is there a reason some of my channels aren't coming in on HD?

[akraven]

I was curious if it's because of signal or directv.but some of my channels don't come in on HD.Does anyone know?

[or270]

Lets start with some basic info,
what is the model number of your receiver?
which channels are you having a problem with?
do you get any HD channels?
Also is Juneau Alaska correct for you location?
if so how many satellite dishes do you have?

[kenpac89]

I have been having this problem for about a week or so now. I have called DirecTV twice and they said they are aware of some reports of the HD feeds not coming in and they are looking into it.

Some of them are gray screens for me, others are pixelated. This has happened to (among others) ESPN, ESPNNews, NFL Network, Disney Channel, Showtime, some (not all) HD versions of the baseball games on the MLB EI channels, and some of my local channels.

I am getting other HD channels perfectly clear. And, I am getting the SD versions of all these channels alright.

This is happening on both of my HD DVR's, so it is not a problem with the individual boxes. And weather hasn't really been a problem in my area (until the middle of the night last night)...so that wasn't the cause.

It is quite frustrating.

[su_A_ve]

I have been having this problem for about a week or so now. I have called DirecTV twice and they said they are aware of some reports of the HD feeds not coming in and they are looking into it.

Some of them are gray screens for me, others are pixelated. This has happened to (among others) ESPN, ESPNNews, NFL Network, Disney Channel, Showtime, some (not all) HD versions of the baseball games on the MLB EI channels, and some of my local channels.

I am getting other HD channels perfectly clear. And, I am getting the SD versions of all these channels alright.

This is happening on both of my HD DVR's, so it is not a problem with the individual boxes. And weather hasn't really been a problem in my area (until the middle of the night last night)...so that wasn't the cause.

It is quite frustrating.

I'm assuming you did check your signal strengths to make sure your dish is not out of alignment, right?

Could it be trees branches partially blocking it?

[kenpac89]

I'm assuming you did check your signal strengths to make sure your dish is not out of alignment, right?

Could it be trees branches partially blocking it?

Yes signal strength seems to be ok. And we don't have any trees in the neighborhood right now that are tall enough (it is a new development).

When I called the technical help department, they indicated that they had numerous reports of this happening.

[GregLee]

When I called the technical help department, they indicated that they had numerous reports of this happening.
I wouldn't trust this unreservedly. A former CSR writing in another thread recently wrote that the fastest way to dispose of a technical complaint from a customer is to say it's a known problem and it's being worked on. Whether or not that's true.

[honjull]

I have been having this problem for about a week or so now. I have called DirecTV twice and they said they are aware of some reports of the HD feeds not coming in and they are looking into it.

Some of them are gray screens for me, others are pixelated. This has happened to (among others) ESPN, ESPNNews, NFL Network, Disney Channel, Showtime, some (not all) HD versions of the baseball games on the MLB EI channels, and some of my local channels.

I am getting other HD channels perfectly clear. And, I am getting the SD versions of all these channels alright.

This is happening on both of my HD DVR's, so it is not a problem with the individual boxes. And weather hasn't really been a problem in my area (until the middle of the night last night)...so that wasn't the cause.

It is quite frustrating.

I am having pretty much the same problem. Sometimes I get the 771 error, other times it is just pixelated and at other times they work fine. All the SD channels work great at all times. This is on an HR21 in Arizona - where a cloud in the sky is a rare event. I have no trees anywhere near to blocking my dish.

I've checked Discovery HD, TNT, USA, Showtime and SCI-FI. (HD Locals work fine)

When I check the signal strength on 103, I get all 0's. If I check it 3 minutes later, I'll be in the 80/90's. A few minutes later it is 0's again. Happens on all my receivers. Rebooting and power cycling my receivers doesn't change anything (but they make me do it every time I call).

My cables are all new RG6, and I only have 2 receivers so they go directly from the dish to the receivers. The B-Band converters are installed and all cabling is secure. Nothing on the dish is loose, and the numbers that dishpointer gives me match the numbers on my dish.

I've called DirecTV three times. Twice they said it is a known problem and it is happening all over the country. The third (and last) time he said he didn't see any problem listed.

I've been having this problem for 2 - 3 weeks now. I'm glad I at least get my shows in SD - but I paid a lot to lease this reciever and I pay the monthly HD fee - I'd really like to be watching them in HD instead. Hopefully it is software and this is fixed soon.

[wallyjar]

Add another to the same symtoms. I have swapped everything I can and still have this problem on an HR20-100. It has to be the rcvr. But CS says not the RCVR

[harsh]

This is on an HR21 in Arizona - where a cloud in the sky is a rare event.Is this problem you're having limited to a certain time interval or is it happening day and night? What kind of dish mounting situation do you have?

[honjull]

Is this problem you're having limited to a certain time interval or is it happening day and night? What kind of dish mounting situation do you have?

I generally only watch TV between 5pm - 10pm, sometimes earlier on weekends (say 11am to 10pm). It has happened in all of those time windows. Though after 7/8pm it seem to happen a lot less - or at least work after a reboot.

I've included pictures of my satellite so you can see which one I have and how it is mounted.

[osxdude]

That looks like a SlimLine-3 or Slimline-5. The same one that I have. And I have had the same thing happen to me on Discovery HD. Now, I didn't check whether or not the signal was up, but I'm pretty sure it was at 0 on one satellite.

I think we need to figure out what dish everyone has. :)

[Mertzen]

Regardless off the issues you need to have a tech roll back out to add support braces aka monopoles to that setup. It needs two of those to ensure stability.
And the fact that the guy didn't leave service loops at the ODU.

[akraven]

Lets start with some basic info,
what is the model number of your receiver?
which channels are you having a problem with?
do you get any HD channels?
Also is Juneau Alaska correct for you location?
if so how many satellite dishes do you have?
Got a HD DVR.Not sure what the number is.(I'm at work at the moment).
I'm having problems with espn,espn2,hbo.Those are the ones off the top of my head.But I am getting HD for most of the others.
Juneau AK is where I live.I've been on the phone to much last week and this week with directv.
I have one dish.It looks to be about 4 feet.The installers said it weighed about 80 lbs.

[harsh]

Though after 7/8pm it seem to happen a lot less - or at least work after a reboot.The mounting looks fairly good, but it should have a stabilizer strut or two. Those asphalt shingles are a little squishy in some climates.

I'd be looking at a par-boiled LNB.

[honjull]

The mounting looks fairly good, but it should have a stabilizer strut or two. Those asphalt shingles are a little squishy in some climates.

I'd be looking at a par-boiled LNB.

What is a par-boiled LNB?

[harsh]

What is a par-boiled LNB?One that has been cooked or steamed until it was almost "done". Heat and moisture are the LNB's two biggest enemies. Arizona pretty much owns the heat one and dodges the moisture one decisively.

I'd try to locate someone nearby who can help you test your receiver. If your receiver works (and you don't have a bad multiswitch in there somewhere), it is likely that your LNB is history.

[kenpac89]

I have a 5-LNB Dish (I think)
I have an HR20-100 and HR21-200 that are having these problems.
I am in the Washington, DC, area.
I mostly notice it on ESPNNEWS, Disney, and the MLB EI channels.

ESPN2, The Weather Channel, MGM HD, Universal HD, and a bunch others are working fine (as are some of the MLB EI channels).

If it still isn't working tonight when I get home I will probably call again.

I checked my signal strength last night, and stuff on 99 and 111 (I think) were really low (but we had storms approaching at the time). The signal strength on 101 and something else were fine. I am not sure if the storms that were approaching affected the strength or not, but I do know that the channels have been messed up for about 10-14 days now.

All SD versions of the channels are coming in nice and clear.

Also, if I have the protection plan on my account, does that mean someone can come out and take a look at everything for free? Or will I have to pay to have this done?

[akraven]

Well I came home last night after work(about 1230am ak standard time) and all my channels are finally coming in.Wooohoooo.

[honjull]

Mine finally just went away full time.

I called DirecTV, and they were able to get a tech to my house today. This guy seemed to know what he was doing - he took one look at the dish and as someone mentioned above said it hadn't been installed properly the first time. It took him about 30 minutes to add those brackets and re-align the dish.

My signal strength on the 103 satellites is now in the upper 80's, and all my channels are coming in. Yay DirecTV.

[K4SMX]

So many posters, so many problems!

Let's first separate out any who have HR20-100's and are having problems receiving the old mpeg2 Ku signals on CH's 70, 71, and 73-78, the channels carried by the 110 satellite. There is a known issue with those receivers effecting tuner 2 which causes the satellite 110 tuner 2 signal strengths to be low. Without going into any further details, you should instead use the mpeg4 Ka signals for those channels from the new DirecTV11 satellite which are scattered around the Guide. CH's 72 & 79 as well. More info here (http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1191863&postcount=2).

It would be helpful if everyone else could post their signal strengths on the two national HD satellites, 99(c)/(a) and 103(c)/(b), for further analysis. Also post your HD receiver types and whether you have an external multi-switch to handle additional, non-HD receivers. This information goes a long way toward pinpointing your reception problem:

Menu Button > Parental, Fav's & Setup > System Setup > Satellite (& Ant) > View Signal Strength

Then navigate with the remote to the following satellites and fill in your signal strength numbers:

Satellite transponders (14 total at 99º(c)/(a))
[New national HD channels]
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # NA NA

Satellite transponders (14 total at 103º(c)/(b))
[Most national HD channels]
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # NA NA
17-24 0 NA NA NA NA 0 NA NA

[jefbal99]

For anyone having MPEG4 HD issues across the board, check your BBCs. I had problems with the Rev1 and Rev2, but the black Rev3 have been rock solid.