DirecTV, DNS, HD, Locals

[AlGriefer]

We ordered a new coach last month at the Monaco Pre-rally and immediately ran into the quandry of what to do about satellite services.

The coach comes standard with a 37" tv in the front, a 22" in the back, two standard DirecTV receivers and an automatic pointing dome.

After thinking about it for quite a bit, I decided to make a number of changes and thought it might be beneficial to share my thoughts with the framily and see if I made any major mistakes.

1. Switched the receivers to DVR's.? I have TiVo now and can't live without it.

2. Switched the front receiver to HD.? The TV is HD capable so it would seem a waste not to use it and the HD DVR also acts as an off the air set top box.? Connected the DVR to the TV via HDMI cable.

3. Switched the dish to the Motosat MHDTV 3 LNB dish with four outputs and connected two outputs to each receiver to allow recording multiple shows.

4. Signed up for DirecTVs Distant Networking Service (DNS) which allows network feeds from both coasts.

5, After doing the about, I signed up for locals online using my current service address.? Not sure if that's supposed to work, but it did.? I now get DNS plus the current locals.

6. I plan to sign up for HD when I take delivery of the coach.? My current locals have HD feeds.

What are your thoughts?? Did I miss anything or do anything particularly stupid?

Al

 

[Terry A. Brewer]

Al

>>What are your thoughts?? Did I miss anything or do anything particularly stupid<<

I think you did it right as long as you got the HD Tivo for the front & not just the standard HD receiver. Also you will only get one National HD feed not sure if you can choose. I had both East/West HD feeds when they initially turned it on but after awhile they removed the East coast HD feed....I still have the East/West standard feeds along with the Phoenix feeds.

 

[John From Detroit]

Depending on where you live, local service (your current local channels from your house) may not work well if you are too far from Home..

For example.. I have the other provider but the rules are much the same... I can get WXYZ TV (Channel 7) on my house antenna, or on the DISH service in the motor home... I can get this most anywhere in S.E. Michigan

But If I'm in, oh, say Arzonia,  NO such luck.  Nationwide however I can get the ABC station in Chicago (as it's the nationwide ABC choice)  Works great

 

[AlGriefer]

Al

>>What are your thoughts?? Did I miss anything or do anything particularly stupid<<

I think you did it right as long as you got the HD Tivo for the front & not just the standard HD receiver. Also you will only get one National HD feed not sure if you can choose. I had both East/West HD feeds when they initially turned it on but after awhile they removed the East coast HD feed....I still have the East/West standard feeds along with the Phoenix feeds.

Yep, the front is the HD DVR.  I'll have to wait and see what HD I get.  One of the things I found when I had a fixed home is that the off the air digital signals, both HD and SD came in MUCH better than the analog signals.  I couldn't watch the analog signals, but the digitals were sharp and clear.

Al

 

[Alaskansnowbirds]

Yep, the front is the HD DVR.

Al

Al,

Reread Terry's responce. I think he was trying to tell you to get a "TIVO" HD DVR vs a DirecTV HD DVR.

 

[John From Detroit]

I've worked with radios most of my life, mostly analog but the last decade I used digital.

Now this is radio... One of the things some folks found interesting about me is my ability to hear a signal burried in noise (Analog radio) All they heard was noise, I heard the information which was being transmitted.

SO, what does that have to do with digital/analog broadcast?

With DIGITAL so long as you have a good enough signal, your picture (and sound) is sharp and clear as it is on the transmitting station's studio monitors. Now, from optimum the signal can go way down before it's no longer "Good enoough" also, just now I see a tv signal in front of me (analog) with some serious interference patterns.

With digital interference patterns such as the one I see simply don't happen.  If you have enough signal for your receiver to pull the digital data out (and in some cases that's not much in the way of signal) you get sharp and clear..... If you don't you either get 100% garbage or nothign at all.  No fade, NO interference, NO listening to someting burried in noise. it's there, or it's not, it is that simple