# Rumor: DirecTV interactive channels coming in October



## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

Okay folks, I have some information about what will happen with DirecTV this October. I'm starting a new thread because I think this is something worth discussing separate from DirecTV's high definition offerings. 

As usual, this is to be considered rumor until official announcements are made by DirecTV. 

DirecTV is working on a project called Mosaic. Its an interactive channel scheme. At the start, Sports, News, Shopping and Kids will launch.

There will be a live feed from DirecTV with an announcer and then windows below with all the different news channels. You will be able to hear audio from whatever news source you want while the big PIP screen is in action. At any time you can select whatever news source you want and then go to that channel.

This will be real big with sports. For instance, say you like Nascar. You can put all the Nascar channels in a PIP screen with a live sports announcer reporting all the sports day activities.

To accommodate these changes, there will be a new set top box released at the same time. Some of these features can be used with the current set top boxes but, of course, more features will be available to owners of the new box. 

I know it's kind of hard to picture right now but as time goes on, it will become clear about how this system will actually work.

Right now, I don't know if I will be able to answer any questions outside of what is posted here. The whole thing is pretty hush-hush right now. 

Hope this helps. It's going to be an exciting time for DirecTV in coming months. We will do our best to keep you updated as much as possible.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

So does this mean the new HD Tivo's will need a switch out to accomodate this ALREADY?!! or have they made sufficient provisions for it ya think.


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

Chris this is not it. Its part of it but not it.

DirecTV announced this when they announced that they were getting rid of Wink.

I am also told that parts of this technology may work with old interactive boxes (although may not have all the functionality)

I don't think this technology (as neat as it sounds) will be an "oh wow" factor, most people just don't care about Interactive TV, instead they just want to watch TV.

I am told something bigger is coming.


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Why do all the cable and sat companies think that so many people care about this interactive crap. I have a freaking computer and can get about as much interaction as I can stand any time I want.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

DCSholtis said:


> So does this mean the new HD Tivo's will need a switch out to accomodate this ALREADY?!! or have they made sufficient provisions for it ya think.


Which is reason #1 that I held off on buying the HD Tivo for a year. Knowing new boxes are coming (which News Corp announced last winter) there was no way I was going to spend $1000 on something that wouldn't have the new features.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

bonscott87 said:


> Which is reason #1 that I held off on buying the HD Tivo for a year. Knowing new boxes are coming (which News Corp announced last winter) there was no way I was going to spend $1000 on something that wouldn't have the new features.


I'm with you I haven't bought one yet but was planning on it. Though I am planning on converting to HD before the NFL season so I guess the boxes I select will be the old Technology. Gonna have to convert soon thereafter anyway if I want to take advantage of all this. Of course if that means I get to see different replay angles I will have NO prob updating newer boxes so soon. Scott G: Sorry but for me at least Interactive TV/Feature ARE are and do provide a "wow" factor for me.


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

Honestly they would probably wow me, as I am a tecno junkie. However for my wife and most others I know this feature would be used as much as Dish Interactive is.

I don't know if your married or not, but if you want to piss off the wife try watching FOOTBALL and grabing the remote to flip through the cameras. 

BTW Walter grow a thick skin.


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

I think I've seen it (the same idea) in action, it's incredible. I really hope it's coming out here (in case you're wondering, I've seen something a lot like what you describe on British Sky Broadcasting and it's called Sky Active on it.) Given that they're both owned by News Corp I'd expect something almost identical. The only thing is that Sky runs on a different platform, so I don't know how that would work...


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

Yes the new software is based off of the Sky Software. 

BTW I have seen a demo of this on the OpenTV platform, I do hope the sky version is better, as when you changed to the camera you wanted it to a second or so before it tuned it in.

Agin for me its a good feature, but I dont see this as the big WOW that is supposed to shock cable and Dish Network.


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## jpurkey (May 15, 2003)

I'd just like to see a replacement for the interactive weather channel. (492) I miss that channel because I could get the current conditions and forecast for the nearest airport within seconds. It took 8-10 seconds for the channel to load when I timed it. I know the same information and much more is available online, but with only a dial-up connection (no broadband here) it takes about 1-2 minutes to connect to and load the weather.com page, not counting the time it takes to boot the computer which I normally leave off. Plus it was convenient not having to go to the computer room either. 

The new interactive service sounds interesting, but beyond the cool factor I doubt I'd ever use it. I hope that DirecTV still plan to bring back an equivalent of the Wink service.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

Scott Greczkowski said:


> Honestly they would probably wow me, as I am a tecno junkie.  However for my wife and most others I know this feature would be used as much as Dish Interactive is.
> 
> I don't know if your married or not, but if you want to piss off the wife try watching FOOTBALL and grabing the remote to flip through the cameras.
> 
> BTW Walter grow a thick skin.


Naw I'm single thank God..


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## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

Chris Blount said:


> To accommodate these changes, there will be a new set top box released at the same time. Some of these features can be used with the current set top boxes but, of course, more features will be available to owners of the new box.


Circuit City now sells the DirecTV branded receiver, the "D10" on their website. I would have assumed that DirecTV would have waited longer to put out their new boxes until this was a done deal.

~Alan


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## vail55 (Jul 15, 2004)

Wow, I was thinking of getting the HD Tivo but, I think I will hold off too. It is probably cheaper to buy a used HD receiver on Ebay and wait for the new set top boxes. 
At least it seems like we are making some progress with programming and features finally!
:hurah:


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## Neil Derryberry (Mar 23, 2002)

Thanks for the info, Chris!


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

For the Record Satellite Guru is not me. And Walter your my hero too.


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

"BTW I have seen a demo of this on the OpenTV platform, I do hope the sky version is better, as when you changed to the camera you wanted it to a second or so before it tuned it in."

The current Sky Active implementation (as I saw it last month over there) has that same issue.


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## dswallow (Mar 31, 2003)

This interactivity/PIP feature sounds wildly uninteresting.

It reminds me of how with my first Lexus RX300 it seemed Lexus was so proud of all the cup holders they'd designed in. I got so many questionnaires that focused on cup holders and saw so many paragraphs in brochures talking about cup holders all I could do was laugh. Yeah, right, I bought the car because of cup holders.


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

dswallow said:


> This interactivity/PIP feature sounds wildly uninteresting.
> 
> It reminds me of how with my first Lexus RX300 it seemed Lexus was so proud of all the cup holders they'd designed in. I got so many questionnaires that focused on cup holders and saw so many paragraphs in brochures talking about cup holders all I could do was laugh. Yeah, right, I bought the car because of cup holders.


I understand what you mean Doug. The interactive features will be nice but I really don't know how much I will use them. On the other hand though, at least DirecTV is doing something to keep things interesting.

By the way people, I never said that this is the ONLY thing DirecTV is doing this October. I was just passing along what was sent to me.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

dswallow said:


> This interactivity/PIP feature sounds wildly uninteresting.
> 
> It reminds me of how with my first Lexus RX300 it seemed Lexus was so proud of all the cup holders...Yeah, right, I bought the car because of cup holders.


I bought a new car in 1986 _because_ it had built-in cup holders. I called it my $13,000 cupholder. Everywhere I go,
I have a cup of coffee in my hand, so accomodating my caffeine habit is a priority. At one time, the ex-roommate had a car with no cupholder. I refused to ride with her.

Funny how these threads take on a life of their own. But this little detour serves to illustrate how some of us are attracted to the bells & whistles. How many of us have paid more for a particular brand or model TV set because it had a special feature like PiP, or that cool _"Super-Duper Laser-Color High-Phosphor Irradiated Electronic Picture Tube"_?

:backtotop


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## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

dswallow said:


> with my first Lexus RX300


:::: DROOL :::::
:::: DROOL :::::

~Alan


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2004)

I posted my resume with DirecTV in Los Angeles a few years ago. This past March they called me with regards to openings in 'Project Mosaic'. A guy named Jeff from their interactive group and I spoke on the phone a few times and he described the project to me.

While I never signed an NDA, I sorta presumed that it wasn't something I should post about on forums -- even if I didn't get the job - which I didn't. 

Dammit.

X


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Well, sounds like a good time to spill the beans.


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## Tusk (Nov 14, 2002)

It's hard to imagine the breakthrough in technology that will allow you to check your local weather with a few keystrokes, or get the current up-to-date news, or even buy something without going to a store. Man, this is going to be a revolution.


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## DS0816 (Mar 29, 2002)

Chris,

Thanks for the information.

The person who stated that Interactive TV is not wanted is, say, 95 percent right. Interactive TV is good for news, according to my experience with the Wink service in which I mostly used it for the Weather Channel Interactive.

What DirecTV (and Dish Network) don't understand is that they're missing some channels the other guy _does_ carry. With DirecTV, it has been long-overdue in updating the premium multiscreens (HBO, Starz!, Showtime, et al.) -- and there is also some catching up with non-premiums like Style Network, Great American Country and, not available on either minidish system, the MTV and VH1 suites, BET Jazz, and Ovation, to name a few.

Rupert Murdoch apparently wants a channel lineup that's best for DirecTV, a modern slate for viewers, and yet I notice no news of any new additions of anything of substance other than TV Guide Channel, NickToons, and Locals, Locals, Locals.

I'll be moving in the not-too-distant future, and the thing I'm wondering is...should I keep DirecTV?


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

If you want to see what MOSAIC will look like and see demos as well CLICK HERE there are quite a few clips available from Sky in England using the technology, plus one from DirecTV.

(Note requires Windows Media Player)


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

DS0816 said:


> Chris,
> 
> Thanks for the information.


Your welcome! 



DS0816 said:


> The person who stated that Interactive TV is not wanted is, say, 95 percent right. Interactive TV is good for news, according to my experience with the Wink service in which I mostly used it for the Weather Channel Interactive.
> 
> What DirecTV (and Dish Network) don't understand is that they're missing some channels the other guy _does_ carry. With DirecTV, it has been long-overdue in updating the premium multiscreens (HBO, Starz!, Showtime, et al.) -- and there is also some catching up with non-premiums like Style Network, Great American Country and, not available on either minidish system, the MTV and VH1 suites, BET Jazz, and Ovation, to name a few.
> 
> ...


Good question and all very valid points. I guess you have to take a look at what channels are important in your viewing habits. I subscribe to DirecTV's premium package and rarely use any of the music channels. The only premium channels I regularly check are the HBO and Showtime HD channels since I can now record them with my HD Tivo.

If DirecTV added any more non-HD channels, I probably wouldn't care. Of course, that's just me.

The interactive stuff I might use a few times but at this point, it's hard to say. It all depends on how the interactive channels are utilized.


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

Update: The new boxes that are to be released in October will have MPEG 4 as well as MPEG 2 capability.


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## jsheldon (Jul 22, 2003)

Chris Blount said:


> Your welcome!
> >...
> The interactive stuff I might use a few times but at this point, it's hard to say. It all depends on how the interactive channels are utilized.


Chris,

Looks like Dish jumped the gun. You can try inteactive viewing selection on Dish starting Wednesday with NBC and the Olympics.

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.asp?Feed=BW&Date=20040805&ID=3891727&Symbol=US:DISH

" .... EchoStar Communications Corporation DISH announced today that its DISH Network(TM) satellite TV service is teaming with NBC to create an NBC Interactive TV (ITV) showcase designed to deliver an array of NBC Universal's broadcast assets, including the networks that will carry the 2004 Summer Olympics coverage.

The showcase is the first ITV multiple picture-in-picture application in the United States and will be free to more than 9 million DISH Network customers with access to "dish home" ITV service.

Beginning Aug. 11 and running through Aug. 29, the showcase will allow viewers to monitor five NBC Universal networks on a single TV screen and select the competition or program that the viewer may want to view in normal, full-screen format. ..."


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Chris Blount said:


> Update: The new boxes that are to be released in October will have MPEG 4 as well as MPEG 2 capability.


To me, this is a little troubling. I just paid $1000 for an HD DirecTiVo and they now want to start rolling out MPEG 4?


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

Lee L said:


> To me, this is a little troubling. I just paid $1000 for an HD DirecTiVo and they now want to start rolling out MPEG 4?


Which is why I decided earlier this year to wait until next year to get any new receivers knowing all this new fancy stuff was coming. Sucks not being able to record HD for another year but I figured it would be worth it. Looks like I may have made the right call. Whew!


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## beasst37799 (Mar 8, 2004)

Im sure d* will take a few years before they completely change over to mpeg4 . Also theyll have either a replacement program or /and an add on so dont worry so quickly


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## dswallow (Mar 31, 2003)

It's taken over 5 months to deliver HR10-250's to almost catch up with orders since they started producing them. Not even close to 10,000 units. It'd take them well over a year to replace this unit with something else. Any new receivers coming out with new functionality won't suddenly appear in the millions. It'll take time to roll out enough of them to warrant making programming available that would only be receivable with a new receiver. Those people who spent $900-$1000 for a HR10-250 will have had over a year and a half of use before the _possibility_ comes along there'd be some subset of programming using anything incompatible with it.

Using this as an excuse to wait might sound nice, but it really shouldn't be even a consideration if you want HD.


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## BrettStah (Feb 7, 2003)

Do we know for sure that the HR10-250's couldn't potentially handle MPEG4-encoded stuff?


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

dswallow said:


> Using this as an excuse to wait might sound nice, but it really shouldn't be even a consideration if you want HD.


All true. My real excuse is $1000. Too much. I'll wait for it to drop someday.


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## hongcho (Mar 25, 2004)

BTW, is this MPEG-4 Part 2 or Part 10 we are talking about?

Hong.


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## dswallow (Mar 31, 2003)

BrettStah said:


> Do we know for sure that the HR10-250's couldn't potentially handle MPEG4-encoded stuff?


100% for sure? Maybe. When we first got our hands on them we looked at the chipsets and went looking at the spec sheets on them; I'm pretty sure the MPEG decoder didn't mention MPEG4. It's been so long I'm not sure I can find that original thread anymore. 

I do recall we did figure out it can't handle 8PSK modulation though.


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

One thing I hope they don't do that they've done on the Sky Platform - BUGS in the upper right hand corner generated by the receiver (but which you can't turn off) telling you there's interactive content for the show/channel. It would be so easy to let you turn them off in the menu, but nope.


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## Combow (Aug 8, 2004)

I can't wait! I’ve herd that Directv and Gemstar was working together to make interactive services so they brong out the TV Guide channel in place of out old interactive service why I don't know.

I hope they also have Music Choice Interactive again and that the new box they bring out is RCA not HUGHES.


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

"I’ve herd that Directv and Gemstar was working together to make interactive services so they brong out the TV Guide channel in place of out old interactive service why I don't know."

You better pray not! Have you ever seen TV Guide Interactive? It's absolutely awful. We've got it on cable. The next version is supposed to be a lot better (called iGuide). Shaw's finishing up rolling it out right now. But no news on when even the biggest cable companies here will roll it out, much less our small town cable system. The end of the year would likely be the earliest  . And even the iGuide version has some ads...


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## ddobson (Nov 25, 2003)

I sure hope they can bring the guide data back to what it used to be. I am having problems with more and more programs recording multiple episodes on my DTivo. I've had a season pass for Headline Act on VH1 classic and as of 2 weeks ago it started recording every occurance of the program because of lack of episode definitions.

I've had the same problem with Who Dares Wins on Game Show Network.

By the way for your Fear Factor fans, Who Dares Wins looks to me to be where Fear Factor might have come from. It's a great show and I never miss it now.

Great Season Pass suggestions except that you might end up with multiple copies of the same episode.


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## Combow (Aug 8, 2004)

MarkA said:


> "You better pray not! Have you ever seen TV Guide Interactive? It's absolutely awful. We've got it on cable. The next version is supposed to be a lot better (called iGuide). Shaw's finishing up rolling it out right now. But no news on when even the biggest cable companies here will roll it out, much less our small town cable system. The end of the year would likely be the earliest  . And even the iGuide version has some ads...


Well I liked Wink but who else offer interactive services and Gemstar offer some nice Interactive services they did a fine job with Music choice. I think Gemstar Music choice look better than Wink Music choice in case you don't know who Wink is it's the old Directv Interactive service.

Visit Wink 
Visit Gemstar









Interactive powered by Wink for Directv









Interactive powered by Gemstar for Digital Cable (Comcast,Bright House,Adelphia)


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## BrettStah (Feb 7, 2003)

DirecTV gets guide data from Tribune, who gets it from each network/channel. So, you should complain to Tribune and/or the network/channel to get the issues fixed (hopefully, but don't hold your breath in the meantime! ).


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## arxaw (Jul 13, 2003)

Will the new D* boxes have MPEG 4 capability (or something similar)? If so, this would be a bigger deal than the interactive stuff, IMO.


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

arxaw said:


> Will the new D* boxes have MPEG 4 capability (or something similar)? If so, this would be a bigger deal than the interactive stuff, IMO.


Yes. They will have both MPEG 4 and MPEG 2.


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## rocatman (Nov 28, 2003)

DirecTV could do with the NFL what Dish is doing with the Olympics i.e., allow you to view six games at the same time on one channel. You could then select one game if something exciting was happening there. If there were more than six games on at the same time, you could choose the six you wanted to watch. I am sure this would provide a WOW factor for the diehard football fans out there.


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## jpurkey (May 15, 2003)

rocatman said:


> DirecTV could do with the NFL what Dish is doing with the Olympics i.e., allow you to view six games at the same time on one channel. You could then select one game if something exciting was happening there. If there were more than six games on at the same time, you could choose the six you wanted to watch. I am sure this would provide a WOW factor for the diehard football fans out there.


Even if they did it with The Olympics the WOW factor would only last about 5 seconds and then I'd consider the channel a waste of bandwidth.


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## aaronwt (Aug 14, 2003)

Any chane they will have the Windows Media compression. It is much more efficient than mpeg4.


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## Skyboss (Jan 22, 2004)

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...Yaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwnnnn. I want more HD!


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