HDTivo and locals

[he244]

Does anyone know what limitations (hardware, software) prevent the HDTivo from recording satellite fed locals in HD?

I have the 5 LNB dish, but I know there are other things.

[cheer]

MPEG4. Locals from the satellite are sent in MPEG4, which the HR10-250 cannot handle. It's hardware.

[he244]

Thanks Cheer.

So the channels like HDNET are MPEG2?

[captain_video]

The current non-local channels in the HD package from DTV are all mpeg2. If DTV transmits your locals in HD then they are mpeg4, requiring different hardware to receive them.

[rivernet]

Called DTV and they spacifically said that they were coming out with their own non tivo DVR for the new locals....

[rbreding]

Called DTV and they spacifically said that they were coming out with their own non tivo DVR for the new locals....


What do you mean "coming out" ? Its already out.

And their mythical HD DVR ? We will see.

[cheer]

What do you mean "coming out" ? Its already out.

And their mythical HD DVR ? We will see.
One and the same, and no, not out yet. (The person you were replying to said "DVR for the new locals," which means MPEG4 of course...)

[lancets]

If you live in New York or Los Angeles, you can receive a handful of the locals in HD, as they are currently transmitted in MPEG2. I think you can also qualify for either the New York or Los Angeles channels if you live in the middle of nowhere (ie: outside the areas covered by local channels). I live in Los Angeles, so I get a few of the locals in HD on the HR10-250, like CBS (channel 81), NBC (channel 83), ABC (channel 87) and Fox (channel 89). But since there's a lot missing (KTLA/WB, UPN, KCAL, PBS, etc.), I usually record almost everything over-the-air since I have a strong signal with my OTA antenna. Although I can't tell much of a difference between a OTA HD channel and a satellite HD channel, I've been told that there has been a lot of additional compression done on the satellite MPEG2 feed, so it's probably more prone to onscreen artifacts than an OTA local. And even though the HR10-250 is capable of both 720p and 1080i, I'm not sure if the MPEG2 feeds transmit both 720p and 1080i, as I can't tell what the source is like I can with an OTA broadcast.

Once DTV starts transmitting channels in MPEG4, I suspect that not only will there be HD channels in all the current regions, but there should also be a little bit more choice than just the 3 or 4 biggest networks in a region.

[cheer]

Once DTV starts transmitting channels in MPEG4, I suspect that not only will there be HD channels in all the current regions, but there should also be a little bit more choice than just the 3 or 4 biggest networks in a region.
Nope -- locals via the new MPEG4 broadcasts are only the Big 4 at this time (CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox). DirecTV has been quiet on the subject of adding additional locals.

And as you mentioned, yes DirecTV's HD feeds are further compressed from OTA. For starters, just the conversion to MPEG4 is recompression, since the OTA broadcasts are in MPEG2. Second, DirecTV lowers both the resolution and bitrate of HD stuff. 1080i stuff from D* is actually 1280x1080i (as opposed to the native 1080i resolution which is 1920x1080i), and the bit rate is down to about 6 mbps, which is more like DVD than HDTV.

Finally, I doublt D* will ever carry local subchannels. Not that that may matter to you -- a lot of subchannels are IMO a waste of time. But there are a few gems. I am told that the Champaign, IL Fox affiliate uses a subchannel to broadcast NFL games in HD with no broadcasters, only stadium audio. Heck, I'd pay an extra fee to get that!