OFFICIAL: Dish Network Not Enough New HD Complaint Thread

[socalpanman]

This also explains why so many are fine with watching tv and movies from iTunes.

Some of us understand using a source that fits our use.
Just for the record tv shows and movies from iTunes look amazing on my iPhone.

Dish, as a company, deserves all the anger and grief they get regarding HD simply based on their silence. Maybe it's more their lack of clarity on what their strategy is in 2008. If they just released some statement with even the most general of timeline. "100 HD nationals" by year's end doesn't count either.

 

[Madtown HD Junkie]

Madtown - looking at your signature. You do realize that Super Bowl '08 has already been played? Were the Packers in the stand?

I meant the 08 season...my bad. there you, all better.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Based on the number of people who buy HDTVs and then hook them up with RF, composite, and s-video to their SD service and then wonder why their picture looks horrendous and then take the tvs back, I'm not surprised.

The PQ of any service is typically proportionate to the IQ of the customer. Based on your reporting, I'd say IQ is way down these days. This also explains why so many are fine with watching tv and movies from iTunes.

Dish HD looks great on my 8 foot screen. Of course, I have mine setup correctly, so that helps quite a bit.

Also everyone still thinks just because the have an HD tv ,That everything is HD! HD still has a small number of customers. But its growing! They will learn.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Some of us understand using a source that fits our use.
Just for the record tv shows and movies from iTunes look amazing on my iPhone.

Dish, as a company, deserves all the anger and grief they get regarding HD simply based on their silence. Maybe it's more their lack of clarity on what their strategy is in 2008. If they just released some statement with even the most general of timeline. "100 HD nationals" by year's end doesn't count either.

I don't think they know themselves what their plan is! They should start by sending a missle up to the 129 and blasting it into orbit with the 193 SPY satellite. That would be a start!

 

[nlk10010]

Well, there are those of us who believe that the reason Dish has not launched any new HD lately is because Dish is capacity constrained at the moment. The answer to that is new satellites, two of which should launch in the next 2-3 months. And there will be some transponders freed up March 31 when SkyAngel goes IP.
-snip-

No one posting here knows for sure but there have been a number of tech types (on this and other boards) claiming that there is ample evidence, including this last group of channels (MOJO, MGM-HD, etc.), that proves that DN has the capacity for new national HD, now. Frankly, given their HD LIL and all MPEG4 initiatives, plus the poor state of their current satellite(s), there's no evidence that they will have more capacity for national HD once the birds are up or, given Charlie's negotiating history, that they will be able to strike deals for it even if they have the room.

For example, I would not be surprised if the rights to carry Speed HD were included in the package to carry Big Ten Network (best HD PQ on Dish, by the way. I mean "wow"!). Both are distributed by Fox, and Big Ten was looking for immediate distribution in the rural midwest when Dish picked them up. I know if I were Dish, I would have asked for the rights to carry everything else Fox distributes in HD in return for doing Fox a "favor" with BTN.
-snip-

I agree with you 100% on BTN.

 

[flyingsquirrel]

Do they have "some" capacity? Sure. But I think they are stuck using it for housekeeping and planning and juggling.

As I have looked at all the shuffling, it has become clear to me that Dish has made a marketing-technical decision regarding HD. It is what I call the "Big Splash" theory

They have some capacity now, so they could put up a couple of HD channels. But what impact would that make on the market (outside of the geeks -- I am one of them -- that inhabit this site and obsess over this kind of thing)? I would say not much. Adding USA or Speed or FX is not going to give them any pop.

Instead, they are using the capacity to realign things, perhaps along what has been termed the "Eastern Arc" strategy. They have also been testing lots of uplinks, temporarily.

Then, when a new Satellite is launched, they would have a bunch of new capacity that they are ready for, technically.

From a marketing perspective, that would allow them go to market with say "Dish is the HD Leader" and back it up with something like 20-30 new channels all at once. Maybe all at the same time.

Imagine the announcement: Starting today, All Pay channels (HBO, Starz, etc) are available in HD, as well as the disney channels, etc., etc.

From a marketing perspective, this would be a much bigger splash.

And then they could do the same when the next satellite goes up in Q3.

Maybe that's the grand plan. For Dish's sake, I hope there is a grand plan.

 

[bradb007]

That could be true flying, but I do think there are channels that each of us as an individual finds too important to not consider switching if they remain unavailable. For me it may be SciFi, for someone else it could be USA or Speed. If they have the capacity to add these now, why would they allow the churn rates to continue at such a high-rate as their most valued customers (those most interested in HD and willing to pay to switch to get it) move to D* and their most "price" conscious customers are picked off by the cable/telecoms providers. E* is being eaten alive in the market and as Charlie said, they knew competition was coming, but didn't expect it to be this strong. They need to fire some answering salvos soon, or they WON'T be able to get their momentum back even when they launch new birds later this year.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

FYI... There will be no new HD channels today.

But I do hear we will be getting a new channel today... a shopping channel.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

FYI... There will be no new HD channels today.

But I do hear we will be getting a new channel today... a shopping channel.

WOW!

 

[Miggity]

FYI... There will be no new HD channels today.

But I do hear we will be getting a new channel today... a shopping channel.

Personally this is great news! I was *this close* to leaving Dish for a piece of foil and paperclip stuck in the back of my TV, but this changes everything! I mean, oh boy! Finally Dish can reclaim the title of "Home Shopping Leader". Good for them. They deserve it. So now that we have 100 National Shopping Channels, I am sticking with Dish.

 

[jjohns]

Hi, guys. Don't kill the newbie but I have a question and may have overlooked this in other threads but I show quite a few (13 or thereabouts) repeated HD channels in the 5700 range that I cannot actually view. I figured this was part of the testing before they actually put through new channels. I don't understand how all this satellite technology works but am learning through all your posts a little at a time.

Am I that far off? The channels I see are non-premium, non-VOOM like Discovery, history, etc.

 

[Miggity]

Those are from a different package. Like HD Essentials or something. A VOOM-less package.

 

[MikeD-C05]

THis is why the $29.99 hd pack was created I Feel. To keep DISH customers active during this year and allow them to add the hd channels they want from DIRECTV at the same time. THey must know that many subs are leaving over the hd channel drought alone. THis way you can keep your foot in the door with DISH and still get the channels you are missing in hd from Directv. I did this last month and it has worked fine. I am paying about the 20.00 more than when I had DISH and DIrectv for the one basic english pack. Now I have HD dvr plus pack +Hbo/Starz and another sd receiver mirrored. I also have two hd dvrs with DISH and the hd pack +locals. CHarlie has said before if there are channels you want in hd than go to DIrectv or Cable to get them. He must know that it will take most of the first half of this year to even get the eastern arc up an running , so he can even turn on one hd national channel. He is also following Directv's lead in adding hd locals now as part of his hd expansion plan. I still perfer DISH 622/722 dvrs to Directv's hr 21 hd dvr which is a buggy receiver & has to be reset just about every day, to even turn it on. Welcome back to the buggy 921 receiver days.

So instead of waiting for DISH to turn on the hd , go downgrade to the hd pack or even the essentials pack + local for 9.99 and add DIRECTV for more hd. EIther way you will have all the hd channels that they have to offer and you will still be set for when DISH reclaims the lead in hd . THis is a way to be proactive ,instead of on the receiving end of dissapointing, frustrating, no hd channel addition reports from DISH. You will feel better and the anxiety will be gone. Now you will also be in a two year commitment with DIRECTV but you can always downgrade to the family pack with them, if DISH ever gets back into the hd lead . I also feel that this hd pack will go away by next year at this time or sooner. I can't see DISH adding all those new hd channels for just 29.99 a month. THis is a temporary measure to stop the churn of hd subs.

 

[denisincalif]

Hardware companies help keep the masses ignorant

Also everyone still thinks just because the have an HD tv ,That everything is HD! HD still has a small number of customers. But its growing! They will learn.

The hardware manufacturers are not helping their own cause either. I recently bought a dual-format Blu_Ray and HD DVD player. You would think that such a player would come with no cable at all or, if the company felt generous, an HDMI cable. But no! My unit came with COMPOSITE cables. That is not a typo---I do not mean component.

I wonder how many of these players got returned because of poor picture quality.

 

[gjh3260]

FYI... There will be no new HD channels today.

But I do hear we will be getting a new channel today... a shopping channel.

Scott you could save a lot of time if you could figure out a way to repeat your quote every Wednesday regarding Dish and new HD channels.

 

[rmims404]

I emailed Dish complaining about the lack of new HD channels and I thought you guys might like to see the response I got-Here is the text of the answer.

Thank you for your e-mail. We apologize for the inconvenience. Direct TV may have more channels at this moment. By the end of this year Dish Network is planning to launch100 HD channels. Dish Network will launch two new satellites in space and when this is done , we will be able to launch more High Definition channels.



Your business is greatly appreciated and we thank you for allowing us to be of assistance to you. If you have any further questions or concerns, please refer to DISH Network -- Home or reply to this email.



Sincerely,



Sevasti G.

DISH Network e-Care

Well, that's the latest. I just wish Charlie would get off his butt and add more HD quicker than toward the end of the year.

 

[Jim S.]

Yes, there's no excuse for not giving us the channels he has space for now: USA, SciFi, Mojo, MGM, Smithsonian, and whatever the other crap is.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Yes, there's no excuse for not giving us the channels he has space for now: USA, SciFi, Mojo, MGM, Smithsonian, and whatever the other crap is.

Maybe he doesn't have the proper rights or something yet! Or he for a change has to front money, He's a little short on cash,Maybe Chase Carey could lend him a few bucks to get things started.

 

[harshness]

Yes, there's no excuse for not giving us the channels he has space for now: USA, SciFi, Mojo, MGM, Smithsonian, and whatever the other crap is.

Is there enough programming on Smithsonian to fill a week yet? Is there enough HD programming on SciFi to fill a day yet?

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Is there enough programming on Smithsonian to fill a week yet? Is there enough HD programming on SciFi to fill a day yet?

Does it matter, If theres 2 shows or movies a day. Who cares? its better then nothing . Atleast Directv customers have an option to view it. Your going to be waiting YEARS for all national networks to broadcast in nothing but HD. Your Crazy ,stick with E* then. I'll watch my 2 or 3 movies or series in HD on Sci FI ,FX,USA. You just keep waiting in the mean time untill its all HD. Maybe if your lucky ,You won't have to wait too long.