KVH3 upgrade for Direct TV

[catalinajack]

We did the same with our M5: a new pcb and an outdoor contract with Dish got us up and running. We have the cheapest satellite box and then added an external hard drive we got from Dish. Now we have a DVR and can pause and rewind live tv and it’s all HD.

We have Dish with an Intellian dome and are quite happy with it. Combined with an RV account we can change locals as we travel thru the Dish app. However, sometimes, depending on the location, the locals are SD rather than HD, rather annoying but not a deal-breaker for us. Glomex OTA antennae (or other brands) will work in some places, not in others, pretty much only in areas close enough to cities with TV stations. Out in the hinterlands, think Tenn-Tom Waterway for example, you will be without service for long stretches.

 

[catalinajack]

We did the same with our M5: a new pcb and an outdoor contract with Dish got us up and running. We have the cheapest satellite box and then added an external hard drive we got from Dish. Now we have a DVR and can pause and rewind live tv and it’s all HD.

We have Dish with an Intellian dome and are quite happy with it. Combined with an RV account we can change locals as we travel thru the Dish app. However, sometimes, depending on the location, the locals are SD rather than HD, rather annoying but not a deal-breaker for us. Glomex OTA antennae (or other brands) will work in some places, not in others, pretty much only in areas close enough to cities with TV stations. Out in the hinterlands, think Tenn-Tom Waterway for example, you will be without service for long stretches.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Well here it is April 5th and I still have SD from my M7 and a shore based antenna when I am at the dock.

 

[tiltrider1]

Thanks for the update. I suspect you will start randomly loosing channels over the next 6 months. Will be interesting to see what actually happens.

 

[motion30]

Yes my m1 box still working. I'm not buying new equipment until it quits

 

[sum escape]

Yes my m1 box still working. I'm not buying new equipment until it quits

+1 And then a switch to DISH might still work with old M3 with just their receiver box....I hope. We'll see.

 

[motion30]

Ok so at about 5:25 today april 6th. I lost all programming. I don't know if this was the plan shut down or something specific to my account

 

[DD788Snipe]

I've been hearing rumors that DTV was going to shut down SD channels when their Sat ran out of fuel. Sounds like that's what has happened.

 

[tpbrady]

Based on a 15 year life at launch DirecTV still has 2 satellites at 101 west longitude that will be in service until 2020 or beyond. Most 15 yr satellites are lasting 17-18 years with the limitation being station keeping fuel. Some have even gone beyond 20 yrs if skillfully flown. DirecTV changes are purely due to signal format, switching from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 video encoding with 8PSK modulation. The H series receivers are able to make this transition. Others are not. What DirecTV puts on the 101 satellite after the change is anyone’s guess. My bet is the programming will be the same, just a different signal format. Over time this will probably change. Just about every cable company as well as DISH has gone through the same drill. They have done this for one reason, more channels in less space. What was 6 channels of SD programming in 1996 is now 12 channels of HD programming. The programming on the 101 satellite was frozen in a time long since passed.

This may may not be entirely true as I am not in the mainstream any longer, but I have been in the sat TV industry for more than 25 years, I just wanted to pass on what I have learned over the couple of decades.

Tom

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Thanks Tom.

So it sounds like SD is on the way out. Can KVH have an upgrade for the older systems or are we stuck with having to buy a new system?

 

[Woodland Hills]

Contact KVH with your serial number, there may be an upgrade path. We spent $1000 on a new circuit board and now we have HD from Dish. Is sounds like a lot of money for TV, but have you priced an Intellian replacement system lately?

 

[Codger2]

Glomex OTA antennae (or other brands) will work in some places, not in others, pretty much only in areas close enough to cities with TV stations.

Just cancelled my Direct TV 3 days ago and Had a Glomex installed. Works great but fluent Spanish would be quite helpful as many of the 54 channels I get are from Mexico!

 

[Lollygag1]

Here is the info I got from my contact in product engineering at DIRECTV. Hope this helps.

The upgrade path allowing the Ku antenna customer to continue viewing DIRECTV after the SD broadcast ceases is dependent on the antenna manufacturer.

KVH installs with a M10 will require DIRECTV HD hardware and a new Ku antenna. DIRECTV would provide the customer with the HD receiver if the account is active. However, the customer needs to contact a retailer/distributor to purchase a new antenna and inquire about installation.

If the customer is using a receiver associated with their residential account then they’ll receive notification to upgrade any MPEG2 receivers before their SD Locals are shut down. The customer would receive a H24 but our technicians cannot support the installation of the receiver in a boat, RV or other vehicle. If the customer subscribes to a mobile/traveler’s plan or has a standalone residential account (vs using a receiver from their home account) then the notification timing is based on that address.

Other Ku antennas for marine, RVs and tailgating should only require a HD receiver upgrade if the customer currently has a D11 or D12. This includes Ku antennas from Cobham, Winegard and King.

 

[tpbrady]

Lollygag is correct. Alaska SeaDuction, you should only need to get an H24 or HR24 (DVR) receiver if you can find one. They are not current production, but some refurbished ones should be available.

Tom

 

[MYTraveler]

Here is the info I got from my contact in product engineering at DIRECTV.

The upgrade path allowing the Ku antenna customer to continue viewing DIRECTV after the SD broadcast ceases is dependent on the antenna manufacturer.

KVH installs with a M10 will require DIRECTV HD hardware and a new Ku antenna.

That was my experience with KVH M7 -- upgrade was dependent on KVH. The best upgrade path KVH offerred was Intellian -- so that's what I did and have been happy ever since. (The second best path was taking KVH's $500 credit against a new $10K plus antenna -- that's why the Intellian path was better.)

 

[Woodland Hills]

Here is the info I got from my contact in product engineering at DIRECTV. Hope this helps.

The upgrade path allowing the Ku antenna customer to continue viewing DIRECTV after the SD broadcast ceases is dependent on the antenna manufacturer.

KVH installs with a M10 will require DIRECTV HD hardware and a new Ku antenna. DIRECTV would provide the customer with the HD receiver if the account is active. However, the customer needs to contact a retailer/distributor to purchase a new antenna and inquire about installation.

If the customer is using a receiver associated with their residential account then they’ll receive notification to upgrade any MPEG2 receivers before their SD Locals are shut down. The customer would receive a H24 but our technicians cannot support the installation of the receiver in a boat, RV or other vehicle. If the customer subscribes to a mobile/traveler’s plan or has a standalone residential account (vs using a receiver from their home account) then the notification timing is based on that address.

Other Ku antennas for marine, RVs and tailgating should only require a HD receiver upgrade if the customer currently has a D11 or D12. This includes Ku antennas from Cobham, Winegard and King.

Check and compare with Dish: you may have the option to keep your existing equipment for several more years by changing providers. Our PCB upgrade would not get us Directv, but it did allow HD through Dish and it appears that we will be able to keep our KVH5 for the next few years.

What will not work with Directv may very well still have a future with Dish, it doesn’t cost anything to find out. Contact KVH with your information and ask them what your options are, in our case it was a custom made board with a 4 week lead time, but now we have been up and running for months.

 

[sum escape]

Has anyone received an official "end date for SD" from DirecTV? I fired up my old M3 tonight and was still receiving programing...once we move back aboard tomorrow I'll see what is still available I guess....

 

[catalinajack]

Contact KVH with your serial number, there may be an upgrade path. We spent $1000 on a new circuit board and now we have HD from Dish. Is sounds like a lot of money for TV, but have you priced an Intellian replacement system lately?

Intellian, depending on the size of the dish, costs between $2,500 and $3,500.

 

[Woodland Hills]

Intellian, depending on the size of the dish, costs between $2,500 and $3,500.

So we did pretty good for $1000! We also bought an external hard drive that plugs into our Dish box that gives us a DVR and the ability to rewind live TV which is great for watching sports.

 

[motion30]

Yes. The upgrade you need is totally new equipment. Kvh is offering no help I just upgraded to an Intellian i3. With a DirecTV H-24 receiver. I hate the fact that the DirecTV box is 110 volts and I need to run it off the inverter. But the picture seems better then the kvh M3 system I have.. hopefully this gear will not be obsolete soon

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Well as of today, I still have service with DirecTV. waiting for the hammer to drop.

It disturbs me that KVH is not helping its past customers. I have an M7. I guess they think I will buy a HD-7 at 13K......

 

[motion30]

Well as of today, I still have service with DirecTV. waiting for the hammer to drop.

It disturbs me that KVH is not helping its past customers. I have an M7. I guess they think I will buy a HD-7 at 13K......

That's exactly why I did not buy another kvh product.. but so far I am happy with the intellian system. Am I saved quite a bit of money

 

[sum escape]

Has anyone received an official "end date for SD" from DirecTV? I fired up my old M3 tonight and was still receiving programing...once we move back aboard tomorrow I'll see what is still available I guess....

Still working and getting most if not all the channels we did last Fall. Any idea what the end date is for DirecTV service? Their customer service dept. was not able to give a date. Has anyone received "official" notification from them? Thanks