Press Releases galore!

[ramcm7]

Looks like D* will have lots to discuss at their press confernce today at CES!

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/h?s=DTV

The Ucentric press release might explain the "delay" in release of Voom's PVR.

 

[slacker9876]

Wow! Now that is what I am talking about. I'll know what I'll be getting for Christmas this year!!!!!! This is huge and PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of MPEG4 ... if I remember my readings correctly, this will roughly TRIPLE the available amount of bandwidth!

Go D*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is just insanely great news! I wonder how DISH and VOOM customers will convert by June. The NDS box sounds great, and this does only prove that all the complaints have actually worked!

 

[JosephB]

all i can say is PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES! The "Interactive DVR" sounds like the NDS box.

 

[rad]

While this is all good news for expansion of services I wonder what D* will do for folks that have spent a ton of money on STB's that won't be able to use these services? I've got $1,300 tied up in my HR10-250 and HD300 which won't be able to receive the Chicago HD LIL channels since they'll be MPEG4.

 

[slacker9876]

While this is all good news for expansion of services I wonder what D* will do for folks that have spent a ton of money on STB's that won't be able to use these services? I've got $1,300 tied up in my HR10-250 and HD300 which won't be able to receive the Chicago HD LIL channels since they'll be MPEG4.

MPEG solutions are firmware (software) and can be upgraded. Certainly that are not goign to make a move that would cost them replacemnt of 26+ Million STB's. C'Mon......

 

[minorthr]

Those pretty much I guess end Tivos relationship with D*

 

[rad]

MPEG solutions are firmware (software) and can be upgraded. Certainly that are not goign to make a move that would cost them replacemnt of 26+ Million STB's. C'Mon......

You're assuming that the box has enough memory available to take this additional software plus that the processor has enough capability to handle the MPEG4 decode, which I doubt the HR10-250 has.

 

[JosephB]

The press release said that they would be "converting existing HD customers to the new standard". Now, what that means is up for debate, and there have been debates about it in the past. Does it mean you get a new HD Tivo with mpeg4 capabilities or does it mean you get the NDS or Ucentric home media center with HD/Mpeg4, etc? Nobody really knows. I just feel bad for all the people who bought TVs with integrated IRDs. I knew that was a bad idea.

 

[minorthr]

MPEG solutions are firmware (software) and can be upgraded. Certainly that are not goign to make a move that would cost them replacemnt of 26+ Million STB's. C'Mon......

Acutually according to
this Initially DIRECTV will carry each of the primary broadcast networks that offer an HD feed in the market and customers who subscribe to a local channel package will receive both the standard and HD signal. HD local programming will be received via a single dish -- slightly larger than the current standard dish -- and customers will require new HD set top boxes due to new compression technology.

you will need new equipment

 

[slacker9876]

You're assuming that the box has enough memory available to take this additional software plus that the processor has enough capability to handle the MPEG4 decode, which I doubt the HR10-250 has.

Doubt away ... MIPS doesn't require much at all. Worst case scenario you have to take you box to a service center for flashing. If you really think D*, even over time, would obsolete their current hardware on a 2-year basis, you're plain crazy. It is too much expense for them to asorb and too much for a customer to asorb.

Rather than bicker, let's get back on track ... this thread is about the great press releases and the great news.

YOU WILL NOT NEED NEW EQUIPMENT if you own a late model receiver.

 

[rad]

Doubt away ... MIPS doesn't require much at all. Worst case scenario you have to take you box to a service center for flashing. If you really think D*, even over time, would obsolete their current hardware on a 2-year basis, you're plain crazy.

Well, since the press release says HD local programming will be received via a single dish -- slightly larger than the current standard dish -- and customers will require new HD set top boxes due to new compression technology.

I think you might be incorrect in your assumption.

I can see this as putting a hold on many folks purchasing new HR10-250's, why spend the dollars on a box that won't take new programming? This could put some big time hurt on Tivo's revenue.

 

[slacker9876]

"Initially DIRECTV will carry each of the primary broadcast networks that offer an HD feed in the market and customers who subscribe to a local channel package will receive both the standard and HD signal. HD local programming will be received via a single dish -- slightly larger than the current standard dish -- and customers will require new HD set top boxes due to new compression technology."

I see that ... I am saying it is BS. It is a firmware upgrade. Perhaps I am wrong, perhaps I doubt it. It would be a poor busniess decision to piss-off your top 10% of revene generators (us). They do not have the capital to finance such a venture. Trust me ... we will not need new boxes. We will need a box ... and those currenyl owning HD STB's will be covered ... on the current boxes. FYI your HD-300 has an MPEG4 hardware expansion port.

 

[JosephB]

the MPEG stuff is NOT firmware. They have dedicated decoder chips in the boxes to decode Mpeg2, and these cannot be upgraded via software to decode Mpeg4. Moving to Mpeg 4 requires a new box.

 

[Tonedeaf]

Should be interesting in the next couple months to see what they do. All we can do now is speculate until D* announces somthing to how they will handle the switch to MPEG4.

 

[slacker9876]

OK, let's assume I am wrong.

I really am not well armed enough to fight this one through. But as a computer hardware expert I am saying IF THEY WANT (and they should want) to upgrade existing STB's they could be utilized as is.

I concede.

 

[JosephB]

it really won't cost that much compared to the gains that they will get. It seems like a better idea to upgrade what must be at most 10% of the installed base of receivers that are HD now, and then give new customers the new boxes than wait until later when they're against a wall and have a larger base of installed boxes to swap.

 

[slacker9876]

Agreed, but if when move to MPEG4, is this going to be a partial transition? Will SD forever remain MPEG2? Who makes the dedicated MPEG decoder in your STB?

 

[Sharpie]

Okay, granted I am a technology idiot. Can someone tell me what the heck this all means? When I see MPEG 4, I am like what the hell is that. I just have a Samsung TS 360 no DVR or whatever. So basically this great news is for people who have the upper scale units with DVR's? Remember, technology idiot here.

 

[slacker9876]

All you woiuld ever want to know and more is here.

Here is the "what is MPEG4" part

 

[Bull Moose]

Only the top 12 markets this year? <Groan.>