Choose a topic below for answers to common questions about using the DIRECTV™
Receiver with UltimateTV® service.
 No. To arrange for professional installation, please contact a local DIRECTV retailer.
Contact your local DIRECTV retailer to ask about installation costs, as these can vary widely by region.
No, the DIRECTV™ Receiver with UltimateTV® service comes with a pre-installed DIRECTV Access Card.
No, the Internet access that comes with the UltimateTV service package is provided through the analog telephone
line connected to the DIRECTV Receiver, which has a built-in modem.
Yes, if you have a DIRECTV Receiver that supports the UltimateTV service for each room,
they can both use the same antenna. You will also need a four-way multi-switch and extra
RG-6 coaxial cable in order to install more than one receiver. These are available from
your local DIRECTV retailer. You can also have your DIRECTV® programming package mirrored
to more than one receiver for a nominal fee.
Yes. You might want to use your VCR to view videotapes. And because older recordings
are eventually erased from your receiver's hard drive to make room for new ones, you
might want to record certain shows to your VCR for a more permanent copy.
See Setup with VCR for more information (148kb, pdf; download free Acrobat Reader).
No, the satellite provides television programming and other information to the
receiver. When you use the Internet service provided by the UltimateTV service,
your receiver connects via the telephone line.
You can watch TV with only one satellite connection. However, to enjoy most of the UltimateTV
features, you must have two working satellite connections. These features include
Picture-In-Picture (PIP), recording two shows at the same time, and recording a show
while watching another. Note that each connection must run from the satellite dish to
the back of your satellite receiver. Cable splitters will not work.
It is possible that your receiver isn't turned on, or that the output from the receiver is
not being sent to the proper input of your television. Check first that the receiver is
turned on (the green light on the front of the receiver should be on). Next, press the
TV/Video button on your TV's remote control (not the DIRECTV Receiver's remote control)
to cycle between the inputs. If your receiver is connected to the television with RF cables,
you may need to tune the TV to channel 3 or 4. Check to make sure that the DIRECTV Access
Card is inserted in the left-hand slot behind the door on the front panel of the receiver.
Finally, check that all cables are securely plugged into the receiver, and that outputs
are connected to inputs. Simply matching colors isn't enough.
Make sure that the volume on the TV is turned up and isn't muted. If this doesn't
work, check to make sure that the audio cables (red and white) are securely connected,
and that you have connected outputs from the receiver to inputs on the television.
If this is happening, turn the receiver off for a minute, and then turn it back on. If this
doesn't solve the problem, unplug the receiver for five minutes and plug it in again.
Yes, you can. The receiver will turn itself on when it is time to record your program.
You can make sure both tuners are operational by running a System Test.
- From the TV Home screen, choose Settings.
- In the Settings screen that appears, choose System Test.
- Choose Run Test.
If a tuner is not operational, check the cable connections on the back of the receiver
and on the satellite dish.
Although there is a printer port on the back of your satellite receiver, printing
is not functional at this time.
Possibly. You will need a dish antenna with dual-LNB (Low Noise Block), which
permits two satellite feed cables to be connected from the antenna to the receiver.
This can be a round single satellite dish with dual LNB or an oval multi-satellite
dish. If you already have such a dish, you do not need to buy a new one. Some models
of the DIRECTV Receiver with UltimateTV service come complete with a dual-LNB dish.
Check with your retailer for more information.
No, but you will need to have a dish with dual LNB, which permits two satellite feed
cables to be connected from the antenna to the receiver. This can be accomplished
with either a round single-satellite dish with dual-LNB or an oval multi-satellite dish.
In order to take advantage of all the features offered by UltimateTV, such as
Picture-In-Picture and the ability to record one program while watching another,
you will need to have two separate feeds to the receiver, one for each tuner.
LNB stands for Low Noise Blockdown. The LNB is a small part attached to your
satellite dish. The dish reflects the satellite signal into the LNB where it
is captured, processed, amplified, and sent down the cable to your satellite receiver.
Each LNB style is made in two versions: single and dual. A single LNB has only
one output so only one cable can come out and be connected to your receiver. This
signal cannot be split to two receivers because this would interfere with the
polarity control and cause loss of channels.
A dual LNB has two independent outputs. This means a different satellite signal
can be sent down each of two different coaxial cables. To get full use of the
UltimateTV service, you should connect both coaxial cables from your satellite
dish antenna to your DIRECTV Receiver.
You must have a clear line of sight from the dish location to the DIRECTV
satellite, which is located south of Texas. If you live on the East Coast,
you must have a clear line of sight to the southwest; if you live on the West
Coast, you must have a clear line of sight to the southeast. There can be no
trees, buildings, or other obstructions between the dish and the satellite.
Contact your local DIRECTV retailer for more information about the best location
for your dish in order to "see" the satellite over the southern sky.
Yes, but we recommend professional installation. If you do decide to install the antenna
yourself, you will need to purchase a self-install kit from your DIRECTV retailer as well
as additional RG-6 cable, in order to run two feeds from the antenna to the two tuners on
the receiver.
You can view an on-screen display that shows signal strength.
- From the TV Home screen, choose Settings.
- In the Settings screen that appears, choose Hooking Up.
- Choose Dish Pointing.
- Follow the on-screen instructions until you come to the Signal Strength screen.
Signal strength does not need to reach 100%, but the screen should indicate that
both tuners are LOCKED. If one or both tuners is not locked, adjust the position
of your dish until the on-screen display indicates it is locked and receiving the
strongest signal possible.
There are several reasons why the remote might not control your receiver.
- Check that the remote is set to send signals to your receiver. For RCA remotes, press the button labeled DIRECTV whenever you want to control the receiver. For Sony remotes, press the FUNCTION-SAT button to control the receiver.
- Ensure that the batteries are fresh and properly installed in the battery compartment according to the diagram.
- Point the remote at the front of your receiver, and not at your TV or another device.
It takes a few moments for the receiver to turn on. You might press the ON-OFF
button (or the POWER-SAT button if you have a Sony remote), think nothing is
happening, and press the button again. The first button press tells the receiver
to turn on (and it begins doing so), but the second button press turns the receiver
off. Press the ON-OFF button once and wait a few moments for the receiver to turn on.
In many cases, yes. See the Setup Guides for instructions on programming the
RCA universal remote to control many brands of TVs, VCRs, and other devices,
or for instructions on programming the Sony remote to control many brands of TVs.
Simply press the CLEAR button on your RCA remote or the EXIT button on your Sony remote.
It can take a day or two to retrieve complete television listings from the satellite
after the first time you connect your receiver to the dish antenna and an electrical
socket. If the receiver is unplugged or the power is interrupted at any time, the listings
will need to be retrieved again. Note that you will not be able to set up a future program
recording until the desired program appears in the Guide.
Pressing the GUIDE button once takes you to the main guide. If you set up one or
more Favorite Channels lists, pressing the GUIDE button cycles from one guide
(including the main Guide) to these lists. Press the GUIDE button as many times
as necessary to return to the main Guide.
Yes. You can have the Guide list only the channels you specify. Choose Settings from
TV Home, and then choose Channels. In the list of channels that appears, remove
the checkmark from channels you don't want to see in the Guide.
You cannot set your receiver to record a program until that program shows up in the Guide.
It may take a day or two to retrieve complete television listings from the
satellite after you connect your receiver to the dish antenna and an electrical
socket. If the receiver is unplugged or the power is interrupted at any time, some
listings will need to be retrieved again.
Tip: If you know when a show is on and what channel it's on, you can set up a
Custom Recording to record it, even if it isn't yet displayed in the Guide.
You can make your own mini-guides that show just your favorite channels. For example,
you can make a mini-guide with just sports channels, another with just movie channels,
and so on. Choose Search TV from TV Home, and then follow the on-screen instructions
for setting up a list of favorite channels. Press the GUIDE button on your remote
control to go from one guide to the next (including the main Guide).
Yes. Choose Search TV from TV Home, and then uncheck the box labeled "Stay on channel
while browsing guide." (When this box is checked, the Guide's small TV window will
show the channel you were watching when you went to the Guide.)
Yes there is. Simply press the HOME button on your remote control to go to TV Home and
choose Search TV from the left side of the screen. If you choose "View program guide by
day and time," you can choose a specific day and time in the future to start browsing the
Guide listings, up to 14 days in advance.
Tip: A quick way to get to Search TV is by pressing MENU-OPTIONS on your remote control
(OPTIONS if you have a Sony remote) and choosing Search TV from the panel that appears,
or by pressing SEARCH on your wireless keyboard (optional for some models).
Yes there is. Whenever you search for a specific type of program, you can choose Auto-Record from the Search Results screen. The receiver will continue to search for and record programs that match your interests until you tell it to stop. This way, you will be sure to catch any future programs that match your search, even if they don’t initially show up in your fourteen day listings.
Yes, you can. The receiver will turn itself on when it is time to record your program.
You can record a show only if you subscribe to the channel the show is on. Check the
DIRECTV Web site to see which channels are included in your
DIRECTV programming package. You can customize your Guide so it shows only the channels
you subscribe to. Choose Settings from TV Home, and then choose Channels to customize
your Guide.
Yes. Follow the instructions in the Setup Guide to connect your VCR to your receiver,
and then use the instructions on page 35 of the User Guide to record the show with your
VCR. (You can also record a show directly to your VCR, rather than to your receiver's
hard disk. for details, see the User Guide that came with your receiver).
Yes. When browsing the Guide or viewing search results, use your remote to highlight
the title of the program with the yellow box. Instead of choosing the show to view
the program information page, press the RECORD button on your remote. A red dot will
appear next to the title of the program confirming that the show is scheduled to record.
Note that if you want to schedule the show to record each time it's on (a series, for
example), press the RECORD button a second time. If you do this, you will see three
red dots next to the title instead of one.
If you discover you have lost storage space, turn your satellite receiver off, and
then turn it back on. The lost space will automatically be reclaimed. Note that we
have discovered a pattern of usage that slowly decreases the storage capacity on
your satellite receiver. This problem occurs when you erase a paused or currently
playing recorded program. To avoid this, press the STOP button on the remote control
to stop the playback of a recorded show before erasing it.
Yes. Choose My Shows from TV Home and choose the show you would like to keep. On
the information page for that program, choose Keep Until. On the Keep Until screen,
you can set the recording to be kept until a certain date or until you choose to
erase it yourself. After setting a show to be kept, the word KEEP will appear next
to the title of the show on the My Shows screen.
First press the PAUSE button on your remote control. Once the program is
paused, you can press the FORWARD button in order to see slow motion. To return to
normal playback speed, press the FORWARD button again.
Those are Interactive TV links (ITV) and Web links. Interactive TV links ("i")
appear during a show when there is a special interactive page available for that
show. A Web link ("w") appears if there is a Web page for that show. Press the
MENU-OPTIONS button on your RCA remote (or OPTIONS if you have a Sony remote) when
you see the links and choose Go Interactive for Interactive TV links, or Go To Web
Page for Web links.
You must have your satellite receiver connected to a phone line in order to view
interactive shows. If you do have a phone line connected and still can't "Go
Interactive," check your dialing options to make sure you are set up correctly to
connect to the Internet. To check your Dialing options, choose Settings from TV Home
and then choose Dialing.
Yes. Choose Settings from TV Home and then choose Locks & Limits. On the Locks & Limits
screen you can lock access to shows with certain ratings, channels you don't want others
to watch, and the ability to record Pay Per View movies. After locking something, you
will be asked to create a secret password. Anyone who knows the password will be able
to unlock the settings later.
Make sure both cables from your satellite dish antenna are firmly connected to the
satellite jacks on the back of your receiver. You will not be able to see a picture
in the PIP window unless both cables are connected.
Yes. Press the PIP LOC button on your Sony keyboard, or simultaneously press the
CMD and M keys on your optional RCA keyboard.
No, Internet access that comes with UltimateTV service is provided through
an analog telephone line connected to your DIRECTV Receiver.
No, the satellite only provides television programs and information to the
receiver. When you use the Internet service provided by the UltimateTV service,
your receiver connects via the telephone line.
Try connecting your receiver directly to the phone wall jack and removing other
appliances such as line splitters, caller ID devices, cordless phones, answering
machines and fax machines from the line, as these devices can create disrupting noise.
Next, contact your phone company to make sure your phone line can handle a 28.8 modem
connection. You may want to have your phone company check your line for excessive
static or noise. Either one can cause failure when connecting to the Web.
You may have been connected to the Web without realizing it. If you connect to
the Web and then switch over to watch TV, your Web connection may still be taking
place. In order to disconnect you must manually hang up or turn the satellite
receiver off. While surfing the Web, you can disconnect by choosing the
MENU-OPTIONS button on your remote (OPTIONS if you are using a Sony remote) and then
choosing Hang Up. Note that you will see a yellow light on the front of your receiver
when you are connected to the Web.
Those are Interactive TV links (ITV) and Web links. Interactive TV links ("i") appear
during a show when there is a special interactive page available for that show. A
Web link ("w") appears if there is a Web page for that show. Press the MENU-OPTIONS
button on your RCA remote (or OPTIONS if you have a Sony remote) when you see the
links and choose Go Interactive for Interactive TV links, or Go To Web Page for Web links.
You must have your satellite receiver connected to a phone line in order to view
interactive shows. If you do have a phone line connected and still can't Go Interactive,
check your dialing options to make sure you are set up correctly to connect to the Internet.
To check your Dialing options, choose Settings from TV Home and then choose Dialing.
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