HD Locals Rollout schedule?

[chess]

Anyone have a timetable on locals being rolled out in HD for dish? I have a long wait I believe being in the #138 market.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

They're not rolling them out in market order, but I'm in #28 and don't have them yet....

 

[RJohn]

They haven't even finished last years promised launches.

I would guess that is why they won't promise anything anymore.

 

[BobaBird]

Still plenty of potential markets from the 2006 list. See Dish HD Locals.

 

[waltinvt]

They haven't even finished last years promised launches.

I would guess that is why they won't promise anything anymore.

The only reason they even put that list out was to counter "D"s HD distants and forcast of HD LiLs. They never intended to have HD LiLs for all those DMAs. How do I know? Well for one thing some DMAs on that list hadn't even gone digital yet and still don't have the capability to uplink.

 

[RJohn]

I live in Buffalo, NY. All the network stations, NBC, CBS, Fox, CW, and PBS all broadcast a digital signal. The local stations themselves don't broadcast local programing, like the news, in HD, but all the network HD is being broadcasted in HD.

I had to get an OTA antenna to get my local HD channels because I gave up waiting for last years promised HD locals from Dish.

I talked to an engineer at one of the local stations, last fall, and he said that if Dish wanted their HD signal, all they had to do is uplink it, and throw the switch.

Now, if they have they are having a problem getting the rights to rebroadcast their HD siginal, that's another story.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

I'm in the same situation. I'm only 6-12 miles from the towers so I'm lucky enough to get all locals OTA except the PBS station (which isn't digital yet). But I still would like the Dish HD locals to give me the flexibility to record two network HD shows when necessary....

 

[tomyo10]

I talked to an engineer at one of the local stations, last fall, and he said that if Dish wanted their HD signal, all they had to do is uplink it, and throw the switch.


Well, if that's the case there, then it should be simple enough to do it for all markets.

 

[GeorgeLV]

I talked to an engineer at one of the local stations, last fall, and he said that if Dish wanted their HD signal, all they had to do is uplink it, and throw the switch.


Well, if that's the case there, then it should be simple enough to do it for all markets.

Your station forgot the part about buying billions of dollars in new satellite capacity.

 

[ibrow3]

The bird capacity is one thing. The uplink is another. Dish doesn't uplink from each individual station for the local HD broadcasts. Dish either puts up a local tower or leases tower space in a central location in that particular city that is in an optimal position to receive the local broadcasts over the air. They do it just like you and I might with an OTA antenna. They just do it on a larger scale. Then from that tower they run fiber to the nearest connection. This fiber transmits the data to their uplink facilities. Then goes to the birds in space that don't have the needed capacity for everyone's locals yet.

 

[ibrow3]

So you are just waiting for towers, fiber, and capacity.

No special agreements have to be made because the broadcast is received by dish for free OTA then uplinked and passed back to the end user like us for no added cost. If dish charged more money for just the local HD's then the local affiliates would call foul and demand their share.

 

[Brandie]

Come on DISH! Jax, FL locals in HD are now on the air on D. Let's get with the program...

 

[Rexorg]

Thank goodness I only have 6 more months with E*. I fell for their promise of HD locals and wasted my money on "lease upgrade" for 622 and 211 last March. I get excellent HD pics for all local channels using Terk antenna and built-in ATSC tuner of my newest TV. I am switching to D*. I am sure E* could care less.

 

[Sammy033]

Im not even on their list

But I am in a smaller market (400k in the county) and OTA works just fine... except that I dont get ABC because the closest has mountains in the way.