im knew to this.. does any body know? if one of these days we don't have to pay extra $5 a month just to get a high def box? im wondering since local channels are broadcasting high definition for free. plus why do we have to pay extra for high def broadcasting when we are all ready paying for cable TV subscription? are they gonna ever change to high def as their standard subscription. and if i was to purchase a high definition box on eBay or amazon etc would it work? or do i have to purchase directly to direct tv. thank you.. very confusing question pls be patient thank you so much.

Hi r0adpirate,

It used to be years ago many manufacturers sold their own versions of DirecTV Sat receivers. However, today I think you have to get the receiver directly from DirecTV. They learned the monthly revenue thing from the cable companies. Unfortunately, nothing in this life is free. Same goes for programming. At least you get more HD from DirectTV and the picture quality is better than cable with MPEG 4 compression.