Confused about HDRSN's

[vwman18]

I am literally surrounded by DMAs with their RSNs in HD, but my DMA can't have them for some reason. Orlando/Melbourne, Tampa/St. Pete, and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale all get FSN Florida and Sun Sports in HD. These are also the RSNs for the West Palm RSN. Do we get them in HD? No, no we don't. The same spot beam is serving the areas to the north, south, and west of me. Why don't I have my RSNs in HD? Are there liscensing issues or something? What's the holdup?

[texasbrit]

I am literally surrounded by DMAs with their RSNs in HD, but my DMA can't have them for some reason. Orlando/Melbourne, Tampa/St. Pete, and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale all get FSN Florida and Sun Sports in HD. These are also the RSNs for the West Palm RSN. Do we get them in HD? No, no we don't. The same spot beam is serving the areas to the north, south, and west of me. Why don't I have my RSNs in HD? Are there liscensing issues or something? What's the holdup?

Where ther is a full-time HD RSN (such as NESN in Boston) it is transmitted as part of the HD locals package, for one city only. So if you get Boston HD locals you get NESN HD. The coverage of the spotbeam does not matter. As far as I know it's the same in NYC, and I believe the same rule applies everywhere.

When DirecTV 10 and 11 launch the indication from DirecTV press releases is that at least some of the HD RSNs will become national channels.

[DonCorleone]

When DirecTV 10 and 11 launch the indication from DirecTV press releases is that at least some of the HD RSNs will become national channels.

I'll be in heaven if that's the case, but not holding my breath.

[matty8199]

Where ther is a full-time HD RSN (such as NESN in Boston) it is transmitted as part of the HD locals package, for one city only. So if you get Boston HD locals you get NESN HD. The coverage of the spotbeam does not matter. As far as I know it's the same in NYC, and I believe the same rule applies everywhere.

When DirecTV 10 and 11 launch the indication from DirecTV press releases is that at least some of the HD RSNs will become national channels.

Sure it does, for people that have "moved" and might be on the fringe of the spot beam...

[islesfan]

Where ther is a full-time HD RSN (such as NESN in Boston) it is transmitted as part of the HD locals package, for one city only. So if you get Boston HD locals you get NESN HD. The coverage of the spotbeam does not matter. As far as I know it's the same in NYC, and I believe the same rule applies everywhere.

When DirecTV 10 and 11 launch the indication from DirecTV press releases is that at least some of the HD RSNs will become national channels.

Actually it does. I live in the FSNBA area, but anyone just outside of SF does not get the station in HD. Way over here in Nevada, we'll only get it if the signal is put on CONUS.

[packfan909]

Actually it does. I live in the FSNBA area, but anyone just outside of SF does not get the station in HD. Way over here in Nevada, we'll only get it if the signal is put on CONUS.

Everything is tied to the immediate DMA. For FSNBA, Just the San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose DMA get FSNBA HD on Ch 96. It's the same problem all over. Until at least D10 goes up, only when the game is on Channel 95 (locally broadcasted) will you get the HD content.

What would be helpful is #1 -- D* update the website with 95 's content vs just showing the same games from December.

#2 -- In the information on the receiver, provide which RSN is broadcasting the game. San Jose was playing Nashville last week and 95 picked up the game. I spent every intermission trying to find out why I didn't get the game. I asked every time who was broadcasting the game to the CE's they had no clue or way to find out. I turned to the forum and someone finally said that it was a FSN South broadcast. Can this be fixed?

[texasbrit]

Actually it does. I live in the FSNBA area, but anyone just outside of SF does not get the station in HD. Way over here in Nevada, we'll only get it if the signal is put on CONUS.


I think what Matty is saying is that if you "move" (tell DirecTV you are living in the "home" DMA) you still won't get the RSN unless you are in the spotbeam. True, but you won't get the locals either. All I was saying is that you may be in the spotbeam but unless you are also in the "home" DMA you won't get the RSN in HD.

[packfan909]

I think what Matty is saying is that if you "move" (tell DirecTV you are living in the "home" DMA) you still won't get the RSN unless you are in the spotbeam. True, but you won't get the locals either. All I was saying is that you may be in the spotbeam but unless you are also in the "home" DMA you won't get the RSN in HD.

Not until HD RSN's are delivered via CONUS. Of which there are only two YES and the other NY RSN

[vwman18]

I guess what I don't understand is this: I DO live in the home DMA and am currently recieving the same spotbeam that the surrounding DMAs do. They get FSN Florida and Sun Sports in HD part time on channels 96 and 97. I do not. I only see games on channel 95 occasionally. Shouldn't D* just be able to tell my HR20 that its ok to decode the spotbeam? Or does it not work that way?

[DonCorleone]

Not until HD RSN's are delivered via CONUS. Of which there are only two YES and the other NY RSN

Where are you getting that from? Just because they're showing up in the guide for non-NY subs? I don't think, as much as I'd love it, that that'll mean non-NY folks will get it.

[bwaldron]

I guess what I don't understand is this: I DO live in the home DMA and am currently recieving the same spotbeam that the surrounding DMAs do. They get FSN Florida and Sun Sports in HD part time on channels 96 and 97. I do not. I only see games on channel 95 occasionally. Shouldn't D* just be able to tell my HR20 that its ok to decode the spotbeam? Or does it not work that way?

What local market do you receive your channels from?

Certainly the spot beam covers you ... probably all of the the Tampa, Orlando and Miami beams. However, currently only the folks that receive their HD locals from one of those markets (possibly a few others?) get the HD games frm SUN/FSN-FL, even though everyone in Florida is in the home market for these RSNs. I've heard various explanations for this limitation. (You do, as noted, see occasional games on 95 that are from the CONUS bird).

It's an imperfect system to be sure.

[vwman18]

I'm in the West Palm Beach market. FSN Florida and Sun Sports are my home market RSNs. I just don't understand why the WPB market isn't being provided the same function as the surrounding DMAs. From my perspective, it doesn't seem like D* would have to do anything other than "authorize" WPB to recieve the HD feeds to make this work like everyone else. Its frustrating.

[texasbrit]

I'm in the West Palm Beach market. FSN Florida and Sun Sports are my home market RSNs. I just don't understand why the WPB market isn't being provided the same function as the surrounding DMAs. From my perspective, it doesn't seem like D* would have to do anything other than "authorize" WPB to recieve the HD feeds to make this work like everyone else. Its frustrating.


It does not work like that. The HD RSNs are delivered as part of the HD locals, thru the spot beams on 99 and 103. Each RSN is delivered with one HD locals package (the "home" DMA) . All HD locals for a given city (DMA) are authorized as a single group - you get all of them or none, and DirecTV is not allowed to deliver local stations outside the DMA (excluding "significantly-viewed", which DirecTV can't handle right now.)

So if you are outside the "home" DMA for an RSN, you don't get the RSN HD channel.

We're all hoping that when the new sats launched we will see some or all of the HD RSNs on CONUS beams.

[bwaldron]

I'm in the West Palm Beach market. FSN Florida and Sun Sports are my home market RSNs. I just don't understand why the WPB market isn't being provided the same function as the surrounding DMAs. From my perspective, it doesn't seem like D* would have to do anything other than "authorize" WPB to recieve the HD feeds to make this work like everyone else. Its frustrating.

TexasBrit (above) is correct. It doesn't work like that, currently. D* would need to put the RSN's on a 99/103 spotbeam with the other WPB locals for you to get SUN/FSN games in HD.

You are right in that it is frustrating for many people.

[DonCorleone]

Right, the only thing that's interesting is that YES and SNY are both showing up in non-DMA areas.

[vwman18]

It does not work like that. The HD RSNs are delivered as part of the HD locals, thru the spot beams on 99 and 103. Each RSN is delivered with one HD locals package (the "home" DMA) . All HD locals for a given city (DMA) are authorized as a single group - you get all of them or none, and DirecTV is not allowed to deliver local stations outside the DMA (excluding "significantly-viewed", which DirecTV can't handle right now.)

So if you are outside the "home" DMA for an RSN, you don't get the RSN HD channel.

We're all hoping that when the new sats launched we will see some or all of the HD RSNs on CONUS beams.

texasbrit, bwaldron, thanks for your replies. I'm just trying to understand the limitations of the system.

I currently get the WPB locals in HD through D*. That was the impetus for me getting the HR20 to replace my HR10-250. So, being the WPB doesn't get the RSNs in HD but Tampa, Orlando, and Miami all get the same RSNs in HD that I get in SD, are those markets being served by a different spot beam?

I just want to watch Panthers hockey in HD! :grin: My boys are gonna make the playoffs this year, I swear!

[bwaldron]

texasbrit, bwaldron, thanks for your replies. I'm just trying to understand the limitations of the system.

I currently get the WPB locals in HD through D*. That was the impetus for me getting the HR20 to replace my HR10-250. So, being the WPB doesn't get the RSNs in HD but Tampa, Orlando, and Miami all get the same RSNs in HD that I get in SD, are those markets being served by a different spot beam?

I just want to watch Panthers hockey in HD! :grin: My boys are gonna make the playoffs this year, I swear!

I do not know why D* has not put the RSN games on their HD beam for WPB. It's the same thing that friends of mine in Hartford are going through with NESN-HD...they get locals in HD, they are in the DMA for the RSN, but aren't yet getting the HD RSN.

I know that the spotbeams are plenty large in FL. In fact, I see all the Panthers/Heat HD games in my channel 96 listings...even though they're blacked out here (I only can receive Lightning/Magic). Occasionally they neglect to black out a Panthers game here.

Yes, I would definitely be frustrated if I were you.

One of my friends back up in CT has "moved" his service address to the Boston area for the time being to get NESN-HD. Not that I would endorse such an idea ;)

[texasbrit]

texasbrit, bwaldron, thanks for your replies. I'm just trying to understand the limitations of the system.

I currently get the WPB locals in HD through D*. That was the impetus for me getting the HR20 to replace my HR10-250. So, being the WPB doesn't get the RSNs in HD but Tampa, Orlando, and Miami all get the same RSNs in HD that I get in SD, are those markets being served by a different spot beam?

I just want to watch Panthers hockey in HD! :grin: My boys are gonna make the playoffs this year, I swear!

There are two different scenarios at work here. You would need responses from people in Orlando, Tampa and Miami to see exactly what is happening.

First, there are channels that are fulltime HD. These appear in the guide with the same number as the SD channel (i.e. there are two channels with the same number), and are broadcast fulltime as part of the HD locals. NESN, Sportsnet Chicago, Sportsnet Midatlantic, YES and Sportsnet NY I think are the ones available today. You have to live in the "home" DMA, in the team territory and have HD locals to get these channels. Channels that are not fulltime HD do not have two entries in the guide and what you receive when you select the RSN channel number is the SD channel.

For the channels that broadcast some games in HD but are not fulltime, these games are transmitted on channels 95,96 and 97. Channel 95 is a national channel in MPEG-2 but channels 96 and 97 are MPEG-4 channels transmitted as part of the HD locals, so there are really multiple channels 96 and 97, what you see on 96 or 97 is different from what I see on 96 or 97. DirecTV decides which games are going to be on 95/96/97.
The selection of games for channel 95 appears to be pretty random as far as I can see. For 96/97 the theory was supposed to be that if you did not have a fulltime RSN, 96/97 would show any games that were in HD on your home RSN, unless you were subject to a blackout, but it doesn't always seem to be that way.

[vwman18]

Well, I guess I'm borked then. I can't tune to chs. 96 or 97 at any time. The HR20 just tells me that the channel is unavailable and won't tune to it. I'll try again tomorrow night when there is a game on.

[vwman18]

Well, I tried. Tonight's game (Panthers vs. Thrashers) had been moved onto ch. 95. Chs. 96 & 97 were not available.

Who @ D* is in charge of this kind of programming? I'd love to at least try to get someone knowledgeable about this issue to answer me.

[bwaldron]

Well, I tried. Tonight's game (Panthers vs. Thrashers) had been moved onto ch. 95. Chs. 96 & 97 were not available.

Who @ D* is in charge of this kind of programming? I'd love to at least try to get someone knowledgeable about this issue to answer me.

The game tonight was on 95 nationally, and 96 for the local RSN in MPEG4. I was able to watch on 95, but blacked out (after the pregame show) on 96 -- since I am in Tampa and not in the Panthers region.

[rjdude]

I guess what I don't understand is this: I DO live in the home DMA and am currently recieving the same spotbeam that the surrounding DMAs do. They get FSN Florida and Sun Sports in HD part time on channels 96 and 97. I do not. I only see games on channel 95 occasionally. Shouldn't D* just be able to tell my HR20 that its ok to decode the spotbeam? Or does it not work that way?

I've talked to DTV about this issue before. If the HD broadcast of the game being shown is coming from the opposing team/RSN (i.e. the HD broadcast is with "their" commentators/graphics etc.) and NO other separate local HD broadcast is available from your own local RSN (unlikely, especially if your team is the away team), and your RSN (or DTV) does not have the HD broadcast rights to that game for your DMA, then DTV CANNOT show or unlock the HD from the opposing RSN (your local channel trumps your local RSN, and your local RSN trumps any other national SD/HD feed). The other issue here is which HD games DTV decides to carry based on agreements they have in place. Hopefully, when ALL games are available in HD (when, who knows?) this issue will go away as DTV will have the capacity and the agreements in place to carry the HD games.