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Satellite HD

HD DVR Home Theater Satellite HD

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast - Podcast #598: DirecTV Genie

The DirecTV Genie HD DVR supports five simultaneous HD tuners and up to 200 hours of HD recording capacity, addressing the long-standing limitation of room-specific playback that plagued earlier DVR setups. Adding legacy set-top boxes alongside the Genie expands the tuner pool further, with one tested configuration reaching eight total tuners and eliminating recording conflicts entirely. Installation requires a Single Wire Module (SWM) that may not be present in older DirecTV setups, so subscribers should verify compatibility before expecting a simple self-install.

The HT Guys •
Podcasts
Home Theater Satellite HD OTA Set-Top Boxes (STBs)

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast - Podcast #591: HDTV in the Great Outdoors

The Dish ViP211K Tailgater Bundle pairs a 10-pound portable satellite antenna with an HD receiver to deliver live HDTV at campsites, automatically locating DISH satellites within 15 minutes via a single coax cable that also carries power to the antenna. The ViP211K supports DVR functionality through an external USB hard drive (50 GB to 1 TB) for a one-time $40 fee, and Dish offers a Pay-As-You-Go plan with no monthly contract for non-subscribers. For display, options range from lightweight LCD TVs to a portable projector setup such as the Epson 85HD MovieMate ($779), with power sourced from a vehicle inverter, generator, or portable solar panel system.

The HT Guys •
Podcasts
Streaming HD Market Trends & Analysis Satellite HD

HDTV Expert - Zero-TV Households and the Second-Season Crunch

Nielsen's Q4 2012 Cross-Platform Report identifies over 5 million Zero-TV households, up from 2 million in 2007, with 67% consuming video via PCs, smartphones, and tablets rather than traditional sets. Network broadcast ratings are declining sharply, with shows like New Girl dropping from 8.4 to 6.16 million viewers in their second season, while cable originals such as Homeland and Game of Thrones command stronger audience loyalty. Notably, 23% of Netflix subscribers have cancelled cable or satellite subscriptions, signaling a structural shift that improved smart TVs and faster streaming will likely accelerate.

Ken Werner •
Columns
4K Ultra HD Satellite HD

Eutelsat Launches Europe's First Dedicated Ultra HD (4K) Channel

Eutelsat launched Europe's first dedicated Ultra HD (4K) demonstration channel on the EUTELSAT 10A satellite on January 8, 2013, transmitting four Quad HD streams encoded in MPEG-4 at 40 Mbit/s and 50 frames per second progressive mode. The channel delivers 8 million pixels per frame, four times the resolution of HDTV, targeting broadcasters, pay-TV operators, and TV manufacturers seeking early 4K expertise. This initiative gives industry stakeholders a practical testbed for developing end-to-end Ultra HD workflows ahead of wider consumer adoption.

Shane Sturgeon •
Bulletins
Review: Dish Network Hopper
Satellite HD HD Receivers HD DVR

Review: Dish Network Hopper

The Dish Network Hopper whole-house DVR system delivers impressive functionality, including 3 tuners supporting up to 6 simultaneous HD recordings and a 2TB hard drive, but its HD image quality consistently tested softer than a comparable cable feed, estimated at roughly 80% of its potential detail. The reviewer found that connecting a Darblet video processor at approximately 50% processing strength brought perceived image quality close to or above the cable reference, while 4K upscaling via a Sony projector with Reality Creation provided additional improvement. Prospective subscribers with large displays or critical viewing standards should weigh this image quality trade-off against the Hopper's substantial feature advantages and lower cost.

Rodolfo La Maestra •
Reviews
Satellite HD Cable HD

HDTV Almanac - Comcast Partners with Skype

Comcast and Skype have partnered to bring HD video calling to Xfinity subscribers via an adapter box and high-quality camera added to existing set-top boxes, enabling calls to any Skype user across smartphones, tablets, and PCs. The service supports picture-in-picture display and will roll out initially in Seattle and Boston, priced at $9.99 per month after a free three-month trial for triple-play customers. For households with broadband already in place, this could meaningfully lower the barrier to living-room video communication, though the monthly fee may limit broader adoption.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Home Theater HD DVR Satellite HD

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast - Podcast #527: The Hopper by Dish

Dish Network's Hopper whole-home DVR system pairs a main unit featuring three HD tuners and a 2 TB drive (500 hours of HD storage) with up to three Joey client units per Hopper, all communicating over existing coax via MoCA. The standout PrimeTime Anytime feature automatically records all prime-time programming from ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX in HD using a dedicated tuner, while DLNA support handles local media playback with MP4 and MKV containers. Subscribers who want to consolidate live TV, DVR, and on-demand content into a single system will find the Hopper a compelling option, though DLNA reliability remains inconsistent.

The HT Guys •
Podcasts
Streaming HD Satellite HD Cable HD

HDTV Almanac - Reader Mail: The Future of Cable TV

A reader challenges the assumption that broadband infrastructure can support universal HD streaming, noting that even in a 125,000-person Southern California community, available speeds top out at 1.5 Mbps down - far below HD streaming requirements. The author counters that low-bandwidth users could queue content for progressive download to local terabyte-scale storage, allowing viewers to 'chase' a show while it downloads, effectively decoupling delivery speed from viewing experience. Both perspectives suggest linear cable programming faces long-term structural decline, with the timeline and transition path varying by geography and infrastructure.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Streaming HD Satellite HD Cable HD

HDTV Almanac - Online Streaming Grows

Roku CEO Anthony Wood, speaking at OTTCon in San Jose, reported that the platform now hosts nearly 500 channels with viewing time doubling from six to twelve hours per week, with projections to reach 35 hours to match traditional broadcast consumption. HBO Go is already among those channels, signaling that major content holders are actively experimenting with internet streaming delivery. For cable and satellite providers, the trajectory suggests a fundamental disruption to their core business model as on-demand streaming closes the gap with linear broadcast viewing.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
OTA HD & Antennas Satellite HD Cable HD

HDTV Almanac - After Midnight: More Retransmission Disputes

A retransmission consent dispute between New Young Broadcasting and Time Warner Cable over ABC affiliate stations WBAY-TV and a companion Albany outlet reached its February 29 deadline without resolution, prompting both parties to extend negotiations by one week to March 7. Rather than immediately triggering a blackout, the broadcaster advised viewers that free over-the-air reception remains available, while also pointing to DirecTV and DISH Network as alternatives. The standoff illustrates how carriage fee negotiations increasingly leave consumers caught between broadcasters and pay-TV providers fighting to protect shrinking revenue streams.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Satellite HD

HDTV Expert - Dish Network Hops Over the Top, by Ken Werner

Dish Network's new CEO Joe Clayton unveiled a whole-home set-top box called Hopper at CES, featuring a 2 terabyte hard drive and the ability to simultaneously record all prime-time programming from four major networks while streaming to multiple Joey satellite STBs throughout the home. The service integrates Blockbuster@home with 10,000 streamable titles and a satellite download option for broadband-free households, targeting the 87% of TV households that subscribe to both pay TV and broadband. This strategic pivot positions Dish as a broadband-fed content platform rather than a traditional satellite provider, putting direct pressure on cable operators whose primary remaining asset may be the broadband pipe itself.

Pete Putman •
Columns
Satellite HD Cable HD

HDTV Almanac - Retransmission Fees: Who Is Winning?

Retransmission consent fees are reshaping the subscription television landscape, with News Corporation reporting a greater than 100% increase in retransmission consent revenues while delivering the same content as before. Cable and satellite providers, squeezed between rising content costs and consumer backlash over climbing bills, are weighing options such as lower-priced channel bundles or a la carte pricing. The lack of competitive checks in current FCC rules appears to give content providers outsized leverage, raising the likelihood of regulatory intervention in 2012.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Politics & Policy OTA HD & Antennas Satellite HD

HDTV Almanac - Cable and Satellite Complaints Rise

FCC complaint data for Q3 2011 shows cable and satellite service complaints rose more than 15% quarter-over-quarter, with Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act complaints surging nearly 44%, signaling growing friction over retransmission rights. Broadcasters are withholding local content from subscription TV providers to extract higher licensing fees, a tactic that can leave subscribers without channels for weeks or months. The dispute drew political attention when DirecTV customers in Boston faced a potential SuperBowl blackout, and the issue is expected to remain contentious through 2012.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Smart TVs HD Receivers HD DVR

HDTV Almanac - Look, Ma! No Box!

At CES 2012, DIRECTV partnered with Samsung and Verizon partnered with LG to integrate set-top box functionality directly into Smart TV lines, with LG sets offering access to 26 live channels and over 10,000 VOD titles. While eliminating a separate box removes hardware clutter and a rental fee of roughly $6 per month ($72 annually), the trade-off is reduced access to full subscription programming and interactive content compared to a standard set-top box setup. Consumers should weigh whether the convenience justifies paying a premium for a Smart TV that delivers fewer features than a conventional receiver.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
HDNet, AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, and CAA Establish Joint Venture to Rebrand HDNet as AXS TV
Satellite HD Cable HD

HDNet, AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, and CAA Establish Joint Venture to Rebrand HDNet as AXS TV

HDNet is being rebranded as AXS TV through a joint venture among AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, and CAA, with the new network targeting distribution to more than 35 million North American households by summer 2012. DISH Network, the nation's third largest pay-TV provider at the time with approximately 13.945 million subscribers, will expand carriage of the channel within its America's Top 120 package and begin offering AXS-branded Video On Demand concerts starting March 15, 2012. For viewers, this means broader access to live concert programming, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and unique ticketing perks tied to AEG's global venue network.

Shane Sturgeon •
Bulletins