Universal Sports coming to Direct TV (threads merged)

[ross_hy]

Finally, Universal Sports is becoming more available! I'm hoping this move is part of NBC's plans to expand availability of the channel before the Olympics next year. Now, off to the Direct TV website to find out how much the Sports pack is...$12.99 per month.

Check the release out here
http://www.universalsports.com/news-...ming+direct+tv
or here
http://www.multichannel.com/article/...th_DirecTV.php

[BaileyCatts]

So you have Direct TV? Questions please (cause damn I will switch from Time Warner cable if Direct TV has Universal Sports!). You have to have one of those little satellite dish's installed on your house, right? But is it true that bad weather can affect your TV signal and that you can lose TV during bad thunderstorms/windstorms and blizzards, etc.? I remember from a while ago a co-worker complaining about always losing the signal and how she missed her show the night before because of it. And one time she lost the signal on a Monday and when she called the provider, they could not send a Tech until that Friday and she went without TV for a week? Does this kind of stuff still happen with satellite dish's, or was this maybe when they were still new and they don't have those problems anymore? I would be if I would lose TV every time it stormed and had to wait a week to get a repair man to fix the signal. I don't know anyone who currently has Direct TV so honest questions here.

[FiveRinger]

Hey! Good news for those of us with Directv. I got an email from Universal Sports saying that it is finally coming to Directv. There wasn't a date, but maybe someone has some additional info. I'm on my phone and not able to provide a link (technically challenged).

[FiveRinger]

So you have Direct TV? Questions please (cause damn I will switch from Time Warner cable if Direct TV has Universal Sports!). You have to have one of those little satellite dish's installed on your house, right? But is it true that bad weather can affect your TV signal and that you can lose TV during bad thunderstorms/windstorms and blizzards, etc.? I remember from a while ago a co-worker complaining about always losing the signal and how she missed her show the night before because of it. And one time she lost the signal on a Monday and when she called the provider, they could not send a Tech until that Friday and she went without TV for a week? Does this kind of stuff still happen with satellite dish's, or was this maybe when they were still new and they don't have those problems anymore? I would be if I would lose TV every time it stormed and had to wait a week to get a repair man to fix the signal. I don't know anyone who currently has Direct TV so honest questions here.

Hi BC! I have had Directv for 10 years and I have never had my service be out for a week b/c of weather. A few minutes is more accurate during really bad storms where water and wind interfere with the signal. Even in snow I havenkt had that problem, really. My service didn't even break during the tornado that passed through here.

I had Charter and left because the customer serice was horrible. I am not saying Directv is perfect, but every time I had an issue I was able to get it resolved and credits on my bill for the trouble. Directv will be the only provider of Universal Sports in my area at all, so this is wonderful news. I was ecstatic when I got the news!

[Veronika]

Yes, this is great news! I have DirecTV! It looks like this will happen in October of this year.

Here are some links:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...on-deal-202093
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...goryid=14&cs=1

[FigureSpins]

So you have Direct TV?

Yes, since 9/10/2001. Good thing, too because the over-the-air channels in NY stopped working when the Twin Towers went down. (Later restored)

You have to have one of those little satellite dish's installed on your house, right?

You have to have it installed, but it doesn't have to be on your house. It just needs a clear view of the southern sky.
I have it mounted on a pole in the backyard here and the cables leading to the house were buried underground by the installer.

Our connections here are outside the house because this newer house was completely wired for cable/satellite. In our old house, the cable was brought inside and cables were run to the TV spots. That was a PITA. BTW, they can reuse the cables if you already have cable service - we had them do that in the last house, which saved holes in our plaster walls and/or hardwood floors.

But is it true that bad weather can affect your TV signal and that you can lose TV during bad thunderstorms/windstorms and blizzards, etc.? I remember from a while ago a co-worker complaining about always losing the signal and how she missed her show the night before because of it.

Yes, it will fritz out occasionally due to heavy rain or snow. If you can't see to drive in the downpour, chances are the satellite dish can't receive the signal. Always resolves within a few minutes when the downpour lets up. You can watch anything recorded on your DVR, though. Frankly, same crap happened with Time Warner Cable where I used to live, but that ALWAYS involved a service call and several frustrated days of waiting. With DirecTV, it's annoying, but not a big deal. The good shows usually have an encore presentation or an online viewing option, so it's not the end of the world if you miss the first broadcast.

And one time she lost the signal on a Monday and when she called the provider, they could not send a Tech until that Friday and she went without TV for a week? Does this kind of stuff still happen with satellite dish's, or was this maybe when they were still new and they don't have those problems anymore?

That sounds like her installation wasn't done properly in the first place. My brother takes his box with him when he goes to his vacation home, connects it to his self-installed dish and has no problems. This is the third or fourth house where I've had DirecTV installed in a house and signal problems never last longer than 30 minutes.

I would be if I would lose TV every time it stormed and had to wait a week to get a repair man to fix the signal. I don't know anyone who currently has Direct TV so honest questions here.

Oh, well if you're happy with your cable service and bill, stick with them, then. I know plenty of people who complain about their cable service cutting out, so to me, it's six of one, half-dozen of the other. I'd rather pay less and get more programming that I like as opposed to paying through the nose for the same level of service.


In terms of Customer Service, DirecTV is lacking. They only empower their call center staff to make decisions IF you call and say you want to cancel or step down in programming. I called once because the Finale of Monk was ruined. You could see the picture, but there was no sound. It only affected that channel. All I received for my trouble was a "gee, we're sorry." It happened again on another show later on and I wrote a complaint letter to which I never received a reply. They used focus on customer satisfaction when we first subscribed, but that's not their focus any longer.

They also campaign regularly against taxes in various states on satellite service.

BTW, the Hughes Network internet is really expensive because of the limits on data transmission. They slow down when you get near thresholds.

[FigureSpins]

This announcement is not great news, unless you already subscribe to the sports packages and/or higher tier of DirecTV service. It wouldn't be worth it to pay an extra $150/year just to watch Universal Sports for figure skating. I already get that channel over the air from our local NBC affiliate. In my mind, it should be included in my "local channels" fee, for which I already pay extra.

[Frau Muller]

Of course, one has to pay. Comcast customers pay too. Only those who get it off-the-air (antennae/analog converter boxes) get it for free.

[A.H.Black]

But is it true that bad weather can affect your TV signal and that you can lose TV during bad thunderstorms/windstorms and blizzards, etc.?

This completely depends on your house and your location. I've had a DISH for over 12 years. The first two houses had it on the south side of the house. Both of those houses had a small overhang on that end. I think I lost service because of weather a total of 3 times and only for about 30 seconds. Now I have the dish on the roof of this house. When it snows I get service interruptions. I do have to go out and sweep the snow out to get the service back. It's usually about 5 minutes.

This problem of service interruption can be solved by having a cover for the dish that allows snow and ice to slide off easily.

I don't think cable is perfect either. When I first had Olympic coverage on cable, my cable service went down for major portions of those games. The cable company told me it was the heat. That wouldn't be a problem for winter games, but it could be for London. There's no perfect way to watch.

[A.H.Black]

This announcement is not great news, unless you already subscribe to the sports packages and/or higher tier of DirecTV service. It wouldn't be worth it to pay an extra $150/year just to watch Universal Sports for figure skating. I already get that channel over the air from our local NBC affiliate. In my mind, it should be included in my "local channels" fee, for which I already pay extra.

It would be lovely if it was included in your package. However, it looks like DirectTV has decided to make it a premium - just like basketball and football and other premium packages. You will have to decide how much it is worth to you to have access to Universal.

[rfisher]

Doing the happy dance here! I can watch in High Def.

[AJ Skatefan]

Doing the happy dance here! I can watch in High Def.

Are they offering it in high def? Currently, it's not in high def.

[rfisher]

Are they offering it in high def? Currently, it's not in high def.

I still get to watch on the big screen rather then the computer so I'm good.

[AJ Skatefan]

High Definition would be awesome, but I'll take what I can get!

[manhn]

$150/year is $12.50/month. That's 2.5 non-fat mochas a month. Or one movie.

I have not received any US coverage from this past season yet from my American trader, but if the coverage is the same as what I received for the 09/10 season, then I'd give up watching Bridesmaids.

[Rob]

Psyched for Universal Sports!!!!!!!! I already have the sports package.

I have DirecTV and it goes out in storms. Depending on the storm, it might go out for a few hours or the picture might just break up for a few minutes. I live in an area with mature tall trees so we have to make sure we keep them pruned back or we get interference. We did have several issues with bad installations/equipment. I had one DVR fail, but they replaced it for free with an updated model. The first install didn't last, and I had not bought the service plan so it cost $75 for them to come fix it. Then I bought the plan. A while later, the satellite dish I got went bad so they replaced it at no charge. Moral of the story -- buy the service plan. They installed the wrong DVR once (non HD) when I ordered HD, so they sent an HD DVR and didn't charge the difference. That install wound up being bad, and it took about a week for them to come fix it. Waiting a long time for an appointment is also true of Verizon, Comcast in my area. Even worse for Verizon, Comcast. Before I got DirecTV, it took me 3 1/2 weeks to get Comcast fixed one time (right through the Good Will Games). And during Pairs short in Torino 2006, Comcast went out in a mild storm and I had to run to a sports bar to watch.

[rfisher]

Install problems really vary with DirectTV because they contract that out so your service and quality depends in large part on that contractor. I've had really good ones and I've had not so good. Letting DirectTV know if you have a problem does help, especially if you tell them to either get it fixed or you'll drop the service. They want the business and will see to it you get the problem fixed. Which reminds me, now that we'll have Universal sports, I need an HD receiver for the TV in the office.

[Bonita]

OMG, I'm so excited! I got DirectTV because they had the Oxygen channel (the year that skating was on Oxygen) but became totally hooked and stuck with it because I love the programming. It did suck missing Worlds, though.

As to the dish/service going out, not once for us. Location on the house is very important. We had a terrible blizzard here this winter and had 100% good service. They have also been very quick with repairs. It's expensive after the first year, but I love it.

[Sassafras]

I have had DirecTV since 1994. The original receiver (not fancy) and the old dish still work fine and I also have one of the recording ones for the last few years. I have never had any service or equipment problems. Figure I'm about due.

The signal has rarely gone out. Sometimes for a few minutes if there is a lot of hail aloft in a thunderstorm in the direction the antenna is pointed. Yes, the dish can fill with snow, but I have mine on the deck rail outside the back door and if it loads up, I just open the door and reach out with a broom and clear it.

[mpal2]

I have had DirecTV since 1994. The original receiver (not fancy) and the old dish still work fine and I also have one of the recording ones for the last few years. I have never had any service or equipment problems. Figure I'm about due.

You might be eligible for a free upgrade. I had the local channels package which meant a 2nd dish. They changed the signal for local channels and gave me a new dish and receivers. They took away the 2 old dishes but I still have the receivers because I supposedly own those now. I have no clue what I'm going to do with them.