[McPatrickClan]

Last night I had my TWC affiliate here in Houston hook up my decoder and digital cable box. My plan was to get everything from cable and then go with a DirecTV Limited plan to get HDNet.

My DirecTV receivers don't have a high-speed data out, so I thought I could send the HD signal via S-Video. I plugged it all in:


DIRECTV RECEIVER S-VIDEO OUT to

GENERAL INSTRUMENTS S-VIDEO IN


From there, I figured the General Instruments STB HD2200 (I think that's the model) would give me the ability to switch between the two sources (DirecTV and Time Warner cable).


I was unsuccesful. Once I hooked it all up, I couldn't get the STB to recogonize the S-Video input from the DirecTV receiver. I am getting no picture. It's like the STB is occupied by the current HD signal and won't switch between the two. How can I make it switch?


I called DirecTV tech support and they said that the S-Video hookup is sufficient to convey a HD signal. I called Time Warner and they say that the STB they provide is made to work only with cable HD signals. Unless they embed something into the cable signal before it reaches my house, I don't see how that's possible.


My DirecTV receiver is an old RCA, but I have a Hughes Silver Edition that I prefer to use.


Your help is sincerely appreciated.


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[McPatrickClan]

Upon further investigation of the manual, it seems that the STB may be made for use with certain Motorola digital satellite receivers. The model named is a DSR400 and it is not able to be located on the company's website.


I am confused...

 

[McPatrickClan]

When I switch off the digital cable box and leave the HD decoder on, I see the DirecTV signal as expected. But I don't get anything but a black screen when I switch to 199 (HDNet)!


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[John Mason]

Hi. You can't mix S-video and HDTV. The former is standard NTSC, the latter is digital TV (ATSC). Don't have DirecTV and only Time Warner's all-in-one SA2000HD HDTV cable converter here, so I'm sure your neighbors/forum members with similar hookups can help.


Sounds to me like you need to hook up S-video, cable HDTV, and satellite HDNET separately to your set. You might need a switch for the two HDTV sources. Connect the S-video from the cable converter to S-video on your set and select that with your set menu. Connect the cable HDTV component out to your set's high-definition (HD) component in. Connect the DirectTV box also to your set's HD component in, either via a good high-bandwidth switch or through a second connection. (On my RPTV, for example, I can connect a second HDTV source via a VGA-type plug with RGBHV breakout cables.) -- John

 

[casenpt1]

McPatrickClan,


From your posts, it seems that you don't have a Directv receiver capable of receiving HDNet. You must have an HDTV capable Directv receiver to get HDNet. There are a few receivers to choose from.


RCA DTC 100

Hughes E86 Platinum HD

Toshiba DST3000

Sony SAT-HD100

Panasonic TU-HDS20

Mitsubishi SRHD400


You will then need to connect the outputs of the receiver directly to your television. In order for it to be an actual HD signal, you will need to connect the component video outputs of the receiver to the component video inputs of the tv. I am assuming that you have an HD Ready tv.


I would also expect that the Digital Cable box will be connected to the component video inputs of the tv also, (Hoping that your tv has multiple component video inputs)


I don't know anything about the Cable Box, but I would be very surprised if there is a way to pass the HD signal from the Directv receiver through the Cable Box.


Good luck.

 

[FrankS]

Quote:

I called DirecTV tech support and they said that the S-Video hookup is sufficient to convey a HD signal.

Here we go with more CSR's giving customers blatantly WRONG info! S-Video CAN NOT carry a HD signal! You must use either Component or RGB /VGA.

 

[McPatrickClan]

According to that post, I would have to buy the $400+ STB/receiver to receive HDNet. I am trying to avoid buying anything more than the STB I lease from Time Warner Cable.


The digital cable box receives the HD signal then passes it to the HD decoder (also from Time Warner) via a high-speed data output. It's shaped like a VGA connection on the output, then looks like a headphone plug-in on the input. I know that HDTV is a heavy amount of raw data, so I can see the need for such a connection. The problem is, I don't have the high-speed data ouputs on my DirecTV receivers!


I know, the answer is to drop $400+ on another HD decoder/receiver for DirecTV. That's frustrating to me since I would basically be paying for HD decoding and satellite receiving, which I already have!


Does anyone know of a DirecTV receiver that has high-speed data outs?


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[jacmyoung]

Even if a DirecTV HD receiver has a high speed data port, it is unlikely you will be able to pass HD signal unless the firmware in the satellite box can support such pass through. By doing so people will be able to find the way to record the HD channel, an option no HD broadcasters will volunteer right now because HD content providers will not allow it.


The Dishnetwork 5000 receiver uses its high speed port and plug in HD modulator to do just that. The combo sold for as high as $1,500 on ebay not too long ago. Dishnetwork did this in the early HD stage before they came out with an intergrated HD decoder (Dish6000), to compete with DirecTV DTC100, but quickly discontinued the 5000 and HD modulator production.


The HDNet promo said very clearly you need a DirecTV Hidef receiver to receive the channel. A DirecTV HD decoder may be able to donwnconvert an HD channel to 480i standard NTSC and pass it through S-video port, you will then be able to input to your cable box and get a downconverted 480i version of the HD channel, but what's the point of doing so you'd say.

 

[McPatrickClan]

I can see this theory. Recording HD is one of the no-nos for sure and there wouldn't be a way to do that without old equipment.


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