Any Major Channels not offered in HD?

[DLCPhoto]

I'm still exploring moving from TWC to Dish. Currently waiting for confirmation of DSL speeds from Windstream which could kill the deal if not adequate. But anyhoo...

I was reading the Disney/XD thread, where apparently at least some Disney channels aren't being offered in HD. That makes me wonder if there are other significant gaps in Dish's HD coverage? In other words, are there 'major' channels, that are typically available in HD (such as I have now with TWC) that are not available in HD through Dish?

I'm looking to get the Top 250 lineup, to effectively give me what I have with TWC, and cover a few channels we want that aren't available in the Top 200.

I've found what seems to be conflicting information from different channel lineups on Dish's website, making it difficult to answer this question. I'd hate to make the switch, and discover significant gaps in HD coverage.

Thanks.

Don

 

[sam_gordon]

I believe Disney XD & Junior are the only two Disney channels that aren't in HD. As far as other channels missing the HD version, why don't you post the channels you're seeing discrepancies on then someone could tell you whether they're available in HD.

 

[boba]

I'm still exploring moving from TWC to Dish. Currently waiting for confirmation of DSL speeds from Windstream which could kill the deal if not adequate. But anyhoo...

I was reading the Disney/XD thread, where apparently at least some Disney channels aren't being offered in HD. That makes me wonder if there are other significant gaps in Dish's HD coverage? In other words, are there 'major' channels, that are typically available in HD (such as I have now with TWC) that are not available in HD through Dish?

I'm looking to get the Top 250 lineup, to effectively give me what I have with TWC, and cover a few channels we want that aren't available in the Top 200.

I've found what seems to be conflicting information from different channel lineups on Dish's website, making it difficult to answer this question. I'd hate to make the switch, and discover significant gaps in HD coverage.

Thanks.

Don

Maybe you need to define what you consider "major" channels? Disney hasn't been important to me for many years.

 

[Mochuf]

Maybe you need to define what you consider "major" channels? Disney hasn't been important to me for many years.

I would think that any network that is in the Top 20 in viewership is a "major channel". It doesn't matter if an individual watches it or not.

 

[rvvaquero]

The Encore Western channel is in the Top One in my house and it's not in HD. However, I prefer it in SD over The Big Bang Theory in HD. Very subjective question.

 

[zippyfrog]

I know for what I watch, all the "major channels" except for Comcast Sportsnet Chicago are in HD. Regional Sports Networks are only in HD for live professional games as long as there is enough bandwidth available.

 

[Tampa8]

As Sam-Gordon posted, maybe you could ask about specific channels that you know you want in HD that you watch. For instance is HLN one of them? DISH has it in HD yet to my in laws dismay when they switched FIOS does not. I rarely watch it so is isn't major to me, it was to them.

 

[ChadT41]

When you say "major channel", is this a channel you watch, or does that mean a popular channel? I ask, because like the comparison above, channels like encore westerns is in SD, but still looks good because of the content.

 

[harshness]

I would think that any network that is in the Top 20 in viewership is a "major channel". It doesn't matter if an individual watches it or not.

If you look at the eyeball count versus the demographic information, I think you would be surprised how different "Top 20" can be. Children's channels get an awful lot of eyeballs even if they aren't rated.

I've seen surveys that place NBC at number one and others that put it at number 20. For my part, I watch almost nothing on NBC or its local affiliate. The same goes for Fox and USA.

 

[DLCPhoto]

I appreciate all the replies. Yes, I probably should have been more specific in my post, as to individual channels. But "major" I guess I was thinking of popular ones, such as Disney. But clearly, those channels will be irrelevant for many people.

Fox Sports 2 is shown in the Top 250 listing, but at least on one Dish page, it isn't shown as being in HD. But a PM I received indicated that is in HD in the Top 250 package. This is an important channel for us.

Fox Movie Channel is another one, along with the Encore series of channels. I don't currently have Encore, so don't know if I'd be interested in any of it, but for me, if the movie's not in HD, I lose interest (old westerns are not of interest to me personally).

In going through my TWC listings, these channels are in HD, whereas with Dish they're not (at least according to the PDF from their site): TVLand, Oxygen, Outdoor Channel, and all the Disney channels (useful for when the grandkids come over). These are of little interest in general, but do indicate a few deficiencies in Dish's HD range, which came as somewhat of a surprise. I naively thought that if a channel is available in HD, all the major companies would carry it.

Appreciate the help here, as usual!

Don

 

[ChadT41]

The main encore station is in hd. The others are not. That channel is a pet of the Starz pckage however. FS2 is just recently in HD. Disney is in HD, junior and cd currently are not. There is rumor that XD should be HD soon. TvLand and oxygen are not. OUTdoor is not.

 

[ChadT41]

FXM is also not HD, but if it helps epix is. And in my personal opinion, that set of channels is by far better

 

[Deadlocked]

The main encore station is in hd. The others are not. That channel is a pet of the Starz pckage however. FS2 is just recently in HD. Disney is in HD, junior and cd currently are not. There is rumor that XD should be HD soon. TvLand and oxygen are not. OUTdoor is not.

He's going to sub to the 250 package so he'll have the main Encore as well as the rest of the suite


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[ChadT41]

Unless they have changed it channel 340 is only prt of Starz. Not at250 or the encore pckage.

 

[Deadlocked]

Unless they have changed it channel 340 is only prt of Starz. Not at250 or the encore pckage.

When I had AT250 I had 340


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Tampa8]

Encore channel 340 is part of the Top250 if you have HD and has been for many years, I don't have Starz.

 

[ChadT41]

Not according to dish website.

 

[ChadT41]

Mydish.com/channelcard

 

[DLCPhoto]

Not according to dish website.

Exactly. It's conflicting information like this on various Dish pages that led to my starting this thread.

 

[ChadT41]

The only two cases I saw it in HD out side of Starz was with bb@home but they changed that a while back. Can we get a dirt rep to tell us about channel 340?