HOW TO DO IT: Set up Pandora on your DIRECTV DVR

Free music tailor made to your tastes… what else could you ask for? Pandora and other online services make it easy to listen to music and with a recent update, DIRECTV made it possible to stream Pandora right through your HD DVR. Any DVR with the new, black HD menus has this capability… all it takes is a little setup.

This aticle is available in PDF format… Click here to download!

Getting Started

In order to use Pandora and other services, your DVR must be connected to the internet. If you have ever downloaded on-demand content, you’re connected. If you’re not sure, press the {DASH} button on your remote. You’ll see a menu that will say “Internet:Connected” if you are connected.( If you need help getting connected, check out our White Paper. It will get you set!)

When you are ready to start setting up Pandora, press {MENU} on your DIRECTV remote. Use the down arrow button to go to “Extras” then Press {SELECT.} You’ll see the “P” icon. Use the right arrow key to highlight the word “Pandora” then press {SELECT} again.

Connecting your DVR to Pandora

After you press {SELECT} you will get this screen, which is really just an explanation of what Pandora is. We assume you already understand all about Pandora, so just press {SELECT} again to really get started.

The instructions tell you to go to a web page and enter in a code (it’s been blurred out in this picture.) It’s really easy but you will need a computer, smartphone or tablet. The best way to do it is sitting in front of the TV.

Activating Pandora using your computer, tablet or phone

At this point you’ll need to go to Pandora’s web site. Click on this link: Pandora Radio – Listen to Free Internet Radio, Find New Music to go there directly.

Take the code that you see on the screen and type it in just as you see it. If you see upper case letters you need to use upper case letters when you type. This can be a little rough on a smartphone but this is the only time you will have to do this, so it’s worth getting it done. When you’re done, click or tap on “Activate.”

If you already use Pandora on another device, you can use your existing Pandora account and the receiver will pick up all your stations and preferences. If you haven’t set up a Pandora account yet, you will need to do one here. Pandora is free to use on DIRECTV boxes and other devices.

Once you’ve set up your account or added your existing account, you should see this menu on your computer or device. Look up at the TV and the screen should change to…

Finishing up

That’s all there is! Press {SELECT} to go to Pandora and start listening. You can create stations based on your music preferences and use the “Thumbs Up” and “Thumbs Down” selections on the screen to help Pandora tailor the listening experience just for you.

You can have Pandora on more than one device, but you will need to set it up every time. There is no limit to the number of devices you can add.

If you get tired of Pandora, press {EXIT} to go back to TV. If Pandora’s not your cup of tea, try the Sonic Tap channels in the 800s… they are pre-programmed with genres that you might like.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.