How many TVs can DIRECTV Genie support?

DIRECTV Genie is actually the newest and most sophisticated HD DVR from DIRECTV that has ever been developed. It enables the user to switch up to eight televisions in your home and operate it with just the one receiver and one remote control. With Genie, you get full DVR control on every TV and the ability to watch recorded or live TV on any connected TV in your house.

But how does Genie work in order to effectively support up to eight TVs using a single receiver? It employs coax cable, HDMI and RF to connect your TVs. The primary Genie receiver box is installed on the wall and is designed to connect with your satellite dish as the master and central point from which the signal is broadcasted within your house. It comes with 5 tuners hence it is capable of recording up to 5 programs at a go while at the same time you can be watching a live program on the television connected to the Genie.

The Genie box has 3 types of outputs to connect your additional TVs:The Genie box has 3 types of outputs to connect your additional TVs:

Coax Output– Genie receiver also has a coax output that transmits the satellite signal to other wired TV locations in the home. This also enables up to 3 more TVs to be connected using existing coax cable at home that is wired for satellite.

HDMI Output – There is an HDMI output at the back of the Genie receiver to help you connect one more HDMI enabled TV with full High Definition features.

RF Output– This is an RF modulated signal output that is meant for older TVs which are not HD compatible. It enables you to extend up to 4 old standard definition TVs in your home through this RF broadcast.

Therefore, in all these output options of coax, HDMI, and RF, the Genie system can support up to a total of eight TVs. All smart TVs can also provide full Genie DVR functionality and live TV streaming.

How to connect 8 TVs to the Genie?

Here is a breakdown on how you would typically connect all 8 TVs to a Genie system:Here is a breakdown on how you would typically connect all 8 TVs to a Genie system:

TV 1 – The main TV should be connected to the HDMI port on the back of the Genie receiver. This enables full HD viewing.

TV 2 – Use an HDMI splitter to connect a second HDMI capable TV to the HDMI output of TV 1. This makes it possible to switch the HDMI signal between both sets of tellys.

TVs 3-5 – Utilize the coax cable jacks in your residence presently designated for satellite to connect up to three more TVs. These TVs can attend all satellite programming or recorded programs from the Genie DVR.

TV 6 – Use the RF output of the Genie to connect a sixth TV. The RF signal can stream live TV and also playback DVR recordings to older, traditional analog TV sets.

TVs 7-8 – If you desire to hook up 2 more older/SD TV sets, this must be done again by connecting an RF splitter device at the RF output to the 2 other RF-equipped TVs in the house.

Thus, this is how you can match 8 total TVs to the DIRECTV Genie system: 2 HDMI TVs, 3 Coax TVs and 3 RF TVs. This industry leading ability to support 8 TVs from one DVR makes Genie incredibly versatile for households with lots of TVs or TVs spread over a large property. You can set it according to your requirements and your television installation.

Wireless Genie Mini Clients compatibility

There are also 8 direct wired TV connection possibilities, but you can add several Genie Mini clients to the system as well. A Genie Mini is about the size of a cable box and it lets you use TVs that are in other parts of your house where there are no coax cable connections but can access the Genie DVR. That is why Genie Minis are genuinely an unlimited TV expansion option.

For instance, perhaps you have television sets in the bedroom, and there is a television set at the patio, or even in the garage which you would wish to have the full DVR service. The Genie Minis can then plug into the coax lines in those rooms to then be able to get to the wireless internet router of the home. This creates a wireless IP connection between the Minis and the primary Genie receiver. So now those additional wireless TVs also have full access of Genie system – satellite programming, On Demand, apps and all the DVR recordings.

Thus, the Genie ecosystem with wired outputs to 8 TVs plus an unlimited number of wireless Minis for other TVs makes it almost impossible not to integrate control and DVR service in your home. This allows for a smooth streaming on all the capable TVs. There is no need to be bound to watching the shows live in some rooms or missing the recordings on your primary DVR. Genie consolidates all of the above.