[btokars]

This is not really an HD programming question but it does have HD implications and I could not find another (better?) place to post it.


For more than 20 years we have been receiving NBC, CBS, and ABC via C-band on our dish at our family cabin in the mountains outside of Fresno (just a little south of the southern entrance of Yosemite). Yesterday, our sat program provider, Netlink, informed me that the Denver 5 package is no longer available and that the Prime 24 east coast network feeds will be gone sometime in the Q1 2006. And as of now, there is NO PLACE to get FOX via C-Band.


Is this all true? Have we C-Band owners finally been cut-off for good? It sure sounds like it but I thought I'd check here since you guys know more about the landscape of satellite programming than anyone else.


Oh yes, one more thing, small dish (DirecTV or DISH) apparently is also no longer an option for what we used to call the Big Three networks. Does that sound right?


Our situation in terms of waivers is that we had been grandfathered in for the Denver 5 because we cannot get any OTA. Not sure about how this works now but with cable and satellite access here in the mountains, does that mean the OTA is no longer OTA but OTA via cable or Sat can be had so no more waivers are needed?

 

[MRinDenver]

As a former owner of a 10 foot BUD, I understand your pain. However, total C-band subs dropped to just 150,000 from a few million only a few years ago.


It is time to let go, my friend. I moved to small dish (Direct) in 04, sold my 4DTV receiver and dismantled my dish.


The good news is you can get the networks easily from Direct (and I assume from Dish as well). If you are truly unserved -- no OTA reception possible -- you can absolutely get regular and hi-def networks out of LA, plus HBO, Showtime and a few others in hi-def.


Call a provider and explain your situation! And bid farewell to a technology that served so many so well so long.

 

[turls]

Hope you put your flame suit on. In any case, there is still a lot of programming and it isn't either/or big dish/small dish. Keep it for the wildfeeds if nothing else.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRinDenver It is time to let go, my friend.

 

[MRinDenver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by turls Hope you put your flame suit on. In any case, there is still a lot of programming and it isn't either/or big dish/small dish. Keep it for the wildfeeds if nothing else.

Yes, there is a lot of wildfeeds, etc floating around; C-band is still great!


But this guy was asking specifically about the networks which are becoming as scarce as, well. as scarce as backyard BUDs.

 

[DigitalDan]

Not so fast, btokars. NPS will be offering the Denver 8 package as listed below. This should be available in the next few days.



Latest update: 99.9% on the Denvers. the channel listings are as follows


w1-500 KRMA-PBS

w1-501 KDVR-Fox

w1-502 KWGN-WB

w1-503 KCNC-CBS

w1-504 KUSA-NBC

w1-505 KMGH-ABC

w1-506 KBDI-PBS

w1-507 KTVD-UPN, Englewood

 

[turls]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRinDenver Yes, there is a lot of wildfeeds, etc floating around; C-band is still great! But this guy was asking specifically about the networks which are becoming as scarce as, well. as scarce as backyard BUDs.

But you also mentioned selling your stuff and dismantling the dish, which is basically throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I guess if it were me I would have gone ahead and mentioned the good things about keeping a BUD around in the same few sentences, if nothing else to avoid risking the wrath of the zealots.

 

[turls]

You mean Netlink didn't bother to mention this fact? I'm in disbelief. Actually, I'm in disbelief that anybody that still had a C band dish was a Netlink customer, instead of NPS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigitalDan Not so fast, btokars.

 

[JMartinko]

AFAIK, Dan is correct, the channels are not disappearing, they are just going digital. Apparently they are already available to the analog subscribers. If you are using a 4DTV receiver it shouldn't make any difference to you other than eight channels are now available and they are at a new channel number. Netlink/Superstar is notorious for 'misleading' statements since they are now owned by Charlie Ergen and the Echostar folks and are obviously more interested in selling E* subscriptions than in supporting and maintaining C-Band subs. Somewhere low on Charlies 'to-do' list is eliminate C-Band subscribers and convert all of them to E*. I did drop the Denver 5 when the prices went too high since I live here anyway and get them OTA, and mostly watch the HD or DTV versions anyway. I subscribed for years when I lived outside of Philly so I could keep up with things (Broncos, Buffs, etc.) while living there. In my own case I still have some C-Band movie subscriptions along with the HD versions, and can't imagine a college football Saturday without the big dish. YMMV.


Try going to 4DTV Satellite Forum to get the latest information.

 

[nailzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRinDenver As a former owner of a 10 foot BUD, I understand your pain. However, total C-band subs dropped to just 150,000 from a few million only a few years ago. It is time to let go, my friend. I moved to small dish (Direct) in 04, sold my 4DTV receiver and dismantled my dish. The good news is you can get the networks easily from Direct (and I assume from Dish as well). If you are truly unserved -- no OTA reception possible -- you can absolutely get regular and hi-def networks out of LA, plus HBO, Showtime and a few others in hi-def. Call a provider and explain your situation! And bid farewell to a technology that served so many so well so long.

Personally, I'm not ready for the fuzzy SD the puny dish offers. Oh and Starz! just dropped their 33 digital+HD channels subscription for c-band to $104.00 per year.

 

[nailzer]

And I can buy any combination of movie channels without having to buy a "basic package", and there are no rainouts with a c-band dish, don't get me started....

 

[jones07]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nailzer don't get me started....

Please, Get started.................. Get started






One of the last 200K or so happy BUD owers

 

[Willie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRinDenver It is time to let go, my friend. I moved to small dish (Direct) in 04, sold my 4DTV receiver and dismantled my dish. The good news is you can get the networks easily from Direct (and I assume from Dish as well). If you are truly unserved -- no OTA reception possible -- you can absolutely get regular and hi-def networks out of LA, plus HBO, Showtime and a few others in hi-def. Call a provider and explain your situation! And bid farewell to a technology that served so many so well so long.

Give us a break. All your statement indicates is that for you convenience outweighs picture fidelity. Don't indict a good technology that is NOT past its prime because of your willingness to sacrifice quality (4DTV) for quantity (D*).


Willie

 

[nailzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jones07 Please, Get started.................. Get started One of the last 200K or so happy BUD owers

Ok lets me see.... WE, c-band owners have NO contracts to sign. We can buy our programming by the month, 3 months, 6 months, or annually. On my 50" 8UK the SD quality ZOOMED is outstanding. If I get no more HD channels then what we have now I can be happy. Oh and by the way we (the c-band owners) just got a new Spanish package of channels.


Canal 52 MX C4-550

Casa Club TV C4-661

Cine Mexicano C4-251

CineLatino C4-250

CNN en Espanol C4-580

Discovery en Espanol C4-650

Fox Sports En Espanol C4-450

History Channel en Espanol C4-651

MTV Espanol C4-802

Toon Disney Espanol C4-660


Don't call c-band dead yet.

 

[btokars]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigitalDan Not so fast, btokars. NPS will be offering the Denver 8 package as listed below. This should be available in the next few days. Latest update: 99.9% on the Denvers. the channel listings are as follows w1-500 KRMA-PBS w1-501 KDVR-Fox w1-502 KWGN-WB w1-503 KCNC-CBS w1-504 KUSA-NBC w1-505 KMGH-ABC w1-506 KBDI-PBS w1-507 KTVD-UPN, Englewood

Wow! I had no idea we still had options. Thanks for the information, everyone.


Just to be clear, I would never take down our BUD. Wild feeds alone make keeping it up a no-brainer and of course, PBS remains in the clear. As for programming packages, we've just been on auto-pilot with Netlink for so long I sort of forgot there were other providers (had NPS for years at our home BUD in San Francisco before the SF fog melted the dish). I will most definately call them today.


BUD is still great technology. I hate DISH/DIRECT/Cable SD (HD is fine) and picture fidelity has always been important. The prospect of not having access to football at holiday times is making many family members here in the mountains for Christmas very unhappy so I really appreciate the reminder about NPS.


Thanks again for all your information and support. We BUD owners may be a dying breed but we all know that once you've been BUDded(?) you never want to go small. Right? Right.


Merry Ho Ho's to all...and to all a BUDnight.

 

[Filthy McNasty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by btokars This is not really an HD programming question but it does have HD implications and I could not find another (better?) place to post it.

Many of us C Banders have added Star Choice because simply there is not a complete set of HD nets on C Band.


In addition the economy of scale enters into it.

C Band: Set of east/west networks in SD $22/month usd


Star Choice Essentials ~ $27/month usd

Set of east/west networks in HD + CBC/CTV/TSN/Rogers Sportsnet HD

+ additional set of US nets in SD + 60 canadian channels + 40 music


No matter how good the PQ is on C Band; HD on SC is better than SD on 4DTV.


We still use 4DTV for movies and alacarte of course.

http://www.global-cm.net/CAN/StarCho...ntialsENG.html