Directv stream set top box

@Tiger593 I don’t see a way to order the stream boxes on the website,

wanted a couple of the refurbished  boxes but if I buy along with ordering a

plan they’ll still charge a monthly fee as they don’t consider it ‘bring your own’ unless but from a third party so amy ideas where to buy and model # to look for if do a search? It’s ridiculous because you’re still basically renting the box. Thx..

And unless things have changed, if you can buy them from DirecTV (not all subscribers can), you can buy them outright (single payment, not over time). I believe if they have refurbished devices available, you have to buy them that way. 

@Juniper @Jrandomuser This is not correct (or somewhat correct) as I just spoke to a representative on Friday. Yes, I CAN purchase the refurbished boxes and wanted to purchase 2 which are $50 each - However, they increase your monthly fee and the amount depends on which package you choose because it’s not considered the ‘bring your own’ plan - Feel free to fact check as this is what I was just told a couple days ago. I questioned this since I would then OWN the units, and the reply was “because they covered replacement if the unit or remote went bad”.. I flat out told the guy that I didn’t care about this and just wanted to purchase the units but there wasn’t an option unless the person whom I spoke wasn’t clear on this? But I think he was because I mentioned buying from a third party such as eBay and he said that would then be considered ‘bring your own device’ so I would not be charged the additional monthly fee. I have not yet signed up for the service due to the extra fee despite purchasing the boxes outright. This is probably somewhat new as they’re trying to milk for whatever they can and I’m not going to purchase the service if have to pay an additional monthly fee. It was $5/month for the lowest plan (recreational?) and $14/month for the Choice plan which is the next tier up 

Several months ago, DirecTV came up with a new streaming “plan” - “DirecTV via Internet”, which was apparently intended to be (or at least marketed as) the same as DirecTV (satellite) but without the satellite dish.  At least at this point it isn’t - they don’t have the same content, they don’t have the same feature set, etc.  However, they decided going forward to restrict the ability to get the DirecTV streaming devices (formerly nameless but code named “Osprey”, now officially called “Gemini”) to the “via Internet” subscribers, since it offers a user experience closer to that of the satellite service, and I guess they wanted to have a differentiating goodie for those subscribers. Those subscribers do have to pay an “advanced receiver fee” (per subscription, not per device, and it is completely unclear what that fee is for, other than more money for DirecTV).  Going that route wouldn’t increase your fee for your current subscription - it would switch you to a completely new one - with its own pricing that is probably higher (at least right now) but with a 2 year price lock-in.  

Subscribers to Stream (the older streaming plan, which is still available to new subscribers, and which DirecTV sometimes calls “bring your own device”) can no longer officially get them from DirecTV, but they still work for those subscribers, and there are reports that sometimes by going through Customer Service reps, Stream subscribers can still get them (hence my comment “if you can buy them”).  It may be that the powers that be have cracked down on that. 

You can certainly buy the devices (used, often claimed to be “refurbished”, though I have doubts) from third parties (as you note, eBay is one). There are some risks to that.   Some older units can no longer have their firmware updated (due to what seems to be a self-inflicted problem related to DirecTV’s spinoff from AT&T, which I’m sure they could address if they really wanted to), and those likely are no longer useful.  The other major issue is that DirecTV locks the units to an account.  They can be separated from the account by the subscriber before they unload the unit, but if they fail to, the unit is unusable (again, a problem DirecTV could solve if they wanted to). You can generally avoid both problems if you buy from a reputable seller who is offering many units - but make sure they take returns. I don’t know if you can still register externally purchased units to your Stream account - if not, they should still work but may lose some functionality like PPV. 

Looking at the current pricing (and ignoring signup bonuses or initial promotional pricing), you are correct - the lowest package (“Entertainment”) would be $5 more under the “via Internet” plan vs Stream, and Choice would be $14 more.  They are currently offering a $200 signup bonus with “via Internet” and a 2 year price lock, while Stream is currently offering $10 off per month for the first 3 months (and no price lock).  So - trade offs. 

[For better or worse, none of this is directly relevant to me.  I am a legacy (“grandfathered”) subscriber from the earliest days, with a plan they no longer offer. I have a pretty good price relative to current pricing - partially due to the discount they gave the very first subscribers back in 2016, and which I’d lose if I switched to a current plan. In exchange, I was never able to get the DirecTV streaming devices (well, I have 1, because I was a beta tester), I am limited to 3 streams total, I’d have to pay $10/month for the unlimited DVR, I can’t get PPV - there may be some other things.  So far I find the price benefit outweighs those other issues.  However, I have debated getting some of the devices from eBay - I currently use the service on a variety of other devices (Apple devices, FireTV, Roku, sometimes a PC) and I’m happy with that, but my noble leader finds those too complicated and  doesn’t like the lack of direct channel access or voice control, so she won’t use them.  So I will probably have to run that same risk.]

@Smatu57 I know a few people have been able to still purchase boxes through Directv's Twitter feed.  But it has been a hit-and-miss there on that.  You can go the 3rd party route just make sure the seller you are buying from excepts returns.  The C71KW-400 are the only ones that would currently still work as long as they were deactivated correctly they are what is currently being sold through Directv as their refurbished boxes.  Do not get the C71KW-200 as they are obsolete and only still useable to those who have had them and have used them since they came out.  The last I knew you could get some of the C71KW-400 boxes on Amazon.

@Jrandomuser Thank you for the in depth explanation and yes, 2 different services. But the newer one where you cannot ‘bring your own device’ told me that I could buy the refurbished boxes for $50 although still had to pay the additional fee of $5 or $14 deposit on the plan I chose which made zero sense so the customer service rep might have misquoted that. I was planning to call again but decided to look online and just purchased 2 from a seller on Mercari who had 4 of the current model that he said were from last year and paid off so I shouldn’t have a problem setting up. Wish I had seen this post prior to buying as didn’t know about the locking to account issue so I’m going to contact assp to ask if disconnected before selling as I’d guess that the majority are unaware of this. I think that Mercari will refund if there’s an issue which in this case might be they don’t work if not separated from acct (sort of like apple devices and signing out of iCloud before sell). I’m using a company who does various types of computer/IT jobs to set this up along with installing a wifi mesh network and he’s set up the refurbished boxes so can hopefully get them up and running! Didn’t check on Amazon but did a web search and they usually show up if might have available, didn’t find anyone else other than the Osprey boxes on eBay and the tech specifically told me Gemini boxes 

@Tiger593  Thank you for the follow up, I did just purchase 2 boxes with the correct model # on Mercari yesterday but didn’t know about the disconnecting from account issue so wish I had seen this one day sooner..:( I’m going to contact the seller asap to ask about and perhaps he can still do this if didn’t. Otherwise, Mercari has a return policy in the case that something is defective, not as advertised, etc. so think they’ll cover if it doesn’t work 

You can “bring your own devices“ on the “via Internet“ plan - see this for compatible devices (which is the same list as for Stream - obviously, since it is the same service).  They don’t make it easy to find that, but the entire website is a mess, with the satellite and internet services being conflated in ways they shouldn’t, because they really aren’t that close. There are places where they seem to conflate cost items also that shouldn’t be, but I’m less certain on that. 

And the Osprey boxes and Gemini boxes are the same hardware.  (Osprey was a name they used during FCC type acceptance, but never as a product name once it was released.  However, since it didn’t have any other name, those who were involved in the beta testing used it, and that usage spread.)  The difference is they added some code to the firmware to support its use as a remote set top box (equivalent to a Genie Mini) for satellite users. That extra code isn’t meaningful for streaming users, but while they could potentially only provide that to satellite subscribers, I assume they include it in all updates since that is easier (which would imply all up to date Ospreys are Geminis). I don’t know if the tech who told (implied?) to you that they are different didn’t know or was being intentionally disingenuous. 

@Jrandomuser Well.. the 2 Gemini boxes that I purchased on resale website Mercari were canceled after I asked the next morning if they signed out of the previous owner’s account per your previous post, so they either weren’t or seller didn’t know as appeared to be a company selling many different things vs. an individual (and they then blocked me)..🤬 Only reply was ‘you’ll need to go through directTV for all this’.. 

So now I’m back to stage one and trying to find a couple used/refurbished units that directTV stream says they’ll sell to you but still charges an additional monthly fee depending on your selected plan, in addition to a higher monthly plan fee than the ‘bring your own device’ website (I think). Also roped into a 2 year contract so couldn’t discontinue and then join on the ‘bring your own plan’..

I’ve seen some Osprey boxes on eBay but didn’t realize same as the Gemini and some mention Android which not sure why, I use all Apple devices so was concerned about that too.. Suggestions?

@Jrandomuser yes, the technician confirmed Gemini & Osprey the same but had specifically mentioned Gemini as I was planning to purchase from DirectTV stream before found out not an option. He pointed me to a seller on eBay who had sold over 1000 and I purchased 2 at a reasonable price (slightly less than the refurbished on DirectTV). They aren’t set up yet but will be soon, hopefully it goes smoothly. Currently still have U-verse that I personally don’t use other than the discounted MAX that I added and stream with AppleTV via the app. My husband likes the old fashioned remotes that he’s familiar with, plus some of the cable stations and local news which is the only reason I’ve kept it active despite the ridiculous increasing  price and I only use several streaming services that subscribe to. Can’t wait to dump the U-verse! 

Sorry – I thought I had responded to your earlier message.

I don’t think there’s actually a two-year contract with the “via Internet“ plan. I think they just hope that the two-year price lock in will get subscribers to treat it as if there is one.

Android (actually Android TV, which is not quite the same thing) is the system used on the Osprey/Gemini boxes. From the user’s point of view, the main impact of that is that you have Google Assistant available, use the Google Play store to get additional apps, and have Chromecast-style casting available rather than (Apple) AirPlay.  But the DTV app on iOS supports both casting and AirPlay, so that should only impact use of other apps. 

I’m glad you were able to find a better eBay vendor for the boxes. If you don’t mind, could you tell me that vendor’s name?

@Jrandomuser What do you mean by the DTV app on iOS ‘should only impact use of other apps’ as won’t the AppleTV streaming box operate separately on its own channel as that’s how it’s now set up on our TVs and I downloaded any needed apps from the Apple App Store? We have a smart tv (Sony) and could download apps directly that way but I don’t use it (or the remote) because our current U-verse remote is paired to it and I can also turn on the AppleTV connection directly with the Siri Remote - So hopefully the process won’t change much as it’s currently very easy and straightforward. The eBay seller I purchased from is cs-depot..

I was assuming you weren't going to put multiple streaming devices on the same TV.  The Osprey won't affect another device - I was just saying if you were replacing an AirPlay supportive streaming device with the Osprey, you would lose AirPlay (in favor of Googlecast).  But if you have both, then you have both.

@Smatu57 Did the eBay boxes work with your account?  I am in a similar situation, though I signed up for the BYOD DIRECTV Stream option.  SolidSignal.com sells both the C71KWX and the Gemini Air, but says only the Gemini Air works with the BYOD account.  AT&T themselves (on the phone and in person) really seemed unsure about any of it—I received different answers from different people.  The salesperson at the store offered to let me sign into their demo Gemini box as a test, but the manager said no.  He showed me a small blurb attached to my account saying that no AT&T device would work with it, which seemed odd and he said he had never seen before.  I'm thinking of canceling the free trial before being charged, but also considering purchasing the cs-depot box and/or the Air from SolidSignal.