DTV TiVo Dealer said:
I don't doubt this robert, but how will the HR10-250 see the new national HD channels when rolled out....those will be MPEG-4!
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I don't doubt this robert, but how will the HR10-250 see the new national HD channels when rolled out....those will be MPEG-4!
pstineme said:
I think we are all forgetting the simple fact that every thing in this thread is a RUMOR. None of it is fact until it is in an official press release from D*. The insiders that are providing us information on this thread can't even say with 100 percent certainty what is going to happen. D* can't even know what is going to happen until both Spaceway 1 and 2 are safely in their orbiting positons. I think everyone needs to cool down a bit and see how things unfold. Just my .02 cents....
DTV TiVo Dealer said:
And when DirecTV starts rolling out new HD channels, and leaves all these customers high and dry, how happy are they going to be then? Even if the new HMC is as good or better than the TiVo, which is a big question yet to be answered, there won't be any available to swap for how long? Six months? A year? Given a choice between keeping current HD offerings and my HR10-250, or giving up the DVR in exchange for more national HD channels, I'm staying with the TiVo. More channels are no good to me if I can't have my DVR search for the movies or programs that might interest me (WishLists). They can't seriously expect people who are used to TiVo to give up the DVR and go back to channel surfing in search of something to watch. I can't believe they didn't go ahead and develop an updated version of the HR10-250, fixing it's current hardware problems and making it compatible with mpeg4. It would probably be ready now, and they could have swapped out the 100,000 or so and been done with it.
DTV TiVo Dealer said:
DirecTV apparently feels that this unmatched feature set is not worth saving. Or will the under $500 HD DVR match or exceed the TiVo's features? No one seems to know at this point, at least that I've read. Will it have season passes? Wishlists? If it doesn't, it's a huge step backward. Expandable storage? Sounds like no way. My current expanded HR10-250 holds 70 hours of HD material. I'll probably need two to three of the new DVRs to match that. The HMC is what I'm really looking forward to, but again, other than multi room viewing, how will it be better than an mpeg4 version of the HR10-250 would be? And when will it be readily available? A year from now? Until we get more specific details, I am just not optimistic that I'm going to be happy swapping my current equipment.
And the rumors that they might be considering cutting off the mpeg2 streams sooner rather than later? Can that be true?
BTW, thanks for all your valuable input on these issues.
silversurfer said:
I would sure hope that someone in D* had backup plans to cover problems with either D8, SW1 and/or SW2. To me it makes no sense to say that they won't announce anything until SW2 is up and running. D*'s spent a millions of $'s on these new satellites and they need to start to generate some new revenue to cover those costs. So maybe the first 12 markets don't get LIL-HD and maybe all the new national channels that LonghornXP has mentioned don't get on as soon as they planned. But D* needs to do something to stop existing and new customers from going to cable or E* and I don't see how they can wait. Just my $0.01 cent.
rad said:
How do they have a choice not to wait? They can't do everything they have had planned without both satellites. And the only thing they have officially announced requires both satellites. They do have a back up plan. Its called insurance. We are all spinning our wheels trying to guess what D* is going to do next. I agree most likely they will do something but I would bet they won't announce a thing until they are 100 percent sure they can execute what they announce. They have had their hand slapped hard before because they announced something before it was technically feasible...
My information is 100% official as of this moment and I do not expect any changes. However, DIRECTV's new management may make some changes before 8/1/05 or as Scott says maybe when they have all of the new MPEG-4 satellites up and running smoothly.
The HR10-250 is MPEG-2 only and is not upgradeable to MPEG-4. However, I can tell you with 99.99% certainly that DIRECTV will swap your HR10-250 at no charge when MPEG-4 becomes available in your DMA. In the early rollout of MPEG-4, the NY and LA DMA's already have LIL so 10 of the 12 first DMA will have to deal with waiting for the HMC or next generation HD DVR to support MPEG-4 to get your LIL in HD through the dish.
So for NY an LA and the many other HD DVR users in the first 10 DMAs who use OTA you will have nothing to worry about. New National HD channels will come some time very soon after the LIL's and the HD DVR and HMC will also be available by then.
Some of us are worrying about nothing, only very excellent things are coming, more HD programming, whole house media servers, lower hardware prices.
-Robert
The HR10-250 is MPEG-2 only and is not upgradeable to MPEG-4. However, I can tell you with 99.99% certainly that DIRECTV will swap your HR10-250 at no charge when MPEG-4 becomes available in your DMA. In the early rollout of MPEG-4, the NY and LA DMA's already have LIL so 10 of the 12 first DMA will have to deal with waiting for the HMC or next generation HD DVR to support MPEG-4 to get your LIL in HD through the dish.
So for NY an LA and the many other HD DVR users in the first 10 DMAs who use OTA you will have nothing to worry about. New National HD channels will come some time very soon after the LIL's and the HD DVR and HMC will also be available by then.
Some of us are worrying about nothing, only very excellent things are coming, more HD programming, whole house media servers, lower hardware prices.
-Robert
DTV TiVo Dealer said:
Thanks for the info Robert....correct me if I am wrong. But you are saying that we should expect any new National HD feeds until well after the first 12 are taken care of. In which case, only the first 12 will be able to access them? I am not trying to beat this, but to me it sounds like the nationals won't be available for awhile and when they are a lot of us are going to be screwed in getting them.
There is no need for DirecTV to add MPEG-4 HD LIL for NY and LA (because they already have MPEG-2 feeds). Well, at least for now.
Hong.
Hong.
I am with the others that would prefer to get more National HD channels before LIL HD. I AM in one of the 1st 12 DMAs, but I get everything I need OTA just fine and without additional compression and quirks that will probably accompany the LIL HD feeds.
I am on the fence right now. My intro free period for the HD pack is running out and I can't justify $11 a month for 5 channels that have marginal programming. Give us a few bones here already. Either give us more Nationals with free upgrade MPEG4 boxes, or add a few more MPEG2 nationals.
I am on the fence right now. My intro free period for the HD pack is running out and I can't justify $11 a month for 5 channels that have marginal programming. Give us a few bones here already. Either give us more Nationals with free upgrade MPEG4 boxes, or add a few more MPEG2 nationals.
I think there saying 2007 for the first 200 DMA's are up and running so do some math and see when you may receive yours. I figure I'll get mine in 2007 and I'll get 4 years of locals before the world ends in 12-21-2012 "When The Mayan Calender ends" so I should be burned out on HD by then.....lol
I have to agree. D* needs to do something nationally to compete with E* and cable. Sure LIL is great, but to justify the HD package, PQ needs to be improved and more channels need to be added. Hopefully some kind of announcement with even a vague timeframe would be nice after a Spaceway 2 launch.
sltmag said:
He is saying what has been said all along. MPEG-4 will hit all national HD customers who have the hardware. He is also saying that when your DMA is moved, that is when D* will be providing HW replacements to existing customers ... and certainly that will come with a two year hitch, which is really not that unreasonable.DTV TiVo Dealer said:
The question is with what Robert? I have read others concern that this may be with a non-DVR product ... which really make no sense. So just on the point of clarification, hows about adding "with the current MPEG4 HD DVR product" just to help us outDTV TiVo Dealer said:
I am sure that is all D* would every consider.
slacker9876 said:The question is with what Robert? I have read others concern that this may be with a non-DVR product ... which really make no sense. So just on the point of clarification, hows about adding "with the current MPEG4 HD DVR product" just to help us out
I have to agree. As far as we know, no mpeg-4 HD DVR currently exists, everything is speculation about what will be available with no real timeframe. The more I read, especially LonghornXP's and Dan Collin's posts on DBS Forums, the more I believe D* is far from having all the pieces put together. The pricing of the HD Tivo is ridiculous, I gave up and went with a Comcast DVR for $10 month, which can cover a lot of months before it equals the purchase cost D* wants, even with credits. I'll go back to D* if the rumors come true, but I think we're in for a long wait
bullwinklehdtv said:
Completely agree. Dan seems to have a much better grasp on this stuff than most of the guesses on this thread. He says we won't see a D* HD-Dvr anytime soon. I'm in the same boat as you. I'm paying Comcast $10 a month for a High def DVR. I'll patiently wait until D* comes up with a decent offer. $700 is too much for one, no matter how many people paid $1000 for one.
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