My MDU's DirecTV support is dragging their feet...

[Brewsta]

Hi all.

I live in a college town -- Ames, IA, home to Iowa State University. In order to better compete with the on-campus options, which include highspeed Internet and free cable, almost every apartment complex also offers high-speed Internet and free cable.

My particular apartment complex instead offers free DirecTV. There is a local company here in Ames called ICS, and they've installed what they call "Analog Bulk with Digital Satellite Overlay".

Here's the verbiage from their website:
ICS can build a "headend system" to create a private cable system for your property. With high revenue potential, this service is a great value. Provides standard cable type service and local High-Definition broadcasts on all cable jacks without the need for a receiver. With the addition of a fee satellite receiver, the tenant has the option to upgrade to digital services; including HD programming, movie packages, sports channels, international programming and much more. Tenant pays for all upgrades.

So, to receive what they've dubbed Total Choice Limited, you simply need a TV that is capable of tuning normal Cable TV, and you simply run coax from the wall to your TV. No receiver necessary.

However, we have chosen to upgrade to a receiver with Choice Xtra, the Sports Pack, and HD Access. We have the necessary B-Band Converters and all that.

When the new HD channels went live, I noticed I was getting a "(771) Searching for Satellite" messages on most of them, but a few I was able to receive, except I'd get very bad pixellation / break-ups.

I sent the Satellite Manager at ICS the following e-mail:

Hi Jeremy,

I currently live at ***** Apartments and had ICS install DirecTV
with a H20 receiver in mid-August. Other than a few wrinkles in
getting our account authorized for the Big Ten Network (which have
long since been cleared up), we've been very pleased with the service.

I see that DirecTV has started broadcasting their first batch of new
HD channels from their new DirecTV-10 satellite as of a few days ago.
At this time, we are unable to receive those channels.

I've heard that the hardware simply doesn't exist for MDU situations
(such as ours) to be able to receive these new channels yet. However,
when the installer was at our apartment, he mentioned the new channels
were coming soon and made sure to install a B-Band Converter.

When the B-Band Converter test channel was up and running on Channel
499, I was able to pass the test (I got the "searching for satellite
message", as I should have).

However, I have failed the tests of channels 480, 481, and 498. I get
a "searching for satellite" message on those too, but that indicates a
failed test instead of a pass in those situations. I also get a
"searching for satellite" message when trying to tune any of the new
HD channels.

I checked my signal strengths from Satellite 103(b) and got 0's on all
transponders except for the following:
Transponder 11: 24% signal
Transponder 13: 15% signal
Transponder: 22: 22% signal

My understanding is that fact that I can see both odd and even
transponders on 103(b) indicates the B-Band Converter is probably
working correctly.

Are we unable to receive these new channels because of the fact that
we live in an MDU, and the hardware is simply unavailable? Or... is
there some other issue that could be more easily resolved so we could
start receiving those channels soon?

I live at *******

Thanks in advance for any and all help, it is greatly appreciated.

Adam

A day later, I received a response on September 28th saying,

Adam,

Thank you for the in-depth work you've done. That much information
really helps a lot.

We are not using any equipment in your building that will block the
signal. So when DirecTV talks about hardware not existing yet, that
doesn't apply to West Towne. It should work. However, we were completely
taken by surprise when DIRECTV started broadcasting on Wednesday. We
have no pre warning. I don't know how much you know about satellite
broadcast or how much you care to know, but DIRECTV-10 broadcasts in a
smaller range than previous satellites and having good signal for the
older satellites does not ensure that we are aimed at the new satellite.
Unfortunately, we have not had a way to ensure that we were aimed
properly until there was signal coming from the satellite. Now we are
left scrambling to correct the alignment of the dishes on the apartment
buildings we service.

Long story short, I am aware of the problems and we are currently
working to get every building working correctly. This came at us very
short notice so I will not have all buildings done before this weekend,
however you can expect to see service on the new channels by the first
part of next week.

I'm sorry for the delay and appreciate your patience.

Jeremy McKinley
Manager - Satellite Services
ICS Digital Satellite TV

I was pretty pleased with his response and thought nothing of it. When he promised it would be working by "early next week", I read that as between Monday, October 1st through Wednesday, October 3rd.

I emailed him again about a week asking if I could get an ETA on a resolution, but received no response -- my e-mail was ignored.

I realize that these things can take time, but it really feels like they're just dragging their feet on fixing this. Is there anyone i can call at DirecTV or otherwise to call up ICS and hopefully light a fire under their butts?

I feel like they're not in a big hurry to do this since they see no $$$$ benefit for doing it.

[Earl Bonovich]

I don't think there is anyone you could call.... as much as DirecTV would like to get all the MDU's upgraded.... is still mostly in the hands of the buildings and local installers.


But the part I liked about his message.. "taken by surprise"..

Unless they recently overhauled their systems.. (like in the last 4 months or so)... doubtfull that the equipment was ready to support the 103b sat.

[Brewsta]

I know a lot of people had said I wouldn't be able to see 103b, but I do, just low signal strengths. For example, TBS-HD is somewhat watchable, just really pixellated.

[redpeppers]

If the complex that you are residing in is not using a MFH-1 systems at the headend system and you do not have a special NAS customer device in your unit....then you will not receive the 99 or 103 feeds. If i was guessing.....if you have an analog headend system feeding your unit ....then they prolly are using a combiner to combine the analog headend and the digital overlay. This would cause conflicts with the NEW hd channels on 99 and 103. The new 5 LNB dish from directv uses a freq. range of 250 to 2150. The new 103 HD channels uses the 250 to 750 range which is also used with cable and off air analog HD systems. Thus the reason for your issue.....talk to you System Operator and if you are not using the analog HEADend system in your unit tell him to hook you straight into the digital system and lose the analog stuff and it will prolly solve your issue.

[AntAltMike]

If the complex that you are residing in is not using a MFH-1 systems at the headend system and you do not have a special NAS customer device in your unit....then you will not receive the 99 or 103 feeds. If i was guessing.....if you have an analog headend system feeding your unit ....then they prolly are using a combiner to combine the analog headend and the digital overlay. This would cause conflicts with the NEW hd channels on 99 and 103. The new 5 LNB dish from directv uses a freq. range of 250 to 2150. The new 103 HD channels uses the 250 to 750 range which is also used with cable and off air analog HD systems. Thus the reason for your issue.....talk to you System Operator and if you are not using the analog HEADend system in your unit tell him to hook you straight into the digital system and lose the analog stuff and it will prolly solve your issue.

I don't buy NAS products, but last time I checked, they did not have any MFH-1 products that could integrate 99 or 103 Ka signals. When they talk about a "five satellite" stacking system, the fourth and fifth satellites are 72.5, for small market locals, and 95, for foreign.

An H20 receiver would still get you access to the nine (?) HD channels that are on Ku band.

Now, if an MDU operator wanted to, he could develop an alternate trunkline system such that, an L-band digital tier customer could either have his MFH-1 diplexed into his analog CATV channels and have total agility of Ku tuning by multiple receivers, or he could have an "un-diplexed" AU9/WB line, enabling him to tune all the programming, Ku and Ka, but for just one single tuner, or they could diplex the CATV and one AU9/WB line, but an ordinary diplexer would sacrifice the 99 and 103 B-band signals.

I have offered customers unconventional spectrums when the customer can afford them. I have put a lowpass filter on Comcast cable, for example, thereby rolling off the analogs at around cable channel 73 and put a highpass filter on a broadcast antenna UHF line, so the customer loses half a dozen analog channels he doesn't care about and one broadcast HDTV channel, so if I wanted to, I might install - say - a channel 60 lowpass filter on the Choice Limited analog thereby allowing every B-band channel above about 430 MHz to be received and processed, but actually, you could put the B-band converter out in the cable closet, such that, it boosts the b-band signals up to "A" band BEFORE they get diplexed into the Choice Limited analog line.

The problem I run into when I do something brilliant like that is, the customer usually still winds up dissatisfied and gripes about the bill, which might be between $500 and $1,000.

Sonora Design is offering to give "generous trade-ins" for its 950- 2,150 amplifiers if traded in towards its new, 250-2,150 Mhz amps, but unless someone is planning on replacing all the receivers on a property, then the older units will not be available for trade-in, because the older trunkline will need to be kept in service.

[gadgetfreaky]

If the complex that you are residing in is not using a MFH-1 systems at the headend system and you do not have a special NAS customer device in your unit....then you will not receive the 99 or 103 feeds. If i was guessing.....if you have an analog headend system feeding your unit ....then they prolly are using a combiner to combine the analog headend and the digital overlay. This would cause conflicts with the NEW hd channels on 99 and 103. The new 5 LNB dish from directv uses a freq. range of 250 to 2150. The new 103 HD channels uses the 250 to 750 range which is also used with cable and off air analog HD systems. Thus the reason for your issue.....talk to you System Operator and if you are not using the analog HEADend system in your unit tell him to hook you straight into the digital system and lose the analog stuff and it will prolly solve your issue.

Wow this is an interestign post.

If that's true why is mfh-2 so hard and taking so long. i.e. since you would get your locals from the new satellites why doesn't everyone just bypass the analog combining. What exactly should I ask the technican to do just say "please hook me into the digital system". I live in a building with like 600 units. Is he going to be able to selectively do that.

It was interesting, I was using a sonora destacker for non hd. then they put a little mutliswitch (or something ) in my closet and then a nas destacker. But I can't really see the last two satellites to get all the new goodies. If there is a way to get them now man, i'd love to know.

[jash]

Wow this is an interestign post.

If that's true why is mfh-2 so hard and taking so long. i.e. since you would get your locals from the new satellites why doesn't everyone just bypass the analog combining. What exactly should I ask the technican to do just say "please hook me into the digital system". I live in a building with like 600 units. Is he going to be able to selectively do that.

It was interesting, I was using a sonora destacker for non hd. then they put a little mutliswitch (or something ) in my closet and then a nas destacker. But I can't really see the last two satellites to get all the new goodies. If there is a way to get them now man, i'd love to know.

i got some bad news yesterday. one of the bigger distributors admitted that early 2008 is the earliest we'll see the mfh2 upgrade. i'm so bummed.

[gadgetfreaky]

I heard a rumor that it was because the SWM trial dragged on way too long.

[NexGen]

Move the b-band converter from the back of the receiver to the DMARC room, insert the b-band right after the multi-switch (WB616?) then diplex the analog into the coax.

[Earl Bonovich]

I heard a rumor that it was because the SWM trial dragged on way too long.

SWM "trials" are still well within their targeted timeframes...

[texasbrit]

Move the b-band converter from the back of the receiver to the DMARC room, insert the b-band right after the multi-switch (WB616?) then diplex the analog into the coax.


But this has nothing to do with the subject of the thread...

[NexGen]

But this has nothing to do with the subject of the thread...

really, I have seen problems with diplexers being on the line causingv the pixeled TBS-HD, you move the b-band converter and diplex after the b-band up converts the 250-750Mz to the higher sat spectrum. just trying to help the guy

[TheKnowledgeFolder]

really, I have seen problems with diplexers being on the line causingv the pixeled TBS-HD, you move the b-band converter and diplex after the b-band up converts the 250-750Mz to the higher sat spectrum. just trying to help the guy

This absolutely has something to do with this thread.

[DirecTv Chicago]

Brewsta,

Your provider is obviously a reseller of a reseller. They are either provding service through Multiband or through a DirecTV dealer (which is illegal) . To say that they knew nothing about the new channels is ridiculous.

You will require a MFH2 system, which is not currently available. The quantities provided initially at the end of this year are extremley limited and are going to go to prime dealers first. Sorry to say but your small Iowa town is going to be down on the list. Larger quantites will become available in early 08 but then your MDU dealer still needs to upgrade at their cost. Straight transition from a non MFH1 building is going to be expensive and I wouldn't be suprised if your provider told you for the next 6 months that it is still not available yet.