Can I use 3 separate dishes for 101, 110, 119

[bobross]

Ok, yea I know this is a dump question, but....

I have been a long time DirecTV customer - got a couple of HD TiVo's (34" direct view, 70" Sony SXRD)

Things have been stable for several years. The 101, and 110 satellite come off the house, but because of trees, the 119 satellite comes from a second dish. I have a 5 in (OTA antenna) 8 output multi-switch. It all worked fine until the leaves came out this year - the 110 satellite is being blocked.

So with the junk laying around I have a 110 LNB and a spare 18" dish - I mounted it out where the 119 dish is - combined the signals there. BUT it does not work.

Can you have three separate dishes?? I would think so, but.... What is different about the 110 LNB and the round 18" dish??

Thanks in advance
Bob

Robert J. Ross
Senior Vice President
East Coast Operations

CBS Broadcasting Inc.
524 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
rjross@cbs.com

Home:
Boonton, NJ 07005

[P Smith]

Yes, but remember you'll need use 'Sat C' type LNBF for 110W setup.
There was a thread about using separate dishes for 110W and 119W due no LOS - probably at www.staelliteguys.us or here - try to find it.

[boba]

The sat"C" kit is necessary it includes a special LNB and a combiner to combine 119 & 110 before entering the 5x8 switch. Call D* 800-531-5000 they should be able to supply it. What are you going to do in about 3 Mo. when the 5 LNB becomes mandatory?

[bobross]

Yes, but remember you'll need use 'Sat C' type LNBF for 110W setup.


Wow - you guys are fast -

Yes I have a 110 specific LNB -

I'll look some more

Bob

[bobross]

The sat"C" kit is necessary it includes a special LNB and a combiner to combine 119 & 110 before entering the 5x8 switch. Call D* 800-531-5000 they should be able to supply it. What are you going to do in about 3 Mo. when the 5 LNMB becomes mandatory?

Yep I had the "kit" -

The MPEG4 signals - do not have anyway near the same signal quality as the current MPEG 2 signals - if they try an force me to change - it's cancel it all and off to Fiber on FiOS.

Robert J. Ross
Senior Vice President
East Coast Operations

CBS Broadcasting Inc.
New York, NY

[P Smith]

bob ? ummm
this forum does not required to disclosure private info ( you could add your full signature into your site profile )
your posts begin looking funny with the repeated profile.

[litzdog911]

Here's how I had mine setup before upgrading the 5-LNB dishes ....


http://members.roadfly.com/litzdog911/diagram.jpg
http://members.roadfly.com/litzdog911/diagram.jpg

Note that the Phase II dish shown could be two 18" dishes instead.

[CCarncross]

bobross, its pretty widely accepted that the MPEG4 signals are much better in quality than the current MPEG2 ones, where are you getting your misinformation?

[boba]

You better switch to FIOS now all future HD is going to be Ka in MPEG4 starting about Sept. if the launch Fri is successful.

[bobross]

Here's how I had mine setup before upgrading the 5-LNB dishes ....

Note that the Phase II dish shown could be two 18" dishes instead.

Thanks for all the help - I thought the round 18" could be used for 110 - along with the combiner to the 119 satellite.

This could be as simple as being blocked by trees in both locations!!! So now it's get the compass and inclinometer out.....

Bob Ross

[bobross]

bobross, its pretty widely accepted that the MPEG4 signals are much better in quality than the current MPEG2 ones, where are you getting your misinformation?

off topic here, but....

In my job at CBS one of the areas I manage is the advanced technology department. We still have a lab for testing of equipment. In the early days of ATSC Digital broadcasts we tested all encoders and had at least one of every STB box out there. This was all MPEG2.

We continue to test HD - always looking for picture improvements in MPEG 2 & 4 - plus the more computer based formats like VC1, and Quicktime. In general it takes almost the same bit rate in MPEG 4 has it does in MPEG 2 for the same HD picture quality. You can do some great things in MPEG 4, with multipass and other tricks, but we are live.

As of today we have found only one MPEG 4 encoder that comes close to the efficiency people have been promising. It is a prototype and not on the market yet.

We also do picture quality testing of our signals on DirecTv and cable systems. We have been known to drop a 30 second standard test tape into WCBS-DT late at night and record it out of various providers STB's.

Today DirecTv is bandwidth starved, When they get the next bird up - they will move lots of stuff around and add bit's back - and then really start adding HD local markets. I expect the picture quality to get better.

Bob Ross

[CobraGuy]

It's nice to hear from a knowledgable third party who is looking at all this. Great input.

[jal]

I have line of site problems with 110. How relevant will that satellite be in the future once the 99/103 HD comes on line? Will 110 eventually be phased out, or should I get someone to start trimming trees?

[P Smith]

bobross, its pretty widely accepted that the MPEG4 signals are much better in quality than the current MPEG2 ones, where are you getting your misinformation?
Yeah, that was wrong statement in many counts. Actually in all counts.

[litzdog911]

I have line of site problems with 110. How relevant will that satellite be in the future once the 99/103 HD comes on line? Will 110 eventually be phased out, or should I get someone to start trimming trees?

We expect that DirecTV will shift all of its HD channels to the new satellites, but we don't know when. It's possible that the 110 and 119-deg satellites will continue to beam some HiDef channels for another year or two.

[bobross]

Hello All,

YES you can have three dishes - looking at 3 satellites - I did get it all working.

This forum gave me enough info for me to continue to "play" with things. In the end it all works.

Nice place here - I spend more time over at AVS - but this place has very useful info

Thanks to all

Bob Ross
rjross@cbs.com

[n3ntj]

You really work for CBS?!?

If so, nice job with full HD coverage of PGA events. You guys do the best golf coverage around. Some of the other networks (like NBC) only do some HD coverage (tower cams are HD and hand held cameras on the course are SD). They switch back and forth b/w HD and SD cameras. This sort of production looks like a horse and pony show... the CBS Sports HD coverage of golf events is tops!

[bobross]

You really work for CBS?!?

If so, nice job with full HD coverage of PGA events. You guys do the best golf coverage around. Some of the other networks (like NBC) only do some HD coverage (tower cams are HD and hand held cameras on the course are SD). They switch back and forth b/w HD and SD cameras. This sort of production looks like a horse and pony show... the CBS Sports HD coverage of golf events is tops!

Yep sitting right now at the Broadcast Center on 57th street in NY

Bob