DirecTV install

[Blayze]

I moved into a new house and I'm thinking about signing up to DirecTV in a few weeks.

I've had Dish Network in the past, but I'm not familiar with how DirecTV does its installs. The house is pre wired for 4 cable jacks from Time Warner. The wires go outside, but haven't been hooked up to anything. Is it possible to use these lines instead of DirecTV running their own lines? Also I noticed their DVRs have dual tuners. How would they hook this up with only 1 line going into the room with the DVR? I know Dish Network installed some kind of splitter on my dual tuner box (non DVR) when I had Dish so they didn't need to run more than 1 line into the house.

Also are phone lines required for DirecTV? I know this was a issue with my dual tuner box on Dish (they charged extra if it wasn't hooked up).

Thanks.

 

[Muadib]

Impossible to say if they can use your existing wire without more info. You say they go outside, but do they go where you would want the dish? Is it RG6 cable?

DirecTV does have the single wire multiswitch now, but it needs to be powered, and it isn't cheap. It's about $290 to buy, and then you would need a splitter to split the single line into 2 for the dvr. Because of the expense, they may charge you for it.

Phone lines are only needed to order ppv stuff, and if you network your dvr, it's not needed at all. I'm pretty sure they don't charge you if your box is not connected to a phone. My receivers haven't been connected to a phone line in years.

 

[Blayze]

The cables are pretty close to where the dish would be. They are on the side of the house, but the dish would need to be put behind the house to get a line of sight. They are RG6.

If DirecTV has to install their own cables how do they usually do this? Its a 2 story house, but it doesn't have a crawl space or basement. One box needs to be downstairs, and two will be needed upstairs.

 

[Muadib]

The cables on the side of the house would need barrels to extend them then, so they can reach the dish. Installers don't like to do this, because it can become a nightmare if you have trouble.

If DTV has to install cables, they will run them from the dish to the wall closest to the room you want the box in. They should then go inside the room to find a good spot to drill a hole.

If all three boxes are HD DVR's, they might go with the SWM, as it would save time. If they aren't all HD or if you aren't getting 3 HD receivers, then I can see them using a regular multiswitch. They are much cheaper than the SWM.

 

[Blayze]

Thanks Muadib

You said they run the cables close to the room where the box would be. Does that mean that on the 2nd story they would run the wire on the outside of the house, or do they somehow run it though the walls similar to the way the cable line is run now?

None of the boxes will be HD, although I'm planning to get a HDTV sometime later this summer/fall (finally).

If they are going to have to run wires on the outside of my house and drill holes I might go with cable, even though its more expensive..

 

[Muadib]

Yes, the wires will be ran outside of the house if they do it. You should setup an install, and let the guy see your setup. They may be able to use your current cables. I can't determine that because I can't see them.