There are times, such as while watching a football game, when you may want to watch two television channels at one time -- possibly to check the score of another game. There is a feature called Picture-in-Picture, enabling the television to divide its screen and display more than one channel at a time. However, DirecTV users do not automatically have this feature. The user must set up the receivers and television to make Picture-in-Picture work.
Step 1
Purchase or rent a second receiver from DirecTV for the television you want to feature Picture-in-Picture, if you do not already own one.
Video of the Day
Step 2
Hook up the second receiver to the television using a completely separate cable. Do not split the first receiver's cable -- as you could with cable television. Satellite requires a separate receiver for each channel watched - they are not all carried through one feed.
Step 3
Program your remote to have a separate signal for each receiver by pressing and holding down the "SAT" button. Enter the receiver ID for the new receiver on the remote's number pad, choosing 001 through 004. Using the keys on the receiver, access the "Advanced Preferences" menu, which will guide you with finishing the pairing of the remote to the receiver. Different model receivers may have different paths to finish this process.
Step 4
Follow the Picture-in-Picture instructions for either your particular receiver, if it supports the feature, or your television. This step will be individual to which TV and receiver you own, and which models.
Video of the Day