FTA: MPEG4? HD?

[RedSavina]

Personally, I would suggest that you keep the Mercury II as it is a great receiver and purchase a HD receiver when the time is right.

Brian,

I saw your recommendation to another user about choosing a receiver (above), but didn't want to hijack that thread with my own questions. From your point of view, how much inertia is there to move to HD and MPEG4 in the FTA world?

With the move to DTV it seems there is a gradual increase in OTA programming in HD, which would suggest a move in that direction. Will that translate to satellite? Outside of feeds, the only current Ku HD I am aware of is PBS and TBN.

On the MPEG4 side of things, the big players have shown much higher yields in compression and quality (albeit at a much higher price, I'm sure). I assume that costs will eventually come down enough (especially with the European market) to make MPEG4 more reasonable.

I value your opinions on FTA technology and would appreciate your general comments on the direction and evolution of FTA equipment.

Thanks,
Red

 

[SatelliteAV]

Thank you for your questions.

We see very movement towards MPEG4 or HD in Direct to Home FTA. Basically the choice to be made is:
1. Does the broadcaster wish to reach the current viewing audience?
2. Is the broadcaster willing to create a new market and absorb the increased acquisition cost and subsidize or pass on the increased reception cost to their viewers?
3. Would the broadcaster transmit dual MPEG2 / MPEG4 to reach both markets?

New broadcasters targeting the DTH market initially express interest in providing HD content until they learn that the existing market does not have equipment capable of receiving the content. MPEG4 / MPEG2 hybrid receivers have not been produced in quantities to reduce the production cost to a point where the products can be considered as a replacement for MPEG2. We would be very interested in distributing a hybrid MPEG 2/4 receiver instead of a MPEG 2 unit for all of our clients. This would speed up the transition to new technology providing either decreased uplink cost or increased PQ. Unfortunately, the DTH market is primarily cost driven and the majority of FTA equipment purchasers are only concerned in buying the least expensive alternative.

We see the commercial distribution market quickly moving towards MPEG4. These signals are not directed towards the DTH market, so they do not have the concerns of supporting legacy equipment.

 

[RedSavina]

Thanks for you response. If you would, please help me with the following phrase, "We see very movement towards MPEG4 or HD in Direct to Home FTA." From the context, it appears you see very little movement or very slow movement - but I cannot be sure!

I have followed the IV200 and your 1100/100 family of receivers and like them very much. There are a number of reasons why I have not taken the plunge into FTA and Glorystar yet, but that is another story that ends next week.

I would certainly be willing to pay extra for a GEOSATpro MPEG4/2 box, as long as it can DVR! I would really like to make a pitch for ATSC support - perhaps as an optional module - in this mythical box. For the FTA hobbyist, this can be justified by the apparent resurgence in DXing with the new DTV signals. For the Glorystar viewers, local news and weather integrated into one box would be great - especially if it can display PSIP data in the EPG. The EPG should support multiple sources, and the OTA update feature should also co-exist with other scanned channels.

I will be passing through your neck of the woods next summer on the way to my new home (again) in Petaluma. Shall I plan to pick up a prototype on my way?

I'll be in touch next week to place an order for LNBs. Take care-

 

[SatelliteAV]

Most hobbyist will clarify the error in the sentence...... "little and slow" (or even less) sums up the movement towards MPEG4 / HD in the DTH market.

I believe that outside of the DBS/DSS providers, only Fashion TV targets the DTH market with the MPEG4 format. MPEG4 in the FTA, DTH market has not yet happened in North America.

We are not considering ATSC tuners for our next generation receivers. External ATSC tuners are too niche of a market. As a past TV DXer, I would favor a component terrestrial ATSC receiver that is optimized for dx'ing or one that is packaged. Remember the acronym KISS? I am a firm believer in this concept in product development (visualizing the gigantic piece of cabinetry with a stereo that my dad still owns with the built-in 8 track).

Glorystar customer support is best kept to reception of the broadcasting partners. While the idea of integrated locals and satellite sounds great, the reality of providing support for terrestrial reception to ten of thousands of customers would be an incredible challenge! The requirements for terrestrial reception varies greatly not only by region, but also from house to house in the same neighborhood. We believe that it is best for Glorystar to leave the reception of local channels to the local experts rather than offer long distance support of signals that could require directional / motorized / amplified antennas or distribution. The antenna / RF loop through on STB receivers facilitates terrestrial reception with either the TV's internal ATSC tuner or a third party DTV converter.

We look forward to your visit and extend an open invitation any Satellite Guy to drop by and tour our facility!

 

[Mr Tony]

We look forward to your visit and extend an open invitation any Satellite Guy to drop by and tour our facility!

If I was closer I would

 

[RedSavina]

Most hobbyist will clarify the error in the sentence...... "little and slow" (or even less) sums up the movement towards MPEG4 / HD in the DTH market.

I believe that outside of the DBS/DSS providers, only Fashion TV targets the DTH market with the MPEG4 format. MPEG4 in the FTA, DTH market has not yet happened in North America.

We are not considering ATSC tuners for our next generation receivers. External ATSC tuners are too niche of a market. As a past TV DXer, I would favor a component terrestrial ATSC receiver that is optimized for dx'ing or one that is packaged. Remember the acronym KISS? I am a firm believer in this concept in product development (visualizing the gigantic piece of cabinetry with a stereo that my dad still owns with the built-in 8 track).

Glorystar customer support is best kept to reception of the broadcasting partners. While the idea of integrated locals and satellite sounds great, the reality of providing support for terrestrial reception to ten of thousands of customers would be an incredible challenge! The requirements for terrestrial reception varies greatly not only by region, but also from house to house in the same neighborhood. We believe that it is best for Glorystar to leave the reception of local channels to the local experts rather than offer long distance support of signals that could require directional / motorized / amplified antennas or distribution. The antenna / RF loop through on STB receivers facilitates terrestrial reception with either the TV's internal ATSC tuner or a third party DTV converter.

We look forward to your visit and extend an open invitation any Satellite Guy to drop by and tour our facility!

Brian,

Thanks for the reply! Good info.