DISH Network's Q1 wasn't anything to be proud of, and unfortunately for the satcaster, it seems that Q2 isn't much better. After suffering a 90% drop in subscriber growth during the first of the year, DISH's Q2 earnings report highlights an approximate loss of 25,000 net subscribers during the quarter ended June 30, 2008. Granted, it still has just south of 14 million customers hanging tight, so don't go crying over its misfortunes or anything. Furthermore, it still managed to increase total revenue by 5.6% (from $2.76 billion to $2.91 billion) year-over-year. The real question is what will happen in the second half of the year now that both it and DirecTV are clearly aiming to one-up each other at every possible turn. Ah, satellite drama.

Phew. Talk about a whirlwind of high-def announcements this week. No sooner did DirecTV trumpet its march to 130 HD channels did DISH Network hit back with a nice round 150 figure. Cablevision tried its best to garner some attention with a boastful press release to celebrate the big six-o, but it's clear who the two HD leaders in America are now (with Verizon breathing down their necks in a few 'hoods). That being said, are you finally getting the itch to throw caution to the wind and toss a dish upside your house? Are you really ready to say goodbye to those cable company bundle discounts? And if 130 / 150 isn't enough, what milestone will the satcasters have to reach before you cave?

[Image courtesy of WikiMedia]

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.

We already knew Key Digital had distribution of HDMI over Ethernet down pat, but now the firm is expanding its offerings with a few new Matrix Switching over CAT5 solutions. The KD-MSV8X8-CAT5 Bundle includes a KD-MSV8X8 Video Matrix Switcher (pictured), a KD-CAT5XRCA CAT5 video / audio balun and KD-CAT5PANEL rack mount for piping loads of HD content to various sources over tried and true CAT5 cabling. There's definitely a good bit more where this came from, so if you're scouting the full (and we mean full) release, head on past the break.

We know, a fair chunk of you are wondering why Stargate Atlantis: Season 1 turning up on Amazon in Blu-ray form is a big deal. Here's the skinny: the aforementioned program is a Sci-Fi original, and Sci-Fi just so happens to be owned by NBC Universal. Got all that? Now, let's flash back to just days ago -- Universal's HD DVD exclusivity contract expired and we heard through the grapevine that it was planning on following Warner (owned by Time Warner, which also owns Engadget's parent companies) to the Blu side of life. If you still haven't pieced this all together, this listing is just another crumb of mounting evidence that Universal could indeed be ditching HD DVD in the not-too-distant future, but until we hear anything official, we suppose we'll just have to pretend there's no rustling going on in the background.

[Thanks, Aaron H.]

Update: Turns out the series is owned by MGM / Sony, which clicks with Blu-ray. Our bad!

If you're inclined to go big and multi-room with audio and video, Sony has unveiled some distribution products for you at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference, with two sets of high-definition video distribution products -- one for new construction, and one using existing Cat5 cabling. The NHS-3040 rack system is for new homes, and combines various Sony products for a whole-house distribution network: a home theater, XM Radio tuner, Blu-ray player, 400-disc DVD changer, and 80GB music storage and management server, along with support for 13 different audio/video zones. The NHS-2040 model drops you down to six zones, while the NHS-1040 removes the changer as well. For existing wiring, Sony offers up the CAV-CVS12ES HD switching system, which uses a single Cat5e per zone to route your video into up to 12 zones, and supports eight 1080p-capable component inputs. The system supports IR and RS-232 control, and pairs up with Sony's CAV-M1000 line of audio distro systems. As long as you're wiring up your house anyway, why not throw in Sony's WS-ADP4 doorbell intercom adapter with electronic door release, so you don't have to bother the butler to open the door for you while you're both in the third-floor bedroom watching Desperate Housewives in HD.

Read - Sony NHS series distro system
Read - Sony CAV-CVS12ES Cat5e system
Read - WS-ADP4 doorbell intercom