AT9, Slimline, or Phase III???

[REALaw]

Someone please help. I have been reading through the forum, but I'm making myself even more confused.

I live in northeast Texas, near Dallas/Ft. Worth. Currently I have a Phase III dish. I am installing a new HDTV, so I am updating my equipment to receive the HD channels. I have bought a H20 receiver. Will I also need to install a new dish?? The AT9 or the new Slimline?

 

[charper1]

What is your zip code to determine what DMA access you have. Even if you are outside the DFW DMA, you will still likely want to go ahead and upgrade to the most up to date dish for future's sake. Both the AT9 and the SlimLine are 5 LNB dishes, the SlimLine just looks a bit better and is not as tall (not as big a sail).

P.S. Welcome to SatGuys.

 

[REALaw]

Thanks for your help!

My zip is 75462. I would prefer to wait at least until after the first of the year to upgrade dishes. I just want to make sure my new H20 will work with the Phase III dish and that I'll be able to receive all of the currently offered HD channels.

 

[charper1]

H20 will work with the PhaseIII dish to get all non-MPEG4 channels; MPEG4 such as LIL HD and RSN HD will NOT come in. You will still get all other channels and national HD and all your local affiliates OTA digital and HD.

You zip IS in the DFW DMA and MPEG4 channels are available.

The 75462 ZIP Code is in the home team territory for the following pro team(s):

SD: Standard Definition
HD: High Definition

With any TOTAL CHOICE® package:

FSN Southwest (Ch. 643)
# Dallas Mavericks (SD Only)
# Dallas Stars (SD Only)
# Dallas Stars (HD Available)
# FC Dallas (SD Only)
# FC Dallas (SD Only)
# Houston Astros (SD Only)
# Texas Rangers (HD Available)

 

[ilikepiehole]

H20 will work with the PhaseIII dish to get all non-MPEG4 channels; MPEG4 such as LIL HD and RSN HD will NOT come in. You will still get all other channels and national HD and all your local affiliates OTA digital and HD.

When MPEG4 rolls out, will they be on birds 110 & 119 ???

 

[raoul5788]

H20 will work with the PhaseIII dish to get all non-MPEG4 channels; MPEG4 such as LIL HD and RSN HD will NOT come in. You will still get all other channels and national HD and all your local affiliates OTA digital and HD.

When MPEG4 rolls out, will they be on birds 110 & 119 ???

No, they will be on 99 and 103. Come to think of it, where will D10 and D11 be located? They will have mpeg4 as well.

 

[texasbrit]

DirecTV 10 and 11 will be at 99 and 103 I believe...

 

[raoul5788]

DirecTV 10 and 11 will be at 99 and 103 I believe...

I'm pretty sure that is right. The reason mpeg4 won't be on 110 or 119
is that those sats don't support mpeg4. Currently only the Spaceways do.

 

[wolfman]

I'm pretty sure that is right. The reason mpeg4 won't be on 110 or 119
is that those sats don't support mpeg4. Currently only the Spaceways do.

Directv 9S has 2 KA transponders on board, and it's suppose to be a backup sat. at 101.

 

[cforrest]

The Spaceways are at 99 and 103. D10 and D11 are suppose to go into the other primary orbital slots, 110 and 119!

 

[raoul5788]

The Spaceways are at 99 and 103. D10 and D11 are suppose to go into the other primary orbital slots, 110 and 119!

No, D11 is scheduled to go to 99 and D10 to 103.

 

[raoul5788]

Directv 9S has 2 KA transponders on board, and it's suppose to be a backup sat. at 101.

D9S has some ka transponders, but I don't think the AT9 lnb will pick up ka from that slot.

 

[texasbrit]

D9S has some ka transponders, but I don't think the AT9 lnb will pick up ka from that slot.

The Ka transponders on D9S are used by DirecTV itself, for backhaul - getting signals from one uplink location to another without using ground-based communications. Users can't receive these channels.
D11 and D10 are definitely scheduled for 103 and 99.

 

[ilikepiehole]

No, they will be on 99 and 103. Come to think of it, where will D10 and D11 be located? They will have mpeg4 as well.

Dumb question, I have the H10 and UHF ant for locals, if I upgrade to the H20 and 5 LNB's will my locals (Charlotte, NC) be in high def ? Meaning, will DTV convert my locals to high def 24/7or does high def only work when my market broadcasts in high def?

 

[Jimbo]

Dumb question, I have the H10 and UHF ant for locals, if I upgrade to the H20 and 5 LNB's will my locals (Charlotte, NC) be in high def ? Meaning, will DTV convert my locals to high def 24/7or does high def only work when my market broadcasts in high def?

You locals will come in HD thru your not FREE UHF antenna or as you mentioned, D* can deliver them thru the sat as well, but you'll pay extra for locals from them.
All HD channels will be in HD when the individual channel decides to show in HD. Example, ESPN has HD on thier ESPNHD channel, but mainly when a game is on or sportscanter is on, otherwise it's also SD, like texas poker ect.
As for the networks, if they are broadcasting in HD , all primetime shows will be in HD, in most cases, some are still not in HD, like some reality shows that type of thing, most all primetime series are now in HD.

btw, no questions are dumb ones if you don't know the answer.

Jimbo

 

[texasbrit]

Dumb question, I have the H10 and UHF ant for locals, if I upgrade to the H20 and 5 LNB's will my locals (Charlotte, NC) be in high def ? Meaning, will DTV convert my locals to high def 24/7or does high def only work when my market broadcasts in high def?

I believe you are in one of DirecTV's "HD Locals" markets. I guess this should more accurately be called "digital locals" market, DirecTV retransmits whatever the local station is sending out on its primary digital channel. If the program is HD that is what you will get. If the program is an SD program with side bars that is what you will get. The transmission will be the same as the one you would get OTA, except it may not be quite as good quality because DirecTV is getting an MPEG-2 signal and recoding it to MPEG-4. It's not that MPEG-4 is necessarily any worse than MPEG-2 as an encoding scheme, it's just that converting from one to the other inevitably involves a risk of losses. Here in Dallas the MPEG-4 channels have improved noticably over the past month or so, and sometimes are (to my eyes) the same as the OTA ones.

DirecTV 10 and 11 are going to be at 99/103 (can't remember offhand which one is where) so you will need the 5-lnb dish to receive the new MPEG-4 national channels when they appear some time next year (earliest in fall 2007 I think...). And of course you will need the H20 receiver or the HR20 DVR. I have both of these, and despite all the issues you see reported about the HR20 I have had very few problems.

 

[ilikepiehole]

Hey, thanks for the replies Tex and Jimbo !! When I first went Hi-Def about a year and a half ago, DTV said it would add alot of HD channels within the year, the only one I see they added was TNT. I get more use from the OTA than the HD package
so I guess I'll wait it out till forced.......

 

[SpySatellite]

Do I understand this correctly? If I get a HR20 (currently on waiting list) I'll be able to receive all the HD channels I'm presently receiving with a 3LNB dish? I haven't seen any of the 5LNB dishes installed here in metro NY.

 

[digiblur]

I'm pretty sure that is right. The reason mpeg4 won't be on 110 or 119
is that those sats don't support mpeg4. Currently only the Spaceways do.

Ummm...no. The birds are 101, 110, and 119 all support any type of compression scheme you throw at them. Hell, if they really wanted to they could run an analog transmission on a TP at 101. But they might have some FCC fines coming there way....

 

[Jimbo]

Do I understand this correctly? If I get a HR20 (currently on waiting list) I'll be able to receive all the HD channels I'm presently receiving with a 3LNB dish? I haven't seen any of the 5LNB dishes installed here in metro NY.

Yes,
You will also be ready for any new channels D* puts up in the future, including anything on the 99 and 103, currently being used for Locals and RSN's but available for other channels as well.

Jimbo