How can I rename my DVRs as referenced by DirecTV App?

[JJinVista]

I have an HR44 and HR24 in my home setup. The installer must have assigned names to these receivers, but the names aren't meaningful to me and I'd like to rename them.

I have Whole Home DVR and I'm familiar with the rename function available there (Settings / Whole Home / Name Location). This does in fact allow me to define a name which will then show up when I view my list of recorded content - the receiver name identifies which receiver a particular show was recorded on.

Enter the DirecTV smartphone app. This app refers to my two receivers by the names which were originally given to them by the installer, and not the names I've chosen through the Whole Home DVR rename function.

The receiver names are somewhat important when using the DirecTV app when one records a future program using the app. I'm allowed to select which of the two receivers is to record the program, but playback is limited to only the HR44 recordings (go figure) and and content recorded on the HR24 doesn't appear in the playlist when running the App, whether you recorded it while at home or through the App (go figure again). So if I were to record a program while I'm away from home and it accidentally went to my HR24, I wouldn't be able to view the recording remotely. Anyways, that's another topic - not the point of this thread, but I'm just trying to describe why having meaningful receiver names would be helpful.

Does anyone know if DirecTV intentionally maintains two sets of "names" for receivers (one set for Whole Home DVR, one set for the remote App), or is this a bug in the system and those legacy names aren't being refreshed when I use the Whole Home DVR Rename function?

 

[Jimbo]

I'm not sure if this will help to change them or not, but I have been able to change the name on the website as far as what room they are in. Again, not sure if THIOS will help, but thought I'd mention it.

This is under My Recvrs, under equipment btw.

 

[Claude Greiner]

There are 2 places. On the website and on the DVR it's self.

The website usually defaults to living room

 

[Jimbo]

There are 2 places. On the website and on the DVR it's self.

The website usually defaults to living room

I thought you could ... however, if he wants to give it a Persons name for example, he cannot do that in the Online section iirc.

 

[JJinVista]

After checking with customer support, it's NOT possible to change the receiver names which appear under "My Equipment" on the website and which are referenced in the DirecTV smartphone app.

Yes, one can VIEW the receiver names on the website, but these are read-only.

As I mentioned in my original post, the function which lets you name your receivers under Settings, using your remote is for Whole Home DVR purposes. These names are separate and different from the receiver names which appear under "My Equipment" on the website, and on the smartphone App.

Bizarre...

 

[Jimbo]

After checking with customer support, it's NOT possible to change the receiver names which appear under "My Equipment" on the website and which are referenced in the DirecTV smartphone app.

Yes, one can VIEW the receiver names on the website, but these are read-only.

As I mentioned in my original post, the function which lets you name your receivers under Settings, using your remote is for Whole Home DVR purposes. These names are separate and different from the receiver names which appear under "My Equipment" on the website, and on the smartphone App.

Bizarre...

I know I can change mine ONLINE, as I have done it when I move a recvr from one room to another.

They give you about 15 different choices to choose from.

 

[comp9]

Yup. I can change mine also

 

[JJinVista]

Hmmm...I wonder what I'm missing that you guys are able to do?

I log in to directv.com, it redirects me to att.com.
Go to My Account
Under Quick Links, go to See My Equipment
My receiver model numbers and names appear Under "My equipment and features"
At that point, the only clickable link in the area which displays my receivers is "view details"...
...which takes me to a display of the two receivers, model numbers, serial numbers, names, etc,
but at that point the only clickable links in that section are "Activate Receiver" and "Refresh my Service".
Activate Receiver only gives a choice for a New Receiver, and
Refresh my Service, although I didn't try it, doesn't look like the right choice for this.

That's when I tried the Chat function.
The chat rep went away for a while, presumably to ask someone about my request, then came back and said receivers couldn't be renamed.

Is there some kind of "Installer" privilege or access level on the ATT website for which I'm not authorized?

 

[goober22]

Hmmm...I wonder what I'm missing that you guys are able to do?

I log in to directv.com, it redirects me to att.com.
Go to My Account
Under Quick Links, go to See My Equipment
My receiver model numbers and names appear Under "My equipment and features"
At that point, the only clickable link in the area which displays my receivers is "view details"...
...which takes me to a display of the two receivers, model numbers, serial numbers, names, etc,
but at that point the only clickable links in that section are "Activate Receiver" and "Refresh my Service".
Activate Receiver only gives a choice for a New Receiver, and
Refresh my Service, although I didn't try it, doesn't look like the right choice for this.

That's when I tried the Chat function.
The chat rep went away for a while, presumably to ask someone about my request, then came back and said receivers couldn't be renamed.

Is there some kind of "Installer" privilege or access level on the ATT website for which I'm not authorized?

Under "My Equipment" to the right there is a "Change" next to the location. Click that and you get several defaults to pick from.

Pick "Other" from the list and you can enter a custom label. I have my kids listed for each bedroom via their names.

Maybe because you are redirected to the ATT site is the issue and fails to support online renaming.

 

[JJinVista]

Goober22,
Thanks for taking the time to post the screen shots.

Yes, I think you're right - the fact that I'm being redirected after login to an att.com domain limits my access to only the att web dialogs. I even tried searching for "My Equipment" within the att website once I was logged on, but all the search results are att.com.* results.

And the att My Equipment dialog looks like this (other than I erased the serial numbers and such on the screen shot).
No "Change" link for the receiver name.

 

[Jimbo]

Under "My Equipment" to the right there is a "Change" next to the location. Click that and you get several defaults to pick from.

Pick "Other" from the list and you can enter a custom label. I have my kids listed for each bedroom via their names.

Maybe because you are redirected to the ATT site is the issue and fails to support online renaming.

View attachment 124909 View attachment 124910 View attachment 124911

Thanks Goober,
This is what I tried to post last night but was unable to.

 

[Jimbo]

Goober22,
Thanks for taking the time to post the screen shots.

Yes, I think you're right - the fact that I'm being redirected after login to an att.com domain limits my access to only the att web dialogs. I even tried searching for "My Equipment" within the att website once I was logged on, but all the search results are att.com.* results.

And the att My Equipment dialog looks like this (other than I erased the serial numbers and such on the screen shot).
No "Change" link for the receiver name.

View attachment 124912

Thats odd ...

When I go into my D* account, it directs me to a screen that says ATT or D*, I choose D* and everything from there is D* related, has nothing to do with att at that point.
That said, I do Not have my accounts merged.

 

[JJinVista]

When I go into my D* account, it directs me to a screen that says ATT or D*, I choose D* and everything from there is D* related, has nothing to do with att at that point.
That said, I do Not have my accounts merged.

That must be the key - merged accounts.

ATT took me through a whole song and dance before I had this problem. I was asked to pick a single UserID to be used from that point forward for both my (newer) DirecTV login and my legacy AT&T landline account login. They then disabled my DirecTV UserID, saying I could get to all the DirecTV functions using my single AT&T UserID.

Which is not entirely true. I can get to an ATT implementation of DirecTV account maintenance functions.

Not a big deal, but just confusing to find that the implementation of DirecTV web dialogs under the ATT domain doesn't provide the same functionality as the legacy DirecTV web dialogs.

 

[Jimbo]

That must be the key - merged accounts.

ATT took me through a whole song and dance before I had this problem. I was asked to pick a single UserID to be used from that point forward for both my (newer) DirecTV login and my legacy AT&T landline account login. They then disabled my DirecTV UserID, saying I could get to all the DirecTV functions using my single AT&T UserID.

Which is not entirely true. I can get to an ATT implementation of DirecTV account maintenance functions.

Not a big deal, but just confusing to find that the implementation of DirecTV web dialogs under the ATT domain doesn't provide the same functionality as the legacy DirecTV web dialogs.

Whats missing other than the Change button in Recvr options ?

 

[JJinVista]

Whats missing other than the Change button in Recvr options ?

It's difficult to compare the functionality between the DirecTV and ATT domains from just these two screen shots.

One would need to have access to both websites, identify all of the functions on each domain on the various web pages and then compare what functions are missing on one or the other.

ATT may have taken the approach of: identifying the DirecTV online functions they wanted to continue to support (or add), and then left it up to the software designers / coders on how to implement it.

 

[Jimbo]

I gotta think, no one knew there was any difference till you or others mentioned not finding something.

As you see, others that have posted see the same as what I had posted, till you posted, I had no idea that they were different.
I still think it has to do with the Merging of accounts.

Is it possible to Un merge accounts ?

 

[JJinVista]

Is it possible to Un merge accounts ?

I would assume it's in ATT's plan to work towards having all their customers on the one ATT website and once that's done, do away with the DirecTV set of web dialogs.

I wonder if new DirecTV customers, with no other pre-existing ATT services, can still create a DirecTV logon that stays directed to the DirecTV website, rather than being redirected to ATT.