Some more locals will be moving from 700/800 block!

[Darkman]

On April 9th (according to the Dishnet's EPG)

[JohnH]

Yep, all the ones not previously listed as moving are listed as moving April 9th.

[Mark Holtz]

Gee, TNGTony, how much more will this reduce the size of your chart?

[Darkman]

hehe - i wonder if they ll start "sticking" new locals to 700/800 blocks after they empty those completely ( of if they ll just continue at 9200s and above :) )

[JohnH]

Might be a good spot to move the Sports Packages and Events. Of course, PI channels , HDTV and Business channels are also cramped for space too.

[Cyclone]

Well, the Wash DC channels are gone from the 700 range.

I bet 700 becomes the new location for HDTV channels once they are available on the 110 satellite. $5 in monopoly money.

[Darkman]

Cyclone - I am pretty sure Wash DC channels are Technically still there at 700 range (together with all the other local markets that were supposed to leave 700/800 blocks on 19th)

I say Technically - cuz even though they are gone now (btw - they've been gone for few days now), there is still a slate on all those channels saying that they are gone now...
Plus all those channels including Washington locals are still in the EPG...
I am starting to wonder if they will really be gone today, or maybe it will happen on the 26th or something (just as last month)
Hmmmm....

[Cyclone]

Channel 700 was the ABC affliate for Wash. 700 is now just a message saying "I've been moved Jerky!, go look elsewhere". It goes on to call me a punk and questions my paternity.

But the Washington stations are indeed gone from the 700 range. There are still msgs on those channels if thats the point you are making, but no station content.

[Darkman]

Yes - That was the EXACT point i was making :) (and Exactly what i ment)

All i tried to say was "as long as there is something there - "IT" is not really gone) - hehe :)

Not too worry - Will be gone soon (assured)

[JohnH]

Yeah, the local content is gone for over a week, but the channels are still taking up EPG bandwidth(probably the most likely reason for moving was to reduce EPG bandwidth consumption).

[Darkman]

Ya - exactly - so lets take 'em off already ( as planned ) :) - on the 19th - It's already the 20th - hehe

I wonder if this delay is cuz of Iraq's situation somehow...

Or wonder if they maybe didn't forget to press "those locals are moving on Apr 9" button, but forgot to remove "those locals are moving on March 19" at the same time (j/k)

[TNGTony]

I can't wait for the channels to finally go off (slates and all). It's will make the list qute a bit more manageable and quicker to download. :-)

See ya
Tony

[Darkman]

somehow Tony ----> i was just thinking about You :)

[Scott Greczkowski]

Remember the big snow storm in Denver. :)

I have talked to someone at Dish today who has been home the past few days because of the snow. I am told Echostars Denver office is a ghost town because of all the snow.

[JohnH]

So get on the home computer and log on and do it. :)

[Darkman]

hehe

BTW - nice Flag, Scott!

[Mike123abc]

It would be nice if they moved the HDTV channels down to the 700 block and moved the HDPPV channel to a channel number away from the other channels.

Something like:

700 could be the HDTV info loop (in stddef)
701-719 Sports Channels (ESPN/HD-NET sports)
720-739 Movies and entertainment (HD-Net Movies Bravo-HD)
740-759 Educational/science (like DHDT)
775-790 Premium Movie channel HDTV (HBO/SHO/MAX)
790+ PPV HDTV

[Darkman]

On the Patriotic Note (911):

[Darkman]

one more (Revenge):

[dbronstein]

For those of us who don't understand why it makes any difference if the locals are in the 700/800 block or 8200 block, can someone please explain what the significance of this is?

Thanks,
Dennis

[Mike123abc]

Originally posted by dbronstein
For those of us who don't understand why it makes any difference if the locals are in the 700/800 block or 8200 block, can someone please explain what the significance of this is?

Thanks,
Dennis

It is harder to type in 4 digit numbers than 3 digit numbers. They can move the national programming that they still have on 4 digit numbers down to the 3 digit number. For example all the HDTV channels are 9420+ numbers. The newer dish recievers map your locals down to the 0-100 range. So, people are not so bothered by 4 digit numbers.

They also get a lot more room for all the cities they are adding.

[dbronstein]

Okay, I get the part about moving the locals to 4 digits and the national channels down to three digits. But what's the point of moving existing locals to 4 digits just so they can put new locals at 3 digits? Why not just put the new locals at 4 digits and leave the existing ones where they are? I realize with the local remappings it's moot for a lot of people anyway.

Thanks,
Dennis

[Geronimo]

I don't think they are putting new locals in the 700s and 800s. In any event they only had parts of a given DMA there. If they take all those partial ones out they might have room to put a few complete DMAs in there.

[Darkman]

I think another thing to add on this matter dbronstein is:

"Maybe if 700/800s go away - that will free up the EPG somewhat, therefore making the entire EPG file somewhat smaller and therefore faster to load/browse on peoples' IRDs.."

[Darkman]

Originally posted by Geronimo
I don't think they are putting new locals in the 700s and 800s. In any event they only had parts of a given DMA there. If they take all those partial ones out they might have room to put a few complete DMAs in there.

They can put some new locals in the 700/800 block's EPG though (after they flash the existing ones out of there) - if they choose to do so....

[Geronimo]

Yes they could. That was the point of my post. You could put all the listings for a smaller number of DMAs (or DMAs with ferwer channels) in that space. Or put Hi Def there or do almost anything.

[TNGTony]

I am certain that there will be no locals in the three digit block (except for the 232-248 block) after the current ones are removed. With all new receivers having the remap capability to OTA channel numbers, there is no need to have them on low channel numbers.

What the 700/800 block will be used for is fodder for speculation. :)

See ya
Tony

[Cyclone]

Originally posted by dbronstein
For those of us who don't understand why it makes any difference if the locals are in the 700/800 block or 8200 block, can someone please explain what the significance of this is?

Thanks,
Dennis

Dennis,

Most of the 9000 range channels are crap. HDTV channels are in the 9000 range. HDTV channels are not crap. HDTV channels should be moved to a more respectable range... a 3 digit range. That way they are not nearly as close to the crap channels.

I hope that clears it all up for you.

[Darkman]

hehe, but people without HDTV irds can make an argument though, and say - that they should just keep those HDTV channels far away from all the channels that they can get with their IRDs and watch them on a constant basis (cuz of their popularity)..
But the addition of the HD channels to the 3 digit block (so close to their favorite channels - wouldn't do much for them, rather then add some "useless" channels (to them anyhow) to the spot on the EPG (that will become taken but not viewable by them) rather then adding to that spot of the EPG something they can watch as well

lol

[Geronimo]

Maybe they will want you to know what is available that way in the hopes that it will encourage you to get HD equipment.

After all is that guide designed for you---or for DISH? In any event that was just an ide of what MIGHT go there. Heck I can't watch the Kalamazoo locals either and some think they should be there.

I don't know what's right. I have the feeling that with my DP and 3700 I will never see low channel mappings.
But the 800es dont bother me a bit

[Darkman]

hehe - i hear you Geronimo...

however they do not need to let me know (me in particular of course) what Exactlly availble at Dish's EPG - I probably know it almost "by heart" now (as TNGTony's Channel List is like my 2nd home lately) LOL :)

P.S. BTW - I know "that was just an idea of what MIGHT go there" :-)

[JohnH]

Well, they are not "moving" anyway. All of them are already there and have been for quite some time. They are just eliminating the duplicates to reduce the EPG size and speed it up.

It does create some space where HDTV and Public Interest channels could be split up somewhat. Perhaps needed since they are quite close to each other now.

[music_beans]

I would probably want to have the PI channels move to the 800 block if they don't decide to add more locals there.

[Mark Holtz]

FWIW: For the Sacramento stations in the 7xx block, the slate is still up. However, the EPG data has been changed. Previously, it was showing the show "This channel is moving to channel 8xxx starting March 19th", but still had a per show description. Now, the title of the show is just "SAC-X" with no description whatsoever.

[Darkman]

ya - i know - it is like that now for all the stations that were to move March 19th,
Instead of when press Info button lets say it said: "Moving blah blah March 19" - not it just says the the EPG channel name (at EPG info) and nothing else...

I wonder if those slates maybe will move on March 26th then (like last month, when locals moved on the 19th, but slate was gone on 26th)

Or - lets just blame it all on the war :)

[JohnH]

There is no EPG data in the stream for those channels.

PVR 721 says No Information Available and will not bring up the info screan.

Maybe they will go away today. At least they should with no info available.

Of course, the DISHPlayer still has program info. 738 DAL-C says Dr. Phil is on now. :)

[Darkman]

regardless what it says in the EPG - but for now - the channels are still physically there and in the EPG,

in a form of a Slate of course, but still in the EPG... (as of right now anyhow :))

[Geronimo]

Maybe Hector's porn channels are going in the 700s.

Sorry I could not resist.

[Darkman]

hehe - pr0n :)

Sorry i could not resist as well

[Darkman]

Well, hehe, as i thought - those locals/slates that were to leave the 700/800 blocks on March 19th, DID go on March 26th...

lol - they are gone now! gone from the EPG, - Slates and all :)

And does it mean that the rest of locals - the ones to leave April 9th, will leave the EPG - April 16th, or still on the 26th - to be consistant (April 26th) :)

[JohnH]

One week after April 9th.

BTW: The slates are still around. Mere mortals need an FTA receiver to see them. :)

[Darkman]

huh - which slates are still around? (March 19th ones, or Apr 9th ones)?

[JohnH]

Just slates in general. They won't go away until next month. They do not have any channels assigned to them currently. They are just there waiting for the next(last) bunch. :)