Mike:

I have the older 42" EDTV (I got some old stuff!) This only justifies in 480i. The 50" is on the way.

I set the H20 up as 16:9 and told it I had 480p/480i/1080i. Then I set the H20 up as "stretch" in both 480i and 1080i.

For SD (480i) what you end up with in "normal" mode on the panny is a 4:3 image that you can "justify". When it switches to 1080i HD the image is already stretched so no adjustment needs to be applied.

So far my only complaint it the quality of SD. Not what I was used to on the HD100. Not sure I can get used to it, but everything's HD now, right?

Keith

While that is always one possiblity, there are other potential issues - including the pointing of your 3LNB dish - did they repoint it when your H20 was installed (if all else, to make sure it was maximized)?

That said, your numbers do seem low - but if it were me, I'd check out the dish pointing accuracy first, before pursuing the H20.Dish not touched, all I did is unattach cables from my Sony HD200 and reattach them to new receiver.

I reattached old receiver to see if I damaged cable, and readings went back up. I even swapped one of the sat cables from my HR10-250 and there was no change in readings after the switch.

To be safe, I'm going to exchange the receiver.

So far my only complaint it the quality of SD. Not what I was used to on the HD100. Not sure I can get used to it, but everything's HD now, right?

KeithMy SD is much improved with the H20....

Additonal information and clarification -

Spoke to Level 3 technical support supervisor at D*TV (had escalated this issue over the weekend).

Here's the latest poop - Leave your Dolby seetings on the H20 to the "on" position. All is well (for all HDTV channels except the locals. THE AUDIO SIGNAL FOR THE NEW HD LOCAL CHANNELS ARE NOT PRESENTLY BEING TRANSMITTED WITH DOLBY, according to this higher-level supervisor. He said that the plans are to activate it in the "near future" (whatever than means).


Well that sucks. I guess I will still be viewing the locals through OTA until they get this fixed.

Dish not touched, all I did is unattach cables from my Sony HD200 and reattach them to new receiver.

I reattached old receiver to see if I damaged cable, and readings went back up. I even swapped one of the sat cables from my HR10-250 and there was no change in readings after the switch.

To be safe, I'm going to exchange the receiver.
Based on you checking all those other things, its probably not a bad idea.

Hi,
I had the H20 installed over the weekend with a 3-LNB dish. The installtion tech reported that they are now only receiving H20's but that 50% of them are giving problems on install. The primary cause of the problem is signal strength.

I have a D10 in the master bedroom and the signal strength is 90/95% but the H20 shows low 70's. The picture quality is fine (although see below) though.

I did have problems hooking the HDMI cable to my Toshiba 52" 52HMX94 DLP unit. When originally installed the screen would flick on and off. D* sent a firmware upgrade to resolve this problem but the picture kept switching in and out.

I eventually reset the Toshiba and the problem fixed itself. I guess the HDMI connect for the Toshiba got tricked out in some way.

Just a head's up if you're hooking up a Toshiba.



Thanks,
John

Datobrit:... I have found out, over time, signal strength for a given unit is only relative to other receivers in the line. If people are having problems with yjr H-20 holding the signal, I would think it is because the dishes are not 'tuned' in well as they could be. I have 2 H-20 and the unit is very good to excellent in bringing in OTA stations as well as Directv channels. Bottom line on the H-20 and its' signal strength: It reads 15 to 20 points lower than other receivers on Directv sats. On OTA, you should be able to get 100 percent on signal strength or, certainly, in the 90's. And that is up to 45 miles with a good directional uhf antenna.

And, by the way, H-20 audio and video are among the very best and that includes SD channels. There are a few shortcomings with the menus with the H20 but these you can learn to live with. We will see how reliable the unit is over the next months.

Gatobrit -

Very interesting as to the signal strength problem.

I'm wondering if this has anything to do with Ironwood's calling me this morning at my scheduled installation time to inform me the install will not take place until Friday because "a truck broke down and we are out of stock on H20's". This after I talked to them as late as Saturday to ensure the appointment was still on. Boy, am I pissed!

Based on you checking all those other things, its probably not a bad idea.
I just installed the replacement receiver and it is showing same lower signal strengths. I contacted technical support again and they are now saying that the H20 receiver will show lower signal strengths. As long as there are no picture problems, I should be ok.

My SD is much improved with the H20....


HDTVFAN - check your messages.

My SD sucks!

There has been a lot of discussion on the signal strength shown on the H-20 and the general concensus is that it is lower than other receivers. There has also been some speculation on whether the AT-9 dish contributes to this difference. Listed below are my observations from three different receivers all connected to the same AT-9 dish. Left column are transponder numbers. I hope these colums post OK.

H-20 DTC-210 HR10-250

A1 82 97 96
8 77 94 94
12 100 100 100
20 93 100 100
B22 80 96 93
23 33 31 34
25 74 91 93
C12 78 100 92

I've been reading through this thread to understand why my HDMI connection to my Sharp 45GD7U from the H20 is not sending Dolby Digital 5.1. It is not that D* hasn't activated this yet for the locals as stated earlier. All the other HD channels that normally broadcast in DD 5.1 are also not being received. If I re-connect the optical cable directly to the H20, it then shows DD 5.1 on my AV receiver on both the local ABC station as well as the national feed on channel 87.

So what gives? I had hoped that the HDMI cable would be all I needed for both audio and video so I could then use the TV's optical output to my AV receiver.

Anyone know if I am missing something? I checked the TV set up and it appears to be correct.

Thanks,

Paul

In that PDF, it says: "Originals only - duplicates of this form will not be accepted"

I'm pretty sure that's like bad photocopies or something like that. As an employee, the only way for me to get the rebate form is to print it from the website. I can tell you they better NOT reject it because I want my rebate for my R15! :D

Nathan

gblues.....
Thanx for verifying this...I called D* 2 days ago and asked the same question...The CSR I spoke to confirmed what you say....YES!....The website rebate printout is OK to submit....along with all the other necessary paperwork, of course....!!;)
I'm just waiting for Dec. 8th.....kinda like an early Christmas (Boston DMA....):)

Thanks for checking on the rebate.

Time will tell whether they actually send the rebates out or not.....

I've been reading through this thread to understand why my HDMI connection to my Sharp 45GD7U from the H20 is not sending Dolby Digital 5.1. It is not that D* hasn't activated this yet for the locals as stated earlier. All the other HD channels that normally broadcast in DD 5.1 are also not being received. If I re-connect the optical cable directly to the H20, it then shows DD 5.1 on my AV receiver on both the local ABC station as well as the national feed on channel 87.

So what gives? I had hoped that the HDMI cable would be all I needed for both audio and video so I could then use the TV's optical output to my AV receiver.

Anyone know if I am missing something? I checked the TV set up and it appears to be correct.

Thanks,

Paul

This has come up in another thread-- the HDMI output on the DirecTV receivers is not sending a DD 5.1 signal, it's only sending PCM 2-channel audio. To get DD 5.1, you need to use the optical audio from your H20 to your A/V receiver. There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth over this issue.

So you can get audio and video from your HDMI cable, you just can't get DD 5.1 audio.

I've been reading through this thread to understand why my HDMI connection to my Sharp 45GD7U from the H20 is not sending Dolby Digital 5.1. It is not that D* hasn't activated this yet for the locals as stated earlier.
Paul
Yes, it is.

You are correct that all the other channels come in fine, but many folks have reported the same local only HD channel audio dropout problem. These local HD channels are broadcast apart from national HD channels. It is a local-channel-HD-only audio problem. I was told D*TV is aware of this and working on a fix.
This has come up in another thread-- the HDMI output on the DirecTV receivers is not sending a DD 5.1 signal, it's only sending PCM 2-channel audio. To get DD 5.1, you need to use the optical audio from your H20 to your A/V receiver.
THAT IS NOT CORRECT. The Dolby 5.1 audio can't selectively chose not to work on just the local HD channels. I have, and a number of others I've spoken with also have the optical audio cable along with the HDMI. IT STILL DOES NOT WORK ON ONLY THE LCOAL HD CHANNELS - IT'S FINE ON EVERY OTHER HD CHANNEL. This is a DirecTv software transmission problem, which is pending a fix.

Yes, it is.

You are correct that all the other channels come in fine, but many folks have reported the same local only HD channel audio dropout problem. These local HD channels are broadcast apart from national HD channels. It is a local-channel-HD-only audio problem. I was told D*TV is aware of this and working on a fix.

Actually, PMA said that he's not getting DD 5.1 on ANY channels with HDMI. I was basing my comments on that -- but they are based on the H10 HDMI audio issues discussed here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=610273

The H20 DOES provide DD 5.1 audio via HDMI, then?

Actually, PMA said that he's not getting DD 5.1 on ANY channels with HDMI.

The H20 DOES provide DD 5.1 audio via HDMI, then?
My setup is an HDMI to DVI cable connection, using an optical toslink audio cable at the same time. All HD channels present 5.1 fine for those programs that have it in their programming. THE ONLY HD channels that do NOT pass on Dolby cleanly are the LOCAL HD CHANNELS. They pass it too, only they imtermittently have dropouts in the audio (only). Since I also have the same channels on OTA channels, I can compare and have determined it is specific to local HD channels only.

Yes, it is.

You are correct that all the other channels come in fine, but many folks have reported the same local only HD channel audio dropout problem. These local HD channels are broadcast apart from national HD channels. It is a local-channel-HD-only audio problem. I was told D*TV is aware of this and working on a fix.

THAT IS NOT CORRECT. The Dolby 5.1 audio can't selectively choose not to work on just the local HD channels. I have, and a number of others I've spoken with also have the optical audio cable along with the HDMI. IT STILL DOES NOT WORK ON ONLY THE LCOAL HD CHANNELS - IT'S FINE ON EVERY OTHER HD CHANNEL. This is a DirecTv software transmission problem, which is pending a fix.

HDTVFAN0001,

As I stated earlier, ALL HD channels with DD 5.1 do not work through the HDMI. When reconnecting the optical cable to the H20, ALL HD channels resume DD 5.1 including the locals.

Paul

My setup is an HDMI to DVI cable connection, using an optical toslink audio cable at the same time. All HD channels present 5.1 fine for those programs that have it in their programming. THE ONLY HD channels that do NOT pass on Dolby cleanly are the LOCAL HD CHANNELS. They pass it too, only they imtermittently have dropouts in the audio (only). Since I also have the same channels on OTA channels, I can compare and have determined it is specific to local HD channels only.

You're using an optical audio cable at the same time. Unplug that and see if you're still getting DD 5.1. The issue on the H10 is that it doesn't send a DD 5.1 signal through HDMI, it only sends PCM 2-channel. Is that the case with the H20 also?

PMA is trying to use ONLY the HDMI, without an optical audio cable at all, to get DD 5.1 on all channels that offer it.

You're using an optical audio cable at the same time. Unplug that and see if you're still getting DD 5.1. The issue on the H10 is that it doesn't send a DD 5.1 signal through HDMI, it only sends PCM 2-channel. Is that the case with the H20 also?

PMA is trying to use ONLY the HDMI, without an optical audio cable at all, to get DD 5.1 on all channels that offer it.
He is also using the HDMI output from the D* STB into a DVI output on his display. I believe this issue is confined to HDMI>HDMI hookups. (There is a very similar problem with Motorola's 6412 cable DVR when using HDMI>HDMI. Motorola has come out with a firmware to fix the issue.)

HDTVFAN0001,

As I stated earlier, ALL HD channels with DD 5.1 do not work through the HDMI. When reconnecting the optical cable to the H20, ALL HD channels resume DD 5.1 including the locals.

PaulBut the issue is the dropouts on the locals. Sure, I get Dolby on everything too, but local DD 5.1 drops out for the Local HD channels (only) intermittently, and there are many reports of this in different cities (S.F. was the most recent report I saw in another thread). Are you claining to get all channels with DD without any dropouts - even the local HD channels? You'd be the first person I heard who had success getting DD 5.1 on all channels (including local HD's) without droputs..

My first try would be just to set up both H20's as RF and see if you get interference. Each H20 may be coded with it's own unique RF frequency.

If you get interference, one possiblity might be to use a universal remote and set each H20 up with it's own code (as separate devices). THe problem there is you probably would have to go IR then, and that defeats the purpose of hiding the boxes.

Does anyone else on here have more info?

Manual says they code to each other...so should not be any interference.

On the Sony HD100, you could set as many remotes as you like to the same rf code.

Do you think this is possible with the H20?

I like to have a remote in the kitchen and one in the living room, both controlling the same H20 receiver.

Does the H20 receive Analog besides the digital ota?

H20 idoes not receive analog stations.

But the issue is the dropouts on the locals. Sure, I get Dolby on everything too, but local DD 5.1 drops out for the Local HD channels (only) intermittently, and there are many reports of this in different cities (S.F. was the most recent report I saw in another thread). Are you claining to get all channels with DD without any dropouts - even the local HD channels? You'd be the first person I heard who had success getting DD 5.1 on all channels (including local HD's) without droputs..
Had the H20 and 5LNB dish installed last Friday and am very pleased. I am in the Chicago market. Have the same Dolby Digital drop out mentioned here and other threads. Channel 2 CBS and 32 Fox have the problem 5 NBC, 7 ABC and the national feeds work well. Use an optical cable from the H20 to the audio receiver and an HDMI to DVI cable for video. All HD PQ is excellent SD is much improved over the H10.

I reset the H20 to no Dolby Digital during the Bears' Game last Sunday and the intermittent audio disappeared. Like everyone else am waiting for the fix from DIRECTV.

Good luck regarding a fix from Directv. I had this problem on my Zenith DTV1080 and they never did fix it. I started having more problems just recently where it reboots randomly so I decided to wait for the H20 and upgrade. I have my install scheduled for tomorrow and I will let everyone know my experience.

I set up my H20 last night with panel in the kitchen and the H20 in the garage,resetting the remote to RF and it works perfectly. Great picture thru HDMI. Very happy so far.

Mike

All of a sudden I'm getting constant reboots on my H20. Nothing has been changed in the setup, but yet the picture comes on for a second and the unit reboots and goes through the satellite acquisition process. This cycle repeats endlessly. Not a dish issue since I've got my HDTivo as well as other receivers in the house with no problems. Anyone have this before?

Ken, you did keep your HD200 I hope.

Ken, you did keep your HD200 I hope.

Trich, I did, but I do think this was an anomoly with the H20.

On another note, in this day of miserable customer service, I thought it would be nice to tell a GREAT customer service story. I called Value Electronics regarding my problem and about 20 minutes later they were in the process of over-nighting a new H20 to me....this was after hours too!

I just can't say enough for Robert and his staff (thanks to Wendy) for 'special' service in an era when this is indeed a rarity! We're quick to complain about lousy service, so let's be quick to give kudos when quality service is delivered!

Datobrit:... I have found out, over time, signal strength for a given unit is only relative to other receivers in the line. If people are having problems with yjr H-20 holding the signal, I would think it is because the dishes are not 'tuned' in well as they could be. I have 2 H-20 and the unit is very good to excellent in bringing in OTA stations as well as Directv channels. Bottom line on the H-20 and its' signal strength: It reads 15 to 20 points lower than other receivers on Directv sats. On OTA, you should be able to get 100 percent on signal strength or, certainly, in the 90's. And that is up to 45 miles with a good directional uhf antenna.

And, by the way, H-20 audio and video are among the very best and that includes SD channels. There are a few shortcomings with the menus with the H20 but these you can learn to live with. We will see how reliable the unit is over the next months.
I would concur with all of your observations. I really like my H20 and AT9 dish so far. Now if they can only solve the local HD channel Dolby audio dropout problem...

Ken Ross:.... And I concur: Robert is a fine dealer. We should support him whenever possible!

But the issue is the dropouts on the locals. Sure, I get Dolby on everything too, but local DD 5.1 drops out for the Local HD channels (only) intermittently, and there are many reports of this in different cities (S.F. was the most recent report I saw in another thread). Are you claining to get all channels with DD without any dropouts - even the local HD channels? You'd be the first person I heard who had success getting DD 5.1 on all channels (including local HD's) without droputs..

As far as I can tell, there are no dropouts occurring with my H20 on the locals. I watched several HD programs last night on the locals and did not hear any problem at all. Also, I am in the SF Bay Area if that means anything.

Now I am just watching this thread to see if the HDMI DD 5.1 eventually gets fixed.

Paul

As far as I can tell, there are no dropouts occurring with my H20 on the locals. I watched several HD programs last night on the locals and did not hear any problem at all. Also, I am in the SF Bay Area if that means anything.

Now I am just watching this thread to see if the HDMI DD 5.1 eventually gets fixed.

PaulIronically my problem is almost the opposite, since I use an HDMI to DVI cable to my projector, along with the optical digital audio cable to my receiver - all Dolby 5.1 broadcasts on all HD channels is perfectly fine across the board - EXCEPT for local HD channels.

Clearly, there's an issue in terms of the DD5.1 overall in how it works with the newer dish and/or H20 somehow.

I have yet to hear from ANYONE as to what is going to be done about it.

Ironically my problem is almost the opposite, since I use an HDMI to DVI cable to my projector, along with the optical digital audio cable to my receiver - all Dolby 5.1 broadcasts on all HD channels is perfectly fine across the board - EXCEPT for local HD channels.

Clearly, there's an issue in terms of the DD5.1 overall in how it works with the newer dish and/or H20 somehow.

I have yet to hear from ANYONE as to what is going to be done about it.

I called D* today to tell them about this problem (the HDMI not sending DD 5.1) and the technical support person said that he had heard about this but was not sure what was being done about it. I asked for a call back after he has a chance to investigate further. Question for any of the others on this thread: Has anyone else complained about this directly to D*?

Paul

I just got an H20 today. I have to say it looks and feels much more like a "cable box" than any D* receiver I have seen/used previously. Why I have to push "Guide" twice to actually get to the Guide is simply beyond me. It's like they've taken a decades worth of knowledge about what customers like and thrown it out the window. It has some "features" that keep me away from cable. Nice job, D*.

If it didn't help me get a couple of local HD stations that proved impossible to receive with my antenna, I wouldn't even be bothering with this thing.

I actually like the guide auto-filters. I haven't had a lot of time to customize them, but I think having personalized filters readily available is also a nice option.

Besides, how much trouble is it to have to push a button... two times, instead of one.

The one thing I am having a hard time getting used to is the guide's response time, which is MUCH slower than what I get with the D* TiVo guides.

BTW, this is probably a stupid question as I am new to HD Receivers, but does anyone know for sure if the H20 converts a 720p signal to a 1080i signal if the TV Type does not accept 720p??

I am hoping it does not downconvert 720p to 480p!

I actually like the guide auto-filters. I haven't had a lot of time to customize them, but I think having personalized filters readily available is also a nice option.


Davey:

Let me know how you like the filters. I couldn't get them to work right. This is what I posted previously:

I have an annoying problem with the guides and filters on the new H20 receiver.
All the channels I like to watch are in "Custom 1" which I have renamed "DTV". By itself this works just fine. It provides all the channels I have selected for this list.

However, when I bring up the guide and APPLY A FILTER such as "sports channels" (press "guide", scroll down to "sports channels" and press "select")

I get a guide which is labled:

Guide: DTV(fav), Sports Channels(filter)

I end up with a very lenghthy list of every freakin' sports channel on DirecTv, WHETHER OR NOT I RECEIVE THEM OR SUBSCRIBE TO THEM. Some of these are even out-of-market programs I could not get even if I wanted them.

I think the design of this guide/filter would be to "filter" the selected guide by the selected filter. In my case I should see "sports channels" which I have added to my custom list.

... does anyone know for sure if the H20 converts a 720p signal to a 1080i signal if the TV Type does not accept 720p??Yes, it can convert everything to 1080i, 720p, 480p or 480i if desired.

I called D* Monday to report my oldest receiver (original DTC-100) won't feed my newest set, and they are sending me some kind of new STB Friday - didn't specify whether it was a 20, but think they mentioned it as possible. Here's hoping! (BTW, total cost is like 40 bucks, IIRC).

I just got an H20 today. I have to say it looks and feels much more like a "cable box" than any D* receiver I have seen/used previously. Why I have to push "Guide" twice to actually get to the Guide is simply beyond me.

If the guide was the last screen you viewed, you can use the "back" button to go straight to the guide, bypassing the filters screen.




I have an annoying problem with the guides and filters on the new H20 receiver.
All the channels I like to watch are in "Custom 1" which I have renamed "DTV". By itself this works just fine. It provides all the channels I have selected for this list.

However, when I bring up the guide and APPLY A FILTER such as "sports channels" (press "guide", scroll down to "sports channels" and press "select")

I get a guide which is labled:

Guide: DTV(fav), Sports Channels(filter)

I end up with a very lenghthy list of every freakin' sports channel on DirecTv, WHETHER OR NOT I RECEIVE THEM OR SUBSCRIBE TO THEM. Some of these are even out-of-market programs I could not get even if I wanted them.

I think the design of this guide/filter would be to "filter" the selected guide by the selected filter. In my case I should see "sports channels" which I have added to my custom list.


I did this exact same thing and the guide only showed the 2 sports channel I had setup in my custom made guide.

I was actually hoping that it would show all channels that had a sport event showing on them at the time.

If the guide was the last screen you viewed, you can use the "back" button to go straight to the guide, bypassing the filters screen.

That's a useful tip, thanks.

As to the other response about why is it a problem to press twice, would you like to have to tie each shoe twice when you want to tie them? Start your car twice? Turn on your computer twice? Probably not, and that is why when I press "Guide" I would like to get the "Guide" (as has happened with every other D* receiver I have had).

I did this exact same thing and the guide only showed the 2 sports channel I had setup in my custom made guide.

I was actually hoping that it would show all channels that had a sport event showing on them at the time.

This doesn't work for me. When I select a filter, I get every channel D* offers that matches the filter often including a handful of PPV channels as well. In other words, it is totally useless.

I have found out best way, for me, is to remember my favorite channels and just 'type' in the number. Oh, to have 'my favorites' list back on recently departed Zenith 520. You could lay out the favorites with a logo; even my wife could figure that out..

I am thinking of getting the H20, but need to know whether it can output both HDMI and component at the same time.

Anyone tried this yet?

would you like to have to tie each shoe twice when you want to tie them??

Well, since you put it that way: No, I'd rather hit the back button on the soles of my shoes and have them automatically tie themselves the same way I did yesterday.

Just kidding man, it was there, I had to take it!

I didn't intend the original response to be offensive at all. I was just saying that it's nice to have the option of filters or straight-guide and having only one extra button separate the two.

littlelibo, I have not tried HDMI and component, but FWIW, component and s-video work simultaneously.

Thanks for the quick response, but s-video is not ideal.... I have two HDTV's in two rooms. I was hoping to run component to the second tv...with the HDMI going to the first.

Anyone doing this?


littlelibo said:
HDMI & Component

I am thinking of getting the H20, but need to know whether it can output both HDMI and component at the same time.

Anyone tried this yet?

downriver davey said:

littlelibo, I have not tried HDMI and component, but FWIW, component and s-video work simultaneously.

libo, I know I'm still not really answering your question, but I would imagine that this would work.

However, keep in mind that the two TVs would not be able to watch separate programming at the same time if connected to the same receiver.

I would also like to know if the H20 will output HD signal at the same time from the HDMI and component? Thanks

libo, I know I'm still not really answering your question, but I would imagine that this would work.

However, keep in mind that the two TVs would not be able to watch separate programming at the same time if connected to the same receiver.


Hey davey -

Was that you I saw on tv running up & down the stands holding the negative Matt Millen sign?

All outputs on the H20 are "hot" (HDMI, component, svid, composite).

So here is my story:

I just recently upgarded to the HD package package with D and received the H10 receiver with the 3lnb dish. Surfing the AVS site I noticed that the H20 is released and thought man why did I get the old version. I live in SF bay (San Jose) and noticed people have installed the dish My questions is:

1. I live in a condo and have my dish on a tripod. I hear that the dish is pretty heavy. Do you think the tripod will handel the weight?
2. Can I get the local HD channels (San Jose area)
3. What will be my best approach to get D to upgarde and install this for me. I just recently 2 months got the H10??

Thanks for the advise...THIS SITE ROCKS

I didn't intend the original response to be offensive at all. I was just saying that it's nice to have the option of filters or straight-guide and having only one extra button separate the two.

I could see the point if they worked properly. When I choose one of those "filters", it gives me a guide output that includes channels that are not on the custom list I am using. So, when I choose Sports, it gives me every channel provided by D* that the filter catches (including PBS Kids Sprout, which has almost nothing to do with sports at any time of the day).

Well, I got my install done yesterday. The guy that came out really knew what he was doing and got the dish aimed perfectly. I am getting a higher signal on my remaining recievers than I was before. On the H20 I am anywhere from 77-87 on all active transponders. I am in the SF Bay and I get no dropouts from any of the HD locals. The only complaint I have is at least yesterday, the HD local for Fox was not outputting any sound. I tried the optical as well as the stereo pair and had no sound all day. So far I could not be happier. The HD picture is about the same as my Zenith DTV1080, the channel guide is a bit slower, but not too annoying, the SD picture is vastly improved. The only thing I wish they would fix is to make it go directly to the guide instead of going to the favorites pane. I also like the scheduler options. They are a lot better than the almost non-existant one on my DTV1080. I just need to connect my antenna for now so I can get my digital PBS, UPN and WB.

This doesn't work for me. When I select a filter, I get every channel D* offers that matches the filter often including a handful of PPV channels as well. In other words, it is totally useless.

Clearly you're seeing the same problem I am.

I'd like to know if ANYONE ELSE is having the problem. (C'mon guys, check it out.)

It looks like a software problem that could be fixed if enough of us complain about it.

So here is my story:

I just recently upgarded to the HD package package with D and received the H10 receiver with the 3lnb dish. Surfing the AVS site I noticed that the H20 is released and thought man why did I get the old version. I live in SF bay (San Jose) and noticed people have installed the dish My questions is:

1. I live in a condo and have my dish on a tripod. I hear that the dish is pretty heavy. Do you think the tripod will handel the weight?
2. Can I get the local HD channels (San Jose area)
3. What will be my best approach to get D to upgarde and install this for me. I just recently 2 months got the H10??

Thanks for the advise...THIS SITE ROCKS

Kirali:

1. You might need a beefier tripod. I hear the sucker weighs nearly 40 lbs and wind could be a factor.
2. Yes - more likely SF + NBC11
3. They tend to just start your committment over. In other words, you'll have a 2-year committment from when you activate the H20.

I'm in SF with the new H20 box and the OLD 3lnb dish. The OTA on the H20 is extremely powerful -- I can now pull in KNTV and other (too many other) stations my Sony HD100 could not. I was one of the early adopters so I had to really fight to get all my waivers for all the network HD feeds. Now it looks like I don't really need them at all.

I have no reason (right now) to go for the 5lnb dish. The idea behind the new 5lnb dish is so no one has to install an OTA antenna. If DTV starts providing more HD programming from the new satellites, I may have to change my setup.

Thanks SF.

I just called thema and they told me it wont be available in my area until 2006?? IS thsi right??? If SF is receiving it i would think San Jose should also??

So here is my story:

I just recently upgarded to the HD package package with D and received the H10 receiver with the 3lnb dish. Surfing the AVS site I noticed that the H20 is released and thought man why did I get the old version. I live in SF bay (San Jose) and noticed people have installed the dish My questions is:

1. I live in a condo and have my dish on a tripod. I hear that the dish is pretty heavy. Do you think the tripod will handel the weight?
2. Can I get the local HD channels (San Jose area)
3. What will be my best approach to get D to upgarde and install this for me. I just recently 2 months got the H10??

Thanks for the advise...THIS SITE ROCKS
As long as the tripod is secured in some way. I had a direcway dish on a tripod next to my rv and it is bigger than the new HD dish. I just went to the hardware store and got 3 peir blocks with a strap on them and a small nylon rope. Tied the rop to one of the pier blocks and then around the pole in the tripod to the nex block and so on. It held the dish up in some very adverse winds and maintained signal as well.

Thanks SF.

I just called thema and they told me it wont be available in my area until 2006?? IS thsi right??? If SF is receiving it i would think San Jose should also??
(belwo copied from D* website)

Yes! Local channels are available in your area: San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose CA 95101.

We've provided a complete list of local stations and channel numbers below.

HD Local Channels:
High-definition (HD) local channels from DIRECTV are also available in your area. To receive them you will need an HD system.


Standard Local Channels:
You can receive these local channels using any DIRECTV® System. So sign up now for a package that includes local channels!




Available Channels
Network Affiliate Local
Channel # 3-Digit
Channel # (for older receivers) Local HD Programming
FOX KTVU 2 884 2
IND KRON 4 885
CBS KPIX 5 886 5
ABC KGO 7 887 7
PBS KQED 9 888
NBC KNTV 11 889 11
UNI KDTV 14 890
WB KBWB 20 891
PBS KRCB 22 892
IND KTSF 26 893
PBS KMTP 32 894
IND KICU 36 895
AZA KTNC 42 900
PBS KCSM 43 904
UPN KBHK 44 901
TMO KSTS 48 902
IND KFTY 50 908
PBS KTEH 54 903
PAX KKPX 65 907
TFT KFSF 66 905
IND KTLN 68 906

Just called again and they told me that it is available in my area San Jose (95136) and setup to get it installed and was only charged $16 for the upgarde...she wanted to charge me $284. Thanks guys

Just called again and they told me that it is available in my area San Jose (95136) and setup to get it installed and was only charged $16 for the upgarde...she wanted to charge me $284. Thanks guys
How in the world did she come up with $16 and $284.

How in the world did she come up with $16 and $284.


?????

I even asked how can the first lady tell me its not available till spring 2006 and she indicated that it was an error......they really dont know what theya re talking about. She wanted to charge me $284 then she came sown to $199 and i got upset and told her i pgrdaed only two months ago and she came up with the $16.84 (i think its for sales tax and handling) I gave in!!!!!!

All outputs on the H20 are "hot" (HDMI, component, svid, composite).

Are they "hot" at the same time? Can I watch on two HDTVs at once?

Yes. Watch the same channel on 2 HDTVs at the same time.

Just got my H20 installed yesterday. It must have been a fairly new unit since my Prior and Current SW versions are both 000A, indicating no upgrade. I am still having the MPEG4 LIL audio sync problems with DD is enabled, though.

Installer did do a roof mount. The roof area has only about a 15-20 degree slope so it was a fairly easy mounting job. He did use the bipod to stabilize it, though.

Just got my H20 installed yesterday. It must have been a fairly new unit since my Prior and Current SW versions are both 000A, indicating no upgrade. I am still having the MPEG4 LIL audio sync problems with DD is enabled, though.
Some installers are predownloading the software upgrade before they go onsite, as to reduce the install time overall.

It wasn't predownloaded. The installer gave me the box to go ahead and hook up to my AV system while he was doing the dish. Still had all the orginal tape on it. The installer also went through the 02468 code to force a download, so he wasn't aware that it was already at 000A.

Also as noted above, the system says the Orignal Ver is 000A, not 0160 as most people are reporting.

... The installer also went through the 02468 code to force a download...
Just curious, how do you do enter the 02468 code?

Just curious, how do you do enter the 02468 code?

Don't you watch "LOST"? Every 108 minutes the code must be entered.

-Robert

no.

I am a long time Dish subscriber and just had D* installed yesterday. I told the local retailer I wanted the HD stuff and my locals in HD. Well I got the 3LNB dish and a H10 receiver. I found out this morning that I need the 5LNB dish and a H20 receiver. I called D* and they are coming out again to swap out all the equipment. The HD from both services seems to be about the same but the SD from Dish seemed to be much better. I want to know if anyone on here thinks my SD will look any better with the H20 receiver? Although I love the HD and being able to get my locals in HD I may be going back to Dish if my SD doesn't look any better with the H20. I don't always watch HD and the SD from the H10 is horrible.

When you see the screen that says "Hello, your DirecTV receiver is starting up..", punch in 02468 on your remote. It should then start the download.

Where do you go in the menu to see which software version you have loaded?

suthrn: ...The SD on my plasma with h20 is good to very good depending on the source. Live programming, such as weather channel, ESPN, News channels is very good. And some older movies can be very good. Of course, the resolution falls short of HD but most everything else is ok. SD certainly does not look 'horrible'. Sorry, you 'see' it that way.

...I want to know if anyone on here thinks my SD will look any better with the H20 receiver? Although I love the HD and being able to get my locals in HD I may be going back to Dish if my SD doesn't look any better with the H20. I don't always watch HD and the SD from the H10 is horrible.
suthrn,
I can't comment on the H10, but the H20 has the best SD (and HD) picture quality of all the HD boxes I've used for DirecTV.

I have the exact same TV you have, and SD on mine looks quite good w/ the H20 receiver. Check your TV's picture adjustments. Make sure it's not on "VIVID" setting and turn down the brightness and contrast to at the very least mid setting. Also set (artificial) sharpness to MIN and turn off noise reduction. A good calibration DVD like Avia would also help you get a much better picture out of that TV.

Prior to having the H20 receiver and AT9 dish installed a couple of weeks ago, I used a Samsung TS360 for the receiver for my single HDTV (the rest of my TVs are analog.)

The RG6 wiring from the previous dish went to a 5x8 Eagle Aspen multi-switch, which combined the signal from my OTA antenna with the D* signals and distributed the signals to up to 8 rooms. At each receiver, I had a diplexer to separate the OTA signal from the D* signal and pass each to the appropriate inputs on all receivers.

With the new installation, I received a new Zinwell multi-switch that has no OTA input, because the new D* Ka band satellites occupy the same bandwith as the OTA broadcasts and, therefore, the OTA signal can't be combined with the D* signal.

Now to the question:

Can I split the inputs from the AT9 dish to both multi-switches, so that the Zinwell multi-switch only feeds my HDTV and the Eagle Aspen 5x8 feeds the rest of my TVs? Of course, I would not split the new Ka band input. That way, the only room that would require a second RG6 cable would be the one with the HDTV.

Any thoughts?

Anyone hear of an H20 'useage' fee of 4.95 a month? Friend had his installed saturday and they told him there is a monthly charge to use the H20 (mine's getting installed on the 23rd, so no first hand knowledge). He was already paying for locals so that's not it..

sounds pretty crazy and definately not right...I mean, you've already paid for the box. They did not say anything about that type of fee when I scheduled my appointment.

The fee might just be the amount for the local stations on a monthly basis. The HD feed should just be included with that fee.

The fee might just be the amount for the local stations on a monthly basis. The HD feed should just be included with that fee.

yea, but he was already paying the 4.95 or whatever for the locals...seems like they are charging him twice.

anyone else with an H20 heard of this?

$4.95 is what I'm paying for my _2nd_ D* receiver. Maybe his H20 was added to the one he originally had instead of replacing it?

Can I split the inputs from the AT9 dish to both multi-switches, so that the Zinwell multi-switch only feeds my HDTV and the Eagle Aspen 5x8 feeds the rest of my TVs? Of course, I would not split the new Ka band input. That way, the only room that would require a second RG6 cable would be the one with the HDTV.

Any thoughts?Probably your best bet is to take 4 lines from the Zinwell to feed the EA. That will leave you 4 lines for MPEG4 and 8 for MPEG2. I believe the EA will prevent the 250-750MHz signals from getting to the outputs. If you need 8 MPEG4 outputs, 5-2300 or even 3000MHz splitters would be the way to go. If the EA doesn't kill the 250-750MHz band, a quad diplexer will.

I would consider such setups temporary. Separate OTA wiring is the way I went and I don't see getting MPEG4 equipment until the HMC comes out.

Well, I got my install done yesterday. The guy that came out really knew what he was doing and got the dish aimed perfectly. I am getting a higher signal on my remaining recievers than I was before. On the H20 I am anywhere from 77-87 on all active transponders. I am in the SF Bay and I get no dropouts from any of the HD locals. The only complaint I have is at least yesterday, the HD local for Fox was not outputting any sound. I tried the optical as well as the stereo pair and had no sound all day. So far I could not be happier. The HD picture is about the same as my Zenith DTV1080, the channel guide is a bit slower, but not too annoying, the SD picture is vastly improved. The only thing I wish they would fix is to make it go directly to the guide instead of going to the favorites pane. I also like the scheduler options. They are a lot better than the almost non-existant one on my DTV1080. I just need to connect my antenna for now so I can get my digital PBS, UPN and WB.

DblHelix,

I noted that you are not getting sound on KTVU, the FOX affiliate. I am also having this problem and called D* on Saturday to tell them it is not working. Have you done this yet? They indicated that they have begun hearing some complaints but only a few. They are not sure what the root cause is and asked me to reboot my box which did not solve the problem. They are sending a technician out this coming Saturday to check it out. Would recommend you go after D* on this as well.

Paul

I noticed this last week and after some investigation this weekend, I was wondering if anyone else has noticed this defect in the receiver.

When the H20 is outputting in 720p through HDMI, the picture on my 50" LCD rear projection is shifted approximately 1/2" to the left. It is only in 720p not 480p or 1080i. It is only when the H20 is connected to my monitor through HDMI. This is not unique to a particular H20; I had exchanged my H20 over the weekend and I had the same problem with the new H20.

The easiest way to see this is to set the TV Type to 16:9, turn Native off and watch a SD channel in 720p Pillar Box, with Gray bars on. The bar on the left will be narrower than the right. Switch to 1080i Pillar Box and the bars will be the same size. Another way is to watch any ESPNHD program with the bottom line and switch between 720p Stretch and 1080i Stretch, the bottom line will be shifted to left in 720p.

I am using a HDMI to DVI cable to attach the H20 to my monitor, if I switch to component cable the problem goes away. My screen is the Sony GWII.

Has anyone else noticed the same thing?

DblHelix,

I noted that you are not getting sound on KTVU, the FOX affiliate. I am also having this problem and called D* on Saturday to tell them it is not working. Have you done this yet? They indicated that they have begun hearing some complaints but only a few. They are not sure what the root cause is and asked me to reboot my box which did not solve the problem. They are sending a technician out this coming Saturday to check it out. Would recommend you go after D* on this as well.

Paul
FYI for PMA, DblHelix, SFPegasus, kirali and any other SF bay area DirecTV subs , there is a SF Bay Area thread with the focal point on DirecTV started in the local forum. Link is below. (no answer on the KTVU audio issue yet though).

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6701876#post6701876
San Francisco, CA - DBS - AVS Forum

In the Chicago market we have intermittent Dolby Digital Audio on FOX 32 and CBS 2 problem was evident right after installation (Two weeks ago) ABC 7 and NBC 5 and all national feeds are fine.

Turning the H20 Dolby off allows standard audio on FOX and CBS to deliver adequate regular audio. We use an optical audio connection between the H20 and Pioneer receiver.
Any ideas?

Has anyone in the Dallas area converted to the new dish and H20 HD receiver? I am trying to verify whether or not ABC is availble in HD. Customer service said that Direct*and ABC are working out the details...whatever that means. I was under the impression that the new dish can "pick up" the OTA feeds so it should be receiving the ABC local feed.

Can ayone verify this?

The Dish does not pick up OTA feeds like an antenna would, it just picks up whatever channels Directv is sending down over the sat, if the local digital ABC feed is not being transmitted over Directv's system, you won't get it through the dish. You can still use an OTA antenna with the H20 though.

Sorry for that oversight, I thought it did.

In any case, has anyone in the Dallas area converted to the new H20? What HD locals do you receive?

I just got my H20 DirecTV sat hi-def receiver on Friday, and by Sunday I discovered a large glitch. Well, several, I feel. I'll start from the beginning.

I get my receiver and I dive right in. I program some shows with the "AUTOTUNE" feature and check the "SCHEDULER" to see my selections. I turn off the receiver and go to bed. I wake up and notice the receiver was off when it should have turned on because my scheduled event was suppose to have started already. But, nothing.

So I turn on the receiver, and there it is. My scheduled event. It never turned on the receiver. So, when scheduling a show to turn on automatically with AUTOTUNE, you need to leave the receiver on. That sounds like a bug to me. All other receivers I've owned would turn on the receiver, air the program scheduled, and then turn off. Perhaps a fix later on will change this.

Saturday ends, and I program more AUTOTUNE shows and the scheduler is getting full. I go to bed, and awake on Sunday morning and again, a scheduled program doesn't turn on the receiver so I do. Then, something bad happens. The scheduled movie turns on, then shots off. Turns on, then shuts off. I tried to stop it by changing the channel but a "Interrupt this program" type warning that you must answer appears. But, I cannot answer it in time before the movie shuts off, and takes away the message to interrupt. So, after trying a number of solutions, and none of them working, I shut it off and unplug the receiver. IT WORKS! But, I notice there are now multiple postings, three to be exact, for the same show, same time, same channel, for the last scheduled event listed. So, I get rid of it to fix the problem. But, it simply moves to the next last show listed. I thought, "Great, I gotta get rid of them all now." So, I do. But, the last show listed with the the three listings for the same event gets removed, and another problem slows me down. The receiver shuts off, and starts to search for a sat signal, you know, the whole startup gig. I thought, "OK, I can stand do it just one more time." since it did it previously when I unplugged the unit. But, when it's finished, I notice in the SCHEDULER page there are two programs listed. So, I click on them to see what they are, and the receiver shuts down again, going through what it did twice before. When it finished for now, the third time, the SCHEDULER still showed two shows. I try to get rid of them once more, and the receiver shuts down again with the same result as the last three attempts.

So, this is bug number two.

Bug number three is not being able to store your searches, or "FIND IT..." preferences. I hate this, because if you love a certain show or star, you need to enter it over, and over, and over, and over again, ever day to search for shows with them. I think a future update will take care of this, because storing your favorite searches was a great feature with past D* receivers.

At last, are any of you experiencing the same problems? Different ones? I called D* and they offered me a new receiver as a fix, if this one causes me too many problems. So far, everything else is fine, except for those two programmed shows I can never get rid of. Oh, and the receiver wont come on if off before a scheduled show starts. But, I'll just leave the receiver on from now on to solve that problem.

Topics merged.

My biggest complaint is that you can not tune directly to a LIL HD channel being delivered over sat. I have two channel 5s... AT5 (SD) and WAGA (HD). I can remove the AT5 from my guide, but if I do a 5-Select it still tunes to AT5. I had to program my Proto to send 5-Select-ChUp to tune to WAGA to receive the HD channel instead of the SD. Did that will all 4 of the HD LILs that are available in Atlanta at this time.

Now if they can just fix the MPEG4 Dolby Digital issues.....

... the receiver wont come on if off before a scheduled show starts. But, I'll just leave the receiver on from now on to solve that problem.

When you turn a Sat or Cable box off, most of them are really still ON, and they use roughly the same amount of power whether "turned" ON or OFF.

I will wait for all the bugs to be worked out, before switching to mpeg4. Too many problems posted on this H20 . who knows if its hardware or software problem?

When you turn a Sat or Cable box off, most of them are really still ON, and they use roughly the same amount of power whether "turned" ON or OFF.
The flaw in your theory is, when the H20 is turned off, it doesn't send a signal out via the composite outputs which you could have connected to a VCR for recording purposes. So, if it's turned off, it stays off and nothing gets recorded.

With other receivers, the unit would turn on, tune in to the scheduled event, which would allow a VCR or other recorder to record the event. But, not with the H20. Again, you must leave it on, which is not THAT big of a deal, but still...

HR10-250 vs. HD20

I've had the HR10-250 for over a year and am very satisfied with the picture. Recently I got a H20 and, to my untrained eye, the picture looks better than the HR10-250. Both on satellite and on OTA. Does anyone else have both units and if so, how do the pictures compare between the two?

I have the standard 3LNB dish, not the 5LNB. I have compared using both HDMI and component connections.

Directv should have come up with a 'favorites' such as Zenith. You can set it with the station symbols such as a nice big CBS (in colors) and you can select, as favorites, quite a number of channels. One click brings up 'favorites', 1 more click gives you a favorite station/channel. This favorites is not easy for my wife while the Zenith favoirites was great for her. A design should always be made as simple as possible, meaning quick and easy.

I agree, I REALLY :D liked the favorites feature on my Sony HD200, the H20 seems to take to many clicks and too much time to go to a favorite :confused: . I am also seeing the quirks listed in the first post of this thread. Hopefully another update will happen soon.

~CMT

HR10-250 vs. HD20

I've had the HR10-250 for over a year and am very satisfied with the picture. Recently I got a H20 and, to my untrained eye, the picture looks better than the HR10-250. Both on satellite and on OTA. Does anyone else have both units and if so, how do the pictures compare between the two?

I have the standard 3LNB dish, not the 5LNB. I have compared using both HDMI and component connections.

I agree with you...

I've got both of these and also the Sony HD300. The HD300 looked just a bit better than the HR10-250. I thought nothing would beat the HD300 but the H20 beats the HR10-250 and the HD300 in picture quality. I have the 3LNB dish as well and it's hooked up to a Sony XBR 40" Tube TV. The H20 just looks more vibrant and clear on both OTA and sat.

Just wish the H20 had an analog OTA tuner. Oh well...

Has anyone successfully tried to setup IR emitters for the H20 so as to be able to control from one universal remote? I've tried several IR Emitters that work with other components but have not successfully been able to do it with the H20. Seems like the H20 is very picky on the positioning of the IR emiiters as I can get it to work in specific orientations but these positions are impractical for normal use? Anyone try this yet with the H20?

Thanks!

fkubick:...To date, the H20 could be the very best tuner as far as video is concerned. It is certainly as good as any other previous set top box. The shortcomings with the H20 is in the menus and so on. Also, it certainly lacks 'speed'. As an overall tuner I would still take the Zenith HD520 or llike. The overall built quality of the Zenith was much better. Of course, the H20 had to be built at a price point. And, at that price point, it is very good.

Has anyone successfully tried to setup IR emitters for the H20 so as to be able to control from one universal remote?

I have my Pronto TSU2000 set up to run my H20 with no problems. I used the CCF from a D10 and imported the codes into my setup.

HR10-250 vs. HD20

I've had the HR10-250 for over a year and am very satisfied with the picture. Recently I got a H20 and, to my untrained eye, the picture looks better than the HR10-250. Both on satellite and on OTA. Does anyone else have both units and if so, how do the pictures compare between the two?

I have the standard 3LNB dish, not the 5LNB. I have compared using both HDMI and component connections.

You are correct. However, comparing almost anything to the HD Tivo will give the other unit an edge. IMO the HD Tivo had just about the worst PQ of any D* HD receivers.

Is it possible to eliminate the periodic "acquiring guide data" message when using the H20 as an OTA only receiver (if the satellite input is not connected)?

I got that this morning even WITH a dish connected. Why do we need to know that it's acquiring guide data?

Is it possible to eliminate the periodic "acquiring guide data" message when using the H20 as an OTA only receiver (if the satellite input is not connected)?
Interesting.

I couldn't get my H20 to work at all as an OTA-only tuner....

It would be nice to find out what is being done to address the Dolby audio dropout problem for local HD channels (only). I have confirmed with 3 different installers that this is not a result of the H20, rather, it is a D*TV broadcast issue.

Nonetheless, it impacts all H20 installs that have the local HD channels activated and have the settings on Dolby audio. It is really strange that this only impacts the local HD channels, while all other HD channels broadcasting Dolby are just fine.
When switching to the comparible OTA HD locals, the audio is fine, so the problem is specific to the D*TV HD local channel Dolby audio transmission alone.

As mentioned earlier, despite some HDMI cable issues with some installs, my HDMI and toslink optical audio cables reflect no problems whatsoever for DOlby audio (except the local HD channels...).

That's the same with me. I called DTV tech support and they tried to say it was because I was running TOSLINK to the receiver and it was causing the audio out of sync and that I should run HDMI to the TV and TOSLINK from the TV to receiver. That's all fine and dandy except that since the TV is 2ch audio it "negotiates" a 2CH PCM connection with the H20 and only passes PCM to the receiver.

I wish DTV would at least acknowledge the issue. They did pretty good with the HD problem when the Sammy 360 came out.

I got that this morning even WITH a dish connected. Why do we need to know that it's acquiring guide data?

Does that happen while you are just watching a channel?
Or does is happen while in the guide or menus?

Only happened once. I think I was scrolling through the quick guide at the bottom of the screen.

On older receivers, if you were navigating the guide during data acquisition, the box would just freeze with no message, making you think there was something wrong with the box or the remote. Maybe that's why they added the "acquiring guide data" message.

Something going on here!...just begun this morning: h20 has when to 'acquiring information from satellite" message and, of course, no regular programming for 2-3 minutes. We will see if this continues which, of course, is unacceptable. It has happened twice within 2 hours.

Interesting.

I couldn't get my H20 to work at all as an OTA-only tuner....

I'm going to be moving at the end of the month and it woul dbe great to know how to use the reciever as an OTA-only unit. I will be without service for a couple days (particularly new years eve) and I'd like to have the unit pulling in stations rather than relying only on the TV to do it.

So please, please detail us on how to do this - assuming it's difficult.

OK, within a little over 2 hours, my H20 has went to 'aquiring quide data' 3 times. Of course, zero programming during those minutes...a blank screen. I know of no 'adjustment' for this.
Will wait a day or 2 and see what happens.

I had no programming when mine first did that, but I hit ChUp and it came back. The message took about 5 mins to go away.

My Harmony (Logitec) universal remote works well with the H20. In fact did not have to change the settings used for the H10.

It would be nice to find out what is being done to address the Dolby audio dropout problem for local HD channels (only).
That's the same with me. I called DTV tech support and they tried to say it was because I was running TOSLINK to the receiver and it was causing the audio out of sync..
Is the audio out of sync, or is it dropping out, or both?

This Aquiring Guide data message happened to mine just now as I turned it on. It was at the bottom of the screen, so I could still turn the channel and see what was on. It only last a minute. If you select the More Info it says to hit the reset button or call Customer Service at 772. Turn the channel and the blank screen goes away.

I got that this morning even WITH a dish connected. Why do we need to know that it's acquiring guide data?
Same here. It's very annoying. It's been happening all morning, and just right now in the afternoon. I lose my show and have to wait until it comes back by using the guide, and then switching to another channel, then switching back. Odd.

I'd think it was the storm system over a good portion of the states, but my other unit isn't affected even in the slightest - and it's what I consider RCA junk.

Is the audio out of sync, or is it dropping out, or both?
It's not out of sync, and its very fine on all other Dolby audio HD channels - the ONLY PROBLEM is with the local HD channels.

Interesting.

I couldn't get my H20 to work at all as an OTA-only tuner....

Make sure the orignal directv access card that came with the H20 is in the slot
and let us know if it starts to work

It's not out of sync, and its very fine on all other Dolby audio HD channels - the ONLY PROBLEM is with the local HD channels.

HDTVFAN0001,

I am now hearing drop outs on the locals (CBS and ABC for sure) and still no audio at all on FOX. Still not sure about NBC. D* is coming out on Saturday to check this.

Paul

Interesting.

I couldn't get my H20 to work at all as an OTA-only tuner....

I had to activate mine with Directv before I could get it to work for OTA. I just wonder if the unit will eventually stop trying to acquire guide data since I no longer have the satellite feed connected. Or, if someone knows a way to force it to stop checking that would be great too.

HDTVFAN0001,

I am now hearing drop outs on the locals (CBS and ABC for sure) and still no audio at all on FOX. Still not sure about NBC. D* is coming out on Saturday to check this.

Paul
Sorry (but not surprised) to hear about your same experience. I now have heard from over 25 people in multiple locations who have validated this is a real problem, and one that has yet to be dealt with.

Since the problem can be pinned down to the local HD DOlby broadcasts only, and the H20 units do hot have any other HD channel Dolby broadcast problem, clearly, the problem originates with the D*TV transmission itself. The more calls they get on this, my guess is that the sooner it will be fixed. I have over a dozen calls in myself to report it and see the statusd (which is "we know about it, and a solution is pending") - no idea as to when. I know of 3 friends who have done likewise. This is one of those squeaky wheel issues, I'm sure.

Perhaps Ken H (with his connections) can get us an update....?

Hopefully this will be fixed soon. Excluding this annoying issue, the H20 is a fine piece of equipment, and clearly has the best tuners in any D*TV devices to date.

Since the problem can be pinned down to the local HD DOlby broadcasts only, and the H20 units do hot have any other HD channel Dolby broadcast problem, clearly, the problem originates with the D*TV transmission itself.

That's not entirely accurate. It could be an inherent issue with the H20 processing the MPEG4 stream.

Are any of the folks in Detroit having these audio issues? It seems as if it is not happening everywhere which confuses the issue.

I'm getting the frequent "acquiring guide data...." message and subsequent loss of picture. This is happening on 5 H-20's and not happening on 2 HR10-250's. It happens on any channel. The picture can be resored by a simple channel change but the message remains for a period of time then a brief picture interuption and then all is fine.

water1...Keeping my fingers crossed as this happened 3 times, in a short period of time, this morning. So far, rest of day OK. This was first problem like this since receiving receiver, some 6 weeks ago.

water1...Keeping my fingers crossed as this happened 3 times, in a short period of time, this morning. So far, rest of day OK. This was first problem like this since receiving receiver, some 6 weeks ago.

I actually had this problem when they were first installed but then it took a break to return today.

Try resetting the unit to get rid of the "Acquiring.. " message. I did and as yet it hasn't returned - about an hour or so.

That's not entirely accurate. It could be an inherent issue with the H20 processing the MPEG4 stream.
Since when can a device "pick and choose" certain channels for Dolby audio NOT to work, while all the others work just perfectly? Same antenna, same tuner, same audio Dolby processor. It either processes Dolby or it doesn't. Your explanation makes no sense at all.

It always works fine on ALL Dolby audio transmissions on ALL HD channels, with the exception of only local HD channels - it's either gonna work on Dolby or it isn't. Even the 3 installers I talked to, as well as supervisor in level 3 tech support at D*TV all agreed it was NOT a hardware problem.

Are any of the folks in Detroit having these audio issues? It seems as if it is not happening everywhere which confuses the issue.
Actually that may be a help in diagnosing things....so far, San Francisco and Atlanta have repeated reports of this - not sure about Detroit. If that's the case, the common demoninator is that the newer local HD channels have the problem, further supporting the probability that the source of the problem is either the D*TV Dolby transmission software, transponder, or encoder used for those cities.

If there's anyone from Detroit with the same audio dropouts on local HD channels for Dolby audio, please let us know...then we'll know its a global D*TV Dolby audio transmission problem.

Since when can a device "pick and choose" certain channels for Dolby audio NOT to work, while all the others work just perfectly? Same antenna, same tuner, same audio Dolby processor. It either processes Dolby or it doesn't. Your explanation makes no sense at all.

It always works fine on ALL Dolby audio transmissions on ALL HD channels, with the exception of only local HD channels - it's either gonna work on Dolby or it isn't. Even the 3 installers I talked to, as well as supervisor in level 3 tech support at D*TV all agreed it was NOT a hardware problem.
He was stating that if it is only MPEG4 streams that are droping out mybe the H20 is having problems decoding. If some MPEG4 was working and others weren't then it would have to be before it got to the box but because all MPEG4 streams have a problem you can't say it isn't the H20 that is the problem. Basically the H20 is having no problem with MPEG2 but it has DD problems on MPEG4.

Also if I recall correctly, when Detroit went online they had the same problem and it was fixed by a software upgrade to the H20.

My wife is pissed as hell. That "acquiring guide" message popped up twice during The Apprentice and she missed about 10 minutes of it....

[edit] It just did it again.... That's at least 3 times in one hour. I've said it once and I'll say it again. WHY THE HELL DO WE CARE IF IT'S ACQUIRING GUIDE DATA????

My wife is pissed as hell. That "acquiring guide" message popped up twice during The Apprentice and she missed about 10 minutes of it....


How do you fix that?

Mine keeps doing it....didn't do it yesterday

My wife is pissed as hell. That "acquiring guide" message popped up twice during The Apprentice and she missed about 10 minutes of it....

[edit] It just did it again.... That's at least 3 times in one hour. I've said it once and I'll say it again. WHY THE HELL DO WE CARE IF IT'S ACQUIRING GUIDE DATA????

Mine has been having the same problem. I just purchased my H20 on Sunday @ Best Buy. This is getting irritating and I may return the unit.

As Veander stated earlier, hit the RESET button to fix the annoying "Acquiring Guide" popup issue.

As Veander stated earlier, hit the RESET button to fix the annoying "Acquiring Guide" popup issue.

Then how long before it happens again? A week? It shouldn't happen AT ALL

Then how long before it happens again? A week? It shouldn't happen AT ALL

Clearly we don't own some high-end piece of equipment. I mean I got a rebate to make the thing for free. For free. As mucha s I can't afford some high-end items I would appreciate a high-end, no-problems item.

It really would help if some of you guys without locations put them in so it shows up under your name in the left side of your posts.

It might help narrow down if some of these problems are localized or national. :)

My "acquiring guide data" interruptions are solved. I unplugged the receiver, waited twenty seconds, plugged her back in and problem solved. But, I notice that I now have four of the same event scheduled for the "AUTOTUNE" feature. I hope there will be a fix for this soon. Am I still the only one going through this? Lucky I.

Make sure the orignal directv access card that came with the H20 is in the slot
and let us know if it starts to work
I only tried it [OTA-only reception w/antenna] when I initially setup the receiver. Haven't messed with it since I connected the dish coax and activated the box.

And yes, the access card that came w/ the H20 was inserted.

FWIW, I haven't had the "acquiring guide data" problem... yet, using 3-LNB dish in NW Arkansas.

Actually that may be a help in diagnosing things....so far, San Francisco and Atlanta have repeated reports of this - not sure about Detroit. If that's the case, the common demoninator is that the newer local HD channels have the problem, further supporting the probability that the source of the problem is either the D*TV Dolby transmission software, transponder, or encoder used for those cities.

If there's anyone from Detroit with the same audio dropouts on local HD channels for Dolby audio, please let us know...then we'll know its a global D*TV Dolby audio transmission problem.

I am also having auto sync problems in Philly market. I was only able to check local fox(29) in HD. It's very strange...when I 1st tune to the channel all is fine. The longer I watch, the more the audio gets out if sync. It seems to max out at about 2 secs behind. No drops, though.

I will try to check out the other local HD tonight.

So, since Wednesday morning (3 times) I have NOT been hit with 'acquiring data' again. Keeping fingers crossed!

He was stating that if it is only MPEG4 streams that are droping out mybe the H20 is having problems decoding. If some MPEG4 was working and others weren't then it would have to be before it got to the box but because all MPEG4 streams have a problem you can't say it isn't the H20 that is the problem. Basically the H20 is having no problem with MPEG2 but it has DD problems on MPEG4.
That would make sense if not for the fact that the MPEG4 stream includes both video and audio, and there are NO problems with the video - again, you can't have selective hardware issues like that. Everything points to the D*TV transmission of Dolby audio on HD locals itself, and even they seem to have admitted to it when speaking with their folks several times.

I am also having auto sync problems in Philly market. I was only able to check local fox(29) in HD. It's very strange...when I 1st tune to the channel all is fine. The longer I watch, the more the audio gets out if sync. It seems to max out at about 2 secs behind. No drops, though.

I will try to check out the other local HD tonight.
Hopefully this thing gets licked soon. Thanks for adding Philly to the list of affected cities.

Edge Distortion on HBO2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is anyone else getting a line of static (about one or two pixels wide) on the edge of HBO2? I'm getting a vertical line on the right edge of HBO2 (502). No visible problems on any other stations. I'm getting it on my HD20 but not on my HR10-250. Of course, the problem is not occuring with HD only with SD with side pillars.

Edge Distortion on HBO2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is anyone else getting a line of static (about one or two pixels wide) on the edge of HBO2? I'm getting a vertical line on the right edge of HBO2 (502). No visible problems on any other stations. I'm getting it on my HD20 but not on my HR10-250. Of course, the problem is not occuring with HD only with SD with side pillars.

I don't get that, but I recently noticed that I get a line or two of distortion on the top of the screen if I put it in 1080i Letterbox (Native) Mode when viewing OTA. I haven't found a need for this mode, but I figure it's worth mentioning.

All,

I commented earlier in this thread about the H20 not feeding Dolby Digital 5.1 through the HDMI port. Besides the audio drop outs on the HD locals, I can only get DD 5.1 if I connect the optical cable to my AV receiver. Can't use HDMI only for video/audio (works but not DD 5.1). Since D* can't provide an answer on this, I was able to make contact with LG who makes the H20 and pose the question directly to them. I will post their answer when I get it.

Paul

That would make sense if not for the fact that the MPEG4 stream includes both video and audio, and there are NO problems with the video - again, you can't have selective hardware issues like that. Everything points to the D*TV transmission of Dolby audio on HD locals itself, and even they seem to have admitted to it when speaking with their folks several times.
I beg to differ. If you have a MPEG4 stream and an MPEG4 decoder. If the decoder isn't working properly it is possible to decode the video portion well and the audio not. Now if some MPEG4 streams had no problem and others did then it would have to be a transmission problem. Like I mentioned before, Detroit had this problem initially but it was fixed by a firmware push to the H20.

I purchased the H20 and had asked a question on another forum about how to be able to use this STB AND an HDMI dvd player at the same time as my TV has only a single HDCP-compliant DVI input. The responder said that I could consider a stereo receiver with multiple HDMI inputs, but that I might have a problem as the H20's HDMI is version 1, whereas most of the multi-HDMI stereo receivers are HDMI version 1.1, and the two versions are incompatible. Is this true? If so, how much more can manufacturers cloud the waters. If they don't get some type of compatibility issues resolved, they'll end up losing consumers before they get them.

RTobJJ: ..Has your equipment component as well? Certainly, the image quality on the screen is about the same with component and with HDMI.

All,

I commented earlier in this thread about the H20 not feeding Dolby Digital 5.1 through the HDMI port. Besides the audio drop outs on the HD locals, I can only get DD 5.1 if I connect the optical cable to my AV receiver. Can't use HDMI only for video/audio (works but not DD 5.1). Since D* can't provide an answer on this, I was able to make contact with LG who makes the H20 and pose the question directly to them. I will post their answer when I get it.

Paul
This sounds exactly like the problem the Motorola 6412 cable DVR has. When hooked by HDMI to the display, the display signals the source device that it is only capable of 2.0 and shuts down the 5.1 feed since the display can't use it. Motorola has issued a FW to fix the problem.

What is your HDMI pathway? To a AV receiver first or are you going directly to the display and then using the display's digital out back to the receiver?

There is also the problem of different versions of the HDMI spec. Early versions only passed 2.0, IIRC.

This sounds exactly like the problem the Motorola 6412 cable DVR has. When hooked by HDMI to the display, the display signals the source device that it is only capable of 2.0 and shuts down the 5.1 feed since the display can't use it. Motorola has issued a FW to fix the problem.

What is your HDMI pathway? To a AV receiver first or are you going directly to the display and then using the display's digital out back to the receiver?

There is also the problem of different versions of the HDMI spec. Early versions only passed 2.0, IIRC.

keenan,

My HDMI pathway is (was) from the H20 to the TV (Sharp 45GD7U) and the optical output from the TV to the AV receiver (Denon 3805). Would seem odd that the H20 and the TV (Sharp's latest model recently announced) would be limited by the early version of the spec. I reconnected the optical from the H20 to the AV receiver since the above pathway did not give me DD 5.1.

Paul

keenan,

My HDMI pathway is (was) from the H20 to the TV (Sharp 45GD7U) and the optical output from the TV to the AV receiver (Denon 3805). Would seem odd that the H20 and the TV (Sharp's latest model recently announced) would be limited by the early version of the spec. I reconnected the optical from the H20 to the AV receiver since the above pathway did not give me DD 5.1.

Paul
What's happening, I believe, is that since the Sharp does not have a way to output 5.1(not enough speakers/channels..) it "tells" the source device(H20) to only send 2.0 data as that is all it's capable of using. That 2.0 data in turn gets sent back out the digital out from the display and that's why you have only 2.0 at the receiver.

Theoretically, if all the HDMI ports were up to current spec, you should be able to send the H20 HDMI output to a AVR, extract the 5.1 audio, and then pass the HDMI video to the display. Problem is, there are vary degrees of the HDMI spec on currently available equipment so many times they do not "talk" to each other correctly because one HDMI port is better "educated" than the one it is connecting to.

I beg to differ. If you have a MPEG4 stream and an MPEG4 decoder. If the decoder isn't working properly it is possible to decode the video portion well and the audio not. Now if some MPEG4 streams had no problem and others did then it would have to be a transmission problem. Like I mentioned before, Detroit had this problem initially but it was fixed by a firmware push to the H20.
That's interesting... because now on 3 different forums, people in Atlanta, Philly, San Fran, and Chicago all report the exact same issue that I have, and all are told by D*TV in all those cities that its a D*TV Dolby audio transmission issue.

What's happening, I believe, is that since the Sharp does not have a way to output 5.1(not enough speakers/channels..) it "tells" the source device(H20) to only send 2.0 data as that is all it's capable of using. That 2.0 data in turn gets sent back out the digital out from the display and that's why you have only 2.0 at the receiver.

Theoretically, if all the HDMI ports were up to current spec, you should be able to send the H20 HDMI output to a AVR, extract the 5.1 audio, and then pass the HDMI video to the display. Problem is, there are vary degrees of the HDMI spec on currently available equipment so many times they do not "talk" to each other correctly because one HDMI port is better "educated" than the one it is connecting to.

keenan,

I hope you are wrong but it sounds logical. You would think that Sharp would allow the user to determine this, especially since the speakers are detachable. Nothing in the manual to indicate anything like this. I am going to ask this question on the panel forum to see if anyone may know.

Thanks,

Paul

keenan,

I hope you are wrong but it sounds logical. You would think that Sharp would allow the user to determine this, especially since the speakers are detachable. Nothing in the manual to indicate anything like this. I am going to ask this question on the panel forum to see if anyone may know.

Thanks,

Paul
Let us know what you find out. :)

H20 HDMI help please?

I have the H20 connected to a Sharp LC26 via HDMI

every time I turn the Sharp back on: the HDMI input defaults to a VGA resolution: I can go into the Sharp HDMI menu and get it back to 1080i but no matter what I do when I turn the Sharp off then back on it defaults to the lower resolution

I used the same connection with a Dish 942 without a problem

any ideas?

aside from this issue I like the H20

What's happening, I believe, is that since the Sharp does not have a way to output 5.1(not enough speakers/channels..) it "tells" the source device(H20) to only send 2.0 data as that is all it's capable of using. That 2.0 data in turn gets sent back out the digital out from the display and that's why you have only 2.0 at the receiver.

Theoretically, if all the HDMI ports were up to current spec, you should be able to send the H20 HDMI output to a AVR, extract the 5.1 audio, and then pass the HDMI video to the display. Problem is, there are vary degrees of the HDMI spec on currently available equipment so many times they do not "talk" to each other correctly because one HDMI port is better "educated" than the one it is connecting to.


keenan,

Someone else has confirmed your suspicion over in the Panel forum. The TV tells the H20 that it only can manage DD 2.0. So, I am stuck with having to use both Optical and HDMI unless I upgrade my AV receiver with HDMI plumbing.

Regards,

Paul

keenan,

Someone else has confirmed your suspicion over in the Panel forum. The TV tells the H20 that it only can manage DD 2.0. So, I am stuck with having to use both Optical and HDMI unless I upgrade my AV receiver with HDMI plumbing.

Regards,

Paul
Yeah, sometimes I think the only thing HDMI is good for is to increase the bank account for Silicon Image. :)

Yeah, sometimes I think the only thing HDMI is good for is to increase the bank account for Silicon Image. :)

And upconverting DVD players....... :D

Maybe it's just me, but the only thing this thing has going for it is the incredible OTA tuner.

First of all, I only bought the unit because I blew up my HD100. I know some of you have waited a long time for your HD, and this really is the only answer you're going to get for awhile. I have the benefit of excellent OTA, so I had no reason to change my dish or box (other than it blowing up) and I'm still on the 3LNB.

I have a terrific 42" Panny and initially I found the H20 picture quality grainy and foggy, so I exchanged it for another with the same results. Best Buy was quite accomodating and they had plenty in stock. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but I had much better results with the Sony. Maybe the Sony and Panny are a better match than the H20 and the Panny.

For those of you wondering if different units have different initial software, the answer is "yes". The first unit required several attempts to update software to the current version, the second came out of the sealed box with the current version.

Even though this thing is still quite new, it seems to be besieged by problems that really make it an annoying unit, particularly the guides/filters, rebooting and acquiring data. I haven't even gotten into the audio problems, but I can only imagine the frustration you guys have experienced. This is not what I expected out of the "next generation" box.

Maybe when they work the bugs out I'll reconsider. Hopefully by the time they get the DVR box out some of these issues will be resolved. Until then, this thing is going back to Best Buy and I'll attempt to get out of my 2 year committment with DTV. For now I'm spending my time on eBay looking for an HD300 or LS3200.

Maybe it's just me, but the only thing this thing has going for it is the incredible OTA tuner.

First of all, I only bought the unit because I blew up my HD100. I know some of you have waited a long time for your HD, and this really is the only answer you're going to get for awhile. I have the benefit of excellent OTA, so I had no reason to change my dish or box (other than it blowing up) and I'm still on the 3LNB.

I have a terrific 42" Panny and initially I found the H20 picture quality grainy and foggy, so I exchanged it for another with the same results. Best Buy was quite accomodating and they had plenty in stock. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but I had much better results with the Sony. Maybe the Sony and Panny are a better match than the H20 and the Panny.
You must really be disgruntled - hope you don't work for the Post office - you posted this same message on 3 boards.

Clearly, you got a bad H20 box, in that hundreds of others have reported a superior PQ to any other unit made to date.

Perhaps you have a problem with your cabling or other equipment?

In any account, your take on the H20 does not seem to match that of the majority of H20 owners in any way - especially, when it comes to picture quality comparisons.

Maybe it's just me, but the only thing this thing has going for it is the incredible OTA tuner.

First of all, I only bought the unit because I blew up my HD100. I know some of you have waited a long time for your HD, and this really is the only answer you're going to get for awhile. I have the benefit of excellent OTA, so I had no reason to change my dish or box (other than it blowing up) and I'm still on the 3LNB.

I have a terrific 42" Panny and initially I found the H20 picture quality grainy and foggy, so I exchanged it for another with the same results. Best Buy was quite accomodating and they had plenty in stock. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but I had much better results with the Sony. Maybe the Sony and Panny are a better match than the H20 and the Panny.

For those of you wondering if different units have different initial software, the answer is "yes". The first unit required several attempts to update software to the current version, the second came out of the sealed box with the current version.

Even though this thing is still quite new, it seems to be besieged by problems that really make it an annoying unit, particularly the guides/filters, rebooting and acquiring data. I haven't even gotten into the audio problems, but I can only imagine the frustration you guys have experienced. This is not what I expected out of the "next generation" box.

Maybe when they work the bugs out I'll reconsider. Hopefully by the time they get the DVR box out some of these issues will be resolved. Until then, this thing is going back to Best Buy and I'll attempt to get out of my 2 year committment with DTV. For now I'm spending my time on eBay looking for an HD300 or LS3200.

I certainly don't doubt anything you are saying, but I am surprised as the H20 has an excellent MPEG-2/4 decoder and you should be loving the HD pq. If you have the H20-600 it was built by LG, who make the best DIRECTV HD receiver. LG made the Sony HD300, which is the LG LSS-3200A.

I honestly don't think the pq would be any better on a HD300.

-Robert

Anyone watching D* FOX NFL on their local channel? On my local channel 29 the picture is crap- it's blocky and unwatchable. On channel 88 it is fine.

Where could the problem be?

Hopefully this thing gets licked soon. Thanks for adding Philly to the list of affected cities.
Good News! I am in the Chicago DIRECTV Market and have reported a number of times the intermittent Dolby Digital on FOX 32 and CBS 2 -- Everything was OK on the other local channels and national feeds. Today, for the first time, Dolby is rock solid on both FOX 32 and CBS 2. It is now 1:30 CST. Football is on 32 and College Basketball on 2. The only action I have taken is to unplug the H20 for 20 minutes to correct the acquiring guide problem. Will confirm this message after NFL football on Sunday December 18th.

Paul Macaluso

Actually, for me, the H20 has been doing quite well with great audio and video. The operation is slow and the menus not so good. And a few things have happened out of blue but, all in all, so far, no big complaints from me. The Zenith HD520 was a better built and easier receiver to operate with better and quicker features. This H20 is build down to a price point and it shows. But, being free, it is OK..so far. And the video is excellent!

Good News! I am in the Chicago DIRECTV Market and have reported a number of times the intermittent Dolby Digital on FOX 32 and CBS 2 -- Everything was OK on the other local channels and national feeds. Today, for the first time, Dolby is rock solid on both FOX 32 and CBS 2. It is now 1:30 CST. Football is on 32 and College Basketball on 2. The only action I have taken is to unplug the H20 for 20 minutes to correct the acquiring guide problem. Will confirm this message after NFL football on Sunday December 18th.

Paul Macaluso

My audio situation has also improved here in the SF Bay Area. The dropouts have stopped on CBS, ABC and NBC and there is audio on FOX (had nothing at all for about a week). The only remaining issue is that the audio is out of sync with the video on the FOX channel. After complaining to D*, they said they would send someone out who just came only to tell me that there's nothing he can do and that it is not the H20.

He claims that the audio/video sync issue will take into January to resolve but he really did not sound too knowledgeable.

Hey Paul, are you related to John Macaluso, the drummer?

Thanks,

Paul

Sounds like D*TV is making some headway on the Dolby local HD channel dropout problem.

I have yet to hear back (at least anything of substance) from the techy guys, but was told "they're working on it", so it does appear to be on their end somehow.

Other than that annoying thing on the lcoal HD channels, the H20 has performed very well and has an outstanding PQ on both AT9 Dish and OTA channels.

I switched to the H20 about 1 week ago. I have it hooked via HDMI to my Sony KDFE42A10 and initally wanted to scrap it due to the incredibly slow channel changes. ( I originally had an RCA DTC210)
Picture quality was fantastic but the 5-6 seconds it took to change channels was driving me nuts!
I have since found that having the H10 resolution set to native was the cause of the problem. Since turning off native and setting the resolution to 720P to match the A10 set, all is well and I am very satisfied with the H10.

OTA HD reception is pinned at 100%
Fast action motion blur is almost gone.
Horizontal line on 1080 is gone (RCA problem?)
No sound problems at all.


So far, It's a keeper!

Anyone else with this same combo and D*? what are your findings?

dave

It is ashame the H20 guide works so slow. I had the H10 for about 2 weeks because they sent me the wrong unit. The guide in the H10 was very fast. Now after getting the H20 I miss the H10. My old Sony SAT-A65 is much nicer.

Do you think D* can update a firmware to fix this issue? One other annoying feature is the intermediate filter screen that pops everytime you press the guide button. I really wonder if the designers that create these units actually test them with people that use them. If D* would start to listen to some of these complaints on these forums they could actually come up with a product that would steal customers from the competition. Some of their designs really need some work. Wonder what happen to the "Keep It Simple Stupid" theory. It seems every company is racing to see how many buttons they can put on a remote.

Just had to get this off my chest.

Anyone with a new 5lnb dish know how many recievers can be hooked up to it? I need 7 outputs.

Carbo....
As it comes out-of-box, the max is 4 receivers....many have gone with the Zimwell 6X8 multiswitch (~$100, I think....)

Yes, the Zinwell 6x8 KA/KU switch can be interfaced with your AT9 5 LNB antenna dish system.

If you are a new subscriber or getting an upgrade you should get the 6x8 switch for no charge.

-Robert

The installers are coming out next week. I told(directv) I needed more than four outputs. Will they carry whats needed for 8 outputs?

Should I call D* about my H20 audio sync and video problems or is that a waste of time?

Local Fox HD is having audio sync problems on ALL programming, not just HD. Also, the video from the football game on Saturday was unwatchable.

I believe the other 3 networks are ok.

Has anyone in the Dallas area converted to the new dish and H20 HD receiver? I am trying to verify whether or not ABC is availble in HD. Customer service said that Direct*and ABC are working out the details...whatever that means. I was under the impression that the new dish can "pick up" the OTA feeds so it should be receiving the ABC local feed.

Can ayone verify this?


I got mine installed Friday, I can get fox,nbc, cbs only so far using HD LIL . ABC will most likely be comin soon, if you use a OTA antenna though you should be able to get ABC fine. My primary reason for going to the H20 was to get ABC though HD LIL because that is one channel almost impossible to get OTA in my area(far north dallas)

I've just started getting the "aquiring guide" message and while checking it out I noticed that I am not getting a signal on these transponders:

Sat 101 - 4,5,12,13,18,19,20,21,28
Sat 110 - all are ok.
Sat 119 - 25,29

I suspect the missing transponders are related somehow, but I don't know how.

My other receiver is getting all of the missing transponders. The other receiver is getting the missing sat 101 transponders at 100% and the missing 119 'Ts also have a very good signal.

I have done the obvious test of swapping cables, unit reset (although I have not tried pulling the plug yet.)

The transponders that I do receive (all the ones not list above) all have a good signal strength (in the high 70s).

Any one else seen this or have any thoughts ?

Steve, You just replaced the receiver but didnt get the new 5LNB dish right? Hmm...

Steve, You just replaced the receiver but didnt get the new 5LNB dish right? Hmm...


That is correct, it is connected to a Spaun 5x8 multiswitch and then to 3LNB setup.

I got mine installed Friday, I can get fox,nbc, cbs only so far using HD LIL . ABC will most likely be comin soon, if you use a OTA antenna though you should be able to get ABC fine. My primary reason for going to the H20 was to get ABC though HD LIL because that is one channel almost impossible to get OTA in my area(far north dallas)

I too got my H20 up and running Friday. I am in Allen, TX (north of Plano) and I'm getting 28 digital stations off-air via $8 RCA rabbit ears in the attic feeding the amp I already had for the 68' cable run to the receiver. I get 80-95% signal strength on all but 3 of them (< 50% on those), but they are not stations that I will miss anyway...

Not all of the off-air digital stations show up in the guide, although you can tune them in directly. Is this because they are not transmitting guide information?

So far I am VERY pleased with the H20. My only complaint is the guide is a tad slower than my D10.

Should I call D* about my H20 audio sync and video problems or is that a waste of time?

Local Fox HD is having audio sync problems on ALL programming, not just HD. Also, the video from the football game on Saturday was unwatchable.

I believe the other 3 networks are ok.
No, it's not a waste of time, it may seem like it but the more complaints DirecTV gets about a problem the more inclined they are to do something about it. Others have reported saying that it takes "5 shots across the bow" before they will even initiate a response to an issue. So you may be the 5th caller that triggers some action. The problem appears to be getting the issue boosted out of the CSR domain and into the technical group.

Sounds like D*TV is making some headway on the Dolby local HD channel dropout problem.

I have yet to hear back (at least anything of substance) from the techy guys, but was told "they're working on it", so it does appear to be on their end somehow.

Other than that annoying thing on the lcoal HD channels, the H20 has performed very well and has an outstanding PQ on both AT9 Dish and OTA channels.
The Dolby Digital problem which seem completely corrected on the DIRECTV HD Chicago market is only partially solved. CBS 2 continues to have intermittent DD but Fox 32 is performing well. One less annoying problem is nice.

Just activated a second H20 none of the current updates are present -- so must put up with less then optimum performance for short time.

Paul Macaluso

I've just started getting the "aquiring guide" message and while checking it out I noticed that I am not getting a signal on these transponders:

Sat 101 - 4,5,12,13,18,19,20,21,28
Sat 110 - all are ok.
Sat 119 - 25,29Those are all spot beams except 5, 13,19 and 21. http://www.widemovies.com/dtvtransponders.html will let you know what channels they carry. You might want to check again as most of the involved channels are for NFL Sunday ticket or D* info channels and there might have been some changes being made right when you checked.

steve Richards: I got the 'acquiring date' sign on my screen and the screen went blank for a period of time. . This happened 3 times one day. Before that and since, all is ok. So, just maybe, it was just one of those things.

I got the new 5NLB and the H20 on Sat. The installer did a horrible job putting the dish on the roof. Splittered my raffer 2x4 under the roof. I had to give him a piece of 2x4 so the base of the dish had a wider platform to drill into. The H20 receiver is okay...the remote doesn't work w/ my HP TV and coming from a Hughes the H20 is slow and doesn't have a nice favorite feature. The HD picture is awesome, however limited and now the SD looks worse then before...might be just because of the HD. Overall D* could've done better w/ both the install and the H20 features.

...live2veg.:.........On my h20, 480i content looks very good; in fact, it looks as good as the local OTA stations doing live programming at 480i. Today, Monday, the new graphics on CNBC look stunning.

T You might want to check again as most of the involved channels are for NFL Sunday ticket or D* info channels and there might have been some changes being made right when you checked.


Thanks, I did check my other receiver (not an h20) and the signals were all very strong on those transponders.

richard, what format do you use for the SD content? keep it at 480i...i wasn't sure which format looked the best (480, 720 or 1080)

... Not all of the off-air digital stations show up in the guide, although you can tune them in directly. Is this because they are not transmitting guide information?

No.

The H20 gets its guide (including OTA channels received w/ antenna) from DirecTV. If there are local OTA channels that aren't in your guide, or if there are errors, contact DirecTV's guide provider - Tribune Media Services:

Sue Brooks
EAS Manager
Tribune Media Services
800 833-9581 ext.2225
smbrooks@tribune.com

Bought my H20 a week ago and was scheduled to get the AT9 dish installed on Friday. My window was 1-5pm and they guy didn't get there until almost 7pm. He shows up with the standard 3-LNB dish and has never even heard of the AT9. I called D* and they told me that whoever I spoke with earlier was wrong and that I don't need an AT9. I said fine and made them note in my account that if I need one in the future that they will put it up for free.

H20 is working fine (Damn the guide is slow though) and I get all my channels that I'm expecting. The weird thing though is in the guide from 2-13. The 4 HD channels are listed in the guide there with the same channel number as the SD channel. For example, I have KCBS 2 and LA2 2 in the guide. KCBS is showing the HD channel information but when I tune it, it says Channel Not Available. I don't get the ext.721 message. LA2 is the SD KCBS and works fine. KCBS on ch 81 works fine in HD. It's annoying though because I mainly tune with direct channel entry and when I key in 2 it goes the non-existant ch2 and I have to hit up on the remote to get the SD ch2. I can hide it in the guide and that makes the CH+/- skip over it, but direct tuning still jumps there. This is the same for all 4 HD locals.

My father picked up an H20 yesterday and hooked it up at his house (He already had the oval 3-LNB dish) and his guide is the same way. D* advanced support didn't know what was wrong and want to send a tech out again, but I don't know what they would do and don't really want to take another day off of work to wait for the guy and then have him not be able to do anything. Anyone else have a similar issue? If that's the way it is, I can deal with it, but I wish it would work correctly.

Bought my H20 a week ago and was scheduled to get the AT9 dish installed on Friday. My window was 1-5pm and they guy didn't get there until almost 7pm. He shows up with the standard 3-LNB dish and has never even heard of the AT9. I called D* and they told me that whoever I spoke with earlier was wrong and that I don't need an AT9. I said fine and made them note in my account that if I need one in the future that they will put it up for free.

H20 is working fine (Damn the guide is slow though) and I get all my channels that I'm expecting. The weird thing though is in the guide from 2-13. The 4 HD channels are listed in the guide there with the same channel number as the SD channel. For example, I have KCBS 2 and LA2 2 in the guide. KCBS is showing the HD channel information but when I tune it, it says Channel Not Available. I don't get the ext.721 message. LA2 is the SD KCBS and works fine. KCBS on ch 81 works fine in HD. It's annoying though because I mainly tune with direct channel entry and when I key in 2 it goes the non-existant ch2 and I have to hit up on the remote to get the SD ch2. I can hide it in the guide and that makes the CH+/- skip over it, but direct tuning still jumps there. This is the same for all 4 HD locals.

My father picked up an H20 yesterday and hooked it up at his house (He already had the oval 3-LNB dish) and his guide is the same way. D* advanced support didn't know what was wrong and want to send a tech out again, but I don't know what they would do and don't really want to take another day off of work to wait for the guy and then have him not be able to do anything. Anyone else have a similar issue? If that's the way it is, I can deal with it, but I wish it would work correctly.

Are you sure you have selected the 3lnb dish in the menu option on the H20 ?

I've just started getting the "aquiring guide" message and while checking it out I noticed that I am not getting a signal on these transponders:

Sat 101 - 4,5,12,13,18,19,20,21,28
Sat 110 - all are ok.
Sat 119 - 25,29

I suspect the missing transponders are related somehow, but I don't know how.

My other receiver is getting all of the missing transponders. The other receiver is getting the missing sat 101 transponders at 100% and the missing 119 'Ts also have a very good signal.

I have done the obvious test of swapping cables, unit reset (although I have not tried pulling the plug yet.)

The transponders that I do receive (all the ones not list above) all have a good signal strength (in the high 70s).

Any one else seen this or have any thoughts ?

Do you have the B-band Convertor connected in the back of the H20 ?

Are you sure you have selected the 3lnb dish in the menu option on the H20 ?


Yes, Oval 3LNB is the selected dish type on the H20. With Tech Support we did a full reset and configuration of the box on the phone and ended up with the exact same results.

Yes, Oval 3LNB is the selected dish type on the H20. With Tech Support we did a full reset and configuration of the box on the phone and ended up with the exact same results.

Then it looks like it been programmed that way, nothing you can do about it, or pray that Directv can reprogram it via a firmware software update :)

Yes, Oval 3LNB is the selected dish type on the H20. With Tech Support we did a full reset and configuration of the box on the phone and ended up with the exact same results.
Could it be because there are no MPEG4 locals in LA yet? They may be mapped in the receiver in anticipation of them going live soon?

Could it be because there are no MPEG4 locals in LA yet? They may be mapped in the receiver in anticipation of them going live soon?

It should not show up in the guide because he doesnt have the 5 LNB AT9 dish hooked up to it

No.

The H20 gets its guide (including OTA channels received w/ antenna) from DirecTV. If there are local OTA channels that aren't in your guide, or if there are errors, contact DirecTV's guide provider - Tribune Media Services:

Sue Brooks
EAS Manager
Tribune Media Services
800 833-9581 ext.2225
smbrooks@tribune.com

My bad... All of them show up in the "all channels" guide. Some of them are filtered out when viewing the "hd channels" guide. Thanks for the info!

I've just started getting the "aquiring guide" message and while checking it out I noticed that I am not getting a signal on these transponders:

Sat 101 - 4,5,12,13,18,19,20,21,28
Sat 110 - all are ok.
Sat 119 - 25,29

--- cut ---
Any one else seen this or have any thoughts ?

This morning the missing transponders have all returned.

Coincidently (or not) there was new software downloaded last night (version 0F03).

I haven't noted any other changes except the guide may be a bit quicker, but of that I'm not real sure either since I don't use it all that much.

This morning the missing transponders have all returned.

Coincidently (or not) there was new software downloaded last night (version 0F03).

I haven't noted any other changes except the guide may be a bit quicker, but of that I'm not real sure either since I don't use it all that much.
Sure hope they licked the HD local channel Dolby audio dropout problems as well....

Bought my H20 a week ago and was scheduled to get the AT9 dish installed on Friday. My window was 1-5pm and they guy didn't get there until almost 7pm. He shows up with the standard 3-LNB dish and has never even heard of the AT9. I called D* and they told me that whoever I spoke with earlier was wrong and that I don't need an AT9. I said fine and made them note in my account that if I need one in the future that they will put it up for free.

H20 is working fine (Damn the guide is slow though) and I get all my channels that I'm expecting. The weird thing though is in the guide from 2-13. The 4 HD channels are listed in the guide there with the same channel number as the SD channel. For example, I have KCBS 2 and LA2 2 in the guide. KCBS is showing the HD channel information but when I tune it, it says Channel Not Available. I don't get the ext.721 message. LA2 is the SD KCBS and works fine. KCBS on ch 81 works fine in HD. It's annoying though because I mainly tune with direct channel entry and when I key in 2 it goes the non-existant ch2 and I have to hit up on the remote to get the SD ch2. I can hide it in the guide and that makes the CH+/- skip over it, but direct tuning still jumps there. This is the same for all 4 HD locals.

My father picked up an H20 yesterday and hooked it up at his house (He already had the oval 3-LNB dish) and his guide is the same way. D* advanced support didn't know what was wrong and want to send a tech out again, but I don't know what they would do and don't really want to take another day off of work to wait for the guy and then have him not be able to do anything. Anyone else have a similar issue? If that's the way it is, I can deal with it, but I wish it would work correctly.

Surprising they told you you don't need the 5 lnb sat...maybe because you are in LA and already get the HD feeds off the other sats? All the new locals around the country in HD will be off the new Ka band sats, not available with the 3 lnb dishes.

Surprising they told you you don't need the 5 lnb sat...maybe because you are in LA and already get the HD feeds off the other sats? All the new locals around the country in HD will be off the new Ka band sats, not available with the 3 lnb dishes.
And the 5LNB will be needed in the future for other new HD and Interactive content as well...

That's exactly what they said, LA/NY gets HD off the existing SATs so I don't need the AT9. Will LA get the rest of their locals ever? KTLA, KCAL, KCOP? If so are they going to come on the existing sats, or will they be MPEG4? I've seen other posts that talk about LA locals on Dec 28th, so we shall wait and see........

This morning the missing transponders have all returned.

Coincidently (or not) there was new software downloaded last night (version 0F03).

I haven't noted any other changes except the guide may be a bit quicker, but of that I'm not real sure either since I don't use it all that much.

Saw the upgrade while it was in progress...I noticed:

1. An overall font difference...the tops of T's .5's & and 7's ect., seem to be chopped off a little.

2. Icon Graphics on certain stations now have new designs and color added in some instances. (ESPNHD now has RED in ESPN)

3. Seems to have fixed the manual schecule problem when tunning by date the H20 would try tune a day catorgory ahead of it self will watch that one to seem if it is really fixed.

Could not tell if the menu / guide speed improved. :)

RSlack

I am in the NYC market and picked up an H20 last night. The MPEG4 channels appear to be mapped in the guide at present. I have not upgraded the Dish and I will wait until next week to do so. If these channels were not expected to be added, I wouldn't think they would appear in the guide. These mappings only apply to CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC as expected.

I am in the NYC market and picked up an H20 last night. The MPEG4 channels appear to be mapped in the guide at present. I have not upgraded the Dish and I will wait until next week to do so. If these channels were not expected to be added, I wouldn't think they would appear in the guide. These mappings only apply to CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC as expected.
That's what I figured, it appears to be the same in emarti20's case as well. Not having the dish itself does not preclude having the channel mappings.

I am still experiencing HDMI problems: video and audio dropouts: have tried different cables/displays/settings etc

is this a known issue or a problem with my particular H20 :confused:

BTW, I am loving the H20. No problems so far and a very very big improvement in PQ over my old Hughes HTL. The colors on the H20 are more vivid, with more depth and detail than before. We have come a long way with decoders. CBS OTA had very similar PQ to CBS via Directv last night. Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of room for improvement, especially on Discovery and HDNet movies, but overall the H20 gave new life to my D* HD image.

Sure hope they licked the HD local channel Dolby audio dropout problems as well....

Audio is acting up again in the SF Bay area but only on the HD locals. On all HD locals, audio is not in sync with video. On a few occasions last night, the picture went blank for a few seconds and then returned. After this, the audio seemed to sync up with the video on ABC but not on FOX. Later, they were both out of sync again. Drop outs are also occurring again.

Separately, I did get confirmation from LG Electronics, the maker of the H20, that the HDMI does pass AC3 (DD 5.1), however, if the TV "tells" the H20 that it cannot decode DD 5.1, it then only sends 2 channel PCM audio.

Paul

Currently the H20 doesn't support HP's remote control codes. Does anyone know if this can be updated via firmware?

Audio is acting up again in the SF Bay area but only on the HD locals. On all HD locals, audio is not in sync with video. On a few occasions last night, the picture went blank for a few seconds and then returned. After this, the audio seemed to sync up with the video on ABC but not on FOX. Later, they were both out of sync again. Drop outs are also occurring again.

Separately, I did get confirmation from LG Electronics, the maker of the H20, that the HDMI does pass AC3 (DD 5.1), however, if the TV "tells" the H20 that it cannot decode DD 5.1, it then only sends 2 channel PCM audio.

Paul
Thanks for sharing this info. The continued Dolby audio dropouts on local HD channels (only) is irritating, but hopefully, correctible (soon). If not for also having OTA locals in HD, I'd really be going nuts...for now, its a nuisance. It sure is strange that ONLY the local HD channels have the Dolby dropout problem - seems to be tied to the new MPEG4 transmission of the locals somehow, since all other HD channels have great Dolby.

Separately, I did get confirmation from LG Electronics, the maker of the H20, that the HDMI does pass AC3 (DD 5.1), however, if the TV "tells" the H20 that it cannot decode DD 5.1, it then only sends 2 channel PCM audio.

Paul

Yes, that's precisely the issue I'm seeing with my Gefen HDMI switcher/Fujitsu plasma and the H20. The H20 is the only one of 3 HDMI devices connected to the Gefen that fails to pass DD 5.1 to my receiver via the HDMI's stripped audio. Interestingly, the HD Tivo and my JVC D-Theater deck are having no problem sending the DD 5.1 via HDMI/Gefen switcher even though the Fujitsu does not decode DD.

Go figure. :confused:

Edge Distortion on HBO2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is anyone else getting a line of static (about one or two pixels wide) on the edge of HBO2? I'm getting a vertical line on the right edge of HBO2 (502). No visible problems on any other stations. I'm getting it on my HD20 but not on my HR10-250. Of course, the problem is not occuring with HD only with SD with side pillars.

Try MENU-SETUP-DISPLAY and then go to the CENTERING tab at the top of the window. That seemed to work for me in getting rid of a left SD side pillar black line.

Tony

I have a Pany TH-50PX25 display and can not get the remote to turn it on with the TV-POWER-ON button (upper right button). I can turn both the Pany and H20 off with the TV-POWER-OFF button and can control the Pany's volume with the VOL control and change the Pany's inputs with the TV-INPUT button. The only way to turn the Pany on is to slide the mode switch to TV and then hit the PWR button (top center button). That sucks because sooner or later I'll wear out the slide switch if I have to do this every time I turn the Pany on with the remote. I have tried all three control codes listed for the Panasonic. I have noticed on the remote that when you press the TV POWER button that you will see a green light at the DTV symbol followed by green light at the TV position. That seems to indicate that the remote is talking to the H20 and then to the TV. Maybe its a timing issue; not enough duration at the TV position. The work around is to use the Pany's remote or the button on the Pany to turn it on. Any suggestions?

Tony

wyeknott: I do not know of the TH-50PX25 ddirectly but on my Panny plasma, I never shut it completely 'off'. When off a red lite shows and when on a green lite shows. I leave the Panny remote lying in front of plasma display and just push the red button on same to shut dispaly off or turn display on. I never have to touch the push button on the Panny plasma itself. You can also slide switch on h20 control to 'tv' and use it to turn Panny on and off. I see no valid reason to turn h20 on and off; just leave it on all the time.

Currently the H20 doesn't support HP's remote control codes. Does anyone know if this can be updated via firmware?
Are you referring to the codes in the H20's remote?
If so, the remote codes inside the remote cannot be updated.

on my Panny plasma, I never shut it completely 'off'. When off a red lite shows and when on a green lite shows. I see no valid reason to turn h20 on and off; just leave it on all the time.

On my Panny there is no green light. Just nothing (OFF) or red (ON).

The H20 never gets turned off completely. When off the audio and video are off and you see the red panel light and when on you see the green light, just like on your Panny. One of the claims to fame about the H20 remote is that it is suposed to be able to control the on/off of both the H20 and your TV simultaneously (actually there is a short delay) with a single push of the TV POWER ON/OFF buttons.

Tony

Are the "interactive" channels on the H20 working for anyone? For example, on my D10; channel 111 shows 6 programs at once and allows you to navigate them and select the one you wish to tune to. On my H20, I never get the "interactive enabled" message at the top and cannot navigate.

I got to a second tier technician and was told that the remote may not work with all TV's. As another test I tried programming my remote for my old ProScan TV and it worked. I could turn the TV on and off with the two upper right TV POWER buttons while the MODE slide switch was in the DTV (leftmost) position. I guess I'll have to live with it until they come out with a updated remote. :mad:

I got to a second tier technician and was told that the remote may not work with all TV's. As another test I tried programming my remote for my old ProScan TV and it worked. I could turn the TV on and off with the two upper right TV POWER buttons while the MODE slide switch was in the DTV (leftmost) position. I guess I'll have to live with it until they come out with a updated remote. :mad:

Just get a programmable universal remote.

Are the "interactive" channels on the H20 working for anyone? For example, on my D10; channel 111 shows 6 programs at once and allows you to navigate them and select the one you wish to tune to. On my H20, I never get the "interactive enabled" message at the top and cannot navigate.

I heard that Directv does not have any Interactive HD receivers. is/was your D10 a standard def receiver?

Are the "interactive" channels on the H20 working for anyone? For example, on my D10; channel 111 shows 6 programs at once and allows you to navigate them and select the one you wish to tune to. On my H20, I never get the "interactive enabled" message at the top and cannot navigate.

I heard that Directv does not have any Interactive HD receivers. is/was your D10 a standard def receiver?
Both the D10 and H20 are touted as Interactive capable.

I have the H20 on one tv and LOVE it. Is there anyway to run an H20 and DVR in some type of dual role? As much as I love the H20, I also love my TIVO DVR and would like to be able to use them both on the same tv...can this be done? I don't relish having to spring for the $399+ pricetag for a combined unit when I already have the DVR and can pickup the H20 for $0 after rebates.

TIA,

Rob

1. Does anyone know if there is a limit to how many times a single family can qualify for the $200 D* rebate, i.e. is there a limit to one per family type of prohibition?

2. IF I can get a second H20 with the rebate, does anyone know if I'd be paying additional HD fees other than the standard per receiver fee, i.e. will I pay additional fees over and above the fee I pay D* for the current non-HD fee if I am already subscribed to their HD service?

1. Does anyone know if there is a limit to how many times a single family can qualify for the $200 D* rebate, i.e. is there a limit to one per family type of prohibition?

2. IF I can get a second H20 with the rebate, does anyone know if I'd be paying additional HD fees other than the standard per receiver fee, i.e. will I pay additional fees over and above the fee I pay D* for the current non-HD fee if I am already subscribed to their HD service?

This is what happened to me. I asked about the rebate if I got two units and was told in no uncertain terms that it was a single unit. I argued to no avail. Once I said I wanted the locals with the upgraded dish (AT9) D* said oh Mr B. We can do that no problem. So I'm getting the twp H20's and a new dish with a two year commitment and the rebate on both units. I laughed because I've had D* since it first came out. Like I'm gonna change now! :)

As far as any extra charges I'm not aware there will be.

Installation will be 1/7/2006 (saturday) :)

Try MENU-SETUP-DISPLAY and then go to the CENTERING tab at the top of the window. That seemed to work for me in getting rid of a left SD side pillar black line.

Tony

That did the trick -- Thanks, Tony

My H20 got an update last night. Does anyone know what problems the update addressed. I am in the SanFrancisco area and the only thing I noticed different was that on channel (KTVU) audio dropouts were constant. Since the update the dropouts are gone. I still have audio sync issues on KTVU and KGO though.

1. Does anyone know if there is a limit to how many times a single family can qualify for the $200 D* rebate, i.e. is there a limit to one per family type of prohibition?

2. IF I can get a second H20 with the rebate, does anyone know if I'd be paying additional HD fees other than the standard per receiver fee, i.e. will I pay additional fees over and above the fee I pay D* for the current non-HD fee if I am already subscribed to their HD service?

1. From the rebate form (http://www.*********************/images/pdf/DIRECTV%20rebate%20form%20for%20DVR%20and%20HD%20rebates.pdf ):

"For $100 rebate, DVR service activation also required. For $200 rebate, DIRECTV HD package activation required. Limit one $100 rebate and one $200 rebate for a total of $300 per account. Limit one rebate per receiver. Customers receiving instant rebate(s) from DIRECTV not eligible."

2. Your only additional monthly fee for an extra HD receiver is the additional receiver "mirroring" fee.

I'm in the SF market and I just got my H-20 installed last week and my main issue
is the hd audio. there seems to be a delay when people are talking. The audio
and the people talking are not in sync. I was wondering if others had this problem.
I tried turning the dolby digital off. It's still the same. I turned it on, same. I removed the optical cable and left the analog, same. I did the reverse, it's same.
Is this a glitch in the system?

I'm in the SF market and I just got my H-20 installed last week and my main issue
is the hd audio. there seems to be a delay when people are talking. The audio
and the people talking are not in sync. I was wondering if others had this problem.
I tried turning the dolby digital off. It's still the same. I turned it on, same. I removed the optical cable and left the analog, same. I did the reverse, it's same.
Is this a glitch in the system?
bce4, there is a local SF DBS thread at the link below, and the audio problem is being worked on as until just a few days ago there was no audio at all on KTVU.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6768763#post6768763
San Francisco, CA - DBS - AVS Forum

My only complaint about the H20 has been the extremely slow response when using the guide, and that pre-guide that always pops up, first. Picture and sound look excellent on HD channels, both on D*TV and OTA.

I hope D*TV gets more HD channels soon...NGHD would be a nice addition...

It's pretty slow when you switch channels as well. :(

Let us begin to send e-mails and letters to Directv to add National Geo. and Tnt HD in 06. It is time Directv gives us more national HD channels for the $11 each month. So, do write; it can't hurt!.

I have the H20 on one tv and LOVE it. Is there anyway to run an H20 and DVR in some type of dual role? As much as I love the H20, I also love my TIVO DVR and would like to be able to use them both on the same tv...can this be done? I don't relish having to spring for the $399+ pricetag for a combined unit when I already have the DVR and can pickup the H20 for $0 after rebates.




RobJJ, I had the same question as you. DTV is installing the H20 and 5lnb dish tomorrow morning (after 8 hours of time on the phone with them in the past month).

My plan is to keep my DTV Tivo (non-HD) as an extra receiver, but connected through my home theater system to the same TV. I realize I won't have recording in HD, but I can't live without my DVR. I prefer to wait a few months for the DTV HD DVR that can record the HD locals (MPEG4 format) than fork out the $$ for the current HD tivo for a just a few months pf use. If your TV only has one open set of component inputs (assuming the other is for your DVD), try using the HDMI (if available) for the H20 and the component for the Tivo input.

Unrelated, but as a rookie to this forum I'd like to say as a tech guy, but new to HD, avsforum is the best I have seen for HD and related home theater information. Thank you all for your very helpful contributions. I look forward to reading more!

Wow, I just got one of these and the first thing I noticed was that SD channels changed instantly, fasther than any other box I've owned (I think seven different ones over the years). The HD channels take a second or so longer, but I think that's a factor of them being only double digit channel numbers, and the system waits a moment to see if a third digit is going to be entered.

I just set up a Mitsubishi WD-73927 DLP TV via the HMDI cable from a H20 unit I purchased with the sole purpose to receive HD channels. While viewing HD channels the image is nothing to brag about (I may need to fine tune the TV) and when I try to change the resolution on the H20 unit (by pressing on the front panel either the 720i or 1080 i) I get a black screen. When I first set up the IRD it worked OK with improvement on the picture quality but then the receiver took an update and that's when I noticed the above problem. Any ideas? Should I try composite cable instead of the HDMI? Will spending $100 on monster cable HDMI help at all? (I got the HDMI cable from an electronics store for about $18.00) Thanks for any suggestions..

I just set up a Mitsubishi WD-73927 DLP TV via the HMDI cable from a H20 unit I purchased with the sole purpose to receive HD channels. While viewing HD channels the image is nothing to brag about (I may need to fine tune the TV) and when I try to change the resolution on the H20 unit (by pressing on the front panel either the 720i or 1080 i) I get a black screen. When I first set up the IRD it worked OK with improvement on the picture quality but then the receiver took an update and that's when I noticed the above problem. Any ideas? Should I try composite cable instead of the HDMI? Will spending $100 on monster cable HDMI help at all? (I got the HDMI cable from an electronics store for about $18.00) Thanks for any suggestions..

random guesses (I don't have an H20 but I think this advice would work for any unit):

1. did you check the setup to make sure it's set for 720p and 1080i output?
2. You might have a bad cable, but it is my opinion that monster cable is not worth the money. Try another cable just to eliminate the "bad cable" from the equation. But your current cable should be fine (if it's working!).
3. do try the component (not composite -- component is the blue/green/red cable) and see if it works. This will tell you if the unit is outputting HD at all.

I bought a $6 HDMI from www.monoprice.com and it works perfectly with my Samsung DLP. Don't waste your money on Monster crap.

1. did you check the setup to make sure it's set for 720p and 1080i output?

I thought I was doing this by pressing on the 720p or 1080i button on the front of the receiver. Before the receiver took the update, whenever I did this, on the TV screen a "720p" or "1080i" would appear so I kind of knew that that was the resolution being displayed. Now nothing happens just a black screen.


3. do try the component (not composite -- component is the blue/green/red cable) and see if it works. This will tell you if the unit is outputting HD at all.


Good idea. I will hook up the component cables (and audio) and see if this works when I get home. Thanks.

1. did you check the setup to make sure it's set for 720p and 1080i output?

I thought I was doing this by pressing on the 720p or 1080i button on the front of the receiver. Before the receiver took the update, whenever I did this, on the TV screen a "720p" or "1080i" would appear so I kind of knew that that was the resolution being displayed. Now nothing happens just a black screen.


In the HR10-250 (aka HD-Tivo), you go into the setup and assign which resolutions you want to cycle through with the up arrow...I have it set-up to cycle between 480p, 720p and 1080i only, for example.

If the H20 has the same setup, maybe the new update set those resolutions to "uncheck", so the up arrow has nothing to cycle to, or something like that...

another guess would be the setup is defaulted to say that your TV is not HD ready, so the unit does not give a picture for 720p or 1080i...again, these are just wild guesses, but it's free/easy to check (instead of wasting money on a monster cable)!

M2NAL or mikejwil,

When you got your AT9 dish installed did you get it put on your roof? Did the installer try to push the pole mounts?

Hello all, just thought I'd add my $0.02.

My Sammy TS160 developed a glitch after working flawlessly for a couple years, so I thought it was time to pick up a new unit. Initially I picked up an H10 and was majorly disappointed--the H10 had a ton of video stuttering, picture through HDMI was washed out, and overall picture quality wasn't even close to the 160.

I then researched people's opinions on the HD-TIVO. It seemed as though at least half of those who had one said the picture quality was a bit softer or not quite as good as the unit they had before. More than anything, PQ was the biggest thing for me.

So I was intrigued by this thread because anyone who commented on the PQ had generally favorable remarks and said the PQ was on par with, if not slightly exceeded, what they had before. So I gave the H20 a try.

I'm not disappointed. The 160 was my only frame of reference and to me anyway, always looked superb. The H20 does equal that unit for PQ.

It seems odd to me, however, that I had to sort through different receivers to find one with PQ that would equal or surpass my previous one. It does not bode well for HD if providers or manufacturers are more willing to sacrifice quality for profits sake. Heck, I'll gladly pay more for an expensive model if it were known as the best HD receiver in existence.

I got the 600 model, so it appears as though the units made by LG are the way to go.

... When I first set up the IRD it worked OK with improvement on the picture quality but then the receiver took an update and that's when I noticed the above problem. Any ideas?
If HD worked before the update:
Go into Setup/TV Type.
Make sure the 16:9 display is selected, then find the TV Resolutions tab.
Check the 1080i box.
Hit the INFO button to confirm that you can view 1080i.
Exit the setup menu.

Now, tune to an HD program and press the FORMAT button on the remote (upper left corner of remote) until it is on 1080i.

I have 2 issues with my H20. First is the remote won't control my Sony TV and direct tv tech support can't get it working. The second is since the firmware update the other day, in my channel quide it changed the sequence of the local channels and now the analog tv local channel is first so when I manually change to one of the local channels it selects the external antenna analog which isn't receiving anything and I have to push the up channel button on the remote to change to the directtv channel. I haven't been able to figure out how to remove the local analog channels from the quide so they aren't available.
don

The H20 does not have an OTA analog tuner.

To remove unwanted channels in the guide, go to MENU | FAVORITES create a custom guide with your favorite channels. Then use the custom guide instead of the All Channels guide. Note that this will not affect direct channel entry - only channels displayed in the custom guide.

what does this have to do with the H20 receiver?
Nothing.