Good Returns, Superior Technology bring DIRECTV Local HD to more American Homes
Not too long ago, DIRECTV was seen as an underdog in the area of television programming providers. Today, they are the leading satellite services provider and boast more subscribers than anyone else.
This was illustrated when DIRECTV’s financial results were released for the second fiscal quarter of 2008. The quarter, which ended on June 30, showed significant increases in income and reductions in operating expenses.
The improved financial report card may have a lot to do with DIRECTV’s nationwide campaign for its high definition (HD) service. The company has been proudly adding customers who are making the switch to the higher-quality high definition programming.
DIRECTV’s HD offerings have also been making news lately. They recently added 30 new high definition channels, bringing the total to more than 130. This is an unprecedented amount of readily available HD programming, which is one of the reasons cable subscribers have been changing over to DIRECTV service in droves. In just the past year, DIRECTV high definition subscribers have more than doubled.
DIRECTV hasn’t just been adding channels, though. They’ve been working on improving the entire high definition experience. Recently it was announced that they will begin broadcasting all high definition programming in MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding. MPEG-4 AVC provides a superior quality picture, and DIRECTV will be the first company in the industry to offer it.
This enhanced technology is just one reason behind DIRECTV’s plan to offer more local HD programming in more markets. DIRECTV’s 2005 agreement with TANDBERG Television for use of the company’s MPEG-4 AVC encoding platform was recently upgraded to include a new solution that allows DIRECTV to dive deeper into the local HD market. The lack of local programming has been cited as a reason many cable subscribers don’t want to make the switch to DIRECTV. This new solution will expand DIRECTV’s local HD programming reach into 121 markets, giving more than 88 percent of American households access to local HD channels through their DIRECTV service.
To assist in this effort, DIRECTV is also planning to launch another satellite next year. Dubbed DIRECTV 12, this satellite will help to provide more than 200 national high definition channels and 1,500 local digital and high definition channels.
Keeping the good news rolling, DIRECTV has also announced that by the end of August, all of their programming will be transmitted in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. This is great news for all home theater enthusiasts who can’t live without surround sound, even for everyday programming.
By the end of 2008, DirecTV has pledged to begin offering movies in 1080p. As far as high definition goes, 1080p is the current gold standard for home television viewing. This change will be a big step up for HD viewers who want the best picture quality they can get.
When you consider the high-quality programming available and DIRECTV’s obvious goal to bring you the best television experience available, it’s easy to see why they are number one. DIRECTV will only continue to grow and improve as time goes on. Eventually it will be nearly impossible to believe that this giant was once the dark horse in the satellite TV race.