Seeing is believing: High-definition TV opens world of programming options
If you're thinking about buying a high-definition TV this Christmas: choosing the set is the easy part. A seemingly endless array of packages from service providers will take some time to figure out.
MICHAEL GALLACHER?Missoulian
By MICHAEL MOORE of the Missoulian
So you've got the new flat-panel TV and you're trying to fathom the fine print on all those wondrous high-def offers from the content providers.
Free equipment! Free services for six months! Free installation! Free HD DVR, whatever that is!
It sounds like maybe you'll never write another check for television. But wait, that was the old days, when there were three channels, all arriving via the rabbit ears.
Actually, you can get three high-def signals for free through the air in Missoula - KPAX, KECI and KUFM. Unfortunately, not everyone in Missoula can pick up those channels, particularly folks on the north end of town and in the Rattlesnake.
So, for the most part, you are going to pay for HD. The question is who gets the check and what they give you in return.
In Missoula, you don't have a host of choices for high-definition television. It's pretty much satellite or cable.
Not surprisingly, both sides of that equation tout superior service, better reliability and less expensive pricing.
And depending on where you buy that fancy TV, you may find yourself beset with service offers that essentially lower the cost of the television.
Best Buy, for instance, partners with DirecTV, while Dish Network has agreements with Sears and Radio Shack.
Dave Herbel, a sales rep at Vann's, said most customers are already getting satellite or cable service when they decide to upgrade to a TV capable of reproducing high-def programming.
"We tell people what's out there, but generally people already have something coming to the house," Herbel said. "The big thing is to make sure that they understand that when you get an HD set, you've still got to have the equipment to receive it. You can't use your old receiver."
Both satellite service and cable offer HD programming. Both Dish and Direct offer more than 75 channels in HD, with Direct broadcasting a few more than Dish. Direct hopes to have 100 channels by the end of next year, and Dish said it's adding them as quickly as possible.
"We've made HD a priority at DirecTV during 2007 and have worked very hard this year to bring our customers the best HD programming available," said DirecTV's Darris Gringeri. "We currently offer 87 national HD channels, which is significantly more quality national HD channels than any other television provider. So if a consumer wants to get the most out of an HD TV purchase, signing up with DirecTV is the way to go."
Bresnan Cable has 16 channels in HD right now, but is adding another nine in the near future and hopes to have 50 by year's end.
Satellite providers rightly exclaim over how many more HD channels they carry than cable, but cable claims to actually provide more HD content when you factor in all the video-on-demand and pay-per-view shows it provides.
"The satellite guys have a fat pipe, and they can push more linear channels than we can," said Bresnan's director of public affairs, Shawn Beqaj. "What they can't do is our level of video-on-demand."
Bresnan also has local channels, included public access channels. Dish offers local channels, as well, but you have to pay $5 extra for them. Only one of them, KPAX, appears on Breshan or Dish in HD. Charlie Cannaliato, director of engineering at KECI said that although the station produces an HD signal, Bresnan hasn't been willing to compensate the channel for its use. Thus, KECI appears in standard definition on both Dish and Bresnan.
Both the ABC and Fox affiliates in Missoula are working to go HD by next fall.
DirecTV doesn't have local Missoula channels at all. In fact, it's very difficult for viewers in Missoula to see network television on Direct, which says it's negotiating with local channels so that they can be broadcast.
Without a local agreement, federal regulations prohibit a provider from offering a network feed when the channel is available through the air. At least in theory, Missoula's four network channels are available through the air, though anyone who's ever tried to watch one in the Rattlesnake would surely say differently.
So Direct has network broadcasts from Denver, but you can't see those without getting exemptions signed by local providers. Those who've endured the process described it as a hassle that takes months.
DirecTV's Gringeri said he was still talking to corporate officers about when Direct might have local Missoula channels.
Both Bresnan's Beqaj and Dish's Francie Bauer said Missoula channels will likely be slow to convert to HD programming because its an expensive upgrade. Still, it's bound to happen.
"It's just the shape of things to come," said Bauer.
KMMF and KTMF said the expensive work is under way, and should be finished by this fall.
The fact that those channels don't currently broadcast an HD signal explains why you can see the NFL in high-def on CBS but not on Fox.
Sure, Fox channels in major markets are produced in HD, but cable and satellite providers have to transmit the content transmitted by the local channel.
What you'll pay for HD programming is varied.
Right now, you can get Dish's 200-channel package for $42.99 a month. To see Dish's high-def offerings, you have to pay $20 more per month, but you do get an HD DVR that lets you record shows that can be watched at any time.
"That machine blows people out of the water," said Francie Bauer.
Dish is also offering a sign-up bonus that gives you high-def programming free for the next six months.
DirecTV offers similar number of channels with HD access for $44.98 for one year. The price then goes up by $20.
Both providers offer plenty of other deals, with less or more channels and numerous movie channels such as HBO and Showtime.
Both providers offer an "everything" package that includes all the movie channels, sports programming and high-def access. Dish's goes for $109 with HD, while Direct's is $99.99, with a special yearlong promotion at $79.99.
Cable is a little more expensive for television service, but Bresnan's Beqaj says the company's bundled service is a better bargain. That service includes both high-speed Internet and digital phone for about $100 for the first year. After that, the bundled price is about $130.
"The way to purchase telecommunications services, whether it's TV or Internet or telephone, is to do it in a bundle," said Beqaj. "Ours is easier to get and all our people are local."
The satellite services are working on partnerships with other telecommunications providers, but in Missoula, cable is the only way to get all three services under one roof.
Just remember, as you make the upgrade to high-def, ask lots of questions and read the fine print. There are good deals out there at Christmas, but nothing is free.
Reporter Michael Moore can be reached at 523-5252 or at mmoore@missoulian.com
