Washington, D.C. (March 11, 2008) -- DN is scheduled this Friday to launch a new satellite that will expand its High-Definition programming capacity.
Once operational, DN is expected to begin adding high-def channels, increasing its current total to roughly 70 to 100 by year's end.
The satcaster has said it would launch three new satellites in 2008 to expand its capacity for high-def. Dish also plans to offer local HD channels in 100 markets by year's end.
During last night's "Charlie Chat," a live Q&A session broadcast on DN, company CEO Charlie Ergen said the following channels will be added this year:
A few of those channels, such as Disney Channel HD, have yet to launch HD networks. Ergen also did not give specific launch dates or timetables for when the additional channels would be added.
The Americom-14 (AMC-14) satellite, which will launch Friday, is an advanced, high-powered Ku-band BSS satellite that consists of 32 24 MHz Ku-band transponders
