[Gene on Long Island]

OK, so here's my biggest pet peeve (ok, not the biggest, but one of them) with DirecTV.

Many years ago, i went through the process of getting waivers to be able to receive the west coast network feeds. For 10 years now, I've been receiving both east and west coast broadcast networks (NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox, but not PBS).

When we upgraded to HDTV, I wanted to get the west coast HDTV feeds. it's the exact same programming as the SD feeds. Why, even though I have waivers and am 'grandfathered' in to receive them, am I told that I cannot get the west coast HDTV? I'm not looking to add different programming, just to get the higher quality picture of programming that I'm already entitled to receive.

I still get the SD feeds from the west coast in addition to the east coast SD and HD feeds. Why isn't anyone able to 'push the button' and turn on my west coast HD?

Anyone?
Gene on Long Island

 

[Stuart Sweet]

The real answer to your question is that DIRECTV is slowly moving away from national network feeds and while you do qualify in theory, I don't think that anyone with local channels is being given national feeds anymore.

Heck, Gene, I'd love to get WABC, WNBC, WCBS, and see my shows 3 hours earlier. It's just not likely to happen.

 

[Herdfan]

Why isn't anyone able to 'push the button' and turn on my west coast HD?

A couple of years ago DirecTV shut off the West Coast Network feeds for the Eastern and Central time zones and the East Coast Network Feeds for the Mountain and Pacific time zones. No one in the east has, or should have , the LA feeds in HD.

 

[Herdfan]

Heck, Gene, I'd love to get WABC, WNBC, WCBS, and see my shows 3 hours earlier. It's just not likely to happen.

And that was the impetus for the shut off. The SHVERA, or what ever the latest iteration is named, prohibits distant digital feeds from showing programming earlier than it would come on normally. So the west coast lost the eastern HD feeds, and then to be fair, the east coast lost the west coast HD DNS.

So part of it was legally required, the other part was policy.

 

[Msguy]

I know your pain. When I first went to DirecTv more than 10 years ago, I was able to receive the Distant Network Services from both the East Coast and West Coast and I didn't even have to get waivers. DirecTv just allowed me to have them. Since my Local channels have come on board with DirecTv, I get my locals that way. What I would like to see happen is for Satellite Companies like DirecTv and Dish Network be able to provide the Major Networks without it being from another city. I would love to be able to receive other cities locals but the NAB won't allow that. What I think would please everyone is have as an option a National Feed of Each Network ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC for us satellite customers. It would be nice if the NAB would allow that but they probably never will. But yet we can get channels from other parts of the world on DirecTv but we can't recieve Local Channels from right here at home and subscribe to them if we wanted to.

 

[bobnielsen]

Grandfathering only applies to the SD feeds and I wouldn't be surprised to see it go away altogether before long (I don't believe any of the waivers have an eternity clause).

 

[Doug Brott]

Grandfathering only applies to the SD feeds and I wouldn't be surprised to see it go away altogether before long (I don't believe any of the waivers have an eternity clause).

That's my belief as well because technically the analog waivers become moot in February ..

You'd need digital waivers to get the HD channels

 

[Brian Hanasky]

I have East and West DNS SD for the big 4 networks. I have HD DNS for FOX and ABC. My local CBS and NBC won't grant waivers for the HD DNS of CBS & NBC. It's frustrating because DMA 159 doesn't even have SD locals. HD locals will be quite awhile off.

To lose (as suggested above) SD CBS and NBC would put a damper on my network TV viewing habits.

 

[shadough]

The only 'monkey in the wrench' would be those who have RV's. They are 'sopposed' to be allowed to file waivers to receive those Distant network channels since RV'rs are unable to view any local network feed once out of the spotbeam footprint. SD DNS that is.

 

[wesmills]

That's my belief as well because technically the analog waivers become moot in February ..

You'd need digital waivers to get the HD channels

That brings up an interesting question in my mind: What will happen to those of us who currently get SD DNS in February? In my case, I got DNS for being in a white area, so since the analog white area will--for all intents--no longer exist, does my DNS go away?

I suppose it's not a huge loss, so maybe I should just wait until Feb to see what happens...instead of asking here.

Naaaaaaaaaah. :lol: :hurah:

 

[paulman182]

That's my belief as well because technically the analog waivers become moot in February ..

You'd need digital waivers to get the HD channels

Don't the digital waivers become moot then too? Because at that point Directv will be carrying the digital version of all the locals that they carry. The digital version will be the only version extant.

I hope this is not the case but I fear it will be.

 

[shadough]

What they REALLLLY need to do is 'redefine' the DMA's. Since the digital transmission, in my opinion, doesnt seem to reach as far as the analog transmission. A stations grade B DMA "SHOULD" shrink thus creating new 'white areas'.

probably never happen but I for one think Neilsen needs to re-address this.

 

[jdspencer]

Don't the digital waivers become moot then too? Because at that point Directv will be carrying the digital version of all the locals that they carry. The digital version will be the only version extant....

Not moot, since not all areas even have their SD locals much less the HD ones.

 

[paulman182]

Not moot, since not all areas even have their SD locals much less the HD ones.

I wasn't considering the areas that don't have SD locals, so you are correct in that area.

However, when analog OTA ends, all of us with locals from DirecTV will then have digital locals, and our automatic HD DNS waivers were granted based upon no "digital" local service from DirecTV, not necessarily HD.