OTA showing Digital Service on some stations

chrisv

Member
Original poster
Feb 18, 2004
6
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Anyone have any idea how to get the OTA guide info mapping correctly where it shows program info instead of Digital Service?
I subscribe to locals so I know that isn't the issue. I get guide data for NBC WVTM, CBS WIAT, and UPN WABM. ABC WCFT, FOX WBRC, and PBS WBIQ all show Digital Service...which makes recording a program from the OTA a major pain. Have to create manual timers for each event.

Called tech support and they are clueless...they blame it on the station provider. If I understand correctly...this data is filled from the locals that I subscribe to. Asked for advanced tech support and he said he was it. The only thing I could get out of them was to submit a "uncommon trend" to engineering. Somehow I don't have a lot of faith in that process.

Any ideas how to fix this? Seems like I remember Scott taking up a collection of channels that were doing this when the 811 was introduced....and putting it in the right hands to get it fixed....or am I way off?

Thanks
Chris
 
On my 811, I am subscribed to locals and get all the program info for the main OTA channels(ie no sunchannels). These are the channels that get programming info:

CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, KBYU, FOX, KJAZZ, I/PAX, WB . Only the subchannels say Digital service/channel
 
Yeah, I didn't expect to see the subchannels...but the main channel -01 would be nice. Make recording things like 24 on Fox a lot easier.
 
Mine works for the channels that Dish has guide data for (and carries as an local via satellite.) I also subscribe to the local channels.

The ones that say Digital Service are the subchannels, or stations Dish does not cary as a LIL, such as the stations I receiver from Springfield Mass.
 
These are all carried in the locals I subscribe to and they are the main network channels and not subchannels. Guess I will wait and see if engineering comes back with anything.

thanks
 
I have EPG for most local Milwaukee channels, no EPG for sub-channels. With my attic CM 4228 I also have most Chicago stations (70 miles:D ). And I have EPG for ABC, NBC, UPN, FOX Chicago affiliates, but no EPG for WGN.
Both 942, 811 produce the same result.
I think Dish should do better in local EPG. It should not depend on subscribing to Dish locals.
 
I have the same problem with my local WB station. It says "Digital Service" on the main channel as well as the sub channel. It is also a station that is carried by Dish in my local programming. so I know that's not the issue. It's very frustrating when trying to recoed OTA.
 
I think what the tech may mean is that the local OTA providers aren't providing a certain tag that identifies itself to Dish to know which guide info to attribute to it. That's the only guess I have.
 
It all depends on your market. For instance, people that live in a big DMA, seem to have their data for OTA channels (not including sub-channels) all there. For my market (OKC DMA) for instance, on my 811 I don't receive guide data for channels that Dish does carry, and that are not sub-channels. Which sounds like what you are experiencing. I am able to receive channels from another DMA (Tulsa) OTA, and I get EPG data for even some of those channels--the ones that are available on 110 and 119 since I don't have a dish pointed at the other slot that Dish has some of those channels on.

More or less, Dish receivers are sorry excuses for OTA tuners. You'd be better off getting an OTA STB separate from your satellite receiver--better yet, have a TV with one built in :). The reason why, because they instead of using the data in the stream that is in your OTA signal for EPG data, they (Dish Network receivers) use this data instead to tie the channel(s) with LIL (local channels delivered via satellite) channels that Dish have available. If Dish doesn't carry the channel in question, you won't get guide data, and like in yours and mines case, most of the time we don't even get guide data for channels that they do have. The reason why, because for whatever reason, if the local station does something different that the Dish receiver doesn't understand, the receiver doesn't know which channel to tie it to, and therefore, no EPG data. Which, is likely the reason why people in bigger markets get better EPG data for OTA--i.e. bigger markets are better at keeping things constant and correct or at least correct according to Dish Networks receivers.

Something you will notice, one night you might get guide data on one channel (or more channels), then the next you won't, and back and forth it will go. You might get lucky and have guide data more often than not, but in my case it is almost on a night to night case--have guide data one night, next night no EPG data for same channel(s).
 
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