cheffy said:
Hey all - new to the forum - lots of good stuff here.
My wife and I are buying a house in Danbury, CT and I can't wait to dump cable and get back to DirectTV (used to have it a few years back). With all the talk/rumors of the coming MPEG4 upgrade, I can't decide whether to get the HDTV/DVR setup now (eventually getting the upgrade from DTV) or wait for the MPEG4 DVRs to appear and then get in. What do you all think?
First, good choice on programming. I live in Danbury. Comcast's Danbury franchise is just plain shoddy. A neighbor of mine bought early this year after many years' homeonwership in Westchester, yet Comcast refused them service without 2 months' utility bills. Danbury Comcast still struts around as though they're the best and only show in town. In contrast, the D* fall promotions will definitely be attractive to you. Also, SBC has 3 MBps DSL for $25/month; acceptable home performance at a nice price.
MPEG4 is not rumored, it's happening. Rumors at this point only disagree on when it happens in each area, and when the mpeg4 HDDVR becomes available.
FYI: D* execs have been quoted in several places, stating that the initial mpeg4 upgrades will be free (new dish, new rcvr, including install).
Suggestion: go HD now without TiVO; as mpeg4 rolls-out, upgrade at no cost. Then when the HDDVR is avaialble, you can either swap-out the non-DVR unit, or move it to another room in the house.
I would not attempt to stick with the current HDTiVO until the mpeg4 HDDVR is available. Problem is that as new HD content rolls-out onto the mpeg4 sats, the HDTiVO won't be able to tune them in. Since Danbury is in the NY dma and slated for mpeg4 somewhere in the next 6 months, an HDTiVO would only be on life support (with out-of-pocket expense).