Allen13331 writes "We pay for a service to download and store content that we can watch at a later time. "
You don't OWN the content that you have downloaded, period. Your TOS WILL spell that out.
The content on the hard drive IS ENCRYPTED and can only be decrypted by a DVR which is ACTIVATED (aka subscribed).
The only way the DVR knows that the receiver is activated is to find the correct satellite which has the encryption "keys" which unlock the receiver.
If you boot the receiver without being hooked up to a properly aimed dish or no signal the DVR can not authenticate that it is authorized.
The work around most likely is to keep power on the receiver once it has acquired a sat.
Keep in mind that if the receiver does not get its updates or NEW KEYS that will most likely cause a reboot or even prevent you from accessing the DVR files.
The keys change often (weekly or even daily) and at any time can be updated.
"Frankly I think this "feature" was unintentional in that I can see no up side to this."
It is not a "feature", nor mistake of DTV. Instead it is a means to ensure the recorder contend is played back on a FULLY PAID FOR SUBSCRIPTION. The only way the receiver can acknowledge the subscription is to get the KEYS from the sat signal.
"Directv has tens of thousands of RV users if not hundreds of thousands."
Direct has MORE HOME BASED subscribers than they do with RVs, THAT is their "bread and butter".
"We need to be asking for this "feature" to be removed or to be able to turn it off in the menu."
Not happening.
If they remove this "feature" as you call it, then anyone could potentially fill up the HD with recordings then cancel their subscription and watch forever what is on the DVR.
Most likely DTV has CLOSED A SECURITY HOLE.
You most likely WAS "lucky" to be able to use your DTV DVR the way you did, basically you were exploiting a security hole in the DTV firmware.
Like I have mentioned before, the TOS allows you to "record and play back" PROVIDED you are a subscriber. The sat receiver gets its security keys via the sat signal, no other way.
No signal and no way the receiver can verify that it is authorized... = no usable playback..
