Major announcement expected from Directv on June 15, regarding HD !!!

[mhz40]

[clip]and to you time warner guys.. can you stop with the "ALL LOCAL CHANNELS" already. last time I checked, you didn't have WB. and last time I checked, I CAN get all local channels with my satellite box...

so why hasn't anyone sued TWC yet for false advertising on those stupid radio commercials? you still need extra equipment with TWC (a different box) and do NOT get all local channels in HD.[/clip]

Your great post had me until 'anywho'...  then it fell back into the same old cable/sat debate.

I agree with your 'all local channel' point, but the issue about 'need extra equipment' is a huge stretch... some customers need only a cable card plugged into their newer TV's.  Yes, you need a different box, but it's the same cost per month as the SD box.  This is in contrast to the DirecTV approach where your existing receiver becomes a good doorstop.

It looks like DirecTV is moving in the right direction.  But, IMO... as with many products I see every month from various vendors... right now its still 'vaporware' until we see it and touch it... prompting the accurate title of this thread.  It's very, very unlikely; but launches do go badly sometimes.

Don't think competition has nothing to do with it however...  DirecTV (like any business) isn't doing this out of the goodness of their hearts.  Isn't competition great?

Thanks for the interesting details though.  I learned a lot.

[gparris]

borghe,  thanks for the information, you have made a "believer" out of me, for now.
If all it was is a satellite/rocket thing problem, I DO understand that (you have no idea how well).
So IF that is all it is, the competition for more HD locals hits the fan with the lack of TWC HD channel additions, so they have to add more to remain competitive.

Satelliteguys has a member that says Directv will add enough HD channels with that second launch to double whatever Dish has currently with Voom for about $5 more that the current Directv HD package price, a great value, IMO.
Further, TNT-HD and ESPN HD2 will be added even sooner to that HD package at no additional cost.
This forum member is usually right about his inputs and seems as though he either works for them or has a family member in the business.
Either way, I hope he/she is right about it...launch that satellite, baby! :cool:

[SRW1000]

While it's not programming related, Satelliteguys.us is also reporting that DirecTV will be giving away new HD DVR MPEG4 units with a two-year commitment.  If this turns out to be true, their subscription numbers are really going to shoot up.  As a Dish subscriber, this news is enough to make me jump.

Scott

[borghe]

mhz40, I'll give cablecard credit. I would love to go back to not needing any boxes (and hopefully a dual tuner cablecard HD DVR is coming soon. that would be a HUGE step).

but if you don't have cablecard, you are in IDENTICAL positions with cable and directv. your old SD box won't cut it, so you need a new HD box. Now sure cable will lease you the box in an even exchange, and DirecTV will cost you $300, but two years ago DirecTV would have cost you $500-600 and three years ago was $700-1000. So prices are coming down. but still, beyond that you need "additional equipment" either way. either a tech to come out and install a cablecard, or to replace your existing SD box with an HD one. Of course there is also an antenna with DirecTV, but hopefully (by mandate of the FCC) in 10 days an indoor antenna will do just fine in most metro areas.

anywho , my point with the cable rant was that there is some serious misinformation in the local TWC radio spots that stops just short of blatantly lying (though in the case of ALL local channels it is a lie). I personally haven't seen any horrible satellite advertising recently, so I just wonder why cable, instead of just making it known what they have and what they offer, has focused so much on attacking, literally attacking going by some of the commercials, satellite as a means to get customers... I don't stay up at night about it, but I definitely groan everytime one of those silly commercials comes on.

as for vaporware, DirecTV never said they were making an announcement. An insider (who now regrets it) leaked on a board that they were going to after Spaceway 2 was launched. another poster interpreted this as June 15th (Spaceway 2's original launch date), and thus the rumored date got started. it should be noted though the the original insider was still not wrong and still backs up what he said. After spaceway 2 is launched, DirecTV will make a huge announcement. we just have to wait for it to be launched now.

srw1000 - DirecTV will be trading out existing HD boxes (non-DVR) for free to customers who are in local HD markets that will be launched later this year (all locals will be MPEG4). The new HD DVR (MPEG4) likely, according to DirecTV, will not be out until early 2006, and at this time only the Home Media Center is scheduled. a standalone MPEG4 DVR probably wouldn't come out until mid-2006 at the earliest. the releases are all speculation based on known info, but at this time no one at DirecTV or NDS knows or an HD DVR. Just the SD DVR that will launch this fall (which will probably very shortly become the standard receiver), and the HMC setup.

update - lyngsat has Spaceway 2 currently listed for August now, and another "source" has said Arianne is shooting for 8/22. Also, DirecTV just made another announcement for August that I'll make a separate post about.

[gparris]

borghe is absolutely right about the "all local channels" lie, as WB18 and UPN24 HD/digital channels are NOT carried by TWC...you still need an OTA arrangement and if you have to do that to get these, it negates a reason you have cable to begin with, but TWC just doesn't "get it".  
Comcast Cable, the nation's largest cable provider, decided enough was enough and thought of its subscribers first and does offer the Sinclair HD channels now.
Directv signed with Sinclair, too, so when the local HD channels start arriving to the Milwaukee area, WB18 and UPN24 HD will be available to all who want it with just the dish.

Don't lie to us, TWC, you DON'T offer all locals (especially the ones that count , IMO).

[Scott]

Cablecard is pointless for power users IMO.   I have a relative who bought a set with cable card and is always excited about the fact they don't have to "pay" TWC for a box.   Well, because the cable companies want that control and revenue, the cable card box can't display any programming info other than the "channel."  

TWC and others aren't sending any program info in a format that the cablecard box can read.   So, if you want what are now normal channel surfing features, you must still get the box.

[bradsmainsite]

TWC must feel extremely threatened to continue their ad assault also not to mention the $ their spending.  I don't know about the other TWC areas, but
up here if you call and complain you will get the latest "special" of the month
, so what I would like to know is if they are such a great company and time is on
your side why don't they advertise these great specials for everyone because
they are giving away what normally costs $47.00 per month for $29.95 for even up to a year and in some cases I know of someone they gave it to for 3 years!

Whats up where is the ad for this! :cool:

I'm tempted to take out a local ad to tip people off to the great deals everyone
should get and see what happens because why should one person get this and not everyone that is if Time is on YOUR side!  

[bradsmainsite]

Ok I'm off my soap box now I had to get that off my chest!

Having Dish  and the voom channels gives me around 25 possible channels
(including locals) in HD.  Having said that however I would have to say that
almost all the voom channels to me are pretty worthless even for $5.00 per
month! :bang:

I to am still waiting in the wings for whoever decides that HD is here to stay
and really do something with it!  After all it really is what people want when they
have seen it! :eek:

Its all about picture quality and having had TWC it doesn't come even close to
what an off air  and dish combo can do! :bow:

Hang in their fellow HD lovers better days are coming and it will probably not even
be delivered via cable or dish, but by something better!

Good ridence? to both :wave:

[borghe]

scott - I said cable card was a step in the right direction. the next direction for cablcard is to have bidirectional cablecard and the step after that (I believe) is to have multistream cable cards. As for no programming guide, if everything was as it should be, this doesn't matter. Time Warner's programming guide is just a basic guide with data fed from (I believe) Tribune Media Services, same as DirecTV and Dish (as well as zap2it.com and many local papers). If you had a service like Gemstar Plus or Tivo providing their own guide data for their own devices, the lack of cable's actual IPG would be pretty insignificant. Like I said, cablecard is a step in the right direction. In the end, cablecard will be the next thing to separate cable from dishes, because dishes are pretty much caught up to or ahead of cable in most areas currently. getting rid of the box again will give cable a new distinct advantage.

bradsmainsite - don't even get me started on TWC's advertising. Now this morning I heard one with them attacking SBC, saying about how to get SBC's $19.95 package it will cost somethinglike $89... nevermind SBC has a $27/month no hidden charges package that is 1.5Mb down and is $18/month cheaper than TWC's cheapest package without getting cable... note this isn't a rant on TWC's service, and neither have been my other posts been recently. this is solely related to their marketing. what the hell is going on with them that they feel a need to attack all of their competitors in ads recently? are they experiencing higher than normal churn? are new subscribers at a low? just getting annoying.

[gparris]

Quoting borghe: "note this isn't a rant on TWC's service, and neither have been my other posts been recently. this is solely related to their marketing. what the hell is going on with them that they feel a need to attack all of their competitors in ads recently? are they experiencing higher than normal churn? are new subscribers at a low? just getting annoying."

I think TWC is running scared since it hasn't added any new HD channels ( I don't consider that PPV an addition, just an insult), it still fights with Sinclair (lies about locals, we miss two HD ones from them, here) and has no new anything on its "shelf" for delivery to its customers. Directv and Dish are getting stronger and SBC and Verizon are doing FIOS in some areas TWC exists, nationally.

When you are worried about adding new subs, losing them in turn (probably)
you end up getting a little nasty and perhaps, in the examples you mentioned, a little on the deceptive side...just my opinion and observation, though.

[950ash]

I guess I see the Mpeg4 announcement as a negative. Which Mpeg4 codec are we talking about first? Second is will there really be a good enough CPU to handle the load of decompresing it? Oh and sync issues?

[foxeng]

Which Mpeg4 codec are we talking about first?

(DVB-S2) and the implementation of guidelines for MPEG-4 AVC

They must have CPUs that will do it since the boxes are slated to start going out the door in 30 days.

[950ash]

(DVB-S2) and the implementation of guidelines for MPEG-4 AVC

They must have CPUs that will do it since the boxes are slated to start going out the door in 30 days.

AVC just means Audio Video Codec. Mpeg4 started out as a hacked codec and has branched out in many directions by many people. So still I wonder whos codec will they use?

The more CPU usage ussually equals a slow reacting box.

[Bebop]

AVC just means Audio Video Codec. Mpeg4 started out as a hacked codec and has branched out in many directions by many people. So still I wonder whos codec will they use?

The more CPU usage ussually equals a slow reacting box.

They will use the standard H.264. If the box has a dedicated Mpeg4 chip, you don't have  to worry about a slow box.

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news2.php?ID=11369

http://www.tandbergtv.com/public/site/Primary/productdocs68/EN5990_v2.pdf

[borghe]

AVC just means Audio Video Codec. Mpeg4 started out as a hacked codec and has branched out in many directions by many people. So still I wonder whos codec will they use?

The more CPU usage ussually equals a slow reacting box.

this is incorrect. DivX started out life as a hacked version of MS' then abandoned MPEG4 implementation in WMV. The MPEG4 AVC standard itself was never hacked however. It was always a legitimate standard. Also, currently while there are many standards (WMV, DivX, XviD, Real, Quicktime etc), all of them are based on MPEG4 AVC and in theory (and in practice most of the time) you can extract the m4v type video stream from each of those files and stick it in an mp4 container just fine and play it on anything that can handle .mp4.

I believe there are two main MPEG4 standards. The older H.263 which was typical of early MPEG4 codecs and was the first version of MPEG4 AVC to be legitimized. The current and most widely used version though is H.264, which is what pretty much all codec developers are using. It offers much better performance than H.263, particularly in higher resolution content (including HD content).

My more interesting question is if/when DirecTV will switch SD to MPEG4. Currently they are sending out MPEG2 at around 2-3Mbps.. with MPEG4 they could realistically take that down to 800-900Kbps and still increase their picture quality from where it is.