DirecTV Question

4,141 Views | 34 Replies | Last: 9 yr ago by 95_Aggie
75AG
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AG
The only HD local channels available are out out Waco, Temple/Killeen. Why is that? We are much closer to Greater Houston. Why aren't those networks stations available?
techno-ag
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The country is divided up into local viewing areas. The gubment decided BCS is in the Waco local viewing area.
75AG
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Well damn....
techno-ag
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Supposedly if you change your address online, they'll change your locals. I think somebody on here said they tried that and it worked.
75AG
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quote:
Supposedly if you change your address online, they'll change your locals. I think somebody on here said they tried that and it worked.
Worth a try! Thanks!
don61
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We have directtv. Not sure if the locals are hd or not, but we get kbtx.
75AG
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AG
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We have directtv. Not sure if the locals are hd or not, but we get kbtx.
Neither KBTX nor KAGS are available in HD through DirecTV.
techno-ag
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AG
quote:
quote:
We have directtv. Not sure if the locals are hd or not, but we get kbtx.
Neither KBTX nor KAGS are available in HD through DirecTV.
Yup for sports or regular programming you'll need to watch Waco channels for HD. To get local news in HD you'll have to get it over the air.
94AggieME
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AG
I also don't like this. But the one that really confuses me is the CW Network (channel 14). It's only available in standard definition and it's a station out of Washington DC. We like watching Arrow and Flash, but it's really strange seeing commercials for car dealers in DC!
dave99ag
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AG
I've had Houston locals in College Station for years. You need to call DirecTV and have them update your service address to one that's in the Houston market. Basically anything outside of Brazos county should work. You'll want to make sure they keep your billing address to where you want the bill sent.

The only issue you run into is if you need a service call. You'll need to switch back temporarily and then call back to update to the Houston-market address.
woodometer
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KBTX sends DirecTV the same HD signal that it sends to Dish Network. DirecTV chooses to down convert the HD signal to 4x3 SD. KBTX also makes their local CW available in HD but DirecTV chooses to carry the CW out of Washington DC in SD. Make sure that everytime you talk to DirecTV you express your displeasure that they will not carry your local CBS affiliate in HD. Eventually maybe they will give in. It is amazing that they are trying to push 4k while they are still providing SD signals.
don61
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I don't mind it not being in hd. I'm just happy to get it. I wouldn't change my whole system because DirectTV didn't broadcast KBTX in hd. Not that big a deal to me anyway. Directtv has been very good with us over the years.
75AG
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AG
I would just like to get the Houston stations, instead of Waco/Killeen
WTM
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It worked! Called yesterday and switched to a Houston address and now have Houston networks and news. You lose local CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox so you have to reset your DVR for the Houston channels (2, 11, 13, 26). You will lose KBTX etc but that is a fair trade.
Mathguy64
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AG
As mentioned above, all you have to do is use a billing address in the Houston Nielsen TV market. It doesn't have to be in Houston, just in their Nielsen area. Set your billing up direct bill to a CC or auto bank draft and the billing address itself is pure fiction but is does work and beats the screwy FCC rules. Mine is a family lake house in Onalaska. I have had Houston stations for as long as they have been broadcast on DirecTV. It does have to be a physical location. IIRC a PO Box does not work.

The only issue is service calls. You will have to call and change the address to get them to come to the correct location and its painful. At least twice I have had to arrange a service call and made the address swap only to have the technician call me and tell me no one is home. When I ask where they are and they give the lake address and describe the boathouse I just shake my head because that poor guy is 2 hours from his last job and 2 hours away from his next. Then I get on the phone and start *****ing out the DTV service folks. The explanation is that the billing address somehow lingers in the system.
MsC2012
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Can you have DirecTV in one room of your house and Suckenlink in the rest?
techno-ag
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Can you have DirecTV in one room of your house and Suckenlink in the rest?
Sure why not? But why would you? Better would be to have DirecTV for TV & SL for internet.
Mathguy64
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Can you have DirecTV in one room of your house and Suckenlink in the rest?

Yes if you run the cabling for it. I have my DTV coming into my outside cable junction box. That of course then uses all of the internal wiring. If Suddenlink is coming in, they are hooked into that box and they are using the wiring. You would have to run a second set of cables for the DTV feed. Or DTV would have to isolate the one line in the box going to the room you want it to go.
MsC2012
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Since we are technically existing customers at DTV, long story short we only were getting the NFL ticket, it's way more expensive than SL period.
Nom de Plume
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Then I get on the phone and start *****ing out the DTV service folks.

Lmao. Rich considering you're trying to cheat.
techno-ag
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AG
quote:
quote:
Then I get on the phone and start *****ing out the DTV service folks.

Lmao. Rich considering you're trying to cheat.
Now, really Nom! If the government forces us to watch Waco locals, can you blame him for "cheating?"
dave99ag
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At one point I considered a San Antonio address just so I could get Spurs games instead of Rockets games. B/CS can pickup the spot-beams from the 3 major markets (D/FW, Houston and SA), so you can "move" to what market suits you. I could care less about the Waco TV market.
75AG
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At one point I considered a San Antonio address just so I could get Spurs games instead of Rockets games. B/CS can pickup the spot-beams from the 3 major markets (D/FW, Houston and SA), so you can "move" to what market suits you. I could care less about the Waco TV market.
It's ludicrous that we're lumped into the Waco market. Who the hell cares about anything in Waco?
dave99ag
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I get my news from TexAgs, so no need for local news either.
Nom de Plume
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can you blame him for "cheating?"

Not at all. But trying to work the system and then tearing into an Indian when it gets crossed is pretty damn funny.
95_Aggie
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so what kind of "excuses" do you guys use to move your service? All the customer service folks tell me they have to come out and move the dish ... they don't trust me to do it.
Mathguy64
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quote:
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Then I get on the phone and start *****ing out the DTV service folks.

Lmao. Rich considering you're trying to cheat.

Except I'm not cheating. We own the lake house and I have an extra dish mounted there. Since I have two different locations for the box that are in two different Nielsen areas I get to pick which one I want as my billing address. I carry the box over when we go so I don't pay for an extra box just to sit over there. I ***** out the service folks on the phone because they jerk over their own service tech who is driving to the wrong address out in the middle of nowhere because their own system does not recognize the second address when we tell them to switch.

But thanks for playing.
dave99ag
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so what kind of "excuses" do you guys use to move your service? All the customer service folks tell me they have to come out and move the dish ... they don't trust me to do it.

I tell them I have a second home that I switch between and the dish is already installed. If they insist on having an installer come out, let them schedule it. You can call back and cancel the installation and the service address should still update.
meezermom
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OK, I am DYING to get the Houston stations, so I want to get this right:

I call DirecTV and tell them that I only want to change my service address. I give them my parents' address, which is in a Houston suburb.

Then if/when they ask about coming out and doing something to the dish, what do I say to them?

Also, I'll have 2, 11, 13, and whatever the Houston Fox station is rather than 44 which we have here for Fox. What about PBS? Is it the Houston one, because that would be awesome, or do I still end up with the KAMU one?

And then do the channels just magically appear or do I have to do some sort of reset to my system? I don't want to have it suddenly happen in the middle of the evening when my DVR is already recording some shows, but I'm not sure how to stop that from happening.

Thanks for the help, dave99ag!
dave99ag
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I've always told them that I have the dish already installed as it's a second home. If they push for an install, just call back later to cancel the install. You can't flat out tell them you're circumventing the stupid FCC rules, but they don't really care that much.

The switch usually happens within 10-15 minutes of the phone call. Sometimes I have to reautherize the box and reset it. If that doesn't work, call back in and have a CSR reauthorize the box.

Like another said, you'll need to update your recordings to the new channels. Those don't switch over.

Yes, you'll get PBS out of Houston.
ksp
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quote:
quote:
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Then I get on the phone and start *****ing out the DTV service folks.

Lmao. Rich considering you're trying to cheat.
Now, really Nom! If the government forces us to watch Waco locals, can you blame him for "cheating?"
the govt forces us to watch TV? woah
G. hirsutum Ag
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I have done this twice and this usually works. Tell them that you were looking on your account and noticed that the service address was incorrect. That it should actually by XYZ st in such and such town (pick a random address in houston). Tell them you need to keep the billing address the same but update the service address. They never say anything about it. Or tell them you have a tail gating setup and the dishes location is different than the billing address.
Counterpoint
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Do you get the CW in HD in Houston?

95_Aggie
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So apparently this doesn't work for Dish. I called and changed mine and it even shows what I wanted online in my account but my guide won't switch. I have even reset the receiver several times.
ClintW
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So apparently this doesn't work for Dish. I called and changed mine and it even shows what I wanted online in my account but my guide won't switch. I have even reset the receiver several times.
It does work with Dish. The last time I did this it took 2 phone calls. Try calling them back and tell them you are not getting the right local channels.
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