Not sure why this is. it seems like i have duplicate channels in the 9000-9999 range . Called Dish support they didnt have any reason?
thanks
thanks
New Customer Stupid Question (Why do the channels repeat)
- Thread starter cnaimo
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For HD, the higher numbers are the channel numbers, sd is at the lower location. The HD channels are then mapped to the same number as the sd to make them easier to find for longtime subscribers adding HD.
Lets say you have the channel 9224 twice in the guide. The upper channel 9224 is The HD channel and the lower channel 9224 is the SD channel.
The 9000 range channels are indeed the HD definition channels for our programming packages. DISH doesn't want customers having to search thousands of channels for their favorite channels so we take that HD channle and "map it down" to the standard channel. TNT is channel 138 which is where customer have been use to watching the channel, so we take the channel from 9420 and send to 138 so your channel has the HD feed. This is called mapping down the channels. We do this for locals as well as they can be at the lower channel numbers and easier for our customers to find.
I guess the real question is why is the necessary to begin with...inquiring minds
For the convenience of humanoids and to keep it simple.
Think of this way using locals. Think of how many cities/areas have channel 3, or 4 etc... To make it easy Dish wants you do know you can go to channel 3 just like you would with an antenna, or usually from your cable company. They can only have one channel 3 on the satellite if they simply put your channel 3 on their system. But, they can put as many channels 3's as they need at higher numbers, so mine might be 5698, yours might be 6433, etc. But then they "Map Down" or simply replicate that channel for you at what looks like channel 3. You are actually picking the higher number. Sort of like Windows and using a shortcut. You know to go to the desktop to open WORD, but WORD isn't where you are clicking it's taking you to a another usually harder place to find to get to WORD.
Why does Dish feel they have to do this but Directv doesn't? There are no higher number repeat channels, SD/HD are the same. TBS is 247, TBS HD is also 247, they're next to each other in the guide (if you don't side SD duplicates, which I don't because I can't stand the stretch-o-vision on the Turner HD channels). Locals only appear once, on the actual number. I used to have Dish and just thought it was the way it was and never thought about it until now that Directv doesn't do this. (OR, does Directv do it in a way that customers don't see it. They must with locals for reasons described earlier.)
Dish could "Hide" the extra channels but instead they chose to leave that "option" available to the consumer.. (With the lock and hide feature)
DTV = better with sports. Dish = better with basic "cable" channels. That's not really debatable, it's also why I am now with Directv. I would like NatGeo Wild and a few other channels in HD, but Sunday Ticket and MSG are more important TO ME. Directv's HD picture is very slightly better than Dish Network's but Dish's SD is a bit better. Always a trade-off.
I like how dish maps down the hd to the ch number we all ready. cable in my area doesn't. I have to find the hd wherever they put it and it takes so long to do
It's just the way things work with the Dish receivers. Think of it in terms of a computer. You have folders that contain programs, say you want to have two different versions of firefox.exe. Well, it's not possible to place two firefox.exe's in a single folder, therefore you can place one copy of firefox.exe in the folder, then place the different version of firefox.exe in another folder, then create a shortcut named firefox.exe.lnk in the same folder as the first firefox.exe. Well since Windows hides file extensions by default, then both icons would simply appear as "firefox."
Long story short, say you have TBS SD and HD, channel 139, well, there can't be two actual channel 139's so they make the SD actual channel 139 and the HD some 9000 number. Then they place a shortcut called channel 139 to the real location of the HD feed. Now you have two 139's side-by-side, HD and SD.
I'm not sure exactly how DirecTV works, but I have a feeling they just simply hide the duplicate channels.
I honestly don't see what the big deal is really. You can always lock out the duplicates/make a favorites list if they bother you that much. I personally never notice them.
And I prefer having the 9000 range open, so if I record something off SYFY at 9pm, and turn around and record something off of SYFY again at 10pm I can set one recording up on the mapped down channel 122, and then the second recording up on 9432 and get a 1 minute before and 3 minute over run making sure that my full programs on SYFY get record with nothing cut off at the beginning or end.
What I don't understand in all this, is the SD channels are mirrored, but the 4-digit channel number IS hidden. Why don't/can't they do something similar for the HD channels? For example:
[TABLE="align: center"]
[TR="class: FTA"]
[TD]107
4670
[/TD]
[TD]CMDY [107 4670]
CMDY [107 4670]
[/TD]
[TD]Comedy Central
Comedy Central
[/TD]
[TD]MPEG4 SD
MPEG4 SD
[/TD]
[TD]61.5°W
61.5°W
[/TD]
[TD]18
18
[/TD]
[TD]8PSK (2/3)
8PSK (2/3)
[/TD]
[TD]ConUS beam
ConUS beam
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]AT120
[/TD]
[TD]Available
Available
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
It's probably just my lack of knowledge of the difference between mirroring and mapdowns.
[TABLE="align: center"]
[TR="class: FTA"]
[TD]107
4670
[/TD]
[TD]CMDY [107 4670]
CMDY [107 4670]
[/TD]
[TD]Comedy Central
Comedy Central
[/TD]
[TD]MPEG4 SD
MPEG4 SD
[/TD]
[TD]61.5°W
61.5°W
[/TD]
[TD]18
18
[/TD]
[TD]8PSK (2/3)
8PSK (2/3)
[/TD]
[TD]ConUS beam
ConUS beam
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]AT120
[/TD]
[TD]Available
Available
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
It's probably just my lack of knowledge of the difference between mirroring and mapdowns.
Last edited:
I think the difference is that mirroring is done on DISH Network's side, and mapdowns are done locally on the receivers.
