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goaliebob99

Supporting Founder

Last reply Mar 8, 2016 · posted in Free To Air (FTA) Discussion

TBS 6983

I ordered a TBS 6983 a while back and am putting it into my gaming rig I am building. The question I have for you all is what OS to run with it? I have seen a mixed bag of people running windows and linux. I am almost tempted to partition my SSD hard drive for both and dedicate 100 gigs to linux. What is the best choice as far as 4k compatibility codecs IE H.265 and 4:2:2 playback.

This is going to dual as my movie storage machine as I move all of my MKV's that I have backed up from my bluray collection over to this machine on fresh hard drives. I am going to take all of the 4 gb hard drives and RAID them as one. Plus this will give me extra room for 4k movies and HDR movies as they are released on bluray. Here is my list of parts as I am building out. Let me know what you all think or if you have any recommendations.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-9590 4.7GHz 8-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: LEPA AquaChanger 240 103.6 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme9 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin ECO2 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($196.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($196.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($196.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($196.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($196.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($196.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($53.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $2353.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-25 12:49 EST-0500

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goaliebob99

Feb 25, 2016

Where are you getting that Blacks are less reliable? Everywhere I have read and seen blacks are more reliable including WD's own specs. While yes reds are better for long term storage and NAS duties at 24/7 because they are cooler and have more load and unload cycles, but if I was looking at that I would have went with the RE's instead. I want performance based on this. I am thinking UHD not HD. I have been able to get full gigabit speeds out of my network but this was through OSX. On my Win 10 machine, I have seen a bit of a degradation but nothing substantial that wouldn't be unusual. The choke point on the network would be the router and the throughput of the router. The router I am running with Merlin's Asus WRT on it, runs just as good as some cisco switches. I dont need full buisness class switches. That would be over kill for me. I have not had any issues in getting full gigabit throughput on my network between PC's and the Internet.

Basically when it comes to WD hard drives this is the lowdown.

WD Blue for something cheap
WD Black for performance HDD.
WD Red for cheap nas
WD Red Pro for good nas
WD RE for very good nas.
But one fact that is more important than all else. Dont buy a WD green ffs

Source: 10+ years of using WD drives in personal and customer systems

fred555

Feb 25, 2016

K9SAT said:
Where are you getting that Blacks are less reliable? Everywhere I have read and seen blacks are more reliable including WD's own specs. While yes reds are better for long term storage and NAS duties at 24/7 because they are cooler and have more load and unload cycles,

I am under the impression that the point of the various Reds was they slowed them down and reprogrammed them to be more reliable for 24x7 operation. WD wont even publish MTBF and AFR stats for blacks, the only true measures of reliability. If you can find MTBF and AFR for Blacks, please show me.
These stats are published for Reds. Why wont they publish the stats for Blacks? Kinda fishy to me.
Everything I read says use Red models over Blacks for RAID/NAS.

Reds also have a longer park time setting, quick park times cause wear among other things.
For WD drives there is an application wdidle3.exe to read and set park times.
I have read Blacks park to quickly too, here is a snippet that explains the benefits of setting this on non Reds to act more like Reds:

(Article uses Greens as an example)

In order to minimize energy usage, WD Green disks are configured to very aggressively park the head of the disk: this happens after 3 seconds. That setting is OK if you're using this as your OS disk, because disk usage tends to be grouped in peaks. This setting is fatal for a disk if it gets used in a server. Disk usage on file servers is much wider spread, causing the disk heads to move a lot. So much so that some bits of plastic will wear out in the first year. WD Reds wait much longer to park the disk head, eliminating this issue.

Fortunately for us, there is a tool that allows you to set this value yourself. On windows this a tool released by WD themselves: wdidle3.exe
On Linux some folks reversed engineered this and released it as idle3-tools.

I'm from the school that you leave electronics on all the time, especially a NAS you may access at any time of day or night. The various Red drives are supposedly better for that, so that's why I prefer them. You may prefer a little more speed and non 24x7, that's OK too.

goaliebob99

Feb 26, 2016

fred555 said:
I am under the impression that the point of the various Reds was they slowed them down and reprogrammed them to be more reliable for 24x7 operation. WD wont even publish MTBF and AFR stats for blacks, the only true measures of reliability. If you can find MTBF and AFR for Blacks, please show me.
These stats are published for Reds. Why wont they publish the stats for Blacks? Kinda fishy to me.
Everything I read says use Red models over Blacks for RAID/NAS.

Reds also have a longer park time setting, quick park times cause wear among other things.
For WD drives there is an application wdidle3.exe to read and set park times.
I have read Blacks park to quickly too, here is a snippet that explains the benefits of setting this on non Reds to act more like Reds:

(Article uses Greens as an example)

In order to minimize energy usage, WD Green disks are configured to very aggressively park the head of the disk: this happens after 3 seconds. That setting is OK if you're using this as your OS disk, because disk usage tends to be grouped in peaks. This setting is fatal for a disk if it gets used in a server. Disk usage on file servers is much wider spread, causing the disk heads to move a lot. So much so that some bits of plastic will wear out in the first year. WD Reds wait much longer to park the disk head, eliminating this issue.

Fortunately for us, there is a tool that allows you to set this value yourself. On windows this a tool released by WD themselves: wdidle3.exe
On Linux some folks reversed engineered this and released it as idle3-tools.

I'm from the school that you leave electronics on all the time, especially a NAS you may access at any time of day or night. The various Red drives are supposedly better for that, so that's why I prefer them. You may prefer a little more speed and non 24x7, that's OK too.

No they slowed them down to save on energy. Also, WD doesn't use MTBF and AFR stats as clearly explained here,

We no longer measure the reliability of our hard drives using Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF). Our current drive reliability is measured using Component Design Life (CDL) and Annualized Failure Rate (AFR). The Component Design Life of the drive is 5 years and the Annualized Failure Rate is less than 0.8%.

http://support.wdc.com/KnowledgeBase/answer.aspx?ID=665

Nothing Fishy about it. Also, everywhere I have seen says to use blacks over reds.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/291194-32-black
http://www.overclock.net/t/1408474/deciding-between-wd-black-and-wd-red-3tb
http://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/1741-wd-blue-vs-black-comparison-best-drive-for-gaming

fred555

Feb 26, 2016

K9SAT said:
No they slowed them down to save on energy.

Slowed down for less heat and wear too, thus longevity too.

K9SAT said:
WD doesn't use MTBF and AFR stats as clearly explained here,

They always have, just not for the blacks:
http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/SpecSheet/ENG/2879-800002.pdf

goaliebob99

Feb 26, 2016

fred555 said:
Slowed down for less heat and wear too, thus longevity too.

They always have, just not for the blacks:
http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/SpecSheet/ENG/2879-800002.pdf

I have pointed out that they changed it as posted on their website they no longer offered it. They may have changed the policy before the blacks came out. I am beginning to think that you are trolling. I have several reasons on why I am going with the blacks and your not going to change my mind anytime soon. I am going for performance, and I am sure WD stands by their products otherwise they wouldn't offer a 5 year warranty on them.

KE4EST

Feb 26, 2016

K9SAT said:
I am beginning to think that you are trolling.

You are jumping the gun here Bob.
Fred knows what he is talking about as this is stuff he deals with at his job and has been doing this for years.
I have leaned on Fred's expertise here and via phone/email more than once.
It's your money or credit card buy what you wish.

Now having said that, Fred is just trying to save you some bucks and offer his advice as you asked.
We're all friends here, stop and count to ten.

K9SAT said:
your not going to change my mind anytime soon

I saw that several posts back.

N6BY

Feb 26, 2016

Blacks vs. reds. .... :fencing

goaliebob99

Feb 26, 2016

I could be jumping the gun. Yes but there is price vs performance. I wanted performance over nas reliability. In the end of it, I dont think there is that much of a difference. With that said... Here is a good review on the blacks and they perform better than the greens. The money factor isnt really that much of a diffrence for me as I want performance.

http://www.storagereview.com/wd_black_6tb_hdd_review
(For comparison)
http://www.storagereview.com/wd_black_4tb_desktop_hard_drive_review_wd4003fzex

With that said, it's a lot cheaper but simular is some of the toshiba drives and the toshiba ones have me thinking about trying them out, but I think I am going to stay away as they dont have as good of reliablity as the WD's do and havent been tested. It's not clearly set in stone as I want the NAS ability, I also want the performance factor over the NAS ability / reliablity. That's why I keep going aroud and around between reds and blacks.

I am seriously looking at the HGST Deskstar 4tb as an alternative option. They seem to have better speeds and reliablity than the WD's.

goaliebob99

Feb 26, 2016

Updated Parts list
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Y3tcf

dotbatman

Mar 8, 2016

I'm not sure I would go for AMD over Intel in your situation. Generally I pick AMD over Intel, but for what you're doing I think I would get an I7 or a Xeon. The 9590 is a hot monster. Are you going to do virtualization at all?

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Bruce

Supporting Founder Lifetime Supporter

Last reply 3 minutes ago · posted in DIRECTV General Forum

DirecTV’s Subscribers Number

Thanks to Fitch Ratings ( who gives the ratings on Credit and debt, as approved by the SEC, so they have accurate numbers) we have the totals.

DIRECTV's video subscriber base is the third-largest traditional multi-channel video programming distributor (MVPD) in the U.S. with about 8.2 million subscribers at the end of 1Q26.

The last time it was reported, it was 8.8M at the end of 2Q25, so only a 600,000 loss for 3 quarters, which is a major improvement, since for many years before that, it was losing 500,000 a quarter, 2 Million a year.

It is now losing less than Dish/Sling combined, I believe the Genre Packs are helping to retain and get subscribers.

https://www.fitchratings.com/research/corporate-finance/fitch-rates-directv-proposed-senior-secured-debt-offering-bb-rr2-11-05-2026

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raoul5788

May 19, 2026

They have one less as of May 15th. I just couldn't justify almost $150 a month any more. I went to Fubo. Edit: And I've been a Directv customer for 30 years!

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b4pjoe

May 19, 2026

raoul5788 said:
They have one less as of May 15th. I just couldn't justify almost $150 a month any more. I went to Fubo.

Fubo would be a non starter for me. Missing channels:

NBCUniversal Channels: NBC local affiliates, USA Network, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, E!, Syfy, Telemundo, and the Golf Channel.
NBC Sports: Regional sports networks like NBC Sports Bay Area, Boston, California, and Philadelphia are also off the air.
Warner Bros. Discovery Channels: TBS, TNT, TruTV, CNN, Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV, Food Network, and Animal Planet.
A&E Networks: A&E, History, Lifetime, and Vice.
AMC Networks: AMC, IFC, SundanceTV, and WE tv

Plus most of its live TV channels and sports broadcasts are currently delivered in 720p.

Jimbo

May 19, 2026

b4pjoe said:
Fubo would be a non starter for me. Missing channels:

NBCUniversal Channels: NBC local affiliates, USA Network, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, E!, Syfy, Telemundo, and the Golf Channel.

NBC Sports: Regional sports networks like NBC Sports Bay Area, Boston, California, and Philadelphia are also off the air.

Warner Bros. Discovery Channels: TBS, TNT, TruTV, CNN, Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV, Food Network, and Animal Planet.

A&E Networks: A&E, History, Lifetime, and Vice.

AMC Networks: AMC, IFC, SundanceTV, and WE tv

Plus most of its live TV channels and sports broadcasts are currently delivered in 720p.

YouTube TV

raoul5788

May 19, 2026

b4pjoe said:
Fubo would be a non starter for me. Missing channels:

NBCUniversal Channels: NBC local affiliates, USA Network, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, E!, Syfy, Telemundo, and the Golf Channel.

NBC Sports: Regional sports networks like NBC Sports Bay Area, Boston, California, and Philadelphia are also off the air.

Warner Bros. Discovery Channels: TBS, TNT, TruTV, CNN, Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV, Food Network, and Animal Planet.

A&E Networks: A&E, History, Lifetime, and Vice.

AMC Networks: AMC, IFC, SundanceTV, and WE tv

Plus most of its live TV channels and sports broadcasts are currently delivered in 720p.

Understandable. It's always a choice of price vs channels. The $60/month difference made my choice easier.

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Arctic_fox

Today at 12:41 AM

Jimbo said:
YouTube TV

YTTV don't carry the Regional sports channels

dishrich

Today at 1:20 AM

Arctic_fox said:
YTTV don't carry the Regional sports channels

It does still carry the NBC Sports branded RSN's, but obviously in those limited markets...

Jimbo

49 minutes ago

Arctic_fox said:
YTTV don't carry the Regional sports channels

RSN's ... are they still Alive ?

Unless your looking for the Non Major sports,,they are pretty pointless.

b4pjoe

3 minutes ago

raoul5788 said:
Understandable. It's always a choice of price vs channels. The $60/month difference made my choice easier.

I see Fubo is getting the NBC Universal channels back. That will help them.

NBCUniversal Channels Like Telemundo and Bravo Are Returning to Fubo

Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply 53 minutes ago · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

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....

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long_time_DNC

Yesterday at 3:37 PM

Help Is On Its Way - Little River Band

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sdfntx

Yesterday at 6:00 PM

Little Band of Gold - Sonny James

RaiderPower

Yesterday at 9:13 PM

Band Of Gold - Freda Payne

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long_time_DNC

Today at 12:33 AM

Heart Of Gold - Neil Young

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ClarkGable

53 minutes ago

Gold - John Stewart

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Yespage

Pub Member / Supporter

Last reply 55 minutes ago · posted in The Sports Section

FIFA World Cup of Horrors

Mexico takes on South Africa to open the World Cup Final (it is called the Final... this just isn't the World Cup Final... Final). The tournament has been plagued with rife malfeasance as FIFA has been committing all sorts of fraud with the ticket sales. Hotel rooms have gone unfilled as the prices to attend a game and stay somewhere are through the roof. I swear this is impacting Mansfield, OH hotel rates which are higher than average for the Indycar race. And there is a broadening VAR presence which will ruin things as nothing worse now when scoring a goal and knowing you can't quite celebrate yet as they check to see if a player was offside by a pixel a half-hour ago.

The Group Stage used to mean something, but now 32 of the 48... yeah, 48 teams are going to the Knockout Round. Getting into the Knockout Round used to be a big deal, even for the US. But now... if you don't lose all of your group stage games, you get to move on. Oi! And this is avoiding all the political stuff!

I have never been so unexcited for a World Cup before. Every game used to matter. But FIFA be darned if they don't try to squeeze out every dime they can out of the players, refs, and fans.

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osu1991

Yesterday at 6:54 PM

I have no interest in watching it this year.

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Yespage

55 minutes ago

Mexico resolvingly man handle South Africa. Three red cards. I think the second one was a bit soft, more like a very cynical yellow.

The US play Paraguay today, which to me is the critical game for this group stage. Paraguay is currently 40ish in the FIFA rankings. Their friendlies since qualification have been mixed, but they come out of South America, so, they can't be ignored.

The US team is ranked 17th. I'm uncertain why. They are 2-0-3 in their last five games.

A win for the US would be critical as it would be a message that they kind of belong in the tournament. We'll be finding out if Pochettino was indeed the right manager for this squad. He has done well with higher end mid-majors.

BlackHitachi

Supporting Founder

Last reply Today at 6:26 AM · posted in Movie Talk

Last & Next Movie Watched

Since the Reds have there thread we should too!

Last watched Nine inch Nails
Next 3:10 to Yuma

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osu1991

Saturday at 9:48 PM

Rooster Cogburn.

Keep forgetting the free movies on youtube are ad free with my premium subscription.

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dfergie

Sunday at 8:42 AM

osu1991 said:
Rooster Cogburn.

Keep forgetting the free movies on youtube are ad free with my premium subscription.

There are some really good movies on youtube.
Saving Private Ryan 4k, Dolby Atmos...

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harshness

Tuesday at 9:58 AM

dfergie said:
Saving Private Ryan 4k, Dolby Atmos...

These are severely limited. Getting better than stereo audio is improving, but still has a long way to go.

dfergie

Tuesday at 10:07 AM

harshness said:
These are severely limited. Getting better than stereo audio is improving, but still has a long way to go.

I went with my 4k disc after checking out that version.

osu1991

Wednesday at 9:56 PM

View: https://youtu.be/I68627xyDPA?is=gUZB0Yv_08pE0DR3

Tonight revisiting one of my favorites. Ranks up there with Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Hunt For Red October.

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dfergie

Wednesday at 10:45 PM

Watching Monterey Pop, been awhile, had the DVD, but probably lost in the fire 10.5 years ago. HBOmax

"MysteryMan"

Yesterday at 6:26 AM

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"MysteryMan"

Today at 6:26 AM

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teachtom

Last reply Today at 6:19 AM · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Problem when I switch from Bonus View channels back to regular Dish channels

Hello everyone, new guy here. I'm trying to solve problem I'm having with Dish bonus view channels. When I'm watching the bonus view channels then I switch back to regular dish channels, after few minutes the screen flips to black and after 30 seconds flips back to regular channels and continues to flip back and forth until I turn off TV. After I wait 30 minutes and turn back on , I can use regular channels again. So, its after I switch from bonus view channels to regular dish channels the problem starts. Been trying to fix this for a month, but no luck
Here what I've done.
i contacted Dish support and they sent me a new Joey3, but no help. Switched to a different HDMI input on TV, no help. Used different HDMI cable , no help. Used different electrical wall plug, no help.
Finally got a Dish tech to check it. He ran all systems check and was OK. Finally he brought in a small TV and plugged in the HDMI out from the Joey to the small TV. He could not get the problem to occur on his small TV, so the new Joey was working OK. So, then the problem must be myTV. He made some phone calls and came back with the answer that there must be a problem with the analog to digital switch in my TV. Has anyone ever heard of a problem like this, or is it time to be looking for a new TV? My tv LG OLED65C8PUA. TV has been trouble free til now. Thanks

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HipKat

Yesterday at 5:07 PM

teachtom said:
Hello everyone, new guy here. I'm trying to solve problem I'm having with Dish bonus view channels. When I'm watching the bonus view channels then I switch back to regular dish channels, after few minutes the screen flips to black and after 30 seconds flips back to regular channels and continues to flip back and forth until I turn off TV. After I wait 30 minutes and turn back on , I can use regular channels again. So, its after I switch from bonus view channels to regular dish channels the problem starts. Been trying to fix this for a month, but no luck
Here what I've done.
i contacted Dish support and they sent me a new Joey3, but no help. Switched to a different HDMI input on TV, no help. Used different HDMI cable , no help. Used different electrical wall plug, no help.
Finally got a Dish tech to check it. He ran all systems check and was OK. Finally he brought in a small TV and plugged in the HDMI out from the Joey to the small TV. He could not get the problem to occur on his small TV, so the new Joey was working OK. So, then the problem must be myTV. He made some phone calls and came back with the answer that there must be a problem with the analog to digital switch in my TV. Has anyone ever heard of a problem like this, or is it time to be looking for a new TV? My tv LG OLED65C8PUA. TV has been trouble free til now. Thanks

First off, great TV. I'm torn between the 77C5 or the 77G5.
It sounds like the handshake between the Receiver and the TV is having a problem. Are you using the free cable that came with the Joey or a higher speed HDMI cable?? That's the f irst place I'd look

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RJT79

Yesterday at 5:17 PM

teachtom said:
Hello everyone, new guy here. I'm trying to solve problem I'm having with Dish bonus view channels. When I'm watching the bonus view channels then I switch back to regular dish channels, after few minutes the screen flips to black and after 30 seconds flips back to regular channels and continues to flip back and forth until I turn off TV. After I wait 30 minutes and turn back on , I can use regular channels again. So, its after I switch from bonus view channels to regular dish channels the problem starts. Been trying to fix this for a month, but no luck
Here what I've done.
i contacted Dish support and they sent me a new Joey3, but no help. Switched to a different HDMI input on TV, no help. Used different HDMI cable , no help. Used different electrical wall plug, no help.
Finally got a Dish tech to check it. He ran all systems check and was OK. Finally he brought in a small TV and plugged in the HDMI out from the Joey to the small TV. He could not get the problem to occur on his small TV, so the new Joey was working OK. So, then the problem must be myTV. He made some phone calls and came back with the answer that there must be a problem with the analog to digital switch in my TV. Has anyone ever heard of a problem like this, or is it time to be looking for a new TV? My tv LG OLED65C8PUA. TV has been trouble free til now. Thanks

First off, The analog to digital switch, also known as the digital television transition, is the process of converting older analog television broadcasting technology to digital broadcasting. It's used through coaxial cable for the an antenna during the mandatory switch from Analog to Digital on June 12, 2009. You either had to get a converter for your analog (Tube TV) or use a converter box that has the analog or digital tuner or an HDTV which your is and has the tuner built in. Your TV is HD and using an HDMI Cable and nothing is connected by coaxial cable so this wouldn't apply.

In my theory it probably means a new TV. I had a TV go out on my switching between the Smart Screen from the HDMI inputs before because they went faulty. Sometimes electrical surges can cause this. If you have an older home or rent an older home or apartment sometimes the electrical outlets are not grounded and these days HDTV's need a ground which can cause them to malfunction and go bad quicker. Never plug it directly in an outlet. It will damage the TV.

Hope I could be of some assistance.

RJ T.
From Illinois

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teachtom

Yesterday at 7:33 PM

RJT79 said:
First off, The analog to digital switch, also known as the digital television transition, is the process of converting older analog television broadcasting technology to digital broadcasting. It's used through coaxial cable for the an antenna during the mandatory switch from Analog to Digital on June 12, 2009. You either had to get a converter for your analog (Tube TV) or use a converter box that has the analog or digital tuner or an HDTV which your is and has the tuner built in. Your TV is HD and using an HDMI Cable and nothing is connected by coaxial cable so this wouldn't apply.

In my theory it probably means a new TV. I had a TV go out on my switching between the Smart Screen from the HDMI inputs before because they went faulty. Sometimes electrical surges can cause this. If you have an older home or rent an older home or apartment sometimes the electrical outlets are not grounded and these days HDTV's need a ground which can cause them to malfunction and go bad quicker. Never plug it directly in an outlet. It will damage the TV.

Hope I could be of some assistance.

RJ T.
From Illinois

Thank you for the information. I do keep the TV plugged into a surge protector, but we have had pretty strong thunderstorms/lightning in the last month so that have contributed to my problem.The house was built in 2009 so everything seems to be grounded correctly. We have had a power surge also. Seems like no one fixes anything any more, so just get a new one or live with the problem. Thanks

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teachtom

Yesterday at 7:39 PM

HipKat said:
First off, great TV. I'm torn between the 77C5 or the 77G5.
It sounds like the handshake between the Receiver and the TV is having a problem. Are you using the free cable that came with the Joey or a higher speed HDMI cable?? That's the f irst place I'd look

I think the HDMI cable is good, i used one of my own from my 4K atmos system, i'll switch it with another just to check. Also I have a bid in at Greentoe for 77" G5. Thanks

Reactions: HipKat and charlesrshell

HipKat

Yesterday at 8:17 PM

teachtom said:
I think the HDMI cable is good, i used one of my own from my 4K atmos system, i'll switch it with another just to check. Also I have a bid in at Greentoe for 77" G5. Thanks

I hope that works. I'm waiting til Black Friday sales

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Darrell S

Yesterday at 9:21 PM

I've had this problem with my older Sony TV. It happens when I just punch in a regular channel number. The only way it works right for me is to push guide and select a regular channel from the guide screen.

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teachtom

Today at 6:19 AM

Darrell S said:
I've had this problem with my older Sony TV. It happens when I just punch in a regular channel number. The only way it works right for me is to push guide and select a regular channel from the guide screen.

Thanks, I'll try that

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so2344

Last reply Today at 12:36 AM · posted in DIRECTV General Forum

Came back to DirectTV Satellite - Gemini question

Recently came back to DirectTV Satellite service and have two boxes, Gemini and a main HR54.

DirecTV is charging me two "TV access fees" of $10 each, but can only watch TV on the one without the server. Is there anything I can do to fix this?

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FHSPSU67

Apr 25, 2026

First receiver should be free. It is for me.

b4pjoe

Apr 25, 2026

FHSPSU67 said:
First receiver should be free. It is for me.

It is for me too. Back when they merged DIRECTV via Internet and DIRECTV Stream into one service they raised the TV access fee from $7.00 to $10.00 from both streaming and satellite and they eliminated the first receiver free for new customers only. Existing customers weren't affected by the new price and the elimination of the first receiver free policy.

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so2344

May 11, 2026

b4pjoe said:
It is for me too. Back when they merged DIRECTV via Internet and DIRECTV Stream into one service they raised the TV access fee from $7.00 to $10.00 from both streaming and satellite and they eliminated the first receiver free for new customers only. Existing customers weren't affected by the new price and the elimination of the first receiver free policy.

All of this makes me want to cancel satellite again! Customer service said we were getting billed for an old receiver but the call got cut off.

Will call back and try to get this resolved. As of now, only one TV can access satellite service. Would hope they can send another Gemini to be co-located w the main HR54.

so2344

May 28, 2026

Update: after 20 mins on phone with a non North American call center agent, they are sending a tech out. The tech support couldn't understand that the HR54 was at a different TV than the Gemini.

Arctic_fox

Today at 12:36 AM

so2344 said:
Update: after 20 mins on phone with a non North American call center agent, they are sending a tech out. The tech support couldn't understand that the HR54 was at a different TV than the Gemini.

this is why we canceled support and the csr's are garbage even the american ones. it's still under the att system!!!

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zippyfrog

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 12:07 AM · posted in The Phone & Tablet Zone

Purchasing New iPhone

I feel like this was discussed in another thread, but I can't find it. I have T-Mobile and my last iPhone upgrade was in 2020. I want to get a new iPhone, but what is the best way to go about doing it? Should I order the iPhone from T-Mobile directly, or should I buy from the Apple Store? I feel like there are pros/cons to each option.

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navychop

Yesterday at 11:48 PM

I know of no reason to buy from a cell company.

Buying from Apple gets an unlocked phone.

PS- New models come out in Octoberish.

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Foxbat

Today at 12:07 AM

I got a carrier-locked iPhone once, and it was a pain after they got bought by Sprint and I decided to go to T-Mobile and they dragged their feet to unlock the phone. I have been trading in my iPhones since and buying from the Apple Store since then.

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Cactus Jack

Last reply Yesterday at 11:50 PM · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Three Tuners?

I have a Hopper with Sling. (Don't know exact model.) A couple nights ago, I went into the DVR screen, and noted that it was recording three programs. Yet I was able to view live TV (that was not one of the channels being recorded.) Did something change? In the past, it would only let me watch one of the channels being recorded, or any recording in the DVR menu. Maybe it was streaming, although there was no indication of that?

Apologies if this has been covered; I searched and didn't find anything.

Thanks.

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Cactus Jack

Jun 3, 2026

So I tested.

Started recording three non-network shows and tried to watch live TV, would not do it, because all three tuners were in use.

Started recording two non-network shows and one network show. Still would not let me tune live TV.

Started recording one non-network show and two network shows, then it allowed live TV.

I would assume then that previously I was recording two or three network shows when it allowed live TV; I honestly don't remember what it was doing, and I didn't think to check.

Thanks for replies, everyone.

PS - How does one know whether a program is streaming? Is there a way to force streaming?

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Bobby

Jun 3, 2026

Cactus Jack said:
So I tested.

Started recording three non-network shows and tried to watch live TV, would not do it, because all three tuners were in use.

Started recording two non-network shows and one network show. Still would not let me tune live TV.

Started recording one non-network show and two network shows, then it allowed live TV.

I would assume then that previously I was recording two or three network shows when it allowed live TV; I honestly don't remember what it was doing, and I didn't think to check.

Thanks for replies, everyone.

PS - How does one know whether a program is streaming? Is there a way to force streaming?

There is no way to force streaming. It is a satellite channel or streaming channel except for the rare occasion that the satellite signal fails. If that happens some, not all, channels will automatically change to streaming. You can tell if the channel is streaming by pressing guide on the remote. if it is a streaming channel the guide will clearly show it that way.

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navychop

Jun 3, 2026

Cough, cough, Hopper3!

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Cactus Jack

Jun 5, 2026

Bobby said:
There is no way to force streaming. It is a satellite channel or streaming channel except for the rare occasion that the satellite signal fails. If that happens some, not all, channels will automatically change to streaming. You can tell if the channel is streaming by pressing guide on the remote. if it is a streaming channel the guide will clearly show it that way.

Thanks, Bobby.

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Arctic_fox

Yesterday at 11:50 PM

chokes hopper 3 all the way... 16 tuners vs 3 tuners is a night and day difference. along with a faster processor. i would call in and see if they would upgrade me or you can buy a hopper 3 from solid signal.

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iJustine

Yesterday at 10:52 PM · posted in iJustine

Good Bye, Tim! Last WWDC 🥹

Time for another AWESOME video from iJustine!

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YJjxjYvmQ8s

Direct YouTube Link - Good Bye, Tim! Last WWDC

The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!

0 Replies · 12 views

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Smuuth

Pub Member / Supporter Cutting Edge

Last reply Yesterday at 10:15 PM · posted in SatelliteGuys Classifieds

WANTED DirecTV LCC

Anyone have a DirecTV Local Channel Connector that you'd like to get rid of at a reasonable price? DirecTV is currently in a contract dispute with owner of my local ABC affiliate.

12 Replies · 317 views

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b4pjoe

Jun 2, 2026

Smuuth said:
Anyone have a DirecTV Local Channel Connector that you'd like to get rid of at a reasonable price? DirecTV is currently in a contract dispute with owner of my local ABC affiliate.

You should ask DIRECTV for one if you are affected by the dispute. I know in the past they have given them out during a dispute. Not sure if they still do that but it is free to ask.

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Smuuth

Jun 2, 2026

b4pjoe said:
You should ask DIRECTV for one if you are affected by the dispute. I know in the past they have given them out during a dispute. Not sure if they still do that but it is free to ask.

I already asked, but the CS agent said they wouldn't do it. They said the only thing they could do is $10/month bill credit.

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Jimbo

Jun 3, 2026

Smuuth said:
I already asked, but the CS agent said they wouldn't do it. They said the only thing they could do is $10/month bill credit.

Take the $10 and Call Back ...

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Smuuth

Monday at 10:22 AM

Jimbo said:
Take the $10 and Call Back ...

I did that. The response was that the LCC is not available. Escalated the issue to a tech support person with the same results.

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Jimbo

Monday at 10:39 AM

Smuuth said:
I did that. The response was that the LCC is not available. Escalated the issue to a tech support person with the same results.

Could be out of them I guess ... I'd keep trying, every 3-4 days.

If they are not out of them as them WHY you can't get one, seeing Your in a Dispute. Thats what they are for.
I would make them give you a real answer, don't let them off the hook.

I had one, and it worked well, but I believe I gave it to another D* friend (also had a AM21), I know I gave them away ...

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Smuuth

Monday at 10:44 AM

Jimbo said:
Could be out of them I guess ... I'd keep trying, every 3-4 days.

If they are not out of them as them WHY you can't get one, seeing Your in a Dispute. Thats what they are for.

According to the tech support guy, they don't have any in stock. He said I should receive an email when and if they have them. I even told him I would accept a refurbished unit.

Jimbo

Monday at 10:45 AM

Smuuth said:
According to the tech support guy, they don't have any in stock. He said I should receive an email when and if they have them. I even told him I would accept a refurbished unit.

I'm not sure your going to find any Refurbished ones as D* doesn't ask for them back.

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Smuuth

Monday at 10:48 AM

Jimbo said:
I'm not sure your going to find any Refurbished ones as D* doesn't ask for them back.

Yeah, I know. At one point, I even had 3 AM21s but gave them away when I got rid of my last HR54 and switched to the HS17.

Arctic_fox

Yesterday at 10:00 PM

Good luck they haven't made them in years. you could poke around on ebay and see if there's any on there. if not why not a tablo or a zapper box with an antenna connected to it

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Smuuth

Yesterday at 10:09 PM

Arctic_fox said:
Good luck they haven't made them in years. you could poke around on ebay and see if there's any on there. if not why not a tablo or a zapper box with an antenna connected to it

I have my OTA antenna connected to my television directly already so watching is not the issue. The reason I want the LCC is so I could record programs if I'm not at home to watch them live, especially since ABC is carrying both the NBA and NHL playoffs.
I have an active search on eBay and there is one there but he wants $180 plus shipping and I am not going to pay that.

Arctic_fox

Yesterday at 10:12 PM

Smuuth said:
I have my OTA antenna connected to my television directly already so watching is not the issue. The reason I want the LCC is so I could record programs if I'm not at home to watch them live, especially since ABC is carrying both the NBA and NHL playoffs.
I have an active search on eBay and there is one there but he wants $180 plus shipping and I am not going to pay that.

a tablo box is cheaper

Amazon.com

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Arctic_fox

Yesterday at 10:15 PM

why invest in hardware that's going to be boat anchors in a few years?

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WANTED DirecTV LCC