NASA TV Making Changes - What's the Plan DISH?

[DustoMan]

Catching up on my Google Reader feeds I came across this post on Engadget:
NASA switching its Public Channel and Media Channel to HD -- Engadget

With the current HD NASA offering getting shut off, what is DISH going to put in it's place?

 

[LASooner]

A new shopping channel

 

[skysurfer]

With the current HD NASA offering getting shut off, what is DISH going to put in it's place?

nothing is going to change, IMHO. I bet DISH will install a HD receiver to get the new NASA TV Public HD channel and use the receiver's built-in scaler to continue delivering NASA TV in SD form. I wouldn't be holding my breath for NASA Television HD on DISH due to the additional bandwidth needed to deliver a HD signal. Thank goodness for a C-band dish for NASA HD! (and DISH for my pay-tv fare).

 

[Mr Tony]

yeah all NASA is doing is getting rid of the SD feed of their main channel. SO the only thing available to providers will be the HD feed....kinda like what ESPN does

And Dish doesnt carry NASA in HD last I checked so its a moot point

 

[Ilya]

February 17 at 2 PM EST is the official time, when NASA TV transitions to HD.
I really hope that Dish will find a way to add this channel in HD. After all, it doesn't cost them anything to get it!

 

[whitewolf8214]

February 17 at 2 PM EST is the official time, when NASA TV transitions to HD.
I really hope that Dish will find a way to add this channel in HD. After all, it doesn't cost them anything to get it!

+1 AMEN

 

[steve4810]

Reminds me of 15 or so years ago when my cable company dropped NASA in favor of sports channel. The change wasn't a more than a day or two old when I found and called Dish and ordered a 5000 and single lnb dish.

Then a week or so later learned the technical details Dish assumed I knew, among them that NASA was only on the 61.5 sat and needed a separate Dish they happily sold me and that being on the west side of a hill on the west coast I lost the signal if a tall dog walked along the hilltop.

I wonder since the cable company has the latest digital cable equipment now whether they already have NASA HD. I know they have S-SPAN3.

 

[navychop]

.....After all, it doesn't cost them anything to get it!

It costs them bandwidth. But I, too, hope they carry it in HD.

 

[Tampa8]

Yes it does cost them, more than money, bandwidth. First lets get RSN's and channels alot of people watch in HD.

 

[Ilya]

Yes it does cost them, more than money, bandwidth. First lets get RSN's and channels alot of people watch in HD.

RSN's? I do have RSN's in HD and most of the time these channels simply show a static picture (in beautiful HD!) that simply says "Check back often to see if your favorite team is playing in HD". Speaking of wasted bandwidth!

And why do we always have to hear about bandwidth as an excuse for not getting our favorite channels in HD? How come most other providers have bandwidth for NASA TV HD, but not Dish?

 

[Tampa8]

RSN's? I do have RSN's in HD and most of the time these channels simply show a static picture (in beautiful HD!) that simply says "Check back often to see if your favorite team is playing in HD". Speaking of wasted bandwidth!

And why do we always have to hear about bandwidth as an excuse for not getting our favorite channels in HD? How come most other providers have bandwidth for NASA TV HD, but not Dish?

I think you missed the point of the RSN's. Yes, they show check back, because they should be showing programming in HD. Turn on the SD channel it has programming all day long. Other providers have it in HD all day long. And many do not get all their games in HD. So I stand by my post, dish has to find the bandwidth for this first.
And also that's not how bandwidth works, having a card up is in no way comparable to showing a game in HD.

And other providers (really talking about Direct TV cable is very different) also have the problem. Check how many channels are not in HD from Direct that are on Dish in favor of Sports in HD on Direct. The number is somewhere around 18 channels. In addition I am not aware that Direct TV has NASA in HD, If they do add it and I were a customer I would be fuming to see that channel get HD before BBCA and the other many channels that are not now.

 

[Ilya]

Again, bandwidth is not an argument for me. If Dish was really concerned about bandwidth, they wouldn't have wasted it on channels like Centric or Logo with zero HD content! Instead of wasting bandwidth on channels that "should have something in HD" or "might have something in the future", why not allow channels that actually do have something to offer in HD.

 

[steve4810]

RSN's? I do have RSN's in HD and most of the time these channels simply show a static picture (in beautiful HD!) that simply says "Check back often to see if your favorite team is playing in HD". Speaking of wasted bandwidth!

And why do we always have to hear about bandwidth as an excuse for not getting our favorite channels in HD? How come most other providers have bandwidth for NASA TV HD, but not Dish?

Right on!

No justice, no peace!

 

[steve4810]

If they do add it and I were a customer I would be fuming to see that channel get HD before BBCA and the other many channels that are not now.

I hear you. You have a point as valid as we who want C-SPAN3.

But the idea everything jock comes before anything informative is an example of the tyranny of the majority. OK, so the audience is loaded with knuckle draggers. But they must not be allowed to bully their way into causing inordinate influence on the channel line up.

 

[Mr Tony]

RSN's? I do have RSN's in HD and most of the time these channels simply show a static picture (in beautiful HD!) that simply says "Check back often to see if your favorite team is playing in HD". Speaking of wasted bandwidth!

having one channel remapped 20 times takes up little bandwidth. If the RSN is going to be used that night Dish moves it to a TP where they can have 8 HD channels on that TP.

 

[Mr Tony]

in addition to my above post the uplink report use to show these moves daily but its basically just filter fodder so its been removed.

as example
FSN-SW moves from the "sidelines" (the slate) to the "lineup" (the TP with the HD on it) today while Root Pittsburgh moves from the "lineup" to the "sideline" because no game tonight

 

[Ilya]

having one channel remapped 20 times takes up little bandwidth. If the RSN is going to be used that night Dish moves it to a TP where they can have 8 HD channels on that TP.

So, what are they doing with that bandwidth during the hours when there are no games going on?
I would even be ok if they only showed NASA HD when no one is watching baseball etc. Better than nothing!

 

[dare2be]

I just want my local cable sports channel back that was bought by the national RSN company in the 90s. They actually showed local high school, college and professional sports and specials all the time, not just 4 hours of local content squeezed into national programming fodder like talk shows, poker tours and paid programming....

 

[Mr Tony]

So, what are they doing with that bandwidth during the hours when there are no games going on?
I would even be ok if they only showed NASA HD when no one is watching baseball etc. Better than nothing!

it looks like the "slate" channels are on a TP with existing HD channels. Thats why they move daily

move the 10 channels as example that dont have a game on tonight to a TP with existing MPEG4 channels so that little bandwidth fills up that TP. Move the channels that have a game to the TP that is being used for the games filling that up.