Posted on 01/29/2008 1:33:24 PM PST by DGHoodini
I am a relatively happy DirecTV subscriber, but recently I have been having a problem that while not onerous, is becoming annoying. While I have always been aware of some amount of sound level difference from channel to channel, and that for whatever reason, FNC was one of the channels I would have to turn the volume up for.
Recently it's been getting worse. I have to turn the volume all the way up to get a decent sound level for FNC, and be ready to lower the volume quickly if I change to other channels.
The reason I post this here, is I have the impression that someone who works at DirecTV, keeps an eye on FR. They never stated that they do work for DirecTV, I just got that impression. Not remembering their screen name, I would just ask, if they, or someone who works for DirecTV who comes across this post as a matter of looking for stories about DirecTV, that if they would, could they ask somebody about it?
Not having Fox News in HD is another complaint.
Fox News says they’re working on it, but their content of late makes me wonder if it’s worth the effort.
All Paris/Lindsey/guy-who-prolly-killed-his-wife all the time.
I don’t work for Directv although I do subscribe to it. Testing the volume just now on FNC, MSNBC and CNN shows CNN is the loudest and FNC and MSNBC are about the same volume, just a bit lower than CNN. YMMV
I haven’t noticed any difference in volume for FNC from other channels on DirecTV.
It does annoy the crap out of me when commercials on any channel are ten times louder than the other programming.
This in not uncommon and isn’t releated to Direct TV. I have Comcast and have the same problem, although with other stations. And I believe others have mentioned similar problems with other providers. I’ve simply learned to live with it; not that hard considering I don’t watch much TV.
I’ll chip in for half the bounty.
Well, actually, I gotta believe it *is* related to DirecTV, even if it is not isolated to their equipment. It’s not my TV that causes the volume altnations. Nor is it my DirecTV box or dish. If that were the case, the volume would not be selective to individual channels, and ir would not have volume spikes on TV commercials. It would not make my local channels that I get from DirecTV my loudest channels, as my local reception is lousy. It’s not my multiplexor/switch, as it’s powered, and the problem duplicates on all out feeds.
This is going on, either by the channels sending a low volume feed to DirecTV that they pass on to the satellite, or when the channel signals get to DirecTV, they are not being equally boosted, before being beamed up to the sattelite.
It seems ulikely that it is a matter of weekend transponders, or otherwise the video for the channels would be equally weak.
At least that is my assessment, from the outside, as it were.
Andf if my assessment is correct, it is something that can be fixed “on the ground”, without involving any “work” or replacement to the sattelite system.
Good luck with resolving your problem. I had Direct TV for a little over two years and let’s just say I went back to cable (Comcast).
For one thing anytime it rained or snowed heavily, I completely lost my signal. I had the volume problem too.
But the real kicker was after the dish had just gone out of its two year warrantee (I’m talking about a month or so) I started seeing pixilation (scrambling) of some channels but not all (and it really ticked me off that it was mostly on the premium channels).
I spent several hours on the phone with Direct TV and several times I got unexpectedly and unexplainably disconnected and had to call back only to have to explain the problem all over again to a new technician.
Finally a technician had me go through all sorts of setting and diagnostic tests; had me check all the cable connections and the site line of the dish and he determined my dish was going bad.
So I asked what next?
He said I’d have to call Best Buys where I bought the dish and schedule a service call. I did that and was told by Best Buy that I’d have to pay a $50 minimum service call fee up front just to have someone come out and that I couldn’t do that by phone but had to physically come into the store to schedule the service call.
I’ve had a few minor issues with Comcast – more so with the internet service than the cable TV but nothing nearly as aggravating as what I went through with Direct TV.
It’s a crapshoot alright. But I’ve heard many a horror story about cable companies screwing their customers. Yes, I’ve suffered rain fade, but it’s not happened often enough, or lasted long enough to become truly irritating to me. Especially, with being able to track the storm front with Weatherbug radar, and still having the internet, DVDs, and grainy local Broadcast TV.
I’ve had major pixelation happen for me, but after a little deduction, and some help from friends, it turned out that some plants had grown up during heavy spring rains, to block my dish.
Yours is the first i’ve heard of a dish (LNB?) going bad.
Fortunatly, my dish is mounted near ground level, and not even a ladder is needed to get to it.
I have to turn the volume all the way up to get a decent sound level for FNC
I just switch to a local cable co. yesterday, (Charter). I could not believe the poor quality of the pic of Fox News?????
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