Local chanel HD

That channel is listed in the channel guide as SD only.  You can check for yourself at the link.  We are all users here so we have no information as to when any channel will upgrade to HD.  As to bandwidth, this is a very valuable commodity in satellite systems so Directv does not have lot's of it laying around available at a moments notice.  There are many localities in the country that are getting no local HD.

 www.directv.com/locals

We have been DirecTV subscribers since 1998.  If DirecTV doesn't give us KMSP channel 9 back, which worked just fine, had substantially identical programming, and was in HD, at least to view NFL games, we will have no choice but to cancel our DirecTV subscription.  At a minimum, NFL Sunday Ticket's carriage of the Minnesota game had better not be blacked out to favor the amateurish local Mankato startup Fox affiliate's dismal SD transmission.

If we get the dreadful (actually cut off at the edges) picture the new channel 13 provided for Saturday's national Fox MLB game on NFL Sunday, this will be a top story/outrage across the region by early afternoon.

Glib lectures on the scarcity of bandwidth and how to view parts of the DirecTV website could not be more useless.  Why should the South-Central Minnesota DirecTV subscriber suffer because a low-rent Mankato channel decides to affiliate with Fox?

And let me pre-empt the next anticipated bit of useless help: no statute or regulation requires this to have happened as it did as fast as it did.  This is a quality control issue, and DirecTV is erring on the side of low quality.  Or, worse, Southern Minnesota customers are being sacrificed so viewers somewhere else get an upgrade to HD.  Not Cool.

darinhaugen:

We're all customers like you, not DirecTV employees. Be sure to email your complaint to them directly.  They won't see it here. 

If there is a new Fox affiliate in your DMA, however amateurish it is, DirecTV has no choice but to deliver that one to you. FCC rules require it. And if the game is on that affiliate, it WILL be blacked out on Sunday Ticket. Those are NFL rules, not DirecTV's.

We have finger pointing going on here. KEYC says it is DirecTV. DirecTV says vice versa. I have had FOX in HD for over a year, but now don't.

See http://www.keyc.tv/category/201273/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6291174&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

We had FOX in HD on Channel 9. When you go to channel 9 it tells you to go to Channel 13 which is standard definition. Who is accountable here?

Note KEYC Mankato says they have the High Definition signal but DirecTV is not carrying it yet.  They say that DirecTV plans to, however, they mention no date in this video.

Did you read the thread?  The answer is no one here is accountable and no one here can fix your issue.

I am located in Southn MN as well.  And have the same problem.  Until sunday everything was fine.  But as of this past sunday 9/25/11 I was forced to switch from FOX channel 9 which has been HD for aleat 4 years, to FOX channel 13 which is now only SD.  FOX 13 out of mankato has been broadcasted over the Air (antenna)for longer than 3 years and has been available in HD for as long.  But now since it is on direct tv it is only available in SD, and I was not able to pick it up off my antenna anymore. 

So FOX channel 9 that is HD is no longer offered to me, but FOX 13 SD is.  Why am I forced to only have SD programming when a HD broadcast of that channel is available?

We have been informed by KEYC the Local Fox broadcaster that the HD signal is being sent to direct tv, but direct tv is not displaying that.  I have called direct tv and as expected the rep knew nothing about the problem.  All I am asking for is offer both the FOX 9 HD channel  and the FOX 13 channel until the new channel 13 is being displayed in HD.  Or offer me NFL sunday ticket for free until the new FOX channel is HD.     

FYI - Here is the email response from DirecTV

Please be advised that effective 9/21/11, customers in Mankato MN market lost the KMSP 9 (FOX) SD/HD and instead receive FOX 13 (FOX) in SD only. I know how important getting FOX in HD is to you and I apologize that we are unable to offer this channel in HD at this time. I assure you that we are doing our best to bring more of it to you as soon as possible. We often add programming based on customer requests, and I have forwarded your request to our programming department. Be sure and stay tuned to directv.com for the latest news and information about our service.

Meanwhile, you may be able to get your local FOX in HD by purchasing an off-air antenna. You can find out about off air antennas by clicking the "Choosing a TV Antenna" link at the bottom of directv.com/local or by calling us at 1-800-531-5000.

@dcd - perhaps wrong use of the forum, but the point of the post is to understand what happened here when this change suddenly happened without notification to customers and the communication has varied from DirecTV and KEYC (Mankato)

I personally don't understand programming determinations and I am interested in understanding the why and who behind this change.  FYI understanding what happened helps me make educated decisions about who I want my provider to be.

Two parts to my response., for those who are interested in the whys and wherefores of this situation.

First, the reason why DirecTv switched from channel 9 to the new channel 13 is FCC rules. Once a Fox affiliate actually located in your DMA started to broadcast, DirecTvVis forced to switch. DirecTV can't just deliver the MSP Fox station because customers want it. FCC rules, driven by ad revenue issues, require satellite companies to deliver the programming from the local DMA affiliate. There is nothing in the FCC rules giving a customer the right to HD programming.

Second part to my response. According to wikipedia, Fox Mankato is NOT broadcasting in HD.  The OTA signal from KEYC delivers CBS on 12.1 in HD and Fox on 12.2 in SD, there is no HD transmission from the station.  see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KEYC-TV and also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KEYC-DT2  DirecTV probably receives the off-air signal at its local receive facility (this is how DirecTv usually receives signals from a station) and delivers it as channel 13 in SD on DirecTV.  It's not really possible for KEYC to deliver both CBS and Fox OTA in HD because a single OTA channel can only support one HD signal, plus one SD signal (although even that takes away bandwidth from the HD channel).

Now it is possible that KEYC could deliver an HD Fox signal to DirecTV over a fiber connection to the DirecTV local receive facility, but I have no idea if such a fiber connection is available. But even if it were, DirecTV would still need to find bandwidth for an HD signal.  Remember that the satellite bandwidth that was being used for channel 9 is STILL being used for channel 9, because channel 9 is still being delivered for people in MSP. So satellite bandwidth for the Fox Mankato signal is additional bandwith. DirecTV has found bandwidth for the SD signal, but HD requires MUCH more bandwidth than SD, and so even if Fox Mankato could get an HD signal via fiber to the DirecTV Local receive Facility (instead of the SD signal they are  delivering OTA) there is no guarantee DirecTV would have the bandwidth to deliver it. Many people don't have ANY HD locals.

So what would need to happen for Fox Mankato to be available  in HD for DirecTV?  First, Fox Mankato would somehow have to make available an HD signal - they don't have this available OTA, which would be the normal way to do it, their OTA signal is only SD.  So they would have to deliver an HD signal to DirecTV via fiber ( and they might not even have HD equipment at their own studio, to do it). And then second, DirecTvVwould have to find additional HD transponder bandwidth to deliver it to Mankato customers (which simply might not be available).

A couple of things are not accurate in your post.  1st of all FOX mankato is available in a OTA HD signal.  I can watch it when it comes in.  Wikipedia is frequently inaccurate.  Secondly KEYC mankato (CBS affiliate) had a short broadcast about the problem during their evening new program.  Indicating that the HD signal is being made available to direct tv.  However direct tv is electing not to display the HD signal.  I am still upset about the problem because happened during the time of the year I watch fox most often.  Baseball playoffs, and football season.  I find this unacceptable. 

Texasbrit is attempting to help the uninformed understand.  I'm sure he'll appreciate the correct info.  But, the bottom line here is covered in post #7.  We understand that there are those of us who want more HD, different HD, more features in Whole Home, cheaper prices, less blackouts etc etc etc.

Every one of those posters find their situation unacceptable, but this is a technical help forum and these threads turn it into a chat room for complaints.  This would be okay if these threads produced any tangible results, but I think all they do is stoke the fires.

All I can do is give the info that's available to me. It may be that the signal is now available in HD so that gets us past stage one of my response.  But DirecTV still needs to find bandwidth for the HD signal, and as I posted that's at a premium.  They can't instantly find HD bandwidth just because you want it.  And if you can get it OTA, why is it such a big problem for you?

Frustrated as OP here. Regardless of the issue if it's not fixed I will be taking my business elsewhere.

The thing that really burns me is that even the SD broadcast is messed up, watching football and you can see ONE teams score, and no time clock.. common, QA really ??

The thing that really burns me is that even the SD broadcast is messed up, watching football and you can see ONE teams score, and no time clock.. common, QA really ??

thats gonna be a formatting issue with either your receiver or your tv....

It is not a formatting issue either, everyones televisions display the same garbage.  My TV, my brothers, and a friends.  The problem with the OTA is that it doesn't come in all the time, and my DVR doesn't work with the OTA signal.  So I loose the DVR capabilities.  I could deal with the fact that the signal is SD, it is a decent SD signal.  But what bothers me off more than anything is the fact that the format is so messed up.  A 1/4 of the picture is not viewable.  Both side of the TV.  doesn't matter how you format it, it is a really goofed up display.