DirecTV to offer free HD receiver upgrade

[video62]

http://www.tvpredictions.com/freehdtv090605.html

Article also mentions the first 12 markets to get the HD locals: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Washington DC, Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, and Tampa Bay.

 

[kaputnik]

hmmm

One question i've had on all these "locals in HD" posts - don't many people already have the HD locals? So would this mean *all* the local HD channels over the sat? I have CBS-HD, NBC-HD and Fox-HD, and get ABC-HD via a megawave off-air antenna. Doesn't the new law not allow any new subscribers to get these HD locals? I have some friends who didn't signup quick enough to get CBS/NBC (i forget which one) so they can't now. Can someone clarify for me?

Thx.

 

[mcbeevee]

The new HD locals will only be for your region, which are the same channels you could get OTA, depending on your distance from the transmitters. I'm not sure why anyone currently receiving local HD's through an OTA would need the D* HD locals. The OTA signals have the advantage of maximum bandwith and no rain fade!

 

[colofan]

Not if the locals are also multicasting will they have the "full" bandwidth. I am hoping that D* gets the signal before it is recompressed to "fit" the smaller channel width. Not likely but one must hope

 

[snarkout]

I have a question about the MPEG4 switch that I haven't seen addressed.

I have 2 tvs in my house with directv, one HDTV with an h10 receiver and one regular tv with an older receiver (d10 I think).

so when the dish gets switched to MPEG4 and the h10 gets replaced with an MPEG4 receiver, what has to happen with the d10? will it still work or will I need a new receiver there as well?

 

[Neutron]

MPEG-4 only applies to the new HD coming out as of now.

Your regular programming won't be affected.

All that I see as being required will be a software update to the other boxes to work with the new 5-LNB dish.

 

[snarkout]

thanks, that sounds good.

 

[Proc]

Which satellite for HD Locals

Which satellite will carry the HD locals? 119? One of the new ones?

I have been having issues with 119 (neighbors tree is in the way and at times I lose anything from that satellite). If so, then I will stay with MPEG-2 and OTA.

 

[djsmokyc]

Which satellite will carry the HD locals? 119? One of the new ones?

I have been having issues with 119 (neighbors tree is in the way and at times I lose anything from that satellite). If so, then I will stay with MPEG-2 and OTA.

HD Locals will be on the two new Spaceway satellites at 99 and 103. This will require a new dish, rumored to be 5 LNB.

 

[Smthkd]

HD Locals will be on the two new Spaceway satellites at 99 and 103. This will require a new dish, rumored to be 5 LNB.

This 5 LNB dish is not a rumor! Its factual!

 

[djsmokyc]

This 5 LNB dish is not a rumor! Its factual!

I haven't seen one or even a picture of one online. There were some guesses that there could be a super-LNB that would get the signals from 99, 101 and 103 since they are close together. Whether you would call that a 3 or 5 LNB dish would be debatable.

Remember, only believe half of what you see, a quarter of what you read...

 

[damaged]

When I got my 3lnb dish, the installer (directv) showed me a box in the back, said it was a 96(or was it 67) cm dish for the new setups

 

[M Sparks]

The new HD locals will only be for your region, which are the same channels you could get OTA, depending on your distance from the transmitters. I'm not sure why anyone currently receiving local HD's through an OTA would need the D* HD locals. The OTA signals have the advantage of maximum bandwith and no rain fade!

There are MANY of us that can not recieve any Digital OTA channels, even though they are in our "region".

Out here in Arizona particularly, the entire state (except for 2 cities) are served by Phoenix stations. None of the Phoenix stations have digital translators in my area, and the analog ones BARELY come in. There is one local digital NBC station, but they don't broadcast HDTV- it's just a digital translator of their analog signal.

HD locals would offer me HD for every network, though I currently get none. It's actually a MORE valuable service than the current SD-LIL, which s more of a convienence.

 

[scgalena]

Which satellite will carry the HD locals? 119? One of the new ones?

I have been having issues with 119 (neighbors tree is in the way and at times I lose anything from that satellite). If so, then I will stay with MPEG-2 and OTA.

To get around the tree blocking 119, use two offset dishes. Dish 1 is a single dual LNB pointed at 101 and dish 2 your normal 3 LNB offset far enough to the east to clear the blocking tree. Cover the 101 LNB on the 3 LNB with foil to disable it (looking from the rear, the right LNB). Use a ZINWELL SAM-6802 Multi-Switch to connect the two dishes to your receiver/s. Instructions come with the switch. Works great for old tree lover me.

 

[Smthkd]

I haven't seen one or even a picture of one online. There were some guesses that there could be a super-LNB that would get the signals from 99, 101 and 103 since they are close together. Whether you would call that a 3 or 5 LNB dish would be debatable.

Remember, only believe half of what you see, a quarter of what you read...

Here is the first available pictures from an unknown insider over at DBSTalk provided by member dnsc_installer . We thank him and give credit to him for these newly release photo's of the new 5 sat location dish for Directv! :

However there has been a report that this is a picture of one of the dish prototype and not the actual dish itself!

 

[gene1138]

Here is the first available pictures from an unknown insider over at DBSTalk provided by member dnsc_installer . We thank him and give credit to him for these newly release photo's of the new 5 sat location dish for Directv! :

However there has been a report that this is a picture of one of the dish prototype and not the actual dish itself!

So do we think this is the final design or just a prototype for D* to test reception? I would think the LNBs would be housed in a single package like the existing phase 3 dish.

 

[LonghornXP]

Here is the first available pictures from an unknown insider over at DBSTalk provided by member dnsc_installer . We thank him and give credit to him for these newly release photo's of the new 5 sat location dish for Directv! :

However there has been a report that this is a picture of one of the dish prototype and not the actual dish itself!

That doesn't look anything like the dish that I've seen. The one I've seen at least has all the LNBs in a single housing not seperate. Its like this guy just threw a couple extra LNBs on them to make it look like the new dish.

 

[wongloo]

I wonder if this free upgrade is for only 1 HD receiver. I'm so hooked on HD, I've now got 3. And I just got another HDTV, so I'm in the market for a 4th receiver. But I can't get myself to get one knowing MPEG4 is coming. Do any of you think they would upgrade 4 receivers???

 

[LonghornXP]

I wonder if this free upgrade is for only 1 HD receiver. I'm so hooked on HD, I've now got 3. And I just got another HDTV, so I'm in the market for a 4th receiver. But I can't get myself to get one knowing MPEG4 is coming. Do any of you think they would upgrade 4 receivers???

They will indeed upgrade all of your current HD boxes. If you have four HD boxes they will replace all four of them.

 

[timmac]

Since you asked the question, what do I think, then I'm going to tell you what I think. I think they will not replace all 4 receivers. I think they will replace 2 of your receivers at most. You might be asking yourself right now, why, why does this person think that they will only replace 2 and not all 4 of my precious, glorious high definition receivers. The answer is simple, my friend, you are a high definition hog. You are hoarding all the high definition receivers and you are sucking up all the bandwidth and you should not be allowed to do this! You have far too much money to spend on high definition sets and you have no idea where in your house you like to sit and watch tv. You need to slow down, big fella, take up another hobby. Walk your dog. Get out and feel the sunshine on your face, Mr. Rockefeller!