Locals over antenna - how to see program info?

[darelldd]

Total Dish newbie here, and nobody at Dish can answer my question:

Yesterday, I had my stuff installed (722 receiver/DVR) and I originally signed up for local HD channels. The tech set everything up, and plugged in my exterior antenna, and I had ALL the local HD channels over the air already! (In other words, the guide listed all my local channels twice - once on air, and one through the sat). When first turned on, the "programing info" was not available for those over-the-air channels. Just said "Digital Service" in every time slot. The tech did something (pressed a few buttons on the remite), and presto - the program info for the air locals downloaded, and they showed up in the guide.. So I could then set up recording by choosing a show.

FF to last night. I called to remove the local sat channels since I could get them for free. Now it seems the programing info is gone again (from the guide). I can watch the channels perfectly, but cannot choose shows to record. I don't know when the Olympics are on my NBC station, for example.

Does anybody know how to get that local channel info back into the guide?? OR am I required to also subscribe to the local channels through Dish to get that info (as I've been told by one CS guy - though none of them have sounded like they even know what I'm talking about)??

Thanks!
- Darell

 

[HDRoberts]

OR am I required to also subscribe to the local channels through Dish to get that info

Bingo.

 

[KAB]

You need to subscribe to SD locals for you OTA guide to show. You can do DVR advantage which includes them as well as one DVR fee.

 

[Andrewwski]

If you don't subscribe to locals through satellite, you won't get guide info for them OTA.

You'd have to look in the newspaper or on the internet for the schedules, and set manual timers. Which is more trouble than it's worth.

 

[darelldd]

Thanks guys. Ug. At least that's good to have confirmed, even if it wasn't the answer I wanted. Here I have phenominal reception OTA for ALL channels I'd get with the Dish local lineup... and I still have to pay for the Dish stuff to get the programming. Damn.

So if I sign back up for the locals through Dish, will the OTA programming just come back automatically (though now I don't even need the OTA stuff since it will mostly be redundant!)?

 

[darelldd]

You need to subscribe to SD locals for you OTA guide to show. You can do DVR advantage which includes them as well as one DVR fee.

I currently have TurboHD Bronze, and am paying for one DVR. I don't see a cheaper way to get local programming besides just adding back the locals for another $5/month. But then this stuff still confuses me plenty.

 

[8bitbytes]

Thanks guys. Ug. At least that's good to have confirmed, even if it wasn't the answer I wanted. Here I have phenominal reception OTA for ALL channels I'd get with the Dish local lineup... and I still have to pay for the Dish stuff to get the programming. Damn.

So if I sign back up for the locals through Dish, will the OTA programming just come back automatically (though now I don't even need the OTA stuff since it will mostly be redundant!)?

I need the Dish locals and the OTA locals when I'm recording three things at one time!

 

[KAB]

So if I sign back up for the locals through Dish, will the OTA programming just come back automatically (though now I don't even need the OTA stuff since it will mostly be redundant!)?

Sort of. You will probably need to run Check Switch when after Program Guide will update.

 

[jbernardi]

Don't forget that with Dish HD locals and OTA HD locals, you have the capability to watch/record a combination of three channels at the same time (as long as one of them is an OTA channel.)

Edit: 8bitbytes beat to this answer.

 

[darelldd]

Sort of. You will probably need to run Check Switch when after Program Guide will update.

Thanks! You guys are awesome. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I should have asked here before wasting two hours on the phone with the Dish folks!

 

[zhaofl]

I need the Dish locals and the OTA locals when I'm recording three things at one time!

Exactly. When I first had Dish installed, I was wondering why pay $5 just to get the local guide. Then I realiazed that it is not just for the convinence, but also the ability to record/view three local channels vs. only one OTA local.

 

[darelldd]

Aaaahh! If only the Dish folks knew this! I swear that I haven't yet spoken to anybody there who actually uses these devices.

OK, ok. After signing up for locals yesterday, turning them off last night... I guess I'll go ahead and turn them back on now. :sigh:


I VERY much appreciate all this great info.

 

[8bitbytes]

When I watch live, I prefer the OTA, when I record shows for later, I use a combination: My shows, OTA, her shows, Dish. She doesn't care and will watch them on the tv most of the time. I watch mine on my 8 foot screen so I need OTA when I can get it.

 

[darelldd]

Uh-oh. One more bit of help needed! Where do I find Check Switch? I've done it before, but can't find it now.

I've turned my locals back on, and they seem to now be charging me $5.99?

 

[darelldd]

Ah. Found it! Fingers crossed that it works!

 

[EricBskiVT]

I currently have TurboHD Bronze, and am paying for one DVR. I don't see a cheaper way to get local programming besides just adding back the locals for another $5/month. But then this stuff still confuses me plenty.

DVR Advantage which includes locals only added $1.08 to my monthly bill vs over $5 without DVR Advantage. Do it! Worth every penny!

 

[darelldd]

DVR Advantage which includes locals only added $1.08 to my monthly bill vs over $5 without DVR Advantage. Do it! Worth every penny!

This doesn't seem to be an option for me.

$25 for TurboHD bronze
$5 for local channels
$6 for DVR
-$1 for the "package"

Total of $34.99

It is all finally working now.

 

[Ronald_Jeremy]

Aaaahh! If only the Dish folks knew this! I swear that I haven't yet spoken to anybody there who actually uses these devices.

They don't use the devices because they can't get a dish signal in India.

 

[Zoreo]

You can go to a website like http://www.zap2it.com and tailor it to whatever channels (including Dish & local OTA) you want.

 

[darelldd]

They don't use the devices because they can't get a dish signal in India.

Ah yes. An excellent point.

One thing to note. The VERY first time I called for "technical advice," I got an amazingly knowledgeable, American tech on the phone. Knew how to do everything, and knew exactly where everything in the menu structure was found and how to operate it - WITHOUT having to "research it" every 20 seconds for several minutes. I didn't want to let her go! Ever since that first call, I've been routed to India, and these people just don't know a thing about the devices they support. They are obviously following an org chart system - though none of my questions seem to fit their mold.

Frustrating is a mild word for the experience. It took TWO hours before I gave up on the OTA programming info. In all that time, they couldn't figure out what you guys all knew: You only get the programming info when you have a local station subscription.