Dish Network To Offer 1080p Video On Demand Movies

Dish Network is going to give you 1080p resolution starting in August. Or no…this is probably just marketing speak to make you think you’re getting Blu-ray quality images on your satellite service. You see, they can say they’re sending along a 1080p signal but it can be compressed and downgraded just like any signal. They may be upgrading set top boxes to perform at 1080p, but you’ll likely still be getting compressed 720p signals.

The company is starting off by providing the Will Smith movie I Am Legend in 1080p resolution over their Video On Demand service. We’ll have to wait and see just how good the quality is, but if Dish Network has the technical ability to provide streaming HD content right now then we’re in for a flood of this stuff by the end of the year. Right now I just can’t see how streaming Blu-ray quality is possible. I’ve tried watching the HD trailers on Hulu and those 2 minutes clips make my internet connection chug along at a slow pace.