So are you like me and been using DirecTV for years? Are you also like me and been watching HD on DirecTV for like ever?

Have you all been real ticked off when you are paying 9.99 for your HD channels and DirecTV drops them during football? (Actually this may be more if you are paying for a TIVO service because you wanted a HD-TIVO.)

Well it seems if these dropped channels are really irking you, there may be some recourse. Next Sunday when football is on and DirecTV decides to drop programming you “want” to watch, call or write em. You might be suprised at what you might get.

DIRECTV HDTV Owners: Want a Refund?

Sling Media announced their new lineup of Slingboxes yesterday, including the Slingbox A/V, Slingbox Tuner, and Slingbox Pro.

The Pro unit includes the ability to now stream HDTV. You may be wondering how it can possibly stream HDTV with the bandwidth requirements. Therein lies the catch…it doesn’t actually stream the full HDTV resolution video. Instead, it downconverts to 640×480 resolution. Still, the ability to view your HDTV content remotely is a nice new feature. My only beef with the whole thing is that the Pro costs $249, but in order to get the HD functionality you have to purchase a separate $49 dongle that is not included.

Slingbox Pro Web Page

9th Tee Enterprises is now shipping the HDHomeRun which allows you to stream ATSC HDTV broadcasts to any PC on your home network. At $169, it seems to be quite the bargain. I am considering picking one up just out of curiosity, and if it does what it says it can, then this would be an excellent way to cut costs on digital tuners in my house!

9th Tee HDHomeRun Web Page

So it looks like DirecTV is serious with it’s new HD DVR. It just may be enough for me to trade in my HD-DirecTivo. Here are some quick specs.

• HDMI output - Doesn’t say if it will be 1.3
• Dual Sat and Dual OTA tuners - Naturally
• Ethernet - Nice addon
• USB Port - Does it work or does it need to be hacked like the DirecTIVO?
• 300Gb SATA drive with external SATA connector - Will I be able to add external drive space?
• RF remote (but IR can be used)

One thing in the specs that made my heart jump:

Moving the items around in the prioritizer is nearly instant… no lag when moving the items up and down the list…

badda bing. In fact it says that many tasks are much faster.

Also, it seems to cache some menus so interacting is much quicker and smoother plus:

FF 1x,2x,3x (no 4x)
RW 1x, 2x, 3x (no 4x)

30s SLIP and Jump Back

Single Live Buffer - 90 Minutes, with autosave.
…

The TrickPlay works fantastic… fast, very quick responding, to start the action, and return to playback.
In most cases, it is nearly instant… A few times there was less then 1 second delay for audio to return

The Jump Back appears to be consistent, and the 30s Slip is just as good

The only drawback I see that I use all the time is having 2 live buffers where you can watch two channels without recording and just jumping around the last hour or so of a show. That will be a bummer if it isn’t implemented.

So am I now more excited to get moved up to this? Heck ya!

HR20-700 - The Review - DBSTalk.Com

Thomas Hawk has a report from CES about the Dish Network’s HDTV products and plans. Having bought VOOM’s HD channels, Dish have added 15 of them to their lineup. Thomas Hawk lists the HD channels Dish has available, including ESPN HD, HDNET, and Film Fest HD. Thomas Hawk also points that Dish is now broadcasting in MPEG4, like DirecTV. And that they also have a six channel in one view.

He also got a chance to look at Dish’s 622 DVR:

I did get a chance to play around with Dish’s ViP 622 DVR, their highest end receiver that they offer. The unit boasts a 250 gig hard drive, which is capable of recording 180 hours of standard definition and up to 25 hours of high def programming, and is capable of getting all of their HDTV content today. Unlike Dish’s other units there is no part of the 250 gig hard drive that is “reserved” for Dish’s predownloaded movies for video on demand.

Like the DirecTV TiVo box and DirecTV’s upcoming NDS HDTV DVR it is a closed box system and their is no way to get any content off of the box. It does have a USB port but this is not activated. Personally as much as I liked Dish’s expanded HDTV lineup I was a little disappointed with this box. The screen changes felt clunky and slow and not as elegant and smooth as my TiVo or Media Center. Also the unit only has two tuners, 1 HD tuner and 1 SD tuner. So while you can watch and record two different shows at the same time, they have to be in SD and HD — you can’t record and watch two different shows at the same time in high def. My DirecTV HDTV TiVo at present has 4 tuners (2 HD and 2 SD) and this is a much more comfortable arrangement which has results in virtually no recording conflicts.

Sounds like a dud to me.

Thomas Hawk - Dish Network, The Reigning HDTV Content King

Phillip Swan over at TVPredictions may just help you save $99 if you’re a DIRECTV subscriber. DIRECTV had said that it would upgrade users to the new MPEG4 system for free, but now they’re charging $99.

DIRECTV spokesman Robert Mercer said the free upgrade would not happen until the company converted from its current MPEG2 transmission to MPEG4. Mercer said it was unclear when that transfer would happen, but it would likely occur in most cities sometime in 2006. (Although the MPEG4 transition will not occur until later, DIRECTV customers still need the new MPEG4 system to get local HD channels now.)

How do you get around this?

So, if you have to pay $99 for the upgrade, how would you get it for free without waiting for the MPEG4 transition?

TVPredictions.com on Monday received several e-mails from readers who said that DIRECTV’s Customer Service department waived the $99 charge after they complained and asked to talk to a supervisor.

“I threw a fit and said I wanted to talk to a supervisor. They came back and said it would be free…They’re coming next Monday to install it,” one reader wrote.

TVPredictions - DIRECTV Charges $99 For ‘Free’ HDTV Upgrade

LG Electronics has signed an agreement to build next generation MPEG4 set top boxes for satelite player DIRECTV.

Cable and satelite providers are racing to transition from MPEG2 based devices to ones that use the MPEG4 in order to satisfy consumer demand for HD content. I say it’s about time!

According to the release…

By 2007, DIRECTV plans to offer more than 1,500 local broadcast channels and more than 150 national channels in HD.

PRNewswire - LG Electronics Launches Production of HDTV Set-Top Boxes for DIRECTV

Sharp is introducing four new HDD HD recorders (otherwise known as HD PVR’s). These things turn on real quick-like, in about a second. They contain HD and SD tuners, and can record from both at the same time. Most of the models include HDMI outputs and FireWire inputs and outputs.

But you know, with all this new-fangled technology, these things still can’t record from cable or satellite. So they won’t be good for the vast majority of HDTV owners out there. Solution looking for a problem? I think so.

Sharp - Sharp to Introduce Four New AQUOS HDTV Recorders

DIRECTV has announced the other day that their HDTV customers will be getting DIRECTV’s new HDTV receiver for free.

DIRECTV revealed tonight that it will offer a free system upgrade for High-Definition TV owners so they can get local high-def channels later this year.

DIRECTV is expected to begin offering local HD in 12 markets by year’s end. However, the channels will only be available on new DIRECTV MPEG-4 receivers and dishes, which have yet to go on sale.

It’s always nice not to have to spend money!

TVPredictions.com - DIRECTV to Offer Free HDTV Upgrade

ultimate AV has a review of the Humax HFA 100 Digital Tuner.

Personally, I just use my HD PVR to tune in my HD channels, so I don’t need one of these things. But if you’re getting your HD off the air, then listen up:

All in all, the Humax HFA 100 provides everything you need to receive free, over-the-air high-definition programming reliably, conveniently, and at a price you cannot beat.

Yup. Just the summary. Read the rest here:

Link: ultimate AV - HFA 100 Digital Tuner

If you’re considering switching to DIRECTV for your HDTV viewing, beware that DIRECTV’s new HD satellite will use MPEG4, not MPEG2. This is a tricky changeover that needs time to iron out some wrinkles, which you can read more about at TVPredictions.com.

Link: TVPredictions.com- Should You Get HDTV From DIRECTV?