Can the Screen Saver be deactivated or the time extended before it activates?

ROFL.... YEAH, I do have smart dogs... but no, they don’t require pictures... that made me laugh... thanks... I did start using the radio if I knew we were going to be gone longer than a couple hours... as for rebooting the system, been there, done that... I still get a Screen Saver popup at strange intervals... guess there is nothing that can be done about it and will just have to live with it... the one thing that REALLY annoys me about it, a few times it has happened after I had "rewound" a show I had missed the 1st 15 minutes of and then I walk away during a commercial, come back and the Screen Saver has popped up... you can’t rewind the channel you are on after the Screen Saver pops up! So, you end up missing part of your show when this Happens! It’s annoying...

I think pushing OK takes you out of screen saver mode and "back" to where you were.

Given that it's going into sleep in less than the 8 hours in unattended mode (no buttons pushed) I would suggest just asking tech support (800-288-2020) for a replacement.  If this is the dvr you will of course lose all your recordings but not your scheduling.

Hmmm.... not worth losing the movies Ive recorded... there are 3 connected tv's in The house... the master bedroom has the master DVR and then the living room and my kids bedroom just have the regular boxes... it’s the livingroom where the screensaver pops up all the time... 

yes, pressing "Ok" returns you to the channel or show you were watching... but if you had rewound "live tv" it won’t return you to where you were... it returns you to live tv... *sigh* C’est la vie 

Just to clarify.  Your master bedroom has the dvr - no such thing as "master" dvr, there is only one dvr and it's the box wired to the gateway.  Your living room and kids bedroom just have the "regular" boxes.  You didn't say whether those "regular" boxes are wired or wireless but I assume they are wireless.  No matter, if it's not the dvr that's the problem you lose no recordings by replacing it.  All your recordings are stored on the one and only dvr since that's the one with the hard drive.

If the LR receiver (regular STB) is the one with the issues, I'd do as @_xyzzy_ suggested.  Call CS and request a new box and see if that fixes the problem.  They'll ship you a new one for self-install. 

And again, you won't lose your recordings.  That only happens if you replace the DVR.  The only issue you might have is if it's not convenient to return the defective box to a UPS store.

This is unacceptable problem and the "trouble shooter tool" app is not available!!!!

My dad has memory problems and he cant remember to click theOK button every 8 hours so he isnt stuck watching a screensaver. There needs to be a way to disable the screensaver..

AT&T!!!! Comcast XFinity let’s me turn off the screen saver on their X1 receiver.  Why can’t I turn it off on U-verse????  If I can, how???

Ok wait a minute, it seems you suggested that replacing my box could solve the problem, if the screen saver is something that’s internal set by at&t then how is replacing the box going to fix the problem. Are you saying that this is actuall a slight defect in the equipment and replacement should solve it. Personally I don’t need or want AT&T determining when my tv is been on too long and should be off.  It’s ridiculous a sleep by my tv and it going dead wakes me up out of sound sleep and then I have to wake up to find the remote so I can push ok ang hopefully go back to sleep. This strangely reminds me of hospital care when they wake you up to see if your sleeping.  I’ve never had this stupid situation on any other tv service and I swear I’ve had unversed for quiet a while before I ever noted this happening.  I would much rather be told this was a defect that springs up occasionally get a new box sent and it won’t happen again until,next time 

I don't know how you read into this that the screen saver behavior was a "defect" that replacing the box will "fix".  It won't.   It is what it is. 

The suggestion to request a new box was made because the OP stated:

If the press ok message popped up after 8-12 hours, it wouldn’t bother me as much... but it pops up for me after 2 hours of not touching my remote! Hello.... a movie can last well over 2 hours! I can’t stand watching something and then the thing pauses and up pops the screen saver because my remote has been inactive for 2 hours or even less some times!!!

The screen saver should not come on if you're watching a movie.  It should only come on after 2 hours of inactivity., ie: dead air.

Oh, forgot what started all this.

Just like to add my voice to those who think that AT&T is using an !diot system by throwing up the screen saver when THEY think it needs to go on instead of letting US decide what works for us.  I have an elderly mother and the TV helps her sleep but not when the stupid thing keeps switching the movie channel off and the screen saver on.  Like another poster on here with an older relative, it's a difficult concept for her to come out of a sound sleep and know she needs to push a button and then figure out what that button is!  Just one more crummy thing about the Uverse system!

I also like music when I go to sleep.  I have a Bluetooth headset which gives me freedom to move around.  I pair it to my cell phone or tablet and turn on Pandora.  It will play all night without interruptions.  I subscribe to the no commercial plan because when I listening to my music when a commercial comes on it wakes me up.  There are also other options.  Try the Uverse music channels.  I do not thing they go off when the screen saver comes on.