Add a C-band dish or a 4:2:2 receiver?

[Mr Tony]

Which would be more beneficial….a receiver that does 4:2:2 (like the world DVB box) or a C-Band dish?

Trying to figure out which would be better for me. I did some measuring last night and for a 6 foot C-Band dish to work, I’d have to do some dish rearranging (move a dish to another spot) and I can see from about AMC3 over to about G10 (probably closer to about 112-115W) for the C-Band dish (due to the house).

Obviously when I scan with my Coolsat, I know when something is 4:2:2 KU band so I can just plug it into the receiver and go..

So I guess I need some help. I know a few of you have both a receiver that does 4:2:2 and C-band (Jim, MikeI, Pete) and others have C-Band so which would be better for me?

A 4:2:2 receiver for KU or add a C-Band dish? Just trying to enhance my FTA experience

 

[DiscoLoveGrapes]

Personally, I'd love to put up a BUD, even if just a microBUD, since I already have 4:2:2 on the computer that I can connect to the TV. So I'm baised

However, if I had the choice between one or the other, I'd probably still get a BUD. I'm not as into sports feeds, and there's not much else that permament on 4:2:2. Conversely, Euronews and CTV are on C-band

 

[JohnH]

4:2:2 is not of particular significance on C band unless one is into NASCAR or ESPN sports shows remotes(not games). C band analog is useful during the seasons, but your view of the arc is somewhat limited for that purpose. Need IA 7 to AMC 6. 6' dish is also marginal. There is still substantial analog activity on C band as well as the Ku band.

The box that MikeI has seems quite good. Don't know anything about the other one you mention. I do my 4:2:2 and HD on the PC with a Twinhan 1020A and ProgDVB.

 

[Mr Tony]

PSB has the world box and he loves it. I havent seen it in action yet (havent been to the psbsatellite HQ recently) I've heard good things for both boxes.

Due to my setup (I have to put it on the deck..cant mount it in the ground due to HOA) 6 foot would be about as big as I really want to go. I might be able to get farther east to AMC6 but west is a no go (I can get 129 on my roof with the KU dish but not on the deck. G10 clears barely).

 

[iammike]

I'd go with the c-band dish and get the PC card for 4:2:2. I think you'll find there's a lot more sports available to you with c-band. I didn't have my dish up and running until the college football season was half over, but there's a lot of games up there on c-band. There's also a lot of wildfeeds and other things that are better left for the "what's up there" forum.

Mike

 

[mark_calgary]

I have both. C-band is much more useful to me but the DVB card complements the big dish as I get many HD feeds on it (plus 4:2:2 of course). If I could only keep one I would keep the C-band dish.

So I vote for big dish first then DVB card second which is the order I actually went as well.

 

[rjc3895]

I'm planning to eventaully get both. But I want the BUD first (I I ever find one in my area that nobody wants.)

 

[Krapola]

You will find after time that a 422 IRD is not as important as it might be to you today...422 Vid encoding takes more bw to send along. With the concept of downsizing programs in conjunction with new and improved Modulation schemes, 422 will be part of your new IRD purchases as "standard equipment"...go for the ant....besides, the difference between 422 and 420 at the home user level is not that noticable....

 

[JohnH]

The difference between 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 is quite significant if you can't decode one of them.


Yes, 4:2:2 is being used in narrowband quite often now.

 

[PSB]

Knowing your circumstances I would say the 4:2:2 receiver would be the way to go!

Then you WILL add C-Band

 

[MikeI]

I had a 10 foot c-band dish from 1988 to 1996. Parents broke it in late 1996 after I moved. I bought a 5 ft one for my back apartment patio in Phoenix in '98. Came with a patio mount that I stored on the front patio. I could only get G4 and T5 with it as I had no movibility. The DirecTV, Dish Network and my then only 2 ku dishes were to the sides of it. Here at my current home, I'm not even suppose to have the 5 footer up as there is a HOA around here that charges $400+ and doesn't do anything. I keep my dish on G3 most of the time as it sits on the patio mount Digital comes in okay on some of the birds.

I am going to get another dish for AMC 5, a 422 receiver and then a bigger c-band dish.

This 422 receiver is nice, but it has alot of quirks with it. It adds fake channels all the time when you download and save a present backhaul, it rearranges my channels all the time from the way I have them saved by satellite and polarity when you download a channel sometimes to watch. I takes about an hour to fix. 11951 and 11969 MHz on G11 and G4 have to be saved differently. Once you save a channel at a frequency and then download another one at the same space the next day because the PIds are different, it takes your old channel away.

 

[jayelem]

This 422 receiver is nice, but it has alot of quirks with it.

Thanks for the info, is that the Motorola 4DTV unit ?

C-band has the best quality video I have seen , this is my next project come spring/summer , I have my old bud 8.5 aluminum spun sitting in the garage, we originally left it w/ the house when we moved, but by chance passed by the old place and low and behold the dish was sitting in the alley, ok not in the same shape because they hacked off the feeder support arms.

I don't want to invest in fixing the motor on this Birdview, I could see it being used stationary but not interested in a dish farm and I still would have to make feeder support arms and buy lnb, servo motor, word got out that I want a BUD so friend of a friend offered me theirs w/receiver in working order, they have pizza dish and inherited BUD when they moved in, they don't see the big deal about c-band and don't know about Mpeg 2. With so many abandoned BUD's in the area I feel I could put one together on the cheap if worse came to worse.

 

[MikeI]

422 receiver is the MPEG digital QS1080IR. It's really a nice receiver, but the downloads sometimes don't download. One cable lnbf's trip the receiver something awful.

 

[Mr Tony]

jay
Mike means the 4:2:2 receiver (the one that picks up the feeds our receivers get the little green boxes when we scan them in)

 

[Mr Tony]

I'm not even suppose to have the 5 footer up as there is a HOA around here that charges $400+ and doesn't do anything

boy that sounds familiar....
If thats 400 a year, I wish mine was that cheap.

 

[drhydro]

Iceberg,
I would recommend the 6' dish, as others have said you can always add a dvb-s card into your computer later. The variety of FTA c-band programming always surprises me, and of course you will be able to get The Tube ;-)

 

[Diamond Jim]

I've had C band for quite some time and I have to admit I was a little bored. Then came 4:2:0 and it sparked my interest, now I have 4:2:2 and it's just like it was when I first got the system. I have never had to make a choice on what I wanted, I just bought them as they came along. That was easier.

 

[MikeI]

boy that sounds familiar....
If thats 400 a year, I wish mine was that cheap.

Times that by 6. It's So Cal.. 4 of my neighbors can see the backyard. 1 has been empty now since October. I'm real friendly with the other 3

 

[ken2400]

I would say the C-Band dish. Get two 6' piece of wood and tie them in a X. Use this to see how well the dish would fit.

If the dish can lay down then maybe there is a setup that would allow the dish to be flat on the deck most of the time and be put up quick when in use.

Otherwise find something to put in front of the dish to hid it

Which would be more beneficial….a receiver that does 4:2:2 (like the world DVB box) or a C-Band dish?

Trying to figure out which would be better for me. I did some measuring last night and for a 6 foot C-Band dish to work, I’d have to do some dish rearranging (move a dish to another spot) and I can see from about AMC3 over to about G10 (probably closer to about 112-115W) for the C-Band dish (due to the house).

Obviously when I scan with my Coolsat, I know when something is 4:2:2 KU band so I can just plug it into the receiver and go..

So I guess I need some help. I know a few of you have both a receiver that does 4:2:2 and C-band (Jim, MikeI, Pete) and others have C-Band so which would be better for me?

A 4:2:2 receiver for KU or add a C-Band dish? Just trying to enhance my FTA experience

 

[wired4fta]

A 4:2:2 receiver for KU or add a C-Band dish? Just trying to enhance my FTA experience

Being fairly new to fta. I did not vote on your poll, But heres my opinion anyway, get BOTH as with all my reads around the Internet they both will enhance your free to air viewing. I am considering getting a BUD and waiting for a HD receiver to hit the market for the USA. I recently read some article about a release of a new HD receiver, released in Europe. Here are the links to those articles.

http://www.hdtvuk.tv/2006/02/humax_launches_.html

http://www.idtv.co.uk/ShowNews.php?NewsID=313

So, get the BUD and wait for a better (newer) receiver.
and if you don't have an HDTV...get one.... :yikes