getting out of area locals

2479 Views 18 Replies 12 Participants Last post by ssmith10pn, Feb 26, 2007

godeep99

Discussion Starter · Dec 28, 2006

Hi
I am wanting to get dish network, but the area I live in is Pittsburgh market and I would like to get Erie PA channels since it is much closer to my house. Is there any way possible to do this?
Do I need a super dish for HD?
what is a good receiver to get for hd/dvr?
Any info would be appriciated since I'm going to be new to this. Thanks in advance

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1 - 19 of 19 Posts

music_beans

· #2 · Dec 28, 2006

Whats wrong with Pittsburgh locals? They aren't local enough?

Richard King

· #3 · Dec 28, 2006

Bad news on the locals situation. Your physical address is assigned to a DMA (Designated Market Area) and locals can only be provided to you (legally) from your assigned DMA. If you are in the Pittsburgh DMA then Dish can only provide you with that market's stations. There are a few exceptions and if you qualify for the exception you can get "distant locals" from Atlanta or San Francisco (or both), but there is no way to (legally) receive locals from Erie, Pa. The exceptions are dependent on possible signal strength in your area using an off air antenna and the "distant locals" must be purchased from a second supplier, not Dish.

As for the HD DVR, take a look at the 622.

Richard King

· #4 · Dec 28, 2006

Oh, I forgot, welcome to DBSTalk.

garys

· #5 · Dec 28, 2006

You would also get HD local channels from Pitts, not offered from Erie.

psnarula

· #6 · Dec 28, 2006

don't listen to the noise.

dish only has one MPEG-4 compatible HD DVR receiver -- the ViP622. This is the receiver you want.

if you sign up for service with HD locals (and you actually live in the pittsburgh market, as you claim), then the dish installer will bring you a Dish 1000+. The Erie, PA locals are available from the satellite at 129 (which the Dish 1000+ can pick up). So if you are willing to lie to Dish Network about where you live, you can "move" to Erie and get those locals. but they aren't in HD. presumably you could get Pittsburgh HD locals by throwing up an OTA antenna.

jscudder

· #7 · Dec 29, 2006

godeep99 said:
Hi
I am wanting to get dish network, but the area I live in is Pittsburgh market and I would like to get Erie PA channels since it is much closer to my house. Is there any way possible to do this?

If you are that close to Erie, can you receive the stations Over The Air? Take the Pittsburgh locals from Dish, put up an antenna and get the Erie locals OTA. The VIP211 or 622 will seamlessly integrate both locals (including station information data) into your guide and you will have the best of both worlds.

John

Richard King

· #8 · Dec 29, 2006

Excellent idea. Possibly HD from both also.

Terry K

· #9 · Feb 23, 2007

...and why would anyone want those low-quality Erie locals. The visions of WSEE from a few years ago would be enough to make me want Pittsburgh locals.

Donp

· #10 · Feb 24, 2007

Here is another thought. Dish will block the EPG for unsubscribed OTA channels even if you are subscribed to a different DMA's locals. This happen to me two weeks ago upon getting the p3.85 update on my 811. I subscribed to the Lexington Ky DMA according to Dish but I watch Louisville Ky DMA stations OTA. Eventhough the Louisville station provrge news and weather for my area I mut turn my antenna to catch the Lexington Stations if I want EPG info on my giude.

James Long

· #11 · Feb 24, 2007

Don, that sounds more like a bug than a feature ... My 211 happily shows OTA locals from another market WITH EPG (I even had subchannels before the 14000s data was pulled). It certainly isn't "willfully blocked" on my receiver.

Jason Nipp

· #12 · Feb 24, 2007

2

James Long said:
Don, that sounds more like a bug than a feature ... My 211 happily shows OTA locals from another market WITH EPG (I even had sub channels before the 14000s data was pulled). It certainly isn't "willfully blocked" on my receiver.

I wonder, what are the odds that the 211 stays that way James? Seems there is some discussions about whether or not adjacent DMA data can really continue to be provided. I too can receive 4 adjacent markets via OTA, but the data via LiL? can this continue to be provided given the courts decision? I guess that is a question that some are asking... frankly I feel that Dish should enable PSIP to work as it is broadcast and allow us to get the present and follow table data from the OTA source. Granted it would only go out a couple hours at best, but it is better than no guide data that some people are now facing for the adjacent DMA's.

It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out. Then again maybe I am tired and losing my mind.... Please forgive me if my ramblings don't compute...

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ssmith10pn

· #13 · Feb 24, 2007

I have 2 residences. One in Atlanta and one in Montgomery, Alabama.
At my Montgomery Residence I get Atlanta SD and HD locals as well as Montgomery OTA digitals flawlessly.
211 and 622

James Long

· #14 · Feb 24, 2007

Jason Nipp said:
Seems there is some discussions about whether or not adjacent DMA data can really continue to be provided. I too can receive 4 adjacent markets via OTA, but the data via LiL? can this continue to be provided given the courts decision? I guess that is a question that some are asking... frankly I feel that Dish should enable PSIP to work as it is broadcast and allow us to get the present and follow table data from the OTA source. Granted it would only go out a couple hours at best, but it is better than no guide data that some people are now facing for the adjacent DMA's.

I don't see where any court decision plays into this. E* is not allowed to offer distant network channels ... which due to poor writing of the law is any network channel from outside one's own DMA ... but there is nothing in the law that prohibits guide data from being provided.

If there was some magic interpretation that restricted E* from providing out of market network channels even if received OTA the entire channel would be gone ... not just the EPG data. A court requiring E* to disable OTA just because the tuner was provided by a satellite carrier is illogical. Allowing the channel but disabling EPG is even more illogical.

I can see a private contract interfering with E* providing out of market EPG ... But that too would be an odd situation and an unnessissary limitation on the data.

PSIP is too problematic. The receivers only have one OTA tuner ... at best you would only get the PSIP for one broadcaster's channels. Unless the receiver scanned the other OTA channels from time to time you would only have info for that one broadcaster. They could scan if you were not watching OTA ... otherwise whatever data was last read for the other channels would be the last data available (unless they relied on the via satellite information that provides present/next data on every transponder for all channels with EPG). PSIP would be a poor solution. (Some people may even need to rotate their antennas to pick up certain out of market stations. Not something a PSIP scan would do.)

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Donp

· #15 · Feb 24, 2007

I'm happy the EPG issue has come to the front somewhat, now that Dishes decission to filter out unsubscribed EPG data has been "outed". I guess I'll have to get TV Guide to see MY locals. Oh for the record, the analogue EPG data is being filtered out too not just the digital channels which I originaly thought.

Michael P

· #16 · Feb 24, 2007

godeep99 said:
Hi
I am wanting to get dish network, but the area I live in is Pittsburgh market and I would like to get Erie PA channels since it is much closer to my house. Is there any way possible to do this?
Do I need a super dish for HD?
what is a good receiver to get for hd/dvr?
Any info would be appriciated since I'm going to be new to this. Thanks in advance

Where in the Pittsburgh DMA are you?

I'm familliar with the area, I have an Aunt & Uncle in Crawford County, PA. The Erie, PA DMA is very small (Erie, Crawford and Warren counties) and the OTA signals don't even reach everywhere in the DMA (Crawford is in the Erie DMA but my relitives get WJW FOX 8 out of Cleveland better than anything in Erie - due to terrain blocking the signals out of Erie). Just south of Crawford is Mercer County, which is in the Youngstown, OH DMA. The Pittsburgh DMA starts in Armstrong (which used to be in the Youngstown DMA and probably should still be in that DMA due to how close they are to Youngstown and how well they are still covered by the Youngstown stations news).

If you are in Vennango, Forrest, or Clarion counties you may be in a white area and elligible for DNS from All-America Direct. Unfortunately none of the distants offered are from Erie (one Erie station used to be offered as part of the original DNS service in the 90's).

If you are looking for HD programming you probably can receive WKBN-DT out of Youngstown: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT603946.html
This station has CBS-HD with DD 5.1 sound and an SD FOX affilliate on subchannel 27-2. The signal reaches from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. I get it 24/7 from 56 miles away! If only all digital OTA signals was this strong.

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James Long

· #17 · Feb 24, 2007

Donp said:
I'm happy the EPG issue has come to the front somewhat, now that Dishes decission to filter out unsubscribed EPG data has been "outed". I guess I'll have to get TV Guide to see MY locals. Oh for the record, the analogue EPG data is being filtered out too not just the digital channels which I originaly thought.

I believe you are still reading an error as intent and making statements are are just not the full story.

The real test would be what is seen on a ViP-211 for someone in your situation ... subscribing to the same locals that you subscribe to and receiving the same out of market OTA signals that you are no longer seeing EPG for. Since the ViPs cannot do analog reception I expect that analog OTAs are a lost cause. (How would E* know how to map them without providing a place for customers to map their own OTA?)

The digitals are the question ... Some (like me) have received and still receive EPG for out of market OTA digital station. Some never have. Many don't even receive EPG for in market stations that are subscribed to as part of LIL. Which is why I'm looking for someone in your market, preferably in your town, with a 211 to see what they get.

Donp

· #18 · Feb 25, 2007

James Long said:
I believe you are still reading an error as intent and making statements are are just not the full story.

The real test would be what is seen on a ViP-211 for someone in your situation ... subscribing to the same locals that you subscribe to and receiving the same out of market OTA signals that you are no longer seeing EPG for. Since the ViPs cannot do analog reception I expect that analog OTAs are a lost cause. (How would E* know how to map them without providing a place for customers to map their own OTA?)

The digitals are the question ... Some (like me) have received and still receive EPG for out of market OTA digital station. Some never have. Many don't even receive EPG for in market stations that are subscribed to as part of LIL. Which is why I'm looking for someone in your market, preferably in your town, with a 211 to see what they get.

OK James I will give that test. I always had good OTA Guide data on my digital OTA from the "other" DMA until the install of either P3.84 or P3.85. The OTA Guide data was there one day then gone thr next and never returned so that's why I was going on about it being something Dish did. I live in a rural area and don't know anyone personally here that may have a 211 but I may find one. I guess until the day I may get cable out here I'll use TV Guides listing on the web to figure out what on on any given night.

ssmith10pn

· #19 · Feb 26, 2007

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