When will we see CBS 58 in HD on Dish Network?

[brewtownska]

Ok, so I saw plenty of threads about how CBS 58 is now available in HD on DirecTV.  Does anyone know if a similar deal will come soon for Dish Network?

[Stanley Kritzik]

Ok, so I saw plenty of threads about how CBS 58 is now available in HD on DirecTV.  Does anyone know if a similar deal will come soon for Dish Network?

I was going to say: "when pigs fly", but I thought it would be rubbing it in -- I've got D* and OTA reception.  I don't know what's with it with Weigel (CBS-58), but they have these issues with carriers.  It's all about money, of course.

Between the Congress and the FCC, they managed to botch the deal.  Satellite carriers "must carry" the local channels.  The channels are all switched over to digital.  But, HD, which is a "must" for athletics and other events is optional.  This results in a big game of "chicken", and the parties to it are given the frequencies free of charge.

Stan

[jkane]

I don't think there is anything on CBS 58 worth watching anyhow!  I guess it never occurred to me to even care if it was there in SD either!  :rolleyes:

[Blitzburgh]

The day DirecTV buys Charlie.

[troyriley]

Ok, so I saw plenty of threads about how CBS 58 is now available in HD on DirecTV.  Does anyone know if a similar deal will come soon for Dish Network?

CBS 58 in HD has been available for Dish customers for quite some time. Check your receiver for a place to plug in an antenna. I have the VIP 722, which has an antenna input. Plug an antenna in (outdoor works best), and you'll receive all available HD channels (4, 6, 10, 12, 18, 24, 58), along with all digital subchannels. You can even drop the local channels from your Dish subscription and save $5 or $6 per month.

[Talos4]

I don't think there is anything on CBS 58 worth watching anyhow!  I guess it never occurred to me to even care if it was there in SD either!  :rolleyes:

What he said!

[brewtownska]

Yeah, I'm aware that I could use my antenna - though currently I just use the QAM tuner in my Sony TV to pick it up.  A set top antenna doesn't work well in my room as there is a busy street right outside my window where traffic corrupts the signal.  I can have a decent lock on the channel, then anything like a Suburban or larger drives by and I get a breakup in the signal.  I had thought about putting the antenna in the attic, but then I need to drill holes and run wire...why do that when I can already pick it up on the TWC cable line that comes in with my Roadrunner.

The negative is I can't record in HD via QAM, which is why I'm curious when/if it'll show up on Dish.

As for paying for the locals on Dish, everything I have read is that if I drop the locals, I also lose the guide data for those channels (which would make it tough to record anything on locals).  It was something about the OTA tuner in the VIP 722 doesn't read the PSIP data, but instead pulls guide data from Dish's system.  Can anyone confirm if that is correct?

Mike

[tbarney]

You can even drop the local channels from your Dish subscription and save $5 or $6 per month.

I wouldn't recommend dropping the local channels from dish, because then you lose the programming guide for your local channels. To me $5 is well worth the cost of being able to see what is on each channel rather than it just saying Digital Service, or whatever it says.

[troyriley]

I wouldn't recommend dropping the local channels from dish, because then you lose the programming guide for your local channels. To me $5 is well worth the cost of being able to see what is on each channel rather than it just saying Digital Service, or whatever it says.

For me personally, I would rather save that $5/month and reach over for my TV listings from the Sunday paper to see what's on the local channels. That's $60/year. You could argue that you still have to pay for a paper, but a lot of people do that anyway. Another option is to go online to a variety of web sites with TV listings, but I realize that's much more of a hassle than having the guide data. Or, check the program guide using your TV's tuner. Another thing is that most satellite DVR's only have one ATSC tuner. I guess maybe it all depends on how much you watch/record from broadcast channels to determine if paying $60/year is worth it.

As for recording, it's actually pretty simple. Yes, not as simple as a few clicks from the program guide, but all you need to do is set the channel, start time, and end time, kind of like setting a VCR.

[tbarney]

For me personally, I would rather save that $5/month and reach over for my TV listings from the Sunday paper to see what's on the local channels. That's $60/year.

Don't forget that you can only record one OTA channel if you have a 622 like me. That means if I want to record two things on local TV I would need to pay for the local channels so that I can record one from the satellite and one from the anteanna.

[troyriley]

Don't forget that you can only record one OTA channel if you have a 622 like me. That means if I want to record two things on local TV I would need to pay for the local channels so that I can record one from the satellite and one from the anteanna.

Again, I guess it all depends how much you record OTA. For you, it sounds like it's worth it to subscribe to locals. What I usually do if multiple OTA programs that I watch are on at the same time is record one with my DVR and watch another live using my TV's tuner. If I'm not home, or there are three programs on at the same time, I'll use my converter boxes and VCR's and settle for SD. That doesn't happen that often, at least for me.

Some satellite DVRs have two ATSC tuners. However, sometimes those require a separate purchase, as they are not built into the DVR. The DirecTV AM-21 is an add-on for some DirecTV receivers. For Dish customers who have the 722k, you have to purchase a separate card that I believe has two ATSC tuners.

Either way, it's beneficial for everyone to have an ATSC tuner or two. If you just have a two-tuner satellite DVR, you can only record two programs. If you have an antenna, that's one or two more programs you can record, making it three or four total (2 sat, 2 ant).

[pgkuchar]

I can't get OTA broadcast of CBS58 so I'm really angry and frustrated that Wiegel hasn't reached any agreement with Dish.  I sent my complaint directly to the company.  If you are also angry about this, I encourage you to do the same.
http://www.wciu.com/contact.php

You may also want to monitor CBS local broadcasts and start noting who their local advertisers are and write directly to them as well.  Let them know you don't watch CBS58 because of this.  

If Weigel can't be influenced by their viewers, then maybe they'll listen to their advertisers telling them to get it done.

[jeaves79]

Does anyone know how to trick a Dish Network 722K receiver into showing the CBS HD feed like we were able to do to the DTV HD DVR by going to the sports mix and selecting the CBS channel from there?

[tbarney]

It might be a pain, but the only way I know of for right now is OTA. I'm kind of suprised DTV hasn't caught on to that trick yet.

[kevbeck122]

DIRECTV has officially carried 58 in HD since August.. no need to catch on.