HBO/Cinemax VOD HD

[satjay]

Looks like HBO/Cinemax VOD is now available in HD

 

[teachsac]

Cool. Now if they would add 3D like some of the cable channels are doing.

S~

 

[lern4483]

Looks like HBO/Cinemax VOD is now available in HD

Nice to see this addition! Vod has been a waist of time without HD.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Yepp, and to any of you who have had some HBO PQ issues in HD (pulse inside picture) as many have, the VOD HD download offers top notch PQ.

 

[Jimbo]

Cool. Now if they would add 3D like some of the cable channels are doing.

S~

We need more HD before we need anymore 3D channels.
The Cinemax offerings have been terrible since the beginning.

 

[kjlued]

Cool. Now if they would add 3D like some of the cable channels are doing.

S~

Could care less about the 3d, just wish you could do it without a DVR.

 

[gadgtfreek]

I'd love to see HBO add a 3D channel, or 3D versions of it's programming.

 

[Jimbo]

I'd love to see HBO add a 3D channel, or 3D versions of it's programming.

Thats fine, but not at the expense of other HD channels.

 

[teachsac]

Whether you personally care about it or not, 3D is part of HBOVOD on many of the cable systems. It's not a channel and takes up no bandwidth. It's an offering from HBO.

S~

 

[gadgtfreek]

Thats fine, but not at the expense of other HD channels.

Look, they have capacity. Not adding at this point has nothing to do with what we want, it's what they see best. Don't see it as the 3 3D channels they have are keeping BBC and others off HD, because one has nothing to do with the other. Adding HBO 3D has zero effect on "insert channel" in HD here.

 

[Jimbo]

Look, they have capacity. Not adding at this point has nothing to do with what we want, it's what they see best. Don't see it as the 3 3D channels they have are keeping BBC and others off HD, because one has nothing to do with the other. Adding HBO 3D has zero effect on "insert channel" in HD here.

So D* is saying that the 2% of people that they have using 3D are more important than the 10m HD subs ?

 

[gadgtfreek]

Has nothing to do with that. The 3D channels probably cost them very little, and 3D is getting a big push where they are trying to be an industry leader. They've not added more National HD for various reasons, and 3D and space have nothing to do with it.


They recently did a customer survey, which the poll here and DBS are based off of. So I think they are using it to help decide what may be picked in the future.

The poles on the sites are to see how our base, which are a different group than the avg sub, matches to the actual Directv random customer survey.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Oh, and not sure where you got the 10 million from, but you are wrong...

I think HDDVR penetration is over 50%, but that does not mean HD subs are.

From Satracer recently:

You guys here skew WAY WAY WAY higher than the average bear (Yogi bear reference). Most customers on Dish, Directv, etc, etc are not HD customers. Not yet anyway. Just because 85% here are HD, doesn't mean 85% of the country is.

A significant portion of television households in the USA are still SD, as in everything they own is SD. That's part one, then you have the next part where a lot of homes have one HD television but the other 2 or 3 or 4 are SD. Mixed households as it were. That's the case for every MSO.

An HD box costs a LOT more than a HD box. I get what you're saying, but there's a point when this stuff makes sense and a point where it doesn't. No question long term this is where every MSO will go there are financial realities that have to be considered.

 

[Jimbo]

Oh, and not sure where you got the 10 million from, but you are wrong...

From Satracer recently:

It was just a figure, nothing I looked up.

But I can tell you for a 100% that there are plenty more HD subs than 3D.

I would be surprised to see 2% of HD subs that have 3D.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Yeah, OK. I wouldn't dispute that, but like I said, dont blame 3D for the lack of national 3D, not even related. Yeah, they are using some space that could be used for HD when space gets tight, but right now, they are just trying to gain a new market. A HUGE number of models sold this year will do 3D, but most owners wont jump in because of cost. Now, the percentage that does will be looking for what provider is offering the best 3D, and Directv knows that.

 

[kjlued]

3D is definitely the wave of the future, but it has been several months since I have hooked up a 3D TV and I would say close to half the HD TV's I hook up are new.
I would say I see 20-30 customers a week and in the last year I could count all the 3D TV's I have seen on one hand.

Just not that many people getting 3D TV's
Many of them would rather pay the extra money for a bigger set rather then for 3D.

Not to mention that if they offer you HBO 3D, then why would you pay for their VOD 3D movies?

 

[gadgtfreek]

Huh? HBO 3D lags behind the release dates of Cinema, thinking that way you might as well say "why would they offer you HBO HD when it might take away from their VOD sales". Doesn't really make sense, one is a version of renting a new release, the other is a much delayed select offering on a channel, they are not competition.

As far the tv's, yeah, last year was the first real big year and a limited selection. This year many of the cheap models will even have 3D, and it's heading the way of 1080p, where it'll be a standard feature and you can use it or not.

I saw the same mentality with 1080p and Blu-ray, and we all see how well they did. Folks, whether it's your thing or not, 3D is getting a huge push from providers, programmers, CE companies and studios. Its not going anywhere.

I can see it not being your thing, but dont try and make it laserdisc either.

 

[kjlued]

I agree, it is the next big thing for sure.
I wouldn't buy a new TV (main TV) unless it was 3D.
But when HD first came out, there was not a whole lot of HD programming either.

3D TV's have been out for about a year and the first 3D channel was released about 8 months ago.

Give it time.

 

[gadgtfreek]

It's def getting a HUGE push, and I agree, anyone buying a new set go ahead and make sure it has 3D. Im pretty suprised at 3D and the channels offered now, 6 months ago I was very skeptical, now Im getting my first 3DTV Monday.

 

[Jimbo]

It WON'T go BIG TIME till one of two things happen, either you DON'T need GLASSES, or the Glasses drop in price to about $50 a pair or less.

I know for a fact that I won't be replacing my Pioneer Elite TV's anytime soon to put a 3D set in.
I probably won't need another TV for 15 years.