Do DIRECTV receivers have a “sleep” mode?

Well, not really, but sort of.

If you want to fall asleep in front of the TV, you’ll probably want to use your TV’s sleep timer instead. However, you can save a little energy by making sure the Power Saving mode of your DIRECTV receiver or DVR is on. Follow these steps:

  • Press {MENU}.
  • Arrow down to “Settings” and press {SELECT}
  • Arrow over so “Settings&Help” is highlighted and press {SELECT}.
  • Arrow down to “Power Saving” and press {SELECT}.

If Power Saving is set to “on” then your receiver or DVR will power down after 4 hours with no remote presses. You’ll get a message on screen the next time it powers back up, saying it was in power saving mode, but since your DVR will record just fine in power saving mode, there’s no reason to be worried.

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.