Monday, January 10, 2005
DirecTV's move to MPEG-4
One of DirecTV's big CES announcements was that they will start rolling out HD local channels to about a dozen markets this year. While that sounds like great news for anyone living in those markets, there is some concern about hardware requirements.
The new HD locals will be MPEG-4 which will allow for more efficient compression of the video signal (more compression = room for more channels). Currently, DirecTV doesn't use MPEG-4. So all of us with HD DirecTV receivers who wish to receive the HD locals will need to upgrade our HD receivers (and possibly the dishes, too!).
If I have to scrap both my DirecTiVo service AND my $450 HD receiver in 2005, I will definitely be looking for a new provider (after 8 happy years with DirecTV). I can only imagine how those suckers who shelled out $1,000 for the HD TiVos feel.
One of DirecTV's big CES announcements was that they will start rolling out HD local channels to about a dozen markets this year. While that sounds like great news for anyone living in those markets, there is some concern about hardware requirements.
The new HD locals will be MPEG-4 which will allow for more efficient compression of the video signal (more compression = room for more channels). Currently, DirecTV doesn't use MPEG-4. So all of us with HD DirecTV receivers who wish to receive the HD locals will need to upgrade our HD receivers (and possibly the dishes, too!).
If I have to scrap both my DirecTiVo service AND my $450 HD receiver in 2005, I will definitely be looking for a new provider (after 8 happy years with DirecTV). I can only imagine how those suckers who shelled out $1,000 for the HD TiVos feel.
¶ 12:08 PM 
About Shawn Morton
Married father of 4, social media strategist at Nationwide, consumer electronics enthusiast, hair metal aficionado.
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