Getting MPEG4 to a hard drive server - help

[mprh39]

I am not quite a novice at this so I hope my question is not redundant.
I subscribe to directv, and have 4 hd 250's with extra hardrives for recording. I have over the air local channel capabilities. My question is mpeg 4 and extra HD channels from d*tv, when will I need to switch over, and when will there be a output to a hard drive server for a time shifter like me? I record hundreds of hours of HD recording so I can time shift and view my recordings at my leisure.Will there be any products coming out that will be able to enable the usb outputs on the new dvr's coming out, and allow an external hard drive or server to record many hours of recording?

Marie

[Shane]

The last two (of the initial three) of DirecTV's MPEG4 satellites are to go up later this summer and early next year. In September, they will be launching a slew of new HD channels, as you've probably read/heard. There have not been any announcement of a scheduled conversion timeline. Look for an article on the DirecTV rollout tomorrow.

Regarding recording to hard drive or media server ... don't expect that anytime soon. Many devices include external storage connections and/or network connections, but from what I hear, "Hollywood" has some high demands about being able to store their content outside of the device.

- Shane