Al Jazeera America $5.00 a la carte ?

[r10fret]

Still no name change on dish channel 215.

The logo is slightly better since 12:45 pm today but that is only because the network adjusted it not dish network.

Logo still not in the safe zone on the right and the left graphics are still cut. Bottom sroll is also to close to edge.

Airing more live AJE simulcast.

 

[Jim S.]

I didn't know they were going to air programming from AJE, but that does go a little way towards explaining why they blocked American access to it. Still, I'd like to see what they're going to do when something is happening live in the Middle East. THAT'S when it was nice to have AJE!

The lack of a 16:9 picture is just stupid. I'm sure if enough people complain, Dish might letterbox it -- but that's STILL stupid! Other countries do just fine with 16:9 SD broadcasts, so why can't we? Does Dish's equipment even support 16:9 SD? Does anybody know for sure?

 

[navychop]

Does anybody know what equipment AJ uses in much of the world? Is HD equipment really still that much more expensive?

 

[king3pj]

Does anybody know what equipment AJ uses in much of the world? Is HD equipment really still that much more expensive?

I'm sure they can afford HD equipment. I think the problem is that they bought out Current and took their TV deals and placement in the process. Current wasn't available in HD at least on Dish so they didn't get an HD spot.


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[r10fret]

Does Dish's equipment even support 16:9 SD? Does anybody know for sure?

They are doing something like that with RT 280

 

[Jim S.]

Are they? I just checked and I get a 4:3 image, although it's obvious that it was a 16:9 image that's been compressed horizontally. That's even more annoying than letterboxing.

When I view RT (or formerly, Al Jazeera) on Galaxy 19, I get a 16:9 SD image direct to my 16:9 TV, no stretching necessary.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Thanks for sharing your opinion about the channel... again.

You are very welcome. Glad to be of assistance.

 

[r10fret]

When I view RT (or formerly, Al Jazeera) on Galaxy 19, I get a 16:9 SD image direct to my 16:9 TV, no stretching necessary.

Yes with the RT and AJE FTA signals on 97w you could just passthrough native 480i 16:9, with dish 280 it is anamorphic 16:9 into 4:3, because dish is not using a 16:9 flag to tell the dish receiver what to work with so it assumes it is just 4:3, this makes it hard but not impossible to tell your TV to change the aspect ratio while watching 280, at least on ch 280 we can see the entire video signal, on ch 215 it is a mess, the left is still really bad with the the words chopped. Any time they show a reporters name the first letter is missing.

 

[GaryPen]

Why do you need HD for a news channel?

Because EVERYTHING I watch should be sharp and clear, not a fuzzy, smeared mess, regardless of content.

 

[navychop]

I'll have to check 280. Only knew of 215.

 

[whatchel1]

Because EVERYTHING I watch should be sharp and clear, not a fuzzy, smeared mess, regardless of content.

I prefer HD but for talking head channels it isn't that bad.

 

[smithduluth]

AJA doesn't have 15 minutes per hour of commercials like CNN. Much less of has-been football players on diets :-}

 

[n0aaa]

Seems less biased than RT. I only watch RT for Thom Hartmann. See that the Chinese channel has disappeared. That was awful. Like to see Aljazeera on HD (asked Dish for it).

 

[r10fret]

CCTV is still on 279 in the rent a space zone like RT. (was on 265)

 

[r10fret]

So Friday end of day has arrived and still no name change, very odd, much less dish addressing the video/graphics/aspect ratio problem, top and left side graphics still cut off.

Right now "ONY HARRIS" is hosting "IVE." That's dish for Tony Harris is hosting Live.


I forgot to mention "Current TV" is still available to order a la carte for $5 a month on dish.com.

 

[lacruz]

I'm flipped over to Comcast and watched AJA. I'm not seeing the aspect ratio problems that I see in the Dish feed. No logos or names are cut off. It is 4x3 though, just centred properly. This is on Comcast Digital 107 in Jacksonville.


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[r10fret]

I'm flipped over to Comcast and watched AJA. I'm not seeing the aspect ratio problems that I see in the Dish feed. No logos or names are cut off. It is 4x3 though, just centred properly. This is on Comcast Digital 107 in Jacksonville.

Yes, it is not all messed up on Directv 358 either, just on dish 215.

An email to dishquality on Wednesday has yeilded no results and/or response.

 

[king3pj]

I'm starting to form my first gripes with this channel. I like to watch the news when I get ready for work in the morning. That is pretty much the only time I do watch it. The problem is that Al Jazeera keeps running other programs at 8:30am Eastern instead of their news broadcast. Some days I have seen a show about money and investing which is at least relevant to me as an accountant.

Today it was a show called The Stream. They literally had a couple "experts" and football fans arguing on a google hangout chat arguing about whether the Washington Redskins should have to change their mascot. I watched this for about 10 minutes waiting for them to get to the news before giving up and flipping back to CNN.

If they aren't going to show news in the morning this channel is useless to me. When they are showing news I like it much better than CNN's New Day show that is 80% puff pieces and celebrity interviews. What I saw today was actually worse than that though because at least CNN mixes some actual news in with all the other crap now and then.

 

[Bobby]

Many people are already at work or on their way to work at 8:30 AM, Eastern. You can't please all the people all the time....

 

[king3pj]

Many people are already at work or on their way to work at 8:30 AM, Eastern. You can't please all the people all the time....

I usually do too but I am on a later schedule for the next 2 weeks. The other cable news nets run news all day until their evening talk shows. Why can't they?

By switching off the news at 8:30 Eastern they are ruining it for the early birds on the west coast too.

All their commercial breaks are them promoting themselves as the serious news alternative and I'm watching people arguing on a webcam with headphones on about NFL mascots.
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