• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, July 14, 2008

DirecTV spent most of last year trying to brand itself as the pacesetter in the high-def area, promising it would offer the round, easily marketable number of 100 channels by Jan.1, 2007. It fell short and remains at 95.

Now, competitor Dish Network is at least on pace to catch up, if not overtake DTV. The satellite provider said Friday it plans to launch 17 national HD channels, taking it to 100.

Dish had made its own pledge to offer the century mark by Jan. 1, 2009. But while DTV seems behind, Dish now says it's five months ahead.

Among the 17 national channels that will take Dish to 100 are two from Lifetime (the flagship and its movie network spin-off), Discovery's new eco-friendly Planet Green and a run of feeds from HBO and Starz.

DTV and Dish don't offer their own broadband or phone services, so they're fighting to compete with cable operators' bundled triple play, betting that viewers hunger for HDTV will boost subscriptions. And give them an aura of leadership in the niche.

A DTV representative did not immediately return an email inquiry as to why it has taken the satellite operator longer than marketed to reach 100 HD channels. Also, no comment on what impact the Dish announcement may have. A call was not immediately returned.

Dish also said it would launch TurboHD, which will offer HD channels in separate pricing tiers, ranging from $24.99 to $49.99 a month. All tiers include the option of receiving local channels in HD (when available) for a higher fee, Dish said.

Jessica Insalaco, CMO at Dish, said, "When consumers add HD programming, their viewing habits change. They don't like to go back to standard definition, so their viewing switches over to all-HD channels. TurboHD will provide the next- generation high-definition television experience ..."

Insalco is only the latest evangelist to offer the watch-in-HD-and-never-turn-back mantra.

At the 2006 CES show, Sony CEO Howard Stringer said: "I know people - and research suggests there are plenty of them - who would rather watch grass grow in HD than tune in to a football game in standard definition."