Tribune Broadcasting Company Blacks Out DISH Customers in 33 Markets;

[MikeD-C05]

I suggested years ago,that if it is a problem for DISH to do sub channels , then just allow the receiver to read the psip data for the sub channels only and only uplink the main 4 networks that DISH does in just about every dma for their locals pack and provide data from the satellite for them. I would rather have some data for my sub channels than none. This would be a good compromise that would make everyone happier. A simple software down load should enable it , just like the tv sees psip data now on your ota tuner built in to your tv.

 

[dare2be]

Im wondering how the Tivo Roamio OTA and other OTA DVRs get their guide data. The Roamio OTA guide is 2 weeks so it must be getting it thru the internet. Possibly Zap2it.
That Roamio OTA is looking very attractive now that there is no TIVO subscription fee with it. When my Dish contract ends I will probably try "cord cutting" for a few months by just using a Roamio OTA and Roku.

The guide data still costs money. The Roamio OTA is just charging the subscription fee upfront (lifetime), and you can't get out of paying it, it's the bulk of the purchase price.

 

[Hall]

You can't claim Dish doesn't want to use PSIP guide data and then in the next sentence say they use it to supply sub-channel data.

You read too much into that. They use the PSIP data to get the TSID only. The sub-channels have a unique TSID as well. That TSID is used to match up guide data that they purchase from Tribune, TV Guide, or whoever supplies the data.

Check the OTA guide data for a sub-channel and see how far out it goes. Then check what Dish shows for that same channel. Safe to say Dish isn't using the full PSIP-supplied guide data.

Lastly, to be clear, I have cried foul on Dish from day one when they pull guide data during disputes. I have had an antenna connected to my Dish receiver from the first receiver (that we had) that utilized it.

 

[Tony S]

OK, I just received the free antenna that Dish sent to me. It is an RCA ANT1450BFW, which is an amplified, flat, multi-directional antenna. As I and everyone else speculated, Dish did NOT send me an OTA dongle for my HWS receiver. The customer service agent told me that I would be receiving the OTA dongle, but he was wrong!

This is what Dish sent:
http://www.rcaantennas.net/indoor-hd-antenna/?sku=ANT1450BF

Now I have to decide if I should call Dish and pester them for the OTA dongle that they told me I would be receiving.

BTW, extremely fast shipping and delivery of the antenna!

 

[Jimmerinwi]

Here's the one I just got today. It's an amplified flat antenna.

 

[Tony S]

That is interesting! Although they are similar, it looks like they sent jimmerinwe a different version of the antenna than I received.

 

[charlesrshell]

OK, I just received the free antenna that Dish sent to me. It is an RCA ANT1450BFW, which is an amplified flat multi-directional antenna. As I and everyone else speculated, Dish did NOT send me an OTA dongle for my HWS receiver. The customer service agent told me that I would be receiving the OTA dongle, but he was wrong!

This is what Dish sent:
http://www.rcaantennas.net/indoor-hd-antenna/?sku=ANT1450BF

Now I have to decide if I should call Dish and pester them for the OTA dongle that they told me I would be receiving.

BTW, extremely fast shipping and delivery of the antenna!

Doesn't hurt anything to call and ask about the OTA dongle. Looks like a nice antenna DISH sent you.

 

[charlesrshell]

Here's the one I just got today. It's an amplified flat antenna. View attachment 117524View attachment 117525

Looks like a nice OTA antenna. Thanks for the pics.

 

[Tony S]

Doesn't hurt anything to call and ask about the OTA dongle. Looks like a nice antenna DISH sent you.

Yes, Dish did send a nice antenna; better than what I expected!

I probably will call and ask about the OTA dongle. I have been a Dish customer for over 17 years, and in the past, they have made exceptions for me.

 

[singhnx01]

Yes, Dish did send a nice antenna; better than what I expected!

I probably will call and ask about the OTA dongle. I have been a Dish customer for over 17 years, and in the past, they have made exceptions for me.

I just did the online chat. They are going to send me antenna and also gave credit of $5 for 3 months.

 

[Hall]

From the RCA page for this antenna:

Receives TV broadcasts including 4K and 1080 HDTV for highest-quality picture and sound, both UHF and VHF stations – up to 50 miles from the tower

Doesn't the ATSC spec top out at 1920 x 1080 ?

And pick up stations from 50 miles away ? I'm sorry, but that's a bit of a wild claim to make without an asterisk like "when antenna is located on an exterior wall, at an elevation of 6000'+ and absolute flat terrain exists between this location and the broadcast tower".

 

[Tron2012]

What gets me is this is just another one of those typical corporate he-said, she-said, they-said, we-NEVER-said, finger pointing situations where we the consumers are caught in the middle. Over the years I've learned to not believe either side of an argument I have no inside knowledge on. Truths will be stretched, facts will be omitted, and sometimes blatant lies being spewed just to try and win the battle. You simply cannot believe either side anymore, unless you actually are involved in the talks/negotiations.

If you watch the video Dish now broadcasts on our Chicago local channel 9 which is blocked, you get this warm and fuzzy feeling that Dish really is the good guy and Tribune (along with our government rules) are the weeds in the lawn. Greedy, intrusive, out for only their own gain. But then again....

I received this response from our local Tribune station which makes them out to be the poor, 90 pound weakling being bullied by Dish. Sucks either way. Glad I didn't really watch WGN a lot so not missing much. But we do like their local news in the morning and the evening on occasion...and maybe a little Celebrity Name Game now and then.

Jim:

We understand your frustration. We’re frustrated too. No matter what you hear from DISH, you should know that we offered an extension of more than 60 days to reach a fair agreement. They rejected it.

We have a lot of issues to work out. That said, all we are asking for is market rates… not rates that set the market, just something in line with what DISH is already paying others like us and similar to what we are getting from other satellite, telco and cable providers.

Something else to keep in mind: We have successfully arrived at fair agreements with TV service providers across the country, big and small. DISH has taken station groups and networks off their systems 13 times in just the past three years.

We invest a lot in high-quality local news, weather, sports, sporting events, and special coverage of the community. You’re paying DISH for our station. You should receive it. If you haven’t called DISH to express your frustration, we encourage you to do so. They can be reached at 855-YES-WGN9 or 855-937-9469 and demand they bring WGN-Channel 9 Chicago back or demand a rebate on your bill from DISH.

We’re sorry this is where things stand. We’ll do our best to get this situation resolved.

Sincerely,
Chicago’s Very Own WGN-TV​

 

[bluegras]

Tribune: Dish Giving Broadcaster Cold Shoulder
With Game Six of the NBA Championship Finals looming, broadcaster Tribune Media said it is getting the silent treatment from Dish Network, concerning their days-old retransmission consent dispute.
http://www.multichannel.com/news/finance/tribune-dish-giving-broadcaster-cold-shoulder/405697?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

[.Andy]

fot an rca flat hdtv antenna. I went to chat since they told me I would get the adapter and basically was told I was told wrong even though I shared the transcript. They should give a free OTA adapter if this is there solution.

 

[btedford]

I did online chat with Dish on monday about getting the OTA USB adapter for free and what they ended up doing since they were out of stock, was crediting the amount to my account so I could go out and buy one.

 

[Tony S]

...And pick up stations from 50 miles away ? I'm sorry, but that's a bit of a wild claim to make without an asterisk like "when antenna is located on an exterior wall, at an elevation of 6000'+ and absolute flat terrain exists between this location and the broadcast tower".

I have been playing around with the antenna for the past hour. I "live in the sticks" and am pretty far away from any big cities. I have found that the signal strength on this antenna varies greatly with the antenna's placement. Sometimes, only moving it an inch affects the signal level a lot! In addition, the wire that leads from the antenna to the TV is a big part of the antenna, and I have found that positioning/routing the wire is just as important as positioning the antenna itself.

Using the antenna, I was able to locate 30 channels that I can receive successfully. The stations include my local PBS, NBC, CBS, and FOX channels. Each of these stations are about 40 miles from my location. When I held the antenna in my hand and walked around the room, I could get signal levels over 70% on my TV. In the spot where I actually could mount the antenna in my family room, I am getting signal strengths of 47% to 70% on those channels. The signal is high enough so that there is no signal break ups or stuttering.

Since I am receiving channels from 40 miles away successfully, and with decent signal strengths, RCA's claim of picking up stations from 50 miles away seems believable.

 

[bobvick]

I have been playing around with the antenna for the past hour. I "live in the sticks" and am pretty far away from any big cities. I have found that the signal strength on this antenna varies greatly with the antenna's placement. Sometimes, only moving it an inch affects the signal level a lot! In addition, the wire that leads from the antenna to the TV is a big part of the antenna, and I have found that positioning/routing the wire is just as important as positioning the antenna itself.

Using the antenna, I was able to locate 30 channels that I can receive successfully. The stations include my local PBS, NBC, CBS, and FOX channels. Each of these stations are about 40 miles from my location. When I held the antenna in my hand and walked around the room, I could get signal levels over 70% on my TV. In the spot where I actually could mount the antenna in my family room, I am getting signal strengths of 47% to 70% on those channels. The signal is high enough so that there is no signal break ups or stuttering.

Since I am receiving channels from 40 miles away successfully, and with decent signal strengths, RCA's claim of picking up stations from 50 miles away seems believable.

Are you doing that indoors? How is the terrain where you live?

 

[30rock]

Tribune: Dish Giving Broadcaster Cold Shoulder
With Game Six of the NBA Championship Finals looming, broadcaster Tribune Media said it is getting the silent treatment from Dish Network, concerning their days-old retransmission consent dispute.
http://www.multichannel.com/news/finance/tribune-dish-giving-broadcaster-cold-shoulder/405697?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I get why they're trying to get it resolved in anticipation for Game 6 (or 7), but with only 3 ABC stations, if I was Tribune I wouldn't be hurt too much if Dish wants to play hardball til 5 seconds before the game starts.

 

[Jw2016]

I had read somewhere that by 2020 retrans fees paid to broadcasters will be over 10 billion!.

 

[Tony S]

Are you doing that indoors? How is the terrain where you live?

Yes, I am indoors in my family room. I live in a very hilly part of rural eastern Connecticut. I live at the top of one of the hills. That is probably helping me.

BTW, the picture quality of my OTA local channels is a lot better than what I get via satellite with the HWS receiver (as expected).