DIRECTV satellite customers report '771' errors, service disruption

It isn’t nearly on the scale of last week’s AT&T outage, but DIRECTV customers were reporting problems with their satellite TV service on Tuesday.

(WXIN) – It isn’t nearly on the scale of last week’s AT&T outage, but DIRECTV customers were reporting problems with their satellite TV service on Tuesday.

According to DownDetector.com, hundreds of users reported a spike in service disruptions Tuesday morning. Many reported seeing a “771” error code, which means their receiver was having trouble communicating with their satellite dish.

Some of the “most reported locations” for the issue included Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami and New York City, among others, according to DownDetector.

Customers sometimes see the same error during bad weather, or if something is obstructing their dish.

Customer service representatives said the company was aware of the issues.

“Some DIRECTV via Satellite customers are experiencing error code 771 on multiple local and national channels. We're aware and working to resolve,” @DIRECTVhelp posted on Tuesday morning.

In a Tuesday afternoon update, DIRECTV attributed the problem to a satellite issue:

“Some satellite customers are temporarily unable to watch HD channels because of a satellite positioning issue. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate our customers’ patience while we work to bring the satellite back online.”

DIRECTV statement