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Ask Engadget HD: Is switching from cable to satellite worth it?


As if it wasn't apparent enough from our breakdown of HD carriers earlier this year, the two satcasters here in the US have a dominant lead in HD offerings. Still, the abundance of high-def material comes at a cost, and it's a price many are hesitant to pay for fear of stepping too far out of their comfort zone. According to Sam:

"Now that DirecTV is almost at 100 national HD channels, I'm this close to cutting my cable off and making the switch. However, I'm terrified of hidden installation costs (fishing cables, etc.), punching all sorts of new holes in my home, locking myself into a contract and having to pay a non-discounted rate to keep my cable internet around without bundled HD service. There seems to be so many drawbacks to getting a dish -- is it really worth it?"

We have no doubts that many of you have indeed pulled the trigger in a similar situation, and we're equally sure that a large chunk of you have decided to play it safe and stick with fewer HD channels (and fewer battle scars on your siding). We can definitely see this one getting heated, but make sure you speak your mind on the matter in comments below.

[Image courtesy of Flickr]

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.

Poll: What medium delivers your HDTV programming?


After examining which carrier actually offered up the most HD programming regardless of price and investigating whether you were actually satisfied with your level of service, we began to wonder what the split was on mediums. If we had to guess, we'd say cable will likely rule the roost, but particularly among HD junkies, satellite is looking more attractive all the time. So, what kind of provider dishes out your HD content? You know the drill, toss in your answer below.

What medium delivers your HDTV programming?

The writers strike is in full effect

WGA StrikeIn case you haven't noticed, most of the best HD shows are in reruns. December is usually a month of reruns, but we've already seen an alternative season finale to Heroes, and in January when we'd normally expect to see our favorite shows come back, you can expect to see more reruns and more reality TV. There are some of our favorites that have some episodes left, like eight episodes of Lost, nine episodes of Medium, ten episodes of Battlestar Galatica, and seven episodes of Jerico. But others like the Office, Heroes, and Big Bang Theory are already out. Hopefully, the writers will get compensation for downloads before the remaining shows run out, and if not at least we'll have more time to watch all those HD DVD and Blu-ray discs.

[Via ZatzNotFunny]

The writers' strike effect on HD programming

LostThe ability for a group to go on strike is a fundamental right in American, and while we don't really understand what the problem is -- we'd assume the writers want more money -- we do know we're going to miss out on some HD programming. The first shows to feel the pinch are the live shows like Leno and SNL, next up is the scripted shows which mostly seem to have about 9 episodes under their belt. Luckily some HD programming is resilient like sports and reality TV -- not that there's much HD. At this point it's hard to know how long the strike will last, but if it lasts more than a few months, at least we'll finally be able to catch up on all those HD movies we've been meaning to watch. Here's a short list of our favorite shows that will go into reruns if this thing doesn't end before too long.

Heroes - Seasons will end early on Dec 3rd
Lost - Expected to have eight out of 16 episodes ready.
Medium - Will have 9 of 22 episodes completed.
Battlestar Galactica - Has 10 hours of episodes, plus a two hour movie to air this Fall.

HDTV Listings for November 15, 2006

What we're watching: Tonight we find out who is the winner of this season's HD Dancing With The Stars, Emmitt Smith or Mario Lopez. The tension around the Engadget HD headquarters is palpable. If that weren't enough, we've got two different two hour season premieres lined up. Day Break, starring Taye Diggs, is a Groundhog's Day-style show about a man forced to live the same day over and over again. Medium returns with its own two hour block on NBC.

Our traditional high-def listings continue below.





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