For Frequently Asked Questions, click on the appropriate category.

Satellite Dish Installation

Receiver Installation

High Definition Television (HDTV) Service

 

Satellite Dish Installation

If my satellite dish is mounted outside, will it get stolen?

The dish is the least expensive component of the system and is basically useless without the set-top receiver. Also keep in mind that the dish is small enough to be placed in an inconspicuous location on your home or property.

Can I use my existing wiring for DirecTV^®?

If the cable in your house is RG-6 coax cable, you can use it to connect your DirecTV Receiver to your satellite dish. If your cable is not RG6 coax, you will need to run new cable. It is important that you use RG6 cable due to the frequency of the digital signals it must carry.

Can I paint the satellite dish?

It's okay to paint your dish if you don't use lead-based or glossy paint. Glossy paint could damage the Low Noise Block (LNB) converter by increasing the solar reflection. Also, do not paint the LNB itself.
 

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Receiver Installation

What is the purpose of connecting my receiver to my telephone line?

We ask customers to connect the receiver to a land-based phone line for billing and pay per view ordering purposes. This connection sends purchase information from the receiver to our computer system. You cannot connect a cellular phone to your receiver; it must be a land-based phone line.

With this phone connection, DirecTV customers are authorized to order pay per view movies and events with their remote control, get popular sports subscriptions like NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, and have the programming subscription on their main receiver "mirrored" to other receivers that are connected to the same phone line.

Customers who don't have a continuous telephone connection are not authorized to receive certain sports programming, must call us to order pay per view, and must pay a separate subscription price for each receiver. To cover the costs of handling phone requests, we apply a $5 service charge on phone orders for pay per view movies and events.

If I have more than one receiver, do I pay a full monthly subscription for each receiver?

No. DirecTV allows you to connect more than one television in a single household to our services. If your receivers are connected to the same phone line, we can 'mirror' your subscription. In other words, the programming you request for the primary access card in your receiver is copied for all of the access cards in the other receivers and you are authorized to receive this same level or programming on these televisions. Instead of charging you a separate monthly subscription for each receiver, we simply charge a $4.99 monthly service fee for each additional receiver.

When we 'mirror' your subscription to additional receivers, we do verify that all your receivers are continuously connected to the same phone line. If we find that a receiver with 'mirrored' service is not connected to the phone line, we will discontinue service to that receiver and you will need to call us to re-establish that service.

Will the telephone connection interfere with regular telephone usage?

No. This connection does not interfere with your phone. A modem inside your receiver makes a toll-free call to our computer system in the middle of the night. If the modem senses that you are using the phone, it will try again later. The modem's call lasts just a few seconds.

My receiver is not near a telephone jack, and it is not convenient for me to install a line near it. What should I do?

Many consumer electronic retail stores carry a device known as a wireless phone jack, which allows you to connect your receiver to a nearby phone line without wires. Prices and models vary so check with your local retailer for more information. Again, a cellular phone connection will not work.

Can DirecTV be connected to more than one television set in my house?

Buying separate DirecTV Receivers for the various television sets in your home gives you the flexibility of watching different DirecTV programs on different television sets. To do this, you'll need to have a dual-LNB DirecTV System. The dual-LNB DirecTV System (sometimes called a "deluxe system" or a "multi-room system") allows you to use additional receivers so the members of your household can watch different channels or pay per view programs in different rooms at the same time. The second-room receivers are sold separately at stores across the country. If all your DirecTV Receivers are connected to the same land-based phone line, then DirecTV can "mirror" your subscription package for a nominal fee for each additional DirecTV outlet.

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High Definition Television (HDTV) Service

What is HDTV?

High definition television (HDTV) is a new kind of television system that involves improvements in both the production and reception of television broadcast system. The most distinguishing features of HDTV are the aspect ratio and increased lines of resolution. HDTV's aspect ratio is 16:9 (Width: Height) as opposed to 4:3 of the current NTSC system. This will make the home theater atmosphere exactly as it was meant to be. Films will retain their original size and resolution, and the sound can be delivered in "digital-quality" 5 channel digital audio.

How is DirecTV's HDTV offering different from other companies' HDTV service?

Ours is the first satellite TV service whose receiving system is built into HDTV sets, so viewers who purchase this HDTV equipment will have easy access.

What equipment do I need to receive high definition programming on DirecTV?

You can receive our high definition programming by using an HDTV set with a built-in DirecTV System OR by using an HDTV-enabled multi-sat DirecTV Receiver with any high-definition television set. You can also use the HDTV-enabled set-top box with your analog TV set to receive standard definition programming.

Can I keep using the DirecTV equipment I have now?

As high definition increasingly becomes the TV standard, customers will need to invest in new TV monitors to receive it. We feel the best approach will be to look for a HDTV set with an integrated DirecTV Receiver. Or, if you choose a HDTV set without DirecTV built in, to upgrade to a HDTV compatible set-top box when you purchase a new monitor. However, your current DirecTV equipment will provide you with quality digital programming for as long as you own the system, when used with either an analog or HDTV set.

Who makes DirecTV HDTV equipment?

We've formed partnerships with several consumer electronics manufacturers. HDTV sets with the DirecTV Receiver built in, as well as our HDTV-compatible set-top boxes, are available from Thomson Consumer Electronics (under the RCA and PROSCAN brands), Hitachi, Toshiba, Zenith, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Samsung and Hughes Network Systems. We're talking to leading consumer electronics manufacturers about integrating the multi-sat DirecTV System into forthcoming HDTV products.

Why is DirecTV using a different satellite to broadcast its high-definition programming?

Few of our customers have high-definition TV sets today. By delivering our high-definition programming from the 119 degrees WL orbital slot, we reserve capacity at our main orbital location for programming most customers can receive today and we allow room for expansion there. DirecTV customers who continue to use their analog TVs will still have the widest variety of programming available to them.
 

What high definition programming is DirecTV broadcasting?

We introduced HBO^® HDTV in August 1999. The channel airs continuously and delivers blockbuster movies and original programming from Home Box Office on DirecTV^® Channel 509. In November 1999 we introduced a second HDTV channel -- 199 -- featuring pay per view movies and events in high definition format. You can also experience HDTV programming from DirecTV by visiting select retail showrooms across the country that is displaying a demonstration of the service.

In what format is HDTV from DirecTV broadcast?

DirecTV will accept a wide variety of industry-standard formats and will broadcast in any or all of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and other industry-standard broadcasting formats, essentially remaining format-agnostic.

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