Kenny, Thanks for the response. looks like there are very few up & running with DirectTv and HDTV. I'm about ready to take the plunge with a Pioneer Elite pro 700HD also. I hear that pioneer may have a "SHD-09" combo of HD converter, Direct TV receiver, and dish out early next year. I'll wait a few months to see. I'm still interested in folks actually using the setup to let us know the ins & outs. BlackJack