DirecTV disables TiVo: accident or foul play?
By Ryan Block 
posted Jun 13th 2005 3:10PM
posted Jun 13th 2005 3:10PM
Ok, we know the two camps have had a spate of drama lately, and we're a little hesitant to actually follow through with any foul play theories, but apparently DirecTV's latest firmware update to their D10 satellite receivers disables standalone TiVos from communicating to the device via the serial link. In other words, they're distributing a mandatory device update that makes that TiVo totally useless for making new recordings (no, it isn't the case for DirecTiVos). DirecTV's response? Well, besides the standard "we're working on it" business, they're continuing to roll out the upgrade and are formally advising TiVo users to switch over to the less elegant IR-blaster. Way to, uh, stick it to TiVo users, DirecTV!
Build your own PVR with MythTV.
i say the same build your own, i prefer media center.
I now welcome the DirectTV users to the land of Comcast. I ditched their digital cable service JUST BECAUSE the serial connection was disabled. I've been trying to get someone over at Comcast to tell me if they are ever going to unlock the port and no one knows. The IR Blaster is unbelievably frustrating if you are used to the serial connection.
Stick it to them DirecTV....Make TiVo feel the pinch for sticking it to us Mac Users...I think it's bitter justice :) Or maybe just technological Karma!
TiVo knew that Home Media Option wouldn't work with Tiger 10.4, but said nothing until after everyone upgraded.
Now, DirecTV knows that TiVo won't work with their new firmware, but they say nothing and continue to release it.
sounds like a job for Ryu Sue the Level 15 Litigator.
*casts Level 8 antitrust suit*
*casts Level 7 class action suit*
*casts Level 6 bad publicity campaign*
Luckily, I have a DirecTV PR Warrior
*Casts Level 9 Back Peddling*
*Casts Level 13 Reverse Blame on Your Firmware*
*casts lvl 10 incite wrath of tivocommunity.com*
*uses medallion of tivo pay for service vs. free PVRs flame war*
Donald you get points for cutting through the BS.
Build your own PVR, and control your own destiny!
FREEVO!
I had TiVo on comast and had to use IR. Frankly, it sucked - many times it would record the wrong channel. I switched to Comcast's own PVR and actually like it better because it does HD and more importantly, 2 streams at once.
You two get a +1 medallion of silliness.
+2 thread damage when carried by an Engadget user!
(Just please, no gellatinous cubes!!!)
Well, this just turned by Series 1 Tivo with lifetime subscription into a heaping pile of reptile dung. I might be making a gift of this old but reliable dinosour to my parents, who refuse to get a Tivo because of the monthly fee. Is there any way to block the satellite receiver from receiving the firmware update?
"a mandatory device update that makes that TiVo totally useless" is overstating it a bit... Some people have always had to use the IR blaster. The sky isn't falling.
I have to use the IR Blaster with my Toshiba HD DriecTV box. I've never had it record the wrong channel. In fact, it's a great setup, which the TiVo can't record HD in HD, I have the RCAs going out to the TiVo and into the TV and then the component going out from the Toshiba and direct to the TV and then on my remote I can toggle between "TiVo" and "HD Live".
To the "Build your own PVR" people, I have a question: what does this have to do with building your own PVR? Would the serial connection suddenly start working on the DirecTV box if you had Myth TV or a Freevo instead? I'll answer my own question: NO!
So, Myth TV folks, stop the FUD!
If you have directv and tivo you should have a directv tivo.
Standalone tivos are for the cable/lcoal channel people.
Get with the program and upgrade your tivo..
MrHack
According to my friend with a Replay 5000 series and a D10, the upgrade has disabled Replay units too.
EXCEPT...Replay units don't have the proper IR codes for the D10. So they're totally out of luck and nobody at Denon or DirecTV is forthcoming with any answers.
Mr Hack, I have DirecTV and a Standalone. It's worth it in my opinion:
- Music Streaming to your TiVo
- Photo Sharing to your TiVo
- Program Sharing between TiVos
- Download shows to your TiVo2Go enabled device
- Plus other stuff like JavaHMO / Galleon, etc.
Thank gosh i have 4.0 on my tivo. Music streaming, photo sharing, mrv, tivowebplus, and downloading shows to my pc. I prefer that over the speedy 6.2 updates. (Besides, i like watching the tivo guy bounce all over the screen! Top directv button then 0)
Learn how to build your own MythTV box here (Video tutorial): http://systm.org/. you want episode 2
Do people simply NOT understand that you need the DirecTV box to tune into any channel on the DirecTV network? Building your own PVR does NOTHING to alleviate this problem ... unless you plan on sitting there before each recording and manually changing the station. Standalone TIVO's only have analog tuners, not DirecTV tuners.
Yo! Jake! What can you do if you have a DIY PVR? Well, after this update hit, I modified the script for controlling the D10 from my MythTV box to accomodate. I'm up and running again.
I also have a Tivo and on that end I can't do a damn thing other than use the IR blaster. It will either require an update by Tivo or DirecTV to enable serial port control.
Buncha FUDster DIY DVR losers......
If the DirecTV box loses the ability to be controlled by the serial port, that doesn't just disable TiVo, it disables anything else trying to use that serial port: MythTV, Freevo, MS Media Center, Replay, whatever.
Also, using an IR blaster is perfectly adequate. If you get incorrect channel changes, try other codes, try sending the codes at a slower rate, etc., until you get something that works. I use to have the occasional (rare) failed channel change, so I chose a better code, at the slowest rate, and have not had a problem since. If you are worried about other IR signals interfering, build a "fort" around the IR receiver.
"Would the serial connection suddenly start working on the DirecTV box if you had Myth TV or a Freevo instead? I'll answer my own question: NO!"
Eh, so you have to use an IR blaster like the rest of the known world... big deal. One's a cable coming out the back, the other's a cable coming out the front. What's the difference? (And before you say channel changing is more reliable using serial, I never had a missed channel change with my TiVo IR blaster - not one, in three years of use.)
So DirecTV disabled your precious serial ports. I fail to see how this disables *TiVo*. It just forces you to use it the same way everybody else in the world with a standalone TiVo does.
Which, yes, also means that MythTV, MCE or whatever else will work just as well too.
But, having said that, it is kind of off the topic.
Fact is, DirecTV is toast... they bet the farm on NDS... their "Tivo Killer" competitor. They figured they were Tivo's biggest customer so they'd get a little rought with poor little Tivo. Now Comcast has come in and said they'll ship every new box with a Tivo Compatible chipset... all you'll have to do is sign up for the Tivo service and they'll software update you over the network.
Meanwhile Echostar's about to settle and pay out huge retroactive license fees to Tivo, and IBM just sold their whole PVR patent portfolio to Tivo. Microsoft is in bed with Tivo and Sony's got a multi-year license so we might even see Tivo functionality built into PS3...
Now DirecTV is backpeddling at the management level and worrying about how Tivo might gouge their silly butts because Rupert is such an idiot, but the techies down in driverland at DirecTV are hopelessy out of touch with the corporate culture... So they still think this is funny and that DTV holds all the cards. Man, how clueless can one overbearing monopoly get?
Fact is, DirecTV is toast... they bet the farm on NDS... their "Tivo Killer" competitor. They figured they were Tivo's biggest customer so they'd get a little rought with poor little Tivo. Now Comcast has come in and said they'll ship every new box with a Tivo Compatible chipset... all you'll have to do is sign up for the Tivo service and they'll software update you over the network.
Meanwhile Echostar's about to settle and pay out huge retroactive license fees to Tivo, and IBM just sold their whole PVR patent portfolio to Tivo. Microsoft is in bed with Tivo and Sony's got a multi-year license so we might even see Tivo functionality built into PS3...
Now DirecTV is backpeddling at the management level and worrying about how Tivo might gouge their silly butts because Rupert is such an idiot, but the techies down in driverland at DirecTV are hopelessy out of touch with the corporate culture... So they still think this is funny and that DTV holds all the cards. Man, how clueless can one overbearing monopoly get?
ReplayTV users have it worse. We have no IR codes for the D10's and the serial changes have messed up our access to change the channels also!
I was just hit with this DirecTv "upgrade". This has screwed me with my Replay and D10...cannot change channels or record. The IR Blaster does not work with the D10. Called DirecTv their staff is clueless about it...said to call ReplayTV...sux if not fixed going to ditch DirecTv...no way giving up my ReplayTV.
Jade Ekstedt
DIRECTV, Inc.
(310) 964-3429
Here is the phone number for Jade--she's the talking head at DirecTV assigned to respond to the problem.
No one has yet mentioned the other new issue that the DirectTV update has introduced, the new, mandatory DirectTV screen saver. After a period of inactivity the DirectTV tuner will put up a generic screen saver with the DirectTV logo, slowly bouncing 'round the screen over the program audio from whatever channel you are tuned to. The only way, apparently, to dismiss the screen saver is to send a command via the remote to the tuner (channel up/down or the select button on the remote are suggested by DirectTV support).
This not only interferes with all DVR, VCR and HTPC recording, but can interfere or at least make it less convenient to watch longer programs.
There is no way to disable the screen saver at this time, although DirectTV support has admitted to the problem to some people and are, allegedly, working on a fix that will allow recording by standalone hardware without disabling the screen saver. What this exactly means I can't say, since if you record I would assume the screen saver must be turned off unless they will disable the screen saver output on only RF or the Composite/SVideo/Component outputs. I just don't understand exactly what it means.
Anyway, they say the fix is slated to be released in the fall. How many customers DirectTV will lose by then is anyone's guess.
Any updates to the screen saver bouncing around an un-attended DirecTV receiver? Anyone found a way to "fix" this annoying "bug"?