Turning off the TIVO snitch

[Roamer]

Ok, Here is the deal: I just purchased a Huges DTIVO unit. I am going to subscribe to DTV and TIVO (after looking at the quality of the picture vs cable, how can I NOT subscribe???). I also want to use emulation for a couple of reasons, mainly so I can get the locals (for UPN and WB).

Needless to say, I really don't want TIVO keeping track of every button I press on the remote nor what I choose to record. For my way of thinking, that is the most incredible intrusion in my privacy that has been rolled out in a long time. But any way, because I will be using emulation on the unit, I can't have it reporting what I am looking at anyway.

So, I plan to subscribe to DTV and TIVO with the units plugged in to the phone and let them do there updating "stuff", pull the CAM ID off of the now subed Hu card and add it to my emu bin file (and no, that CAM ID ISN"T going anywere, so don't bother asking for it), use Xtreme to life time sub the TIVO units and leave the DTIVO unit unplugged from the phone line forever.

Is there anything else I should do (or do differently) to keep my nose clean?

[chipster]

First off... we shy away from talk on hacking DTV - and it may earn you some flames - but we are very open about Tivo hacks.

That said, we have several threads dealing with log elimination - and several techniques including preventing some of their creation and wiping them before calls.

Some revealing logs are created during the call process - they'll log what's in "Now Showing" and your Season Passes.

The board has gotten more popular than I can keep up with - so try searching on logs, logging. Then - as you've probably heard or read elsewhere - read, read, and read.

Hope you're a little Linux-savvy...

[BubbleLamp]

I don't know what DTV would do when it never sees any reports for your CAM ID, since they try to force regular subscribers to dial-in once every 30 days. Let us know. :eek:

[BubbaJ]

directv doesn't seem to care if they never see your camid show up. even when it used to show up. In fact, if an installer put in your equiptment for multiple boxes they don't even seem to care if none of them ever call in. (personal experience)

[digitalAir]

I got a finger wagged at me when I subscribed my D'TiVo, because my other 2 receivers hadn't called in in over 2 years.

Oops... ;)

The service rep went ahead and subscribed the new ird, but told me that if the other 2 didn't call in within a week, the new one would be deactivated... So, I went ahead and plugged them into the phone line for a week.

This has been the experience of a couple friends of mine as well. As long as you don't attempt to change your service, they don't usually say much...

[metaldog99]

I have similar experience to BubbaJ - called recently to sub a new DSR6000, they asked if it was plugged into phone, told them I just moved to new house and there was no jack (truth). Rep said no problem - activated and then walked through various channels to make sure all qualified tiers were there.

Maybe it depends on the rep you get when you call.

[AlphaWolf]

this raises a question I pondered but never found the answer for a while ago, is /var/log the only place that logs are stored?

[BubbleLamp]

Originally posted by AlphaWolf
this raises a question I pondered but never found the answer for a while ago, is /var/log the only place that logs are stored?

They're also in /var/persist

[Tico]

Originally posted by BubbleLamp
I don't know what DTV would do when it never sees any reports for your CAM ID, since they try to force regular subscribers to dial-in once every 30 days. Let us know. :eek:

Mine have never called in after 5+ years and Dave has never said anything......

[Roamer]

Thanks for the info guys. I realize that emulation (or any other DTV hacking) is verboten here, but I felt I needed to explain some of the reason why. The sad thing is I wouldn't even bother with it if they had WB and UPN on the main channel! I don't watch that much TV and what I do watch tends to be on WB, UPN, or speedvision. It wouldn't bother me to have to pay for PPV (I don't watch them anyway. If I want a movie, I buy it on DVD) or not have access to HBO/Showtime/Starz/etc. I dont' watch them. I realize that there hands are tied with the locals, but WB and UPN both are superstations, so they CAN carry it on the main channel. What a silly world we live in.

One point on not having the IRDs call in: no where in their contract do they REQUIRE that your IRDs be plugged into a phone line. They imply the heck out of it, but they do NOT require it. They even say if your IRD ISN'T plugged in, then you have can still order PPVs by phone, but there is an extra service charge for it. That pretty well says it all as far as I'm concerned.

[sqrl]

I just subb'd two new cards and dtv told me as long as i didnt try to buy any ppv it didnt make any dif if the phone was plugged in or not

[bato]

I beleive you now can order PPV online without any additional charges and even add receivers to your account, so the phone test need in the past now is not.

EDIT: I think if the receiver don't call home, then they deactivate the option to order PPV by remote

[BubbleLamp]

An access card has some space to store PPV's you've bought. When that space fills up, you can't order any more until it calls in and reports those purchases and flushes out the old ones. I think it's around 20-25 if I recall.

[AlphaWolf]

25 slots :) or until the spending limits have been reached.

[Luv2H8]

Hey Roamer, if you can get UPN and WB then I am guessing you are in a spot beam right? (If not, tell me how you got these on a national feed so I can get them) You don't have to emu to recieve locals you know, all you have to do is tell Dtv that you are "moving", and give them an address that is within the area that they provide locals. Just saying, if that is the ONLY reason you are emu, you don't have to hack dss to recieve locals, just have to tell a little white lie.