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1080p Via Satellite is Here… Almost...
August 19, 2008
The big buzzword in HD is 1080p, stores are trying to tell customers that the best HD set is one that can output 1080p video. Up until a few weeks ago the only way to see a true 1080p picture on your HDTV was from a HD DVD format such as Sony’s Blu-ray. Well now there is (almost) another way to see programming in 1080p and that is via satellite via Dish Network or DirecTV.
Dish Network was the first to make 1080p video available via satellite, this happened when Dish Network “Turbo Charged” it’s HD lineup on August 1st. Dish Networks big announcement included the news that the movie “I am Legend” would be available the entire month of August in 1080p. Today is August 19th and still a majority of Dish Networks HD customers have not received the software upgrade needed to watch this movie in 1080p. In fact my own personally Dish Network HD DVR’s still have not received the upgrades necessary to enjoy 1080p from them in my home.
But that didn’t stop me from feasting my eyes on Dish Network’s 1080p offering, I found a friend who lived nearby whose receiver got the update so I went over and took a look. At first I wasn’t impressed with what I saw from “I am Legend” the picture was bad… but then I forgot in that movie the opening was intentionally shot to make it look like you were watching a TV newscast. Once that scene was done, I was very impressed with what I saw. Yes indeed Dish Network had done it, 1080p via satellite was real and it looked excellent!
For this special 1080p rollout Dish Network had made “I am Legend” available for $2.99, and it was a great price for the movie. However it is expected that future 1080p movies will be priced at $6.99 each, and for me at that price I will pass. No reason to pay that much when I can get the same movies from Netflix of Blockbuster in full 1080p via Blu-ray disc. If Dish truly wants people to use their 1080p video on demand service they are going to need to bring the price down.
Not to be outshined by Dish Network, this weekend DirecTV rolled 1080p software to beta testers. Beta testers could then go to DirecTV’s website and order the movie “The Bucket List” in 1080p, after selecting the movie for download my DirecTV HR-20 began downloading the movie to my DVR. I got to be honest here; I am not sure if the 1080p movie was coming from the satellite or if it was being downloaded over the internet. I do know that when I checked my DVR list the next morning the movie The Bucket List was there waiting for me. I quickly moved my HR-20 and hooked it up to my 1080p compatible Samsung TV in my bedroom and watched for a few moments. Again the picture quality was amazing. I didn’t have time to sit and watch this movie again (I saw this movies before, it was a great movie) but what I saw impressed me. There is no word from DirecTV when 1080p services will be rolled out to consumers, but from what I saw it worked and worked well.
I am happy to see both providers make strides to prove that 1080p not a gimmick, however what we have seen so far is just a test showing us they can indeed do it.
I can’t wait to see them do it and make it mainstream. More HD is good HD.
Posted by Scott Greczkowski on August 19, 2008 | Comments (5)
