Why does channel 674 and channel 674a have the same channel lineup - not the same channel.

Smhtv!! You're a GENIUS!!
I was making it too hard, going to the show and hitting "OK" on remote so it opened up into a full-screen showing all the details and making sure i was on right channel.
I just did it your way by highlighting the show on the guide and hitting record on the remote and was able to do it with both. Checked upcoming records and both channels appear set to record.
Thanks!

It appears n1nhs above has hit the nail on the head. This is not as our engineer at work says "operator error" but a programming/software issue at the source that needs to be fixed.
Until then... 

U can use the search (instead of the guide) to record whatever program you want to record. When you record shows by search they don't record by channel. They record by the name of the show. It should record your game/show on any channel it appears on. That's how it works for me.

Hi @n1nhs, we understand your concern when it comes to the programming you enjoy.

We're looking to improve our customer's watch experience as we want to provide you the best value to your service. I'll be passing my voice related to this, so I appreciate the details you previously shared with us. This help us to improve our technology.

As a friendly reminder, not all content is eligible to record due the content provider rights, but it may be available On Demand, you can search for the program On Demand and add it to your Bookmark or Watch Now. 

Maria, DIRECTV Community Specialist

DIRECTVhelp - Maria -

Thank you for your reply - this is NOT an out of market, or restricted viewing situation, it occurs on almost ALL games set to record either as a series recording of baseball or as a favorite team setting.

It can be demonstrably proven that it is not a restricted broadcast because if you turn to the chanel 674/ATTSWHD the game is being broadcast and received. If you then go to the recorded programs and look at the item that is recording, you find that the channel being recorded is likely 674a/ATTSWHDa and the content of the recording is just the "Off the air" logo. If you then delete this faulty recording, go to either the guide or the channel 674/ATTSWHD (where you can clearly see the game being broadcast) and then press record, the game will begin to record. Returning to the list of recorded programs, you will find the recorded program as 674/ATTSWHD (note no "a"). If you select play, then the recorded game will play correctly.

It is NOT a restricted rights issue - USC 15 Chap. 32 Section 1292 has nothing to do with the problem we are experiencing. It is all about the cloud DVR not doing what it should.  I wish there was someone that cared enough to actually investigate this problem and understand it. It appears that my mistake was actually thinking that DirecTV and DirectTV Stream would offer equivalent service.

Given that ATT Sportsnet is not available on the local cable provider, likely because of USC 15 Chap. 32 Sec 1291, I do not have the option to use them as my television provider. If this were the case, the questions as to why DirecTV does anything would be totally moot - I would be happily using another service.

@n1nhs, we do appreciate all the details you're providing regarding this situation and we care for our customers and their experience. That's the reason this topic has been escalated and it's being investigated already in order to make sure the DIRECTV and DIRECTV STREAM experience is top notch.

I'm gathering all of the details you've shared, as well as the feedback give by other customers regarding this same situation, and this contributes a great deal towards finding a resolution a lot sooner.

We'll be here if further assistance is needed.

Maria, DIRECTV Community Specialist

Search the game record it from there. Don't record it from the guide

Ludwick577 - Tried this - if you tell it to record the series, it still gets it wrong.

I also tried an experiment trying to record todays game. First I deleted all series recording for team or baseball, verified that there were no upcoming recordings for any baseball games. Then during the pre-game show (half hour before game time) selected the game to record specifically on 674/ATTSWHD. Then moved to upcoming recordings and verified that the schedlued recording was on 674/ATTSWHD. Next waited until the game started (10 minutes after it had started - was watching 674) and then checked the recording list. The game was not being recorded on 674/ATTSWHD but the cloud DVR was recording 674a/ATTSWHDa. Opened the recording and nothing but logo.

Why did the DVR not accept the tasking to record as specified?

Why would the DVR change the tasking to another channel?

Also, I have noticed that if you change the channel to something that is not 674 or 674a so the guide starts on that channel when guide is pressed and then enter 674 (no "a") the guide moves to 674a at the top of the list (although it is below 674 in the list) You have to explicitly press up arrow to get to 674. So even the guide navigation is somehow not doing the right thing and confusing the two channels. But then this behaviour is understandable since the guide labels both line simply 674.

Bottom line, a successful work around has not been found that reliably works, the cloud DVR lacks many of the features the DirecTV Genie has (and would greatly benefit from the features) and the root cause can be traced to software at some level. Given all the effort to enable the set-top boxes to be upgraded and managed remotely, it is amazing that acknowledging this is an issue and implementing a fix can not be acheived.

Well, Smhtv maybe not a genius, but smart enough to keep trying to find one.
Yes, I had the same problem as you. Before I left for softball at 5p, i checked upcoming recordings and BOTH were set, one on 674/ATTSWHD and one on 674a/ATTSWHDa.
When i got home, i checked and i now had TWO recordings of the logo channel 674a/ATTSWHDa.
Friday night we will be at softball again, and assuming this is not fixed, I am going to try to call up the game on my phone app once it starts and hit record. we'll see...

ALSO, i mentioned this to one of the coaches last night and she said "Oh YEAH!! Everybody's having that problem!!"
So it's not just our little chat group here. EVERYONE'S talking about it...

Has anyone else heard back from DTV?
I got a request to PM a support person, and all i got was basically "We know. We're working on it." and nothing since.
I'm not a genius (but I do work in TV) and there seem to be two simple solutions until they fix the bigger problem.
a) Put the programming on 674 on 674a as the guide claims it is. Then no matter which channel the DVR records, you will get the game.
b) Change the information on the guide for 674a to something different, i.e. "Alternate Programming" or TBA, so that the DVR knows not to record it.
n1nhs seems more knowledgeable than me (i'm just a production/promotion guy) so he might have thoughts on if this is as simple as i think it is or not.
Thanks for listening...

I got a voice message from a person in the DirectTV Social Media department Wednesday night asking me to call back regarding my issue. But I haven't returned the call, as I don't think there is anything I can add to help them fix this issue.

It does seem like there are four avenues for DStream to attempt to fix this (as suggested by dougieieie and n1nhs).

1) Fix the bug in the cloud recording software logic to be able to discriminate between ATTSWHD and ATTSWHDa 

2) Give ATTSWHDa a distinct channel number (if that is what is confusing it). 674 and 674a, or 674 and 675.

3) Correct the Guide information to show that NOTHING is being broadcast on ATTSWHDa, so it doesn't have a name conflict (this may need to be initiated by ATT Southwest)

4) Actually broadcast the game on both channels (this may also need to be initiated ATT Southwest). I noticed that the only other duplicated channels (BIG and Bally) seem to always be broadcasting on both primary and alternate, even when the same show is stated in the guide.

One other option is to remove the alternate channel (temporarily), until they get this fixed in their test environment (assumption on my part, as a software developer, that they have a test environment).

Here's hoping they have issued an internal support ticket to the appropriate development team(s), and it gets prioritized before we are too far into the season.

@dougieieie, thanks again for all the insights, we value your active contribution to help everyone to enjoy the programming of the channels affected. There's still an investigation in progress to solve this situation as soon as possible. Our customers will be the first to know, once we have updates. Thanks for your patience.
Sebastian, DIRECTV Community Specialist

SmhTV sums up the available alternatives (short of the extreme of finding a new TV provider - always an option). I hope that someone in DirecTV Stream/ATT Now or DirecTV or ATT SportsSouthWest  or ATT in a position to effect change realizes that this really looks bad. Basically one ATT flagship product (DirecTV Stream) is demonsttrably incapable of providing a second ATT flagship product (ATT SportsSouthwest) on their own network.

Also speaking as a embedded software engineer, I truly hope there is continued development on the cloud DVR and streaming set top box. There are many desirable featues that could improve the product and truly set the offering apart from just another embedded ChromeCast box. With just a tiny bit for forward thinking about what the future of streaming (content delivery) could be, ATT could move from an also ran part of the bunch (Fubo, Roku, Hulu etc) to be a leader. Or take the other alternative that was once expressed to me by an EVP at Verizon in 2000 when we were working on our own streaming project - His statement was "I don't see why anyone would ever need more than 1.25 Mbps to the home - what could you possibly do with more..." Just the tiniest bit of vision - but we will never know. BTW, as a hint, how many BlockBuster stores remain?

Hello, @Smhtv We appreciate your feedback. I want to let you know we're working to find a solution for the AT&T SportNet SouthWest channels, so our customers can enjoy all the benefits of their programming. As soon as we have updates about these channels, we'll let you know. Thanks for your time.

Nicolas, DIRECTV Community Specialist