Ask Engadget HD: Can I subscribe to a service for just HDTV channels?
By Richard Lawler 
posted Jul 29th 2009 12:45PM
posted Jul 29th 2009 12:45PM
So you're considering fiber, satellite or cable TV, but don't want to pay for any channels that aren't available in HDTV. Barring a provider switching to full a la carte pricing overnight, we're only aware of TurboHD for that kind of service, but even that comes with drawbacks. Still, James knows what he won't watch, and that's anything in less than 720p, let's check out his question:"As always I love the site and the podcast, but I was hoping to draw on some knowledge.
Are there any service providers, cable, online, etc. that provide HD only content packages? I really am not in love with the idea of paying for content I'll never watch, which is all of the SD content. Do I have any options? Or is this a pipe dream for the future?
I live in John's Creek (Atlanta), GA."
So, for the discriminating viewer, is TurboHD the best (or only) option? Let us know in the comments how James can get the most value for what he's interested in.
Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
God i wish they would allow a la carte , i get every channel comcast offers but i ONLY watch HD i wont watch anything that isn't .. so im throwing my money away
I agree - I only watch HD channels but my better half is constantly watching some SD movie station as 'background' noise and I'm like use the On-Demand or watch the over 700 DVD's I've ripped that you can stream rather than the digital/SD stuff!!
hehe i dont even watch my Back up'd Dvds anymore .. i had about 2000+ .. i only watch my Blu ray backups now .. Freaking Technology a love/hate relationship
The reason why they won't do ala carte programming is because they don't make as much money off of you and you as the consumer are more empowered to put channels in check that you disagree with.
Here is an official response I got back from Charter Cable St. Louis around March 2008 (fyi Steve Trippe publicly announces an e-mail address on TV & Radio so I'm not passing on any private info):
"Dear Mr. xxxxxxxxxx:
I am responding on behalf of Steve Trippe. Thanks for your note.
The concept of a la carte programming has been considered for several years and has even been bantered about by the U.S. Congress and the FCC. A workable model that is acceptable to all parties, including programmers, producers, cable operators and their customers has yet to be developed, despite some serious work that’s been done in this area. It is difficult from an execution standpoint, as so many parties must agree to participate, and contracts must be developed to the satisfaction and benefit of all. I can’t say when and if the concept will ever come to bear fruit.
Thank you for taking the time to contact us with your comments and for being a valued Charter customer.
Larry Hart
Sales & Marketing Manager
Charter Communications"
When will the day come that channel 7 is NBC HD, and I dont have to go to 807 or 507 etc.
Granted you can set up favorites on Verizon (my provider). But I think the real issue is that even though most people have an HDTV, most people still have SD TVs around that they still use, in a basement or a second room. I have an SD TV in my workout room. What we need are boxes that will down convert (which should be simple enough to do since my box forces all 720p material to 1080i with ease) HD content to SD. Then remove all SD duplicates and free up those pipes.
If Verizon or Comcast had an HD only package anyways, you know how much it would cost?
I do. As much as the SD + HD package!
I agree and have thought about how much easier it would be for me because I hate when visitors instinctively hit the "2," "4," or "5" button because they don't realize the HD version is on a different channel. The only thing I have to point out is that NBC is on channel 4 (or 804, 504, etc.) - not channel 7 (which is ABC). :p
Now, I do have my favorites setup for almost all of the HD channels, but now I wish I could use favorites for my real favorites. Actually, I forgot FIOS has two sets of favorites, so I probably could.
I also don't see why they can't just down-convert the signal to 480p if you have a SD tv hooked up.
@Money Mike
local channels have different numbers in different areas. NBC could be on channel 4 where you live but on channel 7 for others.
Channel 7 is WHDH-HD (the local NBC affiliate) on my DirecTV setup. They interleave all the HD channels, so 7 is NBC-SD and 7-1 is NBC-HD but you can choose not to show SD when a HD version exists. Given that all of the channel numbers are virtual (try finding Channel 7 HD on a digital cable ready TV without a cable box!), I don't see why cable can't do the same kind of thing as DirecTV.
Verizon was stupid enough to coax me to DirecTV while I waited for FiOS. I have no desire to upgrade now!
This would be great, however don't hold your breath.
I have accepted the fact and the logic that getting a dish package with Maximum HD includes SD channels.
Just as it is cheaper to buy a model of car that comes with some packaging of options, asking the providers to give us only the channels that we personally desire would not be cost effective for them, and ultimately us. We might then argue that Bob doesn't want GREEN HD and Betty doesn't care for SPEED HD. It wouldn't be cheaper to taylor their household down to the channel specific.
Just ignore the SD and realize that it is not money wasted, it is efficiency. The 'ALL HD' menu is very useful for me!
I switched to Dish (and a VIP722 dual-tuner HD-DVR) when they originally offered the HD-only package. I have been pleased with the price and service. I recently called to see why I wasn't receiving ALL of the HD channels (ie: SpeedHD) and was told some channels were not included in my subscription and I would have to change my plan if I wanted them.
I'm happy with what I'm paying now, so I'll probably just do without SpeedHD.
A HD pc tuner (Draco project?) would be the only thing that would make me switch
BTW .. I live in Flowery Branch (Atlanta), GA; not far from John's Creek
I doubt the cable companies will come around in the near future. They will strong arm us for as long as they possibly can.
I recommend going to Radio Shack (store or online) and buy the TV antenna that looks like it has a UFO on top. It's one of the best indoor antennas out there and it's like $40 or less. Give the bird to cable like I do. I can find enough HD primetime during the fall to keep me happy and use Netflix as a filler. With more shows coming to Blu-ray, it's becoming easier to say 'bye bye' to cable.
If you need a DVR too browse the back catalogue on e and eHD. They just did a write up to make a great HTPC and one of the writers here put up a great article about Media Center for Win7.
OTA (Over the air)
Programming Price: $0
I would wait. I use the Terk HDTVa antenna ($25) and I get OTA HD ($0). To keep my HD fix coming, I get Blu-rays from Netflix ($20 a month). This is A LOT cheaper than cable. If and when the cable providers offer an HD-only package for around $50 a month, then and only then will I consider getting cable.
Footnote: If you're REALLY into sports, it may be worth getting one of the cable packages mentioned by the other commenters. If all you're interested in are the shows on cable (e.g. Mad Men, Weeds, Dexter) then you might as well go with Netflix and get the shows on Blu-ray. Its cheaper than cable and Blu-ray has better picture quality than cable HD. Also, I'm a big Giants fan and I still don't have cable cause OTA stations always broadcast local games in HD and 5.1.
I thought about doing something like that, but I bundle internet and cable as I'm sure most people do. I have a PC hooked up to the TV (no tuner, so i don't like calling it an htpc) for streaming netflix and hulu and the like, so I need a decent connection speed. For my provider, just internet is $58, basic digital is $56, but them combined is $75. So I don't really have much problem paying $20 for all the channels (HD line up is somewhat lacking, but sufficient for our needs). The thing that bugs me is paying the $13/month for the HD-DVR. I'm getting close to the point of spending the $200 for the digital tuner for my pc... i would have no problem calling it an htpc then.
Right now I'm on "the Best Package Ever." It's with DirectTV and has i think over 130 channels and include the now exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket which broadcasts all 14 games every sunday in monday in hd. It also has their premier package bundled in which includes pretty much evey channel they have including all 3 premiums like hbo, starz, showtime, and skinemax. its only $59.99+$10 for hd. so pretty much 69.99 for every channel dtv has except for of cour ppv's. well also 5 bucks for every additional box. pretty pretty pretty good deal.
I just ordered this package yesterday. I added on the "refer a friend" program which gives us an additional 10 dollars off each bill for the next 10 months (100 bucks to you & a friend).
Remember that in order to get Sunday Ticket games in HD you'll need the $100 add on SuperFan package.
The $10 HD Access only applies to regular channels.
oh ya and if you plug connect your broadband internet to your hd-dvr you can get up to 1080p on demand. its pretty cool.
comment.
Yes it is. So?
Hey hey!
That would be my question!
Looks like I have some research to do.
Just remember, even with an "HD Only" package a large chunk of programming ON the channels is still SD and very little of that in the OAR.
Yeah, I have an HD only service it's called an OTA ATSC tuner.
Ala Carte would rock, but for now I have Dish's TurboHD package and I love it, oh sure there are a few (5) HD channels that I don't get (SpeedHD, VH1 HD, MTVHD, BET HD and one other I don't even recall) but for $30/mo I'm good with that. Now if I could just get Fox Soccer Channel or Setanta Sports in HD, I'd be set...
It's worth mentioning that even the HD only Dish packages aren't really only HD channels, I get lots of SD channels, but I just set my program guide to HD only...
Patrick
@everyone who keeps saying "OTA" or "OTA is free" or all variations of that...
While I admire your ability to watch tv for free, for many many of us, that is not an option, since we are unable to watch any sports (or movies) using free OTA based options. So can you all please stop acting so superior to us poor souls who can't lve without our sports and are forced to shell out.
So with that in mind, can we please see some more of the constructive ideas and less of the idiotic "gloating?"
P.S. I have DirecTv and am happy with the the amount of HD options available and the fact that you can "turn off" the SD feeds for those stations that are also delivered in HD. No need to go to 11-1 or 711 or the like to get to NBC - it's just plain 11.
I didn't realize this topic was only for those that can afford cable or satelite. I thought we were all here to offer up advice. We all have difference needs, different tastes, different incomes. He didn't say what he can afford or what he watches so everything is open-ended.
Realize we all can't afford cable or the like every month. It's well over $100 for cable with HD and internet in Chicago. We're not all trying to be 'smug' ya know. There's no need to be rude.
If you subscribe to Comcast's broadcast basic service and pay for the DVR service with the HD box, you can get all the HD stations, at least where I live in Virginia. The total TV bill runs me not more than $26/month, which includes the DVR, etc. So that's a pretty cheap way to get HD channels on the cheap from Comcast.
This is a little bit off topic but I was wondering if other services out there do the same thing.
I have DirecTV and other than the price, which is pretty damned expensive, I am completely happy with their service. What I particularly like is the ability to 'turn off' channels that I don't watch. So instead of browsing through hundreds and hundreds of channels to find something to watch, instead I only have to browse through a couple dozen channels that I choose to see because I've setup my program guide to only show those channels. That means that I've turned off any SD channels that have HD equivalents. In other words, I don't see ABC SD and ABC HD, I only see ABC HD in my guide.
Is DirecTV the only provider that allows customization of the program guide or do other providers allow that as well. Just wondering...
I don't know of any service that does just HD a la cart. I'd love for everything to be a la cart, a la ubiquitous on-demand. i know what I like and what I want to watch, so let me watch what I want, when I want it, and let me pay just for the time that I want it. for example they can charge like $10/month flat and then $0.5/hour. So for example, if you watch an average of 2 hours per day, you'll pay about $41 per month. they already have the billing infrastructure for ppv on demand, they might have to scale it significantly, but they'll definitely save money on bandwidth in delivering all channels all the time.... just a thought. Then, you'll see a definite reduction in illegal downloading of tv/movies.
I had turbo hd for a few minutes, then I realized I lost my sirius radio and all other music channels. Then I dumped turbo and went back to my expensive package.
Do we realize what just happened in the HD conversion?
Nearly *every* digital TV sold in the past few years is capable of at least 720p. We've gotten rid of analog and now have two tiers of digital programming. (SD & HD) Now we get to pay a premium for HD programming, which should be part of the standard cost.
Considering most of us don't even see the alternate digital stations. (sidenote: In your local programming are, if you have a set of rabbit ears and a digital tuner, you'll be able to receive "off the air" OTA broadcasts for free. Here in Philadelphia, for example, ABC has 3 channels. 6.1, 6.2, 6.3 (regular broadcast, secondary, weather)
Bottom line here is we just fed an entirely different charge for HD programming which should have inherently been included with digital programming. By delaying the analog transition as long as possible, the media providers have succeeded in charging us for something for nothing.
I did realize that. I still don't understand it. They are probably lining the pockets of the FCC/GOV not to mess with their little three card monty.
Which is why i cancelled my Time Warner completely and just use an antenna for HD locals and my Popcorn Hour for all my other tv (HD downloads)
It's sad that you need to go "HD" to get something that looks like TV should look like. Everyone compresses the crap out of TV. Why don't they just axe a good 1/2-2/3 of the channels. No one cares about the pony enthusiast club in HD. That would be a fantastic commercial. Direct TV has 200 channels for 54.99...And all of them look like crap. Dish network, 50 good channels in good quality.
in CA. comcast is raising rates to lower end users, this will not affect higher end users.
this is cable service..........no way out.