If you are more of a hobbyist than MPEG-2 / 4 is for you. I like watching the religious programming on Galaxy 25 (97W) and AMC 1 (101W) Galaxy 10R has quite a few RTN (Retro Television Network) stations which in my opinion airs better reruns of the old shows. There are many of the same satellites that you can get FTA Digi II signals on that also have the FTA DVB channels. You can't go wrong with owning a DVB reciever. You get wild feeds and the technology is shifting to a more digital format. You should decide if you are for HDTV or not. Receivers are coming out now that are just flat out awesome compared to the offerings a few years ago.
The new Arion AF-8000HDCI is a good front-runner and example of this. Look here for article (and a magazine that is free for download and has excellent articles to help you set up a KU Band FTA system. Youcan also download the last couple of issues for free in PDF. This mag is primarily geared for overseas but still very applicable here.) http://www.tele-satellite.com/eng/ Also check: http://www.lyngsat.com/ for up to the hour postings of channels. These show all the satellites and all the programming which includes the Digicypher II and DVB channels. I do not currently have 4DTV or the HDTV sidecar mainly because of space restrictions of a C Band satellite. There are many good FTA channels on 4DTV and some good on FTA DVB. C Band and Ku Band alike. I use a 76cm Ku Band dish with an Invacom Quad that allows me to see Linear (DVB)and any free programming on Circular pattern (DSS) to two recievers in my home. I have a Pansat 3500 SD which at the time was the only reciever on the market that had Component Output for my projector system. It is a good reciever but I wish I had of held out for something with HD capability. You would be cutting yourself off to a bunch of free programming which includes NASA, the Pentagon Channel, The Outdoor Channel (including an HD channel), PBS, and many other channels, wild feeds, and news backhauls. Even if you did C band only DVB. You can't go wrong with 4DTV and MPEG2 DVB / MPEG4 DVB. Hope this helps, Ray --- In [email protected], "tim_johns3" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I am glad you are getting back into this hobby but I fear you made a > mistake. I have owned a 922 with an HDD200 HD decoder and an mpeg2 > receiver. I've had the 922 since they first came out. Prior to > owning it, I owned a 920, a HTS X+ and an HTS 8. I sold the mpeg 2 > receiver 1 month after I bought it. They are a pain in the a__ and > there is very little to watch that we might enjoy. The 922 has high > quality HD and cable type programming on 24 hours a day. If you like > movies, every movie channel in the sky almost is available.. Buy a > 922 and HDD200. You will not regret it. Alsso, with only a 9' dish > the splitters and Diseq switches will cause a considerable decrease in > signal strength. My 12 ft paraclipse suffered a 10 point drop in > signal strength values and 5 points in quality when I inserted all the > splitters needed for C and Ku reception with an mpeg. BTW, you need > Ku for mpeg. here are a lot of feeds on Ku. T > > Good luck but buy a 922. >
