More MPEG4 cities start

[davidrumm]

According to Skyreport.com the next 4 cities have started. Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia started today.


http://www.skyreport.com/

 

[rad]

I plugged a couple Chicago area zip codes into the D*'s web site and it doesn't show HD channels yet.

 

[DTV TiVo Dealer]

HD locals light up today in Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago and Philly DMAs.

The next 5 should light up sometime during the week of December 8th. Those markets will be Boston, Dallas, Washington DC, Houston and Tampa.

New York and Los Angeles will light up before the end of the year.

We are taking orders for new DIRECTV subscribers in the four new DMA now and shipping the AT9 5 LNB dishes with H20 MPEG-2/4 HD receivers.

-Robert

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Thanks Robert!

 

[BFG]

Ugh... New York and LA already have the main HD locals available on the satellites, leave them alone And in the chicago and philly markets all 4 nets were network owned so they already were getting the 4 hd nets from ny or la already

 

[sltmag]

Robert, will you accept orders for installations in the NJ area once you get the go ahead?

Also, will you be shipping H20's to those of us that ordered over the summer? I would believe it would be in out best interest to hold out for the D* upgrade, no?

 

[hancox]

Ugh... New York and LA already have the main HD locals available on the satellites, leave them alone And in the chicago and philly markets all 4 nets were network owned so they already were getting the 4 hd nets from ny or la already

No, no no no no no no!!!!!

Get NY/LA off of the main birds, and open up bandwidth!!!

 

[rad]

OK, so what't the upgrade deal going to be for existing HD customers in Chicago area? I saw a post from someone else that said they called D* and they wanted $99 + a shipping charge.

 

[Hart5150]

No UPN, No WB and no DVR no thanks until I have to.

 

[DTV TiVo Dealer]

Robert, will you accept orders for installations in the NJ area once you get the go ahead?

Also, will you be shipping H20's to those of us that ordered over the summer? I would believe it would be in out best interest to hold out for the D* upgrade, no?

Looks like we will be doing the MPEG-2/4 NY and LA DMA on December 8, 2005

-Robert

 

[hancox]

no chance you have a NY channel list, is there?

 

[DTV TiVo Dealer]

For NY and LA markets we will get three PBS stations in HD.

-Robert

 

[JPShinn]

Robert:

Any idea how many PBS stations we'll get in SF?

Thx.
John

 

[DTV TiVo Dealer]

From what I am told PBS HD channels will only be offered in NY and LA markets. All other DMA's will get the 4 major networks. After everything is up DIRECTV will determine which additional channels they will have bandwidth to add, so we may see more LIL HD channels sometime in late 2007.

-Robert

 

[aec4]

From what I am told PBS HD channels will only be offered in NY and LA markets. All other DMA's will get the 4 major networks. After everything is up DIRECTV will determine which additional channels they will have bandwidth to add, so we may see more LIL HD channels sometime in late 2007.

-Robert

Is there really an incentive for us in NYC area to upgrade then? I mean I can live without a couple PBS HD channels, and I get the others already

 

[DTV TiVo Dealer]

Is there really an incentive for us in NYC area to upgrade then? I mean I can live without a couple PBS HD channels, and I get the others already

I agree for the short term, unless three PBS stations are important to you. However, the other features you will be missing are;

1. Caller ID

2. Interactive Channels

And here's the big issue, by the beginning of 2007 DIRECTV will be rolling-out a hugh amount of HD national channels which will all be in MPEG-4.

-Robert

 

[aec4]

I agree for the short term, unless three PBS stations are important to you. However, the other features you will be missing are;

1. Caller ID

2. Interactive Channels

And here's the big issue, by the beginning of 2007 DIRECTV will be rolling-out a hugh amount of HD national channels which will all be in MPEG-4.

-Robert

Thanks Robert. I can live without caller ID, since I do not have a phone line in my box. Even in my d10's with caller ID, I do not use it.

Also, with the interactive stuff... I used the weather once.. and I haven't touched it since on my D10s.

Also, couldn't I buy a H20 without the 5LNB dish and have those features until 2007? Also, I could get one for free, after rebate, from your site! Can you get more than 1 for free, or just one?

I hear the horror stories about the 5LNB dish, and I've had more than my share of horror stories with installs here (I now have a tripod on my roof with no dish on it because the original installer insisted on it, and then when the 2nd installer, also a moron, came to install my 3rd LNB, he moved it but refused to move/remove the tripod.). The moron who installed the 3rd LNB did it wrong, and for 18 months I had poor reception of my HD, and D* wouldn't do a thing about it until I complained so much they sent a tech here. The tech said, "Trees in the way, nothing I can do." and left, literally here for 2 minutes. I kept being a pain. My digital cable company had a good deal (optimum triple play, and I already have the other 2 options) so I was going to switch, and D* sent another guy for free, who put up a new dish, and bam... it's working much better. The 2nd moron who was here also left hand prints on my inside walls, and claimed it wasn't him. When I called D* about it, they said I used inferior paint and it was my fault!! I mean, I simply repainted the 2 walls, but still!

My whole point behind the story? I want the 5LNB dish installation PERFECTED before I use it. I hope in 2007 that's the case. In order to put a new set of holes in my roof, I want to make sure it's goin gto be perfect. I don't want excuses. I'm sick of them. Therefore, if the benefit for 2years or so is Caller ID and 3 PBS channels, I think I'll pass.

 

[digiblur]

I've got a question for all you DirecTV guru's.... with all the new HD LIL's starting how is D* getting all the HD content to the uplink centers? They get all the other channels, HBOHD, SHOHD, ESPNHD, HDNET, etc. from C-Band but how do the HD channels get from say Chicago to the uplink center? Are they picking them up OTA or fiber to a central point then sending a mux via fiber to the closest uplink facility? They can't possibly be uplinking them to the main uplinks then sending them out again...seems like a big waste bandwidth.

 

[JPShinn]

Ouch, that hurts. Only ABC, CBS, NCB and Fox? If that is the case, the proposition for the upgrade is substantially less interesting. PBS is important to me (its politics aside, its programming in HD is great) but more importantly, what about Fox Sports Net for SF Giants in HD? How soon will that happen, if at all?

Thanks.

p.s. Robert, did you get my PM with my card #?

From what I am told PBS HD channels will only be offered in NY and LA markets. All other DMA's will get the 4 major networks. After everything is up DIRECTV will determine which additional channels they will have bandwidth to add, so we may see more LIL HD channels sometime in late 2007.

-Robert

 

[DTV TiVo Dealer]

Robert, did you get my PM with my card #?

Yes, and your HR10-250 is on its way.

-Robert