DirecTV's newest satellite set to launch on June 20th
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted May 11th 2007 10:15AM
posted May 11th 2007 10:15AM
DirecTV has done a great job of reminding everyone how many HD channels they will be adding this year, but for whatever reason they don't say exactly when or how. Sure most Engadget HD readers know that the current MPEG4 satellites in service are specifically designed to spot beam HD locals, and it would be a waste to transmit national HD channels. DirecTV's priorities aside, now that DirecTV is providing HD locals all over the US, it is finally time to launch two new DirecTV satellites that are specifically designed for national HD channels. The first of which is DirecTV 10 and seems to be scheduled for a Russian launch on June 20th. If everything goes well, it will be operational in time for those new HD channels due in September.
Where's a list stating exactly what cities are covered by local HD?
Also, I wonder if these new birds will use MPEG-2 until a majority of people get converted over to MPEG-4 receivers. There's a lot of HR10-250s out there that can't decode MPEG-2 (I'm one of them), and I don't want to "upgrade" because I love the TiVo interface and you can't combine/split an OTA signal with the new dishes... :(
The list is here, by the way:
http://www.dbstalk.com/hr20/html/DIRECTV_lil_list.html
Xyzzy, that is exactly my concern... I have 2 of the HR10-250s one of which cost me a lot of $$$ as an early adopter... I have been a TIVO fan since they sold the first DirecTVIO and I was one of the first 100 homes in New England to have DirecTV So I think I qualify as a loyal customer. I can run the HR10s in my sleep the interface is so 2ed nature to me
All that said if my only option for more HD programming from DirecTV is having to replace the HR10s with the downright nasty (a neighbour has one Or rather he has had about 4 or 5 before he got one that is marginally useful just as Tim P has said in these comments) HR20s ... if things like the History Channel are also on my Time Warner digital cable this fall then I will be ending my long relationship with the satellites and I too will be getting a series 3 TiVo if it can be made to work well with Time Warner... I have one of Time Warners DCT 6412 III DVR boxes and a TiVo it is NOT! so if I go 100% Cable I will have to find a way to do it with a TiVo of some sort
Yay, more for them to nickle and dime me for.
Pay $9.99 a month for HD service, pay $200 for baseball plus more to see them in HD, pay $175 for football package plus another $40 to get that in HD.
Pay for a tivo unit that isn't nearly as functional as my old Series 2 unit.
You could always get NFL Sunday ticket from cable. Oh wait, or not because your local cable/satellite didn't pony up enough dough to satisfy the NFL owners whereas DirecTv did and charges a premium for a service that can't be found elsewhere.
MLB Extra Innings is found on other television providers and yet it's is still the same price as it is on DirecTv.
Stop acting like these companies are forcing you to buy 50 movie channels, high def, and the opportunity to watch close to every sporting event going on in the USA. These are choices you make in your everyday life and if the price of your television dollar is one of your major complaints in life you have it easy.
BTW Bring back penny candy damn it.
They'll all be MPEG-4 for sure. And I just bought my second HR20, and sold my HR10-250 on ebay. I have to say, the Tivo interface actually looks somewhat primitive compared to the HR20 interface. True you can't combine/split OTA, but there are a lot of cities now covered. And I love watching my local sports in HD on the new receiver, which you can only do with an MPEG4-capable receiver.
I just ditched DirecTV and went back to my local cable co (Cox). I picked up a Series3 Tivo. It's so much better than the HR20. That thing was such a piece of crap - didn't always record shows, crashed, shows were corrupt, the buffer didn't always work properly. I could go on, but why.
I will be a little upset that DirecTV will have more HD stations, but I'll probably switch to FIOS one day, and I'm sure they'll have plenty of bandwith for many HD stations.