What the frack is NG?
Some one wants Sci-Fi in HD!! LOL!!

How about tvland?

Booby Ray: Very wise not to put h-20 on partially enclosed shelve. Heat is a killer on these receivers. Causes dropouts on video and audio.

Remote problems. Have two HD-20 about 2 weeks old. Both remotes lock up and have to be reset almost daily. Have set for RF. VERY annoying.
Anyone else have this problem.
Never had to reset my Hughes HTL remotes that I used for about a year.
HELP!

KY: Never had this problem. Do both remotes have the same problem? Have you tried IR mode just to see if same problems comes up? This is certainly not normal with the h-20.
Do you have the 100 or the 600..not that it should matter..just was wondering. Anyway, if the problem exists, I am sure Directv will send you 2 new remotes..free. I take it for granted the h-20 operates OK from the front panel?

KY: Never had this problem. Do both remotes have the same problem? Have you tried IR mode just to see if same problems comes up? This is certainly not normal with the h-20.
Do you have the 100 or the 600..not that it should matter..just was wondering. Anyway, if the problem exists, I am sure Directv will send you 2 new remotes..free. I take it for granted the h-20 operates OK from the front panel?


They are 600's. Yes the front panel buttons work as this is the way I rest.
Yes both remotes have froze up.
Using IR setup now. Will go back to RF and if it happens again directv will get a call.
Thanks for info.

Some one wants Sci-Fi in HD!! LOL!!
That would be sweeeet.

...Using IR setup now. Will go back to RF and if it happens again directv will get a call.
It may be an RF interference problem. Try unplugging everything wireless (cordless phones, wireless alarms, wireless routers) in your house and see if the boxes still lock up. If you live in an apartment interference may be coming from another apartment and you'll have to use IR.

It may be an RF interference problem. Try unplugging everything wireless (cordless phones, wireless alarms, wireless routers) in your house and see if the boxes still lock up. If you live in an apartment interference may be coming from another apartment and you'll have to use IR.
And, if he has the RF antenna installed.... But, I went through this as well. The interference was coming from a wireless outdoor thermometer that had its display (the receiver) mounted within a couple of feet of the H20. I moved it to another wall and the problem went away.

H20-100 is faster too

my replacement H20-100 is faster (changing channels) than the -600;

the -100 is nearly as quick as the Sony HD200

this is more good news as it resolves for me the last big problem I saw with the H20:

there are still a few features, like the LCD front panel display, that I will miss, but overall I like the H20-100

Bottom line..The Directv h-20-100, so far, seems to be a fine receiver. Zero problems, so far, and the video/audio from this receiver is stunning! Reliability is the only issue in question, to date. Just hope I can get a couple of years out of this receiver.

Bottom line..The Directv h-20-100, so far, seems to be a fine receiver. Zero problems, so far, and the video/audio from this receiver is stunning! Reliability is the only issue in question, to date. Just hope I can get a couple of years out of this receiver.
I agree with you Richard. I only hope that the H20-100 works until D* offers the Mpeg4 DVR...

And, that can't happen soon enough for me! (Summer '06?) With my DirecTiVo units I'd forgotten how obnoxious commercials were and not being able to replay/review especially "good" scenes in HD is a real hardship... :)

I wish someone would report that the DVR is almost ready to be released --- even if it is just a false rumor... :D My kingdom for a H20-DVR...

Hey D*! Please hurry... Please?

(The H20-100 is definitely a BIG improvement all-round...)

The King

Speaking of which....I have been told by several Directv reps and installers by end of Summer they should have 35 HD channels....I have my doubts since they have only rolled out one new HD channel(HD-TNT---fake HD) in the last several months. Any inside information regarding this?

Bottom line..The Directv h-20-100, so far, seems to be a fine receiver. Zero problems, so far, and the video/audio from this receiver is stunning! Reliability is the only issue in question, to date. Just hope I can get a couple of years out of this receiver.

I'm not a huge fan of RCA...However, the 2-original boxes that I have from them work flawlessly. My DTC-100 is 6 years old and still humming along.Never...I mean, Never had a single problem. I have gone through 3-Samsung boxes in the meantime. Sorry to say, I will never buy another Samsung product again. Bad phones, cameras and STB's....Sorry Samsung lovers. Just my experience and opinion.

How are people going about "requesting" the H20-100 as replacement for the H20-600 from DirecTV? When I asked about getting the H20-100, they told me there was no way for them to send me a specific unit. Mine is Made in Korea and from what I've read, those are the -600s with fewer problems and the -100 are Made in Mexico.

How are people going about "requesting" the H20-100 as replacement for the H20-600 from DirecTV? When I asked about getting the H20-100, they told me there was no way for them to send me a specific unit. Mine is Made in Korea and from what I've read, those are the -600s with fewer problems and the -100 are Made in Mexico.
Pedersen:

I didn't actually request a H20-100 (Mexico) to replace my H20-600 (China) --- a D* CSR just told me that they would send me a replacement receiver. I now get the impression that D* is sending only -100 series out as replacements now, but I could well be mistaken.

In any case, if the receiver you have now is NOT working correctly --- you just have to hope that you get a receiver that does work properly and take your chances that it is a -100...

The H20-600 that I had was a real dog. The replacement H20-100 that is made in Mexico works great...

I'm not a huge fan of RCA...However, the 2-original boxes that I have from them work flawlessly...
IIRC, RCA/Thomson had an exclusive contract to make the first 1,000,000 STBs when D* began, back in 1994, and they've made more STBs (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/learn/Manuals.jsp) for them than any other manufacturer. So they should be getting it right by now.

It's a shame they had to make the H20-100's menu & program guide to D*'s specs.

arxaw: Actually, the menu/guide takes some getting used to. But, really quite quick and easy tp bring up your HD channels or your local HD tv stations, etc. In favorites 1 you can save, maybe, 30 of your favorite channels; expand that list in favorites 2. The 100 receiver is really quite fast. I still prefer the ZenithHD520 but this new 100 is really quite 'nice'. Just takes some time getting used to. Of course, it shines brightly in the audio/video department.

Bottom line..The Directv h-20-100, so far, seems to be a fine receiver. Zero problems, so far, and the video/audio from this receiver is stunning! Reliability is the only issue in question, to date. Just hope I can get a couple of years out of this receiver.

After living with my h-20-100 for about 2 weeks, I'm down to two annoying problems.

1. From time to time I still freeze up. Solution: tuning to some random channel unfreezes things, I can then change back to the original channel.

2. From time to time I freeze when flipping through channels quickly. When I go too fast it will eventually freeze and stop changing chanels. Solution: wait a few seconds until things get caught up. This doesn't seem to happen when using the blue button.

As I said, both are annoying.

Do you think that if you had an H20 receive for directv and just pointed the satellite dish at the satellite, then I could get off air HD from local stations? Most people have told me that I must have subscription to do this, what do you think?

This is what one guy said: I don't think you need a sub to utilize the H20's OTA tuner....BUT .....you DO have to have a dish hooked to the "SATELLITE IN" coax connector and be able to "see" the 101 sat before the OTA tuner will function properly (e.g., Channel 100 is a "freebie"; this is all you need to "see"....

Thanks for any help.
chris

milepig: Sorry to hear you are having some problems with the h20-100. First, be sure you have lots of air space around the receiver (not in enclosed shelves). Should be 6 inches of free space oabove it and 1 inch, at least, of space below. Place some rubber feet (or most anything small) under the 4 corners to raise it one inch plus. I have traced most of my problems (with other receivers) to heat. Unplug unit for wall, wait a minute or 2, plug it back in. Restart it, letting it get program from sats again. If the unit is kept cool, I am hoping your problems will disappear in a week or so (or much sooner). A good idea is to put in numbers directly and go to channel/station directly. For HD tv stations you need only push '6' (not 6-1). Bottom line, for awhile, try to bring up stations in a different manner than you have been..if possible. After a couple weeks and, if problems persist, call Directv; they should replace your h-20-100. Remember 'cool' is the key. Do keep us posted.

rchutts: To use the h-20 as HD receiver (local HD stations) you must activate the enclosed card with Directv. You must buy minimum programming. In many cases, Directv is giving these units away free (I got 2 myself) so, of course, they want to see some income from their efforts. Seems fair to me.

I get the message telling me that a call is coming in & I need to suscribe to caller ID but I do have caller ID.
I had that problem but deleted my call list and the message went away. If the que gets full you will get that message. After I cleared the cue it works like it should. Hope this helps.

rchutts: To use the h-20 as HD receiver (local HD stations) you must activate the enclosed card with Directv. You must buy minimum programming. In many cases, Directv is giving these units away free (I got 2 myself) so, of course, they want to see some income from their efforts. Seems fair to me.

I tried to get ota yesterday before I activated my H20 no go. BYW my 100 had no drop outs last night. I was happy to box up the 600 and see FedEx take it away.

I'm tempted to lobby for a 100 as a replacement for my 600 because of occasional hangs and reboots, the slow tuning and guides, and the heat, but I'm concerned about a possible loss in sensitivity and/or multipath rejection. I know of one reported loss of distant station(s) when replacing a 600 with a 100, and I'm wondering if that might be a trend or just an anomaly. I depend on some far-fringe stations OTA, some of which I couldn't receive until I replaced my old HTL-HD with the H20-600, so I love the tuner. Are there others who've had an opportunity to compare performance or signal strengths on distant stations when replacing their 600's with 100's?

I just replaced a 600 with a 100 yesterday. Signal strength is the same and so is pq, and it is faster and the drop outs are gone. The only difference [ for me ] is I had to bump up the contrast and brightness. But as always, YMMV.

arkeng: I checked the 100 and 600 for performance. The 100 was 2 points higher on Directv sats and the 600 was 2 points higher on local HD channels. This proves little because the reference point could be somewhat different on the 100 and the 600. To me, my OTA performance with the 100 is very good; notice very little difference from the 600. On Directv transponders, I notice no difference. The important thing with the 100, it runs cooler and you will probably have less problems (dropouts, etc). If anyone has the 600 and has zero problems, maybe keep the unit for the time being. The only thing is, if you own the h-20 receiver it has a warranty of 90 days. I think it is better to lease a receiver from Directv.; then, they will replace it in the future if something goes wrong.

I have been told by several Directv reps and installers by end of Summer they should have 35 HD channels..

35 local HD markets MAYBE*, by the end of the year... there are no plans for
any new HD channels, personally i'm only expecting one or two more channels
this year.

*i have no idea what tha specific plans are for HD locals other than whats been officially announced

so someone's been lying to you.... sorry =(

-Brine

I had a guy call in tonight, new customer. It was obvious he reads some
online board somewhere because he saying right off his D11's were
having a crap compression rate and the picture is eehh.

He said his wife placed the order. and so he asked me, mentioning i'm
the 6th person to speak to him, what i could do. he then explained he
had a Plasma TV.

i was like well sir you need an HD receiver you'll get a better picture,
and he was like " well what do i need to do ? " i said " i tell you what
we'll go ahead and get one out there and we'll give it to you free since
you're a new customer " (new customer orders are free through the internet)
so he's like cool, we go to set this up and i tell him there's a 2 year commitment
and he goes off on me. "woah woah, i shouldn't have to commit, this was your fault"
he continued to explain "since i HAVE to get this receiver to get a satisfying picture there
shouldn't be a commitment" - so i said to him " even if you originally ordered this there
would be a 2 year commitment, your wife placed the order she may not have even mentioned
that you have an HD tv. She could have mentioned it and the Rep could have blown it off,
we don't know why the order wasn't processed, however we can still get it out to you,
it just requires a two year commitment" ***we discussed this about 15 minutes, i explained he could cancel if he doesnt like the picture it won't take him 7 days to decide ***

so was he satisfied ? "well maybe i need to speak to someone who can do this " " sir no
one can waive a 2 year commitment for you " " well maybe you can't but isnt there some
a little higher that i can speak to who can ? " " no sir there is no one in this call center who can waive that" "i know Brian, YOU are doing all YOU can but i really need to speak to your supervisor" - so this guy was iritating me being extremely condiscending to me.

so i said "sir, sir,sir, sir - - ... THERE isn't a person you can speak with in ANY call center that has the ability to waive a 2 year commitment " (this guy had obviously read some message
boards where some idiot posted that he got something with out an annual commitment or some conterfeit garbage) "well are you gonna let me speak to your supervisor ? or are you the supervisor ? " and i said " Sir i am Equipped to handle this situation " " well i know but there is nothing you can do in this decision, i'm letting you go on to your next call " ** this
REALLY made me mad " Sir, i don't need a supervisor to get off this call, i'm doing my job,
and if you want to cancel the order i can process that for you " and he said " well it
doesn't sound like i want to cancel does it ? " "sir you don't want the commitment "

so i put him on with the Floor sup, and he argued with him for 30 minutes about the commitment.
and then finally when the Guy calmed down long enough to place the order, the floor
sup said " well its a 99$ charge " and the guy blew up ( you could hear him through the headset )
so then he's aparently asking "why can't i get it free i'm new right ?? " and so the sup said
"well you're an existing Subscriber now, your equipment was ordered, installed and activated, there for you are no longer eligible for those offers"

so basically the sup told him he can't even have it free... and now when he calls back
he can't get it free.... oh wellz...

-Brine

Ok. Brief recap. I had the new KA/KU 5LNB dish and an H20 installed about three weeks ago as an upgrade for my 3LNB and H10 combo. Right away i had pixel problems, but the install I got sucked. So, I took things into my own hands and had improved mySat signal strengths in the process. Meanwhile I had bought a second H20. It comes about the same time as I had fixed the Sat signal strength problem.


So I'm watching local HD channels on one of them for a while. No one pixel out of place....that i could detect. I go upstairs to the other TV, sit down, I'm getting pixels all over the place. I go downstairs, same show, perfect picture.

You get the point. I swapped the receivers with one another, the problem follows the receiver. Looks like another bad H20 -600. Directv was very good, told them the above she says say no more. 5 minutes later there is a new H20 coming my way. I sure hope it is a 100.

It would seem from the quick response and lack of trouble shooting, plus what others have posted here that there is a big problem with the 600 and Directv knows it. I still have one 600, and it has been very good to date. But I recommend anyone with the 600 keep a close eye on it and get it replaced ASAP if something goes wrong and your warranty window in close to closing.

One more thing, I love AVSforum.

You mean that rebate offer isn't just a scam? :rolleyes:

I bought my H20 7 weeks ago and haven't submitted it yet... You got yours in 3 weeks? You're kidding, right?

D* sent me a rebate form to fill out and it requires a copy of my statement and an original sales receipt or confirmation letter or email from D*. I never received a letter and since I ordered directly from D* there was no sales receipt... For some reason the D* statement that clearly shows (according to THEIR OWN records) that I purchased the H20 isn't good enough??? Sweet...

The friendly CSR that I spoke with about this problem said she would email me one and then said they couldn't do that but she would mail me a confirmation letter. I haven't received a letter yet...49 days down --- 26 days to go.

How much longer before the rebate submission deadline expires? April 30th... I just LOVE rebate scams, I mean offers. :mad:

I still hate rebate offers, but...

I just received a $200 rebate check from D* and never submitted the rebate form. I was waiting to get a "confirmation letter" from D* so I could submit the rebate.

The friendly CSR that I spoke with at D* about the rebate offer was unexpectedly helpful. Very refreshing.

Hat's off to D*.

Now, pass me that plate of crow...

Hat's off to D*.

Now, pass me that plate of crow...

:D :D

Note: I have been with Directv for many years and I plan on remaining with Directv so. it seems, a 2 year committment means little to me. And, by the way, you will get much more from the people at Directv if you are kind and polite when speaking with them. As mentioned elsewhere, I have gotten everything (equipment and installs) free for a number of years. Being a customer of Directv has cost me nothing except my monthly programming charges. And, at $3 per day, I consider the HD sports I receive well worth the money not to mention all the other fine programming. My wife loves all her network shows in HD each evening. Yes, we plan on being with Directv for many more years.

It seems my caller ID problem was with the wireless phone jack, I got it several years ago before I had caller ID.
I got a caller ID compatible wireless phone jack now & that should solve the problem.

Today, Friday, it is raining in midwest. All of Directv channels plus the HD OTA digital tv stations continue to come in perfectly. There are no dropouts of video/audio. 3 perfect weeks with the Directv h-20-100. Hope it all continues.

Note: I have been with Directv for many years and I plan on remaining with Directv so. it seems, a 2 year committment means little to me. And, by the way, you will get much more from the people at Directv if you are kind and polite when speaking with them. As mentioned elsewhere, I have gotten everything (equipment and installs) free for a number of years. Being a customer of Directv has cost me nothing except my monthly programming charges. And, at $3 per day, I consider the HD sports I receive well worth the money not to mention all the other fine programming. My wife loves all her network shows in HD each evening. Yes, we plan on being with Directv for many more years.

I agree. I have been with them since 97. Never had to pay for anything except monthly service and have never had a day of outage. I don't see anyone exceeding their offering within the next 5 years, and the future seems even brighter for them. And I even tried Verizon FIOS for 2 months on a trial subscription in December and January just to see what I was missing. I cancelled a month early. Two year committment for an H20 or the upcoming HD DVR? Whatever.

I just called today to get a another new H20 (my third) to replace my current H20 that does not do caller ID but displays stunning PQ and terrific OTA reception. They did not question me or balk at all. I was off the phone in about 3 minutes with an order confirmation number. I am praying for a 100. :D

billt: I would think the odds are very good in favor of getting a model 100 h-20 receiver at this point. From the design of the newer cabinet (with more air space within) Direct has finally got the message that heat is an enemy to components. Besides, I believe Directv is probably tired of replacing h-20-600s.

Speaking of which....I have been told by several Directv reps and installers by end of Summer they should have 35 HD channels....I have my doubts since they have only rolled out one new HD channel(HD-TNT---fake HD) in the last several months. Any inside information regarding this?

And did they tell you where all this bandwidth would be coming from? ;)

The prosumer cameras are nice (I shoot with the SD Sony DVCAM PD170 and Panasonic AGVX100A), including the new "HD" format HDV. But HDV is not what you see on Discovery HD Theater. Sony has a new camera (XDCAM HD, I think ) for "only" $25,000 with lens. It captures (on a $30 re-recordable optical disc, no tape!) at 45 Mbs, which is less than Sony's HDCAM (72Mbs and $100,000 for the camera body only). The new Sony is more than half way to HDCAM quality.

I love shooting nature and to be able to bring it home true HD quality...the mind boggles...

Arthur, on my 50" Fujtisu plasma, the HC1 and the FX1 are utterly superb. They are both surprisingly close to footage seen on HD channels. Of course on a 100" screen (depending on resolution), the same may not be true.

"Arthur, on my 50" Fujtisu plasma, the HC1 and the FX1 are utterly superb. They are both surprisingly close to footage seen on HD channels. Of course on a 100" screen (depending on resolution), the same may not be true."

I'd LOVE to jump on one of these Sony HDV models:

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/minisites/HDV/products.shtml

The thing is we broadcast in SD on cable, everyone's delighted with our PQ, and we need to invest in other areas right now. We shoot everything on location, edit in Final Cut Pro on our G5, and burn our weekly show on DVD for insertion at the head end.

Back on subject, my new H20 receiver just arrived. It's a 100! Hope it works!!!

Arthur: I am quite sure you will be pleased with the h-20-100. Just remember, lots of air space around it and raise it, at least, one inch. It is capable of very good operation and excellent audio and video. I hope you got one that the quality control was very good on.

Update - I called them after posting this. Talked to one CSR, told her my problem, she transferred me to a tech CSR. Told her my problem, and she said "I don't know nothing about that HD stuff" and transferred me to a 2nd tier tech CSR. 3rd time telling my issues, and she's sending me a replacement H20 FedEx with a return label. Hopefully it will be a H20-100 and not a -600.

Update -

The FedEx guy delivered my new HD20 this afternoon, and it's a 100. :)

The 600 is packaged in it's original box with the return label on it, ready for pickup on Monday afternoon. A+ for DirecTV's customer service on this one, I'm impressed.

Update -

The FedEx guy delivered my new HD20 this afternoon, and it's a 100. :)

The 600 is packaged in it's original box with the return label on it, ready for pickup on Monday afternoon. A+ for DirecTV's customer service on this one, I'm impressed.

That is good news. If you use OTA, how is the sensitivity, relative to the 600?

Just got my H20-600 today from FedEx. So far, so good... knock on wood.

On a side not, has anyone considered or used a USB powered fan on their H20? I am gonna get one and plug it into the back of the H20 and have it blow over the top of the receiver box to help circulation.

Link. (http://www.haimei.com/computer_accessories/usb_fan.htm)

billt: I have a 100 and a 600 in my home right now and have compared both of them. They both have very good sensitivity. If they are using the same 'range scale of signal strength numbers'...whereas the 600 reads 100 on a certain station, the 100 will read 2 points lower. On Directv transponders these numbers are reversed. Bottom line, they are so close on sensitivety, I see no difference in the real world. With a good antenna and some height, a person should get 100 on the meter reading on both the 600 and the 100 up to 35- miles. Of course, many things enter into this equation including the power the station is transmitting. I rate both receivers certainly as good or better than my recent Zenith HD520.

Dan: The h-20-600 is a fine receiver IF you can keep it from running too warm. Be sure you have air circulating around the unit and raise it at least 1 inch of the shelve. The newest receiver is the h-20-100 and it runs cooler. The 600 has, maybe, the very best OTA tuner of any receiver.

....
On a side not, has anyone considered or used a USB powered fan on their H20? I am gonna get one and plug it into the back of the H20 and have it blow over the top of the receiver box to help circulation...
FROM AN OLDER MESSAGE I POSTED HERE ABOUT SIX WEEKS AGO:
If you are concerned that your H20 is too hot (100 - 110 degrees measured topside), then fans on the top will cool the receiver in a hurry.

Well, for $21.00 including shipping there's a fan unit for notebook computers that works perfectly. It has two fans, some purty blue LEDs to rice your H20 up and the cooling effect is immediate.

The intake for this fan system is on the top, so you just lay it on the H20's top, upside down. The exhaust will be toward the unit's front.

Voltage is simple... it plugs into the H20's USB port!

And the purty blue LEDs honestly sets it off! :cool:
http://www.hardwarecooling.com/product_info.php/cat/33/prod/514/Spire_PacificBreeze_Notebook_Cooler

http://www.hardwarecooling.com/images/CF300-neb.jpg

Larry:...........Thanks for the helpful information, my friend. If I begin to have dropouts, etc. with the h20-100 I may buy one of these fans.

I still hate rebate offers, but...

I just received a $200 rebate check from D* and never submitted the rebate form. I was waiting to get a "confirmation letter" from D* so I could submit the rebate.

The friendly CSR that I spoke with at D* about the rebate offer was unexpectedly helpful. Very refreshing.

Hat's off to D*.

Now, pass me that plate of crow...
Got my rebate today. $100 for the DVR & $200.00 for the HD-20. Funny mailed for the $100 rebate 10 days ago. Got the $200 without submitting it. Can't beat that. Never have got any rebate in that short of time in my life.

Seems Directv, lately, is going overboard with customer service. Tomorrow I shall send an e-mail to them stating this fact. Now, if we could just get the customer service people better informed on what is happening at Directv.

My HD20 has been losing my scheduled auto tune events.

I'll do a manual set up (because that's the only way I've found to do it, auto tune only works for a single event not a recurring event) & set a show to auto tune on Mon-Fri on recurring.

If I'm watching it instead of recording it & interupt it to channel surf during comercial the timer event is completely deleted instead of just inturupted for that showing.

The Moose: I set autotune most evenings for my wife...7 thru 11.

The Moose: I set autotune most evenings for my wife...7 thru 11.
I'm not really sure what that means!!??

I called DirecTV & they kicked that up to the engineers so I'll call back Mon & see what they found.

I tried to force the software download on my H20-100 and the status bar always reads 0% but the upper left corner does change. Currently it is at 4/90/40 and then it will eventually shut the receiver off and the software upgrade doesn't seem to complete.

The reason why I'm attempting this download, is because I'm still getting pixelation and was hoping that the latest software would correct that.

I tried everything to get a successful download but couldn't. I have VOIP and apparently it's not compatable with our boxes. I had to buy an auxillary modem that plugs into the back of my HD Tivo. It dialed out and I was able to get my upgrade. I bought mine off Ebay. There is a guy who retrofits old modems to work with these boxes. I also don't think that a newer software upgrade will fix pixelation but it's worth a try. It cost me about 30.00 for the modem. I believe there are a few sat dealers who also sell them too for more money.

Chorgey: If you are getting pixelation, it could be you are not getting a high enough signal.
On OTA stations you should be getting above 90 (up to 35-40 miles) and on most transponders you should be getting 75 to 80 plus. There are several very weak transponders below these numbers. Also, be sure you have lots of air circulation around the receiver with the 4 sides open and 6 inches of air above the unit and one inch of air below the receiver. It should run just slightly warm to the touch. My receiver has been running flawlessly for over 3 weeks now. As far as I know, updates are automatic. The 100 is Directv latest receiver and seems to be working fine for most. Hope you get it working 100 percent.

Note: My h-20-100 is 4 weeks old and the software update is: 003e 020e b00000113.
I wonder if there will be an update to be able to change the colors and type of lettering on the programs of this unit.

I tried to force the software download on my H20-100 and the status bar always reads 0% Currently there are no upgrades for the H20-100.
The only upgrades available are for the H20-600.

The MOOSE: Just to repeat I simply use the autotune to set programming for my wife each evening..7 pm thru 11 pm. We can stray from this pattern (for a given program) and the autotune will take over for the next auto-tuned program.

I tried everything to get a successful download but couldn't. I have VOIP and apparently it's not compatable with our boxes. I had to buy an auxillary modem that plugs into the back of my HD Tivo. It dialed out and I was able to get my upgrade. I bought mine off Ebay. There is a guy who retrofits old modems to work with these boxes. I also don't think that a newer software upgrade will fix pixelation but it's worth a try. It cost me about 30.00 for the modem. I believe there are a few sat dealers who also sell them too for more money.IIRC, you have to set your VOIP equipment to "fax" capability, in order for it to work with D*.

Regardless, although the phone line may be required for some tivo receivers, the phone line has absolutely nothing to do with downloading firmware upgrades in the H20-100 or H20-600 receivers. The only purpose of the phone line with the H20-100 or H20-600 receiver is to upload billing information for PPV movies and sports programming you've ordered with the remote.

FROM AN OLDER MESSAGE I POSTED HERE ABOUT SIX WEEKS AGO:
If you are concerned that your H20 is too hot (100 - 110 degrees measured topside), then fans on the top will cool the receiver in a hurry.

Well, for $21.00 including shipping there's a fan unit for notebook computers that works perfectly. It has two fans, some purty blue LEDs to rice your H20 up and the cooling effect is immediate.

The intake for this fan system is on the top, so you just lay it on the H20's top, upside down. The exhaust will be toward the unit's front.

Voltage is simple... it plugs into the H20's USB port!

And the purty blue LEDs honestly sets it off! :cool:

http://www.hardwarecooling.com/images/CF300-neb.jpg
Kool.

Another idea is to get some of these (much less expensive) at the Ace Hardware ($1.50).

They too are a nice shade of blue, and the cooling effect is also immediate... Fill with H2O, chill, and lay them on top of, or below, the H-20 (right side up only: very important!). Zero voltage drain... Re-useable. And, you won't even need to use the USB port... They also work well for mixed drinks, etc.

The MOOSE: Just to repeat I simply use the autotune to set programming for my wife each evening..7 pm thru 11 pm. We can stray from this pattern (for a given program) and the autotune will take over for the next auto-tuned program.
What I'm talking about is watching a program that has been set for a recurring event & inturupting that event.
When I do that it delets the event so it doesnt tune to that program the next day.

Currently there are no upgrades for the H20-100.
The only upgrades available are for the H20-600.
I was told they are working on a new update to be released soon.
They didn't say if it was for the 100 or 600 though.

IR emitter issue

I ran into some troubles with an RF remote control system (RTI T3/RP-6) controlling the H20

turns out the H20 IR eye can be easily overloaded: i.e. if you use an IR emitter directly over the IR eye, its response is sluggish, particularly with channel macros: it would respond to the first digit of a channel macro but not always the rest of the command and adjusting IR repeats or adding delays had no effect

the fix was placing the emitter right on the front panel adjacent to but not on the IR eye, proper operation was restored!

Moose: Give me an example; I will set it on my h-20-100 and see what happens.

Moose: Give me an example; I will set it on my h-20-100 and see what happens.
Set a show manually as a recurtng event-every day.
When it tunes to that channel use the remote to change channels, you will get a banner that asks if you want to inturupt the tuned program, ckick yes & go to a diffrent channel.
Now look in the schedules to do list & see if that program is still there, if it is it will continue to tune to that channel every day, if it's not there it was deleted & won't tune to that channel unless you go thru the setup again.

Unless D* has quietly made a change of policy H20-600 and -100 use identical firmware! the ony differances in these unit should be cosmetic and "possibly" fully compatable functional blocks on the IRD main boards.

Unless D* has quietly made a change of policy H20-600 and -100 use identical firmware! the ony differances in these unit should be cosmetic and "possibly" fully compatable functional blocks on the IRD main boards.
I know when my 600 was delivered the first thing it did was download an upgrade, my 100 has not had an update since it was installed a week ago.

YES!!! My D20-100 (replacement for 600) is performing beautifully! No HDMI switching hassles at all--very quick channel changes and runs much cooler than the 600.

Life makes sense again. Now for some more HD programming...

Oops. Meant H20-100.

The big important difference (because of larger cabinet and more free space within) in the 600 and 100 (h-20) is that the 100 runs cooler and, therefore, makes the receiver more reliable. Also, the tuners for OTA stations and Directv channels are slightly different (not that it makes any real difference). Bottom line..to date..this receiver, the 100 model, has performed flawlessly for well over 3 weeks now. I am beginning to think I should send my other model 600 in for an exchange. Better to lease than to own!

Unless D* has quietly made a change of policy H20-600 and -100 use identical firmware! the ony differances in these unit should be cosmetic and "possibly" fully compatable functional blocks on the IRD main boards.The menu options have slight differences. It's been a while since I had a 600, but IIRC, but one of the differences is in how the SS meter works.

There were a few other differences between the two menus.

I am beginning to think I should send my other model 600 in for an exchange. Better to lease than to own!

DO IT ! :D

Just a note of caution here, there appears to be a difference in the HDMI 'handshake' protocol with the new H20-100 compared to the H20-600. This might make no difference to you if you don't use an HDMI switcher. However, if you do, it might make a big difference.

My new H20-100 fails to properly conduct a 'handshake' and constantly drops down to 480p when I select the H20 input. There are so many variables with this damn HDMI, the source, the switcher (if any), the display....any of these can make the handshake go south. Thanks again Hollywood!

I just want people to be aware that there could be issues depending upon your setup with the new H20. As of now the H20-100 is going back and I'll stick with the H20-600.

...Thanks again Hollywood!....
Good point!
The battle with this stuff is a lot with the data coming from the source. I was reading at the HDNET website their specifications page and they explain how a lot of this works. Although their focus was on the problems with audio, and how they, as a re-broadcaster have to compromise due to standards deviating (just because it sez 5.1 audio, that doesn't mean the settings are broadcasting in pure 5.1), their articles convinced me that the whole video / audio stream is in a mess and one is at the mercy of an engineer on the originating end. He may have his own preference and so much for the standards.

Sure, that's about audio, but it demonstrates how sloppy things can get.

Ken Ross: ONE reason I use component. I have tried HDMI and, at this point in the game, see/hear no advantage. This, of course, is my opinion.

Just a note of caution here, there appears to be a difference in the HDMI 'handshake' protocol with the new H20-100 compared to the H20-600. This might make no difference to you if you don't use an HDMI switcher. However, if you do, it might make a big difference.

Ken,

Exactly! Which is why I was thrilled to get the H20-100. The -600 did NOT shake hands when connected to my Denon A/V receiver via the H20's HDMI output. The -100 does work...

Just the opposite from what you are experiencing? Wierd...

I forget, does my Denon AVR-4306 switch the HDMI signals or does it repeat them??? Maybe that's the difference?

Dan: The h-20-600 is a fine receiver IF you can keep it from running too warm. Be sure you have air circulating around the unit and raise it at least 1 inch of the shelve. The newest receiver is the h-20-100 and it runs cooler. The 600 has, maybe, the very best OTA tuner of any receiver.

Rich, I must agree, the OTA tuner on my H20-600 produces a brilliant picture. There is a noticeable difference between it and the builtin tuner on my Samsung tv.

A side note, I have had my H20-600 hooked up and running about 2 days now, and I have yet to receive any type of software update.

"My new H20-100 fails to properly conduct a 'handshake' and constantly drops down to 480p when I select the H20 input. There are so many variables with this damn HDMI, the source, the switcher (if any), the display....any of these can make the handshake go south. Thanks again Hollywood!
I just want people to be aware that there could be issues depending upon your setup with the new H20. As of now the H20-100 is going back and I'll stick with the H20-600."

OK. Has anyone noticed a diminishment of PQ in the 100? My wife and I have noticed it on our 103" screen. The punch just doesn't seem to be there--on any HD channel. It seems to lack the light and jaw-drop sharpness of the HDMI input on the 600 (whenever it graciously decided to work). I am really trying not to go nuts here and just send D* their equipment back until they work out their problems. Component picture now looks worse than it did on the 600. For what it's worth, I notice on setup with the 100 it's possible to only select 720p as that is my projector's native res. On the 600 you couldn't de-select 480i.

the HDMI interface was originally touted as ' plug and play' when first introduced

I think it is better defined as 'plug and pray'

Arthur: I have both the 600 and 100 in my house and am viewing both. They are pretty much the same receiver with specs very close. Ceretainly, to my eyes, the quality of the images on the screen (and the sound) are both first rate. Main advantage of 100 over 600 it does run cooler and I, for one, believe this is very important. Beginning my 4th week of perfect reception and viewing with the h-20-100.

OK. Has anyone noticed a diminishment of PQ in the 100? My wife and I have noticed it on our 103" screen. The punch just doesn't seem to be there--on any HD channel. It seems to lack the light and jaw-drop sharpness of the HDMI input on the 600 (whenever it graciously decided to work). I am really trying not to go nuts here and just send D* their equipment back until they work out their problems. Component picture now looks worse than it did on the 600. For what it's worth, I notice on setup with the 100 it's possible to only select 720p as that is my projector's native res. On the 600 you couldn't de-select 480i.
Arthur,

No I don't think that the H20-100 PQ is lower than the -600...

I just watched the Masters on a Mpeg4 CBS local HD channel and the quality was breath-taking... Friends who were watching were amazed and delighted... Small children cried out with glee... Women fainted... (You get the "picture".)

Did the H20-100 fix your problem with connecting your Denon 4306 with HDMI?

Maybe there is some other problem causing your PQ to suffer?

I really am amazed at the PQ I am getting with the H20-100. Outstanding! :)

HDMI switching problem (with 4306) is completely gone. Watched again tonight and the picture does seem better. Maybe I'm suffering from uprade O.D. I've bought a whole new home theater in the last two months.

HDMI switching problem (with 4306) is completely gone. Watched again tonight and the picture does seem better. Maybe I'm suffering from uprade O.D. I've bought a whole new home theater in the last two months.
Take two aspirins and get a lot of rest... :D

OK. Has anyone noticed a diminishment of PQ in the 100? My wife and I have noticed it on our 103" screen. The punch just doesn't seem to be there--on any HD channel. It seems to lack the light and jaw-drop sharpness of the HDMI input on the 600 (whenever it graciously decided to work). I am really trying not to go nuts here and just send D* their equipment back until they work out their problems. Component picture now looks worse than it did on the 600. For what it's worth, I notice on setup with the 100 it's possible to only select 720p as that is my projector's native res. On the 600 you couldn't de-select 480i.

As I mentioned a couple times before, I actually think D*'s HD channels look much better on my new 100 than they did on the old freezing/locking 600 I sent back. But that 600 was a dog of a receiver, so that may have been the reason.

I notice on setup with the 100 it's possible to only select 720p as that is my projector's native res. On the 600 you couldn't de-select 480i.IIRC, the H20-600 will not let you deselect 480p (not 480i).

I have what I can only guess is the -600 model by evidence of extremely hot running temps and an excessively slow program guide.

what's the deal with the -100 receivers? do you still have to be in the warranty period for the -100 to be free? are you now leasing the -100? is there an additional monthly charge for leasing?

i have what i thought was signal problems coming from the dish/and or compression problems with the MPEG signal, but after reading this thread a bit, it seems it's more likely a heat issue with the box. sometimes the picture drops entirely but comes back. other times i have what appears to be macroblocking.

I do have about 2 inches of available air above the h20. it's in an armoire and i don't really have any other option. i was toying with the idea of an inexpensive USB cooling fan plugged into the H20 and sitting on top of the receiver with something to deflect the air to the side.

CHolleman: Directv gave me 2 h-20-600..Nov 05. Because of heat problems I exchanged one of these 600 for a newer 100 with better cooling > am going to exchange the other 600 for a 100 soon. All of this was free plus new 5lnb dish (which I have not installed because I would gain nothing at this point). I am hoping for a newer smaller dish in 2-3 years. Be sure you are getting signals 75-80s with the 600 on Directv programming and 90-100 on OTA stations. I will be leasing the 2 receivers and Directv will repair or replace them in the future. I have paid Direct nothing (for equipment and installs) in a number of years. They get $1000 from me per year so I feel confident they will continue to treat me fair as they have done in the past.

I have to give D* credit for cleaning up their act on the rebates. I received my $200 on the H20 in just 2 weeks. I have only the $9.96 shipping charge from Value Electronics invested in it.

Hi -

I have a Denon S-101 and was going to buy an HDMI blase for my Panny 8UK to be able to use HDMI from my new H20. My question is, since I have to run separate audio cables to the Denon anyway, will both the HDMI out and audio out be "hot" at the same time. I ask because as I understand it, HDMI carries both video and audio to the TV, but I need audio to go to the Denon instead (or, in addition). Thanks in advanced for your patience, time, and help.

-GD

I have what I can only guess is the -600 model by evidence of extremely hot running temps and an excessively slow program guide.
Peek inside the chasis... If you see a guy wearing a sombrero and sipping on a margarita you have a H20-100. Or just look on the back of the receiver. Mine says "Made in Mexico". A -600 probably says made in China or Korea?


what's the deal with the -100 receivers? do you still have to be in the warranty period for the -100 to be free? are you now leasing the -100?
My status changed from "owner" to "lessee" after the H20-600 was replaced. I really don't care though... People here have reported that their H20-600s were replaced at no-charge even though they were out-of-warranty. YMMV?


I do have about 2 inches of available air above the h20. it's in an armoire and i don't really have any other option. i was toying with the idea of an inexpensive USB cooling fan plugged into the H20 and sitting on top of the receiver with something to deflect the air to the side.
The more space around the H20 the better? My -100 runs cool. There's a little more than an inch underneath it, an inch on either side and about 3 inches of space above the receiver. The rear has about 4 inches of space and the front is open.

Adding USB fans seems would definitely be a last resort for me. And unneccessary for me?

I have a pole-like cabinet with shelves. Except for the 4 poles at the corners, the structure is completely open with 6 inches clearance from top cover of '100' to next shelve. I have clearance of 1 inch plus underneath. The top of cabinet ('100') is 'cool' to slightly warm except for about 25 percent of the top which is sligthly warm to the touch. Going on 4th week now with perfect performance. Maybe this receiver is a keeper!

dichtegs: I see no logical reason why you could not use the HDMI and the 'audio out' at the same time. Many people use an external audio/speaker system with their set-up. You would have audio (via HDMI) going to your display at the same time as the audio going to your external set up.

Just got my new H20-100. Replacing 1 of my 2 H20-600's. The one I replaced had problems from day one. Always having pixel problems in HD, especially locally.

Also had the problem of it running hot. I bought some rubber footers to get it up off the desk and it did run cooler, but still hot. The new 100 is nice a cool compared to the 600's. The difference is really amazing. Not hard to see why, bigger box, and much more ventilation on top and sides than then 600, less underneath.

Anyway, the 100 works great, albeit I'm only 1 hour into have it up and running at this point.

So I did some signal meter tests between my new 100 and the old 600. I get a reading of 4 to 7 point higher on all 4 sats. Now I understand it my just been how the meter is set up, but it sure makes me feel better. Then I did the local channels. I'm 60 miles west of Chicago and the 600's have always had fairly weak signals strengths compared to my Samsung HD receiver. The 600's also couldn't tune in channel 26 from Chicago, like the Samsung did and they didn't tune in the couple HD channels coming from Rockford(from the side of my directional OTA). The 100 gets 100 signal strength for WGN, vs 92 for the 600. 90 for channel 5 vs 68, 90 for 7 vs 70. You get the point. The 100 also tuned in channel 26, AND the channels from Rockford.

Also you can move up and down channels much quicker.

I want to say the picture is better too, but I'm not sure it is. Both look pretty darn good.

What does is mean? I'm a believer. The 100 seems be superior or equal to the 600 in every way, except size. I 'm going to give it a week and if I still feel the same I'm going to swap out my other 600.

Houston area folks... are you receiving a gorgeous Hi-Def via DirecTV of KPRC content with no audio? All the other local-by-way-of-DirecTV Hi-Def is working fine.

Took two aspirin. Rested. Viewed again tonight. To my amazement, I actually watched two-thirds of "Return To Blue Lagoon," managing to tune out the hopeless "plot" and basking in the jaw-drop cinematography. Beautiful picture. Hooray for the H20-100!

Took two aspirin. Rested. Viewed again tonight. To my amazement, I actually watched two-thirds of "Return To Blue Lagoon," managing to tune out the hopeless "plot" and basking in the jaw-drop cinematography. Beautiful picture. Hooray for the H20-100!
I preferred the original Blue Lagoon with Brooke... even though that was a body double for her nude scenes. :D

Isn't hidef great!

I have what I can only guess is the -600 model by evidence of extremely hot running temps and an excessively slow program guide.That would be a -600. You can also look on the back for H20-600. They are made by LG in Korea and China. The H20-100 is made by RCA in Mexico. The insides of the two models is completely different, with different boards and different chipsets.

what's the deal with the -100 receivers? do you still have to be in the warranty period for the -100 to be free? are you now leasing the -100? is there an additional monthly charge for leasing? If your existing receiver is out of warranty, they will switch you to a lease program if you like and send you a replacement receiver. There is NO guarantee you'll get a -100. Most have gotten them as replacements, but some have also gotten -600s. And you can't request a model number, so it's a crap shoot.

As for leasing vs owning, there is NO difference in monthly cost. Difference is they replace defective receivers for free, but you must also return receivers to D* if you close your account, or you'll be billed a very hefty fee.

Yes you can use the HDMI & Tos-Link at the same time.
I have mine set up that way too & it works fine.

Took two aspirin. Rested. Viewed again tonight. To my amazement, I actually watched two-thirds of "Return To Blue Lagoon," managing to tune out the hopeless "plot" and basking in the jaw-drop cinematography. Beautiful picture. Hooray for the H20-100!


I watched that too, I'm embarrassed to say. I couldn't take my eyes off how blue Milla's eyes were. Me likey HD and H20-100

If your existing receiver is out of warranty, they will switch you to a lease program if you like and send you a replacement receiver. There is NO guarantee you'll get a -100. Most have gotten them as replacements, but some have also gotten -600s. And you can't request a model number, so it's a crap shoot.

On Saturday I ordered my replacement H20 to 'fix' my caller ID problem on my current -600 version, which otherwise works perfectly and has stunning PQ and no lockups or pixelization. The replacement showed up yesterday via overnight UPS and its a -100! Woohooo!

Now I just need to find 30 minutes to swap out the boxes and call D* to activate. I am actually looking forward to it.

great info.

i'll call them soon to see if i can get the -100. those of you that switched from the -600 to the -100, would you say the PQ is the same, or better? i was awestruck when I first got my -600, but now the PQ looks a little soft to me. definately not as clear and defined as it once was. could be b/c i'm getting used to my new plasma or it's broken in a bit, or the STB, or both. how does DTV handle the return shipping on the -600's? do i just call them up and tel them i'm having PQ problems after moving the receiver to another room and request another box?

I also returned my H20 600 for a H20 100. The 600 ran so hot. And my OTA would have dropouts. My new H20 -100 runs a lot cooler. Menus seems to go faster. And I do not have OTA drop outs.

:)

I returned my first H20-600 in January at BB. It ran extremely hot. The second one (also H20-600) has been fine. No heat issues at all. The guide is a bit slow, but not terrible and the OTA is excellent. Glad to hear the -100 quickened the guide.

great info. i'll call them soon to see if i can get the -100. those of you that switched from the -600 to the -100, would you say the PQ is the same, or better? i was awestruck when I first got my -600, but now the PQ looks a little soft to me. definately not as clear and defined as it once was. could be b/c i'm getting used to my new plasma or it's broken in a bit, or the STB, or both. how does DTV handle the return shipping on the -600's? do i just call them up and tel them i'm having PQ problems after moving the receiver to another room and request another box?
The PQ with the H20-100 is, as far as I can tell, is the same: FANTASTIC... The picture is Clear & Defined! Not Soft...

D* will ship the replacement to you and inside is a RETURN label that you use to ship the old unit back to D*. You don't have to pay to return it... :)

If you call them and complain that your H20 is not working properly (list the problems such as too hot to touch, etc) they should agree to replace your unit with no argument... They seem to be very friendly and easy to deal with... :cool:

What does moving it to a different room have to do with anything?

What does moving it to a different room have to do with anything?

sometimes the robotic customer service people like to hear that you've tried to move the box to other rooms as a "troubleshooting" procedure before they'll actually process the order and send a new unit out. i called once about a bad hughes box that turned out to be a loose cable and they wanted me to go around my elbow to get to my ass to try to determine that it was the box and not a cable before they'd send me a new one.

anyone have any pics of the -100?

as an aside, i find it funny that the new -100 box is made in Mexico. I thought everyone down there was jumping ship into the land of opportunity for jobs. i guess a decent job can be had in mexico if you want it.

as an aside, i find it funny that the new -100 box is made in Mexico. I thought everyone down there was jumping ship into the land of opportunity for jobs. i guess a decent job can be had in mexico if you want it.
When I heard that the -100 was made in Mexico I figured it would be crappy... I was all wrong. "Made in Japan" used to mean "Piece of Junk" (now the Japanese produce high-quality products). Look for a similar result with Mexican products?

EDIT: Sorry Mark, I removed the political comments :)

Please guys: no politics

Thanks :)

all right, so politics, aside and back to the -100, i've read back to ~page 65 and found an eye brow raising concern. i don't currently have an OTA antenna, but i will have one in the near future (most likely a CM 4228 attic mounted. anyone have this setup and can comment?) some report bad OTA reception. can those of you that have this receiver and use OTA comment? some people are still reporting pixelation and drop out problems even after using the -100.

also, what do you think about my receiver placement. it's on the top rack of my armoire with plenty of room on all four sides except the top. i have about 1-2 inches of space between the -600 and the top of my armoire. my armoire has basically been customized for A/V so i was thinking about creating a vent for the receiver on the top of the armoire by making some carefully created slots above the vents for the -100. i could even mount a PC fan for exhaust out of the top of the armoire and it's so high, you'd never see it. thoughts?

The PQ with the H20-100 is, as far as I can tell, is the same: FANTASTIC... The picture is Clear & Defined! Not Soft...

D* will ship the replacement to you and inside is a RETURN label that you use to ship the old unit back to D*. You don't have to pay to return it... :)

If you call them and complain that your H20 is not working properly (list the problems such as too hot to touch, etc) they should agree to replace your unit with no argument... They seem to be very friendly and easy to deal with... :cool:

What does moving it to a different room have to do with anything?

Just got off the phone with technical support to request a -600 replacement. Simply told them it was freezing up, rebooting, and way hot to the touch. Embelished a bit telling them I was concerned the young kids were going to get burned when they touched it.

As evidenced by others, the rep was very congenial and even joked about cooking some eggs before returning the "defective" unit.

Hopefully a -100 will show up on my doorstep via Fedex 2-day on Thurs!

FYI, you can tell you have the -600 by simply opening the access card door and looking at the sticker. It says "MDL: H20 MFR: 600".

========
bep

Embelished a bit telling them I was concerned the young kids were going to get burned when they touched it.

As evidenced by others, the rep was very congenial and even joked about cooking some eggs before returning the "defective" unit.

========
bep
Hey bep,

I like mine scrambled or poached... :)

Good luck!

... back to the -100... some report bad OTA reception. can those of you that have this receiver and use OTA comment?I returned a dead H20-600 for an H20-100. This receiver seems to deal with multipath problems as well as the -600, but not quite as well with borderline low power or fringe stations. With the -100, I can no longer get one low power station I could previously get with the -600. However, this could be just the receiver I got as others have reported the same or better OTA reception with both models. As always, digital OTA is a crap shoot if the station is low power or far away. Fortunately, the LP station will go full power in about a month or so, which should solve my reception problem.

I can assure anyone that both the h-20-600 and the h-20-100 have excellent OTA tuners. I have one each now and they are very close to being equal with the slighest edge going to the 600. If anyone does not get good reception with either one of these receivers, it is probably time to look for the problem elsewhere (as long as you have a strong signal of 90-100).

Another comment on the H20-100. It is the little stuff that works well. I was absolutely delighted that the CENTERING of the screen works beyond just centering the menu setup screen. Now the actual programming content screen can be adjusted.

For example, if your monitor ticker scroll at the bottom is partially buried, you can adjust that and bring it up.

I'm confused. I currently own my H20-600. It runs hot as Hades, but since I put on the 1" legs it works OK (except for the non-working RF function). If I return it for an new H20-100 (hopefully) I will have to lease it? So what costs me $0/month will now cost me something? Is this correct?

So what costs me $0/month will now cost me something? Is this correct?

If you pay a $5 mirroring fee for your currently owned receiver, that becomes a $5 leasing fee instead. No cost difference.

If you use only one receiver, there is no mirroring or lease fees at the 1st one is always free or included in the price of the programming.

Since there have been people talking about adding a USB fan to their H20-600 since the damn thing runs so hot, I figure I'd contribute my DIY solution:

(Standard Disclaimer: Attempt at your own risk. If you hurt yourself, others or destroy anything, I am not responsible)

1)Buy a computer case fan that suits your needs. I used a 90mm but you can go as large as 120mm if you want it to cover almost all of the vent on the top of the unit.

2)Find an old usb cable lying around in your house or buy one, and cut the sucker to the length you need. Cut the cable and strip it. You'll see some silver filaments and a silvery sheath, remove that also. You will be left with 4 wires: red, black, green and white. All you need is the red and black (positive and ground) the other two are data wires, you wont be needing those so clip them off also.

3) Now take your case fan and find the red and black wires coming off the fan itself. Cut the wires close to the attached molex connectors so you have some length to work with.

4)Now strip the ends of the red and black wires on both the plug and the fan and twist them together (red to red, black to black). Make sure to cover the connections individually with electric tape or even better heat shrink tubing.

5) Take your homemade usb fan and hook it up to an open PC usb port to test. If everything works (and nothing has caught on fire) plug it in to your H20 and situate the fan on top either as an exhaust of inlet fan depending on what you want.

Pros:
cooler H20
you can choose the quality and size of the fan (many case fans are designed to be "noiseless")

Cons:
install can look ugly if you have exposed components

The fan always runs whether your H20 is on or not, so be careful when plugging it in for the first time. My hand was on the fan blades when I plugged it in and it gave me a surprising buzz. Good luck, and have fun!

I'm confused. I currently own my H20-600. It runs hot as Hades, but since I put on the 1" legs it works OK (except for the non-working RF function). If I return it for an new H20-100 (hopefully) I will have to lease it? So what costs me $0/month will now cost me something? Is this correct?
Nope. It doesn't matter if you lease or own. The monthly cost is the same.

I've been monitoring this thread for a long time and just got a H20-100 as a replacement for the H20-600 and thought I'd weigh in with my .02 on the comparison. First, the guide in the 100 flies compared to the 600. :) As far as PQ I think they're equal. One thing I did think was improved was the sound. To me on my HT in DD it sounds fuller. Lastly and most importantly I like the new blue LED color of the indicator lights. :D I like the blue much better than the green. I'm really glad I made the swap. In my case the swap was for pixelation on Non-HD channels like Discovery and Animal Planet.
If you've got the 600 try to get it swapped out for the 100. I think it's a big improvement.

Mike

micmay: Welcome aboard, my friend. And, do remember, keep the receiver running as cool as possible. Enclosed shelves are not to be preferred.

... If I return it for an new H20-100 (hopefully) I will have to lease it? So what costs me $0/month will now cost me something?As has been posted repeatedly in this thread, the monthly cost for leasing vs owning is exactly the same. Only differences with leasing vs owning an H20:
1. If you lease, D* will replace a defective receiver no charge.
2. If you lease, you must return the H20 to D* if you cancel service.
3. If you own, you can keep your H20 if you cancel service. Since the H20 is useless w/o a D* subscription, you end up with a nice doorstop :)

Another disadvantage, and my main gripe, with leasing equipment are the programming commitments.

If you pay a $5 mirroring fee for your currently owned receiver, that becomes a $5 leasing fee instead. No cost difference.

If you use only one receiver, there is no mirroring or lease fees at the 1st one is always free or included in the price of the programming.

Thanks.

I can assure anyone that both the h-20-600 and the h-20-100 have excellent OTA tuners. I have one each now and they are very close to being equal with the slighest edge going to the 600. If anyone does not get good reception with either one of these receivers, it is probably time to look for the problem elsewhere (as long as you have a strong signal of 90-100).

I live in an area that's only a few miles away from most towers, but I have a ton of very tall trees around me. With normal bunny ears plugged directly into my Samsung DLP I get pretty constant reception on most locals. But when I plug that same antenna into my H20 I get 0-5% reception on my locals. (therefore no picture) Is there something that I'm missing? Shouldn't my OTA reception through the H20 be better than that? Is there something I need to enable on the receiver to pull in the OTA signal? Thanks.

Another disadvantage, and my main gripe, with leasing equipment are the programming commitments.
Really? Why's that? Do you think you'll want to change to a different Sat provider and not be able to or be forced to use D* because of the committment? Or, do you just "need" to use it for a shorter amount of time than the committment period? Possibly you'll not subscribe to any Sat programming at all?

Actually, D* has had committments before their new leasing scheme.

Sure, I have wanted to jump-ship several times with various cellphone providers. And, in fact, I have changed cell companies numerous times over the years. I would quit NexTel right now if I didn't have the remainder of a 24-month "committment"... :(

I fully believe that any limitation on your ability to choose is --- shall we say, limiting? It's always preferable to keep your options open whenever possible? Basically, committments of all kinds pulls a vacuum...

Being one of D*'s first cutomers, back in 1994 --- I've had D* service for almost 12-years now... A "voluntary" committment that exceeds the history of my marriage committments. But that's a whole different story! Maybe it's D*'s fault? :)

At any rate, when the D* CSR warned me that I had to commit to keeping 24-months of D* service in order to get the H20, I didn't blink an eye... Okay... I have no problem with that.

The D* committment is that you'll keep basic service ($50/month) for 24-months? Not a minor committment when you look at it that way? But, right now I subscribe to the "Total Choice Premier" package. When you add in the cost of the additional receiver fees, the HD programming, occasional PPV and a couple of sport's packages --- I pay more than $175 per month to D*. $175 times 24 equals $4,200. Hmmm, maybe I should sell all my equipment and stop watching TV? :D

I clearly remember when TV was free. All three channels... ;)

Summarizing: A 24-month committment isn't any big deal to me, but I guess I can understand why some would be concerned about it.

I have 2 H20-600 ( Korea ) and 2 H20-100. I am using HDMI cable on all.
The LG 600 has a slightly better PQ and OTA Tuner.
I can pickup 6 OTA stations with the LG H20-600 and only 5 OTA stations with the
RCA H20-100. I also have a large outside antenna.
The 600 does run warmer.

Another disadvantage, and my main gripe, with leasing equipment are the programming commitments.
Hey Dan,

My main gripe with satellite service is the "13.17% Florida Communications Services Tax that took effect 10-01-2001 for Satellite TV. (10.8% Communications Services tax and 2.37% Gross Receipts tax)."

Our sales tax is "only" 7%. The communications Services Tax (on satellite providers) is almost double!

I pay over $23 just in tax for satellitte service? And, I think the tax rate on cellphones is probably the same???

Do other states have exorbitant tax rates on sat service too?

I guess complaining about paying taxes is "poor form"?

I live in an area that's only a few miles away from most towers, but I have a ton of very tall trees around me. With normal bunny ears plugged directly into my Samsung DLP I get pretty constant reception on most locals. But when I plug that same antenna into my H20 I get 0-5% reception on my locals. (therefore no picture) Is there something that I'm missing? Shouldn't my OTA reception through the H20 be better than that? Is there something I need to enable on the receiver to pull in the OTA signal? Thanks.
Make sure you are connected to the correct connection on your H-20. There is a connection for a "RF remote antenna" and an "Off Air In". You need to be connected to "Off Air In", the "RF Remote antenna" is for a rf remote control.

I don't know if its poor form but I suppose we can talk about tax rates without moderator intervention. If not, I apologize in advance.

My D* bill is $80 and I pay $4.98 in tax. I have no idea what that tax is for. It is labelled 'sales tax' on the statement. That works out to 6.23% which is the state sales tax in my area of DFW. I have heard of certain states taxing satellite service but I do not understand why they are singling out that industry. Its a mystery to me. Maybe someone can educate us all.

Hey Dan,

My main gripe with satellite service is the "13.17% Florida Communications Services Tax that took effect 10-01-2001 for Satellite TV. (10.8% Communications Services tax and 2.37% Gross Receipts tax)."

Our sales tax is "only" 7%. The communications Services Tax (on satellite providers) is almost double!

I pay over $23 just in tax for satellitte service? And, I think the tax rate on cellphones is probably the same???

Do other states have exorbitant tax rates on sat service too?

I guess complaining about paying taxes is "poor form"?
Tech......
Looks like you're a prime candidate for a move to New Hampshire....NO Sales...OR Income Tax!! :D Oh....yeah....there IS an 8% Rooms & Meals Tax (aka "Bed 'n' Belly")

and now let's get back on topic please

... when I plug that same antenna into my H20 I get 0-5% reception on my locals. (therefore no picture) Is there something that I'm missing? Shouldn't my OTA reception through the H20 be better than that? Is there something I need to enable on the receiver to pull in the OTA signal? Thanks.
http://i2.tinypic.com/vcrmmh.jpg
Make sure the set top antenna is connected to Off Air connection (not RF remote antenna). Re-enter your local ZIP Code in the Setup menu section for local OTA channels received w/ antenna. The H20 should do a new scan of local OTA channels.

It's also possible you need a better antenna than what you're trying, but if you're near the towers you should at least receive something (assuming the stations are broadcasting @ full power).

Thinking about getting a H20 to replace my failing E86. I have only one cable from my multiswitch to the HD box. My multiswitch has a feed from my ceiling mounted ant. Any problems with using a diplexer to seperate the Sat and ant signals? My E86 had a built in diplexer s othis was not an issue.

aggarcia: Is it possible to bring that cable from the ceiling mounted antenna (OTA) directly to back of h-20? Always best if you can keep OTA antenna separate from satellite incoming cable, if possible.

Thinking about getting a H20 to replace my failing E86. I have only one cable from my multiswitch to the HD box. My multiswitch has a feed from my ceiling mounted ant. Any problems with using a diplexer to seperate the Sat and ant signals? My E86 had a built in diplexer s othis was not an issue.
No problem if you don't receive MPEG4 channels via D*. Just add one at the back of the H20. Sat/OTA diplexors are not compatible with D* MPEG4 channels.

[edited to clarify]

You can't use a diplexor with the new dish.

You can use diplexors with the new dish, but not with the new mpeg4 receivers. Big difference. I have a 5-LNB dish and diplex the signal to two mpeg2 HD receivers, but use a straight run to my H20.

anyone have or can take some pics of the new -100? measurements would be great as well.

CHolleman: Appearance, front and back, quite similar to model 600. The cabinet is deeper (somewhat lighter overall, seems to me) and has more ventilation (holes) in top cover. The 100 model signal meter (if referenced same as on the 600) reads slightly higher on Directv sats and slightly lower on OTA stations; not enough difference to malke any difference, in my opinion. I have a 600 and 100 at home now. Oh, yes, lit with small blue lites. The BIG afvantage of model 100 is that it runs cooler and this means less problems. If you own a 600 now, and having any problems, maybe best to exchange for a leased model 100 from Directv. They will pay all shipping by the way. This deal, of course, could be discontinued in the future. The warranty is only 90 days on the h-20. So far, Directv has overlooked this.

Does anyone have the outside case dimensions for the H20-100?,
I understand it to be larger then the 600 that I currently want to replace.

Thanks
dave

Does anyone have the outside case dimensions for the H20-100?,
I understand it to be larger then the 600 that I currently want to replace.

Thanks
dave


3 1/8" H 11 1/2"W 15" D

I had my swap out done on Sunday the 9th with a H20-600 installed. I have let it run since and it does not seem to be all that hot. How long did it take for everyone to notice the overheating issue? If it's going to overheat I would just as soon have it happen sooner rather than later.
Now all I need is for the locals( Nashville) to be turned on. My installer said they were told it would be the 19th as has been reported.

H20-600, made in China, 2-09-06.

Part of me thinks that even if the -600 didn't run hot, typically, I would still swap. There's just a lot of little things (mentioned in earlier messages) that are fixed. Perhaps these will show up in a software update for the -600.

hoptown101
My 2 overheated H20-600s were made in Korea. The first problem was OTA stations would randomly cut out. This began 4-6 weeks after installation. Eventually, other HD D* channels 72, 73 & 74 began doing the same thing. I now have had the much cooler H20-100 Mexican made receivers for about one flawless month.

Derg: Glad to see you have had same experience as I have had with h-20-100. Going on a month with perfect operation with zero dropouts, etc.

I just had my 2nd H20-100 delivered today, it's replacing a 100 that had troubles with the autotune.
It replaced a 600 with several problems.
I hope I'm thru trading out receivers since it's a pia to set everything up everytime.

Moose: I have been checking my autotune for 5-6 days now and everything seems to be ok. I did some things to try to confuse autotune but, all in all, it came thru very well. I had autotuned 25 programs during this time. Keep h-20-100 as cool as possible and I hope all goes well for you and the autotune.

Thinking about making an exchange of a model 600 for a model 100 with Directv. Has anyone, in last week or 2, received an h-20-600 from Directv? I would think, directly from Directv they are only sending model 100's now.

richard korsgren
Everything about the H20-100 is better. Changing from channel to channel response time is much faster, and, even my wife agrees with me on this one, the picture quality seems better!

derg: As you may know, I have 1 h20-100 and about to exchange a 600 for another 100. As I have said, my model 100 has operated flawlessly for going on a month now. Whether or not the picture quality is better than the 600 is a hard call. Actually, I had no complaints on the 600 as far as picture quality. But, as you said above, just about everything is a little better on the 100. Better thinking has went into it and, of course, the unit runs much cooler.

Moose: I have been checking my autotune for 5-6 days now and everything seems to be ok. I did some things to try to confuse autotune but, all in all, it came thru very well. I had autotuned 25 programs during this time. Keep h-20-100 as cool as possible and I hope all goes well for you and the autotune.
The new 100 I just got is doing the same thing (deleting he autotuned program if you interupt it)
The tech person checked her receivers & the 100 did the same thing but the 600 did not.
She bumped it up to the engineers & there may be a fix on the way.

Just received a replacement 100 for a 600. From what I have been reading, I should swap receivers. The 600 is a little hot and has occasional video dropoiuts. Maybe 5 a week.
Any reasons why I should keep the 600 over the 100.
DTV sent for free

rlockkshin: I believe you will not get those dropouts with the cooler running model 100. I see no apparent reason for choosing the 600 over the 100. Directv should exchange it free (shipping included).

rlockkshin: I believe you will not get those dropouts with the cooler running model 100. I see no apparent reason for choosing the 600 over the 100. Directv should exchange it free (shipping included).
I totally agree with this. Additionally, my OTA reception is just as sensitive as before when using my -600, at least with this 100.

Even that filtering menu system works well.

This is a well-built receiver.

CHolleman: Appearance, front and back, quite similar to model 600. The cabinet is deeper (somewhat lighter overall, seems to me) and has more ventilation (holes) in top cover. The 100 model signal meter (if referenced same as on the 600) reads slightly higher on Directv sats and slightly lower on OTA stations; not enough difference to malke any difference, in my opinion. I have a 600 and 100 at home now. Oh, yes, lit with small blue lites. The BIG afvantage of model 100 is that it runs cooler and this means less problems. If you own a 600 now, and having any problems, maybe best to exchange for a leased model 100 from Directv. They will pay all shipping by the way. This deal, of course, could be discontinued in the future. The warranty is only 90 days on the h-20. So far, Directv has overlooked this.


As I've posted, the 100 is significantly higher on both Sat and OTA singals for me. It's readings are consistent with my Samsung. Both 600's I've had were considerably lower and couldn't tune in some OTA stations the 100 and Sammy could.

... Both 600's I've had were considerably lower and couldn't tune in some OTA stations the 100 and Sammy could.YMMV.

I've had just the opposite experience. My -100 will not receive a weak fringe channel the -600 could and the samsung could (at times). So it's very possible the -100 series OTA tuner's sensitivity may vary from one receiver to the next.

If all of your OTA stations are nearby and transmitting at full power, none of this should matter.

Definitely so, YMMV. This stuff can be really flaky when comparing... I do have a couple of marginal strength stations but my -100 honestly has fewer drop outs than the -600 with them. I have one 90%+ station which is obviously happy with both receivers.

Going on day 6 and the 600 is still running pretty cool. I don't think it's any warmer than my old receiver.

My installer said that the only model they had in their shop to install are the H20-600'S. I've never been able to pick up any OTA signals due to terrain and distance issues so that doesn't worry me much.

How do you download the software updates for the 600's? I can't seem to figure that out. The PQ seems every bit as good if not better than with the Sammy model I had before. Is there a noticeable difference in PQ between the 600 and 100?

Does anyone else have a 600 made in China?

It has been assumed that the 600 contains the 5th generation LG OTA tuner chip. If the 100 (RCA) does not, then the 600 would be superior in areas with multipath reception problems. My nephew lives in such an area, and at his location the HD Tivo, SAT-HD300, and HTL-HD all have problems with two local HD channels due to multipath. One of these days I will bring the H20-600 over there and see if it helps. (I have one that runs cool and seems to have no issues - it was made in China - although it doesn't get much use at present because most of our viewing is via DVR's).

... How do you download the software updates for the 600's?...
Hit the red reset button behind the access card door.
When the screen says "Starting up...." key in 02468 on the remote control keypad.
Then, WAIT. The D/L meter may appear to hang near 100%. It is actually installing the update, although the screen may still show the download in progress. Do not stop the process.

It has been assumed that the 600 contains the 5th generation LG OTA tuner chip. If the 100 (RCA) does not, then the 600 would be superior in areas with multipath reception problems...The -600 supposedly has the 5th gen. LG chipset, however Thomson/RCA has similar technology and the -100 likely contains their newest chipset that deals with multipath much better than any previous designs. The boards are very different visibly, but have virtually identical onscreen GUIs. My -600 had two chipsets with aluminim heat sinks attached, but the -100 only has a single chipset and no heat sink. Most all who have had both report the -100s run significantly cooler than the -600s.

Having owned a -100 & a -600, both dealt with multipath better than any previous receivers I've owned. The -600 I had worked slightly better than my -100 does on fringe and low power stations. But others in this thread have reported just the opposite, so YMMV.

I just swapped out my 600 that ran hot and did not work with caller ID but the OTA reception and PQ were perfect with no dropouts or lockups at all after several months. The new unit is a 100. It fixed the caller ID problem. HOWEVER I had one OTA station on the fringe that the 600 had no problem with, generating signal strengths in the 80s for that channel. The 100 cannot hold the station and it ranges from 0 to 60 in signal strength. Unfortunately for me it is ABC here in DFW. ABC is owned by Belo, which does not allow D* to broadcast its HD feed via mpeg4, for some unfathomable reason. Belo also does not allow D* subscribers in their areas to receive the National HD feeds out of NY and CA. Therefore my decision is to keep the 100 with caller ID working, or lose the ABC OTA digital channel and the HD programming that goes with it. Dang.

The -600 supposedly has the 5th gen. LG chipset, however Thomson/RCA has similar technology and the -100 likely contains their newest chipset that deals with multipath much better than any previous designs. The boards are very different visibly, but have virtually identical onscreen GUIs. My -600 had two chipsets with aluminim heat sinks attached, but the -100 only has a single chipset and no heat sink. Most all who have had both report the -100s run significantly cooler than the -600s.

Having owned a -100 & a -600, both dealt with multipath better than any previous receivers I've owned. The -600 I had worked slightly better than my -100 does on fringe and low power stations. But others in this thread have reported just the opposite, so YMMV.

I have 2 H20-600 ( Korea ) and 2 H20-100. I am using HDMI cable on all.
The LG 600 has a slightly better PQ and OTA Tuner.
I can pickup 6 OTA stations with the LG H20-600 and only 5 OTA stations with the
RCA H20-100. I also have a large outside antenna.
The 600 does run warmer.

billt: Sorry you are having a problem with the model 100. I find the 600 and the 100 very close in OTA reception with the slightest sensitivty edge going to the 600. I get stations up to 50 miles with both receivers. At 50 miles, you must have a top antenna from Televes, CM, or Winegard. It must be highly directional and you must have a roter aim it directly at incoming UHF signal. I get 90 plus on my stations in that 50 mile direction. Also, get a complete list of stations (another market) at around 30 miles. These all peg at 95-100 on signal strength meter on both the 100 and the 600. The 100 is a fine receiver. Maybe you can do some things to bring in that ABC station better.

So, it seems, that the model 100 is the only h-20 being sent out by Directv these days. So, come next week will exchange my 600 for another 100. Overall, they are both fine receivers when working 100 percent correctly. I am convinced, on average, the model 100 will operate better over a longer length of time. This is mainly because of its' better design (to very much include the larger cabinet).

I have 2 H20-600 ( Korea ) and 2 H20-100. I am using HDMI cable on all.
Do you have these set up for viewing in four different rooms? Or, do you have four - 65" plasma displays? Or do you only use HD projectors? :D

YMMV.

I've had just the opposite experience. My -100 will not receive a weak fringe channel the -600 could and the samsung could (at times). So it's very possible the -100 series OTA tuner's sensitivity may vary from one receiver to the next.

If all of your OTA stations are nearby and transmitting at full power, none of this should matter.



Interesting. Well, I'm 60 miles from my stations so the strength matters. I guess this just adds to the crapshoot of the whole thing.

phoard1: As you know, at 60 miles, you must have a top-rated highly directional antenna (most likely with a roter) and the more height on that antenna, the better. A clear line of sight is all-important. And the transmitter must be giving out a 'high' signal. The h-20 (both models) are very sensitive (among the best to date) and gives you a fair to good chance of picking up stations at 60 miles if everything falls into place.

phoard1: As you know, at 60 miles, you must have a top-rated highly directional antenna (most likely with a roter) and the more height on that antenna, the better. A clear line of sight is all-important. And the transmitter must be giving out a 'high' signal. The h-20 (both models) are very sensitive (among the best to date) and gives you a fair to good chance of picking up stations at 60 miles if everything falls into place.


I get very good reception with my Channelmaster 4228. From 60 miles away the rotar isn't really necessary. At that distance they are all within a degree or so of each other. I get very good HD OTA reception. No drops, pixels anything. When bad weather hits and Directv goes out I switch to the antenna and no problem.

My point was simply that each receiver seems to be unique, even within a certain model. My old Sammy and Current H20-100 have much better strength than the 600 OTA. Yet some have had the opposite experience, so I guess it really is a case by case thing.

After all these years, it seems anything concerning video/audio reception thru the air is 'case by case thing'. Glad your reception is ok.

... At 50 miles, you must have a top antenna from Televes, CM, or Winegard. It must be highly directional and you must have a roter aim it directly at incoming UHF signal.The station billt is having problems with is not UHF, it's VHF.

billt,
What kind of antenna are you using? Do you have a VHF+UHF preamp?

Then, of course, a top rated VHF antenna is required; actually a combo of UHF and VHF.

Actually, some antennas designed to receive UHF only will do a decent job of receiving highband VHF channels 7 thru 13. The Channel Master CM 4228 is an example. It is a "UHF-only antenna" that exceeds the FCC's planning factor gain at both high-VHF and UHF bands. Article in TV Technology (http://www.tvtechnology.com/features/On-RF/2006.01.25-f_doug.shtml).

My point was that not all digital stations are in the UHF band. Many cities have at least one VHF digital, and many stations will go back to their VHF assignment when analog goes dark. Our area has 1 VHF digital now and will eventually have 2, post-analog. Here's a list of existing & applied for VHF digital stations (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?state=&call=&arn=&city=&chan=02&cha2=13&serv=DT&type=0&facid=&list=2&dist=&dlat2=&mlat2=&slat2=&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&size=9).

[edited to fix URL]

Bottom line..From here on, anyone installing a set-up for OTA, go with a combo UHF and VHF antenna. Channel Master and Winegard have much info as to what you will need for various distances, etc. Stark Electronics is a good dealer for antennas and accessories.

Yes, but if you're going to do that, definitely wait for the LG version of the H20.

"To use H20 as OTA tuner/receiver only. "
Do you mean without DirectTV subscription? Do I just hook up the antenna? TIA for the enlightening.

The H20 will not allow you to watch OTA until you activate D* service and the smart card in the receiver. It will allow you to scan OTA channels and it will tell you how many OTA channels it found, but it will not tell you which ones and will not allow you to view them while the card is inactive.

The station billt is having problems with is not UHF, it's VHF.
billt,
What kind of antenna are you using? Do you have a VHF+UHF preamp?

I am using an 80" boom antenna with combo UHF and VHF elements from RS, model VU-90 XR. It is mounted at the crest of the attic in my 2 story home. I have a CM 7777 pre amp as well. The pre amp is mounted 5 feet from the antenna and the power supply is mounted 5 feet from the receiver. The dedicated coax run is about 75' of RG6.

I know I can put in a larger antenna (RS has a 120" antenna with 6 to 9 db more of gain), an antenna with more VHF gain, or move the antenna outside. I guess my point was in a straight up comparison of my -100 and my -600 the -600 is more sensitive than the particular -100 I have. The -100 is a better receiver than my samsung 360 however. The -100 is only intermittent on a single VHF channel. The 360 missed 10 channels and was intermittent on 5 others with the exact same setup.

I strongly agree with this forum's observation that receiver sensitivities vary from unit to unit. As a product design engineer in the cellular and paging industries we allow the manufacturers a tolerance of plus or minus 6db from handset to handset. I KNOW that it is impossible to mass produce products that have RF sensitivities that are EXACTLY the same, receiver after receiver.

I would think simply moving the existing antenna out of the attic would solve the problem for you. I don't know, but many on this forum report that there's about a 50% signal loss by sticking the antenna in the attic.

With my H20-100, I currently have no problem receiving an OTA channel on VHF channel 9. The station is roughly 45 mi away and operating at a half power STA of ~10kW ERP. I'm using a CM 4228 UHF antenna + CM 7777 preamp - outside, of course :-)

Anyone know who makes the H20-500? Saw a post on another forum asking about one.

I know nothing but, I would guess, the gaps (in time) will be filled in between model 100 and model 600.It would have made more sense to keep the model numbers in order (less confusion in marketplace). I would suppose each model to have slight changes (hopefully improvements as Directv gains in its' learning curve.) I still maintain keeping the receiver running cool is very important. By the way, as many know, when ordering from Directv you can never order a specified model number such as 600 or 100 or 500(?). They just pull them from the warehouse as they come in.

The 3 digit suffix number at the end of the model number has nothing to do with model number sequence or date of mfg. It indicates who made the thing.

LG receivers are -600 and RCA are -100.

Anyone know who makes the H20-500? Saw a post on another forum asking about one.


See posts 51 thru 53 in this thread for answer.

Thanks John.

I read them, but still came away confused, since no one seemed to be sure.

Actually, some antennas designed to receive UHF only will do a decent job of receiving highband VHF channels 7 thru 13. The Channel Master CM 4228 is an example. It is a "UHF-only antenna" that exceeds the FCC's planning factor gain at both high-VHF and UHF bands. Article in TV Technology (http://www.tvtechnology.com/features/On-RF/2006.01.25-f_doug.shtml).

Thanks for this reference. I had no idea the CM 4228 had 9 dB gain on the VHF-HI band. It would thus be the antenna of choice in many localities after the analog cutoff. Here, unfortunately, WBBM-DT CBS seems to be stuck with Ch. 3, and I wouldn't expect the 4228 to be much help there in most locations.

Thanks for this reference. I had no idea the CM 4228 had 9 dB gain on the VHF-HI band. It would thus be the antenna of choice in many localities after the analog cutoff. Here, unfortunately, WBBM-DT CBS seems to be stuck with Ch. 3, and I wouldn't expect the 4228 to be much help there in most locations.
The Winegard Squareshooter SS-2000 is a good High-Band VHF/UHF
Amplified Digital/Analog/HDTV Antenna. I've been quite please with the thing:

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?CAT=&PROD=OBO-SS-2000

Neither the 4228 or the Squareshooter would be a good choice for low band VHF ch3 WBBM, but according to the FCC, WBBM has an application in to move to highband VHF ch11. Either the Squareshooter or the 4228 would likely work.

Here's a gain comparison (http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html) of some popular antennas. For 39 bucks (warrenelectronics), the CM 4228 would be hard to beat.

But this discussion should really be in another thread...

Here is a quote from DTV level 2 tech support. The 100 is a much more stable unit than the 600. If you can get one to replace a 600, do it while you can. I called last week and complained about video drops and heat and they sent me a 100.
I asked if it was worth the time to swap , and he said YES

rlockkshin: And this comes about due to some changes inside, but mainly, I believe, to design of cabinet and cooler operation of the unit. My '100' has performed flawlessly for going on one month. About ready to exchange my other 600 for a 100.

richard, is the SD PQ on your 100 better than the 600? SD channels on my 100 seem fuzzier and the colors seem slightly more washed out. It might be just this particular 100. It is very difficult to do an AB test since it takes 30 minutes and a call to D* to swap them out.

Billt: I have one 600 and one 100 here at my home. I am comparing them on different tv sets so it is impossible to compare directly. But I would rate both receivers 'very close' in image quality. Nothing is fuzzy nor are the colors washed out whatsoever on the 100. This is true on SD and HD. The main reason I am exchanging a second 600 for another 100 is that the long term reliability of the 100 may be better because of design changes within and a bigger, better ventilated cabinet. Do compare the 100 on a local live newscast or a live news program on Directv (SD). Check your HD on a live sports contest or Discovery HD Theatre, etc.

bill, are you using HDMI or component?

bill, are you using HDMI or component?


HDMI out to an HDMI to DVI convertor into the back of a 42" Panny HD plasma. The DVI cable is 6' long Acoustic Research cable.

Hate to throw a little damper on this. But, my new 100 did not receive an OTA channel that the 600 received at 100%. Called tech support and they tried to force new software. Box sat for 15 minutes and nothing happened. Now they are sending me another unit

Hate to throw a little damper on this. But, my new 100 did not receive an OTA channel that the 600 received at 100%. Called tech support and they tried to force new software. Box sat for 15 minutes and nothing happened. Now they are sending me another unit

What firmware version do you have for the -100 and what are you expecting? Mine is 003E and it has never been upgraded. I was under the impression that the factory version was the only version for the 100.

I had the original. It needs OF06 at the end just like the 600. I believe that you have old software

According to level 2 tech support, it should have the same as the 600

According to level 2 tech support, it should have the same as the 600

YIKES! They would be the last place to know. ;)

Anyone out there have a 100 with something other than the original 003E version software?

I tried arxaw's instructions exactly as per below but I never get a message that says "Starting up" or anything like that.


"Hit the red reset button behind the access card door.
When the screen says "Starting up...." key in 02468 on the remote control keypad.
Then, WAIT. The D/L meter may appear to hang near 100%. It is actually installing the update, although the screen may still show the download in progress. Do not stop the process. "

YIKES! They would be the last place to know. ;)

Anyone out there have a 100 with something other than the original 003E version software?

No update on mine, yet. This is my full listing:

003E 020E, B00000113

Very interesting. What about the problem of not loading new software. 3 different reps claimed that it needed new software.
At the least, it should have gone thru the download process.
What are the real facts hre? All 3 said hat OFO6 was current.
Also, why would it skip an OTA channel that the 600 brought in at 100% ?

No update on mine, yet. This is my full listing:

003E 020E, B00000113

4th call to tech support . ALL H20 receivers run on the same software. Does not matter whether it is a 600 or 100 model. I asked him 3 times. Sorry, Larry but according tothem you are missing latest software.
Hit red reset button and push 0 2 4 6 8
It should load. Mine did not and that is why i is going back

Sure this has been answered but can't seem to find. Can an H2O be used with a 3-lnb dish? Know It won't get the MPEG-4 stuff, but would like for future. Thanks

Sure this has been answered but can't seem to find. Can an H2O be used with a 3-lnb dish? Know It won't get the MPEG-4 stuff, but would like for future. Thanks

Yes it can: that is how I am using mine

there is an option in the setup menu for the 3 LNB dish

4th call to tech support . ALL H20 receivers run on the same software. Does not matter whether it is a 600 or 100 model. I asked him 3 times. Sorry, Larry but according tothem you are missing latest software.
Hit red reset button and push 0 2 4 6 8
It should load. Mine did not and that is why i is going back

This is odd, mine is the same way, it won't load any new software, it just hangs when it's a forced software download using 02468.

My H20-100 software version is 003E 020E, B00000113

When I do attempt to download the latest software, I normally lose my local channels (I have the 5 LNB dish, not an OTA) and need to call D* to set me up again, although the last time when they re-authorized my local channels, every single one of them pixelated and I had to unplug the receiver, wait 15 seconds and all was well, with the exception that my channels 72 and 79 still pixel and freeze frame (even after 10 tech visits)

I do have plenty of ventilation on all 6 sides as well, including raising the bottom with rubber feet.

Per level 2 support, if it cannot load new software,it is defective. When attempting to load software, it should either fail or the % should increase an load, Just sitting there and churning is not acceptable.
Maybe we need level 3 support

I tried the reset 02468 on my HD20-100 & it sat at 0% for 20 mins before I aborted it.
It did say it found new software but never loaded it.

My 600 did a download as soon as it was started, no need to force it.

My biggest issue is why am I getting only a 67% signal strength?
The tech that installed it said I was getting a 93% on the pole, which is what all my other receivers are getting. He went on to say that 67-70% was very typical for the H20 because of the MPEG chip. But I am worried that the smallest rain shower will kill my signal altogether. Any thoughts?

... He went on to say that 67-70% was very typical for the H20...There's nothing wrong. You're still getting the same signal strength as other receivers. The signal strength meter on the H20 just reads lower than older receivers do.

4th call to tech support . ALL H20 receivers run on the same software. Does not matter whether it is a 600 or 100 model. I asked him 3 times. Sorry, Larry but according tothem you are missing latest software.
Hit red reset button and push 0 2 4 6 8
It should load. Mine did not and that is why i is going back

Does ANYBODY out there have a firmware version on their 100 that is not 003E 020E, B00000113? Anybody?

I have hit the red reset button and pressed 02468 25 times in a row and it always does the same thing, a blank screen for 20 seconds or so and goes straight to a D* logo and a message that says "Acquiring info from Satellite". 30 seconds later I am right back on the same channel I started with when I reset. Am I skipping a step or something?

Also, why would it skip an OTA channel that the 600 brought in at 100% ?I also lost one local OTA channel with a 100 that the previous 600 would pick up no problem. But it was a low power station and never read 100% on the SS meter.

It's possible the station you lost may be strong but have multipath problems. The LG (600) and the RCA (100) have completely different internal boards and different tuner chipsets. The LG 5th generation tuner chipset supposedly ignores multipath problems better than any other OTA tuner available. The 100 has a Broadcomm chipset, which may not equal the LG when dealing with multipath problems. Just guessing......

Does ANYBODY out there have a firmware version on their 100 that is not 003E 020E, B00000113? Anybody?

I have hit the red reset button and pressed 02468 25 times in a row and it always does the same thing, a blank screen for 20 seconds or so and goes straight to a D* logo and a message that says "Acquiring info from Satellite". I have the same FW version (quoted above) on my H20-100.

I guess YMMV, but when I hit the red reset button, the screen is blank for a few seconds and then it says something about "...your directv receiver is starting up..."
When the starting up message appears, I key in 02468 on the remote and the receiver attempts to DL new software, but never does. It eventually times out.

I don't think the 100 has a newer FW version available than the one it comes with.

I have the Sony HD200 and the DTV HR-10-250. I am moving and DTV won't connect the Sony but will replace it with an H20. The HR-10 is short on features compared to the Sony HD200, and I am trying to determine if the H20 has similar shortcomings.


Does the H20 have a favorits picker or do you have to punch in the channel numbers manually to go to specific channels?

How does the H20 handle output format for 480i material? The Sony, will automatically upconvert it to full 3X4 display but on the HR-10 that must be manually selected each time.

How does PQ with Mpeg 4 compare to Mpeg 2?

Does the H20 receive analog VHF and UHF in addition to HD OTA transmissions?

You can create 2 favorites lists with the H20.

480i 4:3 channels can be zoomed and stretched to various screen filling preferences. It will remember your preference for 480i chs and will lock to 16:9 on 720p or 1080i channels.

Most people in this thread have reported superior picture quality with the H20 vs previous D* receivers. I don't have M4, so I can't compare it to M2, but all M2 chs (both SD & HD) look better on the H20s I've had than any of my previous receivers.

The H20 OTA tuner receives ATSC digital chs VHF 2-13 & UHF 14-69 only. The analog OTA/cable tuner has been eliminated.

JG: Once you get used to the 'favorites', it is quite easy and really works fine. You can save faves in 2 groups. Also, the HD programming and the local channels are in 2 more groupings. When going to 6-1, you only have to type in '6'.

The h-20 is seamless between HD programming and non-HD programming. You have several options.

The MPEG4 quality (consensus of opinions) on local HD stations is very close to HD programming OTA. In the beginnings there are a few shortcomings (audio) but these are being worked out. Quality seems about equal on MPEG4 and MPEG2 programming. If the MPEG4 programming has 'more space' it can be better.

The h-20 (both 100 and 600 models) is digital only. It receives non-HD programming and HD programming. Of course, everything between local stations and Directv programming is seamless in operation.

So far, the Model 100 in the h-20 series seems to be somewhat more reliable because of its' design. Both, when operating correctly, are very good receivers. The set-up takes a little time to learn.

....Sorry, Larry but according tothem you are missing latest software.
Hit red reset button and push 0 2 4 6 8
It should load. Mine did not and that is why i is going back
I tried the forced update and it reacted the same way as everyone else's -100. I'm going to let the issue rest a while. This -100 works so well that I'm very happy with it.

This could be a case of our knowing too much sometimes....

I tried the forced update and it reacted the same way as everyone else's -100. I'm going to let the issue rest a while.

I agree. Until someone with a 100 chimes in with a firmware version other than 003E 020E, B00000113 there is nothing else to do.

Per level 2 support, if it cannot load new software,it is defective. When attempting to load software, it should either fail or the % should increase an load, Just sitting there and churning is not acceptable.
Maybe we need level 3 support
Are you serious? You actually believe the people at D* tech support? Man, that's hilarious!

Maybe level 100 support? Or 1000? How's about they give us access to the guy who designed these receivers? :)

Do you happen to have a grain of salt available?

This is only MY opinion, and it's free but worth every penny: It seems to me that if you need help from tech support --- you are in deep trouble... I strongly suggest that you check here on the forum for answers to your questions and STOP calling D*. While you might not get an answer here, at least if you do, it will possibly be correct.

It wouldn't surprise me too much if there actually are some people at D* who know a thing or two about the H20 receiver... But, I'll wager you that your chances of speaking to them is extremely remote...

The fact is that the -600 has had software updates. The -100 has not. Not yet...

Wanna bet some money that the replacement receiver that you get (if it's a -100 model) has the exact same software version as the one you are returning? :D

Your -100 might have a problem, or it might not. A replacement might correct it, or it might not... But if the problem is that it has the wrong software version you're outta luck.

Good luck.

Just spoke with a supervisor who stated that the 100 DOES NOT TAKE upgrades. You people are right and DTV tech support level 2 are idiots. Sup claims that receiver has only been out for a month,so what. Their records do not show a difference between receivers.
Bottom linme is, your 100's run on original firmware

I also lost one local OTA channel with a 100 that the previous 600 would pick up no problem. But it was a low power station and never read 100% on the SS meter.

It's possible the station you lost may be strong but have multipath problems. The LG (600) and the RCA (100) have completely different internal boards and different tuner chipsets. The LG 5th generation tuner chipset supposedly ignores multipath problems better than any other OTA tuner available. The 100 has a Broadcomm chipset, which may not equal the LG when dealing with multipath problems. Just guessing......

I believe that you might be correct. Ran line into antenna undiplexed at receiver end( was diplexed on roof). No reception on 3-1 RF 2
Put back old 600 and channel is there at 100%

Just spoke with a supervisor who stated that the 100 DOES NOT TAKE upgrades. You people are right and DTV tech support level 2 are idiots. Sup claims that receiver has only been out for a month,so what. Their records do not show a difference between receivers.
Bottom linme is, your 100's run on original firmware
Maybe you should call D* back and speak to a level 2 supervisor... You'd probably get a different response?

IMHO, you'd do yourself a big favor avoiding D* for technical service or support.

One thing that I have to admit: The D* CSRs speak English (for the most part?) AND they are polite and try hard to help. Some even have a sense of humor! But, if they are not trained --- then their ability to provide tech support is obviously quite limited. I get the feeling that few techs (of all levels) have even seen a H20, either -100 or -600.

Maybe I'm all wrong (as usual) but I still believe that all tech support personnel for D* should be required to read the posts in this forum. :D

I was wondering if you have a similar issue with it as I do? I'm only getting a 67-70% signal strength with the H20, Even though the strength on all my other receivers have 90-94%. The tech told me that 70% was normal because of the MPEG-4 chip in the receiver. But I'm now worried that the smallest rain shower will kill ny sig all together. Any thoughts??

Eric

Typically, one should aim roughly for 75% to 85% or so... with the H20. Depends muchly on your location, transponder and satellite. You might need some minor adjustment... If you were 57% to 65% as an average, then I'd say you need a major realignment.

I was wondering if you have a similar issue with it as I do? I'm only getting a 67-70% signal strength with the H20, Even though the strength on all my other receivers have 90-94%. The tech told me that 70% was normal because of the MPEG-4 chip in the receiver. But I'm now worried that the smallest rain shower will kill ny sig all together. Any thoughts?? Eric
The only way to find out for sure is to wait until you get a heavy down pour? Several of the 2400+ posts in this thread have noted that the H20's signal strength is lower than most other receivers. Seems like the consensus of opinion is that it is not a problem. All things being relative...

Don't worry, be happy? :D

Think, at times, perhaps we worry too much about updates. Thru the years, any updates have been automatic on most receivers as I remember. My 100 is working flawlessly; believe I want no updates!

Signal strength meters are all relative to design and not to other signal strength meters (on other receivers). The meter on Model 100 (h-20) reads about 20 points lower than some older receivers where 100 was the 'best' number. 80 on the 100 is an excellent number. Below 70 you can probably still get reception ok but could have problems in storms. On the OTA meter 100 is still the 'best' reading. Remember, the actual signal strength is not lower on this receiver; the meter just reads lower because of the way it is set up. Funny, I do get one transponder (maybe 2) at 100. I also get a 49!

I have a replacement H20 (hopefully -100) on its way. Are you guys still using rubber feet to lift it further off the ground? Or does this unit run well enough without them?

Funny it took three CSRs to finally have someone admit the 600 model has some problems. One of them actually pulled some documentation advising to further lift it off the ground using a board or rubber feet. Maybe their engineers are reading up on this forum :)

I get the feeling that few techs (of all levels) have even seen a H20, either -100 or -600........

.......all tech support personnel for D* should be required to read the posts in this forum. :D

We've all Seen it(on the call center floor), some of us don't know the difference, heck i don't even know the
difference, i come here and learn things about our Equipment, some of it true
some of it bunk.

And i agree, if we could capture data from our customers more acurately,
if we all took our jobs more seriously, we could learn more about the differences
the "whys" and the "hows" - but the basic troubleshooting model, with generalized
knowledge is good enough for the majoridy of the public, and don't be afraid
of a CSR who takes a minute to answer your question, he may actually have
the info you need.

-Brine

snipes: As it comes from factory, the 100 model does not have enough clearance below the bottom cover. Give it 1-2 inches and it will run somewhat cooler. I have ..like small rubber hockey pucks under mine, one at each corner. This baby has been flawless for almost one month.

I have a replacement H20 (hopefully -100) on its way. Are you guys still using rubber feet to lift it further off the ground? I'm not using extra "feet" on the -100. It has a completely different board and different chipset that runs much cooler than the -600 and the feet that come with it are taller than the -600.

... Funny, I do get one transponder (maybe 2) at 100. I also get a 49!A full "100" transponder SS reading on the H20 is likely the spot beam xpndr(s) aimed at your region only, carrying local channels. The 49% xpndr is likely a spot beam not aimed directly at your city, and you don't receive any channels from it.

...Are you guys still using rubber feet to lift it further off the ground? Or does this unit run well enough without them? ...
Not at all........ Indeed, it runs cooler than my Sony audio 5.1 receiver box. Probably just a few degrees warmer than room temperature.

Basically, it feels just like what one would expect. Comparatively, it feels no warmer than my older DirecTV units from years past. No fans, no feet. Nothing is needed.

Just plug it in, configure your favorites, and enjoy the shows. And with the RF connectivity with your remote, you could literally put it in a cabinet and get it out of the way and forget it. That is what I have done with mine and the cabinet temperature interior is barely warmer than the rest of the room.

Just noticed a cute little D* trick on my 4/14 bill. My H20, erroneously carried as "leased" (I thought I had corrected this, but it switched back again), shows tax of 43 cents on the 4.99 fee. My owned receivers and HD Tivo, of course, are not charged tax. Doesn't seem like much, I know, but over time it adds up, particularly where an account has multiple leased units.

Just noticed a cute little D* trick on my 4/14 bill. My H20, erroneously carried as "leased" (I thought I had corrected this, but it switched back again), shows tax of 43 cents on the 4.99 fee. My owned receivers and HD Tivo, of course, are not charged tax. Doesn't seem like much, I know, but over time it adds up, particularly where an account has multiple leased units.
UncD2000,

Florida's "communications" tax rate is a whopping 13.17%...

But it doesn't matter here whether the tax is based on a $4.99 additional receiver fee OR a $4.99 leased unit fee. Both are taxed, so it's a tax-wash. But, maybe taxes are figured differently in Illinois... Tax laws are inscrutable. ;)

I might be missing something basic, but it seems to me that the main difference between owning and leasing D* equipment is that there is no longer any "up-front" cost to get new receivers or to replace defective receivers. More along the line with the way cable companies operate? But, even if it cost me an additional 43 cents a month --- it would be worth that to me to have defective receivers covered under a lifetime warranty.

This is shown as a "sales tax." Never had that before in 6 years of paying the $4.99 mirroring fees. BTW, future "advanced" rental units will have upfront fees to initiate the rental (it will reportedly be $299 on the HR20-250).

arxaw: My "100 "on signal meter (Directv) is on sat 101 and transponder 12; the "49" reading is on same sat and transponder 28. No big deal just sort of interesting, to me. I average around 79 on 3 sats.

I do get the regular local digital stations out of Detroit (not MPEG4-HD). I pick up the HD stations (OTA) from 3 markets in my area by the way.

This is shown as a "sales tax." Never had that before in 6 years of paying the $4.99 mirroring fees. BTW, future "advanced" rental units will have upfront fees to initiate the rental (it will reportedly be $299 on the HR20-250).
Interesting... Illinois charges you 8.5% sales tax on leases but not on service fees? Your goverment is really slipping up! :D

At any rate, it seems like your complaint should be with your state's tax laws and not with D* for pulling a "cute little trick"? Unless Illinois is kicking back part of the tax to D*? :)

Who told you that D* is going to charge extra ($299?) to lease "advanced" units? It wouldn't really surprise me much --- but it would definitely make me think twice about getting any such D* "advanced" units... Not to give D* any ideas, but why not just charge a higher monthly lease fee for "advanced" units instead of up-front charges? I thought that D*'s idea was to be more competitive with cable companies who do NOT charge up-front fees for their equipment (including DVRs)?

Not having insider information on all things D*, I have no idea though... I'll wait and see. A HTPC is sounding better and better all the time...

So, maybe this week it is 'safe' to exchange my second model 600 for a model 100. It seems the 100 model is the one Directv is sending these days.

So, maybe this week it is 'safe' to exchange my second model 600 for a model 100. It seems the 100 model is the one Directv is sending these days.
Safety is just an illusion...

:)

What are you waiting for?

This is shown as a "sales tax." Never had that before in 6 years of paying the $4.99 mirroring fees. BTW, future "advanced" rental units will have upfront fees to initiate the rental (it will reportedly be $299 on the HR20-250).
That's what Dish is charging for it's MPEG4 HD DVR lease, so at least they're trying to stay competitive.

Just noticed a cute little D* trick on my 4/14 bill. My H20, erroneously carried as "leased" (I thought I had corrected this, but it switched back again), shows tax of 43 cents on the 4.99 fee. My owned receivers and HD Tivo, of course, are not charged tax. Doesn't seem like much, I know, but over time it adds up, particularly where an account has multiple leased units.

Same thing in Missouri. I get charged 43 cents tax on the leased fee for my H20, but my three other owned receivers do not have any tax. The only tax on my bill is that 43 cents.

I was wondering if you have a similar issue with it as I do? I'm only getting a 67-70% signal strength with the H20, Even though the strength on all my other receivers have 90-94%. The tech told me that 70% was normal because of the MPEG-4 chip in the receiver. But I'm now worried that the smallest rain shower will kill my sig all together. Any thoughts??

Eric

Well we had med size rain storm last night and lost the signal like "that" (snaps fingers) All the rest of the receivers worked fine during. I called and talk to a L2 person and they are sending out a L3 HD person Tuesday to see if there is anything we can do to up the signal. Today (sunny) I'm getting Lot's of Pixel on HD channels and only so ..so pixel on the reg channels. I shorten the RG6 length by 25 feet running straight into the H20. I will tell you guy's tomorrow if they do any good. And BTW . Mine runs HOT so I put rubber boots under it. It is currently on top of my DVD player. I hope this works. I have gone threw two H10's ( both junk) in 4 months and now this. It's like some force is working against my quest of a happy wonderful HD experience. :(

Eric: at 67-70 signal strength you are about 10 points lower than ideal. My h-20-100 ranges from 49 to 100 on all transponders with an average of 79. I probably average more than a 3 or 5 lnb dish as I use one round dish per one satellite.

Same thing in Missouri. I get charged 43 cents tax on the leased fee for my H20, but my three other owned receivers do not have any tax. The only tax on my bill is that 43 cents.
Wow, a total tax of 43 cents? :eek:

I checked my last statement online just now and my sales (communications) tax for one month's D* service totalled $22.14. More than 5100% higher tax than you pay? :eek: :eek: :eek:

So, please excuse me if I don't cry for you, Missouri. :)

That's what Dish is charging for it's MPEG4 HD DVR lease, so at least they're trying to stay competitive.
Right now D* is charging $399 to "lease" a DVR... Of course that's roughly the same amount that they previously charged to "buy" one, isn't it?

Buy it for $399 or lease it for $399... Monthly fee is the same either way... The leased unit has a lifetime warranty and no charge to replace it WHEN it fails... But if you OWN it you don't have to return it if you cancel your D* service after 24-months? Wonder what a non-warranted 2-year-old D* DVR would bring on eBay? :)

Given a choice, I'd opt for the lease deal for sure. It's a no brainer... Or is it because I don't have a brain? :D

Techo: You have a brain, my friend, and do some good thinking!

but just a bit off topic....

Took a half day off work ( L3 tech coming today), But this mourning at 4AM I was getting ready for work and the H20-100 asked me if it could update itself with new software! I let it and about 13 min or so later it updated new software all the way till done. I did notice that now you can NOLONGER find out what firmware is running on it. Its just gone from the Info page. Don't know why. Anyway Ill post back to see if the "L 3" tech gets my signal up what it should be.

Took a half day off work ( L3 tech coming today), But this mourning at 4AM I was getting ready for work and the H20-100 asked me if it could update itself with new software! I let it and about 13 min or so later it updated new software all the way till done. I did notice that now you can NOLONGER find out what firmware is running on it. Its just gone from the Info page. Don't know why. Anyway Ill post back to see if the "L 3" tech gets my signal up what it should be.

Interesting. It just asked you on its own and started the update after you accepted the dialogue box?

I'm having my H20-600 replaced. All is functioning pretty well but the 480 modes (i and p) do not work correctly. In pillar-box mode it looks "squished" and when I set it to stretched mode it looks like it should in pillar-box mode. The 720 and 1080 modes are fine.

I know this is no big thing, but I can't use native mode and I figure if this is bad, perhaps more will go bad in future and I should get replaced while still under warranty. I sure hope I get an H20-100.

Right now I'm pretty upset. I called Directv about my problem and they said they would send tech out from 12:00 - 5:00 yesterday afternoon. I figured the guy would arrive with a new H20 in hand. Well, I kept getting calls all afternoon (and evening) long telling me he was delayed but would DEFINITELY be coming. Well, he arrived at my doorstep at 10:30pm - I kid you not. Came into my living room, looked at the box and said, "oh, thats a DVR." I said, "No, its an H20, high-def receiver." I knew I was in trouble at this point. He said, "I've not been trained on those, and am clueless how they work." Well, after I showed him the problem, he filled out a form and told me, VIOLA, he thought the receiver should be replaced - but he only had D11s in his truck.

So, now I have to wait again for another tech....

kentuck: I doubt if any tech will have a h-20-100 but, of course, it is possible.

See above post for my situation.

The Tech just left after he and I both augured with Directv tech support about this. He tested the wire going into the receiver...98% signal. Check the meter on the h20 and it said 67%. He tried to get DTV to send me a replacement and the lady wanted me to accept a refurbished one!!! I haven't even had the brand new one for 4 days and they want me to take a 2nd hand unit. WoW and I have been a DTV customer for 14 years. Then I talked with another tech who augured with me and the tech that it was a wire problem. After I told him to put me threw to his supervisor I got some stuff explained to me.

First , There are sending me a NEW H20 free of charge. And the reason that the H20 gets 71-78% signal is the satellite is sending "Low" band signal at this time. In June when the new satellite is turn on , the signal will be amplified "quite a bit". If the replacement doesnt give me a better signal , I guess I'll have to live with the pixeliation until at least the new Sat comes on line in June or switch to cable. :(