That pretty much says it all – starting today, we’re pricing our DirecTV SWM-8 units at $199. These amazing units allow for one cable to enter your house carrying up to eight tuners-worth of data, for up to eight receivers or four DVRs. All on one cable!
+These units include power supplies (DirecTV branded).
+These units include free ground shipping in the 48 states!
We also have a full line of accessories for these units, and everything is in stock.
We sell add kits for almost all versions of TiVo DVRs (as opposed to replace kits, which we do have for every single model). These add kits won’t install with version 6.4a of the DirecTV TiVo software on these models:
This same problem came up a few years ago with standalone TiVos running some subversions of TiVo OS version 7.2.
Here are the symptoms: attaching one of our add kits will cause the TiVo to go to the “Welcome, Powering Up” screen, followed by the “Almost There, a few minutes more” screen, then reboot back to the first screen. This cycle repeats endlessly.
Now that we’re aware of the issue, we’re notifying all customers of the potential problems before we ship the kits. Here are the options in this situation:
We really think #1 is the best option, as we think these units generally need replace-style kits, but we do still continue to offer add kits to those unwilling to lose their programming, or to send us the unit for us to install a replace kit and copy the contents.
So if you’re looking for an add kit, check your OS version first. If you haven’t gotten 6.4a yet, unplug the unit from the phone line immediately! You can then install an add kit, and let the unit upgrade later.
The Single Wire Multiswitch for DirecTV (or SWM) has made installing DirecTV or expanding an existing installation much, much easier. And the SWM world is still evolving with new products. We’ve just received our first shipment of SWM E4 Expanders. These units hold four SWM units. The Expander attaches directly to the four SWMs (or as few as two) – no wires are used; the SWM plugs right in. Then, the four cables from the KaKu dish are attached, as well as any other cables to either the flex ports or the OTA port.
The Expander distributes the incoming signal to each SWM, and also provides a solid way to mount each unit. Here are some pictures of one of our first units:
The front side of the SWM Expander holds two of the modules as shown.
The back has two more sets of ports, and here the SWMs go upside-down to minimize the internal wiring confusion.
The top shows the attachment scheme for the individual SWM power supplies (one per SWM module) and the satellite inputs.
For installations of two or more SWMs, these make life much easier and less error-prone than splitting cables!
We often get asked questions about phone lines and their need and use with DirecTV TiVos (or DirecTiVos, as many call them). So here’s some Q & A:
Does my DirecTV TiVo get guide data from the phone line or the satellite?
DirecTV TiVo combo units get their guide data from the satellite, sent down as data instead of video. The phone calls for these units don’t supply the units with data, which is why most don’t call in more than once per week.
So why does it use a phone line?
The phone line is used to check continuing activity, upload preferences and viewing history, authorize OS updates, and interact for PayPerView purposes.
Does it NEED a phone line?
The early DirecTV TiVos do need a phone line: Sony SAT T-60, Philips DSR6000, and Hughes GXCEBOT. The later models (any unit with a USB port on the back, even though they aren’t active) don’t need a phone line once the unit is up and running. But they will produce a “nag” screen asking the customer to have the unit dial-in properly, after 30 days of inactivity, then every day after that.
How do I get rid of the nag screen?
Just choose “skip for now” or a similar option, depending on your OS version. You can’t permanently get rid of it.
Can I just network it?
No – no DirecTV TiVos can be networked. (Technically, there are some hacks that attempt to accomplish this, but we don’t recommend them as they cause several other problem while attempting to solve this minor one.) Non-TiVo DVRs from DirecTV can use a network instead of a phone line.
If I change my drive, will I need a phone line then?
Yes. Replacement hard drives for DirecTV TiVo units must dial in (generally twice) during initial setup. If you don’t have a phone line for this purpose, we recommend that you bring the unit to a friend’s house for these dial-ins. You do NOT need satellite access at the same time, so your friend doesn’t need to have DirecTV to accomplish this.
Can I use my VoIP phone line?
In most cases, the modems in DirecTV TiVos aren’t compatible with VoIP, but sometimes it works. For other situations, we have a TiVo external modem kit that works with most VoIP providers.
Can I use my cell phone line?
No. We haven’t found any way to connect one of these units using a cell phone.
We’re now carrying several replacement DirecTV remotes.
First up, we have the standard Peanut style remote for all DirecTV TiVo users, except the SAT T-60. See our DirecTV TiVo Peanut Remote page. We’ve got the type that came with the original DirecTV TiVos, then the variety that came starting with the HDVR2 with more buttons, and, finally, the HR10-250 remotes.
For the non-TiVo HD DVRs, we have three options that work with any and all DirecTV equipment (even the TiVos, and even the SAT T-60):
RC23/RC32 – these two are essentially the same remote. They’re the standard one that comes with most plain-vanilla DirecTV receivers.
RC64 – These come with most HD DirecTV equipment, and have the Format button. They are also RF capable, so if your DirecTV receiver supports RF reception, this can be used with that. More info on another blog post.
RC64RB – The newest, latest, greatest, this has all of the functionality of the RC64, plus it’s backlit! Even for us TiVo peanut-partisans, this is a pretty nice remote.
See these last three on our DirecTV remotes page.