AT&T's U-verse HD Premium Tier explained: $5 for three channels
By Darren Murph 
posted Oct 24th 2008 1:28AM
posted Oct 24th 2008 1:28AM
[Via U-talk forums, thanks Anthony]
posted Oct 24th 2008 1:28AM
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
DirecTV has the same $5 package. Just an FYI. Gotta pony up it want it all.
At least DirecTV offers six channels for $5.00
Crime & Investigation HD
HDNet Movies
MGM HD
Palladia
Smithsonian
Universal
Of course, the whole reason for this extra package is the fact that these networks charge much higher premiums than the others.
Many in the DirecTV community lost their minds when DirecTV announced their $5 HD Extra Pack with five channels. So I really can't see this one going over any better, since it's even more of a rip-off.
Eh. Im not paying 5 bucks for those channels. I assume they will add more soon, or else it makes no sense.
That might be the entire point. The networks shouldn't even be asking for money in the first place. When no one subscribes to them maybe AT&T will just dump them entirely unless they offer them up for free.
People shouldn't be paying extra for HD at this point, it's mainstream now and the costs are minimal. Channels keep thinking that HD is still a "premium", when it really isn't.
That said, I've got these channels bundled with Charter and I occasionally watch the MTV HD (PAlladiumium?? What?) about once a week to see The Who grow old in HD. The rest are junk and never have anything on worth watching. Infomercials are more entertaining...Are you following me camera guy??
If I pay for TV service and then spend the additional money for the HD STB, then the HD channels they offer should come with that box. These companies rape you.
$$ for TV Service
$$ for HD STB
$$ for HD Broadcasts
With Uverse, all boxes are HD boxes.
Dish Network charges $10 a month extra for these channels (also includes HDNet Movies, NBA TV HD, NHL Network, and World Fishing Network). So, to us, $5 a month sounds pretty reasonable...
DirecTV has the same setup. Same channels. Same price.
It's pretty clear the companies are trying to fight these channels being bundled into any kind of base package in order to keep costs down. Which is fine by me. Forcing these channels into a separate tier and that tier selling miserably will give the carriers plenty of ammunition to negotiate a lot better prices from these channels.
don't blame the cable company, noob, blame the damn network (coming from someone who works at a cableco)
comcast i think is $10 extra for HD content which is what i have,its not too bad,i wish certain channels would broadcast HD but its still early in the game with HD so im sure more channels will be added throughout the year
When I watched the 2004 Olympics in HD, it was still early in the game in HD (even though there were TV series in HD already at that time).
2008 is not early in the game in HD.
Yeah, this isn't AT&T wanting to do this, all providers have something similar. 3 channels for $5 is kind of weak, but more will eventually be added. And the "soon" that this will be beginning is November 10th, so enjoy those channels as much as you can over the next 2 weeks if you don't want to pay for them.
I only have Universal HD at this time, and I wouldn't pay an extra 5¢ for it.
If Universal HD wants to be seen as a premium channel, they need to cut out the commercials! The breaks and the annoying on-screen bug keep me from watching ANYTHING on that channel.
Is this any more disgusting than Comcast and their ripoff? Not only do you have to have their entire digital package in order to get their HD service you also have to pay through the nose for one of their HD boxes. Total monthly cable bill just to watch even local over the air HD? Minimum of $100, and their total HD channel count, not counting HBO, Showtime, etc., about 24 +/-. Disgust at this ripoff, priceless.
i pay $85 per month for 2 HD DVR boxes, an SD digital box, and a full speed tier cable modem. you just have to know how to finesse the rep on the other end of the line.
Hm.
I called customer support when I got my postcard (central Ohio) and was told that this $5 tier would include THIRTY additional HD channels, mostly movie channels, and that Universal HD was the only one from my current plan that would be included in this new tier.
Perhaps he had the decimal in the wrong place.
Not just in California, I live in TX and got the same card. The new HD starts on 11/10/08. I have heard that the number of channels will increase, but I still think it is a bunch of BS!
TW Dayton is charging $6.95/mo. for 4 HD channels - MOJO (which I expect will disappear soon), Universal HD, HDNet and HDNet Movies
My current bill is $140. $5 increase? Big deal. I saw higher increases than that with my previous service and didn't even get any new channels.
I would suspect this premium tier will expand beyond only three channels.
better than the $8 TWC Wisconsin chargers for 4 but soon to be 3 channels:
MOJO HD
Universal HD
HDNET
HD MOVIE NET
Hmm... employee discounts with U-verse give us the main HD package at no cost, I wonder if this will be included when it launches?
Wake up....
ATT Uverse is coming out with over 30 channels, NEW, without charging it's customer's a dime.
They charge 10.00 a month for HD service, starting Nov. 3rd in many markets, that will be over 70 to 75 channels in HD for their standard 10.00 a month....
They will offer three, possibly more HD channels for a premium price of 5.00 a month, your choice.
OVER 70HD channels for 10.00 a month, TOTAL home DVR....and if it rains or snows, your cable still works....
Perhaps the author of the story here can actually research wtf he's talking about next time.
I wonder which cable/satellite company he gets a check from????
Fine. All I want are the 70 HD channels then. I fail to see why they need to charge extra, since Uverse is packet-based and they only send the channels I'm watching. I don't want the SD versions of those channels, and in fact I don't want the SD versions of any channels. They can keep the other 100 channels. I'd happily pay $40 for that service, but to be asked to pay $15 on top of the $59 they're already getting is asinine.
There's no reason they can't offer an all-HD package at a reasonable price, except that they don't have to. They'd rather advertise their "200 channels" and say "look how much more you get with us!"--when 100 of those channels are worthless filler.