Free Previews Discussion Thread - February 2021

pattykay

formerly crodrules
Original poster
Jun 14, 2014
8,620
7,746
North Central Ohio
  • Like
Reactions: worstman1
I am looking at the free preview page it shows that the NBA League Pass preview starts today. I currently do not see the channels on my receiver from 5000-5031. Does anyone else see the channels? I did reset my receiver and have the guide redownload, but still don't see them showing.

 
I am looking at the free preview page it shows that the NBA League Pass preview starts today. I currently do not see the channels on my receiver from 5000-5031. Does anyone else see the channels? I did reset my receiver and have the guide redownload, but still don't see them showing.

Nothing on my Wally yet.. Also reset just to make sure
 
Unless it is turned on in the next couple of minutes as the games tip off, I think Dish dropped the ball on starting the free preview on time. NBA.com has the free preview of the online League Pass starting this evening and going through Feb. 21st. Dates line up with the Dish free preview site.
 
Interestingly, on my sister's Wally, I do see an ad for the NBA League Pass free preview in the banner at the bottom of the screen. It says:
"NBA League Pass Free Preview Channel 470 For info visit mydish.com/NBA "

Going to that NBA page on the mydish site does not provide any information about the free preview, though. There also has not been anything in the uplink reports to authorize the free preview, either, just the usual Sports Channel Changes.

In the guide, channel 470 only has one channel: NBA TV HD (and that channel requires using the All Channels list to make it visible). Selecting the Heat at Clippers game on channel 470-01 results in the Unsubscribed 014 pop-up.

So, for the previous NBA League Pass free preview, Dish did not promote it all, but we actually did get it. Now, it is the exact opposite: Dish is promoting the heck out of this preview, but we are not able to get it. :mad:
 
  • Like
Reactions: zippyfrog
It shows up this afternoon now - just a day late!
Yes, I wonder if Dish will now extend it until the 22nd, to make up for not giving it to us yesterday. On the other hand, considering the problem with the previous preview, where some of the games were not available on Dish at all, is it possible that all of yesterday's games had the same issue? In other words, we would not have gotten any of the games anyway, even if the channels had actually been turned on?
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Tvland1
Yes, I wonder if Dish will now extend it until the 22nd, to make up for not giving it to us yesterday. On the other hand, considering the problem with the previous preview, where some of the games were not available on Dish at all, is it possible that all of yesterday's games had the same issue? In other words, we would not have gotten any of the games anyway, even if the channels had actually been turned on?
Ha Ha!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: zippyfrog
Curious why 321 was left off the Showtime preview.
Do you have an HD receiver? My receiver connected to Western Arc skips channels 321 and 324. However, my receiver is a deactivated 512, and those two channels are HD-only. My activated receiver connected to Eastern Arc does see both 321 and 324, though. It is possible that your guide is not yet mapping those channels (or perhaps just that one channel) down to the proper three-digit channel number yet. You can look for Sho*BET (normally channel 321) on channel 9513, and Showtime Family Zone (normally channel 324) on channel 9478.
 
Hey bluenerd,

Our free preview list is showing 321 will be included. You can see the channels listed here: https://my.dish.com/perks/free-preview
That list also shows that the NBA League Pass preview was supposed to start on the 15th, but it actually did not start until the 16th, as documented earlier in this thread. Will the NBA League Pass preview be extended by an extra day, to make up for us missing the first day of the scheduled preview?
 
Do you have an HD receiver? My receiver connected to Western Arc skips channels 321 and 324. However, my receiver is a deactivated 512, and those two channels are HD-only. My activated receiver connected to Eastern Arc does see both 321 and 324, though. It is possible that your guide is not yet mapping those channels (or perhaps just that one channel) down to the proper three-digit channel number yet. You can look for Sho*BET (normally channel 321) on channel 9513, and Showtime Family Zone (normally channel 324) on channel 9478.
To answer the question (moot though), yes, Hopper 3. But I was incorrect, it was 322 that was not showing up, but is now. Haven't checked the uplink but I could swear it wasn't on it earlier. Then again I would have sworn 322 was 321 so maybe I should ease back on the damn swearing.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: pattykay
To answer the question (moot though), yes, Hopper 3. But I was incorrect, it was 322 that was not showing up, but is now. Haven't checked the uplink but I could swear it wasn't on it earlier. Then again I would have sworn 322 was 321 so maybe I should ease back on the damn swearing.
You are correct about channel 322 not being in the uplink report. That is the opposite situation, since that channel is SD-only. None of the SD feeds show up in the uplink reports when previews begin or end. (The exception is Hidden channels, which have to be un-hidden at the start of previews, and then re-hidden when the previews end.) This is because Dish uses a different method to authorize those SD feed previews (sending data in the guide data stream, if I remember correctly) that does not show up in the uplink report the way that the Package Flag Changes for the HD feeds do.
 
What no BBC America for March! Oh the shame.:)
March isn't here yet. So far, only three new previews have been added. Unless one of the existing previews gets extended, that leaves Dish at least one preview short, since they tend to feature at least four channels each month. Also, BBC America is one of the channels that still tends to not quite be in sync with the beginning and end of the month for their previews, like most of the "month-long" previews have actually been for almost a year now. So there is still a chance!
 
***

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)