Starz HD HGTV HD NATGEO HD Uplinked!!!!

[M Sparks]

So Marc, you are expecting Nat Geo HD to be made available to all HD subs, even if they have HD Bronze or HD Silver? I think one can make a good case for this and hope they do it.

I would assume so. It seems a little early to go back on their word. On the other hand, the wording on the original announcements was a little fishy (counting premiums, even though they clearly weren't included.)

But there's a difference between hyperbole and outright lies.

Knowing how things operate, I 100% think it will be included for all HD subscribers...and I absolutely won't be surprised if I'm wrong.

 

[M Sparks]

I read somewhere that NGHD has the same programing as NG, so it seems they might only give it to subscribers who currently receive NG.

Which is the same situation as TNT, ESPN, ESPN2...yet they are included whether or not you subscribe to an SD package. That's part of why the new standalone HD pack is so overpriced...they have to cover the full subscriber price. And those of us still on the old HD Pack and AT--- are paying twice for ESPN & TNT (and I don't even want to pay once.)

Also, here's something from the NGC website...

I already get the National Geographic Channel. Does that mean I get it in HD?

If you already receive the National Geographic Channel it does not mean you will automatically get it in HD. The HD channel distribution is separate. To subscribe to the National Geographic Channel HD, please check with your local cable provider, or call 1-877-77-NGCHD for more information.

In this case, they are indicating the opposite...just because you get the SD version doesn't mean you get the HD version. But if you read between the lines, you can see thye mean that the HD channel costs more...AS IT IS FOR EVERY OTHER NON-PREMIUM HD CHANNEL!

Why are you people getting all worked up about something that 1)hasn't happened and 2)has no precident? If people get "screwed" on this, it seems more likely that the channel will just disappear like all those other channels that have been uplinked and pulled over the years...the other 6 Voom channels...all the "hidden dishplayer" channels...ect.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Dish is greedier than that..I'll say.....only to HD-Gold and up....
NightRyder

That's the same answer as mine. I said it would only to those AT180 W/HD. That is HD Gold & up.

Well, I assumed it would require MPEG4, but I didn't state it.

 

[NightRyder]

That's the same answer as mine. I said it would only to those AT180 W/HD. That is HD Gold & up.

Well, I assumed it would require MPEG4, but I didn't state it.

OK, wasn't sure. Could be read as AT180 with the old HD-PAK.....I think the MPEG4 is a given.


NightRyder

 

[Poke]

Well just think in the near future it wont matter if you have the SD Channel.. Due to every channel will be HD and SD will be a thing of the past. So in the long run we will have just one format of channels which will be all HD only HD...

 

[Jeff_R]

Well just think in the near future it wont matter if you have the SD Channel.. Due to every channel will be HD and SD will be a thing of the past. So in the long run we will have just one format of channels which will be all HD only HD...

It won't be the near future, and I personally don't think it will ever completely happen. There is too much material out there that isn't able to be converted for one reason or another (many TV shows were shot on video until early 2000's when a lot were switched to film), and the content wouldn't lend itself well to being converted. I'd like more HD content as much as anyone, however I don't think we'll ever see "all HD".

 

[alexgmny]

Ok, its June 1, and the channels are not showing yet. So will they be up anytime or we have to wait for a more precise date in June? I hear June 9. Is that possible or realistic?

 

[Paradox-SJ]

I hear June 30th at the latest...

 

[Jim5506]

They'll be announced a week after they are up.

 

[kevcar0603]

It's actually June 1st,2007

 

[Tom Bombadil]

How about it being at least one day before D* offers those channels!

Which means it could be a long wait.

 

[CDH]

It won't be the near future, and I personally don't think it will ever completely happen. There is too much material out there that isn't able to be converted for one reason or another (many TV shows were shot on video until early 2000's when a lot were switched to film), and the content wouldn't lend itself well to being converted. I'd like more HD content as much as anyone, however I don't think we'll ever see "all HD".

Though of course it wouldn't be actual HD I don't understand how old SD content would be an obstacle to a channel moving to "HD" (wide-screen + mostly HD content) most of the time. Plenty of local OTA stations broadcast an "HD" signal which is nothing but a pillar-boxed SD->HD up-convert during hours when they don't have real HD content.

I agree that it will be several years before all stations move to a mostly-HD signal, but think that once a critical mass of users have HD equipment then channels will be forced to migrate to the format due to market-forces.

This is what happened with the move to color. There are still black-and-white programs (old films, etc.) shown on channels, but the channels themselves mostly carry color content.

CDH.

 

[Weezknight]

I agree that it will be several years before all stations move to a mostly-HD signal, but think that once a critical mass of users have HD equipment then channels will be forced to migrate to the format due to market-forces.

I see what you're saying, but I'm sure you'd be amazed to find out how large of a % still use dial-up internet and VCR's instead of DVD players. I think it will be quite a long time before most programs are HD-only, and by then the next-best-thing will have arrived.

 

[gmcgown]

I am unable to get 9429,9435,9461, and 9464. I am I supposed to getting these with the Silver HD package. Does uplinked mean they are availalbe?

 

[Pepper]

No, it just means they're being sent out. Authorization for existing subscribers to see them comes later.

 

[M Sparks]

I am unable to get 9429,9435,9461, and 9464. I am I supposed to getting these with the Silver HD package. Does uplinked mean they are availalbe?

We need an emoticon for ging head against the wall:

 

[M Sparks]

I agree that it will be several years before all stations move to a mostly-HD signal, but think that once a critical mass of users have HD equipment then channels will be forced to migrate to the format due to market-forces.

I think several is an severe understatement. The bandwidth simply isn't there for 300+ national HD channels. And in many cases, it simply isn't necessary. Take a channel like TV Land. There will always be room for nostalgia, but much of that programming could never be HD. Videotape was just too common.

What will happen is that as HD spreads through the mainstream, the weaker SD channels will die off. The channels that were so quick to multiply will contract a bit. Instead of 6-8 Discovery Channels, we'll have 3 or 4 HD versions. As everyone gets HD capable tuners (whether or not they have HD sets- the analog shutoff and MPEG-4 switchover will drive this), channels that are currently simulcasting can switch to HD only.

I'd LIKE to see channels that don't need to be in HD- say business news- go to a Widescreen 480p format.

 

[gdarwin]

We need an emoticon for ging head against the wall:

I also sent some more to the ops center

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I'd LIKE to see channels that don't need to be in HD- say business news- go to a Widescreen 480p format.

With good bandwidth!

A LOT of our current SD channels would be very nice if they got more bandwidth from E* or D*.

If channels like Sci-Fi, TCM, Bravo, G4, the rest of the premium movie channels, A&E, etc., etc. were given more bandwidth, I would be more patient about the SD to HD migration.

DVDs look pretty good on my HDTV set. It wouild be nice if E* SD channels approached DVD quality.

How many SD channels is E* currently using per transponder? Eight? More? Let's say it is eight. I'd like to see them dedicate just one more transponder to SD. Take 16 popular channels that are now on 2 transponders and spread them over 3 transponders, so they would be running 5 channels on two transponders and 6 on the other. I think we would see a significant improvement in PQ. from those channels.

And if 6 per transponders yields a good picture, and I know using current compression algorithms and equipment that 6 per TP now can yield a much better picture than 6 per TP a few years ago, then take 24 channels now on 3 transponders and spread them over 4. Then we would have 24 channels with better PQ than we have now.

 

[long_time_DNC]

I also sent some more to the ops center

That's hysterical!!