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Okay , I pay my bill too, When do we see a new SD channel?

6K views 71 replies 57 participants last post by  AlanSaysYo 
#1 ·
so you guys all got a bunch of HD channels, Great for you.

But when is it our turn? you know the 14 million of us who DON'T HAVE HD?

when do we get some new channels as well? :nono: :eek2: :confused: :scratch:

we are all paying our bills, :money: give us something to smile about:hurah:

okay enough with the goofy little symbols.

just give us something as we have been holding our breaths for like three years..if not more.
 
#28 ·
BillyBob_jcv said:
I think what has really driven HD is the desire to have large screens. We want the large screen, but after we hook it up to SD we are disappointed with the cr@ppy picture - so then we end up with HD. I suspect that if SD looked "good enough" on a 60" screen, there would be far less push for HD.
I have a very small house and we only have a 32" in the living room. You know you can get the 20" for around $300--they'll get cheaper soon. I'm sure this Christmas will be a big HDTV year.
 
#29 ·
scotte992 said:
Some people cant afford it. Like my sister. she is on disability and has limited income. she would love to have a HDTV. Are you going to buy it for her? I didnt think so
Do some exploring. I have what is arguably one of the better HDtvs ever made, the Sony 34" CRT. It sold originally for around $1500. I paid $549, with free delivery, from Circuit City. The last time it was advertised on the CC website (a few weeks ago) it was $399. You won't find it advertised anymore but there are display models available in many CC stores, Sears stores and Frys on the west coast. Most should have it for under $500.

Yes, it's a CRT. Yes, it's a monster at 200 pounds. But, it has a picture that will rival $2000 LCDs, a 2-year on-site warranty and it's a Sony. Delivery is typically free or at most $50.

No one, except videophiles, wants CRTs these days. That's good for someone looking for a cheap HDtv. WalMart may still have some Philips brand HD CRTs. They tend to run in the $300 range for 32".

If she insists on LCD, wait for Black Friday after Thanksgiving. If you're willing to stand in line you'll likely be able to buy a 32" or so for $350. That was the going rate last Black Friday (an Emprex model at Home Depot and Frys). This year could see a larger screen and/or a lower price. Currently, Sams Club has the Vizio 32" LCD (which gets very good reviews) for $597. The Emprex HD3202 (32" LCD) was on sale at Frys last month for $397.

Tell your sister to check daily at:

www.dealnews.com
www.slickdeals.net click on "Forums", then on "Hot Deals"
www.fatwallet.com click on "See more hot deals"

She will never miss another bargain again!
 
#30 ·
SubSolar said:
Join the 21st century and buy an HD television.
Believe me it is well worth it. When I came to the Forum I thought what is the big deal about HD :confused: The good people here said check it out so I did :) It is great :sunsmile:
Also I saw the "writing on the wall" and realized if I didn't go HD there would be next to no posting I could do here ;)
 
#31 ·
Upstream said:
Actually that is a good reason to wait.

If you don't need to replace an existing TV and you are satisfied with what you have now (even though you may not know what you are missing), there is no compelling reason to replace a good SD with HD.

Especially since waiting a 8 months will provide you with improved technology at a lower price.
You can use that exact same argument in 8 months. Sure, if you don't want to buy it now, don't. But to wait because it's gonna cheaper later is a bit short sighted. You've still lost out on the time in between.

Some folks will not have a desire for HD at all. Those are the folks that should just wait until they're current TV dies. No need to really bring $$ into in that situation because even $100 is probably too much.
 
#32 ·
Well, I'm in the middle. I don't have an everyday HDTV, but I do have an HD projector in the Home Theater. We have an HR20 there, but only use it occasionally: I think there's 4 shows we record there and I watch sports on it on the weekend when I get the chance.

Our living room TV is about 7 years old, but puts out a fabulous picture. For those that say "people that haven't upgraded to HD, haven't seen HD", that's false. I've seen HD and while it looks better than SD, it's not a huge difference, especially when considering that we still watch a lot of SD that looks like crap on an HDTV.

So, I plan on upgrading our living room TV within the next 6 months, but I'm not in a great hurry. I can certainly understand why some don't. If it wasn't for the fact that our 46" living room TV is too small (we sit 13' away), I probably wouldn't upgrade for another year or two. However, I want a 70" TV in there, so might as well go HD.

But back to the OP's point, I can't think of any other stations I'd like to get, especially when I don't even watch most of the new HD stations (I only have 4 of them in my custom list and other than FX, I don't see watching any of the upcoming ones either). I'm happy with what I've got.
 
#33 ·
Bob Coxner said:
Do some exploring. I have what is arguably one of the better HDtvs ever made, the Sony 34" CRT. It sold originally for around $1500. I paid $549, with free delivery, from Circuit City. The last time it was advertised on the CC website (a few weeks ago) it was $399. You won't find it advertised anymore but there are display models available in many CC stores, Sears stores and Frys on the west coast. Most should have it for under $500.

Yes, it's a CRT. Yes, it's a monster at 200 pounds. But, it has a picture that will rival $2000 LCDs, a 2-year on-site warranty and it's a Sony. Delivery is typically free or at most $50.

No one, except videophiles, wants CRTs these days. That's good for someone looking for a cheap HDtv. WalMart may still have some Philips brand HD CRTs. They tend to run in the $300 range for 32".

If she insists on LCD, wait for Black Friday after Thanksgiving. If you're willing to stand in line you'll likely be able to buy a 32" or so for $350. That was the going rate last Black Friday (an Emprex model at Home Depot and Frys). This year could see a larger screen and/or a lower price. Currently, Sams Club has the Vizio 32" LCD (which gets very good reviews) for $597. The Emprex HD3202 (32" LCD) was on sale at Frys last month for $397.

Tell your sister to check daily at:

www.dealnews.com
www.slickdeals.net click on "Forums", then on "Hot Deals"
www.fatwallet.com click on "See more hot deals"

She will never miss another bargain again!
The CRTS are becoming extinct but yours and mine have the best hd picture quality and they look better in sd than LCDs infact professionals are looking for these sets because they have a proper black picture. Pansonic Tau 34 inch 1080i
 
#34 ·
I don't know that an increased commitment to SD is really in the future for DIRECTV, just because a lot of the new content is going to be HD. DIRECTV already has a much better SD selection than cable.
 
#36 ·
I wonder how many SD channels are still out there (in English) for them to add, anyway.

As others have posted, you can always view the HD only channels, via the HR20, on any TV with an S-Video or Composite video input.
 
#39 ·
But, back to the topic at hand -

Even tho I made a wisecrack earlier, I am sympathetic to those who are loyal subscribers and for whatever reason, just don't have a HDTV.

Technology marches on, and eventually certain equipment becomes outdated, and then obsolete. Take for example, analog TV sets that use OTA reception. Sure, at this point they're a small minority, but when the switch is flipped, those people just won't get TV unless they hook up with a digital cable or sat provider, or add a convertor.

So I don't expect any new channels being created in SD only. D* provides just about every channel there is, and they may add what's already out there. But brand new channels, such as MGM, etc, are being created for HD only and there won't be an SD counterpart.

But all the current SD channels - locals, premiums, news, sports, etc - won't be going away any time soon either.

The good news about HD TV's tho - is the 1080i broadcast spec is settling into the standard. Even tho they are working on higher rez formats, it will be a long time until those come into play. The prices will drop even further and the equipment will not become outdated for a long time. When did we first start hearing about HD anyway - the 70s? And it's taken this long to bring it to the mainstream.
 
#40 ·
For a stock based company, the point of rolling out a new product is to increase sales.

Imagine the headline if your dream came true:

DIRECTV Announces 50 New Standard Definition Channels!

The stock would plummet. Sales would evaporate. Customers would flee.

Propects would realize DIRECTV is going the wrong way and run.

Now on the other hand, this headline would have the opposite effect:

DIRECTV Announces 50 New HD Channels!

The stock will skyrocket. The call center phones would ring off the wall. Rentention would be the best ever.

Hmmm...

Drive the company into the ground or lead it into the next decade... :)

What to do?

We may know in a matter of days which way DIRECTV goes.

Seriously, here are the:

Top 10 Reasons To Use an HR20 With an Standard Definition (SD) TV

- Craig
 
#41 ·
Directvlover said:
I can't figure out what's holding up some folks from upgrading to HD. HDTV's are cheaper and cheaper by the week it seems. The ole "it costs too much" excuse isn't quite true anymore...New HD sets sometimes are the same if not cheaper then an SD.
I agree... but as the saying goes ...

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it ..."

Seriously - for a lot of people - there's no reason to throw away a perfectly good television. Some folks just don't see the value - my wife's one of them. She genuinely tells me she doesn't see a difference between SD and HD. (I do though!)

I agree - the argument is a lot stronger if you're buying a new TV. Although, that said - you can get a decent SD 32" TV for $200. To get a comparable LCD, you'd need a 37" screen (remember your aspect ratios...)... that's $1k or so.

So for those of us who REALLY enjoy their TV, yep, there's nuttin' better than HD. But for some folks (such as my mother-in-law):
a) Why replace what works?
and:
b) When I do have to replace it, why should I spend the extra $800 + the extra monthly fee + replace my receiver?
 
#46 ·
kirkusinnc said:
I keep a spreadsheet that compares DirecTV's offerings to what TW Cable has here in NC. There are a very limited number of SD channels that TWC carries that DirecTV does not:
CSPAN 3
Gospel Music Channel
MTV HITS
Nickelodeon Games & Sports
AmericanLife TV Network
Inspirational Network
Retro Television Network (carried on TW from the Fox OTA subchannel)

It appears there's not a lot of SD channels available that DirecTV doesn't carry.
Nick Games & sports will no longer be available this December
Gospel Music Ch ?? -i know my local cable co and Vz has this channel dont know when D* will carry this channel Nation wide

MTV Hits (similar to MTV Jams) is part of the Digital Cable (MTV/Viacom digital sub channel) group so this is only available via a CABLE base provider as of today. Cable co's and Vz carry these networks, i'm not sure is At&T has these networks.

CSPAN-3 THE ONLY other network i know that has this station is Vz

American Live ?? i think E* has this station

and i dont know about your other inquiries
 
#48 ·
bjlc said:
so you guys all got a bunch of HD channels, Great for you.

But when is it our turn? you know the 14 million of us who DON'T HAVE HD?

when do we get some new channels as well? :nono: :eek2: :confused: :scratch:

we are all paying our bills, :money: give us something to smile about:hurah:

okay enough with the goofy little symbols.

just give us something as we have been holding our breaths for like three years..if not more.
Um... One could say that you've "had your turn" for 13 years now, and you've got how many hundred SD channels? Something over 200, not counting RSNs and PPV, I think.

Even when there's a new channel in both SD and HD, you're annoyed that it's not JUST in SD. Amazing.

Consider the possibility that you will NEVER AGAIN see a new SD-only channel started. Analog is dead as of Feb 2009. You cannot buy a SD television set in the USA. Why should anyone start a new SD channel?
 
#49 ·
Bob Coxner said:
Do some exploring. I have what is arguably one of the better HDtvs ever made, the Sony 34" CRT. It sold originally for around $1500. I paid $549, with free delivery, from Circuit City. The last time it was advertised on the CC website (a few weeks ago) it was $399. You won't find it advertised anymore but there are display models available in many CC stores, Sears stores and Frys on the west coast. Most should have it for under $500.

Yes, it's a CRT. Yes, it's a monster at 200 pounds. But, it has a picture that will rival $2000 LCDs, a 2-year on-site warranty and it's a Sony. Delivery is typically free or at most $50.

No one, except videophiles, wants CRTs these days. That's good for someone looking for a cheap HDtv. WalMart may still have some Philips brand HD CRTs. They tend to run in the $300 range for 32".

If she insists on LCD, wait for Black Friday after Thanksgiving. If you're willing to stand in line you'll likely be able to buy a 32" or so for $350. That was the going rate last Black Friday (an Emprex model at Home Depot and Frys). This year could see a larger screen and/or a lower price. Currently, Sams Club has the Vizio 32" LCD (which gets very good reviews) for $597. The Emprex HD3202 (32" LCD) was on sale at Frys last month for $397.

Tell your sister to check daily at:

www.dealnews.com
www.slickdeals.net click on "Forums", then on "Hot Deals"
www.fatwallet.com click on "See more hot deals"

She will never miss another bargain again!
I have a 34" sony xbr 960 super fine pitch. Picture is sooo good, and being a crt they do probably go cheap now days, had mine for awhile paid $800.00 on ebay. I had to pick it up though, no shipping offered lol!:D
 
#50 ·
Get an HR20 or H20, Hook it up to your standard TV using the composite or S video cable, During setup choose 480i and 4:3. Now you get all the new channels too!!! You will have to pay more though!!!!
 
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