TIP: Make your DIRECTV receiver skip forward 30 seconds

If you’ve been using DVRs since the old days when ReplayTV and TiVo were king of the hill, you might miss the ability to skip forward 30 seconds instead of fastforwarding through the commercials.

The good news is that there is a way to change your DIRECTV receiver to skip forward in 30-second increments instantly and you already have this capability!

The following steps will turn your 30-second slip button into a 30-second skip button:

  • Press {MENU}
  • Arrow down to “Search and Browse”
  • Arrow over to “Smart Search.” Press {SELECT}
  • Spell out the word 30SKIP
  • Press the {RED} button (not the record button) for a Keyword Search
  • Make sure “All” is highlighted and press {SELECT}

You will see a screen saying “There are no matching programs at this time.” Press {EXIT} to go back to TV.

It seems like a lot of steps but it’s actually really easy, and once it’s done, it’s done!

If you don’t like the 30-second skip, repeat the procedure above but instead of spelling out 30SKIP spell out 30SLIP instead. The receiver will go back to the way it was.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.