New install: pause live tv on tv connected to HR25 receiver?

You can only Pause "Live TV" on a DVR, not a Receiver.  If you want to Pause "Live TV" from the H25 HD Receiver, the work around is first start recording that show. Then select that show from the Playlist and trickplay functions will work.  

keep in mind that a hard drive is needed to keep the buffer,  since the H25 don't have a HDD, you cannot use live trick play

Thank you both.    I sort of figured it out -- but the Whole Home capability is new to me.   It was sort of funny because one of the things I have had to do today (transitioning from two Tivo Premieres on cable) is to ask myself -- what do I really "need" and "want" versus what "can" I do.... 

The fact is I really don't pause live tv from my bedroom unless it is something that I would be recording anyway.

You're welcome from both of us.

I admire your frankness.  We get a lot of posts from folks who are transitioning from a different system and some semi panic when they find that something that they either assumed would be present or was available on their prior system is missing.

The inability to pause live TV, etc. on the HR25 is terrible!  We just switched from Dish Network today, where we have been able to pause live TV on every TV for 10 years.  Now all but one of our TVs has an HR25 and we lost major functionality.  I thought I was upgrading and had no idea that the much-touted whole house DVR could only perform major DVR functions on one TV.

Are there plans to add this feature?  I know U-verse added it with a software update so presumably it can be done!

New Samsung HDTVs with a built-in "RVU Client" can control the new HR34 Home Media Center DVR and can pause Live TV.  DirecTV may introduce their own client box with similar functionality for the HR34 sometime in the future.  

But there's an easy work around.  When you're watching a show that you want to Pause, just press RECORD instead.  Then bring up that show in the H25's Playlist, press Play, and you can then Pause all you want. 

I believe that's how the Dish system works as well.  When you watch "live" TV on a satellite TV you're actually getting the feed from the DVR.

I don't know Dish Network but pure Tivo systems and Time Warner Cable's whole home system with their boxes - they certainly work similarly -- if you don't have a DVR in each room (as opposed to a receiver) then you cannot pause live TV.   But now with a few days under my belt with the DTV system -- a HR34 in the living room and just the HR25 receiver in my bedroom, I feel I am in the swing of things.  For me, as indicated above I don't really pause live TV from the bedroom.   But on the few occasions where I decided to try it -- the workaround described above suits me fine.   Ultimately whether it is good or bad will be defined by each of us for our own needs.   I would think DTV might be willing to do an exchange of equipment for you if it is a new set up and you would prefer to see DVRs in each room???

For me I found TV Commercials advertising whole home service (such as the frequent ones from UVerse) had left me with false impressions as to the real capabilities of such a system.  Those ads, to me, made the whole thing much more "magical" than it really is.  Imagine -- advertising that makes us think things are different than reality!

DirecTV was understanding of my situation (but it took four calls over two days before I found someone who took responsibility).  I was offered a free upgrade of one H25 receiver to a H24 HD DVR.

Sweet!

You did better then me.