The real story on the AM21

[pjs344]

The reason why DirecTV stop selling the AM21 is that the manufacture of the AM21 which was Pace and that Pace was bought out by Arris last your around the time DirecTV stopped selling the AM21. Arris or DirecTV may have pulled the plug on the AM21 during the merger. So DirecTV may have not planned to end the AM21 and is now looking for another manufacture or planning to add the OTA tuners to their next gen recovers? Since the local stations are asking for more money to rebroadcast and DirecTV not being able to add the local stations sub channels I think it would be good thing to make locals an option again like DirecTV did when the locals were first offered. I think Dish is heading in that way with their new OTA usb tuner and is planning to offer the locals as an option again.

I opened the AM21N up using Torx security drivers (available on line) and got the manufacture of Pace and did some research to get this info. You would be surprised that AM21N box is way too big for the tuners pcb and could have be put in the Mini box. The added plug can be removed from the box easily and all you have to do us unplug it from the PCB and remove from Box.

The Am21 may be renamed the Arris Pace ZH4105 Satellite/ota set top box now that is now available on the Arris site.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Directv will not go to adding OTA tuners in receivers or installing antennas because of the installation factor.

#1 there are locals available in every DMA, and we know what those locals are.

#2 antennas would mean installers would have to get off their ladder to install on roofs, which creates an issue.

#3 you cannot guarantee locals to all customers or guarantee the customer will get all their locals.

#4 installing an ota tuner takes room inside the receiver and adds Cost to manufacture where less than 1% will actually use the feature.

With that said I see Directv coming out with a smaller dongle like OTA, because there are applications where OTA is necessary to have.

 

[pjs344]

You're right on the extra cost to integrate a tv tuner in the receivers and a problem with adding an outdoor antenna with the swm system. But the AM21 and antenna has been a DIY install for sometime and that would not change with a new TV dongle. The only real change would be for DTV to make locals an option again. So those subscribers that can get locals ota can save a few bucks by using the tv dongle stead of getting them via sat.

 

[Dr.Pepper]

The reason why DirecTV stop selling the AM21 is that the manufacture of the AM21 which was Pace and that Pace was bought out by Arris last your around the time DirecTV stopped selling the AM21. Arris or DirecTV may have pulled the plug on the AM21 during the merger. So DirecTV may have not planned to end the AM21 and is now looking for another manufacture or planning to add the OTA tuners to their next gen recovers? Since the local stations are asking for more money to rebroadcast and DirecTV not being able to add the local stations sub channels I think it would be good thing to make locals an option again like DirecTV did when the locals were first offered. I think Dish is heading in that way with their new OTA usb tuner and is planning to offer the locals as an option again.

I opened the AM21N up using Torx security drivers (available on line) and got the manufacture of Pace and did some research to get this info. You would be surprised that AM21N box is way too big for the tuners pcb and could have be put in the Mini box. The added plug can be removed from the box easily and all you have to do us unplug it from the PCB and remove from Box.

The Am21 may be renamed the Arris Pace ZH4105 Satellite/ota set top box now that is now available on the Arris site.

I don't know where you got your info but there is no way Dish is going this way. Their OTA dongle is considered an accessory that the customer has to pay for at his risk since they in no way can guarantee OTA reception for the customer.

 

[Mr Tony]

and even then in a lot of cases they still dont get guide info for all locals

 

[pjs344]

I guess you did not grasp what I was saying. I am not saying that Dish or DTV will drop locals from there line up. This will be an option for subscribers that are able to get locals ota and would have to buy a dongle, antenna and do a DIY install. Then opt out of paying for sat locals.

 

[pjs344]

From my research on the the DTV ota receiver is there are two ways the Am21 gets it's TV station and Network programing info. One is from the TV stations broadcast data and the other is from a channel master database. If a TV is broadcasting channel data (channel number, Network logo and program) then it gets the programing from a Network provider (Tribune Media, Rovi) and skips the master database to add the channel to the guide. If the TV station is not broadcasting any data it looks for the TV station in the master database and gets the programing from a Network provider to add the channel to the guide. If the master database on the station is out of date it may have different networks and you would have the wrong Network guide(s) for that TV station. If the station is not in the master database it will not have guide data and in the Am21 case if there is no station data there is no station and it will not show up on a channel scan. The station and guide data is not perfect. But you should get at least the listing of the 4 major networks and there subs. It's mainly the independent stations that do not broadcast the station and Network info to get a guide.

 

[raoul5788]

I guess you did not grasp what I was saying. I am not saying that Dish or DTV will drop locals from there line up. This will be an option for subscribers that are able to get locals ota and would have to buy a dongle, antenna and do a DIY install. Then opt out of paying for sat locals.

This would require a change in how Directv bills since there is no opt out provision right now. I doubt that will change.

 

[Tampa8]

I guess you did not grasp what I was saying. I am not saying that Dish or DTV will drop locals from there line up. This will be an option for subscribers that are able to get locals ota and would have to buy a dongle, antenna and do a DIY install. Then opt out of paying for sat locals.

Positively absolutely not going to happen at least with DISH and I have to think Direct. Neither is going to separate out the locals, neither wants the headaches of yet another billing option and sometimes unreliable reception on the most watched channels - Networks. I know I don't. I like the OTA option but even with strong signals sometimes weather or a plane going by interrupts the signal. Satellite has been there done that at one time with a separate charge. OTA is an enhancement not a substitute, a comparatively handful of people are going to give up being able to record two satellite locals, three with OTA to only be able to record one on a receiver.