Pause Live TV on Whole Home DVR System

Just checked on program scheduled to record in bedroom, but not in living room.

On BR guide red dot indicates set to record

On LR guide does not have red dot so guides only show what is set to record on that DVR

Same with list of shows set to record in series manager (via menu button manage recordings also apparently independent lists).

If DVRs set to share info, ALL recorded shows are on a consolidated list, but could not determine DVR ID (LR or BR) until I had actually selected program, pressed play, then pressed info.  Geez, it would have been a lot more convenient if the DVR ID showed up long before all of that, but that seems to be the way it is.

Maybe the next version of DVR or a software update could fix this?  I dunno, I'm not a tech, just a Directv addict. 

Hope that helps.

navydude,

The remote HD DVR that the recording was made on DOES show up long before all of that. When you pull up the Playlist and as you go though it highlighting each selection, if the selection was recorded on a different WHDVR networked DVR it's assigned name shows in the top left-most corner of the Info(description) at the top of the screen. If it doesn't have "anything" except the description that starts with Movie, etc. then that means it is recorded on the DVR you are watching. And for user lukester01, you cannot "manage" the recording list on a HD DVR of the content recorded on a remote HD DVR, except for deleting it after viewing it if you have granted that authority in the Whole Home settings. But no indication of "recording activity" can be seen, nor any access to the To Do List for any other remote HD DVR can be performed on the HD DVR you are watching. Multiple DVR's just for the sake of pausing live TV is in many of us other user's view....an overkill for a feature that can be accomplished in other ways(time shift viewing on the HD Receivers from content stored on the HD DVR(s) on the network which is the main purpose of having a DVR). Hope this helps ease some of the confusion.

We TechGuys are customers like yourself and have no influence whatever over the design of the Directv system.  As I see my job it is to advise on "what is available" and not on "what I or someone else wishes was available".  These forums are designed to assist users with malfunctions and learning how to operate the various functions.

This thread has turned into a chat room session and has a lot of misconceptions woven among the facts.  Basically adding a DVR to a second room in lieu of a receiver adds the ability to record and pause in that room, plus the ability to delete a program from another DVR.  It takes away the ability to set up a recording on another DVR in the system.  That's pretty well the end of the story.  All of the multi-paragraph discussions about the advantages are misleading.  In closing I'd guess we would all like more control but I'd also guess that not one of us has a real clue what would be involved in providing that.

In my two posts I gave you solid information and advice on some of the issues you had been discussing.  Your response totally blew past the info and reverted to the soap box. 

Finis for me.

I guess you told me.  Nice customer service.  

navydude,

You are confused. There is no "customer service" on these forums. We are all, including the TECHKNOWGUIDES like user dcd, simply users like you trying to give advice to other users. I agree 101% with the advice that user dcd disseminates and should have recommended as he did for you to lengthen the names assigned to your HD DVR's to make them easier to spot in the Playlist info screens. The one thing that most of the TECHKNOWGIUDES(as well as some other of us that frequent these forums) is to try to discourage other users from wasting everones time using these forums as a "complaint board". There is nothing, I repeat nothing, that any of us(DirecTV customers) can change about the way things work and it distracts anyone reading a long, drawn out thread like this riddled with mostly gripes about features DirecTV doesn't have and prevents us from actually assisting another user with fixing a technical glitch that CAN be fixed. I think you will find most everone who responds to posts here to be civil and polite up to a certain point. When a thread becomes argumentative or users refuse to try specific advice given in good faith you usually see the users trying to help do somehing like........"Finis for me" and ignore the thread after that!!! Any further rudeness towards the user trying to help/clarify will most likely result in that user that was trying to help "remembering" the offender and choosing not to assist them in the future when the offender really did have a technical problem that they could assist them with:0(

P.S.

Of course most of us, including user dcd, are in the most part very forgiving......mainly because we just enjoy helping other users get the most out of their system(even the rude ones:0)

I just got rid of Dish and got Directv.  I love the picture quality and the networkability of the system.  Unfortunately, now my family is not very happy with me because I didn't think about the most basic function that we all LOVE and that is pausing, rewinding and fastforwarding live tv.  I know it sounds like a small feature but not to the other 4 people that I live with!! 

Anyway, I was looking at Directv equipment and the posts and see that basically my only fix to this problem is to purchase 5 DVR boxes.  HOLY COW!  So I'd love the same box as as the ONE dvr I have now but that is $199 for each of the other 5 rooms.  I don't have an extra grand to spend.  The other option is the SD DVR...that will still cost me $500.  But questions....

1.  if I get 5 SD DVRs, will I no longer be able to view channels in HD?

2.  If I get the additional DVRs will they be able to record to the HD DVR along with being able to record on themselves? 

3.  Will they all be networked so everyone can view recordings on the other DVRs?

4.  Lastly, the big question...is there NO other way around this one issue we have with our new Directv package?

Oh and I'd appreciate real advice and not just venting about your own issues since I've heard enough venting in my own household for one night.

Thanks...

One other question....

I ordered a movie from my PC and it said that it would show up in my DVR list but it didn't and I did get charged for it.  Any ideas?  I haven't had a chance to call customer service yet and would rather not if I did'nt have to!

Thanks!

magee8706

One of your receivers could use the work around where you start to watch a show and select "record" then go to the list and select that show to watch, then FF, pause, etc will be available. If you add one more DVR then 4 people would be able to do this with the receivers using this method and the two DVRs being able to do it without recording.

If you want accurate information it's essential that you post absolute facts.  If you did not record and watch a movie on your HD DVR then there should be no charge for that movie on your billing.  Did you in fact check your current bill online and did you see the charge for that movie?  Recorded movies are not charged until they are watched.  If you are new to Directv then the instantly available movies may well not have loaded on your system as yet.  That occurs in the background over several days.

1. correct, no HD channels on SD DVR's

2. no.  SD DVR's are not WHDVR compatible.

3. no.  same as #2

4.  see post #42

Tried to pause live TV on my HD Receiver on Whole Home.  Check out the Whole Home page on the Directv web site.  Up in the right hand corner "It's like having a DVR in every room", nothing could be further from the truth.  My Wife who considers herself as technically disabled, found this problem on the first day.  I too have called Directv and then ask what it would take to swap out the HD Receivers, for HD DVR's, and the answer is 199.00 for each HD DVR and then 100.00 extra to have the tech plug them in. And credit back on the HD Recievers I currently have ( Zero ).  Slightly better than totally disappointing.  My feeling is that Directv should credit me back 100% on the incorrectly advertised HD Receiver, and I pay the difference, and the install should be free.

Also I found that I am not able to easily record, or even decide what to record on channel 1100 without disrupting somebody who has a DVR in their room, find it, record it, then find in on my play list.  Love to meet the design team on this product.

Thanks, 

HD receivers have no hard drive so therefore they cannot pause live tv.

A workaround is to record the live show from the hd to the dvr. you then can use the trick play features and pause "almost live" tv on the hd recivever.

 It will then act as a dvr in that room.