Bought 942 and love it but......
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No, I'm sure it will be a usable HD recorder for months to come and I'm pretty sure E* will offer you some sort of upgrade deal on their MPEG-4 model...with a fresh programming commitment, of course. We would all like to know their MPEG-4 plans at this point in time...
Something to consider, and I know others will correct me if I am wrong. In the simplest terms, the main purpose of mpeg4 is more compression so we can have more channels (like HD locals) with no drop in quality. That also means all broadcasters on board with the same technology.
In otherwords, even if they had mpeg4 capable receivers today, does it really matter? And I say, not for a while.
In otherwords, even if they had mpeg4 capable receivers today, does it really matter? And I say, not for a while.
Remember, nothing has been announced yet but, I think:
The 942 will work for several years and will get all the HD channels you can now receive. You will not be able to receive any new MPEG4 channels.
Dish will have some sort of upgrade program to the new receivers.
The 942 will work for several years and will get all the HD channels you can now receive. You will not be able to receive any new MPEG4 channels.
Dish will have some sort of upgrade program to the new receivers.
terry2f said:
If you are getting this you should be able to fix it with a soft reboot (hold power on the front)
I'm a brand new Dish customer with a shiny new 942 soon to be installed. When I originally researched this DVR I asked about Mpeg4 compatibility. They insisted that it is already capable and the standard update from the satellite is all that is needed to turn Mpeg4 on.
Of course that is assuming I was told the truth...
Of course that is assuming I was told the truth...
voripteth, you were told wrong. MPEG4 decoding is done in hardware, this of course would have to mean the hardware is already in the box.
It's not, no Dish 942 is or has been compitible with MPEG4.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
It's not, no Dish 942 is or has been compitible with MPEG4.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
I asked a few different Dish reps and they all insisted that the Mpeg4 hardware was already in the 942. This wasn't a vague assumption on my part. I explicitly asked if the 942 has the hardware and they said "YES".
I guess it is possible that they could be lying but I would think they would do some hedging instead of going full force with a blantant lie. If this is standard policy it will create some serious bad blood.
Perhaps the later versions of the 942 include the Mpeg4 hardware? Certainly the chipset has been available for a while now. Wasn't the 942 just released this year? It would seem very foolish to go to all the effort of releasing a new DVR and not include this feature. I haven't dealt with E* very long but I don't get the impression that they are that reckless.
Of course in the end this is a leased unit so they have to replace it with a new one if required, right?
I guess it is possible that they could be lying but I would think they would do some hedging instead of going full force with a blantant lie. If this is standard policy it will create some serious bad blood.
Perhaps the later versions of the 942 include the Mpeg4 hardware? Certainly the chipset has been available for a while now. Wasn't the 942 just released this year? It would seem very foolish to go to all the effort of releasing a new DVR and not include this feature. I haven't dealt with E* very long but I don't get the impression that they are that reckless.
Of course in the end this is a leased unit so they have to replace it with a new one if required, right?
voripteth said:
I don't think they're obligated to do anything if they keep current programming in Mpeg2 format. (Just as they didn't have to give everyone with an SD unit an HD one when they launched HD.)
As another person who is leasing a 942 I *hope* that they'll have an upgrade path but I'm not holding my breath.
CDH.
I think the main difference between Mpeg2 and Mpeg4 is tighter compression so E* can cram more channels into existing bandwidth. Will there be any quallity differences if the same channel is broadcast in MPeg2 versus MPeg4?
I think MPEG4 wont really have a major impact for the next year or so unless you want locals in HD over sat. Just like D*, thats problably going to be the first rollout of MPEG4 HD channels. MPEG2 HD channels should be running in tandem for quite a while. Its gonna take quite a bit to get on MPEG4 exclusively so enjoy the 942 for the next year or 2 with no worries.
In my case I DO want network HD channels since I really don't want to install an OTA antenna. I'm wondering where that will leave me. I'll ask the installer on the 30th about Mpeg4 and see what he says.
Will a different dish be required for Mpeg4 as well?
Will a different dish be required for Mpeg4 as well?
I just talked to another Dish rep and asked if the 942 had the hardware to decode MPeg4. I told him I had read reports that it could not do this and I wanted him to absolutely confirm the capabilities of the 942.
He said the 942 absolutely has the hardware to decode MPeg4.
I can't do much better than that. Of course I'll find out for real once I actually have to tune in a MPeg4 program...
He said the 942 absolutely has the hardware to decode MPeg4.
I can't do much better than that. Of course I'll find out for real once I actually have to tune in a MPeg4 program...
A customer rep told me she couldn't change my eastern distant local from Chicago to New York either...but another call, different rep, no problem.
Some just don't know what they're doing/talking about...some do. It'll be interesting to see which is which with the 942 & MPEG4 issue.
Some just don't know what they're doing/talking about...some do. It'll be interesting to see which is which with the 942 & MPEG4 issue.
The one I spoke to actually put me on hold to contact their "supervisor" regarding MPeg4 and CBS HD. Of course I'm trusting that they actually did speak to someone and now just put me on hold for a minute while playing solitaire.
I've spoken with a least 4 different dish reps and every one swears that the 942 can do MPeg4 without any hardware changes. At this point I turn the question around and ask the folks in this forum who say the 942 can't do MPeg4 how they know that it can't?
I've spoken with a least 4 different dish reps and every one swears that the 942 can do MPeg4 without any hardware changes. At this point I turn the question around and ask the folks in this forum who say the 942 can't do MPeg4 how they know that it can't?
Did anyone here think that maybe the folks at Dish are saying that the 942 has MPEG4 in hardware to sell the unit? Yes, that could be construed as false advertisement except that they do not advertise that the 942 does MPEG4. Of course if you buy one and the new MPEG4 DVR comes out next summer they will probably upgrade those of you who have purchased within a year for free or some nominal fee like $49 to cover shipping both ways? Hummm?
