OT: Directv and HDTV local channel question

Nozzleman_216 · Post by **Nozzleman_216** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:18 am

a tad off topic but I wanted to chime in on the whole DirecTV issue of the quality of their channels. I do feel the HD channels are severely compressed and do occasionally suffer from it, but they still look damn good and are a pleasant option for those of us that can't get OTA because of where we live. Sure, I could switch back to Time Warner but for what? They are expensive and the quality is not that much better. As a matter of fact, the HD channels are the only ones worth anything. At least with Direct, I get every channel in a digital quality. The SD on DirecTV blows away the competition and if anyone argues that then they are nuts. Sure you can get a digital package on cable but what they don't tell you is that it only applies to the channels above the 70 or so they offer on basic cable. Its crap on all the regular channels.

The SD channels from Direct looks pretty good on my new Plasma and for that I am happy to be a customer that puts up with what few cons they have. Now I just need to get a deal on an H20 DVR

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 4:42 pm

greggsand wrote:
Parker_BC wrote:Some things never change.

You will not see anymore hd games than you did at the end of last year....and for 40 bucks more.

I can attest directv is absolutely the worst hd provider you can get. If there any other options, go with them.
I'm not sure that's accurate. I'm working with the Disney Channel on their upcoming HD D*TV launch, and D*TV's disclosed their HD plans for August (using their new birds). The amount of bandwith is going to mean simply more of everything.

Customer service? Well, that's another matter.

They will have more video bandwidth than anyone else, at least until cable tries to catch up, in the affluent areas at least. But will Direct TV use that bandwidth for quality or cramming as many channels as possible?

Ironically, Direct TV is now controlled by John Malone, who built up TCI for years.

Cable's ace in their hole is high-speed Internet service, which the satellite cos. can't offer. They have faster data than DSL so they don't try to compete on price. But in some areas like here, DSL has caught up and passed cable HSI due to it being 1/3 the monthhly price.

They're also higher in price in video than Direct TV, if you want to get one or two premium channels. Also they charge like $10 for an inferior DVR.

People may complain about the HR-20 but the Comcast offerings seem to fare worse.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:12 pm

Well, I gambled and decided to go ahead and try out the HR20. I wasn't expecting much, but to my surprise I'm really liking it so far. Granted, it's only been a couple days. But from what I have read over at dbstalk.com, it seems that many of the problems users were having have now been pretty much corrected by software updates.

There are a couple issues that are a bit annoying, such as the programming of the season passes and the rewind and fast forward, but slowly I'm adjusting to the remote and it's controls. The responsiveness of the HR20 is much faster than Tivo, and the screens are much nicer and crisper. Additionally, there are some really cool add on channels which is pretty sweet (Sports Mix, which shows 8-10 small tvs of what sports are on at that particular moment. It allows you to switch to whatever channeel you wish by highlighting and clicking on it).

I still have Tivo in our family room, but unforunately, I do not have a HDTV. The kids don't care, as long as their programs record.

I'm going to have a very hard time watching my recorded shows on my SD Sony tv, when I can watch my shows now in high def on the tv downstairs. I'm amazed at how many shows are already in HD (CSI, Law and Order, Two and a Half Men, Wheel of Fortune, American Idol, some soap operas, and on and on). I don't really watch any of those shows, but I have been tuning in to see just how sweet the picture looks. I'm hoping Friday Night Lights is in HD. I can't wait to watch the NCAA tournament games this Thursday.

So far, soooooooooooo very nice.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:22 pm

sportdan30 wrote:I don't really watch any of those shows, but I have been tuning in to see just how sweet the picture looks. I'm hoping Friday Night Lights is in HD.

It is in HD...the only problem is that they shoot it with that filter on the lenses that makes it look a little more rough and grainy so the beauty of HD doesn't really show up. Same thing holds true with the Black Donnellys which is another great f'n show. Damn near all of the network programming is in HD now...so you're gonna have trouble finding shows that aren't.

Oh, and the main issue with the HR20 is the fact that it likes to skip recordings. So I would definitely make sure you record your favorite shows in the other room to make sure you've got a backup. Trust me, it's a good idea.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:28 pm

Actually, I caught a few minutes of the Black Donnellys the other night. Not only did it look great, it seems like a very good show. With my luck, it'll get canceled, but I'm going to record an episode anways.

The show that really stood out in HD was CSI:Miami. Because they use so many bright colors, it just stood out big time. I'm not a huge fan of the show, but the picture looked incredible.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:51 pm

Yup, CSI:Miami was the first HD show I watched 2 years ago. Blew my mind.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 2:02 pm

Baseball in HD is a thing worthy of a blown load...just wait. Sunday night baseball on ESPN...a thing of beauty.