# Dish Absolute, channel gone?



## biz (Jul 30, 2004)

I have DA. The kids screamed when I got rid of mtv, vh1 etc. LOL

Anyhow they are at school, and tonight we tried to do a timer for a BravoTv channel.

It requires a subscription. (they have NON HD DVRS's).

I could have sworn this was available before?


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I could be mistaken, but since the "Dish Hd Absolute" package is advertised as an HD-only package... I don't believe there is a guarantee that the SD versions of all channels would be included. Some were, some weren't.. and I don't think they guaranteed SD would always be there... so could be they are slowly going to take those away.

Personally, I subscribed to the HD-only package because I only wanted the HD... so I don't ever tune to the SD channels even if they are there.


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## biz (Jul 30, 2004)

Since the kids were leaving, I did Absolute because I was the beneficiary. Truthfully, I don't know what additional HD additions (that we would not get, but Turbo would) would get me to change at this point. 

I think you are right, they are taking away the SD's.


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## jclewter79 (Jan 8, 2008)

I think Bravo was on free preview last month maybe?


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

biz said:


> Since the kids were leaving, I did Absolute because I was the beneficiary. Truthfully, I don't know what additional HD additions (that we would not get, but Turbo would) would get me to change at this point.
> 
> I think you are right, they are taking away the SD's.


It would be nice if Dish would actually draw a line in the sand and stick with it... but they don't seem to be doing that. I've similarly nitpicked their new TurboHD "100% HD packages" since those also come with some, but not all, corresponding SD channels. It's like they are on the fence and afraid to go the rest of the way over.

Then in cases like yours, if they start taking some away or not adding SD when a new HD is added it becomes a mess if you have non-HD receivers in other rooms.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

Bravo SD has never been included with Dish Absolute.


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## brant (Jul 6, 2008)

I've never had bravo w/ SD either. 

I have absolute and the channels I don't have an SD version of are:

bravo
espn news
disney east
toon disney
abc fam
cnbc
wgn

these are of course the stations that have an SD version available; things like HDNet, HD Theater, etc. . don't have an SD version.

As for taking SD channels away, I don't think that is happening. When they added the green channel and the lifetimes I got SD versions of those. 

Something odd though, I used to not have an SD version of CBS college sports HD; now I do. This was added recently because I was looking for an SD version of it about 4 weeks ago and did not have it.


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

HDMe said:


> I could be mistaken, but since the "Dish Hd Absolute" package is advertised as an HD-only package... I don't believe there is a guarantee that the SD versions of all channels would be included. Some were, some weren't.. and I don't think they guaranteed SD would always be there... so could be they are slowly going to take those away.
> 
> Personally, I subscribed to the HD-only package because I only wanted the HD... so I don't ever tune to the SD channels even if they are there.


I don't think there are any SD channels in that package if my memory serves me right.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

There are no SD channels in Dish Absolute, however the SD equivalents were active for channels in Absolute when it was first released. Not "part of the package" just available for subscribers (much like the PI / shopping / preview channels).

If DISH were to allow people to continue to get SDs for "other receivers" they would find people subscribing to the HD packages instead of the appropriate AT package and the channel providers that agreed to placement based on package level would be upset.

Absolute's $29 for channels across AT100/200/250 would annoy the SD channels (such as Fox) that are not available unless someone pays a lot more. The TurboHD channel packages are a $12-$15 discount over the AT packages they are based on. Allowing SD subscribers to the HD packages hurts the programmers.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

James Long said:


> There are no SD channels in Dish Absolute, however the SD equivalents were active for channels in Absolute when it was first released. Not "part of the package" just available for subscribers (much like the PI / shopping / preview channels).
> 
> If DISH were to allow people to continue to get SDs for "other receivers" they would find people subscribing to the HD packages instead of the appropriate AT package and the channel providers that agreed to placement based on package level would be upset.
> 
> Absolute's $29 for channels across AT100/200/250 would annoy the SD channels (such as Fox) that are not available unless someone pays a lot more. The TurboHD channel packages are a $12-$15 discount over the AT packages they are based on. Allowing SD subscribers to the HD packages hurts the programmers.


I agree with all this... which is why I think/thought Dish needed to draw that line (and they appear to have not completely done so).

When I signed up for Dish Absolute I turned in my 501 DVR voluntarily (it was a lease) and just kept my ViP622. They didn't ask or require it, I volunteered it as I really wasn't using 2 TVs at the time and figured I could use the ViP622 backfeed if I really wanted for my other room.

I know the new TurboHD packages they appear to have drawn the line and in order to get the HD-only you have to have all ViP receivers on the account... but even still, they appear to be including (from posts on the forum) some SD equivalents though they are not officially part of the package.

I know there is a gray area with the shopping and PI channels... but it seems to me that from day one any "HD only" package really should have been HD only. Dish is sort of walking both sides of the fence on that, which I think leads to customer confusion since some folks are using SD receivers to get the handful of still included SD channels in these "HD-only" packages.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

As I said in another thread, somewhere, the way Dish's contracts with shopping channels and the government's mandating of public interest channels fall, there is no way for anyone to offer a true HD only package.

The PI channels are all SD afaik, and the shopping channels haven't gone HD as of yet.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Jim5506 said:


> As I said in another thread, somewhere, the way Dish's contracts with shopping channels and the government's mandating of public interest channels fall, there is no way for anyone to offer a true HD only package.
> 
> The PI channels are all SD afaik, and the shopping channels haven't gone HD as of yet.


Yeah, that's why I figure the gray area... Shopping channels pay to be carried and PI channels are mandated for carriage. I'm ok with that as long as they don't further muddy the waters with the rest of the channels in the package.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

I don't mind the SD channels included with HD Absolute, it allows me to retain two SD receivers in the house where HD is not needed.

I find the grousing about SD channels in an HD "ONLY" package comical.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Jim5506 said:


> I don't mind the SD channels included with HD Absolute, it allows me to retain two SD receivers in the house where HD is not needed.
> 
> I find the grousing about SD channels in an HD "ONLY" package comical.


The "grousing" really comes from two fronts... Why do they include some SD channels and not others? IF they included all SD counterparts, then probably that crowd would no longer grouse. As it stands, they give some but not all... so inevitably people will chime in and ask why this is the case.

The other front is the "Why call it 100% HD when it isn't 100% HD". I agree that is a little more comical of a complaint, in that it really isn't something that hurts you if it has extra SD channels beyond the HD you are paying for.


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## biz (Jul 30, 2004)

I just thought it was there, now isn't. Didn't realize that we never had it.


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