Things are always relative. When my folks first got TV using an antenna, I think they received one channel clearly and another part time (when the weather permitted); when a local cable company was established, they got 4 channels. All standard definition. With 4 channels, they had variety. The fee was nominal.
Someone has posted they plan to leave Dish because they are only getting 9 HD channels. One presumes the person is also getting between 40 and 200 SD channels.
While I agree that I've never heard Charlie say that lack of capacity is the reason any specific channel is not being added, he has stated that increased capacity will mean more channels. It is probably true that Dish always has some capacity in reserve so that it could if desired add 1 or 2 channels at any point in time. But when capacity is limited, it also is carefully preserved. Sort of like some of the financial institutions that got bail out loans: rather than using that money to make more loans, they are using it as a hedge against the bad loans they've already made to protect against bankruptcy.
Someone previously posted that Ciel-2 has capacity for 145 spot beams. I don't know if that's correct, but if it is, it's a lot of capacity. I think
nelson61 posted maps showing where many spot beams are going to be available, and apparently Ciel-2 will have capacity to cover the entire country including eastern arc. I think the spot beam on 77W that was recently activated with Lexington, KY HD locals also carries the Louisville, Cincinnati, Huntington, WV and Charleston, WV HD locals. Maybe others too. The point being, that Ciel-2 with 145 spot beams has a lot of HD capacity. The idea that Ciel-2 is a non-event with regard to HD coverage is just misguided.
Dish has about 80 HD local DMAs now (this is a more or less number). Charlie has stated he wants to have ("up to") 150 local HD DMAs by the middle of next year, because he understands that far more than a few more national HD channels
people who don't have their locals in HD want that before anything else. While recognizing that a few individuals who get impatient may leave Dish, he wants to protect Dish's entree into those DMAs with possibly a few millions of customers who may be tempted to leave Dish if they don't get their HD locals! This is also why Dish is so hyped on getting more SD local DMAs added (almost 200 of them now): you get your foot in the door to add customers, then you do things to keep them. Good, normal business practice.
The last 12 months haven't been all roses for Chuck and Dish. But, to paraphrase from a song by the late, great country music singer Jim Reeves, "It's Getting Better."
Regards,
Fitzie
