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**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 90561 04-19-2012 09:44 PM

Joanna Smiles Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
The box is updating itself. Usually this happens in the middle of the night so not to disrupt your TV viewing. You can change the scheduler to update to any time you want.

How? It seriously freaks me out since I live alone. I would much rather it do this between 8am and noon.

I changed it when it prompted me in the middle of the night. I dont know how to do it with it prompting you. Look in the menu setting or just call their customer service.

**Joanna Smiles**

LoP Guest Wrote:

Joanna Smiles Wrote:
LoP Guest Wrote:
Just wait until the channels start changing on their own...

(mine has)

Remember that test sometime back where the govt. was to take over all tv stations for awhile to test their ability in case of a national emergency? That's the night it started doing it. THAT'S what is so freaky!

Tell ya something even freakier, I was on the phone with DTV tech support once and he casually mentioned, "Oh, I see you're on channel 'such-n-such." WTF?

**wingchop**

Joanna Smiles Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
u has electrical tape?
I duz! LOL

Putz some over the light Cheer

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 90143 04-19-2012 10:20 PM

LoP Guest Wrote:

Joanna Smiles Wrote:
LoP Guest Wrote:
Just wait until the channels start changing on their own...

(mine has)

Remember that test sometime back where the govt. was to take over all tv stations for awhile to test their ability in case of a national emergency? That's the night it started doing it. THAT'S what is so freaky!

Tell ya something even freakier, I was on the phone with DTV tech support once and he casually mentioned, "Oh, I see you're on channel 'such-n-such." WTF?

Why does that surprise you???

**Mother Mary**

Unplug the box.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 90113 04-19-2012 10:30 PM

LoP Guest Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
Joanna Smiles Wrote:
Remember that test sometime back where the govt. was to take over all tv stations for awhile to test their ability in case of a national emergency? That's the night it started doing it. THAT'S what is so freaky!

Tell ya something even freakier, I was on the phone with DTV tech support once and he casually mentioned, "Oh, I see you're on channel 'such-n-such." WTF?

Why does that surprise you???

Before that I was under the impression that the satellite only received and did not transmit... (I DON'T have the phone line plugged into it- and never have).

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 87387 04-19-2012 10:56 PM

LoP Guest Wrote:

Before that I was under the impression that the satellite only received and did not transmit... (I DON'T have the phone line plugged into it- and never have).

Thats not how satellite works....

Although they "Love" to use obfuscation of how the technology works, the basic are simply that it "has" to have an "uplink"..

Oldest models were modem based for the smart card to be read as to what PPV channels you accessed and paid for, was reset every month, now they use the uplink to send the data by burst transmission on an alternate carrier wave in the KU band (was originally the old C band)...

Think of it this way..

The uplink is the "return" signal for a connection to the satellite in geosynchronous orbit around the planet..

The "strength" of the signal is rated by .db, lower rating indicates a "less then perfect" alignment of the dish, higher rating is better usually around 90 to 95db is optimal, but I have seen 100db before..

This is a "constant link" it does not get shut down anymore when you put the box into "sleep mode" because you are not really turning it off, it's just deactivated certain circuits in the box for transmission to the TV. There is "still" a transmission..

Most of the time it's just a carrier signal in the low priority setting known as a "transponder" signal, it lets the satellite "maintain" a loopback signal between you, and the satellite itself, if this was not the case, then it could take up to a minute or more for the signal to achieve a loopback, between you and the satellite for TV viewing, so you end up staring at a blank screen for over a minute before you can watch TV if the uplink was not maintained at it's basic level as a transponder signal...

So at night, when you have put the box into "sleep mode" ( intentionally mislabeled as off), they send a "wakeup" signal to the box, that puts it in "wake mode" which allows them to download, and upload data from the days activities..

They monitor everything you do, the channels you watch, the actual programs you watch, what you have in the DVR if you have one, and will duplicate this in their back end database, for data mining purposes.. even the schedules you keep in the box, are recorded in a burst transmissions to either main headquarters, or the data mining site they have..

It was not just for high speed internet they switched over to the KU band, it was for a much more personal and complete invasion of your privacy it was done for..

It's all automated now, so "smile" and bend over, with every push of that button, you truly "ARE" being watched... chuckle

**Michael Alan Keith**

I put a small piece of duct tape over the blue LED's back when I had DTV.

They are terribly bright for an appliance.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 49195 04-19-2012 11:15 PM

The LCDs emit a lot of guass, like a dryer.
I need my dvr as a nightlight not to pee in the corner of the bedroom.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 90113 04-19-2012 11:17 PM

gauss -magnetism
lumens -light

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 87387 04-20-2012 12:39 AM

LoP Guest Wrote:

gauss -magnetism
lumens -light

Emmit that much "gauss" to light a room, and it's a wonder if you could have children .. Jptdknpa

Guest is right, Lumen's or "Joules" (either one will suffice)... Jhikpghf

**Joanna Smiles**

Buster Wrote:

I put a small piece of duct tape over the blue LED's back when I had DTV.

They are terribly bright for an appliance.

I agree. I already put tape over my smoke alarm because it is too bright,but the DTV box is REALLY bright! Especially when it comes on in the night after it has been TURNED OFF.

**Joanna Smiles**

LoP Guest Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
gauss -magnetism
lumens -light

Emmit that much "gauss" to light a room, and it's a wonder if you could have children ..

Guest is right, Lumen's or "Joules" (either one will suffice)...

Ummm....what???
chuckle

**420** lop guest User ID: 66931 04-20-2012 01:25 AM

LoP Guest Wrote:

the only way to fix this is to take your tv into a field and shoot it, then go do something constructive

**ID Rick**

Joanna, Direct TV will do that. My wife and I are semi retired and we travel quite a bit. I would turn the box off, and we would come home a week later and it would be on. At first I thought maybe I just forgot to turn it off. But after several episodes, we realized it was indeed turning itself on. Our problem was the power cord was in a hard place to get to. So I rigged a switch between the box and the outlet. Now I just turn off the switch.

Often when we turn it on the box, has to update, which is fine. Heck we only watch sports and a few movies anyway.

Our travel trailer is equipped with a directv antenna. Sometimes when we get to a destination, it takes the box in the trailer an hour to update. Again no biggie. I am usually on the lake fishing anyway.