[sgmonroe]

 http://www.skyreport.com/#one


I wonder what DTV will do with all that cash? More locals?

 

[leebo]

Quote:

Originally posted by sgmonroe http://www.skyreport.com/#one I wonder what DTV will do with all that cash? More locals?

Maybe they'll give their subscribers free TV for the next few months!


You can't be serious. DTV has been losing money for some time now, don't you read the papers?


Had they merged, and combined all those satellites, maybe there would be more locals. Forget about that now.

 

[sgmonroe]

My humor has often been described as dry... I wasn't serious!


I'm just one of those poor saps who will never get their locals, has terrible OTA, and has Time Warner Cable who charges $30+ for local feeds (that's only 17 channels BTW)...


Just ignore me.

 

[restart88]

Quote:

Originally posted by sgmonroe My humor has often been described as dry... I wasn't serious! I'm just one of those poor saps who will never get their locals, has terrible OTA, and has Time Warner Cable who charges $30+ for local feeds (that's only 17 channels BTW)... Just ignore me.

That's just plain sick! Time Warner sent me an offer last week for all the channels, including digital, plus 2 movie channels for $30 a month for 12 months. Supposedly a "special" offer for sat subscribers.


With all my weather related reception problems, I'm often tempted to get a Replay and switch to cable. But then my Select Choice would be gone forever!


I was very tempted to try the Total Choice plan that (and my memory is fuzzy about the exact numbers) gave you all the channels for about $80, less a limited time $20 promotion credit. But when you add in my receives monthly fees & UTV fee & taxes it would have normally been about $100 a month, which is too much for my budget. And they told me I could not later return to SC. That was the deal breaker!


I don't think it's very fair of TW to offer one market a really good deal while shafting another. But other than support D*, what can one do about it?

 

[Greg C]

They used it to lock out Charlie from NFL Sunday Ticket!

 

[sgmonroe]

The reason my market gets a terrible price for cable is that TWC is the ONLY guy in town! That's why so many people in Lincoln are going to E* and D*. Ten Years ago I paid less than $20 a month for alomst 70 channels. Now I think that setup is almost $50 a month. The city council/mayor were suppose to regulate the price, but their more concerned about the taxes the get from TWC... But that's another story.


That's why, in the back of my mind, I wish the sat providers would check the numbers and realize that they have good saturation in this area. Locals would make sense, plus they would probably gain subscribers who are holding out for locals. Oh Well.


Back to my static.

 

[leebo]

Quote:

Originally posted by sgmonroe The reason my market gets a terrible price for cable is that TWC is the ONLY guy in town! That's why so many people in Lincoln are going to E* and D*. Ten Years ago I paid less than $20 a month for alomst 70 channels. Now I think that setup is almost $50 a month.

See? This is what gets me about everyone who was against the merger.


Think about it.

Ten years ago, b4 DTV and Echostar were really up and running, you paid $20.

If cable was afraid of the sats, why then are you now paying $50???


A bigger satellite co could only have helped the situation. Why should cable lower their prices/improve their service because of a relatively few satellite subscribers?


I guess everyone will now have their chance to prove me wrong!!!

 

[restart88]

Quote:

Originally posted by leebo See? This is what gets me about everyone who was against the merger. Think about it. Ten years ago, b4 DTV and Echostar were really up and running, you paid $20. If cable was afraid of the sats, why then are you now paying $50??? A bigger satellite co could only have helped the situation. Why should cable lower their prices/improve their service because of a relatively few satellite subscribers? I guess everyone will now have their chance to prove me wrong!!!

At first, I was generally for the merger. I thought it would be great to use my UTVs with E* programming.


But as time moved on, it was looking like they wanted to use the E* equipment, which I've always had one problem or the other using. And I've had much better experience with D* customer service and packages. The more I heard, the less I trusted Charlie in this merger issue.


Now, I'm very glad the merger is off. I just hope D* can begin to thrive!

 

[leebo]

Quote:

Now, I'm very glad the merger is off. I just hope D* can begin to thrive!

I understand your concern about E's equipment.


But just why do you think "D" will thrive now, if they weren't thriving b4???

What has changed?

 

[sgmonroe]

From what I've read, I don't like Charlie either. What I was told if the merger had gone thru, they would have operated under D* with D* hybrid equipment. The only hand Charlie would have had was in your wallet.


It's a mixed bag...

 

[restart88]

Quote:

Originally posted by leebo I understand your concern about E's equipment. But just why do you think "D" will thrive now, if they weren't thriving b4??? What has changed?

With the merger in play, I believe that D* was not trying to be as creative in marketing as it might have been.


I guess the E* sales people (or 3rd party, whatever) who tricked people into giving up their D* service was "creative marketing" - but yet another distasteful example of my gripes about E*.


I think that D* could thrive now, when it couldn't before if it sets its mind to do so and gets out of the "someone buy us out!" mode. I think in the next 2 or 3 years a small percentage (I'm guessing 10-20%) of E* subs will come to D* out of frustration. So the real question is what can D* do to attract new subs? If I were a stockholder or an employee, I might take time to dwell upon possibilities. But the best thing they can do is get a decent HD PVR, IMO.

 

[leebo]

Quote:

Originally posted by restart88 I guess the E* sales people (or 3rd party, whatever) who tricked people into giving up their D* service was "creative marketing" - but yet another distasteful example of my gripes about E*.

Interesting. I hadn't read about that. Who reported about it?


Quote:

I think that D* could thrive now, when it couldn't before if it sets its mind to do so and gets out of the "someone buy us out!" mode. But the best thing they can do is get a decent HD PVR, IMO.

Ever hear of a guy named Rupert?

And who is making HD PVR's besides E?

 

[restart88]

Quote:

Originally posted by leebo Interesting. I hadn't read about that. Who reported about it? Ever hear of a guy named Rupert? And who is making HD PVR's besides E?

Scroll back in the forum a few months. D* even dedicated channels to a warning message about it!!



No knock on Murdock, but how does getting taken over necessarily mean an automatic increase in profit? In many take overs, something usually gets sacrificed to pay for the takeover loans.

 

[leebo]

Well, I actually agree. My point is that by all accounts Murdoch could hardly wait for this merger to die (it was even rumored he had a hand in it) so he could try again.


So how can D get out of the "someone buy us out" mode now?

 

[raj2001]

Quote:

Originally posted by leebo And who is making HD PVR's besides E?

E* isn't making any HD PVR. HD PVR's are planned, but none have gone into production for the general consumer. Just remember that E* was first with satellite PVR's, but who now has the better PVR product? D* of course. Until E* becomes a more professionally run company I am sticking with D*. Charlie's main focus is on the average joe who wants a lower cable bill, not a home theater junkie like me who wants decent picture quality and good equipment.

 

[leebo]

Quote:

Originally posted by raj2001 Just remember that E* was first with satellite PVR's, but who now has the better PVR product? D* of course. Until E* becomes a more professionally run company I am sticking with D*. Charlie's main focus is on the average joe who wants a lower cable bill, not a home theater junkie like me who wants decent picture quality and good equipment.

Interesting.


Actually, my bro and my mom both have a DirectTivo, and I have the current 508 from Dish. Except for the learning abilities of Tivo, I think I got the better deal (more recording time, no TV schedule fee, and the software now seems as stable as Tivos).


I know what you mean by "Professionally run", but which company was in a position to buy which???


Charlie may be from a trailer park, but if you read the papers you know a college degree means little in the business world these days - unless your using your education to "creatively" hide losses!


As for picture quality, I've seen what both E and D broadcast. If you hear of a company that actually has GOOD pic quality, please let me know!!!

 

[restart88]

I've seen lots of trailer parks where almost everyone had a dish in the front yard. Kinda like a memorial to Charlie and his vagabond beginnings.


Thanks to TV, I think there's little that a B.A. education can "teach" you. It does force you to survey the past more than you might choose to do on your own.


There is a reportedly better and cheaper DBS provider, namely 4DTV (assuming it is still in business).

 

[raj2001]

Quote:

Originally posted by leebo Actually, my bro and my mom both have a DirectTivo, and I have the current 508 from Dish. Except for the learning abilities of Tivo, I think I got the better deal (more recording time, no TV schedule fee, and the software now seems as stable as Tivos).

I have 107 hours on my SAT-T60 DirecTiVo, and I can go all the way to 210 hours. Recording time can be expanded if needed. And I won't be so quick as to tout the advantage of "no fee" either. A Dish PVR costs close to $500. You can get a DirecTiVo for $200, which is $300 less. The sub fee on TiVo is $5 per month, which means that it will take you roughly 60 months (5 years) to have any advantage with a "no fee" PVR.


And by the way, I have total choice premier, which means I pay no fee too.

Quote:

As for picture quality, I've seen what both E and D broadcast. If you hear of a company that actually has GOOD pic quality, please let me know!!! [/b]

Between the two, DirecTV has the better picture quality.

 

[curtis0620]

And if you buy 2, the DirecTiVo is by far the better deal.