ESPN2-HD Launch Rumor

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charper1 said:
BUT as I said the masses (some 95% or more) will NOT be using this box. So are you saying that this one, unreleased box will justify ESPN2-HD being MPEG4? I can't see that in my wildest dreams. At best it might be beamed both MPEG2/4, but in reality I see it as MPEG2 only for now.

You'll bound to be disappointed then. There just ain't no more bandwidth on the old sats. None. If and when ESPN2-HD and others get added it will be on the Spaceway sats. Now I guess they could put it on Spaceway in MPEG2 but why since you need a new receiver to get the Spaceway sats anyway? So it'll be MPEG4. I highly doubt it gets added anytime soon though. Spaceway 2 isn't even up there yet.

And besides, they are wanting to get everyone switched to the new MPEG4 boxes as quickly as possible. What better way to get those not in the HD LIL market to switch on their own then dangle new channels in front of them like ESPN2-HD or TNT-HD and the like?

But hey, they could do just about anything I guess like add another HD-lite channel but why bother at this point? Who really knows though, just another unfounded rumor.
 
Not sure this makes sense. If D* is going to put the new HD national channels in MPEG 4 format and then say if you want to add, you need a new receiver, why add just one or two channels? If they do that, it will be to add several HD channels.

Also, the indication is that for those of us who already have HD, we will get a free or significantly discounted upgrade to the new receiver when we switch to MPEG 4, and this is not just the local subs.
 
gchasse said:
Not sure this makes sense. If D* is going to put the new HD national channels in MPEG 4 format and then say if you want to add, you need a new receiver, why add just one or two channels? If they do that, it will be to add several HD channels.

Also, the indication is that for those of us who already have HD, we will get a free or significantly discounted upgrade to the new receiver when we switch to MPEG 4, and this is not just the local subs.

Your getting warm.......almost to the point of burning.
 
ok - the real question becomes when - and will the hughes htl_hd have to go back to them as a part of the deal.... I am very reluctant to be a beta tester for dtv like I am / was with the h10
 
bonscott87 said:
If and when ESPN2-HD and others get added it will be on the Spaceway sats. Now I guess they could put it on Spaceway in MPEG2 but why since you need a new receiver to get the Spaceway sats anyway? So it'll be MPEG4. Spaceway 2 isn't even up there yet.

Well the new DirecTV 8 that just got into its orbital slot has new KU transponder space space, but you are right they could do anything, and seeing that Spaceway 2 has been delayed again, they are bound to continue to move things around and might just have to add the ESPN2-HD for NCAA. Who knows, the launch delays have twisted everything up like crap.
 
LOBO2999 said:
If they add ESPN2 HD before any other channel I am dropping the HD pack.
The first addition needs to be TNTHD IMO. Its exclusion for the last year is an embarrassment.
 
I'm not getting a warm feeling lately about D* adding any new HD channels for a while yet. Reasons are:

- I've not see a firm launch date for Spaceway 2 anywhere yet.
- What's happening (or not happening) with Spaceway 1? It's been a couple of months and I've not seen anything about it starting testing or being turned over to D*. In thread http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=78854 Longhorn will only say that it's "delayed".
- Have you seen any commercials from D* lately touting their new HD channels? Maybe that's because their pushing the NFL-ST programming or maybe they know things are slipping badly with their HD plans.
 
vurbano said:
Considering that tonight ESPNHD is showing the world eating championship, Um Who cares?

Really kind of kills the argument doesn't it??? Of course if you like ER and Law and Order you would be set with TNT HD...... :D
 
Chado said:
Really kind of kills the argument doesn't it??? Of course if you like ER and Law and Order you would be set with TNT HD...... :D

It would have been nice to see "Into the West" in HD, but I don't really care which they add first, ESPN2 or TNTHD. Niether show that much HD content. I just want them to add SOMETHING! $11 for 5 channels is rediculous. I would actually prefer both of the INHD channels over the duece or TNT, but that is obviously still a battle for D*. I'm sure that we will start seeing a significant increase in the # of HD nationals by the end of the year.

Its really not D*'s fault that Spaceway 2 has been delayed for so long. I'm sure they would do anything to get that piece of hardware into place as soon as possible, but at the same time, they would rather get it right than loose the satellite due to launch problems or equipment malfunctions.
 
Chado said:
Really kind of kills the argument doesn't it??? Of course if you like ER and Law and Order you would be set with TNT HD...... :D
Or the NBA finals for the last two years. Or Nascar.

or as posted at AVSforums the following HD movies on TNTHD:
A Knight's Tale
Animatrix, The (OAR)
Bachelor, The
Bad Boys
Ben Hur
Blade II
Blue Streak
Call Me Claus
Christmas Story, A
Cliffhanger
Color Purple, The
Crossfire Trail
Deep Blue Sea
Demolition Man
Desperado
Devil's Advocate, The
Dollar for the Dead
Domestic Disturbance (OAR)
Donnie Brasco
Driven
Enemy at the Gates
Ever After
Evil Kinevil
Fifth Element, The
Fire Down Below
Framed
Fugitive, The
Gladiator
Gone with the Wind (OAR)
Goodbye Girl, The
Hard to Kill
Hope Monte Walsh
House on Haunted Hill
I Am Sam
In the Line of Fire
Jack Frost
John Q
Jumanji
Knight's Tale
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Last Stand at Saber River
Lethal Weapon 2
Lethal Weapon 4
Librarian - Quest for the Spear, The
Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The
Mask of Zorro, The
Matrix, The
Maverick
Men in Black
Mothman Prophecies, The
Murder at 1600
Negotiator, The
Noel
Ocean Eleven
Panic Room
Patriot, The
Payback
Perfect Murder, A
Perfect Storm, The
Pleasantville
Purgatory
Riders of the Purple Sage
Runaway Bride
Rush Hour
Saving Private Ryan
Snake Eyes
Step Mom
Sweet November
Three Kings
Thunderheart
Time to Kill, A
Tommorrow Never Dies
U.S Marshals
Unforgiven
We Were Soldiers
Wild Wild West
Wizard of Oz, The (OAR)
You've Got Mail




I think TNTHD is a valuable channel. ESPN2HD on the other hand.. hmmm. Does anyone really think that Disney is going to double the sports budget? Does ESPN suyddenly have twice the number of HD production trucks? I think what we will see is a huge increase in bologna like people stuffing their mouths with food. Whats next a show about tailgating?
 
Put me in the TNT-HD over ESPN2-HD column. I've got Comcast along with D* at the moment and I find I'm watching more TNT then I used to, especially now that NASCAR is over there for the 2nd half of the season.

I agree that it's not D*'s fault that Spaceway 2 is delayed (unless you say it's their fault for going with this double satellite launch deal because it saved a buck). It's also not D*'s fault that Spaceway 1 is 'delayed' for whatever reason since Boeing hasn't turned it over to them yet (last I heard). But it's getting harder and harder to keep D* around unless something happens in the next couple of months.
 
The buck stops here. Individual things are not D*'s fault but the executives at D* and other Fortune 500 companies get paid millions and millions of dollars to do what they do. They make decision, some good, some bad, but in the end, its their decisions and their responsibility. Taking responsbility is pretty much gone in our society. I keep seeing this slipping further and further away in our culture but thats a whole nother topic.

So in the end, this group has great ideas, a great HD vision and believe in it. As an analyst watching the performance of the organization and watching its stock price and watching some plans slip, I have doubts about the fulfillment of this group. I hope i am wrong ina few months and pleasantly surprised when they start delivering but I am more pessimistic than optimistic at this point.
 
bonscott87 said:
You'll bound to be disappointed then. There just ain't no more bandwidth on the old sats. None. If and when ESPN2-HD and others get added it will be on the Spaceway sats. Now I guess they could put it on Spaceway in MPEG2 but why since you need a new receiver to get the Spaceway sats anyway? So it'll be MPEG4. I highly doubt it gets added anytime soon though. Spaceway 2 isn't even up there yet.

When D* recently shuffled around its HD channels onto different transponders, they left CBSW on a transponder by itself. Then a "test" channel started sharing with it. I would assume this is the space they would use to add ESPN2HD.

http://www.widemovies.com/dfwbitrate.html

They are compromising PQ by squeezing another HD channel in, but ESPN2HD is carrying a lot of college football this fall, so it will have a good amount of valuable content.

http://www.hdsportsguide.com/cfb.php

Personally, I'd rather see TNT-HD, for the basketball, but I think we'll be in MPEG4 territory before the NBA season starts (October for preseason, November for regular season).
 
djsmokyc said:
When D* recently shuffled around its HD channels onto different transponders, they left CBSW on a transponder by itself. Then a "test" channel started sharing with it. I would assume this is the space they would use to add ESPN2HD.

You are forgetting Sunday Ticket in HD. Need about 6 channels for that. They did this last year too just before ST to make room for the games.
 
charper1 said:
Well the new DirecTV 8 that just got into its orbital slot has new KU transponder space space, but you are right they could do anything, and seeing that Spaceway 2 has been delayed again, they are bound to continue to move things around and might just have to add the ESPN2-HD for NCAA. Who knows, the launch delays have twisted everything up like crap.

DirecTV 8 is basically a replacement for one of the original D* sats from a decade ago that is nearing it's life end. You can add all the transponders you want at a slot but there are only so many frequencies, of which they are filled up already.
 
bonscott87 said:
DirecTV 8 is basically a replacement for one of the original D* sats from a decade ago that is nearing it's life end. You can add all the transponders you want at a slot but there are only so many frequencies, of which they are filled up already.
But it also has KA transponders on it along with KU. While the original announcement said these would be for internal D* usage it SW1 and SW2 are delayed maybe D* would chage their plans for that.
 
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