What DIRECTV Satellite Dish do you have?

[SolidSignal_Audrey]

Whether you want to add or upgrade your receivers, replace or add a multi-switch, or get the best HD picture possible, it is important to know what dish you have. This knowledge can save you money.

For example, you can add an H20 HD receiver to your current Triple LNB dish system but you definitely will not be getting the best quality HD picture DIRECTV has to offer for your HDTV.

It is also important to know which dish you have when purchasing a multi-switch. You might find you need to replace a multi-switch or purchase one to accommodate your new DVR. Knowing your dish is necessary to getting the right multi-switch for you. Plus, you can save yourself money in the long run if you know you will add an HDTV or an International Dish in the near future.

[Coffey77]

For example, you can add an H20 HD receiver to your current Triple LNB dish system but you definitely will not be getting the best quality HD picture DIRECTV has to offer for your HDTV.

Actually, the 3LNB dish will give you the same quality HD picture but it will not give you the new HD Local Channels offered by DirecTV and probably most of the new HD channels being released soon, possibly after June when the new Satellite goes up.

As of right now, MPEG2 HD which is offered on channels 70-79 and 95 (sometimes) are a better quality HD than the Local Channels which are encoded under MPEG4. The benefit from MPEG4 is that it uses less space on bandwidth for D* and also on your HDD if you have a DVR. I believe the ratio is like 50MB of MPEG2 is equal to 30MB of MPEG4.

[SolidSignal_Audrey]

Thank you for the clarification; the clarity of the picture and the MPEG-4's compressed picture are two different virtues of DIRECTV's 5 LNB dish!

I have been suggesting to the owners of the HR10-250 that "perhaps" their TIVO receivers may not be fully supported by DIRECTV when it launches its additional 150 HD channels. Now I can tell them why; the HR10-250 cannot handle the compression necessary to receive the volume of HD channels that the MPEG-4 5LNB DIRECTV Dish offers.

Audrey

[Coffey77]

Exactly. D* has reported that they will not "turn off" the current HD programming being broadcast in MPEG2. As of right now, only an H20 and HR20 can display the MPEG4 format. It is doubtful, as we can usually never say never , that the TiVo based unit would ever be able to display MPEG4 as they just don't include the hardware within.

The main point, and I think it was where you were going... UPGRADE to a 5LNB and either an H20 or HR20 (at this time) for your current and future HD viewing!

[HDTVED]

Andy:

Can you amplify on the data that you list at the end of you last post re: your receiver setup.You Pro's are away ahead of me!
Mne thanks,
hdtved