I am considering changing from Comcast cable to satellite and looking at all the new subscriber deals. Looks like the Sat companies are pushing these DVR/Tivo add on deals for cheap, but I keep seeing in the fine print about having to connect it to my phone. Do I really need a lanline phone connection just to record something? What if I just have a cell phone?
Why does a recorder need a phone line?
- Thread starter Pain
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 18
- Views 2K
- Status
Phone line is for PPV & sports package order billing as far as the D* part is concerned, on the TiVo part that may be for the initial setup requirment, but I had assumed that could be done via ethernet now.
Once you have initial setup done, you won't need it. You will, however, get nag screens every once in a while.
grydlok said:
Guide data comes over the satellite for Dtivo's.....Standalones use the phone for that...
guide Data without the phoneline is 3 days.silversurfer01973 said:
With the phone line is longer.
silversurfer01973 said:
I have reference against it... I have guide data for the next week and a half and havent had a phone line in it since february
More than you know.dishrich said:Now you all know what being "SBCA Lvl II &III Cert" is worth...
ShadowEKU said:
I don't hAVE all of my Tivo's on land line also but I noticed a difference in guide data.
You can get around the phone line issue on initial setup by getting or making a Tivo serial cable and, with a few setup steps on your PC, tell the DTivo to connect via serial and use your PC's internet connection.
That's how I did the initial setup on my R10.
That's how I did the initial setup on my R10.
ShadowEKU said:
I will second that...ALL guide data comes off the satellite. Its been that way since 3.0 if I am not mistaken...
silversurfer01973 said:
Some people might not be on 3.0 (if they dont have a phone line)
On Stand Alone Tivos Guide data only goes 3 days if you dont have a tivo subscription... if you do its the full 2 weeks or so.
I checked last night... the guide data on mine that is plugged in to a phone line goes to within an hour of where the one without a phone line ends....
grydlok said:
Enough to know that, uh, you're TOTALLY WRONG!!!
And, obviously with others to back me up...
Oh, you never DID answer silversurfer's question:
silversurfer01973 said:
So how's about it smartguy???
If you don't need the phone line for guide data-why do they put up those damn "please make daily call' notices? I don't have a phone line directly into two of my Tivos(Sat box Tivos) but I do have a line into the two others. Haven't ever really checked to see if there is a difference in guide data. Of course, D* says you have to have the sat box connected to land line at all timew as well and we know that is false. Don't have a constant phone line into any of my 5 sat boxes. So can I stop dragging the phone line across tha room every couple of weeks to do the TIVo daily call?
srjewettlaw said:
it makes the daily call to see if there are software updates. It makes a weekly call to d* to report any and all PPV... it actually connects to 2 different places.
The dtv tivo get software updates thru the phone line. and some routine hard drive housekeeping.
- Status
