DIRECTV still beating Dish Network and cable in HD, 30+ new channels in August
Satellite companies and cable alike have been fighting the HD battle for a long time now. One company claims to be the so called “leader in HD” until another one introduces a few more channels to take the title for a while. DIRECTV may be able to stake the claim once again with the introduction of yet another 30+ HD channels launching in mid-August.
According to DIRECTV, the new HD channel launches should take place on August 14th, and bring the total number of national HD channels to 130. Also announced was that DIRECTV will also transmit all of its HD programming in the MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding standard by the end of this month. So far, it’s the first to do so in the industry. All HD programming will also be available in the Dolby Digital audio format, and later this year, DIRECTV will begin offering movies in 1080p, which is the highest resolution format available for HD video these days, and the same format used by Blu-Ray HD DVDs.
If you keep up, some of the new HD channels that DIRECTV will launch next month are Showtime Extreme HD, Showtime Showcase HD, Planet Green HD, ABC Family HD, additional HD pay-per-view channels and an additional 23 Regional Sports Networks that broadcast in HD 24 hours a day.
The new additions are due in large part with the recent launch of the DIRECTV “11″ satellite that joined the fleet in the sky a few months back. Next year, the company plans on launching the “12″ satellite to become capable of delivering 200 national HD channels and 1,500 local HD and digital channels in addition to new advanced programming services.
You may remember Dish Network’s failed attempt of launching an HD-capable satellite earlier in the year, which delayed Dish’s plans to introduce its next allotment of HD channels and further distanced itself with DIRECTV, who remains the number one satellite provider in the US.
It’s always surprised me that HD channels haven’t been coming down the pipes quicker than they have. With satellite being nationwide and not bound to certain markets, you would think HD channel owners would want a partnership as quickly as possible to get their digital channels in as many homes as possible. If it were me I would focus on distribution to satellite companies before I ever started inking deals with cable companies. With the digital switch coming at us hot and heavy, you would think nearly every channel would be broadcast in HD. Sadly, we’ve got a long way to go before this becomes a reality, but DIRECTV seems to be ahead of the pack.
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