Can I watch my DIRECTV away from home?

Can I Watch My DIRECTV Away From Home?

DIRECTV is among the leading satellite television services providers in the United States providing hundreds of channels including entertainment, news, sports, movies, and other programs. If you are a DIRECTV subscriber, you might be asking whether or not you can watch your DIRECTV content when you are not at home watching on your home television.

The short answer is yes – however, this is only possible if you have the appropriate equipment and subscriptions which would allow you to watch recorded and live DIRECTV programming on your mobile devices and computers irrespective of your location. Here is what you should know.

Watch DIRECTV On Your Mobile Devices

DIRECTV app enables you to stream your recorded programmes and live television on the go. For instance, as long as you have a good internet connection, you can stream from your Genie DVR to Smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

To begin streaming, you only need to download the free DIRECTV app on your device from the App Store, Google Play store, or directly from the DIRECTV website. You just enter with your DIRECTV login details and you will be able to see all DVR recordings and more than 25 live channels.

The number of available live channels will vary depending on your programming package with DIRECTV. Some of the packages such as CHOICE contains popular channels like ESPN, CNN, TBS, FOX News Disney, among others. The higher packages come with extra channels you can watch on the move.

However, the live TV available through the DIRECTV app is quite satisfactory, but the whole idea reaches its full potential with streaming DVR recordings. If you schedule shows, movies, and sports events for taping to your home Genie DVR, you can then view those taped programs anytime, anywhere on your devices with the app – handy if you are watching shows in the car, hotel or airport.

The only drawback is that one can only stream recordings that have been created in the last three months. That is why once that period is over, those recordings become limited by copyright laws. Therefore, if for instance you are planning to travel and wish to watch a particular older show or movie, ensure you set new recordings a week to the trip.

Watch On Computers

Besides the mobile devices, the active DIRECTV users are also able to watch the live channels as well as the DVR recordings on the computers. DIRECTV offers two options for watching away from your TV:DIRECTV offers two options for watching away from your TV:

1. DIRECTV Website

   As with the case of the mobile app, going to directv. com will let you sign in and view programming from your DIRECTV package through the Internet on your web browser. Some of the browsers that it supports include Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.

2. DIRECTV Player

   If you wish to stream the best full-time programs on your computer, then it is advisable to download the DIRECTV Player application. This gives you an interface similar to your Genie DVR so watching shows feels like you are right back at your home.

   The DIRECTV Player app can be downloaded on windows and Mac computers. Once installed, sign in with your DIRECTV credentials, and you can view your channels and recorded programs wherever there is a stable internet connection.

   About Streaming DIRECTV Offline What One Should Know

   While streaming live TV and DVR recordings away from home is convenient, there are a few limitations to understand:While streaming live TV and DVR recordings away from home is convenient, there are a few limitations to understand:

   The out-of-house streaming is only possible if the package meets the eligibility criterion. At the moment, one requires CHOICE or above TV packs plus a Genie HD DVR model in order to access the streaming feature. This feature is not supported in older DIRECTV boxes.

   You can only use two devices at a time for streaming. Well, imagine if someone is watching a show on the DIRECTV at home and one of the family members is streaming a show on their phone, no other devices can be used until one stream is ended.

   Video quality depends with the internet connection that the user is using. To achieve optimal playback quality, use private WiFi or LTE with a minimum of 8 Mbps internet connection. Watching through public networks may cause issues such as buffering and pixelation.

   This means that you can stream local channels depending on the package you subscribed to. Almost all entertainment and sports networks offer streaming services across the country. However, local channels such as ABC, NBC, and FOX can be accessed only when the device is connected to the home internet connection based on the subscribed package.

   Though streaming quality is good, it is slightly less than the quality delivered by satellite. So if you are a sports fan or a movie buff you will see slight degradation – but for most shows it looks incredible.

   If they stream over the mobile data, they could be charged extra charges for going over the data limit. If you have a limited data plan, watching hours of videos can consume all the data that has been provided by the wireless carrier within the month and end up paying expensive overage charges. It is advisable to stream DIRECTV through WiFi whenever possible or to be sure that you have enough data.

   Tips For Streaming Success

   To ensure the best viewing experience while streaming DIRECTV away from home, keep these tips in mind:To ensure the best viewing experience while streaming DIRECTV away from home, keep these tips in mind:

   • Ensure your devices are connected to sturdy high-speed Wi-Fi or LTE connection where possible for the best video quality. Regular public Wi-Fi networks are rarely fast enough to handle HD streaming.

   • This way, you can download shows over WiFi for offline purposes, to prevent the usage of mobile data. Most of the airplanes also provide satellite Wi-Fi services for fairly cheap charges.

   • Turn off your devices if you are about to engage in long duration streaming which helps to remove processes from running in the background.

   • Optimize the video quality in the app or player settings to achieve a seamless playback in the application. HD video consumes more bandwidth as compared to the SD quality programming.

   • Turn off all other downloads and streaming sessions from Netflix, Spotify and etc while watching or you will experience buffering as those services also need a steady connection.

   Taking your favorite channels and DVR recordings with you anywhere makes DIRECTV even more convenient home entertainment option. As long as the expectations are set properly, streaming DIRECTV on your devices away from home provides greater programming choice and flexibility, especially when on the go.