Dsr-410

[money__shot]

With 4dtv coming to an end this year, im looking at options.
Is support for the DSR-410 programming ending as well?

[Bowhunters]

I'm going to call Skyvision in the next day or two, I've had my subscription with them for years, I had Analog BUD sub for years and my 4DTV programming through them for some years and I know one guy in particular that i've talked to repeatedly that works there.

I have noticed that they just put up a group of 410 packages a while back so my guess is they must think the 410 will be around for a while but like I said I am going to call them to see what they have to say.

I'll post back here after I give them a call.

[Bowhunters]

I called Skyvision, things sound like they are really screwy because according to the guy I talk to there said the present contract for 4DTV doesn't actually expire until the winter of 2011/2012, he said the problem is that there is a push going on to shut it down a year early (this January 1st 2011).

I told him I heard about it on a site and I never got any info from them, he said Skyvision hasn't sent out letters to subscribers like myself at this point because its still not 100% that 4DTV is going away this winter, he said 'due to that contract' its still kind of up in the air on whether its a definite thing that its shutting down this Jan but it looks like it could.

He did say that they have been successful in patching 920's and 922's so that they will work for the 410 packages, what he didn't garantee me was that they will be able to send that patch over a channel on the W5 satellite to be downloaded like they do regular updates on G-1 Ch 3 for the Skyvision receiver updates like for the tv guide, adding satellites etc.

I asked if he has been told or has any idea how long the 410 package channels on W5 would stay up (I asked 3-5 years?) and he said he couldn't say how long, he again pointed out that if 4DTV does go away this January that it will be a year earlier than what they had been told and what the contract says so theres no way he would venture a guess on how many years the W5 channels would stay up.

He told me even if my 922 does work (if they can send a patch and it works) that I will still need a new LNB and they are selling LNB's and DSR410 receivers for people that want to go that way and for people just in case they can't send the patch or if people have problems.

What is nice for me but may not be so nice for some people on 4DTV is that AMC18/W5 that will carry all the sub packages of digital C-Band after this happens is directly south of me here in Kansas at 105 degrees west, some out on the far east or west coasts may have issues with that.

[Badbob]

I too am looking to switch to the DSR410 after the end of the year. Are you saying we can have a patch sent to our 4DTV to get it to work and will we have to use the DSR410 with it also?
Does the DSR410 use the digicypher technology?

[risk]

skyvision is saying they did test and YES the 920 and 922 was successful while testing.

[Bowhunters]

The DSR410 receiver works on the new Skyvision (DSR-410 digital packages) straight out of the box, so if you want to buy a DSR410 receiver and buy the 410 programming from Skyvision i'm pretty sure you can do that right now and not worry about the 4DTV shutdown, they have all the same channels in the 410 package that they have in their 4DTV packages that they have been selling for years.

All the channels on the (410 packages) are located on just one C Band satellite - 105° W AMC18 W5, so that will be nice for some people that don't do FTA as they won't have to move the dish for any the channels on the subscription.

Skyvision has successfully been able to patch DSR-922's and 920's in their shop to play the digital 410 package channels so they are hopeing they will also be able to do it to subscribers receivers through an update from the satellite similar to how skyvision subscribers get their tv guide, new satellite locations loaded. etc but from what I was told they aren't sure they will be allowed to do it.

So if you already own a DSR-922 or 920 you could hold out hopeing they will be able to send the update for the receivers over the signal on the satellite or go ahead and buy a DSR-410, Skyvision is selling referbs for $130.

NPS kind of jumped the gun and bailed on its Bud subscribers instead of finding out if there was an alternative like Skyvision did with their 410 packages, from what i've read NPS has told all their subscribers to dump their Buds and to buy Dishnet from them.

[Badbob]

Will we be free of the digicipher board?:noidea:

[Bowhunters]

You haven't needed that for a while, the digital digicipher is inside the 922/920 receiver itself so if you are watching 4DTV you don't need a digicipher board, all they want when subbing a 4DTV at Skyvision is the receivers number, they don't even ask for the digicipher board number any more.

The exception might be if you still watch a sub'd channel in analog that is scrambled and then you would need it, if there are any of those even out there through another sat provider company, Skyvision doesn't sub any analog channels through their provider (Programming Center) and hasn't for a while, i'm not sure about the other BUD providers like (NPS or Netlink/Superstar/Turner) so only if you have a scrambled analog channel you watch would you need the pink digicypher board.

The DSR-410 doesn't even have the opening in the back for a digicipher board.

[satchick]

Here's a quote from a SRL rep, originally posted on Satguys:

Hello,

I'm Tim from SRL. I would like to clear up some confusion and share some information. At the end of the year there will be some big changes. There are still a lot of unanswered questions and when we have the answers we will share them.

Skyvision & Motorola have worked very hard and have tested 4DTV receivers (DSR-920 & DSR-922) to be able to receive the DSR-410 authorization stream via HITS on satellite W5. Customers will have to make some modifications to their 4DTV receiver for it to act/mimic the DSR-410 receiver. What that entails we do not know just yet. We want to make it as easy as possible for the customer to do when the time comes at the end of the year.

We have no agenda; we always have and always will be committed to the C-Band industry. We are a small company; we do what we can within reason. When customers call us we share the information that we believe to be true. In this industry things change quite a bit, we roll with the changes.

At the end of the year the big dish isn't going to end. It will continue, however we will be limited to the programming that is available on W5. A lot of customers have shared their relief, as they do not like the alternatives.

If you have any questions please ask.

Regards,

Tim

Satellite Receivers LTD.

Hopefully the 920/922 will be able to be activated.... If not, I certainly hope they have a good supply of 410's available....

[Bowhunters]

Yeah, that pretty much mirrors most of what I found out from a guy at Skyvision and that I had already posted.

As far as how many DSR-410's that are available, when I called Skyvision I asked that question and all I was told was "not a lot" but I wasn't given a number.