U-verse, Wired, DVR Won't Reboot, Replacement Won't Either

 I had an older U-verse DVR that was wired via Ethernet and HDMI that needed to be replaced according to U-verse Support.  My initial problem was no access to my 340+ recorded programs.  Tried the usual things like reboot the DVR, reboot the modem, reboot the system through the "Menu" button on the remote, but no help.  On the TV screen, I had the dreaded "U-verse logo and the following message, "U-verse is not available at this time.  Please try again later."  After letting some time pass, of course, knowing what the future holds, I just couldn't resist "Trying Again", so, I pushed the "OK" button on the remote to activate the all powerful "Restart Receiver" button on the screen.  When I first push the "OK" button and the reboot process has begun again, your hope begins to grow, and the longer it seems to go on, the more your hope continues to build and then, wham, you're starring at the abyss of the same old, stinking message,  You're hooked though or perhaps your addicted to the possibility of that there just might be hope getting access to those 340+ recordings;  even one last time would be worth it.

So after many, many tries, I finally succumbed to reality and called U-verse Support.  I already knew what they were going to say, "Sorry, we need to send you out a new DVR".  Due to my tears, sobbing, complaining and whining, It took them awhile to finally get me to authorize the sending out of the new DVR.

I received the new DVR the next day, hooked it up and you guessed it, there's that old, stinking abyss starring at me with that old, stinking message, "Try Again".

Before I call up U-verse and have some fun with them, does anyone have any suggestions that might help?  If my wife misses any more "Price is Right" episodes, I'm going to be in big trouble, and if I don't get this system up by Monday, it's really over.  What's so important about Monday, it's the "Bachelorette's" biggest episode (HATE IT!) ending the season (LOVE IT!).  U-verse Support said that all of their tests passed, and that the signal was good up to my house.  The last month or so, we have begun to get a fair amount of freezing in the picture again.  Several years ago, we had this problem and AT&T struggled at first to find what was causing it;  it turned out to be a matched-set of cables under the ground, that had already been changed out a week or two prior to the second set.  The end of last week, when the picture freezing was going on, I tried to go to On Demand and it would not load.  The next morning and all was fine.  On Wednesday, I was watching a recorded Jimmy Swaggart Ministries show, Francis & Friends and it suddenly stopped before the end of the show;  When I tried to go back to retrieve it, I kept getting an error message so, I knew from experience,, to reboot the DVR and the rest is history.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

JOHN 3:16