How Dish Assigns Channel numbers?

[fallingsquirrel]

I have been finding that alot of people who have dish network can't find the alternate channels, like the BIG TEN NETWORK, when there is more than one game carried by that network. Big Ten Network is channel 439 but if they have alternate channels they are in the 54** range where no casual tv user ever would look. I am going to write to Dish and the Big Ten to explain the problem, but I was wondering if someone could explain why it makes sense for them to do this. Aren't channel numbers virtual? Couldn't they just use channel 440 for their temporary channel instead of heading to no mans land and dumping the channel there? If a $20 dollar set top box can list channel UHF 51 as channel 2 then why doesn't Dish?

Thanks, Jason

 

[fallingsquirrel]

Direct TV gets it right.

OK - I just asked a coworker about his dierct TV and he said that they just put an A or B behind the channel number for the temporary channel and put it right with the main channel in the guild. This is not what i wanted to hear. I love my dish but I can't figure out why they don't do something easier for the user than what they do now.

 

[KAB]

Just put them in a favorites list.

 

[jsorak]

I was wondering if they plan on redoing the channel numbers in the 9400 channels. The HBO HD are pretty much scattered as an example.

 

[fallingsquirrel]

You missed the point KAB

Providing a workaround is not the same as not having the problem in the first place. I don't have the problem of not being able to find the correct channel. And I don't expect anyone who posts on the internet to ever have such a problem. The people having this issue, and there seems to be many, aren't contacting dish for the channel # either, which would be a very easy way to find the correct channel #. I am looking for a reason as to why they don't stick them right next to each other.

Thanks,

 

[Yes616]

There is virtually no rhyme or reason to the placement of channels in the 9400's... anymore, anyway. It used to be 9419 and up were HD and easy to find when there weren't many channels. As more HD got turned on, the vacant spots got filled up, the Voom spots got replaced and the 9500's started to get used.

What everyone should do is create favorite lists and only use the channels in the map down range. They make the most sense.

The HBO's, Cinemax's, etc. in the 300 range you will find right next to the same channels as their SD counter parts but with an HD logo beside them. The same goes for all of the SD channels to their available HD counter parts like USA, Food, etc.

The HD ONLY channels like HDNet, etc. in the high 300's and a few of them like WFN (who needs that?) are in the upper 300's ONLY.

The sports like Big 10, use 439 and the alts are at 5440, 5441, 5442, etc. I thought these were mapped to 440, 441, etc. but I am not sure as I am out of Big 10 territory.

The only bad part about this is if a new channel launches, you won't see it unless you add it manually. To know if a new channel launches, you need to keep checking the uplink reports or go back to the HD ONLY list and scan around. The uplink reports and Tony's channel chart update news are much easier to use.

Someday this will all probably change but this is the way it is today.

It don't seem right no-how, somehow.

 

[KAB]

Providing a workaround is not the same as not having the problem in the first place. I don't have the problem of not being able to find the correct channel. And I don't expect anyone who posts on the internet to ever have such a problem. The people having this issue, and there seems to be many, aren't contacting dish for the channel # either, which would be a very easy way to find the correct channel #. I am looking for a reason as to why they don't stick them right next to each other.

Thanks,

None of us on the forum are responsible for channel placement or know the hows and whys. So, your looking in the wrong place for your answers. I'm sorry friendly advice (a workaround) is not to your liking.

 

[fallingsquirrel]

None of us on the forum are responsible for channel placement or know the hows and whys. So, your looking in the wrong place for your answers. I'm sorry friendly advice (a workaround) is not to your liking.

Are you sure? You can speak for everyone who reads and posts on this forum? I feel this is as good a place as any to start gathering information before I write to Dish. When you answered a question that I didn't ask i felt you were steering the post in a totally different direction. If you were only trying to be helpful, thanks for the help. You'd be really surprised at who's lurking on here and what they might know.

 

[Fiveft20in]

Seriously - is it that big a deal? Be happy you have the channels and just enjoy them.

 

[Slamminc11]

Seriously - is it that big a deal? Be happy you have the channels and just enjoy them.

:up :up :up

 

[Pepper]

I am privy to the secret methodology of picking channel numbers. I can't give the details but it involves a dartboard and large amounts of alcoholic beverage.

 

[Mr Tony]

They use to be at 440-443 but since they were mianly used for football and sparingly for basketball they got moved.

Plus Charlie wants those slots for other sports channels

440. The deer hunting channel
441. World Fishing Network 2
442. The Lawn Darts channel
443. The "Whack-A-Mole" channel (the game in the arcade not.......get your mind out of the gutter)

 

[Islandguy43]

They use to be at 440-443 but since they were mianly used for football and sparingly for basketball they got moved.

Plus Charlie wants those slots for other sports channels

440. The deer hunting channel
441. World Fishing Network 2
442. The Lawn Darts channel
443. The "Whack-A-Mole" channel (the game in the arcade not.......get your mind out of the gutter)

You forgot the championship horseshoes channel and the Minor League Baseball Channel, because we won't see the Major League Baseball Channel

 

[fallingsquirrel]

Seriously ???

Seriously - is it that big a deal? Be happy you have the channels and just enjoy them.

I thought that this would be a good place to ask for serious feedback and information so that I wouldn't be reinventing the wheel if this issue has already been explored. I may have been wrong. Are the comments related to the fact that I gave Direct TV a mention for making the temporary channels alot easier to find for the less tech savy viewer. I have been a Dish subscriber for 10+ years and have no intention of switching. But many of the people that I referred to dish are having problems with this issue. It's football season and it's easy to get upset when you can't find your game on TV. Will these individuals refer others they know to dish? If it makes dish a better service and it is easy to change, then I would think that dish would either have a very good reason for not placing the channels next to each other currently or would be interested in hearing feedback that could better their service. Isn't it obvious from my OP that I don't have a problem with my own equipment or with finding these channels. Maybe I'm doing a poor job with my rhetoric and not getting the nature of the post communicated. I just wanted to help dish by making there service easier to use. I will reserve comment how helpful some of the posts have been. Thanks

 

[yaz96]

Are you sure? You can speak for everyone who reads and posts on this forum? I feel this is as good a place as any to start gathering information before I write to Dish. When you answered a question that I didn't ask i felt you were steering the post in a totally different direction. If you were only trying to be helpful, thanks for the help. You'd be really surprised at who's lurking on here and what they might know.

When you've only been here a day and start swiping at members who are trying to help, you're gonna get some pushback. If you know who's lurking here, why don't you just contact them directly with your question and you might get some solid answers?

 

[Jim5506]

Down here "Wack-A-Mole" is spelled beginning with a G.

 

[Fiveft20in]

Are the comments related to the fact that I gave Direct TV a mention for making the temporary channels alot easier to find for the less tech savy viewer

Why would I possibly care about your mention of D*? Personally, I think the feuding between customers of these two services is ridiculous. Each has their advantages and disadvantages. I'm happy with my choice of E*, but that doesn't make me a hater of D* subscribers any more than it makes me dislike Ford drivers because I drive a Pontiac.

But many of the people that I referred to dish are having problems with this issue. It's football season and it's easy to get upset when you can't find your game on TV.

I, too, was surprised on the first week of football season when i couldn't find the BTN alternate channels where I expected to find them. But, honestly, it took me less than a minute to find them at 9501 and up. I didn't miss a minute of my game and I now know where to find them so it is a complete non-issue.

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense not to map all these alternate channels down into the realm of those you routinely surf. More often than not, there is nothing there to view.

 

[KAB]

Maybe I'm doing a poor job with my rhetoric

It could be better.

 

[Mr Tony]

I, too, was surprised on the first week of football season when i couldn't find the BTN alternate channels where I expected to find them. But, honestly, it took me less than a minute to find them at 9501 and up. I didn't miss a minute of my game and I now know where to find them so it is a complete non-issue.

exactly...and if you block out the PPV channels the Big10 Alt chanels are right after that.

But other than 4 hours a week during football in alot of cases and a few times during bb season the channels dont even get used so its not that big of a deal