Eastern Arc

[gadgtfreek]

Yepp, the 61.5 is generally better for hd nationals anyway. A small pc of alum foil inside the 1000.2 lnb for 129 makes that swapover easy

 

[dangue]

AFAIK the ONLY advantage of the EA over my current configuration is that it only requires a single dish, which may or may not be free to current subs anytime "soon".

Talon Dancer

Don't forget all MPEG4 content. That should (hopefully) vastly improve PQ on SD channels.

 

[navychop]

OK. Eastern Arc will use 61.5, 72.7 & 77. But maybe at first we'll only need 61.5. It will be an all MPEG-4 system. New subs will automatically go on EA. This way they slowly start the process of retiring non MPEG-4 receivers. Details about if EA offers packages like AT200, AT 250, etc, may come out in a couple of weeks at Team Summit. And for current customers, there appears to be little reason to move to EA quickly, if you are already receiving HD. Those of us with reception from 110, 119 & 61.5 can probably sit tight for a while.

But eventually I'm sure Dish will incentivize current customers to move, to phase out old receivers and reclaim bandwidth. More than with possibly improved PQ.

Certainly Scott cannot answer all questions, because what would be the point of an announcement at TS? They don't want to lose all of their thunder.

 

[flyingsquirrel]

I expect this will be one of the big topics at Team Summit.

I expect that lack of National HD intros will be a bigger topic. And if people are smart, they will grill Dish about plans for the Summer Olympics. If D* picks up all of NBC-U's HD olympics programming and Dish does not, it could be a cool summer for Dish dealers and installers.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Ill prob wait the more I think about it. Im a HD only sub, so moving to EA at a potentially higher price does not make much sense especially since the SD is the major improvement.

 

[Paradox-SJ]

Hey...what about the LEFT COAST? Will we ever get our own ARC?

 

[tomcrown1]

Yeah what about us leftys I thought Carlie the Tuna was one of us come Charlis give us our own Left Coast Arc

 

[Brandie]

Hey...what about the LEFT COAST? Will we ever get our own ARC?

S O O N !!!

 

[MikeD-C05]

I think if they start with the eastern arc with 61.5 sat then they will do the same with the 129 sat when it is launched . They could partner 129 with 148 and start doing all the western part of the U.S. A. in mpeg 4. There not much on 148 anyway. The Ciel sat for 129 will have a lot of spotbeams and conus too. I would expect them to use it and possibly 110 too in that configuration for the western arch and for Alaska and Hawaii. Then once all existing subs are converted to the eastern and western arcs they can turn off mpeg 2 and reclaim the sats 119 and 110 for more mpeg 4. They might just split them between both arcs. But either way a western arc won't start till the 129 sat is replaced and I heard now it is being delayed until early 2009 now. THis sat just keeps getting pushed further and further back.

 

[TalonDancer]

Don't forget all MPEG4 content. That should (hopefully) vastly improve PQ on SD channels.

Sorry. I should have included that I sub to the dishHD (only) package and the ONLY SD channel I watch is PBS. So improved SD PQ is of very little value to me

FWIW most of the HD is already MPEG4. And last week Dish up-linked 7 of the remaining "legacy" MPEG2 HD channels onto 61.5 using MPEG4. So I guess the risk for dishHD (only) subs, is if the new HD nationals and remaining legacy MPEG2 HD channels don't end up on 61.5 and/or 129. Or that Dish somehow blocks "non EA subs" from receiving the MPEG4 versions of the legacy HD channels on 61.5.

To clarify, my point was that dishHD (only) subs, like me, will probably see very little value in a quick move to EA if they already have a dish 1000.2 for 129,119,110 and a wing dish for 61.5

Talon Dancer

 

[voyagerbob]

Some questions I have are:

What kind of setup they will have for those wanting superstations and the ATL & SanFran locals from AAD. You will need 119 for those. Though I guess they could put the Supers on 61.5 as well.

What will the plan be to shift those over to the eastern arc if they have more than the 4 tuner lease limit? I have 2 leased 622's and 3 owned 322's.

Will I be able to point a dish at 61.5 and get the eastern arc for the 622's and keep the 322's on the dish with 110,119,129?

Thanks

Voyagerbob

 

[Chris Freeland]

Remember, since the EA will be an all mpeg 4 service, only subs with only VIP receivers on their accounts will be able to take advantage of the EA one dish solution. Those subs who have a mixture of legacy and VIP receivers will still need a 2nd dish for 110 and 119 since legacy receivers can only see mpeg 2.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I expect that lack of National HD intros will be a bigger topic. And if people are smart, they will grill Dish about plans for the Summer Olympics. If D* picks up all of NBC-U's HD olympics programming and Dish does not, it could be a cool summer for Dish dealers and installers.

From what I know Olympic Coverage was part of the deal to get USA and SCIFI added.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Some questions I have are:

What kind of setup they will have for those wanting superstations and the ATL & SanFran locals from AAD. You will need 119 for those. Though I guess they could put the Supers on 61.5 as well.

What will the plan be to shift those over to the eastern arc if they have more than the 4 tuner lease limit? I have 2 leased 622's and 3 owned 322's.

Will I be able to point a dish at 61.5 and get the eastern arc for the 622's and keep the 322's on the dish with 110,119,129?

Thanks

Voyagerbob

For your type of setup you would stay on what your on now. At first EA is meant for NEW CUSTOMERS. I dont think it will have any locals from AAD.

 

[crimpshrine]

Remember, since the EA will be an all mpeg 4 service, only subs with only VIP receivers on their accounts will be able to take advantage of the EA one dish solution. Those subs who have a mixture of legacy and VIP receivers will still need a 2nd dish for 110 and 119 since legacy receivers can only see mpeg 2.

Any word of them making a MPEG4 non-HD receiver? It seems silly having to add all HD receivers just to get a MPEG4 SD service...

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

No in fact they will be stopping to make SD boxes all together. As the MPEG4 HD boxes can output SD, and over time people will replace their sets with new HD sets anyways

 

[crimpshrine]

No in fact they will be stopping to make SD boxes all together. As the MPEG4 HD boxes can output SD, and over time people will replace their sets with new HD sets anyways

hmmm so does that mean they will be getting rid of the fee they charge for not subscribing to HD...I really want to get Eastern Arc but only have one HD tv right now..So that means I would have to get an HD receiver for my two tvs that aren't HD..I'm just wondering if they are going to wave that fee since there is no need of me subscribing to the HD service for those tv's...I'm sure Scott or anybody else doesn't know that answer, but I'm just thinking I guess..

 

[navychop]

No in fact they will be stopping to make SD boxes all together. As the MPEG4 HD boxes can output SD, and over time people will replace their sets with new HD sets anyways

"will be" ???

I thought they stopped months ago. This is bad news. You'd think that they were thinking further ahead.

And of course, if they send you an HD box because they lack SD boxes, and you only sub to SD, they're not going to charge you extra like they do today.

But I'll bet over the next 3-5 years, most customers will become HD customers. New TVs being HD capable, and 2/17/09, will have their effect.

 

[DefDude]

hmmm so does that mean they will be getting rid of the fee they charge for not subscribing to HD...I really want to get Eastern Arc but only have one HD tv right now..So that means I would have to get an HD receiver for my two tvs that aren't HD..I'm just wondering if they are going to wave that fee since there is no need of me subscribing to the HD service for those tv's...I'm sure Scott or anybody else doesn't know that answer, but I'm just thinking I guess..

I recently had a couple of quick power outages that caused my 722 to revert to a sd receiver, in fact in the system info box it said 449 sd instead of 449 hd. when I tried to tune a local hd channel it gave a phone # to call and activate hd. there was no hd in any program guide, so they can make the vip's sd only and thus be able to eliminate the fee. I was able to get back to hd with a reboot but it is possible to just have it as sd. the way it read in the info box d was "vip722 dvr-sd "

 

[old corps]

Yepp, the 61.5 is generally better for hd nationals anyway. A small pc of alum foil inside the 1000.2 lnb for 129 makes that swapover easy

Two dumb questions. I can just cover up the 129 lnb EXTERNALLY to temporarily use 61.5 only, correct? My RSN HD is only on 129, I believe everything else is mirrored on 61.5. And which "eye" is 129 on the 1000.2?

Thanks!

Ed