AMC HD (and other Rainbow Channels)
skottey
Enthusiast - Level 2

With Breaking Bad Season 2 starting this coming Sunday, I would REALLY like to see AMC HD added. It would be nice to see some of the other Rainbow Channels such as IFC and FUSE added as well, even We, but please, ADD AMC HD ASAP. I pay an arm and a leg to have FIOS and DirecTV and neither one carries AMC HD. This is a popular channel and Breaking Bad is an excellent show.

Also, I know many of my fellow customers would like to see the Viacom channels added in HD (MTV, CMT, VH1, Nick, etc). I just want to say that you guys aren't missing much yet (I have them on DirecTV) as they aren't carrying a lot of HD programming yet. But those channels, along with the Rainbow channels I mentioned, should be on your list of channels to add. 

Also, please Verizon don't hesitate to add the remaining Showtimes, Starz, and Encore stations as their HD versions go live. It took forever and a day for Encore HD to be turned on down here in the Tampa market. It said coming soon forever and ever, even though it was carried months sooner in some of your markets and carried by other providers. Starz West would be a nice HD add too, seeing as it is available already and you carry the western feeds of just about every other premium. 

But please, let us see AMC HD soon. I am a movie lover and you take care of me with the premium channels in HD but I watch very few TV series and Breaking Bad is just excellent. I'd love to enjoy it in HD right away, not in three years when you decide to add AMC HD and they have some marathon of all the seasons. Now, please. 

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Re: AMC HD (and other Rainbow Channels)
izub
Enthusiast - Level 3
I lonve Mad Men and want AMC HD too! I read somewhere that there is some sort of contract issue and we will not get this channel anytime soon...maybe someone has the correct info on this...
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Re: AMC HD (and other Rainbow Channels)
skottey
Enthusiast - Level 2
That figures that it probably is some contractual issue. That is pretty much what is going on with DirecTV not carrying it either.
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Re: AMC HD (and other Rainbow Channels)
Jerseyman
Newbie
The rainbow channels belong to cablevision, They recently droped them from there lineup. they are suing the dish network  for droping tere pkg. They droped most of them from there channel lineup.
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Re: AMC HD (and other Rainbow Channels)
matcarl
Master - Level 1
Jerseyman: What are you talking about, be more specific?
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Re: AMC HD (and other Rainbow Channels)
skottey
Enthusiast - Level 2

I think Jerseyman is talking about Voom, but I am not. When I say I want the Rainbow channels, I am referring to the national channels like AMC HD, IFC HD, FUSE HD, and We HD. Voom no longer exists. I think he just misunderstood what I was saying. I know Cablevision owns Rainbow, but they have gone out of their way like no other provider to keep their programming to themselves. Most channel providers would love to have every cable system in the country pick up their channels, but Cablevision (Rainbow) plays hardball. If you were a small cable company with the capacity to add one channel and you call Cablevision and say, "hey, we'd like to pick up AMC HD," they may tell you "Nope, sorry, we compete in your market and you cannot have it." Or, they might say, "Sure, you can have AMC HD, but you'll need to take IFC, FUSE, We, etc... too." "Well, we only have the capacity to add one channel right now," "too bad!" Cablevision is no doubtably causing this problem. I am hearing the same story from DirecTV too.

Cablevision/Rainbow tried the tactic of "take 'em all or none" with Voom and Dish. Dish said "forget it, we need to have the capacity for other channels, we will only take these five Voom stations." Rainbow said forget you, "take them all." Dish dropped them all and then Voom ended up turning out the lights. Now Cablevision is suing over Dish taking Voom stations off. 

But this has nothing to do with them preventing DirecTV or FIOS from offering their national channels, AMC, FUSE, IFC, We, etc, in HD. They are just playing hardball where other providers like Newscorp would LOVE if every provider in the country carried Fox Business Network. Let's face it, I do want AMC HD, but I would not give up all that is wonderful about FIOS to change providers and go with Cablevision (not that I live in that market) just for this channel. I am not going to give up all the movie channels in HD, which Cablevision DOES NOT CARRY, just for a channel I want with Cablevision. I don't know what would make Cablevision think this tactic will work. Let's face it, FIOS is better. They should change their focus on getting FIOS, DirecTV, and other providers to carry AMC and their other channels in HD so they can get their advertising revenue up by being in more homes. They aren't going to get more homes by holding back their channels from the rest of us. Sheesh. 

It isn't that big of deal. I mean, I will watch Breaking Bad Season 2 and then buy the DVD set when it comes out. Season 1 in the 16x9 SD format looked good upscaled on my HD-DVD player. It looked almost as good as the HD version I saw last year. So it isn't the end of the world. It is just more of an annoyance having to watch my first viewing of the show in SD. But heck, they'll edit out the language and any nudity anyway, HD or not. 

Gosh. Rainbow should be flattered that I and others even want their channels in HD. It certainly isn't because of their commercial ridden movies. It is because of a couple shows that people like. 

Message Edited by skottey on 03-07-2009 05:58 AM
Message Edited by skottey on 03-07-2009 06:01 AM
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Re: AMC HD (and other Rainbow Channels)
vectorizer
Enthusiast - Level 2
Mad Men is starting season 3 tonight, so I wanted to renew this plead for AMC HD.
Re: AMC HD (and other Rainbow Channels)
EShy
Newbie

Verizon has been suing cablevision for their tactics and not allowing them to add HD channels before (I think it was MSG they sued for last time I read about it)

It seems that it's not up to verizon, so we can't do much about it. What I will do is download these episodes. I would've DVR it if I had access to the HD channel, but since I don't, downloading the episode seems like the only option to get the good quality and correct format.

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Re: AMC HD (and other Rainbow Channels)
vectorizer
Enthusiast - Level 2

@EShy wrote:

It seems that it's not up to verizon, so we can't do much about it. What I will do is download these episodes. I would've DVR it if I had access to the HD channel, but since I don't, downloading the episode seems like the only option to get the good quality and correct format.


EMI -- download HD from where?

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Re: AMC HD (and other Rainbow Channels)
nuttyirishman
Enthusiast - Level 2
Yes, Verizon needs to pick up AMC HD NOW!       It was "painful" watching Mad Men in SD.............Smiley Mad
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