Discussion of D*s upcoming conversion to MPEG 4
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This is NOT a slam, but needs to be said yet again IMO.
People, PLEASE stop buying and supporting all-in-one solutions, they cost you more in the long run, create compatability headaches, and generally are not of the same top quality as well researched & selected separates can be.
That being said, I really can't see D* doing anything past offering a small (SMALL) discount toward the purchase of a new MPEG4 set-top box from them, to attach to your TV.
People, PLEASE stop buying and supporting all-in-one solutions, they cost you more in the long run, create compatability headaches, and generally are not of the same top quality as well researched & selected separates can be.
That being said, I really can't see D* doing anything past offering a small (SMALL) discount toward the purchase of a new MPEG4 set-top box from them, to attach to your TV.
This is good news. Great news!! More details coming soon I hope! Since I'm not in the 1st "group" maybe by the time Austin goes MPEG 4 I could have mine updated to a HD-DVR for a small fee....I'm excited & glad I'm a D* HD customer.
Barney
Barney
I am very very excited to read this and cant wait for the summer,I am in the cleveland market so I should hopefully be done soon, even still I am glad that I am with directv, Tivo, and soon to be leader in hd, this will be a great ride! finally Hd is a must have!
Comapnay fiscal years vary widely. In DTV's case their year si January 1 to December 31.
charper1 said:
I've been talking to some contacts trying to get things cleared. I've been told that they have a basic HD box that will be rolled out first around mid year for Spaceway customer areas which would be the top 12 markets D* told us about. Now this would be a basic HD box so it won't be the media server or DVR. Now customers with an HD Tivo in one of those 12 markets will have to wait till end year to get the new HD local channels if they want a PVR. PVR will pretty much be the home media server and as such won't be out until closer to the end of the year. But customers in those top 12 markets who have an HD Tivo now will get a free upgrade the home media server when it comes out towards the end of the year.
Now they plan to have new national HD channels launched before the end of the year right about the sametime they actually rollout their home media server. So for customers that aren't in the top 12 markets but want the current and new national HD channels they will be allowed to choose the following below based on what they have.
If you currently have a plain HD box you will get a free upgrade to another HD box or you can choose to buy the new Home Media Server with a small discount or you can lease the new Home Media Server without upfront costs at all.
If you currently have an HD Tivo you will get a free upgrade to the new Home Media Server without any cost including upfront or lease costs. You will still pay the mirroring fees for the extra rooms like you do today and you will stop paying the DVR service fee if you don't have TC Premier. Also all new customers who want a DVR can lease the server and DirecTV will give them upto 3 client boxes as part the lease costs but customer still pays mirror fee as always. So all new customers will benefit from MRV even if they don't want it.
Hope this helps you all and if you have any questions please let me know and as always this information can and could always change at anytime.
Now they plan to have new national HD channels launched before the end of the year right about the sametime they actually rollout their home media server. So for customers that aren't in the top 12 markets but want the current and new national HD channels they will be allowed to choose the following below based on what they have.
If you currently have a plain HD box you will get a free upgrade to another HD box or you can choose to buy the new Home Media Server with a small discount or you can lease the new Home Media Server without upfront costs at all.
If you currently have an HD Tivo you will get a free upgrade to the new Home Media Server without any cost including upfront or lease costs. You will still pay the mirroring fees for the extra rooms like you do today and you will stop paying the DVR service fee if you don't have TC Premier. Also all new customers who want a DVR can lease the server and DirecTV will give them upto 3 client boxes as part the lease costs but customer still pays mirror fee as always. So all new customers will benefit from MRV even if they don't want it.
Hope this helps you all and if you have any questions please let me know and as always this information can and could always change at anytime.
Tonedeaf said:Glad I am in the #7 DMA.
Yeah, yeah, just brag why don't you...
~Alan<~~~~~~~~Who lives in DMA #147
I know what you're saying is tentative anyway, LonghornXP, but what do you mean by this statement? Does it mean something different than is already in place with national HD feeds? I kind of hope so as I would appreciate not dealing with my local stations (ABC is sketchy and CBS gives me audio problems no matter the box I have). I wouldn't care that I wouldn't have locals, as long as I could get reliable HD networks.LonghornXP said:
LonghornXP said:
Riddle me this:
1) I live in the NYC DMA, therefore, my locals (at least the big 4) are available already.
2) I'd like to take the plunge on an HD Tivo.
So - what happens to those of us getting the national feeds now? Would I only be locked out until year end for any additions? (e.g. WB, UPN, etc). Would they switch the "national" feeds to MPEG4 sooner? I tend to think I'd be safe (minus the additions) through year end. True?
LonghornXP said:
Does this mean that if you own the HMC you will not pay the DVR fee, but if you lease it you will? Perhaps the DVR fee will be changed to a lease fee? When E* went to lease they just renamed the mirror fee to a lease fee. It sounds here like D* is going to have both. Would there be a lease fee for just the server or for all the client boxes as well (mirror charge and lease for the clients seems like a lot)?
Also is the HMC going to become standard for new customers? Once the wireless part is in place it would make installation a ton easier and would drastically cut down on installation times, but giving away an HD DVR seems unlikely.
Thank you LongHornXP, I appreciate your info.
any word on where the new dish will need to be pointed? and how many outputs will be needed.. just finished the basement and ran 4 lines for the triple lnb.. guess I need to preplan now
Austin is #54 on the list.....got awhile to wait (which might turn out for the better)....have time for the Home Media Server to be out & check out options on the HD-DVR....
Barney
Barney
hancox said:
I have the same type of question. What is going to happen the the local national feeds once the first 12 DMAs are up & running? I am in DMA#2 but I can't get locals with an antenna. I have a regular HD box but I'd like to get the HD-DVR box at the end of the year at the discounted price if that's one of my options.
As for the mention of there being no new HD channels until closer to year end, that's dissapointing to hear. I really bought into all the talk of more channels being released after Sunday Ticket. I guess in a way they have added some channels, 96-98 for some NBA games with 97 only being available in Dallas from what I've heard. I just really thought we would have had at least TNT-HD by now & maybe ESPN2 & Starz or Cinemax, wishful thinking I suppose.
I really can't complain to much though about the HD offerings with D*. I get more HD with D* then I would with E* at this time, who knows what will happen with Voom, and my cable provider does not offer anything more HD wise than D* except I can lease a HDDVR through them right now. Taking these things into consideration still does not stop the thirst for more HD offerings through D* because I know there is some good quality stuff still out there.
My biggest concern is the recent record of STB branded with D* have considerable problems. With the change to only one MPEG4 box being available I am really concerned about the quality of this hardware. I just bought an HD Tivo a month ago in spite of the announcements for time shifting.
If I don't care about the LiL right away am I still going to be required to change boxes this year? I thought the Tivo contract was good until 2007 so could I wait? Can I still use my Tivo for OTA recording?
If I have to change do I have to send in the hardware to D*. Can I still use it for all the other non-LiL HD stuff?
So many questions and FAQ yet.
If I don't care about the LiL right away am I still going to be required to change boxes this year? I thought the Tivo contract was good until 2007 so could I wait? Can I still use my Tivo for OTA recording?
If I have to change do I have to send in the hardware to D*. Can I still use it for all the other non-LiL HD stuff?
So many questions and FAQ yet.
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