Locals Question

[Tac]

I live in Erie, PA (16504) and currently have E* because they have my locals. If I switched to D* I would lose my locals. Are there locals options for me? If not does the D* receiver receive OTA locals and am I able to record them?

I am considering switching but we watch and record a number of network shows so that is a concern.

 

[youngbloodz]

You can apply for the Distant Network Services, which you get ABC, CBS, NBC, etc, but they come out of either Los Angeles or New York, and they are a 1 - 3.00 PER channel.

 

[jcrandall]

You can get OTA with some HD receivers. The newest will require a $59 add on box that comes out around March.

You would need an HD-DVR to record them, the HR-21. It will cost $199, and you'll need the OTA add on. Assuming you can get your locals OTA, you could record them, no extra monthly fees.

Since they don't have locals in your area - you save $3 / month on your package.

Distants are tough to get, so don't count on that, if you can't get them OTA, you may be better where you're at.

 

[Jimbo]

I live in Erie, PA (16504) and currently have E* because they have my locals. If I switched to D* I would lose my locals. Are there locals options for me? If not does the D* receiver receive OTA locals and am I able to record them?

I am considering switching but we watch and record a number of network shows so that is a concern.

IF you want to use an OTA antenna, you can get ALL your locals in HD that way. Call D* tell them you want to come to them but need the HR20-700,-100 because you want the HD DVR that you can use with your Over the Air antenna.

btw, your only like 5 miles from the towers so either indoor or outdoor should work well.

Jimbo

 

[youngbloodz]

My current receiver has an OTA plugin, is that meant for the antenna? If i were to plug that in, would i just look in the guide under local channels?

 

[Jimbo]

My current receiver has an OTA plugin, is that meant for the antenna? If i were to plug that in, would i just look in the guide under local channels?

IF you get either the HR20's YES they have an antenna input.
I of these rec's have an internal RF input and one is built in, they both have RF available, I mention this because how it's labeled ....
That said, YES , there is an OTA ANTENNA input on both of these units.

Jimbo

 

[Tac]

With the antenna input does it allow you to record/view SD OTA locals or only HD OTA locals.

Only 1 of our networks is in HD right now and they are at low power.

 

[raoul5788]

With the antenna input does it allow you to record/view SD OTA locals or only HD OTA locals.

Only 1 of our networks is in HD right now and they are at low power.

You can get the digital sd and hd locals, but there is no analog tuner, only digital.

 

[ONUOsFan]

My current receiver has an OTA plugin, is that meant for the antenna? If i were to plug that in, would i just look in the guide under local channels?

There's a setup for it in the Menu. Go into the Antenna portion of the Satellite and Antenna setup and run the initial setup. It will ask you to put in your ZIP code and then will download the available channels and start downloading the guide data. From there you can "edit" the available channels, which is basically just deciding which of the OTA channels you actually want to be available for your guide. As long as they are selected here, you'll be able to add them to a favorites list.

Once that's done, you'll be able to do anything with those channels that you can do with the satellite ones, including recording them (assuming you have a DVR).

 

[Tac]

Would those channels show up in the guide even if D* doesn't offer locals in my area?

 

[wjbarton]

Would those channels show up in the guide even if D* doesn't offer locals in my area?

Yes. As an example if your locals are channels 4, 6 and 10, after running the satellite setup and choosing "satellite & antenna" instead of "satellite only" or "antenna only", you'll see channels 4-1, 6-1, and 10-1 in your guide. Most local stations in major markets have more than one digital broadcast, so if that applies to you you'll also see 4-2, 6-2, 10-2, 10-3, etc.

You'll need to connect an antenna first of course - any old indoor bunny-ear antenna or better will do, does not have to be a "digital" or "hdtv" antenna, as some are being marketed. I used an indoor one for a bit that I cleanly routed through an exterior wall onto a covered patio, and had no OTA signal issues. I used that one $25 antenna to feed an HR10 and an HR20.

 

[piercy67]

Does anyone know if Directv plans to offer local channels for Binghamton, New York?

 

[FHSPSU67]

IF you get either the HR20's YES they have an antenna input.
I of these rec's have an internal RF input and one is built in, they both have RF available, I mention this because how it's labeled ....
That said, YES , there is an OTA ANTENNA input on both of these units.

Jimbo

The RF external/internal antenna is for an RF remote such as the RC-64. There is a separate OTA antenna coax input for local reception of SD/HD channels.