Caller Id Issue on H20 (http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=50029&highlight=caller+id+h20)

just got my H20 about a month ago and im very happy with it, PQ, OTA tuner are both great. but here's the question: the unit runs warm to the touch when it's turned off, and can be downright hot when turned on. is this an issue? normal?

sadmaker.....
Several have posted here saying their H20s run warm to hot......Mine runs warmer than my Samsung..or even my old H10......Some have suggested placing the unit on rubber "feet" or standoffs; one even uses ceramic tile(s) to dissipate the heat. As long as the unit has adequate ventilation on top and bottom, you should be OK. You can always hook up a small fan (like in a PC) but they tend to be somewhat noisy.
Good luck!

sadmaker.....
Several have posted here saying their H20s run warm to hot......Mine runs warmer than my Samsung..or even my old H10......Some have suggested placing the unit on rubber "feet" or standoffs; one even uses ceramic tile(s) to dissipate the heat. As long as the unit has adequate ventilation on top and bottom, you should be OK. You can always hook up a small fan (like in a PC) but they tend to be somewhat noisy.
Good luck!
i'll try the rubber feet and report back, thanks!

There arnt any grills on the top right?.. Too bad, that would help.. Even if its only over the power supply

There arnt any grills on the top right?.. Too bad, that would help.. Even if its only over the power supply

2/3rds of the top and 1/2 of the bottom have perforations in the metal cover. It is very well ventilated. If there is a heating problem (I have not seen any issues related to excessive heat) it is easily solved by allowing adequate airflow around the unit and/or carrying heat away from the unit and not allowing hot spots to develop.

Thats good! Just dont stack anything on top like your DVD player and stuff

If I ever get an H20 to replace my E86, I think I'll keep the fan I use with the E86 on the H20. Once bitten, twice shy.

just got my H20 about a month ago and im very happy with it, PQ, OTA tuner are both great. but here's the question: the unit runs warm to the touch when it's turned off, and can be downright hot when turned on. is this an issue? normal?

They do run hot.

Somebody suggested rubber bottle stoppers which I thought was a pretty good idea so I hunted around my spare bits & pieces and found some beveled faucet washers.

http://media.doitbest.com/products/430641.gif

Broke out some sticky stuff (auto decal cement) and slapped the washers on the rubber feet of both my H20s. Fit perfectly. The units now have a 1/2 inch clearance under them. Still run hot as heck but I feel better.

I have a question regarding audio connections. I just set up my H20 and tried to use the HDMI out to DVI in on the HDTV, using an adapter plug. But then there was no audio out from the H20 left and right analog audio outputs. I reconnected using component video and all is well. What gives? Does the H20 shut down the audio out plugs using a HDMI connection? My HDTV only has DVI in so I have to use an HDMI/DVI adapter for the picture and then must use separate audio connections for audio. Didn't work. Explanation anyone? Thanks.

DVI is Digital VIDEO Interface No Audio. Have to use the Optical or RCA outputs

I understand that. But when I used the DVI interface with my HDTV, I also connected the audio outputs to the HDTV and they were not active. Could it be that, since the HDMI out on the H20 carries both video and audio, that when this output is engaged, the analog rt/lft. outputs are shut down? That was my experience...

cosmos:..a great UHF antenna is the Televes DAT75. Also very good are top of line Winegard and Channel Master antennas. Always choose a little more antenna than you think you will ever need. Check out 'Stark Electronics' for infor and puichases.

Well, the directv guy has come and gone, and I'm somewhat satisfied with the installation now.

Turns out, that first clown didn't bother to give me that new multi-switch that is supposed to come standard with the 5LNB installations, so this guy got one for me and put it in. Very big, won't fit in the junction box outside, so I'm gonna have to buy a new one. No big deal.

Just so you can all be aware, they sent this guy out to me with NO TRAINING whatsoever on this type of dish system, so fixing my install was pretty much his OJT for the week. Apparently, this is a common practice with Directv according to him, so be careful when you're having your installs done. However, luckily, he was fairly experienced and seemed to know what he was doing, and all appears to be working well. I felt like **** because it was like 20 degrees and sleeting, so I stayed outside with the guy.

He did attempt to adjust the satellite for me to get a stronger signal, but due to the layout of my house it was very difficult to get the signal readings to him, especially with the weather conditions outside. Just from him screwing around with it, I could see that signal strengths in the 90's were possible with this setup, but you've got to hit it just right.

Kai

...He did attempt to adjust the satellite for me to get a stronger signal, but due to the layout of my house it was very difficult to get the signal readings to him, especially with the weather conditions outside....
Kai
The guy really must have been a low part-timer or something. That 5LNB needs a professional alignment meter, according to the instruction manual. He would have the meter next to him at the dish.

The guy really must have been a low part-timer or something. That 5LNB needs a professional alignment meter, according to the instruction manual. He would have the meter next to him at the dish.
Heck, I'm not even a pro installer and I have a meter. You can buy a nice professional meter for about the cost of one professionalservice call.

Actually, I remember him mentioning that... something about having to get one to do these types of installations, but they sprung my job and a new install on him today.

Seemed like an honest guy who actually knew what he was talking about, so I don't think he was putting me on.

Kai

Topics merged.

I understand that. But when I used the DVI interface with my HDTV, I also connected the audio outputs to the HDTV and they were not active. Could it be that, since the HDMI out on the H20 carries both video and audio, that when this output is engaged, the analog rt/lft. outputs are shut down? That was my experience...


DeanS... I just ordered my H20,I was planning on having the the H20 connect to my projector via HDMI and to my old receiver via rca jacks.. but I guess that won't work. Will it? :confused:

Is there an option to enable both audio outputs on the H20 (HDMI & rca)?

DeanS... I just ordered my H20,I was planning on having the the H20 connect to my projector via HDMI and to my old receiver via rca jacks.. but I guess that won't work. Will it? :confused:

Is there an option to enable both audio outputs on the H20 (HDMI & rca)?

Arent all the ports on the H20 hot at all times?

Hi all,

As a new person on this forum, I hope I am not repeating a question that has been asked before, but I searched and cannot find any information on this topic.

We just got a H20 receiver and the first thing my wife wanted to do is set a "timer" (in RCA lingo) to switch channels so she can record her daily Soaps (no we do not have a DVR).

The manual talks about Autotune and she set that, then asked how to make it work for Monday-Friday like our last receiver. I read through the User Manual and found nothing.

I started to play with the H20 and found a "manual" mode that let me do exactly what she needed.

But that makes me wonder what else the H20 can do that is not even mentioned in the Users manual that came with the H20.

So, does anyone know of a list like I described or a real Users Manual for the H20 that actually lists all the features for the device?

Thanks for any help.
Howard

So what exactly do you think will the USB port on the H20 be used for? Perhaps connecting to a home network or computer to stream video? Or perhaps downloading MPEG4 video to a PSP? What are your thoughts?

Actually, I remember him mentioning that... something about having to get one to do these types of installations, but they sprung my job and a new install on him today.

Seemed like an honest guy who actually knew what he was talking about, so I don't think he was putting me on.

Kai
I'm sure he is.... just amazing he doesn't have the meter, if he does this as even a side job. From what I observed, theoretically, using the meter, an installer could set up a dish without even having to turn on the satellite receiver. Personally, I've never done that---relying on just the 75' long run of TV coax cable to a 12" TV set on a bar stool outside next to the dish. :( :eek:

I understand that. But when I used the DVI interface with my HDTV, I also connected the audio outputs to the HDTV and they were not active. Could it be that, since the HDMI out on the H20 carries both video and audio, that when this output is engaged, the analog rt/lft. outputs are shut down? That was my experience...

That could be! My Sony XBR950 has DVI like yours. But I'm plugging the optical output into a receiver. Its wont be going to the TV.

DaBody1 and others.....

I can only relate to you my experience with the H20 in setting it up yesterday. Here are the facts:

*I bought a Monster HDMI/DVI converter plug and used it with the DVI cable that came with the H20. I have one of those new Dell 19-inch displays that connects via DVI only.

*I connected the HDMI out on the H20 (using the adaptor plug) to the DVI-in on the Dell. I then connected one set of audio out cables to the audio in on the Dell. Result: no audio.

*I then abandoned the HDMI/DVI connection and tried component video connections. Suddenly the audio connections worked.

My only conclusion is, at least with my unit, that when the HDMI interface is used, the audio outs (RCA not optical) are shut down. But this doesn't square with what I have been told about this receiver having all of its outputs active at the same time! Until someone can give me a tip as to what I'm doing wrong, I'm just going to go component because that works!

DaBody1 and others.....
My only conclusion is, at least with my unit, that when the HDMI interface is used, the audio outs (RCA not optical) are shut down. But this doesn't square with what I have been told about this receiver having all of its outputs active at the same time! Until someone can give me a tip as to what I'm doing wrong, I'm just going to go component because that works!

Both should work, my H20 is connected thru a HDMI to DVI cable to my television at the same I have the S-video and analog audio connected to the same television for PIP purposes. The only difference in my connections that I also use the optical audio to connect the H20 to my surround receiver. All audio connections work.

All-
I have the R15 and H20 (got em free yesterday as a new customer to DTV :-)). I have a Philips Pronto NG remote (TSU 3000) and the RF extender. I have a problem though. I cant seem to get the dang device to recognize any IR signals that I programmed into the Pronto. Does anyone have any ideas or any possible codes that since I have an RF capable remote, that I can access the H20s RF codes?
Thanks guys!

H20 into a AE900 since last week with OTA locals. all my locals are 100% (except WB which is zero- don't understand why yet).

initally ran component now HDMI to the projector and audio thru optical. I was unable initially to get 5.1 sound with either video cable. I've searched and some say to turn the H20 dolby switch "on" and others "off"

After spending additional time changing settings, I am able to receive dolby digital thru my receiver and speakers only with the dolby switch "on" in the audio section of settings of the H20. FWIW

Can any recommend a great ota antennae? My antennae color should be YELLOW. I live near SAC.

I use a UHF only antenna fron RS.It is small enough to put in my attic and only costs $19.95. I live about 18-22 miles from the towers in Philadelphia and have no problems recieving all digital stations.

Has any one picked up a 60 cycle hum in their speakers after hooking up the H20? I was able to get rid of it by defeating the ground as the rest of my components aren't grounded.

An update to my audio issue with the H20......

Turns out there was nothing wrong with the H20 audio outputs. These are all active all the time regardless of the video connection. What I found out was my LCD TV DVI input had to be set to "video" instead of "auto" or "PC" for the set's audio inputs to work. Duh.......

I'm running an H-20 with HDMI to my TV and I still get 2 sets of analog outputs that are live.

An update to my audio issue with the H20......

Turns out there was nothing wrong with the H20 audio outputs. These are all active all the time regardless of the video connection. What I found out was my LCD TV DVI input had to be set to "video" instead of "auto" or "PC" for the set's audio inputs to work. Duh.......
Frustrating, huh??!!
I got a Dell W1700 LCD display/TV that does the same thing....if you don't select the EXACT source/input, you can wind up with NADA!!! :(
Now, of course, we all know about RTFM, right..... ;) But, like putting on boots to get the mail..or (ocasionally.....) not fastening seat belts.....we SHOULD do it...but.... :D

When changing channels, there is no audio for initial 2 seconds. Is this normal with H20 ? Let's say I change from 206 Espn to 207 Expn news, I can see the video but the initial 2 seconds is muted. After that, everything is fine. My audio settings seem normal. (I use HDMI connection only)

When changing channels, there is no audio for initial 2 seconds. Is this normal with H20 ? Let's say I change from 206 Espn to 207 Expn news, I can see the video but the initial 2 seconds is muted. After that, everything is fine. My audio settings seem normal. (I use HDMI connection only)

Yes this is normal. I noticed the same situation. Not sure why this happens , but it does. I had 2 H20 s and they both operate the same way. I have digital audio out to a surround sound system and it does have a delay.
My Sammy TS 160 does not operate that way. It is not your HDMI
I use HDMI for video

I've noticed that since I got my new 5 LNB dish and H20, that wind and rain/snow interference is worse than with my old non HD dish. In other words, it takes less wind gust or rain/snow to freeze or lose picture.

Has anyone posted "minimum acceptable" signal strength settings for each of the transponders?

-Tom

I'm sure he is.... just amazing he doesn't have the meter, if he does this as even a side job. From what I observed, theoretically, using the meter, an installer could set up a dish without even having to turn on the satellite receiver. Personally, I've never done that---relying on just the 75' long run of TV coax cable to a 12" TV set on a bar stool outside next to the dish. :( :eek:
Hahah... that's actually not a bad idea. I didn't get a chance to play with it this weekend to see if I could do better, so maybe this weekend coming up. I spent my free time bringing in all the cables that were leading outside and mounting them inside the basement wall. That multiswitch he put on there was pretty monsterous, and wouldn't fit in my weather enclosure at all... so I took it out of the weather altogether. Now everything looks nice and clean.

Kai

When changing channels, there is no audio for initial 2 seconds. Is this normal with H20 ? Let's say I change from 206 Espn to 207 Expn news, I can see the video but the initial 2 seconds is muted. After that, everything is fine. My audio settings seem normal. (I use HDMI connection only)

I notice this also with HDMI. I have two H20s. I'm using component cables with the larger set and there is practically no audio delay when changing channels. My upstairs Sharp LCD, however, is hooked up via HDMI and has a very definite audio delay.

I've noticed that since I got my new 5 LNB dish and H20, that wind and rain/snow interference is worse than with my old non HD dish. In other words, it takes less wind gust or rain/snow to freeze or lose picture.

Has anyone posted "minimum acceptable" signal strength settings for each of the transponders?

-Tom
From what I have seen on here you should be between 60 and 80 on your signal strength. If you are not close to 80 on a clear day you need to call D* and tell them the installer didn't properly aim your dish.

I've noticed that since I got my new 5 LNB dish and H20, that wind and rain/snow interference is worse than with my old non HD dish. In other words, it takes less wind gust or rain/snow to freeze or lose picture.

Has anyone posted "minimum acceptable" signal strength settings for each of the transponders?

-Tom
My installer is coming out for the second time on Thursday to realign my 5LNB dish since it was installed on Dec. 29. I never had a problem with my 3LNB dish for 2 years with all the wind, rain, and snow I have had. I am going to observe this time and plan to do it myself in the future. D* told me they are not going to keep absorbing this service call if the weather is to blame. It's weird b/c I'm still getting some of the local lower stations on the H20 receiver, but totally lost all signal on my Phillps receiver.

I notice this also with HDMI. I have two H20s. I'm using component cables with the larger set and there is practically no audio delay when changing channels. My upstairs Sharp LCD, however, is hooked up via HDMI and has a very definite audio delay.

interesting....

I have one that I'm running component, no delays. will be switching to hdmi when the recording version finally comes out and this moves tv's...

From what I have seen on here you should be between 60 and 80 on your signal strength. If you are not close to 80 on a clear day you need to call D* and tell them the installer didn't properly aim your dish.
I have read that as well. I wonder which transponder, though, on the 101 and 119 birds. There's a very wide variation of values.

Just for comparison sake, I put my older DSS receiver on the 5LNB dish and received signals in the high 90s (!!!!). Never had that before on that receiver---usually had low 90s, so that 5LNB dish definitely seems to have some pumped up gain.

But my H20 is more sensitive to rain, just as the original poster is stating. My values range in the 70s and 80s on the H20.

From what I have seen on here you should be between 60 and 80 on your signal strength. If you are not close to 80 on a clear day you need to call D* and tell them the installer didn't properly aim your dish.

There is a very wide variation in my numbers (from 38 to 92). Example from a calm clear day:

101
1-8 (63/59/59/0/59/44/59/39)
9-16 (61/57/62/0/60/41/61/38)
17-24 (60/92/61/0/60/39/61/41)
25-32 (58/85/61/64/64/39/59/44)

119
17-24 (n/n/n/n/n/71/51/71)
25-32 (79/74/75/71/58/68/0/74)

110
1-8 (n/n/n/n/n/n/n/56)
9-16 (n/57/n/60/n/n/n/n)

Your numbers seem low to me - here are my AT9 numbers read off my H20 receiver. Clear day.

Sat 101
1-8 77/72/75/82/76/69/77/68
9-16 77/77/76/85/75/74/75/71
1724 77/100/77/77/77/72/81/71
25-32 77/82/77/54/82/72/75/71

Sat 103 Network 14
1-8 n/n/n/n/0/92/69/n/
9-16 n/n/n/n/0/92/72/0
17-24 n/n/n/0/0/0/0/0/
25-32 0/0/n/n/0/0/0/n

Sat 110
1-8 n/n/n/n/n/n/n/74
9-16 n/70/n/70/n/n/n/n/

Sat 119
17-24 n/n/n/n/n/81/45/82
25-32 82/86/88/86/82/88/0/89

if i order the H20 and they come to install the 5LNB dish, would he have to replace the wire thats already going from the satellite(roof) to my living room?

Also, i have 1 HD tv which i plan on using the H20 with. I currently have 3 sd hughes receivers. Do i need to purchase a multiswitch, or do i already have one?

if i order the H20 and they come to install the 5LNB dish, would he have to replace the wire thats already going from the satellite(roof) to my living room?

I just had the new dish installed to replace my 1LNB? dish and they used the existing coax.

Here's my values. My location is in Texas, close to the coast. We have to remember that the receivers vary per unit on the readings, and the locations make a difference. I would love for someone in the Houston - Huntsville area to publish their readings. Also, for comparison sake, all the Houston locals are active with my setup, along with the Showtime, HBO, STARZ, Total Choice Plus:

Sat 101
1-8 81/74/82/0/78/78/77/77
9-16 81/80/82/97/68/78/77/77
1724 77/0/77/97/76/74/77/77
25-32 79/51/79/85/77/78/74/81

Sat 103 Network 14
1-8 n/n/n/n/0/0/0/n/
9-16 n/n/n/n/00/0/0
17-24 n/n/n/0/0/085/0/
25-32 0/0/n/n/0/0/86/n

Sat 110
1-8 n/n/n/n/n/n/n/59
9-16 n/67/n/65/n/n/n/n/

Sat 119
17-24 n/n/n/n/n/71/0/68
25-32 67/69/82/69/0/71/82/72

Also, i have 1 HD tv which i plan on using the H20 with. I currently have 3 sd hughes receivers. Do i need to purchase a multiswitch, or do i already have one?
My installer set up a 6x8 multi-switch for free. He said it was part of the install.

Anyone else having problems with the Caller id? Not a huge deal, but I of course have it on my local phone, and all it says is 'incoming phone call, contact phone company for caller id' or something.

wierd thing is it DOES list the numbers of people that have called if I go into the caller id, but it won't display on the screen...

not major, but I think it might actually be a nice feature if I can get it working. might actually call and make them fix it....

Your numbers seem low to me - here are my AT9 numbers read off my H20 receiver. Clear day.

Sat 101
1-8 77/72/75/82/76/69/77/68
9-16 77/77/76/85/75/74/75/71
1724 77/100/77/77/77/72/81/71
25-32 77/82/77/54/82/72/75/71

Sat 103 Network 14
1-8 n/n/n/n/0/92/69/n/
9-16 n/n/n/n/0/92/72/0
17-24 n/n/n/0/0/0/0/0/
25-32 0/0/n/n/0/0/0/n

Sat 110
1-8 n/n/n/n/n/n/n/74
9-16 n/70/n/70/n/n/n/n/

Sat 119
17-24 n/n/n/n/n/81/45/82
25-32 82/86/88/86/82/88/0/89



I spoke to D*TV and they said my numbers on 101 (transponders 1 and 2) are too low. They said I should be in the 70's, so they're sending someone out to re-adjust the dish.

-Tom

Anyone else having problems with the Caller id? Not a huge deal, but I of course have it on my local phone, and all it says is 'incoming phone call, contact phone company for caller id' or something.

wierd thing is it DOES list the numbers of people that have called if I go into the caller id, but it won't display on the screen...

not major, but I think it might actually be a nice feature if I can get it working. might actually call and make them fix it....


If you go up to the "Search this thread" box and type in "Caller ID" you'll see numerous posts on the subject.

I would love for someone in the Houston - Huntsville area to publish their readings.


I'm in NW Houston.

101 (A)

1-8: 81, 74, 77, 0, 74, 80, 77, 81
9-16: 78, 81, 79, 89, 73, 79, 75, 79
17-24: 77, 0, 80, 93, 80, 75, 77, 77
25-32: 70, 53, 80, 94, 82, 80, 77, 82

103 (Network 15)

All NA

104 (Network 14)

1-8: n, n, n, n, 0, 0, 0, n
9-16: n, n, n, n, 0, 0, 0, 0
17-24: n, n, n, 0, 0, 0, 91, n
25-32: 0, 0, n, n, 0, 0, 92, n

99 (Network 11), (Network 10)

All NA

110 (C)

1-8: n, n, n, n, n, n, n, 75
9-16: n, 74, n, 75, n, n, n, n
17- 24: n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n
25-32: n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n

119 (B)

1-8: n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n
9-16: n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n
17-24: n,n,n,n,n, 82, 0, 78
25-32: 48, 86, 80, 86, 0, 87, 33, 86

Has any one picked up a 60 cycle hum in their speakers after hooking up the H20? I was able to get rid of it by defeating the ground as the rest of my components aren't grounded.

How do you defeat the ground on these units? Also, is it possible to check your signal strength without a meter, or do you need one? I thought I remembered the tech that installed my Dad's Direct TV just talking to another tech that was watching the signal strength on the TV. Could be wrong. I just got a new H20 from Direct TV. I am going to install it today and see if it fixes the problem I am having with my HDMI. I am getting a lot of low resolution blocks when the picture is in dark areas. I thought it might be normal, but it is really bad sometimes. I switched to component cables and it fixes the problem. They sent me a new box and I am going to try it out to day. Also, will the new box update the software automatically. I heard there was a fix for the audio not matching the video right. I hope this is in the new software load. Any information would be great. Thanks in advance.

H20 HDMI video resolution switching?

Is any having a loss of video and green flicker when changing resolutions?
Help with settings?
Leave on native and have the h20 scale and have a 3 second video disruption.
Or put on 1080 or 480 and have tv do the scaling. Is there any difference?
Please help?

How do you defeat the ground on these units? Also, is it possible to check your signal strength without a meter, or do you need one? I thought I remembered the tech that installed my Dad's Direct TV just talking to another tech that was watching the signal strength on the TV. Could be wrong. I just got a new H20 from Direct TV. I am going to install it today and see if it fixes the problem I am having with my HDMI. I am getting a lot of low resolution blocks when the picture is in dark areas. I thought it might be normal, but it is really bad sometimes. I switched to component cables and it fixes the problem. They sent me a new box and I am going to try it out to day. Also, will the new box update the software automatically. I heard there was a fix for the audio not matching the video right. I hope this is in the new software load. Any information would be great. Thanks in advance.

To load new software immediately. Push red reset button near access card slot; when hello screen appears punch 0,2,4,6,8 on remote and new software is loaded

H20 HDMI video resolution switching?

Is any having a loss of video and green flicker when changing resolutions?
Help with settings?
Leave on native and have the h20 scale and have a 3 second video disruption.
Or put on 1080 or 480 and have tv do the scaling. Is there any difference?
Please help?

Take it off native. Set format via remote to 1080 i stretch and leave it there. The delay is very annoying and the picture difference is not noticable

If you go up to the "Search this thread" box and type in "Caller ID" you'll see numerous posts on the subject.


oh, you mean search AVS forums again?

thanks, I'm familiar with the search feature and searched the entire forum for others having this issue. I came up with a reset of the machine as the solution. Has not worked for me.

but thanks for the advice on fixing the issue.

oh, you mean search AVS forums again?

thanks, I'm familiar with the search feature and searched the entire forum for others having this issue. I came up with a reset of the machine as the solution. Has not worked for me.

but thanks for the advice on fixing the issue.

You are not getting any advice because 99.9% of H20 owners are not having problems. I have the caller ID problem. I called D* and they are not aware of the problem and have no idea how to fix it. One person said they fixed it by pulling the power for 4 or 8 hours and that has been the only reported reversal of the problem. Another person posted that they work in customer service for D* and it is not supposed to work at all in this release. They said be patient and it will work correctly in a future release. The point is that for 0.1% of us H20 owners it is an annoying bug. When I get enough time and energy I will call D* back and stay on the line until they agree to send me another H20 to try. I am convinced it is a timing issue between when the H20 figures out there is a call and when it looks for the caller ID modem tones. If it misses the window it misses the tones. But who knows for sure...

I'm in NW Houston....
Thanks!!! I compared my values tonight again. Such variation between the two nights!
I think my signal is ok, then. Just trying to see what the signal strength trend is---don't want unusual rain fade, when compared against my older receiver and its 3LBN dish. That thing hardly faded. Even during Hurricane Rita last year, I had DTV reception for the most part.

If this is posted in another thread my apologizes,I just got hooked up with a H20 and trying to figure it all out.The " Active Button" on the remote will not work and also when I go to the KIDS/SPORTS/NEWS Mixes I get the format and see the various channels however I cant select them.Is this a future software issue or can anyone advise.Bare w/me on all of this I`m sure I will have many other ?????`s.I just swapped out a 811{E*} for the H20 and now a D* customer trying to get familiar with the new equipment,guides etc.

PS: I`m also having a LOT of trouble getting the "Favorites/Custom" list set up as well.

*Thanks !!! in advance if anyone can help me out in these areas*

You probably need to do what I did about learning about the H20---read every page in this thread. Oh, gosh, it took a long time, but you can trace evolution of the posters here getting used to the receiver and 5LNB dish. Everything is discussed---everything, including the ACTIVE button which is currently useful for only the H10 receiver, and for "future" use on the H20.

How do you defeat the ground on these units?
I defeated the ground by getting one of those plug adaptors that allows you to plug a three prong plug in a two prong plug socket and then didn't connect the ground wire.

Also, is it possible to check your signal strength without a meter, or do you need one?
Press the setup button, then choose settings, setup, Sat&Ant, Antenna Setup, Antenna Signal Meter for OTA channel. Choose settings, setup, Sat&Ant, View Signal Strength for the satellite strengths.

Curt

I'm in the Seattle area and want to upgrade from my old Philips box to the H20.

Right now I only have a single LNB dish. Will the H20 work with this dish or do I need to upgrade to a 3LNB and then again to the 5LNB once it's available out here?

Would like to keep my installs and having to deal with D* to a minimum.

Lastly in reading several different forum threads, it looks like LIL in Seattle will be sometime around May of this year. Can anyone verify?

Appreciate any help and advice on this.

I'm in the Seattle area and want to upgrade from my old Philips box to the H20.

Right now I only have a single LNB dish. Will the H20 work with this dish or do I need to upgrade to a 3LNB and then again to the 5LNB once it's available out here?

Would like to keep my installs and having to deal with D* to a minimum.

Lastly in reading several different forum threads, it looks like LIL in Seattle will be sometime around May of this year. Can anyone verify?

Appreciate any help and advice on this.
Yes it will work with your single LNB dish. Just no HD unless you get at least the 3 LNB. Yes D* is planning on rolling out HD locals in Seattle the first half of the year. Should be in the next month or 2.

First off let me say thanks to all you for all your posting My DTV guy came friday and hooked me up. The only thing is they haven't started installing the 5lnb sats. yet so really all the guy had to do was setup the new Reciever. My question is I know that it will be a while before Bakersfield offers it channels in HD but what do I need to do to watch the Super Bowl in HD. I'm having a bunch of guys over my house to check out the new setup and I would really have the game in HD HELP Please.... :confused:

oh, you mean search AVS forums again?

thanks, I'm familiar with the search feature and searched the entire forum for others having this issue. I came up with a reset of the machine as the solution. Has not worked for me.

but thanks for the advice on fixing the issue.

NO. I meant what I typed, the "Search this Thread " box located directly beneath the page index at the top-right of this thread page,and enter "Caller ID".

If you do, you'll see over 34 responses matching your request.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You probably need to do what I did about learning about the H20---read every page in this thread. Oh, gosh, it took a long time, but you can trace evolution of the posters here getting used to the receiver and 5LNB dish. Everything is discussed---everything, including the ACTIVE button which is currently useful for only the H10 receiver, and for "future" use on the H20.

Thanks Larry,I have been keeping constant tabs,between AVS Forums,Satellite Guys and DBS Talk web sites figure I might get the jest of it all eventually :( :mad: :)

If this is posted in another thread my apologizes,I just got hooked up with a H20 and trying to figure it all out.The " Active Button" on the remote will not work and also when I go to the KIDS/SPORTS/NEWS Mixes I get the format and see the various channels however I cant select them.Is this a future software issue or can anyone advise.Bare w/me on all of this I`m sure I will have many other ?????`s.I just swapped out a 811{E*} for the H20 and now a D* customer trying to get familiar with the new equipment,guides etc.

PS: I`m also having a LOT of trouble getting the "Favorites/Custom" list set up as well.

*Thanks !!! in advance if anyone can help me out in these areas*

NKy.Yall,
The "Active" button is, as it states in the H-20 manual, for future use. It doesn't do anything at this time.

As for the "Mix" channels, (News, Sports, Kids) you need an interactive receiver to navigate thru those channels. The H-20, in it's present form, doesn't do that.

As for the "Fav/Cust" lists. What part are you having trouble with?

Yes it will work with your single LNB dish. Just no HD unless you get at least the 3 LNB. Yes D* is planning on rolling out HD locals in Seattle the first half of the year. Should be in the next month or 2.

Thanks for the quick response.

If I buy the H20, commit to the 2 years of Total Choice and subscribe to the HD package (so I can get my $200 rebate), will D* automatically upgrade my dish to the 5LNB when available in Seattle at no charge? Or do you think if I want it right away when it comes out I will have to pay? If I do want to try for a free upgrade, any feeling how long I might have to wait after the rollout?

I know from reading several other posts it will probably depend on who I talk to at D* when I call, etc., etc., just wanted to get others current opinions/experience.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

camborita: Speaking for myself, all equipment for changeover is free (I got 2 h-20s). And zero trade-ins. Do not settle for less!

First off let me say thanks to all you for all your posting My DTV guy came friday and hooked me up. The only thing is they haven't started installing the 5lnb sats. yet so really all the guy had to do was setup the new Reciever. My question is I know that it will be a while before Bakersfield offers it channels in HD but what do I need to do to watch the Super Bowl in HD. I'm having a bunch of guys over my house to check out the new setup and I would really have the game in HD HELP Please.... :confused:


Guys?????

Camborita: a recent D* letter to dealers indicates that all newly-acquired equipment will be rental starting 3/1/06. The monthly $4.99 fee will be called a rental charge vs the present "mirroring fee." This will be better than owning since D* will replace failed units free, and presumably update them if new technology emerges. All standard installations, both for new and existing subscribers will also be free, but they might try to charge $49.99 + S&H for the AT9 dish itself on an upgrade, but they could be talked out of that probably.

My question is I know that it will be a while before Bakersfield offers it channels in HD but what do I need to do to watch the Super Bowl in HD. I'm having a bunch of guys over my house to check out the new setup and I would really have the game in HD HELP Please.... :confused:Maybe it would be possible to receive your local Fox HD station with an indoor antenna like the Silver Sensor.
Another possibility would be to get D* to activate Ch. 89 for you (Fox/LA).

You are not getting any advice because 99.9% of H20 owners are not having problems. I have the caller ID problem. I called D* and they are not aware of the problem and have no idea how to fix it. One person said they fixed it by pulling the power for 4 or 8 hours and that has been the only reported reversal of the problem. Another person posted that they work in customer service for D* and it is not supposed to work at all in this release. They said be patient and it will work correctly in a future release. The point is that for 0.1% of us H20 owners it is an annoying bug. When I get enough time and energy I will call D* back and stay on the line until they agree to send me another H20 to try. I am convinced it is a timing issue between when the H20 figures out there is a call and when it looks for the caller ID modem tones. If it misses the window it misses the tones. But who knows for sure...


Yep, I'll agree with that. I got it on the 28th of december and spent some time searching a few days after that with little success. Spent much more time yesterday and found more information.

I have to say that one piece of information I found was that D* never intended for this to work initially. I find that very, very hard to believe. Putting out a product with a known problem like this would be HUGELY expensive in support costs.

But, like you said, I'm confident they will fix it in the future...but I don't think I will wait that long. D* will be getting a call from me tonight, I'm spending so much with them every month, they can get this working for me or send me a new one.

Thanks for the support!

First off let me say thanks to all you for all your posting My DTV guy came friday and hooked me up. The only thing is they haven't started installing the 5lnb sats. yet so really all the guy had to do was setup the new Reciever. My question is I know that it will be a while before Bakersfield offers it channels in HD but what do I need to do to watch the Super Bowl in HD. I'm having a bunch of guys over my house to check out the new setup and I would really have the game in HD HELP Please.... :confused:


Here's a Bakersfield thread that may help you.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=460701&page=1&pp=30

An OTA antenna would probably do the trick for you.

Really I didn't know I was supposed to get a OTA!!
I'll call and see what they say. :o

They usually try to charge $50 for a very basic antenna, and the Bakersfield thread didn't sound too good on receiving Fox HD OTA. Ask D* if you qualify to get Ch.89.
This requires the 3LNB dish because Ch. 89 is currently on Sat B (119W).

Please forgive me if this has been explained before, but regarding the Program Guide on this unit:

1. How do you filter the channels in the guide categories that first appears when you press the guide button?

2. Is there a way to eliminate (or hide) channels from all guides that you don't watch or don't subscribe to?

I have read the manual and have played around with the unit for a few days now, but these two simple tasks are alluding me....thanks.

Regarding #2 (eliminating unused or unwanted channels). Press Menu, Highlight settings, highlight favorites, highlight custom 1 (or 2), highlight add all, then scroll down the channel list and delete the unwanted channels. Save this custom list as your favorite and that will be the one that the remote works with.

Hope that helps.

NKy.Yall,
The "Active" button is, as it states in the H-20 manual, for future use. It doesn't do anything at this time.

As for the "Mix" channels, (News, Sports, Kids) you need an interactive receiver to navigate thru those channels. The H-20, in it's present form, doesn't do that.

As for the "Fav/Cust" lists. What part are you having trouble with?

Rick,I appreicate the reply,yeah I saw that in the manual after posting my question and after a while I did fiqure out the fav`s list.I was having trouble getting past the first 20 something channels.Thx again............

Just had 5LNB dish installed today in Suburban DC area. My caller ID works great. And I played around with remote and found way to get partial mix channels to work. Go to a mix channel and press the solid yellow button on your remote. It will switch the audio. Still have to actually enter the chanel number to go to a channel but at least you have an easy way to switch audio.

Let me know if this works for others.

By the way, on the h-20, Dolby Digital is only available on HDMI or optical outputs. And it must be turned 'on' in the audio selection.

If this is posted in another thread my apologizes,I just got hooked up with a H20 and trying to figure it all out.The " Active Button" on the remote will not work and also when I go to the KIDS/SPORTS/NEWS Mixes I get the format and see the various channels however I cant select them.Is this a future software issue or can anyone advise.Bare w/me on all of this I`m sure I will have many other ?????`s.I just swapped out a 811{E*} for the H20 and now a D* customer trying to get familiar with the new equipment,guides etc.

PS: I`m also having a LOT of trouble getting the "Favorites/Custom" list set up as well.

*Thanks !!! in advance if anyone can help me out in these areas*

With favorites ,do not delete any channels from your OTA list.That will allow favorite set up to display ALL available channels. Then on that list pick the ones that you want

....Go to a mix channel and press the solid yellow button on your remote. It will switch the audio. ....
OH, now that is NICE! Frequently, I have the news running in the background as I do other things. Very nice to be able to play around the audio that way.

Camborita: a recent D* letter to dealers indicates that all newly-acquired equipment will be rental starting 3/1/06. The monthly $4.99 fee will be called a rental charge vs the present "mirroring fee." This will be better than owning since D* will replace failed units free, and presumably update them if new technology emerges. All standard installations, both for new and existing subscribers will also be free, but they might try to charge $49.99 + S&H for the AT9 dish itself on an upgrade, but they could be talked out of that probably.

This sounded good until I found and read the entire text of the letter on the Tivocommunity forum.

(Sorry, I can't post the link as new members are prevented from posting URL's until they have more than 5 posts - but if you Google:

directv letter to dealers equipment rental

you'll find it. Then scroll down to the post from Lee Espinoza on 1/12.)

With the lease program it looks like D* will require you to pay an up-front hardware lease fee (min $197) for anything other than a SD receiver. No way am I going to pay them an up-front fee just for the "opportunity" to lease their equipment. I think I'll be getting my H20 now and take advantage of the rebate so I have no up-front cost and then haggle with them for a good price (or hopefully free) on the 5LNB dish.

This sounded good until I found and read the entire text of the letter on the Tivocommunity forum.

(Sorry, I can't post the link as new members are prevented from posting URL's until they have more than 5 posts - but if you Google:

directv letter to dealers equipment rental

you'll find it. Then scroll down to the post from Lee Espinoza on 1/12.)

With the lease program it looks like D* will require you to pay an up-front hardware lease fee (min $197) for anything other than a SD receiver. No way am I going to pay them an up-front fee just for the "opportunity" to lease their equipment. I think I'll be getting my H20 now and take advantage of the rebate so I have no up-front cost and then haggle with them for a good price (or hopefully free) on the 5LNB dish.
Actually if you read it completely you will see that sd receivers are free, sd dvrs and hd receivers are $99 and the hd dvr is $399. And there is a 100 dollar rebate available to new D* customers. After that the costs to the customer are the same as we currently pay.

I just got an H10 at Thanksgiving. I live in the Dallas area. Is there a way to get my unit and my Samsung 360, upgraded to the H20 without any out-of pocket? Is DirecTV swapping these out? Also, any experience in the Dallas area with charging for the 5LNB dish?

I just got an H10 at Thanksgiving. I live in the Dallas area. Is there a way to get my unit and my Samsung 360, upgraded to the H20 without any out-of pocket? Is DirecTV swapping these out? Also, any experience in the Dallas area with charging for the 5LNB dish?

Yes that is what I did. But you don't need to swap them. You should be able to negotiate to get the H20 for $15 and the dish install free. You might want to post DFW questions in the DFW HD thread. There are lots of posts there about local H20 and 5LNB dish installs.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6958213#post6958213

I have the installers coming 1/24/06 before I commit to 2 years with these H20 boxes, Can anyone tell me how the H20 PQ compares to the TS360? In Hd, SD and ota Hd/Sd. Because the H10 is horrible. The TS360 puts out a decent overall picture...much better than the H10.
Any help before then would be great.

mikelets456: Not to worry as the h-20, altho somewhat weak in menus and speed, puts out excellent video and the tuner is very sensitive bringing in OTA stations very well.

Hi All,

I have the new MPEG4 capable H20 from DirecTV and get the local SF Bay Area HD feeds for 4, 5, 7, 11 via MPEG4. I have several issues.

My issues are primarily:

1) When trying to make changes and adjust the "favorites list" the H20 crashes often

2) The Guide is very bad when trying to customize it. Basically if you have OTA, DirecTV SD and HD you cannot "order" the channels the way you want. Meaning that if the receiver defaults to putting the MPEG4 HD channel 2 first then the SD 2 MPEG2 and then OTA 2-1 and you don't get a picture on the first channel and it displays a black screen your SOL. Bottom line is that you cannot position the channels ordinally.

3) MAJOR ISSUE: The MPEG4 channels, especially KTVU-FOX tile and breakup constantly!!! I see it on my setup every 1-5 seconds!!

I have seen others complain about this too and wanted to find out if others on this forum are seeing these problems?

I have a very solid SAT signal for all LNBs, between 75-99 on all sources. The MPEG4 LNB is in the high 80's.

I have been escalating this in DirecTV and they called me back today after weeks and many phone calls and email exchanges from the product management department. The PM I talked to had not heard anything about these problems!! He said this was the first they heard of it but agreed they absolutely do not want these issues and want to fix them. He said that he will start driving the investigation to happen but he said it would help greatly if as many people as possible can call in and also open cases via email with them. He indicated that DirecTV uses a threshold of 5 complaints on the same topic before they get serious about looking into something.

I wanted to pass this along because if I have to watch another NFL Fox game that had a picture like last weekend on KTVU's MPEG4 Directv feed I am going to jump off my roof. The constant tiling is absolutely annoying on the H20.

If you are experiencing issues I urge you to complain...

1-800-494-4388

Old issue, but we have a line of storms going through the area right now, and my H20 with the 5LBN is really going through a lot of raid fade on all channels.

But, wait, before the standard reply...

I also have my old RCA 450RG hooked up to the same 5LBN dish, and not ONCE, not at ALL, did it have a rain fade event during these storms. Indeed, my H20 just faded out, with hardly any signal strength on any of the sats. My 450RG (definitely not a power-house of a box!) is hanging in there. Its signal strength dropped by about 50% or so.

Everything on both receivers is fine, good quality connectors/coax. Nothing compromised. Clean line of sight to the satellites.

Not making much sense, am I? My point in the letter above is that I'm wondering if the H20 is far more sensitive to rain fade than the older receivers, such as the RCA 450? That is a bummer if that is the case. During all these storms, not once did the 450 fade out. H20 did repeatedly, same antenna.

Dumb question (and I apologize if answered but I'm not finding it), I've read specs that the H20 can record up to 30 hours in MPEG-2 and up to 50 hours in MPEG-4. Are you given a choice when you record (or in setup) if you want to record in MPEG-2 or MPEG-4? Or is MPEG-4 recording only applicable to local HDTV programming for cities that are transmitting it in MPEG-4 and all other DirecTV programming is recorded in MPEG-2? Is DirecTV eventually going to dump MPEG-2 completely and broadcast everything in MPEG-4?

Dumb question (and I apologize if answered but I'm not finding it), I've read specs that the H20 can record up to 30 hours in MPEG-2 and up to 50 hours in MPEG-4. Are you given a choice when you record (or in setup) if you want to record in MPEG-2 or MPEG-4? Or is MPEG-4 recording only applicable to local HDTV programming for cities that are transmitting it in MPEG-4 and all other DirecTV programming is recorded in MPEG-2? Is DirecTV eventually going to dump MPEG-2 completely and broadcast everything in MPEG-4?
That would be the HR20. The H20 is not a DVR. As the HR20 has not yet been released all conjecture is subject to change but I assume that recording time would be dependant on what is transmitted. So if a channelis tranmitted in MPEG4 you can record 50 hours. Nobody knows what D*'s plans are concerning MPEG2. I doubt they will change sd to mpeg4 any time soon. They might transition all HD over though as that will not affect as many subscribers or channels. Also, they plan to add national hd channels in mpeg4 later.

Thanks 66stang351! So for markets that are going to MPEG-4 for locals, does that mean if people there have an HR10-250 that they'll no longer be able to receive locals in HDTV because locals will only be broadcast in MPEG-4, not MPEG-2? Or are both MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 of the locals going to be transmitted for awhile so the HR10-250 isn't immediately obsolete for HDTV local programming in these markets?

Not making much sense, am I? My point in the letter above is that I'm wondering if the H20 is far more sensitive to rain fade than the older receivers, such as the RCA 450? That is a bummer if that is the case. During all these storms, not once did the 450 fade out. H20 did repeatedly, same antenna.

Now this concerns me. I have heard that this box pulls in signals ota much better than others. But is this box more susceptible to rain fade via sat? The dish is bigger, so in theory, any box should do better. if this is the case, I may want to cancel my order. Anyone else notice this problem? To me, this ranks up there with PQ...if you can't pull a signal, then what's the sense of having a new box. My TS360 (though problematic) rarely will drop a signal and the signal stays strong even during heavy rains. The only time picture breaks up, is during severe thunderstorms. Please, your feedback is important.They are coming out 1/24/05 to install.

Old issue, but we have a line of storms going through the area right now, and my H20 with the 5LBN is really going through a lot of raid fade on all channels.

But, wait, before the standard reply...

I also have my old RCA 450RG hooked up to the same 5LBN dish, and not ONCE, not at ALL, did it have a rain fade event during these storms. Indeed, my H20 just faded out, with hardly any signal strength on any of the sats. My 450RG (definitely not a power-house of a box!) is hanging in there. Its signal strength dropped by about 50% or so.

Everything on both receivers is fine, good quality connectors/coax. Nothing compromised. Clean line of sight to the satellites.

Were they tuned to the same channels? The reason I ask, I have lost signal on channel 299, or the 101 deg sat (for example) but all locals and HD channels were fine.
maybe the signals from differnt bands(ka/ku) and locations of sats makes a difference.

Now this concerns me. I have heard that this box pulls in signals ota much better than others. But is this box more susceptible to rain fade via sat? The dish is bigger, so in theory, any box should do better. if this is the case, I may want to cancel my order. Anyone else notice this problem? To me, this ranks up there with PQ...if you can't pull a signal, then what's the sense of having a new box. My TS360 (though problematic) rarely will drop a signal and the signal stays strong even during heavy rains. The only time picture breaks up, is during severe thunderstorms. Please, your feedback is important.They are coming out 1/24/05 to install.

I have a 360, an H10, and a SD Tivo receiver. My H20 fades at approximately the same time they do should there be heavy rain between my dish and the satellites. It varies depending on the satellite tuned in at any given time.

In addition, I was not able to receive any OTA digital signals in the DFW area with the 360 due to geographical obstructions. With the same setup I substituted the H20 and now receive ALL of them with signal strengths from 60 to 90, depending on frequency.

Furthermore, the difference in PQ between the H20 and 360 is so significant for HD and SD programs that I would still upgrade, even if the H20 did rain fade earlier than other receivers. Rain fade is a relatively infrequent event and I have OTA channels as a back up anyway.

Regarding the 'bigger dish' theory... the way I understand it, the 5LNB is a larger elliptical dish. That means it can receive a wider swath of the sky. It does not mean it has a higher fade margin for a given satellite. You can get a higher fade margin by using a larger dish that is centered on a single satellite, i.e. it collects more RF energy from that source. A larger ellipse collects more RF energy horizontally across the sky.

Were they tuned to the same channels? The reason I ask, I have lost signal on channel 299, or the 101 deg sat (for example) but all locals and HD channels were fine.
maybe the signals from differnt bands(ka/ku) and locations of sats makes a difference.
(You guys seems to know the satellite number and channel assignments. Is there a chart somewhere?)

Yeah, same channels. I definitely tried to duplicate everything as best as I could for the two receivers.

The old 450 is reading signal strengths in the high 90s through the 5LNB dish which I never could reach before with my older 3LNB dish. For all practical purposes, the H20 is reading averages in the high 70s, low 80s which I think is typical in this area, going by previous messages.

I just don't know. Now, I am not using OTA at all. I'm strictly sat-dishing everything.

Oh yes, the H20 is a fine receiver. I would still get it. Hey, it is FREE. The images are sharper on my analog TV than my 450. Obviously, there are parts of the 450's interface I prefer over the H20, but I don't want to get into a versa versa debate on that.

I'm wondering if the MPEG4 compression vs. the older MPEG2 compression (right?) requires a bit more out of a receiver, thus causing more rain fade potential.

Now, admittedly, the storm line last night was intense. But, this is the coastal plains of Texas and we have these things rather frequently. I used to really brag on my 450 because it rarely faded. It would be no biggie to keep it online and switch over to it during a storm, but MPEG4 is the coming trend. Eventually MPEG2 will be dead, along with all the older receivers.

Are folks on here who have the H20 currently and get MPEG4 content also seeing the constant tiling, picture break up, and reduced picture quality?

It is *very* noticeable in the SF Bay Area on the local HD channels D* is putting out here(namely Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC)? I am really interested to know if other markets and users are seeing the constant, every few seconds for me, tiling?

thanks

Are folks on here who have the H20 currently and get MPEG4 content also seeing the constant tiling, picture break up, and reduced picture quality?

It is *very* noticeable in the SF Bay Area on the local HD channels D* is putting out here(namely Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC)? I am really interested to know if other markets and users are seeing the constant, every few seconds for me, tiling?

thanks
I think (!!!) that is altogether different. I mean, you are at the mercy of the HDTV quality (for lack of the right words) coming from the local stations at the point of origin.

Houston HDTV on the satellite is equally yucky. But, all they seem to be doing is piggy backing an old format signal to DTV's HDTV signal. The only thing I gain from the Houston channels is when the network's HDTV signal kicks in, if really HDTV, then things smooth out and clear up.

Heck, none of the Houston local programming even goes into letterbox.

I have heard that this box pulls in signals ota much better than others. But is this box more susceptible to rain fade via sat? The dish is bigger, so in theory, any box should do better.
OTA is very much stronger than earlier HD eauipment. In tracking 11 days of rain in 2 months since installation, the H20 has the following results:

9 days of steady rain - NO rain fade whatsoever on OTA or DirecTV HD.
1 day of brief (20 minute rain fade) while strong lighting prevalent in the area
1 day of rain fade for an hour or so (strong storms, even OTA affected the same time).

Based on years of seeing the varying impact of rainfade with the old HD receiver and 3 LNB, my experience has been quite profound that there is FAR LESS RAINFADE (almost nominal) with the new H20 and 5LNB.
Are folks on here who have the H20 currently and get MPEG4 content also seeing the constant tiling, picture break up, and reduced picture quality?

It is *very* noticeable in the SF Bay Area on the local HD channels D* is putting out here(namely Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC)?
No - have seen virtually no effects as you describe in my area. What I have noticed, after reading about Detroit, New York, Chicago, and Atlanta local HD channels launching, is that it seems that every new city that gets "launched" with new local HD seems to go through a "fine tuning" process by DirecTV - it seems like it takes 30-45 days to get the kinks out of the local HD signals. I started with local channel HD Dolby dropouts viturally 90% of the time after early install, now getting maybe 2%. Never got any video issues. During that time, there were no further firmware updates to my H20, so I can conclude that they are addressing it on their end. You might want to read some of the other posts - you may have a bad box and/or bad dish install - get DirecTV to replace the H20 if that's the source.
I think (!!!) that is altogether different. I mean, you are at the mercy of the HDTV quality (for lack of the right words) coming from the local stations at the point of origin.
Oh so true. In my area - 2 of the big 4 stations are strong, reliable, and well run HD transmissions, while 1 other is sporatic at best and the other is running HD at 1/2 power until they get neew equipment installed. This exists even in OTA reception. DirecTV can't fix someone else's bad broadcasts/bad local HD equipment.

Are folks on here who have the H20 currently and get MPEG4 content also seeing the constant tiling, picture break up, and reduced picture quality?

It is *very* noticeable in the SF Bay Area on the local HD channels D* is putting out here(namely Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC)? I am really interested to know if other markets and users are seeing the constant, every few seconds for me, tiling?

thanks

I cannot verify any local HD channel problems in the DFW area. All three of our MPEG4 local channels, CBS, Fox, and NBC have terrific PQ. There are a few audio problems on Fox that come and go however but I don't think that is what you are talking about.

Just for grins, I put aluminum foil on all but one of the LNBs, in an attempt to find out which LNB works which set of channels. I was amazed that my signal meter jumped up almost 10 units in positive strength on the unblocked LNB!

Sooooo, I experimented further. Block your LNBs except for one and see what the strength level does on the unblocked LNB. That level ascends incredibly!

I am guessing that my old coax is restricting voltage to the LNB, although the run isn't all that long. Blocking unused LNBs possibly could decrease the current draw???

New "digital satellite coax" is on order!

No. It's that the signals from some LNB's are, for want of a better word, diplexed onto the same line. This has been the case for years with the 110 and 119 LNBs on 3LNB dishes. I have a 6db attenuator on the Sat B connection of my Sat C combiner to keep the stronger Sat B signal from overwhelming the Sat C signal. It drops the Sat B numbers a point or two but raises the Sat C numbers a good ten points. Even with good filters, running two or more frequencies on the same line causes a bit of interference.

9 days of steady rain - NO rain fade whatsoever on OTA or DirecTV HD.
1 day of brief (20 minute rain fade) while strong lighting prevalent in the area
1 day of rain fade for an hour or so (strong storms, even OTA affected the same time).

Based on years of seeing the varying impact of rainfade with the old HD receiver and 3 LNB, my experience has been quite profound that there is FAR LESS RAINFADE (almost nominal) with the new H20 and 5LNB.


Well that's good news. So maybe the previous poster has a bad box? Also (to the previous poster who mentioned he had signal in the 70's on his H20 but 90's on his RCA) are you running your RG6 cable (to the H20) through a surge protector? I had a problem a few years back where the installer could not get above 70 on the strength meter. He bypassed the surge protector and then had signals from 95-100%!!!

Anyway, I'll take your word on it that the H20 reception issues are negligible and are the same as the TS360.

Has anyone who has activated an H20 with or without the AT9 suffered the loss of the NY or LA HD network feeds (Chs. 80-89)? I'm starting to lean toward getting a "free" H20 before the rumored 3/1/06 change to rental of D* equipment, but I wouldn't want to give up those channels in the process.

greywolf: thanks for the enlightening post. Attenuating Sat B to enhance Sat C is an inspired idea. Wish I'd thought of that when I had the Phase 2 dish in operation.

I have 2 H20s (with AT9), I am in the NY DMA. I receive both the East Coast HD Network feeds on channels 80, 82, 86 & 88 - as well as the NY HD local feeds on channels 2, 4, 5, and 7.

... signal in the 70's on his H20 but 90's on his RCA) are you running your RG6 cable (to the H20) through a surge protector? ...
From what I have read here, the H20 reads lower than the older RCAs for the same signal strength. 70s and 80s are typical, whereas older units read much higher.

Thanks 66stang351! So for markets that are going to MPEG-4 for locals, does that mean if people there have an HR10-250 that they'll no longer be able to receive locals in HDTV because locals will only be broadcast in MPEG-4, not MPEG-2? Or are both MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 of the locals going to be transmitted for awhile so the HR10-250 isn't immediately obsolete for HDTV local programming in these markets?
The only MPEG2 locals are NY and LA. Currently they are getting both MPEG2 and 4. Nobody knows if D* plans on turning off the MPEG2 feeds.

I cannot verify any local HD channel problems in the DFW area. All three of our MPEG4 local channels, CBS, Fox, and NBC have terrific PQ. There are a few audio problems on Fox that come and go however but I don't think that is what you are talking about.

I spent an hour on the phone this morning with DirecTV and finally got to a supervisor - employee id 7354(named Tracy). She was the first DirecTV staff CSR to admit they are very aware of MPEG4 and H20 issues. She said they have had meetings over the many complaints to the call centers and she has personally sat on calls in the past several weeks where there have been more than 5 complaints in a single day by customers in various markets.

When I asked what they are doing about it she said that her management has simply said to tell DirecTV H20 MPEG4 customers that "they are working on it and there is no timetable." She mentioned that engineering has actually sent an engineer to a couple of the call centers to have the Supervisor CSRs like herself listen to first hand accounts of what customers are specifically complaining about on the H20. However, she has been given no guidance on what they are doing about the problems or when/if they will/can fix any of them.

After discussing things for quite some time she offered me free HBO/Showtime/Starz for 3 months which was activated immediately.

I don't really care about the premium content and it was nice of them but I would just prefer they fix the picture quality, macro blocking, and constant tiling.

She did offer that the DirecTV office of the President has a snail mail address and that they do respond. She said that one of the best ways she knows of to escalate issues is to write a letter to them and complain at:

DirecTV
Office of the President
PO Box 92600
Los Angeles, CA 92009

Explain your issues, give date/time you called in to complain, and ask when the MPEG4 issues will be resolved for you as a customer.

If all of us keep complaining and pushing hopefully they will address the situation sooner rather than later.

thanks...

I'm scheduled to have my (2) H2O installed on 2/4. I've been reading this forum. And now especially after what "redbone" went through, I'm not so sure I want to have it done until the issues are addressed. I'm in the Boston area and get all the OTA's except for FOX25 which has some signal issues. D* is giving me the (2) units both with rebates and it took awhile to get those. Once I told them I wanted the locals in HD they agreed to the rebates. The receivers I have now are the Sony (SATHD100 and SATHD300) They both have flurorescent displays to show channel and when an XM station is playing it displays the name, artist etc... From what I've seen of the H2O's there isnt a display right?

I think I'll cancel until the issues are resolved. What do you guys think?

I have Sony HD200's and HD300's (my HD100's are in the attic out of service RIP)

I tried the H20 for two weeks and returned it: had HDMI issues and did not like the guide or lack of front panel display: one feature I liked is all outputs are always on

I guess at some point I will have to switch to the H20 but no rush

ymmv

Tomorrow, a friend is going to help me remove the tape that was used to help install my new dish. The tape was used to thicken the old pole. We are going to take a compass reading, remove the dish, then remove the tape. We will then install an adaptor which will make the dish about 6 inches higher than now. Once we put the dish back on and point it again I was hoping the height change would not mean adjusting any angles. Is this right?

I'm scheduled to have my (2) H2O installed on 2/4. I've been reading this forum. And now especially after what "redbone" went through, I'm not so sure I want to have it done until the issues are addressed. I'm in the Boston area and get all the OTA's except for FOX25 which has some signal issues. D* is giving me the (2) units both with rebates and it took awhile to get those. Once I told them I wanted the locals in HD they agreed to the rebates. The receivers I have now are the Sony (SATHD100 and SATHD300) They both have flurorescent displays to show channel and when an XM station is playing it displays the name, artist etc... From what I've seen of the H2O's there isnt a display right?

I think I'll cancel until the issues are resolved. What do you guys think?

I went from a HD300 to the H20. Actually I still have the HD300 on my upstairs non-HD TV. The HD300 is FAR SUPERIOR to the H20. I miss the display also. The H20 would be fine if DirecTV could just:

a) Make the software not crash every time you need to change the favorites list
b) Make the MPEG4 *actually work* and not tile, macro block, etc every 1-5 seconds
c) Fix the guide so you can rank channels of the same number in an ordinal fashion.

Besides that it works! :(

Tomorrow, a friend is going to help me remove the tape that was used to help install my new dish. The tape was used to thicken the old pole. We are going to take a compass reading, remove the dish, then remove the tape. We will then install an adaptor which will make the dish about 6 inches higher than now. Once we put the dish back on and point it again I was hoping the height change would not mean adjusting any angles. Is this right?
Actually you should call D* and tell them what the installer did. The dish will require fine tuning again to get it aligned properly. And the installer should have used a proper adapter when it was installed not tape.

Is there any way to daisy-chain an H20 HD receiver with a SD tivo receiver to the same TV that has 2 cable feeds from the dish. I realize that I will have to get a new dish for the HDTV. I have 1 TV, a Samsung DLP, and cannot receive Tampa HD with an OTA antenna (couldn't receive local SD OTA either), so it will have to be MPEG4. I love my Tivo and there is currently no MPEG4 HDTV Tivo. Can I split the 2 cables and run them into each box and use the TV inputs to change the source? Any suggestions will be helpful.
I bought this HDTV over a year ago on the news info that D**TV was going to have HD satellite locals by the summer of 2005. (stupid me)
If I get the current H10-250, I get the TIVO, but without the locals which is just not good enough for what the package offers.
Back to my original question. Can I hook both up to the same TV with the 2 cable feeds that I have from a new H20 dish?

I went from a HD300 to the H20. Actually I still have the HD300 on my upstairs non-HD TV. The HD300 is FAR SUPERIOR to the H20. I miss the display also. The H20 would be fine if DirecTV could just:

a) Make the software not crash every time you need to change the favorites list
b) Make the MPEG4 *actually work* and not tile, macro block, etc every 1-5 seconds
c) Fix the guide so you can rank channels of the same number in an ordinal fashion.

Besides that it works! :(
Hmmmmmm........You must have a bad H20 box or a bad dish/cable install - I have seen NONE of your symptoms at all in the 2 months that I've been running my H20 (an average of 4-7 hours/day). As far as the guide issue (c), you can filter those easy enough - see the instructions re: favorites. My favorites stay put and the H20 unit has NEVER crashed, not even once - but then, I then probably don't keep changing them as much as you appear to...

...My favorites stay put and the H20 unit has NEVER crashed, not even once - but then, I then probably don't keep changing them as much as you appear to...
Well, yeah, but it shouldn't crash, no matter how often one flies through the guide or menus.

But, my H20 has had no crashes NOW. Very stable. However, at the beginning, I had several reboots. But, I think it is because I was still using the same firmware as what the H20 was born with (now updated---thanks to this list), and because I was trying to define things when my unit was hardly out of the box.

It is now stable and no crashes, no tiling.

My only complaint is the rain fade. We have another storm line coming through in just a few minutes and I have both my old and my H20 receivers hooked up. Hope to really try some good comparisons when the storm rolls through.

....My only complaint is the rain fade. We have another storm line coming through in just a few minutes and I have both my old and my H20 receivers hooked up. Hope to really try some good comparisons when the storm rolls through.
Figures.... no rain fade at all. Stormy outside. Wind blowing, rain pounding. The old receiver dropped about 5 points, the H20 about the same. This is nothing at all like the experience the other night in which my H20 was fading several times and the old receiver not at all.

Can't draw any conclusion at all on this. Weird, especially with the weather being as mean as it is at this very moment.

First timer here. Set up for install at the end of the month. Anyone in the S.F. market area have any opinions for the H20 and AT9? I'll be keeping my HD200 as a replacement for the RCA. I've heard mixed reviews.

Well, yeah, but it shouldn't crash, no matter how often one flies through the guide or menus.

But, my H20 has had no crashes NOW. Very stable. However, at the beginning, I had several reboots. It is now stable and no crashes, no tiling.

My only complaint is the rain fade.
Figures.... no rain fade at all. Stormy outside. Wind blowing, rain pounding. The old receiver dropped about 5 points, the H20 about the same. This is nothing at all like the experience the other night in which my H20 was fading several times and the old receiver not at all.
That's all GOOD news about your H20, isn't it?

One thing I failed to mention about my install was that my installer had the forsight to update the firmware on all his H20 boxes BEFORE installation. Maybe that's why I had no problem at all, whereas some others had problems, only to find them go away after the firmware upgrade. If the upgrade process was interupted for some reason, the old firmware had numerous hiccup bad symptoms that drove people nuts (see tons of related threads).

The ONLY disappointment I had about the H20 was the audio dropouts for local HD channels, which has now diminished to happening only about 1% of the time. Since I changed nothing, and got no additional firmware update the past month, DirecTV must be tweaking things on their end. Otherwise, I get rock solid DirecTV-fed local HD and OTA HD as well - I even regularly compare the two (why I kept the OTA) and have seen virtually no differences in the local HD broadcasts. The real test will be in a month or so when a local station launches their local news in HD - I'll check out to see if there are any differences on that for sure.

Figures.... no rain fade at all. Stormy outside. Wind blowing, rain pounding. The old receiver dropped about 5 points, the H20 about the same. This is nothing at all like the experience the other night in which my H20 was fading several times and the old receiver not at all.

Can't draw any conclusion at all on this. Weird, especially with the weather being as mean as it is at this very moment.

Heavy rain in the DFW area all morning. Not a single rain fade or pixelization on the H20. Furthermore, with the new 5LNB dish, none of my other 3 receivers faded either. With my old 3LNB dish I feel certain that this much rain would have been noticed at some point.

That's all GOOD news about your H20, isn't it?....
Well, ultimately, sure.

But, I was trying to nail down the original problem, that is, why the H20 faded in the rain and the RCA didn't. Now, the H20 seems as happy as can be.

In other words, I don't see how the "problem" solved itself.

...
a) Make the software not crash every time you need to change the favorites list...
Workaround:
1. Select a different FAV List than the one you want to edit as the default list.
2. Edit the list you want to change.
3. Change the list you just edited back to the default list.

Clunky, but it solves the crash issue on list edits.

What is the most current software? Mine are running on 0F03.

0F03 on mine as well

Actually you should call D* and tell them what the installer did. The dish will require fine tuning again to get it aligned properly. And the installer should have used a proper adapter when it was installed not tape.

Just to let you know, that I took a chance and everything worked great. It took about 5 minutes to remove the tape and add the pole adaptor. We did not even need a compass, we just did it line of sight and have a stronger signal then before. For anyone who wants to keep their smaller pole when installing the 5 lnb dish, the Dish Network Super Dish adaptor sold by Solid Signal works great.

Workaround:
1. Select a different FAV List than the one you want to edit as the default list.
2. Edit the list you want to change.
3. Change the list you just edited back to the default list.

Clunky, but it solves the crash issue on list edits.

I have the current list set to "All Channels", try to edit Favs 1 or 2 and it still locks up, crashes, reboots and when it comes back up if you try to edit another list it does it again. :(

I have the current list set to "All Channels", try to edit Favs 1 or 2 and it still locks up, crashes, reboots and when it comes back up if you try to edit another list it does it again. :(

I had the same problem. You need to reset the box completely. Go into the setup menu and find the reset section. do a complete reset. you will be asked to emter a dash in the box. After the unit resets, you will be able to edit youir favorites properly and the receiver will work much better.

I have the current list set to "All Channels", try to edit Favs 1 or 2 and it still locks up, crashes, reboots and when it comes back up if you try to edit another list it does it again. :(
By now you should have the most current software upgrade 0F03.

Before you perform the system reset (resetting the box completely) via the on-screen menu.

You might try a complete cold boot/reset.

That is:
Depress the red button behind the front cover door
Then remove the AC from the SAT Box
While the power is off gently remove the access card.
Inspect the gold contacts to make sure they are clean
(Note: no unnecessary touching please)
If they appear to have smudges, or dirt,clean them with a static free damp cloth
Gently re insert the access card
Reconnect Power to the Sat Box and power on.

Wait for the SAT box to run it diagnostics and return control to you.
Now reset the box completely
Allow time (24-72 hours) for your system to complete the building of it's guides.

Then see how the system performs...
Remember this is a computer in a different looking kinda of box
Computers need Rebooting (Warm Booting) / Cold booting from time to time.

Hope this will help.

RSlack :)

how to find out which latest software version in h20

Anyone usy one of these DB2 HDTV Antennas http://www.antennasdirect.com/DB2_Indoor_antenna.html
As your Off the air antenna?
If so where do you have it hooked up, I guess what I'm asking is if you get one of these antenna's to recive your local hd ch. where do you put the antenna? Most of these things are huge so how do you keep the style of you Home Thea. system if you have a big antenna on your tv???

how to find out which latest software version in h20
Sure:
Press MENU
Select Settings
Press SELECT
Press SELECT
Press SELECT
Press Down Arrow until you see the Software Sections

RSlack :)

Anyone usy one of these DB2 HDTV Antennas http://www.antennasdirect.com/DB2_Indoor_antenna.html
As your Off the air antenna?
If so where do you have it hooked up, I guess what I'm asking is if you get one of these antenna's to recive your local hd ch. where do you put the antenna? Most of these things are huge so how do you keep the style of you Home Thea. system if you have a big antenna on you tv???

Yes I used a vertically oriented antenna with bowties in my previous home to receive OTA digital channels. It had a 9 to 12 dbm gain, as I recall. I mounted it in the attic where I had a lot of vertical clearance but not much horizontal room for anything that would spread out, like a boom antenna.

I have the current list set to "All Channels", try to edit Favs 1 or 2 and it still locks up, crashes, reboots and when it comes back up if you try to edit another list it does it again. :(
To edit FAV 1 list, setting the current list to FAV 2 works for me. The "reset all" menu, or power disconnect/reconnect may help, as others have posted.

after the last upgrade i noticed that the 5's and 7's are cut off on top and the title of whats showing is sometimes cut off. Eg. The tops of all the letters in for example "USC @ UCLA"

anyone else have this problem?

after the last upgrade i noticed that the 5's and 7's are cut off on top and the title of whats showing is sometimes cut off. Eg. The tops of all the letters in for example "USC @ UCLA"

anyone else have this problem?


Yup - same thing on bith my h20's. I told the D* CSR tech and he told me it was the top of the screen being cut off. I explained to him that the number in the H20 Menuing system were in the middle of the screen(such as in the info screen), but I do not think he got it.

No biggie. Other than that issue, my H20's are pretty nice although a little slow.

I have a Philips 8420 30" HDTV. In the manual for the TV, it says it supports 480p and 1080i. I have been able to switch through more settings on my H10 box.

I'm getting the H20 and the 5LNB dish today. I read that the guide can be "sped up" by changing the H20 from native to the TV's resolution. What should I select? Will I still get HD if the the programming is in another resolution such as 720p?

The different resolutions are confusing. Can someone help me make the best settings choice?

Thanks!

I spent an hour on the phone this morning with DirecTV and finally got to a supervisor - employee id 7354(named Tracy). She was the first DirecTV staff CSR to admit they are very aware of MPEG4 and H20 issues. She said they have had meetings over the many complaints to the call centers and she has personally sat on calls in the past several weeks where there have been more than 5 complaints in a single day by customers in various markets.

When I asked what they are doing about it she said that her management has simply said to tell DirecTV H20 MPEG4 customers that "they are working on it and there is no timetable." She mentioned that engineering has actually sent an engineer to a couple of the call centers to have the Supervisor CSRs like herself listen to first hand accounts of what customers are specifically complaining about on the H20. However, she has been given no guidance on what they are doing about the problems or when/if they will/can fix any of them.

After discussing things for quite some time she offered me free HBO/Showtime/Starz for 3 months which was activated immediately.

I don't really care about the premium content and it was nice of them but I would just prefer they fix the picture quality, macro blocking, and constant tiling.

She did offer that the DirecTV office of the President has a snail mail address and that they do respond. She said that one of the best ways she knows of to escalate issues is to write a letter to them and complain at:

DirecTV
Office of the President
PO Box 92600
Los Angeles, CA 92009

Explain your issues, give date/time you called in to complain, and ask when the MPEG4 issues will be resolved for you as a customer.

If all of us keep complaining and pushing hopefully they will address the situation sooner rather than later.

thanks...
Thank you. I talked to tech support on Friday and they said to give them 72 hours to work on it. I am at the end of that 72 hours tonight and I am going to call them tomorrow. I am confident the TV will be doing the same thing. I have lines in the picture sporatically and what I believe is macro blocking. I also have the annoying problem of the audio not matching the video. This is only on the MPEG4 locals. I am getting really frustrated with them at this point. I think that I am going to demand some compensation from them. I was convinved by them to go with this H20 as I would be able to get my locals in HD and I could always upgrade to the HD DVR when it became available. As it is now, I could have got the HD DVR and upgraded to the MPEG4 DVR later and see the same PQ on my locals.

I have a Philips 8420 30" HDTV. In the manual for the TV, it says it supports 480p and 1080i. I have been able to switch through more settings on my H10 box.

I'm getting the H20 and the 5LNB dish today. I read that the guide can be "sped up" by changing the H20 from native to the TV's resolution. What should I select? Will I still get HD if the the programming is in another resolution such as 720p?

The different resolutions are confusing. Can someone help me make the best settings choice?

Thanks!
You want 1080i. 480p is not HD. The H20 box will upconvert other resolutions to 1080i. I just got my H20 after using a Sammy 360 for a year. I thought the Sammy was pretty good. The H20 is better. Enjoy!

Dana

You want 1080i. 480p is not HD. The H20 box will upconvert other resolutions to 1080i. I just got my H20 after using a Sammy 360 for a year. I thought the Sammy was pretty good. The H20 is better. Enjoy!

Dana

So I need to set the H20 from native to 1080i. The H20 is connected to the TV via HDMI. Do I do anything to the TV? All signals coming in will now be sent in 1080i? Do HD channels from DTV have different resolutions? I thought they would all come in the same.

I never knew where to set the front panel "input" light on the H10.

I believe your TV is a direct-view CRT, so it should do best with the H20 set tp 1080i. Also, if the HDMI gives you any problems, give component a try because it will look just as good on your TV and be less prone to occasional odd behavior.

...give component a try because it will look just as good on your TV and be less prone to occasional odd behavior.
Wonder if that would fix the issues watching George W on TV too. :rolleyes:

Wonder if that would fix the issues watching George W on TV too. :rolleyes:

That wouldn't be any fun, would it? :)

DeanS... I just ordered my H20,I was planning on having the the H20 connect to my projector via HDMI and to my old receiver via rca jacks.. but I guess that won't work. Will it? :confused:

Is there an option to enable both audio outputs on the H20 (HDMI & rca)?


Ok just so that everyone is aware ALL the jacks are hot and I was able to run sound thru RCA Jacks and be connected to it via HDMI.

Oh and here is something else... I am sure this is not relevant to this thread but here I go -> because the H20 has both jacks (Component and HDMI) hot I was able to flip from HDMI to Component to compare the differences... and guess what... NOTHING! Same thing! ;)

Just an FYI! I am happy with my H20!

DTV blew off my appointment to install my new dish and H20. They called to say that the dish wasn't in the warehouse. I had the appointment set for over two weeks and took the day off to be here. This happens every time they are supposed to come. We even joked this morning about the chances of them showing up. Zilch.

It's just amazing how horrible they are.

DTV blew off my appointment to install my new dish and H20. They called to say that the dish wasn't in the warehouse. I had the appointment set for over two weeks and took the day off to be here. This happens every time they are supposed to come. We even joked this morning about the chances of them showing up. Zilch.

It's just amazing how horrible they are.

I had the same thing happen to me two weeks ago... DirecTech said they didnt have enough techs trained on the new dish configuration. They're supposed to come 2/4.. I'm still thinking about canceling the appointment till the h20 issues are resolved.

DTV blew off my appointment to install my new dish and H20. They called to say that the dish wasn't in the warehouse. I had the appointment set for over two weeks and took the day off to be here. This happens every time they are supposed to come. We even joked this morning about the chances of them showing up. Zilch.

It's just amazing how horrible they are.

Call D*, they should at least give you a $20 credit...maybe more since they didn't even bother to call and cancel.

D* itself doesn't do the instal, that's all sub contracted out.

i am not sure if this question belongs here but i just ordered an h20 unit. should be here in a couple of weeks from D*. No rush since I will be away. quick question. what HDMI CABLE would you recommend be used. I have a panny TH-42PD25 for over year and it is great. it does have an hdmi input. decided to finally go get an hd unit. correct me but doesn't the h20 unit have an hdmi output or is it dvi?

It's HDMI. See http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=628385 for a discussion on cables.

Hi, I apologize if this has been covered in this thread or elswhere on the forum, but I did search first. I'm an existing DirecTV customer (12 years) and I have 2 HD setups in my house. For my main system I'm using a Samsung TS-160 STB, which is on its last legs. The second system uses a Sony HD200, which seems to be just fine except for the occassional reboot. I know that I can run out and buy new H20's from local B&M, and then receives rebates. However, I was wondering if it's possible to call DirecTV and ask for replacements directly from them in lieu of going through all the rebate nonsense? Has anyone tried this and what strategy (talking points) did you use? TIA.

PTV: Exactly what I did. Called Directv and got 2 new h-20s and no trades. They were brought to my house by installer along with MPEG4 dish to install..all free. Directv will probably try to get some money from you but resist this!

PTV: Exactly what I did. Called Directv and got 2 new h-20s and no trades. They were brought to my house by installer along with MPEG4 dish to install..all free. Directv will probably try to get some money from you but resist this!

Wow, thanks for replying so quickly. Is the installation of the new MPEG4 dish market dependent? I'm in Madison, WI and don't think MPEG4 for local channels is coming anytime soon.

Wow, thanks for replying so quickly. Is the installation of the new MPEG4 dish market dependent? I'm in Madison, WI and don't think MPEG4 for local channels is coming anytime soon.

The current thinking is that D* customer support will not easily give you a free upgrade to an H20 like they did for many of us, until your 'market' can receive MPEG4 broadcasts. Its worth a shot however. I live in the DFW market that was MPEG4 enabled in December. It cost me $15 for one H20 and the dish install was free. All the rebates for me were 'instant'. Of course I have been a D* customer for 9 years and I spend about $100 per month with them so that may have been factored in.

I told the installer I want signal readings 90's or above. he said that is not possible with the 5-LNB. i think he is full of it. he said the H20 will read the signal in the 70's but it's really in the 90"s....am I a moron or is this true? Please help, as they are ready to install!!!!

It's true. The H20's software setup has been reported to read about 20 points lower than some other receivers. It also keeps a picture in rain fade events about 20 points below other receivers so the numbers are lower but the performance is equivalent.

It's true. The H20's software setup has been reported to read about 20 points lower than some other receivers. It also keeps a picture in rain fade events about 20 points below other receivers so the numbers are lower but the performance is equivalent.
I guess it's similar to cell phones....bars are not a true indicator. As long as you say so, all should be well.

Just a comment. It seems it would have been very easy (and and relative to other receivers) to have made the signal strength numbers relative to other receivers with 90-95 being excellent instead of 70-75 being excellent. All these things should be thought out carefully when putting a new receiver on the market. It is just common sense, seems to me, and not a matter of cost at all.

Who's to say that the signal strength readings on previous boxes weren't exaggerated? I just replaced my Sammy 360 with the H20. Regardless of the readings, I now get three HD stations OTA in a problematic location while the Sammy only pulled in one. Same antenna, cables, etc.

Dana

The numbers on previous receivers were probably "exaggerated" - most realize that they are not true readings. But, where Direct has gone wrong is not to take into account that the public was used to a certain range of numbers and they should have taken this into account.

More importantly, they shouldn't have rushed this product to market. Yes, Direct has to be competitive, but Beta testing, if they did any at all, should have been extended.

Also, with Direct insisting upon the use of companies, such as LG to merely to manufacture and have no input concerning design, seems to be backfiring. I'd rather have a lot of smart people working inside and out working for me than just hearing the findings of my own employees or divisions.

Gary

There is no such thing as signal strength numbers being right or wrong. It is just a reference. In the minds of most people 100 is the reference for 'perfect'. Below 70 becomes increasingly unacceptable. We would not be having this discussion if Directv had just stay with the previous reference numbers. Of course, once you learn what the h-20 signal strength numbers mean, no big deal. You should be getting in the 70s'.

I have a 360 as well (Houston tx), is there an improvement in picture quality etc with the new H20?

Texas steve: Let me put it this way. There has probably never been a HD receiver on the market better than the h-20 for video. The unit, however, is somewhat weak on 'menus' and speed. By the way, It is the best on OTA reception; at least, better than the receivers I have had in past.

I have a 360 as well (Houston tx), is there an improvement in picture quality etc with the new H20?

In my experience, with the three LNB MPEG2 dish and the DirecTV-supplied Winegard non-amplified GS-1000 OTA antenna, yes. The PQ across the board is better here. I loved my Sammy but the H20 is better.

I tend to think that complaints about the Menu, Guide, etc., are really complaints about change, period. I grumbled the first few times I tried using them with the new H20. I wanted what I was used to. Now I'm getting used to the H20. The good news is that, if I understand what D* is doing, the H20 is the reference GUI standard going forward. They want eventually to get everyone onto this platform. I think we better get used to it.

Dana

There is no such thing as signal strength numbers being right or wrong. It is just a reference. In the minds of most people 100 is the reference for 'perfect'. Below 70 becomes increasingly unacceptable. We would not be having this discussion if Directv had just stay with the previous reference numbers. Of course, once you learn what the h-20 signal strength numbers mean, no big deal. You should be getting in the 70s'.

Yes, just like the cell phone example. I may have 1 bar on my phone and a friend would have 3 bars on his, but he is unable to make a call and I make a crystal clear connection. I'll give you my impressions on PQ as I have the TS360, H10, DTC-100 and now the H20.

In my experience, with the three LNB MPEG2 dish and the DirecTV-supplied Winegard non-amplified GS-1000 OTA antenna, yes. The PQ across the board is better here. I loved my Sammy but the H20 is better.

I tend to think that complaints about the Menu, Guide, etc., are really complaints about change, period. I grumbled the first few times I tried using them with the new H20. I wanted what I was used to. Now I'm getting used to the H20. The good news is that, if I understand what D* is doing, the H20 is the reference GUI standard going forward. They want eventually to get everyone onto this platform. I think we better get used to it.

Dana

Thanks Dana, glad to hear the picture quality is better with the H20 vs the Sammy 360.
I think I read where the off air HD is better reception as well?
Did you get a trade in free from DTV?
Does anyone have a "good" number to DTV for trade in?

...
Did you get a trade in free from DTV?
Does anyone have a "good" number to DTV for trade in?

Steve,

I bought one from *********************, a forum sponsor, in part because of good comments here, because Robert took the time to answer some questions I had about the box, and because he offers a five year guarantee. The OEM guarantee is 90 days. I am eligible for the $200. rebate = the HD20 is free. Some long-term D* subscribers have reported that they have gotten replacement H20s directly from D* no charge by dealing with Customer Retention 1-800-824-9081.

Dana

There is no such thing as signal strength numbers being right or wrong. It is just a reference. In the minds of most people 100 is the reference for 'perfect'. Below 70 becomes increasingly unacceptable. We would not be having this discussion if Directv had just stay with the previous reference numbers. Of course, once you learn what the h-20 signal strength numbers mean, no big deal. You should be getting in the 70s'.

Thanks for all your input. The installer was getting readings of 99-100% on my H10, but 70's on the H20. So thanks for all your help. I feel better.

The D*tv installer came and went. He did not take any of the boxes with him. Now I have a spare TS360 and H10 that I'm gonna sell....YEEE HAAAA!!!!

By the way, I heard someone mention a work around the local channels? For example, the D*tv installer told my wife I can not go to local channel 3 and get sd, I have to go to the guide button then hit HD channels, then go to local HD 3? Is this true? If so, what type of moron wrote that program? Please let me know.

mikelets: Do not quite understand question. You can go to any local digital channel, directly, by hitting 6-1, or 7dt (pressing 7), etc.

Just spoke to customer retention about my missed appointment Monday. They credited the $99 upgrade fee and gave me $100 credit to programming. Much more than I hoped for. They also put on the work order for Thursday that we require two technicians to come out and that one must be a senior tech that is familiar with the 5LNB/H20 upgrade. It's a request---but it's better than nothing.

My current dish is at the peak of a two story roof. It required two techs last time. I know it will now for this big dish. I don't want him to arrive Thursday and tell me he has to get someone else to help. We'll see.....

The D*tv installer came and went. He did not take any of the boxes with him. Now I have a spare TS360 and H10 that I'm gonna sell....YEEE HAAAA!!!!

By the way, I heard someone mention a work around the local channels? For example, the D*tv installer told my wife I can not go to local channel 3 and get sd, I have to go to the guide button then hit HD channels, then go to local HD 3? Is this true? If so, what type of moron wrote that program? Please let me know.


He needs to lay off the crack.

Check your favorites. You should have a HD 3 an SD 3 and if you have an OTA antenna then you get it as digital sub channels 3-1 and so forth. You can program akk the "3" channels in if you want.

Now, what channel do you get when you punch in 3? the SD or the HD one?

I suspect it goes to whatever channel it feels like going to...there are some bugs there I believe. Least from the way one of my H20s acts. I think it should go to the HD one first, then you can just channel up to the SD version.

Right now, the HD via the dish channel is at the top of the queue. That was changed from the SD channel at the last software udgrade.

I told the installer I want signal readings 90's or above. he said that is not possible with the 5-LNB. i think he is full of it. he said the H20 will read the signal in the 70's but it's really in the 90"s....am I a moron or is this true? Please help, as they are ready to install!!!!

What I experienced on my install was that the reciever was reading 70-80 on all transponders. When I questioned the intaller he showed me his little digital reader box that was hooked to the dish itself. It read 90-100 across the board. So yes the H20 does show a signifcantly lower number on their menus but if it's getting perfect reception at the dish then there is nothing to be done.

I wonder if this is an issue with the LNB's and whether a signal booster of some sort would not be benificial?

Randy

chiliman: The signal meter is just a relative reading. There is no issue with the reception of the h-20. It brings in the Directv channels just fine if your dish is aimed correctly. Directv did get the realtive strength 'correct' on the OTA stations by the way.

What I experienced on my install was that the reciever was reading 70-80 on all transponders...

I wonder if this is an issue with the LNB's and whether a signal booster of some sort would not be benificial?

You have no "issue" and you don't need a signal amp. All H20s have a lower relative sat. signal strength reading than older boxes. 70s & 80s are normal readings for max signal on an H20, where on older receivers, 80s to 100s are normal readings.

It's HDMI. See http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=628385 for a discussion on cables.

Thanks for the info. :)

Just one more question.

Is the hdmi output on the h20 unit a type A or B? Are most cables "A". :confused:

??? I've never heard of A and B HDMI cables. Are you confusing them with USB? You need an HDMI male connector for the H20. http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&cs_id=1023102&p_id=2412&seq=1&format=2&style= shows one example if your TV is HDMI equipped too.

Got the H20 and so far I like it better than the TS360:

PQ (HDMI to DVI) looks excellent in SD and HD. I think I'll change over to component cables being that I have a 51" Hitachi CRT. I don't know if this will make a difference, though.

I LOVE the fact that I can set to native 480I (through the HDMI) and 1080I. I prefer the TV upconvert 480I to 540P...looks real good. Unlike the H10, the H20 will automatically switch to the native signal that the user sets up. The H10's "native only" would not let you choose which resolution you want sent to the monitor.

Yes, the guide is slower than the TS360, but not horrible. And yes, you have to press the guide button twice...Once again,no big deal.

The OTA tuner works seemlessly with D*Tv guide and channels and OTA is "highlighted" in grey...which makes it easy to realize what is OTA and what is from Directv.

Signal meter on the 101/119 is 76-80...better than I thought. Then 80's and 90 on the 99 deg sat.(I think it was the 99 deg).

Back to PQ, I will have to readjust my settings and turn down brightness,contrast,etc. This box really does put out a nice picture. few artifacts on SD and I set the box to stretch the picture to fill the 16:9. The box does a VERY good job at stretching 4:3 material....Much less noticable than the TS360...MUCH LESS!!!

So far it's a good box (besides the slower guide) which I'm already getting used to.

I have not had time to mess with the other stuff and will report back in a week or so.
Thanks for all your help. if anyone has questions, please let me know if I can be of assistance.

[QUOTE=mikelets456]Got the H20 and so far I like it better than the TS360:

Im too am considering the H20 and have a 360. I thought the non HD channels were terrable, fuzzy etc. sounds like you see a "big" difference!

Thanks for the helpful review. I am definitely going to add a "free" H20 to my collection of D* equipment before the rumored 3/1/06 switch to rental.

When any of you "upgraded" to the H20 did you have to do a two year commitment to get it free?

I think the 2-year commitment is standard for "advanced" (HD) equipment.

When any of you "upgraded" to the H20 did you have to do a two year commitment to get it free?

Yes.

Does anyone know the penalty if you leave DTV prior to expiration of 2 year contract?
Thanks

[QUOTE=mikelets456]Got the H20 and so far I like it better than the TS360:

Im too am considering the H20 and have a 360. I thought the non HD channels were terrable, fuzzy etc. sounds like you see a "big" difference!

Don't get me wrong, it's a nice picture, but not "perfect" on SD channels. but there is a noticable difference on SD "non animated" tv shows.

Also, the installer said D*tv said by end of february D*tv would be adding 5 new HD channels. He said this to my wife...but it sounded like TNT, and 4 others. (My wife did not remember). Women...I'll tell ya'!!! LOL

When any of you "upgraded" to the H20 did you have to do a two year commitment to get it free?

I had to do a 1yr commitment...which of course they didn't mention. That's part of the reason I got everything free plus showtime for 3 months.

Does anyone know the penalty if you leave DTV prior to expiration of 2 year contract?
Thanks

The agreement I had to sign to get the H20 says one yr. commitment for standard receivers; two yr. commitment for DVRs, HD receivers and HD DVRs. Penalty for failure to maintain the agreement is prorated up to $150. fee for standard receivers and prorated up to $300. fee for advanced equipment. Or send all equipment back to D*.

All of this may change as of March 1 when D* goes to a lease plan.

Dana

But I never signed an agreement and have yet to receive my $200 rebate

When any of you "upgraded" to the H20 did you have to do a two year commitment to get it free?

yes...but the way I look at it, if I leave Directv I'll sell the boxes and dish and that should cover the amount due. However, my only other choice in the phila area is CommyCast...and I refuse to give them ANY of my money for a CRAPPY signal.
Also, I believe in about 1-1.5 years Verizon (FIOS) will be working directly with Directv and finally compete with Commycast on local sports. In the Phila area commycast has a "lock" on the Flyers, Phillies and Sixers. You have to pay $45 per month (for basic analog cable) to get these local sports. philadelphia is one of three markets that commycast has this lock. But with FIOS (Verizon) that will soon come to an end....hopefully sooner than later.

Pros:
H20 Picture Quality is outstanding, slightly better then my Sony HD-300.


Cons:
Slow menu speed.
Having to hit guide button twice or guide/select to get to the guide. This is a
waste of everyone's time. Directv should add a setting in the setup to turn off / on this filter!
Receiver will reboot if you click on a previous autotune event with no title.
Receiver won't turn on to start an Autotune event if you turn the receiver off ( red light on ) but plugged in. That is just stupid!
Some channels set in Favorites will disappear when Directv is adding/removing channels. You have go back into favorites and manually add back in. This is another waste of everyone time!
Receiver needed to be rebooted when TNTHD was added to get guide info.


The best guides are still the Sony HD300/LG3200A/HTL-HD! Why didn't Directv use those guides ( GUI ) in the H20?

But I never signed an agreement and have yet to receive my $200 rebate

If you puchased the box and are connected to D*, somewhere in the process you agreed to a two year commitment. In any event it is a requirement for the rebate.

"The ultimate entertainment experience is within your reach. Just purchase a DIRECTV HD Receiver or HD DVR with a two-year commitment to any TOTAL CHOICE package and activation of the DIRECTV HD Package to receive your instant online rebate."

More here http://www.directv.com/see/landing/hdrebate_prosp.html

Dana

Pros: H20 Picture Quality is outstanding, slightly better then my HD-300.

Cons: Slow menu speed
Having to hit guide button twice or guide, select to get to the guide. This is a
waste of everyone time. Directv should add a setting in the setup to turn off / on
this filter!
Maybe in the next firmware upgrade 2/26???

When any of you "upgraded" to the H20 did you have to do a two year commitment to get it free?

Yes

S-Video to Coax Converter?

I'm interested in picking up an HD20. One feature, or lack thereof, that is a bit troublesome is that it does not have a cable out port. On my current TS-160, I feed an old CRT TV in my basement using the cable out which I watch when on the treadmill, or just working down there. I only use it occasionally so I don't need a separate D* box, nor do I want to pay the extra $5 a month for the privilege of using that TV 1-2 hours a week. So, given that all ports (HD and SD) on the HD20 are hot, is there anyway to feed the S-Video out signal into my existing coax, which is nicely run to a wall plate by my DLP TV? Does this product exist?

S-Video to Coax Converter?

I'm interested in picking up an HD20. One feature, or lack thereof, that is a bit troublesome is that it does not have a cable out port. On my current TS-160, I feed an old CRT TV in my basement using the cable out which I watch when on the treadmill, or just working down there. I only use it occasionally so I don't need a separate D* box, nor do I want to pay the extra $5 a month for the privilege of using that TV 1-2 hours a week. So, given that all ports (HD and SD) on the HD20 are hot, is there anyway to feed the S-Video out signal into my existing coax, which is nicely run to a wall plate by my DLP TV? Does this product exist?
Don't know about s-video, but you can get a composite to rf converter at any store that carries electronics.

When any of you "upgraded" to the H20 did you have to do a two year commitment to get it free?

Yup, no problem at all doing this. Lousy local cable system. I have had DirecTV since 1995.

Don't know about s-video, but you can get a composite to rf converter at any store that carries electronics.

And if you can't find this, just go by a Wal-mart, or any other store that is trying to dump its VCRs. Feed the S-video into the VCR, then use the VCR's Channel 3/4 output.

During Christmas, Wal-mart was selling VCRs for under $30.00.

Larry_Rymal / 66stang351,

Thanks for the feedback. I forgot about audio so an S-Video or composite video feed to coax wouldn't completely work. Totally forgot about the VCR. I have an old VCR hooked to my existing box now (no DVR yet). So I can just move the coax feeding my basement TV to the VCR coax out feed. :o

For the $200 rebate, I had to commit to 2 yrs of totalchoice package. D* web site says same.

D* is instituting a price increase March 1, and also going to a lease model then, similar to E*. The rebate program ends 2/28/06. Not sure how leasing will affect existing customers....

As for comparing the H20 to the Sammy TS360, the H20 is much more stable than the 360 I owned, but then again, my 360 may have been defective. OTA tuner in the H20 is *much* better than the 360, and HD/SD PQ with my H20 is *much* *much* better than the 360 I had. No comparison.

My biggest gripes are the slow guide and channel changes, and non-inutuitive menus. And they omitted the friggin' Freeze button on the H20!

Larry_Rymal / 66stang351,

Thanks for the feedback. I forgot about audio so an S-Video or composite video feed to coax wouldn't completely work. Totally forgot about the VCR. I have an old VCR hooked to my existing box now (no DVR yet). So I can just move the coax feeding my basement TV to the VCR coax out feed. :o
The composite to rf converter includes audio. They were made for situations where people had game consoles or other devices with composite only outputs and their tv didn't have the inputs. I had to buy one when I was on a long term business trip to hook up a DVD player to the hotel tv.

Of course this is all moot seeing as you have a VCR to do the job for you.

As for comparing the H20 to the Sammy TS360, the H20 is much more stable than the 360 I owned, but then again, my 360 may have been defective. OTA tuner in the H20 is *much* better than the 360, and HD/SD PQ with my H20 is *much* *much* better than the 360 I had. No comparison.



There was a KNOWN problem with the TS360 (read MANY similar problems on the net)...I had 2-units and both were really nice (extra inputs, good picture, etc). However, my first unit would reset itself once every few weeks, then it started to freeze and reset every few days...then would freeze daily, then it finally died. I was stupid enough to buy another unit on Ebay and the same thing happened again, however, the unit would freeze and not reset. I have too many problems with Samsung products, I think I'll stay away from them from this point on. Just my opinion and from reading reviews/problems on forums and review sites.

For those of you complaining about the slow guide on the H20, have you pressed the little blue button on your remote? This brings up the "mini" guide at the bottom of the screen which I use to scroll to see availalbe programming. I know it doesn't have complete program info but I find it quick and easy to use. If I hold the guide arrow buttons down, it scrolls very fast. Also, if you are currently in one of your "favorites" guides you can use the up and down channel buttons to select stations from the mini guide. In this mode, it's just like surfing T.V. on a regular remote (it doesn't page up or page down on channels in the guide).

For those of you complaining about the slow guide on the H20, have you pressed the little blue button on your remote? This brings up the "mini" guide at the bottom of the screen which I use to scroll to see availalbe programming. I know it doesn't have complete program info but I find it quick and easy to use. If I hold the guide arrow buttons down, it scrolls very fast. Also, if you are currently in one of your "favorites" guides you can use the up and down channel buttons to select stations from the mini guide. In this mode, it's just like surfing T.V. on a regular remote (it doesn't page up or page down on channels in the guide).


I use the blue button ( well I programmed it to another button on my MX-800) all the time now and it is fast as can be. It is very helpful if you have an idea what you are looking for.

I use the blue button, but often prefer to look at the full guide.

I don't know why they didn't fix the guide & channel change slowness before releasing this box. In those 2 areas, the H20 is like using a D* box circa 1995.

For those of you complaining about the slow guide on the H20, have you pressed the little blue button on your remote? This brings up the "mini" guide at the bottom of the screen which I use to scroll to see availalbe programming. I know it doesn't have complete program info but I find it quick and easy to use. If I hold the guide arrow buttons down, it scrolls very fast. Also, if you are currently in one of your "favorites" guides you can use the up and down channel buttons to select stations from the mini guide. In this mode, it's just like surfing T.V. on a regular remote (it doesn't page up or page down on channels in the guide).

Good suggestion. Rather than press the normal guide button twice I programmed the blue, red, and green buttons into my harmony remote. It now works instantaneously, although I had to get used to a single line guide. After a few days I stopped noticing it.

Have used the H20 (manufactured 11/05) for just a couple of hours. It replaces my Sony HD200 (manu. 5/02). Don't know about OTA reception, but we've gone backwards in a a number of ways. Know this has been covered before, but I'm pissed.

- slower guide
- convoluted ergonomics, clumsy to operate; can't just push the left arrow, forex., to get rid of the setup menu or whatever place you're at. everything seems to take an extra keystroke or two. completely inferior to the HD200 and my Directv in this regard.
- wide mode is not progressive stretch -- you gotta be kidding.
- no noticeable improvement in audio/video quality, at first glance anyway

So what's to like about this box?

Gonna try to fix my HD200. It is a far superior piece. Outside of down-the-road MPEG-4 compatibility and possibly better OTA reception, can anyone make an argument for it vs. older products?

...
- no noticeable improvement in audio/video quality, at first glance anyway

So what's to like about this box?

Gonna try to fix my HD200. It is a far superior piece. Outside of down-the-road MPEG-4 compatibility and possibly better OTA reception, can anyone make an argument for it vs. older products?

Those of us switching from the Sammy 360 seem to agree that the H20 does have better PQ across the board - HD, SD and OTA. That is my experience here.

S-Video to Coax Converter?

I'm interested in picking up an HD20. One feature, or lack thereof, that is a bit troublesome is that it does not have a cable out port. On my current TS-160, I feed an old CRT TV in my basement using the cable out which I watch when on the treadmill, or just working down there. I only use it occasionally so I don't need a separate D* box, nor do I want to pay the extra $5 a month for the privilege of using that TV 1-2 hours a week. So, given that all ports (HD and SD) on the HD20 are hot, is there anyway to feed the S-Video out signal into my existing coax, which is nicely run to a wall plate by my DLP TV? Does this product exist?

I use a channel modulator from the Yellow, Red & White RCA connections on the 160 back into the house coax cable. It has a programmable channel number and I can tune to it on any SD tv in the house. The unit is smaller than a pack of cigarettes.

J C

The quirks of the H20 are even stranger considering that LG made the Sonys as well as the H20. Let's hope these issues don't carry over to the upcoming HR20 MPEG4/2 DVR.

Please don't blame LG. I have a Sony HD300 designed and manufactured by LG and many consider the best DirecTV receiver.

The difference is that Sony had very little to do with it.

On the other hand, the H20 is totally designed by Direct and LG is merely manufacturing it to Direct's specifications. This is the inherent problem with Direct's philosophy - it doesn't allow the sharing of ideas from many people.

Maybe the concept of renting does serve the purpose of not being stuck with a product brought to market too quickly. Properly test before you put the product out to the public.

Gary

Have used the H20 (manufactured 11/05) for just a couple of hours. It replaces my Sony HD200 (manu. 5/02). Don't know about OTA reception, but we've gone backwards in a a number of ways. Know this has been covered before, but I'm pissed.

- slower guide
- convoluted ergonomics, clumsy to operate; can't just push the left arrow, forex., to get rid of the setup menu or whatever place you're at. everything seems to take an extra keystroke or two. completely inferior to the HD200 and my Directv in this regard.
- wide mode is not progressive stretch -- you gotta be kidding.
- no noticeable improvement in audio/video quality, at first glance anyway

So what's to like about this box?

Gonna try to fix my HD200. It is a far superior piece. Outside of down-the-road MPEG-4 compatibility and possibly better OTA reception, can anyone make an argument for it vs. older products?

Yes, slower guide and channel changing, but come on guys so it takes about 1.5 seconds more. I bet they'll fix this very soon. keep complaining to Directv, I'll bet they'll have a fix soon.

I have never seen the PQ of the Sony box, But this H20 has to put out the best PQ I have ever seen.very little to no pixelation on SD channels and brilliant HD. Comparing to the H10, DTC-100, DRE-1444 and TS360 (which put out a decent picture).

The stretch mode does a GREAT job and I have it set to interlaced (480I) and let the TV upconvert to 540P....Looks incredible. I could not do this with any other box.I think this an important asset, as I have my S-Video running to the DVD recorder. The 1080I is shown in native format and takes about 2 secs for the TV/box to switch resolutions. I have seen this with all boxes (with the exception of the DTC-100 which did 540P/1080I only).

You said no noticable PQ improvement? That Sony must have put out a nice picture.
So far, I love this box...but time will tell. Besides the guide issue, so far that is my only concern. My next concern is how the box/dish will perform during heavy rais. From what I heard, it is on par with other boxes. We'll soon see.

Those of us switching from the Sammy 360 seem to agree that the H20 does have better PQ across the board - HD, SD and OTA. That is my experience here.

Definitely. I had the 360 for 18 months and the difference in SD and HD PQ, from both D* and OTA sources, is strikingly improved and immediately noticable (after the software update 1 hour after boot up). Even more dramatic of an improvement is the OTA ATSC receiver, compared to the 360. I had no reason to think the 360 was as bad as it was for PQ and tuner quality until I got the H20.

In the computer/electronics world, a 1.5 second delay is irritating, and as I know from my HD200, unnecessary. At this point in the development of these products, there is the reasonable expectiation of very nearly instantaneous response.

The Panorama mode on the Sony (and other boxes/TVs have a similar function) is much less distracting than a straight stretch mode, IMO. Should be standard on any product these days -- another unnecessary shortcoming. Again, one that was solved three years ago.

BTW, left 'Tivo' out of the following paragraph from earilier post and have re-inserted it:

- convoluted ergonomics, clumsy to operate; can't just push the left arrow, forex., to get rid of the setup menu or whatever place you're at. everything seems to take an extra keystroke or two. completely inferior to the HD200 and my Directv Tivo in this regard.

billt1111,

I agree with everything you've said about 360 vs. H20. Further, I think we're at the beginning of a long life on this software so we can expect improvements. But, the days of having multiple operating systems, GUIs, etc., necessitating multiple updates is over. Likewise, the idea of having various boxes with different quality issues - done. Think the Apple model. It is D* firmware. D* contracts to whatever mfg. for production of the box on which only its name appears. That's the reason D* is going to the lease model March 1. Total control of the user experience.

Bitch and moan. But, to quote Bill Belichick, it is what it is. IMHO.

I've had the H20 for about three weeks here in the Northern NJ-NY metro area, and was initial blown away by the sensitivity on the OTA tuner for local HD reception. Most OTA HD signals came in at 95%-100% strength and I got some of the weaker stations like PBS and NBC at 80%. This lasted for about a week. Then suddenly the OTA channels dropped out. The signal strength began fluctuating dramatically and then dropped below 40%, most channels below 5%, and has remained there. Needless to say unwatchable even if a signal was received. I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar issue or if this sounds like the ATSC tuner went bad.

For reference, I also have a HTPC with a MyHD 130 HD tuner card and saw no drop off in signal strength on it. Both units are fed by the same line via a digital splitter. The H20 system test displays the ATSC tuner as functioning. My only other thought is that my Channel Master 7775 pre-amp might have gone bad or there is something creating noise in the cable. But the fact the PC tuner card has not been affected points me back to the H20 ATSC tuner.

I've also checked the all antenna and pre-amp connections, removed the splitter and found no issues.

This is an issue since the installer incorrectly installed the old 3 LNB dish and not the new ka/ku 5 LNB dish preventing me from receiving all my local mpeg4 channels via satellite.

Also, My D*TV signal strength on the H20 is also low (50% and lower on all satellites/transponders) compared to the STD D*TV Tivo receiver it replaced (85%-94% on all) off the same feed. I know comparing signal strength on two different receivers is like comparing apples and oranges, but the D*TV advanced system tech thought the satellite tuner may be bad based on this. My thought process is that if the satellite tuner is bad the ATSC might have been faulty as well.

I will be getting a new dish installed this weekend (hopefully a better job than last time) and possibly a new H20 receiver, if the satellite tuner truly is bad. However, I (more like my wife) would still like to view OTA locals via the H20. This issue may resolve itself if I get a new receiver, but in case that doesn't happen any advice would be appreciated.

In the computer/electronics world, a 1.5 second delay is irritating, and as I know from my HD200, unnecessary. At this point in the development of these products, there is the reasonable expectiation of very nearly instantaneous response.

.

This will be fixed....I am 99% sure. It may take a month or so, but it will be fixed.
It's the same thing, everytime something NEW is released and we're the first to get/buy one, most people complain about something.You know why there are problems? Because it's new!!! D*tv is making major changes and us early adopters SHOULD expect problems. We complain they are not getting a product out fast enough, then we complain they released it to soon and should have checked it out. I hate to be harsh, but send the box back and wait until December when this is all ironed out. There will be fixes...be patient.

I usually am patient and wait for a while to get the kinks ironed out, but my old box was acting up so bad I had to replace it.

I build computers/reformat etc in my spare time and 1-1.5 second lag time(opening a program,etc) is totally acceptable!However, except during game play where frame rates matter. If this box had "frame rate" problems (like running at 12 FPS) then I'd be ticked, but to wait anywhere from .5-1.5 seconds on a guide (temporarily) ain't gonna really make a difference in my life. By the way, If you don't want your box, I'll take it...LOL. Sorry if I seem harsh, please take no offense....Cheers... :)

testudo,

I think everyone agrees that the H20 OTA reception is a strong point. So this sounds like a hardware issue. Let's hope so. BTW. Although I don't have the KaKu dish here and won't have until 2007 likely, everything I've seen including the installer videos indicates no splitters/diplexers allowed; only home runs of RG6 cable. So, if you want the OTA antenna and the KaKu dish = two runs of coax.

Better SD & HD picture quality. The best I've seen from a D* box.
YMMV of course.

If you want to buy any new D* receivers, get them now. After March 1, they're going to a lease model. Anything equipment you order from DirecTV will be leased, not purchased. And D* will likely have only 1 SD and 1 HD receiver or 1 SD or HD DVR to choose from.

.... my Channel Master 7775 pre-amp might have gone bad or there is something creating noise in the cable. But the fact the PC tuner card has not been affected points me back to the H20 ATSC tuner.

I've also checked the all antenna and pre-amp connections, removed the splitter and found no issues.

Where do you have the power supply brick for the CM 7775 in relation to the coax splitter and the H20?

testudo,

I think everyone agrees that the H20 OTA reception is a strong point. So this sounds like a hardware issue. Let's hope so. BTW. Although I don't have the KaKu dish here and won't have until 2007 likely, everything I've seen including the installer videos indicates no splitters/diplexers allowed; only home runs of RG6 cable. So, if you want the OTA antenna and the KaKu dish = two runs of coax.

drbonbi,

I have separate RG6 coax lines for the Sat signal and the OTA signal, so I am only splitting the OTA signal. My installer was not very familiar with the new ka/ku set-up requirements, but we tried the splitter and both units worked fine for OTA. There was a slight signal loss, but it was negligible on his signal meter.

The OTA line originally was the 2nd Sat line for my Tivo DVR so it had diplexers. I removed them as well with no improvement. So I hope it is a hardware issue because the initial OTA reception was outstanding and if the Sat reception is as good I'll be in heaven.

Where do you have the power supply brick for the CM 7775 in relation to the coax splitter and the H20?

arxaw,

The power brick is in the attic, about 125ft (half-way) between the the antenna and the the H20. The splitter is about a 2.5 ft run from the H20.

Should I try locating the preamp power brick at the H20/Splitter end of the run?

OK, after the missed appointment Monday, I didn't hold out hope for installation today. I was surprised by an installer that arrived at 8:30 am (8-12 timeslot) that was a senior tech and he brought another senior tech with him. The 5 LNB dish and new H20 were installed and working by 10:00. They took down my old dish (and another old dish left by the idiots last time) and away they went. Overall, a viery nice installation experience this time.

Questions about the H20:

1) How do I see if the software/firmware is the latest? What is the latest?

2) For my HD locals (in Houston), I have: KPRC 2, HN 2 (NBC), HN 11 (CBS), KTRK 13, HN 13, KRIV 26, HN 26. Which is the HD channel, which is the regular DTV channel? The picture looks better but the audio is quieter on the KPRC, KTRK and KRIV channel leading me to believe that these are the HD channels. However, does this mean I have no CBS in HD? What's that about?

3) I set the unit to native off and selected 480p and 1080i in the check boxes. These are the two resolutions that my Philips TV support. All the non HD channels have the grey pillars. How do I make the image fill the screen on all channels, not just HD?

4) Resolution is very confusing to me. How do you know if it's 480, 720 or 1080? Doesn't DTV send all the programming in HD down in one resolution?

5) Finally, they left the H10 box. I would like to sell it. Any idea what to expect price wise? Also, do I sell with the card or without?

Thanks!

Steve

arxaw,

The power brick is in the attic, about 125ft (half-way) between the the antenna and the the H20. The splitter is about a 2.5 ft run from the H20.

Should I try locating the preamp power brick at the H20/Splitter end of the run?

You have the preamp power supply in the correct place. My guess is you may have a defective H20 or CM 7775.

OK, after the missed appointment Monday, I didn't hold out hope for installation today. I was surprised by an installer that arrived at 8:30 am (8-12 timeslot) that was a senior tech and he brought another senior tech with him. The 5 LNB dish and new H20 were installed and working by 10:00. They took down my old dish (and another old dish left by the idiots last time) and away they went. Overall, a viery nice installation experience this time.

Questions about the H20:

1) How do I see if the software/firmware is the latest? What is the latest?

2) For my HD locals (in Houston), I have: KPRC 2, HN 2 (NBC), HN 11 (CBS), KTRK 13, HN 13, KRIV 26, HN 26. Which is the HD channel, which is the regular DTV channel? The picture looks better but the audio is quieter on the KPRC, KTRK and KRIV channel leading me to believe that these are the HD channels. However, does this mean I have no CBS in HD? What's that about?

3) I set the unit to native off and selected 480p and 1080i in the check boxes. These are the two resolutions that my Philips TV support. All the non HD channels have the grey pillars. How do I make the image fill the screen on all channels, not just HD?

4) Resolution is very confusing to me. How do you know if it's 480, 720 or 1080? Doesn't DTV send all the programming in HD down in one resolution?

5) Finally, they left the H10 box. I would like to sell it. Any idea what to expect price wise? Also, do I sell with the card or without?

Thanks!

Steve

#1 if the firmware is not the latest, it will be by 4 AM when they send the signal.

#2 the first of channels is the HD. For example if you get local HD on channel 3 it will look like this:
3 KYW news (this is the local HD channel via Directv)
3 KYW news (this is local SD via D*TV)
3-1 KYW News (This is local ota hd...If you have an antenna)

#3 I have the unit set to native on and checked 480I/1080I and in the settings on the box I hit stretch mode. I prefer the TV upconvert 480I to 540P and then 1080I will be native to the TV.

#4 you can set this on the box, but do what I did in #3. My Hitachi will display the input signal so I know exactly what is being "fed" to the TV.

#5 I was surprised they did not take any of my boxes either (H10 and TS360) I'm debating on keeping as a spare. however, I could get $80 for the TS360 and $125 for the H10 on Ebay. You can send with or without the card. I would send without the card and then directv will send them a new card.

hi, just got off the phone with DirecTV and was told the MPEG4 change will happen in May 06. She said the cost to me would be $99.00 which will include delivery of my H20 and 5LNB Dish upgrade by a DirecTV tech. I have been with DirecTV since 2000 (premium w/ NFL package every year). No pending contract obligation...do any of you think I should ask DirecTV to upgrade without any cost to me? Or do I not deserve it, but if I do...I'm shy...how do i go about asking?

testudo,

I think everyone agrees that the H20 OTA reception is a strong point. So this sounds like a hardware issue. Let's hope so. BTW. Although I don't have the KaKu dish here and won't have until 2007 likely, everything I've seen including the installer videos indicates no splitters/diplexers allowed; only home runs of RG6 cable. So, if you want the OTA antenna and the KaKu dish = two runs of coax.

Where can you find/view the installer videos?

Thanks

RSlack

Where can you find/view the installer videos?

Thanks

RSlack
http://www.solidsignal.com/satellite/at9_install_videos.asp

Where can you find/view the installer videos?

Thanks

RSlack

Here. http://www.solidsignal.com/satellite/at9_install_videos.asp

You can watch on line or download them.

Dana

hi, just got off the phone with DirecTV and was told the MPEG4 change will happen in May 06. She said the cost to me would be $99.00 which will include delivery of my H20 and 5LNB Dish upgrade by a DirecTV tech. I have been with DirecTV since 2000 (premium w/ NFL package every year). No pending contract obligation...do any of you think I should ask DirecTV to upgrade without any cost to me? Or do I not deserve it, but if I do...I'm shy...how do i go about asking?

Some customers have reported success by talking with D* customer retention 1-800-824-9081. You also might check out http://*********************/avstc.htm . They are forum sponsors and come highly recommended.

Dana

hi, just got off the phone with DirecTV and was told the MPEG4 change will happen in May 06. She said the cost to me would be $99.00 which will include delivery of my H20 and 5LNB Dish upgrade by a DirecTV tech. I have been with DirecTV since 2000 (premium w/ NFL package every year). No pending contract obligation...do any of you think I should ask DirecTV to upgrade without any cost to me? Or do I not deserve it, but if I do...I'm shy...how do i go about asking?
Sounds to me like you've got plenty of ammo..

1. Member since 2000, thats 5-6 years.
2. Premium Package $75-95 per month for 5-6 years.
3. NFL package an extra 250+ per year for 5-6 years.
4. Buying new h20 with a 2 Year comment totaling 7-8 years.
5. Have you recommended DirecTv to a friend or relative and they've joined?
6. In March new DirecTv rates go into effect.

Minimum non exact figures
$75.00x12x7=$6,300.00
$250x7=1750.00
6300.00+1750.00=$8,050.00
What's a $299.00 DirecTv Discount compared to that?
You deserve it...!

I would start with these wonderful facts you already have.

I don't spend that much for D* and the best I could get was a $49.00 install for the 5LNB Dish.

RSlack

I build computers/reformat etc in my spare time and 1-1.5 second lag time(opening a program,etc) is totally acceptable!However, except during game play where frame rates matter.

The guide lag time may be acceptable if you're not used to something much faster, but if you are used to near instantaneous response, it's annoying. And it's not just the speed, it's the navigation ergonomics. Bottom line: this is a product in many ways inferior to one out three years ago -- in what other situation but one where hardware has been monopolized, uh, standardized -- would such a product survive?

Having said that, I understand about v.1, and as I don't follow sat. boxes like I do other audio/video stuff -- they don't change much -- I was unaware that the H20 was so new. I could have avoided it for that reason alone. My oversight, although I had no real choice anyway w/my Sony dying.

Kayla,

Keep calling the customer retention until you got the deals you want. I did. On the 5th try, this particular directv rep offered me 2 H20s and 1 5-lnb dish and installation for a total of $99. But then he said he is willing to waive the fee without me having to bargain. On top of that he offered me also 3 month HD programming free ($30 value). I paid via credit card $330 (for the 2 h20 boxes), and the directv rep instantly applied $330 credit total to my account (so I don't have to deal with rebate). This was a week ago.

I only have basic programming (select choice) for the past 5 years; You are much more a directv premium customer than I am so you can hold out for better deals.

Back to the H20 and very noticeable audio lagging. I have the Sharp Aquos 37" LCD hanging on the wall. All wiring inside the wall for aesthetic purpose. All video and audio cables between the LCD and my H20, DVD player are 15' in length. I used a 15' long HDMI cable (no name HDMI cable from Ebay for $20) to connect between the H20 and LCD TV. When changing channels, audio is muted for the first 3, 4 seconds. After that, everything is fine. Was it due to my length of cable? or cheap HDMI cable? When connecting via 15' component cables, audio problem of my H20 disappears. I am thinking of buying a 15' HDMI cable (Monster brand) and test it. If problem persists, then I return the expensive cable.

I need the 15' cable because my entertainment cabinet is in the corner whereas my LCD tv is hung in the middle of the wall....and the cables running behind the baseboard and inside the wall.

Cancun1,

It could be the length. RAM Electronics, a forum sponsor, says "Outputs from many of today’s Set Top Boxes and DVD players that have DVI connectors is considered to be limited to 5 meters (approximately 15 feet) with standard DVI cable design." More here. http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/dvi-hdmi-connections.html

Dana

You can go easily to 30 feet with HDMI - and this is according to Monster!

Cancun1, are you the guy who keeps returning cables? I keep finding cable
containers repacked.

Shame on you!

Gary

Still fiddling with the H20-----

I have native OFF, resolutions set to 1080i and 480p and stretch mode.

Why do I still have black bars along the left and right? I thought stretch mode would take them off. On one of my HD locals, I can see the stations "pillar" bars along both sides with their call letters and a moving graphic. Very distracting!

How do I fill the entire screen all the time?

I don't think the length of the cable is the issue, but it definately could be the cable itself. Trying out the Monster cable is a good idea and should be your first step.

I just ordered an H20 and the install date is the friday before the Superbowl, so I am stoked.

I'm curious, has anyone connected an H20 (or any Directv receiver) to a Windows Media Center PC? No MPEG4 tivo or DVR yet, so I figure this is probably my best option.

http://www.solidsignal.com/satellite/at9_install_videos.asp
Thanks
:-)

Here. http://www.solidsignal.com/satellite/at9_install_videos.asp

You can watch on line or download them.

Dana
Thanks
:-)

I don't think the length of the cable is the issue, but it definately could be the cable itself. Trying out the Monster cable is a good idea and should be your first step.No, no, no, no, no! Evil Empire. Onerous prices.

http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,121777,pg,1,00.asp

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=487733&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

I posted this in the "MPEG4 Conversion Details" thread, but there are probably more people in this thread who have actually gone through the AT-9 install process.

I'm contemplating upgrading to the new 5-lnb dish after the new MPEG4 DVR is available, but I haven't seen my situation addressed in any of these AT-9 Install threads.

Many of us in condos (or apts) use the post-in-a-bucket-of-cement-on-a-balcony solution to mount our dishes.

Has anyone tried and had success in mounting the new, larger AT-9 dish with a similar type of situation.

Actually, I use 1 5/8" fence post in a big, honking, 80 lb cast iron umbrella stand with a wide flat base with a couple of additional cinder-blocks sitting on top of it. This has proved rock steady on the balcony of my condo. The stand can accomadate a larger 2" OD post.

Any ideas whether this setup would work with the new dish?

Why do I still have black bars along the left and right? I thought stretch mode would take them off. Stretch is for 4:3 channels.

720p & 1080i channels are 16:9 and can't be stretched with the box. The pillar bars on the sides are inserted by either the network or the station and are inserted to fill out the 16:9 frame when they are only broadcasting 4:3 stuff like most news, etc.

If they are inserting animated logo crap in the pillar bars, complain long and loud to the idiot general manager at the offending station.

....Any ideas whether this setup would work with the new dish?
Movement of the AT9 dish, even very slightly, can make a rather huge difference on dish aiming. Just be aware of that. If that LNB arm is bumped even 1/4", you'll notice a difference.

Is anyone with the H20 using it wth a 4:3 HDTV? Reason I ask, is that I'm doing the mpeg4 upgrade in 5 weeks and one of my current HD receiver's (Zenith SAT520) has a unique feature in that it will output (via DVI) a full 4:3 frame filling my 32" HDTV on SD channels. On HD channels, it automatically senses and switches to native 16:9 output @ 1080i for me (also via DVI, so that I never have to switch inputs on the HDTV when flipping channels).

Most HD receivers that I've had, (in fact, every other one), have always shown 4:3 SD content in a pillarboxed 16:9 frame, which results in black bars on all 4 sides and a smaller picture than the full size of the 4:3 TV. Due to this unique feature of the Zenith, I'm considering keeping the Zenith and giving DirecTV my old DTC100 or DTC200 for the upgrade (which is currently connected to a SDTV, but as I've upgraded my DirecTV HD receivers I've moved the old HD receiver to a non-HD TV and put the plain/cheap SD receivers in storage). If the H20 can do something similar, then I'll probably ask them to upgrade 2 of my HD receivers (Zenith included).

Thanks.

AT-9 Dish and Condos.

Here's some details on the dish to be considered:

• Dish surface area dimensions: 25.5" (h) x 29.5" (W)
• LNB arm with LNBS attached extends 23.5" from the dish surface area
• Weight: 32 lbs (including J-mount mast, dish surface, LNBs, arm and pole attachment)

Dana

Hi Folks.

I just read through all 34 pages of this thread to make sure I didn't repeat this question....I don't think it's been covered :)

I recently replaced my E-86 (eventually lost channels which is a bummer for a receiver that I paid >$700 for just 2 years ago, but anywho) with the H20. I too am stoked about the HD OTA picture, but I have a specific issue.

I'm in the Raleigh, NC area and the H20 scan found/receives several OTA HD channels. Periodically, while watching HD content at night, the screen will go black for 2-3 seconds then reappear with the channel info bar across the top of the screen. It behaves exactly as if I had changed the channel, but of course I haven't. This seems to happen on all my OTA HD channels. The other annoying thing is that the guide does not display any station info for my OTA stations. It simply says "Regular Schedule" on the guide and channel bar across the top of the screen.

Now I'm thinking it must be the receiver since my E86 never behaved this way, but my brother (who lives just down the street) got a H20 the same week and his does the exact same thing. We both have the same OTA antenna (Channel Master 4228) and both have high 90's signal strength for the OTA stuff.

Of course, DTV tech support was no help. Talked to 2 different people....the second guy was transferring me to yet another person and call was disconnected. Needless to say I don't want to fight that again as I could feel both of them looking at the phone as if I had 6 heads when I explained the problem.

My question is could the ATSC tuner be "overloaded" with too many channels OTA? I saw someone post about this earlier when complaining about audio dropouts, but could this be causing my issue as well?

Is anyone with the H20 using it wth a 4:3 HDTV? I tried my H20 on a 4:3 SDTV. On my SDTV, the zoom feature would enlarge (only) 16:9 HD channels to get rid of the double bars you speak of. It's called "crop" instead of zoom.

Not sure if it would work on a 4:3 HDTV though.

Tell the installer you're keeping your old HD receivers to swap out, in case you're not happy with the way the H20 works.

...I'm in the Raleigh, NC area and the H20 scan found/receives several OTA HD channels. Periodically, while watching HD content at night, the screen will go black for 2-3 seconds then reappear with the channel info bar across the top of the screen. It behaves exactly as if I had changed the channel, but of course I haven't. This seems to happen on all my OTA HD channels. The other annoying thing is that the guide does not display any station info for my OTA stations. It simply says "Regular Schedule" on the guide and channel bar across the top of the screen.Make sure you entered the correct ZIP Code(s) in the setup menu for the OTA market(s) you can receive. If ZIP is correct, try a RESET ALL in the menu, and go through the setup wizard again. If that doesn't help, request a replacement receiver.