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My elderly parents asked for my help and I came here for advice. Their lives pretty much revolve around watching TV (they're in their 80's and not very mobile). They only watch OTA Spanish/Mexican and Satellite Portuguese TV through a STB. My question is about their Satellite setup. they had it done by a local person so I don't know much about it. They are worried about the upcomming digital conversion of the OTA broadcasts.
Here is what they have:
Toshiba television connected to rooftop antenna for OTA reception
Topfield TF4000fi Satellite receiver (connected to the TV's rear video input)
From what they showed me, they press the video button on their remote to switch to the TV's rear video input which will connect them to the Topfiield STB. They NEVER change the channel on the STB. (They didn't know that they could). I changed the channels on the STB and there were only 8 channels programmed along with their Portuguese channel that they only watch. They have already purchased an analog to DTV converter, but I don't think they need it.
My questions:
Can I program the STB to receive the local spanish broadcasts they normally watch OTA? If so, would it be in their time zone (PST)?
I need to make this transition as easy for them as possible. Like I said, they are not that mobile and don't have much other than TV and family visits.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for reading
--Danny
Here is what they have:
Toshiba television connected to rooftop antenna for OTA reception
Topfield TF4000fi Satellite receiver (connected to the TV's rear video input)
From what they showed me, they press the video button on their remote to switch to the TV's rear video input which will connect them to the Topfiield STB. They NEVER change the channel on the STB. (They didn't know that they could). I changed the channels on the STB and there were only 8 channels programmed along with their Portuguese channel that they only watch. They have already purchased an analog to DTV converter, but I don't think they need it.
My questions:
Can I program the STB to receive the local spanish broadcasts they normally watch OTA? If so, would it be in their time zone (PST)?
I need to make this transition as easy for them as possible. Like I said, they are not that mobile and don't have much other than TV and family visits.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for reading
--Danny
8 Replies
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2042 views
E
Inno: They don't pay a monthly fee for any service, which leads me to believe that what they're watching through the STB is FTA.
Jayelem: I didn't pay close attention to what they were watching. My mother asked me to look at her setup after I loaded up my kids in the van so I was pushed for time.lol. I'll get over there soon and check things out. They live in Manteca, CA.
avg1joe: Thanks for the idea of looking for other channels (services). As soon as I get a remote, i'll be able to play with it. Thanks for the link to the lists by language.
I found out the guy that installed their system is based about 2 hours from their place, so I may have to order a replacement remote before I get started. I'll keep ya'll posted as to my findings
I just wanted to add that I appreciate the kind responses and assistance from this forum.
Jayelem: I didn't pay close attention to what they were watching. My mother asked me to look at her setup after I loaded up my kids in the van so I was pushed for time.lol. I'll get over there soon and check things out. They live in Manteca, CA.
avg1joe: Thanks for the idea of looking for other channels (services). As soon as I get a remote, i'll be able to play with it. Thanks for the link to the lists by language.
I found out the guy that installed their system is based about 2 hours from their place, so I may have to order a replacement remote before I get started. I'll keep ya'll posted as to my findings
I just wanted to add that I appreciate the kind responses and assistance from this forum.
Inno: They don't pay a monthly fee for any service, which leads me to believe that what they're watching through the STB is FTA.
Jayelem: I didn't pay close attention to what they were watching. My mother asked me to look at her setup after I loaded up my kids in the van so I was pushed for time.lol. I'll get over there soon and check things out. They live in Manteca, CA.
avg1joe: Thanks for the idea of looking for other channels (services). As soon as I get a remote, i'll be able to play with it. Thanks for the link to the lists by language.
I found out the guy that installed their system is based about 2 hours from their place, so I may have to order a replacement remote before I get started. I'll keep ya'll posted as to my findings
I just wanted to add that I appreciate the kind responses and assistance from this forum.
You may want to call and talk with the guy who installed the system before you do anything. If nothing else, he should be able to give you the skinney on what they have now and the potential impact from conversion (if any). Might save you some chasing around if it turns out they are not affected.
Just an idea.
For quite a while now, people with a VIP211k have been losing their recordings on their activated external HDDs... even when there's nothing physically wrong with HDD. I believe this is an intentional and underhanded tactic that Dish is pulling in an attempt to force users away from the VIP211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
168 Replies
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7438 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Has anyone subscribed to NBA League Pass for 2026-27 and try to link their account to NBA.com to stream League Pass? I purchased it for 2026-27, and when I linked, I got a message saying success, but then I receive an error that my linked subscription does not include the preseason games for NBA League Pass. Is that how it has always been? I know satellite doesn't have the preseason games on the NBA League Pass channels, but I thought that I was able to stream the preseason once I linked my account on NBA.com?
2 Replies
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63 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68502 Replies
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2671008 views
Supporting Founder
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
143 Replies
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1437 views
Nah, you just don't understand how ignore works, which is why you made your own NFL thread thinking there wasn't one
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
530 Replies
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18082 views
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. 
WTF… …What the Foxbat!Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat.
S
wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming youWTF… …What the Foxbat!
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming you
S
OMG to freaking funny
You're no fun.
I thought I would come here and find lots of complaints about the update to the dish anywhere mobile app, but am not seeing any. It used to look just like the desktop webpage. Now you can no longer filter by sports channels or movie channels. Plus that they made it look like a big button telephone and you see fewer channels in the screen which requires more scrolling. Yes I realize you can look at sports then select which sport you want to look at, I just liked being able to see all sporting events in the guide with all other channels being filtered out. Am I alone in the wilderness on this?
7 Replies
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131 views
Supporting Founder
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Apple has finally released their Apple TV 4K with built-in Siri and a microphone so it can respond to your queries even if you don't have the remote. It also increases in price, to $299. I had been planning on updating my current Apple TV 4K streamers, but that's $600 for the two of them, and that's a pass at this point.
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
Apple TV 4K
Apple TV 4K. New Siri AI and hands-free control. Stunning picture and immersive HomePod surround sound. Works with your Apple and smart home devices.
www.apple.com
20 Replies
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292 views
S
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
they all do that anyways.. ever notice your cell phone slows down when you come up for an upgrade..
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
You should have looked in the APP STORE instead.
Supporting Founder
Several Dish offers showed up today in my account. Once you choose one the rest are removed. Offers were Showtime, Starz, AMC and others.
35 Replies
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1678 views
Not for me, mines has no mention of how long aka the offer period and the Terms and conditions the $0.00 is good for. All I see is one can lose $5.00 if you decide to remove it before day 31 after you add it to the account.
You have a different offer that is free for a shorter timeframe which is different than the one that I and bnewt saw without defining the promotion period as I sent the question to DISH Care via Facebook Messenger and this is the response I got back 20 minutes ago.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Edq2eavsQ
Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Space 232
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Edq2eavsQ
Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Space 232
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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19 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oRVxjGm0qtE
Direct YouTube Link - Tim Cook, Elton John & King Charles: A Royal Tech Event
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oRVxjGm0qtE
Direct YouTube Link - Tim Cook, Elton John & King Charles: A Royal Tech Event
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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16 views