# DirecTV new 'policy' regarding multiple receivers on same TV



## brielle (Nov 21, 2008)

Me and my partner moved to our new house the other day - we brought with us our 3 R22-100s and 1 H21-100. At the time when we ordered our service last year, we didn't have our high def TV yet - but we wanted to make sure that when we did, we wouldn't have to wait for DirecTV to send us a receiver. 

Ended up with in the living room, a R22 + H21 (on standby), an R22 in the office, and the final R22 in the bedroom. The H21 turned into a blessing - we could take advantage of the MRV features when they became available. Setup worked great and almost flawlessly - esp with our new high def 1080p 42inch Toshiba.

So, fast forward to about a week or so ago when we moved to our new house, installation day. So, as we're talking to the installer guy about our setup, we find out, according to his boss, we have to have a TV on each receiver or he will have to reschedule the install. Right as we're leaving with our truck to go get the other TVs from the other house, it starts to rain. But, he still insists that we must have a TV on each receiver.

Off to the old house we go, and drag out the TVs in the pouring rain, covered in only a tarp. 2 blocks from the new house, installer calls our cell phone to let us know he's going to have to either reschedule or give back one of our receivers in the living room because its not allowed to have two boxes on one TV.

At this point, my partner and I are irate beyond belief - we had this same setup cleared with no problems back in 2008. In fact, we know that we're hardly the only people with this kind of hookup (even the R22 has a passthrough ethernet connection for this type of thing).

We called up Ironwood Communications (now DirecTV home services), the local DirecTV install people, and worked our way up the food chain there. We were told under no certain terms that we could not have two receivers hooked up to the same TV - it would not work, they are incompatible with one another, the remotes wont work right, blah blah blah, every excuse the manager there could pull out of his a**. Our installer tried to explain to his boss that this setup is not new, that it works, and is totally legit.

After getting nowhere with Ironwood, we called DirecTV support and worked our way up the food chain there as well. Same excuses as Ironwood. 

Finally, we said fine, have three options - 1) you fix this problem by telling Ironwood to do the install even against the policies, 2) you give us an HD DVR, or 3) we cancel, and we take our 2 referrals that we just put through the week before. We got no on 1 and 2, so just as we were telling them to cancel our install and service, mysteriously a 'rebate' became available for an HR23 HD DVR and we could have it for $99 instead of the regular price.

Needless to say, we took the HD DVR just to end this nightmare.

A warning for all the CE'ers out there - beware of what will happen when you move. I don't know if this is just an isolated incident or what, but if this is any indication of how DirecTV will be treating their customers, I have serious concerns. I don't know if we'll be keeping DirecTV after our term is up.


Brielle
(Boise, ID)


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## joshjr (Aug 2, 2008)

I been considering having a 2nd DVR hooked to my tv in the living room. That pretty funny what they are saying. Bet they dont push that issue with its time for the NFL season to start. Last season I saw some pics on here that would put that to shame. I think one guy had 8 recievers hooked to like 4 tvs. As long as one remote is RF and the other is IR I dont see the complication as long as your tv has the imputs for it. 

Its a pain. Its like there is no understanding that someone might want to move their tv somewhere else in the house at a later point in time or have a bedroom wired for it. I will be moving in the next few months and think I will have extra tv's just for the install so I can get the lines I want ran where I want them and if I want to have 2 DVR's or recievers hooked to the same tv then I wont let DirecTV stop me lol. SWM is a great set up I plan on having in the new house.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Ah, thats weird.. I've had multiple units on one tv forever... and had them "install them" on a tv that already had a dvr. I know their policy is to not hook up a DVR in a room that does not have a TV.. That makes sense, but I see no reason that they wouldn't hook up the two on the one tv.. Sounds liek they where confused as to whats going on. There is no technical reason that you can't have 168 units in one room on one tv (assuming you can only install one dish ) like Tom has  I do see why they wouldn't hook up the other two rooms without a tv's in them.


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## HRJustin (Mar 5, 2009)

I would have just said the receivers are for the other rooms in the house but you didn't have the TVs moved in yet. When I first had directv installed I didn't have all of the TVs ready where they needed to be installed. The installer offered to activate multiple receivers on the same TV. Luckily I had a little portable DVD player I can use like a TV. 

Right now we have 3 h21-200s and a r22-100. I have one h21 that isnt used often that I thought would be good for camping or something with the portable DVD player.


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## brielle (Nov 21, 2008)

HRJustin said:


> I would have just said the receivers are for the other rooms in the house but you didn't have the TVs moved in yet.


Thats what we told him. :-/

Forget the fact we've been customers of DirecTV for years, or that this is just a move, not a totally new install... The fact that he made us go out in the rain, and bring the huge and heavy 27inch CRT TV back that takes 2 people to carry (nevermind the fact I'm disabled and can barely make it up a flight of stairs sometimes) just to do the install... We had a portable TV on hand just for this sitation.

But, noooooo.

Oh, and the kicker of it all, he didn't bother to check with us before triggering a software update on all of our receivers - after we warned him we have CE software loads. Downgraded our two remaining R22s back to standard releases. :eek2:


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## unixgoddess (May 24, 2009)

I am Brielles partner. 
He called in & asked his supervisor who asked his & up the tree & they ALL have been told that you cannot have multiple recievers in one room. We had a HD reciever & a standard def DVR in this room. The supervisor said this was ok to do. 30 minutes later he called back & said to not do it as it is against policy. They had signed off on this install in October of 2008 when we moved into our old house. Our installer was told that he could do the install but his supervisor wouldn't sign the work order (he would not get paid) The ONLY reason we had the SD DVR's was because when we moved into our last house we were screwed out of the 5 Series 2 DirecTIVO's that I had spent a TON of money on (500+gig disks) I would take the Tivo's back in a heartbeat if they had Mpeg-4 ones.

I am extremely irritated that I had to spend $99 to get this resolved. I also at the same time on the phone was thoughtfully informed by the rep that our referrals are credited $10/month over 10 months. I told her that was false advertising & she responded with 'So what?!?' I have been a DirecTV customer since 2003 & have been extremely irritated with their service as of late. They also pull a nice trick when you move & your added to a nice marketing robocaller that does not care about what time it is anywhere. We only got off of that list because I threatened to sue them after they woke us up @ 6am to tell us about HBO in HD.


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## unixgoddess (May 24, 2009)

brielle said:


> Oh, and the kicker of it all, he didn't bother to check with us before triggering a software update on all of our receivers - after we warned him we have CE software loads. Downgraded our two remaining R22s back to standard releases. :eek2:


He also told us that he had been instructed that the job was NOT finished until he triggered an update and it did not matter what the customer said.

On our last install (which sucked the first time of the two times it was done..) the installer was sent with 4 new DVR's but was not instructed to leave them or hook them up. So our Tivo's did not work because for some retarded reason because he was sent with a slim-3 LNB. So after 2 and a half hours of fighting with the customer service people I got a LNB-5 & 3 comp'd DVR's & a new HD box. The best part of this was that we had 4 weeks to get 4 receivers & they could have drop shipped them...


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## my1423 (May 16, 2009)

I had an installer out last week. We talked about different installs he had done and he had just installed a 3rd hd dvr for an old man all on the same tv. Said the guy liked to collect and categorize shows. Had sata drives on all and all networked. Had no problem with it. Sounds like your installer had a stick up you know where. Dtv at one time would install to a completely empty house for the movers provision without anyone there. Dont see why anyone would have to have a tv for every single unit on install. Sounds like rubbish. Maybe a new policy that just came out to combat sub sharing, but the installer is still an a$$.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Don't some of the DVRs now have multiple code sets for the remotes? Why have that if you don't expect multiple units on the same TV?


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## netraa (Mar 28, 2007)

You guys got caught up in the 'no tv's on site' policy that applies to installs.

The official policy is, you need to have the TV's for each rcvr in the house, plugged in, and ready to turn on at the technicians request before the install can go in. The reason for this is so that the technician can verify that each location is working properly with the TV that belongs to that rcvr and program the remote. I've had instances before where the customer didn't have all the tv's there, I did the install anyway, and then they could not figure out how to get the TV plugged into the rcvr and called direct tv and had a truck roll to plug a TV into the rcvr. I got back charged and took a ding to my numbers because of that. I have also had the 'I want them both here' install where as soon as I left they took 1 of the rcvrs and promptly added a splitter, ran a line down the hall and into the bedroom and wondered why they both stopped working. again, back charge and ding to the metric numbers.

As to the CE... it doesn't exist in the real world only in the imaginary world of the Cutting Edge realm so expecting a tech to understand what a CE is, and why it is important is in the same catagory that the 'don't call direct tv for support' area. Official direct tv policy does come into play, and forcing a download IS in the official work list. 

I do understand why you are as frustrated, but some technicians have been burned big before and toe the policies line to the inch and you just got caught up in it. *and the rain sure made the official policies more appealing* The *free standard install* policies are written for the lowest common denominator install for the 'typical' customer. Media rooms, remote location installs, and other non standard installs (like 3-4 rcvrs on the same tv) are not standard and are not covered in that free install, and therefore, are against policies.

You have to understand that the 'bad' things that happen to the techs when they don't follow the policies ends up jacking up their paycheck and you have to ask yourself... If someone was asking you to do something that the end result was as likely as not to end up putting your promotions at risk *metrics* and jacking up your paycheck *back charges* would you do what the customer wanted, or what was going to protect your paycheck and your promotions?


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## yuppers519 (Aug 6, 2007)

I would've kicked that guy right out of my house and resheduled the appointment. There are alot of people here that have 2 or more recievers on 1 t.v. and i have an HD reciever hooked up to a non HD t.v. and when the installer came to do the hookups he said nothing about it. I would be damned if an installer EVER told me he was taking a reciever that i shelled out 100 to 300 bucks for.



brielle said:


> Me and my partner moved to our new house the other day - we brought with us our 3 R22-100s and 1 H21-100. At the time when we ordered our service last year, we didn't have our high def TV yet - but we wanted to make sure that when we did, we wouldn't have to wait for DirecTV to send us a receiver.
> 
> Ended up with in the living room, a R22 + H21 (on standby), an R22 in the office, and the final R22 in the bedroom. The H21 turned into a blessing - we could take advantage of the MRV features when they became available. Setup worked great and almost flawlessly - esp with our new high def 1080p 42inch Toshiba.
> 
> ...


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## joe diamond (Feb 28, 2007)

As an installer I have seen the down side of not having TVs ready,

READ: What if the TV that eventually arrives never worked and is being provided as part of a plan to get DTV to buy a new TV?
What if there are serious problems in the new interior wire? The CSR at DirectSatUSA told me to do the installation anyway. The only line that worked was the one I installed. And the customer was not present. His neighbor had driven 60 miles from the old house to sit and make sure I didn't steal any thing from the new but empty house and sign papers at the end.
What if the list of TVs gets longer or shorter after the TVs arrive. The FREE installation is not limitless.

Installation companies often make up policies. They were correct about having more than one receiver running in the same room. You will have constant remote control problems unless you know what you are doing.

My policy is I try to reschedule move in day installations. The customer is involved with the moving guys. The TVs are somewhere in one of the trucks. Do you know how much a tech gets paid to sit around while movers find all the TVs?

Joe


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

I'm pretty sure there is no policy against multiple receivers on one TV. The As others have noted, you ran into installation policies. If you were willing to pay for custom installation work, you could have exactly/whatever you want. If you want a standard free installation (or movers connection), then you are going to have the issues you posted here.


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## brielle (Nov 21, 2008)

carl6 said:


> I'm pretty sure there is no policy against multiple receivers on one TV. The As others have noted, you ran into installation policies. If you were willing to pay for custom installation work, you could have exactly/whatever you want. If you want a standard free installation (or movers connection), then you are going to have the issues you posted here.


Actually, we had already used up our 'free' moving install for the year back in Nov. when we moved to the old house. We had to pay for this one. The goal of this move was to have all services active the same day - and we actually accomplished this for once.

We've *always* been willing to do our own installs on things, and usually insist on it, given the ability of the installers to always cause some issue with something else in the house. This time, the DirecTV install fouled up our DSL because of the extra phone jacks he put in caused signal issues.

Problem is, very few, if any, companies bother to take into account that not everyone is a clueless moron. I'm a seasoned networking expert and can even splice fiber, and my partner has done more mixed wiring jobs then she can count. Things like fact we have a PBX in our house, or that we have Cisco gear for an ADSL connection, confuse the crap out of installers and moreso prove the point.


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## redram38 (Dec 7, 2005)

I have 4 tv's and 8 receivers. 3 on one tv. I cannot see why DTV would have multiple remote codes and even go as far as having a advanced remote setup to help you set these codes if they did not think people would have more than one receiver on a TV. I would bet that most people that own DVR's have more than one on at least one tv, esp since MRV is just in the test phase. Maybe when they get MRV national you will see less and less multiple receivers on a TV, but until then probl not. And also why would they not want you to have more receivers, it's just more money in their pockets. I think I would have asked for retention and see what they had to say about it.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

brielle said:


> Problem is, very few, if any, companies bother to take into account that not everyone is a clueless moron.


The thing is, they simply CAN'T. A big percentage of their customers ARE "clueless morons" (at least, as it relates to satellite TV and all of the technical issues involved), and those customers can generate LOTS of expenses AND bad press unless you make the installation process idiot-proof. And then you have the outright scammers, who, while small in number, make trouble far larger than you'd think possible.

DirecTV didn't make their rules without having good reasons and without having spent a LOT of money going back to homes to re-do installs because what the customer thought they wanted didn't work right. And as they've increasingly pushed penalties on the installers who do *anything* outside the policy (including trying to make the customer happy by "helping him out"), the installers are simply bowing to the system and sticking to the script. I run into this myself, and there's simply nothing I can do other than give the customer my card and offer to help them on the side.

And, yes, as for the CE, remember that it doesn't officially exist, and as such, if you have a tech in your house, he is required to get that receiver on the current NR as part of his job. He isn't allowed to do otherwise, or he risks his pay and his ranking (which also affects his pay and the quality of his route).

Lowest common denominator indeed.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

This sounds like an unfortunate situation, and when I move (in the next 2 years) I hope I will not run into the same problems. I currently have four DVRs on one TV and SWM technology simplifies the wiring, but even in my case I have 6 satellite lines running behind the TV and would require the same at the new home. Before the installer arrives I would expect to have all DVRs hooked up to the TV, and I have a universal remote with activities that makes it seamless to switch between, so I'd hope the installer would simply do his job to mount the dish and run the lines.

I've had this same setup for two years, and when a tech has arrived, as soon as they finish whistling ('sweet'), they have me turn on the TV and switch between DVRs, and then they take the remote to do what they need and hand it back to me. I've always been able to work with techs this way and hope it continues when the time comes ...

Sorry you had such a bad experience, but enjoy the new HD DVR!


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## dodge boy (Mar 31, 2006)

I had 3 lines ran to my living room originally. 2 for a DVR and 1 for a standard reciever, now since I switched to a SWM I could legitamately put 3 DVRs there... If I do will D* send out the DVR police?


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## dodge boy (Mar 31, 2006)

If I ever move I will have the TV and internet wiring distribution done when they build the thing...


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## wallfishman (Dec 31, 2008)

Ahhh sounds like you got screwed. I carry a little tv for jobs like you if I feel you can handle it (sounds like you can) . actually i love jobs like yours. Empty house ,nothing in the way. you could have 50 receivers on 1 tv for all i care as long as i get my 20 each for activating them. you dont want the new software no problem. Id give you my number and explain to call me with your problems for the next 90 days and down the road I go. 
Now someone totally clueless I wouldnt do that. do i get burned here and there yes. This whole job is a crapshoot anyway. we have other metrics that take a hit like completion percentages if i dont do the job, so i do what pays me the most. I take chances here and there and if i gotta roll back for 15 minutes next week to look at something its no biggie. all my jobs are within 15 minutes of my house. As long as you dont make a service call out of it and called me I would have done it.


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## Tom Servo (Mar 7, 2007)

The fact that the OP was paying for this new installation means she should have gotten what she wanted the first time.

I can understand the policy of needing a TV to activate a receiver, but I had a case where they refused to do an HD install without an HDTV. I did (and still do) have an SDTV with component inputs but they refused. So I had to reschedule the install after the special order HDTV arrived weeks later. 

Of course now I have an HD receiver on that SDTV with no problems.

Sometimes the installers are just not educated on what they can get away with when it comes to knowledgeable customers. And sometimes they're just lazy, like the guy who delivered my free HDDVR upgrade and then all but refused to run a second wire to the living room.


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## phox_mulder (Nov 1, 2007)

Ironwood does the installs here in Utah as well.

I had a HR10-250, an R10 and a TiVo S3 hooked to one TV when the Ironwood Installer came to install my 5lnb dish and HR21.

I unplugged the R10 from the TV and Sat, put the HR21 in it's place and all was well.

He was quite happy that I already had 4 lines ran to that room, all he had to run was an additional line to the room the R10 was going to reside in.
(it replaced a D10)

He did have to trigger an update on the HR21 and made sure it took before he left.

Nothing was said about multiple receivers in the same room.


phox


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

My last install was an HR21 that fit nicely into the cabinet alongside three other DVRs.


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## captain_video (Nov 22, 2005)

This entire thread sounds like the poster child for Do-It-Yourselfers. I have personally installed both the original single 18" round dish (eventually upgraded to a Perfect10 30" dish) and one of the original Phase III dishes with the SAT C kit plus a Dish 100 dish. I have an Accutrac22 alignment tool that I purchased in anticipation of installing one of the newer slimline dishes but ended up switching to Verizon FIOS instead. I ran all my own RG-6 cables throughout the house and never had DirecTV or one of their installers do more than plug in a DVR (against my personal wishes, I might add). The only time I ever had a problem with my installation was the result of a DirecTV installer mishandling a HDTivo, which resulted in it's untimely demise.

The moral of the story is this - If you want it done right, learn how to do it for yourself. The so-called mover's deal from DirecTV is anything but a bargain or convenience based on what everyone has said about it. If you can't do it for yourself, then hire an independent installer to do it for you. That way you'll never have to deal with assinine installers that couldn't find their butts with both hands and a flashlight. If you install it yourself you can set it up any way you damn well please. All DirecTV needs from you is a change of address notification so they know where to send the bill.


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

Its reasons like this that I refuse to allow an installer on my property. I buy/lease my receivers from Best Buy, bought my dish (Swmline5) from a local independent dealer, and installed my own system. I pay the bill, Ill use the service I pay for, the way I deem convienient to me.

You really do get what you pay for. Hire an independant and leave the "freebie" installs for the people without speacial needs. There are even videos online showing exactly how to do your own if you want to save some money.


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## Ed Campbell (Feb 17, 2006)

Haven't done it on the latest HDTV; but, without 2 receivers I wouldn't have been able to run PIP on the last TV. At least not with D* being my sole content provider.


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

I have two DVRs in a media closet and they support 9 zones. Technically there is no reason to have only one STB per TV.


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## webby_s (Jan 11, 2008)

smiddy said:


> I have two DVRs in a media closet and they support 9 zones. Technically there is no reason to have only one STB per TV.


Amen!

I have three recievers in one cabinet... 3 to one HDTV, 2 to one HDTV and 1 to one SDTV. And have an AM21 to one of the HR's

Love my setup.

But this all smells of hogwash! Good luck and sorry it ended this way.


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## terron (Oct 11, 2008)

Sorry you guys got a HORRIBLE installer, mine was much more chilled out.

I ordered 4 receivers when I first got setup.. one DVR and three standard. When the installer left, only one was hooked up, I didn't even have TVs for two of the receivers at the time of install. I tipped the guy because he was so polite, professional and willing to help.


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## cartrivision (Jul 25, 2007)

netraa said:


> You guys got caught up in the 'no tv's on site' policy that applies to installs.
> 
> The official policy is, you need to have the TV's for each rcvr in the house, plugged in, and ready to turn on at the technicians request before the install can go in. The reason for this is so that the technician can verify that each location is working properly with the TV that belongs to that rcvr and program the remote. I've had instances before where the customer didn't have all the tv's there, I did the install anyway, and then they could not figure out how to get the TV plugged into the rcvr and called direct tv and had a truck roll to plug a TV into the rcvr. I got back charged and took a ding to my numbers because of that. I have also had the 'I want them both here' install where as soon as I left they took 1 of the rcvrs and promptly added a splitter, ran a line down the hall and into the bedroom and wondered why they both stopped working. again, back charge and ding to the metric numbers.
> 
> ...


None of that is an excuse or justification for such idiotic unbend-able rules that cover just the "least common denominator" installation situations.

DirecTV should be bending over backwards and kissing the backside of high end customers who might want several DVRs at a single TV location, or want to do a slew of installations at a location before all the TVs (and residents) are moved into that location, as long as there is at least one TV there that can be moved to each room being installed to verify that DirecTV's hardware is working at that location. Prohibiting such an installation scenario is the same as telling a customer that an install is not intended or guaranteed to work with any TV but only the one TV that was in the room at the time of the install. That would be absurd if DirecTV told a customer that, and insisting that not just any TV can be used to verify an install is just as absurd... but more importantly, it's a really bad business practice.

Those are the type of customers that will typically be spending the highest amount per account, so DirecTV should be trying to make things easier for them, not trying to frustrate them and drive them away with such idiotic rules.


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## turey22 (Jul 30, 2007)

I had a tech come out one time for a Service call and he also took me back to the NR. It was upsetting when I told him not to do a software download but still did it. they just do what they want at times. but not all installers are like this, only some.


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## satguy22 (Oct 1, 2006)

Thats hard to believe! guess you didnt want to pay for that line? It is hard to get dtv to turn on a hddvr without the second line. the solfware wont let them.


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## Ned C (Mar 6, 2008)

I agree with Davenir on his statement. Since I can't "BUY" equipment only lease, I can't see any reason or rule, to regulate how many units can be on any tv in the house. Just my opinion.


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## netraa (Mar 28, 2007)

*D doesn't care how many rcvrs you put on your tv. They do, however, have policies that relate to the 'free install' that they are willing to give you.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=3500052

If you want a custom install a *D does go through the expense of having the dealer network that can and does charge for the custom work involved in these special installs.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

netraa said:


> *D doesn't care how many rcvrs you put on your tv. They do, however, have policies that relate to the 'free install' that they are willing to give you.
> 
> http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=3500052
> 
> If you want a custom install a *D does go through the expense of having the dealer network that can and does charge for the custom work involved in these special installs.


Interesting ... The overview below is from the page linked above. It states all connecting all peviously connected equipment is included, as is running ALL cables to one TV.

The "not included" columns says installing additional receivers to more than one TV is not included, but that's not the case either.

I see nothing there that precludes setting up multiple receivers on one TV especially when a previous installation was set up as such.

* Wiring and Connections:*


What's included in Standard Professional Installation|Custom Installations (additional charges apply)


Up to 125 feet of RG-6 cable per receiver.
Routing all cables to one TV through an exterior wall or from basement.
Connecting one DIRECTV receiver and all previously connected equipment.
For DVR installations, connecting two satellite cables to the DVR.|
Routing cables through more than one wall or fishing cables between walls.
Any additional work to hide or camouflage cables/wiring.
Installing additional receivers or routing system to more than one TV outlet.
Connecting system to stereo and/or components other than VCR.


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## unixgoddess (May 24, 2009)

we paid for this install.. Why did we have to follow the "free" policies?
double standard anyone?


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## ht2 (Dec 14, 2008)

When I installed to our house. I had 2 HD set and 1 SD set and installed 2 hddvr and 1 hd but I told them I am going to buy another HDTV and move old SDTV, installer told me take extra SD receiver for free because if I order SD unit later then cost money. I can return any time just pay $6/month if I decided not to keep. Some thing has changed last year and half.

Right now FIOS and ATT uverse are getting popular and there is no contract. We need more competition to getting better service from DTV.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

cartrivision said:


> DirecTV should be bending over backwards and kissing the backside of high end customers who might want several DVRs at a single TV location, or want to do a slew of installations at a location before all the TVs (and residents) are moved into that location, as long as there is at least one TV there that can be moved to each room being installed to verify that DirecTV's hardware is working at that location. Prohibiting such an installation scenario is the same as telling a customer that an install is not intended or guaranteed to work with any TV but only the one TV that was in the room at the time of the install. That would be absurd if DirecTV told a customer that, and insisting that not just any TV can be used to verify an install is just as absurd... but more importantly, it's a really bad business practice.


What you aren't understanding is that this is a CUSTOM install. The OP paid for the STANDARD install, which is CHEAP because it is LIMITED. And it HAS to be limited, because installers are only paid one rate, and that's the rate for the standard (i.e., basic) installation. There is no mechanism for DirecTV to pay installers anything extra; that's all on the customer.

Worse, the HSPs are increasingly preventing their installers from doing chargable custom work. This is partly because a few installers routinely scammed customers (overcharging, or accepting pay for work they don't know how to do, etc.), and partly because they have the installers' schedules fully booked and can't afford to have them tied up at one house all day.

This is why people with custom systems go to independent installers, who can give an actual bid on the job, and then take the time needed to do what the customer wants. Is that more expensive than paying DirecTV for a standard install? You better believe it is, but you get what you pay for.

I've done a number of high-end custom installs, and with these highly integrated systems, making what is seemingly a very simple change can take hours because you have to make sure all the integration still works. Custom installs are expensive for a reason: they take a lot more time and (depending on the setup) a lot more skill/experience.

Having said all that, I'd have had no problem hooking up a second box to one TV, but I'd have had the customer sign off on it AND had called dispatch, explained what I was doing, and put the customer on the phone to give a verbal "okay". I would have explained, and had the customer sign, that if they made changes and things didn't work, they would be charged BY ME for any chargebacks that resulted. But I've been doing this for a while, and know how to make that work.

The bottom line: if you use DirecTV's internal installation system, you're going to get a BASIC install, and that will be subject to a number of rules and limitations. If you want something else, and you can't do it yourself, then hire an independent who is able to meet your needs.


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## dishrich (Apr 23, 2002)

Well all I can tell you is, I have at least 4 clients that all recently got HD upgrades AND that had 2 DVR's on the SAME TV. (couple were both HD & others were HD & SD on the same set) I was there for all of them & none of the techs had any problems whatsoever with doing this - on the contrary, they were thrilled to NOT have to mess with multiple TV's. (I incorporated them all back into the backfeeds all these customers have, courtesy of myself)


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## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

As crappy as the whole experience was, isn't the net result of this whole episode that an SD DVR and an HD receiver was replaced by a single HD DVR for $99? By replacing two units with one unit, the monthy bill will drop by $5 per month, which will net the cost of the HD DVR out in 10 months and start paying for itself in month 11.

Am I missing something?


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## pfp (Apr 28, 2009)

Bill Broderick said:


> Am I missing something?


just all the headaches of living though the whole experience instead of reading about them in a forum.


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## KSbugeater (Feb 17, 2005)

Maybe the OP/partner would like to pay an extra $5/month for the privilege of watching 2 different shows at the same time via PIP, since the HDDVR does not output 2 video streams at once (like the dish 722 does).


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## dyker (Feb 27, 2008)

brielle said:


> ... I don't know if we'll be keeping DirecTV after our term is up....


Well since you activated a HD DVR that would be at least 24 months from now... Caught by the D* activation virus.:nono:


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## EricJRW (Jul 6, 2008)

I've read most of this thread... 

What I don't get is how hard is it to change the input on the TV?

I assumed the receivers are cabled and plugged into the TV, each on their own input...

So changing inputs on the TV in no way affects what the receivers are doing, so what's the big deal? Sounds completely asinine to me. 

The only way I could understand this is if the cable had to be run by the installer, but even then if you are moving X receivers from one house to another, the expectation should be the cable runs are included... In fact running 4 cables to the same place is probably easier (or at least can be) than 2 pairs to 2 different places...

I'm still kinda amazed at the absurdity... And doesn't more receivers mean more money for D*?


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## vikingguy (Aug 1, 2005)

I really hope this was just the installer and not a new policy. I have a Hr20 and HR10 on my main TV. Once MRV hits I want to move the HR10 to my spare bedroom and put a HR23+AM21 in its place. I am also thinking of adding a second HR unit in my bedroom TV. I need more space and I don't trust the whole E-Sata way of upgrading the harddrive. I have a few nights a week were I want to record 4 programs at once. I work all afternoon shifts so I have to record all my shows.

Switching between DVRs is effortless for me I got a HDMI switch box from monoprice 1 button press to switch between DVRs.


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## scottp461 (Sep 7, 2006)

I think, unless I missed something, that you are ALL missing the fine distinction between a receiver and a DVR! They DO allow multiple DVR's and the DVR's DO have multiple remote codes available, etc. I have 5 DVR's in my living room and no problem! What I think they're objecting to is multiple stand alone RECEIVERS! There is no need to have more than one of the Hxx boxes on one TV, except maybe to feed a VCR or something, but that should qualify as another TV! In reading all your posts, with this in mind, no one appears to have made this distinction. I might be wrong about this perception, but I think that it has been overlooked!


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## MIKE0616 (Dec 13, 2006)

captain_video said:


> This entire thread sounds like the poster child for Do-It-Yourselfers. I have personally installed both the original single 18" round dish (eventually upgraded to a Perfect10 30" dish) and one of the original Phase III dishes with the SAT C kit plus a Dish 100 dish. I have an Accutrac22 alignment tool that I purchased in anticipation of installing one of the newer slimline dishes but ended up switching to Verizon FIOS instead. I ran all my own RG-6 cables throughout the house and never had DirecTV or one of their installers do more than plug in a DVR (against my personal wishes, I might add). The only time I ever had a problem with my installation was the result of a DirecTV installer mishandling a HDTivo, which resulted in it's untimely demise.
> 
> The moral of the story is this - If you want it done right, learn how to do it for yourself. The so-called mover's deal from DirecTV is anything but a bargain or convenience based on what everyone has said about it. If you can't do it for yourself, then hire an independent installer to do it for you. That way you'll never have to deal with assinine installers that couldn't find their butts with both hands and a flashlight. If you install it yourself you can set it up any way you damn well please. All DirecTV needs from you is a change of address notification so they know where to send the bill.


Using the "movers connection" with D* also extends your commitment for another 24 months, so doing it yourself (or hiring a pro) does NOT get you the "contract extension virus." We are moving soon and already have found a "home entertainment" company that has given pretty decent rates on running cable and installing the antenna for me, so will just give D* a new address and be done with it. Like the old adage says, "ain't no free lunch" and this is just another case of it.  The OP made a mistake in taking the new hardware as that extends their commitment even though they had to pay for their install. Would have been the same price for the install from any company, even most E* dealers will do the install (at least in KY, they will.)



scottp461 said:


> I think, unless I missed something, that you are ALL missing the fine distinction between a receiver and a DVR! They DO allow multiple DVR's and the DVR's DO have multiple remote codes available, etc. I have 5 DVR's in my living room and no problem! What I think they're objecting to is multiple stand alone RECEIVERS! There is no need to have more than one of the Hxx boxes on one TV, except maybe to feed a VCR or something, but that should qualify as another TV! In reading all your posts, with this in mind, no one appears to have made this distinction. I might be wrong about this perception, but I think that it has been overlooked!


Most of my TVs have PIP and I use it during basketball and football season a lot. Maybe that would be a good reason to want more than one, since D* doesn't have PIP support on *ANY* of their products. Ya think?


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## Canis Lupus (Oct 16, 2006)

So what's your status? Do you guys have an incomplete install still?



unixgoddess said:


> we paid for this install.. Why did we have to follow the "free" policies?
> double standard anyone?


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

I can't find any offical docs that say there can't be more than one box per TV.

If there is a policy it's most likely on the local level.

As has been already stated, if a box/line is put in without a TV, and later it don't work or the customer can't plug in the TV, the tech stands a good chance of taking a hit. Personally, I try and read the customer. Do they have a room temp IQ? If so, they have to go find a tv or it gets rescheduled. Does the person have a clue how to hook it up? Then it most likely goes in.

I have put multiple boxes on a single TV. In all those cases, extra time and care has to be taken to educate the customer on how to independantly control the boxes. I can tell you that not everyone in our warehouse knows how to do this. It's not normally part of the training. So, it's entirely possible the tech didn't know it could be done.


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## mauijiminar (Oct 11, 2007)

brielle said:


> Me and my partner moved to our new house the other day - we brought with us our 3 R22-100s and 1 H21-100. At the time when we ordered our service last year, we didn't have our high def TV yet - but we wanted to make sure that when we did, we wouldn't have to wait for DirecTV to send us a receiver.
> 
> Ended up with in the living room, a R22 + H21 (on standby), an R22 in the office, and the final R22 in the bedroom. The H21 turned into a blessing - we could take advantage of the MRV features when they became available. Setup worked great and almost flawlessly - esp with our new high def 1080p 42inch Toshiba.
> 
> ...


This has always been their policy.


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## dorfd1 (Jul 16, 2008)

brielle said:


> Me and my partner moved to our new house the other day - we brought with us our 3 R22-100s and 1 H21-100. At the time when we ordered our service last year, we didn't have our high def TV yet - but we wanted to make sure that when we did, we wouldn't have to wait for DirecTV to send us a receiver.
> 
> Ended up with in the living room, a R22 + H21 (on standby), an R22 in the office, and the final R22 in the bedroom. The H21 turned into a blessing - we could take advantage of the MRV features when they became available. Setup worked great and almost flawlessly - esp with our new high def 1080p 42inch Toshiba.
> 
> ...


When my mom and dad had directv installed I got a reciver in my room but I had it connected to a computer. I thought connection to a computer would have been custom install.


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## texasbrit (Aug 9, 2006)

I don't think this is an official policy, I think it was created by the local installer for some unknown reason. I talked to two of my local installers who both said they install multiple receivers/DVRs to single TVs all the time.


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

What a nightmare!!

I'm so glad I know how to install a dish and cabling myself such that if I ever move I will not have to avail myself of the "movers connection". It's very tempting of course with all it's "benefits" like a new 2 year commitment and 3 months of Showtime, HBO, and Starz...


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## goblazers_6 (Apr 20, 2009)

I know techs that have set up multiple receivers on 1 tv. I really think it depends on who you get and how confident they are on what they can do. Some techs are retards who dont give a sh*t, some are very good at what they do and love the more complex setups.


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## R8ders2K (Sep 11, 2006)

I haven't had an installer install anything but the dish. There's no way for them to even have a clue for my setup. Not only do I have HR20 and a H20 hooked up to my TV, I have 2 ReplayTVs as well and that's not including the VCR, LaserDisc player, HD DVD and the XBox 360...

Just send me the boxes and I'll do it myself.

When my parents got D* service, I did the receiver installs and the installer took care of the dish and cabling. After that I swapped out the Zinwell for a SWM8.


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## HemBeck (May 30, 2009)

Just trying to understand the purpose: Why would you need to have 2 receivers connected to one TV?


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## joed32 (Jul 27, 2006)

HemBeck said:


> Just trying to understand the purpose: Why would you need to have 2 receivers connected to one TV?


4 tuners, PIP, switching (DLB), his and hers, more than 50 series max, all for $5 per month.


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## w3syt (Feb 17, 2006)

When the Ironwood guy came with my second HR-20 and I mentioned setting the second remote code , he had NO idea what I was talking about and couldn't understand why anyone would want 2 recorders in the same room.

I am sure there are thousands of such stories out there.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

For sure each tech is different ... When I got my first HR20 and the Slimline dish installed, the tech walked in and saw that it would go into the open slot in a cabinet with three HR10-250s below it. His comment? "Wow, you must really like football. I know where I'll be on Sundays!"

So he immediately had an idea of why someone would want multiple receivers on a TV, although in my case it wasn't for football. 

(I have multiple receivers for conflict resolution, with DVRs assigned to record from specific networks. Works great!)


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## FireMedic8039 (Dec 24, 2007)

HemBeck said:


> Just trying to understand the purpose: Why would you need to have 2 receivers connected to one TV?


I have the HD STB and the HD DVR on one tv for PIP for years. And on Diretv's website it even has a PIP catagory for where your boxes are inside your home.

So that fool was wrong.


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