More HD Coming For Puerto Rico

On August 7th Dish Network will be officially rolling out a major channel expansion in Puerto Rico, including a new HD package that contains 33 high definition channels.

The news of this major expansion into Puerto Rico was announced to Dish Network retailers earlier in the week.

The new High Definition channels coming to Puerto Rican Dish Network customers include: A&E, Animal Planet HD, Bravo HD, Cartoon Network HD, CNBC HD+, CNN HD, Comedy Central HD, Discovery Channel HD, Disney HD, Disney XD HD, Espn2HD, Food Network HD, FX HD, HDTV HD, History HD, Lifetime HD, MTV HD, Nick HD, Spike HD, TBS HD, TLC HD and The Weather Channel HD.

Also coming soon is a 6 channel Spanish HD package and will feature channels like Discovery HD and National Geographic HD with their audio in Spanish.

Dish is also planning on introducing a new 30-inch satellite dish for use in Puerto Rico that will come complete with a printed with the flag of Puerto Rico printed on the Dish.

Dish Network claims that no one else will provide more HD to the island then they will, in addition Dish told retailers that more HD for Puerto Rico is to come.

Getting Ready For CES

The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show is still 6 months away but already I find myself getting ready for it. Last week I submitted my Alumni credentials and got myself fully registered and now I am already planning out my plan of attack when I land in Las Vegas in January.

My mind wonders of what exciting new satellite news I will hear and what new technologies I will see.

I am sure Dish Network will be there with the amazing Slingloaded ViP 922 HD DVR which they announced last year. I have been following the progress of this amazing receiver closely over the past 6 months and from what I have seen this is going to be an amazing receiver when it’s released. While Dish is hoping to have it released in time for a holiday release, I don’t believe we will see it available until after the CES show. A device this jam packed with features needs to be polished so that it really shines.

I may pick on Dish’s advertising, but honestly the Dish DVR’s are the best DVR’s on the market, it is the Dish DVR’s that keep me tied to Dish Network as no other DVR comes close.

And speaking of DVR’s I am hoping that this year we will see the long awaited DirecTV MPEG4 HD DVR with TIVO technology finally shown off. As much as I love my Dish DVR’s I know there are a lot of people who prefer the TIVO software on their DVR’s.

Back in September of 2008 DirecTV and TIVO announced this new DVR and TIVO fans everywhere have been waiting for this DVR with baited breath. I am hoping at CES we will finally get our first look at the new unit. Since being announced in 2008 there has been nothing more announced about the unit, there have been no mock up photos, no initial screen shots… nothing. Let’s hope we see this DVR at CES.

I also hope that DirecTV themselves is at CES this year. The nations #1 satellite provider has been absent from the CES show floor the past 2 years. I really hope they are there this year. I am a person who enjoys putting a face with a name and events like CES are one of the few events where I can meet face to face with the folks who make this whole industry work.