Why no PBS-HD?

[Harry]

I get this channel via OTA and it is great. Very good programming and the HD content is excellent. I know PBS is available on local packages but PBS-HD is not.

E* should provide this channel as I'm sure not many can actually get this OTA. Perhaps you all should ask Charlie about this on the next Charlie Crap, er, Chat. It fits the bill of "quality content" that Charley uses as an excuse for not adding more HD channels.

Just an opinion....

 

[NightRyder]

I get this channel via OTA and it is great. Very good programming and the HD content is excellent. I know PBS is available on local packages but PBS-HD is not.

E* should provide this channel as I'm sure not many can actually get this OTA. Perhaps you all should ask Charlie about this on the next Charlie Crap, er, Chat. It fits the bill of "quality content" that Charley uses as an excuse for not adding more HD channels.

Just an opinion....

I'll answer for Charlie now. "We're working on it", "Niche channel", "In negotiations", "No room, have to wait for MPEG 4".


NightRyder

 

[Harry]

I'll answer for Charlie now. "We're working on it", "Niche channel", "In negotiations", "No room, have to wait for MPEG 4".


NightRyder

Couldn't have said it better! I wonder what his idea of "quality content" is...

 

[Mr Tony]

I think it has to do with content
Obviously each PBS is programmed different (especially with local shows) and the rule with PBS analog is
"If your locals are available and there is a PBS in it, no Distant PBS"..period (no waivers, no "if I dont take locals I can get it")

But we're in negotiations

 

[Harry]

I think it has to do with content
Obviously each PBS is programmed different (especially with local shows) and the rule with PBS analog is
"If your locals are available and there is a PBS in it, no Distant PBS"..period (no waivers, no "if I dont take locals I can get it")

But we're in negotiations

PBS-HD is different and shouldn't be confused with the local PBS station. It does not show local stuff. Is similar in scope to DiscoveryHD. (but without all the shark shows. )

 

[Mr Tony]

gotcha

but I think the rule above in regards to the distant PBS probably has something to do with why PBS HD isn't available yet

(also, the we're working on it theory is probably right)

 

[Harry]

Just seemed like a viable candidate for the HD Pack. Being a national feed, it should be fairly easy for E* to pick up. (I'm sure PBS would enjoy the $$)

 

[BFG]

Simple, the PBS affiliates would not like it if this channel was available nationally. It cost a lot of money for the PBS affiliates to go digital and the stations being able to broadcast PBS-HD is very important. So that is why PBS would not be doing a national distribution for this channel.

 

[Harry]

But not everyone is an E* customer so that shouldn't matter. It would be a good source of $$ for PBS.

 

[dlsnyder]

The local PBS stations are protecting their investment in HD transmitting equipment by not allowing a national PBS-HD feed. KOCE in Huntington Beach (Orange County) CA almost went dark because of the requirement to upgrade to digital. In the end the Coast Community College district sold the station to a supporter group which kept it alive. I am sure there are many such stories at PBS stations around the country. The unfortunate downside to this is that the investment was made into what is arguably a dying technology - television broadcasting. In spite of the fact that the FCC has mandated ATSC tuners be included in 50% of HDTV sets 32" and larger (27" starting this July), how many people know that OTA is even an option? Of those who know, how many are willing to make the effort to put up an antenna to receive their OTA digital channels for free when they already have cable or satellite?

OK, those of you who raised your hands put them down because those of us here at Satelliteguys.us are in the minority.

 

[gdarwin]

Simple, the PBS affiliates would not like it if this channel was available nationally. It cost a lot of money for the PBS affiliates to go digital and the stations being able to broadcast PBS-HD is very important. So that is why PBS would not be doing a national distribution for this channel.

PBS-HD is available OTA here in KY.

 

[Harry]

The local PBS stations are protecting their investment in HD transmitting equipment by not allowing a national PBS-HD feed. KOCE in Huntington Beach (Orange County) CA almost went dark because of the requirement to upgrade to digital. In the end the Coast Community College district sold the station to a supporter group which kept it alive. I am sure there are many such stories at PBS stations around the country. The unfortunate downside to this is that the investment was made into what is arguably a dying technology - television broadcasting. In spite of the fact that the FCC has mandated ATSC tuners be included in 50% of HDTV sets 32" and larger (27" starting this July), how many people know that OTA is even an option? Of those who know, how many are willing to make the effort to put up an antenna to receive their OTA digital channels for free when they already have cable or satellite?

OK, those of you who raised your hands put them down because those of us here at Satelliteguys.us are in the minority.

PBS must still hold fund raisers for their local stations to operate. The HD feed to cable and Satellite broadcasters would bring MORE revenue (without the hastle and cost of additional fund raising) aside from the normal fund raising. Surely the PBS folks have a clue????

 

[dlsnyder]

Harry - you are partly right. The question, though, is why is there no national PBS-HD feed. A better wording of my answer would be because it would take away support money from the local PBS stations. Sure, more money _might_ go to PBS or the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, but less support money would go to the local stations who paid for the digital upgrade. Local PBS stations are having a hard enough time raising money as it is without competing with PBS directly. That is why the national SD feed was stopped on DBS in my opinion - outcry from the local affiliates.

 

[Zookster]

PBS-HD is different and shouldn't be confused with the local PBS station. It does not show local stuff. Is similar in scope to DiscoveryHD. (but without all the shark shows. )

The PBS-HD in San Diego actually inserts some of their own shows and interstertials produced in HD into the national feed broadcast... making it as "local" as their local station (KPBS).

 

[dlsnyder]

KPBS has always been one of my favorite PBS stations. I prefer it to KCET, which isn't too shabby in its own right. KOCE is really starting to do better now though - I find myself watching them more and more often.

 

[Amphicar770]

Because Charlie thinks you would rather have 24 shopping and public service channels.

Unfortunately, Voom will be dead come end of month. If you want HD via sat. you probably have to go to Canada's Expressvu through a broker. They offer ALL of the network feeds in HD including PBS.

 

[Harry]

Unfortunately, Voom will be dead come end of month. If you want HD via sat. you probably have to go to Canada's Expressvu through a broker. They offer ALL of the network feeds in HD including PBS.

Wow, that would be a consideration if the price were right. As I understand it, all the networks are to broadcast their DTV signal at a strength equal to theri analog by July of this year. If that happens, then it would be a big step forward, IMHO.

 

[ckgrick]

Hey, you're confusing me (not hard). I get both "local" PBS stations with my local package as well as the national PBS analog feed for a $1.50 a month more. So what would be the difference if the national was in HD?

I think Charlie doesn't want to spend the bandwidth. Might force him to get rid of the tiddlywinks channel.

 

[dlsnyder]

There is the bandwidth issue, for sure. Even if it were offered it probably wouldn't be carried on E* for a long time. This issue will most likely start heating up when E* and D* start competing on delivering HD locals, and those in "white areas" start clamoring for a PBS feed.

 

[JohnDoe#2]

Well, there simply isn't a single national PBS-HD feed. The local affiliates have them in many areas but not all. (I can watch KCET-HD and KOCE-HD here in the LA area. They are completely different altho there might be the same program on different days and times.)

So until there is capacity to offer local HDs into local areas the best they could do is offer "distant" PBS-HD feeds from LA & NY on the wing sats the way they do for CBS.

The problem with that is that PBS doesn't own & operate any of the local affiliates the way the major networks do in some cases. And they aren't going to allow the dbs providers to offer "East & West" PBS feeds because that will impact the local affiliates that are trying to raise their own funding which, in part, is for local DigitalTV broadcasts.

Bottom line: no PBS-HD on dbs for at least a year or so, more likely longer.