Dircet Tv HDTV (1 Viewer)

[Mitcheizik]

I just got my HDTV and now subscribe to Direct tv HDTV. I just don't understand why they offer HBO,Showtime,and ESPN in HD yet they don't offer local channels that broadcast in HD. ( I do have an antenna, so I get local channels in HD)I know that the MSG Network shows Met games in HD yet even though I have a HD reciever why doesn't Directtv broadcast in HD. Is it having to pay fees to the networks? Technology? I thought I ask here first before I contaccted Directtv.

 

[Jesse Leonard]

It's all about the bandwidth. HD signals take up a HUGE amount of bandwidth and there is no way DirecTV can offer local channels in HD. They have to be very picky about what they offer in HD until they figure some way to wrangle more bandwidth out of their technology.

 

[Eric_Connelly]

DirecTV has about crapped on every customer they have by trading bandwidth for picture quality.

Most channels are such low bitrate that any low light scene is impossible to watch.

We watched the L Word tonight and its so crappy in SD, muddled and in low light whole area's show up as a single color with no detail.

 

[Stephen Tu]

It's mainly because in most markets, the local network affiliate only wants you to be able to receive their feed, with their local newscasts, commercials, and syndicated programming, rather than a feed from another city, which would mean they are no longer making money off of you. They have exclusive local distribution rights for the network. So DirecTV would have to send a different feed for each city, like they do with SD, and at HD data rates that eats up their current capacity too quickly. The exception right now is for CBS; if you live in a market where the local affiliate is "CBS O&O", owned & operated by CBS itself, they'll allow you to get a CBS-HD feed via satellite. Fox has a similar deal in place for Fox O&O stations when they start doing HD next season.

D* is working on the capacity problem though, and are going to try to offer HD locals over sat, at least in major markets, but that's a few years away.

 

[David S]

In Los Angeles, we receive HD CBS via Direct TV channel 81 and 82). As I also receive thru my OAA, I hardly have watched watches the DTV offering, however, in brief comparisons of the two, I liked the OAA better.