High Def DirectTV problems

[JohnnyK]

I currently have standard broadcast DirectTV . I am considering upgrading to high definition DirectTV. I have heard numerous complaints about the poor quality of their HD broadcast resolution (1280x1088 instead of 1920x1080) and complaints regarding the HD receivers and HD hard drive recorders. I called DirectTV regarding these issues and they said that there are no issues. They said the receiver problems were due to overheating caused by improper installation in a confined space. They were unable, or unwilling, to tell me what resolution they use for broadcasting. They said that the quality of their HD broadcast depends upon the quality of the signal that they receive and that they do not compress the HD signal at their satellite.

I read that DirectTV recently put into operation a new satellite that provides additional HD stations. Has anybody noticed a recent improvement in the quality of DirectTV’s HD signal? Has the quality of their HD recorders improved

[SamS]

I am a former DirecTV HD subscriber.

What TV are you using as you consider DirecTV HD? If it is a CRT, or 720p LCD/DLP, you may not notice the lower resolution HD DirecTV is offering. They do indeed compress their signal. This has been well documented, and I can attest to this as well. I switched to Verizon FiOS, and noticed a much better picture that was sharper with less artifacts on HD programming.

[hal9000]

I just purchased 2 of the Directv HD PVRs and they have worked fine..no problems. My only issue is the interface isnt nearly as easy/functional as TIVO but once you figure it out it all works fine. Great service...I'm excited about all of the new HD channels coming...and the hardware works fine. Go for it.

[Chad Etchison]

I upgraded to the Direct Tv HD DVR and I'm very pleased.

I use a CRT 1080i tv in the 1.78:1 or 1:66.1 (16X9) aspect ratio and the picture is very good. I prefer CRT anyday over the current offerings of plasma or lcd, these technologies cannot do true black. 1080i on a crt is superior to 1080p on anything else to my eyes, this is the closest you can get to the telecine transfer machines.

DTV has just uploaded a lot of new HD channels; most everything worth watching is in HD on DTV now. The HD DVR works very well but supposedly there will be a new machine in the next six months or so.

The standard def DVR is not a very good machine, so avoid that one.

I've been very pleased with the service.

[Doug Sclar]

This is all news to me. I've been a Directv dealer since day one. Yes they do some compression on their HD channels, as do most providers, but that alone doesn't change the resolution. I believe that is a myth. What it does is sometimes leads to artifacts or pixelization, but I don't notice a significant dropoff when I compare thier programming to the OTA broadcasts I can receive. I know a lot of folks have complained, but frankly I'm pretty happy. Sure there may be some differences, but not enough for me to make a big deal about.

I get 70 HD channels form Directv now, and of course the quality varies depending on a lot of factors, many of them out of Directv's control.

As for issues with the HD receivers, yes I've had a few issues, but very few. Mostly there have been problems with HDMI, but everybody seems to have issues with HDMI.

They are wrong if they say that they don't compress the signal. Both of the schemes that they use, MP3 and MP4 are compression schemes.

Heat is an enemy of all electronics, and in my experience the new Directv boxes are not necessarily more problematic than any other devices. Now some of the old simple Directv receives had issues due to heat. What frequently happened is the access cards would become unreadable, and I always assumed this to be heat related as many of the cards actually got discolored.

Btw, they put several new satellites in operation in early October and I believe they are all for HDTV channels using MP4 compression.

Now I've had far more problems with Sony Directv receivers than I ever had with Directv branded gear. I currently have over 300 receivers in service and they generally are pretty darn reliable. Once again, heat is the enemy. If you put them in close proximity to other heat generators, you must ventilate them.

One thing I will admit. Their customer service is frequently horrific and the folks on the phone generally have no clue what so ever. I can't tell you some of the things they've tried to pass on to me, and I've been doing satellite installations for almost 25 years. Very insulting to have their tech support folks talk to me like I'm an idiot when they often have no clue at all. OTOH, being in my position, I've learned who knows and who doesn't. I have lots of Directv contacts that the public has no access to.

That said, once your service is set up you'll likely not have to deal with them.

[Chad Etchison]

I just purchased 2 of the Directv HD PVRs and they have worked fine..no problems. My only issue is the interface isnt nearly as easy/functional as TIVO but once you figure it out it all works fine. Great service...I'm excited about all of the new HD channels coming...and the hardware works fine. Go for it.

Hal, have you checked for the HD channels recently? There are about thirty new ones they have uploaded in the past two weeks. It's easy to miss them if you have a favorite list and don't browse all channels.

[Marty Milton]

I have been considering switch from cable to a satellite provider, so I am glad to see your Directv comments. My only reluctance to switch has been that our cable company provides the local channels in HD, where I would have to get an antennae to receive local channels OTA with Direct or Dish.

[SamS]

This is all news to me. I've been a Directv dealer since day one. Yes they do some compression on their HD channels, as do most providers, but that alone doesn't change the resolution. That is a myth. What it does is sometimes leads to artifacts or pixelization, but I don't notice a significant dropoff when I compare thier programming to the OTA broadcasts I can receive.

Doug,

There's a few folks on AVS Forum that take a look at the bitstream output of both the Mpeg-2 and Mpeg-4 boxes to measure resolution. The Mpeg-2's are still at 1280x1080 while the Mpeg-4 channels are up to 1440x1080.

I don't follow it that closely (since I'm not longer a DirecTV subscriber) but a quick search over there can pull up some detailed analysis of DirecTV's down-rez'd signals.

[Doug Sclar]

I have been considering switch from cable to a satellite provider, so I am glad to see your Directv comments. My only reluctance to switch has been that our cable company provides the local channels in HD, where I would have to get an antennae to receive local channels OTA with Direct or Dish.

This is true. Directv does offer a lot of local channels but only 5 of them here are in HD. In smaller cities that amount may be only 4 or less. Also Directv offers none of the subcarriers that the local digital broadcasters often use. But there is no Ch 9 (KCAL) in HD and that's Lakers and Dodgers games. That is a major problem if you ask me. Also there is no PBS HD. I can get 2 of those in HD OTA.

But I get many more LA local channels from Directv (SD of course) than I could ever hope to get OTA. I get channels from San Bernardino, Victorville, the west valley, and others that I can't get off the air from here. OTOH, some of these channels look terrible in SD, but at least I get them.

[No Static]

We have DirecTV HD and they're replacing our 3-lnb dish with a 5-lnb on Wednesday. That will allow us to pick up the new satellite that has the newer HD channels. IIRC, the dish orientation is different, too...more SE than SW. Also, you'll probably need that b-band box that goes in the back of your reciever.

And, yes, the HD signal is compressed for the time being.

[BigE]

AVS is probably the best place to find information on this sort of thing, no offense to Doug, who I'm sure knows his stuff as well as anyone here. In my opinion, all the services (comcast, direct tv, wow etc) all have their good points and bad. Customer service is universally horrendous and uninformed about their own product and services. Basically you pick your poison and make the best of your situation and use the tips and insider information you can glean from the Web.

Eric

[Doug Sclar]

Doug,

There's a few folks on AVS Forum that take a look at the bitstream output of both the Mpeg-2 and Mpeg-4 boxes to measure resolution. The Mpeg-2's are still at 1280x1080 while the Mpeg-4 channels are up to 1440x1080.

I don't follow it that closely (since I'm not longer a DirecTV subscriber) but a quick search over there can pull up some detailed analysis of DirecTV's down-rez'd signals.

Well I have no way to test this. If true, it doesn't look so bad to me. Generally some of those guys over there are on the money. OTOH I've done a lot of switching between CBS OTA and CBS Directv. There are differences but they're not significant to me. If I just sat down to watch, I doubt I could tell you which one I was watching unless I could a/b them. And that's not so easy since it takes a few seconds to change.

The difference between SD directv and C-band satellite was much more apparent to me than the differences we're taliing about here. I made that test back in the 90's when Directv started up. There was no HD then, and C-band looked far better.

I'm pretty sure the difference between 1080i (converted to progressive) and 1080p will be fairly minor as well. I guess I'm more critical of audio than I am of video, but I remain pretty happy with what I'm seeing.

[Doug Sclar]

AVS is probably the best place to find information on this sort of thing, no offense to Doug, who I'm sure knows his stuff as well as anyone here. In my opinion, all the services (comcast, direct tv, wow etc) all have their good points and bad. Customer service is universally horrendous and uninformed about their own product and services. Basically you pick your poison and make the best of your situation and use the tips and insider information you can glean from the Web.

Eric

I agree. No offense taken. All this stuff, as everything I post, is just my opinion.

[No Static]

This is true. Directv does offer a lot of local channels but only 5 of them here are in HD. In smaller cities that amount may be only 4 or less. Also Directv offers none of the subcarriers that the local digital broadcasters often use. But there is no Ch 9 (KCAL) in HD and that's Lakers and Dodgers games. That is a major problem if you ask me. Also there is no PBS HD. I can get 2 of those in HD OTA.

But I get many more LA local channels from Directv (SD of course) than I could ever hope to get OTA. I get channels from San Bernardino, Victorville, the west valley, and others that I can't get off the air from here. OTOH, some of these channels look terrible in SD, but at least I get them.

We live in the country and, at the moment, the only HD network signal we get is NBC through NYC.

Last year when we went HD, we had to ask our local network affiliates for permission (a waiver) to receive their parent's HD broadcasts. We're too far out from Huntsville, Alabama for the OTA option. The only OK we got was from the local NBC folks. ABC, CBS and Fox turned us down.

When I called DirecTV to schedule our new dish install, the rep told me with the new dish and new satellite we would receive all the networks without any local station approval. We'll know by this Wednesday night.

[Doug Sclar]

We live in the country and, at the moment, the only HD network signal we get is NBC through NYC.

Last year when we went HD, we had to ask our local network affiliates for permission (a waiver) to receive their parent's HD broadcasts. We're too far out from Huntsville, Alabama for the OTA option. The only OK we got was from the local NBC folks. ABC, CBS and Fox turned us down.

When I called DirecTV to schedule our new dish install, the rep told me with the new dish and new satellite we would receive all the networks without any local station approval. We'll know by this Wednesday night.

Well this is unfortunate but is out of the control of Directv. I've had the same issue before. You need waivers from your locals before Directv will be allowed to autuorize you. There are ways around this, but I probably shouldn't mention them publicly. Directv just plugs your zip code into a computer and it says yes or no. I don't think they have any mechanism to override this.

[toptentwist]

This is true. Directv does offer a lot of local channels but only 5 of them here are in HD. In smaller cities that amount may be only 4 or less. Also Directv offers none of the subcarriers that the local digital broadcasters often use. But there is no Ch 9 (KCAL) in HD and that's Lakers and Dodgers games. That is a major problem if you ask me. Also there is no PBS HD. I can get 2 of those in HD OTA.

But I get many more LA local channels from Directv (SD of course) than I could ever hope to get OTA. I get channels from San Bernardino, Victorville, the west valley, and others that I can't get off the air from here. OTOH, some of these channels look terrible in SD, but at least I get them.

I haven't tried it - but I believe my new DirecTV HD PVR can record OTA broadcasts.

I'm not sure how they are integrated into the guide (if at all).

I don't have an outside antenna... I just have a powered indoor antenna (aka "bunny ears") that I used to adjust every time I changed the channel when I watched OTA on my old (MPEG2) DTC 100.

When I got the new MPEG4 capable DVR, with the local channels on the satellite, I stopped fidgeting with the rabbit ears.


I'm sure the picture is probably higher resolution for the OTA channels on my old (MPEG2 only) receiver... but that only mattered when I had a strong signal....

Most of the time, the OTA signal would cut in and out... I used to put up with it but my kid thought I was crazy and he'd actually try to talk me into watching the SD satellite feed (which was abysmal by comparison) when we would watch a sunday football game...

With the new MPEG4 channels, I have a much more stable HD signal coming in from the satellite... so I don't worry about the resolution... plus its SO nice to be able to record what I couldn't record for years.


And now that i have approximately SEVENTY hd channels - its really really really hard for me to complain about anything.

It wasn't that long ago when I had maybe 3 HD channels on directv.

[proufo]

The difference between SD directv and C-band satellite was much more apparent to me than the differences we're taliing about here. I made that test back in the 90's when Directv started up. There was no HD then, and C-band looked far better.
Right on.

The best quality television I've seen was the direct live stadium feeds from Monday Night Football.

I sorely miss my BUD but it made no sense to carry a 21-ft dish in the move.

Have heard of people subscribing (grey) to get HD feeds with no compression. It's about 50 GB/hour.

[Doug Sclar]

Right on.

The best quality television I've seen were the direct live stadium feeds from Monday Night Football.

I sorely miss my BUD but it made no sense to carry a 21-ft dish in the move.

Have heard of people subscribing (grey) to get HD feeds with no compression. It's about 50 GB/hour.

21' :yikes:

What's odd is you're close to the equator, which is where the satellites are, but the footprint of the US satellites spot so that you need a huge dish there. I did a install of a dish in the Virgin Islands and I needed a 16' dish. That was a monster. At the time, it was about the equivalent of about a 10' dish here. When I started, I did mostly 12' dishes.

[proufo]

21' :yikes:

What's odd is you're close to the equator, which is where the satellites are, but the footprint of the US satellites spot so that you need a huge dish there. I did a install of a dish in the Virgin Islands and I needed a 16' dish. That was a monster. At the time, it was about the equivalent of about a 10' dish here. When I started, I did mostly 12' dishes.Hello, DS.

When I set it up ('87, I guess) the power available from the satellites was lower and the LNBs were noisier. 20' was the minimum for Venezuela if you wanted a good selection of cable channels. 25' was a dream and had a acquaintance that DIY'd a 32 footer!

[JohnnyK]

Do I need a dedicated phone line for the DirectTV receiver?

Can I use my home phone line? If DirectTV calls into the receiver, will my home phone ring?

[sberger]

Do I need a dedicated phone line for the DirectTV receiver?

Can I use my home phone line? If DirectTV calls into the receiver, will my home phone ring?

You only need a phone line connected if you want to be able to order Pay Per View with your remote. Otherwise, no.

[toptentwist]

Do I need a dedicated phone line for the DirectTV receiver?

Can I use my home phone line? If DirectTV calls into the receiver, will my home phone ring?


You don't need a phone line.

DISH network will charge you a fee for every phone line that you fail to connect up. That was a BIG BIG showstopper for me when I was contemplating a switch to DISH network.

DIRECTV recommends a phone line - but they don't require it - and they don't even seem to care about it these days.

I had a TIVO a few years ago that wanted to make exactly ONE phone call before it would allow the TIVO features to work, which was a hassle because I have a VOIP service (phone over the internet)... but my new HD DVR never cared. The installer said its "because a lot of customers don't have land lines"...


As for the phone line... if you DO hook one up... DIRECTV will never call YOU... its a one way thing... the receiver phones IN to the network - usually in the middle of the night...

DirecTV uses commercial dial ISPs to make the call and dial ISPs take calls from customers, they never make them to customers... largely because the circuits that work both ways cost a LOT more money.

[Doug Sclar]

You only need a phone line connected if you want to be able to order Pay Per View with your remote. Otherwise, no.

Sometimes they want you to have it to determine eligiblilty for the regional sports networks. Otherwise you could take you box to another region and get sports they don't want you to.

[Doug Sclar]

Hello, DS.

When I set it up ('87, I guess) the power available from the satellites was lower and the LNBs were noisier. 20' was the minimum for Venezuela if you wanted a good selection of cable channels. 25' was a dream and had a acquaintance that DIY'd a 32 footer!

My first dish (in winter 83/84) was a 12' but I had a 120 degree LNA. The LNA's had plenty of gain but they were so noisy that you couldn't use it all.

I eventualy got down to a 20 degree LNB which meant a 6' dish would give enough signal to be watchable. The problem was the smaller dishes had a wider pick up and there was a problem getting 2 sats at the same time. So the large dishes remained with better pictures. Mostly 12' dishes went away and most went to 10'.

Of course this was c-band. DBS is totally different.

[jpbarn]

You don't need a phone line.

DISH network will charge you a fee for every phone line that you fail to connect up. That was a BIG BIG showstopper for me when I was contemplating a switch to DISH network.

DIRECTV recommends a phone line - but they don't require it - and they don't even seem to care about it these days.

I had a TIVO a few years ago that wanted to make exactly ONE phone call before it would allow the TIVO features to work, which was a hassle because I have a VOIP service (phone over the internet)... but my new HD DVR never cared. The installer said its "because a lot of customers don't have land lines"...


As for the phone line... if you DO hook one up... DIRECTV will never call YOU... its a one way thing... the receiver phones IN to the network - usually in the middle of the night...

DirecTV uses commercial dial ISPs to make the call and dial ISPs take calls from customers, they never make them to customers... largely because the circuits that work both ways cost a LOT more money.

This is really good to know because, for some reason I can't remember (2 or 3 years ago), I had to install some kind of device between phone & wall to enable directv to communicate with me, & ever since my phone reception has sucked. Removal imminent...