Remember, the codecs (compression -decompression software) support a range of bitrates.  Just as with BD or DVD, the quality can vary.  One may even find that different programs on the same channel are at differing bitrates, and therefore, quality.

After 15 years with them I’m dumping DirecTV in December for FIOS because they dumped TiVO and because of HD Lite and their attempts to avoid discussing it..

I know I’ve said this before but they think a DVR is the same thing as a TiVO in the same way that Hyundai thinks the Tiburon is the same as a BMW M Coupe. Without my TiVO I don’t care if they offer every channel ever created. I had one of their DVRs for a week and it was horrible. I couldn’t read the text and there was no way to enlarge or change the fonts, it crashed by rebooting itself every other day, it didn’t have expandability or Wish Lists…it was a mess.

As for HD Lite, DirecTV won’t admit they do it even after repeated requests for someone there to explain to me why things look so compressed, and why they removed the ability to see what resolution is coming in.

Will their “1080p” movies be 1920 x 1080p or 1280 x 1080p? Just curious since they don’t mind redefining what 720p and 1080i stand for.

tarek - Your “gated” community can’t keep you from getting a sat dish.

Check here: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

okay…I now hate Cox cable.  I hadto switch from my beloved DirecTv when I moved to a “gated” community which doesn’t allow dishes.  Cable bites the big one.  My 50” Sammy plasma is going to waste.  I am so jealous of DirecTv people, I am going to weep quietly in the corner now.  Poor me

MPEG 4 looks about as good as it gets from amy provider and all the HD channels are going to be MPEG 4.  DirecTV and their competitors can not give any better quality than they are supplied by the providers.  HDLite isn’t a term to be use as it was in the past.