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I want to go Direct TV HD...

1867 Views 34 Replies 11 Participants Last post by mchaney, Jan 23, 2004

Shift

Discussion Starter · Jan 20, 2004

Hi all!

I want to go Direct TV HD...but what all do I need?

I have a regular DTV satellite system and am using it with my Z1 (PJ).

Can any1 let me know what I need? Decoder or some kind of Dtv IRD that is HD w/ decode on it.

Can I use my same satellite dish and cable that goes to my dish etc... ?

Thanks,

S

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1 - 20 of 35 Posts

susan anderson

· #2 · Jan 20, 2004

I'm not sure what you mean by "Z1".

You'll need a triple LNB dish antenna, and a DIRECTV HDTV satellite dish receiver.

You'll also need to fork over $10.99 more each month for the very limited DIRECTV HDTV programming package. I think it's a rip off. I'd wait another year or 2 and see what more DIRECTV comes up with for HDTV channels.

stickyfingers

· #3 · Jan 20, 2004

Depending on how long you've been a sub, and what your programming level is you'll be able to pickup your HD equipment for $99 or $199 by calling customer retention. See the very long thread in the hardware forum.

Brian

Shift

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jan 20, 2004

I just want it ready for the Super Bowl. Buddies here at work want's me to get HD on my PJ for the invite

. So what is the antenna for? To get basic's in HD??

Thanks

Shift

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 20, 2004

Never mind. I think the antenna means dish?

If so I have a standard DTV dish. Is this not the same dish for the DirectTV HD Dish that we are talking about?

jdk

· #6 · Jan 20, 2004

If you live in a CBS O&O market, and are not near any other non-CBS O&O market, and you subscribe to the SD local channels, then you will get the CBS-HD feed for no extra cost, and automatically.

From a hardware standpoint, you will need a 3-LNB oval dish, and a DirecTV HD receiver. All DirecTV HD recievers ALSO can accept over-the-air signals from an antenna, so if you can pick up your local channel's digital transmissions, you can also view them. But if you can get your local CBS digital transmission, then you don't need to get a DIrecTV receiver, just to watch the superbowl, right? (aren't all O&O's transmitting HD?)

Shift

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 20, 2004

Well I went to this website and put in my zip code and it says CBS is 1080i.

I assume this means a "go" that DTV can accept CBS in HD.

Next question (just a question) is there a better/cheaper way to do this to get 1080i / HD by using a antenna that goes around my old Dtv dish or anything like that or a decoder. Sorry I am vey new to the HD world. So that is why I ask these Q's

Bradb21

· #8 · Jan 20, 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by Shift
Next question (just a question) is there a better/cheaper way to do this to get 1080i / HD by using a antenna that goes around my old Dtv dish or anything like that or a decoder. Sorry I am vey new to the HD world. So that is why I ask these Q's

You still have to buy a HD Tuner. Most of the DirecTV HD tuners will also let you connect a antenna to it to receive the locals via antenna/OTA (over-the-air).

If you a dish mounted antenna will work for you or not, that really depends on how far you are from your local transmitter. Then have need to find out if your local affiliate is even broadcasting a digital/HD signal yet. Just guessing you are going to need to install an antenna on your roof or maybe get away with an attic mount.

This is what most dish owners are doing. I have a large attic mount antenna which is connected to my DirecTV HD receiver. I receive my locals (cbs, nbc, abc, pbs) digitally in HD via the antenna, then I have my HBO and Showtime HD via the dish. I don't subscribe to the $10 DirecTV HD package because those channels don't do anything for me. If I was into sports, I'd get it just for the ESPN-HD channel.

I hope that helps.

Oh like somebody else said, for the dish make sure you have the oval triple-LNB dish. You must have the triple, not the dual-lnb oval.

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Shift

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 20, 2004

Brad,

Thanks a bunch! You really cleared this up for me.

Looks like I either have to:

1.) purchase a DTV HD ird w/ triple LNB dish

2.) call time warner (YUCK)

3.) Probably purchase a TV Tuner card and use my PC with my projector, b/c my projector does not have a tuner.

---------

I am thinking #3 b/c TV tuner card is only $50.00 and I really do not watch much basic TV in the theater room.

So by doing this I can save some time and get a good antenna. I just found out that CBS station where it transmits is only 13 miles from my house. So I am hopeing I will get HD by going this way.

What do you guys think?

Thanks all really for your help, thoughts and comments.

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jdk

· #10 · Jan 20, 2004

Just to clarify - do you live in the TV market for one of these cities?

Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Marquette, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, or Green Bay

There is currently nothing on DirecTV's website that will tell you if you can or can not get CBS-HD from them. This list of markets is all we have to go on right now, and even that isn't 100% guaranteed, as many of these markets (Boston, New York, Chicago) have areas with overlapping signals from non-O&O stations, where those people will be blocked from getting CBS-HD from DirecTV.

But, if you only live 13 miles from your tower, and your local CBS is broadcasting HD, you should be good to go with either a standalone (non-DirecTV) HD-tuner, or as you said a PC-tuner card, along with some rabbit ears or other antenna. I wasn't aware there were any HD-PC-Tuner cards available for $50... but I haven't looked into anything like this for a few years...

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Shift

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jan 20, 2004

I just went on a head and ordered a HDTV Tuner. Since I am located in the Austin area I can use the HDTV tuner and run doggy ear antenna to get CBS in HDTV.

Thanks JDK for clearing a lot of this up and helping me out.

Darin

· #12 · Jan 20, 2004

You can get an HD tuner card for $50? Wow, I didn't realize they were that cheap.

Bradb21

· #13 · Jan 21, 2004

Again, I think you need a "HD" tuner card for your PC. Any ordinary old tuner card will not decode the HD signals.

No way you want get HD for $50.

That's the only drawback about HD, is everything is so expensive. The prices are dropping, but slowly. I bought my first tuner for about $1000, where is you can get a good one now for ~$600

Which tuner did you decide to go with? Gotta get everything going by Superbowl time, huh?

fventura

· #14 · Jan 21, 2004

HD Tuner cards are not that cheap. I think Shift may be confusing an NTSC tuner card with an HD Tuner Card. Cheapest I have seen is around $150 for a software based card. $200-$400 for hardware based cards.

Shift

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jan 21, 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by fventura
HD Tuner cards are not that cheap. I think Shift may be confusing an NTSC tuner card with an HD Tuner Card. Cheapest I have seen is around $150 for a software based card. $200-$400 for hardware based cards.

Yes I was misunderstood. Sorry about that on the PC HD card for the pc. There is not one close to $50.00 range.

I went with a home HD Tuner.

I purchased the Samsung SIR-T150 HDTV Decoder Set Top Box

. Are those one's any good?

I do not have DVI on my rear projector... so I assume this unit would work out great. I picked it up for just a little over 200.00 shipped.

I think that is the cheapest I seen it anywhere.

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Darin

· #16 · Jan 21, 2004

Just curious why you chose that option as opposed to the deal from DirecTV for $99-199? With the DirecTV deal, you would have gotten a receiver that can receiver DirecTV and OTA signals, a triple LNB dish, and professional installation. The only thing you would have had to take care of would be the OTA antenna, which are are anyway (and in some areas, apparently DirecTV is throwing those in with the deal too). So for the same price or less, you would have gotten more.

Shift

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jan 21, 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by Darin
Just curious why you chose that option as opposed to the deal from DirecTV for $99-199? With the DirecTV deal, you would have gotten a receiver that can receiver DirecTV and OTA signals, a triple LNB dish, and professional installation. The only thing you would have had to take care of would be the OTA antenna, which are are anyway (and in some areas, apparently DirecTV is throwing those in with the deal too). So for the same price or less, you would have gotten more.

I would of,but I do not want a 1 year contract again.

I am not to much of a DirectTV movie watching person on my PJ. Down stairs I will watch DirectTV and only have to worry about month to month charges.

arxaw

· #18 · Jan 22, 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by Shift
... Since I am located in the Austin area I can use the HDTV tuner and run doggy ear antenna to get CBS in HDTV.

What is a "doggy ear" antenna?

Shift

Discussion Starter · #19 · Jan 22, 2004

A cheap antenna. Can that be used?

arxaw

· #20 · Jan 22, 2004

Possibly, if your stations are in the "yellow" zone at:
http://antennaweb.org

If the station you want to watch is UHF, you'll do better with a UHF antenna. "Rabbit Ear", (dipole antennas) are for VHF. Check the UHF/VHF designation in the color chart of the antennaweb channel results for your address.

UHF antennas are usually a "loop", "bowtie" or "yagi" style.

A yagi looks like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.h...58738-5378262?v=glance&s=electronics&n=172282 http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...1.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

1 - 20 of 35 Posts

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