# What if I cancel DirecTV service?



## BeechGrove User (Apr 13, 2008)

We have made up our minds to switch to Comcast as we are finally fed up. But, I do have a question before we cancel DTV...

I have read elsewhere that when you cancel the DTV service, the box is "off" and what is stored there can no longer be viewed.

My husband said that, if we disconnect the box from the satellite and/or the phone line, maybe we can avoid that happening and we can watch what we have stored until we get through it all.

Does anyone know if it is true that the box will be "off" and unusable, and if so, can we avoid this in some way?

Thanks,
Brenda


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## codespy (Jan 7, 2006)

If you have DirecTV TiVo DVR's, you will be able to view your recorded content no problem.

If you have DirecTV non-TiVo DVR's, unplug the satellite inputs BEFORE deactivation so you can watch your recorded content. If you don't, DirecTV sends a signal down for their DVR's which kills the playback option, however this does not affect the TiVo's.


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## Trent Bates (Dec 17, 2001)

BeechGrove User said:


> We have made up our minds to switch to Comcast as we are finally fed up. But, I do have a question before we cancel DTV...


As a happy DirecTV customer for 12+ years, I'm curious to hear what you are fed up about.


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

Trent Bates said:


> As a happy DirecTV customer for 12+ years, I'm curious to hear what you are fed up about.


That's a good question, since this was the first post by the OP. She found this forum just now?

Anyway, please report your Comcast experience.


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## codespy (Jan 7, 2006)

Trent Bates said:


> As a happy DirecTV customer for 12+ years, I'm curious to hear what you are fed up about.


....I don't think we need a repeat of this.....http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=388774


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## Trent Bates (Dec 17, 2001)

You might be right. I'm just curious.


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## BeechGrove User (Apr 13, 2008)

Trent Bates said:


> As a happy DirecTV customer for 12+ years, I'm curious to hear what you are fed up about.


We too have been a customer for over ten years. We have two DTV/Tivo units and both are experiencing the same issues.

1. The units will reset themselves at any point. There is no rhyme or reason to when it happens.

2. The units will lock up. Again, no pattern or apparent reason for when this occurs.

3. Both of my televisions are occasionally experiencing - how do I word this - color issues? I mean, all the colors on the screens will suddenly become radically different. Faces are now purple, etc. It lasts for ten seconds or so (and records that way as well) and then goes back to normal.

I might also add that my parents also have DTV/Tivo, live two blocks away, and have all these same issues.

We've not yet cancelled DTV, but had Comcast installed today with DVRs. So far, since I'm used to Tivo, I'm disappointed in how the DVRs function. And, one has already crapped out.. it's only been two hours... Comcast is going to send someone out with a "new" one. The tech who installed them said they have a warehouse full of used boxes and 25% typically do not work when the techs try to install them.

Sorry I haven't answer previously, I thought I was supposed to get email notification when I recieved a response and have gotten none.

Thanks for any help,
Brenda


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## Adam1115 (Dec 15, 2003)

Trent Bates said:


> As a happy DirecTV customer for 12+ years, I'm curious to hear what you are fed up about.


/Raises hand

I think I can be objective here.

I signed up for Dish in 1999 and LOVED them. This was before LIL, they were MUCH cheaper than cable. Cable was $45/mo for analog, dish was more like $30/mo.

Went to DirecTV in around 2003 and LOVED them even more.

Besides all of the DVR debates, now that satellite is offering LIL and HD-LIL, they basically ARE a cable company. I remember Dish was ALWAYS cheaper and never raised rates. Now all three raise rates constantly, nickel and dime you, have crappy service, have crappy equipment.

I think the comparison is not like it was in the 'old days'. It's all about which company meets your needs best. Want Sunday Ticket? Directv wins hands down. Other than that? Depends on what you want. Some love the HD on DirecTV, others love On-Demand, some love TiVo, some don't care as long as they get the programming they need.

It's not a cut and dry decision anymore....


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## Trent Bates (Dec 17, 2001)

BeechGrove User said:


> 1. The units will reset themselves at any point. There is no rhyme or reason to when it happens.
> 
> 2. The units will lock up. Again, no pattern or apparent reason for when this occurs.
> 
> ...


That's interesting. 
It's not important now of course, but I'd be curious to know which "TiVo" units you and your parents have and if these visual issues occur only on certain channels or all channels. Perhaps there's a flaky spot beam transmitter for your area.  In the right circumstances, I could see the units rebooting and locking up while attempting to deal with a fluctuating signal.

Oh well, thanks for explaining!


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## BeechGrove User (Apr 13, 2008)

Trent Bates said:


> That's interesting.
> It's not important now of course, but I'd be curious to know which "TiVo" units you and your parents have and if these visual issues occur only on certain channels or all channels. Perhaps there's a flaky spot beam transmitter for your area.  In the right circumstances, I could see the units rebooting and locking up while attempting to deal with a fluctuating signal.
> 
> Oh well, thanks for explaining!


Well, the issue certainly doesn't seem to be limited to my area, since there are many messages about this. If it were just our boxes and their one box, I would absolutely wonder about it being a local issue.

As to what we have... All I know for certain is that one is Samsung, one is Hughes and both are series 2. My parents' box... I don't know what they have and, at this writing, they are not at home.

Interestingly enough, one of our boxes has the "f" upgrade while the other has never gotten that and is still on the "e" software version. We talked to Tivo who said, "well, I have no idea why that is not updating... " That didn't help much. But, it doesn't matter because both boxes do the same thing. I haven't yet found a pattern, in channel, time, etc., so that is not helpful.

I was wondering, though... is my issue with DirecTV or with Tivo? Isn't it Tivo softare? If that is so, then DirecTV is not with whom I have the problem. I absolutely love Tivo... in fact, so much so that my husband is now busily reconnecting our satellite (the Comcast guy cut the cable, so we had to buy more) and we are going to live with the problems for now.

We went looking for a stand-alone Tivo box, but the three that are out there just didn't do it. One is not satellite capable, another will record one basic channel and one digital (not two digital), and the third is horribly expensive ($800) since we would want to get two boxes.

So, it came down to a few choices.... Live with what we have now with DirecTV and Tivo; accept Comcast with the not-so-desirable DVR; and keep Comcast and get a stand-alone Tivo unit that will not record two digital channels at once, so will be very limited in use when everything goes totally digital... we would have two boxes with the capability of only recording one digital program on each.

In an earlier post, someone said that it depends on what is important to you. And, I figured out that it is the functionality of Tivo. We will have to figure out a solution at some point, but it seems that we will be dealing with the restarts and lockups if we want to have Tivo, for now. Comcast, while an okay cable provider I'm sure, just turns me off completely with the DVR capabilities of what was installed this morning.

So, I used my "female get-out-of-jail free card"  and changed my mind. I have a wonderfully patient hubby, so all is good there. I'm just going to hope beyond hope that some day we can have Tivo, with DirecTV, with little issue.

Brenda


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## RS4 (Sep 2, 2001)

BeechGrove User said:


> Well, the issue certainly doesn't seem to be limited to my area, since there are many messages about this. If it were just our boxes and their one box, I would absolutely wonder about it being a local issue.
> 
> As to what we have... All I know for certain is that one is Samsung, one is Hughes and both are series 2. My parents' box... I don't know what they have and, at this writing, they are not at home.
> 
> ...


The Tivo HD will record 2 channels at a time and has a retail price of $299, and a special going right now of $199. http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=390113&highlight=nea
Have you considered them? Comcast will give you the first multi-series cable card for free in this area, so one Tivo HD would record 2 channels from Comcast (both could be HD) or 2 channels from an antenna for your local channels.


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## Trent Bates (Dec 17, 2001)

BeechGrove User said:


> Well, the issue certainly doesn't seem to be limited to my area, since there are many messages about this. If it were just our boxes and their one box, I would absolutely wonder about it being a local issue.


Perhaps I'm somewhat out of the loop on this subject so bear with me.  I have been around here for over 7 years (and have had two Series 1 DirecTiVo's during those 7 years) and also have a Series 2 Samsung. All three are hacked in some way. I've replaced at least 4 hard drives (Maxtor) over the years on the Series 1 units because they just don't seem to take the continuous use very well.

Other than that, It's really been smooth sailing for us and I'd imagine the same is true for most people. Very often around here we hear only the vocal minority that are having issues. Nobody complains when things work right! I "think" that is still true.

There are those with issues with 6.2f and honestly I'm not dealing with that myself so I have no business discussing it. But I also haven't seen a wave of individual complaints. (Maybe I'm not paying attention enough.) 

My point is, although it looks like there are a lot of problems with DirecTiVos right now, There might be substantially more that don't have any problems and have no reason to seek out this forum to complain.

I can say that I know of 6 DirecTiVos within my family that are all running fine. (Ours, Parents, Wife's Parents) I don't know what software two of them are running, but I do know that the other four are either on 3.1x (Series 1) or 6.2a (Samsung).



> Interestingly enough, one of our boxes has the "f" upgrade while the other has never gotten that and is still on the "e" software version. We talked to Tivo who said, "well, I have no idea why that is not updating... " That didn't help much. But, it doesn't matter because both boxes do the same thing. I haven't yet found a pattern, in channel, time, etc., so that is not helpful.


That's curious on both the failure to update and the common behavior. It leads me to ask, are your DirecTiVo's plugged into a Uninterruptable Power Supply? (UPS)
http://www.amazon.com/APC-BE350R-Ba...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1208742191&sr=8-2

If not, I'd highly recommend that you pick up a 350VA (or higher) unit and see if that helps! Minor voltage fluctuations and "noise" can really upset computer equipment, and a DirecTiVo is very much like a computer.
An added benefit is that short power outages won't affect your recordings!



> I was wondering, though... is my issue with DirecTV or with Tivo? Isn't it Tivo softare? If that is so, then DirecTV is not with whom I have the problem. I absolutely love Tivo... in fact, so much so that my husband is now busily reconnecting our satellite (the Comcast guy cut the cable, so we had to buy more) and we are going to live with the problems for now.


At this point, your concern would be with DirecTV. (As much as I hate to say so.) DirecTV handles the TiVo software for it's boxes. To what degree either TiVo or DirecTV is responsible for the current software, I don't know. It's not like it used to be a few years ago though.

And to be honest, I'm not sure that DirecTV is really in the position to improve the TiVo software on the existing/dwindling install base of DirecTiVos.
They now have their own software to deal with.

I do wish DirecTV would re-establish a relationship with TiVo!



> So, it came down to a few choices.... Live with what we have now with DirecTV and Tivo; accept Comcast with the not-so-desirable DVR; and keep Comcast and get a stand-alone Tivo unit that will not record two digital channels at once, so will be very limited in use when everything goes totally digital... we would have two boxes with the capability of only recording one digital program on each.
> 
> In an earlier post, someone said that it depends on what is important to you. And, I figured out that it is the functionality of Tivo. We will have to figure out a solution at some point, but it seems that we will be dealing with the restarts and lockups if we want to have Tivo, for now. Comcast, while an okay cable provider I'm sure, just turns me off completely with the DVR capabilities of what was installed this morning.


Someday I might also be in your shoes. I will keep these DirecTiVo's running as long as I can. After 12 content years with DirecTV I would be hard pressed to switch to anything else.
I have experienced Comcast in our area and I really don't like it!

I do maintain that you shouldn't have to live with reboots and lockups on your DirecTiVos. I believe there are a few options available to you.

As I recommended before, get a UPS if you don't have one! It "can" make a huge difference in certain situations. (Based on your description of both your units and your Parent's unit, I'm leaning towards a local power grid issue.)

If the DirecTiVos have been in use for quite a few years, replace the drives. There are a few good companies around here that can ship you hard drives with TiVo software already on them. If you or your husband are technically inclined, you can also do the work at home with a drive from your local store. (It's become surprisingly easy these days for do-it-yourselfers and can be done in 30-60 minutes!)

You could also go the Repair route if you think your situation warrants it. Send one of your DirecTiVos to one of the friendly repair companies (almost all of them were started by TiVoCommunity members) that we associate with around here and have them check it out and replace the drive.
Fans could be stuck, cables can be loose, drives could be worn out, software could be corrupt, etc.

Lastly, many of us around here are more than happy to try and help you diagnose the problems and suggest further courses of action.
If you like your DirecTiVos and want to keep using them if you can get them working right, you are in the right place!

I'm going to go out on a limb and make one further suggestion though. If you are interested in High-Definition, maybe you could give one of DirecTV's HD-PVR's a try. It might turn out to be better than the used Comcast PVR you've experienced.

Let me(us) know if we can help you and/or your husband with any of this!


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## BeechGrove User (Apr 13, 2008)

Trent Bates said:


> That's curious on both the failure to update and the common behavior. It leads me to ask, are your DirecTiVo's plugged into a Uninterruptable Power Supply? (UPS)
> 
> If the DirecTiVos have been in use for quite a few years, replace the drives. There are a few good companies around here that can ship you hard drives with TiVo software already on them. If you or your husband are technically inclined, you can also do the work at home with a drive from your local store. (It's become surprisingly easy these days for do-it-yourselfers and can be done in 30-60 minutes!)
> QUOTE]
> ...


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## Trent Bates (Dec 17, 2001)

I'm anxious to hear what you find!

FWIW - Many years ago (before UPS's were commonly available) I had a computer in my office that would lock up when the copy machine a few rooms away would start up. It was somewhat embarrassing as the Network Engineer to have this happen many times a day and the copier was far enough away that I couldn't hear it and watch the computer at the same time. One day I happened to be watching the UPS status on the server and noticed that the momentary voltage drop coincided with the computer locking up. Sometimes it doesn't take much to upset equipment like this.


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## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

BeechGrove User said:


> Yesterday, pre-UPS, both boxes locked up at approximately the same time.


That's probably a good clue that the problem is either power or signal related. Hard disk issues could cause problems, but shouldn't cause near simultaneous lock-ups on separate boxes...


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## BeechGrove User (Apr 13, 2008)

Trent Bates said:


> I'm anxious to hear what you find!
> 
> FWIW - Many years ago (before UPS's were commonly available) I had a computer in my office that would lock up when the copy machine a few rooms away would start up. It was somewhat embarrassing as the Network Engineer to have this happen many times a day and the copier was far enough away that I couldn't hear it and watch the computer at the same time. One day I happened to be watching the UPS status on the server and noticed that the momentary voltage drop coincided with the computer locking up. Sometimes it doesn't take much to upset equipment like this.


This all has me quite hopeful that having a UPS on the boxes will do the trick. I have mentioned this to my father, so maybe he will give it a shot as well. I'll keep you all posted on what I see happening - or not happening 

Brenda


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## Giorgio (Aug 4, 2003)

Trent Bates said:


> As a happy DirecTV customer for 12+ years, I'm curious to hear what you are fed up about.


 I also hve been a long time customer...but
I just found out that new subs are payin a whole lot less!!
$30 to $40 less for the same service I have now..
I feel like being NEW cut now..

any thoughts please


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## HiDefGator (Oct 12, 2004)

Giorgio said:


> I also hve been a long time customer...but
> I just found out that new subs are payin a whole lot less!!
> $30 to $40 less for the same service I have now..
> I feel like being NEW cut now..
> ...


i doubt that unless they are getting a short term incentive credit applied. what are you paying?


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## Trent Bates (Dec 17, 2001)

I also would be shocked to see such a thing. I've never really found anyone offering a better deal on DirecTV than what I've been paying. I have changed my account a few times over the years to take advantage of new options or to remove packages that I no longer want.

More detail please! If possible, list the items on your bill and the price paid for each! (Leave out any personal info of course  )

For example: (Here's mine)

4/21 5/20 TOTAL CHOICE PLUS Monthly 54.99
4/21 5/20 DIRECTV DVR Service Monthly 5.99
4/22 Additional Receiver 4.99


Also be aware that some/all new subs are getting incentives such as 3 months free premium packages. But that's only for a short time. I also enjoyed those types of incentives when I was new.


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## Trent Bates (Dec 17, 2001)

BeechGrove User said:


> This all has me quite hopeful that having a UPS on the boxes will do the trick.
> Brenda


Any new to report on this?


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## BeechGrove User (Apr 13, 2008)

Sorry to take so long to respond, things have been really busy around here. 

We still have DirecTV but are waiting for AT&T to get the UVERSE service to us. I'm just so tired of getting the runaround from DTV and TIVO. Neither has an answer for us and the lockups have still been happening - in fact, both machines locked up at the very same second around 4:15 one day. 

Now, I will say that we FINALLY just within the last couple days, got a new update, which has a Recently Deleted folder. We haven't had any lockups at all since then, but I'm not going to hold my breath.


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## Trent Bates (Dec 17, 2001)

Just to clarify, You have at least one of your units on a operable UPS (Not an old, dead UPS that dies immediately when power is lost!) and they both froze at the same exact instant?

Maybe there's something wrong with your dish, cables or multiswitch. (That doesn't explain the same lockups at the parent's house though.)

I can't say that I agree with your opinion of DirecTV and/or TiVo, but you've got to do what works best for you!
Good luck with it all!


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## BeechGrove User (Apr 13, 2008)

Correct - The unit in the living room is on an operable UPS and they both froze at the exact same instant. 

Don't get me wrong... but for the lockups for the past year or more, I would still be in love with DirecTV and Tivo. 

If it weren't for the fact that my parents', and evidently hundreds ( at least ) of other DirecTV subscribers' units locking up as well, we would be looking into all possible problems here with our equipment.


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