I do not yet have HD at all. I have been DTV and DirecTIVO customer for years.
I am fairly knowledgeable, but I have a couple basic questions:
1. The most general: I am aware that DTV will SOMEDAY (maybe midyear or later) come out with their own HD DVR, using MPEG4, and that in future local channels and more HD channels are likely to appear only with MPEG4 meaning today's receivers wont get them. But my thinking right now is that since I will be able to get HBO, ESPN, and networks (see #2) in HD, thats enough for me to still view it as useful. It seems that I've been waiting for SOMETHING or another to finally move to HD for 5 years - I'm tired of waiting. And even then, the first version of the new MPEG4 one might take awhile to stabilize. While the $500 for the HD Tivo isn't chump change, it wont break me either and it will still be useful to me for a few years. Anyone think I really should rethink this and wait a few more months?
2. I currently DO get the east and west coast (standard def) network feeds (channels 380-389, etc) back from a long time ago when DTV didn't offer locals for my area and I was able to get waivers from the local companies because I could not get their signal OTA. If I move to HD (and subscribe to the HD package), will I just get the HD versions of the network feeds (I think its like 70-79) automatically ? (I am not sure I could ever again get waivers from my local feeds, because they are now offered by DTV. I want to keep getting the east and west coast feeds - its great getting two time zones.)
3. One of the reasons I did not do this sooner was that there was a lot of hearsay of glitches with the HD DirecTivo, especially as it related to the HDMI output. Also, that they could be very slow - and needed to be cleared of all shows and settings a few times a year to restore performance. Whether or not that WAS really the case, is it the case now ? I know there will always be some problems, but are the vast majority of the units working well ?
ANy comment and advice greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I am fairly knowledgeable, but I have a couple basic questions:
1. The most general: I am aware that DTV will SOMEDAY (maybe midyear or later) come out with their own HD DVR, using MPEG4, and that in future local channels and more HD channels are likely to appear only with MPEG4 meaning today's receivers wont get them. But my thinking right now is that since I will be able to get HBO, ESPN, and networks (see #2) in HD, thats enough for me to still view it as useful. It seems that I've been waiting for SOMETHING or another to finally move to HD for 5 years - I'm tired of waiting. And even then, the first version of the new MPEG4 one might take awhile to stabilize. While the $500 for the HD Tivo isn't chump change, it wont break me either and it will still be useful to me for a few years. Anyone think I really should rethink this and wait a few more months?
2. I currently DO get the east and west coast (standard def) network feeds (channels 380-389, etc) back from a long time ago when DTV didn't offer locals for my area and I was able to get waivers from the local companies because I could not get their signal OTA. If I move to HD (and subscribe to the HD package), will I just get the HD versions of the network feeds (I think its like 70-79) automatically ? (I am not sure I could ever again get waivers from my local feeds, because they are now offered by DTV. I want to keep getting the east and west coast feeds - its great getting two time zones.)
3. One of the reasons I did not do this sooner was that there was a lot of hearsay of glitches with the HD DirecTivo, especially as it related to the HDMI output. Also, that they could be very slow - and needed to be cleared of all shows and settings a few times a year to restore performance. Whether or not that WAS really the case, is it the case now ? I know there will always be some problems, but are the vast majority of the units working well ?
ANy comment and advice greatly appreciated. Thanks.
