Why Is Bell Satellite Only Showing HD Channels? Complete Fix

If your Bell satellite only showing HD channels, there are several occasions in which this issue could occur.

In some cases, the guide settings are set properly and in others, it’s simply because of inactivity. Stick around and you’ll find out what’s causing it in your case!

To discover the missing channels on your Bell satellite guide, you’ll need to disable the Guide filter and check what exactly your subscription includes. Then you can perform some restarts of the entire configuration and restore as many channels as possible.

There is much more behind the solutions so make sure not to skip anything!

Why Does Bell Satellite Guide Only Showing HD Channels?

If you happen to only see HD channels on your Bell guide, a couple of things could have happened. Here are some of the possibilities:

1. Guide Filter Enabled

If you have enabled the filter that only includes HD channels, then only HD broadcasts will be included in your list.

2. Subscription Issue

If your subscription only includes HD channels, you will only see HD channels on your guide list.

3. Not Subscribed

Most of the non-HD channels require you to subscribe individually for them, which might be the case in your situation.

4. Receiver

If your receiver is only set to recognize HD channels, it is possible that you will get channels only of that type.

5. An Issue With Programming

If there is an issue with the programming or you have recently changed it, it is possible that you will only see the core channels with your subscription.

Once you have taken a firmer look at these causes, proceed with the best troubleshooting tips & solutions to fix your channel list.

How To Fix Bell Satellite Only Showing HD Channels?

Solution #1 Configure The Guide List

The most common solution to displaying all non-HD channels is to configure the guide list.

The list within the guide feature will allow you to hide/show a specific set of channels and if you haven’t allowed SD channels to be displayed, they won’t show up.

Here is how to configure your guide list:

1. Press the Guide button on your remote.
2. Tick all fields including the HD field.
3. Check if your channels are now showing up.
4. Untick the HD channels field only.
5. Check if you have any channels at all.

If you now don’t have any channels when the HD field is unticked, there is most likely an issue with your subscription or receiver.

Solution #2 Become Active

If you were away for a long time, it is possible that some of your channels may be hidden due to Inactivity.

Once you have used the receiver for a couple of minutes after a week or more of inactivity, channels and everything you were missing should return.

If this is the case, remain in the Guide menu and wait for a pop-up message that will greet you and will state the period of time you were away.

After the pop-up message, your channel list should update and ALL channels should be there.

Note: The synchronization after long inactivity could take up to 10-15 minutes.

Solution #3 Hard Reset Your Receiver

There could be a temporary bug with your receiver, preventing you from viewing all channels in the guide list. This is why you should hard reset your receiver, before proceeding any further.

Follow the steps down below to execute the hard reset properly:

1. Turn off the receiver using the built-in power button.
2. Wait for the device to shut down and unplug the power adapter once it has cooled down.
3. Wait for ~5 minutes and plug the power adapter back in the receiver.
4. Turn on your receiver and check the channels list.

Note: Plug your receiver directly into a wall outlet if you didn’t by now, to avoid possible electrical interference with power strips and dividers.

Solution #4 Troubleshoot Signal Loss

You can be short on some channels, including non-HD broadcasts if you’re losing the signal.

This can often happen during a heavy storm going on outside or if there is an issue with your configuration.

Here are some tips to troubleshooting signal loss:

Inspect The Cables

Ensure all cable connections are established properly and there is no hardware damage inflicted on your configuration.

Inspect Dish

Make sure there is no snow or rain inside of your dish and point it horizontally. Moreover, remove ALL large objects in front of your dish and inspect the Coaxial cable path.

Inspect Power Inserter

If you’re having multiple receivers or HD PVR, ensure the power inserter that has been installed within your house is plugged into a power outlet.

Once done with those recommendations and the missing channels are still not there you can continue with more drastic measures in our next solution.

Solution #5 Factory Reset Receiver

If nothing works, then perhaps, resetting your receiver to factory settings should have really good chances of bringing your non-HD channels back.

Just remember that a factory reset is going to erase all configurations, so make sure to save anything you want to keep from being deleted.

Having that said, here is how to factory reset your receiver:

1. Press the menu button on your remote.
2. Go to System setup.
3. Enter the Factory defaults tab.
4. Confirm the pop-up message and click on Yes.

Now simply wait for several minutes until your receiver finishes factory resetting and boots back up.

Solution #6 Restore Lost Channels (Bonus)

If your receiver has been unplugged from the power for a longer period of time, there is a way to restore lost channels on your satellite setup.

Alert: This option applies only for these models: 3100, 3200, 4100, 5100, 5800, 5900, 6100, 6131, 6141, 6400, 9200, 9241, 9242, 9400 9500, 7500

Here is how to restore lost channels:

1. Hold the receiver’s power button until the green light turns OFF.
2. Wait for Attention screen 015.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Check for the missing channels.

Bell Satellite Still Shows Only HD Channels…

Now if you’re missing some channels, it’s possible that they are gone because they were in a Free Preview.

The shows on the Free Preview cycle every now and then, available for ALL users but after their grace period is over, they become PREMIUM.

Any other case will be related either to your account or device. If the issue continues, then you should contact Bell support for further assistance on this matter.

To fix a Bell satellite that only shows HD channels, first ensure you’re already active and check if the channel was on a free preview. Then, hard reset your receiver, troubleshoot possible signal loss and factory reset the receiver.

Read Next: How to Fix Bell Satellite Channels Not Working?

Last Thoughts

When Bell satellite only showing HD channels, users often start with an inspection of their whole setup.

If you’ve followed our solutions accordingly, and the issue is still there you either missed something important or it’s simply because of your dish/receiver.

In that case, contacting Bell support or taking your receiver to service are the only options left.

If this post was helpful and you’re looking for more handy solutions for your Bell gear, you should definitely pay a visit to our blog!