Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

[rentprop1]

I have had DirecTV for several years, I looked over the bill and realized I have been paying to lease a DVR receiver for almost 4 years

I now have another receiver in another room that starting to act up, last time I checked, DirectTV wanted some bucks ( about 100 with shipping ) to purchase a receiver from them, I read something about beware of receivers you buy on E-bay and C/L cause they might be older generations and not work with the newest cards ??

I think the best idea would be to purchase a new DVR and 1 new receiver so I cam turn the leased equip back to them ??

I guess my question is, anyone else ever go through this and what did you do, just suck it up and pay DirecTV's fees for their equipment, or is there a reliable place to go and buy SAT equipment so I own it over rent it ???

 

[JaSla74]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

I could be wrong, but even if you buy one from somewhere other than DTV you're still going to pay a lease fee. You might want to look into that. Also, a new card will run you about $20. If you find an used one get the model & serial off of it, call DTV, & they'll let you know if it's going to work. Be careful that if a card does come with the used unit that the account is in good standing, or you'll have to pay up what's owed to get it working.

I've had DTV for over 10 years & am on the fence of dropping all together. My goal is to record all my OTA through my tuner card on my PC, then use some type of media extender on my other TVs. That combined with HULU should cover most everything & not cost me a dime.

However, DTV is just convenient. Plus their new Tivo box should be soon, if not now. We're still running an old DTV SD Tivo box that the wife won't let me get rid of

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

Our DirectTV DVR went out a few months ago. I called their tech support and we tried everything over the phone to fix it but it was toast. They said they would ship me a new one for $50 shipping. That didn't fly. I told them I was paying for their service, a service which was useless without this piece of equipment. She went over about a half-dozen options that all cost me money. I told her to forget it, I'll just switch to Dish Network...

I had a new DVR from Direct in 5 days, for free.

Get them on the phone, keep them on the phone and don't back down. Do NOT give them a dime for equipment if you're paying for their service. Especially if you've been paying for a DVR when you don't have one. In some states that could land them in deep do do.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

I have had DirecTV for several years, I looked over the bill and realized I have been paying to lease a DVR receiver for almost 4 years

I now have another receiver in another room that starting to act up, last time I checked, DirectTV wanted some bucks ( about 100 with shipping ) to purchase a receiver from them, I read something about beware of receivers you buy on E-bay and C/L cause they might be older generations and not work with the newest cards ??

I think the best idea would be to purchase a new DVR and 1 new receiver so I cam turn the leased equip back to them ??

I guess my question is, anyone else ever go through this and what did you do, just suck it up and pay DirecTV's fees for their equipment, or is there a reliable place to go and buy SAT equipment so I own it over rent it ???

With the competition for cable and/or satellite TV $$, at least in Canada, I would be looking for DTV to help you out ....a lot.

Up here they try to poach each other's customers all the time with deals like "bring us your current receiver and we'll replace it with an upgraded one of ours and give you a bunch of great programming freebies...." etc.

If i were you, I'd call one of the other satellite providers and find out what they'd offer you to jump ship....then call DTV and tell them what the competition is and at the LEAST, after 4 years, they should waive any ongoing rentals.

 

[RollingWanderer]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

You can buy them at Best Buy. I have bought several from there over the years.

-RW

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

You cannot buy a reciever from Best Buy. DirecTV does not "sell" any of their recievers anymore. The only way to get them is to lease them. Any reciever you get from DirecTV directly or indirectly (Best Buy) will be a leased reciever. They want them back when you discontinue service. The $100 is for the lease.

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

I could be wrong, but even if you buy one from somewhere other than DTV you're still going to pay a lease fee.

They have been crediting me the $5.00 lease fee on my bill for years.

I told them I was paying for their service, a service which was useless without this piece of equipment. She went over about a half-dozen options that all cost me money. I told her to forget it, I'll just switch to Dish Network...

I had a new DVR from Direct in 5 days, for free.

Get them on the phone, keep them on the phone and don't back down. Do NOT give them a dime for equipment if you're paying for their service. Especially if you've been paying for a DVR when you don't have one. In some states that could land them in deep do do.

Worked for me too. I did pay a small shipping charge though.

 

[kmk_7110]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

My father has directv and just got his first HDTV and was looking into getting the boxes for it. I called a few times asking how much it would be to get an hddvr for the tv, they told me $300 and I asked if that was the best they can do. Yep got that same deal 3 times, they told me it was best they could do. My father called in and told them hes been a loyal customer and that he is willing to switch to dish network and get 2 room dvr for free along with free install and stars free for so long... long long story short he got 2 free hddvrs free hd service and free starz showtime and encore for 1 year.

Pays to be persistant and to threaten to cancel.

 

[rentprop1]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

Pays to be persistent and to threaten to cancel.

you know no one should have to do this, what happened to customer service, I might just cancel the whole damn thing and go with a cable package deal

I found some on Fleabay, but don't have any idea what receivers work with the current system...I do have 2 extra cards already

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

Your cards will probably not work with the old recievers. They also carry a $10,000.00 fine for posession.

 

[eavega]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

The "threatening to drop their service" really does work, especially with ATT U-verse coming online everywhere. I had suspended my DTV service for about 6 months when I lost my job. When I eventually became employed again, I flat out told them that ATT U-verse was offering the same programming package, with HD, and the "Record once, view anywhere" included for less than what it was costing me for 2 SD DVRs. In the end I got an HD DVR, an SD DVR, HD service, plus new wiring for the second DVR for $10 less than what I was paying them before. The previous posters are right in that you can't "own" a DirecTV DVR box. They are all leases, and must be returned to them when you cancel service. Their logic is that a new HD DVR unit costs about $500, so your $100 charge is not for the DVR itself, but rather to help subsidize the depreciation that they are taking on the unit.

-E

 

[rentprop1]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

Your cards will probably not work with the old recievers. They also carry a $10,000.00 fine for posession.

what the hell are you talking about ??

I've had DTV for about 9 years, I have 2 P4 cards in my safe from extra receivers that I bought back when you could buy the entire set up at wal-mart and best buy, I'm still running DRD and DRE receivers at my home now.
the above poster is correct you can only lease a DVR from DTV, but you can buy one separately, but they will not activate it till you register it with them

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

Regarding the access cards they will make you get a new one if you buy a reciever from ebay. They may charge you $20.00 or just send you one and your old cards will die...

As for the reciever, yes you can own outright an old one from the stone age. They will probably send you a new access card as the old ones were easy to hack. But if you "buy" one from Best Buy read the contract they have you sign before you pass your credit card. It will clearly state the DirecTV reciever is the property of Hughes/DirecTV and if you fail to activate it in 45 days they will send you a bill. And that the reciever is leased and you agree to it.

The cards in your safe are worthless unless your a hacker. If they catch you hacking there is a $10,000.00 fine (maybe $5000.00 - alot of money) plus legal trouble for each card in your posession. The cards are the direct property of DTV and have always been.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

what the hell are you talking about ??

Seems like you have your answer...^^^...but without the attitude....

 

[rentprop1]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

seems like I got some worthless info from someone who thinks they know what they are talking about.....

I used to use the same screen name on pirates den

I wish you would post a link to the $ 10,000 fine B.S

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

Aren't P4 cards obsoleted since 2003-2004? The stream is in different format and only the newer generation cards P-whatever can decode it. If I'm not mistaken, the card and receiver are married to each other. You can't just put any card in any receiver and expect it to work. Even in the old days you have to unmarried the card first. That's what I've heard anyway.

I have had DTV and Comcast in the past and now U-Verse. You should see the amount of "deals" I get in the mail daily trying to get me to come back. No contract with either U-Verse or Comcast and no box rental fee.

 

[rentprop1]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

I might be wrong but I thought the P4 cards are what in the stream right now, the P3 were the football player cards, I still have a bout 10 of those, ohh where's my fine all were registered to my business ( a sports bar )

all I need a is a working receiver I have a few cards in the safe from older receivers I had in the guest room and other bed room, my son took one when he moved and one broke a while back it was an extra tv we didn't ever watch.....

I completely understand about the marrying on the cards and rec, what I need to know is what receivers will work, I still see older generation receivers on e-bay

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

seems like I got some worthless info from someone who thinks they know what they are talking about.....

I wish you would post a link to the $ 10,000 fine B.S

Just to summarise, because all of this is making less sense all the time...

OP opened with a question about whether you can purchase satellite receiving gear vs renting.
He/she got a number of responses with what seemed like constructive input.
OP did not like the info and was pretty rude in response.

Now it appears it is related to some "smart cards" that OP has stashed away and wants to use now.

OK.

The best source for answers to all of your questions is of course the satellite service provider. They will tell you what works and what they will allow.
Because of the prevalence of their signals being ripped-off with illegal equipment, they are not very flexible about their equipment combinations.
You may not like their answers any more than you like some of the ones posted in here, but they get to make the rules. They own the satellite signals.

There is no way that some old cards that you have sitting on a shelf can be stuck into some gray-market box that you find on-line .....at least without some finagling....which unless it is done by the service provider (whom you seem strangely unwilling to contact.. ) is both illegal (theft of service) and potentially expensive....that's what the $10K penalty is all about.

http://www.mass.gov/Eoca/docs/dte/catv/documents/theft.pdf

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

I still see older generation receivers on e-bay

I think those are for finagling with Dish and receiving free OTA signals or for junk collectors.

 

[rentprop1]

Re: Direct TV and buying a new receiver or DVR

Just to summarise, because all of this is making less sense all the time...

OP opened with a question about whether you can purchase satellite receiving gear vs renting.
He/she got a number of responses with what seemed like constructive input.
OP did not like the info and was pretty rude in response.

OP got pissed cause he has to wade through a bunch of responses that did not address the question, might have gotten better answers from actual DirecTV subscribers

then advice from people in Canada ??? ( can you even get DirecTV in Canada )

oh I forgot you guys are the ones that used to steal the US direcTV signal, maybe I should listen

best yet, provides legal links from state of Mass to OP who's profile clearly states a different location