4K UHD PPV coming Nov 14th

[jcrandall]

DirecTV is launching 4K UHD PPV movie availability November 14th.

The launch is expected to be around a dozen PPV movies, with more added later. There are several requirements, including some that are quite unusual to use DirecTV 4k service:

- Genie Receiver
- Samsung 2014 4K TV (Samsung is only certified manufacture for DirecTV 4k at this time)
- Samsung 2014 4k TV Activated as an RVU Client ($6/mo Additional TV fee)
- Even in a one TV environment, a Genie and RVU Client for the Samsung 4k tv is required.
- 4K Authorization by DirecTV (may or may not require an install, information we saw didn't clarify)
- 4k movies must be recorded (or perhaps downloaded if on demand) in full prior to viewing.
- After activation, the Genie Recommends will record and keep available two 4k movies.

So there you have it, some unusual quirks to the 4k launch. Reminds me of when the H20 launched HD for the first time, there were some pretty unusual quirks in that for the first year or two too. From what I remember it was 2-3 years of HD before DirecTV had more than 8-10 national channels plus locals in a few markets. 4K will be similar, your setup will need to be very much matching DirecTVs partners at this point.

Pictures below show the odd one-tv setup for 4K, as well as where 4K will be on the menus.

No word yet on price for a 4K PPV, or what it will take to get 4K authorization (just a call with Samsung 2014 4k TV active as RVU or a professional install).

 

[Jimbo]

This is ridiculous ...

Samsung RVU is the ONLY TV that this will work with

A regular 4K Samsung TV won't work ?

Sony has a nice 4K, If I have that one, 4K doesn't work ?

I can see that 4K for D* is gonna be a REALLLLLLLY Slow adventure.

 

[tigerfan33]

I have a 2014 Sammy UHDTV.
Last I checked it was not compatible with Directv. I wouldn't want this anyway.
This will be resolution enhanced and won't offer the reall difference that will include HDR and wider color range.
The real change is still 2-3 years away with tvs and film material.
Then people who say that can't tell a difference between 4k and hd will be declared officially blind. It will be bigger than sd to hd. It will be that big.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

Yea.. it wasn't a wise decision in my opinion.. I'm sure more manufacturers will get added in the future...

And jason.. I will go out on a limb and say this service will need to be professionally installed... I'm not sure how much information you got but I know when we got ours the cm's TV needs to be added to their account as customer owned equipment with the proper oli product type.. where as Samsung rvu TV is not the same as Samsung rvu TV 4k.

Another note I would like to add to all this is..

AS OF THIS TIME... in the event that you only have 1 TV in your house and it is a Samsung rvu 4k tv... you must have rate codes for primary receiver AND additional tv 1 client.

English is you have to pay the additional 6/month for the rvu access.. so if you are a new cm from 7.24.14 on.. your paying 12/mo in receiver fees even if you only have 1 physical tv.

This may change in the future.. but only if 4k is implemented into ird firmware.. as right now it is only a part of Samsung rvu firmware.

 

[jcrandall]

I'm sure this is just a starting point so DirecTV can say they have 4K.

We know it will get added to the typical receivers at some point.

I'm sure by this time next year 4K will be available in more ways, and if they get it right through a receiver it may eliminate (or greatly reduce) the TV compatibility limitations.

The real shock here is for a launch, however small, there are a lot of restrictions and specifics for a customer to get this.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

When we saw the demo, we really didn't pay attention to the TV they used, but it was connected with Ethernet, so I guess it was running the RVU client.

 

[Jimbo]

Wasn't that conversation stating that they didn't think D* would require a different recvr to have 4K, meaning that it would work off the Genies for example.

 

[Ronnie-]

Not that concerned about the requirements now. As was stated, HD was slow to get to where it is now too, but we often forget.

This time I'm giving it a few years before I jump in, my need to be an early adopter gets lesser as I age. Lol.

 

[Jimbo]

Not that concerned about the requirements now. As was stated, HD was slow to get to where it is now too, but we often forget.

This time I'm giving it a few years before I jump in, my need to be an early adopter gets lesser as I age. Lol.

I agree, currently, I have no need for a High End TV, unless my Pioneer Elite bites the bullet soon which it better not .... I'm good for awhile.

 

[acostapimps]

I thought it would just work with just the Genies?, didn't think it needed RVU for it to work
but then again I ain't surprised that they require this setup, just to charge you for TV client as if PPV ain't enough
Hopefully HR24's or others get added in the future, then maybe RVU wouldn't be required.
But they'll probably add a 4k fee or something of that nature and up the price on PPV/VOD.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

This issue as of right now is 4k compatibility is built into rvu firmware... not the ird firmware.

 

[goaliebob99]

What if you want 7.1 surround? There has to be some way to hook up the TV to an AVR.

 

[Aridon]

Optical out to the receiver from the TV.

This whole thing just seems so half ass.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

I'm looking at getting a 60" 4k tv around Xmas for myself... but now I'm pondering all the decisions. Whether I want a 3d 4k or not.. 3d supposedly looks fantastic in 4k... however rvu clients do not have 3d functionality... granted were down to ppv.. but there's still some good ones.. the last issue is I'm more of a LG fan.. I have 4 of them now... I'd rather a LG 4k tv.. although I might put it off till income tax to see if they add more manufacturers. .. LG is supposedly being added to the rvu list..

 

[cypherstream]

Isn't the real issue the finalization of the new HDMI standard for 4k transmission? That's maybe why 4K is not yet transferable from a Genie through the HDMI port. However pulling it across Ethernet is a whole new story. I can already pull 4K off YouTube, though not super smooth (seems you need a friggin Alienware or some multi thousand dollar computer to play it).

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

Isn't the real issue the finalization of the new HDMI standard for 4k transmission? That's maybe why 4K is not yet transferable from a Genie through the HDMI port. However pulling it across Ethernet is a whole new story. I can already pull 4K off YouTube, though not super smooth (seems you need a friggin Alienware or some multi thousand dollar computer to play it).

That's actually a really good point I forgot about hdmi2.0... I wonder if firmware could change the driver in the boxes or if it's a straight hardware change. That would certainly explain why it's rvu only if we need to upgrade our hardware to support it. That's an answer I don't have....

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

Confirmation came in today. 4k WILL require professional installation.

I'm not sure how or why it would be required if you already have an rvu TV on your account however.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

Another quick update I was just informed that there is no access fee attached to the 4k authorization code needed on an account to view 4k... however that does not mean the movies won't jump in price to a 9.99 rental fee or something like that. Then again nothing was ever confirmed that 4k would be exclusively ppv vod... so there may be free programming. We won't know until the 14th or more specifically when someone actually gets this installed. I don't see a lot of customers in my region owning 4k tvs... hell I've only ever installed 3 rvu TV clients and two were in one house.. then had a service call on a 4th. In the 3yrs or so these have been out

 

[Jimbo]

Another quick update I was just informed that there is no access fee attached to the 4k authorization code needed on an account to view 4k... however that does not mean the movies won't jump in price to a 9.99 rental fee or something like that. Then again nothing was ever confirmed that 4k would be exclusively ppv vod... so there may be free programming. We won't know until the 14th or more specifically when someone actually gets this installed. I don't see a lot of customers in my region owning 4k tvs... hell I've only ever installed 3 rvu TV clients and two were in one house.. then had a service call on a 4th. In the 3yrs or so these have been out

Yup,
HD Access was free when it started too ....
We all know where that went.

Fwiw, D* wasn't the ones that started the HD Fee stuff, but they did implement it once they saw that it took off for other companies.

Now they won't end the HD Fee because they found it to be an unexpected cash flow.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

Yup,
HD Access was free when it started too ....
We all know where that went.

I wonder if there's a CE version of rvu software available somehow. Also they need to add 3d capability to rvu clients