Washington, D.C. (February 12, 2008) -- DIRECTV left High-Definition viewers breathless last fall when it expanded its HD lineup from nine channels to roughly 90 over a three month period.

However, since late December, the satcaster has not added a high-def channel, other than an in-house channel, called The 101.

How come? Are there no HDTV channels left to add?

Hardly. The satcaster's satellite capacity may simply be maxed out, or getting close to it.


DIRECTV's plan to offer 100 HD channels may be slowing.

DIRECTV had planned last year to launch two satellites (the D10 and D11) for high-def and other services. Combined, the two satellites would give it the capacity for 150 national HD channels and more than 1,500 local high-def channels.

But DIRECTV was forced to delay the launch of the D11 when Sea Launch, the company it uses for rocket launches, suffered a setback when one of its satellites exploded at liftoff.

At the time (late January 2007), DIRECTV said the first satellite, D10, would still provide the capacity to deliver 100 national HD channels by year's end, which was the company's stated goal.

Although it failed to reach the 100 mark, it came close with roughly 90 HD channels at the end of the year.

But now, DIRECTV apparently has little room for more and, consequently, high-def fans will likely have to wait until the D11 satellite is operational before they can expect another significant increase in HD channels.

Additionally, subscribers still looking for local HD service from DIRECTV may not see it until the second satellite is ready.

The D11 is scheduled for launch next month, which means it could be operational sometime in late May or earlier.

Until then, you may see a smattering of new HD channels from DIRECTV, but nothing like the explosion of the fall of 2007.

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Swanni (Phillip Swann) is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

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