NICE AND EASY: Are all the outputs on a DIRECTV receiver active at the same time?

Yes. You don’t get more nice and easy than that. If you want to run multiple TVs from the same receiver, or use something obsolete like a Slingbox or DVD recorder, it works just fine. Whether standard-definition composite, HD component, or HDMI, all those outputs are there for your use.

There’s no magic to using other outputs, just connect them and go! If you are using an HD DVR, you may see a message that your TV’s cables aren’t HD. Just follow these instructions:

and everything will work!

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.