# Am I being forced to switch to a DirecTV receiver?



## DataDoc (May 28, 2008)

Background:
I'm in Greenville, North Carolina and I had originally called D* because in checking out a pixelation problem on tuner 2 on my Series 2 TiVo, I found a connector that looked like it was left over from the prior tenant's cable setup. In the interim, I've set it to use just 1 tuner, and it's not part of this problem.

During the call about the multiswitch/connector issue, I was offered a switch from 2 dishes to 1. In talking with the installer and 2 D* reps, I was told they are turning off the satellite that carries our locals (in SD) and our 2 TiVos won't pick up local channels in about 1-2 weeks. It seems to have something to do with MPEG4 not being supported by Series 2s. 

They insist I have to switch to their DVRs if the dish is changed.

Questions:
1. They claim they have been publicizing the shutdown for months, but other than the switch to HD (which they say I don't have to worry about) I can't find any mention of losing my locals. Did I miss something?

2. Is this just a ploy to make us use their equipment?

3. Is there definite information somewhere about shutdown of that satellite? Is it going to happen in just a couple of weeks, as a rep said?

Thanks in advance for any help.


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

1. You must have missed something. The migration from locals on the 72.5&#186;W satellite to the new satellites at 99 and 103&#186;W has been publicized for a while now.

2. ??? You already use "DirecTV" equipment. It's not like any of your current equipment can be used with somebody else's satellite service. 

3. Yes, it's happening soon. If you want to keep those SD locals, you must upgrade your dish and equipment. DirecTV is offering pretty sweet deals for folks in your situation, making it very cheap right now. Those deals won't be around forever.


----------



## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

Really? No locals on SD Tivos. I can't imagine that. So, you need to update to an HD DVR or an SD Directv DVR? Is that the case?


----------



## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

litzdog911 said:


> 1. You must have missed something. The migration from locals on the 72.5ºW satellite to the new satellites at 99 and 103ºW has been publicized for a while now.
> 
> 2. ??? You already use "DirecTV" equipment. It's not like any of your current equipment can be used with somebody else's satellite service.
> 
> 3. Yes, it's happening soon. If you want to keep those SD locals, you must upgrade your dish and equipment. DirecTV is offering pretty sweet deals for folks in your situation, making it very cheap right now. Those deals won't be around forever.


1. I believe this is only certain markets at least for right now. I know I have heard nothing about it in my area. I know there have been a couple of threads on dbstalk about it though which is the only reason I have heard about it.

2. I think he means use their DVR versus Tivo. Also since it would be away to get people off owned equipment and onto leased equipment.


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

magnus said:


> Really? No locals on SD Tivos. I can't imagine that. So, you need to update to an HD DVR or an SD Directv DVR? Is that the case?


The cities that used to get their SD locals from the 72.5ºW satellite must migrate to newer dish and Receivers/DVRs that can receive those channels from the new satellite at 99 and 103ºW. This only affects a small portion of DirecTV's customers.


----------



## jrs.reign (Jun 10, 2009)

Yes, it's accident soon. If you wish to accumulate those SD locals, you have to advancement your bowl and equipment. DirecTV is alms appealing candied deals for association in your situation, authoritative it actual bargain appropriate now. Those deals will not be about forever.


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

jrs.reign said:


> Yes, it's accident soon. If you wish to accumulate those SD locals, you have to advancement your bowl and equipment. DirecTV is alms appealing candied deals for association in your situation, authoritative it actual bargain appropriate now. Those deals will not be about forever.


What are you talking about????


----------



## Adam1115 (Dec 15, 2003)

That's a really crappy thing to do... maybe should switch to cable and stay with TiVo to show them that turning off channels on your equipment is unacceptable.


----------



## WaldorfSalad (Nov 28, 2008)

litzdog911 said:


> What are you talking about????


You should see his other posts.


----------



## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

WaldorfSalad said:


> You should see his other posts.


I have! 

Another example if you wish.
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7321267#post7321267


----------



## ziggy29 (Jul 26, 2002)

magnus said:


> Really? No locals on SD Tivos.


Only in a few (mostly smaller) markets, I believe. In most of the larger markets (where the locals are spot-beamed from the 101 satellite), SD DirecTiVos do get SD locals. I have a DSR704 which gets SD locals.


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

ziggy29 said:


> Only in a few (mostly smaller) markets, I believe. In most of the larger markets (where the locals are spot-beamed from the 101 satellite), SD DirecTiVos do get SD locals. I have a DSR704 which gets SD locals.


Correct. My comment was meant for the original poster, who lives in a market where SD locals were beamed from 72.5ºW satellite. Now they're beamed from the new satellites at 99 & 103ºW using MPEG4 (instead of MPEG2), requiring newer Receivers/DVRs.


----------



## DataDoc (May 28, 2008)

Yep, that's what I found out. We get the email notices and looking back through them, can't find anything about this.

Doesn't matter now. They're coming out next Tuesday.


----------



## bengalfreak (Oct 20, 2002)

Is there plans for all locals to eventually be on MPEG4 thus rendering DTivos useless for locals?


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

bengalfreak said:


> Is there plans for all locals to eventually be on MPEG4 thus rendering DTivos useless for locals?


"eventually" is a very long. But no plans in the near term. Only the locals that were beamed from 72.5ºW have been migrated to MPEG4 from the 99/103º satellites.


----------



## shibby191 (Dec 24, 2007)

litzdog911 said:


> "eventually" is a very long. But no plans in the near term. Only the locals that were beamed from 72.5ºW have been migrated to MPEG4 from the 99/103º satellites.


Correct. And the reason for this is because DirecTV just leases the satellite transponders at 72.5 from Canada and that lease is up and they must move the channels off to other satellites in the fleet. The "core" (101/110/119) are full and have been for a long time, no more locals can go there. They have capacity at 99 and 103 so the locals are being moved there. The older DirecTivo's cannot even see the 99 and 103 sats to tune to the channels let alone decode MPEG4. They could leave them in MPEG2 but no reason to since the old receivers can't even tune to the channels if they were in MPEG2. So going to MPEG4 is just a side effect, not the cause for the switch.

This has been widely known for a long time and DirecTV has been emailing, postal mail and calling affected subs for many months and giving lots of free upgrade offers.

In the very long term, maybe 5-7 years I would expect a full switch to MPEG4 for all channels since everyone else is doing the same, but that will be a while.


----------



## DataDoc (May 28, 2008)

Thanks for all the info. We've had the new dish and boxes installed. 

Now the learning curve begins.


----------



## W0X0F (Jul 6, 2009)

litzdog911 said:


> Correct. My comment was meant for the original poster, who lives in a market where SD locals were beamed from 72.5ºW satellite. Now they're beamed from the new satellites at 99 & 103ºW using MPEG4 (instead of MPEG2), requiring newer Receivers/DVRs.


Do you know from which satellites (and what encoding, MPEG2 or MPEG4) the locals for the Medford-Klamath Falls Oregon market are transmitted?

Thanks!


----------



## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

SD or HD locals?


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

W0X0F said:


> Do you know from which satellites (and what encoding, MPEG2 or MPEG4) the locals for the Medford-Klamath Falls Oregon market are transmitted?
> 
> Thanks!


You can find that information here ....
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=159419


----------

