HD Locals launch dates?

[splat10]

I appologize if this already exists, my search was unsuccessful.

Is there a published "Plan" for HD local roll outs or does dish just tell us after they have all the contracts finished/space available? It seems to me that SD locals just don't cut it anymore with a lot of people. I am mostly concerned about the so called mid markets like albany, portland maine, etc.

 

[jayn_j]

I appologize if this already exists, my search was unsuccessful.

Is there a published "Plan" for HD local roll outs or does dish just tell us after they have all the contracts finished/space available? It seems to me that SD locals just don't cut it anymore with a lot of people. I am mostly concerned about the so called mid markets like albany, portland maine, etc.

The problem is that nobody is talking. DISH has been busy of late dealing with the distants and TIVO lawsuit. Also, bandwith is pretty limited until they get some new satellites up. I wouldn't count on much for months to years.

 

[sfollenius]

I don't think dish knows when the additional locals will be launched. Its all dependant on how the contract negotiations go, some stations are pickier than others. There were a few DMA's that were already supposed be launched that never were, Indianapolis was uplinked for a few months then removed.

 

[destrada]

Still waiting on Austin, TX too. I love my 622 but boy is it lacking a second OTA tuner. Two OTA tuners would have been nice especially since I don't know when Austin HD locals will be available on satellite.

 

[Aqualung812]

Go type HD locals and read the threads for Indianapolis and others. You'll see that dates have been thrown all over the place and few have been met. Do OTA if you can, if not, don't plan on HD locals until you see them in your guide.

 

[Hall]

I don't think there's any timeline or 'plan' either. Dish probably negotiates with ALL market's TV stations and if things progress well, they put more emphasis on that city. For example, if two Dayton stations say "no problem, go ahead and re-broadcast our digital feeds", but the other three or four ask for a lot of money, Dish likely puts Dayton on the back-burner and works on a city that has more agreement with ALL of the local stations.

When all, or most, of the stations agree, Dish works out the uplinking details, and so on. When you see a city announced, safe to say that the contracts are all worked out.

 

[kevink]

I guess there is a disadvantage with having more local markets than D*. More markets to worry about HD in the future.

In my small market, even if E* decided to support HD, only 2 of my 4 networks even transmit in HD. I think the other 2 may do digital (at least 1 does).

Once I get my 622 installed, I'm planning to put an antenna up for the one station in range for HD. It is the ABC, so next fall I should be able to watch some football games in OTA HD, which is supposed to be better anyway when you can get it.

 

[bfarmer312]

I broke off my contract with D* and switched to E* because they never posted a thing on the Greenville/Asheville locals in HD and E* posted that they were going to have them up by the end of this year. Now nobody at E* or this web site knows any timeline as to when they are going to be available. Lucky me, D* is turning on the Greenville/Asheville locals in a few days, and here I sit with no clue on when I am going to get my local hd's turned on with dish. So.............even if you see something from E* that states a timeframe, don't believe it, I am close to breaking another contract cause dish doesn't follow through. No locals for me, and no timeframe on RSN's which were supposed to be COMING SOON... Lot of disappointments with DISH, except their kick ass receivers.

 

[wayne231]

Thanks for the email. The Memphis, TN HD locals will not be here in 2006
and we do not have a planned schedule for any additions in 2007 yet. We
hope that there will be a lot more HD locals launched in the first
quarter of 2007.

From Dish today

 

[enoree]

a deep fringe yagi with a pre-amp and a remote controlled rotor gets me 3 different HD markets in the Greenville area with no problems at all, it's not a crime to put up a big antenna.

 

[bfarmer312]

I guess it depends on who you are married to

 

[general487]

I guess it depends on who you are married to

HA!!! That is exactly what I was thinking!!!!

My wife is a NO GO on any antenna, much less a big one!