Mentor

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33 Messages

Sunday, January 12th, 2014 10:08 PM

How do I get rid of SD channels completely?

I don't ever want to view any SD channels ever again. I've had an HD TV for over ten years now...it's time to move on, but I can't. Uverse keeps getting in my way. Here's how:

 

1. I remove all SD channels from the guide but UVerse keeps adding more channels, including ones that I can't hide. This is a battle I'm losing. No matter what I do, I keep seeing SD channels in my guide. To make matters worse, they are at the top of the guide. 

 

2. The mobile app doesn't remember the HD setting so it inevitably shows me SD shows. When I'm on top of my game, I remember to hit the Filter button and tap "HD Channels Only" so I'm good. 25% of the time (100% during NFL playoffs), I'm dumb and forget to do that so I record SD channels. 

 

AT&T, PLEASE give me the option to disable SD everywhere. I don't want it anymore.

 

Failing that, could you at least have the app remember the setting so I don't have to select it every time?

 

Am I the only one?

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

Expert

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3.2K Messages

11 years ago

I agree that the HD channels should be the primary, easiest to view channels and there should be many customer settable options that persist.

All I can offer on number one is - use favorites - You may not even want all HD in your favorites. Because you add channels to favorites, there are no new ones added by at&t. The downside is the dispaly requires Menu - Down arrow - Down arrow - OK

Mentor

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33 Messages

11 years ago

I think if they fixed the mobile app to only show HD it would solve most of the problem for me. I try to avoid the guide unless I really have to use it.

ACE - Master

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1.4K Messages

11 years ago

Aren't there still some SD-only channels with no HD counterpart?

ACE - Expert

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28.3K Messages

11 years ago

Some the Encore channels don't have HD counterparts. 

 

Here in Dallas, we get ME-TV and there is not HD version of that.  Also LOGO is SD only at this time.

ACE - Professor

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911 Messages

11 years ago

Two channels that I can think of that U-Verse does not have in HD are NASA and The Military Channel. St. Louis local channels 24 and 46 do not have HD counterparts, also.

 


Owning a computer and not having the internet is like buying a refrigerator and not stocking it with food.

ACE - Master

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1.4K Messages

11 years ago


@dwinth wrote:

Two channels that I can think of that U-Verse does not have in HD are NASA and The Military Channel. St. Louis local channels 24 and 46 do not have HD counterparts, also.

 


Owning a computer and not having the internet is like buying a refrigerator and not stocking it with food.


And that is my point.  Why anyone would want an HD only option is a bit odd, when not all channels have an HD counterpart.

 

While I do like U-Verse's "add 1000" channel numbering plan, I would like to just have one channel, and as an option, you would toggle between HD and SD versions.  Say ESPN is 602.  When you enter 602, you are taken to the HD channel by default, on an HD TV.  This could be set as an option.  My wife is old school and starts her surfing at 4, then 6, and so on before hitting HGTV on 450, lol.  That will ensure that she is watching in HD, regardless where she starts. Smiley Happy

Mentor

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33 Messages

11 years ago

If there are, I don't want to watch them.

Mentor

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33 Messages

11 years ago

Not sure if you actually watch those SD channels on an HD set, but the content would have to be amazing to make it worthwhile. It's such a bad experience. If folks want to watch SD channels that's up to them...I just want a way to completely ignore them. If I miss an SD-only channel, so be it. They should really switch over to HD.

ACE - Master

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1.4K Messages

11 years ago


@MrSchmidt wrote:

Not sure if you actually watch those SD channels on an HD set, but the content would have to be amazing to make it worthwhile. It's such a bad experience. If folks want to watch SD channels that's up to them...I just want a way to completely ignore them. If I miss an SD-only channel, so be it. They should really switch over to HD.


Yeah but even in 2014, some shows and commercials are still shot in SD.  I just don't understand.  

 

As far as SD on an HD set, we do record some shows in SD, just to keep the DVR space down.  They look decent on my plasma set but bad, bad,bad on my LED set.  

ACE - Master

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480 Messages

11 years ago


@MrSchmidt wrote:

Not sure if you actually watch those SD channels on an HD set, but the content would have to be amazing to make it worthwhile. It's such a bad experience. If folks want to watch SD channels that's up to them...I just want a way to completely ignore them. If I miss an SD-only channel, so be it. They should really switch over to HD.


I guess that's just a matter of opinion. I personally watch 95% of my shows on HD, however there are times when I'm recording more than one or two shows that I HAVE to watch SD. And yes, there are shows that on SD channels that I watch as well. Are they as great as HD, no, but not unwatchable.

Tutor

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4 Messages

11 years ago

So the community approved solution is there is nothing that can be done???  I have been trying to get an all HD selection for the last 8 years. My past provider didn't have any content that wasn't available in an HD broadcast but they still had all of the SD crap taking up space.

 

Bill

Expert

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3.2K Messages

11 years ago

BillD64 - Can you be more specific about how SD takes up space & gets in your way? I never tune to an SD channel, so as far as I am concerned they do not exist. I never had one jump in front of my bus.

Then there a few million folks that do access SD channels & they should be able to do that.

Seems like you are at one extreme & I am at the other with a few million in the middle. Reminds me of the expression - There is no reality. Only your perspective and my perspective.

ACE - Professor

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911 Messages

11 years ago

I do not understand why SD channels are a problem in the first place. The way U-Verse is set up, you can start at Channel 1000, do all of the surfing of channels that you want to, and never ever see an SD channel.

 

If the HD channels were interspersed with the SD channels, then, yes, it could be a problem, but that is not the case with U-Verse.

 

People are making a huge issue in their mind out of something that does not have to be a problem due to the way the channels are set up.

 


Owning a computer and not having the internet is like buying a refrigerator and not stocking it with food.

Tutor

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4 Messages

11 years ago

You have to look at the big picture. There are millions of people who have purchased HDTVs as that is all that could be purchased for the last 7 or 8 years. Many of them have no idea what it takes to receive an HD signal over cable and just wonder why their pictures have gotten worse since upgrading to the new HD sets. Others, have no idea what they are watching on their sets and are amazed when somebody walks in the room and changes the channel from SD to an HD channel and the picture drastically improves.  I have seen this many times in my own family with my mother who is now 96 and who has had an HDTV for the last 6 years. The assisted living center she lives in supplies basic Direct TV which is all SD (including local channels broadcast in HD) and so the TV is just sitting there showing blurry pictures running SD crap. She pays $5500 a month only needs basic HD cable but can't get it from Direct TV without paying an additional $50/mo and getting into the confusing mess of the same program being shown in SD and HD on two different channels.  Then you have the so called hip with electronics younger generation who really don't seem to know anything about new technology and are watching their football games on SD. When asked why they aren't watching the broadcast in HD (with a nice wide field of view) they just look confused until somebody changes the channel.

 

Dumping stuff that doesn't need to be there frees up bandwidth so they can provide basic HD to the millions of people who have HDTVs but can't afford to pay the high costs of having the so called free HD broadcasts delivered to their homes. Stops the confusion of the masses and moves us past the crap age.

 

Bill

ACE - Master

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480 Messages

11 years ago


@BillD64 wrote:

So the community approved solution is there is nothing that can be done???  I have been trying to get an all HD selection for the last 8 years. My past provider didn't have any content that wasn't available in an HD broadcast but they still had all of the SD crap taking up space.

 

Bill


I don't feel that SD is crap. I have a 5 year old son in the house who watches the cartoon / kids channels in SD, it's not like he knows he's watch Teen Titans in SD as opposed to HD.  The military channel is SD which I happen to watch. There are times when I recording two or three shows at once and others in the house are required to watch SD.  It doesn't take up any extra space and there are still those that have tube TVs that aren't HD capable. You don't want to see them, that's your perogative, you have two choices,

1) Hide the SD channels  Menu -> Options -> Channel Options -> Hide Channels

2) Start your channel surfing on channel 1000

 


NEED HELP?