Normally, we wouldn't go out of our way to pass along news that a recently launched satellite had phoned home, but given the nervousness felt by many after DISH Network's AMC-14 failed to reach its intended orbit, we figured we'd toss out some extra reassurance. As of early this morning, the D11 satellite made contact with a ground station in Hartebeesthoek, South Africa, signaling that it was "healthy and operating normally." Of course, there's no way to tell exactly what day the sat will begin dishing out more HD to more subscribers, but we reckon the conjecturing can officially begin. Psst... it took 81 days before DirecTV 10 began serving up HD.

[Thanks, K Shoup and syphix]


DirecTV 11 phones home, HD clock starts ticking