I had noticed that WGBH HD has been carrying the same programming as the SD channel. I asked this about this and got the following reply. Thought it might be of interest to those of you who watch the Boston PBS channel:

Thank you for your taking the time to contact WGBH, and for your generous support. We enjoy these opportunities to share information with our members!
Starting in March 2008 (earlier, as you noticed, with testing), WGBH is rolling out a new digital High Definition television service that will mirror our Channel 2 lineup (WGBH’s previous High Definition service was a loop of programs supplied by PBS). This new digital HD channel is available to anyone in our region with HD-reception capability. The new channel will distribute both high-definition programs and also up-converted transmissions of standard format programs.

A number of WGBH programs already are being produced in high definition, from Antiques Roadshow to Frontline to Nova, along with signature PBS series including The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Over the next year, as WGBH and PBS continues to expand HD production, our viewers will be able to enjoy more and more of their favorite shows in a widescreen, high-definition format that delivers a significantly improved picture and sound quality. Stay tuned!

Gaaaaaaaa! The WGBH PBS HD was honestly one of the only channels we used to watch. 24 hours of great programming, documentaries, bread and butter PBS, all of it in HD.

Now? The same stuff that's on WGBH, and not a single bit of it in HD so far as I can see. 12 hours of cartoons (and I have kids, but no kid should be watching 12 hours of cartoons, even PBS cartoons), then news, then 2 hours of decent programming. I really really liked the full time PBS HD feed.

I think I'm going to cry...

Thanks for posting this. I noticed the same thing and was curious about it but didn't see anything posted in the regional Comcast thread (of course now that I look in the OTA thread there is quite a bit of related discussion). I'm looking forward to more varied programming on WGBH-HD.

In my opinion this is a very sad day for WGBH programming. I just checked, and indeed 2-2 is showing the same terrible pledge programming that 2-1 is showing, and it looks no better. At least when 2-2 was the PBS national HD feed, you had an alternative that was worth watching. This may be enough to get me to stop sending WGBH money every year. There is truly less and less that I watch on the regular WGBH feed.

SMK

Many PBS stations adopted this simocast format after PBS raised the rates for the HD programs. Some stations also convert the network 1080i format to 720P presumably to accommodate more subchannels. Seems that old definition of PBS still holds true: Poor But Steady

They need to get rid of 2-1, then. Stop multicasting and improve the HD quality. There is absolutely no need to keep the standard definition digital channel around.

V-Me might be a good thing to put there. Move the GBHsimucast to 2-1 and put V-Me on 2-2 or 44-5.

Local issue.

I am a Comcast customer and only have the basic lineup 1-23 with HD box and WGBH-HD (802) was the best channel as far as programming content and HD picture. Now the picture is average at best and instead of being able to watch a quality program like Frontline in the afternoon I have to watch Caillou! There is nothing on WGBH (2-here in Boston area) for adults basically till 8pm at night. I am not currently a GBH member and had been wanting to send money as I watched GBH-HD all the time....now I won't send them one dollar unless they revert to the old format. Does anyone have any idea how to get the old WGBH-HD? The station says it was a direct feed from PBS....is it possible to privately pay for this service?