There's really no other way to say it: Where Is HD? is one of the -- if not
the -- most incredibly tool to date for folks yearning to see if they've made the best choice for an HD provider. Early last month, we laid out
the basics for you to digest, but the Where Is HD? website takes things one step further by enabling you to input your zip code and browse through the various providers available to you. Best of all, it not only includes cable and satellite carriers, but OTA options and fiber operators as well. Heck, there's even a percentage listing to tell you how much content on each channel is actually being aired in high-def. Eager to see what's readily available in your neck of the woods? Tag the read link below and eat your heart out.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Stew @ Mar 14th 2008 3:13PM
It says TBS HD is "100% HD", that is just wrong, I haven't seen any HD on it since they played Baseball games
andyg8180 @ Mar 14th 2008 4:15PM
that show 10 items or less is in HD... but i dont know many others that are... So you sir, are correct... or were both wrong lol
Big Sam @ Mar 14th 2008 3:22PM
It also says TNTHD is 100%. Stretch-o-vision does not make it HD!
Student Driver @ Mar 14th 2008 3:42PM
Right, but I wonder if it's based on what the signal is at the destination. If it's 720p or better, then it will probably get listed as "HD" even if the content wasn't shot or properly upscaled for it. Fox comes up as 480i most of the time, but then flips to 720p when HD content comes through, whereas the 100% HD channels probably keep the signal at its target size no matter how craptacular the content will turn out (see early road racing on SpeedHD for more examples).
kcmurphy88 @ Mar 14th 2008 4:02PM
Oh, stop. That's silly.
If we are talking about format ALL of DirecTV's "HD" channels are HD all the time. Matter of fact, since my box is set for 1080i only, ALL of their SD channels are 100% HD, too!
What matters is the CONTENT format, and TNT-HD and TBDS-HD are completely fraudulent when they mark their programming "HD".
I wonder why DirecTV lets those stations expose it to such an obvious class action suit. If Apple can be sued for only having 65,000 screen colors instead of 65,536 when they claimed "65K", then this ought to be a slam dunk.
Student Driver @ Mar 14th 2008 4:09PM
I didn't state that it was accurate or a great idea, but if the individual program "claims" to be in HD, and it's broadcast at an increased resolution, then that's probably how they calculated it. My TV upscales everything anyway, so to take your statement one step further EVERYTHING I see is "HD". However, the statements were "why is it showing as 100% when it isn't", and I bet it's calculated on the claim. The claim, sadly, is based on the resolution that's puked out and not by how well the content was transferred to it. This is a lot like the first HD DVD and Blu-Ray movies I saw with the horrible graining and blurring.
So, technically, the site is "correct" but a bit sad as well...
Bob @ Mar 14th 2008 3:43PM
It's wrong for my area code, there are channels missing from the time warner list, at the very least is DiscoveryHD.
Christian Wolff @ Mar 14th 2008 3:52PM
I think they list a lot of standard-def over-the-air DTV stations as HighDef.
BirdmanSTX @ Mar 14th 2008 4:41PM
"Please note that all channels listed may not actually carry HD programming, but are capable of doing so. These situations will show either 0% for the HD% or have a blank HD%. This is often the case with the 'Local Broadcast' listings."
bull3964 @ Mar 14th 2008 5:10PM
It is also incorrect for my zip code. They are claiming 25 HD stations from Comcast where I only have 21 stations. It has DSC HD, Scifi HD, TBS HD, and CNN HD listed for my zip and I do not have those stations.
Comcast lists those stations on their TVPlanner page, but that doesn't change the fact that they are unavailable on the real lineup when you log into your comcast account.
Craig Korinko @ Mar 14th 2008 6:49PM
Now I remember why I switched from Cox AZ to Dish Network. I was about to switch back since the cost for HD is definitely less with cable, but I see why - there's hardly any HD channels offered. The wife would need HGTV-HD and TLC-HD to care about a switch. Now I either threaten Dish that I'm moving to D* or tell D* to sweeten their deal to gain back a former customer. The HD channels that matter are common - but Dish does make it nice to have 2 receivers and up to 3 tv's connected. And I KNOW - only one of those tv's would get HD. My setup is 1 hdtv and 2 non-hdtv's anyway for now.
GhostDoggy @ Mar 15th 2008 9:06AM
To me, it doesn't matter how many HD channels one is currently receiving. What good does it to count a channel that has less then 25% content in HD? Its like asking me how many running shoes do I own even though I may have no plans to ever run.
Brenden @ Mar 15th 2008 11:13AM
What gets me is that they list out all those premium channels, and add them to the count. I want a list that only includes the standard level. Remove all those and the number that DirectTV has on Dish gets alot smaller.
Hooterman @ Mar 17th 2008 4:07PM
Yeah, and they would still have more channels. What's your point?
They don't make you buy those channels, but atleast they give you the option. You don't even get that option with Dish.