Getting Jealous of Directv?

[JayPSU]

So, who here is looking at the channels lit up in engineer mode on Directv and getting jealous? I must admit, I am. It seems that they will be getting all of the movie channels in HD, and quite a few national channels that we will not get. Not to mention, NESN HD, MSG HD, and FSN NY HD. They have a really impressive list over there. I have to admit, I'm jealous.

 

[rogerpl]

So, who here is looking at the channels lit up in engineer mode on Directv and getting jealous? I must admit, I am. It seems that they will be getting all of the movie channels in HD, and quite a few national channels that we will not get. Not to mention, NESN HD, MSG HD, and FSN NY HD. They have a really impressive list over there. I have to admit, I'm jealous.

NESN is big for my sports fix- I'll wait till spring to decide if a switch is in order but I like my 622 serving two rooms.

 

[Kaydigi]

MSG-HD is very tempting.

 

[richiephx]

I can care less about all the sports channels. As far as the other movie and national channels, time will tell when they get added. I'm not concerned because E* will probably add the same channels too.

 

[garys]

Dish seems to be adding the channels Direct keeps banding about, but without all the hoopla. I have seen the pq of Direct and am not impressed with it.

 

[shodobe]

Dish seems to be adding the channels Direct keeps banding about, but without all the hoopla. I have seen the pq of Direct and am not impressed with it.

My sentiments exactlly! And I have both.

 

[JayPSU]

Dish seems to be adding the channels Direct keeps banding about, but without all the hoopla. I have seen the pq of Direct and am not impressed with it.

I don't hear ANYTHING regarding Dish adding the additional channels of HBO, Cinemax, Starz, and Showtime in HD. That's a HUGE advantage that Directv has. Not to mention NESN HD, FSN NY HD, MSG HD, and NHL Network. Dish could fall FAR behind, VERY quickly.

 

[stone phillips420]

i wonder who will have history hd up first, available to the masses?

 

[mike123abc]

Dish really needs their satellites launched. They can probably squeeze 10-20 more HD channels on the current system. This probably will get them close to the end of the year with the same amount of HD channels as DIRECTV (not counting voom). They really need the new system up to compete next year, the launch delay of E11 (due to the mission before it blowing up) is really going to hurt them.

Dish will probably get more revenue in the short run with the 9 HDPPV channels, but that is a bunch of space they could have used to keep up with DIRECTV.

 

[jimboeau]

Dish really needs their satellites launched. They can probably squeeze 10-20 more HD channels on the current system. This probably will get them close to the end of the year with the same amount of HD channels as DIRECTV (not counting voom). They really need the new system up to compete next year, the launch delay of E11 (due to the mission before it blowing up) is really going to hurt them.

Dish will probably get more revenue in the short run with the 9 HDPPV channels, but that is a bunch of space they could have used to keep up with DIRECTV.

Do that many people really order PPV movies? Especially at $5.00 a pop. I think they would be better served to keep up with national channels.

 

[Slamminc11]

i wonder who will have history hd up first, available to the masses?

Dish stated last week that they it will be up on Sept. 4. One day earlier than previously announced.

 

[stone phillips420]

Dish stated last week that they it will be up on Sept. 4. One day earlier than previously announced.

cool tuesday then, i thought they usually turn channels on wednesday's

 

[8bitbytes]

Dish will probably get more revenue in the short run with the 9 HDPPV channels, but that is a bunch of space they could have used to keep up with DIRECTV.

Keep up with DirecTV? Those channels aren't lit yet and I would be interested in how many minutes of HD they will have if and when they do get lit.

 

[kstuart]

The "extra" channels on HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime are just the West Coast feeds that have the same programs 3 hours later.
Only Starz has extra HD channels going up on D*.
We'll see whether E* adds the same channels.
The only national HD channels planned for D* that are not already on E* are CNN-HD and TBS-HD, and it seems likely that E* will add those as soon as D*.

E* currently has 12 slots open for national HD channels due to Voom MPEG-2 changing to MPEG-4. And they may have other space not known to us.

 

[Aridon]

What has been pissing me off is Direct isn't raising their price for their HD package, yet. That could put some pretty serious competitive pressure on E if they do not raise the price. We'll most likely be making the switch to Direct once our house sells, just a good time to change things over at that time starting fresh. I have no loyalties, Dish got me this round because they had more HD but now that Direct is surpassing Dish in that regard, has gotten the kinks out of their HD DVR and is still retaining their sports supremacy I'll be heading to them.

 

[TheForce]

Reality check!

Jealous? Now that is funny! Here's the deal-

I'm much more of a cost - benefit kind of guy than a numbers game, especially how D* has been playing that card for several years, fooling quite a few of you. But soon, I'm sure they will be putting their channels where their mouth has been. Jealous? I'd hardly call it that since I have been busy watching many of the channels I want on E* for several years now while all I could get from my D* account ( yes I am a D* and E* subscriber ) is D*'s shallow advertising.
So soon, D* will finally be living up to their promise of those 150 HD channels, we hope!

Of course, once these channels ARE up and we can actually see than on D*, the choice will be what account do I expand and which one to lessen.
My Plan-
After D* does what they have been promising I will build a list of all the channels each service offers. Then select those channels that I specifically would watch. Seriously, I appreciate that some of you may be all excited about getting the bowling channel in HD but that doesn't add up in my book. However, I am quite interested in the History HD channel. So once I list all available channels and then note my favorites. I will end up with a list of desired programming I want to pay for. If D* wins, then I move my account over to them.
But that's not all there is- I also have to look at this hardware advantage. Let me tell you this VIP 622 is quite the deal now with unlimited and easy archiving. I would need to match that with D* as well because it is all important to me.
I agree that the PPV is not a big deal to me as I uses rental DVD's preferred. Maybe that will also change in the future as well, with Blockbuster and Hollywood Video going down the toilet, but I'll cross that bridge when the time comes.

So for now, I'm primarily with Dish because they offer more channels (and great receiver) I like to watch than D*, but maybe that will change as early as... D* puts their channels where their shallow advertising has been the past few years.

 

[TheForce]

Dish seems to be adding the channels Direct keeps banding about, but without all the hoopla. I have seen the pq of Direct and am not impressed with it.

Yes, I addressed the MP2 PQ in another thread. IT appears that D* has increased the white clipping and stretched the black pedestal to a point that increases perception of image luster and brightness but sacrifices the detail in those regions yielding a contrasty, but pasty image. I haven't seen the MP4 quality yet. If they are doing the same on MP4 channels then I won't bother with D* until they rectify that.

 

[goaliebob99]

I have to agree with Don about directv yapping about how many channels there going to add, but none of those channels have been added. While I can turn on my 622 and watch many of those channels now, today with dish. So whats the next press release going to say 400 hd channels by next month?? While they did get dish into high gear, dish has been all action.

Dish has done a great job keeping up with the quality and quantity. HD lite may be a term of the past with MPG4 compression. While the past two years have been dormant.. the past two months have not and the industry has changed and is ever changing now. The only thing that I dont agree with, that dish has not done is Market the hell out of how many channels you have in system now! Thats what gets coustomers in the door. If it was me I would be marketing everywhere. Expecally during prime time TV!

 

[Juan]

What has been pissing me off is Direct isn't raising their price for their HD package, yet. That could put some pretty serious competitive pressure on E if they do not raise the price. We'll most likely be making the switch to Direct once our house sells, just a good time to change things over at that time starting fresh. I have no loyalties, Dish got me this round because they had more HD but now that Direct is surpassing Dish in that regard, has gotten the kinks out of their HD DVR and is still retaining their sports supremacy I'll be heading to them.

I wouldnt be too sure of that..Ever hear of "super fan" most people are "assuming" d* wont raise prices when the new "HD" is launched. Time will tell

 

[nlk10010]

Even with my limited technical knowledge I know there is absolutely no evidence that the labels of the channels that D* has up in engineering mode bear any relationship to the channels they will actually carry nor when they will carry them. It could be well into '08 before some are actually broadcasting, the others never.

As an example, if the Dolans have anything to say about it, there is NO way either D* or E* is getting MSG-HD or FSNY-HD ANY TIME in the foreseeable future.

There will undoubtedly be SOME "HD" channels, of limited content, that D* will carry that E* won't (plus the RSN HDs) but I doubt there will be any GREAT difference.

The funny thing with D*'s new satellites is that they may have ended up answering a question no one asked: i.e. with the advent of MPEG4 technology they may not really have NEEDED all that capacity.

=NLK=