# What is Directv2PC?



## rbpeirce

This suddenly showed up in the input list on my TV. I don't know what it is or what to do with it. The TV is a PC, although god-awful slow, but my DVR is already connected to it. What does this do?


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## wahooq

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/directv/technology/directv2pc


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## rbpeirce

If I read this correctly, not only can I send shows to my TV via HDMI but also at an incredibly slow pace using Directv2PC. Why on earth would I want to?


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## Stuart Sweet

Actually you're being misled, sorry. 

DIRECTV2PC was the original name for the protocols that underlie whole-home viewing. There was a product by the same name several years ago. It is still available, I believe, but hasn't been updated in years. The goal was that you could watch your DIRECTV programming... on your PC, as the name implies. 

Whole-home viewing uses some of the same protocols as DLNA, and as a result, networked DIRECTV DVRs are visible on some DLNA-compliant equipment as "DIRECTV2PC Media Server." There isn't a way to turn that off unless you take your DVRs off the network, removing their ability to use interactive features and share programming. 

If you try to play programming through your TV's media sharing feature, you may be able to see the playlist but it will fail to play as your TV is not capable of decrypting the content. 

So the final word is, it's just an annoyance and nothing you need to deal with.


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## maartena

rbpeirce said:


> If I read this correctly, not only can I send shows to my TV via HDMI but also at an incredibly slow pace using Directv2PC. Why on earth would I want to?


I have used it on my laptop in the past. I wanted to sit outside on the back patio, and did no want to lug the TV with me out there. 

It worked pretty "OK". Sometimes it just stopped getting responses from the DVR the show was on, and you needed to reboot the DVR. But most of the time it works pretty good.

As Stuart said, it hasn't been updated in a while. But it should still work should you have a Windows compatible device you want to play some stuff on.


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## rbpeirce

My Windows compatible device is the TV I have my DVR connected to. This doesn't seem very useful.


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## Stuart Sweet

I'm not sure I completely understand, as I'm not aware of Windows being used in a TV. But I admit I don't know everything. If you mean that your TV is capable of sharing media from a PC, that's DLNA. Or are you saying you have your DVR hooked to a computer?


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## VARTV

maartena said:


> I have used it on my laptop in the past. I wanted to sit outside on the back patio, and did no want to lug the TV with me out there.
> 
> It worked pretty "OK". Sometimes it just stopped getting responses from the DVR the show was on, and you needed to reboot the DVR. But most of the time it works pretty good.
> 
> As Stuart said, it hasn't been updated in a while. But it should still work should you have a Windows compatible device you want to play some stuff on.


Yep... we've done this!


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## harsh

Stuart Sweet said:


> Actually you're being misled, sorry.


Funny you should say that...


> It is still available, I believe, but hasn't been updated in years. The goal was that you could watch your DIRECTV programming... on your PC, as the name implies.


If Doug Brott's thread is to be believed, DIRECTV2PC was updated a year ago (the installation file is dated 7/25/2011).


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## LameLefty

harsh said:


> Funny you should say that...If Doug Brott's thread is to be believed, DIRECTV2PC was updated a year ago (the installation file is dated 7/25/2011).


Nice of a loyal Dish customer to pick nits. Tell us more about your experience with DIRECTV2PC and Directv's Whole-Home DVR service and DLNA implementations instead, why don't you? Oh, that's right . . . :lol:


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## veryoldschool

harsh said:


> Funny you should say that... DIRECTV2PC was updated a year ago (the installation file is dated 7/25/2011).


IIRC: it was because of a change in Internet Explore that caused issues.

Dates on the last four releases:
9/8/2009
9/17/2009
8/13/2010
7/25/2011


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## wahooq

it works for me ...


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## Stuart Sweet

harsh said:


> Funny you should say that...If Doug Brott's thread is to be believed, DIRECTV2PC was updated a year ago (the installation file is dated 7/25/2011).


The goal here is to help the thread starter, not argue whether or not a minor maintenance release qualifies as an update.


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## rbpeirce

Stuart Sweet said:


> I'm not sure I completely understand, as I'm not aware of Windows being used in a TV. But I admit I don't know everything. If you mean that your TV is capable of sharing media from a PC, that's DLNA. Or are you saying you have your DVR hooked to a computer?


I have an 42" LG and it has some kind of computer OS in it. It is connected to my network via WiFi and my HR20 is connected via ethernet. Apparently they can talk to each other over DirctTV2PC Media Center. However, it is insanely slow.

The TV also has a Safari browser and does other computer-type stuff. However, as I said, it is way too slow to be useful. For example, I am currently updating the software on the TV. It is 50% done after 40 minutes! Who can live with that?


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## Stuart Sweet

Let me say first I do not have an LG TV so I can't tell you whether it is normal for a firmware update to take 40 minutes. That said it sounds like the wi-fi connection between your TV and the rest of your network is too weak. You might want to run the ethernet cable from the HR20 into the TV (temporarily) and see if your speeds increase. 

And as far as the DIRECTV2PC Media Center entries, as I said just ignore them.


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## veryoldschool

Stuart Sweet said:


> And as far as the DIRECTV2PC Media Center entries, as I said just ignore them.


These are also seen in Windows Media player, but there's nothing accessible.


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## Beerstalker

Like Stuart said, sounds like your WiFi connection on your TV isn't very strong so it's getting slow speeds. Hooking up a wired ethernet connection to your home network might help a lot with internet browsing, firmware updates, and media streaming if you use that.

Also, like the others said the DirecTV DVRs tend to show up as DirecTV2PC devices on any other device that uses DLNA to stream movies/music etc. However none of them can really access the files or do anything with them. I know in my house my DirecTV DVRs show up on both my PS3 and Denon AVR, but of course I can't play anything from them. Just ignore them.

If you want to watch DirecTV switch your TV to the HDMI input that your HR20 is hooked up to and enjoy.


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## veryoldschool

rbpeirce said:


> My Windows compatible device is the TV I have my DVR connected to. This doesn't seem very useful.


This TV would need to be able to have the DirecTV2PC software installed.
A PC or laptop with DirecTV2PC installed can be connected to a TV and play recordings from the DVR, or simply be played on the PC or laptop.

I really doubt your TV has the horsepower to run DirecTV2PC by itself.


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