You guys see the D* HD Commercial today?

[jdsabin1]

Nice timing with the Super Bowl and great message. Something to the effect of "DirecTV will have 1500 HD channels across the country by year end". Nice way to get their HD message out there.

It's amazing to me that Dish Network has so dramatically dropped the ball on HD. I know their current HD customer base is less than 10% but surely they see the future of HD in terms of numbers and standards?

I just hate the thought of dropping Dish and going to either cable or D* just for the sheer hassle it involves but I don't know that I will ultimately have much choice if Dish doesn't do better in their HD plans anytime soon.

Anyway, I thought that commercial was brilliant and wondered what others that saw it thought of it.

 

[hraner]

If it's local HDTV only, then I'm not interested in it since I'm already getting all the major local OTA HDTVs. Right now just not too much good HD content. 2005, DirecTV is still not an option for me(you have to buy your own HD equipment, poor HD quality and 1 year commitment).

 

[DucTape]

1500 HD channels by years end... Hmmmmmm

Sounds like smoke n mirrors to me.
Heres one for you, I will be buying Voom and adding 200 more HD channels by years end, oops I forgot to mention I have little money dew in part to my several hundred million dollar loss from 2004.

Seriously though it seems to me they would have to create well over a 1000 channels and find another 400 who will be beaming it out in HD in less than 11 months. :shocked

Perhaps by 2015 then I would believe.

 

[peid]

They never said 1500 HD channels by years end.

They simply said by years end they will be launching new satellites capable of transmitting 1500 HD channels. Never said they had 1500 channels, on that the new satellites are capable of that many channels!

 

[JoeSp]

Most folks I know that have an HD set are having problems receiving and maintaing a viable and watchable digital signal. If DirectTv offers my HD and digital locals at their full bandwith then it will be adios to Dishnetwork!

 

[peid]

Most folks I know that have an HD set are having problems receiving and maintaing a viable and watchable digital signal.

Not the case for me or anybody I know, just lack of programming and outrageously high priced HD Pack with little to no content or true HD programming.

 

[Jimmy J]

If DirectTv offers my HD and digital locals at their full bandwith then it will be adios to Dishnetwork!

Ditto to that Joe!

 

[j5races]

but...

I read on the directv forum that D* is downconverting all there 1080i to 480p. So that means you'd be getting EDTV, not HDtv. So why leave dish to get ED??

Jon

 

[bleodler]

The commercial didn't say 1500 this year... it was something like this "Later this year DirecTV will launch the first of several new satellites that together will offer 1500 HD channels."

D* has said previously that they will offer 1500 local HD stations and 150 national HD stations in 2007.

 

[beast37799]

I read on the directv forum that D* is downconverting all there 1080i to 480p. So that means you'd be getting EDTV, not HDtv. So why leave dish to get ED??

Jon

show me that quote

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Out of those 1500 HD channels, how many of them do you think YOU will receive? If i had to guess I would say under 20, and that includes if your local HD channels are carried by DirecTV.

Yes Dish is sleeping at the wheel, however I believe Charlie has a few tricks up his sleeve. He is lining up all this spectrum (some rented) for a reason. He has never given a real reason.

Its going to be an interesting 10 months thats for sure.

 

[BFG]

See this thread for more info about how those channel will look like in D*'s definition of HD /

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=46889

 

[jdsabin1]

I hope I never led anyone to believe that I thought D* was telling absolute truth when they made mention of the 1500 HD channels (in whatever context they used).

My point was only that it seemed to be great timing and brilliant marketing to air that spot yesterday with a whole lot of people chomping at the bit to watch the Super Bowl in HD.

It just seems that everyone else BUT Dish is trying to get the HDTV viewers to jump on their ship, and this commercial was another example of that happening. Frustrating to be a Dish customer right now when one of your largest interests is HDTV.

 

[Stargazer]

Sounds like misleading advertisement to me. If they are trying to make people beleive certain things and what the people think are going to happen doesnt then it would be like crying wolf. The people would have a hard time beleiving other advertisement coming from the company.

 

[BobMurdoch]

Advertising that was misleading?

No! I've never HEARD of such a thing!

I have to go now and buy a six pack of Coors Light so that blonde Twins will want to party with me......

 

[mdonnelly]

... My point was only that it seemed to be great timing and brilliant marketing to air that spot yesterday with a whole lot of people chomping at the bit to watch the Super Bowl in HD. ...

Which is EXACTLY why NewsCorp (owners of D* and FOX) wouldn't let Dish have the game on satellite in HD. They didn't want to allow E* to gain HD customers with the Superbowl.

 

[ToJFS7931]

They need to upgrade their satellite service to include more multiplex channels before they get HD. They haven't had a serious upgrade of channels in years.

 

[Foxbat]

If this is the same commercial I saw the other day (with all the TVs "looking to the skies"), then all I have to say is, "If DirecTV is talking about HD locals, why are all the TV sets in this commercial 4:3 sets?" I didn't see one plasma / LCD, widescreen set.

Was the commercial broadcast in HD during the Superbowl?

 

[BFG]

No, it was not HD. And yes it;s odd that most of the tvs were analog.

I actually didn't get that they were pointing to the sky until today heh