Why no PBS in HD?

[jlabsher]

Curious as to why there are no (or very little) PBS locals available on Dish in HD. Here in DC they aren't available and have checked around a few old addresses (St. Louis, Seattle, Chicago) and no PBS HD is available. Anyone know why?

 

[SKrueger]

Curious as to why there are no (or very little) PBS locals available on Dish in HD. Here in DC they aren't available and have checked around a few old addresses (St. Louis, Seattle, Chicago) and no PBS HD is available. Anyone know why?

This is what I've heard and take it as that (idle chatter). Rumor is that PBS is making a requirement that satellite providers who carry the HD feed must also carry all the digital subchannels. Whether its true or not I don't know, but it certainly would explain why they are not being carried. Talk about wasting bandwidth.

 

[tigerfan33]

Someone has just posted a link over on the Direct forums that says Direct has made a deal to launch PBS hd locals.

 

[darrencp22]

Someone has just posted a link over on the Direct forums that says Direct has made a deal to launch PBS hd locals.

Wow... i havent seen beatings like this since Tyson ws at his prime. D just keeps pummeling E.

 

[alexgmny]

E* needs to do something.....it keeps getting slaps on the face by D*. If they dont have enough space on the birds they currently have.....they should start doing what D* did. Start promising that in 2008 they will carry over 100 HD channels. Atleast some info to know that we will get something later on.

 

[BoisePaul]

E* needs to do something.....it keeps getting slaps on the face by D*. If they dont have enough space on the birds they currently have.....they should start doing what D* did. Start promising that in 2008 they will carry over 100 HD channels. Atleast some info to know that we will get something later on.

Amen to that! I'd rather have a promise (or a hint, or anything at this point) than the same rhetoric that we're receiving that DISH is the leader in HD. C'mon E*, get your heads out of the sand (or wherever else you may have them) and at least make a statement. If you're just going to continue to claim victory when you're a full lap down and not even act like you're making an effort, then I'm gone. I know that many look down on people who threaten to jump ship, but when the neighbor's grass is greener and nobody seems interested in watering the lawn at home...

 

[JH1949]

I am the opposite. Don't want promises until all the birds are successfully launched in late 2008 or into 2009.

 

[goaliebob99]

I am the opposite. Don't want promises until all the birds are successfully launched in late 2008 or into 2009.

In the mean time my 2 year commitment to D* will be up by that time Dish does seriously need to get a move on. Here in the chicago DMA directv now offers PBS as well as WGNHD. Im seriously begining to think that someone has to be crazy to jump on dish in this DMA. Not only that D* has Comcast Sports net Full time. I hope the best for dish but they are seriously getting the beat down. Before you know it the sleeping monster will wake up with a couple of black eyes, a broken arm and a amputated leg. By the time ATT comes around to buy E* they wont because E* wont look like the crown jewl it used to. I hope im wrong.

 

[JH1949]

I am the opposite to the OP. I would rather have any new spots that come available for HD LIL at 61.5, go to those who don't have thier big 4 instead of giving them to PBS HD.

 

[goaliebob99]

I am the opposite to the OP. I would rather have any new spots that come available for HD LIL at 61.5, go to those who don't have thier big 4 instead of giving them to PBS HD.

I think dish will loose more in the big dmas if they cant compete with D* Ultimatly a DMA like chicago which has the city alone has 3 million when you compare the whole DMA area of chicago its roughtly 9 million + That is a fraction of a dma like colorado springs or any other DMA. They ultimatly have more to loose in the larger DMA's

 

[ScoBuck]

Here in the chicago DMA directv now offers PBS as well as WGNHD. Not only that D* has Comcast Sports net Full time.

Interesting way to look at it -

As you say - in Chicago, DirecTV now has an edge in locals, nationals and sports.

They have done the same today in L.A., and in S.F. They have already added additional HD local channels in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta (and some others).

Here in NY they have NOT YET added either CW,MNT,or PBS but we get 4 FULL-TIME RSNS.

Never realized it, but they have taken an obvious advantage in virtually ALL of the TOP DMAs (This posts lists things done in 7 of the top 10 DMAS = 22.8% U.S households). Interesting marketing tactic!

 

[JH1949]

I think dish will loose more in the big dmas if they cant compete with D* .......whole DMA area of chicago....9 million + That is a fraction of a dma like colorado springs or any other DMA. They ultimatly have more to loose in the larger DMA's

Thanks goaliebob99 for answering my next question before I could type it.

 

[digiblur]

Curious as to why there are no (or very little) PBS locals available on Dish in HD. Here in DC they aren't available and have checked around a few old addresses (St. Louis, Seattle, Chicago) and no PBS HD is available. Anyone know why?

If you think about it....in some areas they could add more HD channels especially the ones on the spotbeams. They are only running 4 and they could up it to 6 channels per spotbeam with the newer MPEG4 encoders.

 

[ScoBuck]

Curious as to why there are no (or very little) PBS locals available on Dish in HD. Here in DC they aren't available and have checked around a few old addresses (St. Louis, Seattle, Chicago) and no PBS HD is available. Anyone know why?

Read todays Multichannel news article on the PBS deal - it mentions why you aren't seeing PBS on DISH (last 2 paragraphs):
DirecTV to Carry Public TV Stations in HD - 12/19/2007 2:27:00 PM - Multichannel News

 

[goaliebob99]

Thanks goaliebob99 for answering my next question before I could type it.

Thats what Im here for

 

[goaliebob99]

Here is the last two paragraphs from mutlichannel news. Basically E* is playing hardball or not negotating. What in the world is charlie doing. I think charlie needs to pull his head out of his ass. I swear that E* is deliberatly trying to rune the company. Just my thought.




Last month, at the Future of TV conference in New York, Lawson noted that APTS was in discussions with DirecTV about carriage of public television stations' digital TV signals. However, he added, "We're really nowhere with EchoStar [Communications]. This is a case where the marketplace is failing, and we're hoping Congress and the FCC will step in."
EchoStar spokesman Parker McConachie declined to comment. The company operates the Dish Network direct-broadcast satellite service.

 

[tigerfan33]

Here is the last two paragraphs from mutlichannel news. Basically E* is playing hardball or not negotating. What in the world is charlie doing. I think charlie needs to pull his head out of his ass. I swear that E* is deliberatly trying to rune the company. Just my thought.




Last month, at the Future of TV conference in New York, Lawson noted that APTS was in discussions with DirecTV about carriage of public television stations' digital TV signals. However, he added, "We're really nowhere with EchoStar [Communications]. This is a case where the marketplace is failing, and we're hoping Congress and the FCC will step in."
EchoStar spokesman Parker McConachie declined to comment. The company operates the Dish Network direct-broadcast satellite service.

Dish . Is this how you handle every problem now."No comment". Damn this is getting old!!

 

[bryanw20]

Curious as to why there are no (or very little) PBS locals available on Dish in HD. Here in DC they aren't available and have checked around a few old addresses (St. Louis, Seattle, Chicago) and no PBS HD is available. Anyone know why?

Not sure about other cities/states, but my understanding here in OK (OETA) gave it's HD PBS programing (Sold it?) To the cable company, and the OTA is a 4 channel digital mix of programming, but no, or little HD (unpredictiable when it might air). Not sure if other areas may have done the same?

Reading thar article about D carrying PBS, it sounds like it's going to carry the same "local" OTA Programming for a city, so it sounds to me like even if I was a D sub'er, I'd still not have HD.

 

[whatchel1]

Thoughts about PBS & E* channels.

1. E* would have to have a contract with ANY provider of programming that includes PBS. The D* deal is that they have to carry 3 PBS channels.
2. I doubt very seriously that any revenue sent to national PBS is going to make it back to the local stations. This is looking like PBS maybe is trying to starting moving away for the broadcast model. Which may be the start of the demise of the local PBS's.
3. So will we be seeing the CW's go up before long? I don't know about others but both areas that I have lived in that have this net it's a SD sub-channel. I mention MYTV here only in passing cause they need real programming before it's worth bandwidth (IMO).
4. Now it's nice to know all the channels we will be getting in addition to the Vooms. This way in a couple of months we will again have the better programming as well as the better HD DVR's.