[Telexen]

Hello,


I have a quick question about DirecTV and blackouts for local channels.


Basically I'm fed up with my local cable company's pathetic HDTV options (CableOne)...The situation isn't helped by the fact that only my ABC and NBC local affiliates have HDTV channels. No Fox (which REALLY pisses me off because I'm a big baseball fan...no World Series) or CBS. What's worse is that the NBC affiliate seems to be run by a high school A/V club, so quality (especially normalization of sound) is awful.


I've looked into DirecTV, and unfortunately they don't offer local channels for me at all (I'm in a small market). I know they have East/West signals for different networks, so my question is this:


If I have these East/West signals of major networks (ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS), are they subject to blackout during certain programming - specifically primetime television and professional sports broadcasts? I really could not care less if I don't have my local channels as long as I get the network's content elsewhere.

 

[richall01]

If you have local channels (can pick them up over the air) you CAN NOT get the distant networks. FCC will not let DirecTV offer them to you.

 

[EricRobins]



Quote:
Originally Posted by richall01 /forum/post/12882166


If you have local channels (can pick them up over the air) you CAN NOT get the distant networks. FCC will not let DirecTV offer them to you.

Doesn't hurt to ask DirecTV directly

! You may be surprised what they will give you.

 

[Telexen]

Wow I was under the impression that if you just couldn't get local channels directly through DTV you could get those distant networks. I am well within range to receive signals over the air, but in an apartment complex where they refuse to even let me have the cable company run another cable line into my apartment I really doubt they will let me mount an antenna.

 

[ak3883]

Go here and input your address, and it will tell you if you qualify for DNS feeds from directv.

 

[Telexen]

Yeah I saw that and according to it I get "Grade-A" signals for everything except PBS (the only DNS feed I'm eligible for).


I don't know how much I trust that though, considering it has "KFXP-DT" (KFXP is my local Fox affiliate), which is the Fox affiliate in digital, which doesn't exist - period (they have no digital channel allotment from the FCC).


I'll have to look into my options with an antenna for HD, and I think DishNetwork will end up being a better choice as I can at least get SD local channels with them.


Thanks for your help anyway guys.