THE OFFICAL DIRECTV QUESTIONS THREAD

[BFG]

not sure, but I beleive I've read several places where peopl'es bill state $1.50 for a single network

 

[Ramy]

Problems with CBS-HD channel 80

I am getting a big Directv emblem on the screen with the message "This station is not currently broadcasting". Anyone else getting this message?
Channel 81 CBS-HD west is fine by the way.

 

[dfergie]

Watching Csi on E* cbshd now, was sd for first 11 minutes or so...maybe mutual problems...

 

[byron!]

WCBS-DT is having OTA problems in the NY metro area.. the problem isn't on D*'s end.

 

[bcushman]

I am getting a big Directv emblem on the screen with the message "This station is not currently broadcasting". Anyone else getting this message?
Channel 81 CBS-HD west is fine by the way.

I'm getting the same message here

 

[charper1]

i am almost certain it will be a toroidial type dish

 

[DIGITAL~DAN]

Dan

Yes it could be the card,call directv and ask them to send you another card.when you get the new card do as it says and see if it solves your problem.if it does not solve your problem then your lnb may be cracked and letting mosture in,some of the early triple LMB'S had this problem.I can personally tell you this can happen because it happened to me recentely and I was able to remove the LNB and shake the water out of the feed horn and reseal it with clear sealastic.I did this about two weeks ago and all of my siginal on all satellites went up dramatically and I have had no more problems.............hope this helps......................DIGITAL~DAN

 

[DIGITAL~DAN]

This is correct WCBS is having problems its not a directv issue.

 

[Neutron]

Is your dish the Phase-III? You can tell because the 3 LNBs are in one casing and you have 4 coax out. If that's the case you may have a bad multiswitch which is built into the LNB casing.

 

[caeyathompson]

If anything, if you can get a digital signal you should be able to get the analog, most Digital stations are not broadcasting at full power (mostly due to saving money or not fully built yet) so the analog area should extend a little further than the Digital area.

Well, I respectfully disagree. With digital, it's an all or nothing (black or white). You either get it or you don't. With analog, you have black and white and various shades of gray.

You may very well get a digital channel in and watchable and still not be able to pick up analog.

Where I lived in Suburban DC is a perfect example. I could watch all of the HD channels there just fine, but there was no way I could get even a grade B analog signal.

Also, nothing we have mentioned so far answers the OPs original question.

Eligability is determine on a number of factors, mainly what's called the Grade B Contour. The Grade B Countour is basically an arbitrary alogrithm that takes in to account terrain, distance from transmitter, transmitter power and various other things like frequency of channel and height above average terrain. From this, a model (Longley-Rice) is constructed and based upon your address, your eligability is determined.

In laymans terms, if the channel you are trying to view is Channel 20 and you live in a mountainous area, you countour would be approx 50-60 miles.

Same channel in the flatlands of Arizona would be 60-70 miles as an estimate.

Hope that clears things up

Casey

 

[caeyathompson]

I can confirm, it's $2.25 for each network (E&W). I believe it used to be $1.50 and those that still get it are grandfathered in.

Can't wait for locals so I can go from $6.75 for networks to $3.

Casey

 

[Neutron]

Personally I think they should replace SD locals with HD locals to save space once this new satellite goes up. This will allow even more options for HD channels.

 

[caeyathompson]

Personally I think they should replace SD locals with HD locals to save space once this new satellite goes up. This will allow even more options for HD channels.

And who is going to replace my SD Tivo with an HD version?

Casey

 

[charper1]

You are correct and talking "real world" reception. We are talking about theoretical reception like the network uses to decide. Thus those maps. And we are saying if the FCC digital map shows him in an area then he would be in the same analog area as well. The FCC maps are also SUPPOSED to take into account deviations due to terrain and other factors.

 

[fredfa]

I think it's $1.50 a month for either E or W feed (per network) and $2.25 for both.

 

[caeyathompson]

Sorry, no, I still don't think you understand what I was saying. When you plug in your address on the little DirecTV website, it uses a database of addresses and models and what not to determine if you are within the Grade B Contour. THAT is how DirecTV/Locals determine if you are eligable or not for DNS.

Not DTV contours, not assumptions... simple fact. We all know that the Grade B contour is bogus. Hell, according to that model, I can receive a station 72 miles away with 3 Mountains over 3000ft between me and it.

But the fact still remains, the Grade B Contour is what DirecTV/Locals use.

Casey

Edit: I (hopefully) clarified my point a bit more. I also wanted to add that to the best of my knowledge, ALL of the stationsin the Burlington/Plattsburg DMA use Grade B Contour, WMUR in Manchester uses Grade B, WRC in DC uses Grade B. I can't speak for other stations, as I have never spoken to any others, but 100% of the stations I have asked before concerning waivers and determination have stated they use Grade B or Longley-Rice to determine if they will give you waiver or not.

 

[DIGITAL~DAN]

The Offical Directv Questions Trend

All Questions Should Be Put Here

 

[colofan]

There is a procedure though to have testing done at your site and if there isn't a Grade B then the TV station pays for the test and you get the waiver. This allows for real world measurements instead of just models.

You do take a risk with this test though because if you do receive a Grade B or better signal you pay for the test.

 

[silversurfer]

After receiving feedback from our valued members we have decided one thread for all D* questions is a bad idea. Unfortunately undoing this mess is a lot of work. If you had a question in here that was not answered please post a new thread so we can get you an answer....Thank you for your patience!