DIRECTV is hailing 2007 as the "Year of HD" with the planned launch and carriage of 100 national high-definition (HD) channels. With this substantial HD muscle, DIRECTV will offer three-times more HD programming than any other multi-channel distributor, with the majority of these channels launching in Q3.

DIRECTV also announced today...

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Isn't DirecTV misleading us when it claims all these HD channels? Are most of these new channels merely local stations all over the nation? To suggest that all those channels are available to subscribers is misleading. Doesn't the Dish network have more original HD programming choices available in any one subscriber?

You should read and not think so much, the 100 national high-definition (HD) channels are new HD channels, not new locals Please read article before posting: new HD
- A&E
-- National Geographic
-- Bravo
-- NFL Network
-- Cartoon Network
-- SciFi Channel
-- CNN
-- Speed
-- Food Network
-- TBS
-- FX
-- The History Channel
-- HGTV
-- The Weather Channel
-- MTV
-- USA

I wonder what hardware upgrades will be required to view the two new satellites. Last time they did such expansion, you had to buy a new antennae and climb up on your roof to replace it and repoint it. DirecTV did not pay for that.

Does anybody know whether changes in hardware will be necessary?

johnharbo wrote:I wonder what hardware upgrades will be required to view the two new satellites. Last time they did such expansion, you had to buy a new antennae and climb up on your roof to replace it and repoint it. DirecTV did not pay for that.

Does anybody know whether changes in hardware will be necessary?

It's the new/larger dish they have been installing for anyone getting the MPEG-4 HD locals. Requires use of the HR20 receiver which they lease (replaces the HD Tivo which only supports MPEG-2). As I remember, costs range from zero to $99 for the new dish (which includes contractor installation).

Actually, if you upgrade your HD service with DirecTV to either their new HD receiver or their even newer HD DVR, the price (I paid $199 for the DVR) includes installation of the receiver and the upgraded dish.

USA Network, Sci Fi Channel, TBS, Cartoon Network, CNN and other channels are readying to launch simulcast high-definition networks by the end of the year.

CNN announced plans to launch an HD network in September at its opening session at the Television Critics Association's semiannual press tour, while an NBC Universal spokesperson confirmed the company will launch a "suite of HD networks." NBCU would not set an exact time table. A Turner spokesperson also confirmed HD networks for TBS and Cartoon Network.

Find more at TV Week http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=11336

glinde wrote:Actually, if you upgrade your HD service with DirecTV to either their new HD receiver or their even newer HD DVR, the price (I paid $199 for the DVR) includes installation of the receiver and the upgraded dish.

Or if you're a 10 yr customer with good history you can get a HR20-700 DVR and new dish installed for $70 (or less).

What about Starz and Cinemax - I can't believe they have not signed an agreement with them.

Not sure about Cinemax, but expect Starz HD soon. Starz HD is owned by Liberty Media, which just became the majority shareholder of DirecTV recently.

Also expect National Geographic HD, as it is owned by the same parent company as DirecTV: News Corporation.

- Shane

I am in the process of looking at switching HD Services, so I called DirecTV and spoke to the office of the president.

Basically what this promise is based upon is that they successfully launch 2 new HDTV satellites by the 3rd quarter of 2007. Since I would be a new customer, I asked for a clause in the 2 year contract for HD service that they make you sign that would allow me to get out of the commitment should they fail to deliver.

I was told that they would not allow this because they have no guarantees that the satellites will be launched this year. So much for the year of HD by DirecTV.

You cannot trust Directv. Their horrible customer service alone was enough to make me switch to Dish. They promise all this stuff, at least half is not true. Who know when they will launch the satellites, and when the do it will still be a while until they offer more HD, and by that time (probably 2008 or 2009) it won't be as good as they say, and by that time Dish will have more HD than they do now which is much more than Directv has. The rep from Directv convinced me to switch because she told me how Dish aquired ZOOM. Somehow that was supposed to be a bad thing. Not a very good talking point, telling me that the other company has more HD which is why I should stick with the company with less.

Hope you enjoy your Dish service. I also have problems with D*. Specifically, their HD lite.

However, they have a pretty good record for doing what they announce. One reason is that they don't announce much until they are "ready to go". As to customer service, some csr's aren't great;; but they are better than most as evidenced by their consistently high marks on the J.D. Powers survey.

Don't mean to be a spoilsport, but since there will not be 100 national HD
channels in existence by the end of 2007 (or even 2008), Directv (D*) is once
again blowing smoke. IMO, the primary reason for kidding their subscribers
is to keep them from jumping ship.

What Tom Malone is really talking about is that by the end of '07, D* will have
the necessary bandwidth to launch 100 HD channels (if and when they exist).

IMO, going from nine to 100 HD channels nationally will take at least 3-5
years. By then D* may well be in the best position to accomodate the high
bandwidth demands of substantially more HD channels, contrasted with
that of Dish Network or most cablecos.

Finally, I don't think we will see 100 national HD channels before 2010, but it's
unlikely that any one provider will carry them all, The one possible exception is
Fios-based providers.

Shane, I did see in their statement, ALL premium movie channels.