DIRECTV Transponder Map ~ Data 5/15/2024

[doctor J]

DirecTV Satellite Transponder Updates for May 15 2024

Comparison of Transponder Data for May 15 2024 vs May 08 2024:


No changes in system tables for any transponder tuning parameters.

Changes to the use of defined transponders:

1 Transponder cleared of all Streams::
Net 0 TID 19 Beam CB16 is a Spot Beam Transponder on D9S@101, TPN 20
On 05/08/24 this transponder serves DMA 125-Minneapolis, MN

1 Previously unused Transponder with current APG records::
Net 0 TID 11 Beam NAT + PR is a National Transponder on D16@101, TPN 12

Stream (PID) counts:

LIVE Streams​	National​		Spot Beams​
	Count​	Change​	Count​	Change​
4K​	4​	​	​	​
HD​	274​	​	1450​	1​
SD mpeg4​	140​	​	201​	​
SD mpeg2​	436​	8​	14​	-11​
RB​	​	​	​	​
Audio​	89​	​	​	​
Push​	30​	​	​	​
Slate​	20​	​	1​	​
​

TEST Streams​	National​		Spot Beams​
	Count​	Change​	Count​	Change​
4K​	​	​	​	​
HD​	​	​	1​	-1​
SD mpeg4​	​	​	1​	​
SD mpeg2​	​	​	​	​
RB​	​	​	​	​
Engr Work​	41​	​	2​	​
​

The PID count Excel workbook provides much more count detail.

Newly updated tables of Streams on each transponder are available in the DataDigesters TPN Grids

More details of changes in individual channels will follow in the Weekly Analysis
and Gary Toma's Domestic TPN Map Excel files

Weekly Analysis soon
Changes as noted by Tom, TPN 20 still a spot this AM
Other comments soon
Enjoy
DataDigesters

 

[doctor J]

Weekly Analysis for 5/15/2024:

 

[KyL416]

More Roland-Garros prep, including TBS and Tennis channel undoing their March Madness swap

KAZF/32 Arizona Family Sports is now live for Phoenix, just in time for the Phoenix Mercury regular season. It is also available in the app for satellite and stream/internet customers.

Rebrand of History's pan-latinamerican feed for Puerto Rico so it uses the generic History logo instead of the History en Espanol logo.

 

[savarese04]

Now that we've reached critical mass that almost all customers have been upgraded (or required to have) HD equipment, do you think we start seeing movement on turning off SD duplicates?

 

[KyL416]

Until Jet Blue retrofits their fleet to support HD along with any other bulk commercial customers, there will still be a need for SD duplicates. Then you got the contractual issues where certain channels will never agree to drop their SD duplicates as long as their major competitors are still available in SD, which sets off a cascading effect with their sister channels. i.e. NBCU will never agree to let them drop the SD feed for USA and Syfy as long as TBS, TNT, FX, AMC and some others are still available in SD, AETN will never let them drop the SD feeds for A&E, History and Lifetime as long as the Discovery channels, Nat Geo and WeTV are still in SD, etc.

The channels that dropped the SD feeds a few years ago were limited to smaller independent broadcasters like MavTV, TV One, Fuse, Ion (who only did so after DIRECTV added all of their LIL feeds), RFD and AccuWeather. And even then some revisions were made to satisfy the commercial customers, like GSN was on the initial list of drops but remained available in SD as it's one of Jet Blue's backseat channels. So there will likely still be SD duplicates until every residential and commercial account no longer has any SD only equipment active.

 

[savarese04]

Until Jet Blue retrofits their fleet

I had completely forgotten that JetBlue still provides DirecTV. It's been years since I last flew them and I thought they would have moved to onboard IFE by now. United has been retrofitting their planes lately to remove DirecTV and add large IFE screens instead

 

[PioneerDJ]

I had completely forgotten that JetBlue still provides DirecTV. It's been years since I last flew them and I thought they would have moved to onboard IFE by now. United has been retrofitting their planes lately to remove DirecTV and add large IFE screens instead

Are airlines today that offer live TV in IFE through the seatback screens or on board wifi using actual HD satellite signals from DirecTV or DTV stream from ViaSat?

 

[slice1900]

Now that we've reached critical mass that almost all customers have been upgraded (or required to have) HD equipment, do you think we start seeing movement on turning off SD duplicates?

We haven't even seen them shut off all the MPEG2 SD local markets. It appears all they're doing is getting rid of enough markets to drop spot beams and serve whatever is left using the 6 tpns that used to be spotbeams, similar to what they did at 119. Both for the same reason, the satellite serving the spot beams was ready for the retirement home. It had nothing to do with any larger scheme to retire MPEG2 SD duplicates in general.

So long as e.g. Minneapolis MPEG2 SD locals are carried on a CONUS transponder from 101, it is clear there are zero plans to drop MPEG2 duplicates of national channels.

They don't need locals beyond NYC/LA for Frontier et al, but as long as they can't get rid of MPEG2 SD in general there's no point in rushing to retire the rest of the MPEG2 SD markets. I guess they could free up more tpns on 101 for HD channels, but that's about the only gain they'd see from doing the extra work.

 

[Tom Speer]

As of this morning the last spotbeam at 101 (from D9S) has been shut down. TPN 20, carrying New York City, is now live on D16. RIP D9S.

 

[savarese04]

Are airlines today that offer live TV in IFE through the seatback screens or on board wifi using actual HD satellite signals from DirecTV or DTV stream from ViaSat?

satellite. hence why airplane movements disrupt the signal (often). I think Southwest does something different, as they deliver live tv over personal device via wifi and their app. I am actually not sure how they do it.

 

[PioneerDJ]

I think Southwest does something different, as they deliver live tv over personal device via wifi and their app.

American does it too on narrowbody aircraft with no IFE screens