Uplink Activity Report - 12/17/2008 4:02pm - 54 changes

6381(29) - KCWE [MPEG4 HD] added to Echostar12 61.5W TP 09 Area 8 beam (NA)(Kansas City, MO)
6381(29) - KCWE [MPEG4 HD] added to EchoStar5 129W TP 04 ConUS beam (NA)(Kansas City, MO)

Wow they added our local CW Channel here in KC. Of course it isn't lit up yet and the analog is really their HD version they just adjusted the Aspect ratio to be 4:3. Also this Monday, a couple days ago. KCWE turned off their Analog broadcast and supposedly are the first broadcast station in the country to shut off their analog and only go digital, so this may be the reason Dish is looking at adding it.

As you probably know, bongohawk, their sister station KMBC-9 (currently digital channel 7) is installing a channel 29 digital transmitter, so they had to turn off 29 analog early. This means that KC will be an all-UHF market after Feb 17. YEA! :up

Brad
 
WMFB in Myrtle Beach S.C. started up on Sept 8th. They started up on digital signal, never had an analog signal.
 
Things are always relative. When my folks first got TV using an antenna, I think they received one channel clearly and another part time (when the weather permitted); when a local cable company was established, they got 4 channels. All standard definition. With 4 channels, they had variety. The fee was nominal.

Someone has posted they plan to leave Dish because they are only getting 9 HD channels. One presumes the person is also getting between 40 and 200 SD channels.

While I agree that I've never heard Charlie say that lack of capacity is the reason any specific channel is not being added, he has stated that increased capacity will mean more channels. It is probably true that Dish always has some capacity in reserve so that it could if desired add 1 or 2 channels at any point in time. But when capacity is limited, it also is carefully preserved. Sort of like some of the financial institutions that got bail out loans: rather than using that money to make more loans, they are using it as a hedge against the bad loans they've already made to protect against bankruptcy.

Someone previously posted that Ciel-2 has capacity for 145 spot beams. I don't know if that's correct, but if it is, it's a lot of capacity. I think nelson61 posted maps showing where many spot beams are going to be available, and apparently Ciel-2 will have capacity to cover the entire country including eastern arc. I think the spot beam on 77W that was recently activated with Lexington, KY HD locals also carries the Louisville, Cincinnati, Huntington, WV and Charleston, WV HD locals. Maybe others too. The point being, that Ciel-2 with 145 spot beams has a lot of HD capacity. The idea that Ciel-2 is a non-event with regard to HD coverage is just misguided.

Dish has about 80 HD local DMAs now (this is a more or less number). Charlie has stated he wants to have ("up to") 150 local HD DMAs by the middle of next year, because he understands that far more than a few more national HD channels people who don't have their locals in HD want that before anything else. While recognizing that a few individuals who get impatient may leave Dish, he wants to protect Dish's entree into those DMAs with possibly a few millions of customers who may be tempted to leave Dish if they don't get their HD locals! This is also why Dish is so hyped on getting more SD local DMAs added (almost 200 of them now): you get your foot in the door to add customers, then you do things to keep them. Good, normal business practice.

The last 12 months haven't been all roses for Chuck and Dish. But, to paraphrase from a song by the late, great country music singer Jim Reeves, "It's Getting Better.":)

Regards,
Fitzie
 
Dish Network has never said any of those things.

You are just quoting Satellite Guys members .

Dish Network has never given any explanations or reasons for not adding a channel, at any point, in the last 12 years. ( When asked about a specific channel, the response is always "we are in negotiations".)

It's amazing how people here hold Charlie responsible for not doing things that Satellite Guys members say ! :rolleyes:

And it's amazing how you put words into my mouth.

I never said that list was from Dish Network. The list represents a sampling of excuses and rationalizations that people (like yourself with your Ciel 2 theory) make for Dish Network.

Charlie mentioned on the chat that the Ciel 2 launch is coming up and said something like, "after that we hope to add some more of these national hd channels" and then they showed the slide. Somehow that comment has snowballed into Dish being scared about the fate of the current sat at 129 and they are purposefully holding off because of a contigency plan to move everything from 129 to other sats if it fails. As you yourself would say, Dish has never said any of those things so we don't know that.
 
That's what I believe too.

While we agree on Charlie's approach I think it's also fair to say we would agree that no one (except Charlie and those close to him) know the truth. We could be right, kstuart could be right, etc. Who knows?

In fact, who cares? It all comes down to whether or not Dish gives you what you want at a price you can afford. Frankly, the E* HD line-up, in general, isn't too bad. For me and other sports fans in the NY area, however, it's distinctly inferior to D*s and, in my opinion at least, it pales in comparison to FIOS. So some will leave, some will stay.

The bigger problem is that, while we've got our eyes on the possibility of channel additions, Charlie is subtracting them behind our backs (e.g. GolTV, some locals, and I'm sure more to come). He also is very good at making people drink the "Kool-Aid"; i.e. making subscribers believe he's being difficult with channels to save them money when in fact subscribers pay about what they would with other providers. Meanwhile, Charlie is putting the money in his own pocket.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on...well.... :D
 
6381(29) - KCWE [MPEG4 HD] added to Echostar12 61.5W TP 09 Area 8 beam (NA)(Kansas City, MO)
6381(29) - KCWE [MPEG4 HD] added to EchoStar5 129W TP 04 ConUS beam (NA)(Kansas City, MO)

Wow they added our local CW Channel here in KC. Of course it isn't lit up yet and the analog is really their HD version they just adjusted the Aspect ratio to be 4:3. Also this Monday, a couple days ago. KCWE turned off their Analog broadcast and supposedly are the first broadcast station in the country to shut off their analog and only go digital, so this may be the reason Dish is looking at adding it.

I don't think they were the first. I know there were others that did early flashcuts. WVUE in New Orleans also shutdown their analog off several days ago so the tower could start working on that tower. Not sure what is all involved since they are killing the analog 8 and will fire up their digital on 8, then shut down their temporary DT in the 20's.
 
I think the spot beam on 77W that was recently activated with Lexington, KY HD locals also carries the Louisville, Cincinnati, Huntington, WV and Charleston, WV HD locals. Maybe others too. The point being, that Ciel-2 with 145 spot beams has a lot of HD capacity. The idea that Ciel-2 is a non-event with regard to HD coverage is just misguided.

Echo8 at 77w is only running ConUS beams.
 
I don't think they were the first. I know there were others that did early flashcuts. WVUE in New Orleans also shutdown their analog off several days ago so the tower could start working on that tower. Not sure what is all involved since they are killing the analog 8 and will fire up their digital on 8, then shut down their temporary DT in the 20's.

They are on digital 29 for this week. Next monday (12-22) they go to digital 8,
and shut off temporary dt 29.
 
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I don't think they were the first. I know there were others that did early flashcuts. WVUE in New Orleans also shutdown their analog off several days ago so the tower could start working on that tower. Not sure what is all involved since they are killing the analog 8 and will fire up their digital on 8, then shut down their temporary DT in the 20's.
WGNM in Macon, GA shut down it's Analog transmitter last Febuary, and went Digital only then.
 
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Uplink Activity Report - 12/18/2008 5:42pm - 2 changes

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Uplink Activity Report - 12/17/2008 6:07pm - 5 changes

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