DIRECTV Changes the Channel
This morning DIRECTV customer to find that the XM Music channels they have grown use to were gone and were replaced by a new music service called SonicTap.
For many people they seem surprised to find their XM channels gone, but honestly they shouldn’t be too surprise as DIRECTV announced this change just before christmas. Even a notice was mailed in customers bills letting them know about the change.
The reaction to the new music channels has been mixed with some folks very happy that there is just pure music back on DIRECTV, while others are missing the unique programming that XM offered.
The SonicTap service seems to be the DMX Music service just rebranded as SonicTap. The programming appears to the same between both services.
More HD Coming?
Rumor alert… I am getting word from a number of my sources who tell me more national HD will be coming this week to DISH Network.
The channels I am told that are coming to DISH this week include the following:
TRU-TV HD
Fox Soccer Channel HD
Retroplex HD
Indieplex HD
BBC America HD
E! Entertainment Television HD
Hallmark HD
Showtime West HD
Sportsman Channel HD
While these channels may be launching this week to DISH Network customers, I understand that many will be unable to tune into the new channels when they launch. The reason for this is for customers on the east the new channels will launch on Dish Networks 72.7 degree satellite location. This is not DISH Network’s normal slot for launching HD, normally HD has been going on DISH’s 61.5 orbital location. However the satellites at 61.5 have been having trouble including what look like the loss of one transponders a few weeks ago. DISH needs to launch these channels and to do so must put them at a backup slot.
DISH Network recently filed with the FCC to move Echostar 6 to the 61.5 degree location. I can only hope that when it moves there that DISH will move these new HD channels to the 61.5 orbital location.
The only channel I am hearing will be on 61.5 this week will be BBC America. (UPDATE: 6:40PM ET - Just got an update telling BBC America will not be on 61.5 but will instead be only on 72.7 and 129) I know a lot of soccer fans are going to be unhappy about that.
For those customers who get their HD from the 129 orbital location they should be able to see all the new HD when it lights up.
Fans of NHL Hockey and and cage fighting are wondering if DIRECTV and the Versus Network are anywhere near a deal. I am hearing that Versus is not optimistic for resolution of the stalemate in time for the NHL Playoffs begin.
I am kind of surprised that the Comcast owned Versus Network has not come to a deal with DIRECTV considering they are currently before the government in hopes of getting approval for their merger with NBC Universal.
This is one fight that should have ended long ago.
John Smith commented:
I don't care about the music channels on DIRECTV. I don't subscribe to DIRECTV for the music channels.
When the DIRECTV D12 is active DISHNETWORK wouldn't even be close the number of national HD channels DIRECTV will have.
kevinbe commented:
Dish Network just Tweeted that the new channels are now available. I asked about the availability and they wrote back, "There are a small # of folks who can't (not can) get the new HD."
DodgerKing commented:
Big Yawn....
So DirecTV is switching music channels that few listen to and even fewer care about and Dish is adding a bunch of HD channels that few watch....
Wake me up when there is something interesting.
iceturkee commented:
just checked and msnbc is not in hd on directv as previously posted. false and unconfirmed rumore.
pop 866 fan commented:
I really enjoyed pops 866 since the popular classical musics were played. Now it's been replaced by light classical. After listening for over one hour, I haven't heard a familiar piece. I will be no longer listening to 866
Scrooge commented:
I didn't sub for the music Music should be another offering just like the othe subscriptions, not standard.
Screwed in the East commented:
Nice going Dish Network, way to screw over your legacy customers in the east. First you only offer to do free professional eastern arc installations to new customers, now you take it a step further and are now adding channels to 72.5, instead of 61 which until now was the copy of 129 for legacy eastern customers where 129 was much too low in the sky. Every legacy customer in the east should call retention and threaten to cancel unless they send an installer out to upgrade you to the eastern arc for FREE since THEY were the ones who set the guidelines to install dishes pointing at 119/110 and 61 for HD eastern customers.
Living in the Sticks commented:
What I'm pissed about is DirecTV putting many of the new music channels on 119. The ONLY music channels that should be on 119 is the international ones, NOT the holidays, piano and tranquility stations! It will be fun explaining to the family next season why there's no holiday music to go along with unwrapping of presents. And why the hell did they make some music stations Premiere exclusives? Premiere is the package to get all premiums, it's NOT a place to put channels that you can't subscribe to as an addon to the lower packages. You should NOT have to pay for HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz AND the Sports Pack just to get the Piano station! I understand making some of the DirecTV Mas exclusives as part of Premiere, but there's no logical reason for the Piano station to be a premiere exclusive. I was thinking of switching to Ultimate to get some of the extra music stations, but since they put a bunch of them on 119, which we cannot get over here unless we level a forest on preservation land, there is no reason to do so. You really screwed up on this one DirecTV.
Tim commented:
Since when do they show soccer on BBC America?
Shield95 commented:
DirecTV the number 1 Satellite Provider
is adding MSNBC HD tomorrow
Jess commented:
As a Direct Subscriber, I have no problem with the music switch as XM since the merger has gotten stale with their playlists. There are more choices and more channels to listen to.
Reaper commented:
This would make Dish the first to have Retroplex and Indieplex in HD as far as I know. I have FiOS but would like to have those...