Why does DirecTV's TiVo reciever need to be plugged into aphone outlet? Is it essential to its n

Part of TiVo's service is to monitor what you watch, and forward the information via phone to their computers so that they can suggest programs in which you might be interested. My own view of this is that it is an unnecessary intrusion, which I would not put up with. no it's not essential for daily function but it is essential for the initial setup. Pay per view requires billing and the computer sends a key to decrypt the signal for that movie. If you dont have a phone - such as a cabin in the country you can stll receive your monthly subscription channels but pay per view will not be possible. The phone line is used for initial setup, order pay-per-view on screen, and to activate software updates. Once past initial setup, you don't need the phone connection at all (although you will get a message every day asking you to make a daily call--just ignore them). You can still order pay per view movies by telephone (cell phone) or over the internet. If you get a notice from DirecTV that a software update is available for your unit, and if you want it, then you have to find a phone connection somewhere to activate it.

The answers post by the user, for information only, CeQnA.com does not guarantee the right.