Do I need a Landline Phone for My directv service with tivo??

Question

I am trying to save a little money by getting rid of my home phone bill. Will I be able to get by without a land based line??

Answer 1

Yes.  In order for the Tivo to work properly it needs to make a phone call everyday to Tivo be fully functional.

Answer 2

No. I have had my DVR from Dish Network that has two hard drives and it was not hooked up to a phone line. I was an installer for them for years and the same technology is in the TiVo from DirecTV. That is why Dish Network was sued by Tivo for stealing their technology. The same goes for DirecTV. They get you though, they charge an extra fee for not haing it hooked up to a phone line and this is a monthly charge. The reciever gets the programming downloaded from the satellites during downtime in the early morning hours. The program information is stored in the reciever.

Another catch is that you have to call in for a movie on demand because it would take up to 24 hous for the rediever to get the instructions to download the movie. I hope this helps, Good Luck!!