DIRECTV lets you watch TV with a rich variety of programs including movies, sports, news, cartoons, etc, on hundreds of channels. Because there is always much good programming out there, zapping between channels is not unusual. Isn’t it convenient to be able to swiftly return to the channels that you were viewing most recently? Well, with DIRECTV that’s easy to do!
Understanding How Previous Channels Works
Previous Channels is also found on DIRECTV receivers and it serves as a quick access button that will lead you to the last four channels you were able to view. Here’s how it works:
- The receiver retains information about the four channels most recently watched by the TV, even if the latter was switched off for some time.
- The channels are saved as per the last watched channel and the first channel is the last one that you have watched.
- Every time you press the Previous button on your remote, you will get the previous channel that you had on. Press it again to go to the second most recent channel and so on.
So if you switch between several preferred programs or sports events, which are on different channels, Previous Channels help to return to these channels in a few clicks.
Activating The Previous Channels Function
Jumping to your last four channels only requires pressing a single button on your DIRECTV remote, but you need to make sure the feature is activated:
1. To navigate, press the MENU button to bring up the menu displayed on the screen.
2. Highlight Settings & Help.
3. Select Settings.
4. Choose Display.
5. Go to Preferences.
6. In Favorite Channels, change Previous Channels to On.
After activating the Previous Channels shortcut, it will begin to monitor the previous four channels that you view.
Using The DIRECTV Remote's Previous Button
With Previous Channels now on, you can quickly surf back to the last four channels with one press of the remote:
1. To use this feature while watching your favorite TV show on DIRECTV, press the PREV button on the remote. These will allow the channel to be switched to the last station that was tuned to.
2. Press PREV once more to go back to the second most recent channel that you have opened.
3. Press it a 3rd time for the 3rd last channel.
4. Pressing the PREV button one more time rewinds to four channels back.
5. Press the PREV button again to go to the next one of those 4 channels to continue switching between them.
Whether it was a week, a month, a year, or even years later, whether you went through other channels in between, it is irrelevant. Your DIRECTV box always remembers the last 4.
Customizing How Many Previous Channels Are Saved
The default is 4 previous channels stored for quick access, but you can customize this number in the settings menu:
1. Press MENU and go to Settings & Help.
2. Choose Settings.
3. Pick Display > Preferences.
4. Under Favorite Channels, choose Previous Channels.
5. It is possible to switch the location to preserve from two to twenty prior stations.
Having more to save means that there is more historical data available through the channels but it takes more button clicks to cycle through them. This is set to a lower value so cycling will be faster but history cannot be tracked properly. Set it to whatever number suits you best when it comes to watching TV!
Why You May Want To Reduce Previous Channels
It is not beneficial for each user to save numerous previous channels for usage in the future. Here are two scenarios where limiting the history makes sense:
- Shared TV: If your TV is being shared with other people like family members, they may not wish to have your browsing history on the channel appear when they grab the remote. Maintaining it at 2-4 channels offers some benefits without much overlap.
- Channel Surfing – Are you always changing the channel in search of something interesting to watch? Continual browsing will lead to all the 20 previous channel positions being occupied very quickly. When full, the oldest of the channels are pruned to make room for new ones as they get filled. Limiting it to just your last 2-4 favorites sounds more reasonable.
Using Previous Channels More Efficiently
Here are some tips to get the most convenience from your DIRECTV's Previous Channels shortcut:
- Arrange favorite channels that are often flipped between side by side in terms of numbering. So you can switch between them easily.
- Before turning off your TV make sure you leave the TV on a channel you may wish to tune into the next time you use your television. This makes that channel first to be displayed when using the Previous button at a later time.
- Toggling previous channels should be made easy and following them should be made easier by using the DIRECTV custom channel list feature to arrange all favored stations to be grouped numerically.
- To clear all previous channels on the remote, press the Guide button. This helps to reset the memory in case many unwanted stations are obtained from continuous channel surfing for a long time.
Enjoy Quick Shortcuts To your Favorite Shows!
It is very convenient to be able to pick up right from where you left especially when it comes to entertainment shows, movies, and sports events with the help of DIRECTV. It’s simple to get back to the previous channel you were watching, or even the lineup of four, so you can get back to the entertainment you crave faster.
You might want to try using the PREV button on your remote control today. With a single press of the button, those last great shows you had on are available again in an instant!