# DirecTV Unveils DirecTV2PC Beta



## musrmgr (Feb 2, 2005)

DirecTV has released the beta version of DirecTV2PC, which will let owners of an HR2x series DirecTV HD-DVR stream video to their PC

Very Cool. Check it out.
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global...setId=P4920044


----------



## rolybert (Oct 1, 2008)

musrmgr said:


> DirecTV has released the beta version of DirecTV2PC, which will let owners of an HR2x series DirecTV HD-DVR stream video to their PC
> 
> Very Cool. Check it out.
> http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global...setId=P4920044


link does not work.


----------



## musrmgr (Feb 2, 2005)

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


----------



## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

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

This link is complete.


----------



## LlamaLarry (Apr 30, 2003)

Is CC timing messed up for anyone else?


----------



## Fezmid (Dec 6, 2001)

I can browse both of my HR21 boxes, but I can't play anything. When I try, it says "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time."


----------



## smoking_rubber (Dec 21, 2005)

What wires are used to transfer the media from my DVR to my PC? Must I have everything on a home network?


----------



## shibby191 (Dec 24, 2007)

Fezmid said:


> I can browse both of my HR21 boxes, but I can't play anything. When I try, it says "DIRECTV2PC cannot connect to the server. The protected content cannot be played back at this time."


DBSTalk is going to be your best place for help. There are several threads. If I had to guess your monitor is not HDCP compliant.


----------



## shibby191 (Dec 24, 2007)

smoking_rubber said:


> What wires are used to transfer the media from my DVR to my PC? Must I have everything on a home network?


It's on your home network. Again, DBSTalk is the main source of info on this application. Satguys also has some info. And you're not transferring media, you're just watching a streamed recording from the DVR. It's all protected via HDCP, it's not a file transfer that you then can play on your PC.


----------



## shibby191 (Dec 24, 2007)

Here is the forum that has several threads on this app: http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=112


----------



## Fezmid (Dec 6, 2001)

shibby191 said:


> DBSTalk is going to be your best place for help. There are several threads. If I had to guess your monitor is not HDCP compliant.


Yeah, I know - I posted there too.

However from what I've read, there's a specific HDCP error message and that's not what I'm getting....

I suppose I can hunt for a VGA cable/monitor to see if that helps.


----------



## packerfan (Jan 8, 2002)

I just tried this out on my laptop. It works much better than I thought it would. I wonder how far away we are from having remote viewing available without the need for a slingbox.


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

Well, this solution is high-bandwidth so is not really usable outside your home network. Remote viewing is a major issue for the studios as it's difficult to control.


----------



## SteveGardiner (Nov 13, 2001)

I got it working fine on my home desktop but with one drawback. I have dual monitors on my PC and when I try to playback a show it tells me it won't work on dual monitor systems. I disabled my second monitor and it worked fine. This is an annoying issue. It seems they could just ignore my second monitor and only use the primary only.


----------



## appleye1 (Jan 26, 2002)

Wow, this is so cool! Installation was a piece of cake, and I just got done watching an episode of Mythbusters in HD and it looked great! Crystal clear and no stuttering or pixelization at all.

Color me very impressed! There's some improvements they can make (being able to watch live tv for instance) but it's very handy for watching recorded shows in my home office when I'm supposed to be working.


----------



## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

Will there ever be a Mac client for this? I doubt it will run in a Windows Virtual Machine.


----------



## LlamaLarry (Apr 30, 2003)

How do I get a second key?

ETA: I went back to the page and entered in a couple of other email addresses, but nothing yet.

ETA Again: Looks like I actually have to click the second download link to bring down the client to get the email to actually send.


----------



## SteveTrek (Aug 3, 2003)

I have a R21-700 connecting to my PC through power-line ethernet to DIR-655. This Application is great! I have a 24 inch widescreen LCD monitor on my computer. I've watched a couple of Laker games and Pushing Daisies accross my home network on my PC. It's been rock solid. I have not had any issues at all. On the wish list side, I would like to be able to delete a show after I'm done watching it on the PC. Currently, one cannot do that. And like another post, I would like to be able to watch live TV too.


----------



## Fezmid (Dec 6, 2001)

SteveTrek said:


> And like another post, I would like to be able to watch live TV too.


You can cheat and schedule a recording remotely (http:m.directv.com), and then start watching it like that. 

Not that I'd know, since I can't get it to work yet... Gotta find a DVI->VGA connector and see if that helps with the HDCP thing.


----------



## SteveTrek (Aug 3, 2003)

Fezmid said:


> You can cheat and schedule a recording remotely (http:m.directv.com), and then start watching it like that.
> 
> Not that I'd know, since I can't get it to work yet... Gotta find a DVI->VGA connector and see if that helps with the HDCP thing.


You're right. I thought of that. It would be nice to have a direct way to do it though.


----------



## Martyp (Jan 6, 2004)

Thene thing that really brings this down is getting a ode to makethe program wok . I wantd it n2 computersi hhouse yet itony ent the coe ntime adnw elsme I can notgt anymore .


----------



## LlamaLarry (Apr 30, 2003)

The only was I was able to get the second code was to actually go through the download process and go all the way to letting the 2nd download (1st is the advisor and 2nd is the client) start. You can kill the downloads once they start, but it must be the action of pressing the 2nd download now button that sends the code.


----------



## shanew1289 (May 7, 2004)

Works great. Impressive on the responsiveness, clarity, and robustness. 

My advisor gave me RED on my 6800 and monitor. Specs says 7000 series and above. but it works great.

Now they need to add a wireless mouse to the HR21 as scrolling through the list is SWEET with the mouse!

I can sling live tv while watching the recordings, which could be a live show. SWEET!

Its like having FULL dual tuners I can watch side by side! FROM THE SAME RECEIVER! At the same time.


----------



## shibby191 (Dec 24, 2007)

And now MRV is in CE testing as well.


----------



## smark (Nov 20, 2002)

Martyp said:


> Thene thing that really brings this down is getting a ode to makethe program wok . I wantd it n2 computersi hhouse yet itony ent the coe ntime adnw elsme I can notgt anymore .


What?


----------



## Martyp (Jan 6, 2004)

smark said:


> What?


Was having big time keyboard problems.

What I ment was that having to have a code to make it work is a pain in the butt.

I wanted to put this on a couple of computers and it would mess up on sending the code then send you a email saying you had got the 2 codes for that email .

Now I own my own .com so I could make as many emails as I wanted but thats just a pain .


----------



## az_double_eagle (Aug 14, 2006)

Is any one else having the problem where you can't even get the software to download? I've gone to the link of http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=P4920044 and when I try to download the Beta software, it takes me to this link http://www.cyberlink.com/prog/event/2008/directv2pc/enu/error.jsp that says "This page cannot be displayed. To access information about DIRECTV2PC, please go to www.directv.com/directv2pc" which then takes me to original link.

Is anyone else having this problem?


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

Well, the link you show ends in error.jsp which does not look promising. I've had no problem with downloading the app. Why don't you try http://www.cyberlink.com/prog/event/2008/directv2pc/enu/download-advisor.jsp to get started?


----------



## az_double_eagle (Aug 14, 2006)

stevel said:


> Well, the link you show ends in error.jsp which does not look promising. I've had no problem with downloading the app. Why don't you try http://www.cyberlink.com/prog/event/2008/directv2pc/enu/download-advisor.jsp to get started?


Thanks, stevel, I was able to get it working. I think the original link does some basic compatibility checking before it even will let you download the advisor app. I was able to work around this by using a different PC (long story) that was compatible and then running the advisor on mine. Even though it said my processor was too slow (by a bit), I installed the Directv2PC app anyway (he he), and I am able to get it working. A little choppy sometimes, but working. I'm watching a HD program too, and it looks pretty darn good if I do say so.

Thanks for the advice. :up:


----------



## jcaudle (Aug 16, 2004)

Whats so great about this? Tivo has had MRV and TivoTo GO for several years. Directv dvrs in the same household still can't transfer programming between each other, and you can't download programs from PC back to DVRs, and it doesn't allow you to get podcasts.


----------



## shibby191 (Dec 24, 2007)

jcaudle said:


> Whats so great about this? Tivo has had MRV and TivoTo GO for several years.


So? It's something DirecTV subs have never had unless you hacked your DirecTivo. Thus 99.99% of DirecTV people never had it. Now it's a feature DirecTV is going to have.



> Directv dvrs in the same household still can't transfer programming between each other,


Actually in testing now. See the Cutting Edge program.



> and you can't download programs from PC back to DVRs, and it doesn't allow you to get podcasts.


Been able to do that for over 2 years now on DirecTV DVRs. Also can do YouTube, Hulu and whatever else you want as well.


----------



## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

is this..that?

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/12/directv_pc_tuner_officially_canceled.html

DirecTV has officially canned their efforts to bring the HDPC-20 tuner to market. The device would have allowed subscribers to integrate their service with Windows Media Centre.


----------



## shibby191 (Dec 24, 2007)

newsposter said:


> is this..that?
> 
> http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/12/directv_pc_tuner_officially_canceled.html
> 
> DirecTV has officially canned their efforts to bring the HDPC-20 tuner to market. The device would have allowed subscribers to integrate their service with Windows Media Centre.


No, that's an actual tuner card they were working on. Looks like it was canned due to Microsoft dragging their feet.

The product in this thread is already released and working just fine and has for a few months now. It's streaming from your DirecTV DVR to your PC.


----------



## argicida (Feb 17, 2009)

I set DirecTV2PC up last night.

It was much easier than the threads made me think it would be be.

It works much better than the playback adviser suggested - it works well on multiple PCs that had multiple grey and red circles.

The only hassles were having to use multiple email accounts to get multiple codes to get more than one PC to work and that it took a while for a laptop connected wirelessly to recognize all the Hi Def DVRs. Oh and a laptop with an integrated shared memory ATI x200 and 256MB is sluggish and I'm gonna add a gig for about $35.


----------



## Ed Dixon (Feb 22, 2001)

Installed this today. Seems to work well and easy to set up.

Works with recorded material but not live. Has a problem for any PC with 2 or more monitors. You have to disable all by one for now.

Ed


----------



## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

Me likey...

I have a SlingBox Pro (not the HD version), and have had this capability for a while now...but not at this level of resolution... So now I can hit up both of my HD-DVRs in High Def within my LAN... Nice! I wish I could nickname my two HD-DVRs though...it's a little confusing doing it by the DTV server ID...

I still love having my SlingBox for WAN/Internet access...as well as the ability to hit up my SD TiVo... Very nice though... Very nice...


----------



## shibby191 (Dec 24, 2007)

MikeekiM said:


> I wish I could nickname my two HD-DVRs though...it's a little confusing doing it by the DTV server ID...


Actually you can if you enable MRV on them. The DBTalk CE forums will have details on how to do that.


----------



## JoeyJoJo (Sep 29, 2003)

MikeekiM said:


> Me likey...
> 
> I have a SlingBox Pro (not the HD version), and have had this capability for a while now...but not at this level of resolution... So now I can hit up both of my HD-DVRs in High Def within my LAN... Nice! I wish I could nickname my two HD-DVRs though...it's a little confusing doing it by the DTV server ID...
> 
> I still love having my SlingBox for WAN/Internet access...as well as the ability to hit up my SD TiVo... Very nice though... Very nice...


Go to "search for shows" (or however it's worded)
Go to "Keyword search"
Enter keyword "MRVCLIENTON"
Go to the Setup menu
Go to Networking
Go to "advanced" or something like that (I'm at work and going from memory.)

There should be a blank space at the top that you can enter a network-friendly name.


----------



## bobjr94 (Apr 10, 2009)

I have the same problem, it will not work on systems with more than 1 monitor. Dosent make sense since I can hook up my dvr to as many tv's as I want.


----------



## argicida (Feb 17, 2009)

jcaudle said:


> Whats so great about this? Tivo has had MRV and TivoTo GO for several years. Directv dvrs in the same household still can't transfer programming between each other, and you can't download programs from PC back to DVRs, and it doesn't allow you to get podcasts.


Part of it is money. I have 4 dual tuner DirectTV DVRs that cost me - 1 DirecTivos and three HiDef DirecTV DVRs - total cost $6 per month.

What would 4 Tivos cost?


----------



## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

argicida said:


> Part of it is money. I have 4 dual tuner DirectTV DVRs that cost me - 1 DirecTivos and three HiDef DirecTV DVRs - total cost $6 per month.
> 
> What would 4 Tivos cost?


Anywhere from $0 to $42.80 a month depending on what service plans you choose.


----------



## terpfan1980 (Jan 28, 2002)

nrc said:


> Anywhere from $0 to $42.80 a month depending on what service plans you choose.


Plus cable cards, plus cable service, plus...

(... meaning that you can't just add up the cost of the TiVo subscriptions, you may have other costs to include as well. Unless you are using analog channels only, or over-the-air channels only you'll need cable cards or you'll need a cable box and have to pay the monthly fees for those things too)


----------



## argicida (Feb 17, 2009)

nrc said:


> Anywhere from $0 to $42.80 a month depending on what service plans you choose.


How do get zero as a possibility - do you mean Tivo basic?


----------



## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

terpfan1980 said:


> Plus cable cards, plus cable service, plus...
> 
> (... meaning that you can't just add up the cost of the TiVo subscriptions, you may have other costs to include as well. Unless you are using analog channels only, or over-the-air channels only you'll need cable cards or you'll need a cable box and have to pay the monthly fees for those things too)


The exact costs will obviously vary from carrier to carrier. Many carriers provide the first card for free so if they have multistream cards there may be no additional cost for cable cards.

There are other savings as well. In my case I'm paying $20 less total per month for cable TV and internet than with DirecTV and cable internet. Or rather, I was paying $20 less. DirecTV has raised their prices three times since then (HD increase and two annual increases) and the difference would now be closer to $30 per month. If my wife would allow me to cut the landline and use bundled phone service we'd be saving $50 per month.


----------



## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

argicida said:


> How do get zero as a possibility - do you mean Tivo basic?


I'm talking about the lifetime service option. Obviously there's an upfront cost in that. How that nets out over time depends on long you keep them, how much return you get on resale, etc. But there's no monthly fee.


----------



## argicida (Feb 17, 2009)

nrc said:


> I'm talking about the lifetime service option. Obviously there's an upfront cost in that. How that nets out over time depends on long you keep them, how much return you get on resale, etc. But there's no monthly fee.


So what would a lifetime on 4 dual tuner Tivos add?


----------



## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

argicida said:


> So what would a lifetime on 4 dual tuner Tivos add?


$399 for the first and $299 for each additional.


----------



## thomasr1950 (Oct 16, 2009)

If i have a AT&T wireless gateway. Will that take the place or is it the same as the Wireless Ethernet? Directv isn't giving me a direct answer. I'm thinking i can use my gateway & get 2 wall mount ethernet adapters. I use my gateway modem for my laptop wireless connection.


----------



## Enrique (May 15, 2006)

thomasr1950 said:


> If i have a AT&T wireless gateway. Will that take the place or is it the same as the Wireless Ethernet? Directv isn't giving me a direct answer. I'm thinking i can use my gateway & get 2 wall mount ethernet adapters. I use my gateway modem for my laptop wireless connection.


Are you using G or N? G is fine for SD, but for HD and OTA recordings you will need at least a 802.11n speeds for smooth playback.


----------

