Launches of New HD Services Continue
History, Starz, HITS Join HD Party
By Mike Reynolds Multichannel News 5/7/2007 2:21:00 PM

Las Vegas -- Networks’ migration to the HD format continues apace with a spate of services announcing service launches.

The History Channel HD will take its first public step into the enhanced format in September, when the 24-hour service bows on DirecTV. The new service will simulcast the network’s entire lineup of original, nonfiction programming and specials.

The feed will feature such diverse fare as series Lost Worlds, Dogfights, Digging for the Truth, Cities of the Underworld and Mega Disasters, and the recently announced Ice Road Truckers, The Universe and Human Weapon, plus specials such as Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed, The Lost Book of Nostradamus, The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth and Stalking Jihad.

“The History Channel HD will give our History fanatics an unparalleled view of history with stunning clarity and rich perspective that they will find nowhere else on the television landscape,” said David Zagin, executive vice president of distribution at History parent A&E Television Networks, in a prepared statement. “We are equally delighted that DirecTV, one of the nation’s largest programming distributors, will be there with us from the beginning of this exciting launch. We look forward to many more partnerships with distributors to bring The History Channel HD to their consumers.”

History HD will join sister network A&E HD -- which launched last year -- on DirecTV come September.

“The History Channel has a large and passionate following among our customers, and we’re looking forward to being the first to provide them with their favorite programming in true HD,” DirecTV executive vice president of strategy and development Derek Chang said in a prepared statement. “Both The History Channel HD and A&E HD exemplify the kind of high-quality programming that we’ll offer DirecTV customers as we begin a significant expansion of HD channels this fall.”

For its part, Starz Entertainment subscribers will soon get more chances to see Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow in HD. Starz Entertainment this summer will present such theatricals as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Cars and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby in the enhanced format with the debut of three new Starz-owned HD premium services.

Complementing its extant Starz HD channel, as well as its Starz and Encore HD On Demand services, the company will offer HD mirror channels of the East Coast feeds of its Starz Comedy, Starz Edge and Starz Kids and Family services.

“Starz has always been a leader in terms of offering our customers more ways to enjoy our great movies,” president and chief operating officer Bill Myers said in a prepared statement. “We pioneered in digital transmission, multiplex, on-demand and online. We will now be able to offer the largest package of HD movie channels of any widely distributed programming service and the only one featuring first-run hit movies.”

Myers hopes the additional Starz feeds will convince more subscribers to watch HD content from cable: He said that while the number of HDTV sets sold every year has been growing, only one-half of HDTV owners use their sets to watch cable and satellite programming

“Working with our affiliates, we will make a major effort to convince HD-set owners that their televisions are good for more than just watching DVDs,” Myers said. “With our great lineup of HD movies, on-demand HD services and now with four HD channels, Starz is well-positioned to spearhead those efforts.”

Speaking of Starz HD, the service is one of five enhanced networks that Comcast Media Center will launch on its HITS Quantum all-digital channel lineup. CMC said A&E HD, Home & Garden Television HD, Food Network HD and Universal HD will also be available on HITS Quantum

Denver-based CMC also announced that it secured transport agreements for offering standard-definition feeds of Rainbow Media Holdings' AMC cable network and News Corp.'s Fox News Channel.

“HD service from HITS Quantum is designed to meet the needs of cable operators requiring a cost-effective alternative to headend-based content management, especially systems serving rural markets," CMC COO Gary Traver said in a prepared statement.

All told, HITS Quantum offers more than 200 digital video and audio services in order to support cable-system operators' migration to an all-digital service. The HITS Quantum all-digital platform features secured authorization, optimized digital-program-insertion triggers and high-quality video and audio.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6439832

“The History Channel has a large and passionate following among our customers, and we’re looking forward to being the first to provide them with their favorite programming in true HD,” DirecTV executive vice president of strategy and development Derek Chang said in a prepared statement.
So will we actually get it in true HD?

Good info though. I don't sub to Starz because they don't have an HD channel on D*. That might change.

As much as I'd love to have A&E and History Channel in HD, I won't consider switching to D* to get 'em.

I assume that "the competition" (E*, cable) will have access to these at some point soon.

The HITS just keep on coming!

I just wish that Cox OKC would add some HD channels that I really care about. They just added MOJO HD, whatever that is, but a quick look at their programming guide was pretty underwhelming.

mojo is the new (and lame) name for the old INHD channel. In my area, the only times I watch this lame channel is when they are broadcasting either NBA TV programming or local sports overflow. The latter won't happen anymore until at least October, when the NHL is back.

What is this "Comcast Media Center" and what does it mean to the subscribers like me? I've been waiting for Food HD forever...

The story doesn't say whether it'll be mpeg2 or 4. Those of us with HDtivos can only get 2.

Nothing to see here folks... We've had A&E HD here for a couple months and almost nothing on this "sister network" is HD. A&E HD so far has mostly been SD programming. Sopranos in SD. 24 in SD. An absolute waste of bandwidth.

I really can't believe directv is promising specific new hd channels in september when the sat isn't even in orbit yet. Oh wait, it's directv, I can.

The story doesn't say whether it'll be mpeg2 or 4. Those of us with HDtivos can only get 2.

All new hd channels on directv will likely be in mpeg 4.

What is this "Comcast Media Center" and what does it mean to the subscribers like me? I've been waiting for Food HD forever...

I believe that Comcast runs a "HITS" (Headend In The Sky) system from their uplink center in Colorado. Not sure if they use it themselves, but they offer to smaller cable systems who can, as I understand it, downlink from a single location and send out a large group of stations with relative ease.

For the residential Comcast sub, it means nothing specific, other than that possibly Comcast has a carriage agreement for those channels. Not sure if one is tied to the other, however.

Nothing to see here folks... We've had A&E HD here for a couple months and almost nothing on this "sister network" is HD. A&E HD so far has mostly been SD programming. Sopranos in SD. 24 in SD. An absolute waste of bandwidth.

A waste of bandwidth indeed but compared to the standard A&E channel, A&E-HD looks much better. Probably due to it getting the full 720x480 that the standard channel should have been getting all along.

Will have to have some of my HD-TiVos "break down" close to launch so they can be exchanged for HR20s. ;)

Will have to have some of my HD-TiVos "break down" close to launch so they can be exchanged for HR20s. ;)
tried that already Was offered 1 free and 1 at full price. D* can only give you 2 HD DVR's every six months (as per retention) I have 6 HD screens :(

Even if you have the protection plan and three TiVos break in a six month period??? What kind of a scam is that?

I'll have to read the fine print in that protection plan....

If A&E HD is an indicator of how the launch of HC-HD will go, I wouldn't expect much actual HD programming, at least to start.

I think we're seeing how D* intends to add so many "HD" channels :D ;)

New episodes of Modern Marvels and other shows are being shown letterboxed in SD...looks like they are planning for the future.

The story doesn't say whether it'll be mpeg2 or 4. Those of us with HDtivos can only get 2.

Of course it will be MPEG4. All new HD will be in MPEG4 and current MPEG2 HD will convert to MPEG4 soon enough. Been the plan for 3 years now.

Nothing to see here folks... We've had A&E HD here for a couple months and almost nothing on this "sister network" is HD. A&E HD so far has mostly been SD programming. Sopranos in SD. 24 in SD. An absolute waste of bandwidth.

Not actually true. SOME Sopranos were in SD (the first year) but since then they HAVE been broadcast in HD. Cold Case Files, First 48, King of Cars (OK, well, had to put it in), Sons of Hollywood, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, Flip This House and several others (one about a drag racer, forgot the name) have been HD. You can argue about the content but A&E HAS been upping the number of shows they broadcast in HD.

=NLK=

Will have to have some of my HD-TiVos "break down" close to launch so they can be exchanged for HR20s. ;)

You probably won't have to exchange them.

In most cases, DirecTV lets subs keep them. (I've kept a pair of them). They work as great OTA DVRs.

mojo is the new (and lame) name for the old INHD channel. In my area, the only times I watch this lame channel is when they are broadcasting either NBA TV programming or local sports overflow. The latter won't happen anymore until at least October, when the NHL is back.
Thanks. Now that you have reminded me, I remember. No wonder the MOJO program guide looked bad. :)

DIRECTV First to Launch The History Channel HD (THC HD) Set to Debut in September 2007

Las Vegas, NV (May 7, 2007) – The History Channel® and DIRECTV, Inc. today announced that DIRECTV will be the first to launch The History Channel HD, a new 24-hour high definition television network, scheduled to debut in September 2007. In addition, A&E HD, which debuted in 4Q 2006, will also launch on DIRECTV in September. The announcement was made by David Zagin, Executive Vice President of Distribution AETN.

The History Channel HD™ will simulcast the entire The History Channel lineup of original, non-fiction series and specials. The HD experience will serve to create a stunning new dimension for the compelling content and powerful storytelling that only The History Channel can provide. THC HD will feature a diverse range of programming including hit series Lost Worlds, Dogfights, Digging for the Truth, Cities of the Underworld, and Mega Disasters, and the recently announced Ice Road Truckers, The Universe and Human Weapon as well as thought-provoking specials such as Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed, The Lost Book of Nostradamus, The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth and Stalking Jihad.

“The History Channel HD will give our History fanatics an unparalleled view of History with stunning clarity and rich perspective that they will find nowhere else on the television landscape. We are equally delighted that DIRECTV, one of the nation's largest programming distributors, will be there with us from the beginning of this exciting launch,” said Zagin. “We look forward to many more partnerships with distributors to bring The History Channel HD to their consumers."

“The History Channel has a large and passionate following among our customers and we're looking forward to being the first to provide them with their favorite programming in true HD,” said Derek Chang, executive vice president of Strategy and Development, DIRECTV, Inc. “Both The History Channel HD and A&E HD exemplify the kind of high quality programming that we'll offer DIRECTV customers as we begin a significant expansion of HD channels this fall.”

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=997179&highlight=

Doesn't that press release contains exactly the same information in the MultiChannel News story, Marcus?

Yep. And now, the Official Starz Press Release (also pretty much the same stuff):


Starz Unveils Plans to Launch Three New HD Movie Channels

Hi-Def Versions of Starz Comedy, Starz Edge, Starz Kids & Family Will Complement Existing Starz HD Channel and On Demand HD Services


ENGLEWOOD, Colo., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Starz Entertainment President and Chief Operating Officer Bill Myers today announced plans to launch three additional high definition (HD) channels, bringing to four the total number of HD channels offered by the premium television company. The three new channels offered in HD will be East Coast feeds of Starz Comedy, Starz Edge, and Starz Kids & Family. They will complement the existing Starz HD channel, which is available in East and West Coast feeds, (as well as the Starz On Demand HD and Encore On Demand HD services). The new channels are expected to launch by the end of this Summer. “Starz has always been a leader in terms of offering our customers more ways to enjoy our great movies,” Myers said. “We pioneered in digital transmission, multiplex, on demand and online. We will now be able to offer the largest package of HD movie channels of any widely distributed programming service, and the only one featuring first-run hit movies.” Myers noted that while the number of HD television sets sold every year has been growing, only half of HDTV owners use their sets to watch cable and satellite programming. Instead, he pointed out, they use their sets for other purposes, such as watching DVDs and broadcast channels. However, HD set owners that do subscribe to cable and satellite programming are among multichannel video’s most valued customers in terms of ARPU (average revenue per unit). Research shows that there is significant demand for HD content from the premium networks – even more so than for sports programming. Our new channels meet the needs of the marketplace with movies, the top genre consumers are interested in for HD.* “Working with our affiliates,” Myers said, “we will make a major effort to convince HD set owners that their televisions are good for more than just watching DVDs. With our great lineup of HD movies, On Demand HD services, and now with four HD channels, Starz is well positioned to spearhead those efforts.” Myers said that additional HD channels will roll out in the coming years as more programming becomes available from the studios in the HD format. “The three new HD channels together with Starz HD will present a robust lineup of HD content to satisfy our HD customers. They will be able to see such great films as Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby in full HD.”

http://starz.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=727

I think we will have to assume with the pending John Malone takeover at DirecTV that the four Starz HD channels will be appearing on a DirecTV lineup in September.

New episodes of Modern Marvels and other shows are being shown letterboxed in SD...looks like they are planning for the future.
"This time on Modern Marvels....The History of Pipes."
I love Modern Marvels.

I really can't believe directv is promising specific new hd channels in september when the sat isn't even in orbit yet. Oh wait, it's directv, I can.

At least they have agreements in place. More then what currently Dish or Cable Co stand. You can be sceptical if you want but everything D* has been planning and stating is falling into place. Not too long ago everyone was crying about how there is not 100 HD channels for D* to add. Now look. Maybe D* did know more on what HD channels are coming then us. :rolleyes:

Just because E* doesn't announce to the world what contracts they are working on doesn't mean they are doing nothing. For the past year, E* has been adding HD channels, the last being CinemaxHD and did not tell the world until it was added. At the present time, E* has most of the HD channels that D* is saying they will add. It is very naive of you to say that things aren't happening unless you know it to be fact.

At least they have agreements in place. More then what currently Dish or Cable Co stand. You can be sceptical if you want but everything D* has been planning and stating is falling into place. Not too long ago everyone was crying about how there is not 100 HD channels for D* to add. Now look. Maybe D* did know more on what HD channels are coming then us. :rolleyes:


Still very skeptical here. So far they aren't stating much about how they plan on improving their resolution (other than the spectacular MPEG4 solution :rolleyes: ), if they are going to offer improved resolution, or if they even care about resolution, nor have they made any comments on how much they are going to charge for these 100+ channels. If it's more of the same down rezzed mess but with a different name, I'm not biting.

At least they have agreements in place. More then what currently Dish or Cable Co stand. You can be sceptical if you want but everything D* has been planning and stating is falling into place. Not too long ago everyone was crying about how there is not 100 HD channels for D* to add. Now look. Maybe D* did know more on what HD channels are coming then us. :rolleyes:

Nothing has fallen into place yet...its still falling...

Plenty of press releases, still no channels...

Besides, do we even know what agreements Dish or Cable have?

Maybe E* knows more than us too...

:D

Just because E* doesn't announce to the world what contracts they are working on doesn't mean they are doing nothing. For the past year, E* has been adding HD channels, the last being CinemaxHD and did not tell the world until it was added. At the present time, E* has most of the HD channels that D* is saying they will add. It is very naive of you to say that things aren't happening unless you know it to be fact.

Tell me about it...seems like we can never have a thread like this without some D* fanboy posting is usual rah-rah speech...

Just because E* doesn't announce to the world what contracts they are working on doesn't mean they are doing nothing. For the past year, E* has been adding HD channels, the last being CinemaxHD and did not tell the world until it was added. At the present time, E* has most of the HD channels that D* is saying they will add. It is very naive of you to say that things aren't happening unless you know it to be fact.

All of what D* has announce are channels that are being launched this year. If you read the announcements from the networks "they" are the ones announcing who they have agreements with not D*. If you read my my post I did not say E* or Cable Co were not in talks but have not reached agreements. So it's not just D* announcing the channels but the networks. I don't mind discussing this with you but please read the post before you respond.

p.s. Vamp this also responds to your question on E* agreements.

Tell me about it...seems like we can never have a thread like this without some D* fanboy posting is usual rah-rah speech...

Or a thread announcing new channels and which provider is signed on (by the network channel) with out E* fanboys tying to discredit it. :rolleyes:

Or a thread announcing new channels and which provider is signed on (by channel) with out E* fanboys tying to discredit it. :rolleyes:

No fanboy here...just a down-to-earth realist who doesn't buy into the hype. Thats all...

There is nothing to discredit...until there is something to actually see...

You keep watching your hype, I'll keep watching my 30 channels... :D

...and when somethings better comes along, when and if its D*, then thats what I'll be watching then, but until then I don't pay for hype...I pay for HD programming...

No fanboy here...just a down-to-earth realist who doesn't buy into the hype. Thats all...

There is nothing to discredit...until there is something to actually see...

You keep watching your hype, I'll keep watching my 30 channels... :D



Now I know your a E* fanboy since you say you watch all the Voom channels. :D Nobody does!

And you do buy in to the Hype if you think your watching HD from E* also.

Now I know your a E* fanboy since you say you watch all the Voom channels. :D Nobody does!

And you do buy in to the Hype if you think your watching HD from E* also.

Well...this is just another bogus unproven statement can be easily ignored... :rolleyes:

So Vamp do you honestly think D* is just making up the launch of the sat's and hyping up the additional HD channels they plan on carrying by the end of the year so they can be in the news? Do you then say the same thing for E* when they announced the addition of HD LiL? I guess I'm trying to understand your thinking here.

All I want to know, and I guess this is still the big question, is whether or not all this new HD programming in MPEG4 will be full bandwidth and full resolution HD or will it be compressed and look like crap like the current HD-lite garbage D* provides?

Will it match Comcast and FIOS picture quality or not?

It's still not clear to me if the MPEG4 local programming D* provides is top-of-the line HD picture quality, or HD-lite in appearance? I've read different reports that say both.

So Vamp do you honestly think D* is just making up the launch of the sat's and hyping up the additional HD channels they plan on carrying by the end of the year so they can be in the news? Do you then say the same thing for E* when they announced the addition of HD LiL? I guess I'm trying to understand your thinking here.


My thinking is very simple, and feel free to quote me on this one:

"It is better to watch HDTV, than to just talk about HDTV"

Remember, D* is not just launching Sats, promising channels, and issuing press releases. What they are doing is promising to reverse a trend of utterly neglecting their HDTV customer since day one! And its that reversal of a trend that waits to be seen. What exactly do we think is D* is going to deliver here, and what exactly in the end are we going to get? We still don't know...even the press releases I joke about contain certain amounts of speculation...

My thinking is very simple, and feel free to quote me on this one:

"It is better to watch HDTV, than to just talk about HDTV"

Remember, D* is not just launching Sats, promising channels, and issuing press releases. What they are doing is promising to reverse a trend of utterly neglecting their HDTV customer since day one! And its that reversal of a trend that waits to be seen. What exactly do we think is D* is going to deliver here, and what exactly in the end are we going to get? We still don't know...even the press releases I joke about contain certain amounts of speculation...

I agree, if you don't find the statement "will be the first to launch XXX coming this fall" the most ridiculous self-promoting gig, from one which is currently far behind its competitor's national HD offer, a good four months from that supposed launch date, I don't know what else can amuse you.

Didn't ESPN2 HD announce an early January launch with Voom, Adelphia and Directv all saying they would carry it.... and only Adelphia had it for like the first 6 months before DirectTv actually added it (Voom went belly up right around the announcement time)?

So Vamp do you honestly think D* is just making up the launch of the sat's and hyping up the additional HD channels they plan on carrying by the end of the year so they can be in the news? Do you then say the same thing for E* when they announced the addition of HD LiL? I guess I'm trying to understand your thinking here.

My problem with the D* announcement of "100 HD channels" is that between the announcement and the actual channels could be 12 months or more. That is likely well over $500 in monthly service fees waiting for an uncertain quantity, quality, cost, and type of channels.

In the mean time, E* and cable have simply added channels. And based on recent E* announcements (which hold just as little water as those from D*) it is possible that by the time D* adds those "100 HD channels", that E* has the same (or similar or better) quantity, quality, cost, and type of channels.

So Vamp do you honestly think D* is just making up the launch of the sat's and hyping up the additional HD channels they plan on carrying by the end of the year so they can be in the news? Do you then say the same thing for E* when they announced the addition of HD LiL? I guess I'm trying to understand your thinking here.

I also don't see him saying that. Some of us just don't care about D*'s constant bragging of 100 HD channels many many months before they are even available, while at the same time carrying less HD channels than many of its competitors. But if people buy into that and it works for them, that is fine.

I also don't see him saying that. Some of us just don't care about D*'s constant bragging of 100 HD channels many many months before they are even available, while at the same time carrying less HD channels than many of its competitors. But if people buy into that and it works for them, that is fine.

Tell me about it.

In the end, the only way the D*-whipped can justify their patronage of an inferior product all this time is by the faith they have in it getting better. (Trust me, living on the northside of Chicago my whole life I'm very familiar with this phenomenon )

So when D* lets out a big rah-rah announcement, they emphatically jump all over it. But the reality as it is today is this: put a D* rah-rah announcement in one corner of the room, and 30+ HD channels from virtually any provider in the other, and tell me which corner you are going to watch first.

Tell me about it.

In the end, the only way the D*-whipped can justify their patronage of an inferior product all this time is by the faith they have in it getting better.

Since D* already give me everything I want, how it is patronage of an inferior product? New HD channels eventually is just icing on the cake.

Why is it so hard for you to understand that people might actually like the provider they have (be it DirecTV or cable or Dish or FIOS)?

Since D* already give me everything I want, how it is patronage of an inferior product? New HD channels eventually is just icing on the cake.

It is. Your just content with an inferior product.

Why is it so hard for you to understand that people might actually like the provider they have (be it DirecTV or cable or Dish or FIOS)?

I don't know...I guess I just have trouble understanding how lack of options and not-so-good PQ would be a good thing. I mean, the world is a big place, right? :D

Since D* already give me everything I want...

Then you are obviously not the target of those D* "pre-announcements", aren't you? Because that is what this thread is about, not the channels you already have that satisfy all your needs already.

My inlaws are pretty satisfied with the one or two international channels D* carrys for them, that didn't stop me from telling them from time to time E* has ten such channels available for them. Of course they can get upset of me telling them that fact at times, but they are the inlaws, what can you expect?:)

It is. Your just content with an inferior product.


HUH? Does Dish have Sunday Ticket? Ahhh, I thought so.
Do they have my RSN in HD? Ahhhh, thought not.
Heck, does Dish have my locals in HD? Hmmmm, no (one of mine I can't get well OTA)

Just because Dish for you satisfies you that makes everything else a crappy product?

Dish is great. It really is.
If they had the above 3 items I'd seriously looking at switching to them.
But they don't.

Thus to *me* Dish is an inferior product.

In the new world of tons of HD most likely both Dish and DirecTV will carry pretty much the same channels (just as they do now in SD). So in a years time then your choice will be E* if you like Voom or D* if you're into sports like MLB or NFL or Nascar.

Pretty simple. Neither are inferior and both are perfect for many people. Thus why they both have 12+ million subs and keep growing.

Why does it always have to be Dish or bust for you guys?

HUH? Does Dish have Sunday Ticket? Ahhh, I thought so.
Do they have my RSN in HD? Ahhhh, thought not.
Heck, does Dish have my locals in HD? Hmmmm, no (one of mine I can't get well OTA)

Ah yes, another myopic football junkie who things football is the end-all, be-all of human existance and the buck stops there...I'm sorry, its ST...a few hundred bucks stop there... :D

Just because Dish for you satisfies you that makes everything else a crappy product?

its crappy because it is...thats why it is making every reasonable attempt at getting better. I'm not stating my opinion here, I'm seconding Directv's opinion of themselves! Remember, their goal in the whole 100 channel thing is to regain a competitive edge, not maintain one.

Dish is great. It really is.
If they had the above 3 items I'd seriously looking at switching to them.
But they don't.

I'm with you there, if D* offers all the channels they say they are going to offer, I'd definitely look into it. IF course, they need to restore my faith as well. After years of playing games with their typical HD customer, they have to convince me they've changed more than their program guide.

Thus to *me* Dish is an inferior product.

My great-grandfather had a TV back in the 60's that recieved analog OTA as long as he had aluminum foil wrapped around the ends of the rabbit-ears. He could only receive CBS and that was it. As long as he could watch his Walter Cronkite, he was happy. Thought other TV's were just too complex.

In the new world of tons of HD most likely both Dish and DirecTV will carry pretty much the same channels (just as they do now in SD). So in a years time then your choice will be E* if you like Voom or D* if you're into sports like MLB or NFL or Nascar.

Voom could easily wind up on D*, you never know. I honestly hope it does...

Pretty simple. Neither are inferior and both are perfect for many people. Thus why they both have 12+ million subs and keep growing.

D* has gained most of their subs thru strategic marketing, whereas E* is something you have to seek out. When most folks buy an HDTV at any of the bigbox electronic stores, (BestBuy, CircuitCity), they ask for HDTV, they sell them D* with no clue what the options are. And thats just one example.

Why does it always have to be Dish or bust for you guys?

Its not. I just refuse to accept an overpriced sports package as the justification for satisfaction in my choice of providers. If I was a D* ST or EI sub, (and I could be, I do like my baseball), I would be very upset with D* for holding me hostage with their exclusive agreements while other providers have better HD offerings overall!

HUH? Does Dish have Sunday Ticket? Ahhh, I thought so.
Do they have my RSN in HD? Ahhhh, thought not.
Heck, does Dish have my locals in HD? Hmmmm, no (one of mine I can't get well OTA)

If you are into DirecTV's sports packages you are obviously correct in selecting DirecTV. If you want HD channels and not promises you should select Dish.

And that is my take. (And also why I selected Dish over DirecTV 7 years ago. Then Dish had two HD channels to DirecTV's one.)

Rick R