Last night (Saturday morning in Europe), the new D10 successfully launched. A whole slew of new HD channels should be offered by September 15.

Specifically, DIRECTV contemplates the following schedule [with approximate dates indicated in brackets] ...

After launch and orbit raising maneuvers, DIRECTV 10 will be located at 102.6° W.L. [on or about August 17, 2007].

After DIRECTV 10 reaches 102.6° W.L., DIRECTV will then commence IOT of the satellite [from about August 17, 2007 to September 12, 2007].

After IOT is completed, DIRECTV 10 will then be drifted to its assigned location over the course of approximately three days [reaching that orbital position on or about September 15, 2007]"

Where does DTV launch from? I'm assuming it isn't Florida.

Kazakhstan.

http://www.ilslaunch.com/zmedia/newsarchives/newsreleases/rec71/

Speaking of DirecTV, I was reading the FAQ of the Sunday Ticket Super Fan and someone asked if you had the SuperFan in 2005 if you got credit for 2006 and it said yes, either $49 or $99, depending on what you paid last year. Kind of confusing as this is 2007, so does anyone know about this? Or do I have to call and threaten to quit something again so I can get it free??

They give SF away pretty easily. I just got some free stuff from them but I'll make the call in the next month or so.

quote:

Originally posted by VegasVic:
They give SF away pretty easily. I just got some free stuff from them but I'll make the call in the next month or so.

I keep hearing this but after four calls I still haven't gotten them to budge on throwing in SuperFan. We've had NFL Ticket for three years.

That's interesting. I know there are limits to how many "free" things you can get but if you haven't received anything else you should be able to get SF.

I would just call and cancel Sunday Ticket. Good chance they will give you SF if you agree to keep ST.

quote:

Originally posted by VegasVic:
That's interesting. I know there are limits to how many "free" things you can get but if you haven't received anything else you should be able to get SF.

I would just call and cancel Sunday Ticket. Good chance they will give you SF if you agree to keep ST.

And make sure you call Customer Retention, not a regular CSR. I've never paid for Superfan since they have offered it.

I guess it's time to call again to see if my 3 LNB dish is going to pick up these channels. Everything I've read says no but they told me it would that last time I called about it.

You need the 5LNB dish to pick up the MPEG-4 channels, which is what all of the new HD channels will be.

I already have the B-band converters on my main TV with the HR20, but while I was complaining about the technician not showing up for one of my earlier calls, they told me they'd send me another for my H20 so that I would be good to go when the new sat was up.

Below is an email I got from one of my friends. He ays they are the size of a remote, but actually they are only about 2" x 3" or a little smaller. Check to see if you have them.

From my buddy:

quote:

The key question is, do you have the B-band converter modules on the back of your receiver? It is a box about the size of a remote control attached to one of the cables. I have them, but my friend does not.



Are You Ready For DIRECTV HD?
The satcaster is alerting subscribers to check their system for the high-def expansion this September.
By Phillip Swann


Washington, D.C. (July 9, 2007) -- DIRECTV is calling subscribers to alert them to tune into channel 499 to make sure they have the right equipment for the satcaster's high-def expansion this September.

If the subscriber has the proper equipment -- a Ka/Ku dish, a high-def receiver (H20, HR20) and a B-Band converter module attached to the receiver -- the screen on channel 499 will say the system is "searching for satellite."

That means the subscriber is set up to receive DIRECTV's new high-def channels when the satcaster switches to the MPEG4 transmission system in September.

The new transmission system will be delivered via the satcaster's new satellite, which was launched Friday night.

If a subscriber's channel 499 does not say "searching for satellite," the screen will alert him/her to call DIRECTV to arrange for a system upgrade. It is unclear if DIRECTV will charge for the upgrade; the satcaster has said in the past that it would offer the upgrade for free if the subscriber agreed to a one or two year programming commitment.

DIRECTV will add dozens of new high-def channels this fall with the scheduled goal of offering 100 channels by year's end.

The satcaster says the new channels -- and some of the existing ones -- will be transmitted using the new MPEG4 system which will require the Ka/Ku dish, B-Band module and high-def receiver.

So, I guess I have to replace my HR10 also, even though I don't have an HD TV hooked to it yet, I'd better get prepared on all fronts (TVs)

I called last night. I guess they are a little more informed now. Scheduled an install for next week at no cost to me and no future commitment, not that it would have mattered.

quote:

Originally posted by PackerHawk:
I called last night. I guess they are a little more informed now. Scheduled an install for next week at no cost to me and no future commitment, not that it would have mattered.

What are they installing? Just a new dish?

I still have an HR10 that is connected to a NONHD TV but wonder if they will swap it out for an HR20 so then when I get my big HDTV in that room I'll be good to go

quote:

Originally posted by Hauser:

quote:

Originally posted by PackerHawk:
I called last night. I guess they are a little more informed now. Scheduled an install for next week at no cost to me and no future commitment, not that it would have mattered.

What are they installing? Just a new dish?

I still have an HR10 that is connected to a NONHD TV but wonder if they will swap it out for an HR20 so then when I get my big HDTV in that room I'll be good to go

Yes. I had my faulty HR10 replaced with an HR20 earlier this year so all I needed was the 5 LNB dish. I did mention that I have a 4x8 multiswitch too so I guess that will be replaced if needed.

I called today to see about swapping out my HR10 for an HR20 and was told that I could only have 2 HD orders in a one year period. I got my H20 last August 2 so that would be dropping off next month.

So, I hung up and called back and asked about free Super Fan as well as swapping out the HR10. The gal I talked to said I was set up for automatic renewal of NFLST for one payment of $229 or 5 payments of $45.80. And that my Super Fan would auto renew at 3 payments of $33. I told her no it won't because I will not be renewing and may even pay the penalty and switch to Verizon FIOS. Well, she said to hold on and I finally got to a person that said he could give me SF for free. Problem was, when he went to auto renew, there was no Sunday Ticket to renew.

It seems that last March, when I had the I had a problem, someone canceled my ST. e said he could give it to me at the Early Bird price. I said "No you can't, you can give it to me at the Auto Renew price or I will be cancelling the whole shooting match." I then asked to speak to a supervisor.

Well, Sup told me the same thing and I said, ok, but then you will give me a credit, correct? OK

So then I got to complaining about the service contractors causing me such aggravation in June and she said that is why they started the 'Guaranteed' something or other, and I asked when they started that. About 7 or 8 months ago. I related my entire story about the one guy showing up in afternoon instead of evening and having to reschedule. Then next week the guy was supposed to be there betweet 1 - 5 and showed up at 8:00.

She must have felt sorry for me because she:

Found a way to swap out my HR10 early
Gave me (with credit) Sunday Ticket at auto renewal price
Free Super Fan
$100 credit for service man being late.

Getting the DVR swap done on July 27 (I had already taken that day off from work)

Got the new dish installed today and they replaced my 4x8 switch with a 6x8. Now if Knoxville would just get HD locals. Even if they did I'd probably still watch them on the OTA channels.

I have the locals through the satellite, but many I have talked to say that the OTA are a better picture. Unfortunately, I don't have an antenna

OTA HD pictures are better than HD from MPEG-2. But now that I have an HR-20 and get the locals through the dish there is very little difference. The HD quality of all the new channels should be very very good.

What OTA antenna are you guys using?

I bought the Silver Sensor one and it isn't doing much for me. I'm only 15 miles from the antennas and I don't get a signal with my HR20 at all. My H10 gets a great OTA signal. Seems very odd to me.

Before I got my HR20 and the 5lnb dish, they had given me an HR10 and a 3lnb dish with a small antenna so I could get the locals in HD. But now I get the locals in Mpeg4 through the HR20 & 5lnb dish

quote:

Originally posted by pakrbakr:
What OTA antenna are you guys using?

I bought the Silver Sensor one and it isn't doing much for me. I'm only 15 miles from the antennas and I don't get a signal with my HR20 at all. My H10 gets a great OTA signal. Seems very odd to me.

I have the powered one that they sell at Radio Shack. Don't know the model. DTV gave me a $100 credit to buy an OTA antenna and this one plus a long cable came out to $100. It worked well on the HR10. I may be imagining this but it seems to work even better on the HR20.

I'm about 15 miles from Knoxville and there are lots of mountains to possibly mess with the signal. There is one channel that doesn't come in very well but it's a bunch of crap programming anyway.

PH, do you still need the OTA to get your locals, or do they come in from the satellite too? Maybe they are better with the HR20 because they are coming from the satellite

I get only the SD local stations from the satellite. For now I can only get the HD locals from the OTA antenna. Shows that are in SD look better on the OTA channels too since they are uncompressed.

So the locals for your market aren't in HD yet huh? What do you think you will get first, local channels in HD or indoor toilets?

quote:

Originally posted by Hauser:
So the locals for your market aren't in HD yet huh? What do you think you will get first, local channels in HD or indoor toilets?

Yeah, that's what I said on 07-19-2007 at 10:35 AM.

I'm looking at one of three things happening next.

1. HD locals.
2. Indoor plumbing.
3. Marriage of brother and sister legalized.

I'm betting on #3.

The good news is they finally put in a traffic light at the entrance to our development. They built a Wal Mart and are building another 300K sq feet of retail space and it's going to be a bigger PITA getting onto HWY 411 without that light!