Dishnetwork is about to launch 11 new Ex-Voom channels. This time they are the good ones and not just the boring 10 they already have. What about Directv? Local channels in HD can be important for some but wasting 1500 satellite slots and not adding any good movie channel in HD seems to be a bad strategy. I want more movies in HD !
We want more HD channels!
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Give it time my friend, with the successful launch of SpaceWay 2 soon Echostar's HD offering will pale in comparision to what DirecTV has to offer. It just takes time and there are so many technical details to sort you cannot even imagine.
"good" and "voom channels" don't seem to be seen together all that often 
juan's quip aside, I do think the light at the end of the tunnel is coming, and soon...
juan's quip aside, I do think the light at the end of the tunnel is coming, and soon...
juan said:
I don't think a multi-billion dollar satellite qualifies as smoke and morrors, whatever those are.
While I will be the first to admit that DirecTV's HD strategy has been a little lagging (especially in it's adherence to timeframes), let's not forget that Charlie Ergen (E*) has been harping about MPEG4 for years, and doesn't even have a satellite built to send MPEG4 yet. D* has launched two -- and the first is actually broadcasting.
If VOOM had not gone under and E* snatched up their assets at a fire sale price, E* would be in third place right about now, content-wise.
H
I'm a Directv sub and I am tired of waiting....so , I bought a 811 receiver for 200 bucks on ebay and am now going to sub to Dish Nets HD pack plus the VOOM HD ch's. I am dropping my 10.99 Direct HD pack and will sub to Dish's HD ch's for 20 bucks. In my opinion, Direct is more concerned with getting local ch's in HD up and running. So for the extra 9 bucks a mth I will be getting a little bit more for the money. It's not perfect....but hey ....it's an improvement over what Directv has in HD right now. The fact that they have not provided TNTHD to their subscribers by now is beyond what can be rationalized. There's no reason for it. So ....I'm subbing to Dish just for their HD.
Voom had a couple of StarzHD channels, CinemaxHD channnels, HBOHD channels, TMCHD channels, ShowtimeHD channels, TNTHD, basically ALL of the available "movie" channel channels in HD. Will Directv have all of these once the bird situation is settled, or are we stuck with "just" locals in HD??
vinnyv07 said:
Interesting,
Can you turn on DISH and only sub to the HD channels ?
Without a package of regular programming ?
If not, then you are paying for a $ 40+ package and a $ 20 HD package, just for a few more HD channels that don't interest most ....
Hardly a deal.
D* will be adding channels thru out the next year, at least thats what the CRS said.
D* is required to have locals up and running, also thier idea is that they are loosing subs to cable because of thier lack of locals, so they are concentrating on them first.
Jimbo
Hogarth said:
There's nothing special about a satellite for doing MPEG4, any of the sats that E* has up there now could do MPEG4 if E* wanted to, it's just a different compression system.
rad said:
And so you say this because E is going to switch to MPEG4 when? And they have a plan to add what? And there long term goal is? Exactly.
timmac said:
I was responding to the other post which said that E* didn't even have a satellite in service that did MPEG4, which was wrong.
Interesting. I have two friends that have Dish Network that are chomping at the bit to switch to D* once local channels are available in HD early next year. I live in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami areas where OTA coverage for HD is supposed to be fairly good. However, they nevertheless still have such problems with certain HD locals that they want to get them over the satellite. Plus, they don't like Dish Networks' HD-DVR (not that any of us know what the new D* megp4 HD-DVR will be like). I have no idea what Dish Networks' plans are in this regard. So, of course, I told them to look into it over the next couple of months before making the switch and being locked into a lengthy commitment with D*.
Different strokes for different folks, I guess. If movie channels and national networks are your thing, then E* seems to be your best bet right now. But, if you put a premium on HD locals and have trouble getting them, then D* looks like its the place to be. Time will tell how quickly one catches up to the other.
Different strokes for different folks, I guess. If movie channels and national networks are your thing, then E* seems to be your best bet right now. But, if you put a premium on HD locals and have trouble getting them, then D* looks like its the place to be. Time will tell how quickly one catches up to the other.
You can be certain that D* knows national programming is as important as HD LIL. A lot of us do agree that HD LIL is a waste, but I am sure this is the same conversation we would have had in 1998 when D* began offering LIL services has this forum been here. I would not sweat it ... there will be something for everyone. And for all my bitching, I cannot waitglenglenddd said:
spaceways cant do "national" channels..they can only do LIL because the transponders are configured as spot beams..Thats wha happens when you use a "internet" satellite for dbs p.s satellites dont send mpeg 4 encoders(on the ground) do!!Hogarth said:
juan said:
But if you take LonghornXP at his word, he says that D* plans to basically have SW1/2 split the country in half with what looks like two large spotbeams so they could do some national HD before D10 and D11 go up.
Hd Network Broadcast Waivers
First of all, I am NOT an HDTV Techi, as many on this forum appear to be, and have never posted a message on a forum such as this before. Briefly, we are simply an average family, who purchased a HDTV (50 inch Samsung) from BestBuy, then purchased an HD Receiver from DIRECTV, on the assumption (as both BestBuy and DIRECTV, as well as the major TV Networks vigorously falsely and deceptively advertised and promoted) that we could then receive and view the network HD broadcasts as part of our regular programming every evening. Boy, were we mislead and conned!
We live at the base of the Organ Mountains to the southeast of Las Cruces, New Mexico. We have no cable and can not receive any stations over the air in this remote location (even with the HD Antenna that I purchased from DIRECTV). Initially, DIRECTV indicated that all three local network affiliates had denied my request for an HD Waiver (Fox granted it immediately). After that notification, I have personally written dozens of e-mails, and had some discussions over the past few months, with DIRECTV, the local network affiliates, and even the FCC regarding this matter, in an attempt to obtain the HD Broadcast Waivers from the local affiliates, and to receive the NYC network broadcasts, which are available to us from DIRECTV if the proper Waivers are obtained from the local affiliates (although DIRECTV claims that they can only provide us with the LA network broadcasts, which are broadcast far too late for us to watch before we go to sleep). What an incredible bureaucracy!
In all fairness, the local El Paso ABC affiliate (KVIA) has been very helpful and even immediately sent their Engineers out to conduct a Signal Test and verified the obvious; that we can not receive any signals except for the Las Cruces Telemundo station. They are continuing to evaluate my request for a Waiver. And the local El Paso NBC affiliate (KTSM) has already granted me the Waiver, although DIRECTV insists that the Albuquerque NBC affiliate (KOB) is the local DMA affiliate for HD Waivers; and they have also indicated that they will also grant the Waiver. However, much to my dissatisfaction, the local CBS affiliate (KDBC) has totally ignored me and has not even responded to my many requests. And DIRECTV has been absolutely no help, and simply states that they are restricted by various governmental regulations on this matter.
And finally, my conversations with Ms. Eloise Gore of the FCC Media Bureau (Eloise.Gore@fcc.gov), was a total waste of time. She stated that she nor the FCC could provide no assistance in this matter. She, in essence, confirmed and did not deny, that the FCC does NOT represent the public interests in these matters, and only supports the television networks and satellite providers. She even stated that DIRECTV can arbitrarily discriminate and can choose who they provide what programming to!
So, despite the maze of government regulations and bureaucracy involved in this matter (quite frankly, I am unable to even begin to decipher the multitude of regulations that are available on the Internet, despite my Engineering degree and thirty years of professional work experience), my request is really quite simple ... I just want to watch the prime time network programs every night in HD on my very expensive HDTV system (which in our case is the NYC network broadcasts)... that is all! Technically, with the proper approvals, it is available to me, but I am being denied access. Who can make this happen?
First of all, I am NOT an HDTV Techi, as many on this forum appear to be, and have never posted a message on a forum such as this before. Briefly, we are simply an average family, who purchased a HDTV (50 inch Samsung) from BestBuy, then purchased an HD Receiver from DIRECTV, on the assumption (as both BestBuy and DIRECTV, as well as the major TV Networks vigorously falsely and deceptively advertised and promoted) that we could then receive and view the network HD broadcasts as part of our regular programming every evening. Boy, were we mislead and conned!
We live at the base of the Organ Mountains to the southeast of Las Cruces, New Mexico. We have no cable and can not receive any stations over the air in this remote location (even with the HD Antenna that I purchased from DIRECTV). Initially, DIRECTV indicated that all three local network affiliates had denied my request for an HD Waiver (Fox granted it immediately). After that notification, I have personally written dozens of e-mails, and had some discussions over the past few months, with DIRECTV, the local network affiliates, and even the FCC regarding this matter, in an attempt to obtain the HD Broadcast Waivers from the local affiliates, and to receive the NYC network broadcasts, which are available to us from DIRECTV if the proper Waivers are obtained from the local affiliates (although DIRECTV claims that they can only provide us with the LA network broadcasts, which are broadcast far too late for us to watch before we go to sleep). What an incredible bureaucracy!
In all fairness, the local El Paso ABC affiliate (KVIA) has been very helpful and even immediately sent their Engineers out to conduct a Signal Test and verified the obvious; that we can not receive any signals except for the Las Cruces Telemundo station. They are continuing to evaluate my request for a Waiver. And the local El Paso NBC affiliate (KTSM) has already granted me the Waiver, although DIRECTV insists that the Albuquerque NBC affiliate (KOB) is the local DMA affiliate for HD Waivers; and they have also indicated that they will also grant the Waiver. However, much to my dissatisfaction, the local CBS affiliate (KDBC) has totally ignored me and has not even responded to my many requests. And DIRECTV has been absolutely no help, and simply states that they are restricted by various governmental regulations on this matter.
And finally, my conversations with Ms. Eloise Gore of the FCC Media Bureau (Eloise.Gore@fcc.gov), was a total waste of time. She stated that she nor the FCC could provide no assistance in this matter. She, in essence, confirmed and did not deny, that the FCC does NOT represent the public interests in these matters, and only supports the television networks and satellite providers. She even stated that DIRECTV can arbitrarily discriminate and can choose who they provide what programming to!
So, despite the maze of government regulations and bureaucracy involved in this matter (quite frankly, I am unable to even begin to decipher the multitude of regulations that are available on the Internet, despite my Engineering degree and thirty years of professional work experience), my request is really quite simple ... I just want to watch the prime time network programs every night in HD on my very expensive HDTV system (which in our case is the NYC network broadcasts)... that is all! Technically, with the proper approvals, it is available to me, but I am being denied access. Who can make this happen?
Jimbos said:
Required by who? No one is requiring DirecTV to do HD LiL except DirecTV. And by CRS do you mean a CSR on the phone? You can't take what they say at face value, often times they are dead wrong (sometimes give out the exact opposite information than what is right)
I think they should throw us a bone and give us some national HD. EVERY cable system in my area (BrightHouse, Charter, Comcast) do more HD, Brighthouse has DOUBLE (although that does include the locals, but not all of them!). Only thing that keeps me subscribing from any of them is that I don't live in any of their service areas. It would benefit DirecTV if they'd add a few HD channels, for example if they added some HD movie channels (Starz, HBO, etc) I would subscribe to those packages. As it is now I just rent DVDs from netflix and don't subscribe to any of those packages. I'd probably get the premier package and get everything.
Yes....I'm sorry it took so long to respond. Dish let me sub to a HD only pack for 20 bucks a mth. But you have to call them up ready to go....dish must be in place and you must own a HD receiver. I bought one on ebay for 200 bucks. It's worth it for the extra HD.Jimbos said:
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