Ok now that the plug has been pulled on analog signals......why does Dish continue to have both SD and HD channels for locals. For instance if WPIX in NY is broadcasting in HD (specifically the Met games) why is it Dish gives it Superstation Pkg subcribers a grainy SD version
SD Channels
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Because the HD WPIX is Spotbeamed off the 61.5 Satellite for the NY DMA only.
The Superstation WPIX is Conus off the 119 satellite for the rest of the Lower 48.
The Superstation WPIX is Conus off the 119 satellite for the rest of the Lower 48.
Hemi I know all about the spot beam issue.....but why broadcast 2 channels SD and HD.....1 of my TV's an older analog is hooked up to a converter and I get the OTA's on it.....and those are being broadcast in HD not SD
I would say its for customers that don't have HD equipment. If they only had an HD version 60-70% of E*customers wouldn't get the Superstation Channels becuase SD receivers can't decode HD signals. This would be Fine for Eastern arc customers, But then the the Superstation pack would all have to be moved to the 129 and the 61.5 and ONLY HD customers would get these channel.
That would take up some National HD channel space. Leaving the SD on the 119 saves Space and every customer with any equipment can receive them.
That would take up some National HD channel space. Leaving the SD on the 119 saves Space and every customer with any equipment can receive them.
Also SD takes up less bandwidth than HD. I'm getting 44 local channels from 21 broadcast channels,they all aren't HD broadcasters one has 5 subchannels.
Obviously if they can make a box that can receive OTA HD programming and viewed on a non-HD TV (all those converter boxes you needed to install before the changeover) then the SAT receivers should be made to be capable of this. It would free up more transponders since you wouldn't need both HD and SD.
They do have this. VIP 211,222,612,622,722. Are all HD and SD capable.
But 301,311,322,522,625, plus all the Older SD receivers can't decode HD signals.
All these customers would have to upgrade to HD, and that would cost the customer hundreds of $$$. Not everyone wants HD, and Remember HD is a NEW technology. By 2015 maybe everything will be HD. Digital doesn't mean HD remember.
Hemi I agree with you on the cost factor......it just seems that Dish would have made the Superstation Pkg available in HD..........considering how much they are bashing D* and Cable in their commercials about having the "most" HD
Well they do have the most HD, without the superstation pack.
It will be HD . When? who Knows?, Just right now space is limited . E* has a New satellite going up later this year for the 61.5. So I wouldn't count on it this year just Yet.
That's basically what I'm wondering for the remaining markets that are not yet available. Marquette MI for instance has been uplinked as SD only (I don't know if their stations have converted to HD). Why not just put them up as HD and MPEG-4 SD to begin with? Why have MPEG-2 at all? They would have to supply MPEG-4 receivers to those wanting locals, and would probably want to swap the dish too so those customers could later step up to HD with just a phone call if not when they add locals. Since they're supposedly looking to convert everything eventually, why put new markets on the old standard?discreet29483 said:
Yes, and here in LA we have a few with 8 sub channels, and it seems that more stations continue to add more sub-channels beyond the 5 or so they have now. KABC has its 7.2 in HD (Live Well in HD), as well as the 7.1 KABC in HD!!!! I believe the current count for all channels in LA is about 68 when I scan--and growing! What bandwidth-wasters all those channels will be when Dish ever uplinks all those tons of LA sub-channels!. Our early apologies to our dear friends in the rest of the USA for the coming (a few years, yet) waste of bandwidth uplinking all those LA local sub-channels, many of them foreign language (some show the same foreign service that Dish Network sells), so that aren't going away anytime soon.
