# Dead DVR ??



## Macondawg (Aug 31, 2007)

About 4 -5 days ago my DVR became unresponsive. When I unplug it, the thing still will not get through the start up screen. Calls to DirecTV are useless, they tell me that I have to buy a new one. It is only about a year old. Does anyone know of another option? I did not have the protection plan. I wondered if it had to do with new softweare recently added?


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

:welcome_s to DBSTalk! 

If your bill calls this a "leased receiver" than you should be able to get a replacement for $19.95 shipping and handling. It's sometimes possible to do so even with owned receivers. I would be patient and say gently that you would like to speak to someone else.


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

Macondawg said:


> About 4 -5 days ago my DVR became unresponsive. When I unplug it, the thing still will not get through the start up screen. Calls to DirecTV are useless, they tell me that I have to buy a new one. It is only about a year old. Does anyone know of another option? I did not have the protection plan. I wondered if it had to do with new softweare recently added?


When did you get the DVR from DirecTV? If it was after 2006, it is most likely leased. In any event, you NEVER have to "BUY" another one to replace it. But you might have to agree to a 2 year programming commitment or an extention to 2 years of your present programming commitment.

DirecTV will swap out your DVR for another one of the same model for a $20 S & H charge. You have to return the old unit but the $20 includes shipping in both directions. If you OWN the broken DVR, the one they send you will be a LEASED unit that you have to return if you cancel. You will also get a 2 year programming commitment.

On the other hand, if you want to spend $72 (the minimum length of time to take the Protection Plan is one year at $6/month), and you don't mind waiting a month (the Protection Plan begins 30 days after you select it), that might be the route for you to go. With the Protection Plan, a technician shows up with a new (or reconditioned) DVR and takes your broken one back. And anything else that goes wrong with ANY DirecTV hardware is covered as long as you keep paying the monthly Protection Plan fee.

But before you do anything, why not try reformatting the hard drive? To do this, plug it in and when it says "Your DirecTV receiver is starting up" PRESS and HOLD both the DOWN ARROW and RECORD buttons ON THE FRONT PANEL OF THE DVR. Hold both buttons in for about 15 seconds. If you did it correctly, when you release the buttons the RECORD light will remain on for a time. If this revives the DVR, after it completely restarts, press the MENU key and choose SETUP, Then choose RESET and select RESET EVERYTHING. After doing this, the unit will restart. Repeat the above reformat procedure. This cleans everything out and starts everything fresh and clean. You then have to go through the satellite setup, but if you have any questions just come back here to DBSTALK.COM and someone will be happy to help!


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## Macondawg (Aug 31, 2007)

That is exactly what I was looking for. The DVR is unresponsive to the remote, even to turn it off. I will try this fix tonight and see what happens. As far as the age of the DVR, I guess i am not really sure. My wife already had it when we got married 1 year ago but it was not hooked up. DirecTV said at first it was leased then, when I balked at another 2 year committment, said I actually owned it.

If I have to buy another one, can I get it from another source so that I don't have to commit for two more years?


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

I guess the question to ask is what kind of DVR do you have? Is it a DirecTivo or an R15 or HR series DVR?

Any receiver that you get nowadays will be a leased receiver. There is no way to purchase one and own it. The one small exception to that is if you were to purchase one from someone on-line, but they would have to have owned that receiver in order to sell it to you. You then need to purchase an Access Card for $20 in order to use that receiver. It is usually just as easy to get a new/refurbished receiver directly from DirecTV for the $20 shipping fee. As stated though, if you get a new receiver from DirecTV, you will be committing yourself for 2 more years (from the date of purchase, not from the current end date of your commitment).

- Merg


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## Macondawg (Aug 31, 2007)

I looked on the back last night, it is an R-15 model. I tried the resetting trick several times but nothing happened. The unit seems totally unresponsive to either the remote or the buttons on the front. Could I have done it wrong?

I looked at my bill and it shows 1 leased receiver. I figured that would be the newer HD receiver I got last year. My current contract lasts another year, will I have to extend it 2 years past that or just 2 years from now?

Thanks for answering the stupid questions


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

You will have to take a 2-year contract extension in order to get a receiver replaced for $19.95.


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

Macondawg said:


> I looked on the back last night, it is an R-15 model. I tried the resetting trick several times but nothing happened. The unit seems totally unresponsive to either the remote or the buttons on the front. Could I have done it wrong?
> 
> I looked at my bill and it shows 1 leased receiver. I figured that would be the newer HD receiver I got last year. My current contract lasts another year, will I have to extend it 2 years past that or just 2 years from now?
> 
> Thanks for answering the stupid questions


Your last resort is to try a Hard Reset which is to unplug it overnight(Sometimes 5 minutes works).Then if that works do the Reformat.Good Luck!


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

The Merg said:


> Any receiver that you get nowadays will be a leased receiver. There is no way to purchase one and own it.
> 
> - Merg


Bzzz! Wrong!

You can PURCHASE ANY DirecTV receiver outright from DirecTV if you do not care to lease it. But get your wallet out because it ain't cheap....


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

And when you acquire a new DVR, it resets your comittment to two years from now, it doesn't tack two years on to the end.


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

Stuart Sweet said:


> You will have to take a 2-year contract extension in order to get a receiver replaced for $19.95.


So say about 50% of the posters here. I'll add your response to my poll...


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

paulman182 said:


> And when you acquire a new DVR, it resets your comittment to two years from now, it doesn't tack two years on to the end.


Right. The LONGEST programming commitment ANYBODY has with DirecTV is 2 years. (for now)

That's why when I got my second DVR only 2 months after the first one, it only extended my commitment by 2 months. So it behooves folks to do all their receiver upgrades, additions, and shuffling at the same time and then do nothing equipment wise for as long as possible.


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

ThomasM said:


> Bzzz! Wrong!
> 
> You can PURCHASE ANY DirecTV receiver outright from DirecTV if you do not care to lease it. But get your wallet out because it ain't cheap....


Technically, yes, but if you are just going through the normal procurement method of getting a new DVR it will only be leased. Most people do not know or don't care to contact DirecTV directly and request to purchase the receiver outright as opposed to getting one via a lease.

- Merg


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## Macondawg (Aug 31, 2007)

Nothing I try seems to work, the DVR will not go to the hard reset. First, it does not respond to either the remote or the buttons on the front. When I plug it back in, I can hear the hard drive spinning and the blue screen comes on saying it is starting up. The screen says "Just a few more seconds" and then goes to black. Holding down the record button and the down button simultaneously does nothing, i have tried it 20 times at least. Looks like this one is no DVR, it is DRT!! Thanks for the help though. If by chance I am missing something, please let me know


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

Macondawg said:


> Nothing I try seems to work, the DVR will not go to the hard reset. First, it does not respond to either the remote or the buttons on the front. When I plug it back in, I can hear the hard drive spinning and the blue screen comes on saying it is starting up. The screen says "Just a few more seconds" and then goes to black. Holding down the record button and the down button simultaneously does nothing, i have tried it 20 times at least. Looks like this one is no DVR, it is DRT!! Thanks for the help though. If by chance I am missing something, please let me know


Nope sounds like you tried it all.Looks like it's bad and needs to be replaced.


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## LOCODUDE (Aug 8, 2007)

Jhon69 said:


> Nope sounds like you tried it all.Looks like it's bad and needs to be replaced.


Indeed..............


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## red.bean.head (Feb 1, 2007)

LOCODUDE said:


> Indeed..............


Absolutely, indubidably.........................


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## weattv (Oct 15, 2007)

My R15 cycles between the messages "difficulty starting up ... unplug for 1 minute" and "checking the disk ... this may take 30 minutes." I posted elsewhere & some of the members on this thread said it is dead & needs replacing.

I can't access the info as to which software it has, so I don't know what major thread this question would go in:

Info elsewhere on the forum says data on an HR20, e.g., can be copied & saved, at risk of voiding agreement. If the data is still on my R15 drive, is it possible to:

1. copy data to another drive,
2. reformat the R15 drive,
3. copy the original data back to the internal drive?

That would be great!

Re: 2-year commitments, I hadn't thought DirecTV's abysmal 2-year policy would apply to replacing a defective R15 with _another _R15. Is that definite?

As DirecTV explained in '06 & '07, the extension of the 2-year period applies only when "upgrading" to "better" equipment. E.g., they said the R15 was better than a (defective) R10 (hardly!), so it was an upgrade; getting another R10 would not have been, they said. But they cheerfully screwed us after the R10 went bad after 10 days, after a previous R15 went bad from the start. Likewise, our first HR20 was also an upgrade.

But I'm really pissed if R15 to R15 is an upgrade. Their equipment goes bad, wiping out 100 or so hours of recordings, & to get more of their junky equipment the customer has to commit for another 2 years???

This policy makes no sense.

It made more sense when they sold, sometimes for "free," the receivers. They didn't want to lose the receivers and the lease revenue too soon. But since the customer must now return them, & pays a lease fee, why do it now (except to maintain any method of greed)?

And, if line-of-sight issues such as tree growth or nearby construction, or potential moves to where those are a problem, are a fear, the customer is a lot less likely to re-up.

The only solution is getting an R10 on eBay. Or will DirecTV require 2 more years for activating that?


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

weattv said:


> My R15 cycles between the messages "difficulty starting up ... unplug for 1 minute" and "checking the disk ... this may take 30 minutes." I posted elsewhere & some of the members on this thread said it is dead & needs replacing.
> 
> I can't access the info as to which software it has, so I don't know what major thread this question would go in:
> 
> ...


Do you own your R15?Do you have the DirecTV Protection Plan?.This is what it says on DirecTV's website concerning the lease agreement.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=P500014

Don't know anything about copying information.To Reformat push the Red Reset Button/When you see the first Blue Screen press the Record Button and Down Arrow on the R15 at the Same Time.Hold down for 15 seconds/The Record Light should come on showing the R15 is Reformatting.Good Luck!


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

red.bean.head said:


> Absolutely, indubidably.........................


Is that spelled correctly?


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## grizzly (Aug 27, 2005)

Umm, I own all except one of my units, the HR-20. 

Every time I've replaced a unit under the protection plan, the replacement has shown up as owned by me. I read the T&C's and it doesn't address that issue....so I think you might be wrong there. It's also never reset my commitment. I've been a customer so long that I have a "fear of commitment".  

Kevin


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

grizzly said:


> Umm, I own all except one of my units, the HR-20.
> 
> Every time I've replaced a unit under the protection plan, the replacement has shown up as owned by me. I read the T&C's and it doesn't address that issue....so I think you might be wrong there. It's also never reset my commitment. I've been a customer so long that I have a "fear of commitment".
> 
> Kevin


That's the way it should be. In the General DirecTV forum is a thread about DirecTV Commitments. That thread explains how and when your commitment is extended when replacing/upgrading a receiver.

- Merg


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