hancox said:
wait - you're BOTH wrong!

The big win here would probably be on the SD LIL's, as they could compress those more aggressively, while losing almost no PQ. That opens up everything.
Exactly. In fact, I think the big thing that may have Charlie looking at this is congressional deadlines to end the "two-dish solution". In many two-dish markets (Little Rock is one), if he can just squeeze a few more SD channels onto the main transponder, he can easily get rid of the second dish. This would free up wing-satellite transponders to handle the remaining markets.
Yes, it would mean replacing millions of receivers, assuming they can't be software-upgraded (which may be possible with some, especially the newer ones). But which is more palatable: E* shipping out millions of new receivers with self-install instructions (and return instructions for the old ones where appropriate), or installers scheduling millions of appointments for new dishes (meaning few new customers, angry customers asking why their system must be redone, possible charges, disruptions in service, etc.)?