DirecTV Plans 1500 HiDef Channels by End of 2007

doormat writes "DirecTV plans on launching four Ka-band satellites by 2007. This means local HiDef channels over satellite for the biggest markets by the end of 2005, with room for 500 HD channels. Plus 1000 more HD local channels and 150 national HD channels by the end of 2007. Thats a total bandwidth of 34Gbit/s, which is about 10 times the bandwidth they currently have in the Ku band (the band they use now for direct-to-home TV service). The bandwidth crunch for satellite providers is over, and the Ka band is the answer."

Ka?

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh no. My radar detector is going to catch fire.

34Gbps

[ravenspear]

How much pr0n is that?

We've heard this before...

[nuclear305]

"The bandwidth crunch for satellite providers is over, and the Ka band is the answer."

Such little insight...

Of course, next week we'll be hearing about KBv6 (Ka-Band v6)

1500 channels and STILL nothing on...

[penginkun]

I shudder to think how they're going to fill 1500 channels.

The Survivor Channel. The Paris Hilton Sex Tape Channel. The Dixon-Ticonderoga #2 Pencil Channel. The Slashdot Channel.

Etc, etc...

Re:Ka?

[Unnngh!]

Oh no. My radar detector is going to catch fire.

Sure, announce it to the world why don't you? Now every cop around here will start carrying a cable broadcast satellite in the back of the patrol car just to stop people like us. Way to go!

Slam Dunk for Mark Cuban

[loid_void]

I guess Mark Cuban was right, founding HDNet [pcworld.com], the first national HD network to broadcast all of its programming in 1080i resolution, the highest-quality format of high-definition. And isn't it a coincidence that there is a Ku band?

Playboy in Hi-Def......

[theneb]

.......cant wait!

Big numbers

[iamdrscience]

I think whenever there's a really big number used in an article write-up we should just abandon metric prefixes. I mean, c'mon, which number looks bigger (and thus cooler)? 34Gbit/s or 36,507,222,016bits/s? This could also be extended further for data rates by not writing them per second. How about 131,425,999,257,600 per hour? 3,154,223,982,182,400 bits per day? etc.

The possibilities are endless.

Re:But classic syndicated shows aren't in HD, so..

[bitingduck]

My mom already thinks her digital cable is like a time machine, because nearly everything she's ever watched is still on.

With 1700 channels, everything that was ever shown on TV could be rebroadcast on a regular basis-- there could even be multiple Love Boat channels, a channel for each Star Trek season, one for the good Star Trek movies, and one for the bad...

Oh great.....

[Anonymous Coward]

Now I can watch Die Hard on channel 550 from 3-5, channel 551 from 5-7, channel 552 from 7-9, and channel 553 from 9-11. 1700 Channels and there still won't be anything on.

I'll say it now...

[kubrick]

so people can quote me in the future as an example of how misguided our thinking was in the past.

34 Gbps should be enough for anyone.

Re:Big numbers

[aduzik]

Do we have to say it? 1500 channels and nothing on.

Re:1500 channels and nothing to watch

[NanoGator]

"1500 channels sounds good, but what are they going to do for content?"

The Star Trek Channel, the A Team Channel, the Quantum Leap Channel, the Will and Grace Channel, the Cowboy Neal Channel....

Re:34Gbps

[secretsquirel]

not much, most of its still all just infomercials

Re:Ka?

[blanks]

And there still wont be anything on.

Re:DirectTV HDTV

[cblood]

I can't get Fox, at all, and I'm not real hopeful about being able to get it over DirecTV, even when they start offering it.

Are you kidding? that's a feature

Great.

[bujoojoo]

Corti-Slim commercials in HD. I can hardly wait.

Re:Ka-Band Report

[Sancho]

# It looks likely that either low earth or middle earth orbiting satellite systems will have a major competitive advantage over geostationary systems.

So /that's/ how Sauran saw everything....