D* comments on E*'s HD offerings

[Madtown HD Junkie]

Just let you know there is no problem in Madtown location to pick up Packers with OTA.
But I am not saying here that there is no problem with the Packers this season.

lol you are right there

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Part II of the interview is now up:

http://www.tvpredictions.com/nextshanks091406.htm

It addresses "HD-lite"

 

[Madtown HD Junkie]

Madtown has gone mad! You will probably get transferred to the middle of nowhere and be back with D* so you can watch your Pack! Of course if that happened, you would have a great opportunity to change teams! Just cracks me up how people with D* or E* are so against the other, like they need proof that they made the right decision. The piece was fluff, like almost every other article that comes out about these two companies. I personally get a chuckle out of the new Dish adds with the NFL, now you E* guys have to admit, that's funny.

I have gone mad if you ask my wife The NFL E* ad is misleading imho. I just got sick of waiting and pulling TNTHD (i am no NASCAR fan either) was the capper. They let me out of my contract as long as I send back the 2 h20's so what the heck, I thought I would give E* a try. Can't be worse (as I tried Voom for a bit)and I get more HD which is what I want. J, I could never trade teams. I lived through the 70's and 80's as a kid and it can't get worse than that can it?
You are right it is fluff...especially the part about ""HD Lite" -- that's a great phrase. I would think that would be more applicable to our competitor's HD packages next year that are only offering 35 channels of HD. " What about now Eric...ever think about that.

and this number...
"TVP: Will DIRECTV ever drop channels (as some cable operators are now doing) to add room for more high-def?

ES: Ever is a long time. But at this time we don't see the need to drop channels because of HD. "
uhh THTHD ...ever hear of that?

 

[guffy1]

Part II of the interview is now up:

http://www.tvpredictions.com/nextshanks091406.htm

It addresses "HD-lite"

He should have specifically questioned the guy about all their 1080i channels being in 1280x1080 format..

What a worthless interview with such poorly thought out questions..I wouldnt expect anything less from Swanni the puppet..

 

[technoguy]

"HD Lite" -- that's a great phrase. I would think that would be more applicable to our competitor's HD packages next year that are only offering 35 channels of HD.

But relating to picture quality, anybody that thinks we don't take it seriously is mistaken. Across the board, I'll put our HD signal up against any of our competitors on a consistent basis. DIRECTV from day 1 has always been about providing great picture quality. And everyone knows that and expects it from us. So I would say we are under a really big magnifying glass -- even more than our competitors.

Do you believe this guy claim this ?

 

[Sean Mota]

I think this article says it all...

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=76770

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=76770

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]DirecTV touted its ambitious HD plans at an investor's conference last week, while many customers appear as frustrated as ever with the satellite operator's HD offerings and practices.

DirecTV assured Wall Street during the Kaufman Bros. conference in New York that by the end of 2007, the satellite provider will have enough capacity to offer 1,500 high-definition local channels and 150 national HD channels. Plans call for the launch of DirecTV's ninth and 10th satellites in the spring and summer of next year. DirecTV also touted its local channel growth, noting that the company can provide HD local channels to 58 percent of all U.S. households.

But in the meantime, DirecTV customers are venting their frustration in online forums. Currently DirecTV offers only seven channels in its HD package, compared with competitor EchoStar's 29, more than four times as many.

DirecTV's lineup is so crunched that last Sunday TNT HD was taken off the air to temporarily make room for NFL Sunday Ticket HD. In other words, the service literally cannot add an HD channel without taking one down.

Romulo Pontual, DirecTV's executive VP and chief technology officer, said this week that on future Sundays, the company will not necessarily yank TNT HD but rather "whatever [channel] is not relevant for the afternoon."

And then there's the issue of quality. HD fans love the format for its clarity. But for years hardcore DirecTV viewers have derided the service for providing "HD Lite"—a downsized resolution image that doesn't hold up when placed side by side with certain competitors.

"I have seen those alleged posts … we carry two HD channels on each transporter, and I believe EchoStar is the same," Mr. Pontual said. "I don't think we're making our services any worse—our services are good."[/FONT]

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=76770
and very hard for D* subs... I am glad that I jumped ship when I did and if that's the best they can do about HD quality... well not good enough

 

[JohnL]

All I hear from D* is "wait until next year". I've heard that for nearly three years now and all we've gotten recently is TNT HD (B.F.D.) and Universal HD, which they should rename the Law and Order channel. Although I do totally love Battlestar Galactica in HD, upconverted or not.

Bunnyman,

The New Battlestar Galactica is NOT upconverted. The show is shot on Film which is the way 90 percent of Network HD is shot. The film is then transfered into an HD stream. There is VERY LITTLE Native HD on network TV is Connan, Letterman, Leno, and live sports, almost all the rest is transfered to a HD stream from the original 35mm print.

35mm Film is higher resolution than HD anyway. A really good HD transfer is virtually IDENTICAL to the original FILM STOCK.

John

 

[waltinvt]

I think this article says it all...


and very hard for D* subs... I am glad that I jumped ship when I did and if that's the best they can do about HD quality... well not good enough

I just read it too. It's like "D" is in denial or something. Trouble is, this is potentially bad news for "E" subs. As "D" becomes less competitive, we can expect worse things from "E".

Right now "D"s only hope is that "E" gets hurt bad by one or both of the injunctions (dns or tivo). Next year "D" may be in better shape but getting to that point may be very costly if something doesn't happen to hinder "E"s growth rate fairly soon.

Now that the HD Lite controversy has peaked (I know and I hate it too but it is what it is) and many more consumers are predicted to make the jump to digital this year, it looks like this could be a "make or break" year.

As long as "E" finds a way to circumvent the loss of distants and dvr functions, they will continue to out distance "D" for a while. At some point though, all the costs incurred by this may inhibit "E"s ability to expand satellite capacity, which could allow "D" to catch up rather quickly.

Perhaps I should say "allow the opportunity to catch up. If "D" doesn't get smarten up, it almost won't matter what "E" does. Taking this long to get out their new HD DVR has hurt them badly and now they'll have to subsidize the sh*t out of it (and I bet they won't) if they want it to have any impact.

 

[Sean Mota]

shameless....

If they have a major craving for watching channels like Equator HD, Rave HD or Rush HD (available on EchoStar) and they base their decision on channels like that, they should look somewhere else. However, if you want high quality HD channels with the most popular HD programming, then you should choose DIRECTV. And next year, we will leapfrog the industry with our ability to deliver more than 1,500 local HD channels and more than 150 national HD channels.

I find it very funny in two parts. One is how about, Starz HD, Cinemax HD, National Geographic HD, Food HD, HGTV HD, MTVHD are those not high quality channels as well or am I missing something.

Next they should take a look at the most popular sports programming like the NFL and Major League Baseball and the local regional sports networks. If their favorite team is in HD, there is a better chance it is on DIRECTV.

TVP: Some high-def owners at Internet message boards complain that DIRECTV's HD picture quality is "watered down." They call this, 'HD Lite." How do you respond?

ES: "HD Lite" -- that's a great phrase. I would think that would be more applicable to our competitor's HD packages next year that are only offering 35 channels of HD. ​

​

oh man, how lost and stupid can he be to go into an interview and be so uninformed or he is playing dumb to us. What a disgrace? Does he think the public is stupid? All his mpeg2 1080i channels are HD Lite where does he think we get this? from the moon? How freaking lost he is?

But relating to picture quality, anybody that thinks we don't take it seriously is mistaken. Across the board, I'll put our HD signal up against any of our competitors on a consistent basis.

and there he goes again. If you are reading this board or anyone from your shop, please put your HBO HD, showtime HD, discovery hd against someone's else cabler or satellite and you will see the flaws. Put it on a 65" monitor and you will see the flaws. How ridiculous his statement can be is beyond comprehension....

DIRECTV from day 1 has always been about providing great picture quality.

War stories... this is not the case anymore. Spin it all you want but you are full of it.

We monitor (HDTV) technical message boards and some people reading this article have probably been contacted by our engineering department if there are things that we need to respond to. There are a lot of factors that go into HD signal quality. HD is still a relatively new product and encoders and transmitters at the broadcasters or at pay TV channels and MPEG 4 encoders are in their first generation. Sometimes stations and networks still have lip-synch issues and so do we sometimes. But we monitor it and get if fixed quickly if it's in our control. This is because the HD standard that was approved does not lock audio to the video signal like in the standard definition signal. So a ton of work is going into mature every aspect video and audio quality.

​

Sure and I am still a baby. The HD Lite problem started three years ago and nothing has been done to fix it and he keeps spinning the issue. What a moron?​

This assumes that E* was not going to launch RSNs in HD but they are getting ready to do.

Now comes the question of programming. At the INHD website the top two things they are promoting are Major League Baseball games, which we already carry and more, and a show called Beer Nutz. So I am not sure we are going to spend our customer's money on a show called Beer Nutz just because it is in HD. And I am a big fan of beer.

how about NBA, NHL, college football games in HD on INHD. Those do not count?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Ok here is my take on it...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8435926&&#post8435926

And just in case it gets deleted there here is my challange...

Wow, Eric Shanks is the modern day "Baghdad Bob" in the world of Satellite Television.

I would love to accept his challange. So how about it Bob, err Eric? CES? Side by side Dish -vs- DirecTV with identical monitors ISF Calibrated by Gregg Loewen?

We will bring in 25 random people from the show floor to watch the same program side by side but we won't tell them which one they are watching. We will let them pick their own winner. Monitor 1 or Monitor 2, tally the vote and see who the winner is.

Are you up for it?

If so email me scott at satelliteguys dot us. I look forward to your reply.

 

[goaliebob99]

OHHHH OHHH SCOTT.... YES! I would love to see this as we all know E* would whoop over D* (sorry no offence to the D* fans out there) I hear it on a constant basis about people swithching and how much better pq E* has..

I dont think D* has the balls to accept this challange.

 

[Sean Mota]

no, they won't they will crap hd lite out of their signal ....

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Im not taking anyones side on this. I want to go in this impartial, which I am, I have never really seen DirecTV's HD as I am not a DirecTV subscriber.

 

[pez419]

Its nice of D* to pimp HD NFL games but are they not all HD-lite?

 

[Sean Mota]

yes, they are...

 

[Dish Roamer]

Im not taking anyones side on this. I want to go in this impartial, which I am, I have never really seen DirecTV's HD as I am not a DirecTV subscriber.

Trust me, you are not missing anything

 

[Madtown HD Junkie]

Im not taking anyones side on this. I want to go in this impartial, which I am, I have never really seen DirecTV's HD as I am not a DirecTV subscriber.

Scott. i can sended over my new D* dish and a hd box.....mine is coming down in 1 hour and 29 minutes and up goes E*

 

[Tom Bombadil]

A lot of the comments about how much better E*'s HD was over D*'s, were made late last year and earlier this year, back when D* was offering a lot of HD-lite and E* still had their major channels in true HD.

However E*'s PQ has really fallen this summer and I suspect the quality is now quite close.

For example, if you had made this comparison in July using HDNET and HDNMV, then E* would have embarrassed D*. But doing it now, well, it would be closer.

Likewise while E* is still offering Showtime HD in full 1920x1080i, they are squeezing the bandwidth so there are more compression artifacts than last year.