VIP 622 - Two Questions regarding MPeg-4

[jcord51]

1. Are there any HD stations broadcasting in true Mpeg-4 as of yet? If there aren't any, then why (if I was only able to receive one VIP622) can't I get my Platinum service be received on my 942 until Mpeg 4 IS available?
2. Does anyone have any idea as to how much harddrive space will be saved using Mpeg 4 vs Mpeg 2 when recording?

 

[Chop-Chop]

1. Are there any HD stations broadcasting in true Mpeg-4 as of yet? If there aren't any, then why (if I was only able to receive one VIP622) can't I get my Platinum service be received on my 942 until Mpeg 4 IS available?
2. Does anyone have any idea as to how much harddrive space will be saved using Mpeg 4 vs Mpeg 2 when recording?

1. Last thing I read around in forums was that only the LIL were in true MPEG4 while the others were MPEG2 with an MPEG4 header.

2. I've seen numbers tossed around about the efficiency being around ~60% (so a 1Gb in MPEG2 would take 600Mb in MPEG4)

 

[Smith P.]

1. Used different Service Type, not the "while the others were MPEG2 with an MPEG4 header".
No such thing exist.

 

[jcord51]

Thanks Chop-Chop, 60% would be great, that would be approx 50+ hours of HD recordings, but I hear said that Dish is having problems with the Mpeg 4 format, so it's going to take awhile before it finally gets used. I still would like my 942 to receive the same programing as the 622.

 

[mdonnelly]

1. Are there any HD stations broadcasting in true Mpeg-4 as of yet? If there aren't any, then why (if I was only able to receive one VIP622) can't I get my Platinum service be received on my 942 until Mpeg 4 IS available?
...

It's a blatant marketing move by E*, to get people to pay for upgrading their receivers, and get extra cash for the metallic HD packs. In reality, there's no technical reason why E* couldn't have added ESPN2-HD and UHD to the HD Pack, and the other five VOOM channels to the VOOM pack, all on the MPEG-2 receivers. That "service type" (if it preceeds the data, I call it a header) change is totally artificial.

 

[funkenstein]

I think the idea was by 2010, 75% of programming was going to be mpeg4, reguardless if it is hd or not. Theoretically we could have upgraded the software in the non mpeg4 receivers to allow viewing of mpeg4, but the hardware isn't there. There would be a minute delay between changing channels. If you really want that, make the suggestion.

For the pocket dish, this is the record times for mpeg2/4:

40 Hours approximate MPEG-2 record time
160 Hours approximate MPEG-4 record time

...Straight off the dish site.