Why can't Dish use TV GUIDE information for ota locals not carried by satellite?

[MikeD-C05]

Why can't they use TV GUIDE information for ota locals for the rest of the locals not carried up on the satellite?

They could enable this feature via software and upload the guide information up on the satellite. THen when you ran a scan for digital locals and you were not in an area that Dish does locals on the satellite yet, you could get your digital guide information for name based recording options. OF course the customer would have to call Dish and add the ota guide information as a feature just like when they want to add locals.

They could charge say 5.99 for the ota guide information if you don't get locals from Dish. If you wanted your Dish locals and you could still get out of area digital channels , not carried by Dish , you could still get your guide information and It would be free.

Another scenerio would if you had a 622 and you only wanted your ota locals and guide information and a regular programming pack instead of a metalic pack , then Dish would charge you the 6.00 enabeling fee + the 5.99 for the ota guide information. OF course if you have Dish locals you should get the digital guide information for locals out of your area for free , just like you get the hd ota channels if you sub to the analog channels. Once the locals are added up on the satellite then it would be one less city that Tv Guide would have to add the information. It could be a temporary solution till Dish gets around to finishing the rest of the analog locals or a permanet one if they don't.

This of course would give Dish more revenue off of anyone who wanted their ota guide information and it would make the customers happy that don't yet have their locals up on the satellite in the last 40 or so dmas. TV Guide would benefit as well as they already provide guide information for free with some hd tvs . My Toshiba hdtv has this feature added and you just set it up with your zipcode and it loads the guide for your digital and analog stations. This could be added as a sub menu on the locals menu . You load your zipcode and the psip data would be read and linked to the guide information for it up on the satellite and bingo you get a program guide for your locals not carried by Dish.

I see this as a big plus for Dish and their customers as well especially if they never finish the sd locals left in the country. What do ya'll think?

 

[MikeD-C05]

Well I take it that the 28 people that read this thread have no opinions on this idea?

 

[katellite]

Good post, I think Dish could easily add guide information if they wanted to.. even if they didn't use TV-guide. Sounds like some contractual/regulation issue..What was the original reason they never had guide information for OTA locals..?

 

[boy921]

My EPG still displays the TV Guide logo. E* should add the content needed by their subscribers.

 

[VinceT3]

if it really bothered me I guess I could hook it up to the each TV which has theTV Guide built in and get a week or two's worth of data for the OTA from that.. comes in on the PBS station .. but most of the secondary channels I don't watch so I'm not that picky about it.. though I would be pleased to see them do something so simple as adding that..

 

[foghorn2]

OK, I'm impressed with Dish being a convert from Cable. Here in Vegas locals are available but not in HD. So I use OTA. The guide OTA should be available to me with no extra charge or at leased a reduced charge.

 

[walendvay]

OTA guide information is available on D*'s HR10-250 without subscribing to local channels. In addition, my local PBS channel has 5 sub-channels. E* doesn't show the guide data, however D* did.

Finally, my ABC station doesn't timeshift their digital HD content. So, the SD channel is off by one hour from the HD. D* displayed accurate guide info. E* mirrors the SD to the HD channel, so it is wrong.

I wish E* could fix this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jcrandall]

There is some evidence in uplinks that they are working on a solution for sub channel guide data. However, there is no anounced or leaked plans or timeline, and I've seen no feedback if it is working.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I think the idea is potentially a good one, but I hate to give E* the idea for another thing to charge for.

 

[csschrot]

I just think DISH should pass the PSIP data and let the receiver do the work directly. My new TV does a great job with the guide data.

Oh wait, this is DISH we are talking about. They never do anything the easy way.

 

[waltinvt]

I just think DISH should pass the PSIP data and let the receiver do the work directly. My new TV does a great job with the guide data.

Oh wait, this is DISH we are talking about. They never do anything the easy way.

No, they never do anything the "free" way. I honestly don't know if it's a hardware or software thing that their receivers don't use the PSIP data but it really doesn't matter - Dish still wants that extra $6/mo from their subs whose OTA is so good they don't need or want LiLs. It's that simple.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

They are doing a few tests on ways to do this. Trust me they are activly working on this.

 

[waltinvt]

They are doing a few tests on ways to do this. Trust me they are activly working on this.

Thanks Scott - guess it slipped by me as this is the first I've heard about this.

Dish could probably improve their "PR" a lot if they'd occasionally announce when they're "actively" working on an issue like this.

But I suppose if they "leak" it through you instead, you're the goat when it doesn't happen and they can claim they never said anything.

 

[foghorn2]

Dish need to beat their competitors in every way. I think they should give the OTA guide for no charge like cable and D*. They will get less gripes from vocal current customers and therfore more subscribers and more profits.

I would hate to convince my family and neighbors to get Dish by showing them my system and then remark how my great looking local HD channels have no guide data to record with but will have to pay extra money for channels we already get just to get the guide.

They probably would get turned off by that and stick with Cable or even DTV.

I hope you guys are right about E* working on this for the future.

 

[hperry]

I just wanted to add that I'm in the same boat here. Had the 622 installed Monday and was shocked when I found out that there was no OTA guide data. The installer told me the tuner would display whatever guide data is being transmitted by the digital stations but he was obviously wrong. So I called DISH and complained about this. The sales guy I had been working with really had no clue and wanted to transfer me to tech support. But I already knew the problem...the only option I had was to add locals. Fortunately, that did work in my case. I've read other threads where even adding the locals did not solve the OTA guide problem. But it just sucks that I have to pay the extra fee for only guide data...

DISH..please fix this!

 

[Derwin0]

I just think DISH should pass the PSIP data and let the receiver do the work directly. My new TV does a great job with the guide data.

Oh wait, this is DISH we are talking about. They never do anything the easy way.

That's the last thing I want to happen. Stations handle PSIP differently. If Dish were to use it, then it would play havoc with Name Based Timers in the newer DVR's.

The implementation they are using with the virtual 5-digit channels seems to work, now only if they'd get it for all of them.

All I need is guide data for PBS-MPT, Tube (on WNUV & WPMT), and WBFF (has Goodtimes TV on a sub-channel). The only other sub-channels I have are weather & Radar, and so don't really need guide data for them.
Correct Data for WMAR would be nice too.

 

[navychop]

Scott might mean they are working on adding the subchannel guides, not adding OTA guide info for people who don't subscribe to locals from Dish.

I can't picture NBR working with PSIP data. Maybe my opinion of PSIP data is too low.

- - - - - -

Is it the subchannel guide data alone that's missing, or is it that the subchannels themselves are also not transmitted?

For example, near DC, do Dish HD LiLs include 4-1 & 4-2, plus 26-1 thru 26-4 during the day and 26-1 & 26-2 at night, and 66-1 thru 66-6?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Thanks Scott - guess it slipped by me as this is the first I've heard about this.

Dish could probably improve their "PR" a lot if they'd occasionally announce when they're "actively" working on an issue like this.

But I suppose if they "leak" it through you instead, you're the goat when it doesn't happen and they can claim they never said anything.

We are always AHEAD of them announcing things.

Dont forget there is a Tech Chat on Monday Night.

 

[MichaelC]

I'm also upset that I don't have guide info for local channels. I switched from Direct TV and I had Locals and guide info. Now with Dish no guide info and no locals offered. It's hard to use the PVR for locals because of no guide. When I had Voom I had guide info. Dish can do better.

 

[MikeD-C05]

They are doing a few tests on ways to do this. Trust me they are activly working on this.

So Scott are they working to enable some form of ota guide information as I suggest using the TV Guide data for those who can't get locals via Dish or are they doing sub channels guide information. Can you elaborate on this? :