Yet another defector from E* to D*

[txfeinbergs]

Guys, I know you have seen a lot of people switching from E to D lately because of the BSG premier coming up on the Sci-Fi Channel (well, that and Dish's satellite launch didn't go particularly well compared to DirecTVs). I am possibly another defector, but I have three (or I guess this is actully four) questions.

1. I have seen several people state in this forum that D's picture quality is better. Is this just subjective, or is there some hard proof that D is not compressing as much? That would be a major selling point to me.

2. My Dish receiver only requires one coax feed to supply both onboard tuners. I have a second run that provides my OTA feed. Does DirecTV offer something similar or are they still requiring one run for each tuner?

3. I have seen something about an AM21 external tuner box mentioned here for the HR21 for the OTA. Is there any ETA on that? Have there been any pictures posted of what it looks like or how it connects to the HR21?

Thanks.

 

[jokeworm]

1. Pic quality looks pretty much the same to me - very minimal difference - if any at all.

2. Not sure if they have something other than what they installed for me - i needed two lines to the back of my box. This was in addition to my OTA cable run.

3. The AM21 is already out there being tested .. it looks very much like the HR-21 - only much thinner. As far as i can remember - it connects via a USB cable from AM21 to HR-21 and the power cable also connects one into the other .. so you still only have one power cable plugged in. Looks very nice .. can't remember where i saw it - latest i read was "soon" - 4-6 weeks maybe - but no firm date as been set. Price was supposed to be $59

p.s. I'm no expert as I've only been with directv for a week .. so don't take my words as gospel .. I'm sure someone else will be along who can answer with more certainty very soon.

 

[jacmyoung]

The AM21 has been pushed back to "early May" if you must have OTA you might want to wait. By then you may have the AM21 included in the installation for free.

When I installed my four HR21's two months ago, I asked for HR20's but they said no, no more HR20's in my area, but they agreed once the AM21's were available they would ship three to me for free since I requested three HR20's. I am still waiting.

 

[lxngtnguy]

You Can Take It As Gospel...

txfeinbergs;1292633 Guys, I know you have seen a lot of people switching from E to D lately because of the BSG premier coming up on the Sci-Fi Channel (well, that and Dish's satellite launch didn't go particularly well compared to DirecTVs). I am possibly another defector, but I have three (or I guess this is actully four) questions.

1. I have seen several people state in this forum that D's picture quality is better. Is this just subjective, or is there some hard proof that D is not compressing as much? That would be a major selling point to me.

D* picture quality is better. I was a E* sub for almost 10 years and have now been with D* for 3 mos and there is a big difference. I have a 70" 1080p have always used HDMI since my first HDTV and there is a very noticeable difference on the SD and HD channels. Some of D* channels in SD look as good as a lot of E* HD channels. On a smaler TV it may not be as noticeable but the bigger you go the easier it is to see artifacts and whatnot. I know some people have done a digital capture of the feed and compared the packet sizes and D* is larger, this would mean that D* is not compressing as much...D* has a lot more capacity and is changing more channels to MPEG 4 in a quicker time fashion than E*.

2. My Dish receiver only requires one coax feed to supply both onboard tuners. I have a second run that provides my OTA feed. Does DirecTV offer something similar or are they still requiring one run for each tuner?

D* does have a SWM (single wire module) although it is not available to most markets yet. It has been fully tested and is working just as well as E* built in switching with the LNB. You may be able to contact your installer and request it but since it is not standard equipment I have read that there is additionl charges for it. On a side note, most installers will not use the same cable that you have your E* service running through, even though it may be just fine if you call D* after the install and it's determined that your problems are coming from your cabling then the install may get charged back to the original tech and they would have to replace the cable. Its really not a big deal to have 2 pieces of coax coming from the dish. If you have in wall cabling like me, just do what I did and have the tech duct tape the end of the new cable to the old before he cuts it...pull the old cable through the wall and voila...no fishing you just pull the 2 line cable to the receiver.

3. I have seen something about an AM21 external tuner box mentioned here for the HR21 for the OTA. Is there any ETA on that? Have there been any pictures posted of what it looks like or how it connects to the HR21?

It is fully functional working without any problems, how do I know....I have one..... the chipset that D* is using and the actual rest of the tuner is a much better quality build that the internal tuner in E* boxes. My local HD when recorded is much better than what I received using E* OTA.... as good of a quality as having my antenna hooked directly to TV. I also had issues with E* dropping the signals sometimes and never with the TV, the AM21 has not dropped the signal once. Arrival time to general public is yet TBD we are still in what they call a "RTM C" release to market candidate....they have updated the software of the AM21 a couple of times and have improved it's reliability...until it reaches a point where they are sure it will work well for the masses then it wont be sold. As far a pics....I hate to send you here but...take a look HERE there is an entire thread devoted to it.


Hope this helps you in your decision...

Thanks.

 

[txfeinbergs]

Thanks for the excellent feedback guys.

 

[txfeinbergs]

I just went ahead and pulled the trigger. Stacked the AAA, Referral, and standard promotions on top of each other as many have reported on here to get an awesome deal, and most importantly, I get to see BSG in Hi Def now!

 

[jokeworm]

I just went ahead and pulled the trigger. !

Good for you - when is install ?

 

[txfeinbergs]

Unfortunately, April 9th if you can believe it. That is the earliest appointment they have in the Dallas area. That's ok, I guess I will watch the BSG premier in SD. Maybe Dish will actually launch the Sci FI Hi Def channel prior to then since I won't cancel them until the DirecTV install.

 

[richiephx]

txfeinbergs;1292633

1. I have seen several people state in this forum that D's picture quality is better. Is this just subjective, or is there some hard proof that D is not compressing as much? That would be a major selling point to me.

D* picture quality is better. I was a E* sub for almost 10 years and have now been with D* for 3 mos and there is a big difference. I have a 70" 1080p have always used HDMI since my first HDTV and there is a very noticeable difference on the SD and HD channels. Some of D* channels in SD look as good as a lot of E* HD channels. On a smaler TV it may not be as noticeable but the bigger you go the easier it is to see artifacts and whatnot. I know some people have done a digital capture of the feed and compared the packet sizes and D* is larger, this would mean that D* is not compressing as much...D* has a lot more capacity and is changing more channels to MPEG 4 in a quicker time fashion than E*.

I don't consider your subjective opinion as hard fact. As far as I know, D* is NOT doing anything to the SD channels at this time, let alone changing them to MPEG4.

 

[rmims404]

I'm a Dish Network defector officially Sat 4/5 (that's my install date). I can't wait for all the extra HD channels. Dish sub since November of 2002 when I dropped Charter Cable (Central Alabama). Charter was so bad with lines, snow and extreme interference. Dish picture quality is fine but I am just tired of waiting, plus they went up $2.00 on my last bill. I'm going to pay the "leave early" penalty and move on to DirecTV. Looking forward to USA, Speed and others in HD.

 

[Shipsnake]

To me the picture quality on D* seems to have a sharper image, the picture on my 622 always seemed alittle flat and hazy (could have been a sub par install, but looked alot better that TWC). The Black HDDVR with D* looks alot better cosmetically. Now to the guide and interface. the guide is totally different than E*, and moved alot slower, but i do like being able to jump to a date and time to set up recordings. The on demand is 1000 times better than E*. Once i get the channel numbers down i will be good to go. I was installed 3-29-08, and only wish i had switched sooner. You will love it.