BDB

Update from bschneider..

The following information is subject to change. But right now this is what I can tell you today.

The first wave of HD channels should be turned on Sept 14th with at least the following channels. Individual channnels may be turned on before the 14th. RSN's will be the turned on during the second wave. When we get closer to the dates I should be able to tell you more.

A&E
Big Ten Network
Cartoon Network
CNN
Food Network
Golf/Versus
HGTV
History
NFL Network
National Geo
Simithsonian (channel 267)
TBS

BDB

More updates

HD channels with channel numbers from DBStalk.

Asterisk (*) indicates HD channel available only with H20, H21, HR20 and HR21 receivers.

September 2007
A&E *265
Big Ten Network HD *220
Cartoon Network *296
Cinemax HD East *512
Cinemax HD West *514
CNN HD *202
Discovery HD Theater 76
ESPN HD 72, *206
ESPN2 HD 73, *209
Food Network HD *231-1
FSN New York HD *624
The Golf Channel HD (shared with Versus HD) *604
HBO HD East 70, 509, *501
HBO HD West *504
HDNet 79
HDNet Movies 78
HGTV-HD *229-1
The History Channel HD *269
Madison Square Garden HD *621
MHD (HD only) *332
The Movie Channel HD *544
NFL Network HD *212
National Geographic Channel HD *276
Showtime HD 71, 543, *537
Showtime HD West *540
Smithsonian Channel HD (HD only) *267
Starz Comedy HD *519
Starz HD East *520
Starz Edge HD *522
Starz Kids & Family HD *518
Starz HD West *521
TBS in HD *247
TNT HD 75, *245
Universal HD 74
Versus HD (shared with The Golf Channel HD) *604
The Weather Channel HD *362


October 2007
Animal Planet HD *282
Bravo HD *273
Comcast SportsNet Chicago HD 680 *640
Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic HD 681, *629
Discovery Channel HD *278
Fox Business Channel HD *359
FSN Detroit HD *636
FSN Prime Ticket HD *653
FSN Southwest HD *643
FSN West HD *652
Fuel TV HD *612
FX HD *248
NBA TV HD *601-1
New England Sports Network HD 682, *623
The Science Channel HD *284
Sci-Fi Network HD *244
Speed Channel HD *607
SportsNet New York HD 683, *625
USA Network HD *242
Yankees Entertainment & Sports HD 684, *622

BDB

So they keep the same channel numbers, if you have the hr20 or whatever and hit 202 for CNN it will go to the HD Channel first, you can channel up to go to the SD channel, same as it works for locals.

ktan1

See, now you're going to have me check every day!!! About 1 more week at the latest...

B.A.

Any word on whether or not they are going to bump up the $10/month for HD programming?

Deftones

Executives at DirecTv said there'd be no foreseeable raise in the HD package price.

lewisb73

I was told there would not be a rise in prices from a customer service rep. Its not like we are talking about alot of new channels, just hd versions of ones we already have

Deftones

Yes, but you are forgetting that they launched a new satellite for this. And another in a few months. Hundreds of millions of dollars. They have to recoup those costs somehow.

BDB

New Subs Def?

B.A.

Exactly. They have been charging $10 for a handful of channels for a long time. They aren't going to quadruple the number of channels in a matter of months and not up their monthly fee.

lewisb73

Im just stating what I was TOLD... and NO im NOT forgetting they launched a new satellite for this, Ive been on top of this since it was first announced, I got my 2 hd-dvr's not long ater they were introduced at a small fraction of what they charge for them

Nowhere in my post did I proclaim it to be the true facts... I was trying to theorize how they could do this without raising costs...

blaineo

They will not up the fee. I just saw a commercial on TV about it and it will not go up

das Monkey

As I posted in the other thread, I too was told there'd be no immediate fee increase for the new HD channels.

das

Deftones

Yeah. Key word is being immediate. As I said the DirecTV executives said no immediate price increase, but you'd be fooling yourself to think it won't go up eventually. My guess is, a year from now. Build up the user base with new subs, lock them into 2 year contracts, and rake them over the coals cuz they can't back out.

argh923

This conflicts directly with the announcement made this past weekend that stated there'd be 70 new channels by the end of September.

briank

My guess is if they have a good advertising period of the next few months and enough subscribers, they may bump up the fee this coming March along with their typical annual raise in other rates.
If the HD $9.99 fee stays, I'm sure they'll adjust the base packages accordingly to make up for it.

das Monkey

To be fair, no one said "immediate" to me. I just added that because I have enough sense to read between the lines. Of course fees will increase. They always increase. That's the business model. It just doesn't seem like they plan to disproportionately increase the burden on HD viewers to specifically account for these new channels. If I had to guess, I suspect that new general pricing models will be unveiled sometime within the next year as we move closer to an era of HD as a fundamental part of DirecTV versus its current "add on" status. One way or the other, we'll pay for it all, but I don't see DirecTV being able to charge $19.99 or $29.99 a month for just HD.

das

BDB

And I would think that there might come a time, in say 2 or 3 years, that 80% of the channels are HD right? so you think they can still charge a premium for that?

I doubt it. What happens then when the only choice is HD Channels?
They can't logically then say hey all we offer is HD, and its costing 50 for channels, and an additional 20 for HD. I think the HD fee will go away.

Philly30

has the picture improved on the HD channels

Chew

If they had the option to only take the HD channels package (plus HD locals), than I think those price levels would be acceptable.

BDB

no-one knows yet, but the mpeg-4 for Locals is stellar.

New channels will be MPEG-4 and we'll be able to compare mpeg4 hbo vs mpeg2 hbo

dstrauss

Ladies and gentlemen, HD has jumped the shark before it even started.

Jason

I bet that's what they do. With the list above, there's enough programming to sell an HD only package.

pinata242

I can't think of anything we watch that wouldn't be on that list anyway.

vegasbaby

Anyone know if the YES network will arrive on DISH network anytime soon?