Question about Two cables on the Directv DVR.?

Question

I did not realize that you had to have two input cables for the Directv DVR. Is there anyway around this?..There isnt a way to run an extra cable for the DVR even though there is a spot open on the LNB. Is there anyway to get around this, such as splitting or anything?

Yes. I am able to use it but it kind of defeats the purpose of buying it if i can only record what im watching. Could have bought a good dvd recorder.

Answer 1

You should still be able to use just one cable. You just won't be able to watch something else while you're recording a different program at the same time. You can watch a recorded program while recording live programming but you just won't be able to watch live programming while recording another live program on a different channel.

A splitter will not work. Those jacks on the DVR output voltage to tell the LNB which polarization the box is looking to receive. You could damage your box if you hook up a splitter so don't try it.

I remember a device that took the LNB IF and added 500MHz or so to the one side so you could squeeze both signals onto a single line of coax. As soon as I can remember what it was called, I'll edit my post. That would work for you but if I recall correctly it does cost some money and probably wouldn't work with those newer triple LNB satellite dishes, but if you have the single orbital position satellite dish it would work fine.
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EDIT: Found it! It's called a "stacker"
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=SUS575-T
This one says it's especially for DirecTV DVR's but the only difference to me is that it looks like it can multiplex a cable TV or TV antenna line into it. It's the same price anyhow. I guess if you REALLY CAN'T run another cable at all, there is a solution, albeit a $143 one....
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=SD575D
I can't tell from their page if that includes the destacker or not, but if it doesn't you'll need that too. It's $72:
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=SD575
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Sorry I guess you should have got a good DVD recorder and some rewritable DVD's. A DVR holds much more, plus has the TiVo features and can rewrite an unlimited amount of times, but if you want the dual tuner capabilities you have to run two cables or use the expensive stacker method I mentioned before. Just to give you a technical background of why, I'll explain.

Satellites transmit groups of channels on transponders. The range of frequencies they can use is limited to 500MHz. In order to fit as many transponders as they can into those 500MHz they use opposite polarizations, left hand circular and right hand circular. When the LNB is configured for left hand circular, it blocks out all right hand circular signals, and vice versa. This effectively doubles the capacity of the satellite allowing frequency reuse without causing interference. Now when the LNB receives the 12GHz signals from the satellite, it changes them to 950-1450MHz. This is because 12GHz is such a high frequency that it doesn't travel over cables very well at all and the signal would never make it to your receiver. 1GHz is much more manageable than 12GHz so the LNB downconverts it and sends it to the receivers. It can only do this one polarization at a time as the left hand circular and right hand circular polarization transponders are on the same frequencies. The receiver tells the LNB which polarization it wants by the voltage it sends to it, 13 volts or 18 volts. If you only use one cable, it can only ask for one polarization at a time. Using the second cable it is able to use the one side of a dual output LNB for left hand circular and the other side for right hand circular allowing the receiver to get every channel sent to it and you can watch and record whatever you want at the same time.

Now, there is a cheaper, half solution that could run you about $10. This would be to run a splitter with a DC block on one lead going to the DVR. The other lead would go directly to the splitter and the one output to the dish. This will only work if you want to watch a channel and record a channel at the same time that are both on transponders that use the same polarization. 50-50 chance! Don't omit the DC block. It's there to protect your receiver from sending two voltages into itself. I've never tried it, and it would somewhat work theoretically and your box probably would freeze at times not knowing what the heck was going on, but if that's all you can do, that's all you can do!

Answer 2

If you have just a standard dvr, then the cable hdmi or component doesn't do you any good. Use the standard connection for the dvr - the resolution is only as good as the lowest res point in the "chain". If you have a 1080p tv and HD DVR, then use HDMI (a video cable would reduce the signal to 480i). If you have a 1080p tv and standard dvr, you're only going to get 480i from the receiver, so the connection doesn't improve anything.

Answer 3

I had the same problem. When I called Directv to register the dvr I told them I only had one line coming in from the satalite and they set up an appointment for an installer to come out and run a second line.