channel guide if using antenna

[quad]

Hi,
I'm getting Dish installed next week, with the vip722. I'm planning on using an over the air antenna, so didn't see a need to pay for locals thru Dish. I found out from Dish that if I do this, then I won't be able to use the TV guide to see what shows are playing on local channels, and would have problems trying to record local station shows because of this. Is there any way around this? Do I have to get locals thru Dish in order to see what shows are playing on the TV guide? This seems crazy to me. Thanks for any advise.

 

[LER]

It's true. Spend the $6/mo for the locals

 

[jerryez]

Get the DVR Advantage plan. It is the best deal.

 

[old corps]

Do what jerryez said, tell 'em you want DVR advantage BEFORE you sign the contract! AT200/DVR Advantage includes your DVR fee and locals (with the guide info) for $49.99. I get my locals OTA for the HD via my antenna but without the guide manual timers and programming info is a PITA. If you were already gonna get AT200 without locals and with the DVR fee I believe would be $48.97, so it'll only cost ya $1.02 more!

Ed

 

[dlsnyder]

Even when you do pay for locals on Dish, the guide for your local channels may not be all that accurate. Here in the LA area there are several digital broadcast channels that show nothing but "digital service" in the guide. If Dish would permit the OTA guide data to be used then the guide would be much more accurate. Instead they depend on Tribune to gather it all for them.

 

[Jim5506]

For the 99th time, the PSIP data in the OTA guide is unreliable and irregular from station to station so it is useless fro recording purposes. That's why NO ONE uses it for DVR purposes.

 

[robre]

I went for the DVR advantage plan myself and I think for a few bucks more a month I got the locals, which gives me not only the guide, but I can now record one local while watching another since I now have OTA and Satellite locals. I think going for the DVR advantage plan, it also locked in my prices for several years.

 

[quad]

Thanks for all your input. I had a question about the person that stated the OTA digital program guide is inaccurate and that is why no one uses it for DVR purposes. Have many of you found that true? That is the main reason to me for getting the 722 is to be able to record HD channels, and most of the things I watch are on local channels.

Thanks again for any help.

 

[osu1991]

The guide is usually 99% accurate, but you only get guide info for channels that dish provides. In Tulsa our PBS subchannels have been inaccurate and our weather subchannels just show digital service. But all the other major channels have correct info.

 

[Cold Irons]

My local guide data is also 99% accurate. Subscribe to the locals & your guide data for the big 4 networks will be fine.

 

[EricBskiVT]

I've had no problem with the locals guide and I got DVR Advantage also.

 

[davepo]

What are my options here : I leased a 622 in Aug 06, 2 year agreement. I had the 250 pack with locals and downgraded to the 200 pack and cut out the locals. My OTA receptions is excellent, analog and digital. Lost my guide info on OTA HD. Can I get this DVR advantage plan ? Or do I have to wait til my contract is up ? Any ideas ?

 

[griz_fan]

Thanks for all your input. I had a question about the person that stated the OTA digital program guide is inaccurate and that is why no one uses it for DVR purposes. Have many of you found that true? That is the main reason to me for getting the 722 is to be able to record HD channels, and most of the things I watch are on local channels.

Thanks again for any help.

Actually... I think what was originally stated was that the PSIP data that is embedded in OTA digital broadcasts, which feeds into guide systems such as the TV Guide system built into my Toshiba DLP, is very unreliable. And, it is. Each station has to make sure the PSIP data is coded correctly, and it often isn't. My TV Guide onscreen guide for my TV always bombs out, and some times takes days to restore.
That is why its a good idea to use a different source for your guide data, such as the one provided by Dish. Some will argue that it is a rip-off making you pay for local SD channels just in order to get guide data, but for most people, they have both SD and HD TVs on the account, so getting the SD channels make sense any way. Besides, the last I checked, Dish isn't a charity, they have to make money some way.

So, I think it is worth the extra few dollars for the SD locals in order to get what has proven to be very reliable guide data for my local OTA digital channels.

 

[EricBskiVT]

What are my options here : I leased a 622 in Aug 06, 2 year agreement. I had the 250 pack with locals and downgraded to the 200 pack and cut out the locals. My OTA receptions is excellent, analog and digital. Lost my guide info on OTA HD. Can I get this DVR advantage plan ? Or do I have to wait til my contract is up ? Any ideas ?

I called Dish 6 weeks after my HD upgrade and resulting contract. I had no problem adding DVR Advantage w/locals for $1.03/month plus tax. Money well spent!

 

[dlsnyder]

DVR Advantage with AT250 actually saved me just over $3 a month over what I was paying. A really good deal as far as I am concerned.

Dish could do much better as far as the digital subchannel guide info goes. I know that my local PBS stations publish the info as I can find it on their websites. They also have no guide data for any channel they do not carry in their locals package, such as KPXN or KTBN in Los Angeles. Not that I really watch them, but that guide data is out there for those who do. One good thing is that if you live on the edge of a DMA and can get some out of market channels OTA, the guide data for those channels fills in even if they do not appear in your satellite locals package. I was kind of surprised one day when I scanned in a channel in Santa Barbara that happened to appear one day and the guide data showed up. Pretty cool!

 

[bobinchico]

The only local OTA guide info not accurate is my PBS station. But, the guide for the SD version of my PBS station is accurate! Of course, this only applies when the two say different things.