DIRECTV HD Availability

[crowland]

I just got my bill and there was an insert anouncing new rates as well as:

"The DIRECTV HD package is no longer available for sale, but customers who currently subscribe to this package may maintain its current lineup of HD channels for the same fee of $9.99/mo.", etc..

What your take on this?

Their web site still says they sell it, though just got disconnected twice trying to order it...

[phenixdragon]

I am guessing that since they are planning on having something like 100+ HD channels that they won't be selling it as a seperate package. I would assume this woudl be the case with all companies beacuse at some point all channels will become HD (not justdigital but actual HD) and once that happens I don't see how they could sell an HD package. I think the feds would stop that if they did.

[phenixdragon]

And a quick (took me about 15 secs to find this) and you shall see their new pricing plan.

http://directv.com/images/pdf/blackbuckslip.pdf

Since I haven't had DirecTV in years I'm not sure what their pricing was before this but I beleive basically their rates are going up and HD is just included in the packages.

[traker1001]

yeah but its my understand is that even though they will have 100+ hd channels, About the only other ones we will have access to more than what we have now may just be local hd.

Someone correct me if I am wrong.

AKA, No real new hd's coming more than what you have now, other than the ones you can get in most cases with a antenna or local cable.

[stanger89]

There's "supposed" to be 100 national HD channels coming this year.

I'm taking it with a block of salt because there aren't anywhere close to 100 national HD channel in existance. That said, the list they give is exciting if true.

[lobosrul]

Im definantly holding out on making a decision on SAT until sometimes this summer.

Right now Dish Network has VOOM. But DirecTV has NFL Ticket.... why cant one of them have both!?!?

Also I've read that A&E HD has barely any hi-def content. I wonder how many of these channels will be hi-def anywhere near 24hrs a day.

[Fluffdaddy]

Originally Posted by lobosrul

Also I've read that A&E HD has barely any hi-def content.

I have A&E HD via Star Choice and as far as HD go A&E HD is worthless. If they have two shows in a 24 hour period that is really HD I would be surprised. Almost all of their programming that is marked "HD" are just letterboxed or 4x3 upconverted screen stretching BS. The only show "I" ever seen in HD on A&E is CSI Miami. And I hate cop shows

[SHS]

100 national HD channel in existance

More like 100 Local HD channel, Currently DirecTV only carries 9 National HD channels, Dish has far more 30+ HD channels

[traker1001]

Originally Posted by stanger89

I'm taking it with a block of salt because there aren't anywhere close to 100 national HD channel in existance. That said, the list they give is exciting if true.

Oh well the fact that I am in agreeance with you that they were probably not close to 100 national channels out there, Is what lead me to beleive they would all be locals. But if that becomes the case, It will make them extremely popular, ill bet.

[traker1001]

Originally Posted by traker1001

The interesting part is that almost none only a few of the channels they announced today are currently offering HD programming. The channels announced today include.

Whats the point of wasting bandwidth on HD channels if very little to none of them are actually putting HD content...

[phenixdragon]

I think it is that more channels are broadcasting in digital (HD is a type of digital) and being maybe they are only 480p that's still a type of HD. With Comcast, I really don't see a channel that's not being broadcasted in at least 480p but the problem is Comcast isn't giving us that 480p, so my widescreen TV actually scrinks the picture from Comcast due to comcast showing it in widescreen but in a widescreen format that would work for standard TV. So I have black bars on the top and bottom. So what I am saying is the studios are doing a lot more HD then what you can actually get, the cable and Sat companies are holding us up.

And everyone will at some point have to run everything in digital. All channels will be digital by, what is it? Jan of 2009?

[dbfresh23]

Originally Posted by phenixdragon

I think it is that more channels are broadcasting in digital (HD is a type of digital) and being maybe they are only 480p that's still a type of HD.

I could just be understanding your statement wrong, but

HD = Digital
480P <> HD
480P = ED (Enhanced Definition)

I've been waiting over a month to get my HD service installed from DirecTV (slowed by a recent snow storm). My install which was scheduled for Feb 14 got rescheduled to Mar 9 - I really hope it's worth the wait!

[phenixdragon]

It's all what ever you want to call it. Such as the words "True HD" referring to 1080p.

[SHS]

Full HDTV = 1920 x 1080p Not yet in use for broadcast TV; used in HD DVD and Blu-ray high definition DVDs.
Full HDTV = 1920 x 1080i antenna/satellite broadcasts (CBS, CW, DiscoveryHD, HBO, HDNet, NBC, PBS, Showtime)
Lite HDTV = 1280 x 720p antenna/satellite broadcasts (ABC, ESPN, Fox)
EDTV (Enhanced Definition) 720 x 480p (widescreen) Progressive-scan DVD
EDTV (Enhanced Definition) 640 x 480p Progressive-scan DVD
EDTV signals use a progressive scan, they have about 50% more vertical resolution than interlaced SDTV pictures with the same number of lines, and do not show the spatial/temporal aliasing artifacts associated with interlaced video.
SDTV 640 x 480i or lower resolution (digital) DVD, satellite, digital cable, antenna broadcasts.
NTSC 640 x 480i (analog) Standard broadcast television.

Need to say both DirecTV and Dishnetwork satellite don't use ture SDTV it much lower then that above rez and lowerst possable bitrate as some of you all ready know there is always associated artifacts vs the same DirecTV and Dishnetwork satellite broadcast HD channel which have higher rez and high bitrate.

phenixdragon I think it is that more channels are broadcasting in digital (HD is a type of digital) and being maybe they are only 480p that's still a type of HD.

No phenixdragon HDTV is about total horizontal and vertical pixel resolution where the meaning Digital carry both standard-definition (SDTV), enhanced-definition (EDTV) and high-definition (HDTV) television Digital Stream Bits.

[stanger89]

Not to get into a nomenclature debate, but this is basically what the industry/community is using for nomenclature these days:

1920x1080p is referred to as "Full HD", you'll see that label on 1080p displays, as well as (IIRC) HD DVD and Blu-ray players.
1920x1080i/p/1280x720p = all count as "true" HD.

"HD Lite" refers to the practice by D* to anamorphically encode "true" HD (1920x1080i) into something less than that, usually 1440x1080i or 1280x1080i.

480p is referred to as EDTV

480i is SDTV (or 576i if you're in PAL land)

[phenixdragon]

Ah no, it's all in the eye of the beholder. True HD is coined by Sony to help push thier 1080p. But the reality is there is much higher resolutions then just 1080p that have names too. It just depends who you ask. But for the record, 480p is considered HDTV and use to be marketed as HDTV until other resolutions being used more. My only point is companies can claim they are using HD with 480p.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by phenixdragon

Ah no, it's all in the eye of the beholder. True HD is coined by Sony to help push thier 1080p.

If you payed attention to CES, you saw that the industry as a whole has decided to call 1080p "Full HD". Pretty much every 1080p device out there has the "Full HD" monkier stuck on it.

But the reality is there is much higher resolutions then just 1080p that have names too.

Not in the consumer electronics world.

It just depends who you ask. But for the record, 480p is considered HDTV and use to be marketed as HDTV until other resolutions being used more.

Not by anyone I know, to be considered HD, it has to be at least 720p (540p is perhaps debateable).

My only point is companies can claim they are using HD with 480p.

No they can't, or at least they can't and get away with it. According to the Consumer Electronics Association:
HDTV: 720p, 1080i or higher
EDTV: 480p or higher
SDTV: Less than EDTV (ie 480i)
http://www.ce.org/shared_files/resou...efinitions.pdf

[mikesm]

Originally Posted by SHS

More like 100 Local HD channel, Currently DirecTV only carries 9 National HD channels, Dish has far more 30+ HD channels

DirecTV is going to add a LOT of true NATIONAL HD channels this year. They have 2 more KA band birds to launch, and that will give them a HUGE amount of capacity for delivering HD. It's core to their strategy in fact.

They are aiming to hurt the Cable guys and make them spend a ton of capex by effectively forcing them to carry a lot more HD channels before they can turn off analog and get back that capacity. Cable needs 2 6 Mhz channels of downstream to deliver 3 HD channels. So if there are 60 new national HD channels coming, that means they need 40*6 Mhz of capacity to carry them, which they will easily have after analog is shut off, but not before then. Hence they have to go to switched digital transport for HD which works as long as there isn't a lot of diverse HD being actually watched in the field, or take plant up to 1 Ghz, which is doable but costly.

It also kills the AT&T U-verse project before it gets any traction, as it doesn't have enough capacity to carry multiple HD streams.

But to do this, they need to get a lot of new national HD programming offered. How? They pay for it! They have strick carriage deals with many national networks where they pay them significantly more than what they pay now to get them to offer HD. This also puts pressure on cable because they will not want to pay more, but just as DirecTV encouraged Sinclair to push Mediacomm and others for paying for digital by striking carriage deals with them early, they hope to do the same thing on national channels. Cable has been hurt by price increases, but if they have to pay a significant amount more for programming it will hurt their bottom line. DirecTV can afford to pay more for programming because their network cost is so much lower than Cable. By doing the first deal with the nationals for HD, they also get a discount to what the next set of folks ahve to pay.

So by hook and by crook, they will sprun a lot of new HD programming, and be in a position to be the leader in HD, and if they pull it off, it will put them in a very nice competitive position on video...

I know these guys, and they are very serious about this. They want 100 new NATIONAL HD channels by year end, and I think they have inked deals for 50 or so already. Some of these will also be premium, so that DirecTV will have ALL HD feeds from HBO and showtime, etc..., instead of just one HD channel for them. That is a fair number of channels right there, so they can do this.

Thanks,
Mike

[SHS]

Mike that was 2 yaers ago and still counting.

They are aiming to hurt the Cable guys

That not going happing there are a lots of thing that keep both DirecTV and Dishnetwork from working like Tall Trees, City Law, Apts, Landlord, etc, etc.

[thomaszoo]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Not to get into a nomenclature debate, but this is basically what the industry/community is using for nomenclature these days:

1920x1080p is referred to as "Full HD", you'll see that label on 1080p displays, as well as (IIRC) HD DVD and Blu-ray players.
1920x1080i/p/1280x720p = all count as "true" HD.

"HD Lite" refers to the practice by D* to anamorphically encode "true" HD (1920x1080i) into something less than that, usually 1440x1080i or 1280x1080i.

480p is referred to as EDTV

480i is SDTV (or 576i if you're in PAL land)

Remember too that especially for movies they are shot at 24 fps, so the difference between 1080i and 1080p is more academic so long as 3:2 pulldown is performed correctly. I.E., frames will be displayed multiple times and each frame meaning there is no additional detail in the 1080p signal.

Wayne