Help me decide...

[hillsmi]

I have to make a decision, and would like some opinions of what others are deciding to do regarding their christian reception.

Currently have SA through 61.5 and a 322 with DN (will be gone by end of Mar '08), and local cable service (expanded basic at the basic price)

Considering the following:

1. SA IPTV (while keeping local cable)
2. 3ABN IPTV or via dish (while keeping local cable)
3. Dish Family with the addition of either 1 or 2 above (and losing local cable) I've got a Dish 500 I can slap on the roof to receive Dish Family.
4. Looking at, but not too serious about Glorystar (a lot of those channels we wouldn't watch anyway, partly because they are in foreign languages, etc.; you can't really count as many channels as they promote if you can't understand the language).

Question: If 3ABN is a free transmission with their paid equipment (3ABN: Christian Television - Three Angels Broadcasting Network - www.3abn.org) look at the middle of the page, would it be FTA to a Dish receiver?

If 3ABN is beamed free, is it also going to continue being beamed from 61.5 with a Dish Network receiver?

Or can I aim my Dish 300 with single LNB at a different bird and still pick up 3ABN with my 322?

The only thing I am paying for now is SA and local cable. But when they stop transmitting, will I lose 3ABN through my 322, or will I still be able to get it FTA through my 322?

Any other opinions or ideas? Wanting the most christian programming with at least 3ABN, at the minimum cost.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Bill R]

No suggestion on if you should go with DISH but I HIGHLY suggest that you NOT go with Sky Angel's IPTV service (yes, I am a screwed over lifetime subscriber).

You won't be able to use DISH receivers to receive ANY of the FTA channels.

Your only choice if you want 3ABN is to get a FTA system.

Glorystar has put together a fairly good package and the hardware is good. There systems are worth your consideration.

 

[Scroll]

Or can I aim my Dish 300 with single LNB at a different bird and still pick up 3ABN with my 322?

If you go with Dish (I wouldn't) you'll need a new antenna because you need at least 119 & 110 to get their SD programming. Doesn't sound like you're interested in HDTV, in which case you'd need something else.

Just put the Dish stuff up on eBay and hope your can get something for it. That or donate it to a good thrift store.

I will hate losing my 508 receiver (which is UHF and a fee free DVR) because I can change channels from anywhere in the house. But I don't like Dish and doubt I will ever subscribe to them again.


I'm going to try GloryStar. I'm still uncertain about the actual bandwidth demands of IPTV and in my book free to me sounds nice.

Hope that helps.

 

[catkoko]

dish family

dish family or dish family and glorystar. 6 english channels from sky angel are available for free on glorystar!

dish family (according to the website) has a few christian channels already,
including angel 1
3 abn
eternal word
daystar (this used to be on sky angel)
TBN

 

[hillsmi]

No suggestion on if you should go with DISH but I HIGHLY suggest that you NOT go with Sky Angel's IPTV service (yes, I am a screwed over lifetime subscriber).QUOTE]

Is this because you are a 'screwed over' lifetimer? or are there other reasons? Please explain.

And Scroll...I already have the Dish 500 Antenna that I can hookup for receiving Dish Family (all I have to do is mount and aim it). And why wouldn't YOU go with DN? If you are going to give a reply, please provide an explanation.

As far as HD, yes, I'm not ready for it now...1. I don't want to pay the extra $20/mo for the HD, 2. My current Olevia 37" already provides me with a very good picture in analog from cable without HD service, and 3. Adding HD would also mean subscribing to a whole DN or DTV package (min of $30/mo, in addition to their HD fee of the 20+ per month...neither of which I am paying now). I know, HD may be free for 6-12 months as bait, but then I'm looking at adding the fee down the road.

Right now, I'm under NO commitment or agreement with any provider, and I would like to keep it that way.

Glorystar looked at the beginning, but when you start looking at all the viewable channels, how many foreign languages do you speak? You can automatically delete them, figuratively, if you don't speak that channel's language (why watch it, or subscribe to it if you can't understand the language?)

Keep 'em coming, what are the rest of you going to do?

 

[Mr Tony]

4. Looking at, but not too serious about Glorystar (a lot of those channels we wouldn't watch anyway, partly because they are in foreign languages, etc.; you can't really count as many channels as they promote if you can't understand the language).

There are many channels in English on Glorystar. Remember, the "Glorystar" setup is mainly just the religious channels. You dont have to scan in all the ethnic channels if you dont want to

Question: If 3ABN is a free transmission with their paid equipment (3ABN: Christian Television - Three Angels Broadcasting Network - www.3abn.org) look at the middle of the page, would it be FTA to a Dish receiver?

technically 3ABN is what we would call "open key" and as long as you have a previously subbed receiver and a current card you can get 3ABN. I can get it on my 811 which is no longer subbed to Dish.

If 3ABN is beamed free, is it also going to continue being beamed from 61.5 with a Dish Network receiver?

who knows but I assume so since Dish is the one who controls the channel, not SA

 

[hillsmi]

technically 3ABN is what we would call "open key" and as long as you have a previously subbed receiver and a current card you can get 3ABN. I can get it on my 811 which is no longer subbed to Dish.

My current 322 does not have a card, would this work, or does it have to be one of the older receivers with an actual card?

And what do you mean when you say 'previously subbed' receiver?

I've got an active DN account with a 322 active also.

 

[Mr Tony]

My current 322 does not have a card, would this work, or does it have to be one of the older receivers with an actual card?

yes it would work...the card is built in

And what do you mean when you say 'previously subbed' receiver?

pretty self explanatory. you have a subscription and when you cancel that box is now "previously subbed". A brand new box that has never been activated will not work

 

[neighbor]

Question: If 3ABN is a free transmission with their paid equipment (3ABN: Christian Television - Three Angels Broadcasting Network - 3ABN: Christian Television - Three Angels Broadcasting Network - www.3abn.org) look at the middle of the page, would it be FTA to a Dish receiver?

The "paid equipment" for satellite reception which 3ABN sells now is completely different from that which Dish and Sky Angel use.

Looking at, but not too serious about Glorystar

The "paid equipment" for satellite reception which 3 ABN sells for receiving their channel is the same type of receiver and dish which you would buy from Glorystar. The primary difference between the system which you would get from 3 ABN and the one you would get from Glorystar is that the one from Glorystar will receive the signals and all available free to air channels from both satellite AMC 4 as well as those from satellite IA 5. This is done with a special bracket, a second LNB and a switch which controls which satellite is being used to watch the channel you select as you change channels on your tv. (It comes all preprogrammed and with a simple scan you can add lots more English as well as foreign language channels. For the $35 differece in price (including shipping) I would go with the Glorystar system if you are buying a system. I have installed many systems from both 3 ABN and Glorystar. Install equipment and instructions are similar although for the Glorystar system there are the extra steps involved in fine tuning to both satellites. (You can always use the Glorystar system on only AMC 4 for 3 ABN, LLU, Hope, etc. and set the extra parts aside to install at a future time.) Most posters on this site seem to like the reciever from Glorystar, the Fortec Mecury II. I don't see many comments on the brand receiver from 3 ABN, a Topfield. Both work fine if all you want is 3 ABN free to air.
3ABN is also available on at least two of Dish Network satellites, including 61.5 where you are pointed for Sky Angle. Unless Dish Network changes things you likely will still get 3 ABN free on this satellite with your present Dish Network/Sky Angel receiver, however, Dish could change how and where they broadcast 3 ABN at any time.

 

[Scroll]

And Scroll...I already have the Dish 500 Antenna that I can hookup for receiving Dish Family (all I have to do is mount and aim it). And why wouldn't YOU go with DN? If you are going to give a reply, please provide an explanation.

Well since I was asked. First I can hold Echostar at least a little responsible for the demise of SA. They were within their rights to make an impossible offer and I have a right to resent it.

But other than that it is my personal experience with them. I had a credit balance due me and yet somehow they screwed up and managed to send my account to collections and it took months to get them to straighten it out.

Also rain fade seemed to be a much bigger problem with their setup than with DirectTv. About the only time I have an outage with DirecTV is when I probably should have the TV off and be hiding in the closet on my knees. Dish seemed to drop out everytime a dark cloud headed my way, which I'm sure was as much to do with the 3 sat positions and the multi switch to add 61.5. I can say it has been better about fade using just the Dish 500 antenna, but DirectTV still is more stable for me.

And finally I was a Dishplayer owner. Under the terms of a class action settlement I was to get a 508 receiver at a reduced price. Long story short is they never came through on the deal for me and I had to buy my own.

I would have thought it enough just to leave it at I didn't care for them too much. But hey that's the opinion they earned from me.

 

[laseradam]

If you are just wanting to receive 3ABN I would just wait around until Sky Angel goes off the air and see if you still receive 3ABN thru your Sky Angel receiver.

Sky Angel disconnected my lifetime subscription once and I still received 2 channels thru the Sky Angel receiver, 3ABN and the channel that says "you are now viewing 61.6"

If Dish network ever turns off 3ABN you could always go with one of the other options.

This may turn out to be a good deal for those who had Sky Angel only to watch 3ABN. Maybe the only positive thing about the whole affair.

If you deceide to go with either the 3ABN FTA or Glorystar system you would also be able to receive 3 more adventist TV channels, Hope Channel and Loma Linda TV and also ATN the channel that broadcast the Adventist special events Like the "NET events" and evangalistic meetings that are intended to be received by the churchs. That would add 3 more Adventist TV channels. There are also 3 Adventist Radio channels that you would be able to receive. 3ABN radio., Lifetalk Radio and an all music radio channel.

Also I see that you only have basic cable. As you may know the FCC is changing over the air TV to all digital in about a year. I just purchased a HD digital tv converter box on Ebay and put up a homemade antenna I made for free in my attic. By receiving the Digital signal that TV stations are sending out now I went from about 5 TV stations to about 25 stations that I pick up with my homemade antenna. All the channels come in perfect and several are in HD. One of the stations I get from Dayton has 6 six channels of religious programing. 2 of them are the same children channels that run on Sky Angel I think they are JCTV and I can't remember the other one right now but it is the one that runs Davie and Goliath.

 

[Mr Tony]

laser

The TBN "mux" on most OTA afiliates is the same as what is on G25
TBN
Church Channel
Smile of a Child
JCTV
TBN Enlance

quick run on TV in Dayton, and it looks like its WKOI 43
WKOI-TV - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[jcourt]

DTV and or Directv Family

My personal response to the crisis is both DTV and Directv Family.

Digital Television (DTV) multicasting allows broadcasters to split their digital television signal into multiple streams where viewers can receive three, four, five, even six channels from each local station – all free of charge from your over-the-air television broadcaster. TBN broadcasts JC-TV, Church Channel, TBN Enlace and Smile of a Child as their multicasted channels. Also, ION muticasts The Worship Network.

Check it out here: TBN - Trinity Broadcasting Network
Worship Network info: DTV Stations


Directv Family includes: World Harvest Television, GOD TV, Daystar, TBN, The Word, NRB, TCT and EWTN.

 

[Scroll]

If you are just wanting to receive 3ABN I would just wait around until Sky Angel goes off the air and see if you still receive 3ABN thru your Sky Angel receiver.

Nope!

That used to be the case, but no more. 3ABN is blocked.

I plugged in my backup receiver (that I used to sub until that little to do I mentioned in another thread). The only channels I could get is NASA and Dish Info, plus Angel 1.

Obviously when SA goes dark Angel 1 likely will too. Also 3ABN is on 61.5 and not listed in the Dish packages anywhere I could see, so if 61.5 goes out of service it will be gone too unless Dish picks them up. But you still likely won't be able to receive it free and like I said I can't get it now with an unsubscribed receiver even though it is in the guide.

What I found interesting is it used to be that any (or at least most) of the white channels in the guide you could get without a subscription except for sports & PPV. No more. I can see channels in "Channels You Receive" but when you tune them in it says the access card yada, yada.

So if you want 3ABN keep looking for alternatives.

 

[Mr Tony]

interesting...they must have changed that recently for 3ABN

 

[Mr Tony]

Digital Television (DTV) multicasting allows broadcasters to split their digital television signal into multiple streams where viewers can receive three, four, five, even six channels from each local station – all free of charge from your over-the-air television broadcaster. TBN broadcasts JC-TV, Church Channel, TBN Enlace and Smile of a Child as their multicasted channels. Also, ION muticasts The Worship Network.

the only thing is the TBN channel has to be full power and in digital to get all 5 channels. Where I live (Minneapolis) our TBN channel is analog and a translator station so all we get is a fuzzy picture on TBN. We do have 3ABN, EWTN and Daystar also on low powered UHF stations.

 

[Scroll]

interesting...they must have changed that recently for 3ABN

You're right! When I said I had no channels in the other thread after my shutoff I forgot about 3ABN. That was the only 61.5 programming channel I DID have. But this morning I got the access card message on it.

 

[Mr Tony]

well then scrap my post above about 3ABN on a previously subbed box

 

[jashobeam]

We used to get TBN here on rabbit ears. It was pretty clear and analog. I don't know when exactly that stopped, but I have not been able to pick up the channel in a good while at all.

 

[laseradam]

If 3ABN is not going to be on Dish as a free channel and you want 3ABN for sure I would go with the 3ABN dish or glorystar system.

Who knows if the 3ABN IPTV will " pan out" in the end.

3ABN will allways need their KU satellite to send the signals to the affiliate TV stations. And if 3ABN quits broadcasting in the clear over satellite that would be the end of 3ABN. Once you pay for the equipment from Glorystar or 3ABN you won't have to pay for anything else unlike IPTV.