Outdoor Unit (ODU)
The Outdoor Unit is the official name for the satellite dish that is used to bring in the DirecTV signal. There are many different types of dishes that have come out over the years, but the current model is the Slimline dish which has a few options for the LNB.
Reflector
When looking at a satellite dish the reflector is the main piece you notice and see. It is the "dish" in satellite dish and has the sole responsibility to capture, focus, and amplify the beam to the LNB. Reflectors are made specifically to view certain orbital slots (where the satellites are in the sky) depending on the service needed.
LNB
The LNB, or Low-noise block converter, is the piece of the dish that sits out on the arm looking at the reflector. This is the piece that actually takes in the signal and sends it down to the receiver(s). On dishes like the Slimline, the LNBs can be swapped out for a few different options such as a SWiM enabled version, or a 3 or 5 orbital slot version (SL3 and SL5 respectively). They are still designed specifically for each dish design though (so only work on the slimline in the case of the SL3 and SL5).
ODU Designs
DirecTV has used many different ODU designs as technology has changed. Different ODUs are setup to look at different satellites depending on what was being used at the time.| Comparison of DirecTV ODUs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Dish | Oval 18" | Phase II | Phase III | AT9 Sidecar | Slimline | World Direct |
| Satellites | 101 | 101/119 | 101/110/119 | 99/101/103/110/119 | 99/101/103/110/119 | 95/101 |
| Outputs | 1 or 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 or 1 (SWiM) | 2 |
| Usage | SD Only | SD + Extra locals | Old MPEG2 HD | Same as Slimline, but old model | Current HD Offering | International Programming |
| Discontinued? | NO | YES | YES | YES | NO | NO |
Orbital Slots
Orbital slots are the locations of groups of satellites in the sky. They are labeled with the earth's longitudes (for example, 101 west). Different ODUs target different orbital slots, and in the case of the slimline dish you can pick either a SL3 or SL5 to target 3 or 5 of the orbital slots depending on your needs.| DirecTVs Orbital Slots | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot (West) | 95 | 99 | 101 | 103 | 110 | 119 |
| Usage | Some International Programming | New HD Channels, locals and national | Primary location of SD national and local channels | New HD Channels, locals and national | Old MPEG2 HD | Old MPEG2 HD, transforming into the new international location |
| Type | Ku | Ka | Ku | Ka | Ku | Ku |
CategoryDirecTVSetup
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