# Universal HD a Great HD Channel



## boylehome (Jul 16, 2004)

I really like Universal HD! Has a nice variety of programming. The video is pretty darn good too.


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

Knight Rider in HD. Oh my gosh! how sad hahaha i just can't watch that show again, talking car or not. and it looks like upconverted SD more than it does 35mm film stock converted to HD.


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## Fifty Caliber (Jan 4, 2006)

You mean you don't like watching David Hasselhoff's big ego and awefull hair displayed in HD? :lol: :lol:


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## LtMunst (Aug 24, 2005)

This station has "The Equalizer" in HD. That's good enough for me.


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## GrumpyBear (Feb 1, 2006)

UniHD is worth it, for just Battlestar G. SciFi needs to get on board an go completely HD on all there shows. Or create a new SciFI HD Channel


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## boylehome (Jul 16, 2004)

Rogueone said:


> Knight Rider in HD. Oh my gosh! how sad hahaha i just can't watch that show again, talking car or not. and it looks like upconverted SD more than it does 35mm film stock converted to HD.


The video quality is better now than it was when it originally aired, but I agree with you about Knight Rider, because that red scanning eye in the grill of the car is EVIL. It is scary!:eek2: Many years ago I was at Universal. They had the Kit Car on display, wouldn't you know, the red eye scanned with the whirring sound.


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

GrumpyBear said:


> UniHD is worth it, for just Battlestar G. SciFi needs to get on board an go completely HD on all there shows. Or create a new SciFI HD Channel


oh yeah, BG and the SG's in HD would so rock


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## LtMunst (Aug 24, 2005)

Sucks they are going to yank it from MPEG2 users after the Olympics, though.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

LtMunst said:


> Sucks they are going to yank it from MPEG2 users after the Olympics, though.


Ah.... you see this is exactly the reason they didn't put ESPN2HD, UniHD, and the new Vooms on in MPEG2 in the first place.

Lots of folks have said "why not give us a free trial, and say if you want them get an MPEG4 in April"... and many of us have said that takeaways are not cool and customers would grip.

So here we have it... UniHD in free preview mode for the Olympics in MPEG2... and the stirrings of "why are they taking it away"?

Not picking on you personally Lt! Just pointing out for some folks who were wondering why not give us previews for a month... this is exactly why... because we get used to the channels and won't like it when they are taken away


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## LtMunst (Aug 24, 2005)

HDMe said:


> Not picking on you personally Lt! Just pointing out for some folks who were wondering why not give us previews for a month... this is exactly why... because we get used to the channels and won't like it when they are taken away


I don't like it, but I don't disagree with them removing the channel either. Makes good business sense. Guess who's gonna run out and get that new receiver.


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## JohnGfun (Jan 16, 2004)

Why are there 2 Universal HD Channels? With everything exactly the same.


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## bhenge (Mar 2, 2005)

JohnGfun said:


> Why are there 2 Universal HD Channels? With everything exactly the same.


For the Olympics, Dish added a second feed to the 119( or 110, I am not sure which) satellite so that subscribers who had HD but had not upgraded to a Dish 1000 or put up a second dish to get the 129 satellite could get it. Part of their promise that all HD customers would get the channel for the Olympics. Once the Olympics are over, the feed on 119 (or 110) will go away.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Both are on 110° - It's easier to create a new channel number and take it away (especially an "MPEG2" labeled version) than risk messing with the real UniHD.

9427 will return to 129° at the end of the Olympics.


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## olgeezer (Dec 5, 2003)

And lest you folks forget, Universal HD carried my favorite annual show in Hd. And this is the first time I was able too watch in HD.


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## chewey (Jul 28, 2004)

May we should start sending mass emails to E asking them to leave UHD up because not all of us can afford to upgrade.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

LtMunst said:


> I don't like it, but I don't disagree with them removing the channel either. Makes good business sense. Guess who's gonna run out and get that new receiver.


You know what's funny... is the preview has had the reverse effect on me. I like Battlestar Galactica in HD, but they are many month behind in the episodes they are showing vs what is currently on SciFi.

With college basketball season almost over soon less rush for ESPN2HD as well... so actually I'm able to be less anxious and wanting my upgrade and probably wait a couple more months unless something convenient comes my way.


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## rbyers (Jan 15, 2004)

Me too. With football gone until August, I'm cool with waiting. I will take advantage of the April offer to swap my 921 for a 622. I'd wait longer, but I got the impression that the offer was only good for April. Next year, I'll deal with getting another 622 for the bedroom. There is certainly no hurry for it. My current selections (with a DVR) give me more to watch than I can budget time to waste. The 622 is only going to give me an increase in the amount of stuff that I won't have time to watch.


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## citico (May 18, 2004)

James Long said:


> Both are on 110° - It's easier to create a new channel number and take it away (especially an "MPEG2" labeled version) than risk messing with the real UniHD.
> 
> 9427 will return to 129° at the end of the Olympics.


My HD Channel directory shows that it will return to 129 as channel 9419.
BTW, the ESPN2's video is great and the Voom channels are all in dolby 5.1.


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## IowaStateFan (Jan 11, 2006)

rbyers said:


> I'd wait longer, but I got the impression that the offer was only good for April.


Where did you get that impression? I haven't heard that anywhere. I hope it's not true, because I have no interest in upgrading until I can get the networks in HD. From what I can tell, Dish won't offer distants until at least June - if ever - and my locals aren't on any list I've seen.


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

IowaStateFan said:


> Where did you get that impression? I haven't heard that anywhere. I hope it's not true, because I have no interest in upgrading until I can get the networks in HD. From what I can tell, Dish won't offer distants until at least June - if ever - and my locals aren't on any list I've seen.


well, I wondered the same thing, as to the End of April statement. If one reads the DHA agreement for new customers, you'll notice it mentions the agreement expires 4/30/2006. This seems to suggest new deals 5/1. Hopefully Dish will announce an actual end of deal date on 4/1


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## Jerry G (Jul 12, 2003)

chewey said:


> May we should start sending mass emails to E asking them to leave UHD up because not all of us can afford to upgrade.


This is a joke, correct?


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## Jerry G (Jul 12, 2003)

LtMunst said:


> Sucks they are going to yank it from MPEG2 users after the Olympics, though.


So, I guess the question is which sucks more--not having it at all or only having it for a short time.

Lets see:

1. Having it for only a month will anger some when it's taken down. This will make Charlie decide to never give Dish customers a gift like this again.

2. Having it for a month seems to make some happy because they decided it's not worth having and now won't upgrade to get the new HD channels. This will make Charlie decide to never give Dish customers a gift like this again.

3. If Charlie didn't give us this gift (after giving us an Olympics gift last time), lots of people would be angry and start threatening to leave Dish. This will make Charlie decide to never give Dish customers anything extra ever so that Dish customers will never expect it and never complain about not getting a gift.

Good going folks. No matter what, there will be some group of people who will moan and groan no matter what Charlie does. Hopefully Charlie will realize that the "I'm never satisfied with anything and will always complain no matter what" group is a small minority and will ignore them or invite them to leave Dish and continue to give the rest who appreciate the gesture an occasional gift.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

citico said:


> My HD Channel directory shows that it will return to 129 as channel 9419.


UniHD is already on 9427 for MPEG4/DishHD subscribers.


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## Fifty Caliber (Jan 4, 2006)

Jerry G said:


> Good going folks. No matter what, there will be some group of people who will moan and groan no matter what Charlie does. Hopefully Charlie will realize that the "I'm never satisfied with anything and will always complain no matter what" group is a small minority and will ignore them or invite them to leave Dish and continue to give the rest who appreciate the gesture an occasional gift.


I couldn't have said it better.


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## GrumpyBear (Feb 1, 2006)

Audio question on Universal HD.
Has anybody else run into the problem of shows on being broadcast with a Analog audio signal. I have a 211 and 9247/46, is currently showing Quantum Leap, but unless I swith to analog for audio I don't hear anthing. Has anybody else noticed this problem? I have checked all the other channels and everything works fine, just on Universal HD, do I have this issue.


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## GrumpyBear (Feb 1, 2006)

Nevermind,
I have resolved the issue, if I select PCM only in the Dolby digital section, instead of Dolby Digital/PCM, everything works just fine. Sorry for the post.


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## LtMunst (Aug 24, 2005)

Jerry G said:


> Good going folks. No matter what, there will be some group of people who will moan and groan no matter what Charlie does. Hopefully Charlie will realize that the "I'm never satisfied with anything and will always complain no matter what" group is a small minority and will ignore them or invite them to leave Dish and continue to give the rest who appreciate the gesture an occasional gift.


Dude, Chill out! I am hardly of the Charlie bashing, moaning and groaning set. I just indicated that I wish the channel could stay. I did not call Charlie evil, I did not complain that Dish is doing me wrong. I was just venturing my opinion that it is a kool channel that I would like to keep. If I can't, then oh well. I fully plan to upgrade in April anyway, and yes, I'm happy with the upgrade offer.


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## LtMunst (Aug 24, 2005)

LtMunst said:


> Sucks they are going to yank it from MPEG2 users after the Olympics, though.


Hmmm.. Did this statement imply that Charlie sucks? Don't think so.

Did I say anywhere that Dish sucks? Nope

Could this be a benign statement indicating I like this channel and am disappointed that it will soon be gone? Sounds about right.

Sorry I offended anybody. :eek2:


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## boylehome (Jul 16, 2004)

LtMunst said:


> Hmmm.. Did this statement imply that Charlie sucks? Don't think so.
> 
> Did I say anywhere that Dish sucks? Nope
> 
> ...


No problem here. I think that all the new HD channels should be provided to existing 6000, 811, 921, and 942 customers until they are fully MPEG-4. It is simply a marketing strategy to get a faster migration to new MPEG-4 receivers, even while the new channels are still presented in MPEG-2. That is progress the way they want it.


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## johnnyd1023 (May 14, 2005)

HDMe said:


> Ah.... you see this is exactly the reason they didn't put ESPN2HD, UniHD, and the new Vooms on in MPEG2 in the first place.
> 
> Lots of folks have said "why not give us a free trial, and say if you want them get an MPEG4 in April"... and many of us have said that takeaways are not cool and customers would grip.
> 
> ...


I don't see where he griped. You make it sound as if he (or anyone else) got ranting mad. I am one of those "people" who believe Dish should have offered all the new channels on a trial basis. I will not upgrade my owned 942 and am glad I saw the Universal HD trial. Now I know I am not going to miss it. I am happy with the HD channels I now have and will not sign a 18 month contract and pay Dish for the privilige of leasing the 622. Many things are on the horizon, and I would be crazy to lock myself into a 18 month contract until I explore ALL my options during the next 12 months.


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## Jerry G (Jul 12, 2003)

boylehome said:


> I think that all the new HD channels should be provided to existing 6000, 811, 921, and 942 customers until they are fully MPEG-4.


OK. So, honestly, what will you say to Dish if 4 months from now Dish tells you that these channels will no longer be available to you with your current receivers? What will everyone else say? There are already posts from people, who knew going in that Universal would disappear after the Olympics, complaining that Universal will go away for those without MPEG4 capable receivers.


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## boylehome (Jul 16, 2004)

Jerry G said:


> OK. So, honestly, what will you say to Dish if 4 months from now Dish tells you that these channels will no longer be available to you with your current receivers? What will everyone else say? There are already posts from people, who knew going in that Universal would disappear after the Olympics, complaining that Universal will go away for those without MPEG4 capable receivers.


This is what I will say to the first question. "Okay, bye bye.":wave: Why should I be concerned about everyone else's adages if the channels disappear? I'm not E*, I a consumer. I'm having a 622 installed tomorrow. I decided to migrate. I'll get to keep them plus will get more than I had with my MPEG-2 receivers. How about you Jerry G? How would you answer your questions?


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

E* could make it clearer that 9426 is an Olympic channel.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

johnnyd1023 said:


> I don't see where he griped. You make it sound as if he (or anyone else) got ranting mad. I am one of those "people" who believe Dish should have offered all the new channels on a trial basis. I will not upgrade my owned 942 and am glad I saw the Universal HD trial. Now I know I am not going to miss it. I am happy with the HD channels I now have and will not sign a 18 month contract and pay Dish for the privilige of leasing the 622. Many things are on the horizon, and I would be crazy to lock myself into a 18 month contract until I explore ALL my options during the next 12 months.


If you read my entire post, you'll note that I said I wasn't picking on LtMunst. BUT other people have, in other threads, asked why Dish didn't put up the new channels and just take them away after a couple of months of preview.

I was pointing out to *those* people exactly why Dish probably didn't consider doing that... because folks would ask why their channels were on one day and then gone the next and be mad that they had "lost" channels.

That's all I was doing... pointing out to the other folks who had asked the question in the past. Not saying that LtMunst was griping about it at all.


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## johnnyd1023 (May 14, 2005)

HDMe said:


> If you read my entire post, you'll note that I said I wasn't picking on LtMunst. BUT other people have, in other threads, asked why Dish didn't put up the new channels and just take them away after a couple of months of preview.
> 
> I was pointing out to *those* people exactly why Dish probably didn't consider doing that... because folks would ask why their channels were on one day and then gone the next and be mad that they had "lost" channels.
> 
> That's all I was doing... pointing out to the other folks who had asked the question in the past. Not saying that LtMunst was griping about it at all.


If you read MY enyire post you will see that I said "or anyone else" and you said "lot's of people" . I take that to be universal. In other words you included LtMunst without mentioning him. It is a old spin trick that I thought you used.


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## JohnH (Apr 22, 2002)

olgeezer said:


> And lest you folks forget, Universal HD carried my favorite annual show in Hd. And this is the first time I was able too watch in HD.


Yeah, the channel went to the Dogs for a while.


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

I was flipping through the channels and saw that Judy Landers was guest starring on Knight Rider.

RUFF!

Well, not that she's a dog, but that the wolves were panting..... I had such a thing for her and her sister (Audrey Landers) in the 80s......


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

johnnyd1023 said:


> If you read MY enyire post you will see that I said "or anyone else" and you said "lot's of people" . I take that to be universal. In other words you included LtMunst without mentioning him. It is a old spin trick that I thought you used.


There were "lots" of people... If I went back and did an actual count, I dunno how many it would actually have been... but definately more than one.

But I wasn't trying a reverse spin to include the Lt


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## conner65 (Jan 26, 2004)

My opinion is that dish ought to put up has much HD content as MPEG 2 bandwidth will allow. Take off the hd demo channel, that is a waste. I will be upgrading to the 622 in one room but will have to wait on the 2nd in my bedroom until it becomes reasonable or they come out with a better receiver. I don't want to be limited because they want to transition everybody over. I will always upgrade if it is cost effective. I have $1500.00 invested in my 921's and it is only fair to give me all the HD content that the bandwidth at dish can spare.


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## KingLoop (Mar 3, 2005)

I agree. I bought my 811 and have gotten some use out of it but not $300 worth that's for sure. Universal is good. The other channels I could do without but Universal is a great addition.


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## Hoxxx (Jun 19, 2004)

Iagree so far so good. I am going to enjoy it as long as I can.



boylehome said:


> I really like Universal HD! Has a nice variety of programming. The video is pretty darn good too.


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

unfortunately, this is one of those business decisions where, even though it hurts some of your users short term, it benefits them all long term, and you simply have to make the move. This is sort of like when regular gas was being outlawed. companies just had to make the switch, and a few make cars built for both for 1 year (my dad had a 78 chevy van that could run on either)


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