Back from streaming (YTTV) to DirecTV? Has anyone done this?

[mnassour]

I was just looking at FS1 on my YTTV setup this morning and couldn't help but notice how smeary the video was. This was on top of a miserable signal from HBO last night, where there was not detail WHATSOEVER in dark areas on the Gilded Age. Now I've had DirecTV, and Dish for that matter, off and on for the best part of 20 years and never once remember complaining about the video quality on DirecTV. Dish was another matter.

Has anyone here left DirecTV You Tube TV or any other streamer, then come back due to this? Frankly, I've bought two pretty bloody expensive sets (LG OLEDs) and I don't think I'm getting their best. YTTV is about $80 a month and I know DirecTV will certainly be more. But I'm getting tired of looking at thousands of dollars worth of TVs and seeing smeary faces and buffering whenever Spectrum decides to take a dump.

It's been a looooong time since I've posted here, and still remember the basics about DirecTV. My HR24s are still in the closet , though as much as I liked them back in the day I'm not counting on using them again. I've also got two of the over-the-air adapters (AM-21Ns) and was wondering if they could still be used. Any thoughts from anyone on all this mess? Thanks so much in advance for any thoughts the group might have.

Mike Nassour / Austin Texas

 

[KyL416]

I've also got two of the over-the-air adapters (AM-21Ns) and was wondering if they could still be used.

The AM21s can still be used with the Hx2x and with a seperate power cord they can also be used by the HR34, HR44 and HR54 Genies, however for a new install they'll likely give you the Genie 2/HS17 which is not compatible with the AM21.

 

[mnassour]

Can the HR54s still be had from DirecTV? I had one of those a few years back and liked it. If not, maybe I could pick up one off Ebay (assuming it can be authorized)?

 

[KyL416]

They can, but there's no guarantee you will be able to get one with a standard install.

The caveat with the HS17 is that they don't allow other standalone receivers or DVRs on the account, just clients. So if those HR24s are outright owned and not just leased models that they didn't want back, you can tell them that you also want to reactivate one of them as part of the install, and then the installer will have to use a HR54 instead of the HS17 for the rest of the installation.

Like if you have 4 TVs, they can do something like HR24 on one TV, HR54 on the other, and then either the C61K or the Gemini on those 4K sets.

 

[Bruce]

I was just looking at FS1 on my YTTV setup this morning and couldn't help but notice how smeary the video was.

FS1 is in 720P over all providers, it always looks awful.

This was on top of a miserable signal from HBO last night, where there was not detail WHATSOEVER in dark areas on the Gilded Age.

That is in 4K/Dolby Vision on the MAX app, looks so much better.

 

[mnassour]

I've seen 720P in the professional arena and it can look wonderful. This wasn't a matter of resolution or just how many lines are on the screen. We're talking a complete lack of detail and blockiness in dark areas. And as for the Max app, it was certainly better, but not anywhere near the 1080i I remember off DirecTV. That's what started this on my part.

 

[KyL416]

FS1 is in 720P over all providers, it always looks awful.

That is in 4K/Dolby Vision on the MAX app, looks so much better.

Read their full post, their problem is with the ISP where slowdowns and congestion leads to buffering and dipped resolutions. If they're having problems with streaming standard HD content via YouTubeTV, they can forget about streaming even more bandwidth demanding 4K/HDR content from the FOX Sports or MAX apps.

Unfortunately Spectrum, or any ISP for that matter, is not some monolith where everyone has access to the same quality internet. It's a hodgepodge of Charter and ex-Time Warner Cable/BrightHouse and other smaller cable providers they acquired over the years. If your local system is lagging on upgrades, your throughput speeds can frequently suffer during peak usage on your node. (i.e. the ex-Taconic Spectrum system in Columbia County NY that was still running on a 450 MHz network and hasn't expanded beyond its original 1988 footprint)

 

[mnassour]

They can, but there's no guarantee you will be able to get one with a standard install.

The caveat with the HS17 is that they don't allow other standalone receivers or DVRs on the account, just clients. So if those HR24s are outright owned and not just leased models that they didn't want back, you can tell them that you also want to reactivate one them as part of the install, and then the installer will have to use a HR54 instead of the HS17 for the rest of the installation.

Like if you have 4 TVs, they can do something like HR24 on one TV, HR54 on the other, and then either the C61K or the Gemini on those 4K sets.

That could be good news, I have two HR24s, both last fired up three years ago. I own one and the other is a lease that DirecTV said to keep. I will remember that, thank you! I'm also fortunate to have a local tech who still does DirecTV/Dish installs, just like in the old days. Perhaps he can get his hands on an HR54.

 

[DirecTVFanSince2016]

FS1 is in 720P over all providers, it always looks awful.

They have an alleged 4K feed on Fubo. I say alleged because it might just be upscaled from 720:

 

[KyL416]

The "FS1 4K" channel on Fubo is just the FOX Sports 4K part time event feed that DIRECTV customers also get in the 100s. The rest of the time it's FS1's 720p HD feed.

 

[larry55]

The AM21s can still be used with the Hx2x and with a seperate power cord they can also be used by the HR34, HR44 and HR54 Genies, however for a new install they'll likely give you the Genie 2/HS17 which is not compatible with the AM21.

I’m still using my am 21 with the hr 54.

 

[robjlevin]

That is in 4K/Dolby Vision on the MAX app, looks so much better.

Beyond lousy internet service, I can't imagine why anyone would watch anything on the HBO linear channels. They've done a stellar job adding 4K/HDR content along with Dolby Atmos sound on the app.

 

[KyL416]

The pending end of the HBO Max migration grace period might change things. Once that's over you'll need to pay $4 more for the "Ultimate ad-free" tier if you want 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos.

It's been a while since HBO has had a show where everyone wanted to watch the moment it became available, but they were notorious for having load issues Sunday nights when new episodes of Game of Thrones went up.

 

[mnassour]

What started my issues off was trying to watch Gilded Age on YTTV on Sunday night. The picture quality was nothing better than terrible. Switched over to MAX and it was somewhat better.

Is there a thread around here where DirecTV satellite quality is compared to DirecTV Stream? I'd sure be interested to see that discussion.

 

[DirecTVFanSince2016]

Is there a thread around here where DirecTV satellite quality is compared to DirecTV Stream? I'd sure be interested to see that discussion.

Never saw one.

 

[John2021]

we tried streaming with different services like sling fubo yttv. we found that sat has a better picture than most streaming services!!!

 

[mnassour]

we tried streaming with different services like sling fubo yttv. we found that sat has a better picture than most streaming services!!!

Including DirecTV Stream or DirecTV by Internet? With the possible exception of those two (that I've never seen) I'd agree.

 

[John2021]

Including DirecTV Stream or DirecTV by Internet? With the possible exception of those two (that I've never seen) I'd agree.

I haven't seen dtv stream in a while though I remember using it when it was directv now wich was a disaster

 

[KyL416]

I haven't seen dtv stream in a while though I remember using it when it was directv now wich was a disaster

The unified DIRECTV app now gives Satellite customers the exact same streams that Stream/Internet customers have. However you have to be watching on certain devices like smart TVs and media players like AndroidTV/GoogleTV, AppleTV or Roku to get the highest quality renditions that have 60 fps and Dolby audio. i.e. mobile phones will limit you to the 720p/30 renditions.

 

[DirecTVFanSince2016]

i.e. mobile phones will limit you to the 720p/30 renditions.

I watch on an iPhone and the renditions don’t look like they’re in 30 fps, looks more like 60 to me.