Sci-Fi HD...when can we watch?

[jdr01930]

Realistically I wouldn't expect any new HD until the new sat that launches 3/15 is brought on line.
How long does it normally take get a new sat online after launch?

 

[TulsaCoker]

For Directv it took approximately 2 month after launch. I would assume similar for Dish

 

[GRG]

Just got a flyer from Comcast today announcing SCI-FI HD available on 3/4 in the Seattle market.

 

[bradb007]

Anyone know if SciFi is on AT&T Uverse has in Dallas? Just got that installed in the neighborhood.

 

[canondave]

I live in a tiny town in Colorado that just installed it's THIRD stop light. The crappy local cable company sent me a flyer over a month ago bragging on their HD over Dish.

Yep, you guessed it.

USA HD
SciFi HD
Speed HD
and my Locals in HD. None of which Dish carries. And get this, my local cable company does not charge extra for HD channels. Just a monthly fee ($6.00) for the HD cable box. Too bad I don't use cable.

COME ON DISH, step up to the plate!

 

[Hatfield]

Just got a flyer from Comcast today announcing SCI-FI HD available on 3/4 in the Seattle market.

I wonder if they forgot about it being a leap year and meant Wednesday March 5 since Wed is the usual light-up day. Either way, it sounds promising.:

Just realized you were talking about Comcast and not Dish. Oh well. Still might be promising.

 

[hendrix04]

I love how SciFi is now advertising SciFi HD in the middle of stargate

 

[long_time_DNC]

I've noticed that too, the past 2 weeks, in the middle of SGA. Makes me wonder what the hold-up is at E*? They've had a slot reserved for it for what, two months now, or is it three?

And next week is the season finale and then BSG's final season starts the following week...what the heck's the hold-up with E* anyway?

 

[Sammy033]

And next week is the season finale and then BSG's final season starts the following week...what the heck's the hold-up with E* anyway?

Money problems?

 

[long_time_DNC]

Money as in can't come to a contractual agreement for carriage?

This is a long time to keep slates up there eating valuable TP space...you'd think they'd want to reach an agreement by this point....

 

[Hatfield]

I've noticed that too, the past 2 weeks, in the middle of SGA. Makes me wonder what the hold-up is at E*? They've had a slot reserved for it for what, two months now, or is it three?

And next week is the season finale and then BSG's final season starts the following week...what the heck's the hold-up with E* anyway?

BSG doesn't start until April 4th. But I totally agree. There really is no good excuse for this loong of a holdup.

 

[nlk10010]

Money as in can't come to a contractual agreement for carriage?

This is a long time to keep slates up there eating valuable TP space...you'd think they'd want to reach an agreement by this point....

Everything here is speculation, but it's not unreasonable to guess that E* needs to know that at least one of its new sats is going to launch successfully before committing space to new channels. If the launch in a couple of weeks goes OK then (perhaps after a checkout period) DN can go live with the national HD we've seen mentioned on these boards. If not then it will most likely need that space for something else.

This doesn't change Charlie's nature; it's still going to be like pulling teeth to get him to carry an HD channel and DN may never catch up to D*, but if you're going to be happy with WFN, MOJO, MGM-HD and Smithsonian (and MAYBE SciFi/USA-HD) then most likely you'll have your thirst slaked by the end of the year.

 

[long_time_DNC]

Agreed, it's all speculation here, but I guess the question still remains: why take down two revenue-generating HDPPV channels and put up two static HD slates and then just sit there for 3+ months on your hands? It doesn't make sense to do that 3+ months prior to a launch date, especially when (post-launch), there'll be at least 2-3 weeks of testing once the new sat reaches it's final orbital location.

I'm a patient guy, but man, this is just getting absurd...

 

[wtb955]

Everything here is speculation, but it's not unreasonable to guess that E* needs to know that at least one of its new sats is going to launch successfully before committing space to new channels. If the launch in a couple of weeks goes OK then (perhaps after a checkout period) DN can go live with the national HD we've seen mentioned on these boards. If not then it will most likely need that space for something else.

Ok, exactly what would he NEED to put there instead of the present channels?

 

[KKlare]

I live in a tiny town...
and my Locals in HD. None of which Dish carries. And get this, my local cable company does not charge extra for HD channels. Just a monthly fee ($6.00) for the HD cable box. Too bad I don't use cable.
...

You realize that most cable companies send at least the local HD in the clear (QAM). (Are they required to do so? Our Comcast does no HDTV.) So you may not need a box. Other channels may be encrypted, or not. If you TV does QAM you may be set. Of course, no recordings as the Dish box does not do QAM or NTSC, just ATSC.

-Ken

 

[nlk10010]

Agreed, it's all speculation here, but I guess the question still remains: why take down two revenue-generating HDPPV channels and put up two static HD slates and then just sit there for 3+ months on your hands? It doesn't make sense to do that 3+ months prior to a launch date, especially when (post-launch), there'll be at least 2-3 weeks of testing once the new sat reaches it's final orbital location.

I'm a patient guy, but man, this is just getting absurd...

Yup, you are absolutely correct and it's a point I made more than once since this USA/SciFi thing started. In fact, it's exactly the reason some (well-meaning) posters on this board stated emphatically that those two channels were "different" than InHD and MSG-HD, etc. and were going to go live "at any moment" (I think "Friday" was mentioned).

You know what all this shows? It shows that posters on this and other boards are NOT first party to DN machinations and know little of what's actually going on. DN may not be judging the market correctly but they don't do things for no reason at all. There is a whole bunch of information missing that, if we had it, would make all these moves understandable.

 

[long_time_DNC]

Agreed. If we knew what was going on in the back rooms of E*, then we could stop speculating. Guess that's the frustrating part; we don't know, so we sit here wondering what the heck is going on...and speculate.

 

[fish2222]

I always have thought that DN was ahead of the game, part of the reason I went with them 6+ years ago. After they announced HD, I figured I would jump to one of the 622 receivers and got all the HD they had. Now, I am to the point I am tired of hearing what everyone gets on DTV that I can't get but yet we have tons of HD channels that never have anything on them (ie NHL CI, NBA HD crap, etc) Someone told me that they don't use the bandwidth if there is nothing on them, but I know that at times most of them are full, so they have to have the capacity. Now that DTV has about the same DVR type systems, I am about ready to jump ship. I could care less about HD locals, as anyone can get them, if you just spend $40 and put up an antenna, but yet they insist on adding all these local HD channels that are wasting space too where legitimate HD channel that people might actually watch are being left by the wayside. Just my 2 cents!

 

[nlk10010]

Agreed. If we knew what was going on in the back rooms of E*, then we could stop speculating. Guess that's the frustrating part; we don't know, so we sit here wondering what the heck is going on...and speculate.

So while D* gave their subscribers more-or-less detailed info about their plans to add national HD and found that, for the most part, those subscribers remained loyal and didn't leave in droves, E* has decided to take the exact opposite tack. Brilliant move; and Charlie's surprised that DN is (relatively) losing subscribers and suffering financially?

 

[dlsnyder]

... There is a whole bunch of information missing that, if we had it, would make all these moves understandable.

Yeah... like Charlie gets a hoot out of reading this thread and watching us squirm!