Direct TV receiver from the US work in Colombia to show all US programming?

Waterdawg says on May 15, 2008, 06:26:

would be a God sent for all of us stuck with DirectvLa..

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mcheasley says on May 15, 2008, 06:41:

Larry, i have friends in bogota from ga., after figuring out the dish angle (manually( they had direct from the states.. good luck..

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rocinante says on May 15, 2008, 07:00:

I would agree with MCheasley - take all of your equipment except the TV and hook it up in Latin America. Why can't you get the signal if you still pay your bill? How does the satellite know you are pointing your dish at it from Latin America? Why would they care?

Apparently it knows and they do. Why? Probably propaganda control - ask gringoloid about that one.

But some here have tried this and vehemently deny that it will work.

I don't watch TV but I'd love to know if one day this will work.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Peso 1400 by November" Feb 5, 2008

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ietk says on May 15, 2008, 07:12:

You have a 99% chance of success, all you have to do is point the antenna to the right satellite with the right the angle, I guess thats the hard part but I am pretty sure you will find someone there that knows how to do it, here in the States my sister live in Sanford, FL and I live in Miami, FL She had 4 receivers at home and was not using one of them so She send me the card and I put it in my receiver and it works the only thing is that the local channels were from Orlando, FL her area another thing is that you might need a bigger dish.

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bogotabrian says on May 15, 2008, 07:46:

Simply point it at a right angle? And referenced to what direction? I suspect that it's a little more complicated than that. You could just Sling Box it, that's what I do to receive cable from the states.

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Frank Rizzo says on May 15, 2008, 07:47:

Great point Brian....with the sling box...you'd get everything you want..

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mranderson says on May 15, 2008, 08:04:

What's a sling box? How does it work? You recieve cable from the states with high-def channels?

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angelcanada says on May 15, 2008, 08:06:

It will work properly, just look for the rigth angle and try to get some body from a cable company, give him $20.000 pesos and they will do it for you.

MY NAME IS ANGEL. I AM COLOMBIAN AND LIVED IN CANADA AND THE USA FOR 18 YEARS. I RETURNED TO MEDELLIN AND WOULD LIKE TO OFFER SERVICES AS INTERPRETER/ ESCORT AND DRIVER. I CAN ALSO HELP IN FINDING SHORT TERM APT. RENTALS.

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Frank Rizzo says on May 15, 2008, 08:08:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWkd1aY6URc

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mranderson says on May 15, 2008, 08:40:

So If I buy a sling box and give it to my sister in the states I could access it through my laptop. Then run a cable from the laptop to the tv? And I would be getting hd channels too? How fast of an internet connection do I need? How much does the slingbox cost?

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webmanco says on May 15, 2008, 08:45:

Slingbox solo about USD 140
Run an utp cable from the router to the slingbox, wherever you got the tv provider box, and internet. This wil be setup at your sisters house.

You would be getting all the channels as where the sling box is installed, just one person at a time, if you change chanels while on remote mode you will be changing channels at your sister tv as well, unless using a different setup

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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mranderson says on May 15, 2008, 08:48:

Ok, that I didn't know. I would need to be able to change channels and not affect anything my sister is watching.

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Frank Rizzo says on May 15, 2008, 09:01:

Hi...web...i think the sling box pro...lets you only change the slinged channels...it does not change the tv... (but i'm not sure...i'm just about to try this myself)

the sling box..basically works like an extra tv in the house...and instead of a picture tube...it slings that picture over the net..

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webmanco says on May 15, 2008, 09:05:

I can just talk for the sling box, somehow with direct tv if one end change the channel the other end will change as well, where with telmex and a VHS this can be worked out.

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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larryrn says on May 15, 2008, 09:32:

the quality on the sling isn't nearly as good as with a local receiver. The sling depends on the internet connection and even a connection of 600 kb from Colombia to the US will result in a picture quality that would look terrible on a 25" TV. On your laptop, its acceptable.

--- Larry Snyder - http://www.rn.org - Your Source for Online Nursing Education!

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expatriate says on May 15, 2008, 10:19:

From what I read in an earlier post, taking your DirecTV setup to Colombia can only pick up the U.S. signal if you live in North Colombia.

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ColombianoGringo says on May 15, 2008, 10:23:

Ha Ha. My brother did the exact opposite of this. He brought a satellite box from Colombia and set it up in Miami. He did it so his wife would get more Spanish channels. She speaks perfect English, but just liked those Spanish networks. Now they live in Barcelona so she's SOL on Latin American channels.

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Mononoke28 says on May 15, 2008, 11:24:

So, how does it work? You still need the dish right? So what if you already have DIRECTV service here, do you still hook up the Colombian box to it? I'm confused.

A friend of mine who lives in Florida told me that here sister got some kind of box that has all kinds of Colombian channels. I said "oh yeah is it DIRECTV or DishNetwork?" she said it was neither, that it was a new service where they hook you up with a whole bunch of Colombian channels including Teleantioquia, Telepacífico, Telecaribe.

Does anybody know about this service? I'd like to know more about it.

Thanks!

Diana

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ColombianoGringo says on May 15, 2008, 11:26:

My brother set up an account in Colombia and paid the subscription there somehow. He simply brought the receiver up to Miami, plugged it in and aimed it. I'll ask him for some specifics next time I talk to him.

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Waterdawg says on May 15, 2008, 13:07:

Well as soon as someone on the board gets it " Done " drop me a line please !!!!!

Thanks

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pedro says on May 15, 2008, 13:14:

Mononoke, it might be Jumptv.

http://www.jumptv.com/en/channel/colombiancaracol/

que nota!

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Mononoke28 says on May 15, 2008, 14:00:

Uhmm... I thought it was JumpTV too but that's internet based. She said it was a box, the tech came to her house, installed it and voilá. But my friend is so dumb when it comes to even basic technology, she didn't know how to explain it and hasn't asked her sister about it.

I'm starting to think she was pulling my leg. =\

Diana

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scott321 says on May 15, 2008, 17:45:

You will not be able to get Direct TV from he USA in Colombia no matter which reciever you use. The satelite is to low in the sky.
Your options are to sign up for Direct TV latin America. It is pretty good and alot of the stations are in English just by pushing a button on the remote.
Your other option is Dish Network from the USA using a large Dish. There satelite is accessible but a large Dish is needed at least 1 1/2 meters.

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harvardexec says on May 15, 2008, 17:48:

I just called Direct TV at 1(888)777-2454. I spoke with Sarah in Customer Service. She is the 3rd person at Direct TV to tell me you can buy the equipment in the US and take it to Colombia, but it will not work down there. Apparently, it is out of the range of the satellites.

You can subscribe to Direct TV Latin America, but they only have a few US channels.

I live in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can watch ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN here? I was thinking about using a cable internet connection and trying to watch online. So far, I have yet to find any Internet TV providers with a reliable connection.

"I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."-John McCain

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Robert Jorge says on May 15, 2008, 20:06:

I worked with a lady who's husband installed Dish Network here in the Florida panhandle. I asked him the same question a year ago - if it was possible to take equipment to Colombia and use it successfully. He said he didn't know, but "maybe". An installer or technician ... a guy actually out in the field with experience hooking the dishes up; I think would be the type of person that would know. Direct TV customer service probably doesn't want people to use US equipment, and purposely steers them away from the idea??? Just a hunch.

BEWARE of gold diggers.

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scott321 says on May 16, 2008, 07:36:

OK let me repeat. You can not get Direct TV USA in Colombia. You can get DISH NETWORK USA if you have a large DISH and bring a reciever from USA.

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scott321 says on May 16, 2008, 07:38:

and you need obviously a direct shot at the satelite and room for the large Dish.

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Frank Rizzo says on May 16, 2008, 07:40:

Hi Scott...do you know if this (dish network with large dish) will work in Medellin and Cali?? Thanks !!

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Mononoke28 says on May 16, 2008, 07:53:

I don't know about the equipment from here working in Colombia but the position of the dish has to be perfect and only a tech would know based on the numbers.

I work for DIRECTV and I'm not too familiar with installation because I'm not a tech. But this is the receiver that the customer service rep was talking about:

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=P438007...

It's a satellite system that you can take anywhere with you and it might work in Colombia.

Diana

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webmanco says on May 16, 2008, 08:02:

I should work, but is quite expensive and not practical, the antena needs to be really high in order to get a good signal.

The best bet is slingbox. anyone wanting to see it working sent me a PM. I got directv, thinking about switching

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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Mononoke28 says on May 16, 2008, 08:04:

I know, I wouldn't pay that much for that. Plus the screen is like what? 13" maybe 17"? Not worth it at all.

Diana

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Tinto (Moderator) says on May 16, 2008, 08:08:

Different strokes for different folks, but this picture makes no sense to me. I'd send the kids out to form a perimeter line and keep the bears away and get busy with my wife in the tent. Beer on a camping trip, for sure. Lugging around satellite TV, Nyet!


IMAGE FROM THE DIRECT TV WEB SITE

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larryrn says on May 16, 2008, 10:16:

I've been doing some research and apparently many of the satellites offer what is called a spot beam vs a hemi beam. Most of the programmers in the US for example put the local channels on the same satellite chanel - using spot beams. So ABC in Miami could be on the same channel as NBC on Atlanta, WB in Dallas or CBS in LA - using spot beams. This saves channels for the programmer. The hemi beams are designed to focus or aim the power to a specific area. It would be a waste of money for Direct TV to push their signal evenly over the hemisphere when their contracts with programmers only apply to the domestic US. If you notice, they offer different packages for Alaska and Hawaii since those signals arrive from different sources. So I would assume the normal packages for the mainland US are not available in these areas.

The direct TV mobile receiver is available for those who camp and travel within the US. I checked about getting one to bring here but Direct TV doesnt support no endorse their programming outside of the US. There are no refunds on this device.

I found this link - http://www.dssliquidators.com/ftachannellist.php

This uses what is called Free-to-Air - these are basically channels available in the US that are not encryped. Many of these channels are available in South America -- using the hemisphere beam on the various satellites to pick up un-encryped programming available on the birds. So for a couple of hundred dollars it possible to get a system but most of the programming available here in Colombia would be in Spanish (free if anything from the states).

This site - http://www.lyngsat.com while technical, is an excellent resource on what satellites are orbiting and available to viewers in different parts of the world.

For example http://www.lyngsat-maps.com/maps/eds1_mercosul.html shows the power distribution of this one transponder (channel on a satellite) and you will notice the power is aimed towards lower SA.

Most of the transponders are encryped that I can see. Look at this beam from SatMex6 satellite using the C3 beam -- http://www.lyngsat-maps.com/maps/sm6_c3.html

This is incredible.

Satellites are on Ku (12 gig) or C (4 gig) bands. Direct TV and Dish use KU - which are the smaller dishes 18 inches, 30 cm, etc. The C bands are the big ones that were popular in the US 10-15 years ago, Most people had 8 footers, in South Florida we needed at 12 foot to get a crystal clear picture. In the islands we would use 16 foot horizon-to-horizon dishes.

So I have been busy doing research and while learning a lot, am bummed out in that I want to bring my hi-def Direct TV box that i get 120 channels in 720p in Coral Springs down here to Medellin.

For the record, I read somewhere the the Senate of Colombia passed a law some time ago that Colombia would be hi-def by the end of 2012.

I need to run and meet someone for lunch in Envigado. Larry

--- Larry Snyder - http://www.rn.org - Your Source for Online Nursing Education!

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Mononoke28 says on May 16, 2008, 13:55:

It's actually a digital signal, not hi-def. I was also confused about that until someone explained it to me.

Diana

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scott321 says on May 16, 2008, 16:12:

OK let me say it again Direct TV USA will not work in Colombia. You can not hit the satelite. DISH Network will for sure work in Cartagena and Baranquilla and maybe in Medelin and Cali but not sure.

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scott321 says on May 16, 2008, 16:18:

also don't confuse Direct TV from USA and Direct TV Latin America. They are on 2 different satellites. Direct TV Latin America is available in Colombia but does not have the Networks from USA however it does have alot of USA stations and lots of stations you can watch in English just by pressing a button on the remote.

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larryrn says on May 16, 2008, 16:48:

here is what we need - a device that connects to the LNB on my antennas at home - 950-1450mhz -- converts the signal into IP then transfers it to me here via a VPN. From my VPN here I bring out the down converted 950-1450 mhz signal and then connect this to the Direct TV receiver - then in theory I am watching TV via the receiver here in El Pablado using my antenna and LNBs back in Coral Springs. This would work beyond a doubt - its just finding the way to bring the down converted signal over IP.

By the way, I use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to connect to the US. This assigns my computer here a US IP address so I look to the world as I am on the internet in Florida. I can bring up all the ads for PPC when testing my website, make voice calls using skype (since they check the IP origin), print to my printers in Florida, update the computers in Florida, work on my router, make bank transactions, etc.

Sorry to ramble, but I agree with scott321 after looking at the satellite patterns, it would take a very large KU antenna to pickup Direct TV US here in Medellin which I would consider impossible for me due to costs. The pattern of the signal is basically beamed down on the US mainland and falls off sharply after.

I packing and going to Guatape for the weekend with a blackberry but NO laptop!

larry

--- Larry Snyder - http://www.rn.org - Your Source for Online Nursing Education!

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Frank Rizzo says on May 16, 2008, 17:14:

Great post Larry...!! going through your VPN in the US is a brilliant idea....as you say your IP addy is thru the US.... Though how does this help with skype??

Thanks !!

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larryrn says on May 17, 2008, 05:36:

Skype charges for international rates when calling the US from Colombia based on the IP address. EPM assigns my network one of their IP addresses which is assigned to Colombia. Skype sees this want wants to charge international rates to call the US. If I have a US IP address then its seen as a domestic call. VPNs are secure tunnels between two points, kind of like a pipe and the traffic runs between them.

Larry

--- Larry Snyder - http://www.rn.org - Your Source for Online Nursing Education!

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webmanco says on May 17, 2008, 05:45:

larryrn

Very instructive, on the FTA solution the antena is quite big and it is not legal in Colombia, only in regions where regular operators don´t get good signal. And it must be aquired as a group.

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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rocinante says on May 17, 2008, 05:50:

A word more about VPN - if you are working for a sizazble company and you don't want them to know you are in Colombia based on your IP you cannot do this if the PC you are using to attach to your work uses VPN. Most sizable companies (fortune 1000) will issue you a PC, usually a laptop, that has the company's VPN on there. Obviously that PC would be in the states. To connect to that PC in the states from your PC in Colombia you would need to bridge the VPN - all current versions (as of 3 years ago) of VPN software do not allow bridging - again this is the VPN on the copmpany computer in the US that wont allow you to connect to it from Colombia. Weather using VNC or PC Anywhere.

Now if your company doesn't care where you are it's not a big deal.

If I find out otherwise I'll let you know.

Also many strict companies won't give you admin rights to install software on the Company issue PC. So loading PC Anywhere or VNC or Remote Desktop ain't happnin'

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Peso 1400 by November" Feb 5, 2008

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