This is the Legacy Reverse Band 5 LNB. It’s the king of the hill of all DIRECTV LNBs right now. Take a look at what it can do:
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This LNB will receive all broadcasts from every DIRECTV satellite except the international one.
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It also lets you connect to an external SWM.
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With this LNB, you can expand your DIRECTV system endlessly.
Seriously if this thing made Julienne fries, it would be the whole picture. But do you, personally need it?
Here’s what it’s made for
This LNB is designed to be the be-all-and-end-all for commercial installations. In fact, it’s now the only LNB recommended for DIRECTV’s D2 Advantage system for apartments and Residential Experience system for hotel. While you can use a different LNB for other commercial installs, this one is designed to give the commercial user everything they might need, for the foreseeable future.
Here’s why it might not be for you
If you’re a DIYer there are some things about this LNB that might be a problem, or at the very least they’re features you don’t need.
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It’s hard to aim. You need an AIM meter for sure.
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It’s not the cleanest install. The LNB is big and the two extra wires sit on the outside of the arm.
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It guaranteed 100% needs an external multiswitch, so the cost to implement it is higher.
Will home users really need everything it brings?
The Reverse Band 3 LNB is the standard for home use. It will support 13 tuners, up to 21 if you are willing to be very careful with how you power things up. That’s enough for a 4-room Genie system plus at least 3 other DVRs or 6 receivers. If you’re careful you can get 14 other receivers on the line.
It’s true that the Reverse Band 3 LNB doesn’t get signals from the 110 or 119 location, but is that really critical to you? The 110 location is only for Puerto Rico. The 119 location is going away in less than a year and currently only has standard definition channels. You don’t need to see those locations and that makes the Reverse Band 3 a better bet. It’s easier to aim since you don’t have to see so many slots.
It’s true that the Reverse Band 3 dish doesn’t give you any expandability but as a home user do you really need more than 18 locations? Hey, good on ya if you do. I just suspect you don’t.
The only reason home users need the big LNB
It’s not the expandability, it’s not the extra satellite locations. If you want HD, 4K, and access to DIRECTV’s international programming, you do need that big LNB. It pairs up with the international dish and a special diplexer to allow both dishes to work together for HD, 4K, and international programming. A regular DIRECTV dish cannot get programming from DIRECTV’s 95 degree location. Its signals aren’t compatible with any of its regular LNBs.
I suspect at some point the programming currently on the 95 satellite will be moved to some of the ample capacity on the 99 and 103 locations but that’s a while off and it will mean a lot of new hardware. When that makes good financial sense, AT&T will do it.
