To satelite, or not to satelite, that is the question. With a few others

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Ale_Brewer said:
I had no idea that you wouldn't get local channels when out of town though.
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We have DirecTV with a Winegard Trav'ler and have DNS (Distant Network Services) which fpr $15/mo provides us the major network feeds from NY City regardless of where we are.  The Genie DVR remains set to those channels so we don't have to reprogram it in different cities.  No we don't watch the NY news, but we wouldn't watch local news in strange cities, anyway.  Local weather and news are easily obtained on the internet;  we have no need for local TV.
 
I really have no need for local TV as well for news and such, as my main concern deals with sports events that happen on local channels only, such as Cowboys games and golf tournaments. If I don't get local channels (my local channels) when on the road with satellite, would I at least get local channels in regards to where I'm parked?
 
To get the locals for where you are, you would have to contact DTV and have them change your service address to your current location. I don't know if DTV has any restrictions on doing that or not. Dish does not. Any receivers you leave at home though, will lose the locals for that area when you make the change. That would only matter if you have recordings set up at home for local channels.
 
When we were headed to the Grand Canyon last spring and discovered that we'd have no cell or internet for 5 months, we stopped and bought a Dish receiver and a Tailgater antenna.  I love just having to eyeball openings in the trees and south and letting the unit do the rest. 
To get local channels I just call Dish customer service and update our location.  For 1 or 2 night stops, I often don't call and just watch the higher channels.

When we bought our new coach it had a Winegard in-motion antenna attached to the roof.  Was a matter of removing the dome and flipping a couple of switches to convert from Direct to Dish and it works fine with the VIP211 receiver we bought last summer.  I was going to sell the Tailgater, but we ended up just buying a second receiver and using the tailgater for the rear TV.  Only cost $7/mo for the second box, and keeps the DW happy when I start watching car shows on the main TV.

Biggest problem we had was switching local channels before I canceled my home service.  They kept getting the 2 accounts confused and a couple of times it took 2 calls to Dish to get it straight.  Now that I'm down to 1 account that problem is gone.
 
Checking back as the OP.

So I've made my decision, I will purchase a manual SWM antenna, and a DVR receiver from DTV, set it up at home, and fill the DVR before leaving for our summer vacation. That way I'll have things to watch for 1 night stays, or if I can't find a satellite. 
 
Before making the investment you might try streaming.  If you'll have access to a cellular network you can save some money!

We have DTV on our coach (as well as at home) and love it.  The in-motion dish was on the coach when we purchased it.  We spent less than $200 on the receiver and pay $7 / mo.  With that said, we won't install it on our next coach because streaming works so well!

AT&T (owner of Direct TV) has announced plans to phase out satellites and boxes (see link below) in favor of streaming over the cellular network.  Additionally, they have already introduced unlimited streaming of DTV content over the AT&T cellular network for DTV subscribers without using your data plan.  As a result you can buy the $40 cord and plug your phone into the TV's HDMI port or your switch box and watch all you want. 

It works great as long as you have cellular service!   

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/techflash/2016/09/report-at-t-has-set-a-timeline-to-phase-out.html
 
Just a heads up that many phones don't support HDMI out cables. Check your specific phone before committing. - Rob
 
Yea, I just checked my phone, a Samsung Galaxy J3, and it doesn't support HML connections. The other thing is that there are just so many places in the good old USA with little or no cell phone service, but the satellites are all there, if you can see to the south.
 
If your phone can do Wi-Fi and Cell at the same time.. You can "Cast" it to your TV.

There are several ways to do this.. If it can suport USB and Wireless" (Cellular) at the same time, there are even more ways.. The tastiest of which is Raspberry Pi.
 
John From Detroit said:
The tastiest of which is Raspberry Pi.
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I use a Pi 3B to run OpenElec.  It works better than any other computer I've tried, including a gaming laptop that has a monster processor, gaming video card and 16GB of ram, a Mac mini, or a Dell micro-desktop.

Are you using the Pi for casting or using the other computer as a network drive to store content?

Just curious.
 
Buckeye4692002 said:
AT&T (owner of Direct TV) has announced plans to phase out satellites and boxes (see link below) in favor of streaming over the cellular network. 
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Although AT&T has stated that streaming will be its "primary" distribution platform by 2020, no timetable for phase out of the satellites has been given nor has a definite statement been made that the satellites will ever be phased out.  At present AT&T has millions of satellite customers and quite a few of them live in areas not well served by cellular.  Furthermore, the so-called unlimited cellular offered by AT&T for streaming TV is, I believe, limited to 480p resolution.  Not something I would want to watch on my new UHD TV.

IMHO most of us will be able to live out our years as RVers without having to worry about DirecTV phasing out its satellite service.
 
docj said:
Although AT&T has stated that streaming will be its "primary" distribution platform by 2020, no timetable for phase out of the satellites has been given nor has a definite statement been made that the satellites will ever be phased out.  At present AT&T has millions of satellite customers and quite a few of them live in areas not well served by cellular.  Furthermore, the so-called unlimited cellular offered by AT&T for streaming TV is, I believe, limited to 480p resolution.  Not something I would want to watch on my new UHD TV.

IMHO most of us will be able to live out our years as RVers without having to worry about DirecTV phasing out its satellite service.
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I think you are correct. My plan is to buy a SWM antenna with an HDDVR receiver and go camping. If, and it's a big if, ATT decides to pull the plug on satellites in 2020, then I won't have a large investment in a tracking antenna, and will simply write it off. In the mean time I will have decent TV, and will enjoy what I get.
 
AT&T (owner of Direct TV) has announced plans to phase out satellites and boxes (see link below) in favor of streaming over the cellular network.
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That's not quite what they said. What they will be phasing out is broadcast tv via satellite and the associated receiver boxes, replacing it with streaming via various delivery channels, including satellite as well as cellular and cable. Direct TV will become a streaming service, probably not much different than Netflix or Hulu. My guess is there will be a new crop of DirectTV satellite receivers that do streaming instead of real time tv reception.
 
Gary RVer Emeritus said:
My guess is there will be a new crop of DirectTV satellite receivers that do streaming instead of real time tv reception.
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A problem with that approach is that using satellites for streaming essentially means that a 2-way communication system has to be established so the "server" knows what you want to watch.  The satellite TV system, as currently configured, is a one-way communication system.  No information is returned from the satellite receiver to the transmitting satellite or ground station.  Satellite internet systems, such as those provided by Hughesnet, require a much larger "ground station" with the capability of transmitting a signal back to the satellite in geosynchronous orbit.

It would, in theory, be possible to create a hybrid system which involved the use of a one-way satellite downlink along with the use of a separate uplink using, for example, the cellular network.  At one time there were Hughesnet options that sort of worked in that manner.

Personally, I'm not convinced that's the way AT&T will go.  As currently designed the satellite broadcast system can provide HD or even 4k signals to millions of subscribers because there is no "feedback" and all customers simply select from a fixed "menu" of channels.  If, however, each customer is allowed to specify his own information content the bandwidth will be nowhere near adequate to satisfy the same number of subscribers.
 
The solution I am looking at is to off my Dish receiver and Tailgater and use my phone streaming Netflix, Hulu, and Sling TV to the Chromecast dongle on the TV along with DVD's and over the air antenna for locals. If that does not work then I'll read a book. The Dish RV month by months service is now $75 and the other options are $32, but I already use them at home.
 
Can't speak for the Pi.

Most commercial cast devices (I think the MS Display adapter is about the only one that doesn't) require an internet connection to cast your phone to your TV. Make sure you have an internet connection for the cast device.

John From Detroit said:
If your phone can do Wi-Fi and Cell at the same time.. You can "Cast" it to your TV.

There are several ways to do this.. If it can suport USB and Wireless" (Cellular) at the same time, there are even more ways.. The tastiest of which is Raspberry Pi.
Click to expand...
 
docj said:
A problem with that approach is that using satellites for streaming essentially means that a 2-way communication system has to be established so the "server" knows what you want to watch.  The satellite TV system, as currently configured, is a one-way communication system.  No information is returned from the satellite receiver to the transmitting satellite or ground station.  Satellite internet systems, such as those provided by Hughesnet, require a much larger "ground station" with the capability of transmitting a signal back to the satellite in geosynchronous orbit.

It would, in theory, be possible to create a hybrid system which involved the use of a one-way satellite downlink along with the use of a separate uplink using, for example, the cellular network.  At one time there were Hughesnet options that sort of worked in that manner.

Personally, I'm not convinced that's the way AT&T will go.  As currently designed the satellite broadcast system can provide HD or even 4k signals to millions of subscribers because there is no "feedback" and all customers simply select from a fixed "menu" of channels.  If, however, each customer is allowed to specify his own information content the bandwidth will be nowhere near adequate to satisfy the same number of subscribers.
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Our Dish Hoppers can stream Netflix, Pandora, etc, but they need an Internet connection to do it.
 
NY_Dutch said:
Our Dish Hoppers can stream Netflix, Pandora, etc, but they need an Internet connection to do it.
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I assume you understand that when you do this your Dish Hopper isn't really doing anything other than being a streaming device.  You could just as easily use a Roku or other similar streaming device.  It's not as if your ability to get this content has ANYTHING to do with the satellite TV system.
 
docj said:
I assume you understand that when you do this your Dish Hopper isn't really doing anything other than being a streaming device.  You could just as easily use a Roku or other similar streaming device.  It's not as if your ability to get this content has ANYTHING to do with the satellite TV system.
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Exactly... The only advantage is the "everything in one box" concept. I don't see either Dish or Direct using their existing satellites to on demand stream any content even with a hybrid setup, assuming the transponders could be reconfigured for such a service. The bandwidth just isn't there.
 
Needing any kind of device for streaming is becoming less and less of an issue as new TVs become smarter and smarter.  Our new 43" middle of the pack UHD Samsung has such broad range of "smart" capabilities that there was no reason for me to use a Roku or a Hopper or anything else with it to access internet related activities such as streaming.  A few years ago, most smart devices had only a few built-in streaming options; that is very different now.
 
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