I am an ISP and I offer voice services. I'm looking at teaming up with a developer to provide my services throughout his condos. I am interested in the MFH3 system. Other than what's in the DirecTV PDF, can anyone tell me what is required of the system?
How much does it cost? What sort of comission structure is there?
Basic headend is $40k. Expanded is $60k - $70k. SD receivers are $10 - $15. HD-DVR receivers are $150 - $180.
Is a slimline antenna still used or can we upgrade to something that has more gain to overcome rain fade?
The slimline is used, but you can upgrade to dedicated dishes (I've heard between 2 and 5 dishes of higher gain and heated) for $1500 - $2k.
Is it a rack of DirecTV equipment, then standard data network until the receiver (I'm assuming so)?
Yes, but only a half rack or so.
Can OTA channels be pumped into the system?
Yes, at an additional cost.
Are the channels unicast from the DirecTV rack to the receiver, or is there some sort of multicast at play?
They are multicast, requiring specific Allied Telesyn or Alcatel\Lucent switches.
Are the receiver and rack required to be on the same broadcast domain or is it routed IP compatible?
Details not known.
How much bandwidth does it consume? I see the PDF says gigabit network, but two things. 1) I doubt it exceeds the capabilities of a 100 mbit connection. 2) Am I needing bonded GigE or 10GigE in the core to provide adequate bandwidth? Are the NICs on the receivers 100 meg or GigE?
100 mbit to the client is fine. GigE comes out of the headend.
How many receivers are supported? I thought I heard 500 receivers. I have 8 receivers in my house, yet they are saying it's for developments over 150 units. What happens or what can be done once you exceed that limit?
500 is the basic system, 1024 is the expanded v2 system. It won't die, but quality will degrade past that. You can buy another headend.
Can I inject a public access channel into the system?
Yes, same as local channels.
Does the HD-DVR still have dual "tuners"? Does this count as an additional receiver in the above receiver limit?
Yes, only counts as a single receiver.
How does the dollar flow? End User - Me - DirecTV? Can I charge whatever I want to the End User (both below and above what DirecTV charges)?
Can do a bulk billing where you get a reduced rate from DirecTV for buying so many, doing what you want with it. Customers can still upgrade at that retail cost. Additional receivers are still $5.
You can also do a commission plan where the customer deals with DirecTV directly, but you get a check.
What benefits will the End User see beyond a standard DirecTV install or a standard cable install?
Ease of troubleshooting.
Is there any technical restriction to the distance from DirecTV equipment to receiver, given sufficient bandwidth, packet loss, jitter, etc.? IE: Could this be used in a triple-play situation with receivers perhaps tens, hundreds, thousands of miles away from the DirecTV rack?
No, other than you cannot cross the public right of way by contract.
What are the power requirements of the DirecTV rack?
150 watts x 3 units (6 plugs for redundant power).
How much does it cost? What sort of comission structure is there?
Basic headend is $40k. Expanded is $60k - $70k. SD receivers are $10 - $15. HD-DVR receivers are $150 - $180.
Is a slimline antenna still used or can we upgrade to something that has more gain to overcome rain fade?
The slimline is used, but you can upgrade to dedicated dishes (I've heard between 2 and 5 dishes of higher gain and heated) for $1500 - $2k.
Is it a rack of DirecTV equipment, then standard data network until the receiver (I'm assuming so)?
Yes, but only a half rack or so.
Can OTA channels be pumped into the system?
Yes, at an additional cost.
Are the channels unicast from the DirecTV rack to the receiver, or is there some sort of multicast at play?
They are multicast, requiring specific Allied Telesyn or Alcatel\Lucent switches.
Are the receiver and rack required to be on the same broadcast domain or is it routed IP compatible?
Details not known.
How much bandwidth does it consume? I see the PDF says gigabit network, but two things. 1) I doubt it exceeds the capabilities of a 100 mbit connection. 2) Am I needing bonded GigE or 10GigE in the core to provide adequate bandwidth? Are the NICs on the receivers 100 meg or GigE?
100 mbit to the client is fine. GigE comes out of the headend.
How many receivers are supported? I thought I heard 500 receivers. I have 8 receivers in my house, yet they are saying it's for developments over 150 units. What happens or what can be done once you exceed that limit?
500 is the basic system, 1024 is the expanded v2 system. It won't die, but quality will degrade past that. You can buy another headend.
Can I inject a public access channel into the system?
Yes, same as local channels.
Does the HD-DVR still have dual "tuners"? Does this count as an additional receiver in the above receiver limit?
Yes, only counts as a single receiver.
How does the dollar flow? End User - Me - DirecTV? Can I charge whatever I want to the End User (both below and above what DirecTV charges)?
Can do a bulk billing where you get a reduced rate from DirecTV for buying so many, doing what you want with it. Customers can still upgrade at that retail cost. Additional receivers are still $5.
You can also do a commission plan where the customer deals with DirecTV directly, but you get a check.
What benefits will the End User see beyond a standard DirecTV install or a standard cable install?
Ease of troubleshooting.
Is there any technical restriction to the distance from DirecTV equipment to receiver, given sufficient bandwidth, packet loss, jitter, etc.? IE: Could this be used in a triple-play situation with receivers perhaps tens, hundreds, thousands of miles away from the DirecTV rack?
No, other than you cannot cross the public right of way by contract.
What are the power requirements of the DirecTV rack?
150 watts x 3 units (6 plugs for redundant power).
