Multichoice explains HD-TV requirements

GTi

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Good to know, but this will be a very expensive task to the man in the street.The HD-ready decoders with personal video recorder functionality sound great and hope it's has dual view?
 

StoneCold

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Does that mean that you will only require a LNB decoder for HDTV from mulitichoice, and nothing else ? If so, then that is awesome news... :)
 

ldmelsa

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So it's going to cost more than their SD offering? Good luck to them! LOL
 

surreytj

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Its about time, bring it on!! I have a LCD tv and have been waiting for some HD broadcast from Multichoice.

They have to do this because the new players will probably provide some HD from the start.

Sky in the UK charges 10 pounds/month subscription for HD broadcast and the same for dual view.
 
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hoover99

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yet another reason to increase the cost huh. you know they give away the Tivo box for free Stateside?
 

LCBXX

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Buy Buy Buy, Pay Pay Pay.
Gosh, for R440 a month MultiChoice can surely subsidise those subscribers wishing to upgrade to standard HD boxes. I'm gatvol for having to constantly buy a better decoder because their technology requires it.
 

Ivork

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multichoice said:
some subscribers may have to upgrade their decoder (LNB).

Well then which is it? The LNB or the decoder ?? or both?
I'm totally confused by that article! :confused:
 

rave

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Well then which is it? The LNB or the decoder ?? or both?
I'm totally confused by that article! :confused:

From the article, if you have a dual LNB you will be able to upgrade it, if you have a single LNB you will have to replace it. As far as decoders go pretty much 100% that we will have to replace with a new unit. Component or HDMI output is required for HD and nothing we currently have has either of those outputs.
 

bwana

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From the article, if you have a dual LNB you will be able to upgrade it, if you have a single LNB you will have to replace it. As far as decoders go pretty much 100% that we will have to replace with a new unit. Component or HDMI output is required for HD and nothing we currently have has either of those outputs.
I regularly get confused by this but isnt RGB component?
 

TivoZA

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Good to know, but this will be a very expensive task to the man in the street.The HD-ready decoders with personal video recorder functionality sound great and hope it's has dual view?
DSTV will be using the "Pace TDS850" as the new decoder, it has HDTV support and PVR functionality.

Dual View functionality is a thing of the past, it's been blamed as one of the culprits limiting the current PVR's development due to it's complexity. The new Pace decoders will allow you to watch one channel and record another or record two and watch one stored programme. The decoder only provides output for a single viewing environment (i.e. all the output connectors show the same picture). There may however be the option to purchase a second decoder and have the content shared between the two decoders.

As far as costing goes, expect this decoder to be priced well above the current PVR. Pace's entry level HDTV decoder, the DS810XE, with no PVR functionality and no built in encryption support launched at £300 and although it's currently on special for £100 it normally retails for £180 ~ R2600 (The reason for the special is that BBC's HD test channel will be coming to an end soon and this was the primary reason for people purchasing the decoder).

Does that mean that you will only require a LNB decoder for HDTV from mulitichoice, and nothing else ? If so, then that is awesome news... :)
To receive HDTV, you'll need to purchase the new Pace TDS850 decoder (mentioned above) as well as a purchase a quad LNB (or at least a multiswitch). It's also been stated that viewers should have at least a 90cm dish to receive the HDTV broadcast, unless you specially purchased a 90cm dish expect to currently have a 60cm dish.

So it's going to cost more than their SD offering? Good luck to them! LOL
Initially the test HD channel will be available for free and used as way to encourage users to upgrade to the new HDTV PVR decoders. Once DSTV reach a point where they can provide sport and other premium content in HD, they'll be selling this as their premium package or as an add-on package.
 

Ivork

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From the article, if you have a dual LNB you will be able to upgrade it, if you have a single LNB you will have to replace it.

Lovely! New TV, New decoder, New LNB....what's left - the cable from the decoder to the LNB, and the bracket with the dish on the wall!!!

BTW: Doesn't dual view just use the same single feed LNB's - just two of them, each with their own cable running to each individual decoder? I fail to see how they'll be able to "upgrade" while a single LNB can't! :confused:
 

rave

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I regularly get confused by this but isnt RGB component?

I hear you, it's not that straight forward but without getting too involved: All our TVs/DVD players have a component output/input which is normally in the form Y'PbPr, RGB can be converted to Y'PbPr via something like : SCART RGB TO COMPONENT (Y-U-V) CONVERTER, which can be found towards the bottom of this page http://www.threedoubleyou.com/otherconverters.htm

The PVR is capable of outputting RGB over its scart output but hardly any of the HD televisions being sold here support that, so everyone would have to go out and buy a converter which I can't see happening. Another matter to consider is the fact that HD content is going to take up loads more space on the PVR so the current hard drive would be stretched to say the least.

This article on wikipedia goes into a bit more detail on RGB.
 

Ivork

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Just checked - dualview must have a different LNB.
It's just one with 2 wires coming out.
It must be able to deliver 2 different feeds.
 

Ricard

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Apart from the obvious high-definition television, some subscribers may have to upgrade their decoder (LNB). [For the less technical readers, a low-noise block converter (LNB) is used in communications broadcast satellite reception.]

“If subscribers already have a twin LNB, they will need a multiswitch device for splitting the signal into 4. For a new subscriber or a subscriber with a single feed LNB, a new LNB will be required,” said Multichoice.

Can someone at DSTV NOT talk out his backside. This LNB story makes absolutely no sense. Do they plan to run DSTV on one decoder and DSTV-HD on another decoder? which seems to be the brainchild of some person that is on Crystal Meth.

I could get SkyTV-HD on a standard LNB using a Thompson HD decoder. (Dont confuse Dual-Band LNB with Dual LNB... they are not the same things)
 
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ripclaw

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So will MultiChoice be offering a trade-in on old decoders for those customers wishing to upgrade to the new Pace decoder?
 
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