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Tag: dish-network

  • DISH first to broadcast live Blu-ray quality video

    Satellite broadcaster becomes first the TV broadcaster to offer video in a full 1080p resolution

    Subscribers to America’s DISH Network who have its MPEG-4 HD DVR boxes are to be offered full 1080p (1920×1080 progressive) resolution wherever content is available.

    Starting on August 1 with a Video On Demand option for the movie I Am Legend, the new high resolution programming will supercede the 1080i (interlaced) or 720p which until now was usual HD fare for DISH and other services.

    The satellite company claims it is giving subscribers Blu-ray quality images for a lower price than renting a disc.
    It is also launching a new set of channel bundles known as TurboHD that are claimed to be the first in the market to offer customers a package that only contains HD stations.

    Charlie Ergen, CEO of DISH Network, said the upgraded resolution was possible as a result of its new satellite, Echo XI.
    This will also allow the broadcaster to extend its current 114 HD channels to 150 by the autumn.

    He said that by early August, all DISH Network customers with MPEG-4 HD DVR receivers will be able to view 1080p content.

    “This marks the first time in history a pay-TV provider offers movies in 1080p, the highest resolution format available for HD video enthusiasts,” he said.

    “Our latest system upgrade, coupled with the introduction of TurboHD, further strengthens our position as the leader in digital television and high definition television, platforms we look forward to enhancing even more with mobile and portable options.”

  • DirectTV says high definition content is helping attract new subscribers

    The US’s leading provider of HDTV has credited its 95 channels of HD content as one of the main reason for increasing subscribers even as the economy falters.
    Paul Guyardo, DirecTV’s chief marketing officer, said the company had not been greatly affected by the US economic slowdown.
    DirecTV added 275,000 subscribers in the first quarter, compared to just 35,000 for rival Dish Network.
    He attributed the satcaster’s market-leading HD offering as a major factor in the increase.
    “I don’t want to say that we are recession-proof, but I will say that we have not been dramatically affected by the recession,” Guyardo told Advertising Age.
    “Right now is a time when people don’t necessarily have those discretionary dollars to go out to entertainment outside of the house.
    “And so now more than ever, they’re turning to their television as a source of entertainment. And at the end of the day, DirecTV is an exceptional value.”
    Guyardo said that DirecTV launched an aggressive marketing campaign last year to promote its expanded HD lineup, at a time when many consumers were starting to tighten their belts.
    The satcaster expanded its high-def channel total from nine to more than 70 last Autumn.
    “All of our awareness studies would suggest that people clearly do understand that DirecTV is the undisputed leader in HD,” he said.
    Despite adding only a small number of new high-def channels this year DirecTV is currently the leading US provider of high definition TV programming.
    With a new satellite due to come on-stream, it is unlikely to lose the top spot in the near future and is expected to expand its current offering of 96 national HD channels.
    Dish Network lies in second place, with approximately 80 channels, while the cable operators Comcast, Cablevision and Time Warner offer 40-60 high-def channels in some markets.
    In other markets, this figure drops to less than 30 HD channels.
    Verizon currently has fewer than 40 HD channels but says it will up this to150 by the end of 2008.
    AT&T’s U-Verse TV service also offers around 40 HD channels and hasn’t announced any expansion plans.
    Guyardo said that DirecTV was well positioned to attract future HD subscribers.
    “People are still investing a ton of money in big, flat-screen TVs – HDTVs,” he said.
    “The growth has definitely levelled off, but the growth is still there. And I think they want a quality picture on their 50-inch Plasma.”