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D I R E C T V

A C C E S S C A R D

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C o n n e c t i n g

Useful Terms

If you’re not an audio/video wizard, you may find yourself stumbling over some of the names, features, and functions of various pieces of equipment. Here’s a quick reference to help you understand some of the terms you may encounter during installation.

Satellite TV Terms

Satellite Receiver. A satellite receiver does what its name suggests and more. It “receives” the signal from your satellite dish antenna, translates it into a signal your TV can understand, then sends it to the TV. Your HD DVR has a built-in satellite receiver.

Dual Tuner. A tuner picks one channel out of all of your available channels to display on your TV. Dual tuner means your HD DVR can pick two channels at once, so it can record two channels at the same time, provided you connect two cables from your satellite dish to the “Satellite In” jacks, and activate the DVR service. If you set up the HD DVR for “Off- Air antenna only,” you can watch, but not record, two antenna channels. See page 48.

Multiswitch. A multiswitch lets you send the signal from one satellite dish antenna to two or more satellite receivers. Adding a multiswitch allows you to send a satellite signal to each of your HD DVR’s two tuners, as well as to another satellite receiver for your second television. If you own a two satellite or multi-satellite dish antenna, you must use a multiswitch to send signals to your HD DVR or other satellite receiver(s).

Access Card. Your access card contains information about your DIRECTV programming subscription. It must be properly inserted and activated for your HD DVR to work.

Transponder. A transponder is a piece of equipment on a satellite. The transponders receive information from DIRECTV and rebroadcast it to your satellite dish antenna. Each transponder rebroadcasts a different set of channels. If the HD DVR does not receive a signal for an individual transponder, it will not be able to show that transponder’s channels. Each satellite may have a different number of transponders on it.