DIRECTV HD: Is Tomorrow the Big Day?
Several signs point to Wednesday as when the satcaster begins its high-def expansion.
By Swanni
DIRECTV has teased HD owners for several months now with promises of offering up to 100 high-def channels. But there are several indicators that the satcaster will finally begin its HD expansion tomorrow, September 19:
* DIRECTV's customer service representatives have been telling callers that new HD channels will be added on Wednesday.
While CSRs are often misinformed about the company's plans, roughly 25 TVPredictions.com readers in the last few days have reported that their CSR has cited the September 19 date. It would appear that the customer reps are getting that information from a central source: likely DIRECTV's corporate office.
* An internal DIRECTV document, which was leaked at the web site SatelliteGuys.us, states that the expansion will begin on September 19. While a DIRECTV spokesman told one trade publication that the document was outdated, he didn't contradict the reference to September 19.
* And finally, DIRECTV has been testing its new DIRECTV 10 satellite. But until yesterday, system tests on DIRECTV HD receivers in customer homes showed mixed signal strengths from the new bird. However, today, the satellite is beaming strong signals on all transponders, a sign it's ready to go.
Of course, DIRECTV has failed to meet past launch deadlines so this month's HD launch shouldn't be regarded as certain until it's up and coming.
If DIRECTV begins the expansion tomorrow, it will likely add from 20 to 40 new HD channels with more coming later in the month.
The satcaster has said it will go from 10 HD channels to 70 HD channels by month's end and 100 HD channels by the end of the year.
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Swanni (Phillip Swann) is
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News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The
Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The
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