DirecTV has recently begun to update their infrastructure to include more services such as DirecTV, and in order to access DirecTV in HD and have it work on a HD television you will need to have the updated receiver. To get an updated DirecTV receiver you will most likely need to call DirecTV, but remember, even if they say it will not affect your current contract – it will. It may extend it up to two years with them – so before you consider an upgrade you also have to consider whether or not you want to be charged 400 plus if you cancel because you are not satisfied. Most of DirecTV’s HD services are compressed from higher resolutions offered by Dish Network and normal over the ground and land cable lines. The DirecTV HD receiver is touted as one of their newer receiver boxes and systems, making the others before it obsolete to a degree – meaning that eventually to even use DirecTV you will need to upgrade for *free* – but of course the two year extension goes without saying.
If you do chose to upgrade or buy DirecTV’s HD Receiver and services you can expect to have 17 channels in HD currently, although there are plans to further expand and grow with the launch of three more satellites and the addition of 20 more HD channels over the next two years. Because they sacrificed their planned broadband internet program over satellite they have instead converted those orbiting satellites to do HD. The tradeoff was decided after DirecTV sought to increase its subscriber base through the popularity of HD technologies. If you choose to upgrade, this is the basics of what it is and what will happen – do not count on them to live up to their *Free* offers – nothing in life is really free. Just be smart when you buy, try to get copies of whatever you sign, and if you cancel have someone with a great knowledge of the law on hand – or be prepare to pay for the entire two years anyways.
