Dish to expand HD

**mike123abc** · 01-07-2008 05:36 PM

Anyway you slice it DIRECTV has the advantage now. Nothing Dish can really do until more satellites get into orbit. Turning on the spots on E12 will help a lot of markets in the Eastern US get LiL ASAP. Adding 10 or so more HD national channels will help too, they need to add 1-2 a month to keep the buzz going until they get their new satellites up. Dish still has far more HD than most cable companies, they will be behind DIRECTV probably another 6 months. It is hard to complain about a company that has had the most HD for years falling behind for 9 months before it catches up. It is mainly behind because of launch delays.

**kstuart** · 01-07-2008 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by nlk10010

Well that would be encouraging, if true. What is the reason?

Probably, that the "official" launch of USA-HD is not until the end of January...

**nlk10010** · 01-07-2008 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by kstuart

Probably, that the "official" launch of USA-HD is not until the end of January...

You mean that channel on D* calling itself "USA-HD" is an imposter?

You put quotes around the word official. Why? Is the dictionary definition not appropriate? What is yours?

**drdroo** · 01-07-2008 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by nlk10010

You put quotes around the word official. Why? Is the dictionary definition not appropriate? What is yours?

USA has said their HD feed is officially launching on Jan 28th. What's on D* right now is probably like when my local Papa Johns opened ahead of their 'Grand Opening'.

**skottey** · 01-07-2008 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by Slamminc11

Didn't Direct promise 100 by the end of 2007? I guess they were lying too, cause they didn't achieve that promise (again) either!

Fair enough, but I am not talking about DirecTV. I am talking about Dish.

Dish says they have 76 HD nationals. As a subscriber to Dish, and a regular visitor to their website and this one, I can't for the life of me figure out what 76 HD nationals they offer that I don't have. Somebody please post a list of these 76 HD nationals. My count is somewhere in the 40s at best.

**nlk10010** · 01-07-2008 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by drdroo

USA has said their HD feed is officially launching on Jan 28th. What's on D* right now is probably like when my local Papa Johns opened ahead of their 'Grand Opening'.

Oh, a "soft opening".

Well if that's true then it would indeed be a reason why Dish might wait until Jan. 28th, although you have to admit that having USA actually broadcasting HD shows on D* yet claiming they don't launch officially for another month or so is odd, if not unprecedented.

Do you have a link or pointer to their statement?

**drdroo** · 01-07-2008 06:41 PM

USA Network HD will not officially launch until January 28th, 2008

USA Network - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They site a wrestling site, but some other people cited other materials here that said the same thing in a different thread. The launch is connected to WWE RAW going HD on USA Network.

I agree with you that you'd think Dish would have it up now, but I think people might be right that they want to link it to their tiers.

**nlk10010** · 01-07-2008 06:47 PM

It certainly is a possibility (that they want to link it to their tiers), although also a bit of a stretch.

It seems that in order to feel good everyone is trying to make up their own reason why the launch hasn't occurred yet but will "soon" (e.g., on the last CC I saw Charlie scratch his nose at exactly 8:28PM so USA/SciFiHD must be launching on the 28th).

Chances are they will go up when everyone least expects it (I'm still waiting for the "is this the Wednesday they launch USA/SciFi-HD?" thread).

**trumanhorn** · 01-07-2008 06:49 PM

It's good to know E*'s on the cutting edge with their 100 HD release. D* announced 100 HD channels at CES last year, and this year they're projecting 150. It seems like too little too late from them; are they not concerned about losing customers?

**drdroo** · 01-07-2008 06:54 PM

D* still has the biggest marketing machine and the largest count right now. I don't think it really matters until E* matches or beats them. Will E* match/beat them? I absolutely believe so. Either way, I'd not go back to D* for all the tea in China.

E* is really limited by how much they can do until they launch satellites. Some people will bitch about their HD locals (which I'm probably not going to see mine in a LONG time since we just got SD locals in Dec 2005), and the other people will bitch about national HD. The problem is finding the balance until you can launch the sats.

Unfortunately E* cannot accelerate the launch. There's a pecking order and other companies are ahead of them in the line.