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Satellite TV may not be the hot new tech, but it still gives great value. When you look at what you get, it's a much better value than a bunch of streaming apps. In fact, DIRECTV offers crystal-clear high-definition and 4K pictures and Dolby Digital sound. Yet there are people who are afraid to upgrade, or once they do they just watch the standard definition version of a channel anyway.

But Why?

There are people who will swear that they need standard definition channels because they are more resistant to rain fade. That's kinda true, but mostly not true. Standard definition signals come from the satellite at a lower frequency (referred to as the Ku band) and those Ku band frequencies do a better job penetrating the clouds than the frequencies used for HD and 4K (known as the Ka band.) So in theory, yes you could get SD channels even if the HD channels fade out in a big storm.

Except, that shouldn't be true in real life. A properly aimed dish will only have about a 1% difference in signal reliability between the Ku and Ka band signals, meaning it's going to be a rare storm indeed that gives you access to the SD channels without the HD channels. If you're seeing a lot of rain fade from your system, so much so that you think it's necessary to keep those SD channels at the ready, it's possible you need a little dish realignment.

But, for those people who just won't let go of their SD, here's a tutorial on how to access SD duplicates if you need to.

But then there are marine and RV customers

The biggest group of standard definition watchers are our marine and RV customers. In order to get more than just a handful of HD and 4K programs, you need a larger satellite antenna. If you want to just watch SD, you can do it with an antenna about 2 feet wide. If you want to watch HD and 4K, you'll need one about 4 feet wide. This can make the difference for people in smaller boats, and it certainly does make a difference for RV viewers.

If you're ok with SD…

If you like your standard definition channels, you can end up paying a lot less for the equipment. Marine customers will see the difference between an i3 and s6HD, while RV customers will notice that the KING One Pro is a lot more reasonably priced than a system like Winegard's Trav'ler. Not only that, the KING One Pro doesn't require a permanent installation like the Trav'ler does. That can also make a difference in the price when you're putting it all together.

Will this change?

I do believe that DIRECTV customers with RVs and boats will see more high definition programming as standard definition programming is phased out. That phaseout was expected to be done by 2020, but several factors (including world events) slowed it down. However, it's back on track, with cities all across the country losing access to SD local channels this year.

If you want to know more about how you can get the best TV service for your RV or boat, call the experts! The folks at Signal Connect have done more RV and marine activations than anyone else in the world! We'll give you top notch customer service, the service you really deserve. Interested? Call us at 888-233-7563 or fill out the form below. We'll get right back to you!


The post Why would you ever intentionally choose to watch standard definition? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.

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