone today, maybe the activation servers are down or something..


----------



## dirchm0628

dreadlk said:


> GREAT Write-up, very well done, thanks
> 
> As for Directv2PC itself:
> 
> I am still wondering who this software is marketed for.
> 
> You can do the same thing a lot easier using two methods:
> 
> 1) All you need is a Long HDMI cable, they come in up to 50ft lengths or you can get longer ones that use built in amplifiers, couple that to an HDMI to DVI adapter with audio out and your set. Just run the HDMI cable from your receiver to your PC and with the remote in RF mode and the DVI adapter hooked up to your monitor you can watch TV with your PC Monitor without having to spend money on a better PC. (Distance is of course a limiting factor)
> 
> 2) Better yet just get another receiver.
> 
> Its not that I don't like the Directv2PC idea it's just that I cant figure out why I would want to go through any major work for this. Right now I have a PC that can handle 1080P easily and I have it on the same network as my HR20 and yet I still can't find a reason why I would want to do this. If I am on my PC working I don't want the TV going because it is a distraction, and if I did want to watch TV I already have a 20" HDTV in view from my home office.
> 
> Bottom line is that Directv2PC lacks that compelling reason why I would want it. If I could record on the PC then it would be great.


I for one would use it. I have a garage that is detached but connected to a breeze way roof. We upgraded the room over the garage two years ago and I ran cable for DTV through the connecting roof along with phone and cat 5. I used to have a HTPC with Snapstream Beyond TV but when they could not keep up with Direct TV's HD PVR I abandoned Snapstream and bought a HR200-700.

This would eliminate the need to purchase and pay monthly fees for an additional receiver. I am in the process of building a new HTPC with Vista Home Premium. Primarily for music and photo's but now I could access recordings from my PVR and if I connect it to a projector, which is the plan, I can use it on Mondays to watch Monday Night Football.

The only thing I would need is remote that would work withthe software.


----------



## judson_west

I installed a second copy on my wife's PC. Both are Vista Home Premium. Same results.


----------



## edenkers

Same here! I've tried on two different computers. Advisor says I'm good to go, but DIRECTV2PC software won't get past activation screens.

I've tried two different activation keys also.


----------



## dmaintenanceman

I am able to stream my recorded "PlayList" to my laptop with no problem, but when I select(play) a recorded program to stream, I get an error message *" DIRECTV2PC has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience." * I can stream video/audio from Laptop to DVR using Tversity.

Laptop:
Acer TravelMate C314XMi
Intel Pentium M Processor 760
128MB NVIDIA-GeForce Go 6200
100 GB HDD
1GB DDR2 533

Tversity


----------



## jss92

Anyone tried to see if Replay Media Catcher (link) can capture the stream?


----------



## dddeeds

Same activation trouble here also (WinXP)! Any fixes yet?


----------



## credditt

I tried two computers both with XP Home, and got the same issues about the activation code being wrong.


----------



## DC_SnDvl

Forced reboots yesterday and now can't activate the new toy.

fun fun fun. 

At least they tell you this is a beta.


----------



## toneman

Stuart Sweet said:


> Does your slingbox let you view HD programming at the same resolution as your TV? (I know mine doesn't.)


Well if we're gonna nitpick--Slingbox PRO-HD can output HD programming at max 1280x768...and if you're gonna point out that there are TVs that can display 1080 lines of resolution--well the majority (if not all) of D*'s current non-PPV HD programming are either 1080i or 720p anyways, so the fact that the PRO-HD supports a max of "only" 768 lines isn't really an issue. Plus, unlike the DIRECTV2PC the Slingbox is nowhere near as limited as to which devices it can work with.


----------



## imtired1959

Started to download Directvtopc...

Download hung at around 16Meg.

Stopped download.

Restarted download and got the message:

*ACCESS ERROR

This page cannot be displayed. To access information about DIRECTV2PC, please go to www.directv.com/directv2pc.*

Oh well...


----------



## brako

installed DTV2PC on my laptop tonight and streamed video over a WiFi connection really well. Only problem I can not resolve is the "trick play" or time line banner does not ever go away and always stays "on screen". How do I clear the trick play banner?


----------



## carl6

I downloaded the beta and installed it on a Dell laptop today with no problems. First I ran the "check my pc" software, then I downloaded and ran the .exe file. I received the email with the serial number before the download of the .exe finished, and I put the number in and it worked.

I do believe that you must download and run BOTH the test program to check our PC, and the beta of the actual application. Also, if you have any type of firewall software running, you have to allow both to have internet access.

Carl


----------



## AccidenT

A couple of things: 
1) An "always on top" option would be terrific. I saw one mention of this in the thread, but thought there should be more voices asking for it.
2) I've seen a couple of comments about wishing this could be used for live TV. One work-around I've found is to use the directv.com remote scheduler to record the program you want to watch "live." Then it will be available via DirecTV2PC without ever leaving your computer


----------



## jdmaxell

What advantages does this have over just using a slingbox?


----------



## DBSooner

jdmaxell said:


> What advantages does this have over just using a slingbox?


Considering it's free is a plus.


----------



## circadianswing

Where the heck is what people really want... PC 2 DIRECTV

I want to be able to pay for the limited HBO/showtime originals, or new movies on itunes, stream them to my TV in HD, thus allowing me to cancel netflix, and the premium channels that play the same movies, I mean, why don't they just offer the "pirates of Caribbean channel" and get it over with!

I've been waiting for this feature for a long time, the mediashare option, that was on there, but now it's gone, not like it worked anyway. 

Who's with me, revolt!


----------



## cujo46

Anyone else having this problem? I've tried three different e-mail addresses (MSN and Gmail) over the past two days, but haven't received an activation code as yet.

I can't see where I may be making a mistake.

Thanks in advance.


----------



## ejjames

jdmaxell said:


> What advantages does this have over just using a slingbox?


Main advantages are being able to watch a different program from the main box, and higher resolution, even with the new hd output on the slingbox. (I was a beta tester for the pro-hd.)


----------



## mcdader

I have the software installed. My HR21 is all updated, Networks is working. My Directv2pc just can't find any servers. Loads and just sits at server selection screen. any ideas. I have turned of all firewalls. I even tried using 2nd ethernet jack on back of hr21. Thanks 



** This machine is a windows xp pro. I just installed program on another machine vista. and it works same network.


----------



## Reggie3

Great work

I got it up and running but I can not figure out how to get media sharing to work and play stuff on my TV from the PC(64bit vista). Windows Media Player shows Directv MediaShare when I click Libary>Media Sharing - But I do not see anything on my HR22-100 on Menu that shows up.

Any suggestions where to get an answer?


----------



## carl6

jdmaxell said:


> What advantages does this have over just using a slingbox?


This is intended for LAN use only, and gives true HD on your PC monitor. The slingbox can be accessed locally or remotely, but typically has poorer video quality, and certainly can't push HD over the internet. With the DirecTV2PC, you don't have to purchase any hardware (i.e., slingbox). At this point in time it is free to use, but DirecTV has not announced if there will be a cost after beta is complete and it goes to full release.

Carl


----------



## ehamilton

I am having the same issue. I am stuck on the Server Selection page, saying it is searching and 0 servers found.

Please help . . .



mcdader said:


> I have the software installed. My HR21 is all updated, Networks is working. My Directv2pc just can't find any servers. Loads and just sits at server selection screen. any ideas. I have turned of all firewalls. I even tried using 2nd ethernet jack on back of hr21. Thanks
> 
> ** This machine is a windows xp pro. I just installed program on another machine vista. and it works same network.


----------



## djfourmoney

I'm still reading the thread, but thought why not...

Okay this a robust home built Media Center PC, because I wanted to play a few games as well -

AMD 64x2 (5000+ [email protected])
3GB of 800Hz Memory Dual Channel
Sapphire ATI HD 4670 512MB Video Card with UVD 2.0* 
*Enabling hardware decode acceleration of _H.264_, VC-1 and MPEG-2

The rest isn't all that important....

I connect to my 24" monitor via VGA, but even if I did use DVI, this screen is HDCP compliant. I see in another post that won't be an issue.

I run Vista Home Premium...

So all I need is a HR-2* and a router because I connect to the home network only for internet only? I am connected to the net via a Buffalo Internet Converter (Bridge with 4 LAN ports), could I plug it into there and not need a router???

Thanks


----------



## bighaubs

I didn't have any issues but I can say that I'm really happy to see this work. For me, this is really going to come in handy on Saturday night. I want to watch the PSU/OSU game as well as the World Series game at 8PM. I'm going to hook my computer up to my TV. On the TV, I'll watch PSU/OSU and record the World Series. On the computer I'll be able to play the WS game and finally be able to use the Picture in Picture feature on my TV!!


----------



## dkg

I tried running this on my dual monitor system. I can see the list of programs but when I try to play one I get a message "DIRECTV2PC does not support the use of more than one monitor at a time". Does this mean I have to uninstall my second monitor to see a program? That is ridiculous. I don't want to use both monitors to see the program but I don't see why I should be penalized for having a dual monitor system.

Dave G.


----------



## Michael D'Angelo

dkg said:


> I tried running this on my dual monitor system. I can see the list of programs but when I try to play one I get a message "DIRECTV2PC does not support the use of more than one monitor at a time". Does this mean I have to uninstall my second monitor to see a program? That is ridiculous. I don't want to use both monitors to see the program but I don't see why I should be penalized for having a dual monitor system.
> 
> Dave G.


:welcome_s to DBSTalk!

To be able to use DIRECTV2PC you do have to disable the 2nd monitor on dual monitor setups. You don't have to uninstall anything.


----------



## smokey75

I think they've taken the servers down for activation as well as downloads. I had not received the email so I went back to the Directv site and tried to redownload/register. As of today, several of the graphics are missing and when you click the link to download Cyberlink Beta, it takes you to an error page.

Does anyone else know how to re-register so can get the serial number in email? Also, anyone had any luck in the past 6-8 hours with activating it?


----------



## imtired1959

... but on the bright side, I did receive the activation key!

_________________________________________________

Oh well... maybe tomorrow...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Started to download Directvtopc...

Download hung at around 16Meg.

Stopped download.

Restarted download and got the message:

ACCESS ERROR

This page cannot be displayed. To access information about DIRECTV2PC, please go to www.directv.com/directv2pc.

Oh well...


----------



## carl6

dkg said:


> I tried running this on my dual monitor system. I can see the list of programs but when I try to play one I get a message "DIRECTV2PC does not support the use of more than one monitor at a time". Does this mean I have to uninstall my second monitor to see a program? That is ridiculous. I don't want to use both monitors to see the program but I don't see why I should be penalized for having a dual monitor system.
> 
> Dave G.


Multi monitor systems are not supported. You have to go into display properties and disable all but first monitor (I've got 3 normally, have to disable 2 of them).

I agree, that is a MAJOR disadvantage to using this software.

Carl


----------



## dkg

carl6 said:


> Multi monitor systems are not supported. You have to go into display properties and disable all but first monitor (I've got 3 normally, have to disable 2 of them).
> 
> I agree, that is a MAJOR disadvantage to using this software.
> 
> Carl


Thanks but I don't see a way to disable my second monitor in the display settings (unless you are talking about the "Extend my Windows desktop check box?). If so, I will not do that since I'll lose my layout of the desktop that I need.

I guess this software is going to be uninstalled since it has this arbitrary and unfortunate limitation.

Dave G.


----------



## dwcolvin

Stuart Sweet said:


> Last chance... this is not an issue thread. Starting today, issues posted here will be deleted.


Respectfully, then why not point us to an issue thread, then? The first look is kinda meaningless if the download link doesn't work.


----------



## Grentz

dwcolvin said:


> Respectfully, then why not point us to an issue thread, then? The first look is kinda meaningless if the download link doesn't work.


Why not look in the forum and see that there is an issues thread? :lol:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=143145

It is stickied as well right above this thread.


----------



## HDTVsportsfan

dkg said:


> Thanks but I don't see a way to disable my second monitor in the display settings (unless you are talking about the "Extend my Windows desktop check box?). If so, I will not do that since I'll lose my layout of the desktop that I need.
> 
> I guess this software is going to be uninstalled since it has this arbitrary and unfortunate limitation.
> 
> Dave G.


Yes, that check box is where you disable it.


----------



## jcdUCLA

Downloaded and it is working.. good tool but I think I will stick to my SlingBox.


----------



## gunnarliden

this may be answered somewhere, but i didn't have time to go through the 13 pages and i didn't see it mentioned on the directv web site. I got this to work for me on my macbook running windows xp, but i thought you were able to watch live programming? the only thing i seem to be able to do is watch recorded content. Is this the only thing that it can do or am i missing something?


----------



## dwcolvin

Grentz said:


> Why not look in the forum and see that there is an issues thread? :lol:
> 
> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=143145
> 
> It is stickied as well right above this thread.


You presume I got here through the forum... but there's a direct link from 
http://www.dbstalk.com/. Stuart graciously updated his post to include the issues link.


----------



## AccidenT

gunnarliden said:


> this may be answered somewhere, but i didn't have time to go through the 13 pages and i didn't see it mentioned on the directv web site. I got this to work for me on my macbook running windows xp, but i thought you were able to watch live programming? the only thing i seem to be able to do is watch recorded content. Is this the only thing that it can do or am i missing something?


I put this on the previous page, but here it is again:

You can only watch recorded content. BUT, if you use the directv.com scheduler to schedule a recording for what you want to watch "live", within about 30 seconds it will start recording and you'll be able to watch it via DIRECTV2PC. You could "change channels" by starting another recording. Once you have 2 going, you can use the "definitely record" option to cancel one and start recording some other channel. Not ideal, and it's probably a bad thing to try when there's a series link recording going on, since I think the "definitely record" option will cancel that type before a one-time one, but still better than nothing.


----------



## dclarke

VARTV said:


> I haven't been able to watch anything via HDMI with DIRECTV2PC...


works fine via hdmi output from an HP pavillion quad core to my Toshiba 65hm167, even though it seems redundant since my hr20 is hooked to the same display via hdmi as well . I will say as a long time Directv customer (1996) and one of its harsher critics, that this is a way cool feature


----------



## boxster99t

lexxsf said:


> Directv2PC runs perfectly on my 24" iMac 2.4ghz under Boot Camp. No go with VMware. I haven't tried Parallels yet though.


Good news--then I guess my Mac Pro 2.8ghz quad core should likewise be no problem  Of course, I have to wait until I get home to download the application. I have it on my laptop here at work but for some reason (dang system admins) I cannot copy it over to my thumb drive--so much for that idea.


----------



## chml17l

I've been trying for two days to activate the DIRECTV2PC software and the Cyberlink activation fails every time. When you ping Cyberlink's software activation servers, you get no reply. Way to go Cyberlink!:hurah:


----------



## rob316

Anyone else having a problem downloading the software? I keep getting an error message when I try to download the software.


----------



## f150intally

Moved to the Troubleshooting and Discussion Thread.

My configuration:
Pentium D, 2.8 Dual Core (not core 2 duo)
3 GB Ram
Radeon 3850, GDDR3 512mb video
Windows XP SP3
100Mb Wired network but going through an old hub right now.
Dell 2405FPW 24" Widescreen - Not HDCP Compliant.

Problem:
Any video, whether SD or HD, looks like its going to play and may even catch a frame of video here and there but after several seconds comes up with an error stating "Server is not responding. Check your connection and try again." or something like that. Sometimes after several seconds the time marker is moving and I can click on certain points and it will show one frame and then freeze there. I can exit out of the application just fine. I'm thinking this could be either a network problem or a codec problem. no audio anytime.

Any help? I searched through other issues threads etc. but found nothing.


----------



## veryoldschool

f150intally said:


> Moved to the Troubleshooting and Discussion Thread.
> 
> My configuration:
> Pentium D, 2.8 Dual Core (not core 2 duo)
> 3 GB Ram
> Radeon 3850, GDDR3 512mb video
> Windows XP SP3
> 100Mb Wired network but going through an old hub right now.
> Dell 2405FPW 24" Widescreen - Not HDCP Compliant.
> 
> Problem:
> Any video, whether SD or HD, looks like its going to play and may even catch a frame of video here and there but after several seconds comes up with an error stating "Server is not responding. Check your connection and try again." or something like that. Sometimes after several seconds the time marker is moving and I can click on certain points and it will show one frame and then freeze there. I can exit out of the application just fine. I'm thinking this could be either a network problem or a codec problem. no audio anytime.
> 
> Any help? I searched through other issues threads etc. but found nothing.


"I think" you're on the correct track. Your PentiumD & 3850 will work fine. [3 GHz P"D" here].
Your HDCP compliant "error" may simply come down to a newer driver than what the advisor knows about. [I've got a 3650 that with an old driver passes with my Dell 2007FPW, but now fails with the newest ATI driver, yet plays HDCP programs fine].

I'm not sure if it's a network issue or a codec issue as my network is wired, but when I loaded a "bunch of" free codec packs, I managed to "hose" the DirecTV2PC app, and it gave me the same error as you have.
I'm my case it had worked fine before a day's worth of installing [crap] and I couldn't clean it out, so I had to install Vista [fresh] again.


----------



## Rickrd

rob316 said:


> Anyone else having a problem downloading the software? I keep getting an error message when I try to download the software.


Directv2pc software download is now up and working again. There is no longer the "access" issue. Can't wait to get home and try out.


----------



## f150intally

veryoldschool said:


> "I think" you're on the correct track. Your PentiumD & 3850 will work fine. [3 GHz P"D" here].
> Your HDCP compliant "error" may simply come down to a newer driver than what the advisor knows about. [I've got a 3650 that with an old driver passes with my Dell 2007FPW, but now fails with the newest ATI driver, yet plays HDCP programs fine].
> 
> I'm not sure if it's a network issue or a codec issue as my network is wired, but when I loaded a "bunch of" free codec packs, I managed to "hose" the DirecTV2PC app, and it gave me the same error as you have.
> I'm my case it had worked fine before a day's worth of installing [crap] and I couldn't clean it out, so I had to install Vista [fresh] again.


Vos, the other reason I believe it could be codec based is that I never could get Tversity to work from the same computer to my D* receivers. It would always bomb and give me and error. I really hate to do a fresh install (just so much software and configuration but I may end up doing it. Mine is a wired network as well but right now I have the nic plugged into a low quality hub which is basically an unswitched device. I have had problems in the past with the same hub when copying large files to that computer.

I also got prompted by a popup by ffdshow??? asking if I wanted to use it to decode video??? I think this is an MPG4 decoder for windows. not sure what I answered but I haven't been prompted again by that. The original prompt occurred during DTV2PC start up. Thanks for the help.


----------



## Alamei

*veryoldschool:* What codecs/packs, specifically, did you install? I'm wondering if codecs could be a factor in the issues other users are experiencing as well.


----------



## veryoldschool

I can't remember "which" but I googled h.264 and went after everything "free".
I wanted to see if I "could help" DirecTV2PC and it was a big mistake.

ffdshow was installed at one time and it didn't matter if I said "yes or no", there was no difference with DirecTV2PC.


----------



## spunkyvision

Any easy way to know which receiver you are connecting to? I have 4 that show up.
It would be nice if it displayed your Directv account receiver's description.


----------



## IGoDwnTwn

I don't post here much....but I just had to say that DTV2PC works great........the first time!!!!! From download to full fuction in 1o minutes!!!!


IGO


----------



## veryoldschool

spunkyvision said:


> Any easy way to know which receiver you are connecting to? I have 4 that show up.
> It would be nice if it displayed your Directv account receiver's description.


I "use" what I see in the play list.
The setup menu and receiver serial number is not "the most friendly way" to know which is which, but that's all we got for now.


----------



## Radar103

After 3rd try, I finally got the install key sent to me. Then things went great! Up and running in just a few minutes. Picture and sound quality outstanding. Good job for a beta especially.


----------



## bllreed

I have been trying for 2 days to get a key from the Cyberlink folks with no luck. I have submitted 2 different email addresses and yes I actually downloaded both files, including running the "advisor" with all greens. The only email I received was
one yesterday saying I'd already had 2 keys sent and I would need to change email addresses for another one. Well I did that and still no luck. What am I on
s**t list?


----------



## belogical

IGoDwnTwn said:


> I don't post here much....but I just had to say that DTV2PC works great........the first time!!!!! From download to full fuction in 1o minutes!!!!
> 
> IGO


same here, great work directv! (again)


----------



## veryoldschool

bllreed said:


> I have been trying for 2 days to get a key from the Cyberlink folks with no luck. I have submitted 2 different email addresses and yes I actually downloaded both files, including running the "advisor" with all greens. The only email I received was
> one yesterday saying I'd already had 2 keys sent and I would need to change email addresses for another one. Well I did that and still no luck. What am I on
> s**t list?


"I can only think" that you got lost in the "server problem" yesterday.
Now that things seem to be "fixed", I'd try again.
There is one post that says they got four keys to the same email address today.
If you have one email that has only been used once, I use it and see what happens.


----------



## Willy1

elwaylite said:


> Forgive me if I missed this already. I travel a lot and would love to be able to access this stuff on the road. Any way to set it up where I can connect while traveling and watch some of my pre recorded shows?
> 
> Or is sling the way?


I used Open VPN through a WRT54G router running DDWRT. That way I can log onto my home LAN. From the road, I was successful up to the point where Directv2PC was able to see the HR21 servers remotely, I could get into the menus and what's playing list, but when I tried to play, the VPN connection was reset and I got the message could not play content.

So it looks like there may be a solution, we just have to get the VPN portion working. Help, anyone? Thanks.


----------



## Jestr40

Okay, I have read thru most of this thread but I am not all that computer literate. I have run the playback advisor and I have gotten these results:

CPU : Intel Core Quad CPU Q6700 @ 2.66GHz (green)
CPU (Hardware acceleration) : NVIDIA GeForce 9500GS (green)
System Memory : 4096mb (green)
Operating System : Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (green)
Graphics Card : NVIDIA GeForce 9500GS (green)
Graphics Card Driver : 7.15.11.7556 (green)
Video Connection Type : Digital (without HDCP) (RED)
Network Adapter : ETHERNET Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network) #3 (green)
Network Adapter : IEEE80211 : 802.11n Wireless PCI Express Card LAN Adapter (YELLOW)
Network Adapter : ETERNET : Realtek RTL8168C(P)/8111C(P) Family PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.0) (green)

Best I can tell my computer is an HP model m9340f 6.00GB
and my monitor is a Westinghouse LCM-22w2 it is HD capable and is conected to my computer with a DVI cable


Will I be able to view the shows from my HD DVR with this setup?


----------



## bllreed

Jestr40 said:


> Okay, I have read thru most of this thread but I am not all that computer literate. I have run the playback advisor and I have gotten these results:
> 
> Video Connection Type : Digital (without HDCP) (RED)
> Network Adapter : ETHERNET Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network) #3 (green)
> Network Adapter : IEEE80211 : 802.11n Wireless PCI Express Card LAN Adapter (YELLOW)
> Network Adapter : ETERNET : Realtek RTL8168C(P)/8111C(P) Family PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.0) (green)
> 
> Best I can tell my computer is an HP model m9340f 6.00GB
> and my monitor is a Westinghouse LCM-22w2 it is HD capable and is conected to my computer with a DVI cable
> 
> Will I be able to view the shows from my HD DVR with this setup?


Your problem is the DVI cable. I don't believe it is capable of doing HDCP which is why you got the RED. And I don't recall ever seeing any device that had both DVI & HDMI connectors so I think you are out of luck. HDCP is digital high definition copy protection incidentally.


----------



## CBF87

veryoldschool said:


> "I can only think" that you got lost in the "server problem" yesterday.
> Now that things seem to be "fixed", I'd try again.
> There is one post that says they got four keys to the same email address today.
> If you have one email that has only been used once, I use it and see what happens.


Same as above...tried 3 times on 'registered with DirecTV' email address and 2 times with work email on 2 different days. have downloaded both apps (slowly) both times. Still no key email (and Yes, I've checked my spam filter). I can understand wanting to only provide this to actual DirecTV users, but why not put in your account profile? 

Just to be safe, can someone post the from address so I can add it to my whitelist? (Example: From: [email protected] ) Actually, all I need is the stuff after the @ sign if that's easier. I'm assuming its directv.com or cyberlink.com but you know what assuming gets you.. :grin:


----------



## billsharpe

Jestr40 said:


> Okay, I have read thru most of this thread but I am not all that computer literate. I have run the playback advisor and I have gotten these results:
> 
> CPU : Intel Core Quad CPU Q6700 @ 2.66GHz (green)
> CPU (Hardware acceleration) : NVIDIA GeForce 9500GS (green)
> System Memory : 4096mb (green)
> Operating System : Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (green)
> Graphics Card : NVIDIA GeForce 9500GS (green)
> Graphics Card Driver : 7.15.11.7556 (green)
> Video Connection Type : Digital (without HDCP) (RED)
> Network Adapter : ETHERNET Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network) #3 (green)
> Network Adapter : IEEE80211 : 802.11n Wireless PCI Express Card LAN Adapter (YELLOW)
> Network Adapter : ETERNET : Realtek RTL8168C(P)/8111C(P) Family PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.0) (green)
> 
> Best I can tell my computer is an HP model m9340f 6.00GB
> and my monitor is a Westinghouse LCM-22w2 it is HD capable and is conected to my computer with a DVI cable
> 
> Will I be able to view the shows from my HD DVR with this setup?


The RED light may be the stopper. I had several yellow lights from the Advisor, but the program installed fine and I can view both SD and HD recordings. You can give it a try and see if it works, though.


----------



## Cmnore

The advisor is NOT an accurate tool. It is a version of the same tool Cyberlink uses to judge whether or not your system is capable of playing Blu-Ray content, and a prior version checked to see if your hardware was HD-DVD compatable. Just because the advisor fails, does NOT guarantee that DirecTV2PC will fail as well.


----------



## ejjames

bllreed said:


> Your problem is the DVI cable. I don't believe it is capable of doing HDCP which is why you got the RED. And I don't recall ever seeing any device that had both DVI & HDMI connectors so I think you are out of luck. HDCP is digital high definition copy protection incidentally.


DVI cables can carry HDCP information.


----------



## Weathrman1

Program dowloaded and installed(after the host changes) and video plays fine. However I get an error that stops some content. It says "this video's audio is protected and cannot be played back. Try updating your audio driver and try again." My audio drivers are the latest from Conexant Smart audio HD2. Anyone else have an issue like this?


----------



## ejjames

Weathrman1 said:


> Program dowloaded and installed(after the host changes) and video plays fine. However I get an error that stops some content. It says "this video's audio is protected and cannot be played back. Try updating your audio driver and try again." My audio drivers are the latest from Conexant Smart audio HD2. Anyone else have an issue like this?


I get this message when I play VOD content.


----------



## paulfife

Had to wait until today for the activation to let me try it, but I'm quite happy with what I see! I'm even streaming HD over my wireless G network without any hiccups. My network was pretty idle at the time, and the distance between the receiver, wireless router, and laptop were all pretty short so YMMV.

Only issues I had was the 30 second slip isn't quite like the actual receiver (where you can queue up several at once reliably). Also it would be very handy to have an option to "always keep on top" when viewing in a non-maximized window.

Otherwise I gotta say great job DirecTV! Hopefully this means MRV between receiver will be coming soon!


----------



## Jestr40

Okay I gave it a shot and SUCCESS! The HD looks very good but not as good as on my plasma, the sd hockey game I have recorded off CI looks just as crappy as it does on my tv. All, in all, I am really liking this.


----------



## veryoldschool

"Protected content" error can come with a digital audio output.
Most chip makers/drivers don't know anything about it. Realtek is the only one that I've found that does have a driver that works.
I've been able to disable my digital audio output [speaker icon and playback devices] and "resolved" the error.


----------



## Weathrman1

hmmmmmm. Thats what I was trying to play. Ok Thanks ejjames!


----------



## veryoldschool

CBF87 said:


> Same as above...tried 3 times on 'registered with DirecTV' email address and 2 times with work email on 2 different days. have downloaded both apps (slowly) both times. Still no key email (and Yes, I've checked my spam filter). I can understand wanting to only provide this to actual DirecTV users, but why not put in your account profile?
> 
> Just to be safe, can someone post the from address so I can add it to my whitelist? (Example: From: [email protected] ) Actually, all I need is the stuff after the @ sign if that's easier. I'm assuming its directv.com or cyberlink.com but you know what assuming gets you.. :grin:


Mine came from:
Cyberlink [[email protected]]

I've also received a key with a name & email address that DirecTV knows nothing about [verse what I use for DirecTV account].


----------



## veryoldschool

Weathrman1 said:


> hmmmmmm. Thats what I was trying to play. Ok Thanks ejjames!


See ^^^


----------



## CBF87

veryoldschool said:


> Mine came from:
> Cyberlink [[email protected]]
> 
> I've also received a key with a name & email address that DirecTV knows nothing about [verse what I use for DirecTV account].


Thanks for the info...will keep a eye out for the email. Fingers crossed....etc.. 
I used to use ReplayTV and being able to watch videos on my PC is something I've missed with my DirecTV HD DVR.


----------



## Mike_G

Jestr40 said:


> Graphics Card : NVIDIA GeForce 9500GS (green)
> Video Connection Type : Digital (without HDCP) (RED)
> 
> Best I can tell my computer is an HP model m9340f 6.00GB
> and my monitor is a Westinghouse LCM-22w2 it is HD capable and is conected to my computer with a DVI cable
> 
> Will I be able to view the shows from my HD DVR with this setup?


You will be able to watch shows that are not marked as "protected" content.

There is no way I know of to determine what is "protected" and what ism't - it is not synonymous with HD or premium channels.

The problem is that if you play protected content over a digital video path (DVI or HDMI) the path must support HDCP. Now HDMI always does but DVI connections require both the video card and the display to be HDCP compliant and not many are. Even if the video cards chipset supports HDCP the individual card manufacturer may not have implemented it, if your video card supports HDCP your Westinghous may not.

The only way to avoid the HDCP issue is to use an analog (VGA) connection to your display - if you do not have a VGA port on the back of your card a DVI to VGA adapter also works.

Mike


----------



## f150intally

UPDATE:
I had some time to mess with the PC today and here is what I did. Disabled every service i could without affecting Windows and reinstalled my ATI graphics card drivers, then rebooted.

It works. Every once in a while i get some stutter. Monitoring CPU usage on a Pentium D 2.8 Dual Core (first gen dual core) is seeing 60-70% utilization. Overall I'm pretty happy. Most content has played but Ratouille (sp?) wouldn't play. Protected content.

Thanks for suggestions and help. I almost blew away my machine.


----------



## veryoldschool

Jestr40 said:


> Okay, I have read thru most of this thread but I am not all that computer literate. I have run the playback advisor and I have gotten these results:
> 
> Video Connection Type : Digital (without HDCP) (RED)
> 
> Best I can tell my computer is an HP model m9340f 6.00GB
> and my monitor is a Westinghouse LCM-22w2 it is HD capable and is conected to my computer with a DVI cable
> 
> Will I be able to view the shows from my HD DVR with this setup?


As others have posted, you may or not be able to play protected content.
VOD seems to have HDCP even on SD recordings.
The Advisor has errors too. With an old video driver, mine passes HDCP and with last months driver it fails, BUT I can still play protected content, so the Advisor isn't the "final word" by any means.


----------



## Jestr40

Mike_G said:


> You will be able to watch shows that are not marked as "protected" content.
> 
> There is no way I know of to determine what is "protected" and what ism't - it is not synonymous with HD or premium channels.
> 
> The problem is that if you play protected content over a digital video path (DVI or HDMI) the path must support HDCP. Now HDMI always does but DVI connections require both the video card and the display to be HDCP compliant and not many are. Even if the video cards chipset supports HDCP the individual card manufacturer may not have implemented it, if your video card supports HDCP your Westinghous may not.
> 
> The only way to avoid the HDCP issue is to use an analog (VGA) connection to your display - if you do not have a VGA port on the back of your card a DVI to VGA adapter also works.
> 
> Mike


:new_Eyecr Okay, my head just exploded a little bit, but I did get that last part about the VGA connection but I don't think I have a VGA connection on my monitor, all i see are s-video, composite video with Pr,Pb,Y (?), line-in, DVI and D-sub. How often does the "protected content" error show up, I tried all of the programs on my DVR and on my wifes DVR and all played with no problem (after fixing a parental rating issue)


----------



## veryoldschool

Jestr40 said:


> :new_Eyecr Okay, my head just exploded a little bit, but I did get that last part about the VGA connection but I don't think I have a VGA connection on my monitor, all i see are s-video, composite video with Pr,Pb,Y (?), line-in, DVI and D-sub. How often does the "protected content" error show up, I tried all of the programs on my DVR and on my wifes DVR and all played with no problem (after fixing a parental rating issue)


See ^^^
Also some of the newer video cards "only" have two DVI outputs [no VGA] but come with an adapter for the analog monitors. [you might look in your box of "stuff" if needed].


----------



## hlvrsn

Installed software yesterday on an XP desktop and it worked briefly. Later installed on a Vista notebook. Now neither works, both stop at server selection screen. HR20 received update and can see both computers. Any suggestions?


----------



## ChrisF

Well, I just installed the software with activation code on my Macbook Pro Running Parallels. It found my HT DVR, choose connect it went forward. When it gets to the "My Playlist" screen, it says "There are no programs at this time". 

I have probably 30 items recorded. What am I missing??


----------



## veryoldschool

hlvrsn said:


> Installed software yesterday on an XP desktop and it worked briefly. Later installed on a Vista notebook. Now neither works, both stop at server selection screen. HR20 received update and can see both computers. Any suggestions?


I'd look into your firewall(s).


----------



## Mike_G

Symptom:

Audio plays only the first time a playback is attempted for each user account on the system. Note that if something stops the first attempt (monitor, protection, network error) this will look like audio never works once the other issues are resolved.

Not sure if this is platform specific but for Windows Vista SP1, Realtek AC'97 Audio for VIA on board audio chipset.

Cause:

When playback is stopped the application fails to reset the registry entry :

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cyberlink\Common\CLNetShow] AuDsInterface

to a valid value (it's usually left at Hex 0x80 or 128 decimal).

Workaround:

Before each attempt to play back change the registry entry to Hex 0x08 or 8 decimal.

Attached:

A zip file containing a Reg file which will merge into the registry and reset to wrong entry to 8 decimal.

To use

1. Unzip the attached to the hard disk
2. Double click on the file (or right click and "Merge") and acknowledge the dire warning, and the "done" message.

You will have to repeat step 2 each time you want to play a recording.

Regards,
Mike


----------



## veryoldschool

ChrisF said:


> Well, I just installed the software with activation code on my Macbook Pro Running Parallels. It found my HT DVR, choose connect it went forward. When it gets to the "My Playlist" screen, it says "There are no programs at this time".
> 
> I have probably 30 items recorded. What am I missing??


You will need to find other MAC users that have had "any luck" as this doesn't work with MACs [normally].


----------



## veryoldschool

Mike_G said:


> Symptom:
> 
> Audio plays only the first time a playback is attempted for each user account on the system. Note that if something stops the first attempt (monitor, protection, network error) this will look like audio never works once the other issues are resolved.
> 
> Not sure if this is platform specific but for Windows Vista SP1, Realtek AC'97 Audio for VIA on board audio chipset.
> 
> Cause:
> 
> When playback is stopped the application fails to reset the registry entry :
> 
> [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cyberlink\Common\CLNetShow] AuDsInterface
> 
> to a valid value (it's usually left at Hex 0x80 or 128 decimal).
> 
> Workaround:
> 
> Before each attempt to play back change the registry entry to Hex 0x08 or 8 decimal.
> 
> Attached:
> 
> A zip file containing a Reg file which will merge into the registry and reset to wrong entry to 8 decimal.
> 
> To use
> 
> 1. Unzip the attached to the hard disk
> 2. Double click on the file (or right click and "Merge") and acknowledge the dire warning, and the "done" message.
> 
> You will have to repeat step 2 each time you want to play a recording.
> 
> Regards,
> Mike


Have you gone to Realtek and updated your driver?
Realtek is about the only chipmaker that does have HDCP audio drivers [that work].


----------



## cdizzy

Just installed the software and I must say I'm impressed. The HD looks very nice. I only had one little glitch which I'm sure was caused by bandwidth. My quad core pc handles it well.


----------



## hlvrsn

Turned firewall off and still have problem.


----------



## Mike_G

Jestr40 said:


> :new_Eyecr Okay, my head just exploded a little bit, but I did get that last part about the VGA connection but I don't think I have a VGA connection on my monitor, all i see are s-video, composite video with Pr,Pb,Y (?), line-in, DVI and D-sub. How often does the "protected content" error show up, I tried all of the programs on my DVR and on my wifes DVR and all played with no problem (after fixing a parental rating issue)


Sorry, welcome to wacky world of using PCs for "home theater" tasks. If the D-sub is small D-shaped with 15 pins its probably the VGA input.

I've seen some Discovery Science and History channel programming with protected status but not all programs.

Mike


----------



## Mike_G

veryoldschool said:


> Have you gone to Realtek and updated your driver?
> Realtek is about the only chipmaker that does have HDCP audio drivers [that work].


Latest drivers for this chipset - HDCP isn't the issue since I'm using analog outputs to PC speakers. Since the problem is entirely in the Cyberlink registry keys I think it's the applications issue.

Mike


----------



## veryoldschool

Mike_G said:


> Latest drivers for this chipset - HDCP isn't the issue since I'm using analog outputs to PC speakers. Since the problem is entirely in the Cyberlink registry keys I think it's the applications issue.
> 
> Mike


"yours" may be, but I haven't had "your problem", so I'm not sure how it is an "app" issue.


----------



## jroskos

Is anyone using a dual-monitor setup? DTV2PC says its not compatible? Whats up with that, it would be nice to be able to have my dtv on one monitor and than being doing work on the other?


----------



## KevetS

Radar103 said:


> I've downloaded and used two different email addresses. I have not received the access code on either, after waiting almost 24 hours. Am I doing something wrong?


Probably not, same thing here. Different domain accounts, different times, different days. Nothing.


----------



## DollaGreen

ChrisF said:


> Well, I just installed the software with activation code on my Macbook Pro Running Parallels. It found my HT DVR, choose connect it went forward. When it gets to the "My Playlist" screen, it says "There are no programs at this time".
> 
> I have probably 30 items recorded. What am I missing??


Same issue for me but I am running VM Fusion.


----------



## mfrost

DIRECTV2PC was working with a CE release but since my HR20 updated to the new national release the app cannot see my HR20. HR20 network test passes.


----------



## mfrost

Interesting...after just leaving the application running for about 15 minutes my HR20 suddenly showed up on the list and I was able to connect to it.


----------



## YDKCooKiE

Whenever I attempt to launch the app, it succeeds at connecting to my HR20, then whenever I try and play something I get: "DirecTV2PC cannot connect to the server. Protected content cannot be played back at this time."

My system:

Core2Duo E6600
3GB RAM
XP Media Center Edition
ATI Radeon HD4870

Any thoughts?


----------



## Storm180

I used it yesterday and it worked fine, no studder and watched several shows. Tonight I tried it and the audio cuts out and the picture is lagged. I rebooted my computer that it worked on the previous evening and still it was doing it. Checked my firewall and how much bandwidth I was using for other apps, nothing out of the ordinary. 

The thing I noticed was my DVR is currently recording on both inputs, so I checked it again when my DVR was not recording and it is working fine again. So I did some research, last night it was only recording on one input and functioned fine. Very strange, they should build some sort of a buffer into the software to take care of the lag.

Anyone else have an issue when the DVR is recording on both sides. I am using a wireless network, dvr is plugged into a wireless gaming adapter, laptop is wireless also.


----------



## Bandito

I have a MacBook Pro running Parallels Desktop and Windows XP. As others have seen, the DirecTV2PC application seems to run okay, but when connecting to the server (DVR) it shows no content available.

I changed to a different DVR and that one is showing content available, but when I select any of them and hit play, I just get the following message:










For those with more...um...mature eyes, it says, "DIRECTV2PC cannot stream from the server because the maximum number of transmissions of protected content (three) was reached. Please try again later."

At least I got a bit further and it looks like things might possibly work. I'm going to try rebooting the DVR to see if that does anything, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow. It's bed time!


----------



## dettxw

Storm180 said:


> I used it yesterday and it worked fine, no studder and watched several shows. Tonight I tried it and the audio cuts out and the picture is lagged. I rebooted my computer that it worked on the previous evening and still it was doing it. Checked my firewall and how much bandwidth I was using for other apps, nothing out of the ordinary.
> 
> The thing I noticed was my DVR is currently recording on both inputs, so I checked it again when my DVR was not recording and it is working fine again. So I did some research, last night it was only recording on one input and functioned fine. Very strange, they should build some sort of a buffer into the software to take care of the lag.
> 
> Anyone else have an issue when the DVR is recording on both sides. I am using a wireless network, dvr is plugged into a wireless gaming adapter, laptop is wireless also.


Sounds like your wireless network vs the DVR.

Got a secure wireless network? Don't want someone borrowing bandwidth.

Using g or n? I have my dual-band n network set to run only on 5MHz where I'm the only user. On g there are about 20 networks that show up which can't be good. Maybe all your neighbors fired up their networks at the same time.

Gotta post more info next time on your setup otherwise we're guessing.


----------



## shalverson

Has anyone figured what setting that needs to be changed when you get the port443 failure?

I tryed to un-install, and re-install the software with no luck.

Thanks,

Scott


----------



## dettxw

YDKCooKiE said:


> Whenever I attempt to launch the app, it succeeds at connecting to my HR20, then whenever I try and play something I get: "DirecTV2PC cannot connect to the server. Protected content cannot be played back at this time."
> 
> My system:
> 
> Core2Duo E6600
> 3GB RAM
> XP Media Center Edition
> ATI Radeon HD4870
> 
> Any thoughts?


Gotta post more info, like which monitor are you using, is it HDCP-compliant, how is it connected, what program were you trying to stream (HD or SD), etc.

At least the video card looks good.


----------



## dettxw

shalverson said:


> Has anyone figured what setting that needs to be changed when you get the port443 failure?
> 
> I tryed to un-install, and re-install the software with no luck.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Scott


Are you installing/activating or trying to run the program? Are you running a firewall and does it allow port 443 access? I think most do by default. 
Gotta have more info.


----------



## dettxw

Bandito said:


> I have a MacBook Pro running Parallels Desktop and Windows XP. As others have seen, the DirecTV2PC application seems to run okay, but when connecting to the server (DVR) it shows no content available.
> 
> I changed to a different DVR and that one is showing content available, but when I select any of them and hit play, I just get the following message:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For those with more...um...mature eyes, it says, "DIRECTV2PC cannot stream from the server because the maximum number of transmissions of protected content (three) was reached. Please try again later."
> 
> At least I got a bit further and it looks like things might possibly work. I'm going to try rebooting the DVR to see if that does anything, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow. It's bed time!


Congratulations! I've never seen that message before. You found a new one. Let us know when you figure it out. :lol:


----------



## dettxw

mfrost said:


> Interesting...after just leaving the application running for about 15 minutes my HR20 suddenly showed up on the list and I was able to connect to it.


What do your firewall settings look like?


----------



## roywatson

Well it's worthless to me. All our machines have dual-monitors and it refuses to work. So one more in a long line of directv disappointments.


----------



## jimforman

App was working fine this afternoon, then the "glitch". as the recording from d* called it. Bad enough it wiped out everything in the to do list, but now while the app does find the hr20-700 (after a long-ish wait), when it does connect it shows no recorded programs.

Yes, I did an RBR. Shows I am still on last weeks CE

Adding to the mess, my firewall had an auto update, and I think it could be a port issue.

Any ideas?


----------



## Rolando42

I was able to get DIRECTV2PC to work exactly once. I can navigate my playlist no problem, but when I select something to watch, I get the message "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time." I checked my Windows XP firewall and DIRECTV2PC (app) is listed and has a scope of internet. Are there any other ports I need to open? 

I am not having any problems with On Demand. Media Share works great with WMP11 but is flakey with TVersity (doesn't always connect, doesn't always stay connected).

Any ideas? TIA.


----------



## YDKCooKiE

dettxw said:


> Gotta post more info, like which monitor are you using, is it HDCP-compliant, how is it connected, what program were you trying to stream (HD or SD), etc.
> 
> At least the video card looks good.


Okay, update then 

Core2Duo E6600 (2.4GHz)
3GB RAM
ATI Radeon HD4870 (HDCP Compliant)
LG L227 LCD (HDCP Compliant)
Windows XP MCE w/ SP3, Update Rollup 2
Connected via DVI-D
All lights (sans Video, which returned grey) came back Green)

Tried to stream both HD and SD content, both listed as protected.


----------



## Rolando42

Rolando42 said:


> I was able to get DIRECTV2PC to work exactly once. I can navigate my playlist no problem, but when I select something to watch, I get the message "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time." I checked my Windows XP firewall and DIRECTV2PC (app) is listed and has a scope of internet. Are there any other ports I need to open?
> 
> I am not having any problems with On Demand. Media Share works great with WMP11 but is flakey with TVersity (doesn't always connect, doesn't always stay connected).
> 
> Any ideas? TIA.


I may have answered my own question. I disabled my Bluetooth network and DIRECT2PC worked the first time.


----------



## tasman

I have to admit that I have been waiting for this implementation for some time. I thought it would be the answer to MRV without the need for more receivers but I did not have any success with this.

I installed this first on the computer that I was most likely going to use this and it gave me an error about not having the right display/graphics card/driver. I of course had the latest for my machine and just assumed that it wasn't compliant. I then tried it on a laptop that I had and it gave the same error. Of course in the process I realized that you only get two activation codes per email but I used another email address and I got another one. This time I installed it on my Media Center PC. This is an AMD Phenom processor with HDMI interface and unfortunately is in the same room as my receiver so I would never use it in this way but wanted to try. This time it did work but the sound was very shaky and cut in and out. Definitely not usable in its form. Both the D* receiver and HTPC are on the same network switch and both hardwired.

Bottom line is that the average person will not have much success with this as it seems to be too hardware dependent and not very user friendly. I will have to wait to see if they can find a work around for it. I admit I don't understand the technology that much but when you use a something like a TVersity type product and it works fine, I don't know why they can't make it easier to get it working easier. I know this is in beta and that's the whole idea to work out the bugs so I thought I would add my two cents.


----------



## shalverson

Steve,

I installed the program without a problem. I just can't start it. It always gives me the port 433 access error. I must admit I do not know much about how to fix/change router settings. I did try to start it with the firewall settings off, but received the same message. I just hit a road block that I can't seem to fix.

Thanks for trying to help.

Scott


----------



## F1 Fan

tasman said:


> I have to admit that I have been waiting for this implementation for some time. I thought it would be the answer to MRV without the need for more receivers but I did not have any success with this.
> 
> I installed this first on the computer that I was most likely going to use this and it gave me an error about not having the right display/graphics card/driver. I of course had the latest for my machine and just assumed that it wasn't compliant. I then tried it on a laptop that I had and it gave the same error. Of course in the process I realized that you only get two activation codes per email but I used another email address and I got another one. This time I installed it on my Media Center PC. This is an AMD Phenom processor with HDMI interface and unfortunately is in the same room as my receiver so I would never use it in this way but wanted to try. This time it did work but the sound was very shaky and cut in and out. Definitely not usable in its form. Both the D* receiver and HTPC are on the same network switch and both hardwired.
> 
> Bottom line is that the average person will not have much success with this as it seems to be too hardware dependent and not very user friendly. I will have to wait to see if they can find a work around for it. I admit I don't understand the technology that much but when you use a something like a TVersity type product and it works fine, I don't know why they can't make it easier to get it working easier. I know this is in beta and that's the whole idea to work out the bugs so I thought I would add my two cents.


You cant blame Directv for the hardware requirements - that is the requirement to process HD. Most new hardware can handle it (even sub $500 pc's). Dell has a studio Hybrid which IIRC is around $250 (no monitor) and should be able to handle it.

My wife has a Dell O330 and a 19" monitor and it works great. No problem with picture or sound playing HD movies on it. Sometimes the first 3 or 4 seconds will be a bit jumpy while it sorts the memory and processor out but then it is perfect all the way through.


----------



## F1 Fan

Hi

I love this new feature. I have one small request which i think is probably handled by Directv on the HR2* than in the Directv2pc software.

It is very hard to choose the right box based on RID's. I have 3 (and i know there are some with many more). I have no clue what each RID is so i have to have a list now. Can we give them a friendly name? Similar to the website. 

On the same subject, there is a small bug when you choose a different server. I usually click the server and the list drops down and i select the one i want and the list closes up. However it didnt select the one i wanted, it remained the old one. And with RID's it is hard to tell. The way it works is to drop the list down, use the up and down arrow keys to select it and then press Enter. Then it takes the new one. Can you fix it please?

Finally, when i see the playlist on the server (and I have lots - i dont think any are over 20% free) it is annoying to have to use the down arrow key to scroll down through them one at a time. Can we use the mouse scroll and/or the page down keys (much like the DVR itself)?

You can tell that when there are only minor requests like this the product is good  Thank you


----------



## Trendy2

I was able to get it working no problem last night. Love it, what a great new feature!
I seem to have some moderate motion blur on the HD content though, I'm assuming that is just a video card setting - I'll play around with that more tonight.
I thought it was also cool, that while recording two programs simultaneously and with the wife watching a recorded program off of the DVR that I was still able to watch another program off of the DVR as well on the PC, all at the same time. We only have one DVR in the house, an HR20-700.
I couldn't get a screenshot while video was playing, wouldn't let me do the "Print Screen, paste to Paint" option.


----------



## karlhenri

Directv2PC is sweet!

This is the machine I installed it on: 
HP Pavilion a6414f
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 6000+ 3.0 GHZ
3GB DDR2-800 RAM


I bought it refurbished , so it's not necessarily the latest hardware out there. It's hooked up to the wired part of my LAN running off of a Dlink switched connected to a Verizon -provided router.
The viewpiece consites of an HP 2207 (22'') widescreen LCD monitor. For now, I am on a VGA connection because the machine has a basic video card. I ran the advisor thing and it green lighted everything except the video card. 

Installed diretv2pc. Turned on the HR20 in the basement. it was found easily.
I was able to access My Playlist and the showcase tab. I played a recording of an HD soccer match from the China Olympics. Looked fabulous on the LCD. Much crisper than on my 62" DLP. But I think that smaller screens have that edge.

I went to the showcase tab and ran the two Obama campaign freebies. They were not in HD and did not look as good. 

I also noticed that the movies now were not accessible. 

One of the things i like the most about the software is that you can double click on the timeline to jump anywhere. Not doable on the DVR itself.

Interface only shows 5 items at a time though, so lots of scroling. Not a dealbreaker, but not ideal.

Kudos Directv. I like it.

BTW: What happened to Directv2go? It was advertized at the CES last year, but it was never developed.


----------



## Storm180

dettxw said:


> Sounds like your wireless network vs the DVR.
> 
> Got a secure wireless network? Don't want someone borrowing bandwidth.
> 
> Using g or n? I have my dual-band n network set to run only on 5MHz where I'm the only user. On g there are about 20 networks that show up which can't be good. Maybe all your neighbors fired up their networks at the same time.
> 
> Gotta post more info next time on your setup otherwise we're guessing.


Using G, wireless was secure, no one else was using it except me yesterday. My channel I chose for my wireless, I am the only one on it. None of my neighbors have wireless. Closest one is about a 1/2 mile away on another street.

The signioficant thing I saw was that the as soon as one of the DVR inputs stopped recording the video streamed fine, when I turn on both Inputs to record it gets choppy.

EDITED: I was reading some other posts about the content you were trying to wastch whether it was HD or SD, I i will have to do some experimentation with that to see if thats may be part of the cause of the issue. The show I was watching was Mythbusters on HD which was having issues but those issues still cleared up when either nothing was recording or only one tuner was recording. The night before I recall I was watching a show in SD and it was fine. Weird. Time to experiment with SD and HD and recording and not.


----------



## islesfan

Hardware question:

I have DirecTV2PC working great on my HP Pavillion, with one exception. My hardware passed all the tests with green lights, except the WiFi connection which only got a yellow. SD content plays flawlessly, and upconverted HD plays well too (think Ghost Hunters), but true HD like Chuck has audio skips and studders, and it glitches every few seconds so as to make it unwatchable.

So, since I already have a WiFi setup to both the PC and the HR20 and 21, what do I have to do in order to fix this? I know that, ideally, I should get doen in the crawlspace with 100 feet or so of CAT5 and just hardwire it all, but first I'm claustrophobic, and second I have already set this all up wirelessly, so that seems like a major step back. Is there any way to make this work wirelessly? Is it the fact that BOTH the PC and the DVR are connected wirelessly that causes the problem? Does anyone have the powerline setup, and would that solve my problem?

Any ideas other than the obvious (crawl around the crawlspace with CAT5) would be appreciated...


----------



## boxster99t

I am envious of all who have gotten authorization codes--still don't have mine and yes, I've checked the spam folders on all four email accounts I submitted yesterday and again this morning. 

I don't know what the big deal is with authorization codes for a free beta anyway, but it sure is frustrating.


----------



## rob316

boxster99t said:


> I am envious of all who have gotten authorization codes--still don't have mine and yes, I've checked the spam folders on all four email accounts I submitted yesterday and again this morning.
> 
> I don't know what the big deal is with authorization codes for a free beta anyway, but it sure is frustrating.


I installed directv2pc on my Dell 1705 laptop running Vista Ultimate with a Dual Core Centrino processor 2.0 ghz with 2 gig of Ram and my Video Card is the NVidia 7900 GS card. I ran the analyzer everything past except for 2 yellows on the Video Card and Network Card. My network card is an Intel A-G-N card and my Video card is a 256 meg card but sharing up to 767 with Vista. I installed the software but at first the software did not find my HR-21 a RBR corrected the issue. I first played one of my wife's soap's that was recored in SD it played great and looked good on my laptop, I then played Sarah Connor Chronicles which is 720p and it also played fine and looked really good. I then tried Hero's which is 1080i and it played but with alot of stuttering and lip synch issues. It seems that SD and 720p plays fine but when you go up to resolution 1080i I have problems, overall pretty good product.


----------



## dettxw

YDKCooKiE said:


> Okay, update then
> 
> Core2Duo E6600 (2.4GHz)
> 3GB RAM
> ATI Radeon HD4870 (HDCP Compliant)
> LG L227 LCD (HDCP Compliant)
> Windows XP MCE w/ SP3, Update Rollup 2
> Connected via DVI-D
> All lights (sans Video, which returned grey) came back Green)
> 
> Tried to stream both HD and SD content, both listed as protected.


Sorry for the dumb question, but, have both the PC and DVR been rebooted?


----------



## veryoldschool

rob316 said:


> I installed directv2pc on my Dell 1705 laptop running Vista Ultimate with a Dual Core Centrino processor 2.0 ghz with 2 gig of Ram and my Video Card is the NVidia 7900 GS card. I ran the analyzer everything past except for 2 yellows on the Video Card and Network Card. My network card is an Intel A-G-N card and my Video card is a 256 meg card but sharing up to 767 with Vista. I installed the software but at first the software did not find my HR-21 a RBR corrected the issue. I first played one of my wife's soap's that was recored in SD it played great and looked good on my laptop, I then played Sarah Connor Chronicles which is 720p and it also played fine and looked really good. I then tried Hero's which is 1080i and it played but with alot of stuttering and lip synch issues. It seems that SD and 720p plays fine but when you go up to resolution 1080i I have problems, overall pretty good product.


1080i MPEG-4 [locals] seem to be the hardest [CPU wise] to play.


----------



## Spicoli

I still have not received my authorization codes. Submitted my email and fully downloaded the program and after almost 2 days still nothing. I have an R22... Is this for HD subs only?


----------



## Cmnore

Rolando42 said:


> I was able to get DIRECTV2PC to work exactly once. I can navigate my playlist no problem, but when I select something to watch, I get the message "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time." I checked my Windows XP firewall and DIRECTV2PC (app) is listed and has a scope of internet. Are there any other ports I need to open?
> 
> I am not having any problems with On Demand. Media Share works great with WMP11 but is flakey with TVersity (doesn't always connect, doesn't always stay connected).
> 
> Any ideas? TIA.


EXACTLY my experience except for the 'got it to work once' part. I can 'see' all of my shows on both active DVRs, but I am unable to play any of the content. Disabled the firewall(which doesn't interfere with Orb, TVersity, PlayOn, or the WMP on the same machine) to no avail!:nono2:


----------



## Alamei

*Cmnore*: I'm in the same spot, with the exception that I can _occasionally_ get a show to run if I click the Play button about 100 times (and let it error the other 99). My guess is that was what Rolando42 was describing. Out of curiosity, what Anti-Virus/Firewall software are you running? I found that I have slightly more luck (perhaps 1/50 times, it will run) when I completely disable ESET Smart Security, though it may just be coincidence.


----------



## Cmnore

Alamei,

I'm using Ghostwall on my Athlon64/X64 Windows XP machine. I did try it both with and without the firewall enabled. No change for me there. Haven't tried the rapidfire playbutton trick though!


----------



## Incog-Neato

It's a cute gimmick when it works but after the first couple times I see little use for it. As a "precursor" to MRV I can see a reason for it, but for what it is I'd rather sit in front of a TV set. Never could spend more then a few minutes in fromt of a computer monitor (even at 24") watching a movie or TV.


----------



## Folin

Will this work: 

1. HD DVR is recording 2 different channels,
2. Watch a previosly recorded show (not one recording currently above) on the main TV, and 
3. Watch another previously recorded show via PC?

Or will the DVR (not the network's bandwidth) choke on all of that activity?

Neat stuff tho. Great for putting a kid or two in a different room when you want to watch something big screen (or even me if I just want to catch something else at that time and surf the net or do some PC work).


----------



## SParker

I'm able to see my playlists on my PS3. You can't play shows in windows through media share with any other programs other than the DTV2PC program right?


----------



## rbmcgee

Hmmmm, I have 3 HTPCs feeding 3 HDTVs. Some people don't equate a computer with a computer monitor. I LUV D2PC.


----------



## veryoldschool

SParker said:


> I'm able to see my playlists on my PS3. You can't play shows in windows through media share with any other programs other than the DTV2PC program right?


right


----------



## ejjames

Folin said:


> Will this work:
> 
> 1. HD DVR is recording 2 different channels,
> 2. Watch a previosly recorded show (not one recording currently above) on the main TV, and
> 3. Watch another previously recorded show via PC?
> 
> Or will the DVR (not the network's bandwidth) choke on all of that activity?
> 
> Neat stuff tho. Great for putting a kid or two in a different room when you want to watch something big screen (or even me if I just want to catch something else at that time and surf the net or do some PC work).


Should work fine.


----------



## Folin

Yup, was about 11 pages thru reading this thread when I posted...just hit page 14 (the one prior to my post!) where Trendy2 says:

"I thought it was also cool, that while recording two programs simultaneously and with the wife watching a recorded program off of the DVR that I was still able to watch another program off of the DVR as well on the PC, all at the same time. We only have one DVR in the house, an HR20-700."

Sweetness.

Unrelated, but last night I noticed a huge increase in the menu speed when scrolling up/down. They must've optimized the splat out of some code or what?


----------



## Fezmid

Rolando42 said:


> I was able to get DIRECTV2PC to work exactly once. I can navigate my playlist no problem, but when I select something to watch, I get the message "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time." I checked my Windows XP firewall and DIRECTV2PC (app) is listed and has a scope of internet. Are there any other ports I need to open?
> 
> I am not having any problems with On Demand. Media Share works great with WMP11 but is flakey with TVersity (doesn't always connect, doesn't always stay connected).
> 
> Any ideas? TIA.


I have the exact same problem. Nothing worked. I went into my network settings and disabled the "VMware Bridge Protocol," thinking that might be having some affect on it.

Then it worked! I was able to watch a few minutes of Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles and the Simpsons. After watching those two, I went to try again, and it failed with the same error (DirecTV2PC cannot connect to the server." WTF?

EDIT: And it stopped working again. After playing around, it seems to only work about 10% of the time that I try it... I get the "Cannot connect to server" message the other 90% of the time.


----------



## John Nadeau

Video: Stuttering... Jerky... Skipping..

For example: When I play a news program recorded in HD (fox or cnn), the ticker text that scrolls at the bottom will pause/jerk/skip almost every 2 seconds.

Can anyone replicate this?


----------



## veryoldschool

John Nadeau said:


> Video: Stuttering... Jerky... Skipping..
> 
> For example: When I play a news program recorded in HD (fox or cnn), the ticker text that scrolls at the bottom will pause/jerk/skip almost every 2 seconds.
> 
> Can anyone replicate this?


What's your hardware setup [PC]?


----------



## dettxw

Folin said:


> Will this work:
> 
> 1. HD DVR is recording 2 different channels,
> 2. Watch a previosly recorded show (not one recording currently above) on the main TV, and
> 3. Watch another previously recorded show via PC?
> 
> Or will the DVR (not the network's bandwidth) choke on all of that activity?
> 
> Neat stuff tho. Great for putting a kid or two in a different room when you want to watch something big screen (or even me if I just want to catch something else at that time and surf the net or do some PC work).


And record HD VOD!

Works fine, though the DVR will get sluggish on the menus. 
Best to start the DIRECTV2PC playback first.


----------



## John Nadeau

veryoldschool said:


> What's your hardware setup [PC]?


Athlon64x2DualCore 3800+ (2g)
1g Ram
WinXP Media Center 2005 sp2
ATI x1650hdmi
250g SATA

I'm able to play other videos w/out any problems (hd tv recorded in media center; dvds)


----------



## markman07

So a few days ago I got it working, today I launch it and it asks me to activate it again? Is this normal? I can't get it to re-activate. I reinstalled the application and the same thing. I requested a new code for two different email addresses and have yet to get anything. Very frustrating. 

\


----------



## JonSamuels

Cmnore said:


> EXACTLY my experience except for the 'got it to work once' part. I can 'see' all of my shows on both active DVRs, but I am unable to play any of the content. Disabled the firewall(which doesn't interfere with Orb, TVersity, PlayOn, or the WMP on the same machine) to no avail!:nono2:


Cmnore,

By chance do you have a PDA or other similar device connected to your PC? Rolando42 said he solved his problem by disconnecting his bluetooth. I was having the same problem and decided to disconnect my Dell Axim PDA, and that solved the problem for me.


----------



## veryoldschool

John Nadeau said:


> Athlon64x2DualCore 3800+ (2g)
> 1g Ram
> WinXP Media Center 2005 sp2
> ATI x1650hdmi
> 250g SATA
> 
> I'm able to play other videos w/out any problems (hd tv recorded in media center; dvds)


It looks like you need some help from your video card for MPEG-4 decoding.
Your MCE 2005 is "only" recording in MPEG-2, which doesn't require as much "horsepower".
The AT1 HD2400 or 3000 or 4--- has the hardware decoding h.264


----------



## texasmoose

What's the best new laptop(under $799) that'll run with this software? I have a 3 yr old HP ZV6005 widescreen 1200x800. It runs sluggishly when running HD content. It's fine for non-hd, but who wants to watch that anyhow?!?! I only have 512 of system memory, would it run better with an additional stick of 512? Or is it because of my onboard ATI graphix card? I have XP, service pack 3. Graphic card = 128MB ATI Xpress 200m video (dedicated memory) AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0 GHz processor


----------



## gordon1fan

belogical said:


> lol, that's what i always put


What I put for Company is "HOME"! :lol:


----------



## veryoldschool

texasmoose said:


> What's the best new laptop(under $799) that'll run with this software? I have a 3 yr old HP ZV6005 widescreen 1200x800. It runs sluggishly when running HD content. It's fine for non-hd, but who wants to watch that anyhow?!?! I only have 512 of system memory, would it run better with an additional stick of 512? Or is it because of my onboard ATI graphix card? I have XP, service pack 3. Graphic card = 128MB ATI Xpress 200m video (dedicated memory) AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0 GHz processor


With Vista, mine is using just about 1 Gig of RAM.
2.33+ Core2 Duo works fine.
ATI or Nvidia seem to work well also, but they should be of the newer type.


----------



## djfourmoney

Still looking for confirmation...

My Media Center PC is connected to the home network via Buffalo Internet Converter (Bridge with 4 ports). I wanted to know if I ordered up a HR-22 and connected it to the Bridge, would I still be able to watch video from the DVR or do I connect it to the router in the other side of the house?


----------



## missparker10

This might have been covered before. I apologize if it has. I thought I almost found my solution to MRV. Since the PC in my living room is set up so I can view my monitor on my big screen tv, and Directv2PC can play shows recorded on the DVR in the game room, I thought I could get those to play on my big screen. Problem is, when I try to play it on that extended desktop on my TV, it says DTV2PC doesn't support 2 monitors at the same time. I tried having the TV monitor be the 'main' monitor but that didn't work either.

Any ideas?


----------



## deanconst96

missparker10 said:


> This might have been covered before. I apologize if it has. I thought I almost found my solution to MRV. Since the PC in my living room is set up so I can view my monitor on my big screen tv, and Directv2PC can play shows recorded on the DVR in the game room, I thought I could get those to play on my big screen. Problem is, when I try to play it on that extended desktop on my TV, it says DTV2PC doesn't support 2 monitors at the same time. I tried having the TV monitor be the 'main' monitor but that didn't work either.
> 
> Any ideas?


Get an htpc


----------



## bobpenn

Still unable to activate. Anyone find a fix for this problem? The mod to the Hosts file did nothing. I ran as Admin, I bypassed my router, I turned off the Firewall. Got a 2nd activation number and reinstalled. Nothing.

Ideas?


----------



## missparker10

deanconst96 said:


> Get an htpc


Sorry, I'm not too familiar with what that is. I looked it up and still wasn't sure. 

Will it replace the PC I have now? How will that help me?


----------



## veryoldschool

missparker10 said:


> Sorry, I'm not too familiar with what that is. I looked it up and still wasn't sure.
> 
> Will it replace the PC I have now? How will that help me?


HTPC= Home Theater PC
If you connect your current PC to your TV it then can become an HTPC.
I have one with the DVI to HDMI cable and the TV is the primary monitor [only] and can run DirecTV2PC from the "PC" to my Sony HDTV


----------



## firemed509

Bandito said:


> I have a MacBook Pro running Parallels Desktop and Windows XP. As others have seen, the DirecTV2PC application seems to run okay, but when connecting to the server (DVR) it shows no content available.
> 
> I changed to a different DVR and that one is showing content available, but when I select any of them and hit play, I just get the following message:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For those with more...um...mature eyes, it says, "DIRECTV2PC cannot stream from the server because the maximum number of transmissions of protected content (three) was reached. Please try again later."
> 
> At least I got a bit further and it looks like things might possibly work. I'm going to try rebooting the DVR to see if that does anything, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow. It's bed time!


I'm having the same issue with my IMac running parallels. Tried reset without success. Will play with it tomorrow.


----------



## John Nadeau

veryoldschool said:


> It looks like you need some help from your video card for MPEG-4 decoding.
> Your MCE 2005 is "only" recording in MPEG-2, which doesn't require as much "horsepower".
> The AT1 HD2400 or 3000 or 4--- has the hardware decoding h.264


Thanks VOS,

VisionTek specs for the x1650pro hdmi say: "Accelerated MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX,WMV9, VC-1, and H.264 decoding (including DVD/HD-DVD/Blu-ray playback), encoding & transcoding."

Any idea if there is a utility to check if it is hardware (vs software) ?


----------



## ejjames

I'm no authority, but my radern 2600 pro uses hardware acceleration for my HD DVD drive. When active, my processor runs between 10-20%. Using directv2pc, the processor runs around 80%. this leads me to believe hardware accl. is not being used. it would be great if it were added, they're both cyberlink products.


----------



## veryoldschool

ejjames said:


> I'm no authority, but my radern 2600 pro uses hardware acceleration for my HD DVD drive. When active, my processor runs between 10-20%. Using directv2pc, the processor runs around 80%. this leads me to believe hardware accl. is not being used. it would be great if it were added, they're both cyberlink products.


If you keep this up, You're going to make me pull out my 3650 and put in my old 6600GT on this 3.4 GHz P4 and see if it works the same as it does now. :lol:


----------



## veryoldschool

John Nadeau said:


> Thanks VOS,
> 
> VisionTek specs for the x1650pro hdmi say: "Accelerated MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX,WMV9, VC-1, and H.264 decoding (including DVD/HD-DVD/Blu-ray playback), encoding & transcoding."
> 
> Any idea if there is a utility to check if it is hardware (vs software) ?


The Cyberlink Advisor [aka DirecTV2PC Playback Advisor] does seem to show if the video card can support h.264, by showing " CPU (Hardware acceleration) : ATI Radeon HD 3600 Series " [with mine]. My 6600GT doesn't show this.
You will see this in "the log" if you "Save Log" and then open it up for viewing.


----------



## Cmnore

JonSamuels said:


> Cmnore,
> 
> By chance do you have a PDA or other similar device connected to your PC? Rolando42 said he solved his problem by disconnecting his bluetooth. I was having the same problem and decided to disconnect my Dell Axim PDA, and that solved the problem for me.


No. No PDA attatched. No bluetooth either.:nono2:


----------



## SatNoob

hmm.. well i d/l the advisor i get all green indicators. i d/l the program and got my serial number installed and put the # in and it shows 0 servers. i try to scan again still shows 0 servers.

did i do something wrong or is the beta test over or something?


----------



## orion7144

I had to "re-setup" my network connection on the DVR itself after the new 290 was downloaded before they would connect so that the software could see them.



SatNoob said:


> hmm.. well i d/l the advisor i get all green indicators. i d/l the program and got my serial number installed and put the # in and it shows 0 servers. i try to scan again still shows 0 servers.
> 
> did i do something wrong or is the beta test over or something?


----------



## kimsan

missparker10 said:


> This might have been covered before. I apologize if it has. I thought I almost found my solution to MRV. Since the PC in my living room is set up so I can view my monitor on my big screen tv, and Directv2PC can play shows recorded on the DVR in the game room, I thought I could get those to play on my big screen. Problem is, when I try to play it on that extended desktop on my TV, it says DTV2PC doesn't support 2 monitors at the same time. I tried having the TV monitor be the 'main' monitor but that didn't work either.
> 
> Any ideas?


You should be fine if you set the TV as the main monitor and *DISABLE* your normal desktop monitor. As long as you enable only one display or the other the app should run fine.

I've been using a Dell Inspiron 1505 with ATI x1300 video as a psuedo-HTPC for a while and found that disabling the LCD was all I needed to get DTV2PC running successfully. Well except for 1080i and there's just not the GPU horsepower for the task. 480i and 720p shows work fine.

cheers,

kim


----------



## jonesron

Anyone else have trouble getting the activation S/N after the download. I submitted my name and email address and 12 hours later still no response. I resubmitted again about 20 min. ago and still nothing.


----------



## John Nadeau

veryoldschool said:


> The Cyberlink Advisor [aka DirecTV2PC Playback Advisor] does seem to show if the video card can support h.264, by showing " CPU (Hardware acceleration) : ATI Radeon HD 3600 Series " [with mine]. My 6600GT doesn't show this.
> You will see this in "the log" if you "Save Log" and then open it up for viewing.





ejjames said:


> I'm no authority, but my radern 2600 pro uses hardware acceleration for my HD DVD drive. When active, my processor runs between 10-20%. Using directv2pc, the processor runs around 80%. this leads me to believe hardware accl. is not being used. it would be great if it were added, they're both cyberlink products.


*VOS*... very interesting. 
For my ATIx1650proHDMI video card, DirecTv2Pc Playback Advisor says: CPU (Hardware acceleration): "no hardware decoder detected". Yet my card specs state that it does.

*ejjames*... I have similar results:
When playing a DVD, HiDef MediaCenter recording, or MovieLink file, CPU is 10-20%. When using DirecTv2Pc, cpu hovers at 75-80%.

I have the latest ATI drivers 8.10. Could DirecTv2Pc/Cyberlink have a bug finding the hardware decoder on some of these Radeons?

Anyone else have an ATI Radeon x1650 or Radeon 2600? What does your DirecTv2Pc Advisor say about "CPU hardware acceleration" ?


----------



## veryoldschool

John Nadeau said:


> When playing a DVD, HiDef MediaCenter recording, or MovieLink file, CPU is 10-20%.


These are MPEG-2


John Nadeau said:


> When using DirecTv2Pc, cpu hovers at 75-80%.


This looks like MPEG-4 1080i


John Nadeau said:


> I have the latest ATI drivers 8.10. Could DirecTv2Pc/Cyberlink have a bug finding the hardware decoder on some of these Radeons?


 AGP or PCIe? There are two different drivers. AGP is a "hot fix".


John Nadeau said:


> Anyone else have an ATI Radeon x1650 or Radeon 2600? What does your DirecTv2Pc Advisor say about "CPU hardware acceleration" ?


I had an Asus [ATI] 2600Pro which did report "CPU hardware acceleration".


----------



## John Nadeau

veryoldschool said:


> AGP or PCIe? There are two different drivers. AGP is a "hot fix".


I have the PCIe version.

I did run the actual Cyberlink Blue Ray Advisor and it comes up with the same results (no hardware decoder detected).

Cyberlink Advisor addl info states ATI 2000 or 3000 series supports hardware decoding.

DirecTv2pc Advisor addl info places the ATI 1600 series in the "minimum requirements" section and the 2400 series (and higher series) in the "recommended requirements"

So maybe Cyberlink is not enabling the hardware decoder on the 1600 series? 
Looks like I'm out-of-luck until either ATI or Cyberlink does something... or I upgrade the video card... again


----------



## missparker10

Thanks VOS and kimsan. I tried to make the tv the main monitor and couldn't figure out what was wrong, as I got the message. I see what you're saying, that I have to disable the PC monitor. I am going to give this a try.
Thanks again.


----------



## veryoldschool

John Nadeau said:


> I have the PCIe version.
> 
> I did run the actual Cyberlink Blue Ray Advisor and it comes up with the same results (no hardware decoder detected).
> 
> Cyberlink Advisor addl info states ATI 2000 or 3000 series supports hardware decoding.
> 
> DirecTv2pc Advisor addl info places the ATI 1600 series in the "minimum requirements" section and the 2400 series (and higher series) in the "recommended requirements"
> 
> So maybe Cyberlink is not enabling the hardware decoder on the 1600 series?
> Looks like I'm out-of-luck until either ATI or Cyberlink does something... or I upgrade the video card... again


Do you have AVIVO installed?
Open up the catalyst control center and you should see it.


----------



## raven56706

i start up the program but i am getting no audio... what gives


----------



## veryoldschool

raven56706 said:


> i start up the program but i am getting no audio... what gives


The audio is very low, [dumb question] Have you turned everything up?


----------



## John Nadeau

veryoldschool said:


> Do you have AVIVO installed?
> Open up the catalyst control center and you should see it.


Yes, AVIVO is installed


----------



## veryoldschool

John Nadeau said:


> Yes, AVIVO is installed


Get a new [$60] video card. I'm out of "tricks". :lol:


----------



## John Nadeau

veryoldschool said:


> Get a new [$60] video card. I'm out of "tricks". :lol:


When you put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad! Sometimes the "challenge" gets in the way and I want to arm-wrestle these things into submission 

Thanks for your help.


----------



## JeffinSD

Has anyone figured out how to fix the following issue: "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time."
I installed and activated DIRECTV2PC on Thursday got it working, watched a few shows and now I get that message when I try to watch any recorded programs. Nothing's changed on any of my firewall or security settings that I am aware of. 
Any help would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## veryoldschool

John Nadeau said:


> When you put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad! Sometimes the "challenge" gets in the way and I want to arm-wrestle these things into submission
> 
> Thanks for your help.


OK, one last thing that just came to mind:
You may have old BIOS on your card and can get an update from the vendor.
I had an EVGA card that didn't do what I bought it for. I emailed them and they sent me a firmware [BIOS] update and it fixed my problem.


----------



## veryoldschool

JeffinSD said:


> Has anyone figured out how to fix the following issue: "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time."
> I installed and activated DIRECTV2PC on Thursday got it working, watched a few shows and now I get that message when I try to watch any recorded programs. Nothing's changed on any of my firewall or security settings that I am aware of.
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.


What shows are you getting this with?
Can you play the recording that "worked" before?
"Normally" this error is due to HDCP content and needs drivers/hardware that support it.


----------



## Paul A

Wow, great stuff. All four recorders showed up without a single issue.

Can the server ID be named. It would be nice to label them bedroom, living room, etc.

Sorry if this has already been covered but I searched the thread for name and rename and no luck


----------



## veryoldschool

Paul A said:


> Wow, great stuff. All four recorders showed up without a single issue.
> 
> Can the server ID be named. It would be nice to label them bedroom, living room, etc.
> 
> Sorry if this has already been covered but I searched the thread for name and rename and no luck


Not at this time, but we all want it.


----------



## JeffinSD

veryoldschool said:


> What shows are you getting this with?
> Can you play the recording that "worked" before?
> "Normally" this error is due to HDCP content and needs drivers/hardware that support it.


I was able to watch stuff from MSNBC and a bit of 90210 - to show off to the wife. As I said, it worked before, and I didn't change anything on my PC afterwards, so I don't understand how it could work flawlessly one day and not the next. I suppose I could run the advisor and see if there are any drivers I could update my PC with. Any other suggestions?


----------



## veryoldschool

JeffinSD said:


> I was able to watch stuff from MSNBC and a bit of 90210 - to show off to the wife. As I said, it worked before, and I didn't change anything on my PC afterwards, so I don't understand how it could work flawlessly one day and not the next. I suppose I could run the advisor and see if there are any drivers I could update my PC with. Any other suggestions?


[You gotta love Microsoft :lol: ].
Haven't you run the advisor already?
It won't show if there are updates to your drivers, but will a pass/fail for HDCP.


----------



## raven56706

veryoldschool said:


> The audio is very low, [dumb question] Have you turned everything up?


yes everything is turned up.... i tried the registry thing that was previously suggested before but i was wondering if there was anything else


----------



## veryoldschool

raven56706 said:


> yes everything is turned up.... i tried the registry thing that was previously suggested before but i was wondering if there was anything else


Not that I've run across [yet]. I've had sound & no video, but not the other way.


----------



## timmmaaayyy2003

When I first started testing, I was using my laptop's wireless connection. SD played fine, but HD lagged so badly that it was 5-10 seconds out of synch.

Tried to up the priority with no luck. When connected with wired network, it plays all quite well except OTA recordings from AM21. Those will play for about 2 minutes and quits to menu with no warning. Tried to fast forward past stop point, but it still quits at same point. I will try another recording and update as needed.

PC:
Toshiba Satelite w/Centrino Duo T2250 1.73GHz
1.5 GB Ram
Vista Home Premium SP1
Video=Mobile Intel 945 Express Chipset

DTV:
HR21-700 w/AM21


----------



## CountryBumKin

Does anyone know if the DirectV2PC program can be added to the Vista Media Center menu and run through media center? I normally boot directly into Vista Media Center and it would be nice if I could use the Directv2pc program without exiting VMC to get to the desktop to start it.


----------



## John Nadeau

ejjames said:


> I'm no authority, but my radern 2600 pro uses hardware acceleration for my HD DVD drive. When active, my processor runs between 10-20%. Using directv2pc, the processor runs around 80%. this leads me to believe hardware accl. is not being used. it would be great if it were added, they're both cyberlink products.


Hi ejjames,

Can you take a look at your DirecTv2Pc Advisor and let us know what your CPU (Hardware acceleration) line indicates?

Your 2600 "should" be supported according to the DirecTv2Pc Advisor help file.

Thanks!


----------



## veryoldschool

John Nadeau said:


> Hi ejjames,
> 
> Can you take a look at your DirecTv2Pc Advisor and let us know what your CPU (Hardware acceleration) line indicates?
> 
> Your 2600 "should" be supported according to the DirecTv2Pc Advisor help file.
> 
> Thanks!


Did you read my post about a BIOS update?

My 2600 did report CPU acceleration.


----------



## THE TRUE ONE

Alright, here is my problem. i downloaded the advisor thinking the program was in there but, its not. So where do i download the acutal directv2 pc exe. file. I have done this several times too. I looked in program files and opened up the directv folder and nothing but the advisor is in there. Im pretty good with computers also so i dont understand what the deal is. Thanks in advance.


----------



## john13154

This may be a adumb question but I need to ask. The computer I am trying to use is in my network but it is hard wired to the router. Is this why I'm getting no server found, or is there something else I'm missing. Any help would be appreciated.

Nevermind. I waited a little bit then changed the tversity settings from auto detect to HR20-700, and it worked, Although now it cant find a server so...I guess thats why its a Beta.


----------



## veryoldschool

THE TRUE ONE said:


> Alright, here is my problem. i downloaded the advisor thinking the program was in there but, its not. So where do i download the acutal directv2 pc exe. file. I have done this several times too. I looked in program files and opened up the directv folder and nothing but the advisor is in there. Im pretty good with computers also so i dont understand what the deal is. Thanks in advance.


http://www.cyberlink.com/prog/event/2008/directv2pc/enu/index.jsp


----------



## THE TRUE ONE

veryoldschool said:


> http://www.cyberlink.com/prog/event/2008/directv2pc/enu/index.jsp


Yeah, i have been there several times and clicked on the download. and downloaded the advisor, but alas, no actual program.


----------



## veryoldschool

THE TRUE ONE said:


> Yeah, i have been there several times and clicked on the download. and downloaded the advisor, but alas, no actual program.


Go here: http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1846607&postcount=1
The link there takes me to DirecTV and since I've setup my account there, it "knows me".
From this page is where I start.
Then it takes me to another page where the popup is for the advisor, but there is another window that comes up that is where it talks about "Please note" ....parental controls.... This is the window that has "continue to beta download", which then takes you to where you enter your "name and email". THEN you click Submit.


----------



## THE TRUE ONE

veryoldschool said:


> Go here: http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1846607&postcount=1
> The link there takes me to DirecTV and since I've setup my account there, it "knows me".
> From this page is where I start.
> Then it takes me to another page where the popup is for the advisor, but there is another window that comes up that is where it talks about "Please note" ....parental controls.... This is the window that has "continue to beta download", which then takes you to where you enter your "name and email". THEN you click Submit.


SUCCESS. THANKS. KUDOS. FUNNY, I DID THAT BEFORE AND I HAVE A ACTIVATION KEY FROM YESTERDAY. OH WELL.


----------



## John Nadeau

veryoldschool said:


> Did you read my post about a BIOS update?
> 
> My 2600 did report CPU acceleration.


Hey VOS,

I sure did and fired off an email to VisionTek right away! I'll follow up as soon as I hear back.

I'm hoping that ejjames can report back with his results from his 2600 too. According to his original post, his cpu utilization is up around 80%. If his GPU is not processing the mpeg4, but your is, it might point us in another direction (ie: maybe some other software is causing Cyberlink to miss it ?)

Thanks


----------



## veryoldschool

John Nadeau said:


> Hey VOS,
> 
> I sure did and fired off an email to VisionTek right away! I'll follow up as soon as I hear back.
> 
> I'm hoping that ejjames can report back with his results from his 2600 too. According to his original post, his cpu utilization is up around 80%. If his GPU is not processing the mpeg4, but your is, it might point us in another direction (ie: maybe some other software is causing Cyberlink to miss it ?)
> 
> Thanks


Here is something along your question: http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1858566&postcount=146


----------



## mdh95070

i am running nvidia 9600GT. I know this is not a HDCP card. the application installs and i can see my recorded shows. However, i can't get any audio or video. I have a ton of memory and a freshly installed xp sp 3, quad core, and disabled all firewalls and AV. I have the latest audio and video drivers, by the way.

Any thoughts? tks in advance.


----------



## veryoldschool

mdh95070 said:


> i am running nvidia 9600GT. I know this is not a HDCP card. the application installs and i can see my recorded shows. However, i can't get any audio or video. I have a ton of memory and a freshly installed xp sp 3, quad core, and disabled all firewalls and AV. I have the latest audio and video drivers, by the way.
> 
> Any thoughts? tks in advance.


A "Quad core" & Nvidia should play everything and serve you coffee/beer as needed.
Does it give you any error message, or does it just "time out"?


----------



## mdh95070

veryoldschool said:


> A "Quad core" & Nvidia should play everything and serve you coffee/beer as needed.
> Does it give you any error message, or does it just "time out"?


thank you for responding. i get the status bar and can use the "info" feature, but i don't get any audio or video. looks like i can fastforward (based on the timer), but nothing beyond that. When i hit the play button it seems like the timer is not ticking away.


----------



## mdh95070

veryoldschool said:


> A "Quad core" & Nvidia should play everything and serve you coffee/beer as needed.
> Does it give you any error message, or does it just "time out"?


BTW, it looks like it does time out after about 4 min and returns to the play/done menu.


----------



## veryoldschool

mdh95070 said:


> BTW, it looks like it does time out after about 4 min and returns to the play/done menu.


This makes it a bit harder to "figure out".
How "old" is this XP install? There can be things in Windows that screw up playback like this.
Some have had a similar problem and did a fresh install and it then worked.
I've taken a working system, and "fixed it" so bad, Vista wouldn't play it anymore and needed to do a new install of Vista.


----------



## Alamei

How much bandwidth have people found the program to require when streaming 1080i output? I can get 720p to display just fine @ 80MB/s throughput, but it seems to chug trying to run 1080i channels. If I pause, it will buffer up a small portion of the show, but it doesn't appear to buffer effectively enough to hold a stream for more than a minute. Has anyone else experienced similar issues?

EDIT: It appears to be most pronounced on recordings from The CW (via DirecTV, not OTA). FNL from The 101 plays without issue. Has anyone else experienced issues with *non-OTA* network channels broadcasting at 1080i?


----------



## veryoldschool

Alamei said:


> How much bandwidth have people found the program to require when streaming 1080i output? I can get 720p to display just fine @ 80MB/s throughput, but it seems to chug trying to run 1080i channels. If I pause, it will buffer up a small portion of the show, but it doesn't appear to buffer effectively enough to hold a stream for more than a minute. Has anyone else experienced similar issues?
> 
> EDIT: It appears to be most pronounced on recordings from The CW (via DirecTV, not OTA). FNL from The 101 plays without issue. Has anyone else experienced issues with *non-OTA* network channels broadcasting at 1080i?


First there is NO BUFFERING, as this is being streamed [live] to your PC.
Bandwidth is really bit-rate. 1080i MPEG-2 is the highest and "normally" is about 15-20 Mb/s, with peaks [trickplay] being close to 30 Mb/s.
I've found 1080i MPEG-4 to be the "hardest" on the PC, not the bit-rate/network.
PCs that are "weak" can play 720p, but not 1080i and adding more CPU/GPU "power" has the same PC playing 1080i MPEG-4.


----------



## Fendral

Works great here, except for one weird error:

When I play content recorded from one channel from the AM-21 OTA I get "Server Returns 503 Service Unavailable" But if I play content recorded from another channel also OTA it plays fine. Any Ideas?

If it matters Fox Plays CBS does not, both are HD shows, and I get the error on every CBS show I try.


----------



## Partner45

Again:

I have a AMD64 FX60 CPU, XP SP3, DirectX9, 3 GB ram.

(2) XFX GeForce 7900GTX video cards 512MB ram SLI. nVidia 178.24 Drivers dated 10/7/08, PCI-E

Each one explicitly spelled out as products that will work.

Dell 3007WFP monitor using DVI, and it says it's HDCP: http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/monitor_3007wfp?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

CONNECTIVITY Digital Visual Interface - Digital (DVI-D) with High Definition Content Protection (HDCP)

It is using the one and only driver offered for the monitor; 2560x1600 pixels.

I get the error: "DTV2PC cannot play the video content because your computer or monitor does not support the playback of protected content."

Just reporting this, as published requirements show I have what is needed to run.


----------



## veryoldschool

Fendral said:


> Works great here, except for one weird error:
> 
> When I play content recorded from one channel from the AM-21 OTA I get "Server Returns 503 Service Unavailable" But if I play content recorded from another channel also OTA it plays fine. Any Ideas?
> 
> If it matters Fox Plays CBS does not, both are HD shows, and I get the error on every CBS show I try.


Fox is 720p & CBS is 1080i [FWIW]
I get it on NBC [the only OTA recording I've tried] so "I think" this is something that "needs work", and "we can't fix it".
I've posted it in the issues thread.


----------



## veryoldschool

Partner45 said:


> Again:
> 
> I have a AMD64 FX60 CPU, XP SP3, DirectX9, 3 GB ram.
> 
> (2) XFX GeForce 7900GTX video cards 512MB ram SLI. nVidia 178.24 Drivers dated 10/7/08, PCI-E
> 
> Each one explicitly spelled out as products that will work.
> 
> Dell 3007WFP monitor using DVI, and it says it's HDCP: http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/monitor_3007wfp?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
> 
> CONNECTIVITY Digital Visual Interface - Digital (DVI-D) with High Definition Content Protection (HDCP)
> 
> It is using the one and only driver offered for the monitor; 2560x1600 pixels.
> 
> I get the error: "DTV2PC cannot play the video content because your computer or monitor does not support the playback of protected content."
> 
> Just reporting this, as published requirements show I have what is needed to run.


"The only thing" I can see is Dell = DVI-D and your video card from here: http://www.google.com/products/cata...talog_result&resnum=2&ct=result#ps-tech-specs
Shows DVI-I
Your Dell link: "Please make sure that your PC either has or can support a dual-link DVI-D graphics card before purchasing this monitor."


----------



## dvrblogger

veryoldschool said:


> "The only thing" I can see is Dell = DVI-D and your video card from here: http://www.google.com/products/cata...talog_result&resnum=2&ct=result#ps-tech-specs
> Shows DVI-I
> Your Dell link: "Please make sure that your PC either has or can support a dual-link DVI-D graphics card before purchasing this monitor."


the directv2pc softyware has issues with PCs in dual monitor mode can you make sure you are in single screen mode ?


----------



## Partner45

veryoldschool said:


> "The only thing" I can see is Dell = DVI-D and your video card from here: http://www.google.com/products/cata...talog_result&resnum=2&ct=result#ps-tech-specs
> Shows DVI-I
> Your Dell link: "Please make sure that your PC either has or can support a dual-link DVI-D graphics card before purchasing this monitor."


Then that 7900GTX card needs to be struck from the advisor documentation as non-usable.

Funny how the supplied cord to attach the monitor, cables up to the cards.

HDCP cards & HDCP monitor , but they don't work. Sounds like the D2PC is the problem to me.


----------



## Partner45

dvrblogger said:


> the directv2pc softyware has issues with PCs in dual monitor mode can you make sure you are in single screen mode ?


I set the Nvidia explicitly to single monitor mode. It's the only monitor and it's a 30 Inch monitor.


----------



## dvrblogger

islesfan said:


> Hardware question:
> 
> I have DirecTV2PC working great on my HP Pavillion, with one exception. My hardware passed all the tests with green lights, except the WiFi connection which only got a yellow. SD content plays flawlessly, and upconverted HD plays well too (think Ghost Hunters), but true HD like Chuck has audio skips and studders, and it glitches every few seconds so as to make it unwatchable.
> 
> So, since I already have a WiFi setup to both the PC and the HR20 and 21, what do I have to do in order to fix this? I know that, ideally, I should get doen in the crawlspace with 100 feet or so of CAT5 and just hardwire it all, but first I'm claustrophobic, and second I have already set this all up wirelessly, so that seems like a major step back. Is there any way to make this work wirelessly? Is it the fact that BOTH the PC and the DVR are connected wirelessly that causes the problem? Does anyone have the powerline setup, and would that solve my problem?
> 
> Any ideas other than the obvious (crawl around the crawlspace with CAT5) would be appreciated...


i use powerline and it is hit and miss. I would try 802.11N maybe even 5ghz so yuou have no interference or get down and dirty and run cat5.


----------



## mdh95070

veryoldschool said:


> This makes it a bit harder to "figure out".
> How "old" is this XP install? There can be things in Windows that screw up playback like this.
> Some have had a similar problem and did a fresh install and it then worked.
> I've taken a working system, and "fixed it" so bad, Vista wouldn't play it anymore and needed to do a new install of Vista.


tks... i recently (last week) reinstalled the whole system. never ran better.


----------



## mdh95070

mdh95070 said:


> tks... i recently (last week) reinstalled the whole system. never ran better.


fixed the problem... in the Nvidia control panel... i moved the default settings on edge, noise and color enhancements away from "video player" to "nvidia settings."


----------



## veryoldschool

Partner45 said:


> Then that 7900GTX card needs to be struck from the advisor documentation as non-usable.
> 
> Funny how the supplied cord to attach the monitor, cables up to the cards.
> 
> HDCP cards & HDCP monitor , but they don't work. Sounds like the D2PC is the problem to me.


I'm not going to point at who's to blame, but "my Dell" [2007WFP] works fine.
Maybe it's that a DVI-D card works [backward compatible] with a DVI-I monitor, but not the other way around.
"If the problem is" the monitor, how can you blame the card for not working when Dell says you need a different card?


----------



## veryoldschool

mdh95070 said:


> fixed the problem... in the Nvidia control panel... i moved the default settings on edge, noise and color enhancements away from "video player" to "nvidia settings."


WooHoo!!


----------



## Partner45

veryoldschool said:


> I'm not going to point at who's to blame, but "my Dell" [2007WFP] works fine.
> Maybe it's that a DVI-D card works [backward compatible] with a DVI-I monitor, but not the other way around.
> "If the problem is" the monitor, how can you blame the card for not working when Dell says you need a different card?


I pointed out that that 'card' is listed in the advisor as one that does work. I bet you have the same DVI cable as I do, BUT I'm using 2 cards in the PC and running in SLI mode. I've tried non-SLI, but no change. I'm only going to blame the government for all this damn DRM bull****. Programs are out to copy DVD's and in legal ways too, So if this uber-tight way to watch a program you have paid for the transmission to your home won't work, it's useless for about 75% of the country in my opinion. So just mark me pissed, but not sure at who to be pissed at.

This is a custom built PC I dropped over 4 G's on building myself. One of those cards alone cost more than most PCs on the market today. Your Dell monitor uses the same driver mine uses. Same cable too.

I'll even say this, I got my bill from DTV yesterday and included in it was DirecTV to PC at no cost.


----------



## mdh95070

veryoldschool said:


> WooHoo!!


now i am trying to figure out how to take some of the jumpiness out of HD content. it is fairly minor, but trying to tweak it. I am running 802.11n. tks for your help.


----------



## veryoldschool

Partner45 said:


> I pointed out that that 'card' is listed in the advisor as one that does work. I bet you have the same DVI cable as I do, BUT I'm using 2 cards in the PC and running in SLI mode. I've tried non-SLI, but no change. I'm only going to blame the government for all this damn DRM bull****. Programs are out to copy DVD's and in legal ways too, So if this uber-tight way to watch a program you have paid for the transmission to your home won't work, it's useless for about 75% of the country in my opinion. So just mark me pissed, but not sure at who to be pissed at.
> 
> This is a custom built PC I dropped over 4 G's on building myself. One of those cards alone cost more than most PCs on the market today. Your Dell monitor uses the same driver mine uses. Same cable too.
> 
> I'll even say this, I got my bill from DTV yesterday and included in it was DirecTV to PC at no cost.


Do beleive me when I say "I understand".  
Your monitor is such a "hot shot" that it might take something like the 8800GT to work.
I'm running "my Dell" off a cheap-o ATI 3650.


----------



## mdh95070

timmmaaayyy2003 said:


> When I first started testing, I was using my laptop's wireless connection. SD played fine, but HD lagged so badly that it was 5-10 seconds out of synch.
> 
> Tried to up the priority with no luck. When connected with wired network, it plays all quite well except OTA recordings from AM21. Those will play for about 2 minutes and quits to menu with no warning. Tried to fast forward past stop point, but it still quits at same point. I will try another recording and update as needed.
> 
> PC:
> Toshiba Satelite w/Centrino Duo T2250 1.73GHz
> 1.5 GB Ram
> Vista Home Premium SP1
> Video=Mobile Intel 945 Express Chipset
> 
> DTV:
> HR21-700 w/AM21


did you figure out how to get the HD running without being too jumpy?


----------



## Partner45

veryoldschool said:


> Do beleive me when I say "I understand".
> Your monitor is such a "hot shot" that it might take something like the 8800GT to work.
> I'm running "my Dell" off a cheap-o ATI 3650.


Researching this, it's turning out to be the 7900GTX cards... XFX site shows it's NOT HDCP ready. Some Documentation I was reading while downloading showed this card would work.

I'm now looking at a 9800 GTX card that is also SLI ready.

WHO Alpha'ed this program with a 7900GTX card? That needs to be pulled from the requirement list. I know I'm old and failing eyesight, but I'm positive I saw that, and that has worked to my disadvantage

Edit: Found the link and card mentioned that it WOULD work. Actually, I don't think ANY of the 7 series cards will work. Positive NOT from XFX.

nVidia
GeForce 7600 GT, GeForce 7800 GTX 512, GeForce 7900 GX2, GeForce 7900 
GTX, GeForce 7950 GX2, GeForce 8400 series, GeForce 8500 series, GeForce 
8600 series, GeForce 8800 series 
http://www.cyberlink.com/stat/oem/directv/dtcp-ip-advisor/enu/troubleshooting.jsp#7


----------



## veryoldschool

Partner45 said:


> Researching this, it's turning out to be the 7900GTX cards... XFX site shows it's NOT HDCP ready. Some Documentation I was reading while downloading showed this card would work.
> 
> I'm now looking at a 9800 GTX card that is also SLI ready.
> 
> WHO Alpha'ed this program with a 7900GTX card? That needs to be pulled from the requirement list. I know I'm old and failing eyesight, but I'm positive I saw that, and that has worked to my disadvantage
> 
> Edit: Found the link and card mentioned that it WOULD work. Actually, I don't think ANY of the 7 series cards will work. Positive NOT from XFX.
> 
> nVidia
> GeForce 7600 GT, GeForce 7800 GTX 512, GeForce 7900 GX2, GeForce 7900
> GTX, GeForce 7950 GX2, GeForce 8400 series, GeForce 8500 series, GeForce
> 8600 series, GeForce 8800 series
> http://www.cyberlink.com/stat/oem/directv/dtcp-ip-advisor/enu/troubleshooting.jsp#7


"The problem is" Cyberlink is "thinking" about HD-DVD & Blu-ray, which may not have the HDCP, so "their idea" was for MPEG-4 [h.264] decoding.
I wouldn't say I was in the alpha group, but was in the group here and found "the advisor" to be only that "an advisor" as I've had all red and been able to play most recording and all green and not been able to play some recordings.
I tried an 7600GS and it didn't pass HDCP, so I moved on to an ATI 3650.


----------



## Crypter

Ok so DirecTV2PC works BEAUTIFULLY on my MAIN PC.... no problems whatsoever and HD looks fantastic on my 24 INCH 1080p Monitor. MY question is this, is there any way I can install this to work on my Laptop? I installed it but when I tried to enter my activation key it said I had reached my limit on activations for that key?? Really? I Can only RUN this on ONE PC?


----------



## Crypter

oops.... I had trouble posting the message above. I posted it like 6 times... it is now fixed


----------



## BubblePuppy

Redo the download, with a diffeent Email addy.

This might help you. posted this a day or so ago:


> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *apexmi*
> _Had to reinstall and now get a Activation failed. "Activation key usage limit reached" any way to reset this error?_


You are allowed two activation keys per Email address, so go back and perform the whole download, entering your email addy, and you will get a new key. Uninstall the first Try using the new key that you get, you might have to do the ubinstall/re-install dance,again.[/quote]

I posted something similar, but it's not exactly the same situation, but give it a try:



> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *BubblePuppy*
> _I tried to download the program twice, and twice it failed; I also used two different email addresses, and received two different keys within minutes._
> _I tried a third time to download, and when I tried to install it I got a "file corrupted" message, again I used one of the email addreses and received a key within minutes._
> _The fourth try worked like a charm, I used the same email a third time and I reived this message: "*Dear DIRECTV Customer, *_
> 
> _*You have exceeded the maximum number of requests for a DIRECTV2PC™ application activation key using this email address; the maximum number is two. Please use one of the activation keys previously emailed to you.*_
> 
> _*If you are updating your product to a newer version, the activation key previously emailed to you can be used for activation.*_
> 
> _*If you need additional keys or you have been unsuccessful installing the DIRECTV2PC application, please download the file again using a different email address and we will send a new activation key to you.*_
> 
> _*Thank you,*_
> 
> _*DIRECTV*_
> 
> _So I did, I used one of the previous keys that I received, and install went well._
> _I'll now install DTV2PC on my other two computers._
> _I do like this program._


I hope this works for you.


----------



## StuartK

Crypter said:


> Ok so DirecTV2PC works BEAUTIFULLY on my MAIN PC.... no problems whatsoever and HD looks fantastic on my 24 INCH 1080p Monitor. MY question is this, is there any way I can install this to work on my Laptop? I installed it but when I tried to enter my activation key it said I had reached my limit on activations for that key?? Really? I Can only RUN this on ONE PC?


One thing you could do is register with a different email address. I would re-download the software on the laptop. Let the installer delete the old copy during the install process. If you need a new address you sign up with Goggle, Hotmail, AOL etc. for a free account.


----------



## BubblePuppy

StuartK said:


> One thing you could do is register with a different email address. I would re-download the software on the laptop. Let the installer delete the old copy during the install process. If you need a new address you sign up with Goggle, Hotmail, AOL etc. for a free account.


See my above post. Previous keys can be used.


----------



## dmk679

BubblePuppy said:


> See my above post. Previous keys can be used.


If you do need a new key, resubmit your info at the cyberlink site and you change the key in the registry without reinstalling:
HKLM > Software > Cyberlink > Directv > CDKey


----------



## ult4dr

Does anyone know when you are activiating the software directv2pc where does it go? Directv or Cyberlink?


----------



## BubblePuppy

dmk679 said:


> If you do need a new key, resubmit your info at the cyberlink site and you change the key in the registry without reinstalling:
> HKLM > Software > Cyberlink > Directv > CDKey


I never had to mess wth the registry. 
Lucky, I guess.


----------



## Crypter

Thanks for the HELP! This worked! I now have DirecTV2PC on my laptop and I can even see my HD recordings through my wireless on my laptop without ANY choppiness!


----------



## mdh95070

Crypter said:


> Thanks for the HELP! This worked! I now have DirecTV2PC on my laptop and I can even see my HD recordings through my wireless on my laptop without ANY choppiness!


i am getting some amount of choppiness... you are fortunate. i have a 802.11n network.


----------



## Crypter

mdh95070 said:


> i am getting some amount of choppiness... you are fortunate. i have a 802.11n network.


yes I also have a wireless N network. But my laptop is connected at 54 mpbs (G). But all my Hr20's and both of my desktop PC's are all wired with ethernet to my router. So the connection from HR20 to router is 100 mpbs and then 54 mbps to my wireless device in my laptop.


----------



## Crypter

they should just go ahead and add a feature to access LIVE TV... I mean I basically have "Live TV" by using the DVR Scheduler online in combination with DirecTV2PC... but it would be nice to not have to record a program to watch it on my PC... I can't imagine the software to accomplish that would be so complicated considering they already basically can offer this functionality by just accessing the currently recording buffer. Of course this would probably require DLB.


----------



## Azdeadwood

Overall I like it. I have it on my wired Desktop (Dell AMD Athlon 6400+ Dual Core 3.2 Ghz with Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT) running Vista and wireless Laptop (Dell 630 Intel Dual core 2.0 GHz with Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset) running XP. I have 2 of my 4 HD DVR's set up for the internet. Both are HR21's. One is wired the other wireless.

The "Advisor" said the laptop couldn't run the program but I've had no problems. 

I have a wireless G network and one of my HD DVR's is wireless. Again no problem with streaming even between the 2 wireless devices.

Only 3 things I don't like"
1. I hate the progress bar on the screen. I wish it could be disabled and/or moved so it doesn't block the image.
2. No dual monitor support. I don't like to have to disable my 2nd monitor. Plus I want to have it play on my second monitor so I can keep the primary monitor for other computer uses.
3. No Live TV.


----------



## veryoldschool

Azdeadwood said:


> Overall I like it. I have it on my wired Desktop (Dell AMD Athlon 6400+ Dual Core 3.2 Ghz with Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT) running Vista and wireless Laptop (Dell 630 Intel Dual core 2.0 GHz with Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset) running XP. I have 2 of my 4 HD DVR's set up for the internet. Both are HR21's. One is wired the other wireless.
> 
> The "Advisor" said the laptop couldn't run the program but I've had no problems.
> 
> I have a wireless G network and one of my HD DVR's is wireless. Again no problem with streaming even between the 2 wireless devices.
> 
> Only 3 things I don't like"
> 1. I hate the progress bar on the screen. I wish it could be disabled and/or moved so it doesn't block the image.
> 2. No dual monitor support. I don't like to have to disable my 2nd monitor. Plus I want to have it play on my second monitor so I can keep the primary monitor for other computer uses.
> 3. No Live TV.


#1 shouldn't be happening. When I move my mouse away from the screen/window the bar disappears. Others have reported the same problem, but I don't know "the cause" since it doesn't do it on any of mine.
#2 "Someday" maybe. This seems to be from the "base" Cyberlink software used for this.
#3 this would have to come from the live buffer and it may be a "moving target" that won't work, but I don't know.


----------



## ejjames

Does anyone think cyberlink will ever add hardware acceleration?


----------



## veryoldschool

ejjames said:


> Does anyone think cyberlink will ever add hardware acceleration?


You're saying they don't have it?


----------



## John Nadeau

ejjames said:


> Does anyone think cyberlink will ever add hardware acceleration?


Hi ejjames,

Can you take a look at your DirecTv2Pc Advisor and let us know what your CPU (Hardware acceleration) line indicates?

Your 2600 "should" be supported according to the DirecTv2Pc Advisor help file.

Thanks!


----------



## Alamei

*veryoldschool*:
When I monitor my network traffic, it doesn't seem to match up with your description of how the system should be working. I'm wondering if there's something odd about my setup that is causing issues. For example, I am currently trying to watch a football game from CBS (1080i) "live" (recording in living room, streaming upstairs), and I see the following behavior:

When the system is streaming, it uses 30-80MB/s depending on the amount of action going onscreen. It starts to get very choppy after playing for about a minute. If I pause the system for a short period of time, D2PC then continues to download @ 70-80MB/s for 10-15 seconds (which made me think it was buffering), and when I start to play again, it seems to be able to hold out for another couple of minutes before beginning to get choppy again.

Does this network traffic make any sense? Why would it be using so much bandwidth?

*EDIT:* For additional info, FOX (720p) works just fine, but similar bandwidth characteristics (20-60MB/s instead of 30-80MB/s).


----------



## the_dudeman

Hello all,

I have read this entire thread and some others and seem to be having the same issues as a lot of folks:

When I try to play HD content over Directv2pc on my HTPC it's jerky. Below are HTPC specs:

Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H Motherboard
ATI Radeon HD 3200 on board graphics
AMD 4850e Dual Core Proc 2.5 Ghz
2 GB 800Mhz DDR 2
Vista 32bit

The Advisor showed grey ( I think on Processor and Video, all others green), but didn't pay too much attention because the advisor is junk IMHO.

But here's the deal, I can play Blu-ray and HD DVD all day long on the HTPC and it isn't even straining. CPU never gets above like 70%. When trying play HD on Dtv2pc, CPU will sometimes jump up to around 85%. So again it's not taxed to the hilt, but is more CPU intensive.

An intersting thing is that if I start playback, pause for a time and then re-start playback, the video and audio are smooth for about the same amount of time that I had it paused. This would indicate that either my HTPC or HR21 is buffering for the amount of time I have it paused, but then the buffer runs out and then it's back to jerky video/audio.

This may be why the Advisor will show green for high end systems and not lesser machines because there is no buffer built into to the Dtv2pc software. Higher end machines can pass the HD content without the need of any kind of buffer.

I don't know, it's just my observations. If anyone has any info for me or help, it would be great. Maybe the next release of software will work better.

BTW, SD works fine with no judder or jerky video, however only plays in 4:3 ratio.

dudeman


----------



## veryoldschool

Alamei said:


> *veryoldschool*:
> When I monitor my network traffic, it doesn't seem to match up with your description of how the system should be working. I'm wondering if there's something odd about my setup that is causing issues. For example, I am currently watching a football game from CBS (1080i) "live" (recording in living room, streaming upstairs), and I see the following behavior:
> 
> When the system is streaming, *it uses 30-55MB/*s depending on the amount of action going onscreen.
> 
> If the action starts to get choppy, I pause the system for a short period of time. D2PC then continues to download @ 70-80MB/s for 10-15 seconds (which made me think it was buffering), and when I start to play again, it seems to be able to hold out for a couple of minutes before beginning to get choppy again.
> 
> *Does this network traffic make any sense*?


"small b" = Mb/s [otherwise it bytes not bits]
I've never, ever, had anything over 33 Mb/s and with the 1080p VOD is ~ 8 Mb/s
The largest bit stream should be OTA [MPEG-2] 1080i, since it's MPEG-2, but from the broadcaster it's less than 19.2 Mb/s [FCC maximum].
I've paused/restarted, etc. and this is where I've seen the 33 Mb/s peaks to a normally 18 Mb/s stream.
This is on a wired network FWIW


----------



## Malamute2k

I had problems with suttering on MPEG4 content. The solution was to change the priority of the DIRECTV2PC.EXE process from normal to high. Instructions on how to change the priority of a running process and how to change the priority that a program starts with are located at this URL:

http://www.windowsvistamagazine.com...ways-to-make-windows-vista-faster-part-3.html

Please note: your mileage may vary as this does nothing to make the underlying hardware any faster.


----------



## veryoldschool

Malamute2k said:


> I had problems with suttering on MPEG4 content. The solution was to change the priority of the DIRECTV2PC.EXE process from normal to high. Instructions on how to change the priority of a running process and how to change the priority that a program starts with are located at this URL:
> 
> http://www.windowsvistamagazine.com...ways-to-make-windows-vista-faster-part-3.html
> 
> Please note: your mileage may vary as this does nothing to make the underlying hardware any faster.


It's "worth a try", but in my case, had zero effect. 
"If you ain't got the horsepower", you ain't got it.


----------



## Alamei

veryoldschool said:


> "small b" = Mb/s [otherwise it bytes not bits]
> I've never, ever, had anything over 33 Mb/s and with the 1080p VOD is ~ 8 Mb/s
> The largest bit stream should be OTA [MPEG-2] 1080i, since it's MPEG-2, but from the broadcaster it's less than 19.2 Mb/s [FCC maximum].
> I've paused/restarted, etc. and this is where I've seen the 33 Mb/s peaks to a normally 18 Mb/s stream.
> This is on a wired network FWIW


Sorry, I should've remembered that the HR2x's only have 100Mbit ports and known the results were ridiculous. I was using my Anti-Virus/Firewall app (ESET Smart Security) to monitor bandwidth, since for all my other applications (web browsers, FTP, etc...) it's usually quite accurate. The numbers it was reporting actually were 30-80 mega*bytes* per second). I tried an alternate bandwidth monitoring program (Bandwidth Monitor Pro), and it showed far more realistic numbers (10-15 mega*bits* per second). Any idea why ESET would show absurdly ballooned bandwidth? I'm worried that ESET may actually be the cause of the problem after seeing those numbers.

Anyone else here running ESET Smart Security and using the firewall/web access module? If so, are you having any issues?


----------



## the_dudeman

Malamute2k said:


> I had problems with suttering on MPEG4 content. The solution was to change the priority of the DIRECTV2PC.EXE process from normal to high. Instructions on how to change the priority of a running process and how to change the priority that a program starts with are located at this URL:
> 
> http://www.windowsvistamagazine.com...ways-to-make-windows-vista-faster-part-3.html
> 
> Please note: your mileage may vary as this does nothing to make the underlying hardware any faster.


Thanks for the input, but sadly, changing priority didn't help.

dudeman


----------



## veryoldschool

Alamei said:


> Sorry, I should've remembered that the HR2x's only have 100Mbit ports and known the results were ridiculous. I was using my Anti-Virus/Firewall app (ESET Smart Security) to monitor bandwidth, since for all my other applications (web browsers, FTP, etc...) it's usually quite accurate. The numbers it was reporting actually were 30-80 mega*bytes* per second). I tried an alternate bandwidth monitoring program (Bandwidth Monitor Pro), and it showed far more realistic numbers (10-15 mega*bits* per second). Any idea why ESET would show absurdly ballooned bandwidth? I'm worried that ESET may actually be the cause of the problem after seeing those numbers.
> 
> Anyone else here running ESET Smart Security and using the firewall/web access module? If so, are you having any issues?


My numbers come from the resource monitor in Vista.
You might want to look at the task manager and see where/what is using your resources.


----------



## yuppers519

WOW I can't believe how well that worked no stuttering stopping starting at all while playing an hour long hd show. I did the shortcut trick so it always has high priority when i start the application.



Malamute2k said:


> I had problems with suttering on MPEG4 content. The solution was to change the priority of the DIRECTV2PC.EXE process from normal to high. Instructions on how to change the priority of a running process and how to change the priority that a program starts with are located at this URL:
> 
> http://www.windowsvistamagazine.com...ways-to-make-windows-vista-faster-part-3.html
> 
> Please note: your mileage may vary as this does nothing to make the underlying hardware any faster.


----------



## bllreed

My 3rd email address snagged an activation key and all is well. This app seems to
run great on this machine, fortunately it has the horsepower. I've not had any problems 
with the program, it sees both of HR20-700s and pulls shows quickly. Looks pretty solid 
but I've only been using it for 2 days. Good work D**!


----------



## ProStreet

This is more of a wish list than a problem. I don't know if you all are like me, but I can't remember what RID in in what room. It would be nice to have the ability to rename them.


----------



## LVKeith

Works fine for me, but not much use without an "always on top" for windowed mode. If I am at my pc the odds are that i will be using windowed mode. I can't see how this feature would be difficult to add in a future release.

Keith


----------



## veryoldschool

ejjames said:


> I'm no authority, but my radern 2600 pro uses hardware acceleration for my HD DVD drive. When active, my processor runs between 10-20%. Using directv2pc, the processor runs around 80%. this leads me to believe hardware accl. is not being used. it would be great if it were added, they're both cyberlink products.


Data point:
I just got to watch a recording off OTA, 1080i MPEG-2, and my CPU [3.4 GHz P4 HT] was hovering around 90%.
This sames channel can be recorded & played back, with half of the computer [CPU/GPU] power, if I use my HDTV tuner card and MCE 2005.


----------



## the_dudeman

veryoldschool said:


> Data point:
> I just got to watch a recording off OTA, 1080i MPEG-2, and my CPU [3.4 GHz P4 HT] was hovering around 90%.
> This sames channel can be recorded & played back, with half of the computer [CPU/GPU] power, if I use my HDTV tuner card and MCE 2005.


Yeah that's what Keenan and I are saying as well (sans the tv tuner), that the D2pc app has issues. Again, no problems with HD content until I fire up the D2pc app.

There is something going on here that is intersting. The new thread (computers that work with D2pc), lists some very old and not very poerful machines that have it working. So maybe it isn't hardware, but network issues as Keenan points out.

Fascinating,

dudeman


----------



## veryoldschool

the_dudeman said:


> Yeah that's what Keenan and I are saying as well (sans the tv tuner), that the D2pc app has issues. Again, no problems with HD content until I fire up the D2pc app.
> 
> There is something going on here that is intersting. The new thread (computers that work with D2pc), lists some very old and not very poerful machines that have it working. So maybe it isn't hardware, but network issues as Keenan points out.
> 
> Fascinating,
> 
> dudeman


I'm on a wired network not even 25' long.
"Some" of those "not very powerful" machines, do mention some stutter/jerkiness with HD.

There are "a few of us" wondering where all the CPU loading is coming from, which in this "data point" seems to be pointing to the DirecTV encoding as the program is STORED on the hard drive, since there is zero "other" encoding as this doesn't come through any other piece/part of DirecTV's system.


----------



## the_dudeman

veryoldschool said:


> I'm on a wired network not even 25' long.
> "Some" of those "not very powerful" machines, do mention some stutter/jerkiness with HD.
> 
> There are "a few of us" wondering where all the CPU loading is coming from, which in this "data point" seems to be pointing to the DirecTV encoding as the program is STORED on the hard drive, since there is zero "other" encoding as this doesn't come through any other piece/part of DirecTV's system.


Well that's what I meant was the encoding stuff that must be happening over the network and then when it hit's the PC. Again, gotta love the encryption stuff. But the loading in my case isn't really all that bad. I'm mean if it was like 90-100%all the time that would be bad. But it's actually only paeks at about 85-90% with it hovering sround 60% It's more than when I watch an HD disc. I haven't looked to see how much CPU loading is going on when I play SD stuff. But that's a test i'll have to do.

dudeman


----------



## t_h

veryoldschool said:


> I'm on a wired network not even 25' long.
> "Some" of those "not very powerful" machines, do mention some stutter/jerkiness with HD.


You could have a flaky cable or port on your switch/router thats glitching enough to make video look bad but not demonstrably any non real time service.



> There are "a few of us" wondering where all the CPU loading is coming from, which in this "data point" seems to be pointing to the DirecTV encoding as the program is STORED on the hard drive, since there is zero "other" encoding as this doesn't come through any other piece/part of DirecTV's system.


I noticed on the 2 machines I gave this working on that it was using ffdshow to do its decoding. Its been a long time since I worked with ffdshow but IIRC it can employ available cpu to improve picture quality. Of course, I recall 'improving' mpeg4 significantly on a pentium III 1Ghz machine many years ago...


----------



## pecasbo

Is there a way to delete a recorded episode once you are done watching it? (from within the Directv2PC application)


----------



## veryoldschool

t_h said:


> You could have a flaky cable or port on your switch/router thats glitching enough to make video look bad but not demonstrably any non real time service.
> I noticed on the 2 machines I gave this working on that it was using ffdshow to do its decoding. Its been a long time since I worked with ffdshow but IIRC it can employ available cpu to improve picture quality. Of course, I recall 'improving' mpeg4 significantly on a pentium III 1Ghz machine many years ago...


I've been using this since May, and been down almost every road. "The network" isn't the problem. I can play everything from SD to 1080p VOD without any problems. I'm now "working" on CPU loading with and without h.264 supported video cards.
Tried with & without ffshow [BTW it has zero effect].
I'm doing most of my testing with minimum hardware [single core 478 pin P4] and have two dual core systems to compare to. These are in the thread for computers working fine with DirecTV2PC [first post].


----------



## veryoldschool

pecasbo said:


> Is there a way to delete a recorded episode once you are done watching it? (from within the Directv2PC application)


Not at this time.


----------



## firtft

When I try to view HD, most programming will not play and I get the error message "protected content update driver message" 

I have a Nvidia 9800GT and a Dell 2407wfp that are both claiming to be HDCP compliant, I also get all green with the tool. I am using a DVI connection. 

Any help would be appreciated!


----------



## veryoldschool

firtft said:


> When I try to view HD, most programming will not play and I get the error message "*protected content update driver message*"
> 
> I have a Nvidia 9800GT and a Dell 2407wfp that are both claiming to be HDCP compliant, I also get all green with the tool. I am using a DVI connection.
> 
> Any help would be appreciated!


You can get this message for both/either digital video/audio.
Your monitor & card shouldn't be the problem [and the pass] so "I'd suspect" it's related to your audio driver/digital output.

Please look again at the message and it should say more [video/audio].
I needed to disable the digital audio playback device on this computer [even though I wasn't using it] and on another computer I was able to get a updated audio driver that worked and I use the digital audio output.


----------



## firtft

Thanks for responding VOS, 

The exact message is "this video's audio is protected and cannot be played back. Try updating your audio driver and try again."

I am running a Creative sound card and have updated to the latest drivers available. The Nvidia card is also on the latest driver.


----------



## davros74

Tried the Directv2PC software this weekend on my laptop and it appears to not work, although I would think it should.

Laptop is a D820 (circa 02/2007), Intel Core2Duo 2GHz, 1GB of RAM, nVidia Quadro NVS 110M with 256MB of RAM. Windows XP SP3.

The helper app initial flagged my drivers being too old. I upgraded them from Dell's website to 156.83. Now the only red flag in the helper app is the video card itself. Is there a reason the mobile versions of the Quadros are not compatible?

When I try to start the Directv2PC application, I get a white screen with the D* logo on it for about 1 second, which immediate goes away, no further error messages or processes running. It simply aborts silently.

Anyone else seen this? Has laptop success been spotty or does this beta pretty much only work reliabliy on desktop machines (and desktop video cards)?


----------



## veryoldschool

firtft said:


> Thanks for responding VOS,
> 
> The exact message is "this video's audio is protected and cannot be played back. Try updating your audio driver and try again."
> 
> I am running a Creative sound card and have updated to the latest drivers available. The Nvidia card is also on the latest driver.


So you have a audio digital output and a driver that doesn't support HDCP.
Without a new driver that passes, all I've found to work is to go into the speaker icon and playback devices, then disable the digital audio device.


----------



## RehabMan

firtft said:


> Thanks for responding VOS,
> 
> The exact message is "this video's audio is protected and cannot be played back. Try updating your audio driver and try again."
> 
> I am running a Creative sound card and have updated to the latest drivers available. The Nvidia card is also on the latest driver.


You probably have digital audio output enabled through S/PDIF (maybe you know that and are using it, maybe not). Disable it and go with analog audio and it should work.


----------



## veryoldschool

davros74 said:


> Tried the Directv2PC software this weekend on my laptop and it appears to not work, although I would think it should.
> 
> Laptop is a D820 (circa 02/2007), Intel Core2Duo 2GHz, 1GB of RAM, nVidia Quadro NVS 110M with 256MB of RAM. Windows XP SP3.
> 
> The helper app initial flagged my drivers being too old. I upgraded them from Dell's website to* 156.83*. Now the only red flag in the helper app is the video card itself. Is there a reason the mobile versions of the Quadros are not compatible?
> 
> When I try to start the Directv2PC application, I get a white screen with the D* logo on it for about 1 second, which immediate goes away, no further error messages or processes running. It simply aborts silently.
> 
> Anyone else seen this? Has laptop success been spotty or does this beta pretty much only work reliabliy on desktop machines (and desktop video cards)?


That's kind of old isn't it?
http://support.dell.com/support/dow...-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=6&fileid=246865


----------



## billsharpe

Malamute2k said:


> I had problems with suttering on MPEG4 content. The solution was to change the priority of the DIRECTV2PC.EXE process from normal to high. Instructions on how to change the priority of a running process and how to change the priority that a program starts with are located at this URL:
> 
> http://www.windowsvistamagazine.com...ways-to-make-windows-vista-faster-part-3.html
> 
> Please note: your mileage may vary as this does nothing to make the underlying hardware any faster.


Thanks! Increased priority seemed to eliminate the initial choppiness I noted in one recording.

I also suspect that running the DirecTV2PC program alone -- no other programs running -- would help. If I'm watching a movie on my laptop I doubt very much that I'd even want another program running at the same time.


----------



## PearlMikeJam

Has anyone identified the underlying issue causing DirecTV2PC to crash when trying to play any recording? I have gotten this to work on my 1 year old Dell laptop. My wife's Acer with an AMD processor and ATI x1100 graphics card crashes (this is 3 months older than the Dell). The error is the clnetshow.dll described previously. This is on Vista Home Premium, but I have seen this on XP as well.

I realize the graphics card is not ideal, but it seems others have gotten older machines to play. Acer touts the machine as an HD laptop, which makes some sense since the screen supports 720p, but the graphics card is a little under powered. That should not cause the program to crash.

Thanks in advance for the help.


----------



## veryoldschool

PearlMikeJam said:


> Has anyone identified the underlying issue causing DirecTV2PC to crash when trying to play any recording? I have gotten this to work on my 1 year old Dell laptop. My wife's Acer with an AMD processor and ATI x1100 graphics card crashes (this is 3 months older than the Dell). The error is the clnetshow.dll described previously. This is on Vista Home Premium, but I have seen this on XP as well.
> 
> I realize the graphics card is not ideal, but it seems others have gotten older machines to play. Acer touts the machine as an HD laptop, which makes some sense since the screen supports 720p, but the graphics card is a little under powered. That should not cause the program to crash.
> 
> Thanks in advance for the help.


"This crash error" is usually caused by another video playback program being installed.
It is common for PowerDVD to come with computers and "sometimes" this is the cause. If you can uninstall it that "might" fix it.


----------



## firtft

veryoldschool said:


> So you have a audio digital output and a driver that doesn't support HDCP.
> Without a new driver that passes, all I've found to work is to go into the speaker icon and playback devices, then disable the digital audio device.


I disabled SPDIF and it worked great!

Thanks!


----------



## tbradsh1

How long does it take to get a password to start DIRECTV2PC?


----------



## Golfman

After several weeks and several DTV2PC app versions with generally good video playback but no audio playback I decided to reinstall my audio drivers. I went out to the Creative support web site and downloaded and installed the latest audio drivers for my sound card and lo and behold, everything is working again.

There was no indication of any other audio problems as all other audio applications operated without any problems and I was able to play all sorts of other audio/video recordings successfully. 

So if you have video without any audio you may want to consider installing the most recent set of audio drivers and see if that solves the problem. :joy:


----------



## PearlMikeJam

veryoldschool said:


> "This crash error" is usually caused by another video playback program being installed.
> It is common for PowerDVD to come with computers and "sometimes" this is the cause. If you can uninstall it that "might" fix it.


Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, PowerDVD is not installed. I had something called Power Producer by Cyberlink. I uninstalled that, cleaned the registry of any of the references and then reinstalled DirecTV2PC, as suggested in an earlier post. That helped me get to the list of recorded items sooner, but still caused a crash when trying to play any type of content. Are any other programs known to conflict with D2P?

I would have guessed that this was a Vista issue, as I have seen this in the past on several Vista machines, but it seems as many XP users as Vista users are having the problem.


----------



## veryoldschool

PearlMikeJam said:


> Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, PowerDVD is not installed. I had something called Power Producer by Cyberlink. I uninstalled that, cleaned the registry of any of the references and then reinstalled DirecTV2PC, as suggested in an earlier post. That helped me get to the list of recorded items sooner, but still caused a crash when trying to play any type of content. Are any other programs known to conflict with D2P?
> 
> I would have guessed that this was a Vista issue, as I have seen this in the past on several Vista machines, but it seems as many XP users as Vista users are having the problem.


I'm running Vista, so that "shouldn't be" it. I managed to screw up a working DirecTV2PC with this error by loading "a bunch" of free h.264 codec packs, one day. I tried uninstalling everything, cleaned the reg. etc., but it didn't help and I'd lost any restore points along the way so I was simply screwed, and had to do a fresh Vista install.


----------



## schneid

firtft said:


> Thanks for responding VOS,
> 
> The exact message is "this video's audio is protected and cannot be played back. Try updating your audio driver and try again."
> 
> I am running a Creative sound card and have updated to the latest drivers available. The Nvidia card is also on the latest driver.


A lot of Nvidia cards aren't HDCP no what they claim and a lot of soundcards that say they are DD 5.1 capable aren't either.

Welcome to DRM hell.


----------



## Rockermann

I just skimmed this whole thread and saw two other mentions of this, but unless I missed it, no one offered any solutions or ideas.

I downloaded and installed the app today with no problems. Not a glitch. Everything plays great. But, the status/play bar never goes away at the bottom of the screen. This obviously ruins the program. 

Any ideas how to make the bar hide like it does on the DVR after a few seconds?


----------



## veryoldschool

schneid said:


> A lot of Nvidia cards aren't HDCP no what they claim and a lot of soundcards that say they are DD 5.1 capable aren't either.
> 
> Welcome to DRM hell.


"couple of points":
DD 5.1 has nothing to do with HDCP.
DirecTV2PC is only two channel audio.
I've emailed Diamond about the C-Media chip and they know nothing about HDCP, but have put me in contact with C-Media, who now it "looking into it".
RealTek are the only ones that have drivers that pass HDCP, and most likely, it's because they make drivers for the HDMI cards [ATI for one].


----------



## veryoldschool

Rockermann said:


> I just skimmed this whole thread and saw two other mentions of this, but unless I missed it, no one offered any solutions or ideas.
> 
> I downloaded and installed the app today with no problems. Not a glitch. Everything plays great. But, the status/play bar never goes away at the bottom of the screen. This obviously ruins the program.
> 
> Any ideas how to make the bar hide like it does on the DVR after a few seconds?


If I had anymore than moving the mouse to the bottom [which is how it should work], I'd post it. [sorry]


----------



## Rockermann

veryoldschool said:


> If I had anymore than moving the mouse to the bottom [which is how it should work], I'd post it. [sorry]


Nope, that doesn't do it. The software 'controls bar' disappears as it should, but the DirecTV play bar is persistent. Sucks... 

Oh well, I'll keep an eye on the thread.


----------



## evan_s

Rockermann said:


> Nope, that doesn't do it. The software 'controls bar' disappears as it should, but the DirecTV play bar is persistent. Sucks...
> 
> Oh well, I'll keep an eye on the thread.


Can you post a screen shot?

Have you tried updating your video card drivers?


----------



## RehabMan

Rockermann said:


> Nope, that doesn't do it. The software 'controls bar' disappears as it should, but the DirecTV play bar is persistent. Sucks...
> 
> Oh well, I'll keep an eye on the thread.


Is it possible you've got IR capability with the machine running D2PC? Like a USB-UIRT feeding/generating input for remote control of the PC... If so, is it possible that you have IR noise causing stray input, thus keeping the status/progress indication alive?


----------



## mikeybc

Hey all, downloaded the Directv2PC software from the D* site and they still haven't emailed me a Serial #. Is there delay in them sending these out or did I do something wrong??


----------



## wagman

Well, I am unsure what the issue is, but I can no longer see my receiver (HR20-100) as a server.

I start the program and it just will not see the receiver.

I restarted the receiver and it showed up for a few seconds, reported there weree no shows, and promptly disappeared again.

What gives...anyone else experiencing the same situation?

BTY: I can ping the receiver just fine from the computer (Quad Core, Vista Home Premium)


----------



## the_dudeman

veryoldschool said:


> Data point:
> I just got to watch a recording off OTA, 1080i MPEG-2, and my CPU [3.4 GHz P4 HT] was hovering around 90%.
> This sames channel can be recorded & played back, with half of the computer [CPU/GPU] power, if I use my HDTV tuner card and MCE 2005.


For what it's worth, I just tried some SD material and my CPU barely hits double digits while playing. Then I went back and tried the HD stuffagain and CPU instantly jumps to 75% and hovers from 55% to about 85% max.

So I tend to agree that it's definitely something with the HD encryption.

dudeman


----------



## John Nadeau

veryoldschool said:


> I've been using this since May, and been down almost every road. "The network" isn't the problem. I can play everything from SD to 1080p VOD without any problems. I'm now "working" on CPU loading with and without h.264 supported video cards.
> Tried with & without ffshow [BTW it has zero effect].
> I'm doing most of my testing with minimum hardware [single core 478 pin P4] and have two dual core systems to compare to. These are in the thread for computers working fine with DirecTV2PC [first post].


Seems like this CPU loading is over-the-top. Picked up an ATI HD 4550 over the weekend and ran some tests that indicate it's not the network:

AMD 3800+ 64x2; 1g RAM:

CONTENT..........CPU.....GPU......NIC
DirecTV SD.........10%......5%......2%
DirecTV 720p.....60%.....27%.....7%
DirecTV 1080i....75%.....25%....12%
MedCent-DVD......8%......1%.....n/a
MedCent-780p...10%.....5%......n/a
MedCent-1080i..10%....12%.....n/a
PowerDVD7D.....12%......2%.....n/a

Check out this link showing CPU utilization of _unencrypted _HD content. So, is it the encryption that's kicking it up on DirecTv2pc ?
http://hothardware.com/Articles/ATI-Radeon-HD-4550-Budget-DX101-GPU/?page=9


----------



## davros74

veryoldschool said:


> That's kind of old isn't it?
> http://support.dell.com/support/dow...-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=6&fileid=246865


Yeah, that's odd. 156.83 is the most recent (12/2007) listed if you search by D820, but I don't know why the D620 would list a driver that much newer for the same exact video chipset. The driver I downloaded is the first one on the "Other Versions" for the D620. The 03/2008 driver (174.31) only lists the D620 as being compatible. Not sure if I should try it or not... the Audit application gives me a green light for video driver.


----------



## veryoldschool

davros74 said:


> Yeah, that's odd. 156.83 is the most recent (12/2007) listed if you search by D820, but I don't know why the D620 would list a driver that much newer for the same exact video chipset. The driver I downloaded is the first one on the "Other Versions" for the D620. The 03/2008 driver (174.31) only lists the D620 as being compatible. Not sure if I should try it or not... the Audit application gives me a green light for video driver.


Many..MANY manufactures simply stop supporting their model/motherboard/video card.
Asus is great for this. I've googled to find a driver and found it on Asus for another model.
"Most times" they work. "If I were you" I'd try the new driver [I know it is much closer to working than what you have]. The worst that can happen is it doesn't install or you need to boot into "safe mode" to uninstall it and then install the version you have now.
I have NEVER had one cause damage to my hardware, or "go up in smoke".


----------



## dhoganjr

I've read through all these posts however I haven't seen my problem mentioned yet. Everything downloaded fine and I can open the program and see my playlist. When I click on play, the little circle goes round and round then I get a Windows pop-up box with the following message: "DIRECTV2PC has stopped working". This is followed with another Windows pop-up box which includes "a problem has stopped this program from working".

When I ran the playback advisor everything came up green and everything's up to date.

Can anybody help me out with this?

Thanks so much!


----------



## Athlon646464

mikeybc said:


> Hey all, downloaded the Directv2PC software from the D* site and they still haven't emailed me a Serial #. Is there delay in them sending these out or did I do something wrong??


Did you check your 'spam' or 'junk' folder?


----------



## Golfman

dhoganjr said:


> I've read through all these posts however I haven't seen my problem mentioned yet. Everything downloaded fine and I can open the program and see my playlist. When I click on play, the little circle goes round and round then I get a Windows pop-up box with the following message: "DIRECTV2PC has stopped working". This is followed with another Windows pop-up box which includes "a problem has stopped this program from working".
> 
> When I ran the playback advisor everything came up green and everything's up to date.
> 
> Can anybody help me out with this?
> 
> Thanks so much!


You might try reinstalling the video drivers making sure you use the latest version.


----------



## Hoxxx

rustynails said:


> I downloaded the sofware and used the activation key and I get a screen that say DIRECTV and then searching for server. Zero server found! Anyone have an idea what to do next?


did you ever get it to work? I have the same issue.


----------



## Athlon646464

rustynails said:


> I downloaded the sofware and used the activation key and I get a screen that say DIRECTV and then searching for server. Zero server found! Anyone have an idea what to do next?





Hoxxx said:


> did you ever get it to work? I have the same issue.


How are your DVR's networked? Can you ping them?

:scratch:


----------



## toneman

DBSooner said:


> Considering it's free is a plus.


Apples to oranges--you're comparing a software viewing program (DIRECTV2PC) to a hardware device (Slingbox). As such, the DIRECTV2PC program is useless unless you have an HR2x receiver that's compatible w/ it. A more valid comparo would be DIRECTV2PC and the Slingbox software client--which like DIRECTV2PC is free except for the mobile phone version--needed to view video streamed from the Slingbox.


----------



## psunate77

Sucks that this only works with HD DVR


----------



## toneman

carl6 said:


> With the DirecTV2PC, you don't have to purchase any hardware (i.e., slingbox).


However, there are associated costs w/ using the DirecTV2PC app...not unless you're implying that all D* subscribers get their D* equipment and programming for free.


----------



## veryoldschool

toneman said:


> However, there are associated costs w/ using the DirecTV2PC app...not unless you're implying that all D* subscribers get their D* equipment and programming for free.


 Maybe I'm missing something here, but aren't those "associated costs" the same to use a slingbox with DirecTV?


----------



## psunate77

Would a DVR R 15 work?


----------



## the_dudeman

John Nadeau said:


> Seems like this CPU loading is over-the-top. Picked up an ATI HD 4550 over the weekend and ran some tests that indicate it's not the network:
> 
> AMD 3800+ 64x2; 1g RAM:
> 
> CONTENT..........CPU.....GPU......NIC
> DirecTV SD.........10%......5%......2%
> DirecTV 720p.....60%.....27%.....7%
> DirecTV 1080i....75%.....25%....12%
> MedCent-DVD......8%......1%.....n/a
> MedCent-780p...10%.....5%......n/a
> MedCent-1080i..10%....12%.....n/a
> PowerDVD7D.....12%......2%.....n/a
> 
> Check out this link showing CPU utilization of _unencrypted _HD content. So, is it the encryption that's kicking it up on DirecTv2pc ?
> http://hothardware.com/Articles/ATI-Radeon-HD-4550-Budget-DX101-GPU/?page=9


V.O.S and I think so, but I'm still kind of testing. I may put it on one of my gaming rigs and see what happens. Both rigs are far and away above what the system reqs are. But actually my HTPC should have enough "juice" as well. Anayway, we'll see. But actually putting on gaming rig may tell me nothing except what I already know which is fast machines can run this app no problem.

dudeman


----------



## veryoldschool

psunate77 said:


> Would a DVR R 15 work?


No as it doesn't have the correct software


----------



## Cmnore

And the R22?


----------



## Chriscic

Couldn't find this searching the thread, so here goes...

How's the quality with this software? Since it's streaming directly from the DVR, with no extra encoding (I would think), does it look every bit as good as the output from the DVR? Or not quite as good due to the PC decoders not doing as good a job as dedicated hardware? To nail this comparison, you'd really have to do an A/B on the same display.

Also, (and I could probably search for this but I'm already going here) can you watch live TV, or just recordings?

Cheers,
-Chris


----------



## Athlon646464

Chriscic said:


> Couldn't find this searching the thread, so here goes...
> 
> How's the quality with this software? Since it's streaming directly from the DVR, with no extra encoding (I would think), does it look every bit as good as the output from the DVR? Or not quite as good due to the PC decoders not doing as good a job as dedicated hardware? To nail this comparison, you'd really have to do an A/B on the same display.
> 
> Also, (and I could probably search for this but I'm already going here) can you watch live TV, or just recordings?
> 
> Cheers,
> -Chris


Don't know about the quality question, but recordings only - no 'live' material.

But why couldn't you just start recording a channel to get it into your 'List', and then watch it on a delayed basis - it would only be delayed for just a few seconds......


----------



## toneman

veryoldschool said:


> Maybe I'm missing something here, but aren't those "associated costs" the same to use a slingbox with DirecTV?


I was responding to the other poster who stated that the DirecTV2PC doesn't require purchasing additional hardware; like I said, unless you know for a fact that all D* subscribers get their D* receivers for free...doesn't it make it kind of hard to use the D*2PC app w/o the appropriate hardware (namely, a supported HR2x receiver)?


----------



## Chriscic

Athlon646464 said:


> Don't know about the quality question, but recordings only - no 'live' material.
> 
> But why couldn't you just start recording a channel to get it into your 'List', and then watch it on a delayed basis - it would only be delayed for just a few seconds......


If that works for "live" material then that's close to good 

In the end I'm looking for a whole house distributed TV system, with all the recordings sitting one box. Right now, I'm using Sage TV with the Hauppauge HD-PVR (component reocrding) which works pretty well, but the HD video, while looking great, is definitely softer than the original on a big screen.

Of course the HD-PVR is rencoding the video while the Direct2PC isn't (presumably), so I wonder if that might look a bit better.


----------



## veryoldschool

toneman said:


> I was responding to the other poster who stated that the DirecTV2PC doesn't require purchasing additional hardware; like I said, unless you know for a fact that all D* subscribers get their D* receivers for free...doesn't it make it kind of hard to use the D*2PC app w/o the appropriate hardware (namely, a supported HR2x receiver)?


I realize you were replying to Carl6.
"The only hardware" that would need to be purchased, would be a computer.
"Unlike" a Slingbox, if you have a computer [that is powerful enough], so far nobody has needed to buy anything to use this app, where to do the same thing with a slingbox, you would need to buy it.
As for "what to play" with either "option", the DirecTV hardware/programing package is the same, "UNLESS" you don't have HR2x DVRs.

Were you trying to make some other point?


----------



## veryoldschool

Chriscic said:


> If that works for "live" material then that's close to good
> 
> In the end I'm looking for a whole house distributed TV system, with all the recordings sitting one box. Right now, I'm using Sage TV with the Hauppauge HD-PVR (component reocrding) which works pretty well, but the HD video, while looking great, is definitely softer than the original on a big screen.
> 
> Of course the HD-PVR is rencoding the video while the Direct2PC isn't (presumably), so I wonder if that might look a bit better.


Sony Bravia XBR2, with both HR2x(s) and a HTPC connected, playback looks the same and in fact can play 1080p/24 VOD with the HTPC that my TV doesn't from the DVRs since the HTPC will convert it to 1080p/60.

I don;t think the "goal" of this app is to replace a DVR though, but only to give users more options to view recordings.
MRV and "someday" the HDPC-20, would be the things to work with dedicated HTPC systems.


----------



## grizzly

Getting wierd "blocked title" messages when I go to one specific HR-20 through direct2pc....

For some reason there was a parental code on one of my HR-20s. I took it off and rebooted the machine and its gone now....I never had it active, just was in there, but the software still won't let me look at the titles without typing in the pin. It will let me watch one episode but still won't let me see the titles. The same episodes are shown on another HR20 and an HR-21 ( I believe in overkill).

Any ideas?

Kevin


----------



## Chriscic

veryoldschool said:


> I don;t think the "goal" of this app is to replace a DVR though, but only to give users more options to view recordings.
> MRV and "someday" the HDPC-20, would be the things to work with dedicated HTPC systems.


Great, thanks for the quality comparison from your system!

I realize that's not the goal, but seems like a few PCs running Direct2PC it could substitute for MRV, though the no true live TV (thus no channel surfing) is a big limitation. Can you watch on multiple client PCs at once, or is it limited to one at a time?


----------



## veryoldschool

Chriscic said:


> Great, thanks for the quality comparison from your system!
> 
> I realize that's not the goal, but seems like a few PCs running Direct2PC it could substitute for MRV, though the no true live TV (thus no channel surfing) is a big limitation. Can you watch on multiple client PCs at once, or is it limited to one at a time?


I had problems, a while back [earlier version of app], with trying to have two PCs connected to the same DVR, but someone replied to an earlier post that they can connect with more than one PC, and I haven't [yet] tried it with this version.


----------



## toneman

veryoldschool said:


> I realize you were replying to Carl6.
> "The only hardware" that would need to be purchased, would be a computer.
> "Unlike" a Slingbox, if you have a computer [that is powerful enough], so far nobody has needed to buy anything to use this app, where to do the same thing with a slingbox, you would need to buy it.
> As for "what to play" with either "option", the DirecTV hardware/programing package is the same, "UNLESS" you don't have HR2x DVRs.
> 
> Were you trying to make some other point?


So what about those folks who don't already have an HR2* DVR but are interested in using the app...wouldn't they need to go out and purchase/lease the hardware (assuming the receiver requirements don't change)? What if I were an existing D* subscriber but didn't have any HR2* DVRs and was interested in using the app? I could still download the app for free but I would then have to purchase/lease the required receiver(s) in order to use it...no?


----------



## Rickrd

Having an issue with viewing on my PC. I start D2PC and everything loads fine. I select an item to watch, non-HD. Everything works fine, item starts to play. It plays for about a minute and then freezes. It waits a few seconds and returns to D2PC splash screen and says... "an error has occurred" ah.... duh!
I then can not play another thing and need to exit the DtPC program.

Another thing. Has anyone seen that when you start to play something from your list that the sound icon on your PC in the task bar goes to mute?

Thanks to all for this great site!


----------



## houskamp

Rickrd said:


> Having an issue with viewing on my PC. I start D2PC and everything loads fine. I select an item to watch, non-HD. Everything works fine, item starts to play. It plays for about a minute and then freezes. It waits a few seconds and returns to D2PC splash screen and says... "an error has occurred" ah.... duh!
> I then can not play another thing and need to exit the DtPC program.
> 
> Another thing. Has anyone seen that when you start to play something from your list that the sound icon on your PC in the task bar goes to mute?
> 
> Thanks to all for this great site!


what do you have for a network connection?

sound icon will follow what D2PC is set at.. maybe you hit mute on the program..


----------



## veryoldschool

toneman said:


> So what about those folks who don't already have an HR2* DVR but are interested in using the app...wouldn't they need to go out and purchase/lease the hardware (assuming the receiver requirements don't change)? What if I were an existing D* subscriber but didn't have any HR2* DVRs and was interested in using the app? I could still download the app for free but I would then have to purchase/lease the required receiver(s) in order to use it...no?


So you going with the "option I gave you" for users that don't have an HR2x currently. Yes they would need to upgrade their equipment, but I'll counter this with the "fact" that this discussion we're having is in the "DirecTV Plus High Definition DVR Discussion" forum here, so it seems to be a moot point.
I think "your point" would have better "traction" in an SD DVR forum, but hey, I bet they aren't discussing DirecTV2PC there, so.......
[Politely, I don't think you have a leg to stand on here]


----------



## Rickrd

houskamp said:


> what do you have for a network connection?
> 
> sound icon will follow what D2PC is set at.. maybe you hit mute on the program..


Sorry if I'm a boob, what do you mean? "what do you have for a network connection?" My HR21-700 is hardwired to Linksys router.


----------



## houskamp

Rickrd said:


> Sorry if I'm a boob, what do you mean? "what do you have for a network connection?" My HR21-700 is hardwired to Linksys router.


is pc hardwired too?
most of these errors are "disconnect" errors..


----------



## Rickrd

houskamp said:


> is pc hardwired too?
> most of these errors are "disconnect" errors..


Yes. everthing on my Network is wired except for Laptop. I use D2PC on my Desktop which is Hardwired.


----------



## boxster99t

I finally got an activation code--after trying several times, downloading, installing, entering in every email address I have and getting none, as a final attempt I set up a new email address. Downloaded the app once more, used that new address, and presto, an activation code shows up about an hour later.

Works great on my end--

Setup: MacPro 2.8 GHz Quad Core (standard video card) running Windows XP Service Pack 3 under bootcamp, HR21 networked wirelessly over Airport Extreme N. 

All HD content plays flawlessly except for a 1080p DOD that was still in the process of downloading. It played but looked a bit blocky. That may be due to really sapping a lot of my wireless bandwith or it could be just too much processing because my monitor is not a 1080p LCD.

Hardest part is getting the activation key--they really need to address that. 

My only other observation is the playlist takes a bit to load, but mine is fairly long (I'm running a 1T ESATA external drive that's about 88% full). Overall no complaints. I was pleasantly surprised that it will work over a wireless network, for HD content other than the one 1080p movie.


----------



## mopzo

atljoe said:


> Can you stream through media server ( PS3 ) to another TV?
> If not I'll be keep slinging


I got excited when I saw the Direct2pc server on my PS3....but no joy. PS3 doesn't support the format.


----------



## mopzo

After launching direct2pc, I get this window asking me to select ffdshow for this instance, or use ffdshow all the time.

ffdshow was installed as part of Tversity. 
Recommendations?

Thanks.


----------



## veryoldschool

mopzo said:


> After launching direct2pc, I get this window asking me to select ffdshow for this instance, or use ffdshow all the time.
> 
> ffdshow was installed as part of Tversity.
> Recommendations?
> 
> Thanks.


I've gone "both ways" [yes use it or no don't] and it seems to have zero affect.


----------



## noseeb13

Hi everyone,
I am having problems playing back HD content.
Here are my specs from the advisor:
CPU- Intel Core Duo E8200 @ 2.66GHz
CPU acceleration- NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX
System Memory- 2048 MB
Operating System- Vista service pack 1
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX (Upgrade)
Graphics Card Driver: 7.15.11.7824
Video Connection Type- Digital (without HDCP) (NO)

My graphics card is on the list of compliant cards from the FAQ and I have my computer connected via a DVI-HDMI cable to an LG 22 inch HDTV.

Any ideas why my video connection type is failing?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Jared701

noseeb13 said:


> Hi everyone,
> I am having problems playing back HD content.
> Here are my specs from the advisor:
> CPU- Intel Core Duo E8200 @ 2.66GHz
> CPU acceleration- NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX
> System Memory- 2048 MB
> Operating System- Vista service pack 1
> Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX (Upgrade)
> Graphics Card Driver: 7.15.11.7824
> Video Connection Type- Digital (without HDCP) (NO)
> 
> My graphics card is on the list of compliant cards from the FAQ and I have my computer connected via a DVI-HDMI cable to an LG 22 inch HDTV.
> 
> Any ideas why my video connection type is failing?
> 
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks in advance.


It could be that your LG monitor doesn't support HDCP and that would make it show up as no HDCP.


----------



## veryoldschool

noseeb13 said:


> Hi everyone,
> I am having problems playing back HD content.
> Here are my specs from the advisor:
> CPU- Intel Core Duo E8200 @ 2.66GHz
> CPU acceleration- NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX
> System Memory- 2048 MB
> Operating System- Vista service pack 1
> Graphics Card: *NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX* (Upgrade)
> Graphics Card Driver: *7.15.11.7824*
> Video Connection Type- Digital (without HDCP) (NO)
> 
> My graphics card is on the list of compliant cards from the FAQ and I have my computer connected via a DVI-HDMI cable to an LG 22 inch HDTV.
> 
> Any ideas why my video connection type is failing?
> 
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks in advance.


Others have had problems with the 7xxx series cards since they don't seem to pass HDCP.
Your video driver doesn't look correct. 178.24 is the lastest version.
If this doesn't work try using a VGA cable to your monitor [analog]


----------



## boxster99t

boxster99t said:


> All HD content plays flawlessly except for a 1080p DOD that was still in the process of downloading. It played but looked a bit blocky. That may be due to really sapping a lot of my wireless bandwith or it could be just too much processing because my monitor is not a 1080p LCD.


I tried the 1080p movie (Premonition) this morning now that it is fully downloaded. It is a combination of the monitor/video card/driver.

Everything else in HD or SD plays fine, however. And considering what little content there may be on Directv that is/will be 1080p, I'm not really disappointed.

I've always got my XBR5 Bravia which is native 1080p for that content.


----------



## t_h

houskamp said:


> what do you have for a network connection?
> 
> sound icon will follow what D2PC is set at.. maybe you hit mute on the program..


I have the same thing on the machine that wont run directv2pc...it bombs out in vista when I try to play something and the audio/volume icon shows the mute red circle with a slash in it. So something funny happens when the program crashes where it sets the volume to mute. Maybe an incompatibility with the audio drives, although I have the realtek HD audio running the latest drivers...



veryoldschool said:


> I've gone "both ways" [yes use it or no don't] and it seems to have zero affect.


Thats because it uses ffdshow no matter what you say. The popup is from ffdshow asking if you want it to be used as the default. The directv2pc program uses ffdshow regardless. I've tried configuring a working pc with 'dont use ffdshow' and when the app is running I can see ffdshow working in the background.


----------



## Partner45

Partner45 said:


> Again:
> 
> I have a AMD64 FX60 CPU, XP SP3, DirectX9, 3 GB ram.
> 
> (2) XFX GeForce 7900GTX video cards 512MB ram SLI. nVidia 178.24 Drivers dated 10/7/08, PCI-E
> 
> Each one explicitly spelled out as products that will work.
> 
> Dell 3007WFP monitor using DVI, and it says it's HDCP: http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/monitor_3007wfp?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
> 
> CONNECTIVITY Digital Visual Interface - Digital (DVI-D) with High Definition Content Protection (HDCP)
> 
> It is using the one and only driver offered for the monitor; 2560x1600 pixels.
> 
> I get the error: "DTV2PC cannot play the video content because your computer or monitor does not support the playback of protected content."
> 
> Just reporting this, as published requirements show I have what is needed to run.


*FIXED!!* Replaced (2) XFX 7900GTX cards with One XFX 9800GTX+ card and works. Caution to others, the new card uses BOTH 6 pin power adaptors that the old cards individually used. And I would also be unable to use a second card due to the motherboard configuration of my Asus A8N32-SLI board (power cords from board to Hard Drives) This new cards is LONG. No more SLI mode for me.


----------



## noseeb13

veryoldschool said:


> Others have had problems with the 7xxx series cards since they don't seem to pass HDCP.
> Your video driver doesn't look correct. 178.24 is the lastest version.
> If this doesn't work try using a VGA cable to your monitor [analog]


I had rolled back the driver, the new driver causes my screen to flash different colors where the old driver would just display black.

My TV is HDCP compliant according to LG.

I was using a VGA cable but I couldn't play HD content that way either, which is why I changed to the digital connection.

Thank you very much for your help. Looks like I will have to get a new video card if I want to use this.


----------



## fineware

Stuart Sweet said:


> I haven't tried it but if you ran Parallels, VMWare, or Boot Camp you could probably run DIRECTV2PC under Windows. However, I've heard no plan for a Mac version. I do know some people at DIRECTV who really like their Macs though, so it's not impossible.


I am trying it under Parallels on a MacBook Pro. It will start under Windows but doesn't find my HR20-700. I've also disabled my Windows and BlackIce firewalls and set my router to port forward 27161 thru 27163.


----------



## veryoldschool

fineware said:


> I am trying it under Parallels on a MacBook Pro. It will start under Windows but doesn't find my HR20-700. I've also disabled my Windows and BlackIce firewalls and set my router to port forward 27161 thru 27163.


Boot camp seems to work:
http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1859707&postcount=2

You may want to PM them.


----------



## Troop11

Okay I've read both threads multiple times and I saw several references to this issue but never an actual fix or solution (or I've missed it and 800 posts is a ton to sift through again)

At first I was getting the crash on play error, removed Power DVD and now it at least tries to play, but now I'm getting the "D*2PC cannot connect to the server and cannot play the protected content" (I'm at work and don't have the exact wording handy but that's close)

I am using a wireless connection, and it gives me this error regardless of SD/HD content type. I have yet to try Wired as I don't have a Cat5 of 25+ feet handy. The STB is connected via wired connection and I can see everything fine, just can't get it to play, no other issues at this point. TIA

PS all drivers up to date, tried both analog and DVI connections, NVidia 8400 GS set to single monitor only (I've done the basics that I've seen mentioned over and over here)


----------



## rawbi01

Where do u find the serial # for directv2pc ? During the install it asks for my name, company and serial #. The error message says that the serial # is included with the shipment. What shipment, I downloaded it. Is it sent with an email?? Thanks

Nevermind, I see from the top of the thread that it gets emailed to you.


----------



## Troop11

rawbi01 said:


> Where do u find the serial # for directv2pc ? During the install it asks for my name, company and serial #. The error message says that the serial # is included with the shipment. What shipment, I downloaded it. Is it sent with an email?? Thanks


Email should have been sent after the DL completed, it is in there, easiest to copy/paste. Check Junk Mail folders too.


----------



## DSS44889

I got the directv2pc loaded up without any problems, however all I get is "0 server found". I have release 0x290 on the HR21, I'm able to ping the IP address of the HR21. What am I missing?

Dave


----------



## rawbi01

I have it all setup, when I start the app it connects to my dvr hr22-100 fine. There are no shows on the playlist. It displays a message "there are no recorded programs at this time" 

Any ideas?

I'm embarrassed to type this but the solution was simple. Turn on the DVR stupid!!


----------



## BurnX

DSS44889 said:


> I got the directv2pc loaded up without any problems, however all I get is "0 server found". I have release 0x290 on the HR21, I'm able to ping the IP address of the HR21. What am I missing?
> 
> Dave


I have the same issue. Resetting my HR20 temporarily fixes the problem, but after a day or so it disappears again. I believe this is some kind of problem with the firmware on my HR20. When the directv2pc software can find my HR20, it also shows up in my Vista Network browser as a DirecTV Media Server. When direct2pc software can't find it, the media server entry has also disappeared from the network browser. This seems to indicate that the mediaserver in the HR20 is no longer running.

After the last HR20 restart, I left the dirctv2pc software running. For 2 days it worked fine. Then I closed the directv2pc software. When I opened it again a few hours later, it could no longer find my HR20. So, my only solution to keep this working is to restart my HR20 and then leave the direct2pc software running once it is connected to the HR20. I wonder if other activity on my network might be causing the HR20 media server to shutdown. I also have Rhapsody & Sonos media servers running. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?


----------



## John Nadeau

veryoldschool said:


> First there is NO BUFFERING, as this is being streamed [live] to your PC.
> Bandwidth is really bit-rate. 1080i MPEG-2 is the highest and "normally" is about 15-20 Mb/s, with peaks [trickplay] being close to 30 Mb/s.
> I've found 1080i MPEG-4 to be the "hardest" on the PC, not the bit-rate/network.
> PCs that are "weak" can play 720p, but not 1080i and adding more CPU/GPU "power" has the same PC playing 1080i MPEG-4.


How is 1080i working out for everyone?

I have an Athlon 64x2 3800+, 1gig RAM, and added an ATI HD4550. Viewing on Pioneer Elite 730HDi 65" via HDMI. SD and 720p are smooth as silk... 1080i seems to "chug", jitter, stutter, jerk, skip (you pick the description).


----------



## veryoldschool

John Nadeau said:


> How is 1080i working out for everyone?
> 
> I have an Athlon 64x2 3800+, 1gig RAM, and added an ATI HD4550. Viewing on Pioneer Elite 730HDi 65" via HDMI. SD and 720p are smooth as silk... 1080i seems to "chug", jitter, stutter, jerk, skip (you pick the description).


I don't seem to have your problem with 1080i [MPEG-4]. I do have some sync issues with my local 1080i MPEG-4, but not with "national" 1080i MPEG-4.


----------



## davros74

My original post is probably way back, but I have a Dell D820 laptop with nVidia Quadro NVS 110M video card and was initially having problems getting Directv2PC to work.

Updating the nVidia drivers to Dell's 12/2007 version and 03/2008 version did not get it to work, but was probably needed anyway.

Based on some recommendations I saw, I uninstalled PowerDVD 5.7 which came pre-installed on my laptop, rebooted, then started up the DirecTV2PC application. It now runs just fine!! Even HD over 802.11g.

Just wanted to chime in that PowerDVD is causing major issues with DirecTV2PC on my setup also. I don't know if there is a version of PowerDVD that does work, but I don't miss it anyway... DirecTV2PC is far more useful I can live without the PowerDVD software.


----------



## John Nadeau

veryoldschool said:


> I don't seem to have your problem with 1080i [MPEG-4]. I do have some sync issues with my local 1080i MPEG-4, but not with "national" 1080i MPEG-4.


Just to confirm, is 501 HBO 1080i MPEG-4 ?


----------



## veryoldschool

davros74 said:


> My original post is probably way back, but I have a Dell D820 laptop with nVidia Quadro NVS 110M video card and was initially having problems getting Directv2PC to work.
> 
> Updating the nVidia drivers to Dell's 12/2007 version and 03/2008 version did not get it to work, but was probably needed anyway.
> 
> Based on some recommendations I saw, I uninstalled PowerDVD 5.7 which came pre-installed on my laptop, rebooted, then started up the DirecTV2PC application. It now runs just fine!! Even HD over 802.11g.
> 
> Just wanted to chime in that PowerDVD is causing major issues with DirecTV2PC on my setup also. I don't know if there is a version of PowerDVD that does work, but I don't miss it anyway... DirecTV2PC is far more useful I can live without the PowerDVD software.


Please "log it" in the thread ^^^


----------



## cyclejim

rawbi01 said:


> I have it all setup, when I start the app it connects to my dvr hr22-100 fine. There are no shows on the playlist. It displays a message "there are no recorded programs at this time"
> 
> Any ideas?
> 
> I'm embarrassed to type this but the solution was simple. Turn on the DVR stupid!!


You got me excited but sadly my playlist is still blank on the PC client


----------



## tommy_riley

veryoldschool said:


> Others have had problems with the 7xxx series cards since they don't seem to pass HDCP.
> Your video driver doesn't look correct. 178.24 is the lastest version.
> If this doesn't work try using a VGA cable to your monitor [analog]


He is running the latest video card drivers - look at the last five digits of what he posted "1.7824" the decimal point is just in the wrong place. This is just a difference on how windows/directx reports the driver version compared to nvidia. The driver version is the same.

None of the 7xxx series of Nvidia cards support HDCP. I've done extensive research on this as I only have an AGP slot in my PC that I am running Directv2PC in, and the highest level of nvidia card I can get in AGP flavor is a 7xxx series card.

However,
I am running a P4 3.2HT Intel Proc, with 3GB DDR2 RAM, Nvidia 7800GT 512MB Video Card, onboard Realtek audio, Vista SP1, with a DVI cable (DVI on both ends) to a Acer 22" monitor, on a wireless G network for the PC side (hardwired on the DTV receiever side) and I am able to get SD/HD content playback - The HD is just very jerky and the audio cuts in and out.

So his setup theoretically can work without having to swap out cards. There will probably be a few of those "protected" shows that he wont be able to, but as for nothing working at all, there has to be something else going on since we both basically have the same setup, he needs to continue to troubleshoot and eliminate variables.

I would suggest application and codec clean up to start with (too many codecs on system, the known cyberlink powerdvd conflict, etc. before moving onto another card - unless this is the perfect excuse to tell you wife that its time to upgarde the video card anyway


----------



## Dirk

I don't know if this has been mentioned but after I exit the program my screen saver will never turn back on. I have to reboot to fix it. Just was wondering if anyone else was having that problem.


----------



## veryoldschool

tommy_riley said:


> He is running the latest video card drivers - look at the last five digits of what he posted "1.7824" the decimal point is just in the wrong place. This is just a difference on how windows/directx reports the driver version compared to nvidia. The driver version is the same.
> 
> None of the 7xxx series of Nvidia cards support HDCP. I've done extensive research on this as I only have an AGP slot in my PC that I am running Directv2PC in, and the highest level of nvidia card I can get in AGP flavor is a 7xxx series card.
> 
> However,
> I am running a P4 3.2HT Intel Proc, with 3GB DDR2 RAM, Nvidia 7800GT 512MB Video Card, onboard Realtek audio, Vista SP1, with a DVI cable (DVI on both ends) to a Acer 22" monitor, on a wireless G network for the PC side (hardwired on the DTV receiever side) and I am able to get SD/HD content playback - The HD is just very jerky and the audio cuts in and out.
> 
> So his setup theoretically can work without having to swap out cards. There will probably be a few of those "protected" shows that he wont be able to, but as for nothing working at all, there has to be something else going on since we both basically have the same setup, he needs to continue to troubleshoot and eliminate variables.
> 
> I would suggest application and codec clean up to start with (too many codecs on system, the known cyberlink powerdvd conflict, etc. before moving onto another card - unless this is the perfect excuse to tell you wife that its time to upgarde the video card anyway


It's always "nice" to have [support] someone also "say the same thing".
One of my PCs is similar to yours and for AGP cards the ATI 2xxx/3xxx chips seem to be the only option for on board h.264 & HDCP.
I've got a 3.4 GHz and can play everything.


----------



## HDinVT

davros74 said:


> Yeah, that's odd. 156.83 is the most recent (12/2007) listed if you search by D820, but I don't know why the D620 would list a driver that much newer for the same exact video chipset. The driver I downloaded is the first one on the "Other Versions" for the D620. The 03/2008 driver (174.31) only lists the D620 as being compatible. Not sure if I should try it or not... the Audit application gives me a green light for video driver.


I installed D2PC on my Dell D820 yesterday and it worked fine ! My only issue was that I could not view a program with D2PC on my desktop at the same time as on my laptop. The second PC in gets a 503 service not available after selecting play. I suspect the server code on the HR20 can't support streaming to two devices??? VOS can you confirm? It should be a more descriptive error message, but this is a beta after all...

My D820 video driver version is 6.14.11.0119, not sure how that relates to the versions being discussed here. If I recall correctly the difference between the D620 and the D820 is the screen size, the D820 is a wide-screen, so maybe thats why the drivers are different.


----------



## veryoldschool

HDinVT said:


> I installed D2PC on my Dell D820 yesterday and it worked fine ! My only issue was that I could not view a program with D2PC on my desktop at the same time as on my laptop. The second PC in gets a 503 service not available after selecting play. I suspect the server code on the HR20 can't support streaming to two devices??? VOS can you confirm? It should be a more descriptive error message, but this is a beta after all...
> 
> My D820 video driver version is 6.14.11.0119, not sure how that relates to the versions being discussed here. If I recall correctly the difference between the D620 and the D820 is the screen size, the D820 is a wide-screen, so maybe thats why the drivers are different.


I can only confirm that I too have had the error [a while back], but I've also read a post [after I posted that you can't connect to the same DVR from two PCs], that someone has said they can. So  .
I would need to load this on more PCs to try it again. [maybe someone already has and can verify]


----------



## boxster99t

veryoldschool said:


> Boot camp seems to work:
> http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1859707&postcount=2
> 
> You may want to PM them.


Bootcamp definitely works--I'm running on 2.8 Ghz Quad Core Mac Pro, Bootcamp under Windows XP Home SP#3. I also installed under Windows the video card software and driver update that was hypertexted linked in the Directv2PC advisor.

I'm not sure that makes a difference ultimately, because it still shows "red" for driver even though the installed driver and video software is newer than the ones the Directv2PC advisor calls for. But it is nice to have more display and color controls when running windows.

Also, Directv2PC works over wireless N for me (HR21 connected to Airport Express in WDS mode and MacPro running Windows XP under Bootcamp connected via gig ethernet to Airport Extreme, in my case).

The only adverse video I've seen is 1080p/24 which shows lots of motion artifacts, but looks great when actors aren't moving. All other HD and SD content looks great.


----------



## scottjf8

Just installed this on my E-machine XP box. It connects to my HR21 just fine, and pulls the listings. When I click a show, and hit PLAY, it just crashes with that "DIRECTV2PC has encourtered a problem and needs to close"

Happens over and over.

Gonna reboot and see if that fixes it.

Any other thoughts?


----------



## noseeb13

tommy_riley said:


> He is running the latest video card drivers - look at the last five digits of what he posted "1.7824" the decimal point is just in the wrong place. This is just a difference on how windows/directx reports the driver version compared to nvidia. The driver version is the same.
> 
> None of the 7xxx series of Nvidia cards support HDCP. I've done extensive research on this as I only have an AGP slot in my PC that I am running Directv2PC in, and the highest level of nvidia card I can get in AGP flavor is a 7xxx series card.
> 
> However,
> I am running a P4 3.2HT Intel Proc, with 3GB DDR2 RAM, Nvidia 7800GT 512MB Video Card, onboard Realtek audio, Vista SP1, with a DVI cable (DVI on both ends) to a Acer 22" monitor, on a wireless G network for the PC side (hardwired on the DTV receiever side) and I am able to get SD/HD content playback - The HD is just very jerky and the audio cuts in and out.
> 
> So his setup theoretically can work without having to swap out cards. There will probably be a few of those "protected" shows that he wont be able to, but as for nothing working at all, there has to be something else going on since we both basically have the same setup, he needs to continue to troubleshoot and eliminate variables.
> 
> I would suggest application and codec clean up to start with (too many codecs on system, the known cyberlink powerdvd conflict, etc. before moving onto another card - unless this is the perfect excuse to tell you wife that its time to upgarde the video card anyway


Cool, wife will not be using so no new card for a while. 

I don't think I have too many codecs, anyone know of any that cause issues right now?

Thanks


----------



## drew64

I just got a new laptop.meets all the requirements for program. I see my DVR and can get the main menu to show up but my playlist is empty. Running vista SP1. I read some of the posts but way to many to isolate this problem. I dont have power DVD on here just cyberlink DVD . What is blocking my playlist.


----------



## drew64

never mind figured it out, Had to sort the playlist by oldest and all the shows were there.


----------



## bkushner

I'm getting the same no recorded programs error even though the first time I tried it worked. I've rebooted router, HR21 etc to no avail. Any solutions?


----------



## bkushner

I changed my sort order to OLD and same old problem no recorded programs. No other error messages and green lights on the test program.


----------



## ejjames

bkushner said:


> I changed my sort order to OLD and same old problem no recorded programs. No other error messages and green lights on the test program.


I've had this problem a couple of times, but rebooting the receiver always solved the problem.


----------



## bkushner

Wonder if it has anything to do with the fact I use an external drive?


----------



## tvspy

If I try to watch a show that is currently recording on my dvr, my audio is totally out of sync.

No problems other than that.


----------



## veryoldschool

tvspy said:


> If I try to watch a show that is currently recording on my dvr, my audio is totally out of sync.
> 
> No problems other than that.


<< from your location, could this be NBC & CBS?
Currently "more horsepower" is all that "fixes it".


----------



## PearlMikeJam

To anyone who is having the application crash when selecting a program to play - 

I did not have PowerDVD like most people with this problem had. I had something called Power Producer, so I removed that. It did not work. My wife's Acer had something called Acer Arcade Deluxe which was a custom interface for Media Center on Vista. After removing that, I can now watch most shows. SD and 720p work fine on the Aspire with 1GB RAM, ATI X1100 and Wireless G, but 1080i is unwatchable.

I hope this helps.


----------



## bkushner

I've uninstalled, reinstalled, upgraded to the new CE release, cannot get past the no recorded programs. Very frustrating.


----------



## cineplex1

Folks;

Am I correct in assuming if you download and run the Advisor program, and your system doesn't pass their test, you can go no further?

Is there a way to download the actual tv2pc applcation after that?


----------



## veryoldschool

cineplex1 said:


> Folks;
> 
> Am I correct in assuming if you download and run the Advisor program, and your system doesn't pass their test, you can go no further?
> 
> Is there a way to download the actual tv2pc applcation after that?


One is not "connected" to the other. If you fail "everything" in the advisor, then there are few programs that you will be able to play.
Just because you may get "some" red in the report, doesn't mean you can't play anything. It means you "may" not be able to play everything.

You can go back and enter your email address and download the program/app. You will [after you finish downloading] then receive a key for it.


----------



## cineplex1

veryoldschool said:


> One is not "connected" to the other. If you fail "everything" in the advisor, then there are few programs that you will be able to play.
> Just because you may get "some" red in the report, doesn't mean you can't play anything. It means you "may" not be able to play everything.
> 
> You can go back and enter your email address and download the program/app. You will [after you finish downloading] then receive a key for it.


I never get to that page. I blanks out with the "this page cannot be displayed" message.


----------



## cineplex1

cineplex1 said:


> I never get to that page. I blanks out with the "this page cannot be displayed" message.


Cleared that hurdle, now how to I make my system HCDP complieant. I have an HP laptop with a NVidia GeForce FX Go5200 Video card.


----------



## typicalaimster

Fezmid said:


> I have the exact same problem. Nothing worked. I went into my network settings and disabled the "VMware Bridge Protocol," thinking that might be having some affect on it.


I'm running VMWare Workstation on my computer. Just a FYI when I disabled the "VMware Bridge Protocol" I was able to view content. I was getting the same message "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time".

I tested my VM-Machines and they're able to connect to the intarweb


----------



## p3pilot

typicalaimster said:


> I'm running VMWare Workstation on my computer. Just a FYI when I disabled the "VMware Bridge Protocol" I was able to view content. I was getting the same message "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time".
> 
> I tested my VM-Machines and they're able to connect to the intarweb


I had the same issue as above and also use VMware. After disabling the "VMware Bridge Protocol", it now seems to be working. Now my issue is the time line bar that never disappears at the bottom of the screen. Really gets in the way of viewing. Has any one solved that issue? DIRECTV2PC works fine on my laptop.


----------



## Ikari

bkushner said:


> I've uninstalled, reinstalled, upgraded to the new CE release, cannot get past the no recorded programs. Very frustrating.


I have the same issue on my laptop. Every time that I start the app, I get the no recorded programs message. However, I've found that if I go into Menu, then change the List By selection, my full list of recorded programs appear. This works for me every time. I hope it helps.


----------



## PRMan

Rolando42 said:


> I may have answered my own question. I disabled my Bluetooth network and DIRECT2PC worked the first time.


Thank you for this. I have had the exact same experience and I also have Bluetooth installed on my laptop.

I'll try this.


----------



## iaflyer

cineplex1 said:


> Folks;
> 
> Am I correct in assuming if you download and run the Advisor program, and your system doesn't pass their test, you can go no further?
> 
> Is there a way to download the actual tv2pc applcation after that?


No, the "Advisor" program is just that - advisory only. After you download the advisor, you'll notice on the webpage that's still opened a place to enter your name and email address. Just enter your stuff, then it will send you to another page to download the software as well as email you the serial code you need.


----------



## jplescia

Hi all.

I loaded the directv2pc and it works great with my hr20, both hd and sd content.. but when I connect to my hr21 it is choppy... they are plugged in the same switch. 

Any ideas why one works and one stinks..

thanks
joe


----------



## John Nadeau

jplescia said:


> Hi all.
> 
> I loaded the directv2pc and it works great with my hr20, both hd and sd content.. but when I connect to my hr21 it is choppy... they are plugged in the same switch.
> 
> Any ideas why one works and one stinks..
> 
> thanks
> joe


What OS are you using and what are your cpu, ram, and video card specs?


----------



## bkushner

any fix for the NO RECORDED PROGRAMS problem?


----------



## bill596

Is there still an issue with activation with DIRECTV2PC. I have been unable to activate after fresh install. HR700 is networked and connects to all networked PCs
I am unable to ping 203.73.94.101 directly, nor to ping either activation.cyberlink.com or activation.gtm.cyberlink.com. Both the friendly address report unable to find host, the IP address request timed out. Today the ping to cyberlink.com times out. Any ideas?


----------



## noseeb13

tommy_riley said:


> I would suggest application and codec clean up to start with (too many codecs on system, the known cyberlink powerdvd conflict, etc. before moving onto another card - unless this is the perfect excuse to tell you wife that its time to upgarde the video card anyway


Thanks for the help. I did a clean up of codecs, removed some DVD burning software I no longer use and updated a few drivers and now it works.

Only problem is HD content cuts in and out so much its pretty much unwatchable.
My computer has plenty of power so I doubt its that. I have my 2 HR20-700s connected via power line adapters.

Anyone else use these and have better luck?


----------



## rsonnens

typicalaimster said:


> I'm running VMWare Workstation on my computer. Just a FYI when I disabled the "VMware Bridge Protocol" I was able to view content. I was getting the same message "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time".
> 
> I tested my VM-Machines and they're able to connect to the intarweb


Correct, using 'bridge' puts your VM in a separate subnet which is why it does not work. But with Fusion (VMWare for the Mac) has issues once you get past connecting. Unclear what the cause of the problem is. Funny put if you continually mouse click a lot you can get farther which leads me to believe the their is some interrupt handler issue with the VM.)


----------



## p3pilot

rsonnens said:


> Correct, using 'bridge' puts your VM in a separate subnet which is why it does not work. But with Fusion (VMWare for the Mac) has issues once you get past connecting. Unclear what the cause of the problem is. Funny put if you continually mouse click a lot you can get farther which leads me to believe the their is some interrupt handler issue with the VM.)


Understand why there might be issues running DirecTV2PC in a VM, but I was having the issue outside of VM. Not sure why that could cause problems connecting with the protected content server, but it is working now with "VMWare Bridge Protocol" disabled.


----------



## rahlquist

noseeb13 said:


> Only problem is HD content cuts in and out so much its pretty much unwatchable.
> My computer has plenty of power so I doubt its that. I have my 2 HR20-700s connected via power line adapters.


So far the vast majority of hangs and cut outs and jerky playback I have seen have indeed been computers that dont meet the needed spec. I have seen systems speced here that would be wonderful gaming machines that this application is going to drag down.

In the case of this application ADI HD card trump Nvidia hands down due to the dedicated hardware decoding it seems. (VOS will correct me if I am wrong I bet).

My laptop a 2ghz Centrino Duo with 2 gig ram and ATI HD2600 video does much better even over wireless at HD than my AMD 4600+ 3 gig ram desktop, on wired 100mbit ethernet with NVIDIA 7550. In your case the network could also possibly be an issue, to eliminate that I would temporarily bypass the powerline network adapter and test.

I can attest that with my HR22 connected to my wireless over 802.11g and my laptop also connected over 802.11g I can play and view HD content.


----------



## MartyS

OK... here's the problem I'm having with DTV2PC. I can access my DVR's with no problem, and I can select a program. Then, I get the screen with the progress bar on my computer, and a totally black video screen with just the progress bar showing.

The program I've selected never starts to play. Any ideas?


----------



## veryoldschool

rahlquist said:


> So far the vast majority of hangs and cut outs and jerky playback I have seen have indeed been computers that dont meet the needed spec. I have seen systems speced here that would be wonderful gaming machines that this application is going to drag down.
> 
> In the case of this application ADI HD card trump Nvidia hands down due to the dedicated hardware decoding it seems. (VOS will correct me if I am wrong I bet).
> 
> My laptop a 2ghz Centrino Duo with 2 gig ram and ATI HD2600 video does much better even over wireless at HD than my AMD 4600+ 3 gig ram desktop, on wired 100mbit ethernet with NVIDIA 7550. In your case the network could also possibly be an issue, to eliminate that I would temporarily bypass the powerline network adapter and test.
> 
> I can attest that with my HR22 connected to my wireless over 802.11g and my laptop also connected over 802.11g I can play and view HD content.


I would say ATI "trumps" nVidia ONLY for AGP cards, because nVidia 8xxx chips only come on PCIe cards.
h.264 support is what will be needed for computers that don't have enough CPU to do all of the processing.
ATI 2xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx & nVidia 8xxx, 9xxx support h.264 [MPEG-4]


----------



## rahlquist

veryoldschool said:


> I would say ATI "trumps" nVidia ONLY for AGP cards, because nVidia 8xxx chips only come on PCIe cards.
> h.264 support is what will be needed for computers that don't have enough CPU to do all of the processing.
> ATI 2xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx & nVidia 8xxx, 9xxx support h.264 [MPEG-4]


Thank you VOS. I knew you would correct any oversight on my part. :grin:


----------



## veryoldschool

MartyS said:


> OK... here's the problem I'm having with DTV2PC. I can access my DVR's with no problem, and I can select a program. Then, I get the screen with the progress bar on my computer, and a totally black video screen with just the progress bar showing.
> 
> The program I've selected never starts to play. Any ideas?


I had this once, after I'd downloaded some codec packs [and basically broke Vista].
I tried to uninstall everything I'd installed [this was a day of trying to "fix it"], ran reg cleaners, etc., but I'd "hosed" my system so bad that I needed to do a fresh install of Windows.


----------



## veryoldschool

rahlquist said:


> Thank you VOS. I knew you would correct any oversight on my part. :grin:


"Correct", nope. 
"Share" what I know/learned, sure.


----------



## p3pilot

typicalaimster said:


> I'm running VMWare Workstation on my computer. Just a FYI when I disabled the "VMware Bridge Protocol" I was able to view content. I was getting the same message "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time".
> 
> I tested my VM-Machines and they're able to connect to the intarweb


Unfortunately when I disable the "VMware Bridge Protocol", my VM's are not able to connect to the network.


----------



## MartyS

veryoldschool said:


> I had this once, after I'd downloaded some codec packs [and basically broke Vista].
> I tried to uninstall everything I'd installed [this was a day of trying to "fix it"], ran reg cleaners, etc., but I'd "hosed" my system so bad that I needed to do a fresh install of Windows.


Hmm... the codec packs I've installed are from TVersity. Maybe I'll try un-installing those and see if it works.

Thanks for the suggestion.


----------



## samw

BurnX said:


> I have the same issue. Resetting my HR20 temporarily fixes the problem, but after a day or so it disappears again. I believe this is some kind of problem with the firmware on my HR20. When the directv2pc software can find my HR20, it also shows up in my Vista Network browser as a DirecTV Media Server. When direct2pc software can't find it, the media server entry has also disappeared from the network browser. This seems to indicate that the mediaserver in the HR20 is no longer running.
> 
> After the last HR20 restart, I left the dirctv2pc software running. For 2 days it worked fine. Then I closed the directv2pc software. When I opened it again a few hours later, it could no longer find my HR20. So, my only solution to keep this working is to restart my HR20 and then leave the direct2pc software running once it is connected to the HR20. I wonder if other activity on my network might be causing the HR20 media server to shutdown. I also have Rhapsody & Sonos media servers running. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?


I don't know if the problem I'm having is related. But it takes Directv2pc a lot of time, sometimes 10-15min after startup before it finds my DVR. Have you tried this? I just startup Directv2pc and leave it alone until it finds the DVR.


----------



## veryoldschool

samw said:


> I don't know if the problem I'm having is related. But it takes Directv2pc a lot of time, sometimes 10-15min after startup before it finds my DVR. Have you tried this? I just startup Directv2pc and leave it alone until it finds the DVR.


This sounds like perhaps you don't have uPnP enabled in your router, or it's set for a long time between polling your network.


----------



## dsm

No time to read all this thread, so I may be totally out of sync with what others are seeing, but so far this looks very good to me. My son was thrilled as he's been using it quite a bit. Seems to work fine with our 2 HR20-700's and his HP dual-core pc running vista. 

I'm usually only posting problems so I thought I'd same something nice for a change. With this working solidly we can know that the "server" side of MRV is in good shape before going forward. Good idea and nice job D*!

steve


----------



## tasman

After reading through all these posts about the varying results people have there doesn't seem to be a set standard for what pc environement will work. As feedback to the beta community, this seems like it would be a nightmare for DirecTV to support. Could you imagine the calls about hardware issues. It seems like the minority of people are able to use this without any issues. I know DirecTV doesn't control the technology but it seems that some other approach may be better. The Slingbox approach seems to work well. There isn't a strict hardware problem and the software works even in thin client (in beta now). I would think the user community would not ultimately embrace this process. As techies, most of us probably would be fine with making it work but most users wouldn't I would think. Just my opinion of course.


----------



## dsm

tasman said:


> After reading through all these posts about the varying results people have there doesn't seem to be a set standard for what pc environement will work. As feedback to the beta community, this seems like it would be a nightmare for DirecTV to support. Could you imagine the calls about hardware issues. It seems like the minority of people are able to use this without any issues. I know DirecTV doesn't control the technology but it seems that some other approach may be better. The Slingbox approach seems to work well. There isn't a strict hardware problem and the software works even in thin client (in beta now). I would think the user community would not ultimately embrace this process. As techies, most of us probably would be fine with making it work but most users wouldn't I would think. Just my opinion of course.


I believe the HR2x is their slingbox eventually ala MRV. This is just a step in that direction. At least I hope the service on the HR2x that provides the stream is the same service that an HR2x would talk to when it becomes the client for MRV.

They did build a program up front to "validate" if your PC will work. That's the vehicle for filtering out things that don't work. They have it in place and I assume that will get enhanced based on our feedback.

steve


----------



## rahlquist

tasman said:


> After reading through all these posts about the varying results people have there doesn't seem to be a set standard for what pc environement will work. As feedback to the beta community, this seems like it would be a nightmare for DirecTV to support. Could you imagine the calls about hardware issues. It seems like the minority of people are able to use this without any issues. I know DirecTV doesn't control the technology but it seems that some other approach may be better. The Slingbox approach seems to work well. There isn't a strict hardware problem and the software works even in thin client (in beta now). I would think the user community would not ultimately embrace this process. As techies, most of us probably would be fine with making it work but most users wouldn't I would think. Just my opinion of course.


Whoa there. Keep in mind people dont generally post about success. As far as the specs, they are fairly simple and straight forward. There are some compatibility issues but not a ton. I got it working on both my laptop which is ATI based and my desktop which is Nvidia based with minimal fuss. As for support I dont know if D* will ever even officially 'support' this app, it was a good stepping stone toward MRV though.


----------



## bkushner

I have all green lights on the test program however I can't use the software. I get the NO RECORDED PROGRAMS error.


----------



## sritter

I am unable to get an activation code, I've tried about 5 times over the past week or so, even tried a couple different email addresses.


----------



## dettxw

sritter said:


> I am unable to get an activation code, I've tried about 5 times over the past week or so, even tried a couple different email addresses.


Post details on the steps you went through. It can be a bit tricky, and they don't send you a code until the software is downloaded. If you're not getting the right displays during the process then maybe there is a browser problem, try another one.


----------



## typicalaimster

p3pilot said:


> Understand why there might be issues running DirecTV2PC in a VM, but I was having the issue outside of VM. Not sure why that could cause problems connecting with the protected content server, but it is working now with "VMWare Bridge Protocol" disabled.


Indeed mine was the same issue. I'm running DTV2PC on the main Windows machine. The VMWare runs on top of Windows when I use it. I first attempted to run it on FUSION but that's a whole other problem. Only thing I could think of was they don't want you packet sniffing or something on the machine trying to crack the encryption. Although I don't think this is the case, considering you can snoop packets on the network if you really wanted to.

Either way it's working fine on my Windows machine. Now if I could just get the same license to work on multiple machines. Some people have more that one computer in their house ya know!


----------



## Guest

Is anyone else getting playback at several times normal speed? I get connected with no problem and the picture quality is great, but it's playing at much faster-than-normal speed. It's almost like fast-forwarding except that I get sound with the video.


----------



## veryoldschool

typicalaimster said:


> Indeed mine was the same issue. I'm running DTV2PC on the main Windows machine. The VMWare runs on top of Windows when I use it. I first attempted to run it on FUSION but that's a whole other problem. Only thing I could think of was they don't want you packet sniffing or something on the machine trying to crack the encryption. Although I don't think this is the case, considering you can snoop packets on the network if you really wanted to.
> 
> Either way it's working fine on my Windows machine. Now if I could just get the same license to work on multiple machines. Some people have more that one computer in their house ya know!


You can download two times per email address and get two serial numbers.
To date I have received three serial numbers with two email addresses.


----------



## veryoldschool

rcoleman111 said:


> Is anyone else getting playback at several times normal speed? I get connected with no problem and the picture quality is great, but it's playing at much faster-than-normal speed. It's almost like fast-forwarding except that I get sound with the video.


This has happened to someone else. I don't really remember what they did to resolve it, but you might try installing your video driver again.


----------



## samw

veryoldschool said:


> This sounds like perhaps you don't have uPnP enabled in your router, or it's set for a long time between polling your network.


uPnP is enabled. I couldn't find a polling option.


----------



## jzoomer

On my Vista box, the install does not register the DLLs properly.

This means that if you enter the command in a command box, it will not work unless you have changed directories to the program directory. If you always start it with the program shortcut, it will work because it will start it in that directory.


----------



## tommy_riley

noseeb13 said:


> Thanks for the help. Only problem is HD content cuts in and out so much its pretty much unwatchable. My computer has plenty of power so I doubt its that. I have my 2 HR20-700s connected via power line adapters.
> 
> Anyone else use these and have better luck?


No problem - As previously mentioned I have a system that is similar to yours. It is on a Wireless router "G" network (the DTV receiver etself though is directly connected to the router).

After evaluating the software further, I've discovered that I am indeed able to watch some HDTV recorded shows - And I cannot figure out why I can watch some, but others shutter and hitch !?!??

Example: I recorded "The Office" and this show jerks and hitches (the recordings from both NBC and TBS). I also recorded "Urban Legends" from BIOHD and "Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles" from FOXHD and they were both very watchable with minimal jerking, shuttering, and/or audio/video or hitching on audio or video. I have no idea why The Office is hard to watch (impossible really) but both of thee others are watchable?


----------



## Athlon646464

tommy_riley said:


> Example: I recorded "The Office" and this show jerks and hitches (the recordings from both NBC and TBS). I also recorded "Urban Legends" from BIOHD and "Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles" from FOXHD and they were both very watchable with minimal jerking, shuttering, and/or audio/video or hitching on audio or video. I have no idea why The Office is hard to watch (impossible really) but both of thee others are watchable?


Just a guess here, but 720p (Fox, ABC & ESPN) vs. 1080i (just about everyone else).

:eek2:


----------



## veryoldschool

Athlon646464 said:


> Just a guess here, but 720p (Fox, ABC & ESPN) vs. 1080i (just about everyone else).
> 
> :eek2:


"Your guess" is pretty close. 
1080i MPEG-4, currently, is the most CPU intensive type of recording to play. I have problems with my local 1080i MPEG-4, but can play the other SAT 1080i MPEG-4, with my weakest PC and don't have these problems with my "horsepower" PC.


----------



## SParker

I suggest they add a feature where you can downrez 1080 stuff to 720p through this program. My current rig can run 720 pretty good. I'm going to upgrade my PC this summer.


----------



## ke3ju

Rockermann said:


> Nope, that doesn't do it. The software 'controls bar' disappears as it should, but the DirecTV play bar is persistent. Sucks...
> 
> Oh well, I'll keep an eye on the thread.


Anyone ever find a solution to this problem?

Regards,
Ed


----------



## Xzisted

I don't know if anyone has found a way around this yet but it would be pretty nice if someone could. I have an NVidia 8800gt card with two DVI outs that both support HDCP. I have two monitors both connected via DVI to this card which also support HDCP. I also have a dual core AMD black edition 5600 which is more than enough to handle the decode.

What I like to do however is watch TV while I play World of Warcraft (I'm a geek, sue me). I currently watch an SD version of stuff through Media Center via a Hauppauge capture card and an old Sony HD200 receiver. I'd like to be able to watch using DIRECTV2PC though so I can watch HD content until the HDPC comes along. Right now I think that the security features preventing viewing on systems with two monitors is kind of overly strict. I don't see any reason to prevent this kind of activity from going on.

Has anyone had any success with watching shows with both monitors active?

X


----------



## azarby

Firewall setting for AVG (Media Share, DTV2PC).

Does anyone have a listing of the firewall settings needed for AVG 8.0 on Vista. When I turn on the firewall, my PC loses sight of all of the other devices on my local network. Turn it off and everything works. I would need the settings for both Media Share and DTV2PC.

Thanks

Bob


----------



## noseeb13

tommy_riley said:


> No problem - As previously mentioned I have a system that is similar to yours. It is on a Wireless router "G" network (the DTV receiver etself though is directly connected to the router).
> 
> After evaluating the software further, I've discovered that I am indeed able to watch some HDTV recorded shows - And I cannot figure out why I can watch some, but others shutter and hitch !?!??
> 
> Example: I recorded "The Office" and this show jerks and hitches (the recordings from both NBC and TBS). I also recorded "Urban Legends" from BIOHD and "Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles" from FOXHD and they were both very watchable with minimal jerking, shuttering, and/or audio/video or hitching on audio or video. I have no idea why The Office is hard to watch (impossible really) but both of thee others are watchable?


Hmm, I have Terminator recorded as well, I'll have to see if that is watchable.

Thanks


----------



## tommy_riley

noseeb13 said:


> Hmm, I have Terminator recorded as well, I'll have to see if that is watchable.
> 
> Thanks


It was a little hitchy at first, but it settled down after a about 20 seconds. I also had to pause/start it once or twice to get the audio and video to sync up.


----------



## jplescia

John Nadeau said:


> What OS are you using and what are your cpu, ram, and video card specs?


Why.. it should not make a difference.. one reciever streams perfectly the HR20 and the HR21 is choppy.... and fyi.. just tried recording the same show on both recieveers to be sure I was comparing apples to apples and it still is doing same thing..


----------



## p3pilot

ke3ju said:


> Anyone ever find a solution to this problem?


It looks to me to be video driver/video card related. I just changed out my ati video card for a nvidia card and the problem has gone away. I thought I also read that updating video drivers has made the issue go away.


----------



## credditt

tommy_riley said:


> After evaluating the software further, I've discovered that I am indeed able to watch some HDTV recorded shows - And I cannot figure out why I can watch some, but others shutter and hitch !?!??


I had the same problem. Some HD shows played fine, others were unwatchable because the jumped around so much. The problem was my network. My PC's are either connected to my router by gigabit ethernet or 802.11 N. My HR20 was connected to the router connected using a Netgear powerline. Even though the Powerline should have been fast enough, it wasn't fast enough for some HD, especially 1080i. I fixed the problem by getting an Apple Airport Express and using it to connect the HR20 to my wireless network using 802.11 N. The wireless is ~3x as fast as the Powerline, and it fixed my problem.


----------



## zortapa

I was just watching a hockey game on my laptop. DIRECTV2PC was working fine, and has been working fine for weeks. Then my laptop shutdown because my battery ran low.

After attaching the power cord and restarting my laptop, DIRECTV2PC now shows the dreaded "There are no recorded programs at this time" message.

I tried rebooting my laptop and rebooting my HR22, but I still get this message. I guess I'll try to reinstall DIRECTV2PC, but other suggestions would be much appreciated!

Thanks!


----------



## dixonbm

Is anyone still having trouble getting a serial?

It's been more than 24 hours when I last requested it and I requested it using 3 different email address: gmail, hotmail, comcast.net.

I hope it's not just me


----------



## John Nadeau

jplescia said:


> Why.. it should not make a difference.. one reciever streams perfectly the HR20 and the HR21 is choppy.... and fyi.. just tried recording the same show on both recieveers to be sure I was comparing apples to apples and it still is doing same thing..


This is very interesting! I only have hr21's and experience choppy playback on 1080i stuff... SD & 720p are fine. I was wondering what your PC specs are so that I can compare it to mine (athlon 64x2 3800+; ati hd4550; 1gig ram). I did overclock and it seemed to smooth out the 1080i a little.


----------



## tommy_riley

credditt said:


> I had the same problem. Some HD shows played fine, others were unwatchable because the jumped around so much. The problem was my network. My PC's are either connected to my router by gigabit ethernet or 802.11 N. My HR20 was connected to the router connected using a Netgear powerline. Even though the Powerline should have been fast enough, it wasn't fast enough for some HD, especially 1080i. I fixed the problem by getting an Apple Airport Express and using it to connect the HR20 to my wireless network using 802.11 N. The wireless is ~3x as fast as the Powerline, and it fixed my problem.


Ya, I just have a cheapo netgear "g" wireless router right now that I got from a 2nd hand store a year ago for 10 bucks. They had like 3 of them almost brand new in the box (the thrift store was about 3 miles away from the Microsoft main campus in Redmond, WA though, so I know alot of geeks live around there). I'll probably be upgrading to a nice N wireless router soon.

Really, right now, I'm just waiting for directv to release a software update - their first public beta release was an impressive start, so I'm anxious to see what improvements and changes are made when the next few builds come out (whenever that is).


----------



## ke3ju

Yeah, it's a brand new Dell...I went to Dell's website to look for newer drivers, and the drivers that are already on the machine are newer than the one's on their website.

I wonder if D* will correct these issues in their next release.


----------



## veryoldschool

From last night's "chat" there will be a release coming that is less CPU intensive and will support h.264 [MPEG-4] video chips "better".


----------



## SParker

veryoldschool said:


> From last night's "chat" there will be a release coming that is less CPU intensive and will support h.264 [MPEG-4] video chips "better".


That is good news, wonder when.


----------



## veryoldschool

SParker said:


> That is good news, wonder when.


[like so many things] "When" I can't answer.


----------



## Guest

rcoleman111 said:


> Is anyone else getting playback at several times normal speed? I get connected with no problem and the picture quality is great, but it's playing at much faster-than-normal speed. It's almost like fast-forwarding except that I get sound with the video.


Video quality is very good, but it's playing at approximately 2X normal speed. I've checked the NVidia settings, but I don't see anything that would affect it. Playback with WMP is normal. There doesn't seem to be anything it the DirecTV2PC settings that controls the playback speed. Any ideas?


----------



## waynebtx

veryoldschool said:


> From last night's "chat" there will be a release coming that is less CPU intensive and will support h.264 [MPEG-4] video chips "better".


I checked this afternoon and its still 4526.


----------



## veryoldschool

waynebtx said:


> I checked this afternoon and its still 4526.


It will be a longer wait than "days". If you were in the chat last night, you might have seen my post about "cat out of the bag" and the :lol: reply from the one that let it out this soon.


----------



## ccsoftball7

dixonbm said:


> Is anyone still having trouble getting a serial?
> 
> It's been more than 24 hours when I last requested it and I requested it using 3 different email address: gmail, hotmail, comcast.net.
> 
> I hope it's not just me


Same here...2 different pc's with 2 different email addresses...no serial number...HELP!!!


----------



## timmurchison

I've installed Direct2PC. When I open it it says it is searching for server. It doesn't find a server. What server is it looking for? I'm network and tech savvy but don't know how this operates. 

Do I need a server installed on my local computer?


----------



## veryoldschool

timmurchison said:


> I've installed Direct2PC. When I open it it says it is searching for server. It doesn't find a server. What server is it looking for? I'm network and tech savvy but don't know how this operates.
> 
> Do I need a server installed on my local computer?


"server = DVR"


----------



## timmurchison

veryoldschool said:


> "server = DVR"


That's very helpful.

Neither of my computers running Direct2PC detect the server/DVR. One of my computers does see it with Media Server. Why can't Direct2PC?


----------



## veryoldschool

timmurchison said:


> That's very helpful.
> 
> Neither of my computers running Direct2PC detect the server/DVR. One of my computers does see it with Media Server. Why can't Direct2PC?


"firewall"?
Once I've got windows media player "knowing" the DVRs, I haven't had a problem finding the "servers". I have had a problem when Vista crashes [leaving the DVR in never never land] and had to reboot the DVR.


----------



## zortapa

zortapa said:


> I was just watching a hockey game on my laptop. DIRECTV2PC was working fine, and has been working fine for weeks. Then my laptop shutdown because my battery ran low.
> 
> After attaching the power cord and restarting my laptop, DIRECTV2PC now shows the dreaded "There are no recorded programs at this time" message.
> 
> I tried rebooting my laptop and rebooting my HR22, but I still get this message. I guess I'll try to reinstall DIRECTV2PC, but other suggestions would be much appreciated!
> 
> Thanks!


0x029B was pushed to my HR22-100 early Saturday morning. After that, DIRECTV2PC was again working fine.


----------



## Xalky

It seems to be working pretty well here. I had to go back to the name/e-mail page after the directv2pc software was installed on my laptop to get my reg key. I think the software communicates back to the server with a cookie after the software is actually installed. I went back to the name/e-mail page after the software was installed and the software was started for the first time. It then asked for my reg key and then I resent my name and e-mail and I got a reg key within 30 seconds in my e-mail.


----------



## brewman63

I finally got the file downloaded, had to go to a location with highspeed. Installed the program and entered the activation code. When I click on the icon, I see a brief flash of something Directv on the screen and then back to desktop. 
Any ideas?

B Brewer


----------



## netPOSER

Working fine for me on my Desktop. I little sluggish when starting a show (I can hear the audio a few seconds before I see the video).

Tried it once on my Dell laptop and lost connection with one of my DVR's and then the app said it could not find any DVR's on the network (I have 2).

I'll try again tonight. I might have to break-down and upgrade from g to N to get this to work over my WLAN.


----------



## SParker

I'm sure this is a no duh but my 1080i stuff runs a lot smoother when I disable Vista Aero.


----------



## veryoldschool

SParker said:


> I'm sure this is a no duh but my 1080i stuff runs a lot smoother when I disable Vista Aero.


What is your Vista experience index for your CPU & the Graphics score?


----------



## stevecon

::deleted::


----------



## leww37334

v 4526 
PC athlon 64 x2
802.11n network

lots of audio and video skips playing The Moody BLues, recorded from CH 79 HDNET on 11/9.


----------



## veryoldschool

leww37334 said:


> v 4526
> PC athlon 64 x2
> 802.11n network
> 
> lots of audio and video skips playing The Moody BLues, recorded from *CH 79 HDNET* on 11/9.


That's a 1080i MPEG-2 program, so it is the largest bit rate and CPU usage.


----------



## timmmaaayyy2003

Ironically, my Vista index for my laptop is 2.0 and other than losing the server on the network periodically, it runs flawlessly while my desktop with a 3.5 chokes and sputters on HD.

The only thing I can think of is dual vs. single core.


----------



## PAJeep

Went from an Nvidia 6600GT 256 that had some stuttering with HD to an Asus AH3650 512 and the stuttering is worse so I'm at a loss.

I also noticed with the advisor that the Grahpics card is gray and Hardware Acceleration is red.


----------



## SParker

veryoldschool said:


> What is your Vista experience index for your CPU & the Graphics score?


4.9 for CPU and 5.9 for Graphics.


----------



## veryoldschool

PAJeep said:


> Went from an Nvidia 6600GT 256 that had some stuttering with HD to an Asus AH3650 512 and the stuttering is worse so I'm at a loss.


I would recommend going to ATI and getting their new driver. You'll need to look for the "hot fix" for AGP cards. I think it's under "gaming".


----------



## veryoldschool

SParker said:


> 4.9 for CPU and 5.9 for Graphics.


Those are good scores, so I'm surprised you needed to turn aero off.
I don't and mine are 4.4 for CPU & 5.3 for Graphics.


----------



## veryoldschool

PAJeep said:


> Went from an Nvidia 6600GT 256 that had some stuttering with HD to an Asus AH3650 512 and the stuttering is worse so I'm at a loss.
> 
> I also noticed with the advisor that the Grahpics card is gray and Hardware Acceleration is red.


I had a 6600GT [with 128] and moved to the 3650. I'm green for acceleration, but red for Graphics Card driver and HDCP, BUT it does work and it's because the advisor doesn't "know about" the new drivers.


----------



## SParker

veryoldschool said:


> Those are good scores, so I'm surprised you needed to turn aero off.
> I don't and mine are 4.4 for CPU & 5.3 for Graphics.


Probably some stuff I run are CPU intensive. Like my weather monitor for my weather station. I shut that stuff down while I'm watching TV.


----------



## PAJeep

veryoldschool said:


> I would recommend going to ATI and getting their new driver. You'll need to look for the "hot fix" for AGP cards. I think it's under "gaming".


I tried that a few times before and it always said not compatible and exits the install. Does it for both the AGP hot fix and the latest 3600 series driver. I think it has something to do with the Asus cards. Maybe there is a trick to get it to work or I'm just doing something wrong. From device manager it shows my current driver date is 8/8/2008 driver version 8.523.0.0


----------



## veryoldschool

PAJeep said:


> I tried that a few times before and it always said not compatible and exits the install. Does it for both the AGP hot fix and the latest 3600 series driver. I think it has something to do with the Asus cards. Maybe there is a trick to get it to work or I'm just doing something wrong. From device manager it shows my current driver date is 8/8/2008 driver version 8.523.0.0


8-10agp-hotfix....69569 went in fine for me.
before I needed to add: 
"ASUS Radeon HD 3650" = ati2mtag_RV630, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_9596
to the inf file.


----------



## ctwilliams

BurnX said:


> I have the same issue. Resetting my HR20 temporarily fixes the problem, but after a day or so it disappears again. I believe this is some kind of problem with the firmware on my HR20. When the directv2pc software can find my HR20, it also shows up in my Vista Network browser as a DirecTV Media Server. When direct2pc software can't find it, the media server entry has also disappeared from the network browser. This seems to indicate that the mediaserver in the HR20 is no longer running.


Exact same problem here....Works great, watch for awhile, exit out and then the "servers" disappear. A reboot of the receivers always brings them back. I have an HR20 and a HR21 with the current national release.


----------



## stardog

davros74 said:


> My original post is probably way back, but I have a Dell D820 laptop with nVidia Quadro NVS 110M video card and was initially having problems getting Directv2PC to work.
> 
> Updating the nVidia drivers to Dell's 12/2007 version and 03/2008 version did not get it to work, but was probably needed anyway.
> 
> Based on some recommendations I saw, I uninstalled PowerDVD 5.7 which came pre-installed on my laptop, rebooted, then started up the DirecTV2PC application. It now runs just fine!! Even HD over 802.11g.
> 
> Just wanted to chime in that PowerDVD is causing major issues with DirecTV2PC on my setup also. I don't know if there is a version of PowerDVD that does work, but I don't miss it anyway... DirecTV2PC is far more useful I can live without the PowerDVD software.


I have the same PowerDTD version but works well with DirecTV2PC, I don't know why but it just work well.
Is the problem happen on some specail content or channel?

How about if you install the PowerDVD back?


----------



## SlimyPizza

I like the DirecTV2PC feature but I don't have a huge calling to use it yet. Still, its nice to have and I hope at some point it will be enhanced to allow viewing beyond my LAN. One thing I wish was included now is a way to delete a program from the playlist once its viewed to free up HD space. I watched a show last night on my laptop but couldn't find a way to delete it. Is that only an option from the TV?

I know this is mainly a network issue but I see a lot of sputtering and freezing during playback dependent on wireless conditions in my home. It would be nice if DirecTV2PC would buffer more to minimize these effects.


----------



## timmmaaayyy2003

ctwilliams said:


> Exact same problem here....Works great, watch for awhile, exit out and then the "servers" disappear. A reboot of the receivers always brings them back. I have an HR20 and a HR21 with the current national release.


Keeps losing connection to the server and if/when the server is found again either the list is empty or it won't play.

"Server returns '503 Service Unavailable". Directv2PC could not play the content."

This happens on both satelite and OTA content.

Using wired 10/100 cat 5e.


----------



## veryoldschool

timmmaaayyy2003 said:


> Keeps losing connection to the server and if/when the server is found again either the list is empty or it won't play.
> 
> "*Server returns '503 Service Unavailable*". Directv2PC could not play the content."
> 
> This happens on both satelite and OTA content.
> 
> Using wired 10/100 cat 5e.


I get this for an OTA channel [3-1 NBC], but not the other OTA channels or the SAT channels.


----------



## timmmaaayyy2003

veryoldschool said:


> I get this for an OTA channel [3-1 NBC], but not the other OTA channels or the SAT channels.


I think it has to do with network services on the reciever. Or it could just be an oversimplification of any error when the rcvr won't send data to DTV2PC


----------



## vrtladept

firemed509 said:


> I'm having the same issue with my IMac running parallels. Tried reset without success. Will play with it tomorrow.


I too am having this error. Slightly different setup, running on Arch Linux with VirtualBox hosting a Windows XP session. Seems that DirectTV2PC does not like virtualization software....

Bummer really .. if they would just support my native OS, I would be happy.


----------



## Kil4Thril

Is there any way to run directly from the tuner instead of the DVR? Sorry, search has failed me.


----------



## SParker

Kil4Thril said:


> Is there any way to run directly from the tuner instead of the DVR? Sorry, search has failed me.


You mean live? That's a request many have made including myself. Not yet but hopefully someone is listening..


----------



## Khidr

Wanted to jump in with something I learned this weekend trying to get DTV2PC to play on demand shows. 

I was getting the error that either my pc or my monitor did not support protected content, running an ati x1900 with a dvi connection to a gateway fpd2185w. 

Dropping the dvi connection and hooking my monitor up by vga solved the error, with no apparent impact on resolution or quality. 

I don't know if this helps anyone trying to do this, but figured I'd throw it out there.


----------



## timmmaaayyy2003

I posted this in the other thread, but I think more people are looking here:

Okay, a quick update.

Both of my machines are a bit underpowered according to the DTV2PC requirements, but I love to push the envelope. 

Up until yesterday, I was able to get recordings to run on my laptop as long as I used a wired network connection. This includes SD and HD from both satelite and OTA. I was unable to get my wireless to play HD with any kind of quality, but SD recorded from SD channel played fine. The only issue was when the network would lose connection and after reestablishing the link, my list would be blank or I'd get the dreaded 503 error.

Yesterday, I decided to get my HR21-700 network services up and running or die trying. I knew this was a challenge, but with all the tips I'd come across here, I figured it had to be doable. After setting the IP address on my DVR to match that which was seen on my router and port forwarding to that which was manually set on the DVR, network services finally started and passed!

Now for the cool part: My underpowered laptop will now stream HD recordings using the wireless g connection with only a random dropped frame! No more cat 5e cable needed

For those that say that network services are unneeded for DTV2PC, I say that may be true, but the network needs to at least be able to pass for reliable operation IMHO.

With the way it is working on my 1.7GHz duo, I decided to see if HD on my desktop was any better than before, and while the video is still a little choppy, the audio is flawless. If we can reduce the CPU loading just a bit, I daresay that my AMD 2.01GHz 2600+ may be able to pull it off with a wired connection!

We are so close I can taste it!


----------



## SParker

Any word on when there will be an updated version?


----------



## veryoldschool

SParker said:


> Any word on when there will be an updated version?


It's only been just over a week since any word of a new version was in work.
This version was in work since spring. While I wouldn't think it will be as long, it won't be "over night" either. Maybe a "long soon". :lol:


----------



## SParker

Ahh okay, thanks for the explanation.


----------



## DaddyPhatSaks

Anyway to force the download if your system doesnt pass the required specs? I would atleast like to give it a try.


----------



## veryoldschool

DaddyPhatSaks said:


> Anyway to force the download if your system doesnt pass the required specs? I would atleast like to give it a try.


No need to "force" it. The two [advisor & DirecTV2PC] aren't connected.
I downloaded the app without ever downloading the advisor.
you need to complete the screen/window that asks for your name & email, then you should get to the download page.


----------



## ccr1958

Does this software come with "elecard mpeg2 video decoder"

the reason i ask is in the past few days when i play an mpeg2 video
using wmp11(vista home premium) i get a scroll at the bottom of the video
stating "evaluation period has expired, please buy the elecard mpeg2 video
decoder at www.elecard.com or contact [email protected]"
i have not installed any codec packages since i last did a clean install of the vista OS(6 months ago or so)
like i used too because it seems these days with all the different formats, codecs etc it seems to end up causing troubles somewhere
the only thing i can find on my computer that this may be built into is ffdshow
which i believe was part of TVersity(which i have uninstalled quite a while back)...

at the moment this scrolling at the bottom is not a big deal as it only does it
in the first few seconds & the video seems to continue to play fine....
i just don't know where the heck this software came from....i checked google
& can't come up with anything that i have bought in the past or really any
answer as to where it could come from as related to my system....but i did find one forum where 
a user removed it from his registry & that screwed up viewing mpeg2 videos....
trendmicro or removeit pro does not detect any spyware...
i wouldn't "buy" software from russia over the internet anyway...

any ideas???
thanks


----------



## DaddyPhatSaks

Ahhh, never did that, just thought u would do the advisor then if ur system passed it would proceed with the DL. Ill try tonight, thanks a ton!


----------



## veryoldschool

ccr1958 said:


> Does this software come with "elecard mpeg2 video decoder"
> 
> the reason i ask is in the past few days when i play an mpeg2 video
> using wmp11(vista home premium) i get a scroll at the bottom of the video
> stating "evaluation period has expired, please buy the elecard mpeg2 video
> decoder at www.elecard.com or contact [email protected]"
> i have not installed any codec packages since i last did a clean install of the vista OS(6 months ago or so)
> like i used too because it seems these days with all the different formats, codecs etc it seems to end up causing troubles somewhere
> the only thing i can find on my computer that this may be built into is ffdshow
> which i believe was part of TVersity(which i have uninstalled quite a while back)...
> 
> at the moment this scrolling at the bottom is not a big deal as it only does it
> in the first few seconds & the video seems to continue to play fine....
> i just don't know where the heck this software came from....i checked google
> & can't come up with anything that i have bought in the past or really any
> answer as to where it could come from as related to my system....but i did find one forum where
> a user removed it from his registry & that screwed up viewing mpeg2 videos....
> trendmicro or removeit pro does not detect any spyware...
> i wouldn't "buy" software from russia over the internet anyway...
> 
> any ideas???
> thanks


[Vista] I have none of that here, so it wasn't DirecTV2PC that installed it. I have had ffdshow before and not seen it either, but not TVersity, so??


----------



## ccr1958

thanks for responding VOS....just can't figure
where this came from....i have had ffdshow as well as TVersity
in the past with XP & vista for long periods of time & never seen this...
so i don't think it is coming from there....beats me....


----------



## aaronfitz

I'm having issues getting any videos to successfully stream as well. I can connect to my HR21 and see the list, but get a similar error as others when I try to actually stream: "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time."

I've followed some of the advice in this thread by switching to single monitor mode as well as disabling all other network adapters except the one in use (as shown). The DIRECTV2PC Advisor seems to not recognize my HDCP connection, however the BD Advisor shows it.

I've disabled all firewalls in the path. Currently, the network topology is: PC wired to router, which has a 802.11g wireless link to a bridge which is connected to the HR21. I'm about to try a direct wired connection between the PC and the HR21. Any other ideas?


----------



## 94SupraTT

veryoldschool said:


> "This crash error" is usually caused by another video playback program being installed.
> It is common for PowerDVD to come with computers and "sometimes" this is the cause. If you can uninstall it that "might" fix it.


That didn't work for me. Anyone else have any ideas?


----------



## timmmaaayyy2003

94SupraTT said:


> That didn't work for me. Anyone else have any ideas?


Did you make sure that PowerDVD completely uninstalled? I found traces of it in Program Files and the registry after uninstall and had to remove them before it would work for me.


----------



## 94SupraTT

timmmaaayyy2003 said:


> Did you make sure that PowerDVD completely uninstalled? I found traces of it in Program Files and the registry after uninstall and had to remove them before it would work for me.


Removed c:/program files/cyberlink folder and its working, choppy but working.


----------



## veryoldschool

aaronfitz said:


> I'm having issues getting any videos to successfully stream as well. I can connect to my HR21 and see the list, but get a similar error as others when I try to actually stream: "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time."
> 
> I've followed some of the advice in this thread by switching to single monitor mode as well as disabling all other network adapters except the one in use (as shown). The DIRECTV2PC Advisor seems to not recognize my HDCP connection, however the BD Advisor shows it.
> 
> I've disabled all firewalls in the path. Currently, the network topology is: PC wired to router, which has a 802.11g wireless link to a bridge which is connected to the HR21. I'm about to try a direct wired connection between the PC and the HR21. Any other ideas?


Your ATI card/driver isn't [shouldn't be] the problem. I have the same "errors" with the Advisor after updating to the latest ATI driver [actually it came with an earlier update too].
I doubt it's a network problem either. You do connect to the server [you have the playlist].
What is your monitor? It must also be HDCP compliant.
Do you still have the VGA adapter for your ATI card? 
Does your monitor have a VGA [analog] input?
I would try connecting this way first. The DVI connection will give this error if it doesn't pass HDMI [for real].
Another thing to try would be the 8-6 or 8-7 ATI driver as these did pass HDCP for me.
If you end up with the same error, yet can get the advisor to pass HDCP, then it might be an audio driver problem with a digital output, but "normally" this error message does show "video or audio driver" update.


----------



## aaronfitz

veryoldschool said:


> Your ATI card/driver isn't [shouldn't be] the problem. I have the same "errors" with the Advisor after updating to the latest ATI driver [actually it came with an earlier update too].
> I doubt it's a network problem either. You do connect to the server [you have the playlist].
> What is your monitor? It must also be HDCP compliant.
> Do you still have the VGA adapter for your ATI card?
> Does your monitor have a VGA [analog] input?
> I would try connecting this way first. The DVI connection will give this error if it doesn't pass HDMI [for real].
> Another thing to try would be the 8-6 or 8-7 ATI driver as these did pass HDCP for me.
> If you end up with the same error, yet can get the advisor to pass HDCP, then it might be an audio driver problem with a digital output, but "normally" this error message does show "video or audio driver" update.


I have a pair of Samsung 216BW monitors which are HDCP capable (on Newegg, it wont allow me to post a link), so they *shouldn't* be the problem. Connecting a single monitor via its VGA input and a DVI->VGA from the PC didn't seem to have any effect on the DIRECTV2PC Advisor or the application itself. Same error, same red dot in the advisor. Note that the BD Advisor (by Cyberlink as well) is _passing_ the HDCP test, even though the DIRECTV2PC one is failing. Do you happen to have a link to those older ATI drivers? I'll give them a shot. The direct network cable had no effect either.


----------



## timmmaaayyy2003

94SupraTT said:


> Removed c:/program files/cyberlink folder and its working, choppy but working.


Hoorah!

Are you wired or wireless? Are network services passing on the HR? Does your CPU meet minimum spec?

All of these contribute to quality with this version.


----------



## bcdavis75

I have DirecTV2PC up and running on 2PC's now. On my higher end Workstation, it runs flawlessly... love it.

The other machine is a Dell Studio Hybrid (bought specifically for this purpose). A couple issues:

1) It seems to take about 5 minutes for stuttering disappears. I can live ith this but it just makes me think there must be a way to allocate slightly more resource to it to get it smoot from the get go?

2) The much more annoying issue is that the progress bar at the bottom of the screen will not disappear no matter what! I've seen other users mention this but I did not see a solution. Has anybody had any luck with this?

The TV is a Panasonic 50ince 720p connected via HDMI.

Thanks in advance.


----------



## veryoldschool

aaronfitz said:


> I have a pair of Samsung 216BW monitors which are HDCP capable (on Newegg, it wont allow me to post a link), so they *shouldn't* be the problem. Connecting a single monitor via its VGA input and a DVI->VGA from the PC didn't seem to have any effect on the DIRECTV2PC Advisor or the application itself. Same error, same red dot in the advisor. Note that the BD Advisor (by Cyberlink as well) is _passing_ the HDCP test, even though the DIRECTV2PC one is failing. Do you happen to have a link to those older ATI drivers? I'll give them a shot. The direct network cable had no effect either.


You do know you can't have dual monitor active and run this app, right? 
They're at the bottom of the ATI driver page
For 32 bit Vista: http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/vista32/commonprevious-vista32.html


----------



## veryoldschool

bcdavis75 said:


> I have DirecTV2PC up and running on 2PC's now. On my higher end Workstation, it runs flawlessly... love it.
> 
> The other machine is a Dell Studio Hybrid (bought specifically for this purpose). A couple issues:
> 
> 1) It seems to take about 5 minutes for stuttering disappears. I can live ith this but it just makes me think there must be a way to allocate slightly more resource to it to get it smoot from the get go?
> 
> 2) The much more annoying issue is that the progress bar at the bottom of the screen will not disappear no matter what! I've seen other users mention this but I did not see a solution. Has anybody had any luck with this?
> 
> The TV is a Panasonic 50ince 720p connected via HDMI.
> 
> Thanks in advance.


#1 What is your video card?
#2 I haven't has this [but have read about others] so it hard to give help. Could it be releated to your CPU/GPU? Please list what you have.


----------



## cineplex1

How can we make our PC's HDCP compliant. I have an HP 19" laptop with an NVIDIA goforce FX5000 video card.

I loaded Directv2pc, but it won't play without the copy protection.


----------



## billsharpe

bcdavis75 said:


> 2) The much more annoying issue is that the progress bar at the bottom of the screen will not disappear no matter what! I've seen other users mention this but I did not see a solution. Has anybody had any luck with this?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


Moving the mouse pointer off the screen results in the progress bar disappearing, at least on my Compaq laptop.


----------



## gocardinals

I was able to connect on one laptop, no problem. It took awhile to get a second activation code for the wife's laptop, but tonight I finally got one. Installed program, but when it came time to activate the CD Key, it failed,and said to be sure you are connected to the internet. Of course, I am. 
What can I do?


----------



## lancorp

This is silly. PC Mag reviews it and says it's great. I download it (at a lightning fast 33Kbps) and install it on two PC's, try to get activation keys that don't show up for 12 hours, then when I try install it and use it, neither PC can find any servers!

I rebooted one of my HD DVR's and one of my PC's found it and went to the screen that would have shown my playlist, but then immediately went back to the Server Selection screen with no servers found. 

Everything is on the same wired network.

Has anyone gotten this to work??? Should it be this hard?


----------



## Rickrd

I wanted to pass on some info about Directv2pc. My set-up is below. 
I've been struggling with DTV2PC for over a month now and finally I think I have found the culprit for DTV2PC from working. I have young kids so I have Network Nanny Software running on every computer. I did not realize that this program affected DTV2PC. I kept getting a DTV2PC "connection error". Once I turned it off on my PC's, DTV2PC worked wonderfully! I could of kicked myself for not thinking of that possibillity sooner. Oh well, maybe it will help others know that certain other things running on your PC's may affect DTV2PC.


----------



## bighaubs

I'm having problems getting my laptop activated. I installed the software on my desktop, and my laptop. I got rid of my laptop and purchased a new laptop and it is telling me that I'm over my activation limit of 2. Any way to fix this?


----------



## veryoldschool

bighaubs said:


> I'm having problems getting my laptop activated. I installed the software on my desktop, and my laptop. I got rid of my laptop and purchased a new laptop and it is telling me that I'm over my activation limit of 2. Any way to fix this?


Like with Windows, a key is "branded" to a computer. Unlike Windows, there isn't an 800 number to call and change it.
Each email address is good for 2 keys. After this you need to use another email address. Many ISPs will let you setup more than one, and then there is google mail, hotmail, etc.
I've received three keys, by using two addresses.


----------



## veryoldschool

lancorp said:


> This is silly. PC Mag reviews it and says it's great. I download it (at a lightning fast 33Kbps) and install it on two PC's, try to get activation keys that don't show up for 12 hours, then when I try install it and use it, neither PC can find any servers!
> 
> I rebooted one of my HD DVR's and one of my PC's found it and went to the screen that would have shown my playlist, but then immediately went back to the Server Selection screen with no servers found.
> 
> Everything is on the same wired network.
> 
> 
> Has anyone gotten this to work???
> Should it be this hard?


1) many have gotten it to work.
2) How "hard" it is setup will vary. 
Firewalls, routers, anitvirus programs can all effect how "easy" it is to setup.


----------



## bighaubs

veryoldschool said:


> Like with Windows, a key is "branded" to a computer. Unlike Windows, there isn't an 800 number to call and change it.
> Each email address is good for 2 keys. After this you need to use another email address. Many ISPs will let you setup more than one, and then there is google mail, hotmail, etc.
> I've received three keys, by using two addresses.


Thanks. Works great. I didn't realize that it was tied to the email address.


----------



## lwilli201

Has anyone had trouble accessing HRXX that have a high IP number. I had this problem on an old DSL modem. I just replaced it to upgrade to a higher speed. Could not set up Network Services with UPnP so I had to set up static IP and port forwarding. 3 HRs picked up the IP address already set up on those units (11 and below) and I set them to static. the 4th HR assigned another number (46) and I set up manuel accordingly and network services work OK. Now that HR will not show up in DIRECTV2PC. I am going to assign a lower number and see if that corrects the problem.

Just wondering if any one else had experienced this.


----------



## BurnX

lancorp said:


> This is silly. PC Mag reviews it and says it's great. I download it (at a lightning fast 33Kbps) and install it on two PC's, try to get activation keys that don't show up for 12 hours, then when I try install it and use it, neither PC can find any servers!
> 
> I rebooted one of my HD DVR's and one of my PC's found it and went to the screen that would have shown my playlist, but then immediately went back to the Server Selection screen with no servers found.
> 
> Everything is on the same wired network.
> 
> Has anyone gotten this to work??? Should it be this hard?


I have the exact same issue. It was caused by the 2 Sonos devices on my network. Sonos are also media servers and appear to cause the DirecTV receivers media server application to shutdown. Check this thread from the Sonos forum:

http://forums.sonos.com/showthread.php?t=11204

If you don't have a Sonos, maybe its another device on your network causing problems. Try disconnecting them one-by-one till you narrow it down.


----------



## drspringer

I have the D2PC loaded and working. It showed both DVRss when I activated it and I only selected one and that's the only one I see programs for. Can I access the other receiver? If so, how do I do it?


----------



## veryoldschool

drspringer said:


> I have the D2PC loaded and working. It showed both DVRss when I activated it and I only selected one and that's the only one I see programs for. Can I access the other receiver? If so, how do I do it?


Menu, then server, then click on the window so the drop down of the other servers show. Use the ^ or \/ to change servers and then "Click" on the server "to set it". You should see the font change. Now you can click "done" and have changed servers.


----------



## drspringer

veryoldschool said:


> Menu, then server, then click on the window so the drop down of the other servers show. Use the ^ or \/ to change servers and then "Click" on the server "to set it". You should see the font change. Now you can click "done" and have changed servers.


It never fails, as soon as I posted I found it. Thanks


----------



## alewissr

I am having trouble with the TV Options menu that comes up using the Menu/Audio Options selection on DIRECTV2PC. The Audio Options selection does not work. In watching a recorded CNBC Power Lunch program with a SAP, Secondary Audio Program video/audio program, changing the audio to match the video you want to watch does not switch. It stays on the audio channel D2PC picks up when it starts. Will the new release solve this problem? How can I get around it now? Thanks for your help.

Art


----------



## veryoldschool

alewissr said:


> I am having trouble with the TV Options menu that comes up using the Menu/Audio Options selection on DIRECTV2PC. The Audio Options selection does not work. In watching a recorded CNBC Power Lunch program with a SAP, Secondary Audio Program video/audio program, changing the audio to match the video you want to watch does not switch. It stays on the audio channel D2PC picks up when it starts. Will the new release solve this problem? How can I get around it now? Thanks for your help.
> 
> Art


I'm a bit  
DirecTV2PC doesn't have an option to change SAP. "It simply" streams from the hard drive, so any settings in your DVR or TV won't have any effect.


----------



## hookemfins

My system should have no problem handling Direct2pc. I have a quad core phenom, 512 ati card and 8 gig memory. Advisor is unknown for processor and graphics card and green for everything else except for the wireless card which is 802.11n. Update is grayed out and I see nowhere to download the actual program? I am willing to bet my system can handle d2pc.


----------



## veryoldschool

hookemfins said:


> My system should have no problem handling Direct2pc. I have a quad core phenom, 512 ati card and 8 gig memory. Advisor is unknown for processor and graphics card and green for everything else except for the wireless card which is 802.11n. Update is grayed out and I see nowhere to download the actual program? I am willing to bet my system can handle d2pc.


http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=P4920044
But you need to click on the continue "pop-up" window


----------



## hookemfins

Thanks VOS. I do click continue to beta download and I get the request to d/l the advisor. I am trying in both IE and Firefox.


----------



## veryoldschool

hookemfins said:


> Thanks VOS. I do click continue to beta download and I get the request to d/l the advisor. I am trying in both IE and Firefox.


I think there seems to be a mixup between "popups".
The advisor is a "true" pop-up, where the DirecTV2PC is this one:


----------



## hookemfins

No mix up. That's I see that box and click on the continue to beta. It then takes me to the playback advisor download.


----------



## veryoldschool

hookemfins said:


> No mix up. That's I see that box and click on the continue to beta. It then takes me to the playback advisor download.


So I clicked on continue and this is what came up [notice the there is a blocked pop up]:







This is where you need to fill in your name & email and then submit, which then takes you to the download.


----------



## brewman63

I still can't get the program to work at all. I downloaded and installed useing the supplied SN. When I click on the desktop icon, there is a brief white screen and then back to desktop. No error, no message, nothing. I have uninstalled and reinstalled a few times.

Any ideas???!!!

Athlon 64 3800+ X2
2G RAM
ATI HD 3870 video

B Brewer


----------



## rlp2955

Hi all,
For what its worth, here has been my experience with DirecTV2PC over the last week or so. 

Specs:
2 Ghz Lenovo T60
1 GB physical RAM
Intel 945 Express Chipset-128MB memory
Windows XP SP2

Just purchased a D Link Gigabit N router but laptop only supports up to wireless G. Have HR20-700 networked wirelessly using Linksys "N" game adapter. My symptoms are similar to what others have described here. SD content seems to stream for the most part pretty good with little to no video/audio jerkiness. HD is a big problem though. It is unwatchable for me. Only when I pause and then restart is it watchable...and that is only for a few seconds then stuttering starts back up. I am going to try and set priority for process as mentioned in previous posts. When I ran the advisor, I get red for my graphics card (attached picture). I have occasionally got the "503" error as well.

Questions:
1) Would a wireless N adapter for laptop to match my "N" router help this?
2) Is this graphics adapter and video memory enough? (this is a work laptop)
3) Are people having better success having the HR hard wired into router vs. wireless?
4) Any other tweaks I could try to get HD to stream better wirelessly? (I have set QoS up in router but that doesn't seem to do anything). My router is in my office upstairs and HR is down in basement and I have heard the powerline adapters aren't improving performance much?

If nothing else, I guess I can just have the DVR record SD for when I know I want to watch over laptop.


----------



## henryld

I can no longer access my HR20-700 via my wireless N network. The only thing I have done recently is add a Panny 35 BD player to my system (hard wired to my router). Any trouble shooting suggestions?


----------



## black banshee

veryoldschool said:


> I think there seems to be a mixup between "popups".
> The advisor is a "true" pop-up, where the DirecTV2PC is this one:
> View attachment 16564


Like hookemfins, if I click on the Directv popup, it just takes me to the advisor download page. I can't find where to get the actual Directv2pc application.

Anyone know what's going on? If it wasn't available, you'd think they'd say this on the website, or at least prevent you from downloading the advisor...


----------



## black banshee

Never mind - got it to work, bit I had to use the Apple Safari browser. I.E. Explorer wouldn't go to the download page for some reason.


----------



## brian26339

Having trouble trying to stream the Saints / Bears game last night using D2PC. Video would stutter almost constantly and very bad motion blur and the audio would get way ahead of the video. Completely unwatchable. 

This would only occur though when the actual game was being played. As soon as they went to commercial the video would catch up with the audio and everything would play smoothly until they switched back to the game again.

I haven't had any other real ploblems streaming shows on either of the two computers I have this installed on.

My configuration: computer #1, Pentium D 3.4, Nvidia 7600gt, 4 gb ram, 802.11g wireless, Vista. Computer #2, Pentium D 2.8, Nividia 6600, 4 gb ram, wired to Linksys router, WinXP.

I almost think it's got to be something that the NFL Network is doing to the live video. It just seems strange to me the the commercials would play but the game video was unwatchable. Any ideas?

Thanks.


----------



## devedsmith

How do we get a serial number? I've been waiting for an hour for the e-mail (I don't have junk mail so don't ask.).

Why do I need to put in my company? I will not provide this information.


----------



## veryoldschool

devedsmith said:


> How do we get a serial number? I've been waiting for an hour for the e-mail (I don't have junk mail so don't ask.).
> 
> Why do I need to put in my company? I will not provide this information.


"Most times" the serial number comes right after you finish downloading the app.
"Company" will work for the name.


----------



## devedsmith

I get this same problem (FiltHookInstaller crashing). Any resolve?


----------



## shaka999

Anyone tried DirecTV2PC with a netbook? You know, one of the $400 atom based laptops? Just wondering if it had enough power to work. 

I I just read Nvidia is coming out with an accelerated version later this year that might make one this setup more functional. I'm just thinking this would make a nice bedroom TV for me....


----------



## InterMurph

OK, I have been trying to get this software to work for two weeks, without success. It finds my DVR, reports all available programs, etc. But every time I try to watch a show, I get the "DirecTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time." error.

I don't believe I should be getting this error, since:

I have a Core 2 Duo processor running at 3.4GHz
I have a brand new Dell 2408FPW monitor, with HDCP
I have a brand new nVidia GeForce 9500 GT video card, with HDCP and the latest drivers
I am not running multiple monitors
I am not running Internet Connection Sharing
I am not running PowerDVD
I am running a fully-wired 1GB network

And most importantly, the Playback Advisor gives me all green!

I have read many of the messages on this thread, but I can't seem to find out what I'm doing wrong.

Can anybody offer any suggestions?

Thanks.

*Update:* I can watch Little Bear recorded from Noggin. But nothing else. That makes it smell like an HDCP problem, even though my brand-new video card and brand-new monitor both have HDCP support.

PS Here is my advisor display:


----------



## islesfan

Has anyone noticed problems with particular recordings? Here's what I mean. I have managed to get DirecTV2PC to work for the most part after a lot of tweaking. My PC exceeds all system requirements except it's wireless connection which gets a yellow. Nevertheless, I was able to watch, for example, last week's NCIS with very few problems. This week's, however, is completely unwatchable. It studders, changes framerates, and the audio is almost always out of synch.

Note, I watched both programs on successive nights, and nothing has changed in the configuration. One NCIS is watchable, the other isn't. When I quit trying with the second NCIS on Wednesday night, I tried it again on Thursday night and it had the same problems. I tried a Simpsons right after, and that played fine.

I'm getting more and more confused here. It is beginning to look like an interesting novelty again, but not a feature you can rely upon.


----------



## dettxw

InterMurph said:


> OK, I have been trying to get this software to work for two weeks, without success. It finds my DVR, reports all available programs, etc. But every time I try to watch a show, I get the "DirecTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time." error.
> 
> I don't believe I should be getting this error, since:
> 
> I have a Core 2 Duo processor running at 3.4GHz
> I have a brand new Dell 2408FPW monitor, with HDCP
> I have a brand new nVidia GeForce 9500 GT video card, with HDCP and the latest drivers
> I am not running multiple monitors
> I am not running Internet Connection Sharing
> I am not running PowerDVD
> I am running a fully-wired 1GB network
> 
> And most importantly, the Playback Advisor gives me all green!
> 
> I have read many of the messages on this thread, but I can't seem to find out what I'm doing wrong.
> 
> Can anybody offer any suggestions?
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> *Update:* I can watch Little Bear recorded from Noggin. But nothing else. That makes it smell like an HDCP problem, even though my brand-new video card and brand-new monitor both have HDCP support.
> 
> PS Here is my advisor display:


What's your DVR firmware version? The 02AF being pushed may help.


----------



## veryoldschool

islesfan said:


> Has anyone noticed problems with particular recordings? Here's what I mean. I have managed to get DirecTV2PC to work for the most part after a lot of tweaking. My PC exceeds all system requirements except it's wireless connection which gets a yellow. Nevertheless, I was able to watch, for example, last week's NCIS with very few problems. This week's, however, is completely unwatchable. *It studders, changes framerates, and the audio is almost always out of synch*.
> 
> Note, I watched both programs on successive nights, and nothing has changed in the configuration. One NCIS is watchable, the other isn't. When I quit trying with the second NCIS on Wednesday night, I tried it again on Thursday night and it had the same problems. I tried a Simpsons right after, and that played fine.
> 
> I'm getting more and more confused here. It is beginning to look like an interesting novelty again, but not a feature you can rely upon.


I had this with my local 1080i HD, but not with the local 720p HD. "Throwing more horsepower at it" [2.33 GHz Core2 Duo + nVidia 8800GT] was the only way to get these to play.


----------



## dettxw

islesfan said:


> Has anyone noticed problems with particular recordings? Here's what I mean. I have managed to get DirecTV2PC to work for the most part after a lot of tweaking. My PC exceeds all system requirements except it's wireless connection which gets a yellow. Nevertheless, I was able to watch, for example, last week's NCIS with very few problems. This week's, however, is completely unwatchable. It studders, changes framerates, and the audio is almost always out of synch.
> 
> Note, I watched both programs on successive nights, and nothing has changed in the configuration. One NCIS is watchable, the other isn't. When I quit trying with the second NCIS on Wednesday night, I tried it again on Thursday night and it had the same problems. I tried a Simpsons right after, and that played fine.
> 
> I'm getting more and more confused here. It is beginning to look like an interesting novelty again, but not a feature you can rely upon.


You're making us guess to try and help.

Can we assume the "good" and "bad" recordings both play well from the DVR to TV?
Need the model number and firmware version of the DVR, and have there been any changes?
Did you try playing both NCIS recordings in the same time frame?
Need to know if these recordings are SD or HD, mpeg4 LiL or OTA.

Sooner or later you'll want to upgrade the wireless or string some Ethernet.


----------



## veryoldschool

dettxw said:


> You're making us guess to try and help.
> 
> Can we assume the "good" and "bad" recordings both play well from the DVR to TV?
> Need the model number and firmware version of the DVR, and have there been any changes?
> Did you try playing both NCIS recordings in the same time frame?
> Need to know if these recordings are SD or HD, mpeg4 LiL or OTA.
> 
> Sooner or later you'll want to upgrade the wireless or string some Ethernet.


If you look at my post above you'll see this comes with local 1080i MPEG-4 programs.
I've fought this for some time. 
With this version of DirecTV2PC, the "sync issues" can only be resolved with more CPU power.


----------



## islesfan

veryoldschool said:


> I had this with my local 1080i HD, but not with the local 720p HD. "Throwing more horsepower at it" [2.33 GHz Core2 Duo + nVidia 8800GT] was the only way to get these to play.


Funny you mention that setup as it is exactly my setup right now...


----------



## islesfan

dettxw said:


> You're making us guess to try and help.
> 
> Can we assume the "good" and "bad" recordings both play well from the DVR to TV?
> Need the model number and firmware version of the DVR, and have there been any changes?
> Did you try playing both NCIS recordings in the same time frame?
> Need to know if these recordings are SD or HD, mpeg4 LiL or OTA.
> 
> Sooner or later you'll want to upgrade the wireless or string some Ethernet.


They both played fine on the TV
I am running an HR20 (and a 21, but this was the 20) with this week's NR, but I can't remember the number.
I didn't try playing them in the same timeframe because after I successfully watched the first, I deleted it. I didn't know there was a problem until the second recording.
Both recordings are HD 1080i, Mpeg4 LiL (we don't have OTA access here, too far from Reno).

Ethernet is not an option at the moment. Too much drilling


----------



## dettxw

islesfan said:


> They both played fine on the TV
> I am running an HR20 (and a 21, but this was the 20) with this week's NR, but I can't remember the number.
> I didn't try playing them in the same timeframe because after I successfully watched the first, I deleted it. I didn't know there was a problem until the second recording.
> Both recordings are HD 1080i, Mpeg4 LiL (we don't have OTA access here, too far from Reno).
> 
> Ethernet is not an option at the moment. Too much drilling


Do you have "problem" and "good" recordings at this time to try? 
What I'm wondering about is if the wireless performance varies from good to bad playing experiences. You know, are others in the area trying to use the same channel, is it being affected by the phase of the moon, etc.

Understand about the drilling, I've been meaning to get up in the attic and string Ethernet and speaker wire for months now.

Any chance of upgrading the wireless?

DVR firmware is probably not involved in this case. When it is it's usually a matter of whether a recording plays at all.


----------



## Guindalf

OK, my new computer arrived yesterday and I installed the software. However, although the receiver is found, there are no programs in the list at all.

I have an Intel i7 based system with a Radion 4850, 6Gb RAM, 750Gb HDD, +++, so that's not the problem. The interface displays but it tells me there are no programs.

Any ideas anyone?


----------



## islesfan

dettxw said:


> Do you have "problem" and "good" recordings at this time to try?
> What I'm wondering about is if the wireless performance varies from good to bad playing experiences. You know, are others in the area trying to use the same channel, is it being affected by the phase of the moon, etc.
> 
> Understand about the drilling, I've been meaning to get up in the attic and string Ethernet and speaker wire for months now.
> 
> Any chance of upgrading the wireless?
> 
> DVR firmware is probably not involved in this case. When it is it's usually a matter of whether a recording plays at all.


No outside wireless interference is at play, since I live in a rural area and no one else is close enough to interfere.

As of right now, I have the problem NCIS still on there, and I have the Simpsons that worked still on there, but they are different channels. I thought comparing NCIS to NCIS and getting differenc results was an odd situation. If I compare different stations, I might expect different results.

I'm not sure what I could do to upgrade the wireless. I have an (expensive) game adapter which runs G. I guess I'd have to find one that runs N, but do they even have one? And how much would that cost? Would it really help that much?


----------



## dettxw

islesfan said:


> No outside wireless interference is at play, since I live in a rural area and no one else is close enough to interfere.
> 
> As of right now, I have the problem NCIS still on there, and I have the Simpsons that worked still on there, but they are different channels. I thought comparing NCIS to NCIS and getting differenc results was an odd situation. If I compare different stations, I might expect different results.
> 
> I'm not sure what I could do to upgrade the wireless. I have an (expensive) game adapter which runs G. I guess I'd have to find one that runs N, but do they even have one? And how much would that cost? Would it really help that much?


Well, I guess you could make some new recordings from the NCIS channel and see what happens.

I run a Linksys WRT600N dual band router with WGA600N game adapters. This allows me to isolate the DVRs and laptop on the 5GHz na (na=802.11a, 5GHz at n speeds) band to avoid the myriad of 2.4 GHz g networks around me. The WRT600N ng band is then available for an old remote desktop that operates off of an ng WMP311N adapter. The two radios in the WRT600N wireless router can have completely different settings (encryption, passphrase, etc). It's nice to be able to separate the media out on the na band and leave the ng & g band to the old desktop and neighbors.

You'll want wireless n to ensure trouble-free DIRECTV2PC and soon Multiple Room Viewing (MRV). Also, you might want to do use your network for surfing or VOD while playing back a recording. 
Some g networks can handle steady state playback, but any trickplay jumps the network utilization to at least 30MBps (according the the Vista Performance & Reliability Monitor).


----------



## fornold

The machine I had DIRECTV2PC installed on crapped out. I needed to wipe the drive and start over. I tried to reinstall DIRECTV2PC and use my old key and I get the "Activation key usage limit reached". I say fine and get another key. I received that key and the same problem. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Dave


----------



## veryoldschool

fornold said:


> The machine I had DIRECTV2PC installed on crapped out. I needed to wipe the drive and start over. I tried to reinstall DIRECTV2PC and use my old key and I get the "Activation key usage limit reached". I say fine and get another key. I received that key and the same problem. Any thoughts?
> 
> Thanks,
> Dave


 Use another mail address and get another key [or two].


----------



## fornold

veryoldschool said:


> Use another mail address and get another key [or two].


I tried that and I still get the same message even with the new key. I'll try again.

EDIT: Tried a with yet another key and it worked. One thing I noticed was that my name on the install was different than what I used to get the key (I made them the same this time), does that make a difference?


----------



## BigLars

veryoldschool said:


> Use another mail address and get another key [or two].


Having the exact same problem so I tried this method - different address and two new keys, but the same old message. Each time I uninstalled, downloaded/installed a new copy with the new SN, but could never get past Activation step due to "usage limit reached". Is there a registry edit/hack workaround?? Or will that seventh or eighth key code eventually work?

My one copy of D2PC is on a slower computer that easily streams SD but has a hard time keeping up with HD. I'd like to try it on a slightly faster PC and this is where I'm stuck at the moment. I've looked through this thread as well as D*'s tech forum and the e-mail trick seems to be the only option.

It's a very slick app but also quite frustrating. 

Larry


----------



## veryoldschool

fornold said:


> One thing I noticed was that my name on the install was different than what I used to get the key (I made them the same this time), does that make a difference?


"My names" have never "matched" and I haven't had a problem.


----------



## veryoldschool

BigLars said:


> Having the exact same problem so I tried this method - different address and two new keys, but the same old message. Each time I uninstalled, downloaded/installed a new copy with the new SN, but could never get past Activation step due to "usage limit reached". Is there a registry edit/hack workaround?? Or will that seventh or eighth key code eventually work?
> 
> My one copy of D2PC is on a slower computer that easily streams SD but has a hard time keeping up with HD. I'd like to try it on a slightly faster PC and this is where I'm stuck at the moment. I've looked through this thread as well as D*'s tech forum and the e-mail trick seems to be the only option.
> 
> It's a very slick app but also *quite frustrating*.
> 
> Larry


 Now you know why it's still "Beta".


----------



## SParker

Mike_G said:


> Symptom:
> 
> Audio plays only the first time a playback is attempted for each user account on the system. Note that if something stops the first attempt (monitor, protection, network error) this will look like audio never works once the other issues are resolved.
> 
> Not sure if this is platform specific but for Windows Vista SP1, Realtek AC'97 Audio for VIA on board audio chipset.
> 
> Cause:
> 
> When playback is stopped the application fails to reset the registry entry :
> 
> [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cyberlink\Common\CLNetShow] AuDsInterface
> 
> to a valid value (it's usually left at Hex 0x80 or 128 decimal).
> 
> Workaround:
> 
> Before each attempt to play back change the registry entry to Hex 0x08 or 8 decimal.
> 
> Attached:
> 
> A zip file containing a Reg file which will merge into the registry and reset to wrong entry to 8 decimal.
> 
> To use
> 
> 1. Unzip the attached to the hard disk
> 2. Double click on the file (or right click and "Merge") and acknowledge the dire warning, and the "done" message.
> 
> You will have to repeat step 2 each time you want to play a recording.
> 
> Regards,
> Mike


Hey old post but thanks this worked for me!!! :grin::grin::grin:


----------



## intersys

I downloaded the software today - tried 4 different email addresses - never received the key. It's been over 8 hours now. Any hopes of getting the key or should I try with some more addresses?

Thanks,
steve


----------



## smalltownhick

When I tried to run directv2pc in Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 (using a dedicated second network adapter) I can get into the menu and browse shows up to the point of playing a show. When I try to play the show I just get the following error.

_"The video content stopped playing because your monitor or drive does not support the playback of the protected content, or the status of your display device changed. Try updating your driver or re-select the video content."_

I tried the same thing using vmware player and the vmware's video driver for the vmware tools. But that just gives me the blue screen of death.

Anyone got a suggestion?


----------



## Doug Brott

Folks,

If you are having problems getting a license key back from Cyberlink, please send me a private message (Do not post in the forum) with your e-mail address. In addition, provide a link to the post. The easiest way to do this is to simply press the 'PM' button under your Avatar and then fill in my name (Doug Brott) as the recipient and add your e-mail address to the message.

I will forward this information on to Cyberlink & DIRECTV to further diagnose the problem.


----------



## bakerfall

Thanks Doug, PM sent. I have had this working both on my Vista desktop and XP laptop, but I got a new Vista laptop and received the activation error. I've tried getting a new key with 3 different emails, no joy.


----------



## Cmnore

Exact same problem here. 
"The video content stopped playing because your monitor or drive does not support the playback of the protected content, or the status of your display device changed. Try updating your driver or re-select the video content."
Same error code. The S/W 'sees' my content, but is 'unwilling' to play with me.


----------



## dth122

I'm having a problem on a P4 3.2 GHz, ATI x1600 card, XP-based system.

Everything installed properly. I'm running the latest ATI drivers. Both of my HR22s were found and list programming. However, when I click to play anything, I get an immediate error and Windows shuts down the application. My PC continues to run kind of slow and weird until I reboot it.

Any thoughts on troubleshooting this? I can capture the error details when the app is shut down.
- Dave


----------



## veryoldschool

dth122 said:


> I'm having a problem on a P4 3.2 GHz, ATI x1600 card, XP-based system.
> 
> Everything installed properly. I'm running the latest ATI drivers. Both of my HR22s were found and list programming. However, when I click to play anything, I get an immediate error and Windows shuts down the application. My PC continues to run kind of slow and weird until I reboot it.
> 
> Any thoughts on troubleshooting this? I can capture the error details when the app is shut down.
> - Dave


 "Thoughts": sounds like you may have something like Cyberlink Power DVD player installed. Look to see what other video software you have installed.


----------



## dth122

veryoldschool said:


> "Thoughts": sounds like you may have something like Cyberlink Power DVD player installed. Look to see what other video software you have installed.


I definitely do, and have a bunch of other video stuff installed too (DivX codec, Nero, etc.). Is there a list somewhere of software that's known not to play nice? Or is there a more scientific way of determining the conflict?
- Dave


----------



## veryoldschool

dth122 said:


> I definitely do, and have a bunch of other video stuff installed too (DivX codec, Nero, etc.). Is there a list somewhere of software that's known not to play nice? Or is there a more scientific way of determining the conflict?
> - Dave


 Nero hasn't been a problem [for me].
I did have problems with some free codec packs [killed a "working fine" system].
Cyberlink [power DVD] is a known problem.
Maybe others will post theirs, but these are all I know of.


----------



## Richierich

I am getting this message.

"You have exceeded the maximum number of requests for a DIRECTV2PC™ application activation key using this email address; the maximum number is two."

Also, it wants my PC Serial Number and when I entered it, it said that was not correct and asked me again and I entered it again and then it just went away. I am downloading the software again.

Also, it asks for the company I work for and has Hewlett-Packard in it which is the PC I have and then it asks for the Serial Number and I enter it and it wants the CD-Number (which I guess is a CD Disk with some upgrade serial number on it). Why is this so difficult and if I can't do it I can guarantee that alot of other people with less skills & knowledge than me will FAIL in their attempt to get it working.


----------



## waynebtx

richierich said:


> I am getting this message.
> 
> "You have exceeded the maximum number of requests for a DIRECTV2PC™ application activation key using this email address; the maximum number is two."
> 
> Also, it wants my PC Serial Number and when I entered it, it said that was not correct and asked me again and I entered it again and then it just went away. I am downloading the software again.
> 
> Also, it asks for the company I work for and has Hewlett-Packard in it which is the PC I have and then it asks for the Serial Number and I enter it and it wants the CD-Number (which I guess is a CD Disk with some upgrade serial number on it). Why is this so difficult and if I can't do it I can guarantee that alot of other people with less skills & knowledge than me will FAIL in their attempt to get it working.


You can leave the company name blank. The Serial number it is asking for is the number you get in your email after you download Directv2pc .


----------



## djfourmoney

djfourmoney said:


> Still looking for confirmation...
> 
> My Media Center PC is connected to the home network via Buffalo Internet Converter (Bridge with 4 ports). I wanted to know if I ordered up a HR-22 and connected it to the Bridge, would I still be able to watch video from the DVR or do I connect it to the router in the other side of the house?


 Bump for Information see above


----------



## dettxw

djfourmoney said:


> Bump for Information see above


Connecting your DVR to the Buffalo bridge is just almost like connecting it to our router, it's just a wireless hop away, limited only by your wireless speed.

If you are going to watch recordings from your DVR on your PC and they are connected to the same wireless bridge then I think that is almost the same as a direct connection and there is little actual wireless involvement of the router.

You might want to ask someone like Spanky_Partain to be sure.


----------



## bertbrains

I called MLB yesterady who informed me that as part of the $14.95 monthly package one can watch archived games 45 min utes after the original broadcast has ended and after examining the Cardinals website informed me that with this package I could watch the 130 game being broadcst on FOX MW as archived games sfter the above mentioned blackouts. 

So I found out the info to my own question.


----------



## irelands18

I just added a second Hr-22 receiver in my home and Directv2pc wont see it??? Will it support more than one receiver??


----------



## hdtvfan0001

irelands18 said:


> I just added a second Hr-22 receiver in my home and Directv2pc wont see it??? Will it support more than one receiver??


Yes....I have 3 units here that it can "see".

You need to have it set up on the network similar to your first unit, with a different IP address.


----------



## PatentBoy

boxster99t said:


> Bootcamp definitely works--I'm running on 2.8 Ghz Quad Core Mac Pro, Bootcamp under Windows XP Home SP#3. I also installed under Windows the video card software and driver update that was hypertexted linked in the Directv2PC advisor.


I have the Spring 2009 Nathem-based Mac Pro with the nVidia GeoForce GT 120 and the latest drivers loaded via BootCamp, but the DIRECTV2PC program always gives an error WRT copy protection.

Any thoughts?


----------



## RogueFive

Sorry, I had to step out for a couple of weeks ... are we still on v5102?


----------



## veryoldschool

RogueFive said:


> Sorry, I had to step out for a couple of weeks ... are we still on v5102?


 Yes and it's been moved to here: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=154169


----------



## dhking

So this is really not a "tivo to go" like application - it does not allow you to download your content and play it back later on a pc (or laptop) - this just streams video to your computer from the D* box? That seems like a pretty weak feature to add. 

If they can do this, why not spend the time it took for this add on and enable MRV from receiver to receiver??


----------



## DodgerKing

Is there anyway to make the DirecTV window on your PC always remain on top?


----------



## DodgerKing

dhking said:


> So this is really not a "tivo to go" like application - it does not allow you to download your content and play it back later on a pc (or laptop) - this just streams video to your computer from the D* box? That seems like a pretty weak feature to add.
> 
> If they can do this, why not spend the time it took for this add on and enable MRV from receiver to receiver??


I have actually used it a lot. I just record a show that I currently want to watch and as it is recording I watch it "live" (theoretically) on my PC. I am currnently watching the dodgers game and typing this post at the same time.


----------



## DogLover

dhking said:


> If they can do this, why not spend the time it took for this add on and enable MRV from receiver to receiver??


I believe that this is a stepping stone to developing MRV. Part of MRV is the ability for the HR* DVR's to act as a server to stream the recordings to another device. This application gives the ability to prove and perfect the server side of MRV.

(For any more information about the state of development of MRV, see the CE Forum.)


----------



## therefore

My system: Vista 32, Realtek ALC883 6 channel audio chip on the Asus P5N-SLI motherboard, quad 6600, NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS. *Using 5.1 analog speakers*. O/S, Directv2pc and drivers are all up to date. Can't get any audio from directv2pc. I used to use S/PDIF but now am using the analog speakers instead. The Playback Adviser is green lights all the way.

I get 5.1 Dolby Digital analog sound from: Cyberlink's PowerDVD, Windows Media Player, Nero's Showtime, Media Player Classic and VLC.

I've uninstalled everything related to directv2pc & cyberlink and reinstalled. I've disabled the S/PDIF device. I've uninstalled and reinstalled audio drivers. No luck.

Doesn't direct2pc decode the Dolby Digital audio stream? Can't I use analog speakers?

Here is my profile log:

Check Item	PC Playback Ready?	Info
CPU : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU @ 2.40GHz	Yes 
__dwItemID=1001__ : szLibCPUName = Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU @ 
__dwItemID=1002__ : dwLibClockRate = 2399 
__dwItemID=1003__ : dwLibFamily = 6, dwLibModel=15, dwLibStepping=7 
__dwItemID=1004__ : dwLibNumPhysicalProc = 4, dwLibNumCorePerPackage=4, dwLibNumLogicalPerCore=0 
__dwItemID=1005__ : dwLibCorePerPackage = 4, dwLibTotalLogicals=4 
__dwItemID=1006__ : szWMIName=Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU @ 2.40GHz 
__dwItemID=1007__ : szWMIManufacturer=GenuineIntel 
__dwItemID=1008__ : dwWMIMaxClockSpeed=2400 
__dwItemID=1009__ : bBatteryExist=0 
__dwItemID=1010__ : szGuess=Core Duo TXX (Conroe) 
GPU (Hardware acceleration) : NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS	Yes 
System Memory : 2048 MB	Yes 
Operating System : Windows Vista Service Pack 1	Yes 
Graphics Card : NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS	Yes 
__dwItemID=1301__ : Adapter Compatibility: NVIDIA 
__dwItemID=1302__ : VideoProcessor: GeForce 8600 GTS 
Screen Capture Protection : Yes	Yes 
__dwItemID=1304__ : NVAPI RGBOverlay=Yes 
__dwItemID=1305__ : GPUDetectPass	Yes 
Graphics card video memory : 256 MB 
Graphics Card Driver : 8.15.11.8585	Yes 
__dwItemID=1501__ : 2D Driver=8.15.11.8585 
__dwItemID=1502__ : COPP=Yes 
__dwItemID=1504__ : DEVICE=N/A 
Video Connection Type : Digital(with HDCP)	Yes 
Network Adapter : ETHERNET: TeamViewer VPN Adapter	Yes 
Network Adapter : ETHERNET: NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller	Yes 
Program version : 1.0.0.1525 
System language : 0409 ENU English English 
Time : Sun May 10 15:18:50 2009 
Computer : Desktop 
System Name : Q6600

Thoughts?

Mark


----------



## veryoldschool

I don't think that DirecTV2PC decodes 5.1.
Two channel audio is all that it does to the best of my knowledge.
I have used the S/PDIF output, but my sound chip was simulating 5.1 [just like it does with normal windows sounds].


----------



## redsoxfan26

No issues for me. Here are my logs.



Check Item
CPU : AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5000+
__dwItemID=1001__ : szLibCPUName = AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5000+
__dwItemID=1002__ : dwLibClockRate = 2605
__dwItemID=1003__ : dwLibFamily = 15, dwLibModel=3, dwLibStepping=2
__dwItemID=1004__ : dwLibNumPhysicalProc = 2, dwLibNumCorePerPackage=1, dwLibNumLogicalPerCore=1
__dwItemID=1005__ : dwLibCorePerPackage = 2, dwLibTotalLogicals=2
__dwItemID=1006__ : szWMIName=AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5000+
__dwItemID=1007__ : szWMIManufacturer=AuthenticAMD
__dwItemID=1008__ : dwWMIMaxClockSpeed=2600
__dwItemID=1009__ : bBatteryExist=0
__dwItemID=1010__ : szGuess=Athlon 64 X2
GPU (Hardware acceleration) : ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro
System Memory : 2048 MB
Operating System : Windows Vista Service Pack 1
Graphics Card : ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro
__dwItemID=1301__ : Adapter Compatibility: ATI Technologies Inc.
__dwItemID=1302__ : VideoProcessor: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x9589)
Screen Capture Protection : Yes
__dwItemID=1304__ : ATI PCOM=Yes
__dwItemID=1304__ : ATI SORT=Yes
__dwItemID=1305__ : GPUDetectPass
Graphics card video memory : 512 MB
Graphics Card Driver : 8.573.0.0
__dwItemID=1501__ : 2D Driver=7.01.01.861
__dwItemID=1502__ : COPP=Yes
__dwItemID=1504__ : DEVICE=N/A
Video Connection Type : Digital(with HDCP)
Network Adapter : ETHERNET: Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller
Program version : 1.0.0.1525
System language : 0409 ENU English English


----------



## therefore

redsoxfan26, are you using analog speakers via RCA jacks?


----------



## Richierich

I know for my outdoor speakers I have to have Analog cable output to my speaker controller as my MultiRoom Source requires analog input and not digital audio so I have to have both output from my Directv DVR to my Denon AVR5803 or I will get no sound from my speakers.


----------



## Nation2540

me 10 mins


----------



## redsoxfan26

therefore said:


> redsoxfan26, are you using analog speakers via RCA jacks?


Sorry it took so long to reply. I've been away from my computer all day.

They are regular computer speakers plugged into a mini-jack on the back of my tower: Dell Model A225.

My monitor is a Dell E207WFP w/DVI connection.


----------



## RogueFive

therefore said:


> My system: Vista 32, Realtek ALC883 6 channel audio chip on the Asus P5N-SLI motherboard, quad 6600, NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS. *Using 5.1 analog speakers*. O/S, Directv2pc and drivers are all up to date. Can't get any audio from directv2pc. I used to use S/PDIF but now am using the analog speakers instead. The Playback Adviser is green lights all the way.
> 
> I get 5.1 Dolby Digital analog sound from: Cyberlink's PowerDVD, Windows Media Player, Nero's Showtime, Media Player Classic and VLC.
> 
> I've uninstalled everything related to directv2pc & cyberlink and reinstalled. I've disabled the S/PDIF device. I've uninstalled and reinstalled audio drivers. No luck.
> 
> Doesn't direct2pc decode the Dolby Digital audio stream? Can't I use analog speakers?


Ever since I plugged in the Optical Audio on the HDR, I get zero Audio on DirecTV2PC. Note that I am also using the analog and the coaxial audio out. When I unplug the Optical DirecTV2PC has audio again. (5.1 or Stereo doesn't matter)


----------



## therefore

I'm only using the optical out on my DVR. So, I tried unplugging it, but still no sound from DIRECTV2PC. Odd, when I turn Mute on and off (F8), there is an audible, like a muted beep, from the analog speakers (when the volume is at max).


----------



## therefore

I was having a codecs problem resolved by uninstalling and reinstalling k-lite. Works perfectly now.


----------



## gvweller

davros74 said:


> My original post is probably way back, but I have a Dell D820 laptop with nVidia Quadro NVS 110M video card and was initially having problems getting Directv2PC to work.
> 
> Updating the nVidia drivers to Dell's 12/2007 version and 03/2008 version did not get it to work, but was probably needed anyway.
> 
> Based on some recommendations I saw, I uninstalled PowerDVD 5.7 which came pre-installed on my laptop, rebooted, then started up the DirecTV2PC application. It now runs just fine!! Even HD over 802.11g.
> -----------
> I have the configuration davros74 describes, installed 3/2008 driver, and unloaded PowerDVD. The Advisor still shows red on Graphics Card, Driver, and HDCP-compliant Display. I must be missing something, but what??
> 
> Thanks.


----------



## gvweller

gvweller said:


> davros74 said:
> 
> 
> 
> My original post is probably way back, but I have a Dell D820 laptop with nVidia Quadro NVS 110M video card and was initially having problems getting Directv2PC to work.
> 
> Updating the nVidia drivers to Dell's 12/2007 version and 03/2008 version did not get it to work, but was probably needed anyway.
> 
> Based on some recommendations I saw, I uninstalled PowerDVD 5.7 which came pre-installed on my laptop, rebooted, then started up the DirecTV2PC application. It now runs just fine!! Even HD over 802.11g.
> -----------
> I have the configuration davros74 describes, installed 3/2008 driver, and unloaded PowerDVD. The Advisor still shows red on Graphics Card, Driver, and HDCP-compliant Display. I must be missing something, but what??
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> 
> 
> -----------
> OK, I fired up the NVIDIA control panel to see whether driver settings might help. Two of the red lights went away!!  Leaving only the Graphics Card itself red. Does anyone know for sure how to set this driver so the advisor will pass it? Thanks!
Click to expand...


----------



## ajsasr

Hi. Do you still need to be running a CE release to use Directv2pc?


----------



## veryoldschool

ajsasr said:


> Hi. Do you still need to be running a CE release to use Directv2pc?


 I don't think you do, since I've got one DVR on the national releases and it's working fine.


----------



## petergaryr

I upgraded to Windows 7 this week and tried downloading the new version of Direct2PC. The upgrade advisor fails one thing: the processor speed. However, in the past, the Directv2PC application would still download. Now it doesn't. I've had the advisor fail a test in the past, but I could actually still run things fine.

Is this a change in policy? If not, is there any other way to get the actual Directv2PC application?


----------



## veryoldschool

petergaryr said:


> I upgraded to Windows 7 this week and tried downloading the new version of Direct2PC. The upgrade advisor fails one thing: the processor speed. However, in the past, the Directv2PC application would still download. Now it doesn't. I've had the advisor fail a test in the past, but I could actually still run things fine.
> 
> Is this a change in policy? If not, is there any other way to get the actual Directv2PC application?


look here: http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=2221136&postcount=1


----------



## petergaryr

Thank you sir. Your posts are always helpful. I had tried searching for the file myself, but for some reason couldn't find it.

In any case, the software installed without a hitch.


----------



## KsBillsFan

How do I download the software or actually activate it, as I've found a download link on here. The playback adviser says to upgrade my network card, but I have an 802.11n card. The only option I have is to rescan, save log or exit. This is crazy. Running Windows 7 right now.


----------



## taz291819

KsBillsFan said:


> How do I download the software or actually activate it, as I've found a download link on here. The playback adviser says to upgrade my network card, but I have an 802.11n card. The only option I have is to rescan, save log or exit. This is crazy. Running Windows 7 right now.


Don't download the adviser, cancel out of that download. Then you'll be taken to the page to download the app, and you'll get the key via email.

I haven't downloaded/run the adviser in almost a year.


----------



## billsharpe

taz291819 said:


> Don't download the adviser, cancel out of that download. Then you'll be taken to the page to download the app, and you'll get the key via email.
> 
> I haven't downloaded/run the adviser in almost a year.


Good advice!
The Advisor seems to have more problems than the actual app.

and I couldn't believe how fast the key showed up in an e-mail -- within a minute of completing the app download.


----------



## veryoldschool

billsharpe said:


> Good advice!
> The Advisor seems to have more problems than the actual app.
> 
> and I couldn't believe how fast the key showed up in an e-mail -- within a minute of completing the app download.


"Yeah but": shouldn't we also give feedback on the advisor too?


----------



## mgmrick

Tried this for first time on cheap bestbuy 349.00 acer laptops. I am using wireless n with win7. I was able to run all 3 laptops at same time with zero problems. Picture and sound outstanding.

Rick


----------



## billsharpe

veryoldschool said:


> "Yeah but": shouldn't we also give feedback on the advisor too?


The advisor came up red for my video card, which is integrated into my laptop. After I ran the advisor there was no choice to download the main app. I had to go back and start up again, then cancel out of the advisor download in order to download the main app. The app installed and worked fine, which tells me the advisor isn't doing its job properly. I figured it should since the previous version worked fine last year. At that time the advisor showed no red circles.


----------



## veryoldschool

billsharpe said:


> The advisor came up red for my video card, which is integrated into my laptop. After I ran the advisor there was no choice to download the main app. I had to go back and start up again, then cancel out of the advisor download in order to download the main app. The app installed and worked fine, which tells me the advisor isn't doing its job properly. I figured it should since the previous version worked fine last year. At that time the advisor showed no red circles.


"To my knowledge" the advisor merely uses a database for the results.
I got the same [yellow] upgrade CPU status, for both an old Pentium 4 HT & my core2 duo, yet both worked fine and the core2 duo was "well above" what their site lists as needed/recommended.
This is still beta and even the advisor "needs help".


----------



## Howie

With Win 7 I'm getting the message that audio is protected content, and to update my driver. It's on board audio, and it uses the current Windows driver. Anyway, it won't play a recording from any of my 3 DVR's, though it sees them all.


----------



## SParker

Howie said:


> With Win 7 I'm getting the message that audio is protected content, and to update my driver. It's on board audio, and it uses the current Windows driver. Anyway, it won't play a recording from any of my 3 DVR's, though it sees them all.


Right click the volume control in Windows 7 and click playback devices and disable digital (S/PDIF) and it should work.


----------



## Howie

SParker said:


> Right click the volume control in Windows 7 and click playback devices and disable digital (S/PDIF) and it should work.


Hey, that worked. Thank you very much. I use this for the Red Zone channel on Sunday Ticket.


----------



## mgmrick

This works fine on one of my access points . When I switch over to my other access point (g) the program can not find my dvr's. Any thoughts

Thanks
Rick


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## Smitty1960

Good morning,
I hope I'm posting this question in right place. I just heard about DTV2PC last night and set it up this morning with my HR23-700 using a wired ethernet connection. Had no problems with the advisor or the software install. DTV2PC sees my DVR just fine and I picked a recorded program to watch just to test the whole thing out.

Here's the problem--when I select the recorded program from my PC, I get the message: *"The video's audio is protected and requires an audio driver with HDCP support; changing the audio output to analog might allow audio playback."*

I't not that I can watch the program without audio, it simply won't allow the program to play at all.

I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate x64, AMD Athlon 64 x2 6400+ (3.2Gb), ATI All-In-Wonder HD, Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty Platinum, 8 GB DDR RAM, and watching on a HP w2207h via HDMI cable.

I switched the audio from HDMI to the Sound Blaster, but it didn't make any difference. Any suggestions on what settings to change to make this work?


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## veryoldschool

Smitty1960 said:


> Good morning,
> I hope I'm posting this question in right place. I just heard about DTV2PC last night and set it up this morning with my HR23-700 using a wired ethernet connection. Had no problems with the advisor or the software install. DTV2PC sees my DVR just fine and I picked a recorded program to watch just to test the whole thing out.
> 
> Here's the problem--when I select the recorded program from my PC, I get the message: *"The video's audio is protected and requires an audio driver with HDCP support; changing the audio output to analog might allow audio playback."*
> 
> I't not that I can watch the program without audio, it simply won't allow the program to play at all.
> 
> I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate x64, AMD Athlon 64 x2 6400+ (3.2Gb), ATI All-In-Wonder HD, Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty Platinum, 8 GB DDR RAM, and watching on a HP w2207h via HDMI cable.
> 
> I switched the audio from HDMI to the Sound Blaster, but it didn't make any difference. Any suggestions on what settings to change to make this work?


The problem is the audio driver's lack of HDCP support.
Creative doesn't yet offer a driver [I'm told].
You will need to disable the digital output through Windows.
I put a post for this here: http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=2221324&postcount=7
You "should be able to" update your ATI HDMI with a driver from realtek, "but" you'd still need to disable the sound blaster.


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## Smitty1960

Thanks veryoldschool for the fast response. I have installed the latest audio drivers from Creative as well as the latest drivers for ATI's Catalyst (v9.10), but these didn't make any difference. I also disabled the audio from the X-Fi and switched it to the motherboard's on-board audio. Still no good. Any other suggestions on what I should try next?


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## Richierich

My Bose Speakers did not work because they have their OWN INTERNAL AUDIO DRIVERS so I had to DISABLE the REALTEK Drivers so it would Default to my Bose Speaker's Internal Audio Drivers.

Did you Disable the Audio Drivers that don't have HDCP Compatability Support?


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## veryoldschool

Smitty1960 said:


> Thanks veryoldschool for the fast response. I have installed the latest audio drivers from Creative as well as the latest drivers for ATI's Catalyst (v9.10), but these didn't make any difference. I also disabled the audio from the X-Fi and switched it to the motherboard's on-board audio. Still no good. Any other suggestions on what I should try next?


I'd make sure the ATI has the realtek ATI HDMI Audio Device R2.35 2009/10/12 [ATI can be a bit behind]
Which you can find here:
http://www.realtek.com.tw/DOWNLOADS/
by clicking on High Definition Audio Codecs (Software)

How did you disable the X-Fi?
This needs to be done under Windows [through the speaker icon/playback devices] and it doesn't work if you use the X-Fi control panel.
"Basically" you need to disable all the digital outputs that don't support HDCP, as anyone of them that doesn't support HDCP will cause this error.


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## Smitty1960

I'm downloading the latest Realtek drivers right now--but it's unbearably slooow.

BTW, while I was waiting, I installed DTV2PC on my wife's PC (which happens to be newer than mine) and it worked just fine. She does not have a separate sound or video card, it's all on-board, and since her board is very new, it probably already had the latest drivers. Anyway, it works just fine on hers--go figure!

I'll report back what happened when I can finally get these drivers downloaded and installed.


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## Smitty1960

After downloading the latest Realtek audio drivers and restarting the PC, I'm still getting the same message. I've tried it using the ATI's sound, the X-Fi's sound, and on-board sound. I then decided to uninstall the video card and reinstall my older (but better) HD Radeon 3800 series since the All-In-Wonder HD did not have Windows 7 drivers available thru ATI--I was using the x64 Vista drivers. Still no dice. Short of getting a new motherboard (like my wife's), any other suggestions? I pretty sure it's just a software setting since all of my hardware is less than 6 months old and all was labeled as HDCP compliant when purchased to ensure BlueRay playback.


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## veryoldschool

Smitty1960 said:


> After downloading the latest Realtek audio drivers and restarting the PC, I'm still getting the same message. I've tried it using the ATI's sound, the X-Fi's sound, and on-board sound. I then decided to uninstall the video card and reinstall my older (but better) HD Radeon 3800 series since the All-In-Wonder HD did not have Windows 7 drivers available thru ATI--I was using the x64 Vista drivers. Still no dice. Short of getting a new motherboard (like my wife's), any other suggestions? I pretty sure it's just a software setting since all of my hardware is less than 6 months old and all was labeled as HDCP compliant when purchased to ensure BlueRay playback.


It may be time to get a breakdown of what you have.
Since you seem to be only having the audio error, & you're running Win7, I don't see why you should be having these issues [other than "simply" not having the right sound outputs disabled].


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## CCarncross

Smitty, I still dont see anywhere in your responses to VOS where you disabled the digital output of your sound card, which should fix your issue.


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## Smitty1960

I turned off all audio components through the control panel so my only option is the on-board audio. I also went into the Bios and turned the on-board audio to Auto. I unplugged the speakers from the sound card and plugged them into the motherboard's audio connection. I hear audio just fine, but when I attempt to play back a recorded program on DTV2PC, it sometimes will begin to play (less than a second), then stops and I get the "...audio not HDCP compliant..." message. Despite ensuring I've downloaded the latest drivers--Realtek--for the on-board audio, Catalyst c9.10--for the Radeon 3800HD (now disabled), and the latest x64 Vista drivers for the X-Fi (no Win7 drivers available yet, but disabled anyway). 

Now when I right click on the speaker icon in the lower right and select playback devices, the only available option, since all the others have been disabled is:

Speakers
High Definition Audio Device
Default Device (with green check mark)

All of the other options have disappeared from the list as I "disabled" them one at a time. I'm obviously not as computer savvy as I like to think I am, so I'll probably require a step-by-step instruction on how to get through this mess. Previous to installing DTV2PC, my audio worked just fine while watching any other video sources--YouTube, DVDs, recorded videos from my camera, my TV Tuner (until I replaced my cable with DirecTV service!), etc.


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## dettxw

Posted this in another thread but may be useful here:



dettxw said:


> I'd been real unhappy with the embedded SigmaTel Audio in my Dell XPS420 desktop with Vista. No wonder SigmaTel went under and Vista is so hated.
> Can't do audio in, and, for no good reason all sound went away.
> 
> So my solution was to install an HT Omega Striker 7.1 sound card. Works great, and now I can do an optical in from the study H21-200.
> But, initially got the dreaded HDCP audio error with DirecTV2PC.
> 
> I guess I was a little surprised at first that there was no option in the HT Omega Striker 7.1 setup program to disable digital audio:
> 
> View attachment 20048
> 
> 
> The Analog Output is digital-only?
> 
> Anyway, after playing around a little bit found that a right-click on the speaker icon then a selecting playback devices gave a window where digital output could be disabled, enabling DirecTV2PC playback:
> 
> View attachment 20049
> 
> 
> Had to disable both the "Digital Output Device (SPDIF)" and the "Digital Output" identified as "HTO STRIKER 7.1".


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## veryoldschool

Smitty1960 said:


> Now when I right click on the speaker icon in the lower right and select playback devices, the only available option, since all the others have been disabled is:
> 
> Speakers
> *High Definition Audio Device*
> Default Device (with green check mark)


Would guess this is the problem "now".
If you go back to the speaker icon and playback, right click on any device and check "show disabled devices" [not that this will fix anything, but it will let you turn on/off the devices].
If you're still having troubles, use the windows snipping tool and post a shot/picture of your playback devices, like this:


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## Smitty1960

I got it working now. The fix was to go into Control Panel, System & Security, Device Manager, and find sound, video & game controllers. There were 3 devices listed--the ATI, the X-Fi, and the on-board. So I selected the first 2 and disabled them. Sorry if you folks told me to do this and I musunderstood the right way to do it.


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## DaleyKD

My apologies in advance if I posted the following in the wrong thread. I'm not sure of the difference between this thread and the sticky.

Has anyone had problems with DIRECTV2PC being unable to find multiple receivers? This worked for me in the past, and now it just sees the Master Bedroom. I can ping the Living Room DVR just fine, but DIRECTV2PC will not list it.

Thanks in advance!


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## veryoldschool

DaleyKD said:


> My apologies in advance if I posted the following in the wrong thread. * I'm not sure of the difference between this thread and the sticky*.
> 
> Has anyone had problems with DIRECTV2PC being unable to find multiple receivers? This worked for me in the past, and now it just sees the Master Bedroom. I can ping the Living Room DVR just fine, but DIRECTV2PC will not list it.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


at 800+ posting, this one should have faded long ago for the "other thread".
Have you tried rebooting the DVRs that don't show?
What all is between them and you PC?
Some have needed to reboot their router [switch or any other device between the two].
Could it be a firewall issue?


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## Stuart Sweet

I agree, VOS. Let's continue discussion in the thread for the current version: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=165127


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