Got my HD DNS shutoff Notice yesterday

[scotsmanron]

It sounds like D* has it's head rectally inserted once again. I can just see Tallahassee getting the HD lils and me not being able to get the signal with the 10-250!!!

Can you imagine your internet service provider telling you that you could only read the local newspaper online?

 

[jabroni]

How can you expect to get both your local HD channels and the east coast feeds both? I would pay anything to get either and people are upset they will not get BOTH?

I expect both both because I earned both and I pay for both. Without HD DNS, my 1000 dollar HD Tivo is not much more useful than the three other tivos I have.

 

[charper1]

The removal of DNS after choosing to sub to DBS provided retransmission is not 100% up to DBS, yet the result of the rules/law. So place the blame where it should go; the NAB and maybe some to the FCC. The added confusion of the ages old grading system and O&Os makes it even worse.

 

[jabroni]

Well, I have read SHVERA and the associated fact sheet. Believe it or not, I am allowed to receive no more than TWO HD networks from my associated timezone. According to this, I am legally allowed to receive Columbus digitals AND NY digitals. According to SHVERA, I am also allowed to receive LA digitals, yet Direct chose to shut mine off a while back (right before last football season, actually).

So while there is plenty of blame to go around, I can find nothing in the passed legislation that prohibits Direct form affording me these channels. Obviously, Direct will do whatever they please and the cries of an outraged customer in Columbus, Ohio mean little or nothing!

 

[charper1]

Just to inquire, what advantage or reasoning would you think any DBS provider has for taking away a channel (on their own) that they already provide to you, other than being forced to? The same thing goes for sports blackouts; they are either told to, or they are provided incorrect zip codes per area. Trust me, satellite wants to provide EVERYTING they can. Users reading SHVERA and making OUR interpretations mean nothing (just makes it more confusing); how DBS and NAB lawyers and the FCC interpret it matters.

 

[jabroni]

The advantage for Directv to shut off my LA HD nets was obvious, in that it was done just prior to football season. I quit subscribing to the NFL ST package because of the blackouts so I just had two less HD channels for watching football.

Well, I read the FCC fact sheet on SHVERA over and over and over and it is pretty straightforward, which is why I do not understand Directv's motivation. It is a pity that we cannot request (demand?) answers from all parties about how they interpret the law. If this was spelled out in plain English, we would not be having this discussion, eh?

I considered the FCC fact sheet to be the closest thing to unambiguous English as I was going to get. But I have been wrong before and may be wrong yet again!

Nevertheless, I just fired off an e-mail to Directv stating my case and asking for someone to call me with assurances!

 

[charper1]

DirecTV gains NOTHING by you losing the additional network(s), YOUR local affiliate is the one the gains. They are the loudest complaintant in all this. I am not saying the DBS can't do more or give better explinations, but I know for a fact they are NOT the real problem in this case.

 

[jabroni]

And with four waivers, my local affiliates gave up up their rights to economical gain, in my case. Well, if Directv is not the real problem in all of this, then I am completely screwed as I have NO hope of affecting the FCC or NAB or even my elected officials...........

 

[colofan]

This does make one wonder if a class action suit would provide the leverage to clear this whole mess up. In the Denver DMA OTA HD for 3 of the networks is not even in the cards at this time yet they still deny waivers full well knowing a person can not receive there signal if you don't live in downtown Denver. The stations have all the say in this which is wrong.

 

[herdfan]

The advantage for Directv to shut off my LA HD nets was obvious, in that it was done just prior to football season. I quit subscribing to the NFL ST package because of the blackouts so I just had two less HD channels for watching football.

It was a very ill-timed move on D*'s part.

They blamed the law, but were only following/ignoring parts of it. It prohibited a sub from receiving netowrk programming before their local affiliates aired it. So shutting the NY feeds off for Central time west was what the law required.

but D* decided to give Eastern and Central time the NY feeds and Mountain and Pacific the LA feeds. So Central was still getting the feed an hour before local programming which is a volation of the law.

But Eastern and Central were no longer receiving the LA feeds which the law allowed them to do.

Now the big question is will D* shut off the LA MPEG-2 feeds as soon as all the O&O's get up in MPEG-4. They have all been announced for May/June. D* would have no reason to keep the LA feeds up. They can migrate any true white area users to the MPEG-4 feeds off the closest spot beam.

 

[dfergie]

Now the big question is will D* shut off the LA MPEG-2 feeds as soon as all the O&O's get up in MPEG-4. They have all been announced for May/June. D* would have no reason to keep the LA feeds up. They can migrate any true white area users to the MPEG-4 feeds off the closest spot beam.

that would probably be the straw that broke the camels back for me with D* and I'm a 10 year subscriber...

 

[Mike McGann]

This is why I didn't rush to switch to the new hardware. Despite the fact that Philly was part of the first wave of MPEG-4, I'm fairly concerned about getting clean signal at 99 and 103, after all of the issues I've had with 110 and 119.

Frankly, if all of the OTA broadcasters kept their signals at the full radiated power for their license (yes, I'm talking to you WCAU the worst offender in this market), no one would need cable or a dish to see your signal in the suburbs. I'm less than 30 miles as the crow flies from the antenna — on top of a hill, no less — and have battled OTA gremlins for eight years.

If the FCC were about serving consumers, it would automatically grant waivers for any broadcaster not broadcasting at full power an average of 99 percent of the time (or whatever reasonable number is determined). Too many of these broadcasters want to save money on power transmission, yet lock competition out. They shouldn't be allowed to have it both ways.

 

[HDTVFanAtic]

My gut tells me that they will keep the LA locals up MPEG2 HD for the time being for 1 reason - studio executives and stars that drive around LA with $100k+ of customized autos including D* in their car. The mobile antennas don't work with Ka yet

Also, D* Execs living in LA probably have the same.

Same rationale with Wall Steet Limos in NY. And we know the Network Heads want to be able to view this in their autos!

 

[dgordo]

It was a very ill-timed move on D*'s part.

They blamed the law, but were only following/ignoring parts of it. It prohibited a sub from receiving netowrk programming before their local affiliates aired it. So shutting the NY feeds off for Central time west was what the law required.

but D* decided to give Eastern and Central time the NY feeds and Mountain and Pacific the LA feeds. So Central was still getting the feed an hour before local programming which is a volation of the law.

But Eastern and Central were no longer receiving the LA feeds which the law allowed them to do.

I need to correct you on this point. In the central time zone we get programming at the same time as the eastern time zone so it was fine to allow us to keep the NY feeds. They also could have allowed us to keep the LA feeds but did it so we would have to get NFL ST to see more NFL games.

 

[Wirelezz]

No AT9 dish - Keep your HD waivers!?

According to <This thread> if you don't have an AT9 (5LNB) dish installed you get to keep your HD waivers. Yah, right!

Does anybody on this forum really think this will fly?

 

[hancox]

Now the big question is will D* shut off the LA MPEG-2 feeds as soon as all the O&O's get up in MPEG-4. They have all been announced for May/June. D* would have no reason to keep the LA feeds up. They can migrate any true white area users to the MPEG-4 feeds off the closest spot beam.

Not unless they want a lawsuit on their hands. It's one thing to force a move from an HD-Tivo to an "inferior" D* branded product, it's quite another to force people to stop using HD DVR's altogether when you don't have an applicable product for MPEG4.

Of course, should the HR20 show its face soon, this becomes moot.

 

[stevesmall]

I assume because you have selected to receive the Chicago area HD locals via DirecTV. Thus you will also need to out that MPEG2 Samsung just like you did to the make & model in the den. I thought it was clear that if/when a sub chooses their offered HD locals, that the DNS would be turned off? Am I wrong?

i have 2 new h 20's and 3 older boxes . all hd and i have hd locals and distants on h20's and my distants are still on hdtivo, rca and sony

 

[Chuck W]

I wonder about this too. I have an even more unique situation...

I have waivers for all 4 networks, that have been in place since right before Hartford SD locals came online, thus I have always gotten NY and LA locals. I also receive Ny HD locals(but not LA, as they were dumped), as well as recently, I started receiving NY locals as part of the new Significantly Viewed channels Directv has been adding.

Now, with Hartford HD locals slated for June, I am wondering if I will continue to receive NY HD locals, since I not only receive them as SV locals, but also have waivers, to boot.

I expect them to remain for me, but with Directv, you never know anymore.

 

[newsposter]

This is why I didn't rush to switch to the new hardware. Despite the fact that Philly was part of the first wave of MPEG-4, I'm fairly concerned about getting clean signal at 99 and 103, after all of the issues I've had with 110 and 119.

Frankly, if all of the OTA broadcasters kept their signals at the full radiated power for their license (yes, I'm talking to you WCAU the worst offender in this market), no one would need cable or a dish to see your signal in the suburbs. I'm less than 30 miles as the crow flies from the antenna — on top of a hill, no less — and have battled OTA gremlins for eight years.

.

you have no problem with fox or pbs? I'm 40 miles out and those were dealbreakers...had to move the OTA outside. Also WB was in and out and not reliable. Now get very solid signals on all but PBS (only night recording for them but hey, i never even got it in before)

I admit getting a nice medium between abc and nbc was not fun..i spend 400 bucks on labor for a guy to do all this for me....but now i havent had a single problem since the install. (including trees growing back in)

Did you live thru the nbc blackout the other weekend...thank goodness it was only 3 days!

 

[charper1]

Its not always totally up to your DBS provider when it come the network and affiliate access, and waivers can be revoked.