DIRECTV SD / HD Changes coming

Don in CT

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Even if they do have a very brief period of overlap they must have a way of signaling receivers to switch to the new satellite/transponder.

Commercial receivers in headends are set on the same channel 24x7, they'd be having problems every time a channel moved otherwise.
The transponder is mapped to a "channel" so they could switch a feed and just remap it without anyone knowing.

The one time I noticed it was when our cable provider (Cox) forgot to change the transponder for YES and a splash message appeared on the channel informing the headend of the change that the current transponder was not in use anymore.
 

slice1900

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If anyone was wondering why those five channels were chosen, here's last week's list of "most watched networks on TV" (in percentage of the 168 hours of Sept 13-19 they were watched)

I'm guessing ESPN didn't get the treatment even though it is high on the list because it is seasonal - a lot more people watch it in September-December than other times of the year due to football.

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TheTechGuru

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Top 5 HD Channels to move to KU band in September 2021:

  • 202 – CNN
  • 360 – FOX News
  • 312 – Hallmark
  • 229 – HGTV
  • 356 – MSNBC

Any word on if they've been moved over to Ku yet?

I'd be able to easily check if I had a non-swm LNB I could just change the settings in my receiver to a 101 single LNB and see if I still get those channels (or even just remove the BBC) but with SWM I can't force a different LNB settings. The only way I can think of is to get up on the roof and block off 103 and 99 with some aluminum foil and I really don't want to do that.
 

raoul5788

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Any word on if they've been moved over to Ku yet?

I'd be able to easily check if I had a non-swm LNB I could just change the settings in my receiver to a 101 single LNB and see if I still get those channels (or even just remove the BBC) but with SWM I can't force a different LNB settings. The only way I can think of is to get up on the roof and block off 103 and 99 with some aluminum foil and I really don't want to do that.
Removing the bbc doesn't block all of the hd channels. I forget which ones would still come through.
 

raoul5788

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I thought no Ka works at all without a BBC? It's been like 8-9 years since I've used one though.
Perhaps one of the installers will chime in, but IIRC there are a few transponders that come through without one.
 

slice1900

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Any word on if they've been moved over to Ku yet?

I'd be able to easily check if I had a non-swm LNB I could just change the settings in my receiver to a 101 single LNB and see if I still get those channels (or even just remove the BBC) but with SWM I can't force a different LNB settings. The only way I can think of is to get up on the roof and block off 103 and 99 with some aluminum foil and I really don't want to do that.

Nothing has happened yet. The first thing they'll have to do is convert one of 101's transponders to DVB-S2, that hasn't happened.

Once that's done they could move the channels from Ka to Ku anytime. It is possible they would be in "test" for a while though personally I think they'd just cut over the same way they move channels from D11 to D14 or whatever all the time without anyone noticing.

Doesn't look like it is going to happen in September...
 

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