# Delay when switching channels?



## inthemaetricks (Jun 16, 2009)

When channel surfing on a direct TV HD reciever there is a long delay between each channel. Does this happen on dish network? I'm trying to decide which survice provider is better and that's one thing that annoyed me about dish network along with service outages.


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## BarryG (Jun 25, 2006)

inthemaetricks said:


> When channel surfing on a direct TV HD reciever there is a long delay between each channel. Does this happen on dish network?


Yes


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## Mertzen (Dec 8, 2006)

Since DBS receivers send a control signal to the LNB which then 'switches' to the correct side of the signal there are indeed delays. Not much can be done to fix that.


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## inthemaetricks (Jun 16, 2009)

very good thank you. Although they do claim that dishnetwork is 2x faster between channels than direct TV. I found that on dish networks web site.


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## ajc68 (Jan 23, 2008)

On your Directv receiver/dvr, have you set "native" to off (in the setup menu under HDTV)? This speeds up the channel changes. Just make sure you set your receiver/dvr to either 720p or 1080i, depending on your TV.

Btw, didn't channel surfing go out once channel guides became the norm.


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## garys (Nov 4, 2005)

Dvr models are longer than the non-dvr ones due to the channels having to go thru a buffer first.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Not trying to be "smart" here... but you might have to define "long".

As others have suggested, the HD channels process more info than SD so that adds a little to the delay and the DVR receivers vs non-DVR also adds a little delay.

There's also a timing factor since the way MPEG compression works (key frames transmitted ever so often, with only change-frames in between) the time of synching can vary depending on how close to the next key frame you are when you change the channel.

Weather and poor signal also affects this to a degree.

In an optimal configuration with all other things being equal... I typically don't see a delay that bothers me, but I haven't actually timed it to see just how long the delay is when I switch channels.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

That's why there's an EPG...


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## ZBoomer (Feb 21, 2008)

If your main desire is fast channel surfing, you want to try AT&T U-Verse. I tried it and it literally seems to change channels instantly, much faster than any satellite I've tried.

That said, I prefer Dish over it in just about all other aspects. I don't channel surf, but instead use the guide to find out things to watch, so the short delay changing channels I don't even think about any more. I've also noticed sometimes it seems faster if the channel you change to is on the same satellite as the channel you are watching. I guess the switch doesn't have to switch, so it seems a bit faster.


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## jclewter79 (Jan 8, 2008)

inthemaetricks said:


> When channel surfing on a direct TV HD reciever there is a long delay between each channel. Does this happen on dish network? I'm trying to decide which survice provider is better and that's one thing that annoyed me about dish network along with service outages.


What might the best thing for you to do is, find a local dish retailer and go try it out. That would be the best way for you to know if it is fast enough for you.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

scooper said:


> That's why there's an EPG...


Yep, I gave up channel surfing and started EPG surfing years ago.


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## reddice (Feb 18, 2003)

Dish channels change a lot slower than DirecTV. When I had DirecTV they would change instantly. Dish will take 2 to 5 seconds sometimes before the picture came on.


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## 34Ford (Jul 3, 2004)

Dish receivers in my opinion.

I have a receiver that blows the doors off of my 622 when a channel is changed.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

The speed at which any individual receiver puts up a picture on a new channel is determined by how much data the receiver receiveds from the satelllite atream and how fast that receiver processes that data.

Therefore, a weak signal will slow down channel appearance as will a slow processor. Dish seems to have a faster processor that Direct in certain receivers.


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## brant (Jul 6, 2008)

reddice said:


> Dish channels change a lot slower than DirecTV. When I had DirecTV they would change instantly. Dish will take 2 to 5 seconds sometimes before the picture came on.


either you're exaggerating, or you had a faulty receiver/signal.

I find dish changes channels faster than directv. 5 seconds is ridiculous. You should've called somebody.


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## finniganps (Jan 23, 2004)

jclewter79 said:


> What might the best thing for you to do is, find a local dish retailer and go try it out. That would be the best way for you to know if it is fast enough for you.


Definately do this. I found the delay annoying initially (I have Dish), but I got used to it pretty quickly.


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