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don109

Last reply Nov 22, 2008 · posted in DIRECTV General Forum

Install and SWM + OTA questions

I recently called DTV, and being a "loyal customer" was offered a NO-CHARGE upgrade to switch for a SD DVR (R15) to a HD DVR. I live in the Houston area. I am obviously a satellite technology newb, but I would like some info to defend myself when the installer comes. I am 6 days from my install date, which is 4 weeks after my order.

I currently have a vintage Directivo R10 that I want to keep (my wife LOVES the TIVO more than me or HD

) with dual RG6 cables for two tuners. I assume little will change here, and they will use legacy ports.

The R15 I am upgrading has one RG6 wire coming to it, and I use a diplexer to also send OTA signals from an attic antenna to the HD TV and a PC tuner/Windows Media player. I have tried to research if I can use SWM technology to allow the two tuners on the new DVR to run off of one RG6 wire, and also preserve the OTA signal for my PC.

Questions:
What model dish am I likely to get? Will it have integrated SWM?
Can I use the one cable to supply two tuners on the new HD DVR and also send the OTA signal on the same cable? Is there any special equipment needed to do this, or that I will have to pay for?
What HD DVR are they likely to bring, and should I lobby for a certain one (I think I asked for HR22 with the csr, but I don't think there is any guarantees)?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

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Bob Nielsen

Nov 22, 2008

If you are keeping the R10 active, you will probably get a non-SWM Slimline 3 or Slimline 5. Without the R10 you might get a dish with integrated SWM. They typically do not supply a SWM8, but if you bought one yourself you could use that to have a single wire going to the new receiver (and your diplexer would probably work), with the R10 fed by legacy ports.

The DVR would be either HR20, HR21, HR22 or HR23. It depends on what the installer's warehouse has on hand and might be a refurbished unit. As you said, there are no guarantees.

jdspencer

Nov 22, 2008

If you get the dish with integrated SWM (SWMLine), then you won't be able to use your R15 as it isn't SWM capable. You should get the 5LNB dish with the SWM8 module which will give you single wire to the HD DVR and legacy ports for the R15.

Since you use OTA, you need them to add the AM21 external OTA tuner for the HR21, unless they bring the older HR20 that has OTA built in.

don109

Nov 22, 2008

Maybe punt the SWM and go Traditional route

Thanks for the speedy response. Keeping the DirecTIVO is a must, so therefore the dish with the integrated SWM is not an option.
So when the installer comes, I guess he will install the non-SWM Slimline 3 or 5 and hook up the DirecTIVO with the existing 2 cables. I think I may go ahead and pre-run another RG6 through the attic partition and leave it coiled in the attic over the future HR2x location. Then I think the DirecTV installer is required to go down one exterior wall with the second wire to the HR2x, and I will then have the traditional dual RG6 installation. It's a trade-off vs. the added expense of the SWM8 and power supply. I won't have SWM technology, but I will have dual tuner capability on both DVRs and the OTA diplexed signal, which I mainly use for my computer in the same room. I don't need the AM 21 as I will get local channels in the DVR via DirecTV.

Thanks a bunch. Any additional advice is much appreciated.

Liquidforce88

Nov 22, 2008

don109 said:
Thanks for the speedy response. Keeping the DirecTIVO is a must, so therefore the dish with the integrated SWM is not an option.
So when the installer comes, I guess he will install the non-SWM Slimline 3 or 5 and hook up the DirecTIVO with the existing 2 cables. I think I may go ahead and pre-run another RG6 through the attic partition and leave it coiled in the attic over the future HR2x location. Then I think the DirecTV installer is required to go down one exterior wall with the second wire to the HR2x, and I will then have the traditional dual RG6 installation. It's a trade-off vs. the added expense of the SWM8 and power supply. I won't have SWM technology, but I will have dual tuner capability on both DVRs and the OTA diplexed signal, which I mainly use for my computer in the same room. I don't need the AM 21 as I will get local channels in the DVR via DirecTV.

Thanks a bunch. Any additional advice is much appreciated.

Your going to pay a wall fish fee to have that fished down a wall. It's not included in the upgrade.

don109

Nov 22, 2008

hmmm... csr said running cable through one outside wall was included, but it wouldn't be the first time a csr got it wrong.

After reading some more in this and other forums, I am starting to wonder if my plan to use dual RG6 cables for HD with one of them diplexed for OTA will work. Is there incompatibility with the HD MPEG 4 frequencies and OTA frequencies in the same cable? I may be misunderstanding what I am reading elsewhere.

MartyDe

Last reply 3 minutes ago · posted in Over the Air Television By RabbitEars.Info

ATSC 3 converter boxes

Interesting article about the work being done to develope an ATSC 3 converter box. Yes it does mention affordable.

Pearl TV Issues Progress Report on Low-Cost 3.0 Converters in Advance of NAB Show New York

Group has secured lower pricing from key tech players to make less costly boxes available

www.tvtechnology.com

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Scott Greczkowski

Yesterday at 11:49 AM

Hopefully they are better then the current highly insecure junk boxes that are out now.

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navychop

Yesterday at 12:03 PM

DEATH TO NEXGEN!

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TRG

Yesterday at 12:12 PM

17 years ago the US turned off analog OTA signals in favor of digital broadcasting. Now the push is ATSC 3 "Nextgen TV". But nobody seems to be able to agree on DRM implementation protocols. People don't want to hook their TV up to the internet in order to watch over the air TV. At least I don't. With all the data they collect about your viewing habits the box should be given away at no cost.

Reactions: N5XZS, osu1991, slow_poke_pete and 1 other person

navychop

Yesterday at 12:27 PM

Comb your hair.

primestar31

3 minutes ago

navychop said:
DEATH TO NEXGEN!

It's dead, they just don't know it yet. They killed it by forcing DRM on it, and that TOTALLY botched implementing it.

There is absolutely NO compelling reason for anybody to switch to ATSC3.0. They only want it as a total and complete money grab.

klang

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply 18 minutes ago · posted in TV Shows

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Paramount+

Daisy Ridley to Star in New Take on 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' at Paramount+

I'm not usually a fan of remakes but the description provided in the article does intrigue me.

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Jimbo

58 minutes ago

klang said:
Daisy Ridley to Star in New Take on 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' at Paramount+

I'm not usually a fan of remakes but the description provided in the article does intrigue me.

I use to watch that with my Dad back in the (60's ?) was that the 60's ?

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klang

54 minutes ago

Jimbo said:
I use to watch that with my Dad back in the (60's ?) was that the 60's ?

Mid 60's. I watched it too.

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TRG

41 minutes ago

I loved all the Irwin Allen productions.

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reubenray

18 minutes ago

klang said:
Daisy Ridley to Star in New Take on 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' at Paramount+

I'm not usually a fan of remakes but the description provided in the article does intrigue me.

When?

dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply 28 minutes ago · posted in The Chit Chat Club

You can't even trust the cost per ounce info in grocery stores anymore

I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share

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Juan

Today at 11:17 AM

dishstaller said:
I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share

When walmart set a price...they weigh the container and the product...the product label only shows the weight of the product...I am sure if you brought your own plastic baggies to bring the product home you could get the cheaper price

dishstaller

Today at 11:47 AM

Juan said:
When walmart set a price...they weigh the container and the product...

Then they are stupid. Everyone knows that the price per ounce should be the price per ounce of actual product.

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b4pjoe

Today at 12:41 PM

Meat with a bone in it. It contributes to the weight.

Juan

Today at 1:38 PM

dishstaller said:
Then they are stupid. Everyone knows that the price per ounce should be the price per ounce of actual product.

You are paying for the whole thing

telstar_1

Today at 2:22 PM

Juan said:
You are paying for the whole thing

Well, the bag can't weigh that much, right? But by law food product packaging must display the actual net weight of the product, i.e., the contents of the container, so by any logic, if not law, a store's stated per-ounce cost should reflect that figure. But since there's not any law regulating shelf statements, a store can say whatever it wants without violating any rules. So I guess the answer is more consumer legislation. Or simply caveat emptor.

Jimbo

Today at 6:26 PM

telstar_1 said:
Well, the bag can't weigh that much, right? But by law food product packaging must display the actual net weight of the product, i.e., the contents of the container, so by any logic, if not law, a store's stated per-ounce cost should reflect that figure. But since there's not any law regulating shelf statements, a store can say whatever it wants without violating any rules. So I guess the answer is more consumer legislation. Or simply caveat emptor.

I would think that the Vendor/Maker of the product would have a say in it, showing the Correct weight ...
You would think it would be in the contract.

I do look at the ounces of items, but unless its way off, I don't check the math, may have to start now.

Remember when you use to get a 13.5 oz bag of Chips .... Thats a PARTY Size now.

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slow_poke_pete

Today at 6:32 PM

b4pjoe said:
Meat with a bone in it. It contributes to the weight.

don't think they don't charge you to take the bone out they do!!!

slow_poke_pete

58 minutes ago

dishstaller said:
I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share

toss AI in there to!!! they know when your excited over items up goes the price

TRG

51 minutes ago

Jimbo said:
I would think that the Vendor/Maker of the product would have a say in it, showing the Correct weight ...
You would think it would be in the contract.

I do look at the ounces of items, but unless its way off, I don't check the math, may have to start now.

Remember when you use to get a 13.5 oz bag of Chips .... Thats a PARTY Size now.

I remember when a pound of coffee was 16oz. Now its 12oz, they don't call it a pound anymore and its three times the cost of the 16oz pound.

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Jimbo

28 minutes ago

TRG said:
I remember when a pound of coffee was 16oz. Now its 12oz, they don't call it a pound anymore and its three times the cost of the 16oz pound.

Well, they don't call it a pound anymore ....

Ice cream is that way too, use to be a half gallon, now its 1.5 quart or some say 48 oz

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SuperDish_Fan23

Last reply 31 minutes ago · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Its crazy how the ViP922 is so rare for no reason.

Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!

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Strega

Today at 2:34 PM

That's not really unusual. Cable companies like to the provide the box too. The phone company provided the phones in until the government forced them to allow third-party phones.

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KAB

Today at 4:24 PM

922 was a train wreck. The end!

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dishdude

Today at 5:40 PM

KAB said:
922 was a train wreck. The end!

I know I regretted that purchase!

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Strega

Today at 6:21 PM

I looked for wrecked trains on ebay and those are hard to find too!

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Almighty1

31 minutes ago

Strega said:
That's not really unusual. Cable companies like to the provide the box too. The phone company provided the phones in until the government forced them to allow third-party phones.

Yes, the Western Electric phones that says Bell System Property.

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reubenray

Last reply 37 minutes ago · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Dish vs Streaming Apps?

Every time my Dish contract comes up I weigh the options of keeping Dish or switch to streaming. Right now I can watch/record the OTA channels vis my HDHomerun. I also can stream CBS and NBC via the Paramount+ and Peacock apps. What I would need to find is how to watch the Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark channels, Great American Family, Lifetime channels plus a few more with an app or two. My current Dish bill is $118, so I should be able to get a few apps for a lot less.

Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.

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Bruce

Today at 1:17 PM

reubenray said:
Every time my Dish contract comes up I weigh the options of keeping Dish or switch to streaming. Right now I can watch/record the OTA channels vis my HDHomerun. I also can stream CBS and NBC via the Paramount+ and Peacock apps. What I would need to find is how to watch the Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark channels, Great American Family, Lifetime channels plus a few more with an app or two. My current Dish bill is $118, so I should be able to get a few apps for a lot less.

Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.

USA and SyFy content is on Peacock, you can receive the rest of those channels via Philo, only $25 a month.

Philo - Stream Live and On-Demand TV

Why pay more for TV? Start your Philo free trial and enjoy live TV plus on-demand content starting at just $25/month. Stream hit shows, movies, and more.

www.philo.com

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Almighty1

37 minutes ago

reubenray said:
Every time my Dish contract comes up I weigh the options of keeping Dish or switch to streaming. Right now I can watch/record the OTA channels vis my HDHomerun. I also can stream CBS and NBC via the Paramount+ and Peacock apps. What I would need to find is how to watch the Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark channels, Great American Family, Lifetime channels plus a few more with an app or two. My current Dish bill is $118, so I should be able to get a few apps for a lot less.

Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.

This is what Google Search AI says, let's see how good AI can really solve problems.

To perfectly cover your specific channel checklist while saving significantly on your $118 Dish Network bill, you can leverage your existing HDHomerun setup alongside a live TV streaming service or app combination.
Since you require USA and Syfy, budget entertainment-only streaming apps like Philo ($28/mo) or Frndly TV ($7–$11/mo) will not work as standalone solutions because they exclude NBCUniversal networks. [1, 2]
Here are the best ways to get all your channels, optimized for high picture and audio quality:

Option 1: Hulu + Live TV (The All-In-One Match)
Hulu + Live TV ($89.99–$99.99/mo) is the most seamless replacement because its base tier natively carries every single channel on your list: [1, 2, 3]

Channel Checklist: Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, Great American Family, Lifetime, and Lifetime Movies. [1]
Quality & Audio: Hulu + Live TV is widely praised by cord-cutters for its excellent high-bitrate 1080p video quality at 60 frames per second (fps) on compatible streaming hardware. It supports 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound on most live channels and compatible home theater systems.
Bonus Value: The price automatically bundles the entire on-demand libraries of Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+, which gives you a massive amount of additional content. [1, 2]

Option 2: YouTube TV (The Premium Interface Alternative)
YouTube TV ($82.99/mo) is highly regarded for its robust streaming stability, unlimited DVR, and highly polished user interface. [1, 2, 3]

Channel Checklist: It includes Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark channels, and Lifetime.
The Catch: Great American Family is not in the base lineup and requires the Sports Plus or Entertainment Plus add-on package, which increases the monthly cost.
Quality & Audio: It streams in 1080p/60fps with an advanced compression codec that minimizes buffering. It features native 5.1 surround sound audio across major streaming hardware platforms.

Option 3: The Maximum Savings "App Stack" Combination
If you want to maximize your financial savings by skipping a massive live TV guide, you can split your checklist across a few dedicated streaming apps. Because you already pay for Peacock, you can cross USA and Syfy content off your list, as Peacock hosts most of those networks' premium shows next-day or live.
By adding the following, you can build a highly customized tier:

Frndly TV ($6.99–$10.99/mo): This affordable live app brings you all 3 Hallmark channels, Great American Family, and the Lifetime networks with a classic cloud DVR.
Discovery+ ($4.99–$8.99/mo): This gives you the full, deep on-demand libraries and live feeds for Food Network and HGTV. [1]

Total Estimated Stack Cost: Around $12 to $20/mo combined on top of what you already pay.

Quality Note: Frndly TV maxes out at 720p/1080p high-definition with stereo audio, while Discovery+ supports highly optimized crisp 1080p and selective 4K video playback with strong digital audio depth on high-end streaming sticks. [1]

Cord-Cutting Tips for Peak Quality

Streaming Hardware Matters: To get the best possible image processing and audio passthrough, use dedicated streaming hardware like an Apple TV 4K or a high-end Roku Ultra rather than relying on the built-in smart TV operating systems.
Check Your Bandwidth: Ensure your home network has a stable downstream speed of at least 25–50 Mbps dedicated to your main television device to ensure the streaming apps auto-negotiate to their highest available bitrate and frame rates without dropping down to lower resolutions.

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Gary Toma

Staff member Pub Member / Supporter Cutting Edge

Last reply 42 minutes ago · posted in DIRECTV Technical Resources Forum

DIRECTV Transponder Map ~ Data 10/21/2026

The TPN Map Excel Presents all DIRECTV Channels:

National (50-States or wide/NAT+PR beams)
Local (Local-Into-Local or narrow/Spot beams)

Additional tabs provide:

OTA the (Over-The-Air) Database
VOD (Video On_Demand) Records
Offline Records
Engr Records
Net Decoder a graphic presentation of all satellites and transponders

Domestic Satellites
@99W...... D11, D14
@101W.... D16
@103W.... D12, D15
@110W.... D5
@119W.... D8

Understanding the TPN Map

Making Sense of the TPN Map Display Conventions

DIRECTV_TPN_Map_261021.xlsx 1,876 KB

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KyL416

Yesterday at 2:37 PM

WCWW/25 CW South Bend and WBKP/5 CW Marquette are now testing on the stream server. These are both already available on satellite.

Now live in the satellite guide:
663-2 PISTONS (663-1 is likely being reserved for an overflow feed of Detroit Sportsnet, if there's a 2027 MLB season)
675 THUNDER
693 CLIPPERS

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KyL416

Today at 7:25 AM

HAWKS, HORNETS, GRZZLIES, HEAT, MAGIC, CAVLIERS, TWOLVES, BUCKS, PACERS and SPURS channels have also been added, however they are pointing to a TV Promise slate, which says they are working with DAZN and others to strike a deal for those teams.

Some more TPN swaps

Mr Tony

Today at 10:40 AM

KyL416 said:
HAWKS, HORNETS, GRZZLIES, HEAT, MAGIC, CAVLIERS, TWOLVES, BUCKS, PACERS and SPURS channels have also been added, however they are pointing to a TV Promise slate, which says they are working with DAZN and others to strike a deal for those teams.

Some more TPN swaps

Wait…..
So even though DAZN keeps touting 'only way to see games' if you are a subscriber to Choice (like my stepdad) if an agreement is reached he can see the Wolfies on 668?
I know the Wild are in dispute and a slate is on 668-1.

KyL416

Today at 4:48 PM

KyL416 said:
Now live in the satellite guide:
663-2 PISTONS (663-1 is likely being reserved for an overflow feed of Detroit Sportsnet, if there's a 2027 MLB season)
675 THUNDER
693 CLIPPERS

They're finally live in the app's API, doing a check

PISTONS is not available in Detroit (WMYD/20), it is available in the rest of Michigan including Marquette who also gets the games on their MyNet station WJMN/3, along with the Toledo DMA and the northern portions of the South Bend and Fort Wayne DMAs.

THUNDER is available in OKC and Tulsa, so I wonder if DTV is just going to keep the OTA feeds of KSBI/52 and KQCW/19 and direct viewers to 675 for the rest of the games.
On stream it's in Choice for Oklahoma (inlcuding the Oklahoma portions of the Amarillo, Sherman-Ada, Wichita Falls-Lawton and Joplin DMAs) and Western Arkansas and requires Sports Pack for Nebraska, Kansas and Western Missouri, I'm not sure if it's the same for satellite.

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coolman302003

Today at 5:44 PM

KyL416 said:
HAWKS, HORNETS, GRZZLIES, HEAT, MAGIC, CAVLIERS, TWOLVES, BUCKS, PACERS and SPURS channels have also been added, however they are pointing to a TV Promise slate, which says they are working with DAZN and others to strike a deal for those teams.

Some more TPN swaps

It appears we are not getting both home & away feeds out of market on League Pass for these teams either…

I've been watching the Spurs home feed on channel 676-1 (was part time San Antonio specific feed) out of market with NBALP for YEARS on satellite (through the multiple iterations of Fox Sports SW, Bally Sports SW, FanDuel Sports SW) Looks like that will not happen unless a deal is reached with DAZN. I do see the placeholder channel on 680 if it happens.

Reactions: Nate.O’Brien

KyL416

Today at 5:58 PM

coolman302003 said:
It appears we are not getting both home & away feeds out of market on League Pass for these teams either…

Center Ice does have the non-carried feeds, including the Hurricanes, Wild, Blues and Blue Jackets and spotbeam local only teams like the Panthers, Mammoth and Golden Knights. So it probably depends on the available part time bandwidth each night as things they are able to provide to in market viewers in the 600s, PPV Events in the 100s and commercial events in the 9000s get priority first, along with games where neither team has a remappable feed.

Reactions: Mr Tony and coolman302003

coolman302003

42 minutes ago

League Pass tonight for example (it is almost a full slate tonight):
Hawks @ Magic (only Hawks feed which is easy to insert since its OTA this season and simulcast across multiple Gray Television markets, Magic signed a streaming deal with DAZN)
Bucks @ Wizards (only Wizards feed easy to remap, Bucks are OTA & there own streaming service Bucks+)
Hornets @ Nets (only Nets feed which DirecTV already carries so simply YES remap, Hornets signed non-exclusive streaming deal with DAZN, also OTA)
Bulls @ Raptors (Bulls only feed via CHSN remap, its common that we don't get Raptors feeds that often)
Jazz @ Grizzlies (Jazz only feed OTA easy to insert, Grizzlies signed streaming deal with DAZN)
Pacers @ Pelicans (Pelicans only feed which is OTA easy to insert, Pacers signed streaming deal with DAZN)

Maybe it will change but it looks like DirecTV may only carry DAZN feeds on NBA LP when there is no other option, such as when two teams (either Cavaliers, Pacers, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Spurs) that are both DAZN exclusive are playing each other, we shall see as the season goes on I guess.

This NBA season will be the first time in a long time that there will be a lot of games carried on feeds that DirecTV doesn't normally carry (remappable) or only carry OTA spotbeam feeds.

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tparker

Last reply 52 minutes ago · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

"Bonus View" Channel List

I was bewildered with all the new DISH TV "Bonus View" channels, so I put together a web page table with all the info I could find. It's at:

https://anythingpeaceful.org/dishtv/DISH_TV_Bonus_View_Channels.html

Here's a partial screenshot of the table, as sorted by Channel Name. (You can click on a column header to sort.)

If you have any corrections or suggestions, please post here.

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tparker

Sep 2, 2026

Three Bonus View Channels added today:

My full list is at: DISH TV "Bonus View" Channels

Thanks again to eagle-eyed Pat, for the tip.

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tparker

Sep 3, 2026

Paranormal Files back in business:

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tparker

Sep 23, 2026

Two new Bonus View channels Added today:

And two Removed:

My full list is at: DISH TV "Bonus View" Channels

Thanks to Pat for the heads up.

Reactions: syphix and charlesrshell

tparker

Sep 30, 2026

One Bonus View channel added today. And one correction (on my part):

One Removed:

My full list is at: DISH TV "Bonus View" Channels

BTW, not a Bonus View item, but there was a temporary channel 304 Spooktacular added, I imagine just for the Halloween season.

Thanks again to Pat for the many tips.

Reactions: charlesrshell

tparker

52 minutes ago

Three new Bonus View channels today:

My full list is at: DISH TV "Bonus View" Channels

As always, thanks to Pat for the tips.

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JohnGalt1234

Last reply 57 minutes ago · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

H3 EHD lists upcoming airings instead of recordings on EHD and often won't recognize EHD is connected after reboot

This started a couple months ago. I have 2 H3s on one network, both with 2 EHD identical 3 TB seperately powered so all recordings are accessible by all 4k & J4s (8 of them).

On one H3 (not the main one that controls the MOCA network), after it reboots, it doesn't recognize it has two EHDs plugged into it. Rebooting the EHD by their power source doesn't fix it. Resetting the network doesn't. Software h3 reset doesn't fix it. Rebooting MOCA h3 doesn't fix it but so far, after 3+ cold boots (unplug pwr to H3 with unrecognized EHDs), it finally it figures out they are plugged into it. BUT.... Then when you open a program it only partially shows series and episodes, but instead of showing recordings, it only shows upcoming airings. HELP!!!!

27 Replies · 677 views

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navychop

Saturday at 3:40 PM

It'll only see two EHDs at a time.

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Almighty1

Saturday at 7:18 PM

JohnGalt1234 - So you basically have 2 Hopper 3's. The CasinoH3 is the one that is Hopper 3 only while Master Bedroom is a Hopper 3 with Hopper Plus setup.
Master Bedroom uses Android TV (ATV) software so the DISH part is actually a app and will behave differently as you can probably tell the Guide's are different on the Master Bedroom which will resemble the same guide used on other ATV devices such as the Joey 4 and Wireless Joey 4. If I am correct, the CasinoH3 is the one with the problem since you did say the one dated 09/05/2026 is the naughty one while 08/15/2026 named Master Bedroom is the nice one. Usually I would expect the CasinoH3 to be the one without the problem because it's Hopper 3 only and Master Bedroom would be the one with problems because it has the Hopper Plus involved. That is why they behave differently because CasinoH3 is running the native Hopper 3 software while Master Bedroom is running the Android TV software and also it runs a app called DISH known as package com.dish.atv.launcher, the version for mines is P15403 2026100917 so it's probably the same version as the Hopper Plus software version with the date of October 9, 2026, not sure what the 17 means except maybe revision 17?

This explains it better than I can. Sorry, had to take all the ads out.

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JohnGalt1234

Saturday at 9:02 PM

Almighty1 said:
JohnGalt1234 - So you basically have 2 Hopper 3's. The CasinoH3 is the one that is Hopper 3 only while Master Bedroom is a Hopper 3 with Hopper Plus setup.
Master Bedroom uses Android TV (ATV) software so the DISH part is actually a app and will behave differently as you can probably tell the Guide's are different on the Master Bedroom which will resemble the same guide used on other ATV devices such as the Joey 4 and Wireless Joey 4. If I am correct, the CasinoH3 is the one with the problem since you did say the one dated 09/05/2026 is the naughty one while 08/15/2026 named Master Bedroom is the nice one. Usually I would expect the CasinoH3 to be the one without the problem because it's Hopper 3 only and Master Bedroom would be the one with problems because it has the Hopper Plus involved. That is why they behave differently because CasinoH3 is running the native Hopper 3 software while Master Bedroom is running the Android TV software and also it runs a app called DISH known as package com.dish.atv.launcher, the version for mines is P15403 2026100917 so it's probably the same version as the Hopper Plus software version with the date of October 9, 2026, not sure what the 17 means except maybe revision 17?

This explains it better than I can. Sorry, had to take all the ads out.

View attachment 194857

As I understand it, the android is just the display signal from the hopper+. I can disconnect the H+ and plug the hdmi directly into the master hopper3.

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Almighty1

Sunday at 12:02 AM

JohnGalt1234 said:
As I understand it, the android is just the display signal from the hopper+. I can disconnect the H+ and plug the hdmi directly into the master hopper3.

It is not just a display signal as explained above. When you have the Hopper+ connected, it uses Android TV for pretty much everything except for the satellite signal which is why it uses the DISH app for the standard Hopper 3 functions. But that should not matter because in your case, CasinoH3 is the Hopper 3 with the EHD which is what you call the naughty one based on the dates you mentioned and Master Bedroom which has the Hopper Plus connected to the Hopper 3 that does not have the problem. So one way to test the theory is disconnect the Hopper Plus from that Hopper 3 and then use the EHD's connected to CasinoH3 currently to see if the same issue exists. That way you will know if the problem is there without a Hopper Plus connected or if CasinoH3 is just a bad hopper to begin with.

Normally when you disconnect the Hopper Plus, it will be 30 minutes or more before you can use the Hopper 3 again.

What you want to do is:
hold the POWER button in, not the red reset button, for about 45 seconds or so while disconnecting the power to the Plus and moving the HDMI cable and it will reboot to the normal Hopper only immediately.

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bookworm370

Sunday at 1:41 PM

navychop said:
It'll only see two EHDs at a time.

Yes, I have only two online at a time.
One comes online, the other one consistently will not come online

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bookworm370

Sunday at 1:49 PM

bookworm370 said:
Yes, I have only two online at a time.
One comes online; the other consistently won't. Also, when I connect the EHD, the USB Detected status light on the EHD itself changes from Red to Green. But the Hopper (713) does not start the EHD read process. The light changes to indicate that the EHD has detected a valid USB cable, but the Hopper does not recognize it.

JohnGalt1234

Today at 8:48 AM

Almighty1 said:
It is not just a display signal as explained above. When you have the Hopper+ connected, it uses Android TV for pretty much everything except for the satellite signal which is why it uses the DISH app for the standard Hopper 3 functions. But that should not matter because in your case, CasinoH3 is the Hopper 3 with the EHD which is what you call the naughty one based on the dates you mentioned and Master Bedroom which has the Hopper Plus connected to the Hopper 3 that does not have the problem. So one way to test the theory is disconnect the Hopper Plus from that Hopper 3 and then use the EHD's connected to CasinoH3 currently to see if the same issue exists. That way you will know if the problem is there without a Hopper Plus connected or if CasinoH3 is just a bad hopper to begin with.

Normally when you disconnect the Hopper Plus, it will be 30 minutes or more before you can use the Hopper 3 again.

What you want to do is:
hold the POWER button in, not the red reset button, for about 45 seconds or so while disconnecting the power to the Plus and moving the HDMI cable and it will reboot to the normal Hopper only immediately.

Yeah, I read through that and understand that now. It rebooted itself last night and upgraded to H713, and lost the EHDs again. As usual, power cycling the EHDs, did nothing, software H3 reboot didn't either, but it only took one cold boot to get them to come back.

Did you ever answer how to trigger that external hard drive test? Had the guys over Saturday to watch college football and BS (mostly BS) and in my rec room (casino H3) I have two TVs one from Casino H3, and the other either duplicates the H3 (if we only want to watch one game) or a separate Joey4 if we want to watch 2 games. In the last Quarter of the Rutgers at Maryland game, Casino H3 decided it wanted to do that EHD test, which it said could take up to 100 mins. I set up the game on tablet with dish anywhere for two guys most interested in that game because I wanted to see what the test said when it was completed. I missed it but the EHDs were working fine and I put the game back on that TV (took about 15 mins for the test).

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Almighty1

57 minutes ago

JohnGalt1234 said:
Yeah, I read through that and understand that now. It rebooted itself last night and upgraded to H713, and lost the EHDs again. As usual, power cycling the EHDs, did nothing, software H3 reboot didn't either, but it only took one cold boot to get them to come back.

Did you ever answer how to trigger that external hard drive test? Had the guys over Saturday to watch college football and BS (mostly BS) and in my rec room (casino H3) I have two TVs one from Casino H3, and the other either duplicates the H3 (if we only want to watch one game) or a separate Joey4 if we want to watch 2 games. In the last Quarter of the Rutgers at Maryland game, Casino H3 decided it wanted to do that EHD test, which it said could take up to 100 mins. I set up the game on tablet with dish anywhere for two guys most interested in that game because I wanted to see what the test said when it was completed. I missed it but the EHDs were working fine and I put the game back on that TV (took about 15 mins for the test).

Maybe what you might want to do the next time is first disconnect the EHD's and then reboot using the physical Red Button Reset in the Hopper 3 and let it boot up and basically Live TV, wait 10 minutes or so after that and then plug in EHD #1, give it 5 minutes to detect and either after it detects or if after the 5 minutes whichever comes first, plug in EHD #2 and give it 5 minutes to detect. If you got both detected successfully, then you can use the Menu based Reboot and see if it detects itself within the first 10 minutes. But don't hit the DVR button on the remote until that 10 minutes after Live TV in both scenarios.

As for how to trigger the External Hard Drive Test, I have no idea except I know I saw it periodically like it says but some people on reddit apparently has seen it daily everytime it does that nightly reboot as seen in this thread on reddit:

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/dishnetwork/s/zEDfVfgBQv

and as of a few days ago, they are still complaining about that:

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/dishnetwork/comments/1x7uxtp/so_sick_of_this_with_the_hopper_3_didnt_want_to/

So not sure what is triggering it for them but basically they lose up to 110 minutes every night which can include sleep for at least one of the persons because of the "periodically" External Hard Drive test and waiting for a fix promised fix while no one on here seems to have the issue. I had not seen the External Hard Drive test for years. If I had to guess, it is similar to Linux/Unix and Windows when the system was not shutdown properly so you will see the fsck running at startup or the Windows Filesystem Check.

Google Search AI says the following:

The Hopper 3 determines whether to run the external hard drive (EHD) test at bootup based on a set of internal firmware rules. At its core, the Linux-based operating system on the Hopper looks for specific hardware markers and system file states when initializing:

1. The File System "Dirty Flag" (Most Common Trigger)
Like a computer running an unexpected disk check, the Hopper 3 looks at the drive's file system table during boot.

If the drive was unmounted safely before the reboot, the system sees a "clean" status flag and skips the test entirely to speed up boot times.
If the Hopper lost power suddenly, froze up, or received a forced hard reset while the drive was spinning, the status flag remains marked as "dirty" (unclean shutdown). The bootloader detects this flag and automatically triggers the test to scan for corrupted file segments and index errors before allowing playback.

2. Linux Kernel Device Interrogation (fsck)
When the Hopper 3 initializes its Linux kernel at bootup, it queries every connected USB peripheral.

If it detects a new or altered hardware ID (such as plugging a drive into a different USB port, swapping cables, or attaching a drive that was disconnected during the last power cycle), it runs a foundational mount check.
This scan ensures the file structure matches the receiver's encryption keys before mapping the storage directory to your DVR menu.

3. Read/Write Mount Error Counts
The Hopper tracks background hardware performance metrics. If the internal system logs show that the external drive suffered from timed-out read/write commands or communication drops just prior to the reboot, the operating system overrides the default boot process. It forces the external hard drive check to determine if the drive is physically failing or suffering from partition degradation.

4. Scheduled Maintenance & Major Software Binds
Dish pushes system software updates over the satellite stream, usually during the 1:00 AM – 5:00 AM maintenance window. If a newly installed firmware version introduces changes to the receiver's DVR file structure or database index system, the update sequence purposefully injects a one-time diagnostic flag into the boot cycle. This ensures that old recordings on the external drive remain entirely compatible with the new software.

Operating systems run file system checks (such as fsck on Unix/Linux/FreeBSD or chkdsk on Windows) during startup to detect and repair data corruption, fix broken directory structures, and ensure the storage drive is safe before mounting it for normal use. [1]

Why File Systems Get Corrupted

- Unclean Shutdowns: Power outages, hardware resets, or sudden crashes interrupt write operations before data and metadata are fully saved to the disk.
- Inconsistent State: Metadata (such as file allocation tables, inodes, or journaling logs) can point to missing blocks or overlapping file paths.
- Scheduled Maintenance: Older file systems trigger periodic, count- or time-based scans to catch slow degradation or orphaned sectors. [1]

How Operating Systems Handle the Checks

- Unix / Linux / FreeBSD (fsck): Inspects the superblocks, inode tables, and directory trees. Modern journaling file systems (like ext4, XFS, or ZFS) use a transaction log to quickly replay or roll back unfinished operations instead of scanning every block, meaning a full check only runs if the system was marked "unclean" or after a set number of mounts. [1, 2, 3]
- Windows (chkdsk / NTFS): Checks the Master File Table (MFT), security descriptors, and bitmap structures. NTFS uses a built-in transaction log ($LogFile) to automatically recover consistency almost instantly, rarely requiring a full disk surface scan unless a serious hardware or logical error occurred.

So not seeing it is usually a good thing as these people probably have failing storage devices or corrupted filesystems.

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iJustine

Today at 6:22 PM · posted in iJustine

Apple Pencil on iPhone Duo

Time for another AWESOME video from iJustine!

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FchqcWOsNGE

Direct YouTube Link - Apple Pencil on iPhone Duo
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!

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meStevo

Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 5:59 PM · posted in The Sports Section

NFL 2026-2027 Season

Schedule drops tomorrow. Mandatory mini camps in June. Hall of Fame game August 6th.

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Foxbat

Monday at 6:19 PM

I guess even the patience of us laid-back Hoosiers has its limits:

Colts relieve general manager Chris Ballard of his duties

Colts Owner & CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon released a statement Monday announcing the news.

www.colts.com

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rvvaquero

Monday at 9:00 PM

Foxbat said:
I guess even the patience of us laid-back Hoosiers has its limits:

Colts relieve general manager Chris Ballard of his duties

Colts Owner & CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon released a statement Monday announcing the news.

www.colts.com

Be nice to see a Cowboy headline like that.

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b4pjoe

Yesterday at 9:22 AM

rvvaquero said:
Be nice to see a Cowboy headline like that.

Yes the Cowboys owner needs to fire the general manager (himself), co-owner, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Executive Vice President, Director of Player Personnel, and President of AT&T Stadium (his son) and then he should jump off of a cliff. Only then can they recover.

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rvvaquero

Yesterday at 11:33 AM

Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson had an argument about who was responsible for the dynasty building of the early 90's Cowboys.

The rest of us figured it out in about 3 years, Jerry has had over 30 years but still can't admit it. It's all he lives for, to show everyone he can put together a winner. I don't think he can. His kids only know what he taught them.