How much room for HD left after 8/1

[jmjunkin]

How much room will be left for other HD after the new 17 HD channels are launched on 8/1. How many more HD channels can they fit?

 

[cjwct]

With Voom's removal and these new channels, it is an even swap; no need to worry!

 

[jmjunkin]

With Voom's removal and these new channels, it is an even swap; no need to worry!

The last round of HD seemed to make it an even swap. I know they are converting 7 Mpeg 2 HD channels to Mpeg 4 on 8/1 also. I just don't know how much room that leaves DISH. Maybe DIGIBLUR can tell us?

 

[GeorgeLV]

How much room will be left for other HD after the new 17 HD channels are launched on 8/1. How many more HD channels can they fit?

As much as they can COMPRESS things.

 

[jmjunkin]

As much as they can COMPRESS things.

I know they can do that but realistically they can't compress much more without it looking like crap. Hopefully, we can figure a the number we might be looking at since there are the Viacom channels, More Premiums, and the FOX channels that could be added. Hopefully DISH and FOX can make up soon.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Remember that they added all those new channels plus had all 15 VOOM channels for 24 hours and that was with no extra compression. So this means the new ones on the 1st will fit in fine.

I do believe that they have more room after that as well.

 

[HDRoberts]

I do believe that they have more room after that as well.

The question at hand is how much more? Given that there are 23 temps up, and 17 are coming, this seems to indicate there is at least room for 6 more. But how much beyond 6? 10 total? 15 total remaining spaces (including space made from the HD MPEG2 Transition)? More?

Also, what is Dish's plan to add bandwidth (for all customers, 129 and 61.5), besides the HD transition and the FEC change on E11? The SD MPEG 4 transition will take years.

 

[DishSubLA]

Echo XI's higher power allows for more channel capacity. While it may have not been the original plan, Dish can add more HD at 110 on Echo XI if they really need to do so. No, not really a whole lot, but at this point they don't really have to add that much more to continue to shame cable. As time progresses, more Echostar sats will be up, and maybe a replacement for AMC 14. I think things are going to be manageable for Dish HD.

 

[whatchel1]

Temps going prime time

The question at hand is how much more? Given that there are 23 temps up, and 17 are coming, this seems to indicate there is at least room for 6 more. But how much beyond 6? 10 total? 15 total remaining spaces (including space made from the HD MPEG2 Transition)? More?

Also, what is Dish's plan to add bandwidth (for all customers, 129 and 61.5), besides the HD transition and the FEC change on E11? The SD MPEG 4 transition will take years.

If 17of 23 temps you mentioned are turned on then they don't need more BW until E* XI comes on line.

 

[Cyclone]

I think that it will be really interesting to see how Dish reclaims space that is currently used to carry both SD and HD locals when the Digital Cutover happens next year and thousand of Analog SD channels go off the air.

Is dish just going to send out a MPEG2 simulcast of the HD channel to customers? (I think so) That means carrying the same channel twice. Are they going to try to get everyone moved over to MPEG4 hardware? (Eastern Arc)

Looks to be an interesting next year or two.

 

[Roozilla]

Sorry if this has been asked before. What are the new channels that will become available on 8/1. Thanks.

 

[SarKen]

Sorry if this has been asked before. What are the new channels that will become available on 8/1. Thanks.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-ne...meets-100-hd-channel-mark-ahead-schedule.html

 

[RVD420]

I think that it will be really interesting to see how Dish reclaims space that is currently used to carry both SD and HD locals when the Digital Cutover happens next year and thousand of Analog SD channels go off the air.

Is dish just going to send out a MPEG2 simulcast of the HD channel to customers? (I think so) That means carrying the same channel twice. Are they going to try to get everyone moved over to MPEG4 hardware? (Eastern Arc)

Looks to be an interesting next year or two.

Dish will just pickup the SD locals in the digital format.

IMHO after switching all HD to MPEG4 Dish should do the following.

All new installs (even SD) should be with a MPEG4 IRD.

After 9-12 months of new customers getting MPEG4 hardware start to transition the rest of the subscribers to MPEG4.

They could offer a "FREE MPEG4 DVR" with no DVR fee for 1 year with a 2 year commitment.

Run the "FREE MPEG4 DVR" Promo for 6-9 months.

Then transition AT250 to MPEG4.

Then transition SOME on the premium channels to MPEG4 (I am thinking 1 or 2 channels from each premium provider)

I really think those moves will get MPEG4 boxes into many customers houses. And it would make a final switchover to MPEG4 easier and cheaper.

 

[flyingsquirrel]

The analog transition should make no difference to Dish capacity. All signals are converted from analog to digital on the ground ahead of the uplink to the satellite. There is no analog on the satellites. Never has been.

What will save bandwidth eventually is an all Mpeg 4 service.

***Then transition SOME on the premium channels to MPEG4 (I am thinking 1 or 2 channels from each premium provider)***

As of August 1 there will be no more MPEG2 HD, so there will be no more MPEG2 HD premiums, either.

Getting rid of MPEG2 SD will take much longer. There are tons more of those receivers out there.

 

[Poke]

Yeah the more things they move over to MPEG4 the better..

 

[jansan]

Getting the HD channels away from MPEG2 is a start. Maybe we will see Viacom HD feeds this fall.

 

[mike123abc]

The shortage of capacity will now fall on the western satellites if E6 and E8 make it over to EA and successfully start service (given Dish's luck lately it might be tempting fate). With 16 TPs at 72.7 they could replicate the SD from 110/119 in MPEG-4/8PSK. This would leave them with whatever capacity they can use (how much is Mexico how much is US allocated?) for more LiL HD cities or national HD.

129 is booking up. I count 13 TPs in use now for national HD. After Ciel-2 goes up it is estimated that Dish could possibly have access to up to 16 national TPs assuming all the markets currently served go to spot beam and then the spot beam TPs are reused for Canada.

So, assume 3 more TPs on 129, 1-3 possibly on 110 with E11 and the conversion to MPEG-4 of the existing HD they have 4-6 more HD TPs capacity left out west.

EA - up to 16 possibly (assuming split with Mexico like Canada) free or 112 HD channels max
WA - up to 6 possibly free or 42 HD channels max

Given the descrepencies between EA and WA one assumes they will use some of the 77 capacity for locals...

All in all I would estimate capacity for HD additions beyond the current crop of 20 or so at about 40 more. Maybe then Dish will really be at 100 full time HD channels.

 

[tomcrown1]

All in all I would estimate capacity for HD additions beyond the current crop of 20 or so at about 40 more. Maybe then Dish will really be at 100 full time HD channels.

Then again maybe all 20 are PART TIME STATIONS WHICH DISH LOVES TO COUNT!!!!

 

[HDRoberts]

The shortage of capacity will now fall on the western satellites if E6 and E8 make it over to EA and successfully start service (given Dish's luck lately it might be tempting fate). With 16 TPs at 72.7 they could replicate the SD from 110/119 in MPEG-4/8PSK. This would leave them with whatever capacity they can use (how much is Mexico how much is US allocated?) for more LiL HD cities or national HD.

129 is booking up. I count 13 TPs in use now for national HD. After Ciel-2 goes up it is estimated that Dish could possibly have access to up to 16 national TPs assuming all the markets currently served go to spot beam and then the spot beam TPs are reused for Canada.

So, assume 3 more TPs on 129, 1-3 possibly on 110 with E11 and the conversion to MPEG-4 of the existing HD they have 4-6 more HD TPs capacity left out west.

EA - up to 16 possibly (assuming split with Mexico like Canada) free or 112 HD channels max
WA - up to 6 possibly free or 42 HD channels max

Given the descrepencies between EA and WA one assumes they will use some of the 77 capacity for locals...

All in all I would estimate capacity for HD additions beyond the current crop of 20 or so at about 40 more. Maybe then Dish will really be at 100 full time HD channels.

There are a few problems with that calculation. Not with the calc itself, but in assumptions. First, who knows if the Eastern Arc will be built? Also, no one is pointed at 72.7 or 77 now. As such, 61.5 is the limiting factor. It will take a lot of time to repoint us at 119, 110 and 61.5 to the full EA. Also, 129 might have more room, but I don't think they would add stuff there unless all HD customers could get it.

Therefore, there are 2 calculations for remaing HD capacity for probably the next year: space on 61.5+110+119 and space on 129+110+119. The former has more constraints, it seems. Perhaps the remaining internation customers at 61.5 could be repointed to 118.7.

 

[mike123abc]

There are a few problems with that calculation. Not with the calc itself, but in assumptions. First, who knows if the Eastern Arc will be built? Also, no one is pointed at 72.7 or 77 now. As such, 61.5 is the limiting factor. It will take a lot of time to repoint us at 119, 110 and 61.5 to the full EA. Also, 129 might have more room, but I don't think they would add stuff there unless all HD customers could get it.

Therefore, there are 2 calculations for remaing HD capacity for probably the next year: space on 61.5+110+119 and space on 129+110+119. The former has more constraints, it seems. Perhaps the remaining internation customers at 61.5 could be repointed to 118.7.

With E6 already in motion, one assumes it will be built as soon as E11 replaces E8 at 110. One also assumes that people that want new wiz bang channel Z when it comes out on 72.7 or 77 they will call in to find out why they cannot find it and then get the upgrade to the new EA Dish. Just like they did with 129, they stopped adding channels on 110 and if you wanted the new HD you had to call in and get a Dish 1000.

Yes there is a ton of international at 61.5, it seems like the next step to move them off to free up space. But, Dish has not seemed moved to start the process yet.