If you have a pleasure craft, you know everything is twice as hard on the water as it is on land. Certainly satellite TV is no exception here. If you have a satellite TV system, you know it is larger and more expensive.
No one goes out to sea just to watch TV. That’s true but most folks enjoy a little entertainment before bed. That’s why marine satellite TV systems are so popular. Cell service peters out after a few miles and internet service can be just as expensive as TV.
While a lot of folks with marine satellite TV have made do with standard definition, there are a few brave souls who have asked us: is it possible to get 4K on a boat?
If you have a multi-satellite dish like the KVH UHD7 or the Intellian s6HD, you already have everything you need. Even older versions of these systems like the HD7 will work, at least for now.
DIRECTV currently has its 4K programming on the 99 and 103 satellites. This means it can be received by virtually any multi-satellite dish on land, sea, in the air, or on the road. DIRECTV initially planned to put all its 4K content on what’s called its “reverse band,” meaning that you would need a marine antenna made in the last two or three years. The transition to the reverse-band capable LNBs was slow and it only happened because the older LNBs were no longer available.
Of course, the reason for putting 4K on those reverse band frequencies was that we were all expecting thousands of 4K local stations to launch. To date that hasn’t happened, and it’s possible that it may never happen. As I write this, the frequencies that were going to be used for that purpose aren’t being used at all.
This is a very interesting time for the marine satellite business, especially for manufacturers who support DIRECTV service. There are a lot of folks who will gleefully tell you that the end of pay television is right around the corner. That may make for good news copy but it’s simply not true. Every major player in the industry is working hard to ensure that pay television continues on for years to come.
Cable and satellite companies rely on older consumers who grew up on live television. Folks like that haven’t just been slow to embrace streaming, they’ve downright rejected it in many cases. No pay TV company is going to walk away from an income stream of millions of people over 50 all willing to pay for live TV. And when it comes to satellite providers like DIRECTV and DISH, they’re working extra hard to drive operating costs down so they can profitably operate with fewer subscribers. In short, pay TV isn’t going anywhere.
Not only that, but marine customers have learned a hard truth. It seems that satellite internet from Starlink might not be the best bet. Unlike land-based plans, Starlink for Marine isn’t unlimited. Depending on the plan you buy, you could run out of data after watching just a few hours of programming. On the other hand, you can watch as much satellite TV as you want, and the cost is just the same.
Do you have a mobile or marine satellite system? Do you worry about the future? Just call our professionals at Signal Connect at 888-233-7563. Our team loves to work with people just like you who have a lot of questions. It’s worth the time! We’re here during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get right back to you!
The post NICE AND EASY: Can you get DIRECTV 4K on a boat? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
No one goes out to sea just to watch TV. That’s true but most folks enjoy a little entertainment before bed. That’s why marine satellite TV systems are so popular. Cell service peters out after a few miles and internet service can be just as expensive as TV.
While a lot of folks with marine satellite TV have made do with standard definition, there are a few brave souls who have asked us: is it possible to get 4K on a boat?
It’s quite possible
If you have a multi-satellite dish like the KVH UHD7 or the Intellian s6HD, you already have everything you need. Even older versions of these systems like the HD7 will work, at least for now.
DIRECTV currently has its 4K programming on the 99 and 103 satellites. This means it can be received by virtually any multi-satellite dish on land, sea, in the air, or on the road. DIRECTV initially planned to put all its 4K content on what’s called its “reverse band,” meaning that you would need a marine antenna made in the last two or three years. The transition to the reverse-band capable LNBs was slow and it only happened because the older LNBs were no longer available.
Of course, the reason for putting 4K on those reverse band frequencies was that we were all expecting thousands of 4K local stations to launch. To date that hasn’t happened, and it’s possible that it may never happen. As I write this, the frequencies that were going to be used for that purpose aren’t being used at all.
Looking toward the future
This is a very interesting time for the marine satellite business, especially for manufacturers who support DIRECTV service. There are a lot of folks who will gleefully tell you that the end of pay television is right around the corner. That may make for good news copy but it’s simply not true. Every major player in the industry is working hard to ensure that pay television continues on for years to come.
Cable and satellite companies rely on older consumers who grew up on live television. Folks like that haven’t just been slow to embrace streaming, they’ve downright rejected it in many cases. No pay TV company is going to walk away from an income stream of millions of people over 50 all willing to pay for live TV. And when it comes to satellite providers like DIRECTV and DISH, they’re working extra hard to drive operating costs down so they can profitably operate with fewer subscribers. In short, pay TV isn’t going anywhere.
Not only that, but marine customers have learned a hard truth. It seems that satellite internet from Starlink might not be the best bet. Unlike land-based plans, Starlink for Marine isn’t unlimited. Depending on the plan you buy, you could run out of data after watching just a few hours of programming. On the other hand, you can watch as much satellite TV as you want, and the cost is just the same.
Do you have a mobile or marine satellite system? Do you worry about the future? Just call our professionals at Signal Connect at 888-233-7563. Our team loves to work with people just like you who have a lot of questions. It’s worth the time! We’re here during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get right back to you!
The post NICE AND EASY: Can you get DIRECTV 4K on a boat? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
