[chris83]

I subscribe to the NHL Center Ice package. Last night the Penguins-Kings game was on Channel 771 in SD. It was also listed on Channel 95 in HD, but I was unable to view it there. So, here is the question:

If a game that is part of the Center Ice package is also being broadcast on Channel 95 in HD, can those of us around the country who subscribe to Center Ice view the game in HD, or is it just a spot beam limited to the market served by the RSN broadcasting the game?

Yes or no?

 

[iceman2a]

I subscribe to the NHL Center Ice package. Last night the Penguins-Kings game was on Channel 771 in SD. It was also listed on Channel 95 in HD, but I was unable to view it there. So, here is the question:

If a game that is part of the Center Ice package is also being broadcast on Channel 95 in HD, can those of us around the country who subscribe to Center Ice view the game in HD, or is it just a spot beam limited to the market served by the RSN broadcasting the game?

Yes or no?

Well those of us who subscribe to NFL ST must also subscribe to SUPERFAN in order to view NFL games in HD!
I know, it doesn't answer your question, but I don't know the answer for sure! I thought chnl 95 was a conus MPEG2, but it still might be limitted to the RSN's DMA!
What does D* have to say about it?

 

[HockeyKat]

I subscribe to the NHL Center Ice package. Last night the Penguins-Kings game was on Channel 771 in SD. It was also listed on Channel 95 in HD, but I was unable to view it there. So, here is the question:

If a game that is part of the Center Ice package is also being broadcast on Channel 95 in HD, can those of us around the country who subscribe to Center Ice view the game in HD, or is it just a spot beam limited to the market served by the RSN broadcasting the game?

Yes or no?

I'm not sure, but I THINK 95 is an mpeg 4 channel, so you need either an H20 or HR20 to watch it. I may be wrong on that, but I get Center Ice and am able to watch the games on 95 just fine.

 

[chris83]

I'm not sure, but I THINK 95 is an mpeg 4 channel, so you need either an H20 or HR20 to watch it. I may be wrong on that, but I get Center Ice and am able to watch the games on 95 just fine.

Thank you. I have an H20 and 5LNB dish, so the Mpeg 4 shouldn't be the issue. Did you see the game last night?

 

[HockeyKat]

Thank you. I have an H20 and 5LNB dish, so the Mpeg 4 shouldn't be the issue. Did you see the game last night?

Well crap, there goes my brilliant idea. lol No, I didn't watch last night. I flipped around a few games before and after Lost, but I forgot to check to see if there was a game in HD last night.

 

[Sharkie_Fan]

I'm not sure, but I THINK 95 is an mpeg 4 channel, so you need either an H20 or HR20 to watch it. I may be wrong on that, but I get Center Ice and am able to watch the games on 95 just fine.

Channel 95 is an MPEG2 channel. It's not a permanently used channel, and so D* picks up broadcasts and uses channel 95 to deliver RSN feeds.

I'm guessing the reason you couldn't watch it was because it was the RSN feed and blacked out in all areas except the DMA for which it was intended.

If there's a game on a center ice channel, can you watch that corresponding SD RSN? If not, that would be a good indicator that what happened last night is in fact that the RSN feed was blacked out to everyone except the home DMA.

 

[packfan909]

Well crap, there goes my brilliant idea. lol No, I didn't watch last night. I flipped around a few games before and after Lost, but I forgot to check to see if there was a game in HD last night.

Channel 95 is an MP2 channel. And last night instead of seeing a 721 message to subscribe, I got a Channel Not Available In Your Area. Usually that means that there is another channel that is available and broadcasting the game. Not likely on HD but the SD equivilant may of had that situation.

I just wish they would show some love to folks in Northern California and show a few Sharks games in HD. We have only gotten one from early in the year. Evne the VS broadcast earlier this week was only in SD. Very frustrating.

 

[chris83]

Channel 95 is an MPEG2 channel. It's not a permanently used channel, and so D* picks up broadcasts and uses channel 95 to deliver RSN feeds.

I'm guessing the reason you couldn't watch it was because it was the RSN feed and blacked out in all areas except the DMA for which it was intended.

If there's a game on a center ice channel, can you watch that corresponding SD RSN? If not, that would be a good indicator that what happened last night is in fact that the RSN feed was blacked out to everyone except the home DMA.

I don't know which RSN was providing the HD feed (since I couldn't see the game), but the Kings' RSN (FSN West I believe) was providing the SD feed on Channel 771.

 

[Sharkie_Fan]

Channel 95 is an MP2 channel. And last night instead of seeing a 721 message to subscribe, I got a Channel Not Available In Your Area. Usually that means that there is another channel that is available and broadcasting the game. Not likely on HD but the SD equivilant may of had that situation.

I just wish they would show some love to folks in Northern California and show a few Sharks games in HD. We have only gotten one from early in the year. Evne the VS broadcast earlier this week was only in SD. Very frustrating.

I'm glad I'm not the only one jonesin for Sharks in HD! THat one game early in the year ruined me. The SD broadcasts just aren't good enough for me now!

Keeping my fingers crossed that something might be coming down the pipe soon. There's supposed to be a meeting at D* this week about expanding the RSN coverage. Not sure what all that entails and how much of an expansion they're discussing. I know FSN thinks that more zip codes should already be receiving it than D* has delivered to, so I don't know if the expansion is only to cover those zip codes or if it's a broader more general expansion. Hopefully I'll hear something from my guys in the corporate offices early next week. And even better, I'm hoping it'll be good news. I'm not overly confident at this point - I probably wouldn't give it more than a 25% chance of getting good news, but it is something that D* is considering....

 

[bwaldron]

I believe that last night was a one-time screw-up. There have already been a number of NHL games on 95 (yes, it's MPEG2) that have been available to all Center Ice folks, just as Extra Innings subs got a number of MLB games this summer.

Last year, most NBA games were handled differently -- only available in the market of the broadcasting RSN. The games on 95 from NBA-TV were made available to all. Whether that has changed this year has yet to be seen. (They're advertising "select" HD games with the package). Last night's Nets game on 95 was blacked out even for folks in that market...which makes me believe that things were just completely screwed up last night.

 

[mlobitz]

I spoke to two retention CSRs last night who in turn spoke to their supervisors about the same problem with NBA League Pass. Both of the CSRs sat on the phone with me for 15+ minutes and both had "no idea what was happening." They both said they would "escalate the problem" because they both thought the game, Raptors vs. Nets should be available to all NBA League Pass subscribers. This was the game that was supposed to be on before the Penguins vs. Kings game on NHL Center Ice.

It's kind of hilarious to keep these guys on the phone...THEY CAN"T HANG UP! Yes, they can hang up ON you, but they can't say goodbye. They have to let you terminate the call. Talk about squirming...

I can see what is happening here with the RSN factor, but it makes no sense. Why can I get the SD feed, but not the HD feed. Especially when DTV is advertising HD games with the NBA League Pass. It sounds like they are including ESPN HD and TNT HD and local HD in their NBA League Pass deal. Also, games on NBA TV that are also simulcast in HD will be on 95. YOU CAN THOSE GAMES WITH THE RSN PACKAGE!!! You don't need NBA L.P. for that!

I smell false advertising and I don't like it. Technically, yes there are HD games to be had, but both CSRs couldn't find a SINGLE game in HD on any material they had at DTV. Nothing on NBA League Pass at least. WTF is that about! Come on DTV, get you house in order and at least broadcast what you advertise.

Class action, should we start it here?

 

[HockeyKat]

The one-time mistake/issue is a very real possibility. Last year, DTV accidently blacked out either most of all of the Caps opening game. Ooops! Lots of fans were calling everyone from DTV to CSN that night and everyone (especially DTV) gave the runaround on the issue. Come to find out the next day that it was, in fact, DTV's mistake. Everyone watching on cable and Dish got the game just fine.

Channel 95 is an MP2 channel. And last night instead
I just wish they would show some love to folks in Northern California and show a few Sharks games in HD. We have only gotten one from early in the year. Evne the VS broadcast earlier this week was only in SD. Very frustrating.

At least you get some. My RSN (CSN) is shared between two markets - Baltimore and DC. The DC people get a nice shiney HD version of CSN, but the Baltimore market currently doesn't, and they're not saying when we will.

 

[LI-SVT]

The one-time mistake/issue is a very real possibility. Last year, DTV accidently blacked out either most of all of the Caps opening game. Ooops! Lots of fans were calling everyone from DTV to CSN that night and everyone (especially DTV) gave the runaround on the issue. Come to find out the next day that it was, in fact, DTV's mistake. Everyone watching on cable and Dish got the game just fine.

At least you get some. My RSN (CSN) is shared between two markets - Baltimore and DC. The DC people get a nice shiney HD version of CSN, but the Baltimore market currently doesn't, and they're not saying when we will.

Last year, opening night we lost most of the Islanders too. They admited to some goof up the next day.

 

[chris83]

I spoke to two retention CSRs last night who in turn spoke to their supervisors about the same problem with NBA League Pass. Both of the CSRs sat on the phone with me for 15+ minutes and both had "no idea what was happening." They both said they would "escalate the problem" because they both thought the game, Raptors vs. Nets should be available to all NBA League Pass subscribers. This was the game that was supposed to be on before the Penguins vs. Kings game on NHL Center Ice.

It's kind of hilarious to keep these guys on the phone...THEY CAN"T HANG UP! Yes, they can hang up ON you, but they can't say goodbye. They have to let you terminate the call. Talk about squirming...

I can see what is happening here with the RSN factor, but it makes no sense. Why can I get the SD feed, but not the HD feed. Especially when DTV is advertising HD games with the NBA League Pass. It sounds like they are including ESPN HD and TNT HD and local HD in their NBA League Pass deal. Also, games on NBA TV that are also simulcast in HD will be on 95. YOU CAN THOSE GAMES WITH THE RSN PACKAGE!!! You don't need NBA L.P. for that!

I smell false advertising and I don't like it. Technically, yes there are HD games to be had, but both CSRs couldn't find a SINGLE game in HD on any material they had at DTV. Nothing on NBA League Pass at least. WTF is that about! Come on DTV, get you house in order and at least broadcast what you advertise.

Class action, should we start it here?

Exactly. In my mind, this isn't a "Blackout" issue at all, although that's the company line they always pitch in these cases; it's a simple technnical issue. If a game is being broadcast in a subscription sports package by the same RSN in both SD and HD, and the HD game is on one of the "90's" channels, can those of us subscribers around the country see the game in HD, or is it strictly limited to the usual "local" market area covered by THAT RSN?

If the answer is "Local RSN market only" then THAT is a DirecTV issue. Both NBA League Pass and NHL Center Ice advertise HD games as part of THEIR packages. ESPN HD, local RSN HD, Versus HD and TNT HD are NOT included in that, no matter WHAT DirecTV says. I can get ALL those games in HD without subscribing to an extra package.

I'm getting a little tired of the "One-Time Mistake" happening ALL the time. Just give me what I've paid for.

 

[Sharkie_Fan]

Exactly. In my mind, this isn't a "Blackout" issue at all, although that's the company line they always pitch in these cases; it's a simple technnical issue. If a game is being broadcast in a subscription sports package by the same RSN in both SD and HD, and the HD game is on one of the "90's" channels, can those of us subscribers around the country see the game in HD, or is it strictly limited to the usual "local" market area covered by THAT RSN?

If the answer is "Local RSN market only" then THAT is a DirecTV issue. Both NBA League Pass and NHL Center Ice advertise HD games as part of THEIR packages. ESPN HD, local RSN HD, Versus HD and TNT HD are NOT included in that, no matter WHAT DirecTV says. I can get ALL those games in HD without subscribing to an extra package.

I'm getting a little tired of the "One-Time Mistake" happening ALL the time. Just give me what I've paid for.

I don't have any of the extra packages, so I'm not sure how it works. Can someone inform me ...Since I know the channels, lets say a Sharks game is on a Center Ice channel (xxx), and that center ice channel is broadcasting the FSN Bay Area feed. Can you also see FSN Bay Area on channel 654?

If not, then I believe that what's happening with channel 95 is that they're treating it as an RSN channel rather than an HD Center Ice channel.

If you can see channel 654, but not the broadcast on 95, then it's a screw up by D*.

As an aside, looking at the Center Ice schedule on the D* website, they only claim 2 HD broadcasts for the season, both on channel 79, which would lead me to believe that D* is treating channel 95 as an RSN, and it is blacked out for any out of market viewer.

 

[bwaldron]

As an aside, looking at the Center Ice schedule on the D* website, they only claim 2 HD broadcasts for the season, both on channel 79, which would lead me to believe that D* is treating channel 95 as an RSN, and it is blacked out for any out of market viewer.

Never go by their website, it is generally incorrect.

For NHL and MLB, 95 has been treated as a Center Ice / Extra Innings add-on for those subscribers, as well as an RSN game for in-market subscribers. That is, you will get the game if you are in the broadcasting RSN market, or if you are a package subscriber...with the exception that you'll be blacked out if you are in the market of the other team not broadcasting the game. Last night's NHL blackout on 95 was a screw-up, I believe. We've gotten all the other games.

For the NBA (at least last year), 95 was treated as an RSN -- you only got the game if you were in the broadcasting RSN market. League Pass subs were blacked out. (There were also some games on 95 produced by NBA-TV; those were available to League Pass folks.) Don't know what the plans are for the NBA games this year...last night may have been a screwup, or the same policy as last year is being applied. We'll know more as more games show up.

This is simply based on what I have seen; D* guarantees nothing.

 

[wytmike]

Sharks games are on in HD only for home games. Go to FSNBA and you will see that alot but not all home games are in HD. None of the away games are. Must be something to do with FSNBA only having one HD truck and no agreements with other RSN's to get a HD feed from them.

Mike

 

[Sharkie_Fan]

Sharks games are on in HD only for home games. Go to FSNBA and you will see that alot but not all home games are in HD. None of the away games are. Must be something to do with FSNBA only having one HD truck and no agreements with other RSN's to get a HD feed from them.

I would venture a guess that most RSNs are broadcasting only home games at this point in HD. They're not going to pick up the other teams feed for a home broadcast. It'd be mayhem. They don't have their own HD equipment at the away arenas, so they'd have to take whatever the home team gave them, which would quite obviously be home team biased. Plus, if they're picking up the away feed, they'd have no control over replays, etc.

I've had more conversations with FSN about their programming than I ever hoped to have in a hundred lifetimes. They have 1 truck and only do select home games. To do any away games is too cost prohibitive at this particular point in time.

The problem is not FSN broadcasting the games, it's getting D* to deliver. As of right now they will ONLY broadcast FSN Bay Area in HD to the San Francisco DMA. The same is true of other RSNs - they have limited transmission to select DMAs. There are rumblings that may be changing, but . . . . . . . . . just because they're discussing it doesn't mean that they'll decide to expand their broadcast area. They may decide that it's not in their best interests to do so at this point...

 

[bwaldron]

NHL game on 95 is showing up for me tonight...further indication that last night was just a screwup. (Not that it was excusable.)

 

[bluedogok]

I have the Avs-Blues game on tonight, and so far the Avs are suckin'