Hey Verizon : Where are the new HD channels? - Page 9

Sure is if they're the channels you watch! You specifically mentioned HBO and that's one of the legacy MPEG2s. So is HDNet and a bunch of others that I watch.

Frankly if D* switched all of these to MPEG4, I'd probably switch now.

i would be willing to wait for more HD on FIOS if I were able to get Center Ice.

That is why I am not yet a Verzion FIOS customer.

Only HBO East is MPEG2.

You will miss center ice I switched last year, thought by now fios would have it and some more sports pac's. Thinking of switching to D again but love the pictue quality on fios. But they are very slow to add channels.

for the guy with D* & contemplating keeping fios.

let me know how that works out, use wise & pricing.

I kept comcast with one hd dvr box for hd on demand (which fios never got) and for getting all standard & basic cable chans on an analog crt tv & it seemed like it got more channels total trough coax even for another room with tv with qam tuner.

would have had to run new lines to get fios in 2 of the3 rooms I kept comcast on & basement with comcast hd dvr I have acces to switch it to either.

maybe fios is cheaper not sure which is part of why im interested but comcast has more hd chans then fios right now, hd on demand & is getting tivo software in their dvr boxes.

comcast doesn't have hdnet & hdnet movies like fios but like I said has more hd chans total then fios & dtv has the hdnets (though this could become a factor when dtv charges $5 extra for hdnets & a couple other hd chans as part of hd extras or something)

I do have comcast fed coax into main room tv with qam on same tv I have the dtv hd dvr but csn phila. doesn't come in hd without a stb.

I don't think my tv has cable card & they still charge for that & I only want to pay for one stb (the hd dvr) for comcast cus between that & the standard&basic cable charges of comcast as a secondary carrier is enough on top of dtv with 2 hd dvr, & 2 hd boxes.

was able to get out of fios tv with no etf cus keeping fios internet & added dtv to triple play one bill.

that's part of why it prob wouldn't make sense to have dtv & fios cus I don't think they could put both on the bill plus we already had comcast in place for the 3 tvs and 4 on fios switched to dtv so that was easiest.

for us in phila area I think the best of both worlds combo is dtv as main with comcast seecondary (mostly for csn as dtv has on demand now rolling out & already some hd with more to come next month which will prob beat fios to hd on demand) dtv as main tv provider & fios inet.

if I want to watch csn in hd I go down to basement hometheatre area with the comcast hd dvr box.

fios doesn't have anything that dtv & comcast don't have so again for us in philly area it seems like dtv with comcast as secondary is best combo as fios remains only on top for internet as their tv service has fallen off a bit & doesn't look like it will even begin to catch up for some time.

but let me know how the dtv ffios combo works out & how you do it as if it was better and/or cheaper id consider it but ultimately im hoping to get rid of the secondary tv provider & just have one.

kind of sad that I had to keep comcast anyway while I had fios so if im continue to keep it I mine as well have dtv over fios as dtv not having csn doesn't affect me.

dtv said they are fighting to get csn philly. when they do I can drop comcast & have dtv & will have it for years to come.

they are always getting better making the most improvements the fastest while fios tv is stopped in its tracks, dead in the water.

can connect an esata hd to dtv box for tons of dvr space & you can get new software all the time for the stb's which adds new features even get them early if you find out about the "cutting edge" beta software dl windows of opportunity on dbstalk.

its really the best technology & service getting better quickly all the time.

soon mpeg2's will be phased out so noone can use that as a reason not to get dtv. they might eventually get csn phila. they soon will be able to use one cable to dvr instead of 2 so the detractors won't be able to use that agains them.

dtv as main tv provider, comcast as secondary with hd dvr (soon with tivo software) & fios data ftw.

According to the sticky on this forum, the following DirecTV channels are still bitstarved MPEG-2:

ESPN HD (206/73)
ESPN2 HD (209/72)
(Discovery) HD Theater (76)
HDNet (79)
HDNet Movies (78)
TNT HD (245/75)
Universal HD (74)
HBO HD East (70/501/509)
Showtime HD (71/537/543)

The channels are now listed on new numbers but the new numbers use the same old MPEG-2 feed.

DirecTV is expected to replace these channels with MPEG-4 versions, but it won't happen with D10, as DirecTV has exhausted their capacity on that satellite. The D11 satellite is now scheduled for launch in Q1 2008, and should commense operation in Q2.

The bolded part is not true. I do agree that they will wait for D11 to go up though, as they still have new HD channels to add on D10.

I guess that depends on your definition of full capacity.

Five channels per transponder * 14 CONUS transponders equals 70 channels.

Perhaps I miscounted, but it looks like DirecTV is pretty close to that number when you figure in the RSNs and PPVs.

I didn't check either! They are much closer than I thought. D10 will be full once they add the 13 announced channels. If one or two of those channels don't launch until late 1st quarter/early 2nd quarter (Chiller?), then they will have room to add a couple more national 24/7 RSNs earlier. The D11 satellite should be operational by mid-March '08 (tentative launch 1/12/08). And capacity increases again.

10 of the current list are MPEG2, ie not on the new sat.

That ain't gonna' happen. D* has been trying for about 10 years or so. I stuck with D* for 7 years and loved them however, I recently switched to FIOS. I switched mainly because of RSN on FIOS and I refused to go to Comcast.....pride thing I guess. I am in Philly and the only thing I heard (this may be rumor) is Comcast signed a deal with D* that you can get the Phillies on D*'s "Baseball Season Pass" package. Like I said, I read about it but was not able to confirm this.

Maybe someone can shed some light.

Also, FIOS' SD/HD channels are far better (in terms of PQ) than D*...especially SD channels...no comparison there. I think the Moto box does a better job, overall on native 1080I than the D* boxes (OTA) did....once again, this is just my opinion....crazy as it sounds.

Unless things have changed, there were many other MPEG2s. HDNet, HDNet movies and others were still on the legacy bird.

oh, I know I would miss Center Ice. I work from home, and at 4 PM Pacific Time there is usually a game on the television.

Once Verizon gets Center Ice, I would switch my internet and TV to them, and patiently wait for more HD channels. (Yes, I hope there are some Verizon folk glancing at this thread).

I can not get D* or E* in the apartment. They are not allowing physical installations on their building, and I have no "exclusive access" areas. Of course, if D* were to get a dish as small as the XM Home tuner, then I would be golden!!!

This was just released.....


NEW YORK, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon FiOS TV customers will get even more of the high-definition content they love as Verizon today announced plans for a fivefold increase in the number of HD channels, to 150 channels, as well as plans for offering additional HD content through FiOS TV's video-on-demand service. Verizon is also planning a major expansion of sports and multicultural programming on FiOS TV in 2008.

"Once more, Verizon leads the way," said Shawn Strickland, vice president - video solutions. "We launched FiOS TV in 2005 with more HD than most cable and satellite companies, and we know that our HD customers expect us to continue that lead. We're planning a major initiative in 2008 that will give our customers an unprecedented choice of HD and other programming."

Verizon customers already enjoy the most amazing picture quality available over the nation's most advanced digital all-fiber optic network.

In the spring of 2008, Verizon will begin expanding its HD lineup as well as the sports and multicultural program offerings on FiOS TV. Verizon initially will double the current number of HD channels, on a market-by-market basis, to more than 60, including additional sports channels. Verizon expects to have more than 150 HD channels by year-end 2008 as it continues to add to its HD lineup and programmers launch new channels. The company also will add standard-definition sports, multicultural and other programming during the year.

True HD Experience

Because Verizon offers FiOS TV on its fiber-to-the-home network, Verizon has the capacity to provide HD programming without compressing the signal it receives from the programmers.

"FiOS TV delivers a true HD experience," Strickland said. "Unlike some other service providers, Verizon doesn't compromise quality by compressing programming into limited bandwidth. Our fiber-optic network has the capacity to deliver programming the way programmers intended it to be seen."

In addition to the expanded HD channel lineup, Verizon will offer HD programming through its industry-leading video-on-demand library, which already totals more than 10,000 titles. Before the end of 2007, Verizon expects to introduce a limited number of HD on-demand titles, which will increase to more than 1,000 HD titles in 2008.

During 2008, Verizon also will expand the reach of HD programming throughout the home. Through enhancements to the Verizon-exclusive Home Media DVR service, customers will be able to record HD shows and watch them from any room in the house with an HDTV and an HD set-top box.

http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-...-fivefold.html
(link to press release)

Let's hope they can deliver.

I find it way too coincidental that the number they choose to promise is 60 new HD channels, considering bfdtv's early post saying that they were in the process of adding about 30 new QAM channels, just the number they'd need to add to deliver 60 new uncompressed HD channels. Also, there plans to have room for another 70 almost coincides with the prediction that they will drop all the analog channels in time for the analog shutoff in Feb of 09.

Well, however they deliver it, it is great news. All of this is without the switch over to IP based delivery, which works pretty well with VOD.

They will keep me happy by adding this many HD channels, and HD VOD. I would be ecstatic if they added a DVR that had much larger capacity or a live eSATA interface, but this is good.

good news but for the ones that have fios... unforunately its not available anywhere in my area and will not be for awhile... since they are moving so slow with the new installs, Directv still seems better

By the time we get it, all the channels will hopefully HAVE HD content. Right now 90% of the DirectTV channels are placeholders with little to no HD content.

So we're going to get the new crop of HD channels. They'll just be added at the speed of a dialup connection.

It sounds like Extra Innings and Center Ice might be on the way. I'm at a loss for what other "sports programming" they could be referring to, since Verizon already has the available RSNs uplinked in most areas.

TiVo S3 or HD fits that bill for FiOS. The eSATA was activated in a recent update.

/jab

sounds like good news for fios, but...

they preyy much had to announce something like this considering they can see first hand the customers like myself they've lost that replace fios tv with dtv to their triple play verizon one bill etc.

the thing I find coincdence is the 150 # they proclaim which is the exact same as dtvs total.

difference is dtv is close to that now & will fullfill that by end of 07 ( so next month). with then more improvemens & the few remaining mpeg2 switched to mpeg4 with the new sat.

ill happily switch back to fios if they deliver on these curently empty promises. just words plusfact is they say end of 2008. so that's a whole year of waiting. id rather have all they are promising now anyway with another provider while I wait.

plus by then dtv may have even more improvements/features (if that's possible) so fios will always be at least a year behind.

plus fios has to ad esata hd support & other features not yet promised to match dtv.

enjoying blue planet on animal planet hd now on dtv (not on fios) while we wait for fios to catch up & improve.

They don't have CSNMA-HD in the DC Metro or VA markets.
There is also Vs/Golf. I also here there is a NHL Network (HD).

True, the trade off, though is giving up VOD (which my daughters use quite a bit). I also blanch at buying three of these to replace the three DVR's I have, paying the monthly fee, along with losing the ability to distribute recorded SD to a set top box I have.

The cost and loss of features is what keeps me from this, although it is a good alternative. I don't really keep a whole lot of stuff around anyways (some jazz concert recordings is about it), so keeping a whole bunch of stuff around is not a priority (not that I'd turn it down) for now.

It is nice to have the Tivo as an alternative, though - keeps the pressure on Verizon.

TiVos do support multiroom viewing with both HD and SD. With the TiVo in your bedroom, you can view anything in your bedroom -- both SD and HD -- recorded on the TiVo in the living room.

The only 'feature' you lose with the $250 TiVo is VOD. It does everything else better than the Verizon DVR.

Rumor is CSN MA HD is coming to NoVA and MD in a few weeks.

See FMR VZMAN's second post in this thread:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r193...F-HD-VERSUS-HD

I read the release as saying that "additional sports and multicultural programming" had nothing to do with its HD additions. Either way, I don't think Versus/Golf, NBA TV, and NHL HD qualify as "major."

(As someone else posted, CSN-MA is apparently coming before the end of the year, and in any case I already conceded that RSNs probably don't qualify as major additions to sports programming, since most markets besides DC have everything they're going to get.)

Well, you're right if I were talking about sending Tivo to Tivo. I use a set top box in an exercise area, and like to watch recorded sports there.

I know Tivo is a good box, had three of them with DirectTv before, so I'm well acquainted with them. I still can't overcome the $750 price and the subscription, as well as losing the VOD. Like I said, it's a great alternative, just not for me right now.

The new TV HD box is $299 with the subscription of about $8 a month. It has VOD. It uses Amazon Unbox. It looks pretty good too, not HD but that is supposedly coming.

There is no $750 price. It's $299 max (easily purchasable at $250). The subscription is $6-$8 per month max. You do lose VOD, but you get sister it with a non-DVR cable box (which you can usually get for free) just for VOD (tell them it's for PPV).