Guys-

While the 14-year-old Mitsubichi 52" refuses to die, Mrs. Blair Kiel has allowed me to join the world of LCD, HDTV etc.We'll be getting a 60" "something" (I think Sony sounded best, in the next couple of weeks.

I called Direct TV today because I need to upgrade my dish. I was told I'd also need to do Superfan in order to get all of the games in HD. Is this true? I thought all the network games are broadcast in HD. Did I get a sell job? It seems to me if I'm all set dish-wise, receiver -wise and T.V. wise, that I wouldn't additionally need Supefan to watch the games in HD. Your help is appreciated!

Without Super Fan, you will get SOME games in HD. If you want all of them in HD, you will need to get it. I've had Super Fan but I haven't paid for it the first two years. Bitch a little about the $10 a month you pay for the HD package and the $200+ that you pay for NFLST and you should get it for free. At the most, you should only have to pay $49.

Thanks, Hawk! I was charged $99. Despite the fact that I'm a salesman, I hate dickering. If bitching will save me $50, I guess I'll just shut-up and pay. It's been awhile since I've seen the Superfan features. Do you take advantage of them?

quote:

Originally posted by PackerHawk:
Without Super Fan, you will get SOME games in HD. If you want all of them in HD, you will need to get it. I've had Super Fan but I haven't paid for it the first two years. Bitch a little about the $10 a month you pay for the HD package and the $200+ that you pay for NFLST and you should get it for free. At the most, you should only have to pay $49.

Are you sure about that? I think to get the games in HD (other than OTA locals) you have to have Superfan.

Without Super Fan, the only NFL games that you will get in HD are the ones broadcast on the networks and on the NFL Channel (if what I heard about NFL Network going HD with the new satellite is true).

I got SF free last year when I gave them the song and dance that I wasn't sure that I wanted to pay over and above the monthly HD charge that I was already paying. Then this year, they were renewing me at $99. I told them that, although I enjoyed SF, it wasn't something that I enjoyed enough to pay $99 for and that I was even thinking of dropping my Sunday Ticket, since I was able to get so many games on the networks now. They gave it to me free again.

But BK, it sounds like you, like your brother Ferarri can afford it, so just go ahead and send them $198 and you'll be set for two years!!

Oh BK the young guy that came and brought my 2nd HR20 yesterday told me that Sony was the best HD TV out there and I asked him about the advances in plasma. He said that the new HR20 (maybe other new non DVR boxes too) has its latest software that protects against the burn-in that peole were complaining so much about. So, when I get an HD TV to hook to that 2nd HR20 I think I might go with a Sny plasma.

He said the Mitsubishi at Best Buy is really the best but it is like thousands of $$$$$.

FWIW

The NFL channel is suppose to be full time HD in September when the new sat kicks in. But last season they broadcast the NFL Channel games in HD on channel 94 or 95.


And yes without Superfan you only get your local network games in HD.

quote:

Originally posted by Blair Kiel:
Thanks, Hawk! I was charged $99. Despite the fact that I'm a salesman, I hate dickering. If bitching will save me $50, I guess I'll just shut-up and pay. It's been awhile since I've seen the Superfan features. Do you take advantage of them?

The red zone channel is kinda cool during halftime of Packer games or when they are not on. They switch from game to game whenever a team is threatening to score. It would be better if it was in HD. There are some game mix channels that show like six or eight game games tiled on one screen. I never use that.

The way that Super Fan HD was explained to me a couple of years by a DirecTV rep was that there are a few featured games in HD each week and you would get them without Super Fan but to get all of them you needed Super Fan. I never got to test that theory since I've always had Super Fan. If they gave me bad info it sure wouldn't be the first time.

Speaking of HD, does anyone have a non dvr hd receiver? I have an H20, and was just wondering if they ever had a software update? What is the current ersion of the software on an H20?

Thx

quote:

Originally posted by Hauser:
Speaking of HD, does anyone have a non dvr hd receiver? I have an H20, and was just wondering if they ever had a software update? What is the current ersion of the software on an H20?

Thx

Here are the software versions.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=61123

Here is general discussion

http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=78

quote:

Originally posted by PackerHawk:The red zone channel is kinda cool during halftime of Packer games or when they are not on. They switch from game to game whenever a team is threatening to score. It would be better if it was in HD. There are some game mix channels that show like six or eight game games tiled on one screen. I never use that.

Redzone channel is in HD this year (Scrolling banner, middle of the screen):

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=900045

Thanks, Buttercup!

I was hoping they would do that with the new satellite in the air. That page also reminded me of another nice feature of Super Fan, the shortcut games. I wonder if they will be in HD this year? I guess they would have mentioned it if that were the case.

Thanks guys. Went with a Samsung 61" DLP 1080 (HLT6176S) at $2300. Did it partly 'cause it's a tad bigger, and it was a few hundred less than the comparable Sony. I've heard and read good stuff about Samsung these days. We're not techo-philes and compared to what we had (12-year-old projection) I imagine we'll be in heaven regardless.Best Buy has a (supposedly) knowledgeable set-up service called Magnolia that comes highly recommended by my brother-in-law who owns a high-end home electronics gadget/tv/security custom firm. Paid $100 extra to have them come out after delivery and Direct TV is here to fine-tune, install better cables and make it "just right"

Again, thanks for the help. Hauser , next year I'll strong-arm them on Super fan. Question though, isn' EVERY game a network game and therefore in HD?

But if the Packers are not being shown on your local network and you have to watch it on the Sunday Ticket, it won't be in HD unless you have the Super Fan.

Samsung is a nice TV. We have a SD that is a Samsung and the picture is really good. Question though, why did you want such a big TV? Do you have an enormous room to put it in? I think the biggest that might look right in our family room would be a 46 - maybe a 50

Hauser..

Our family room is the biggest room in the house. It's also the only room that can accomodate Henry's head.

quote:

Originally posted by Blair Kiel:
Again, thanks for the help. Hauser , next year I'll strong-arm them on Super fan. Question though, isn' EVERY game a network game and therefore in HD?

It's a scam, no doubt about it. Just a way to suck another $50 or $100 out of your pocket. Since the games are shown in the 700's, they determine which channels you get based on if you get the Super Fan package or not. The SD and HD games are on different channels.

quote:

Originally posted by Blair Kiel:
Thanks guys. Went with a Samsung 61" DLP 1080 (HLT6176S) at $2300. Did it partly 'cause it's a tad bigger, and it was a few hundred less than the comparable Sony. I've heard and read good stuff about Samsung these days. We're not techo-philes and compared to what we had (12-year-old projection) I imagine we'll be in heaven regardless.Best Buy has a (supposedly) knowledgeable set-up service called Magnolia that comes highly recommended by my brother-in-law who owns a high-end home electronics gadget/tv/security custom firm. Paid $100 extra to have them come out after delivery and Direct TV is here to fine-tune, install better cables and make it "just right"

Again, thanks for the help. Hauser , next year I'll strong-arm them on Super fan. Question though, isn' EVERY game a network game and therefore in HD?

Here ya go BK, Circuit City has that TV on sale this week for $2,149. There's the money you lost on your Super Fan. Best Buy should match the price I would think!!

Oh, and they have a 65" Mitsubishi DLP for $1,899.99

and. . . .I just looked at the Best Buy ad and they have it reduced by another $135.00 from what you paid for it, so if nothing else, they should give you that much credit.

Hauser..

Thanks for all the savings. There's a beer waiting with your name on it this fall!

I don't drink, so it'll have to be an O'Douls, but anway, did you get the credit?

Hauser..

Just checked the receipt. They charged me $2199 plus the manager tossed in a bunch of cables and had them assembled the base for me so I'm not gonna be a dick about $50. Delivery today, but now I have to wait 'til August 2oth for the dipschitz at Direct TV to come and give me my new dish and receiver. They suck in too many ways to count.

quote:

Originally posted by Blair Kiel:
Hauser..

Just checked the receipt. They charged me $2199 plus the manager tossed in a bunch of cables and had them assembled the base for me so I'm not gonna be a dick about $50. Delivery today, but now I have to wait 'til August 2oth for the dipschitz at Direct TV to come and give me my new dish and receiver. They suck in too many ways to count.

Call DirecTV back right now. Give them the info and tell them you want the direct phone line for your local installer.

Call the installer direct and I pretty much guarantee you will have it installed AT LEAST a week earlier than that.

I've done it twice, and both times they were at my place within 3 days of my call.

Give it a try.

I feel the pain of dealing with any of these guys. A while back I considered switching from cable to DirecTV. Then I read the horror stories here and elsewhere about DirecTV. I stuck with cable (Time Warner). I recently added their 3 in 1 package (cable, Roadrunner and digital phone.) Problems developed... It took a lot of shouting to get it all corrected. If I would have accepted the problems (which they thought I would do), nothing would have been done. The whole industry is a bunch of #@*&%%%%%!!!!!

Good Luck, BK!! Yell until you get the problem resolved.

Edge..

I've already done that (spoken with the local folks) and got the same story. They truly do suck and I wish bad things upon all who work for Direct TV.

With the new sat going online in about 6 weeks the wait times for DTV installers is going to be long.

So why have they sucked for the 10 years leading up to the new satellite?