Help - Receiving East Coast schedule on West Coast

[jmiller202]

I am a new DirecTV customer in Seattle, WA and have realized that all my "cable" channels (TBS, TNT, FX, etc) are running three hours ahead of schedule. I can get my local Seattle channels on the right timeframe but everything else is running on an East Coast schedule. I called DirecTV tech support but they didn't seem to understand the problem and their only troubleshooting tool was a box reset.

I've never had satellite TV before - is this the norm? Do West Coasters have to adjust their lives so that prime time starts at 5pm? Is this a clever ploy to push more DVR boxes? Can anyone offer some help here?

Thanks,
jared

[RobertE]

For better or worse, a majority of the "cable" channels are based on the Eastern clock. The execptions are of course those channles that have a west feed, such has HBO West, Showtime, etc.

Not much else you can do about it.

[Tonedeaf]

You say you have never had satellite. Have you ever had cable? TBS, TNT, FX etc. are the same channel with the same programming times on cable as what you are seeing on DirecTV.

[Peapod]

It actually depends on the channel.

For example, FX has an Eastern and a Pacific channel, but DirecTV has the east coast feed only. In the case of FX you get everything 3 hours earlier than someone with cable on the west coast would.

However, TNT only has one feed for everyone. If you look at their schedule on their website, Tombstone starts at 11:00 p.m. tonight on the east coast, but if you switch the time zone to pacific, they show Tombstone as starting at 8:00 p.m.

Also, many channels re-air popular shows 3 hours later, so that one channel can serve for both east and west time zones.

[machavez00]

the only non pay channels that have both e/w feeds are nickelodeon and disney

[Peapod]

the only non pay channels that have both e/w feeds are nickelodeon and disney

That's incorrect. FX for sure has e/w feeds.

[narcolept]

That's incorrect. FX for sure has e/w feeds.

I believe machavez00 meant in regards to the non-premium channels that D* offers.

[Peapod]

I believe machavez00 meant in regards to the non-premium channels that D* offers.

FX is a non-premium channel.

[narcolept]

FX is a non-premium channel.

Correct, and it does not appear that D* offers the west coast feed of FX, which would make the post I referenced in my last reply correct in relation to D*'s current offerings.

[Peapod]

Now I get it. The only non-premium channels for which D* offers east and west feeds when available are Nick and Disney. Correct?

[narcolept]

Bingo.

[vollmey]

TBS also has an East/West Feed. Never knew they did until I was up in Spokane Washington this summer.

[ahintz]

This is why one has a DVR. I actually like the fact that the cable channels are on the east coast feed - it means less things to conflict with network shows, so I can record something like The Closer at 6 or 7pm before primetime starts at 8pm. In fact, having has DirecTV for almost a decade now, I get confused when I use cable and find my cable shows on a different schedule then I expect! :D

[BJM]

As a sports fan, sometimes we west coasters take the time change for granted... I lived in NY until I was 28, and those of you (us!) on the west coast have never had to struggle in to work on Tuesday after staying up late watching Monday Night Football...