Are there any MPEG-4 receivers that are being tested by Dish now? Do you have any information on them? Is it probable that MPEG-4 will launch before 2006? Isn't it more likely that the FCC will approve the purchase of the Voom satellite before then? If the purchase of the Voom satellite is approved before MPEG-4 receivers are in place, would it not make more sense to offer more HD channels in MPEG-2?
Scott: Best guess for MPEG-4 start?
- Thread starter Ray S
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Nothing has to be done to Dish's current satellites to handle MPEG-4.
Satellites act like mirrors and retransmit what ever data streams are sent to them. (With a few exceptions of course.) MPEG-4 is just another data stream as far as the satellite is concerned.
What dish gains with the Voom satellite is transponders. And with MPEG-4 Dish can transmit more channels than with MPEG-2.
Satellites act like mirrors and retransmit what ever data streams are sent to them. (With a few exceptions of course.) MPEG-4 is just another data stream as far as the satellite is concerned.
What dish gains with the Voom satellite is transponders. And with MPEG-4 Dish can transmit more channels than with MPEG-2.
I am aware that nothing has to be done to the satellites. However Dish has to have receivers in place to receive the transmission. I think its a huge logistical problem to replace current receivers. On top of that look at Dish's record of producing reliable receivers. Are there any working prototypes being tested at this point?
The "pipe" to the sky and back to our receivers has bandwidth enough for only a limited number of channels. MPEG-2 allows more channels than MPEG-1 did years ago, and MPEG-4 will allow many more still.
All these MPEG schemes are more and more efficient mathematical algorithms for describing the video with fewer and fewer bits. MPEG-4 will allow more channels to get up to the satellite and down to our receivers, but it will require a receiver with more processing horsepower. And that's limited by the hardware (ICs) in that receiver. So the MPEG-2 receivers out today will not be capable of decoding the MPEG-4 channels that will be introduced in the years to come.
All these MPEG schemes are more and more efficient mathematical algorithms for describing the video with fewer and fewer bits. MPEG-4 will allow more channels to get up to the satellite and down to our receivers, but it will require a receiver with more processing horsepower. And that's limited by the hardware (ICs) in that receiver. So the MPEG-2 receivers out today will not be capable of decoding the MPEG-4 channels that will be introduced in the years to come.
How many channels do you think it would be possible to put on 1 transponder with the mpeg 4 conversion?
When I worked at a now defunct satellite company, we were at the point of 6 channels per transponder. That was about 7 years ago. I'm sure technology has improved since then even with mpeg 2. How many channels are they now able to place on 1 transponder?
Paul
When I worked at a now defunct satellite company, we were at the point of 6 channels per transponder. That was about 7 years ago. I'm sure technology has improved since then even with mpeg 2. How many channels are they now able to place on 1 transponder?
Paul
E* puts as many as 12 video channels on a single transponder - and they look like pure crap. My Colorado Springs locals are on a TP with just 7 channels - looks fine.
I doubt that MPEG-4 is going to double the available bandwidth without significant loss of quality, and I won't believe it until I see it.
I doubt that MPEG-4 is going to double the available bandwidth without significant loss of quality, and I won't believe it until I see it.
Ok techies...
Has anyone seen any testing at all on any of the E* sats? I try to keep up to date with Lyngsat and Tonys dishchannelchart, but haven't seen any listings for mpeg4 test channels.
This tells me mpeg4 is a far ways off. Obviously they could be doing in house testing on the receivers by simulating the satellite stream, but the entire infrastructure to encode and uplink the mpeg4 stream doesn't seem to have started yet.
My guess is the September chat will say something like "Hey look we are developing this new receiver". It will be a mpeg4 hd non dvr receiver. It wont be out until at least jan 2006. mpeg4 streams will occasionally lock the box up and it will need to be rebooted several times a day. Can't wait to bring this post back up in 10 months
Has anyone seen any testing at all on any of the E* sats? I try to keep up to date with Lyngsat and Tonys dishchannelchart, but haven't seen any listings for mpeg4 test channels.
This tells me mpeg4 is a far ways off. Obviously they could be doing in house testing on the receivers by simulating the satellite stream, but the entire infrastructure to encode and uplink the mpeg4 stream doesn't seem to have started yet.
My guess is the September chat will say something like "Hey look we are developing this new receiver". It will be a mpeg4 hd non dvr receiver. It wont be out until at least jan 2006. mpeg4 streams will occasionally lock the box up and it will need to be rebooted several times a day. Can't wait to bring this post back up in 10 months
I didn't have the time to investigate the MPEG-4 multi-channel per transponder issue at NAB, but a poster over at AVS made mention of such a technology display:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=515000&perpage=20&pagenumber=212
6 channels per transponder using MPEG-4 (H.264 codec, I wonder?) was apparently being demoed.
BTW, V* D* and E* were all mentioned during Apple's presentation on the H.264/Quicktime 7 demo they gave at their main theater on the NAB show floor this week.
From what I saw at the show, all the hardware/software MPEG-4 encoding/decoding/authoring tools are out there, stable and 'affordable', just a matter for E* of the cost/logistical hurdles of upgrading customers with MPEG-4/H.264 compatible receivers...
But to HokieEngineer's point, it's now up to E* to implement. When that happens is anyone's guess, but it may indeed be a while. Here's hoping not.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=515000&perpage=20&pagenumber=212
6 channels per transponder using MPEG-4 (H.264 codec, I wonder?) was apparently being demoed.
BTW, V* D* and E* were all mentioned during Apple's presentation on the H.264/Quicktime 7 demo they gave at their main theater on the NAB show floor this week.
From what I saw at the show, all the hardware/software MPEG-4 encoding/decoding/authoring tools are out there, stable and 'affordable', just a matter for E* of the cost/logistical hurdles of upgrading customers with MPEG-4/H.264 compatible receivers...
But to HokieEngineer's point, it's now up to E* to implement. When that happens is anyone's guess, but it may indeed be a while. Here's hoping not.
I would like to see:
2HD / transponder MPEG-2 vs. 4HD / transponder MPEG-4 vs.
3HD / transponder MPEG-2 vs. 6 HD / transponder MPEG-4 just to see what the results look like.
Cheers,
2HD / transponder MPEG-2 vs. 4HD / transponder MPEG-4 vs.
3HD / transponder MPEG-2 vs. 6 HD / transponder MPEG-4 just to see what the results look like.
Cheers,
I believe Mark Lamutt over on the other forum hinted during the online Charlie Chat that he was beta testing currently or going to be beta testing a MPEG-4 receiver very soon. IIRC he implied that it was also DVR unit. Dish has a number of test channels at 148 W and correct me if I am wrong but I would doubt anyone would have equipment to check whether MPEG-4 signals were being transmitted.
