MPEG-2 Specifcations used by Dish

[DRJDAN]

When I capture MPEG-2, I select the file size (720x480, 640x480, or 352x480), select the Bit Rate (8.0, 7.2, 6, 4.8, 4.0, 3.0, or 2.3) and select the audio (48 KHz 16 bit stero).

What is the file size, bit rate and audio KHz that the Dish receiver is receiving?

When I record to my computer (acting as a PVR) I don't want to waste disk space recording at a higher spec than Dish is sending.

[scooper]

Recording at above 2.3 on your bit rate is a waste (unless you're recording Premium / PPV, then going above 4 is a waste). The opinion of Dan Collins is that Dish is only using 480x480. I normally let mine go at it's default.

[mjz]

Dish Network uses 544x480 and runs at about 2.3mbps

[DRJDAN]

If I were to take the hard drive out of the 501 and put in in windows computer, would reconize it?

If so would each PVR event bea .mpg file that the pc could play?

[mjz]

No, not directly, There are some programs being worked on to let you do that, I don't know if one can talk about it here, but from my understanding of reading about these programs, the video is not stored encyriped. Also the file that you would see if your computer would see would be a mpeg transport stream file, which you can not play directly on a computer.

[MarkA]

Dish is 480x480 VBR (variable bitrate). Do remember that recompression isn't perfect, so it's not a waste to go above the original bitrate (which averages between 2-3) because the higher you go the less new artifacts you add.