Will I have to upgrade if....

[Khurram]

Being in nyc I can get most of the locals in hd (nbc, abc, fox,cbs) thru directv without using an OTA antenna.
My question is, when they launch the new birds and the mpeg4 receivers come out, will I HAVE to buy the new receiver if i want to continue receiving my locals in hd, or will I still be able to view my locals in hd the way I am doing it now using my d* dish and hr10-250?

What I dont understand is what the mpeg4 satellites/receivers are all about. Nyc will probably be in one of the first markets where they are launched, but people in nyc can already get the locals in hd thru D* without using an OTA so why would anyone upgrade? I dont understand how it works so if someone could explain to me this whole nonsense I could get a clearer picture of what the hell is going on here!!

What is the point of the new birds and mpeg4 receivers for people like me who can already get the locals without it and without an OTA?

I'm a newbie so pardon my ignorance

Thanks
khurram

 

[obeythelaw]

i'm not an expert, but from what i've been reading, once D* comes out with the MPEG4 receivers, everyone with an MPEG2 receiver will have to upgrade. Now, whether that upgrade will be free, no one quite knows yet. It's most people's guess that D* will offer a new HD receiver for a very low price, or may swap them out for free. With MPEG4, apparently, compression is much less and can fit more in the allocated bandwidth, so its a benefit to switch over to MPEG4. Presumably, with MPEG4 and more bandwidth coupled with the new birds, means more HD. Hoepfully.

 

[riggscm]

...With MPEG4, apparently, compression is much less and can fit more in the allocated bandwidth, so its a benefit to switch over to MPEG4. Presumably, with MPEG4 and more bandwidth coupled with the new birds, means more HD. Hoepfully.

Actually the compression is greater with MPEG4, but it is less "lossy". Therefore the resulting image is less prone to pixel artifacts, which results is a less blocky, sharper, cleaner picture.

Since the stream is smaller it leaves more bandwidth for more stations to be delivered.

Don't mean to sound like you are wrong, just wanted you to know the difference

 

[hancox]

khurram - as a fellow NYC DMA'er, might be able to help here.

It's all speculation, but the consensus is that NYC would not only get the current local HD set in MPEG4, but D* would add WWOR-DT and WPIX-DT.

I'd have to assume YES-HD would also move to MPEG4, along with the Mets HD network, when it comes of being.

As for MSG/FSNY-HD - don't hold your breath. Cablevision has an exclusive on those, but with the Mets moving off of them next year, I care a whole lot less.

 

[Khurram]

Thanks for ure help,

so when they start the mpeg 4 service will i have to upgrade immediately to continue getting my locals (cbs, fox, abc, nbc) in hd the way I"m currently getting them now (thru d* local channels subscription without an OTA)?

Or would I be able to continue receiving them, minus the YES, wwor-dt and wpix-dt that you mentioned?

Thanks
Khurram
O

khurram - as a fellow NYC DMA'er, might be able to help here.

It's all speculation, but the consensus is that NYC would not only get the current local HD set in MPEG4, but D* would add WWOR-DT and WPIX-DT.

I'd have to assume YES-HD would also move to MPEG4, along with the Mets HD network, when it comes of being.

As for MSG/FSNY-HD - don't hold your breath. Cablevision has an exclusive on those, but with the Mets moving off of them next year, I care a whole lot less.

 

[hancox]

Again, speculation, but the best guess is that the current NY locals will be on MPEG2 for a while, to satisfy O&O and DNS users.

You would miss out on any additions by not switching. Obviously, this also makes a difference if you have a non-DVR HD box (like the H10) vs. a DVR-HD (HDTivo). If you don't have a DVR, there really isn't a good reason not to do the switch ASAP.