ESPN2 HD September 8th

[gchasse]

I have had an HD setup for 2 years now. In that time, it has changed a lot. I am eagerly awaiting for more.

That said, we all need to realize this is still in its infancy and it takes time to get to where we all want to go. I get a kick out of how much we are such an instant breakfast society.

I get irritated at those who want to play armchair quarterback, and when someone pushes back with reality (Longhorn's post earlier), they are upset that someone would do that. If you can dish it out, then take it, too.

The reality is that this is coming along, it is better than one year ago, and will be better one year from now.

I would rather have 2 ESPN HD channels than one. Consider that there will be times when Sportscenter will be on ESPN2 instead of ESPN and we will be able to see that in HD instead of SD as now. Longhorn's reasoning is valid and ESPN can kill 2 birds with one stone with some of their programming. Is it perfect? No. But it is better than a year ago, and it will be better one year from now.

 

[alag8r]

Good thing about not holding your breath. It can be hazardous to your health.

The logic of espn not having espn2 because espn is not 100% HD escapes me. Sporting events typically happen in the same time slots. Why should espn be limited to broadcasting one event at a time if they can broadcast 2. Thats a 100% increase in HD choices and that is a good thing.

We can all agree that there is not enough HD content. It will get better, but it will never be fast enough for anyone who has watched HD

rick

 

[uncrules]

For me the upgrade in PQ for non-HD programming on ESPN2HD over regular ESPN2 is a good reason to add the channel even though not all programming will be in HD. Regular ESPN2 has some of the worse PQ on D*.

 

[kfried001]

Just wait until TNTHD is added. People will be complaining that they can't get the Weather Channel in HD. The grass is always greener....

I want CSPAN 1 & 2 in HD before ESPN2 ;-) Actually, can't wait until the Outdorr Channel 2 and National Geo in HD.

 

[LonghornXP]

The bottom line is this below.

"The more the better"!

 

[Smthkd]

The bottom line is this below.

"The more the better"!

Amen Longhorn!

 

[Barney]

I love it! Some of you complain that *D has not added any HD, and then when they do you still complain. I love sports, movies, anything in HD so I am glad they added ESPN2. Also remember how many great college basketball games we missed on ESPN2 last year, and then I am sure Barneypoo69 will remember the Longhorns college world series run on ESPN2HD. Better late than never. Thank you DIRECTV!

Maybe for all of you that have nothing to do but complain, *D, or *E will add PlayboyHD so you can "relieve" some of your stress towards HD offerings!

Correction, ESPN-HD...and some of the NCAA College World Series games were not HD due to the fact that ESPN had to take their trucks/equipment to cover some MLBaseball or Golf. They did go back to Neb to cover the final game.

To be honest, I'm not ranting, I love D*, always have since I signed up around 1998 (their records only show 2001 since I moved to my home I have now).
I have loved every post by LonghornXP & he seems "in the know" & I link alot of the info at another forum. He knows where I'm coming from
ESPN2-HD if added would be nice, but not enough for me to re-activate my sub. I will miss not having ESPN anything coming this season (didn't see Texas on their list-if so-let me know) & my Dallas Cowgirls don't impress me enough either.
I get all my locals by OTA.............my son starts school this year (yup, I'm 55 & have a 6 yr old-had to lock Nic on D*) and have a 26 yr old daughter married to an Army guy (spent over a year in Iraq) & have a 4 yr old grandson.
As soon as D* does their uprades in my area, I'm back (I'm #54 on the list.....so I don't plan on anything for a year or more).....but the 1st 12 was to be July (by D*) which hasn't happened, I've posted about "so what, if it was to happen in July, where are the SD-STB's & HD-DVR's that should be out in July for the upgrades, much less the 2'x3' dish w/5LNB's even if S2 launched as planned, There's a thread here about a member just now doing beta testing on the R15--SD-DVR thats not MPEG4)......where's the harware? The order for the MPEG4 decorders (for their uplinks) stated that half of the order was to be around mid-year (thats June). They still have to test & get the last half of the order. D*, just my $0.02, D* has not been very honest with its subs......now, again, just my $0.02........until it happens, it ain't happening. D* has "cried wolf" as far as I'm concerned. I will question anything D* states now.
Its going to take more than a ESPN 1 truck system to get me back. I want to see how D* does do with the 1st 12 markets.......until then, I'll watch OTA HD (even without ESPN).

Barney

 

[LonghornXP]

Correction, ESPN-HD...and some of the NCAA College World Series games were not HD due to the fact that ESPN had to take their trucks/equipment to cover some MLBaseball or Golf. They did go back to Neb to cover the final game.

To be honest, I'm not ranting, I love D*, always have since I signed up around 1998 (their records only show 2001 since I moved to my home I have now).
I have loved every post by LonghornXP & he seems "in the know" & I link alot of the info at another forum. He knows where I'm coming from
ESPN2-HD if added would be nice, but not enough for me to re-activate my sub. I will miss not having ESPN anything coming this season (didn't see Texas on their list-if so-let me know) & my Dallas Cowgirls don't impress me enough either.
I get all my locals by OTA.............my son starts school this year (yup, I'm 55 & have a 6 yr old-had to lock Nic on D*) and have a 26 yr old daughter married to an Army guy (spent over a year in Iraq) & have a 4 yr old grandson.
As soon as D* does their uprades in my area, I'm back (I'm #54 on the list.....so I don't plan on anything for a year or more).....but the 1st 12 was to be July (by D*) which hasn't happened, I've posted about "so what, if it was to happen in July, where are the SD-STB's & HD-DVR's that should be out in July for the upgrades, much less the 2'x3' dish w/5LNB's even if S2 launched as planned, There's a thread here about a member just now doing beta testing on the R15--SD-DVR thats not MPEG4)......where's the harware? The order for the MPEG4 decorders (for their uplinks) stated that half of the order was to be around mid-year (thats June). They still have to test & get the last half of the order. D*, just my $0.02, D* has not been very honest with its subs......now, again, just my $0.02........until it happens, it ain't happening. D* has "cried wolf" as far as I'm concerned. I will question anything D* states now.
Its going to take more than a ESPN 1 truck system to get me back. I want to see how D* does do with the 1st 12 markets.......until then, I'll watch OTA HD (even without ESPN).

Barney

This is exactly the post that people at D* must read. I know things will get here in a decent timeframe but I'm very upset with D* about their lack of customer support. I'm talking about customer support that tells them the customer what their general plans are. They can tell all of us what is coming both on the hardware and programming side and during what timeframe without have any legal troubles if and only if they put that clause that says that anything they say could change at anytime and D* can't be held liable for anything relating to this information.

The fact is they have this clause all over the website in many different areas but they are so close to flatout losing tons of customers they can't keep on staying secretive. Right now they are keeping things as quiet as they can to avoid tipping off other companies to their plans but from where I'm sitting they have more to lose (their own customers switching because of lack of information and hope) than they do from say Comcast or TWC knowing their plans.

Until D* can understand this they will risk losing customers forever for every week they keep these customers uninformed. I've told everyone up above at D* that I know but they don't seem to want to believe that their customers are at risk because of this. To be honest I can see their side because overall they haven't lost many bigtime HDTV only customers yet. They have lost quite a bit of HDTV NFL Sunday Ticket customers but they are counting them as NFL Sunday Ticket HD sub loss and not an HDTV customer loss and that is their most wicked mistake.

I do feel for your situation and I've been pretty angry with D* for the last oh 4 months because I thought they should have spelt out their plans 4 months ago even if things changed. At least customers would know what was coming and a timeframe that will be at least within a few months or so if the announced timeframe. D* doesn't even have to tell us what HDTV channels they would offer but if they are working with say 10 HD channels to carry they can say we are working to carry these 10 HD channels (they can say the names of the channels) while making a point that these channels might not ever come about if they can't get a deal done. At least customers would know what HD channels they are trying to get. People are more likely to wait things out if they know what will be coming even if they don't quite know when. Now everything I said above doesn't apply if its Dish Network so I'm hoping if D* ever does share the wealth they won't turn into Dish Network.

 

[riggscm]

Just wait until TNTHD is added. People will be complaining that they can't get the Weather Channel in HD. The grass is always greener....

Thats why I use Scotts brand fertilizer.

We are talking about grass right?

 

[Skyboss]

My money is on D* going MPEG4 and adding 100+ HD channels and people still bitching.

 

[gmcgown]

Jumping ship

I'm thinking of quitting Directv and going to Dish. I'm an HD fan and Dish has the goods. Since I get all the digital programing available in the area (Dallas/Fort Worth) OTA will Directv's plans for this Fall be such a big deal? How will Dish's line up look compared to Directv's in six months?

 

[gmcgown]

In D/FW what's the best reason for sticking with Directv over Dish when it comes to HD? Paricularly if you are already receiving all digital channels OTA?

 

[Jimbo]

I'm thinking of quitting Directv and going to Dish. I'm an HD fan and Dish has the goods. Since I get all the digital programing available in the area (Dallas/Fort Worth) OTA will Directv's plans for this Fall be such a big deal? How will Dish's line up look compared to Directv's in six months?

Well lets see VOOM is Dish's HD package, and enough people didn't like it so it went under, seem like that A LOT better ....


In D/FW what's the best reason for sticking with Directv over Dish when it comes to HD? Paricularly if you are already receiving all digital channels OTA?

Best reason to stick with D* currently is the NFL Sunday Ticket.....
Basically that is the only difference, other than D* actually haveing plans to upgrade and add HD channels.

I have yet to see Dish announce any upgrades or new programming.

MPEG 4 beats MPEG 2 ... granted it's not here yet, but atleast thier going that way

As for the thread issue ESPN2
ESPN does not have enough programming to fill it's channel, only advantage ESPN2 will do is them being able to show 2 different games in HD when they want to.

I was really hoping that I could see HOCKEY this year and have 2 channels for ESPN to decide to use, hockey would have been on the duce and football on the main outlet

Jimbo

 

[shugo77]

My money is on D* going MPEG4 and adding 100+ HD channels and people still bitching.

My money is on hell freezing over before D* adding 100 national hd channels.
Seriously though, that is several years from now, and when that does actually happen, I will be the last person to complain about it.
But, right now, 100 hd channels don't even exist yet.

 

[Smthkd]

HERES D* OFFICIAL RELEASE!
For Immediate Release,
August 24, 2005


DIRECTV Delivers First Nationwide Distribution of ESPN2 HD
ESPN2 HD to LAUNCH on DIRECTV SEPTEMBER 9

El SEGUNDO, CA and BRISTOL, CT August 24, 2005 – ESPN2 HD, a high-definition simulcast of ESPN2, will be available for the first time nationwide Friday, Sept. 9 via DIRECTV, the nation’s leading digital television service provider. The launch of ESPN2 HD will coincide with the college football match-up between Pittsburgh and Ohio at 8 p.m. EST.

ESPN2 HD will be available on DIRECTV channel 72 and added to the DIRECTV® HD Package, at no additional cost. The DIRECTV® HD Package currently includes ESPN HD, Discovery HD Theater™, HDNet, HDNet Movies and Universal HD, and is available by subscription for $10.99 per month.

ESPN2 HD recently announced new content from the US Open Series in tennis, The Little League World Series and the Men’s U.S. National Soccer Team, in addition to its coverage of Major League Baseball and the National Hot Rod Association.

“We are pleased that DIRECTV fans will now have the opportunity to see the quality games and events not only on ESPN HD, but now on ESPN2 HD,” said Sean Bratches, president, Disney and ESPN Networks, affiliate sales and marketing. “With over 450 events slated for 2005 across both of our HD services, ESPN2 HD has clearly become a ‘must have’ in our HD fans’ eyes, making the service a real value for our affiliates.”

“The launch of ESPN2 HD gives our sports and HD fans the same programming they love in the best television quality available and also reinforces DIRECTV’s commitment to providing the most compelling HDTV content available,” said Dan Fawcett, executive vice president, Programming Acquisitions, DIRECTV, Inc. “DIRECTV was the first to launch an HDTV channel for customers back in 1998, and we intend to remain a leader in this new and developing technology.”

“From our first high definition telecast 29 months ago, we have worked from a ‘quality first’ concept as we have selected events for telecast on our two HD services. The new sports we have slated to appear on ESPN2 HD, give us a tremendous opportunity to open the door to new owners of high definition sets, and let them see what they have been missing,” said Bryan Burns, vice president strategic planning and business development, ESPN. “We continue to increase our commitment to high definition and make ESPN2 HD a must have for our distributors and fans.”

In addition to the DIRECTV® HD Package, DIRECTV customers with HD-enabled equipment can also receive HBO® HDTV and SHO® HD as part of their premium package subscriptions, as well as High-Definition Pay Per View movies for $4.99 each (when ordered by remote).

ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD
ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD will combine to deliver over 450 major events plus over 2,000 programs totaling more than 6,000 hours in high definition in 2005. The ESPN Digital Center, a 120,000 square foot, state-of-the-art, all digital high-definition facility at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn., began operation on June 7, 2004. The building contains over seven million feet of cable and three HDTV studios that are home to ESPN Bristol-based studio shows - SportsCenter, NFL Countdown, NFL Primetime, NFL Live, Monday Night Countdown and Baseball Tonight. All high-definition programming on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD is delivered to cable systems and satellite providers in the 720p high-definition format.

 

[Barney]

HERES D* OFFICIAL RELEASE!
For Immediate Release,
August 24, 2005


DIRECTV Delivers First Nationwide Distribution of ESPN2 HD
ESPN2 HD to LAUNCH on DIRECTV SEPTEMBER 9

El SEGUNDO, CA and BRISTOL, CT August 24, 2005 – ESPN2 HD, a high-definition simulcast of ESPN2, will be available for the first time nationwide Friday, Sept. 9 via DIRECTV, the nation’s leading digital television service provider. The launch of ESPN2 HD will coincide with the college football match-up between Pittsburgh and Ohio at 8 p.m. EST.

ESPN2 HD will be available on DIRECTV channel 72 and added to the DIRECTV® HD Package, at no additional cost. The DIRECTV® HD Package currently includes ESPN HD, Discovery HD Theater™, HDNet, HDNet Movies and Universal HD, and is available by subscription for $10.99 per month.

ESPN2 HD recently announced new content from the US Open Series in tennis, The Little League World Series and the Men’s U.S. National Soccer Team, in addition to its coverage of Major League Baseball and the National Hot Rod Association.

“We are pleased that DIRECTV fans will now have the opportunity to see the quality games and events not only on ESPN HD, but now on ESPN2 HD,” said Sean Bratches, president, Disney and ESPN Networks, affiliate sales and marketing. “With over 450 events slated for 2005 across both of our HD services, ESPN2 HD has clearly become a ‘must have’ in our HD fans’ eyes, making the service a real value for our affiliates.”

“The launch of ESPN2 HD gives our sports and HD fans the same programming they love in the best television quality available and also reinforces DIRECTV’s commitment to providing the most compelling HDTV content available,” said Dan Fawcett, executive vice president, Programming Acquisitions, DIRECTV, Inc. “DIRECTV was the first to launch an HDTV channel for customers back in 1998, and we intend to remain a leader in this new and developing technology.”

“From our first high definition telecast 29 months ago, we have worked from a ‘quality first’ concept as we have selected events for telecast on our two HD services. The new sports we have slated to appear on ESPN2 HD, give us a tremendous opportunity to open the door to new owners of high definition sets, and let them see what they have been missing,” said Bryan Burns, vice president strategic planning and business development, ESPN. “We continue to increase our commitment to high definition and make ESPN2 HD a must have for our distributors and fans.”

In addition to the DIRECTV® HD Package, DIRECTV customers with HD-enabled equipment can also receive HBO® HDTV and SHO® HD as part of their premium package subscriptions, as well as High-Definition Pay Per View movies for $4.99 each (when ordered by remote).

ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD
ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD will combine to deliver over 450 major events plus over 2,000 programs totaling more than 6,000 hours in high definition in 2005. The ESPN Digital Center, a 120,000 square foot, state-of-the-art, all digital high-definition facility at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn., began operation on June 7, 2004. The building contains over seven million feet of cable and three HDTV studios that are home to ESPN Bristol-based studio shows - SportsCenter, NFL Countdown, NFL Primetime, NFL Live, Monday Night Countdown and Baseball Tonight. All high-definition programming on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD is delivered to cable systems and satellite providers in the 720p high-definition format.

Sorry, but not impressed (just looked at D* web site-don't see this news)? Last news update is 8-9-05? .........ABC/ESPN/Disney only has 1 HD truck system & D* has said that the 1st 12 markets were to be upgraded in July 2005. Its almost Sept 2005.
The 1st 12 markets are not even been upgraded to MPEG4 with new DISH etc.
Not enough to get me back.........
Sorry, D* needs to do more than that........if it even happens.....very little HD............

Barney

 

[fkostyn]

I agree completly with what longhorn has said, D* let us know what the plan is, I am staying current with D* this year due to NFL ST, however, by this time next year, I will be living in the NYC metro area, therefore my wife can get her giants games, and I will no longer need NFL ST. I would be MUCH more inclined to stay with D* if I knew what was going to happen. I would consider myself an intelligent person, and I can understand that the reason why things have not yet happened, or have been delayed due the satellite launch delay, but, I HATE being kept in the dark.

 

[billbillw]

Sorry, but not impressed .........ABC/ESPN/Disney only has 1 HD truck system & D* has said that the 1st 12 markets were to be upgraded in July 2005. Its almost Sept 2005.

Barney

I don't think this is true. Do you remember January 1st, 2005? ABC had 3 college football games in HD on the same day. They have frequent plans to have multiple HD football games this fall on the same day, often at the same time.

 

[FlyingJ]

Ummm Barney, everytime something shows up for us D8 loyalists to smile about, you try to rain on our parade. D* will come out the winner in the end. We all want more, and when we get it we will want more again. Have some patience. These things are technical and involve 10's if not 100s of millions of dollars. Not everything goes according to plan. Good thing you don't have a subscription to NASA, you would have changed over to the Russian space program, then the Chinese....remember, you are just one subscriber, we know your position on D* and I am willing to bet that in the very near future your post will be titled, I'm Back!

 

[Smthkd]

Heres D* Official Release via "there website"!
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=749496&highlight=