will mpeg 4 recordings take up less space

Yes, it's directly related to the bandwidth that comes down from the satellite. If a one-hour program that averages 14Mb/s takes one-hour of HD space, that same one-hour program, in MPEG4 format that averages 7Mb/s, will take approx 30-minutes of HD space.
 
Yes, it's directly related to the bandwidth that comes down from the satellite. If a one-hour program that averages 14Mb/s takes one-hour of HD space, that same one-hour program, in MPEG4 format that averages 7Mb/s, will take approx 30-minutes of HD space.

i thought so but wasnt completely sure. thanks for the prompt answer.
 
Depends on the bitrate.

For example that Skyhd, h264 18Mbps of CBS Superbowl in Europe took up more space (and looked far better) than the OTA CBS MPEG2 coverage in the USA which was below 18Mbps.

When UniversalHD is showing October Sky on 9427 at 6.04Mbps over this past weekend with a MPEG2 signal, it will take up less room on your DVR than most of the other h.264 MPEG4 channels.
 

Dayton, OH locals PQ