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DIRECTV losing SD channels: trying to make sense of it all

Even though DIRECTV’s been on a path to transition away from SD for 7 years, there’s still a lot of confusion about how it’s going to be done and what it means to people out there. A lot of our RV and marine customers depend on SD channels for various reasons. While losing standard definition might not be a big deal for most customers, it has the potential to make a real difference to mobile and marine folks. So, sit back and let’s talk about what’s actually going on in DIRECTV-land. First, let’s look back DIRECTV rolled out its first HD channels around 2005. So we’re talking about 20 years since all this started. The US broadcasting system moved to all-digital in 2009, about 15 years ago. Yet, DIRECTV continued to provide standard...
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Is there a voice remote for older DIRECTV boxes?

For years, we at Solid Signal have been asked if DIRECTV offered a voice remote. Although I personally don’t understand it — I’m perfectly fine pressing buttons — voice remotes have been popular with other pay-TV providers. Unfortunately, the answer to that question has been “no.” DIRECTV did offer a voice control system through its app for some time. I reviewed it when it rolled out a decade ago. I just took another look at that review, and I remember how hard it was to say anything really nice about the whole system. 2013 was just too early for that kind of technology and it just plain didn’t work well. The voice control system never was a big hit. It proved so unpopular that they took it out. No one, myself included, noticed. I...
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Summer is here. Is your RV ready?

That’s right friends, summer is officially here. We talk about Memorial Day as if it were the first day of summer. Technically it’s today, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. We’re all set for three months of long, bright nights, warm days, and fun in the sun. RVing, the real national pastime I know everyone says baseball is our national pastime. It is, if you mean “watching baseball.” Most of us don’t actually play baseball. On the other hand, a lot of folks head off in the RV for the summer. Are you one of them? Even if you’re out on the road, the last thing you want to do is leave the world behind. That idea went out with flip phones. No, you want to be connected and you want the best entertainment the world...
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UPDATED FOR ’23 and beyond: Get to know “Tuner Math”

It’s more confusing than ever. When you’re planning your home viewing, you may be considering putting DIRECTV in every room. There’s a little more to it than just running a cable. You need to be using the right satellite dish and you need to understand how DIRECTV thinks about your home system. You might think of the number of black boxes in the house, but DIRECTV thinks in terms of “tuners.” In DIRECTV parlance, a tuner is defined as the ability to watch or record one channel. In order to watch one thing and record another, you need two tuners. But it gets a little more complicated than that. Receivers vs. Clients DIRECTV has done everything they possibly can to make this as confusing as possible. On the one hand they have receivers...
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Ken Reid and Ian Brownell

April 20-26, 1985 This week Ken welcomes host of Arne Pod (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/arne-pod/id1454163890) and purveyor of the fun TikTok account @arnepod, Chris Arneson. Ken and Chris discuss what we did at the start of the pandemic, Chris’ birthday, being born in 1993, why 1985 is one of Ken and Chris’ favorite years, Back to the Future, podcasting, Manhunter, Evil Dead, horror flicks, horror comedy, John Hughes, celebrity vibes, Rob Lowe, background acting, John Candy’s death, The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, Deborah Shelton, tobacco pouches, “dippin”, cigarettes, mouth cancer, mixing facts with fiction, docudrama, the truth vs the legend, baseball, why Stone Cold may be the greatest action movie of all time, The...
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Marine Satellite TV: DIRECTV or DISH

DIRECTV and DISH are the most popular providers of marine satellite TV in the U.S. As a marine electronics installer, do you know which one is best for your clients? DIRECTV or DISH? One of your clients might ask you which is best for their marine satellite TV installation. If you want to provide total and complete service to your clients, you’d better be able to recommend the right satellite TV provider to your customers. When it comes to marine satellite systems, there are subtle differences between DIRECTV and DISH Network. Understanding these differences is the key to recommending the right satellite TV installation for each client. The Marine Satellite Experts To help marine electronics installers, I’ve brought in some of the...
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Five Things Marine Installers Need to Know About DIRECTV

Are you a marine electronics installer who has questions about satellite TV installations? Signal Connect, the division of Signal Group responsible for satellite TV sales and support, has the answers. Signal Connect is a member of the NMEA, the National Marine Electronics Association. This organization is dedicated to helping its members streamline the process of outfitting boats with the latest tech. Even before the pandemic, NMEA’s remote presentations helped people all across the country participate in a roundtable to try to get as much information as possible. NMEA has called upon the Signal Connect experts time and time again to try to help explain the thornier parts of satellite television. Satellite TV is a strong part of marine...
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Your local provider is shutting down their TV service. What can you do?

It’s starting to make news all over the country. Smaller cable TV companies are getting out of the cable TV business. It’s astounding to me. These are often the same companies that were slow to offer high-speed internet, and now they’ve completely changed their tune. Now they only want to offer high-speed internet, and they’d be just fine if you stopped calling them “the cable company.” I guess cable really is a dirty word. Why is this happening? Well, it’s hard to give one answer that applies to every situation. But, I think that if you look at trends in the marketplace, it’s getting harder and harder for these smaller operations to compete. People either want to go streaming-only, or they want a really robust TV package that...
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Podcast #533: SiriusXM is actually a great solution

Solid Signal is now a SiriusXM dealer. You probably have no idea of the great services they offer to marine and fleet customers. They’re pretty good for your car, too. Call 888-233-7563 to find out more. Listen to the podcast your way! Just choose one of the following: Option 1: Click on the image above to stream the podcast in your browser. If you use the YouTube player above, be sure to subscribe to get future videos delivered to you! Option 2: The Solid Signal Podcast is available on several podcast aggregators. Search for us, or tap on the links below on your mobile device. If you want us to add another aggregator leave a comment below. Amazon iTunes Google Podcasts Overcast TuneIn Spreaker Stitcher Player.fm Spotify Option 3...
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Can you use DIRECTV’s Cloud DVR service with your Gemini for satellite?

Thanks to Signal Pro Ryan McDonnell for this suggestion! DIRECTV’s Gemini comes in two distinct flavors, as you probably know by now. One is designed for people who have a satellite dish and a Genie in their home. The other is for people who use DIRECTV’s streaming service. Yes, they are both called Gemini. Yes, they look identical. But the differences start to mount up when you get under the skin. Gemini for Internet-only customers The “Gemini for Internet-only customers” is the device that until recently was called the “DIRECTV Stream device.” Before that it was the “AT&T TV device.” Internally, it’s always been called Osprey, but it’s never been publicly advertised as such. This is the device you want if you don’t want a...
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13 Overnight RV Parking Tips

Are you about to take an overnight RV trip and need some place to park and rest? Many people do this, while others wonder about free overnight RV parking. Specifically, they want to know where they can do this. There’s no rulebook that lists the places you can park your motorhome, but we have the next best thing. We talked with many of the RV owners we know and got some rock solid tips from them. If you need to park overnight, this information will help you plan your next RV trip. Overnight RV Parking at Campgrounds and Parks Anyone who lives the RV life knows that campgrounds and parks are the best place to stop overnight. You get water, sewer, and electricity hookups at these places, but those benefits come at a cost. If you’ve...
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This infrared thermometer is too much fun to put down

Seriously. I’ve had one of these for about a year and it’s a blast. Yes, I know this Smart Sensor Non-Contact Digital IR Laser Point Thermometer is supposed to be a serious tool but once you get done checking the temperature of your refrigerator you’re going to want to play with it. Just point and shoot, and you’ll get temperatures in Fahrenheit or Celsius. The idea of an infrared thermometer is dead simple. Everything in the universe (except black holes) gives off infrared radiation. When you’re on a planet like Earth that has air, that infrared radiation corresponds to heat. This device detects the infrared radiation on the surface of something and does some math to tell you its temperature. It’s not affected by hot air in between it...
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Beef up your RV’s Wi-Fi with KING products

If you look at a certain way, there are two kinds of RVers. Not that either is better than the other, mind you. And some folks might fit into both categories. Which are you? Some RVers stay at RV parks pretty near the highway. These parks are near food and other amenities, and are often tricked out with things like cable TV service and Wi-Fi. On the other hand, there are other RVers who go out into the woods to stay for a while. They bring everything they need in the RV and go to RV parks that are really campgrounds more than anything else. The allure there is the fresh air and the ability to get away from it all. This article is really for the first group. Nothing against you nature fans, because that’s a great way to be. But this...
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IT’S A MYTH: Do cell carriers want you to have poor service indoors?

Tell me if you’ve heard this one. Supposedly AT&T, Verizon, and other cellular carriers don’t want you to put a cellular signal booster into your office. The cell booster doesn’t make them any money and it increases the traffic to their cell sites, which are already overloaded. The story goes on to say that cell carriers design their coverage maps to make sure people inside get a great signal but people inside, well they’re on their own. They would rather that people inside their homes and offices use Wi-Fi Calling. Wi-Fi Calling decreases the load on the cellular network by shifting it to internet service providers (who, in many cases, aren’t the same people as the cell providers. Except, that’s a load of horsehockey. Over and over...
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