# HD after the CES announcement - Speculation



## alebowgm (Jun 12, 2004)

Ok,

I know Dish is planning to probably announce MPEG4 transition at the CES and the Charlie/Retailer chat over the next few weeks. Even the 942 is going to be phased out. The question is, and it is totally speculative, DO YOU THINK that the HD stations that are presently MPEG2 will be shifted to MPEG4 and HD recievers that are already out there will be useless, or will they keep them in MPEG2 for a while? I know someone who is switching from Dish to DirecTV and will part with his old 6000 HD reciever for $75, so I think I may wind up doing it... 

TNT HD
Discovery HD Theatre
HD Net
HD Movie Net
ESPN HD
ESPN 2 HD (ekb says it is now MPEG2, although still not available)
PPV HD
Showtime HD
HBO HD
NFL Network HD
HD Event HD 1
HD Event HD 2
Rave HD
Equator HD
Gallery HD
Animania HD
Rush HD
Ultra HD
Guy TV HD
Majestic HD
Monster HD
HD News
WCBS DT
KCBS DT

Plus, a bunch of Vooms which are now showing in MPEG4, the EKB says..

Just wondering if it is worth getting, even though they announcement is coming...


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## olgeezer (Dec 5, 2003)

I believe there may be an issue on a 6000 with the 8psk module picking up 129, which will hold many of the HD channels. I'll check my book on the Dish 1000 this evening.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

I don't belive there an issue with 6000 and 129W; it works perfectly for many ppl.


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## alebowgm (Jun 12, 2004)

OK, but just guess's based on history, I would think they will keep those stations in MPEG2, at least for a while, right?


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## olgeezer (Dec 5, 2003)

P Smith said:


> I don't belive there an issue with 6000 and 129W; it works perfectly for many ppl.


you are right. I checked the 1000 book at work. The receivers that don't support 129 on the Dish 1000 are the 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, JVC-DVHS, and the 7100/7200. I have a 7200 and the 811. It works fine with the dish 1000, but the 7200 doesn't support the 129 slot from a Dish 1000.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Speculation (if one cannot wait a couple more days) ...
A couple of new HD channels (other than Voom15) will be added before June.
1) Everything that will be offered to customers will be in MPEG2
2) Nothing will be offered to customers in MPEG4 until June-July 20*06*
MPEG4 receivers will continually be quietly rolled out in preparation for when they will be needed.

Everything else is on delay until E10 is launched in February and take's it's place in the system in May.

JL


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

James Long said:


> Speculation (if one cannot wait a couple more days) ...
> 2) Nothing will be offered to customers in MPEG4 until June-July 2004


So Dish will be rolling out their new time-travel receivers at CES?


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Dang ... I did it again. I can never roll into a new year without skewing the date!
(In January 1980 I could not stop writing 1978 as the date. Chronologically challenged!)

JL


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## Ghostwriter (Oct 11, 2005)

JL I think you are a bit off IMO, but as mentioned that is only my opinion.

I think a few channels will be added this week in HD. (ESPN2 and the Vooms)

I think they will start to trasnsition a few to MPEG4 rather soon.

I also believe and you have even mentioned that the HD DVR will be coming early Feb, thats not quite a quiet rollout as you mentioned.


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## GeorgeLV (Jan 1, 2006)

Ghostwriter said:


> JL I think you are a bit off IMO, but as mentioned that is only my opinion.
> 
> I think a few channels will be added this week in HD. (ESPN2 and the Vooms)
> 
> ...


Considering that GuyTV and Majestic are morphing into Kung Fu and Film Fest tomorrow, I'd say you're likely to be correct.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

GeorgeLV said:


> Considering that GuyTV and Majestic are morphing into Kung Fu and Film Fest tomorrow, I'd say you're likely to be correct.


They will be in MPEG2 and part of the Voom 15.

The quiet rollout will be that the receivers will be available, not that subscribers will be hit over the head and told they MUST have one to continue to receive any programming they currently have or 'certain new channels'. 411's were just made available two weeks ago. No fanfare. No thou shalt get one now or lose programming. Just making sure that when E* does start introducing MPEG4 they don't have to deal with replacing 100% of the HD receivers in the marketplace.

JL


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

James Long said:


> Dang ... I did it again. I can never roll into a new year without skewing the date!
> (In January 1980 I could not stop writing 1978 as the date. Chronologically challenged!)
> 
> JL


I sometimes forget to update my brain after the start of a new year... but I've never been off by 2 years. I sometimes want to keep writing 2005 instead of 2006... but at least I stay mentally within a year 

I would like to think, going back on topic now, that your assessment is what will happen. For months now, thinking about MPEG4 rollout, it makes the most sense to rollout receivers before they are required. So all new customers get them, and some old customers will pay to upgrade to them wanting the latest and greatest.

Perhaps then "force" some early adopters with some locals in HD or east/west coast networks in HD to go MPEG4 if they want to go that way... but to just drop the bomb on a bunch of people that they have to upgrade now or else, doesn't make sense... besides being "nice" and "fair" and customer-friendly... we know from experience that Dish wouldn't be able to keep up with production demands even if folks wanted to upgrade and spend some dough... so by rolling things out slowly, they keep better control over things.

Oh, and not bashing Dish... because most companies have to deal with this sort of thing... but given track records of gllitches with DVRs and dual-tuner models and even HD... what makes anyone think that the first MPEG4 receivers to roll off the assembly line will be bug free? Be a big mistake to force a bunch of people to upgrade to MPEG4 receivers because of channels they can't get otherwise... then those customers can't get any channels because the receiver has problems! That'd be a mess.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

One thing for sure - there is no need to uplink the stations twice to the same satellite (one copy in MPEG2 and one in MPEG4) for customers. That would be a total waste of bandwidth. There will always be MPEG4 test channels but there is no reason to duplicate the space to customers on the same slot.

Then again, this is a speculation thread ... just a couple of days away from when E* makes it's official speculation, er announcement, at CES. 

JL


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

HD local channels in MP4 as they can prioritize the limited quantity of receivers ready for retail. National HD channels remain in mp2 until such time as Dish has ample inventory for national markets to receive them in MP4. DishNetwork may not have done the smartest things in the past WRT receivers, but I don't recall them ever launching channels that no one can receive or have the possibility to receive in 6-9 months which is a realistic estimate when national market levels of hardware will be available. 
Then once the receivers are in place, they will begin to market an incentive program to $witch. They will do this by first offering new HD channels, national, in MP4 only. When they feel they have enough receivers in place for all HD subscribers to switch, they will announce a 30-60 day MP2 kill date. Then the hold-pouts will either switch or churn to other services. It's a repeat history lesson for all from one who who has been through DishNetwork's launch of 8PSK and the Discovery HD channel launch.


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## JohnH (Apr 22, 2002)

New VOOMs are still listed as Mpeg4 regardless of the actual mode. There may be a shortage of programmable Mpeg4 encoders, but some new channels may be available only on the Mpeg4 receivers awaiting the encoders switch. Local HDs may be some of those.

EchoStar 10 is quite important, but they need to keep things moving on all fronts.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

JohnH said:


> New VOOMs are still listed as Mpeg4 regardless of the actual mode.


Does this include the two that switched identities last night? Just curious, since we've already seen a partial change (KungFu and FilmFest) and those are clearly in MPEG2 since I am watching them this afternoon. Do those headers say they are in MPEG4? If so, it would be a good indication, perhaps, that the headers are just that... headers.


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## JohnH (Apr 22, 2002)

No, they just got a new name. Still listed as Mpeg2 HD channels.

Not headers. Channel type designations in the NIT.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

I would say - Service Type .


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

JohnH said:


> No, they just got a new name. Still listed as Mpeg2 HD channels.
> 
> Not headers. Channel type designations in the NIT.


Thanks for the quick clarification... So for the two that were renamed, essentially that is all that happened is a renaming... the other channels that we don't see yet are the ones listed as MPEG4 channels then... so we are still in limbo until the CES announcement or the activation of the new channels, whichever comes first.


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## JohnH (Apr 22, 2002)

As with all channel launches we are in "Limbo", especially since they are not spilling the beans. 

Could turn out to be an HBO Zone on E* remake, although I doubt it will.
.


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## dwcobb (Oct 13, 2005)

DonLandis said:


> HD local channels in MP4 as they can prioritize the limited quantity of receivers ready for retail. National HD channels remain in mp2 until such time as Dish has ample inventory for national markets to receive them in MP4. DishNetwork may not have done the smartest things in the past WRT receivers, but I don't recall them ever launching channels that no one can receive or have the possibility to receive in 6-9 months which is a realistic estimate when national market levels of hardware will be available.
> Then once the receivers are in place, they will begin to market an incentive program to $witch. They will do this by first offering new HD channels, national, in MP4 only. When they feel they have enough receivers in place for all HD subscribers to switch, they will announce a 30-60 day MP2 kill date. Then the hold-pouts will either switch or churn to other services. It's a repeat history lesson for all from one who who has been through DishNetwork's launch of 8PSK and the Discovery HD channel launch.


If I were doing this roll out, I would:

A) Make sure that ALL new boxes are MPEG4 compatible ASAP, and halt sales on inventory of old boxes immediately after the new box becomes available. Liquidating your inventory is going to be a minor benefit compared to the costs later to get a new box out to someone.

B) Roll out major HD local markets in MPEG2 (top 10 - 20 DMA's anyway), keep the national HD in MPEG2, and start the MPEG4 rollout with second-third tier markets for locals. This would let them test out their conversion process in manageable chunks while getting the majority of people in the country their HD locals as soon as possible.

C) Roll back to the large markets in MPEG4 LAST, after the rest of the country has gotten the roll out. By the time they reach the larger markets they may not have as many boxes to replace since some subscribers would opt for voluntary upgrades rather than waiting.

D) Set a specific date for full MPEG4 conversion late in 2007 and let people know that is the goal so that the large market people won't be wondering what is going on.


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## Hound (Mar 20, 2005)

For Dish to keep up with the hype of having "more HD than anyone else" this is what the new HD lineup should like look starting this month. The "most National HD programming" from today's press release means that they have Voom. But Voom is not enough for the majority of subscribers. The majority (over 50%) of multi channel video subscribers are going to want ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in HD and at least one regional sports network in HD.

The new Dish HD channel lineup should look like this:

15 Voom Channels
The current five HD Pak channels
ESPN2 HD
Some new HD channels, for example maybe MTV, National Geographic, etc.
Five movie channels, HBO, SHO, Starz, Encore, The Movie Channel
Network ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC HD for qualifying subs
Local HD phased in for the whole country by the end of 2007
Regional Sports networks in HD for the entire country, some areas will get
two or three HD regional sports networks if they qualify
NBATVHD telecasts will resume immediately
NFLHD
MLB EI at last two games a day in HD
NBA League pass at least two games a day in HD
NHL Center Ice at least two games a day in HD

Universal HD channel is not necessary but would be a good addition.

I currently get the following from cable:
New York CBS HD
New York FOX HD
New York ABC HD
New York NBC HD
New York PBS HD
New Jersey PBS HD
TNT HD
Universal HD
Discovery HD
INHD
INHD2
HDnet
HDnet Movies
ESPNHD
NFLHD
WealthHD
CinemaxHD
HBOHD
The Movie ChannelHD
Sho HD
Starz HD


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## Hound (Mar 20, 2005)

Also, I get YES HD from cable. 

Cable is currently giving me 22 HD channels.
Dish currently gives me 17 including 10 VOOM Channels.
Dish is hardly the HD leader. VOOM may make Dish the
"national HD leader" but it does not make Dish the
HD leader. Dish has a lot to do to improve its HD channel lineup.
I hope we are not disappointed tomorrow when Dish makes its 
announcement. If five additional VOOM channels are the bulk
of the new Dish HD lineup, there will be a lot of disappointed
Dish customers.


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## Rob O (Dec 19, 2005)

Hound said:


> If five additional VOOM channels are the bulk
> of the new Dish HD lineup, there will be a lot of disappointed
> Dish customers.


I totally agree. I don't mean to offend the people who want the VOOM channels, but they just don't do much for me. I am very interested in the upcoming HD announcements, and may judging whether or not I stay with Dish based on them. HD programming and the new HD dual tuner DVR are specifically what I want. I really like my dish and don't want to go back to cable, but right now it seems like thats where the HD content I care about is located. C'mon Charlie give us all some good news!


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## Hound (Mar 20, 2005)

Correction. Dish is currently giving me 19 HD channels including 10 Voom plus
PPV HD and special event HD like NHL center ice and MLB EI. 

This does not include NBATV HD which has not been available on Dish this season.
NBATV HD and OLN ice hockey games are available to me on INHD through my
cable company.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Hound said:


> Local HD phased in for the whole country by the end of 2007


The only snag with this is that it probably won't happen in the local markets. The FCC mandate to go digital doesn't say anything at all about HDTV... and while many markets are moving towards that digital goal, not all of them are considering HDTV. Some are saving money, others are opting to multicast SD channels instead of using the bandwidth for an HD channel.

In my market, I have all the networks in HD OTA, except my local UPN is not doing HD... but if UPN survives, perhaps I will see that in a couple of years since Sinclair owns the station and they have been upgrading stations they own slowly.

However, this doesn't appear to be the norm all over the country... so even if Dish is ready and willing, there simply might not be locals HD for all the markets by that date... but at least perhaps they could pick up those local SD digital feeds instead of the analog they get today and at least improve the signal quality in those markets.


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## chipvideo (Nov 22, 2005)

Rob O said:


> I totally agree. I don't mean to offend the people who want the VOOM channels, but they just don't do much for me. I am very interested in the upcoming HD announcements, and may judging whether or not I stay with Dish based on them. HD programming and the new HD dual tuner DVR are specifically what I want. I really like my dish and don't want to go back to cable, but right now it seems like thats where the HD content I care about is located. C'mon Charlie give us all some good news!


I agree as well. Voom does nothing for me. I don't watch it at all. I have been looking at cable prices closely. They have all the movie channels in HD where I live. If dish is banking on voom for subs then they are in trouble.

I am going to make a decision this summer. If I have to pay to get a mpeg4 reciever I will go to comcast in a heartbeat. ALso if I have to pay $20 per month for dish hd I will switch as well. Since we all know dish is going to combine the voom into the hd pack and have one charge I think many will leave dish. I think they should leave voom as a seperate pack as it is 3rd rate channels anyhow.


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## navychop (Jul 13, 2005)

I don't think Voom will allow E* to keep it as a separate package. They seem to see their future as hanging on being an integral part of any HD subscription package.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

navychop said:


> I don't think Voom will allow E* to keep it as a separate package. They seem to see their future as hanging on being an integral part of any HD subscription package.


I agree... and as Voom gets its feet back underneath itself, I suspect that they will try to arrange similar carriage agreements with DirecTV and other cable companies... so I suspect that eventually Voom will become a moot-point in terms of being separate or being something to choose Dish over another provider, as eventually I expect to see Voom part of all the available pay-TV services.

That would be good for all of us, as it would no doubt help keep the price down as well as provide more revenue for Voom to use to purchase more inventory of programming and provide more variety in the future.

I suspect that there *may* be some kind of temporary exclusivity with Dish for the short-term because Dish is trying to help them along in their re-launch as a content provider rather than the failed standalone service... but eventually I expect to see Voom everywhere, and most likely as part of the basic HD tier.

The only exception to that I can see, is IF Voom grows and expands to the other outlets... and has enough backing to eventually launch some of its own PPV or Premium movie channels for which they might have a separate charge.


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## chipvideo (Nov 22, 2005)

navychop said:


> I don't think Voom will allow E* to keep it as a separate package. They seem to see their future as hanging on being an integral part of any HD subscription package.


Seems kind of odd that voom would be an integral part of any hd programming. Everyone that has been to my house agrees with me. These channels are not worth paying for. The only reason I even got voom was because it was cheap and it had the monsters channel. The content is just not that great. You can get hd from comcast for $5. Dish charges twice that. You don't have to have receivers either.

My whole point is that it seems as though if dish thinks that more content is better then they will piss alot of people off. These voom channels I consider one channel as far as content. I already priced out comcast. For $120/month I can get all the movie channels and hd they offer as well as hd locals. No eqipment to buy either.

I mean I haven't subscribed to cable in over 9 years. Ive had dish and dtv over the last 9 years. It is getting tempting to go back to cable now. Who ever has the best content is who will be getting my hard earned dollar. Joe six pack will feel the same way.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

chipvideo said:


> I have been looking at cable prices closely. They have all the movie channels in HD where I live.


Time Warner in my area has the InHD1 & InHD2 channels, but excepting Voom they have otherwise the same amount of HD as Dish not counting locals. Cable in my area doesn't have all of my locals in HD yet either, which is fine since I get them free OTA anyway... so for me right now Dish is the better bet and the better deal, especially if I then count Voom.

Prices also seem to be comparable here, and I'm paying less for my 2 room setup than my parents pay for their 2 room setup with Cable (this includes Digital + HD from Time Warner for them). Right now the main advantage my parents have is the ability to use a CableCard in their HDTV, so that is the selling point for the moment keeping them with Cable... but expanded programming with Dish could sway them in the future.

I expect some cable companies in other parts of the US have more comparable tiers of programming than my area does, so your mileage may vary.


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## chipvideo (Nov 22, 2005)

I think the advantage is that the cable in my area has all 5 premium movie channels in HD. I love my movies. In fact you can say I am a movieholic.  

I also like my sports. That is the reason I went from dish to direc a few years ago. They never had the nfl so I went with the other. Now that I don't watch nfl much anymore I just watch my movies. One thing I am wondering is what would I be able to expect as far as bit rates with cable vs sat? I think I am going to have to compare them somehow this summer. Just wish there was a cheap way to do it. I already have internet through my calbe company, so I wonder if I could just tell them I want to split the signal into my one tv and just use that would the be able to activate me without doing a service call so I wouldn't get a one time charge. At least cable doesn't have long term contract here.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

chipvideo said:


> One thing I am wondering is what would I be able to expect as far as bit rates with cable vs sat? I think I am going to have to compare them somehow this summer. Just wish there was a cheap way to do it.


I am in a relatively new subdivision, so cable wasn't available when I first moved here... and though they eventually did run cable and I have a nice green box in the corner of my yard, I've never had cable ran to the house. Cable had a 6-month + waiting list when I moved here, Dish installed within 3 days! So you can guess which I chose 

I have a 65" HDTV, and my parents have a 57" HDTV... and while it is difficult for me to make a direct comparison, Time Warner here seems comparable on the HD channels to what I get here with Dish at my house.

I don't think I'd lose quality, right now anyway... and I might even gain a little quality on some of the channels that Dish overcompresses of the SD channels. So it's kind of a wash, except there has been a long history of unreliability in my area with cable. Cable goes out if the wind blows too much or the ground gets moist sometimes... so I'd be hard pressed to switch myself, though I hear in other parts of the country the cable system is much better maintained and even some fiber-optics in some areas starting to show up now.


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

No more speculation needed. Follow the link and click the attachments to see what channels are being added. ESPN2 HD, V* Channels, and Broadcast networks on the way!

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=50313

They have 29 channels listed, but they inexplicably left off HDNet. (They still have HDNet Movies shown)


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## Rob Glasser (Feb 22, 2005)

BobMurdoch said:


> No more speculation needed. Follow the link and click the attachments to see what channels are being added. ESPN2 HD, V* Channels, and Broadcast networks on the way!
> 
> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=50313
> 
> They have 29 channels listed, but they inexplicably left off HDNet. (They still have HDNet Movies shown)


If you look at the 4th picture over, 3rd column under Variety they still list HDNet, strange they didn't put it in the other listing under something. HDNet shows sports, entertainment/family, and news/lifesystle. They could have put it under multiples like they did with DishHD PPV.


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## scottrell (Jan 4, 2006)

chipvideo said:


> Seems kind of odd that voom would be an integral part of any hd programming. Everyone that has been to my house agrees with me. These channels are not worth paying for. The only reason I even got voom was because it was cheap and it had the monsters channel. The content is just not that great. You can get hd from comcast for $5. Dish charges twice that. You don't have to have receivers either.
> 
> My whole point is that it seems as though if dish thinks that more content is better then they will piss alot of people off. These voom channels I consider one channel as far as content. I already priced out comcast. For $120/month I can get all the movie channels and hd they offer as well as hd locals. No eqipment to buy either.
> 
> I mean I haven't subscribed to cable in over 9 years. Ive had dish and dtv over the last 9 years. It is getting tempting to go back to cable now. Who ever has the best content is who will be getting my hard earned dollar. Joe six pack will feel the same way.


Not sure how your math works on this. AEP+locals+HD+Voom+DVR=$108, Platinum+HDstb+DVR=$118

Also, HD on Comcast is more than just the $5stb rental if you want more than just your locals, you need to move up to at least Digital Classic from their Standard package for another $10.

Now, we can quibble over how the packages compare. But I switched just recently and even after all the promotions are over, I'll still save about 5-10% with Dish over Comcast. And this was true for every package comparison I made.

-sc


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## audiomaster (Jun 24, 2004)

1. Will all the "new" receivers do both MPEG4 and MPEG2 reception? 
2. Will we see a repeat of the 921 fiasco?
3. Since the 6000 is "modular" couldn't they do a MPEG4 module for it and save having to replace a lot of receivers?
4. Will all the new receivers do analog and digital off air reception. With proper guide info? And, if DVRs, will they record same?
5. Is ala carte the future for DBS and cable Maybe by congressional mandate?
6. Is Elvis really dead,and if not is he returning to the building?
7. Is Charlie really alive or a carefully constructed digital image constructed by ILM and financed by Rupert Murdock?
Waiting with breath held for answers. Just checked mirror. Slight blue tinge starting.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

audiomaster said:


> 1. Will all the "new" receivers do both MPEG4 and MPEG2 reception?
> 2. Will we see a repeat of the 921 fiasco?
> 3. Since the 6000 is "modular" couldn't they do a MPEG4 module for it and save having to replace a lot of receivers?
> 4. Will all the new receivers do analog and digital off air reception. With proper guide info? And, if DVRs, will they record same?
> ...


Yes.
Hope not.
No.
Digital OTA only, depends, yes.
No.
Yes, the building is gone.
ILM is good but Rupert isn't that rich.

JL


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## deuces (Jan 4, 2006)

So any chance we will have ESPN2 HD tonight in time to watch Illinois vs. Mich State?


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## Rob Glasser (Feb 22, 2005)

deuces said:


> So any chance we will have ESPN2 HD tonight in time to watch Illinois vs. Mich State?


The press release that Chris just posted indicates the new channels won't be available until Feb. 1st and they will be MPEG4 so you'll need a new MPEG4 receiver to view them. The new MPEG4 channels are:

ESPN2 HD
Universal HD 
HD Locals

VOOM Networks
------------------
Family Room HD
Gameplay HD
Treasure HD
World Cinema HD
WorldSport HD

I'm really excited about UniversalHD since they show Battlestar Galactica in HD. That and ESPN2HD since I live in the Seattle market and our teams are typically relegated to ESPN2 status throughout the year =)


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## gougef (Jan 4, 2006)

I just got an 811 as a new customer this week. Should I make them come and take it back.

Is all the HD programming soon be in Mpeg-4?

Frankie


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## deuces (Jan 4, 2006)

I own my 942. They have to give some sort of nice upgrade path. I bought it to watch HD, they let me buy it recently, now they put any new HD out of reach.


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## Weezknight (Jan 3, 2006)

gougef said:


> I just got an 811 as a new customer this week. Should I make them come and take it back.
> 
> Is all the HD programming soon be in Mpeg-4?
> 
> Frankie


I agree with you on that one. I've finally got my 811 with OTA and everything going fine. I don't have VOOM, but I have the regular HD Pak, where does that leave us going forward?


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## DishNet_Fan (Oct 14, 2003)

Weezknight said:


> I agree with you on that one. I've finally got my 811 with OTA and everything going fine. I don't have VOOM, but I have the regular HD Pak, where does that leave us going forward?


It leaves us SOL. I bought my 811 6 months ago and now I will be screwed.

Can't Charlie & Company figure out a plan that works for EVERYBODY???


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

robglasser said:


> ... I'm really excited about UniversalHD since they show Battlestar Galactica in HD. ...


are you talking the new series? and if so, do they also carry the Stargate programs from SciFi?


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## gougef (Jan 4, 2006)

Weezknight said:


> I agree with you on that one. I've finally got my 811 with OTA and everything going fine. I don't have VOOM, but I have the regular HD Pak, where does that leave us going forward?


I think that I will call Dish tomorrow to come and take their stuff out. Mine was just installed Monday.

Frankie


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

IF they had 622s ready to ship AND they had a fair tradein value for my 921, I'd be ecstatic. As it is right now, they have neither and I am pissed!


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## Rob Glasser (Feb 22, 2005)

Rogueone said:


> are you talking the new series? and if so, do they also carry the Stargate programs from SciFi?


Yes, the new series, I don't know about Stargate 1 series. A quick look at their website doesn't show it, so it would appear that they do not. Is the show shown in letterbox on SciFi? If it's not it probably isn't filmed in HD.


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## derwin0 (Jan 31, 2005)

robglasser said:


> Is the show shown in letterbox on SciFi? If it's not it probably isn't filmed in HD.


Whether it's shown in Letterbox or not isn't a true indication if it's filmed in HD.
For instance, watched CSI last night, on the HD channel it was widescreen, but on the SD channel it was fullscreen, and not letterboxed.


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## Ghostwriter (Oct 11, 2005)

gougef if you are still within the 3- day cancellation period I would definately get everything shut off and removed, unless you are able to get in writing a free upgrade to an MPEG4. If not simply cancel and call back to reschedule an install and make sure you explain that you want a MPEG4 receiver.

BTW this is what drives me nuts. If they knew they were launching HD in MPEG4 why even install an 811 if there are already 411s out there. This is screwing customers at its best. And also why lower the price on the 921 to $349 if it can't even get the new channels and is a POS receiver. E* is really starting to make no sense in some of their approaches.


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## Rob Glasser (Feb 22, 2005)

derwin0 said:


> Whether it's shown in Letterbox or not isn't a true indication if it's filmed in HD.
> For instance, watched CSI last night, on the HD channel it was widescreen, but on the SD channel it was fullscreen, and not letterboxed.


I know it's not a 100% guarantee but can be a good indicator. Chances are if a network is showing a network show letterboxed on an SD channel it's probably because filming is being done in HD. If it's not letterboxed there may or may not be an HD feed of it, it's harder to tell.

Policies on this tend to vary from network to network. NBC tends to show it's primetime drama schedule in letterbox SD, and all those shows are in HD on the HD feed. In the case of SciFi (NBC owned) they show Battlestar Galactica in letterbox SD and it's available on UniversalHD. So, my reasoning when presenting that question was, if Stargate was letterboxed then there is a good chance it's being filmed in HD and may show up on Universal HD. If it's not letterboxed, who knows, but I would hazard to guess it's less likely based on the NBC Universal policy of broadcasting shows filmed in HD as letterboxed when shown on SD channels.


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