DIRECTV Users… set up a series to record with two button presses!

Here’s one tip everyone needs to know about. While the menus on DIRECTV DVRs are pretty easy to use, it’s also fairly easy to get lost if you don’t know where you’re going, and that’s no fun if you’re in the middle of setting up recordings. This is something that might have been explained to you when you had your DIRECTV install, but it’s also possible that you never got hold of this tip.

It’s so easy to set up a recurring recording with DIRECTV. Like, for example, if you find a new show you want to watch. Just go to the guide and press the record button twice fairly quickly while the program you want is highlighted.

On Genie hardware:

When you press the RECORD button twice, you’ll see this icon next to the show title in the guide:

If you change your mind, press RECORD again and the icon will go away. Nothing else will change.

Customizing your record setups

You can change the default ways that things record. Press LIST to go to the playlist and then arrow up to the recording manager.

From there, scroll all the way down to Typical Recording Preferences. You won’t see that on the first screen, but if you go down far enough you will see it. When it’s highlighted, press SELECT. You’ll see this screen:

which will let you choose the default options that are applied when you press RECORD twice. You’ll find an easy way to set up whether you only record first runs, how many to keep, and even whether or not to pad a recording.

On older DVRs:

When you press RECORD twice on an older DVR (like an HR24) you’ll see an icon like this next to the title of the show in the guide:

If you change your mind, press record button again and the icon will go away. It’s that easy.

Customizing recording defaults

On the DVR, you can even customize the way that recordings are kept. Press MENU then go to Recordings, Manage Recordings, Record Defaults. You’ll find an easy way to set up whether you only record first runs, how many to keep, and even whether or not to pad a recording. Set these options once and whenever you press the record icon twice they’ll be applied to new series recordings.

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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.