I've been trying to keep up with this but there just doesn't seem to be all that much concrete info yet.

I have a customer with an old spaun 3x4 multi switch that just had one output die. I'm thinking I should just have them call DTV and let DTV upgrade the dish but I'd like to see at least six outputs so we can put in a couple of dual tuner units. Anyone actually seen the new switches yet?

It really is a painfull setup and either way we are screwed. Comcast is much easier to implement but the picture is awful and the DVR box isn't great either. But DTV has just gotten crazy with this latest rollout.

For this specific customer it's a pointless discussion. They want the NFL ticket.

The new dish requires 4 RG6 solid copper downleads which can go to a 4x8 multiswitch rated from 250MHz to 2150MHz. You'll want to verify your multiswitch is DTV approved though, (Spaun has one I believe).

The new dish is under 1 Meter but is definitely bigger so be prepared for a bigger mount too.

The new H20's are, I believe, lease only. Should be available pretty soon, don't know dates though.

Will the existing receivers work with the new equipment? I'll have DTV put in a new dish, which on this job is within their ability, and then I'll make the wiring upgrades.

Solid copper only? I think all the belden is copper coated steel.

Definately Solid copper ONLY. The old receivers SHOULD, (I don't know this for sure), work with the new equipment as they are still using the same birds at 101, 110, and 119, they are just adding two Ka band sats.

We've had two clients, within one mile of each other, attempt to get the new MPEG4 DirecTV dish and H20. In both cases, the clients were told the new stuff was available. However, the installer for one of the clients arrived, and said the new gear wouldn't be available until late spring, so the installer put in a triple LNB dish and "installed" a HR10-250. The other client had the gear (new 5 LNB dish and H20) installed without a problem - and again, these clients were within one mile of each other!

In both cases, neither DirecTV installer bothered to 1) set the boxes to output at HD resolutions or 2) set the boxes for a 16x9 display. I guess that's why we're here!

Otherwise: the H20 seems to work OK - the H10 Ir command set for the MX700/800 controls it fine.

I'll take your word for that and check into some new Belden cable but it seems to me that this is going to be much more expensive than the standard 2Gig belden coax

If the requirement is 250-2150MHz, then the solid copper center conductor will offer no benefit over copper clad steel. At these frequencies, skin effect is an issue, and you'd see no increase in impedance if the center conductor were hollow! The impedance will only increase slightly for DC frequencies, and the cable doesn't pass much DC current.

I might believe someone at DTV that doesn't know what their doing might spec this, but I don't believe for a second this is real.

Nothing to do with the frequency range, it's the DC their concerned with. They say the copper clad resistance is too high but who knows if this is a real issue or more of a CYA for longer runs. Personally I wouldn't like to put four runs of cable in only to find out that it didn't work, much rather charge extra for the cable and do it right.

One thing to note is that switching is no longer done by tones but by encoding.

If solid copper is really necessary I can't wait to see the expression on my customers face when they are told that walls will have to be cut or cable exposed when a new MPEG4 receiver is installed.

This will be a major problem for a lot of people if all new MPEG4 receivers must be completely rewired.

What do you mean walls cut? DirecTV will send out some goof ball who'll wrap the house. When asked to wallfish, he'll claim it can't be done and if it's a guy "trained" by Echostar he'll mount the new dish in the middle of the roof over living area for no apparent reason.

You have four downleads now? If so give it a try first, if not then you're cutting walls anyway.

I upgraded a guy a couple of weeks ago from a Spaun 4x8 switch to a Spaun 4x16. He had 4 dual tuner tivos & 3 single tuner tivos w/some of the tivos obviously short feeds. We wer'e adding another dual tuner tivo & needed to have enough for all & future use as well. I have pretty much no experience with dtv configs & called Spaun & they hooked me up. A**D had one in stock & away we went. Dumb luck it all worked out?

Well it depends on what you call luck? My guess is you'll be replacing that multi switch when this customer switches to MPEG4 equipment. Hopefully that will be far enough down the road that they don't remember the price of this one.

I guess I need to do some research. I thought his stuff was fairly current. He is recieving local hd channels, has the quad lnb & budget is not a concern to this guy.

From what I was told by Spaun at Cedia, their older multiswitches do not have the bandwith capabilities and they will need to be replaced as the upgrades unfold.