The HD icon for the channel probably goes with the coming ability to to re-map like feeds (ESPN, HBO etc) to the SD channel number.
NightRyder
Yeah, I followed that part.
Believe it or not many people with HDTVs and HD receivers do not actually watch the HD channels. When they watch movies on they tune to channel 300. Some of these same folks also come here or call Dish and complaign how bad the HD looks on HBO when they were not watching HBO.
This HD icon is to show them which channels are in HD, not necessarly what shows are in HD.
This is why they are remaping them near their SD version and are showing the HD icon.
I actually didn't realize this. Granted I'm pretty tech savvy, but I thought that most of the channels being in the 9000's was a no brainer... also that when you sign up for programming, you are aware of what is on what channel because they give you pamphlets as well as mailers that show what is on what channel. So, to me, it seems pretty simple.
I know that it's not perhaps that easy for some users (even though channel 100 or 101 or whatever is constantly telling people how to do it), but I use favorites lists and block most of the junk that is repeated on channels (like preview channels) and most of the channels that we dont receive but that by clicking on you will subscribe to. It just seems like everyone is given more than enough tools to know if a channel is hd or not, but yet we have zero tools to know if a program is showing in hd or not. It sucks when you pay for an hd station, and the content they show is sd, and you dont know till you watch it.
All that aside however, I still DON'T get why if they are going to go through the trouble of doing THIS, why they don't add the hd icon to the SHOWS themselves as well. I would love to be able to see if that episode of "the first 48" is actually hd, or sd on an hd channel, because at this point you really have NO way of knowing without actually watching it in real time (which is useless for dvring). I don't want the dvr to auto choose for me in secret, I want to know up front.
Doesn't that make sense?