High Definition Television requires the use of a special television set with a screen in the 16:9 aspect ratio which has enough pixels to handle the high resolution picture. HDTV also requires special programming that can meet the standard of the format. At present the satellite television company, Dish Network, is the best source for high definition television programming. This is the case for several reasons. First, no other television service provider has more high definition television channels. The closest competitor offers twenty three high definition channels, while Dish Network offers thirty national channels plus whatever local high definition channels are available in the area of the subscriber. Second, Dish Network provides a satellite receiver capable of handling high definition television signals at no extra charge along with every one of its subscriptions. Third, Dish Network provides great prices on its high definition television entertainment packages. In fact, you can get a high definition television entertainment package from Dish Network for less than an entry level standard definition package from most cable TV providers.

Dish Network has four different high definition television entertainment packages to choose from. The entry level package is called the Bronze Level High Definition Television Entertainment Package. It consists of the twenty five channels that make up the core of Dish Network's high definition offerings, plus eighty standard definition channels. (Note that the entry level Dish Network Package is still larger than the maximum number of high def channels offered by the nearest competitor.) The next up the line is the Silver Level High Definition Television Entertainment Package, which has the same twenty five high definition channels but the standard definition offerings go up to two hundred channels. After that comes the Gold Level High Definition Television Entertainment Package. It's high definition channel selection increases to twenty six and the selection of standard definition channels increases to two hundred and forty. The Platinum Level High Definition Television Entertainment Package has the same two hundred and forty standard definition channels of the Gold package but the selection of high definition channels goes up to thirty. The local high definition channels can be added onto any of Dish Network's high definition packages for a small monthly fee.

So how does Dish Network fill up thirty channels with high definition television programming? Actually movies are the obvious choice for high definition television because they're designed to be shown on a 16:9 aspect ratio screen and the fact that they're shown on such large screens translates well into the high resolution aspect of the high definition television standard. Because of this, Dish Network has a variety of channels devoted to movies including HDNet Movies, Monsters HD, Kung Fu, HD, Film Fest HD, Showtime HD, HBO HDTV, and Universal HD.