No more network TV in HD from Dish?

That is correct.....apparently a pissing match between Sobongo and Dish.
I called Sobongo and turned on the NY/San Fran SD network channels 241-248
Had trouble calling Sobongo from here, you may need to use the 317 number below to reach them via Sprint/Innovative

Thank you for contacting Sobongo formerly All American Direct Customer Care department. I have forwarded your information to the Distant Networks department
and someone will be contacting you momentarily at the information provided. If you have any questions feel free to contact our Distant Networks Department
to obtain further information about your Distant Network account. The phone number is 1-800-909-9677. Our standard business hours are Monday-Saturday
11am-8pm and Sunday 12pm-9pmor 1-317-845-4400 (only Mon-Fri 9:00AM-5:00PM. Our representatives are standing by to take your call. Thank you for your patronage.

We hope this response has sufficiently answered your questions. If not, please reply to this email with any other questions you may have.

I subscribed to Chicago local networks (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX) in August 2009 because they were all in HD. I still get HD for these Chicago national networks --channels 73 through 76. I think somebody is off base because NY never did have HD for local networks --only SD. I think San Fran.was same as NY -always SD..

Jumbie -STX

I just got the call a this evening from Sobongo telling me that my HD feeds for ABC and Fox out of Chicago are going away. kept a SD feed out of NY to be sure I have a decent picture of any NFL play off games carried in the NY market.

The good news is that that by the end of the month supposedly Dish will start providing the local off airs for this market. directly. Will be less expensive than Sobongo and I wonder if any of them will be in HD even for the network feeds.

Jim

This is accurate information.
Sobongo lost the transponder space for the HD networks but stiil can offer NY/San Fran in SD.

Dish is telling us that Caribbean networks will be available soon. In HD supposedly. Time will tell.

It was awfully nice of Sobongo to call several of you to let you know you were losing your HD network feeds. I received no call, and turned to channel 75 tonight to see the nightly news -- instead I got the blue screen of death, telling me to call 1-800-909-9677 for information. When I finally got through to a live person, she told me it was "a business decision to no longer provide HD network channels." I asked, "What kind of business decision is it to provide less service -- particularly to people with whom you have contracted to provide the service?" She said she was only a sales rep, and couldn't answer that question.

I find that DISH is also cutting back on the number of HD channels it gives us. At first, it was just one (ch 327), but they've added another one in the past couple of days (ch 340). They still show up on the list of channels to which I subscribe, but, when I try to access one, I get "This channel is not available in your area."

More HD channels are coming and networks directly from Dish soon. So they tell me*-)
Dish is the only provider to offer a substantial list of HD channels in the VI.
It stinks to lose Chicago in HD but hopefully they have an answer right around the corner.
Happy to have the NY and San Fran feeds for now.(tu)

Well the "blue screen of death" aptly described by jefgar, happened to us this pm. :X

Up until this pm had been getting HD out of Chicago for the 4 metwork channels. I called the 800 number on the screen and had NY network channels NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX in SD within 15 minutes --$12.99/mo.

It's not what I prefer (SD) but it's better than a blue screen telling your this channel is no longer available.

Jumbie -STX.

I can't believe that Dish cares so little about their customers. If they don't want us to have the networks in HD then they should not have offered them to us. But to give them to us for a year then take them away is poor customer service. I have called to express my dissatisfaction, I hope everyone else does too. If I was living in the states I would switch to DirecTV.

They have basically screwed everyone who depends on Sobongo for their networks including all of the customers in the states who can switch to DirecTV.

I just wasted 20 minutes deleting and adding all of my DVR events to switch to the SD versions of the network shows, thanks Dishnetwork!

Check out how unhappy everyone is
http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=11

My understanding Rotorhead, is Dish has had zero involvement with with local networks in the Carribbean ever since the FCC ruled in mid to late 2006, that they could no longer transmit local networks from U.S.(NY, CHI, SF) to the Carribbean. .After that ruling, Carribbean residents were forced to deal with All American Direct (My Distant Networks) for NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC satillite feeds. All American Direct which I think became bought out by Sobongo in past year, is the one to "blame" for the loss of HD channels to Carribbean, not Dish.

Jumbie-STX.

Maybe Dish will utilize that transponder space in a way that improves our situation.
I feel with the C band shutting down that Sobongo's parent company NPS National Programming Service is on a slippery slope.

Could you imagine if Innovative was your only choice for TV here? That would be worth getting upset about!! This is just a minor setback.
It's only the HD networks so you can still get networks in SD.

In watching the NFL games last weekend on Fox SD I really missed my HD feed from Chicago.

In fact the picture quality on Innovative's SD feed was better the the SD feed of Fox from NY.

Jim

The biggest gripe I have about Dish's SD feeds is that they aren't in 16X9 aspect ratio. I could live with lower resolution but the aspect ratio games is what's most annoying. With all TV's available to buy now being 16X9 (as has been the case for well over a year) it seems like those with 4X3 TV's should be the one's "suffering" with letterboxes not the other way around.

A bit OT but it was on my mind...

Sean

Jumbie, I don't think that this has anything to do with the Caribbean specifically. AllAmericanDirect/Sobongo provides distant network programming to Dish customers all over the US. Anyone who lives in a rural area who is outside the coverage area of over the air TV and is therefore not eligible for a "locals" package must go through Sobongo. This also includes RVs and long distance truckers with mobile receivers.

The problem, as I understand it, is that Echostar, which owns or leases the satellites which provide us with Dish programming has decided to reclaim the transponder on the 110 satellite. Sobongo has had two National Beam transponders in the past, one on the 119 satellite which provides SD networks and one on the 110 satellite which provided HD networks. Transponder space is very valuable, especially on one of the National Beam transponders. Most "Locals" programming is provided on spotbeams on one of the regional satellites like AMC 15 at 105 degrees.

While Sobongo/allamericandirect is our programming provider for the distant networks, Echostar/Dish control the satellites, the uplink facilities and the set top boxes. Dish ultimately controls what we are allowed to watch.

Rotor, Couldn't have explained it better.

Sean, In the menu 6 8 you can manipulate the aspect ratio a bit. But I understand your comment 100%

Will be nice when everything is in HD and 16x9

Ok rotorhead & skysthelimit -- I bow to the experts.

Jumbie -STX

At least we still have Animal Planet HD *-)

Sean, In the menu 6 8 you can manipulate the aspect ratio a bit. But I understand your comment 100%

Yeah, I do this but it still isn't quite right. The interpolation makes the compression look really bad on widescreen sets.

It seems like the big reason not everything is in HD is due to bandwidth constraints on the birds. If they did a 720X480 feed as their "SD" feed rather than a legacy 4X3 based 640×480 feed they would step up the non HD stuff up to a very acceptable level with only a small increase in necessary bandwidth. Ideally they'd feed it as 480p content (DVD quality, progressive scan). I'd forgo having 1 or 2 HD channels to have all of the non HD channels look decent on a modern TV, and without having to play around with aspect ratios etc.

Everything is now shot in 16:9, all TV's that you can buy are 16:9, therefore all broadcasting should be done in 16:9 with letter boxing handled in the receiver for 4:3 TV's.

I'm not sure if you can relay this up the chain Sky since you are a distributor, I think this would give Dish a significant competitive advantage over DirecTV...of course the technology in the recievers may be a technical barrier.

Sean

Consider it run up the chain Sean, but I have to think the engineers are aware of this and working on a solution.
Maybe we could get you in as a consultant to them(tu)

anyone heard any new info on local hd channels? One rumor is dish will begin to broadcast hd local channels but that is just a rumor. haven't heard anything official....anyone else?

I officially heard it from Dish, but,.... until it happens I would still consider it a rumor.
Seeing is believing.

What would be the rumor date?In time for the Super Bowl?

Ronnie
I would not count on that. Although,....changes like this usually happen on Wednesdays. Call Sobongo 800-909-9677 to order just FOX. You don't have to buy all the networks unless you want them all. The Super Bowl is on FOX this year. FOX requires no waiver because there isn't a local affiliate.

Good idea. Thanks!!

I have Fox in SD. It's the HD I wanted. Maybe Direct TV has it?