DirecTV HR54 question...

[edisonprime]

Sorry, I haven't been here in quite a while. I've been preoccupied. Anyways, my upgrade date is coming in July, and I have a question. I talked to two DirecTV reps, and I question whether they are right or not. See I only have one TV now in my apartment, and they say with the HR54 (the receiver I want to upgrade to) only supports 4K with the 4K Genie Mini. And they say there is NO difference between the HR54 and the HR44. Is that true? I don't want to pay for two receivers with my limited budget, and I plan to get a 4K TV sometime, but when that happens I'll sell my current one to a friend, hence only one TV, and I'm pretty much using all the inputs. I could have sworn the HR54 could do 4K by itself, and the others don't, but I'm not an expert either. And I plan to have it ahead of my 4K TV so I have 4K ready when I own my TV. Can I do that as well? And I believe I heard that the HR54 can do 7.1 surround, is that right? I currently have a 7.2 surround system? Any input guys? I do know I have gotten false information from the DirecTV reps before as well as even the techs that came to my apartment. Sometimes I don't think they know what they are talking about.

 

[texasbrit]

I'm going to tell you how things are now. Over the next few months as linear 4K becomes available, things might (surely will) change.
Assuming you don't already have an HR34, then a regular Genie upgrade would be an HR44. You might get an HR54, but you don't have control over that. For 4K, you need the HR54 AND either the C61K client OR a DirecTV 4K compatible TV. The HR54 can't do 4K on its own, it does not have the necessary decoders etc. Unless you buy all the stuff yourself, you won't be able to get the 4K equipment until you have a 4K TV, because DirecTV installation is mandatory and they won't install unless you have a 4K TV.
The C61K can I believe do 7.1 surround if this is available with the programming. I don't know if DirecTV (or its program providers)will deliver 7.1 with linear 4K, we will have to see. I suspect the Hr54 itself won't do 7.1.
A lot of this is "informed speculation". Although the recently-mentioned test of linear 4K will use an existing satellite/transponder, production linear 4K is expected to use one of the reverse band transponders so you would also need a new LNB at the dish.

Don't bother to ask DirecTV about this. You'll get no info, incorrect info or confusing info. Just keep watching what Scott posts on this forum (see http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/live-4k-broadcast-on-directv-this-month.357306/#post-3821928), and the info at the edgecutter forum that Scott has mentioned in his posts. Several people on the edgecutter forum have all the equipment we think is necessary for linear 4K but we'll find out soon.

 

[edisonprime]

Thanx

 

[maestro7]

I'm going to tell you how things are now. Over the next few months as linear 4K becomes available, things might (surely will) change.
Assuming you don't already have an HR34, then a regular Genie upgrade would be an HR44. You might get an HR54, but you don't have control over that. For 4K, you need the HR54 AND either the C61K client OR a DirecTV 4K compatible TV. The HR54 can't do 4K on its own, it does not have the necessary decoders etc. Unless you buy all the stuff yourself, you won't be able to get the 4K equipment until you have a 4K TV, because DirecTV installation is mandatory and they won't install unless you have a 4K TV.
The C61K can I believe do 7.1 surround if this is available with the programming. I don't know if DirecTV (or its program providers)will deliver 7.1 with linear 4K, we will have to see. I suspect the Hr54 itself won't do 7.1.
A lot of this is "informed speculation". Although the recently-mentioned test of linear 4K will use an existing satellite/transponder, production linear 4K is expected to use one of the reverse band transponders so you would also need a new LNB at the dish.

Don't bother to ask DirecTV about this. You'll get no info, incorrect info or confusing info. Just keep watching what Scott posts on this forum (see http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/live-4k-broadcast-on-directv-this-month.357306/#post-3821928), and the info at the edgecutter forum that Scott has mentioned in his posts. Several people on the edgecutter forum have all the equipment we think is necessary for linear 4K but we'll find out soon.

...and even with all of this excellent info, don't forget -- you will be so bleeding-edge on your tech that there'll be very little, broadcast-wise, to watch with it.

I've posted numerous times that the broadcast networks will have to lay out a pretty nice spend to get their infrastructure up to 4K (it's nice to have contacts in the business). And while 4K will eventually come, I'm still thinking it's comfortable to say that you'll be sitting on the tech for a few more years before it happens.

HD was faster to build to because 720p/1080i had already been standardized for most broadcasters, and the Feds were making everyone go digital as it was. 4K is a different animal by order of magnitude, with protocols and topological considerations still being considered; it's not just a software configuration by any means, else everyone would have done it by now.

Movies? Yes. They've been at 4K for a while now, and most production houses can at the very least rent the cameras required for shoots, so there's not necessarily a huge sunk cost there. We rented a jib for a special event we hosted at church that was a 4K cam and had to be down-converted to 720p to work with our infrastructure.

So, if you have the means, by all means, go for it. UHD, per se, seems stable enough of a standard. Heck -- I'm just waiting for the back-end "stuff" to get stabilized for when we can implement 4K!

 

[tigerfan33]

I'm going to tell you how things are now. Over the next few months as linear 4K becomes available, things might (surely will) change.
Assuming you don't already have an HR34, then a regular Genie upgrade would be an HR44. You might get an HR54, but you don't have control over that. For 4K, you need the HR54 AND either the C61K client OR a DirecTV 4K compatible TV. The HR54 can't do 4K on its own, it does not have the necessary decoders etc. Unless you buy all the stuff yourself, you won't be able to get the 4K equipment until you have a 4K TV, because DirecTV installation is mandatory and they won't install unless you have a 4K TV.
The C61K can I believe do 7.1 surround if this is available with the programming. I don't know if DirecTV (or its program providers)will deliver 7.1 with linear 4K, we will have to see. I suspect the Hr54 itself won't do 7.1.
A lot of this is "informed speculation". Although the recently-mentioned test of linear 4K will use an existing satellite/transponder, production linear 4K is expected to use one of the reverse band transponders so you would also need a new LNB at the dish.

Don't bother to ask DirecTV about this. You'll get no info, incorrect info or confusing info. Just keep watching what Scott posts on this forum (see http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/live-4k-broadcast-on-directv-this-month.357306/#post-3821928), and the info at the edgecutter forum that Scott has mentioned in his posts. Several people on the edgecutter forum have all the equipment we think is necessary for linear 4K but we'll find out soon.

When 4K channels do become available we will be assured of a HR54 if we want these 4K channels in a upgrade?
Will be worth the cost knowing we won't be getting a 34

 

[bmetelsky]

Will be worth the cost knowing we won't be getting a 34

Don't worry about that. They are no longer installing HR-34's and will likely replace any defective HR-34's with either the HR-44 or HR-54.

 

[Zashel]

any reference to the HR34 or HR44 as it pertains to 4k is strickly for hooking up an RVU or C61k for VOD. to get live 4k broadcasts when its available you will need to ahve a HR54. but right now, its a jumble as to what genie you will recieve, so even if the sales rep promises you'll get one over the other, dont believe them.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

The 54 is going to be required for 4k, our systems will update at the end of the month to show that and order line items will change to reflect it on workorders with a 4k flag

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[twizt3dsist3r]

And people here have everything needed for 4k linear, including both scott and myself.

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