New to C-Band Questions about HD

[tomatopi]

We're building a new home and decided to use BUD since I have a real problem paying for TV I don't watch. I've just managed to find a 10' mesh dish, GI receiver, and a bunch of "extras" in my area for $200 (not sure on model numbers, etc. yet).

I think I found a location for the dish in a clearing in our yard, though I want to mount it on a higher pole since we're surrounded by evergreens. Is there an "ideal" way to locate a dish on a site other than walking out with a compass and figuring out the sweep manually?

I was also curious about getting HD on C-Band. I know the Motorola HDD200 with the DSR922 give 4DTV HD which is what I'm looking for (my wife wants some of the nice HD subscription channels), but what about other HD? Do I just get an HD FTA receiver and split the signal? As a newbie, I wasn't sure if FTA HD receivers are made for C-Band, Ku-Band, or both.

Thanks

 

[Al K]

You may be disappointed with HD from your C-band dish. There are a few HD channels available for subscription (HBO east and west, STARZ and Showtime). The Nebraska Educational Television Network provides an HD feed which you will be able to receive.

I have a 4DTV receiver and HDD200 which I use very seldom. I also have an FTA receiver slaved (tied in with splitters) to the 4DTV. I select the satellite and polarity on the 4DTV and watch the programming from the FTA receiver. This programming is mostly network feeds and sports feeds.

My setup makes for a good hobby, but not for typical HDTV viewing. I know this is not politically correct here, but you may be better off with a minimun HD subscription to one of the pizza dish outfits.

 

[Lak7]

Do I just get an HD FTA receiver and split the signal? As a newbie, I wasn't sure if FTA HD receivers are made for C-Band, Ku-Band, or both

You need a "Slave Kit" to add an FTA Receiver to your BUD.
BUD Slave Kit Splitters, Switches, DVB MPEG2 Sidecar 4DTV Receiver ....Great Prices
An FTA receiver will do both Ku and C Band.
As AL K said there is not much HD C Band to Sub. to, but there are a ton of feeds to catch! It's well worth it!

 

[truckracer]

Quite honestly I think the HD looks over compressed from the pizza dish companies.
They put the SD channel next to the HD to show you how much "better" the HD is

In fact the compression is so much worse on the SD channel that it makes you think "wow" the HD is stunning.

 

[tomatopi]

Thanks for the input. I have an HD Pizza Dish now and only some of the HD channels look really nice. Other than that, they look the same as SD. It just bothers me that we really only watch about 5 main stations and it costs in the area of $95 a month to get those.

I picked up the dish yesterday. It's a 10' mesh Star Track (? quite faded) dish. The guy had it mounted on the edge of a lake and the LNB's kept blowing out in electrical storms which is why he got rid of it. He gave me about 4 extra C-Band LNB's with feedhorns uand 3-4 spare actuators just in case. I think I will get a new C/Ku LNB and do the split like others have suggested. The receiver that came with it is a GI 350i which I will probably not use. The guy went to a pizza dish from this thing and he said the image quality sucks compared to what the big dish was which makes me feel better.

Next step is to find a location and get a nice 4" steel pole to mount it!

 

[sergei]

For your pipe check your locate well drilling companies for used 4 1/2 inch pipe, I've only paid a dollar a foot here in Iowa.

 

[Lone Cloud]

I have to disagree about C-band and hidef. True, on January 1, 2008 I got one, sometimes two hidef stations, today I get about 20.

The number appears to be growing with some speed.

I won't post it openly, but for 2 weeks I've been getting a no commercial movie station in hidef..

Out there, you see one big dish per about 200 homes (not counting apartments). Of those, maybe 5% actually work. I think they have made a calculation that c-band encryption isn't worth the money for such small numbers. I'm expecting many more stations, in hidef, including "premium" stations.

I have a Sonicview HD (no module) and am receiving maybe 100 stations that are worth watching. The pizza dish providers aren't my cup of tea either.

I like not getting a monthly bill.

 

[tvropro]

Quite honestly I think the HD looks over compressed from the pizza dish companies.
They put the SD channel next to the HD to show you how much "better" the HD is

In fact the compression is so much worse on the SD channel that it makes you think "wow" the HD is stunning.

You got that right truckracer. LSD's HD is a joke, there SD is a bigger joke. Man there must be a lot of FOOLS that need glasses.

 

[tdti1]

Is the dish a Star Trak? those are pretty good dishes.

 

[rowdy235]

I will voice my opinion about the HD service. We run a dish pizza pan in addition to the BUD, and got a 65" TV. SD Dish looked like absolute crap. HD dish makes it look like the SD dish did on the 25" TV. I plugged in my BUD analog one night and in my opinion, looked actually better than dish's HD service. Just my two cents.