I bought my HDTV and got an 811 to watch HDTV. I chose DISH over ZOOM because I think ZOOM was costing too much monthly for HDTV programming plus all the other stuff they added on. Being aware that in the next few month HDTV will become more and more avaliable because of the government mandate I went with DISH who only has about 6 regular HDTV channels right now. I was curious to find out when will DISH start to add more HDTV programming to their line-up which I believe they have to because of the new regulations set forth by the government by 2006. And weather they will drop the extra monthly charge for HDTV programming in light of the fact that most TV's will soon come built with HDTV tuners.
More HDTV....
- Thread starter 8ohms
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8ohms said:
There is NO HDTV mandate from the government. There is a digital TV mandate. Digital TV isn't necessarily HD although all HD is digital. Considering that both Dish and Direct have an HD tier along with the cable TV companies, I doubt that you'll see the extra charge go away. I hope I'm not ruining your day......
As of May 2003, more than 1,000 stations were on the air with DTV signals, and every major TV market was served by at least one DTV station. The target date set by Congress for the completion of the transition to DTV is December 31, 2006. However, that date may be extended until most homes (85%) in an area are able to watch the DTV programming. At that point, broadcasting on the analog channels will end and that spectrum will be put to other uses. Until the transition to DTV is completed, television stations are required to broadcast on both their digital and analog channels.
Timeline:
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has mandated that all TV broadcasts must be in Digital format by the year 2006. What does the timeline look like from now until then?
May, 2001: Network affiliates in the thirty largest markets must begin digital broadcasts.
May 2002: All commercial stations in the US must begin digital broadcasts.
May 2003: All noncommercial stations in the US must begin digital broadcasts.
May 2006: Analog TV signals will be completely eliminated in the US.
From the present to May, 2006 Broadcasters who begin DTV transmissions, will simultaneously broadcast analog TV as well.
Also take note that these mandates have not stated anything about satellite or cable broadcasts nor high definition broadcasts. It is up to the cable companies to make the switch to digital on their own. As for the actual TV stations, they are only required to broadcast in a digital format and broadcasting in high definition is completely up to them.
Another interesting thing to note is how long it took most stations to get up to snuff. There still are a lot of stations that are not broadcasting digitally, though most local affilates are on the way.
A good read: http://www.hdtvpub.com/
Timeline:
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has mandated that all TV broadcasts must be in Digital format by the year 2006. What does the timeline look like from now until then?
May, 2001: Network affiliates in the thirty largest markets must begin digital broadcasts.
May 2002: All commercial stations in the US must begin digital broadcasts.
May 2003: All noncommercial stations in the US must begin digital broadcasts.
May 2006: Analog TV signals will be completely eliminated in the US.
From the present to May, 2006 Broadcasters who begin DTV transmissions, will simultaneously broadcast analog TV as well.
Also take note that these mandates have not stated anything about satellite or cable broadcasts nor high definition broadcasts. It is up to the cable companies to make the switch to digital on their own. As for the actual TV stations, they are only required to broadcast in a digital format and broadcasting in high definition is completely up to them.
Another interesting thing to note is how long it took most stations to get up to snuff. There still are a lot of stations that are not broadcasting digitally, though most local affilates are on the way.
A good read: http://www.hdtvpub.com/
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I would like to know also about more HD on Dish also but in a different way.
We all know about D*'s plans with the new bird gone up(7s)and having a total of 20 HD channels and adding locals in the future,like does Dish have new birds planned or going up,do you need the Superdish,do they have Transponder space for more now,have they been talking to anyone(like Starz),etc.
We all know about D*'s plans with the new bird gone up(7s)and having a total of 20 HD channels and adding locals in the future,like does Dish have new birds planned or going up,do you need the Superdish,do they have Transponder space for more now,have they been talking to anyone(like Starz),etc.
Dish dosen't release a lot of the information you are asking until the service is ready to launch. Yes late this summer a DSS satellite will be launched to replace 105 but all programming off that satellite will require a Super Dish. Super Dish has been in short supply since introduction. Right now DISH seems to be left behind for HDTV announcements both "VOOM" and DirecTV will have more broadcasting than DISH but how much will you want to pay fro or watch.bruce said:
You can read about planned launches at Lyngsat, but you will never know what any provider plans to do until it leaks out or until it happens. I have read in 100's of places that Dish will not place any mainstream channels that will require the superdish. That dish originally came in two flavors (105 AMC2/110/119 and 110/119/121 Intelsat 13) and is/was used to receive broadband, international programming & some locals that are "currently" located on a bird that (from what I have read) was not intended to be used for DBS service.
From Satellite Buyer: This satellite stuff can be so confusing at times. For months now people have been looking at what was supposed to be a miracle (at least according to the marketing department of dish network): the SuperDish. It was supposed to enable you to receive broadband, HD programming flawlessly AND all the other dish network channels. Well, it has been everything except a miracle. Lots of setup problems. If you're one of the unhappy buyers living in the northern U.S., you know what I mean. Bad reception, or no reception at all. So the guys from Echostar got their act together and announced on November 25th 2003 that they are ditching the Superdish. The free Superdish promotion has been killed indefinitely!! Existing customers can still get a free Superdish if their local channels require it.
From Satellite Buyer: This satellite stuff can be so confusing at times. For months now people have been looking at what was supposed to be a miracle (at least according to the marketing department of dish network): the SuperDish. It was supposed to enable you to receive broadband, HD programming flawlessly AND all the other dish network channels. Well, it has been everything except a miracle. Lots of setup problems. If you're one of the unhappy buyers living in the northern U.S., you know what I mean. Bad reception, or no reception at all. So the guys from Echostar got their act together and announced on November 25th 2003 that they are ditching the Superdish. The free Superdish promotion has been killed indefinitely!! Existing customers can still get a free Superdish if their local channels require it.
Just to add, both D* and E* both are in the 2006 compliance, as Digital Sat providers. The standard definition channels we currently view are already SDTV, with some HDTV in the various packages providing that from each vendor.
The 2006 regulation is to provide DTV (digital tv), and for the OTA providers to use the new frequency range set aside for that purpose. The provider can use the DTV spectrum to provide just SDTV (same resolution content just in digital form) or for HDTV. Many providers are actually looking at the ability to provide multiple channels at a time rather than HDTV. For example, they can provide four SDTV broadcasts versus one HDTV broadcast on the frequency allocated to them. They may downconvert the HDTV national feed to an SDTV signal for their locality. Providers could use this channel stacking for their own version of PPV, shopping network or other service. Other stations are looking into HDTV only. HDTV is the deluxe benefit of the digital transition, but is not a garantee, it's all up to your local providers.
Again, the free market will determine the final version of the signal that you receive OTA. D* and E* will be limited to legislation that if corrected, could allow the national HDTV feed to be used. See http://www.iwantmyhdtv.com/iwanthdtv/ for more details. Otherwise, D* and E* can only eventually provide HDTV locals for those who actually have HDTV locals and not SDTV locals.
The 2006 regulation is to provide DTV (digital tv), and for the OTA providers to use the new frequency range set aside for that purpose. The provider can use the DTV spectrum to provide just SDTV (same resolution content just in digital form) or for HDTV. Many providers are actually looking at the ability to provide multiple channels at a time rather than HDTV. For example, they can provide four SDTV broadcasts versus one HDTV broadcast on the frequency allocated to them. They may downconvert the HDTV national feed to an SDTV signal for their locality. Providers could use this channel stacking for their own version of PPV, shopping network or other service. Other stations are looking into HDTV only. HDTV is the deluxe benefit of the digital transition, but is not a garantee, it's all up to your local providers.
Again, the free market will determine the final version of the signal that you receive OTA. D* and E* will be limited to legislation that if corrected, could allow the national HDTV feed to be used. See http://www.iwantmyhdtv.com/iwanthdtv/ for more details. Otherwise, D* and E* can only eventually provide HDTV locals for those who actually have HDTV locals and not SDTV locals.
