DirecTV -- utter garbage (plea for help)

[VIPERS-PIT]

Javahh Salem is south west of Youngstown. Draw a line between Pittsburgh and Cleveland and im just about in the middle. You in OHIO?


Vurbano

I have a 2 mounth old CRT-RP. The salesman tried everything in his power to talk me into a higher profit lower quality set (DLP-LCD-PLASMA and the rest of that crap) The only possible draw back to CRT is burn in and if you are at all careful that is not an issue. I would not buy one of the other techs for nothing!!! Yes they are tring to push the CRT sets out, and it is a bloody shame as nothing else gives the picture of a CRT. They rock in 1080i!!!!

 

[javahh]

Javahh Salem is south west of Youngstown. Draw a line between Pittsburgh and Cleveland and im just about in the middle. You in OHIO?


Vurbano

I have a 2 mounth old CRT-RP. The salesman tried everything in his power to talk me into a higher profit lower quality set (DLP-LCD-PLASMA and the rest of that crap) The only possible draw back to CRT is burn in and if you are at all careful that is not an issue. I would not buy one of the other techs for nothing!!! Yes they are tring to push the CRT sets out, and it is a bloody shame as nothing else gives the picture of a CRT. They rock in 1080i!!!!

Nope just wondering how you managed getting StarChoice?

 

[Jimbo]

Well said Jimbo..

IMO, this is dead nuts good information Jimbo is giving out..

Thanks Guffy1,

I always try to help, if I have enough knowlegde to help, in this case I feel I do.

I just wish I could remember to SPELL correctly, or at least close.

Sheesh ,
Jimbo

 

[Jimbo]

You know Ive thought about this some more and this one thought keeps entering my mind. Ive ignored it before and not spoken about it but here goes.

Fact #1
Some of us who have been watching HD for a few years have realized that those with large (50inch) 1080i RPTV CRT (3 gun type) see the problems before someone with a 720p set.

Fact #2 1080i RPTV is becoming too cheap for retailers to make any money on.

Fact #3 downrezzing is more noticable on 1080i RPTV

Does anyone else get the feeling that the industry wants 1080i RPTV DEAD and downrezzing is one way to push it along? Kill it because it requires a high quality signal?

Does anyone see where this is going? Can you imagine salesman now telling consumers "you dont want that, it doesnt do a good job with the new and improved HD"?

Very good observation vurbano,

The olds style Rear Projections will be gone soon, you already don't see nearly as many around.
The next generation is here, smaller in physical size, sit in a table basically, easier to move around, look better in the room and has a much better picture in most cases.

Jimbo

 

[hdtvtechno]

Is your H20 set to allow 480, 720 and 1080? I think its under the "Display" tab.

Good point, If my memory is good, the H20 came setup with 480i by default

You need to change it to 1080i

 

[Satmeister]

You know Ive thought about this some more and this one thought keeps entering my mind.

Does anyone else get the feeling that the industry wants 1080i RPTV DEAD and downrezzing is one way to push it along? Kill it because it requires a high quality signal?

Ahhhh yes, the "Oliver Stone" theory....

This article in today's Sky Report article seems to have a more realistic assessment of the state of HDTV today, as well as how HD sets are far ahead of content providers (not to be confused with content delivery providers like sat & cable, who are also playing some catch-up). Since HD set manufacturers are probably in that business to make a profit, supply and demand comes into play with prices - and if the overall mass-appeal content offerings are not available in sufficient quantity (forget all the HDLite propaganda for the moment), the demand doesn't motivate rapid migration to 1080i, 1080p, or any other newer technology. Add in the somewhat overly-aggressive prices of Plasma and LCD sets, and you have a slow-moving HDTV development world and increased demand for less-expensive DLP units. While there is clearly a critical need for some real HD education (to the general public) validated in the article, the bottom line of the referenced study also shows "Its the content stupid" (quantity) driving overall momentum in the HDTV world. Here are the primary excerpts:

OUTSIDE THE BOX: Consumers and the Business of HDTV
By Adriana Waterston, Horowitz Associates

Earlier this month, over 90 million people tuned in to the Super Bowl, a good number of whom watched specifically to catch the highly anticipated commercials. The game itself has been filmed in high definition since 2000, and this year, more than half the ads aired during the game were also in super-sharp HD.

With prices for high definition TV sets dropping, it seems, almost daily, penetration of this high-end eye candy is naturally on an upswing. The 2005 edition of Horowitz Associates annual State of Cable and Broadband study reported that 14 percent of cable/satellite subscribers have HDTV or HD-ready TV sets in the home. The same survey conducted in 2006 finds that today, one out of every 4 cable/satellite households (25 percent) reports having at least one HDTV set, and over one-quarter of those HD homes say they have two or more HDTVs in the home. With CE retailers taking full advantage of the Super Bowl to push these expensive sets, we can anticipate that the number of sets has grown in the month since the survey was fielded.

Yet, Super Bowl Sunday aside, the availability of and access to high-definition content still remains relatively limited. The reality is that penetration of HDTV (content) provided by cable/satellite companies still lags behind penetration of the sets themselves: For example, among digital cable subscribers, 36 percent of whom have HD sets, only 23 percent have HDTV service. Among satellite subscribers, 34 percent say they have HD sets, but only 19 percent report subscribing to HD service...

What we found was that many of the homes that thought they qualified—i.e., reported that they had an HDTV set—actually did not own a set, a discovery made by the ethnographers upon their first ethnographic visit. Some believed they automatically had an HD set simply because they had a large or a flat panel TV. Still others thought that seeing a little icon announcing "available in HD" on their screens during some shows meant they were actually watching that very show in HD. And even among those who legitimately had an HD set and were paying for HD service, some confusion remains. More than one of these study participants did not know they needed to change the channel to access the high-def programming — for which they were paying a monthly fee.

Nevertheless, other findings of this ethnographic and other research on HD lend support to what we already intuitively know about it: Those who are taking full advantage of high-def are passionate about it, and wish there were more HD content available so they can enjoy the technology even more. For some who have discovered HD, watching in standard definition is like having to use a dial-up connection after having Broadband Internet service.....HD stands out as a technology that is not, in and of itself, disruptive of the classic advertising and linear television model: From a consumer perspective, it's ultimately, just better looking TV. And that's a winning proposition for everyone.

 

[vurbano]

Patience, they will. Once D* gets all the sats up and working I expect a much better picture, SD as well as HD.

WHY do you think that?

Has D* made an announcement that they are going to improve PQ?

Does D* have a track record of improving PQ?

Has D* even admitted that it needs improving?

Have they done anything other than remove technical specs i.e (1920x1080i) from their website or eliminate backdoor codes revealing resolution on the HR10-250?

Do you really think they are going to give mpeg4 HD the 9- 10 mbps it needs to look great? They are already doing less than that bitrate under mpeg2 on some channels and cheating the bandwidth under mpeg4 will have far worse affect on the PQ.

 

[CoachGibbs]

I have a cheapie, Olevia 30-inch LCD TV and the PQ for HD, at least in my case, looks fantastic. I guess I am lucky.

I have a 32 in Olevia and I can notice the HD-Lite big time. I think the main reason many D* subs don't notice it is because they have not had any other providers (or the others were just as bad) and/or their local HD stations multicast too much.

 

[swartzfeger]

Good point, If my memory is good, the H20 came setup with 480i by default

You need to change it to 1080i

Thanks for all the tips, everybody.

Even if it is defaulting to 480i, which I doubt -- the HD looked 'HD', but just barely, and highly soft/compressed -- it wouldn't matter because resolution issue aside, I see a *ton* of artifacting when there's quick movement/fast action. Happens a lot during the olympics, and many times with prerendered/3D intros/outros used on shows (ie, the American Idol intro used coming in after each commercial break looks like a blocky mess when the logo flips and spins).

This is a shame, because I'm starting to love the D* interface and guide... I'm probably gonna get screwed when I have them come out and uninstall this stuff. At this point, I don't care -- based on the quality, I wouldn't keep D* if it was free.

As someone else mentioned, I'm beginning to wonder if this is a confluence of reasons why this looks like crap. While my 46" TV isn't a 'monster', I think it's big enough to show differences between HD and HD-Lite. It's an RPTV and 1080i set, and the DVI is being converted to HDMI (which I don't think is huge, because the component looks like sh*t too).

While I understand many people are happy with D*'s quality -- and I certainly don't challenge that -- there's no way that the HD on D*'s H20 can even touch the HD I had with the 811/Dish or the SA box I had with Cox on my TV. So much that I'm going back to Dish, probably paying $10-$20 more a month (and probably getting stuck with various DirecTV fees since I'm cancelling).

Without knee-jerking/reactive comments, does anyone have any experience with cancelling DirecTV a week after being installed? Most of my day tomorrow will be spent looking at the original signed agreement, making calls for uninstalls and trying to disconnect teh D* equipment and reconnecting my E* hardware.

Sigh. Live and learn.

 

[dragon002]

Thanks for all the tips, everybody.

Even if it is defaulting to 480i, which I doubt -- the HD looked 'HD', but just barely, and highly soft/compressed -- it wouldn't matter because resolution issue aside, I see a *ton* of artifacting when there's quick movement/fast action. Happens a lot during the olympics, and many times with prerendered/3D intros/outros used on shows (ie, the American Idol intro used coming in after each commercial break looks like a blocky mess when the logo flips and spins).

This is a shame, because I'm starting to love the D* interface and guide... I'm probably gonna get screwed when I have them come out and uninstall this stuff. At this point, I don't care -- based on the quality, I wouldn't keep D* if it was free.

As someone else mentioned, I'm beginning to wonder if this is a confluence of reasons why this looks like crap. While my 46" TV isn't a 'monster', I think it's big enough to show differences between HD and HD-Lite. It's an RPTV and 1080i set, and the DVI is being converted to HDMI (which I don't think is huge, because the component looks like sh*t too).

While I understand many people are happy with D*'s quality -- and I certainly don't challenge that -- there's no way that the HD on D*'s H20 can even touch the HD I had with the 811/Dish or the SA box I had with Cox on my TV. So much that I'm going back to Dish, probably paying $10-$20 more a month (and probably getting stuck with various DirecTV fees since I'm cancelling).

Without knee-jerking/reactive comments, does anyone have any experience with cancelling DirecTV a week after being installed? Most of my day tomorrow will be spent looking at the original signed agreement, making calls for uninstalls and trying to disconnect teh D* equipment and reconnecting my E* hardware.

Sigh. Live and learn.

mr ergen,

if you want to post, at least use your real name. :devil:

 

[swartzfeger]

Very good observation vurbano,

The olds style Rear Projections will be gone soon, you already don't see nearly as many around.
The next generation is here, smaller in physical size, sit in a table basically, easier to move around, look better in the room and has a much better picture in most cases.

Jimbo

I don't know if I would agree with this completely. You're spot on concerning physical size and the aesthetics of the TV in the room/space. Overall though, it's surprising how well RPTVs hold up against plasmas, DLPs and LCDs. The only true downside to my CRT is the viewing angle, which (for me) is a lot better than the black levels, burn-in, rainbowing and other issues that non-CRTs contend with (full disclosure -- I haven't had a chance to check out new-gen DLPs, which ostensibly have done away with the rainbow stuff).

 

[rad]

I don't know if I would agree with this completely. You're spot on concerning physical size and the aesthetics of the TV in the room/space. Overall though, it's surprising how well RPTVs hold up against plasmas, DLPs and LCDs. The only true downside to my CRT is the viewing angle, which (for me) is a lot better than the black levels, burn-in, rainbowing and other issues that non-CRTs contend with (full disclosure -- I haven't had a chance to check out new-gen DLPs, which ostensibly have done away with the rainbow stuff).

HDNet was showing a trade show that they taped and the manufactures are all saying the CRT based RPTV is almost completly disappear in a few years at the most. You'll still be able to find them but they will be a low end product, at least that's what they were predicting.

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

Manufactures and Retailers want this very much. There is much higher markup. plus the 400% profit of the buld you will replace every 3000 hrs, and the shorter lifespan of the tv in general. Sad to see people jumping on the bad train bandwagon

 

[grydlok]

Manufactures and Retailers want this very much. There is much higher markup. plus the 400% profit of the buld you will replace every 3000 hrs, and the shorter lifespan of the tv in general. Sad to see people jumping on the bad train bandwagon

In your picture of your A3 dish. If they took the stupid terminator off the freaking multi-switch it wouldn't burn out.

 

[dragon002]

yeah, i would have mounted it in the basement, or anywhere it would be protected. and why the 2 ground wires?

 

[swartzfeger]

mr ergen,

if you want to post, at least use your real name. :devil:

I'm really getting tired of your sh*t. Either put up or shut up.

My screen name actually happens to be my last name.

Since you can't dispute the fact that DirecTV is using HD Lite, and is clearly inferior under many circumstances, you take pot shots like a 3rd grader instead of intelligent discussion or debate.

Funny, coming from a guy posting under the name of 'dragon002.' I'll give you a pass, though -- if I still lived in western PA, I'd have probably turned into a reflexive philistine as well.

 

[dragon002]

I'm really getting tired of your sh*t. Either put up or shut up.

My screen name actually happens to be my last name.

Since you can't dispute the fact that DirecTV is using HD Lite, and is clearly inferior under many circumstances, you take pot shots like a 3rd grader instead of intelligent discussion or debate.

Funny, coming from a guy posting under the name of 'dragon002.' I'll give you a pass, though -- if I still lived in western PA, I'd have probably turned into a reflexive philistine as well.

it was a little humor, jeeeez!!

the fact that directv is broadcasting hd in a certain format, that you dubbed hd-lite means what??? dish is doing the same thing, SO?

you are getting what they have capacity to broadcast, plain and simple.

one more thing, directv is inferior to what? i really hope you dont actually think dish nowork is a better service!!

 

[swartzfeger]

it was a little humor, jeeeez!!

the fact that directv is broadcasting hd in a certain format, that you dubbed hd-lite means what??? dish is doing the same thing, SO?

you are getting what they have capacity to broadcast, plain and simple.

one more thing, directv is inferior to what? i really hope you dont actually think dish nowork is a better service!!

Dish is not HD Lite, which is where I think the expectations/major disappointment come from -- the only Dish HD Lite (that I know of) is Voom, and possibly TNT-HD. I did another A/B comparison this morning of American Chopper on DiscoveryHD and the difference is night and day. Discovery was always the one channel that delivered stunning HD -- it's clear that on DirecTV that DiscoveryHD is down-rezzed.

As far as DirecTV being inferior, it's only in PQ. I love the programming, guide and XM, and I think my wife is probably gonna kill me when we lose Fine Living and the 3 or 4 other channels she wanted.

As far as Dish, I can only speak to the PQ -- it was incredible. Never had a customer service issue, so I never had a chance to discover how good or bad their customer service is.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Dish is not HD Lite, which is where I think the expectations/major disappointment come from -- the only Dish HD Lite (that I know of) is Voom, and possibly TNT-HD. I did another A/B comparison this morning of American Chopper on DiscoveryHD and the difference is night and day. Discovery was always the one channel that delivered stunning HD -- it's clear that on DirecTV that DiscoveryHD is down-rezzed.

As far as DirecTV being inferior, it's only in PQ. I love the programming, guide and XM, and I think my wife is probably gonna kill me when we lose Fine Living and the 3 or 4 other channels she wanted.

As far as Dish, I can only speak to the PQ -- it was incredible. Never had a customer service issue, so I never had a chance to discover how good or bad their customer service is.

Well your wife can relax then, because Dish has Fine LIving on channel 113 and Oxygen is on 127 and Lifetime and Lifetime Movie network is back on 108 and 109 respectively. There is some talk about Dish adding the third Lifetime movie for Women channel but they haven't yet.

 

[Jimbo]

I don't know if I would agree with this completely. You're spot on concerning physical size and the aesthetics of the TV in the room/space. Overall though, it's surprising how well RPTVs hold up against plasmas, DLPs and LCDs. The only true downside to my CRT is the viewing angle, which (for me) is a lot better than the black levels, burn-in, rainbowing and other issues that non-CRTs contend with (full disclosure -- I haven't had a chance to check out new-gen DLPs, which ostensibly have done away with the rainbow stuff).

While your at it , Check out the NEW LCD's as well, black levels have improved drasticly in the last few years.

Jimbo