i am about to buy a pansat 2700a i was wondering if it works for direct tv. and how does pansat work? im a newbie to this. is there any other brand that works and is cheaper?
It will not do anything for DirecTV.
The PanSat 2700a is a DVB satellite receiver. It is capable of receiving satellite MPEG2 DVB signals sent via satellite in QPSK modulation. It will not without serious modification receive other modulation methods, and then would not have processing power to display picture and sound for some signals.
It can be modified to decrypt certain encrypted signals. Viewing encrypted signals without authorization is generally illegal.
There are numerous DVB receivers available. Prices range a bit based on features. The 2700a has a nice "blind-scan" feature. Until you move up to professional or specialized units they are all basically the same in what signals they can tune, DVB as QPSK.
DirectTV uses DSS for their standard content. A DVB receiver cannot tune a DSS signal. DishNetwork used DVB for their standard content, however almost all of it is encrypted. Their HD content is using 8PSK and cannot be received with the Pansat.
If you have a big dish and want to scan the sky for signals the Pansat2700a is a good choice.