D* offing 150 HD Channels?

[emu1]

Ok.. Ok.. I have heard D* say they will be offering 150 HD channels this year. A CSR told me that yesterday. I have read about it in these forums. Most people including me chalked it up to a marketing trick. Sure 150 HD channels if you count all the locals HD channels they are adding which everyone won't get and don't need.

Having said that, I just watched the install video for the new 5 LNB dish that I am having installed today. The video can be found here. https://retailer.directv.com/dws/con..._system_sm.wmv

I replayed the first 30 seconds of the video 3 times to make sure I got it correct. The D* instructor clearly says, "D* will be broadcasting over 1500 HD locals and over 150 HD national channels to specific markets nation wide."

If this is true we have some exciting times ahead of us!!! Glad I made the switch.

 

[charper1]

This is in about 100 different threads already, that statement relates to their overall capacity of 1500 HD LIL and 150 HD national channels; by the time all the new satellites in the system are up. which is currently slated for early summer 2007; or just over 1 year away. Each DMA will only get their 4 major networks of the 1500 total, and of the 150 natioanls there might be 50 by the end of 2007 even broadcasting for DirecTV to add. That being said, YES, they have the best, and clearest, position for the future.

 

[LonghornXP]

This is in about 100 different threads already, that statement relates to their overall capacity of 1500 HD LIL and 150 HD national channels; by the time all the new satellites in the system are up. which is currently slated for early summer 2007; or just over 1 year away. Each DMA will only get their 4 major networks of the 1500 total, and of the 150 natioanls there might be 50 by the end of 2007 even broadcasting for DirecTV to add. That being said, YES, they have the best, and clearest, position for the future.

I've been talking to a few people at the state level in Florida about this issue as its becoming a very big problem as its not just web talk but CSRs saying this. We know its implied to mean total space but too many CSRs are implying that they will "offer" this amount of channels and not implying that its bandwidth. Because I've been talking to a few state level people in Florida about BHN I've also talked to them about this as well. As of now they are looking into this and most likely will take action just in Florida if my claims are proven true which they will be. We have this thing called the "Senior Act" that doesn't allow these types of things to be said in the way they are being said to protect the customers.

Also keep in mind that no customer should ever take the word of a CSR period. If its true and confirmed it will either be on a press release at Directv.com or some of us on this site will clearly say its confirmed information. Right now 150 national HD channels is confirmed as for them having enough bandwidth to offer that many channels soon but it "isn't" confirmed that they would offer that many channels.

Maybe in five years they will offer that many HD channels but that is pretty much dreaming at this point as to have that many would require that many channels actually going HDTV and broadcasting HDTV and not upconvert crap. But they could always offer 100 PPV HD channels that show the same three movies every five minutes and they would have 150 HD national HD channels. But cable could always combat that with switched video by saying they have 500 HD PPV channels showing those same exact three movies and market it as having 550 national HD channels. It would take little to no bandwidth with cable because with switched video if its never watched and tuned in its never sent down the pipe thus never using bandwidth. Heck Bright House Networks could say I could get a free hooker every month if I order HD service and I still wouldn't order their service. Verizon FIOS TV plus the cost of the hooker would still be cheaper than BHN with and without the hooker. Hey I might get a better looking hooker with a few extras thrown in at no charge.

 

[scotsmanron]

Well, living in FL, this affects me. So you are basically saying this is similar to Truth in Advertising law, that they can't say something that isn't realistically true, even if it is literally true?

 

[Newshawk]

Well, D* could use 50 or 60 of those national HD channels to expand their HD PPV offerings, so it is possible they could be offering close to 150 HD channels nationally by the end of '07.

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

If a local station offers locals to cable in HD then they should also have to offer them to D* and E* by default. So as soon as the new sat is turned on D* can go nation wide with HD locals. If the product is there then it should be delivered to the customer.

As for nationals well some of the crap carried is SD should be dropped so that everything out there in HD can be broadcast now. If they want to gain and keep market share then giving customers what they want is the way to do it. Just like the networks do, drop the shows that ratings say people are not watching. then after D*10 and 11 are up they can bring those channels back in anyone really misses them.

How much room can be made just dropping the non spanish foreign language channels? This is a market that E* has had locked up for at least 10 years, and honestly I think more people can be gained adding more HD than more Chienese channels.

Or am I off my rocker thinking about giving customers what they want?

as spock said (I think) 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few'

 

[charper1]

as spock said (I think) 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few'

and right now that is NOT we HD users, we are less than 825,000 of the 15+ million subs

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

Yes but
1 what customers have the highest bills per month?
2 how man foreign language subs are there?

 

[charper1]

Yes but
1 what customers have the highest bills per month?
2 how man foreign language subs are there?

This has been hashed out in at least 20 other threads already; I am an avid early adopter of HD myself, but I can see the current and near future reality as it stands; but it is slowly changing. As soon as ALL the HD display types come down in price, the 2009 digital conversion date looms closer, and many more decent HD channels become available to add to the lineups, we will be a much stronger force.

825,000 HD subs at an impossible high rate of $200 /mo = $165,000,000 /mo

14M remaining subs at an impossible low rate of $40 /mo = $560,000,000 /mo

For a whopping deficit of $395,000,000 /mo

Right now we HD users just don't add up; YET!