Abilene, TX - HDTV - Page 37

I've never had sat tv so maybe I'm missing something, but why on earth would Dish allow retailers to sell their receivers/dvr's if they are still considered "leased" and charge a monthly rental fee? And a better question would be why on earth anyone would pay $300 for one if it's all the same as getting it from the local installer..

First off, I only know of DirectTV's equipment being 'sold' in this manner, not Dish Network. I did a little looking around after adb got me curious. It appears that this $300 is the initial cost whether you get it from Best Buy or call up a dealer so it's the same either way. The only difference is some people think they are actually buying the equipment when they go into Best Buy and then are later disappointed. Apparently, the real cost of the HR20 is something like $750 so you know they're not actually 'buying' it.

As far as why someone would want to buy (and pay more up front) rather than lease when you still have to make the same monthly payment... that's the same question I had when I signed up with Dish Network but it seemed some people really take pride in ownership. I know the deals have changed since I signed up so I'm not sure what the offers are now but I know there was at least for a time (maybe still now) a rule by Dish Network that you could only lease one HD DVR at a time so if you wanted two or more, you had to buy them after that.

wow..just wow. Makes my decision to stick with expanded basic cable (no box, QAM tuner for HD) seem like a really good idea now...especially since Suddenlink is working on digital duplicate channels for people with no box. I highly doubt that the "real cost" of the HR20 is $750...any dvr at it's heart is simply a mass produced, low-end pc that only has one function. I would say the cost (to Directtv) to have these produced would be more in the neighborhood of under $200 per unit.

Spend a little time using one of the Dish Network VIP DVRs and you'll change your mind about Suddenlink.

Can't speak for DirectTV's HR20 though... haven't used it.

Oh I'm sure it's great...I used to have a Tivo Series 2 years ago that made it super easy to record everything that I would normally miss...but then actually having time to watch everything recorded was a different matter. I have a Philips DVDR 3575H (actual digital dvr with 160GB harddrive) that works great (no guide or anything though) but I rarely use it since I find so little these days that I want to record. I'm sure there is stuff on there that I've forgotten about..

I've looked at going with Suddenlink 3 times (well the first time it was still Cox) and just couldn't do it. When we first moved here, they weren't carrying KRBC at all which meant I had to use an antenna to get it... didn't have a problem using an antenna but that meant I couldn't integrate KRBC into my DVR which was important to me.

The second time was when I upgraded to HD. Not only did they not offer KTXS in HD but their HD lineup just wasn't any where near the satellite companies at the time.

The third time was at the end of last summer after my contract for the free HD upgrade had expired and I was a little agitated with some of the stupid policies that Dish Network has was looking at other options. DirecTV meant a huge increase in price per month compared to what I was currently paying and Suddenlink's DVR was a huge step backwards (and more expensive monthly).

Each company has their good points and bad points. Just a matter of what's important to you.


p.s. I don't think I could live without a program guide either.

What's the price difference between DirecTV and Dish? My contract with DirecTV is coming up soon and I'm definitely changing...just not sure if it's going to be Suddenlink or Dish.

My biggest thing is that I'm a little of a control freak and tech head....which means I like to choose and own my own electronics. Not having a rented box of any kind is a big plus for me...plugging coax straight from the wall to my tv eliminates a potential source of issues regarding HDMI handshake, aspect ratio problems etc. I also save a bunch of money by bundling expanded basic (70+ channels) landline phone with unlimited local/long distance and the most reliable high speed internet in town for about $120 a month. I have relatives in town that have Dish HD and another with Suddenlink HD. The relatives with Suddenlink switched from Directtv and seem to like Suddenlink better..mostly because it rarely goes down even in bad weather. Personally I'm content just getting the 4 major networks in HD via my QAM tuner...the extra HD channels are nice but not really worth the money imo.

The biggest ripoff in town is Suddenlink basic digital (non-HD) because adding the box to the equation actually BLOCKS you from using your tv's internal QAM tuner to get the locals in HD. Not to mention that digital standard def is only marginally better than analog...and the extra channels you get aren't that compelling.

mimahon

Just wondering if you have heard from your engineering friend about how they are coming with getting their new HD equipment for the Abilene area.

I'll try to check in with him this week. I've been out of the country for a month (Brazil) and haven't been able to call him.

-ML

Well, I see on the DVR that KTAB went back to SD after the 10:00 news last night. That seems to happen a lot with them.

I haven't noticed HD newscasts yet but I noticed an HD church service yesterday. I think it was First Baptist on KRBC. Anybody know when they started HD?

Edit: Of course I immediately found a report.
http://www.reporternews.com/news/200...e-digital-age/

I talked to the CE at KXVA today. Since they were granted the 6 month STA, the management is not in a big hurry to upgrade. They have put a downpayment on the new transmitter but may wait a month or two to generate revenue to finish paying it off. Their CE is trying to expedite because they are currently not covering the FCC required 85% of their old analog signal coverage which could leave them vulnerable to lose the station/network affilation to a more aggressive and cash available competitor. It should be interesting to see what happens in the next few months. I'll check in periodically and keep you updated.

-ML

Howdy y'all ... Haven't been on here in quite a long time. I haven't been watching Fox during the rerun season, so I was unaware that KXVA was broadcasting at a lower power. Started to freak Sunday when I couldn't get it with my DTV HD DVR. I switched the TV input to the OAT and was able to get it. That lowered the stress level substantially Checking the signal strength bar showed they were down at my location about 25% from before. So, I knew where to come to get the skinny on what was up.

They've been on low power since they went digital but I was still able to pick them up in the beginning. I've noticed lately, I can't pull in the OTA signal like I used to and have been having to use the Satellite signal instead.

Hello everyone,
I'm glad I found this board! It seems to answer my question as to why I can get all my networks except KXVA ota. I will follow this thread for any updates.

Anybody know what's the deal with KRBC and KTAB this morning. Off the air on both OTA and DishNetwork. On the DishNetwork channels, there's a message indicating they're aware of the outage which makes me think this was planned (usually would get simply a yellow screen).

KTAB mentioned it on the newscast last night and said that "it was near completion".....what "it" is wasn't made clear though.

LOL! That's about typical. I guess they're probably finally putting up their high powered transmitter.

Also seems about right for timing since tonight is the premier for Survivor. They like to mess with my Survivor watching with 'planned' maintenance. They don't seem to like to do this stuff when there's not any new shows on.

Good, they're back on. Anyone that couldn't get them before getting them now?

I get KTAB digital through Suddenlink that has a direct fiber optic feed (so it shouldn't have been affected by all this) but I swear that Survivor and CSI looked/sounded better than ever last night.

I don't watch CSI but I've always thought that Survivor was the best looking show on TV... well since they finally went HD anyway. I don't know that it looked better to me last night but certainly looked as good as ever. A little disappointed though. This was the second episode, I guess it started last week but my DVR missed it... that's unusual.

On to point though, my signal meters show the signals for both KTAB and KRBC are a little stronger than they usually are. Can anybody confirm that they finally got their high powered transmitters up yesterday or is today just one of those good days for reception?

I live in Cisco, and have not noticed any signal increase over the air. The only network I have problems with is KXVA. My Tivo won't get it at all, and my direct connection to the TV tends to be inconsistent.
tigepilot: Survivor looks great, but I always thought "Crusoe" was the best looking show on TV, too bad it got canceled.

I am not sure of the exact rules of the NFL but I know in past years KTAB has opted out of showing Houston Texan games since they have generally not been very good. If I am not mistaken we are actually NOT in the Texans but rather in the Cowboys DMA.

I for one am in favor of them showing a very important game between two good teams, rather than show a couple of mediocre teams and take up one of my Network games.

Man, I got to say I was way more interested to see the Vikings play the Stealers.

Has anyone else noticed that KXVA seems to have a hard time with the 'automatic' switch from HD to SD and back? I've noticed it switch in the middle of a commercial. Specifically, when it's a HD commercial, I've seen it switch to SD, and then unfortunately doesn't switch back in time for the return to network programming.

or am I just insane?

I have noticed the same thing. You just have to remember that this is a older, used, low power HD transmitter they were able to acquire as a supposedly temporary fix until they bought their new transmitter. That should be in Feb. as that is when the extension that was granted to them expires. From what I hear the new company that purchased them still hasn't put up the money for the new equipment. My guess is at that time they will probably try to get another extension.

I would guess that about the only thing that might force them to get the new equipment is a petition to the FCC saying that with the current set up they are not serving their viewing audience, which is certainly true. As I understand it that is one of the conditions for them keeping their license.

Yeah, I understand about the transmitter, however this would be a Master Control issue. The transmitter just transmits whatever format is sent to it. Not to mention, I'm watching it on Suddenlink, so it whould be a fiber feed.

Regardless, I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice.