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    Tune in to Link TV! Info on scheduling, purchasing programs and submitting film or story ideas...
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    I want my Link TV! Info on where to watch us and reception/web troubleshooting...
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Reception and Distribution FAQ
  1. Can I get Link TV on cable?
  2. What can I do if my condominium association doesn't allow satellite dishes?
  3. Can I get Link TV in my classroom?
  4. Are you available in HDTV (High-definition Television)?
  5. Can I cross-link my website with Link TV's site?
  6. I want more information on closed-captioning and subtitles
  7. Is Link TV available outside of the United States?
  8. I am interested in having my local station broadcast Link TV or Link TV programs
  9. Can I show a Link TV program?

  10. I keep on pressing the video play button on the website but nothing happens. What’s going on?

  11. Why is it taking so long for the video to load on the Link TV website?
  12. Why do you have so many partial programs available to watch on your site? Where are the full programs?
  13. Why can’t I comment?
  14. I am having Link TV reception problems, what can I do?

 

  1. Can I get Link TV on cable?
    Yes! In fact, we count on people just like you to ensure Link TV continues to expand onto local access channels in communities all over the country.  Unfortunately, while the FCC mandates that satellite carriers reserve several slots for non-commercial networks such as Link TV,  similar FCC requirements do not exist for cable. Therefore, it is up to viewers like you to speak up! Click here to find out if your community is among our affiliates, and it if isn't we encourage you to contact your local cable company about receiving Link TV. Or, you can write to us here to request Link TV in your area.

    Link TV programming is now available on over 70 cable channels including the following:

    LA36

    Los Angeles, CA

    Check out special Link TV programming on cable Channel 36 in Los Angeles - Mondays 7pm-8pm and Saturdays 11pm-12am. Shows are also re-broadcast at various times throughout the week. Please visit the LA36 program schedule for more information.

     

     

    MNN

    New York City, NY

    Cable Channel 34 in New York City. Featuring Mosaic daily at 9:00am and other Link programming Monday evenings from 11:00pm to 12:00pm. Check out the MNN website for more information.

     

    MHz3

     

    Bay Area, CA

    Digital Cable Channel 22, Monday through Friday from 1am to 5am.  See KRCB's website for more information. Available in Sonoma, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Oakland and Contra Costa county.



    MHz3

    San Francisco, CA

    In San Francisco eaTV Channel 27 airs Link TV all weekend and Channel 75 features our programs Tuesdays through Thursdays, from 1am to 5am. Please view eaTV's program schedule for times.

     

  2. What can I do if my condominium association doesn't allow satellite dishes?
    Federal law prohibits restrictions that impair the installation, maintenance or use of antennas used to receive video programming. Below is the relevant section of the FCC ruling:

    Allowing Satellite TV Subscribers to Install Dishes in Rental and Condo Property
    "The rule applies to antenna users who live in a multiple dwelling unit building, such as a condominium or apartment building, if the antenna user has an exclusive use area in which to install the antenna. 'Exclusive use' means an area of the property that only you, and persons you permit, may enter and use to the exclusion of other residents. For example, your condominium or apartment may include a balcony, terrace, deck or patio that only you can use, and the rule applies to these areas. The rule does not apply to common areas, such as the roof, the hallways, the walkways or the exterior walls of a condominium or apartment building."

    The order, however, does have limitations. It does not allow residents to install a satellite dish or antenna in any common areas or to install devices that extend beyond the balcony railing or patio line. Nor are residents permitted to drill holes through walls, roofs, railways or glass.

    The FCC Fact sheet is available at: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html
  3. Can I get Link TV in my classroom?

    Link TV is available through DIRECTV GOES TO SCHOOL, a public service initiative that provides qualifying K-12 educational institutions around the country with free access to more than 75 channels of news, educational and informational programming.  The program provides participating schools a free, customized programming package called SCHOOL CHOICE, which offers more than 75 channels of educational programming from networks such as Link TV, C-SPAN, CNN, Discovery Channel, Hallmark Channel, The History Channel and The Learning Channel. The program also enables teachers to record educational programming, edit the content and replay it later to fit into their curriculum.

    To participate in the new education-focused program from DIRECTV, schools must be accredited public or private educational institutions, teach grades K-12, be a facility zoned as a school building by the local municipality, and install the DIRECTV Multi-Satellite System in an educational arena only.

    For more information regarding the DIRECTV GOES TO SCHOOL program, call 1-800-330-7827.

     

    DIRECTV SCHOOL CHOICE™ Overview
    4. SCHOOL CHOICE™ Channels
    Application form and FAQ sheet (PDF format)

    You are also welcome to present any of our Streamed programs in your classroom, for non-commercial educational purposes.
  4. Are you available in HDTV (High-definition Television)?
    Our signal does not currently conform to HDTV standards. Link TV is committed to continuing to enhance viewer experience of our exceptional programs and is exploring opportunities to offer select programs in HDTV.
  5. Can I cross-link my website with Link TV's site?
    Link TV is honored to have other sites link to us, particularly to our unique streamed content link Mosaic: World News from the Middle East. We do present links to our exceptional partners and links to relevant background and follow up information on our program description pages. Link TV does not engage in cross-linking relationships whose purpose is to spoof search engines into assigning higher page ranks.
  6. I want more information on closed-captioning and subtitles
    Link TV provides closed captioning on programs in accordance with FCC regulations.
  7. Is Link TV available outside of the United States?
    At this time, Link TV is available only on DIRECTV and DISH Network, the two major U.S. satellite providers. These carriers do not broadcast outside the U.S. We do offer a limited selection of programming, including Mosaic: World News From The Middle East via streaming on our website.
  8. I am interested in having my local station broadcast Link TV or Link TV programs
    Link TV is developing a program to better accommodate these types of requests and investigating new ways to electronically distribute the content to stations. Please send us information on the station, its geographic and household reach, the station's content interest, and your relationship to the station. Currently, we have limited rights to broadcast content on other stations and each request must be evaluated individually.
  9. Can I show a Link TV program?
    We appreciate your desire to share Link TV programming with a broad audience. When possible, Link TV will provide written authorization to show original productions, like Mosaic, for educational purposes. Please submit your request by filling out our contact form. Regretfully, we cannot authorize the distribution of most of our acquired programs because we don't hold the rebroadcast rights. Link TV licenses these programs from various distributors to air for a limited time on its Network. You may, however, record the program for personal use. We encourage you to contact the film's distributor for further distribution rights, or to purchase the program. You can find distributor information by typing the program title or keywords into our Search Engine.
  10. I keep on pressing the video play button on the website but nothing happens. What’s going on?
    There’s a good chance that not enough video has been streamed yet for you to be able to start watching. The video will be ready for you to begin watching when the diagonal bars stop moving to the right of the play button and are replaced by a download progress bar. Once the download progress bar appears it will continue moving across the bottom of the player until the entire video has been cached (temporarily stored in your computer's memory). You can start watching at any time while the progress bar is moving, but be aware that when you reach the end of the bar, video will stop until the bar has moved ahead enough and you choose to resume play.
  11. Why is it taking so long for the video to load on the Link TV website?
    Our streaming video host is currently having some challenges.  Unlike many of the largest streaming hosts, the smaller non-profit Internet Archive does not have geographically distributed redundant servers.  Thus, some of our streams are also more subject to intermittent delay. We apologize for this delay and hope that we will be able to improve the situation in the future. Meanwhile, some of our content is hosted in a Brightcove player. While it takes several seconds for the player to appear, once it is there the videos stream quickly and efficiently. Visit our World Music and Cinemondo pages to view video in this player.
  12. Why do you have so many partial programs available to watch on your site? Where are the full programs?
    Due to rights limitations, many programs airing on the Link TV U.S. satellite television network have only 3-5 minute matching clips available online. These are to act as a preview of the programs to give viewers a sense of the content. All Link TV original programs are available in their entirety online. We encourage you to visit our Link on the Web page to learn about using Link TV online, and to watch full programs in the Original Series section of our website.
  13. Why can’t I comment?
    For security reasons and to encourage a connected community, we require registration to use our message boards and to receive newsletters.
  14. I am having Link TV reception problems, what can I do?

    On DIRECTV or DISH Network:  Both DIRECTV and DISH Network are required to provide Link TV, and certain other noncommercial networks, to all their U.S. subscribers who have at least a “basic” program package – at no additional cost.  If you are currently a DIRECTV or DISH subscriber in the U.S. with at least a “basic” program package and used to receive Link TV and now do not, or the signal has been significantly degraded, you can contact company service representatives for free troubleshooting, service calls and any hardware required to restore Link TV.


    Service Contacts:


    DIRECTV - 1.800.531.5000

    DISH Network - 1.888.284.7116


    On local cable systems:  Check with you local cable system for technical assistance and to confirm Link TV programming scheduling.