From: sk@intrepid.net Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite.tvro Subject: Re: Answers To All Your DCII Questions Date: Thu, 01 Aug 1996 04:49:45 GMT Organization: Texas Networking, Inc. Sherry Heinz wrote: >In an effort to find out more about the new G.I. receivers I was faxed >info from G.I. with this number on it. I called the number and asked some >of the questions that have been brought up in this newsgroup. >I would suggest that if you want to know exactly what capabilities the >new receiver will have, you give G.I. a call at >General Instruments Digicipher Division 800-320-8284. >Sherry Heinz >American Satellite Technology Thank you Sherry. I did call them and they were very polite and patient with all the questions I asked. Several times The man went to find out the answers if he did not know them right off. Hey at least he was helpful. Here is what was said... Q) When will the DCII units be available to the consumer ? GI ) It is slated to be released in December, they wanted to get everything perfect. Q) What are the audio features on it. ? GI) I'm hearing it will be Digital AC3 Q) It's not going to have the dolby AC3 5.1 ? GI) Ummm, dolby 5.1, I'll have to ask about will you hold on....... Me) sure.. GI) It's going to have 7 channels of dolby but 5 of them will be encoded. The signals that will be sent will be on a 5.1 pattern. Q) What about the channels like PBS & Court TV that have gone digital Are we going to be able to view them again ? GI ) YES ! ME) We WILL ? GI) Yes, as a matter of fact I'm watching them right now. ME) I thought they were transmitting in Digicipher 1 ? GI) Well from I hear it's all going to move over to digicipher II. ME) It's ALL going to move over to DC II ? GI) Well most of it. If if there uh basically uh uh it all depends on the programmer. I know there are some I probably seen like you said the DC1 signals on PBSas we get everything. If PBS does move over to DCII that's their decision I really couldn't tell you if their going to or not. More than likely yes. Q) Who has made the commitment to go to DCII ? GI ) As far as I know HBO & TVN. right now we really don't have a;lot of information as it is really, really new. We are trying to convince the programmers to move over to DCII. The hard part is, is trying to get them to pay for these new receivers.... ME) There is soo much that is still left up in the air. No one except HBO has made the commitment to use DCII along with TVN. What about Court TV & PBS ? GI) The only one who can answer that is the programmers themselves. It's all up to the programmers if they want to do it or not. Q) What if the programmers decide to use Scientific Atlanta ? GI ) Then that's a whole different ballpark. Then if you want those who go SA you'll have to have a Scientific Atlanta decoder. I'ts mainly up to the programmers. We don't have that information. Were kind of like, well hey here it is, if you want to buy it then buy it and start encoding DCII. ME) It would have been nice to have DC1 included in the decoding process on the DCII receivers. GI) Digicipher 1 was not even susposed to be out on the market place. It was just suspoed to be a tester, only for field test then they were going to DCII. ME) Now if that's true, and I say this in all sincerity, Then Why did Court TV go to DCI, theyshould never have been preassured to go DCI. GI) I don't know if they were preassured or not, that's information I don't have. Q) If DCI was only sent out for a test then why did they go ? GI) Well because Digicipher II got set back. So people were screaming Hey we want digicipher, we want the digital technology Q) Will it be DVB compliant ? GI) I don't know, all I know is that it is MPEG2 compliant. GI) of course all these decisions are made by the programmers, They say we want digital technology, we want the DVB, we want AC3 we want all this good stuff. So GI just makes the product. It's all up to want they want. If our product doesn't, isn't interesting to them then they will go to Scientific Atlanta. It's not our choice, it's their choice. Q) As far as DC! & DCII goes, if the programmer doesn't upgrade from DCI to DCII then we are SOL right ? GI) THAT's TRUE ! Q) Whoever designed this thing, didn't they ever get any input from the consumer end users ? GI) Basically DCI was designed for commercial use only. They wasn't even susposed to go out as a major commercial unit. It was just a field test to make sure digicipher worked and then they were to upgrade to DCII, then that all got set back when PrimeStar came out. So now that they are getting to DCII now they have try to make all these programmers who bought DCI units buy DCII units, and the programmers are like NO, DCI works why do we want to buy a DCII. So it's not up to us. It is up to the programmers to buy it first. ---------- After a few more questions the man came back with an answer to the DVB compliant IRD's. He went and asked someone else. GI) In answer to two questions you had, DCII will now be DVB1 Compliant. That's a definate. As far as why the engineers did not make the receivers the DCI signals available to consumers is that they would have to completely restructure all their equpitment they would have to start a new line, uh, they went from the innovation series to the ovation series and completely skipped over the DCI. All the demand was coming from the programmers we had none from the consumer. Q) Is the DCII SCPC compatible ? GI ) I believe it is MCPC let me verify that one, hold on please... GI) It is MCPC on the new generation. From what I hear in the works they are working on one that may be 3rd generation that will do both MCPC & SCPC. Me) Well you've given me alot of information and not all what I wanted to hear... GI ) Well you can't win 'em all .... Q) Back to those who are commited to using DCII, all you have are TVN & HBO ? GI ) If you want to find pout if PBS is going to upgrade to DCII call them at (703) 739-5454. If you can't reach court TV call back and I'll try to find their number. End of conversatrion....