Read what? What are you talking about? Here is a quote from the website:
"I subscribe to local channels* through DISH Network.
Great news! You don't need to worry – DISH Network has taken care of transition for you! If your digital or analog televisions are connected to a DISH Network receiver, you will not be affected by the transition."
N7OR,
In some markets Dish is taking the local Digital signals which have to be cropped from 16x9 to 4x3 and then sampled and sent out as NTSC video. As we get closer to the February NTSC cutoff more and more local markets available from Dish will be using the local ATSC signals instead of their NTSC signals. When Dish says you will be unaffected, they mean you will continue to be able to receive your local channels from Dish without requiring any new STB or Television, it doesn't say anything about how that reformatted content will fill your screen.
When your local channel is sending out 4x3 content the picture will be unaltered as the cropping from 16x9 to 4x3 will not result in missing Picture as the Cropping is only cropping the Blank pillars on the side of the 16x9 image. If Dish was not able to crop and resample your locals Digital signal then you would no LONGER be able to receive your local channels from Dish after February 17th, 2009. When your local channel is carrying 16x9 HD material then yes the cropping will delete parts of the image on the left and right side of the screen when displayed on your TV's connected to your satellite receiver.
If you do not purchase a new TV and depend on your local ATSC Digital signals (After February 17, 2009) you would have to use a Digital Converter and you would still be faced with the same issue. 16x9 content would have to cropped, or letterboxed for your SD Televisions. If Dish set your locals' ATSC broadcast into letterbox then ALL local content would be letterboxed including SD material. Letterboxed SD content on a 4x3 screen would then take up less than 50 percent of your TV display.
Dish got special permission from the FCC to allow them to downconvert your local ATSC signals to NTSC so you are still be able to receive your Locals from Dish without requiring you to purchase new Televisions. Since Most HD content is not 4x3 you will always have issues with how the content is displayed on your 4x3 TV.
I have an HDTV connected to my Dish VIP622 receiver, and a lot of content will not fill my screen or some content is stretched by the Content owners. Some HD channels have Stretch-O-Vision. Some SD channels have Letterboxed SD. On a a regular basis I use the "*" button on my Dish remote to select which mode to use (Zoom, Partial Zoom, Stretch, etc) depending on which channel I'm watching and what aspect ratio, letterboxing the content owners are sending out.
This will be an issue for years to come, so your have three choices; 1) Pony up for an HDTV and HD receiver, 2) get a separate STB and connect it to your Local OTA Antenna, then you can change the STB's output options on the fly to what you prefer (Pillarbox, Stretch, Zoom, Partial Zoom), 3) Suck it up and deal with it the way it is.
John