Why no SuperStations in HD?

voyagerbob

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Dec 5, 2003
173
0
With the addition of new HD channels it looks like they would add the SUPERSTAIONS could have even thrown it in the new HD PAK. Though I'm sure when they do it put it up it will be in MPEG-4. I guess becuase it only has maybe 10 hours of HD per week but still I'd like to see it and PBS added.

Voyagerbob
 
Last I knew, not everyone qualified for the superstaions or the national PBS feed. I think they are focusing mostly on HD that everyone can receive.

I don't think the HD locals deal was planned to happen so fast, but they are feeling a bit of pressure from D*

Granted I would like to get 1 WB and UPN in HD. Could be kinda like the HBO/Showtime deal, if you have HD pack and the movie pack, you get the HD channel
 
You know, if they put WB in HD I might actually consider getting HD, if there is enough HD content on the WB that is. That is my favorite station. I thought most people qualified for the national superstations.
 
I could be wrong on the superstations. I thought you could only get them if dish didn't offer a WB or UPN affliate in your locals pack.

Here is the page on Dish that talks about supers

http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/faq/search/channels/

but I put in an address that has a UPN and WB affiliate in the locals pack and it still says they qualify for the superstation pack, so who knows. Could be another website screwup.
 
Last edited:
I live in South Florida and I qualify for superstations. I was also recently approved for NBC in N.Y. and L.A. I think they just flip a coin.
 
Stargazer said:
I think that only applies with the network stations.


Care to elaborate what you mean by network? The link spells it out pretty clearly IMO about the superstations, but I tried a few addresses on the dish site that have WB and UPN locals and they all qualify for the supers so like I said, who knows.

Edit:

I put in 100 Main street in each of the cities that the supers come from on the dish locals check page

New york qualified for all supers and national PBS
Boston Qualifed for all WB's, but not any UPN
Denver Qualified for all supers

No Main street in La, but I used an address on W. Pico Blvd and it qualified for all WB's and no UPN
 
Last edited:
Originally the superstation package was offered to anyone/everyone. It was/is a seperate group for ... I think its $5.99. Then you could get it if you were aware of it and called and asked for it. There was no qualification. As far as I know it is still that way. I have the superstations.
 
The superstations drew me to dish when UPN scrambled the C-Band feeds... I had to get my Star Trek Fix and no locals had it and D* did not have... I eventually migrated most of my programming from D* and C-Band to E*... :)(although there were "Wild Feeds" it was easier to watch UPN)
 
Last edited:
SatelliteGAL said:
Originally the superstation package was offered to anyone/everyone. It was/is a seperate group for ... I think its $5.99. Then you could get it if you were aware of it and called and asked for it. There was no qualification. As far as I know it is still that way. I have the superstations.

Well based on what I got back from the dish site, it apparently is not 100% available in all DMA's. Just look at my results I got and posted earlier in the thread when I just put in the address from each of the cities that the superstations come from.

It's really not a big deal, but it appears that the package is not a nationwide deal.
 
To answer the question about Superstations in HD: The problem is a hazy law. The superstations are expressly mentioned in the SHVA, SHVIA and SHVERA. But the call letters mentioned as -TV, not -DT. (WWOR-TV, not WWOR-DT) So there is no specific copyright / non-duplication exemption in the current law allowing Superstations in High Def. (Remember the SHVERA and its predicessors are enabling laws. Without them the superstations woul dhave been gone 22 years ago). There is the possibility that when the TV stations get turned off, so does the superstation status.

The qualifications for Superstations is simple: Everyone qualifies UNLESS a local station asked Dish to block programming on a Superstation in their market. If a local channel decides to enforce their "Syndicated Exclusivity" on programming and Dish would have to start blocking out programming, the entire superstation is dropped in that area. The LA UPN station insisted on SyndEx so no one in the LA area qualifies for UPN superstations.

And the origin of Superstions on Dish:
When Dish launched the ORIGINAL AT50 for $25 a month (not $24.99, $25.00 even :)) KTLA, WSBK, WPIX and WGN were included in the package. See the original AT50 rate card here.

Later when Dish expanded AT50 and renamed it AT60 in 1998, KTLA, WPIX and WSBK were removed from the AT package and placed into the "Superstations Package. WWOR was added to the package within a month. And 6 months or so later KWGN was added. The package cost $4.99 a month. It went up to $5.99 a month 4 years later, in 2002.

Oh and it used to be that you could bundle 2 sets of networks with Supers for $9.95 a month. You also used to be able to bundle Locals (at the time just the nets and PBS) with Supers for $7.99 a month.

See ya
Tony
 
TNGTony said:
The qualifications for Superstations is simple: Everyone qualifies UNLESS a local station asked Dish to block programming on a Superstation in their market. If a local channel decides to enforce their "Syndicated Exclusivity" on programming and Dish would have to start blocking out programming, the entire superstation is dropped in that area. The LA UPN station insisted on SyndEx so no one in the LA area qualifies for UPN superstations.

Tony

There it is that explains it! Thanks Tony.
 
TNGTony said:
You also used to be able to bundle Locals (at the time just the nets and PBS) with Supers for $7.99 a month.
See ya
Tony

I had Supers bundled with Phoenix locals up until recently (Maybe last year). I think it was $8.99.
 
It seems to me that more people have the superstaions then any individual local channel. Dish should start with the Superstaions in HD before they start broadcasting the locals in every market. :) Broadcasting the Superstaions in HD would be great.:)
 
I still have the supers/locals bundle for $8.99. I remember having AT50 with Supers for $25 and when I purchased it annually they dropped my superstations even though I had already paid for the one year of the package. I called them up and demanded my stations back that I had already paid for in advance. They put the stations back but had to put the charge on the bill then give me the credit for them. The next year I had to pay for them.
 
TNGTony said:
The LA UPN station insisted on SyndEx so no one in the LA area qualifies for UPN superstations.

And that really sucks, because the LA UPN station is actually owned by Fox who has NO plans to ever put the money into upgrading the station to broadcast HD. Yes they broadcast digitally now, but that's it. No plans for HD at all. We should be able as consumers to get a UPN HD brodcast from somewhere.
 
dfergie said:
The superstations drew me to dish when UPN scrambled the C-Band feeds... I had to get my Star Trek Fix and no locals had it and D* did not have... I eventually migrated most of my programming from D* and C-Band to E*... :)(although there were "Wild Feeds" it was easier to watch UPN)
That (UPN scramble - StarTrek) is EXACTLY what brought me to E*.
 

I need some info on a dish 1000 install

Differences Between Vip 211 and ViP 222?

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 0, Members: 0, Guests: 0)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)

Latest posts