TIP: Show SD duplicate channels in the DIRECTV guide

Who cares about standard definition? Yes, we love our HD. But there are times when we want to see the standard definition versions of our programs. Maybe you’re temporarily using a round dish, or maybe you’re temporarily using an old TV and want to fill the screen. No matter what the reason, DIRECTV makes it easy to change the guide to show both HD and SD versions of the same channels. Here are the steps you’ll need:


Press {MENU}


Arrow to “Settings and Help,” Press {SELECT}

Arrow to “Settings,” Press {SELECT}


Arrow to “Display,” Press {SELECT}


Arrow to “Preferences,” Press {SELECT}


Arrow to “Guide HD Channels,” Press {SELECT}

Arrow to “Show all channels,” Press {SELECT}

Press {EXIT} to return to live TV or press {GUIDE} to browse the guide.

You should now see the HD channel and SD channel on top of each other in the guide. To show only HD channels, use the same process but choose “Hide SD Duplicates.”

Are you the sort of person who wants to see it in action? Here’s a helpful video:

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.