Gizmodo: sat-go

DirecTV Sat-Go Gets a $500 Price Drop

blongo3 — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 16:20:32 EDT

For those of you who wanted the Sat-GO, DirecTV's briefcase shaped TV that can pull in satellite broadcasts, but weren't willing to pay the exorbitant $1499 price tag, good news! DirecTV dropped the price of their Sat-Go portable satellite system by $500, to the still relatively expensive price of $999. But hey, $500 is still $500. And Now you will be able to go out and enjoy the great outdoors without missing any NFL action next weekend. [Product Page via Zatz Not Funny]

DirecTV Sat-Go Portable Receiver Seen on...TV

Brian Lam — Fri, 25 May 2007 20:22:51 EDT

Here's early video of a Sat-Go, DirecTV's portable satellite receiver, as presented alongside an innocuous collection of grads' and dads' gadget gifts on NBC.

See it? Just fast-forward past the Carbon Fiber Zero Halliburton case, and a snowboarding jacket from Burton's Audex line. (In June? Nice timepeg, guy.) – Brian Lam

Exclusive Pics from USA Today's DirecTV Sat-Go Grope

Wilson Rothman — Thu, 17 May 2007 20:30:00 EDT

Ed Baig and Jeff Graham, the reviewin' duo over at USA Today, were among the first to press with a review of DirecTV's new mobile receiver, the Sat-Go. As you Giz readers probably already know, the kit by Humax has a 17-inch LCD screen, integrated receiver, "laptop-style" battery, remote and antenna. That is, the lid of the carrying case is the antenna. Ed and Jeff were kind enough to share with us some of the shots they took that didn't make it into the final story. Follow the jump for excerpts from Ed's review.

While the $1499 kit isn't portable in the sense that a laptop is, the guys say it's as "luggable" as any mobile computer built before 1990. Says Ed:

The trickiest part of setting it up is finding a suitable (and hopefully flat) spot to place the antenna. As with any DirecTV installation, the antenna requires an unobstructed view of the southern sky [hence the compass built into the side of the carrying case]...The quick-start guide shows you dish-pointing coordinates for 15 major markets, with a lengthier list inside the manual. Pressing a button on the TV shows you a signal-strength meter; you'll need 50% or better to pull in a picture.

There's more bad news:

It's hard to imagine in this day and age, but tree leaves are the great technical barrier. They prevented me from ever getting a signal in my backyard. After a bit of trial and error, I was able to get reception in my front lawn.

If you're truly in the middle of nowhere, forget about catching much of the game if you have to rely on the replaceable lithium-ion battery; it lasts just an hour, and a full recharge takes eight hours.

The good news(?):

Under ideal circumstances, you'll connect Sat-Go to a wall jack, or cigarette lighter adapter for powering it up through your car or boat.

Since the satellite receiver is built into the LCD, you can use Sat-Go as an additional TV tuner in your house. Under that scenario, you connect the LCD by cable to the more typical dish installation on the roof.

Truth be told, while Ed gave it three stars out of four and called it "really cool" right in the headline, he seems smitten with the idea—especially for gameday tailgaters—not the execution. If you are still holding out for one, you might want to read Ed's column in full, skipping over the headline of course, or check out the more amusing video of Ed and Jeff discussing Sat-Go. (I'm no theater critic, but something tells me Jeff is just feigning ignorance.) – Wilson Rothman

DirecTV Sat-Go [Gizmodo]

DirecTV Shoots Out Sat-Go TV Anywhere Service

Jason Chen — Thu, 03 May 2007 18:45:32 EDT

For those of you who really need to get DirecTV everywhere, you were probably eagerly awaiting DirecTV's Sat-Go satellite-tv-in-a-box service. Well, the wait's over, since DTV's just rolled it out officially.

Starting today, current DTV customers can get the service for $1,499 by calling 1-800-DIRECTV. If you're afraid of phones, the Sat-Go should be available at retail stores soon. How much is 1280x1024 TV anywhere worth to you? We can bet it's probably not worth a G and a half. – Jason Chen

Press Release [DirecTV]

Impressions [Gizmodo]

DirecTV Sat-Go Impressions (How Much is TV Anywhere Worth to You?)

Jason Chen — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 17:10:59 EDT

Earl of DBStalk really loves TV. He (and people like him) is the reason why DirecTV invented this 26-pound satellite TV box that lets you get satellite television anywhere. If you're asking yourself who would actually lug this thing around when they go camping, vacationing, or traveling, you're obviously not in the target "8 hours of TV a day" audience.

The LCD unit connects to the satellite receiver, which also has additional inputs in case you're carrying around a PS3 or an Xbox 360 with you as well. Head over to dbstalk to get more impressions of what you'd get with this system. On the bright side, Earl says the briefcase has a "James Bond" feel to it, which unfortunately gets washed away as soon as you pull out the TV and start watching Two and a Half Men. – Jason Chen

Sat-Go First Look [Dbstalk]

DirecTV Sat-Go Is Real, So Are 100 More HD Channels

kthompson — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:31:47 EST

Months ago, we told you about a DirecTV prototype portable TV called the Sat-Go. Imagine our surprise when one of DirecTV's CES announcements today was a fleshed out Sat-Go system set to debut this spring. It still folds up like a briefcase and features a removable DirecTV tuner, a 17-inch LCD screen and a handful of inputs including component and composite AV and USB.

More DirecTV announcements after the jump.

The Sat-Go is designed for the information-hungry traveler and is fed by DirecTV's satellite signals. For $4.99 per month you can mirror your home subscription package to your Sat-Go, so prepare to go dish everywhere if you want your dish to go anywhere. In addition to current programming, DirecTV also announced plans to add 100 HD channels to their service by the end of 2007. Pricing details won't be available until closer to launch. – Karson Thompson

DirecTV SAT+GO! Brown Box Does Portable Satellite TV

Brian Lam — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 21:27:39 EST

Duh. Who knows if this'll see the light of day, but the DirecTV SAT+GO!, or Satellite To Go, has both an annoying name, and a brown color reminiscent of the swampy Zune. The briefcase sized box folds out to reveal a dish in the back, and an LCD on its face, with controls below it. I'm doubtful it's HDTV, but if so, that's a double leap in tech innovation. Sources also say this setup will have a data component to it, at least for the channel guides, if not for other data hookups. Of course, this photo is a pretty rendering a 2nd year design student could have pulled off. Don't get me wrong: It's a real honest to god DirecTV product in the making. But taking something like this to market, well...I'll believe it when I see it at Best Buy. Portable satellite TV is the TV Shoe of this decade. –Brian Lam

DirecTV Sat+Go! [Thanks Ryan!]