DIRECTV'S LIL HD Plans VS. VOOM's OTA

[HDVoomer]

Hi guys I noticed that DirecTV, it appears, has tenatively decided to use their future satellites (Spaceway) to deliver their customers LIL HD service. It seems as if part of their plan will be to broadcast HD LIL and broadband services to compete head to head with the cable companies. According to some this is a great way of luring customers away from cable and now you can get everything with DirecTV that you'll get with cable and more.
Now my question is, will Voom try to duplicate this move or do you think they would rather use this bandwidth to offer more channels and servies versus going the route of HD LIL?

 

[jrM]

when will directv start to do this ?

 

[Sean Mota]

I can see that this idea of LIL HD is good for those that cannot get their locals OTA. But think about it for a minute, is DirecTv plan to give you 19mbps if they can pull this off. To me this won't do anything. To others it will be useful. Again D* has a lot of plans and for once, I like to see them come to light.

VOOM is not going to do this according to their press release. Instead they are going to use the licenses of MDVSS in which they own 50% try to delive LIL HD locals. I personally do not see this coming to fruition even 2 years from now. They can partnership with E* who owns the other 50% and both can deliver LIL HD this way without having to put another satellite in orbit.

 

[vurbano]

This is only for the top 30 markets and will take place over the next 3 years!

It also still remains to be seen "if my local doesnt transmit HD now will I get then?"

and

" IF my local reduces the bandwidth for a series of sd subchannels will I get a pristine feed or a crappy one, the one I get OTA?"

 

[vinnyv07]

I know for a fact that Directv is going to start to broadcast Fox digital ch in Sept. That is when Fox is due to become a HDTV player......6 NFL games a week in HD....and alot of their prime time lineup also. They already show CBS-DT...now with FOX....and all they would have to add in the future is NBC and ABC and they would have it all covered. i think it is very smart of them to do this especially because alot of people are having some trouble getting locals OTA...like me...and some people dont like having the old OTA ANT up with the dish. Anyway, I think its smart to do because they would compete with cable which currently is a big player in the local HD market. Directv could blow cable out of the water if they offered all the locals in HD.

 

[vurbano]

I know for a fact that Directv is going to start to broadcast Fox digital ch in Sept. That is when Fox is due to become a HDTV player......6 NFL games a week in HD....and alot of their prime time lineup also. They already show CBS-DT...now with FOX....and all they would have to add in the future is NBC and ABC and they would have it all covered. i think it is very smart of them to do this especially because alot of people are having some trouble getting locals OTA...like me...and some people dont like having the old OTA ANT up with the dish. Anyway, I think its smart to do because they would compete with cable which currently is a big player in the local HD market. Directv could blow cable out of the water if they offered all the locals in HD.

CBSHD East and West is only available if you are in a CBS owned and operated market or have less than grade B recepetion, FOXHD east and West will be the same. It is Far from "covered" This thread is about LIL HD not network HD feeds which are not allowed in affiliate markets. LIL HD refers to thousands of local HD signals, MASSIVE BANDWIDTH!

 

[eschu97611]

CBSHD is only available if you are in a CBS owned market or have less than grade B recpetion, FOXHD will be the same. It is Far from "covered" This thread is about LIL HD not network HD feeds which are not allowed in affiliate markets.

I'm in an O&O, can't wait for Fox HD on D*

 

[vurbano]

I'm in an O&O, can't wait for Fox HD on D*

I think we are all aware of that.

 

[eschu97611]

I think we are all aware of that.

Who is "we"-give me data, I need data-LMAO

 

[vurbano]

I guess my comment about HD LIL is as worthless as tits on a bull - LMAO

 

[eschu97611]

I guess my comment about HD LIL is as worthless as tits on a bull - LMAO

Enough with the "tits" and the "bulls" already-we get the analogy


Please stay on topic Sparky-LOL

 

[squicken]

I'm gonna be greedy here. I'm not in an O & O. My NBC, PBS and FOX are HD. ABC and CBS are super low power on their digital tower and have no plans on increasing power, let alone go HD. UPN and WB are low power ANALOG. And nobody gives waivers. Don't waste bandwidth on LIL unless everybody is allowed to get a network's HD feed.

 

[vurbano]

I'm gonna be greedy here. I'm not in an O & O. My NBC, PBS and FOX are HD. ABC and CBS are super low power on their digital tower and have no plans on increasing power, let alone go HD. UPN and WB are low power ANALOG. And nobody gives waivers. Don't waste bandwidth on LIL unless everybody is allowed to get a network's HD feed.

Just had a huge arguement with my local broadcasters over at avs about this topic. And how another feed should be allowed into the territory if one is substandard. They keep talking about their "business" model and how its been like it is since the 1920's and basically if you dont like it then too bad. LMAO I ended up telling them that If I benefited from a legalized Tony Soprano business model then I guess I would be defending it too. - LMAO

 

[mkatts]

I guess im an idiot. what is O&O and HD LIL?

 

[vurbano]

Mkatts

you are not an idiot

O&O means owned and operated. few Tv stations are owned and operated by the networks ABC,NBC,CBS,FOX,UPN,WB etc. Most people live in an "affiliate run market" and those affiliates will NOT allow a national HD feed into their territory because it competes with their monopoly of that territory. You have to live in an O&O or recieve below a grade B signal to qualify for an affiliates waiver to recieve a national feed by satellite.

HD LIL refers to HD local in local, ie directv beaming in the local affiliates HD feed to customers. Affiliates will allow this I presume with a proper contract with directv. Directv already beams in sd locals. The thing is an HD signal may take 16 mbps as opposed to 1.5 or so for sd. when you think of just how many affialiates there must be, (what 7 per city?) times how many cities accross the country, times 16 mbps or so the bandwidth number needed is TREMENDOUS. That is why directv plans to offer HD LIL in only the top 30 markets and it will take 3 years to do so.

 

[mkatts]

Thanks Vurbano
I love this site, learn something new every day!

 

[vurbano]

Thanks Vurbano
I love this site, learn something new every day!

Its funny with cable you really dont learn what is going on in the broadcasting world. Some cable users probably dont even realize that many of their stations are analog. But when you go with sat, you learn how all of these broadcaster s, networks and companies etc are dealing with each other and the consequences of it.

 

[vinnyv07]

When I signed up with Time Warner Cable , I was one of the first to have the new Hd receiver installed in my house in my area. I tried to explain to the tech thatalmost all the ch's werent digital feeds....we had an argument and he left. People are misinformed because all you hear on tv...." 210 digital ch's". Sure it is.

 

[vurbano]

When I signed up with Time Warner Cable , I was one of the first to have the new Hd receiver installed in my house in my area. I tried to explain to the tech thatalmost all the ch's werent digital feeds....we had an argument and he left. People are misinformed because all you hear on tv...." 210 digital ch's". Sure it is.

Yup after channel 100 with COX here... _LMAO

 

[Sean Mota]

Isn't it funny that all providers (cable and satellite) claim in their ads that consumers will get a "clear digital" picture on every channel. I laugh at those DirecTv commercials when they hired celebrities to say that DirecTv has a "clear digital" picture. What they fail to tell consumers is that don't try to put this "clear digital" signal in a 50" screen otherwise you will see all this "clear digital" picture showing compression left and right.

I wonder if this isn't fault advertising. I have to sit down with a lot of people and explain to them what's going on. They all try to prove me wrong about what they are watching in theri 27" SD TV. When I show them the same channel on a 60" screen and then show HD, they are like "Man, I was tricked..."