[fredfa]

As we do on at least a weekly basis, my wife and I emailed DirecTV yesterday with the usual: as HD subs, we want HDNet movies, Discovery, ESPNHD, and feeds of the nets.


Overnight, we got the usual response, but with a twist (at least for us):


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Thank you for your interest in high definition programming.

We hope to be able to offer Discovery & ESPN Channel programming in high definition.

However, as it is DIRECTV policy not to disclose information about upcoming programming until it is officially announced, we do not have a date when we can expect it at this time.


---


We had not seen the "we hope to be able to offer Discovery and ESPN" sentence in previous emails from DirecTV.


This may be nothing new, but the canned response does seem a bit more optimistic than we usually get from DirecTV.

 

[bhambrad]

The Directv brass is well aware that people want to see those two channels and are trying to keep people like myself from canceling programming over failure to add more hd programming. I think people in this forum did a great job of calling Stephanie Campbell's office. I call about once a week still and I will keep doing that until I switch or they add ESPN HD.


I have downgraded from Platinum to Total Choice and canceled Starz and Cinemax, my protection plan, as well as my Sports Pack - and told them why I canceled them. If more people do that - I would like to think they will add the channels faster because it costs them more money when people switch to cable or when some of the best customers drop the extras we don't need.


I think they reson they mention ESPN & Discovery in the press releases now is all damage control - we found a way to get past the CSRs and it worked.


Just my two cents.

 

[XFactor]

They have used that same form for some time now. If you asked about Playboy-HD, they would replace ESPN and Discovery with Playboy-HD. It's a form letter, and the same one I have been receiving for the past 6 months.

 

[djs]

When I emailed them about a month ago asking about ESPN-HD, the response was "We hope to be able to offer Discovery Channel programming in high definition..." which I found amusing since I hadn't asked about Discovery.


Whether the fact that they now mention ESPN-HD is related to them negotiating to carry it, or just because we're hassling them is up to the consipiracy theorists to sort out.

 

[XFactor]

It's because the CSR's are not always careful in matching the correct form letter with the feedback they received. They intended to send you the form letter with "ESPN-HD" in the blank, but mistakenly sent the Discovery one.