DirecTV sets the pace on high def

jgilbert

I live in Southern California and after putting up with the same high def selection of channels forever, I finally called TWC and asked when we can expect new high def channels. I was told "end of this year or beginning of next year." I said that sounds like the time DirecTV promised to put out 150 high def channels on its system and asked the TWC person if that was a coincidence. I was told probably not. It appears that TWC is putting off adding new high def channels until DirectTV takes the lead and TWC has to worry about losing subscribers. Meanwhile, we get the same crappy selection of high def channels and TWC gets to avoid paying more $ to content providers. C'mon, we deserve better.

nowitall

What do you expect in an industry of unmoving 'bugs' and adverts for upcoming programs that never, never, ever leave the screen?

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bicker

We deserve better? We want better, for sure, but beyond that, it's just a matter of what they're willing to offer and what we're willing to pay for -- no harm no foul.

HiDefRev

Just to clear up the "promise" a bit. DTV has NOT promised 150 HD channels. What they are saying is that they will have the CAPACITY for that many channels ( listen VERY closely to their commercials ). Now, whether they will ACTUALLY put that many channels up remains to be seen. And even if they do, will the channels be available to all, or are they simply putting up the HD feeds from our local OTA stations, in which case, you'll only see your local networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, etc.). in HD instead of SD. DTV has made statements this year that they have signed on a few national HD feeds, but that number has barely reached a dozen, not 150.

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JPL

Well, in all fairness, that's not quite right. Yes, they originally promised to have capacity for 150 HD channels. They then later changed that and promised 100 HD channels by the end of the year (not capacity but actual channels). They'll have the capacity for 150, btw, after they launch their next satellite in early 08. Now, that's not to say that DirecTV isn't spinning. They are. The 100 HD channels doesn't include locals. However, it does include things like premium channels. And RSNs. And (and this is where I find their math bothersome) sports packs like NFL ST. So, if they show say 11 games on a weekend, and they show all in HD, they're counting that as 11 HD channels (to me that's just margianally less silly than Comcast's claim to have 500 HD channels because they'll be offering 500 HD VOD titles).

If you discount all of those, DirecTV should be somewhere around 70 HD channels by year's end. Assuming, of course, that they agreements that they signed come to fruition. Then again, they have some agreements in place with some of those channel providers... but in most cases they're really agreements in principle. Meaning that they have an agreement to sign an agreement in the near future. Will they get to 70 channels by year's end? Dunno. But I hope they do - and if it's not 70, it's gonna be darn close. I'm a former DirecTV customer, and I'm now happy with FiOS. But I have no doubt that FiOS will follow suit and start carrying those same channels.

If cable is leading, or following DirecTV's lead, to me, doesn't really matter. DirecTV is breaking the trail, and I'm actually thankful that they are. It'll just expedite the expansion of HD.

Marcus Carr

Straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak:

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/global/con...setId=P4310090

JPL

And if you look out their roll-out schedule, and count channels the same way they do, you'll add up to 100 channels by end of year. Again, I think their math is funky - but if their roll-out schedule holds they will have all those HD channels by year's end - not capacity, but actual channels. They promised the capacity earlier this year because they were still working on negotiations with channel providers. They have since worked out those agreements (for the most part - like I said, many are agreements in principle). They are NOW talking about 100 channels by year's end - not capacity, but actual channels.

Like I said, though, I think their math is funky. But even if you discount premium channels, and RSNs, and NFL ST, you're STILL looking at many more HD channels than any other provider. And again, I'm happy for it. No, I'm no longer a DirecTV customer, but DirecTV has clearly broken the trail here. Others WILL follow. The only reason they'll have an advantage a year from now, btw, will be because of the heavy PR game they were playing THIS year. They signed up a boatload of new subscribers because of that ad campaign. And all those folks will still have at least a year left on their contract by this point next year. But in terms of what HD programming is offered, DirecTV will be the leader for a very short period of time. Dish has already announced additional HD channels coming on line by the end of THIS month, and they too are launching 2 new satellites. All in response to DirecTV. And I have no doubt that Verizon will follow suit (they already added 3 HD channels in the few short months that I've been a fios customer).

DirecTV understands that their advantage will be short-lived. Which is why they had that big ad campaign. They were looking to pull in, and lock in, alot of customers. And they've succeeded. From my perspective, however, I could care less if DirecTV leads and Verizon follows, or if it's the other way around. At the end of the day I end up with many more HD channels as a result of DirecTV's campaign.

handbent

i have charter and we have the same thing, there has been no change in the number of high def channels for a long time, it would be nice to see things change, but im sure that in a few years there will be many more high def channels to choose from

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bill122

want more hdtv? see if your screen has a built in ATSC tuner you may have a separate DTV labeled cable type jack [some mitsubishi] if not connect an indoor or outdoor antenna [to ant b ] ifyou have one or you may need to connect to your cable/ant. jack on your screen do a channel search [use the screens menus] if that doesnt work buy an ATSC reciever ie samsung all over the air stations are mandated to provide a digital air signal almost always HD and other digital channels all for free. soon all analog broadcasts will be off the air and the spectrum auctioned by uncle sam

stonedog23

The satellite that just launched in July was for the national HD channels, not the one that is expanding local HD. That will be a separately launched satellite and those local HDs will be up and running in 2008, they are committed to the nationals first, which start next month.

drock912001

Still the keywords are:capacity and up to.We all gotta remember than can only offer what's broadcast in hd.A lot of networks have agreements in place none have launched an hd channel yet.

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paulc

Not only that, but it has come out that they count every possible movie on a OnDemand HD movie channel as a separate "HD channel." It's not atypical for such a channel to have 30 movies playing at any time; that "counts" as 30 HD channels. As far as I know, by the end of this year there is no way there will be 100 separate, network HD channels.

Ya gotta love the "1500 HD local channels." Most markets barely have 3 or 4.

JPL

You failed to highlight the "earlier this year" part of that. All I'm saying is that DirecTV announced a roll-out schedule. IF you look at that schedule, and you add up the channels, they will have 100 HD channel by end of year. Yes, I admitted that EARLIER THIS YEAR they announced the capacity for 100 HD channels. They are NOW advertising that they have plans for those channels. Will all those channels actually be online by end of year? That I don't know - and which I've already admitted. Many of those agreements are agreements in principle. But if their roll-out schedule holds (still an IF) they will have 100 HD channels (if you count things the way they do) by year's end.

I'm not sure why there is this tendency to down-play what they're doing. I have issue with how they're counting some of those channels, but to ignore that they have put that schedule out there is something I just don't understand. You can disagree with me all you like, but I've read, on a different forum, the dates for those new channels.

bicker

I think focusing on plans is kind-of off-target anyway. What matters is what is actually provided, not what is planned. And numbers don't matter much either: What matters is whether the HD channels that are available and that you want are provided to you. I couldn't care less if some HD channel I'll never watch is provided to me.

JPL

Well to say that plans don't matter isn't right. Now, plans may go haywire, and things can go wrong, throwing a plan into chaos, but before you can implement, you need a plan TO implement. In other words, while the plan that DirecTV came up with isn't of any consequence when it comes to actual delivery of HD channels, it is a necessary prerequisite to getting them. It doesn't mean (and I've never meant to imply) that because DirecTV has a plan for HD channels that they WILL have those HD channels.

But to discount that plan out of hand because it doesn't equate to actual delivery of HD channels is wrong. Will they follow that plan? I honestly have no earthly idea. But lets say that they don't. Let's say that they really underachieve, and only half of those new channels come on line. And let's discount DirecTV's math for a second. If you look at all the HD cable channels that they're adding (discounting premiums, RSNs, and thinks like NFL ST), the plan calls for 70 HD channels by end of year. Again, let's say they really underachieve and hit half that target. My one question is: so? Now they have 35 HD channels (more than any other provider), and those other 35 channels aren't just going to vanish into thin air. What would most likely happen in that case is that the schedule for roll-out of those channels gets pushed into early '08. Again the question is: so? That means by early 08 they'll have 70 HD channels. What plans do other providers have for matching THAT? The only other provider that's advertised anything of the sort, as far as I know, is Dish (well, if you count Comcast's silly plan of having 500 HD channels then you would include them too).

And I'm not discounting the fact that there are many links in the chain to get you from what's on paper to actual HD showing up in your living room. All those channel providers have to come through with THEIR plans for offering HD versions of their channels, and then THEY have to offer up some actual HD content, or you'll just have two copies of CNN out there. But it's hard to discount what DirecTV is actually doing. When you have 16 million customers, you carry alot of weight with these TV companies. When DirecTV says "put together an HD channel, and we'll make it available to x million customers...", that's something that's hard for these companies to ignore.

Once again, I'm not a DirecTV subscriber. I was, until about 3 - 4 months ago when I switched to FiOS. I get this sense that cable subscribers are hoping that DirecTV fails in this. I guess I don't understand that. Yeah, DirecTV will have an advantage, for a very short period of time. But again, so what? If DirecTV is willing to go through all the work of arranging for the creation of these HD channels, in other words they're breaking the trail, so what? It just makes it that much easier for all other providers to follow suit. The deal to create those channels will have already been done. And once those channels are created, now all these systems have to do is figure out how to increase the capacity to carry them. Systems that ignore those additional HD channels do so at their own peril - they will disappear. So at the end of the day, this move by DirecTV means that MY HD channel offerings will go up considerably over the next year. I'm absolutely giddy about that. I hope like hell that DirecTV succeeds. It just means that my HD offerings will go up over time.

As for "worthwhile channels" - well, that's another story entirely. All I can say is that, the more channels that go HD, the greater the chance that one channel you actually DO care about goes HD too. For example, I don't watch CNN - but I'm happy that they're creating an HD version of CNN. Why? Because I watch FNC, and if CNN is going HD, you can bet that FNC will be close behind them - so, CNN going HD means that there's a greater chance that a channel I actually DO care about also goes HD.