[jerryez]

The new equipment design is still undetermined, but any equipment replacement would be at no cost to customers.


See this url:

http://www.directv.com/about/aboutpa...19,538,00.html



Jerry

 

[drewba]

Quote:

From the DirecTV FAQ What specific benefits would the merger bring? Nothing is decided yet, but we would hope to do things like: Local channels in more cities Even more national channels More high definition service More pay per view selection and video on demand Enhance our high-speed Internet service Have enough capacity for new services nobody is offering yet today More robust international channel lineup

Unfortunately, there is nothing on this listing about reducing compression to improve picture quality. Along with more HD, that is the main advantage that I was hoping to see out of the merger.

 

[ongopt]

Hmmmm! The above URL also states that more HDTV is hoped for.

We shall see. That would be very nice!











t

 

[Art Lloyd]

I don't understand the "free replacement" claim. I really don't believe that there will be a package delivered to my house containing three regular receivers, one HD receiver and two Tivo/Directv units. People get insanely jealous of the abilities and quirks of the electronic toys that they have chosen. Can you imagine the complaints if the new DirectDish HD reciver does not have the bells and whistles of the old Sony, Hughes, Panasonic or whatever? I have one of the Dish Hd units configured for Expressview and it is in no way as slick as my other Directv units.


Maybe there will be some kind of adaptor unit. Something that would let the present electronics be used for their three or four year lifespan.

Art

 

[Juan]

I just hope they dont replace the STB's with ones that will only decode the satellite HD signals and not the over the air ones. I dont want be switching inputs every time I go from satellite to Over the air.

 

[SmokeBringer]

I have the following equipment that may need replacing:


1 Philips DSR6000

1 Sony Sat T-60

1 RCA DTC-100


I am (make that was) also considering buying a new HDTV with a built-in DirecTV receiver. I'd like to see the following question added to the FAQ:


Will equipment replacement include both PVRs and TVs that include integrated DirecTV receivers?

 

[ShiningBengal]

Quote:

Originally posted by drewba Unfortunately, there is nothing on this listing about reducing compression to improve picture quality. Along with more HD, that is the main advantage that I was hoping to see out of the merger.

Surely you jest. The typical cable and/or satellite subscriber doesn't give a whit about "quality" signals. They want more channels and lower costs. Period.


There is no economic rationale in improving quality beyond what exists now, much as I wish there were. Take a look at the number of folks who still use VCR's, even though you can get a decent DVD player for under $200. These are the folks who pay for putting those multi-billion dollar satellites in orbit...not you and I.

 

[Bill]

It seems to me if any equipment will be replaced it would be Dish equipment. There are far more people with Directv equipment.

 

[JohnnyB39]

Quote:

Originally posted by Bill It seems to me if any equipment will be replaced it would be Dish equipment. There are far more people with Directv equipment.

I wouldn't bet on it First off it's going to take up to 3 years for this to happen.. by then your equipment will be in a closet somewhere collecting dust or sold off to someone else ....

you might see a receiver come out in the mean time that can decode both signals


I had Dish since 96 since then I owned a MDL 1000 , a 4000, a 4900, A Dishplayer, a PVR501 ,and I just bought a MDL 6000

that's five receivers in as many years


They don't even have any idea what they are going to do


you also have to look at the signal theft at DTV ..


Charlie will look long at this issue before he accepts 17 Million of these systems that anyone can hack


what I believe will happen is you get to swap out like equipment

with what ever they decide to go with if you commit to the Top programming package for a year or two ......


I.M.O.H.P.

 

[rogo]

DirecTV knows their compression is intolerable. It is supposed to be improved by the new bird, via spot beams, even with the added must-carry channels. By February, we will know if they are serious.


Mark

 

[JBJR]

I am very skeptical that if Dish does get Directv they will swap out STB's. Just consider the cost involved with such a plan, it would bankrupt them. Millions of recievers even at the basic level say at a cost to them of about $25 with shipping would be astronomical. Let alone replacing the hi cost HD stb's. I just don't see it happening.


John

 

[vruiz]

Charlie Ergen already said that $250 million for equipment exchange costs was budgeted in the deal.

 

[JBJR]

Ok, $250 million. Now we have say 6 million subscribers that will need to be switched out with lets just say the low cost STB, never mind the HD and High level STB's. Something is not adding up!

John

 

[Alan Sh]

In the second entry on page 7 of this thread I transcribed what Charlie had to say about the transition. He said $2 billion.

 

[Matt_Stevens]

I just spent nearly $600 on a DISH 6000 system and will not upgrade for YEARS (as in, when the 6000 stops working) and will not be happy if I am forced to buy newequipment.

 

[Savageone79]

Dish will replace directv's hardware becusae it is more cost effective that way even though there are more directv receivers. They will probably replace them for free or very cheaply and will try to get it done as quickly as possible. This will probably include HD recievers and multiple reciever households. You have to realize the cost for them to replace the recievers is much less then if you went out and bought them all. They make the recievers themselves so the cost is minimal.

 

[amillians]

Or something like that. Guys (and gals), take a step back and look at the big picture. How many HDTV/expensive STBs are out there that will need to be replaced? $2B is a lot of money--even if they swap out equipment for all 17 million subs, that's $117 per sub to do so, at cost, mind you. $117 buys a hell of a lot of equipment on average, considering the manufacturing costs for 99% of the boxes out there (the ones J6P uses) are probably in the sub $50 range. Sure, the numbers will shift--but not by that much.


As a recent DirecTV-to-Dish defector, Dish has been pushing--and I would have to believe will only do so more--the pseudo-rental position. I have a "high end" Dish PVR501 and a "low end" 301 and I didn't pay a dime for either--Dish simply signs you up for a given programming commitment, and the equipment is "free." When the cost of the equipment is embedded in the programming fee (a la cable), the only complaint you're going to have when they present you with a "free" STB is that it isn't as functional, cool, etc. as what you already had. Boo hoo--get over it.


I admit, the PVR501 is a poor stepchild to my former Tivo box, but it cost me nothing but a one year commitment for $50/month programming (vs. $480 for one year of similar DirecTV programming, plus $300 for DirecTivo, plus $200 for the Tivo sub). One year on Dish costs me $600 vs. $980 for DirecTV; two years on Dish costs me $1200 vs. $1460 for DirecTV. After that, Dish gives me the latest and greatest "high end" and "low end" receivers. The economics works--with the changes in technology (both forced a la copy protection and demanded a la new features), the life expectancy of any STB (I don't care how expensive) is about 3 years tops.


Granted, this has nothing to do with HDTV, but then again, very little of the Dish + DirecTV deal has to do with HDTV....that's my point! We can ***** and moan and gnash our teeth, but we're less than 1% of the population.

 

[Leroy_Haynes]

Quote:

Originally posted by amillians I admit, the PVR501 is a poor stepchild to my former Tivo box, but it cost me nothing but a one year commitment for $50/month programming (vs. $480 for one year of similar DirecTV programming...

Where did you get this deal where you didn't pay anything for the equipment? I'm only aware of the $9/mo deal. Thanks!!

 

[amillians]

Leroy:


Here's a link...this covers a couple of deals.


The deal I got was a PVR 501, a 301, Top 100 and locals for $49.99/month, 12 month commitment...but it seems that the locals have now been excluded from this deal and the price has been dropped by $5 (but it still seems like $49.99 gets you everything I had, although it may no longer be a specific deal they advertise). I also added the WB/UPN superstations (additional $5, but worth it!), PBS (addtional $1) and the HBO + Showtime package (something like $21 addtional).


I also (somehow) managed to get my $50 activation fee waived, but that was 3 odd months ago, and maybe they don't do it anymore...plus maybe it was the fact that I added a whole bunch of channels. Still, it's a pretty good deal (vs. DirecTV's offerings and hardware costs), although they seem to keep tinkering with the specifics. FYI, I had a hell of a time coordinating a local installer who was willing (in terms of putting me on his install schedule prior to the next ice age) to be a part of this deal...maybe the installers are getting shafted on this particular deal.


As always, run the numbers yourself to see what the best "deal" is. For me, this one was the best, but then again, the $9 deal didn't exist.

http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/p...te/index.shtml


Still, I miss Tivo...my heaven is Dish getting DirecTV plus buying Tivo to replace the "technology" in their PVRs. I have an old stand-alone Tivo hooked up to the 301, but it just isn't the same. Sniff, sniff.

 

[Richard Casto]

Quote:

Originally posted by Juan I just hope they dont replace the STB's with ones that will only decode the satellite HD signals and not the over the air ones. I dont want be switching inputs every time I go from satellite to Over the air.

This was one of my fears as well, but then I started to think. If they were to swap it out with a model that didn't do OTA that would mean they would have to have a model that just did sat and HD via sat and no OTA capabilities. Do they have a model like that today? I am not sure, but I think they don't. Don't all HD sat receivers also do OTA DTV? Who would want a HD receiver that didn't also do HD OTA? I know there is a small market for regular OTA HD receivers/decoders that DONT do sat, but not the other way around. So, I expect that if they do swap out, it should have the ability for OTA DTV.


Quote:

Originally posted by JohnnyB39 .... First off it's going to take up to 3 years for this to happen.. by then your equipment will be in a closet somewhere collecting dust or sold off to someone else ....

I personally have quite a bit of A/V equipment that is older than 3 years old. Also I assume that a great deal of 'Regular Joe' consumers are using their original receivers.


Mine are currently less than 3 years old, but only because I upgraded mine as part of a DirecTV swap out ($50 upgrade from regular receiver to a 'plus' receiver so I could get local channels in Raleigh/Durham) as well as recently bought an HD receiver. If that upgrade via DirecTV hadn't been available, I might still be using my original Sony SAT A1 receivers.


Richard