# Dish is going 1080p



## tcarcio

Not only that but they are adding more channels tommorow. Good new's for Dish customers.:yay:

http://dish.client.shareholder.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=325440


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## tonyvdb

I like this line _" ...to offer high definition programming in 1080p, the highest and best HD resolution available"_ sucks people in who have no idea. Going from 1080i to 1080p is NOT a resolution change.
going from 720p to 1080p is not even noticeable unless you have a 100" or larger display. The other issue is that the more channels they add the more they have to compress the signal so your really getting less and less of the true HD signal.


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## lcaillo

Did I miss something or was there no mention of any content actually being available in 1080p? Looks like mostly hype. Most people don't realize it, but 1080p(at 24 & 30 Hz) is part of the ATSC group of formats that sets with ATSC tuners would be able to handle OTA if it was transmitted. The real question is whether sets will display the 24Hz rate properly or upconvert to 60. If the latter, you may lose lots of the advantage of 1080p over 1080i or even end up with more of a processing mess.


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## MatrixDweller

I bet they're just going to transfer the signals at 1080p24 rather than 1080i60. 1080p24 is actually less bandwidth. The HD DVR would then do a 3:2 pull down on it. Or they'll do 1080p30 which is the same bandwidth. It's all marketing hype anyway.


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## mechman

This was nothing more than something to stop the bleeding. DirecTV made their announcement three days beforehand. I cannot recall where I seen it but I believe Dish lost quite a few customers in the last quarter. They have to make it seem like they're doing something to stop folks from jumping ship.

And I, like lcaillo, am a bit skeptical of how exactly they're going to do this - both Dish and DirecTV. I don't know much on the technical side of things. But I don't believe there are many providers, if any, of 1080p content. :dunno:


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## Sonnie

It appears it will only be available for pay per view movies.

I am not impressed with the HD channels being added tomorrow. Looks like mostly premium movie channels, other than a few like Lifetime and CBS Sports.


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## lcaillo

MatrixDweller said:


> I bet they're just going to transfer the signals at 1080p24 rather than 1080i60. 1080p24 is actually less bandwidth. The HD DVR would then do a 3:2 pull down on it. Or they'll do 1080p30 which is the same bandwidth. It's all marketing hype anyway.


It will almost certainly be 1080p24 for movies, as 1080p60 is not even defined in the ATSC standards and very little could use it. The big benefit is not having to do 2:3/3:2 conversion if you have a set that can accept the 24 frame as is. This is great, but just not a big deal. The next generation recievers from DirecTV and from the cable STB makers will almost certainly have the same capability. Dish is just hyping something that is happening anyway and that could be done OTA with the tuners in most sets right now. The bandwidth required is actually just about the same as sending a movie as 1080i because the duplicated frames are mostly accounted for in compression anyway.


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## brucek

> It will almost certainly be 1080p24 for movies........
> ....Dish is just hyping something that is happening anyway and that could be done OTA with the tuners in most sets right now......


I don't keep up on this stuff, so can you explain why you guys are poo-pooing this announcement?

I kinda thought it sounded like a good thing. I've seen 1080p from a bluray player on a 1080p display, and it looks real good to me. Better than the 1080i or 720p I've seen anyway.

What does the transmission of 1080p over satellite have to do with OTA?

brucek


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## lcaillo

It is definitel a good thing. Not a big deal really is all I was saying. 1080p24 makes a lot of sense if the display can accept it without conversion and all of the equipment in between is capable. The real question is how much content will actually be available and how much will they limit the bandwidth on those transmissions. On that note I ran acrosss this:

http://www.betanews.com/article/Dish_first_to_deliver_1080p_HD_television_programming/1217532678

So they will be delivering some content. How much more is to be seen.


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## eugovector

And let's not forget about compression. They may squeeze these pretty hard to fit in new channels.


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## tcarcio

Are they already maxing out their signal and forced to compress it or is their still space left so they don't have to? Here is an article on the topic.http://www.tvpredictions.com/1080p080108.htm and another,http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/true-blu-ray-quality-via-satellite-or-not/


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## tonyvdb

Sat. companies have already been compressing the HD signals for some time and it will only get worse as they add more channels. OTA is the bast way to view HD brodcasts and in most cases (at least in Canada) Cable is far better than sat however the HD selection is poor with usually only about 20 channels.


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## E-A-G-L-E-S

tonyvdb said:


> Sat. companies have already been compressing the HD signals for some time and it will only get worse as they add more channels. OTA is the bast way to view HD brodcasts and in most cases (at least in Canada) Cable is far better than sat however the HD selection is poor with usually only about 20 channels.


Although sat. companies have been compressing(like D* for me), they are still miles ahead of my two local cable companies(rcn & service electric) both in terms of total HD programming/channels 'and' in PQ.
Could be different elsewhere.
Too bad OTA severley limits your amount of channels, otherwise I'd be all over it.


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## lcaillo

In our case Cox cable is far superior to either Dish or DTV in terms of quality on both HD and SD. HD channel selection is not as good. We have about 18 channels in HD.


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## superchad

What they need to do is stop marketing and broadcasting channels that are not true HD...far too many are a joke sucking the life out of the total bandwidth space, channels like A&E, HGTV, CNN and others only show a fraction or no true HD at all.....it needs to stop. This reminds me of a Bose stunt and many will jump on the wagon because it is SUPPOSED to mean something.


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## lcaillo

What would you call "true HD?" Where would you draw the line? The horizontal resolution on some bit rate limited 1080i transmissions is still higher than full 720p. Some programs are not produced with 1080i cameras but 720p then upconverted and interlaced. Some stuff is SD upconverted and broadcast on HD channels. Some HD is just produced poorly and looks worse at full bit rates than other productions compressed more. Drawing the line is not easy.

If you are unhappy with the performance, drop the service.


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## salvasol

lcaillo said:


> .... Drawing the line is not easy....


This is true. :yes: 

I think that even if there's a line, companies will try anything for their marketing and increase profits :bigsmile:



> ... If you are unhappy with the performance, drop the service.


I did it ... (well, not exactly 100% for the performance, it was mostly because I wasn't watching Sat programming to often (maybe 4-5 hrs per month) and I was paying like $125/mo), most premium channels (HBO, SHOWTIME, etc.) always shows the same movies ... very rarely there's something new ... :rubeyes:

If I understood correctly, any signal that is upconverted to 1080i or 1080p will be considered HD, Right??? ... in that case I watch everything in HD (or near HD) because supposedly my TV upconverts any signal to at least 1080i :yes: :bigsmile:


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## E-A-G-L-E-S

salvasol said:


> This is true. :yes:
> 
> I think that even if there's a line, companies will try anything for their marketing and increase profits :bigsmile:
> 
> 
> 
> I did it ... (well, not exactly 100% for the performance, it was mostly because I wasn't watching Sat programming to often (maybe 4-5 hrs per month) and I was paying like $125/mo), most premium channels (HBO, SHOWTIME, etc.) always shows the same movies ... very rarely there's something new ... :rubeyes:
> 
> If I understood correctly, any signal that is upconverted to 1080i or 1080p will be considered HD, Right??? ... in that case I watch everything in HD (or near HD) because supposedly my TV upconverts any signal to at least 1080i :yes: :bigsmile:


No, upconverted SD is not HD.


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## salvasol

E-A-G-L-E-S said:


> No, upconverted SD is not HD.


According to Satellite /Cable companies ... anything they present in HD channels is HD (even if is just upscaled :bigsmile

So ... I'm convinced (after all marketing and commercials) that anything that is showed on HD channels or is upconverted, is HD... :R :yes: :bigsmile:

I don't watch any SD ... everything for me is HD ... :R :rofl2: :joke: :laugh:


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## DougMac

I'm a Dish customer. My wife and I just finished building our HT.

At first I was hot to trot to finish before the Summer Olympics so we could upgrade to HD. We went to the Dish site and looked at the HD offerings. We asked ourselves "after the Olympics, then what?". I'm not a big sports nut. I can get by without seeing the Weather Channel in HD. We can't get local channels in HD (from Dish) where we live. We'd have to buy an OTA antenna and being in the sticks, it will be a pig in a poke. The only programming we're really interested in seeing in HD is PBS and our local station's transmitter is nearly 50 miles away.

We're beginning to feel like we just don't watch enough programming to justify the $70/mo. Dish bill. I'm tired of paying for all the stuff we don't watch. We're seriously considering spending ~$300 for an antenna and tuner. If OTA works out, especially if we can get PBS, then we'll learn to live without HGTV and dump the Dish. We've got 200+ films in our Netflix cue, including series like "Criminal Minds", so I don't think there'll be a lack of content.

Update: You may find this article interesting: http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200808041348DOWJONESDJONLINE000336_FORTUNE5.htm
Doug


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## salvasol

DougMac said:


> We're beginning to feel like we just don't watch enough programming to justify the $70/mo. Dish bill. I'm tired of paying for all the **** we don't watch. We're seriously considering spending ~$300 for an antenna and tuner...


That's the reason I canceled my Dish subscription ...:yes: ... I usually watch CBS, NBC, PBS and some other OTA programs; I was using Dish for just a couple of hours a month ... 

I'm okay without satellite service ... OTA an my DVD collection (450+) keep me happy :bigsmile:


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## E-A-G-L-E-S

salvasol said:


> According to Satellite /Cable companies ... anything they present in HD channels is HD (even if is just upscaled :bigsmile
> 
> So ... I'm convinced (after all marketing and commercials) that anything that is showed on HD channels or is upconverted, is HD... :R :yes: :bigsmile:
> 
> I don't watch any SD ... everything for me is HD ... :R :rofl2: :joke: :laugh:


So true, lol. 

Except for comedy central and during big storms when my HD goes out but SD stays, I am the same as you.


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## salvasol

E-A-G-L-E-S said:


> Except for comedy central and during big storms when my HD goes out but SD stays, ....


Even in that case ... if you have a TV that upconvert the picture to 720p, 1080i or 1080p you're watching HDTV :bigsmile:

(I know is not really HD, but because of all the marketing the companies use telling people that we're watching HD when in reality sometimes is just an upconverted signal ... I'm making fun telling that any upconverted SD is HD ... or is it true :scratch: :huh: :bigsmile


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## tenzip

salvasol said:


> Even in that case ... if you have a TV that upconvert the picture to 720p, 1080i or 1080p you're watching HDTV :bigsmile:
> 
> (I know is not really HD, but because of all the marketing the companies use telling people that we're watching HD when in reality sometimes is just an upconverted signal ... I'm making fun telling that any upconverted SD is HD ... or is it true :scratch: :huh: :bigsmile


Well, it IS HD, assuming your display device is HD, but that says nothing about the way it was produced or transmitted.

Maybe we should have some new terms, like:
"True HD" for program material that is recorded, transmitted and displayed by HD capable devices (with no compression) .
"Compressed HD" could be the same, but compressed in the middle somewhere, like by satellite provider.
"Downconvert HD" for those 1080i or p materials that are displayed on a 720 device.
"Upconvert HD" is fairly obvious.

Now if we can just get the industry to standardize and use these terms. 

And what do you call it when someone is watching BD movies on an SDTV? (Besides the obvious, silly.)


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## salvasol

tenzip said:


> Now if we can just get the industry to standardize and use these terms.


That will be a miracle :bigsmile:



> And what do you call it when someone is watching BD movies on an SDTV? (Besides the obvious, silly.)


:scratch: ... :reading: ... :scratchhead: ... onder: ... I call it: "half converted???" ... "light blue???" ... :huh:

:newspaper: ... got it: "Poor" like me ... :rofl2: :rofl:


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## E-A-G-L-E-S

tenzip said:


> Well, it IS HD, assuming your display device is HD, but that says nothing about the way it was produced or transmitted.
> 
> Maybe we should have some new terms, like:
> "True HD" for program material that is recorded, transmitted and displayed by HD capable devices (with no compression) .
> "Compressed HD" could be the same, but compressed in the middle somewhere, like by satellite provider.
> "Downconvert HD" for those 1080i or p materials that are displayed on a 720 device.
> "Upconvert HD" is fairly obvious.
> 
> Now if we can just get the industry to standardize and use these terms.
> 
> And what do you call it when someone is watching BD movies on an SDTV? (Besides the obvious, silly.)




Actually your last one is not true.
anything that doesn't have the line resolution of HD can not turn into true HD when upconverted.
It is just upconverted SD.
Just like TNT and TBS showing SD dvd movies and calling it HD. It's not.


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## E-A-G-L-E-S

DougMac said:


> I'm a Dish customer. My wife and I just finished building our HT.
> 
> At first I was hot to trot to finish before the Summer Olympics so we could upgrade to HD. We went to the Dish site and looked at the HD offerings. We asked ourselves "after the Olympics, then what?". I'm not a big sports nut. I can get by without seeing the Weather Channel in HD. We can't get local channels in HD (from Dish) where we live. We'd have to buy an OTA antenna and being in the sticks, it will be a pig in a poke. The only programming we're really interested in seeing in HD is PBS and our local station's transmitter is nearly 50 miles away.
> 
> We're beginning to feel like we just don't watch enough programming to justify the $70/mo. Dish bill. I'm tired of paying for all the **** we don't watch. We're seriously considering spending ~$300 for an antenna and tuner. If OTA works out, especially if we can get PBS, then we'll learn to live without HGTV and dump the Dish. We've got 200+ films in our Netflix cue, including series like "Criminal Minds", so I don't think there'll be a lack of content.
> 
> Update: You may find this article interesting: http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200808041348DOWJONESDJONLINE000336_FORTUNE5.htm
> Doug



Why not try D*?
Perhaps they can provide your locals in HD.
If I didn't watch every football game possible in HD on the ticket w/superfan and all the HD movie channels I would consider dropping it, but my local cable companies have like 15 HD channels only.


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## tenzip

E-A-G-L-E-S said:


> Actually your last one is not true.
> anything that doesn't have the line resolution of HD can not turn into true HD when upconverted.
> It is just upconverted SD.
> Just like TNT and TBS showing SD dvd movies and calling it HD. It's not.


Well, the whole post was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but it is being *displayed* in HD, it's just not an HD source. Perhaps the term should have been "Upconvert SD->HD" to indicate the source is SD, but being displayed on an HD display device.

That's why I said we need some new/expanded/extended terms to differentiate. Notice please the other terms.

The upconversion process is an illusion, it creates something from nothing, it adulterates what is provided on the disc. Fortunately it's many times an eye-pleasing illusion/adulteration.

I was just going with sal's "everything I watch is HD" line. He's watching on an HD display, so he's watching HD, right? :bigsmile:


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## E-A-G-L-E-S

Actually it isn't being displayed in HD because there isn't enough original information.
I know I'm being dumb picky, but true.\
And after the first one I finally realized it was tongue in cheek.


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## tenzip

E-A-G-L-E-S said:


> Actually it isn't being displayed in HD because there isn't enough original information.
> I know I'm being dumb picky, but true.
> And after the first one I finally realized it was tongue in cheek.


I'm not fussed about it, but as I see it, an SD source, upconverted (read: adulterated/modified/interpolated), and displayed on an HD capable display is being displayed in HD. I'm not saying it's the same picture you'll get from a "true HD" source -> display chain because it isn't, but the information is there (after the adulteration of upconversion) for an HD display device to use without it doing any processing, so it's being displayed in HD. It *is not* truly an HD picture, because the source was not, and yet the final product is 1080p, so you're "watching" an HD picture.

See what I mean when I said maybe we need more terms? :neener:


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## E-A-G-L-E-S

Your last sentence nailed it up to "not,"
....it is made up/guessed information though.
Anything not originally HD or studio worked on to remaster original, is not HD no matter what you do to it. 
Anything else is marketing.
So we'll have to agree to disagree.


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## DougMac

E-A-G-L-E-S said:


> Why not try D*?
> Perhaps they can provide your locals in HD.
> If I didn't watch every football game possible in HD on the ticket w/superfan and all the HD movie channels I would consider dropping it, but my local cable companies have like 15 HD channels only.


Well, the CEO issued an edict. She got tired of the machinations and issued a decree that I just call Dish, order HD and be done with it. No more discussion, no more weighing pros and cons.

I've ordered HD (as directed) and they will install it Saturday week. That works out well, since I need to run another RG6 from our detached garage to the house. I know they'll install up to 100' of cable, but I'm **** enough to want to snake the cable through the conduit myself. I've also ordered a 4x2 HDMI box since my receiver has only one HDMI in. :gah:

Local channels here are in SD, but the Dish folks informed me they plan to upgrade all locals to HD by the end of the year. The CEO nixed an OTA antenna, especially since in a few months we won't need it. The network antennas are ~20 miles away and the nearest PBS transmitter is 37 miles. With that and the fact that we live in what we Georgians refer to as a "holler", I was concerned about OTA anyway.

Seems like Dish is getting more aggressive about HD. Whether it's hype or not is to be seen.

BTW, lest someone not realize I'm kidding about Deb, I'll point out that today we celebrate 38 years of marriage. She's the best thing that ever happened to me and tries her best to keep me straight!
Doug


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## E-A-G-L-E-S

I've just read today that Dish is in contact with Direct TV in an attempt to merge with them.


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## Sonnie

I cannot imagine that ever happening and it would probably take years to finalize if they could even get it approved. What is the source?


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## Blaser

You are lucky there... We are still struggling with SDTV here. Not even a chance to dream about HDTV


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## E-A-G-L-E-S

Sonnie said:


> I cannot imagine that ever happening and it would probably take years to finalize if they could even get it approved. What is the source?


Sorry Sonnie, I went out to dinner.
I read it over on the 'other' forum on the home page as one of the news excerpts with links.


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## Guest

Kudos to DirecTv!


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## Sonnie

Yeah... I have since read several of the rumors myself. Nothing seriously announced by either, mostly speculation.


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## acommonsoul

For the one who was mentioned that DISH is having to compress their signal more and more is false. They actually launched a new satellite that supports a much higher stream rate. I have looked at the new turbo systems and they look great with now compression issues at all


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## lcaillo

Do you have any actual information on the bit rates of the signals that they are actually transmitting? IIRC, the statement was that as they add more channels, they would have to compress more. This has always been the case and they have in the past had more compression than cable and OTA. Unless they have excess capacity, the statement would still be essentially correct. The difference between 1080p24 and the same movies at 1080i, however, would likely be negligible, as there are the same number of discrete frames. The repeated frames get largely compressed out anyway.


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## DougMac

E-A-G-L-E-S said:


> Why not try D*?
> Perhaps they can provide your locals in HD.


Well, we did go with Dish. Locals in HD will not be available before the end of the year. I ended up getting a small Philips antenna which is bringing in all local channels just fine. We watched some of the Olympics in HD. The closing ceremonies were impressive. We invited over some friends who have a 54" LCD and they were bowled over by the 110" picture and sound.

The PQ of HD programming on Dish looks good, just a notch below OTA. Our installer goofed, we're not picking up one of the satellites so our HD offering is only a fraction of what it should be. Dish is sending someone to Friday to correct the problem.

On a side note, why do folks often use D*? Is it shorthand, or is there a reason not to spell it out, like the F word?

Doug


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## mechman

DougMac said:


> BTW, lest someone not realize I'm kidding about Deb, I'll point out that today we celebrate 38 years of marriage. She's the best thing that ever happened to me and tries her best to keep me straight!
> Doug


Happy belated anniversary Doug!! :T

:fireworks1:arty::fireworks2:


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## DougMac

mechman said:


> Happy belated anniversary Doug!!
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> Thanks Mech!


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## nova

Doug, D* is shorthand, though it seem it is usually attributed to DirectTV, E* is usually attributed to DISH Network (EchoStar Communications).
Now that they have started an HD only package I'm really considering going back to them. Especially if the PQ is just slightly lower than OTA. I'm about sick of Comcast's astronomical pricing for HD PQ that is not even on par with my SD DVD, I don't think the Comcast HD PQ is even as good as D*'s SD PQ. I won't even mention the dropouts, pixilization and other issues :foottap:


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## DougMac

nova said:


> Doug, D* is shorthand, though it seem it is usually attributed to DirectTV, E* is usually attributed to DISH Network (EchoStar Communications).


Thanks. I think I've got it D* = DirectTV, E* is Dish Network. Let me guess, F* is for Cox Cable?

Doug


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## Red Z

I agree with not having an ultra-expensive satellite bill. I have one of those bundled services that was supposed to have telephone, high-speed internet (DSS) and 4 SD satellite receivers--whole package was advertised at $89.00 a month--actually costs over a hundred with all of the taxes. I do not have any premium channels though. I was planning to add one HD TV satellite receiver and use it for my home theater (standard TV is a little fuzzy on a 120" projector screen). They are quoting me an additional $29.00 to add the seperate sat to my 4 already. I don't think that is two bad. 

I think the Movie rental from places like Netflicks and Block-Buster (one I have) are a better bang for the buck instead of movie channels. I always have about 6 new movies a week, and even more when I return them to the store for exchange. I always get to watch what I want to, when I want to.


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## redduck21502

acommonsoul said:


> For the one who was mentioned that DISH is having to compress their signal more and more is false. They actually launched a new satellite that supports a much higher stream rate. I have looked at the new turbo systems and they look great with now compression issues at all


I have to agree that the compression is not noticable on the new Eastern Arc satellite that they pointed me too. I had CBS in 1080i from the cable company and I do not see a difference in the Dish version of the same channel. Unless the Dish receiver does upconverting to make it look better. I know my upconverting DVD player looks way better up close on the LCD compared to the 480p of my old DVD player. I think upconverting does wonders for picture quality; so much so that I have put Blu-ray on hold for awhile (at least until the retailers get desperate before Christmas and drop the prices for me). My problem with the Dish receiver that I have (Vip-222), it does not upconvert to 1080p, only 1080i. I noticed even the 720p ABC network comes across on my TV as 1080i, so i am assuming that all signals are upconverted. I wouldn't think it would take much in the software to just go to 1080p, even if it is not noticable (I would feel better in my head if I saw 1080p). The other problem I have is I didn't go DVR, so I cannot go with 1080p VOD. Apparently it downloads the movie to your DVR in order to make up for the insufficient bandwidth. I don't know if I would have downloaded any movies, but i would like the option of doing it.

Thankfully, satellite is the only way for me to go for HD programing. OTA is non-existant in my part of the Appalachian Mountains. My cable company has HD available, but for $30 more and they do not offer many channels. Plus, the few that came through my cable looked great, but would sometimes cut out on me. All these factors made an easy decision to get rid of cable and go Dish. The Dish/DirecTV decision was pretty easy too, I didn't want all the regular stations, so I went HD-only on Dish. And I love HGTV in HD (someone mentioned HGTV), and everything that I have viewed was filmed in widescreen and looked awesome.


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## salvasol

redduck21502 said:


> I
> ... And I love HGTV in HD (someone mentioned HGTV), and everything that I have viewed was filmed in widescreen and looked awesome.


If you have "Discovery channel" ... take a peek, they look nice too (I remember watching it when I used to have Dish :bigsmile


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## redduck21502

salvasol said:


> If you have "Discovery channel" ... take a peek, they look nice too (I remember watching it when I used to have Dish :bigsmile


I don't see many good shows on Discovery, but Discovery Theater has great shows and great picture quality. I have quit watching HGTV now and started watching Smithsonian. That has to be the best looking channel on Dish. I have seen so many good shows with exeptional HD picture quality.


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## AustinfromHouston

I have Comcast, and I can say that if it wasn't for an administrative screwup on their part in which I'm still getting introductory rates over a year after signup :bigsmile: I'd be with someone else. As it is, I'm getting cable internet & digital cable TV for just over $60\mo. so I really can't complain too loudly. Even though their HD offering is simply pathetic. :thumbsdown:


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## Jodean

Ive got to say that im really happy with Dish HD. Oh by the way its only channel 501 thats in 1080p and like $8 to order, ive never ordered even a $4 movie so it doesnt bother me.

I get over 50 actual HD channels, not PPV or sports alternates. Also not counting TBS and such that are pan and scan.

I agree that Any of the 3 or 4 discoveries I get in HD are incredible. Not blue ray qulality but compares to OTA.

We lost VOOM awhile ago now (6 months ago i think) and that was truely really clear stuff. Too bad it repeated and repeated and repeated. During the 3 month I had VOOM channels i think i watched everything LOL!!!

The HD thearter and a couple others are really clear as well.

My screen is 11' and i really notice the difference in quality.

We are getting 5-10 more HD channels in Feb as soon as the new sat is up. They are putting another at 129. One of which is the Military channel of Discovery.

I thought id throw this up here as well as long as guys are talking aobut OTA.

Heres my coat hanger antenna....actually copper wire 14awg since i didnt have enough metal hangers....

It pulls in signal better than this HD phillips amplified antenna ($30)

Im getting fox at 76% now instead of 72 with no drop-outs.....best thing is i dont have to have anything plugged in anymore.



















It will eventually make its way into the attic above this tv.....antenna is feeding my home theater just below this room.

Im recieving almost 30 OTA channels, and im even pulling some in from 80 miles away, basically they are just pbs or nbc from another city.

Well, anyhow before you go spending the big bucks, try a $3 antenna and see what you get with it!!!

(Ya i had to buy the coax connector as i had thrown all that out years ago)


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## redduck21502

Jodean said:


> Ive got to say that im really happy with Dish HD. Oh by the way its only channel 501 thats in 1080p and like $8 to order, ive never ordered even a $4 movie so it doesnt bother me.
> 
> I get over 50 actual HD channels, not PPV or sports alternates. Also not counting TBS and such that are pan and scan.
> 
> I agree that Any of the 3 or 4 discoveries I get in HD are incredible. Not blue ray qulality but compares to OTA.
> 
> We lost VOOM awhile ago now (6 months ago i think) and that was truely really clear stuff. Too bad it repeated and repeated and repeated. During the 3 month I had VOOM channels i think i watched everything LOL!!!
> 
> The HD thearter and a couple others are really clear as well.
> 
> My screen is 11' and i really notice the difference in quality.
> 
> We are getting 5-10 more HD channels in Feb as soon as the new sat is up. They are putting another at 129. One of which is the Military channel of Discovery.
> 
> I thought id throw this up here as well as long as guys are talking aobut OTA.
> 
> Heres my coat hanger antenna....actually copper wire 14awg since i didnt have enough metal hangers....
> 
> It pulls in signal better than this HD phillips amplified antenna ($30)
> 
> Im getting fox at 76% now instead of 72 with no drop-outs.....best thing is i dont have to have anything plugged in anymore.
> 
> 
> 
> It will eventually make its way into the attic above this tv.....antenna is feeding my home theater just below this room.
> 
> Im recieving almost 30 OTA channels, and im even pulling some in from 80 miles away, basically they are just pbs or nbc from another city.
> 
> Well, anyhow before you go spending the big bucks, try a $3 antenna and see what you get with it!!!
> 
> (Ya i had to buy the coax connector as i had thrown all that out years ago)




Do you live near a lot of broadcasting stations or is digital easy to pick up with a powered antenna? I live a couple hundred miles away from the nearest stations and I'm in the mountains. I don't have an OTA and don't plan to get one, but I was curious since the digital HD antennas seem like a good deal. At least I could try to pick up the networks during high winds or an ice storm (ice really affects my Dish reception more than rain or snow).


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## Jodean

Most of the stations are within 20 miles, but i do get a couple that are up to 80 miles away.

You are a couple hundred miles from the nearest broadcaster??? Where are u?? LOL


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## redduck21502

Jodean said:


> Most of the stations are within 20 miles, but i do get a couple that are up to 80 miles away.
> 
> You are a couple hundred miles from the nearest broadcaster??? Where are u?? LOL


Western MD.

Probably about 120 Miles from DC as the crow flies and 100 miles from Pittsburgh as the crow flies. The pesky mountains would probably cause me problems.


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