DirecTV HD DVR For the new MPEG4 local HD service

mjm76 · Post by **mjm76** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 9:48 pm

Does anyone have any information on when the new DirecTV HD DVR will come out to replace the DirecTV TiVo HR 10-250? Will this new one be compatible with the new MPEG4 technology that will be used for the HD locals? I have been waiting patiently for this unit to appear.
Thanks for any info.

raff · Post by **raff** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:11 am

At this point, there's been no formal talk of a replacement unit. It would make sense that any new HD-DVR unit will support MPEG-4, but no info has been released yet.

akirby · Post by **akirby** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:11 am

And it's a good bet that it won't be running Tivo software (unfortunately).

It is strange that we haven't heard anything about the new mpeg4 hardware. I wonder if they're having technical problems or if they're trying to figure out how to handle the existing mpeg3 hardware and customers.

donshan · Post by **donshan** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 10:45 pm

DirecTV planned two new satellites using the MPEG-4 technology for launch this year, and announced they would add 500 local HDTV channels. Spaceway 1 was launched earlier this year and is up there. Spaceway 2 was supposed to have gone up June 25, but was delayed due to a malfunction in a second communications satellite ( Telkom- 2) also in the payload, requiring that Telkom-2 be sent back to the US for repair. Spaceway-2 passed all tests, but was put into storage. No new launch date has been announced.

This indefinite delay in getting Spaceway 2 up affects the date that DirecTV can start up the new MPEG-4 signals, since I am guessing they planned a start up using BOTH birds. Any info on MPEG-4 receivers for the HD local channels is also still non-existant as far as I have seen.

One other point about any new DirecTV HD DVR. The new DVR supplier for DirecTV is NDS ( which is also owned by News Corp) and they have announced a new DirecTV DVR is coming, but it will NOT be HD. NDS makes DVRs for the UK SkyB systems, but they are not HD. Is NDS developing a new HD DVR? Who knows? IF they are, it will be a version 1.0 for them.

My guess the HD Tivo has some life left before a replacement appears. The HR10-250 finally arrived about two years after it was announced. And we don't even have an announcement on any new MPEG-4 units yet, much less a new replacement HD DVR. 2007 is the date DirecTV plans to launch two more satellites and add capacity for 150 NATIONAL HDTV channels. That looks to me like 2007 is the year they must have the new HD DVR out.

mjm76 · Post by **mjm76** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 4:43 pm

Don,

I hate to hear that.

I was hoping to get a new DirecTV HD DVR by Christmas this year. Oh well I may have to go ahead and buy the TiVo HD 10-250. I did not want to do this since it will be outdated pretty soon. I hope that your info/speculation time frame is wrong but it sounds like you have done your homework and you are on top of this.

Thanks for the information.

donshan · Post by **donshan** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:45 am

mjm76 wrote:Don,

Oh well I may have to go ahead and buy the TiVo HD 10-250. I did not want to do this since it will be outdated pretty soon.
.

This is a difficult time to buy ANY DirecTV HD receivers, as it is clear all current HD models are obsolete now. The only reason is if you can accept the cost as a possible "throwaway" in anything from a month from now or up to 2 years until sometime in 2007. The cities to get HD locals sometime soon have been announced. You might check if your location is one of them. If not a HR 10-250 will probably work until 2007 just fine. Also in most of these cities you can get all the HD channels OTA with the HR10-250 now. Providing these HD locals to those markets is a competition issue with the cable companies in those cities so the customer does not need an OTA antenna. (and if history is a guide OTA reception beats DirecTV quality everytime!)

See this link:

http://ces.engadget.com/entry/1234000430026331/

"With 13 total satellites already up or planned for use by 2007, DirecTV will be launching high definition local channels in the second half of 2005 in twelve markets. The first cities will be New York, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington DC, Detroit, and Tampa. HD locals will be transmitted with MPEG4 AVC HD transmission (the first live demo will be shown on the CES floor), but users will need a new satellite receiver to receive those MPEG4 AVC feeds and perhaps a new satellite dish (they completely dodged the new dish question)."

________

It was something like two years after DirecTV started HDTV channels before they got the first HD DVR ( HR 10-250) on the market. During that time I bought two HD D* receivers so I could get their HD channels- a Toshiba that overheated and failed just after the warranty expired and a Sony I kept as a backup in case my HR 10-250 fails.

I have seen nothing from DirecTV that says they will provide new HD DVR capability just for the 500 new HD local channels. In fact I have had three conversations with DirecTV customer service about their current Tivo HD listings in the HR10-250 for the local digital channels in my market. The Tivo listings and the "Guide" are provided for my local digital channels included in the fee I pay DirecTV , but the local channel listings are wrong!. DirecTV tells me they are "not responsible" for correct listings for channels I get OTA and refuse to correct the local OTA data in the HR10-250 Guide and Tivo listings. I even contacted Tivo who makes up the listings, but no results.

This is some of the background on why I don't expect a new HD DVR anytime soon, but I agree with you - I hope I am wrong. However the 1650 HD channels to roll out in 2007 will demand new receivers for all HD customers.

mjm76 · Post by **mjm76** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 7:30 pm

Don,

Thanks again for the great info.

The reason I am anxiously awaiting the HD local roll out and anticipating the DirecTV HD DVR is because I am experiencing reception problems again this summer with my local St. Louis channels. I posted several times last summer about this and even bought an UHF(9032) TV antenna and the reception was worse so I put back up my old VHF/UHF antenna on a higher mount and was able to achieve consistent reception with the old one but it was turning cooler and the leaves were falling off my neighbors trees. I thought I had solve the problem but with return of the summer temperatures and my neighbors leaves the STL digital channels are very inconsistent during the day and night but most of the time it is OK at night except for the FOX channel which has always given me problems.
So anyway I was very much looking forward to DirecTV HD locals because of my reception problems. Unfortunately STL is not in the first wave but we should be in the second wave like we were before with the locals. In addition to these HD locals from DirecTV I was hoping to add the new DirecTV HD DVR with MPEG 4 capability. It looks like I will have to wait until at least 2006 before STL HD locals get added to the DirecTV lineup. You are correct I would prefer to stay with OTA HD reception which I agree is a lot better but it is frustrating being 70-80 miles from STL the reception is too inconsistent in the summer(hot) months. So I do not think I have much choice but to go with DirecTV HD locals.

raff · Post by **raff** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 5:03 am

MJM76,

Do you subscribe to the DirecTV HD Package? Do you get any of the HD network affiliate feeds from DirecTV right now?

Here's why I ask...
No where has DirecTV stated which of our HD local channels they will broadcast. I suspect only the 4 major networks. I'm not expecting UPN, WB, or PBS... I'm in the Philly market. Our ABC and NBC both multicast, so will I get all of the sub-channels too? I doubt it.

If you're currently getting the 4 major affiliate HD feeds from DirecTV, you're getting the HD content, it's just coming out of NY or LA. It will be some time before they remove those feeds.

Also, how about Cable TV? They probably have all of your HD local's and a PVR service.

mjm76 · Post by **mjm76** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:16 pm

Raff,

The only DirecTV network HD affiliate I get is Fox. I would have to get a waiver from the all the other STL stations to get any more DirecTV HD network feeds. I understand those are near impossible to get but my brother is a lawyer so that might help if I wanted to go that route.

We have Charter Cable where I live but they have not introduced the HD package yet.

You may be right about DirecTV only doing the major HD networks first. That is how they did when the rolled out the other locals.

DirecTV's HD network feeds are alright for most of the programs but my cproblem is I want to watch the local sports teams(Rams,Blues,Cardinals) in HD. Network feeds would not have them most of the time unless it was for a nationally televised game.

raff · Post by **raff** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 9:31 pm

Hmm... You've got a couple of strikes against you in this case.

Well, at least you'll get the Rams on FOX-HD.