DirecTV (MPG Upgrade)

NoBozo · 06-11-2013, 06:40 PM

My DirecTV box is 12 years old. I Bought it (Sony) for $99. For the past month I have been getting "On Screen" & Telephone notifications that my box will soon be rendered inoperative. I "Need to do a MPG Upgrade". I should call 800-531-5000. SO: I Did. DirecTV sent me a new (Standard Def) box for FREE. (I only need ONE SD Box). If you need more than One box it will cost $6 Extra per box per month. There was NO effort to SELL me aditional upgrades such as HD.

Procedure: You just need to unplug your old box and plug in the new one......with the new "Access Card" installed..Then turn ON the TV and Box. A Setup Screen will pop up.

Then you need to call the 800 number to activate. I got a person whose first language is English...So it went well.

SO: The new box is up and running. It has a bright blue "Orb" on the front that indicates it is ON...and it responds to key strokes by flashing when you input a keystroke on the new Remote.

SO: What with all this recent stuff about NSA checking on us...do you think my New DTV BOX has a camera "looking" back at me in my living room...?? Just wondering.

YES Bartender: I will have another adult beverage.

NB

PS: NO INSTRUCTIONS came with the new box.

wifi · 06-11-2013, 06:45 PM

Guarantee "they" will monitor what you watch

MAXUM · 06-12-2013, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoBozo

SO: What with all this recent stuff about NSA checking on us...do you think my New DTV BOX has a camera "looking" back at me in my living room...?? Just wondering.

Easy way to fix that, just slap a "filter" on that camera, IE small piece of tape and you can rest easy that if the NSA is spying on you they won't see much.

codeman671 · 06-12-2013, 09:44 AM

Don't plug the phone line into the box. It works just fine without it, the only time it is used is when you order a pay per view, which you can still do through their website or by text.

This cuts down on their ability to track you.

PaugusBayFireFighter · 06-12-2013, 10:06 AM

I have 6 DirectTV Boxes in my house as well as computers ipads and iphones with cameras on the front and back of them. If NSA wants to track me they don't need any of those devices to do it. Track away.

jeffk · 06-12-2013, 10:40 AM

I am about to go through this process as well. Unfortunately I had a third party DVR attached to the current system. Guess what. They no longer support an external DVR. You MUST get it from DirecTV for $10 a month forever. Nice little revenue enhancing scheme, eh? They force the upgrade of their equipment and drop external DVR support so you have to pay them.

There is noting you can do about it if you want DVR capability. I chose to just not use DVR.

NoBozo · 06-12-2013, 02:47 PM

Holy Crap: When I posted above I was really just kidding...Kinda. Today I just read about the NEW Kinect sensor on the Xbox One. OMG

NB

PS: I don't have Xbox. No plans to get it....Way TOO Old for it....

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/ne...not-6C10287970

songkrai · 06-17-2013, 06:07 AM

Not sure what you bought for $99.00.

I started with Direct TV when Pegasus ran Direct TV in the Northeast.

Once Pegasus went bankrupt - Direct TV just gave me the receivers.

NoBozo · 06-17-2013, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by songkrai

Not sure what you bought for $99.00.

I started with Direct TV when Pegasus ran Direct TV in the Northeast.

Once Pegasus went bankrupt - Direct TV just gave me the receivers.

The Mfg date on my OLD Sony DirecTV box was 12/2001. So I guess I BOUGHT it soon after ..FROM my local..dedicated Stereo shop:..where you buy speakers, sound systems, amplifiers, Plasma TVs, etc.. It came with the dish and everything I needed to install it myself...which I did. Mount the dish, run the coax cable through the house..etc. They loaned me the little device that was required to train the dish (locate) the satellites.

NB

Edit: NoBody RAN DirecTV in RI.

songkrai · 06-17-2013, 06:42 PM

Edit: NoBody RAN DirecTV in RI.

Up here Pegasus was the cable company. Dumped cable. Then had contract for Direct TV at some time after.

Was it the whole northeast. I don't have a clue.

06-11-2013, 06:40 PM	#1
NoBozo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Portsmouth. RI Posts: 2,231 Thanks: 400 Thanked 460 Times in 308 Posts	DirecTV (MPG Upgrade) My DirecTV box is 12 years old. I Bought it (Sony) for $99. For the past month I have been getting "On Screen" & Telephone notifications that my box will soon be rendered inoperative. I "Need to do a MPG Upgrade". I should call 800-531-5000. SO: I Did. DirecTV sent me a new (Standard Def) box for FREE. (I only need ONE SD Box). If you need more than One box it will cost $6 Extra per box per month. There was NO effort to SELL me aditional upgrades such as HD. Procedure: You just need to unplug your old box and plug in the new one......with the new "Access Card" installed..Then turn ON the TV and Box. A Setup Screen will pop up. Then you need to call the 800 number to activate. I got a person whose first language is English...So it went well. SO: The new box is up and running. It has a bright blue "Orb" on the front that indicates it is ON...and it responds to key strokes by flashing when you input a keystroke on the new Remote. SO: What with all this recent stuff about NSA checking on us...do you think my New DTV BOX has a camera "looking" back at me in my living room...?? Just wondering. YES Bartender: I will have another adult beverage. NB PS: NO INSTRUCTIONS came with the new box.

06-12-2013, 10:40 AM	#6
jeffk Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Center Harbor Posts: 1,169 Thanks: 205 Thanked 433 Times in 250 Posts	What they don't tell you about their "free" upgrade I am about to go through this process as well. Unfortunately I had a third party DVR attached to the current system. Guess what. They no longer support an external DVR. You MUST get it from DirecTV for $10 a month forever. Nice little revenue enhancing scheme, eh? They force the upgrade of their equipment and drop external DVR support so you have to pay them. There is noting you can do about it if you want DVR capability. I chose to just not use DVR.

06-11-2013, 06:45 PM	#2
wifi Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Lakes Region Posts: 1,321 Thanks: 282 Thanked 287 Times in 169 Posts	Guarantee "they" will monitor what you watch

06-12-2013, 09:44 AM	#4
codeman671 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 3,492 Thanks: 221 Thanked 810 Times in 486 Posts	Don't plug the phone line into the box. It works just fine without it, the only time it is used is when you order a pay per view, which you can still do through their website or by text. This cuts down on their ability to track you.

06-12-2013, 10:06 AM	#5
PaugusBayFireFighter Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 837 Thanks: 361 Thanked 674 Times in 264 Posts	I have 6 DirectTV Boxes in my house as well as computers ipads and iphones with cameras on the front and back of them. If NSA wants to track me they don't need any of those devices to do it. Track away.

06-12-2013, 02:47 PM	#7
NoBozo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Portsmouth. RI Posts: 2,231 Thanks: 400 Thanked 460 Times in 308 Posts	Holy Crap: When I posted above I was really just kidding...Kinda. Today I just read about the NEW Kinect sensor on the Xbox One. OMG NB PS: I don't have Xbox. No plans to get it....Way TOO Old for it.... http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/ne...not-6C10287970

06-17-2013, 06:07 AM	#8
songkrai Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 732 Thanks: 35 Thanked 146 Times in 99 Posts	Not sure what you bought for $99.00. I started with Direct TV when Pegasus ran Direct TV in the Northeast. Once Pegasus went bankrupt - Direct TV just gave me the receivers.

06-17-2013, 06:42 PM	#10
songkrai Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 732 Thanks: 35 Thanked 146 Times in 99 Posts	Edit: NoBody RAN DirecTV in RI. Up here Pegasus was the cable company. Dumped cable. Then had contract for Direct TV at some time after. Was it the whole northeast. I don't have a clue.