HDTV From C/KU Band
C band is considered first generation signal or Master Broadcast Quality
because it is where most TV signals originate. The provider of these signals send
their transmission to these satellites where other cable companies and satellite TV providers
go to get those signals. In many cases, mostly with cable companies, these signals are compressed
and altered to be broadcast slightly differently.
 | |
C/KU Band:
With a 4DTV receiver you are given access to more then the standard C Band programming. You can
get the standard analong channels along with the digital channels, usually for no added cost. Do
note that "digital channels" means pictures broadcast as 1's and 0's, not necessarily HDTV.
|
The DTV / HDTV channels you can receive through the 4DTV include:
- HBO-HD (2 Channels)
- Showtime-HD (2 Channels)
- Discovery HD
- HD PBS
Both HBO-HD and Showtime are included with an analog/digital
subscription (ie. if you subscribe to regular HBO you get
HBO HD as well) Discovery HD is $79.99 a year while PBS HD is a free.
C-Band dishes are 6ft or larger and often referred to as "BUD" for Big Useful Dish
or other related terms. Ku-Band dishes are 30 inches or larger.
The good thing about the BUD environment, in terms of price, is that there is
competition among program providers.
A lot of the channels are free also. You can reference these channels
at LyngSat.Com
With an MPEG DVB receiver hooked in line, you can get a
bunch of programming for free (see each satellite on lyngsat.com,
the free channels are marked). You of course can get most of the
national feeds for the Networks and time shift to any time zone you
want.
A BUD dish will cost you around $300 - $600 new, or much cheaper if used, and possibly free.
The other hardware you might want to check into would be the 4dtv Analog/Digital Receiver,
the HDD-200 Motorola High Definition Decoder and possibly the MPEG DVB receiver.
|
