High-definition television in Wilmington

We all have digital television now, and many of you have a high-definition television. But if you subscribe to satellite, you will not be able to watch HD programming offered by Wilmington stations, including WWAY, no matter what the companies may tell you.

Dish Network’s advertisements mentioning their Turbo HD service may have you thinking about your high definition viewing options. What is not to like about a hundred high-definition channels, including your local stations? But you have to read the fine print.

So are Wilmington stations available? WWAY called Dish Network to find out.

A customer service operator told me Wilmington stations are available, but not in high-definition.

“It’s basically a waiting game,” she said. “If they’re not in high-definition, which they aren’t, then I can’t offer them to you in high definition.”

The operator told me as soon as high-definition signals are available, Dish Network will offer them to subscribers in our market.

The problem with that is the fact that Wilmington stations, including WWAY, have been offering high-definition signals for months.

It is not just Dish Network that is getting it wrong. An operator with DirecTV also told me the HD versions of the local stations are not available here.

The reason?

“There are negotiations going on with the (TV stations) in your area with DirecTV for us to use their programming and display it in high-definition,” a DirectTV operator said.

That, too, is false.

DirecTV Public Relations, Director Robert Mercer, later told me the real reason is the company’s satellites simply do not have room yet for the Wilmington channels. Wilmington is not yet on DirecTV’s list of markets where it will offer local high-definition.

Mercer said the company is launching a new satellite next year, but he did not know if that would include space for WWAY and other Wilmington stations in high-definition.

DirecTV’s Robert Mercer said the company would review our findings with its customer service team to make sure everyone is on the same page.

A Dish Network spokesperson also admitted the information the operator gave was “patently false” and said it would be reviewed with customer service. She also said there is no timeline yet on when Dish Network would offer Wilmington stations in high-definition.