When High Def Doesn’t Include High Def

[Scott Greczkowski]

Interesting article from the New York Times.

When High Def Doesn’t Include High Def

By RICHARD SANDOMIR
Published: September 23, 2009

If you’ve been paying DirecTV $10 each month for its high-definition service, do you ever wonder why you must pay $100 more to get HD reception of its “NFL Sunday Ticket” package of out-of-market games?

A good question and one that has been worth asking for four years. “Sunday Ticket” subscribers, who number more than two million and pay $300 a year to see up to 14 Sunday afternoon games, deserve an answer.

If you click the HD tab at DirecTV.com, you will read about the more than 100 channels that are offered in high definition for $10 a month. But nothing I could find says in explicit language that “Sunday Ticket” is excluded from the HD list. A list of 39 questions about HD does not cite “Sunday Ticket” as a clear exception.

The HD page boasts that DirecTV has “the most sports in HD,” including “the most NFL games.”

Read the rest at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/sports/football/24sandomir.html?_r=1

 

[Curtis0620]

My guess is this has to do with the NFL contract.

 

[Ken S]

Interesting article from the New York Times.

When High Def Doesn’t Include High Def

By RICHARD SANDOMIR
Published: September 23, 2009

If you’ve been paying DirecTV $10 each month for its high-definition service, do you ever wonder why you must pay $100 more to get HD reception of its “NFL Sunday Ticket” package of out-of-market games?

A good question and one that has been worth asking for four years. “Sunday Ticket” subscribers, who number more than two million and pay $300 a year to see up to 14 Sunday afternoon games, deserve an answer.

If you click the HD tab at DirecTV.com, you will read about the more than 100 channels that are offered in high definition for $10 a month. But nothing I could find says in explicit language that “Sunday Ticket” is excluded from the HD list. A list of 39 questions about HD does not cite “Sunday Ticket” as a clear exception.

The HD page boasts that DirecTV has “the most sports in HD,” including “the most NFL games.”

Read the rest at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/sports/football/24sandomir.html?_r=1

A better example was the game they played last year with MLB EI. If you didn't get SuperFan not only didn't you get the games in HD on the MLBEI channels...they purposely blacked out (this was not an MLB blackout) the SportsPaK HD channels that were showing games (while allowing you to watch the SD version). So, in effect they were taking away some some HD channels that were being paid for and would normally be shown in order to protect their money grab.

This season they raised the price of MLBEI and did away with SuperFan as a separate package. Of course they then started shutting down the MLB EI Mix channels on Sundays

 

[FavreJL04]

It's simple greed by DirecTV and/or NFL. Notice how DirecTV is so willing to throw in the Superfan for free all the time. Customers who pay full price for it all is just icing on the cake for DirecTV.

 

[dcowboy7]

I only pay $276 for ST....not $300.

This sandomir is as dumb as scott greckowski who in an article said superfan is $149....its $100.

 

[vurbano]

A better example was the game they played last year with MLB EI. If you didn't get SuperFan not only didn't you get the games in HD on the MLBEI channels...they purposely blacked out (this was not an MLB blackout) the SportsPaK HD channels that were showing games (while allowing you to watch the SD version). So, in effect they were taking away some some HD channels that were being paid for and would normally be shown in order to protect their money grab.

Wow, incredibly petty

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Your lucky some people pay $400.

And yes I made a mistake in the pricing. One thing I hate about MultiChannels new software is I can not edit postings once they are posted. if I try editing it then it posts it as a new article and scres up the layout on the multichannel.com homepage.

 

[SandraC]

A better example was the game they played last year with MLB EI. If you didn't get SuperFan not only didn't you get the games in HD on the MLBEI channels...they purposely blacked out (this was not an MLB blackout) the SportsPaK HD channels that were showing games (while allowing you to watch the SD version). So, in effect they were taking away some some HD channels that were being paid for and would normally be shown in order to protect their money grab.

When you pay for Sportspak that does not entitle you to the out of market packages. That goes for DirecTV, Dish...any provider.


Sandra

 

[DJ Rob]

I only pay $276 for ST....not $300.

This sandomir is as dumb as scott greckowski who in an article said superfan is $149....its $100.

I'm not sure how you are getting Sunday Ticket for $276. I was quoted twice over the phone by DirecTV for $400 to get it in HD.

 

[scoop8]

I think I'm getting ST for this amount....to be honest, I haven't totaled it up since receiving the discounts.

ST: $24.99 x 6 = 149.94 (I got the $20.00 off/mo discount)
SF: Free

Does that sound right? Doen't include any sales taxes.

 

[stonecold]

I say this is a double edged sword

I think directv did something hurtful by putting the superfan requirement in fine print. But at the same token it also the customers fault for not reading the fine print.

 

[MikeinBaja]

Guys, it's not like this is a new issue - same as last year (and the year before that) for crying in a bucket.

I'm not saying it's right (if you have the HD service you should get HD) but this isn't a new issue.

Surprised this horse can even get up anymore to get beat.

 

[dcowboy7]

I'm not sure how you are getting Sunday Ticket for $276. I was quoted twice over the phone by DirecTV for $400 to get it in HD.

$276 is my ST renewal price ($45.99 x 6).
Directv gave me SF for free when i called....something about being a loyal customer or something like that.

Alot of people got SF free this year as well as u can see from the posts in the ST thread.

 

[riffjim4069]

To be honest, both D* and E* have been long-time purveyors of lies and HD-lite. No thanks! I'll stick with FiOS TV and an OTA antenna for the best HD viewing experiences money can and can't buy.

 

[Ken S]

When you pay for Sportspak that does not entitle you to the out of market packages. That goes for DirecTV, Dish...any provider.


Sandra

You misread my post. When you have SportsPack AND MLBEI you are entitled to the out of market broadcasts...until DirecTV started blacking out the HD broadcasts if you hadn't purchased SuperFan (this was last season).

 

[bamaweather]

Wow. This is news?

Next...

 

[joed32]

$276 is my ST renewal price ($45.99 x 6).
Directv gave me SF for free when i called....something about being a loyal customer or something like that.

Alot of people got SF free this year as well as u can see from the posts in the ST thread.

You're right, anyone who frequents any of these forums got it for free unless they had recently received other credits or didn't ask for it.

 

[harshness]

While DIRECTV has dozens of HD channels available if you subscribe to certain programming, packages come with as few as nine HD channels for the $10 premium.

SuperFan brings more than HD versions of the games.

Make no mistake: the $10 HD Access fee does not cover the cost of delivery.

 

[SandraC]

You misread my post. When you have SportsPack AND MLBEI you are entitled to the out of market broadcasts...until DirecTV started blacking out the HD broadcasts if you hadn't purchased SuperFan (this was last season).

Your statement was that you were already paying for the HD channels in the sports pack, so you should have received them with MLBEI...even if you don't pay for Super fan. That is not correct with any of the providers.

When you pay for sports pack SD channels, you understand they are blacked out if you don't purchase MLBEI at all. Even though you paid for the sports pack channels. Again, that is with every provider and every out of market package.

This is the same thing, only on the HD side.


Sandra