HD Extra Pack Free Preview, May 21-27

It’s Free Preview time again on DIRECTV! This time it’s the Movies Extra Pack… nine channels of quality programming! You might have known this in the past as the “HD Extra Pack.” Load up on quality movies, music and other programming! Here’s the list of channels that are available to you, right now:

  • 560, Hallmark HD
  • 561, HD Net Movies
  • 562, MGM HD
  • 563, Sony Movie Channel HD
  • 564, Universal HD
  • 565, Smithsonian HD
  • 566, Crime and Investigation HD
  • 567, Palladia HD
  • 568, Shorts HD

That’s a lot of entertainment!

The HD Extra Pack, as it was originally known, was created so that channels with no HD equivalents would be available for an extra fee. It’s continued on for years and was renamed to be the Movies Extra Pack back in April. It’s a great value for people who love classic movies.

Get the most out of the Movies Extra Pack

AT&T’s policy about recordings really helps you make the most of the Movies Extra Pack. Just set up as many recordings as you possibly can. Anything you record today will still be viewable after the trial ends, so stock up! With a weeklong trial you could record well over 100 hours of content to watch any time you want.

Sometimes, you can even authenticate to the streaming versions of these channels. It seems to be a haphazard thing; I can’t tell you if it’s going to work this time. All I can tell you is that it’s worked for me in the past. Even if it doesn’t, you have the on demand libraries for these channels. If you get something from DIRECTV On Demand you’ll probably want to watch it first since these programs usually expire within a month. Sometimes they even expire sooner. The stuff you record off the channel itself never expires.

How to get the Movies Extra Pack Permanently

If you enjoy the Movies Extra Pack programming you’re getting, call 1-800-DIRECTV to add the Movies Extra Pack. You can also go to att.com or directv.com (whichever you use to manage your account) to order the Movies Extra Pack for yourself. If you call, though, you can generally get a 3-month free trial just by asking.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.