Ask Engadget HD: Does cable, satellite, or fiber provide more HD?
Particularly of late, cable television providers have been bullying each other on the air and proudly proclaiming superiority in the high-definition department. One would immediately assume that there's some black and white somewhere in this equation, but honestly, things are pretty gray. Hard though it may be to believe, there actually isn't a clear cut answer to this week's Ask Engadget HD question, which comes to us from the bewildered mind of Brian:
"I want an unbiased opinion, and more importantly, the facts. DISH Network is looking more and more like the leading HD provider with its weekly HD additions this past fall. However, now my local cable provider, Comcast, is running ads stating that it has More, More, More HD. My question is simple: who has more HD channels including and not including HD VOD?"
The inability to find a clear cut answer hasn't stopped us from forging ahead in the past, and it won't be slowing us down today, either. Ready to plunge deep into the increasingly murky waters of HD offerings? Join us after the jump as we take a critical look at high-def options from DirecTV, DISH Network, Verizon, AT&T and a slew of traditional cable operators in order to best address the above inquiry.
For starters, it should be pointed out that the primary reason this question is so hard to answer is that the proverbial playing field is far from equal. Cox's offerings in Kansas can be highly different from those beamed to Virginia. Comcast may feel like rolling out a regional sports channel in HD only in specific parts of the country. And if your cable company arbitrarily decides that a local broadcaster is asking too much to redistribute its HD OTA signal, you could be stuck with little choice but to wait for the drama to end.
In case you haven't already caught on, this issue is complicated by the lack of uniformity across providers and across a single provider's numerous markets. Still, the easiest two to line up mano a mano is DirecTV and DISH Network, which stand as the top two DBS providers for consumers in the United States (the country we'll be focusing this article on). We'll kick things off by investigating exactly what the former has to offer in terms of HD.
DirecTV
National HD Channels
- A&E HD
- Animal Planet HD
- Big Ten Network HD
- Biography Channel HD (bio.HD)
- Bravo HD
- Cartoon Network HD
- Cinemax HD East
- Cinemax HD West
- CMT HD
- CNBC HD
- CNN HD
- CSTV HD
- Discovery Channel HD
- ESPN HD
- ESPN2 HD
- Food Network HD
- FOX Business HD
- Fuel HD
- FX HD
- Golf Channel HD
- HBO HD East
- HBO HD West
- HD Theater
- HDNet
- HDNet Movies
- HGTV HD
- The History Channel HD
- MGM HD
- MTV HD
- MHD
- The Movie Channel HD
- National Geographic HD
- NBA TV HD
- NFL Network HD
- NHL Network HD
- Nickelodeon HD
- The Science Channel HD
- SciFi HD
- Showtime HD
- Showtime HD West
- ShoToo HD
- Smithsonian HD
- Speed HD
- Spike HD
- Starz Comedy HD
- Starz Edge HD
- Starz HD East
- Starz HD West
- Starz Kids & Family HD
- Tennis Channel HD
- TBS HD
- The 101
- TLC HD
- TNT HD
- Universal HD
- USA HD
- The Weather Channel HD
- Versus HD
- VH1 HD
- ABC HD
- CBS HD
- FOX HD
- NBC HD
- Altitude Sports & Entertainment HD
- Comcast SportsNet Chicago HD
- Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic HD
- Comcast SportsNet West
- Comcast SportsNet New England
- Fox Sports Net HD Arizona
- Fox Sports Net HD Bay Area
- Fox Sports Net HD Cincinnati
- Fox Sports Net HD Detroit
- Fox Sports Net HD Midwest
- Fox Sports Net HD New York
- Fox Sports Net HD North
- Fox Sports Net HD Northwest
- Fox Sports Net HD Ohio
- Fox Sports Net HD Pittsburgh
- Fox Sports Net HD Prime Ticket
- Fox Sports Net HD Rocky Mountain
- Fox Sports Net HD South
- Fox Sports Net HD Southwest
- Fox Sports Net HD West
- MSG HD
- NESN HD
- SNY HD
- SportsSouth
- Sun Sports
- YES Network HD
- MLB Extra Innings
- NFL Sunday Ticket
- NASCAR HotPass
- NCAA Mega March Madness
- NHL Center Ice
- NBA League Pass
- 15 HD pay-per-view channels
DISH Network
National HD Channels
- A&E HD
- Animal Planet HD
- Animania HD
- Big Ten Network HD
- Cinemax HD
- Discovery Channel HD
- Equator HD
- ESPN HD
- ESPN2 HD
- Family Room HD
- Film Fest HD
- Food Network HD
- Gallery HD
- GamePlay HD
- Golf Channel / Versus HD
- HBO HD
- HD Theater
- HDNet
- HDNet Movies
- HDNews
- HGTV HD
- The History Channel HD
- Kung Fu HD
- MHD
- Monsters HD
- National Geographic HD
- NBA TV HD
- NFL Network HD
- NHL Network HD
- Rave HD
- Rush HD
- The Science Channel HD
- Showtime HD
- Starz HD
- TBS HD
- TLC HD
- TNT HD
- Treasure HD
- Ultra HD
- Universal HD
- World Cinema HD
- WorldSport HD
- ABC HD
- CBS HD
- FOX HD
- NBC HD
- Altitude HD
- Comcast SportsNet Chicago
- Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic
- Comcast SportsNet West
- Fox Sports Network Prime Ticket
- Fox Sports Network Rocky Mountain
- Fox Sports Network Arizona
- Fox Sports Network Southwest
- Fox Sports Network West
- Fox Sports Network Midwest
- Fox Sports Network South
- Fox Sports Network Florida
- Fox Sports Network Ohio
- Fox Sports Network Northwest
- Fox Sports Network Cincinnati
- Fox Sports Network Pittsburgh
- Fox Sports Network Detroit
- SportsTime Ohio
- SportsSouth
- SportsNet New York
- Sun Sports
- Fox Sports Network North
- Sun Sports
- NBA League Pass
- NHL Center Ice
- 5 HD pay-per-view channels
Moving on, we're taking a glance at the two largest fiber providers on US soil: AT&T and Verizon. It should be noted that many U-verse users have been frustrated by the inability to receive more than a single HD channel at a time, but alas, a scant 13 states even have access to FiOS TV. It's glaringly apparent that both of these services are still in their infancy, and as they expand their reach to more of the nation, we've all ideas the competitors will start feeling the pinch even more.
AT&T's U-verse
- HBO East HD
- HBO West HD
- Cinemax East HD
- Cinemax West HD
- Starz HD
- Starz West HD
- Showtime HD
- Showtime West HD
- The Movie Channel HD
- A&E HD
- ABC HD
- CBS HD
- Big Ten Network HD
- ESPN HD
- ESPN2 HD
- Food Network HD
- FOX HD
- Fox Sports Network Midwest HD
- Fox Sports Network North HD
- Fox Sports Network Southwest HD
- Fox Sports Network West HD
- HDNet
- HDNet Movies
- HD Theater
- HGTV HD
- The History Channel HD
- Lifetime Movie Network HD
- MHD
- TBS HD
- TNT HD
- Universal HD
- WealthTV HD
- YES HD
- Animal Planet HD
- CNN HD
- Discovery Channel HD
- Golf Channel HD
- Science Channel HD
- TLC HD
Verizon's FiOS TV
- TNT HD
- NFL Network HD
- HDNet
- HDNet Movies
- Universal HD
- HD Theater
- WealthTV HD
- National Geographic HD
- MHD
- Food Network HD
- HGTV HD
- A&E HD
- Lifetime Movie Network HD
- Discovery HD
- ESPN HD
- ESPN2 HD
- HBO HD
- Cinemax HD
- Showtime HD
- The Movie Channel HD
- Starz HD
Cable companies
From here, things get a whole lot less simple. Outside of satellite and fiber, the only other mainstream option for American boys and girls is tried and true cable. Unlike the previous two mediums, this particular one is home to a plethora of rivals including Bright House Networks, Cox Communications, Mediacom, Time Warner Cable (Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family), Comcast, Wide Open West, RCN, SuddenLink and Charter -- and we're just getting warmed up. Without getting into the nuts and bolts of why each carrier can (and often does) offer up a different set of HD options across different markets, you can rest assured that what one cable company offers in your town is probably vastly different than what's offered by the same carrier 2,000 miles away. This little predicament, as you can easily surmise, makes it practically impossible to select an undisputed HD champion out of the bunch on a national level. Sure, we've heard all sorts of lofty promises from these guys, but just because one provider makes good and offers up an HD newcomer in one locale doesn't mean that you'll be seeing it anytime soon.
Conclusion
The long and short of "who has the most HD?" is this: it's probably DirecTV (as of right this moment, that is), but until you call up your local cable provider and DTV, it's impossible to say for certain. Beyond that, we'd also like to offer up this tidbit -- the aforementioned question is probably the wrong question to ask yourself. After all, what good are 100 HD channels if the ones you crave aren't included? This is most clearly illustrated when scouting out HD locals; it's rather hard for an HD junkie to bite on a satellite carrier when neither offer local networks in HD and their domicile is too far away to receive those stations free over the air. In this case, one may be better suited with the resident cable carrier who offers fewer high-definition channels but a higher percentage of stations they look forward to watching. Additionally, one should consider all the extras -- HD VOD, subscription packages (i.e. MLB Extra Innings), HD pay-per-view options, etc. -- before blindly picking a carrier based on how deep its lineup is.
In case you've still not pieced it together, there are simply too many variables to safely say that one provider is right for every fan of HD. Unfortunate though it may be, making the best choice for your viewing habits requires a good bit of research on your end as you scope out all available options and weed out those that simply don't make your cut. Hopefully, a good bit of that homework has been completed for you here, but feel free to shout out any first-hand experiences that you feel could help millions of others make a better choice when choosing their HD provider. We're lookin' to you to spill the beans on picture quality, customer service, uptime, perceived value -- the down and dirty details that can only be found by interrogating others.
Data gathered for this article was current at time of publishing and is subject to change. Please reference the links within for the most up-to-date listings and features from each individual carrier.
Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Julian Nam @ Feb 6th 2008 12:28PM
I'm actually very grateful to Directv for all the efforts they put in for HD. Over 90% of the shows I watch are now in HD. Plus, I love that they work with the customers through DBSTalk.com Forums. They have made numerous feature enhacements on their DVRs from the feedback given by the customers. 2 thumbs up.
Student Driver @ Feb 6th 2008 12:39PM
DTV FTW. I left Dish Network for DTV a couple of weeks ago when my Samsung 4671 HDTV came in, and I love it. Dish didn't have Nick HD, Speed HD, Versus HD, and a couple of other channels along with locals in HD. This, along with the lower cost up front AND monthly to switch to DTV than to keep Dish and get an HD DVR made the choice easy.
joel Corral @ Feb 6th 2008 1:22PM
ok great but who has the best quality, who is running the highest bitrate of mpeg4? Cable? uverse? DTV? Dish? Fioz? can we get a real comparison in terms of quality not quanity? cuz i'd rather have less channels and a high bitrare then a gazillion hd channels and a crappy bitrate?
Shape @ Feb 6th 2008 1:59PM
The new MPEG4 channels on DirecTV look phenomenal. Stargate Atlantis on SciFi HD on DirecTV is some of the best broadcast HD I have EVER SEEN! Absolutely gorgeous. Zero macro blocking. Amazing color.
I have some pictures here:
http://flickr.com/photos/shapegsx/page2/
Jeff @ Feb 7th 2008 7:48AM
The problem is no network (that I know of) is actually broadcasting in MPEG-4, so all of those channels are being recompressed somewhere down the line. You'd do better with an unmolested OTA MPEG-2 signal, which is as pure as it gets.
Some of the cable companies - and I don't know which ones at this point - pass the original unmolested MPEG-2 stream as well on both the local networks that broadcast OTA and the cable channels.
I'm sure DTV's MPEG-4 channels look better than what most DTV customers are used to, because DTV's HDTV used to be the absolute worst out there. But it doesn't seem like it would be possible for it to be *better* than the original ATSC signal that's being broadcast.
DTV's switch to MPEG-4 was for bandwidth reasons, not picture quality reasons. If they really cared about picture quality, they'd just go full-res, full-bandwidth MPEG-2 with no recompression.
Jeremy W @ Feb 7th 2008 8:08AM
Jeff,
Some of the newest channels actualy are broadcasting in MPEG4. The ones I know for a fact are Smithsonian HD and all of the Starz HD channels. HBO is also going to be switching their entire lineup to MPEG4 this year. It's the future, and the satellite companies are embracing it.
Andrew @ Feb 7th 2008 8:28AM
Agreed with first poster. I was an early adopter of DirecTV (I want to say '96?) as well as HD ('99) and haven't looked back. Although I remember when the only channels were HDNET and HBO, I appreciate almost every channel they've added to their lineup.
r00 @ Feb 7th 2008 9:10PM
@Shape..
Your pictures don't convey how great your TV resolution OR the signal is.. Your largest picture size is 1024x685 or something like that, while the signal itself could be 720p or 1080p.
kcmurphy88 @ Feb 6th 2008 12:30PM
Another complicating factor is that many new "HD" channels have more HD in their name than on the air. Some, like TNT, have mostly pretend-HD where they take SD and upconvert, crop, and stretch it to fill a 16x9 screen. TNT goes so far as to mark all its content as HD in program listings, when nearly none of it is.
And they are hardly the only offender. Most of the newer HD channels are just placeholders.
bellefleur @ Feb 6th 2008 12:35PM
Granted, it is annoying when the stretch 4:3 to 16:9, but id much rather watch the upconverted "HD" channels than the overcompressed mush that makes up what is considered a SD "digital" channel on Dish DTV or cable.
computer.dude.28 @ Feb 7th 2008 9:47AM
I'm not sure which, but there are also a few who don't even stretch or convert, but simply letterbox the SDTV on HD channels.
jjd+engadgethd @ Feb 7th 2008 11:27AM
I absolutely HATE it when networks stretch 4:3 content to 16:9 for the illusion of HD. There is no way (at least on my equipment) to fix this lossage and squish it back down to 4:3.
If networks keep doing this (I hate you TNT), hardware providers are going to have to start adding a new feature that is the opposite of "horizontal expand" to squish the content back so that people have round heads again.
Stop it, TNT!
kcmurphy88 @ Feb 7th 2008 11:55AM
Actually, many TVs have just such a feature.
Sonys, for example, have long had 4 modes: two zoom modes, a "full" mode for normal 16x9 HD and 4x3 that is sent with pillarbars, and a "normal" mode that squashes the picture down to 4x3. This is not only useful for most stretch-mode broadcasters like A&E (but useless for TNT which is uncorrectable), but also for many DVD players which don't add pillarbars to 4x3 TV show discs.
Sony calls it "normal" mode. Others call it "narrow" or other things. It is usually possible, when hunting for a new TV, to check out the manual online. This mode (along with a zoom mode for fixing windowboxing (pillarboxing something previously letterboxed for 4x3))) would be something I'd check for.
looseinthedeuce @ Feb 7th 2008 12:46PM
@kcmurphy88
No, the "normal" mode on Sony TVs is only active when the picture has 480 lines. If the TV is getting a 720p or 1080i signal, there is no way to compress it back down. This is what I've seen on other manufacturers as well.
The additional problem to UN-stretching the picture, is that some "HD" networks (I believe TNT is guilty of this) don't expand the 4:3 picture linearly. (Notice when the video pans that it looks like you're looking through a lens; it's more stretched on the sides.) So the TV would have to not only squeeze down the pre-stretched picture, but there would have to be a non-linear "un-zoom" function as well.
kcmurphy88 @ Feb 7th 2008 3:22PM
"No, the "normal" mode on Sony TVs is only active when the picture has 480 lines. "
Well, heck I must be doing it wrong then, because it works for me in any mode whatsoever on my Sony A2000. According to every Sony manual I've seen, "normal" works in all input resolutions on any Sony HDTV made in the last few years.
It used to be that TVs couldn't adjust HDTV images, but that ended for quality sets about the same time HDMI came in. A few makers still cheap out and limit this, but any set sold today either can reformat HDTV signals or it is utter junk. IMHO.
h0mi @ Feb 6th 2008 12:43PM
Didn't direct TV have a reputation of being "HD Lite"? I wasnt sure of what the reasoning was behind that.
JustaNobody @ Feb 6th 2008 12:54PM
HDlite = lower resolution. Directv through their compression system, lowers a 1920 x 1080i resolution to 1280 x 720i or something similar to that. People complain because you get more pixelation etc etc.
Steve @ Feb 6th 2008 12:59PM
Read here for more information
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=114216
Galley @ Feb 6th 2008 1:54PM
There is no more "HD Lite" on MPEG-4 channels. Here's a great list of what exactly you are getting.
http://www.digitalcaffeine.com/directv/hd/
Big Sam @ Feb 6th 2008 2:01PM
"HD Lite" still looks better than the HD channels I was getting on TW. I was surprised that I immediately noticed a difference when I switched.
courtenay27 @ Feb 6th 2008 12:55PM
Sorry for this off-topic post but I've been curious about this for a while. Why do you always put the "Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family" whenever TW is mentioned, even if it's just in a passing comment? Thanks!
Big Wizz @ Feb 6th 2008 2:33PM
Yes, they do. And they should, just like any other *responsible* journalistic site.
shawn.bradford @ Feb 6th 2008 12:57PM
Here in Seattle, Comcast says that they have the most HD channels of any provider. They dont provide the HD channels people want though, they include ANY HD on demand program as a "channel". I find this offensive...where are all the normal HD channels, like Sci-Fi, Animal Planet, Food Network..etc? Comcast does not carry them for sure.....
Gordon Werner @ Feb 6th 2008 4:16PM
I too dislike the fact that they consider each VOD HD program as a separate channel. It is complete BS and they get away with it.
Kinney @ Feb 6th 2008 5:27PM
And wtf happened to Comcast's HBO HD on Demand and Cinemax HD on Demand? Vanished!
spyder91 @ Feb 7th 2008 11:02AM
Example of why they couldn't compare the cable companies in the post... I have Sci-Fi and the Food Network in HD in Pittsburgh. No Animal Planet HD though.
Ed @ Feb 6th 2008 12:59PM
"what one cable company offers in your town is probably vastly different than what's offered by the same carrier 2,000 miles away."
Actually it's much worse than that due to the many acquisitions along the way. Around here, what you get in one area is different than what you may get 10 miles away. Many of the discussions on the local HD forums typically have the phrase "in the traditional area..."
Andy @ Feb 6th 2008 12:59PM
I have comcast and I get these channels:
ESPN HD
MOJO HD
History Channel HD
TLC HD
Sci-Fi HD
HGTV HD
Food Channel HD
ABC HD
NBC HD
CBS HD
FOX HD
PBS HD
CW HD
Golf HD
CSN HD
ESPN2 HD
TNT HD
Discovery HD Theater
National Geographic HD
Universal HD
A&E HD
MHD
CNN HD
Discovery Channel HD
TBS HD
USA HD
Then there is a bunch of on demand HD content as well as a bunch of pay per view HD content. There are also some movie channels I don't subscribe to like HBO HD, Showtime HD, Cinemax HD, Starz HD and other HD channels I don't subscribe to as well.
bitbucket @ Feb 6th 2008 1:01PM
Just got Dish Network about six months ago. For me it was their DVR that made the decision. All the HD channels in the world make no difference to me if I have to watch them live. Next to HD Tivo, Dish has the best HD DVR out there.
Jeremy W @ Feb 7th 2008 8:12AM
That is a highly subjective opinion. While Dish's DVR has it's strong points, I find DirecTV's HR20/21 DVR to be the best overall DVR out there, including Tivo.
Cody @ Feb 7th 2008 9:24AM
DirecTV is doing a major upgrade of their HD-DVR's this year. I don't know everything that entails other than easy transfers over to a computer. It's possible, and take this with a grain of salt from what little I now of them, that you can connect wirelessly to the DVR and control it from a PC.
I'm hoping they officially announce it soon rather than floating rumors around.
As far as the topic at hand, I'm a little biased because my wife works for DirecTV. However, we had DirecTV before she started and I'd never switch to another service even if she didn't work there (I certainly wouldn't switch now, free is the best price you can pay for the service!). My parents have Dish Network and we have Dish at work. It just doesn't offer the same quality and quantity that DirecTV has.
And we have cable internet and after all the stuff I've had to go through with them, there is no way I'll add their TV service.
eric @ Feb 6th 2008 1:02PM
comcast's "more HD than anyone" is bullcrap because they offer over 200 "programs" at once... that is basically one for every HD channel and one for every HD VOD... but then again free on demand movies are fun because you don't need a dvr and you can start a movie when you want when you are bored.
Reggie @ Feb 6th 2008 1:37PM
It's clear D* has more - and with the launch of D-11 sat in the next month will have more capacity than Cable is capable of providing - it just does not have the bandwidth with its existing equipment (and any upgrades will cost tons of $$$$ and require a long roll out)
I've been enjoying D* HD channels now and I was glad I stayed with them as they were definitely way behind the curve last year.
don @ Feb 6th 2008 1:51PM
I had DISH HD and hated it. Their customer service is the worse and they ripped me when it came to return the DVR and HD tuner never sending the return boxes for over a year and charging my Amex a i had to dispute themf ro the charge. I have had Direct Tv and Cox Cable both over priced. Cox has poor HD
mntwister @ Feb 6th 2008 1:55PM
I had both Directv and Dish and I can tell you that Dish quality outdid the Directv picture and sound quality. Dish actually does not downscale as much as Directv does. See Sat.guys web site for chart, resolution for HD is lower on Directv. Dish will soon catch up to Directv as well, and has promised to add 50 more hd local markets this year, with 3 new sats. I am going to get rid of Directv...and one of the reasons is that the DISH dvr is so awesome compared to Direct's.
Shape @ Feb 6th 2008 2:04PM
You are using old data. DirecTV isn't doing this with their MPEG 4 channels. The new MPEG4 HD stuff is gorgeous.
Student Driver @ Feb 6th 2008 4:21PM
@Shape
+1 The MPEG 4 stuff is amazing; very, very clear. In addition, the DVR is putting out 720p and 1080i depending on the channel, and my TV reflects the changes correctly. NBC is fantastic at 1080i, along with a whole bunch of other cable channels and premium ones (I recorded Underworld: Evolution the day I DTV installed and it's fantastic at 1080i). Speed HD, on the other hand, seems to have that whole "crop and upscale" thing going. I am under the impression that when NASCAR starts up they will go full HD (real 720p or 1080i, I don't know which) so hopefully that means the road racing stuff will get the same equipment since they are usually at the same venues.
Shape @ Feb 6th 2008 2:07PM
As far as I'm concerned, the Voom channels on Dish should be listed separately so as not to artificially up the total on Dish's side. I mean, is anyone really interested in "Monsters HD" or "Rave HD?"
For channels that people actually want to watch, DirecTV is FAR out in front of any other provider.
1p5v @ Feb 6th 2008 2:16PM
Also far out in front of any other provider in the COMPRESSING-THE-HELL-OUT-OF-THEIR-HD rankings. It's like people want this as some sort of ego boost. "HEY MAN, I HAVE MORE HD CHANNELS THAN YOU, MY HD-PENIS IS 3" LONGER AS A RESULT." But all the while, what they're watching is NOT true HD. Not that any of these are, but almost anyone is closer to real HD than DirecTV. Go to a Blonder-Tongue seminar, or any equipment provider that actually sells the equipment this stuff rides on, they'll tell you. It's compressed to hell.
Yes, I know it looks better than what you've got, but it's not the real thing, and people have just rolled over and accepted this, instead of saying, "Wait a second, I'm not getting the real deal here."
Shape @ Feb 6th 2008 2:21PM
Yes, the few MPEG2 HD channels that DirecTV still has are "HD-lite." Their new MPEG4 HD channels, which are the majority of the HD that they carry are not lower resolution. They are full resolution and gorgeous.
Data from before DirecTV launched their new HD lineup last fall, which is what you are quoting, is really no longer relevant.
Shape @ Feb 6th 2008 3:17PM
One more thing, DirecTV's new MPEG 4 channels like SciFi or Discovery HD actually looks MUCH better than the HD that I get over the air from my local TV stations. I have a Channel Master 4228 antenna that I use for OTA, and the SciFi channel HD picture quality blows away any show I have seen using ATSC. It really is that good. ATSC has frequent macroblocking issues when there are fast changes on screen (strobe lights are a big culprit) or huge amounts of detail like the blades of grass on a football field.
ATSC is MPEG2 at up to 19Mbps. DirecTV's MPEG4 is better at whatever bit rate they are delivering. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell what the mpeg4 bitrate is, currently. All I know is that it looks a hell of a lot better.
plank @ Feb 7th 2008 2:40PM
RaveHD is one of the best HD channels offered period. The sound is awsome (all Dolby) as well as the picture. And the type of music is amazing as well.
plozen @ Feb 6th 2008 2:08PM
I actually tallied this up last night. I'm on Comcast in Michigan and we have 29 basically available HD channels (no premium, sports tier, on demand, etc.), 20 if you remove broadcast locals.
When I took the lists above and pared them down, removing sports tier packages (nfl network, etc.) as well as locals and regional players, here's the breakdown:
Direct TV - 43
Dish Network - 34
U Verse - 22
Comcast - 20
Fios - 15
I've posted the full breakdown on my site: http://philsplace.wordpress.com/
Shape @ Feb 6th 2008 2:26PM
16 of those Dish channels are Voom channels.
Further breakdown here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=419472
The Voom stations basically show recycled TV show and older movie content.
Kevin Hunt @ Feb 7th 2008 1:08AM
NFL Network HD on FiOS comes with the basic package, not the sports package. I've also heard that picture quality is much better than the satellite providers.
Jeremy W @ Feb 7th 2008 8:19AM
It's also important to note that with DirecTV, a lot of the sports channels are in the base package. NFL HD, NHL HD, Tennis HD, etc... do not require a sports tier subscription. Off the top of my head, the only "dedicated sport" channel that requires a separate subscription is NBA TV, although the HD channel is actually free for this season.
Chris @ Feb 7th 2008 10:14AM
I'm sad that I have time warner and don't get NFL network in hd. I'll be switching to fios when it becomes available
plozen @ Feb 7th 2008 11:00AM
According to the Direct TV site, the base HD plan gets you 44 HD channels at no additional cost. While it does, however, include Tennis Channel, NFL Network and the Big Ten Network, it doesn't really change the number much from my original count.
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/moreInfoOffer.jsp?productId=prod920046
pbailey83 @ Feb 6th 2008 2:19PM
Since I'm currently using Windows Vista Home Premium with Windows Media Center and two Xbox 360s as extenders. I see I have two choices. Purchase a new computer system that supports Cablecard or wait and see if DirecTV releases the HDPC20 for us individuals that build our own PCs.
I'm currently paying Medicom $49.95 per month for analog cable (channels 2-79) and $49.95 per month for 8MB broadband cable modem service. With no premium channels at all.
nickehughes @ Feb 6th 2008 2:34PM
Why not actually spend some time adding some key information such as; The price per HD channel, bit rates, total streams, a list of all HD channels and who has them. I think this article could have provided much more info than what could have been found on 4 providers web pages, sorry engadget, but you might actually have to work at work.