HD Locals via OTA

[Tom Bombadil]

You will not get my vote! For those of us in the mountains who cannot receive HD OTA, poor quality HD LIL is not the way to go.

Since D* is already providing low quality HD on major HD channels like HBO and Showtime, you've got to accept the possibility that the locals will be squeezed every bit as much, if not more. After all, we are talking about just a couple of handfuls of national channels vs 1500 local channels. I will be very surprised if HD locals receive high bitrates.

A lot will depend upon what they can get out of MPEG4.

Note that there doesn't seem to be an exodus of HD subscribers leaving D*. In fact, the buzz about HD LiL seems to be bolstering D*'s HD image. This has got to be sending the message that providing "HD-lite" is not going to hurt their bottom line.

 

[GeorgeLV]

Since D* is already providing low quality HD on major HD channels like HBO and Showtime, you've got to accept the possibility that the locals will be squeezed every bit as much, if not more. After all, we are talking about just a couple of handfuls of national channels vs 1500 local channels. I will be very surprised if HD locals receive high bitrates.

A lot will depend upon what they can get out of MPEG4.

Note that there doesn't seem to be an exodus of HD subscribers leaving D*. In fact, the buzz about HD LiL seems to be bolstering D*'s HD image. This has got to be sending the message that providing "HD-lite" is not going to hurt their bottom line.

Basically you're arguing that because the provider with squezzed for every last bit of transponder space (so much so that they have to turn off most of their ppv for Sunday Ticket) delivered lower quality HD in the past then they must plan on doing that in the future. Well the Ka band just came a calling and wanted to say that all the 8PSK Turbo Rainbow special edition propoganda doesn't change the fact the battefield in the skys has completly changed and DirecTV has made the first strike.

 

[nickg420]

I get Atlanta locals via E* and pardon my French but they suck total ass..... Especially when it's a dark scene it's just awful, my PS2 games through S-Video look better, it's ridiculous.

I have a CM4228, but just haven't had the time to take on the job of putting it up yet.

Hopefully I can receive all digital OTA from 50 miles out, I'll try without a preamp first just to see...

I pray that when my 18 months are over digital cable will be available here and I can tell E* to kiss my ass, get my internet and programming from one source for way cheaper than E* and Altel DSL cost me every month.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I wasn't saying definitively what D* is going to do with their bitrates, but with recent events kinda "proving" that they can get away with lower bitrates, as well as having years of data from both D* and E*, that they can especially get by with lower bitrates on locals, that it sets the table for them to use lower bitrates if they can save money that way.

Now if D* (and/or E*) launch sufficient satellite resources to handle higher bitrates, and MPEG4 technology improves to give reasonable efficiency, then maybe they won't have to go the lower bitrate path.

However if all of the national channels convert to HD, which will be over 100 of them, and as these will not be spot-beamed and thus have to eat up a lot of transponders, there could be some pressure on both D* and E* to squeeze locals.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I can understand the frustration from those who want HD LiLs. With D* in full-scale implementation of them, with what something like a dozen cities being operational within a couple of weeks, and expecting to have 36 cities on line by mid-2006. That is quite a head start on E*. Although having no compatible DVR as yet would be annoying.

Although when I first heard of these multi-LNB single dish solutions a few years ago, I never dreamed that a dish with 5 LNBs would be a standard production model.

 

[rnesky]

Grade B signal

The person who thinks 75% of viewers are in the grade "B" signal must be on drugs or like you said, works for the NAB! That is the bigest bag of crap I have ever heard. come to PA and find those 75%. Sad to say that most of the content from these stations in not in HD anyway, just a few transmissions so whats the big deal!