Social Feed

Main Feed My Feed
G
gr8guy
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

DISHnet & Hughesnet Gen 5

Does anyone on here know if DISHnet will include or offer current customers Gen 5 speeds? I have asked phone reps but all I've talked to are clueless.
Read more
30 Replies · 4630 views
Load Replies (30) Reply Legacy View
odbrv
odbrv
I went to both the Dish and Hughes websites and they are only saying 25 mbps. The highest data plan is 50 gig and then slower speeds above that. I could not read what the slower speed drops to. Given that a HD show on Netflix uses 3 gig per hour and a 4K show uses close to 7 gig per hour. I would be out of data in about 4 days.
Read more
Reply
fmj77
fmj77
odbrv said:
I went to both the Dish and Hughes websites and they are only saying 25 mbps. The highest data plan is 50 gig and then slower speeds above that. I could not read what the slower speed drops to. Given that a HD show on Netflix uses 3 gig per hour and a 4K show uses close to 7 gig per hour. I would be out of data in about 4 days.
Click to expand...

Which explains why satellite is a last resort for those who have no other options for internet other than dial up or slow DSL. It's only for those of us who live in the boonies.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: comfortably_numb and HipKat
EarDemon
EarDemon
fmj77 said:
Which explains why satellite is a last resort for those who have no other options for internet other than dial up or slow DSL. It's only for those of us who live in the boonies.
Click to expand...


Or those that want a somewhat reliable back up.

I have 120 x 12 from Spectrum (fastest I can get), but have HughesNet for backup. Both connected to a dual WAN Cisco router configured for automatic failover.

I live in a rural area and needed a backup solution for work in case I were to be stuck home because of a snowstorm like I was in 2014 and lost cable service. Verizon does not offer DSL to my address. Some areas of my town can get it via RT, but speeds top out at either 1.5 or 3 Mbps down (can't remember which). Cellular is not an option. As I come to find out by switching my mobile phone service to them earlier in the week, I have zero T-Mobile reception anywhere near me, AT&T is weak to nonexistent, Sprint gets me poor 3G and weak 4G at best if in the right area of the house, and Verizon Wireless fades out in the back half of the house where all of my computer gear is.

While I have not needed to rely on HughesNet in the almost year I've had it, the service is very poor most of the time on Gen 4 for me. Sometimes I can achieve pings 800ms or less and get speeds 25-30 Mbps down x 1.5 Mb up, which actually isn't too bad for connecting to work via VPN. I can connect fine and even use RDP and VNC without too much of a hassle. Yes, takes a little while to make the initial connection, it's slow to render the remote display, and there's a little bit of a delay, but it will do the job if need be and is actually better then I thought it would be. But most of the time that is not the case. Quite often during prime time, I get pings of 1000ms+, 1 to 2 Mbps down and best, and barley anything on the upload. I was planning to see about upgrading to Gen 5, not a fan though of the forced wifi gateway with a higher rental fee though.
Read more
Reply
Claude Greiner
Claude Greiner
EarDemon said:
Or those that want a somewhat reliable back up.

I have 120 x 12 from Spectrum (fastest I can get), but have HughesNet for backup. Both connected to a dual WAN Cisco router configured for automatic failover.

I live in a rural area and needed a backup solution for work in case I were to be stuck home because of a snowstorm like I was in 2014 and lost cable service. Verizon does not offer DSL to my address. Some areas of my town can get it via RT, but speeds top out at either 1.5 or 3 Mbps down (can't remember which). Cellular is not an option. As I come to find out by switching my mobile phone service to them earlier in the week, I have zero T-Mobile reception anywhere near me, AT&T is weak to nonexistent, Sprint gets me poor 3G and weak 4G at best if in the right area of the house, and Verizon Wireless fades out in the back half of the house where all of my computer gear is.

While I have not needed to rely on HughesNet in the almost year I've had it, the service is very poor most of the time on Gen 4 for me. Sometimes I can achieve pings 800ms or less and get speeds 25-30 Mbps down x 1.5 Mb up, which actually isn't too bad for connecting to work via VPN. I can connect fine and even use RDP and VNC without too much of a hassle. Yes, takes a little while to make the initial connection, it's slow to render the remote display, and there's a little bit of a delay, but it will do the job if need be and is actually better then I thought it would be. But most of the time that is not the case. Quite often during prime time, I get pings of 1000ms+, 1 to 2 Mbps down and best, and barley anything on the upload. I was planning to see about upgrading to Gen 5, not a fan though of the forced wifi gateway with a higher rental fee though.
Click to expand...

Why would you even do that?

You would be better getting a cellular hot spot.
Read more
Reply
EarDemon
EarDemon
Claude Greiner said:
Why would you even do that?

You would be better getting a cellular hot spot.
Click to expand...

No I wouldn't. Like I said:

T-Mobile - Absolutely zero reception within a few miles of where I live
Sprint - 3G only unless hotspot is the the bathroom window
AT&T - Almost no service inside, outside standing on the drive way I can get poor but somewhat usable HSPA+
Verizon - Unstable reception in the areas I need it

For cellular, my router only accepts USB modems for failover where my router and other network gear is located there is next to no cell phone reception from either Sprint or Verizon, the only two providers that work inside of my house. The whole idea of this is to have as seamless of a process as possible. If I lose cable, the satellite modem will pick up on the fly and I can continue to access my NAS, printer and other network resources with out fumbling around. And as long as I have UPS and a satellite signal, the satellite connection is good, if as cellular tower goes down, or there is a backhaul problem I'm SOL.

And then there's the whole data usage thing. There is a lot of stuff I could do in the overnight hours if need be to use the 50 GB bonus data, instead of burning through the anytime data.

fmj77 said:
Because he stated he has poor cellular reception. Still, I would be very happy if I could get Spectrum.
And paying all that money for Hughes as a backup is a waste.
Click to expand...

Not really. If I can't make it into work because I'm snowed in, I don't get paid unless I can prove I'm actually working from home. In 2014 we got 70+ inches of snow in a 4 day span and when a snowplow came by, the weight of the snow slamming against the utility pole caused my cable line to be ripped out and I lost internet access for a few days. The whole area was under a driving ban, no way did I expect them to come out and fix it. I spent half of the week working off of a Verizon Jetpack that I had 3GB of data on, but could barely get more then a couple of Mbps out of. That's what motivated me to pursue satellite internet.

Plus my work pays for most of the bill. They let me do the same thing as I do with my cable bill, I can expense the cost of basic service, any extras are on me. So I expense $65 for Spectrum since that's what their basic service cost, and the price difference between Standard Internet and Ultra Internet is on me. Same thing with HughesNet. I opted for the second to lowest tier. The standard Gen 4 package was I believe $50 for 5GB of anytime data at 10 x 1. I opted for 10GB of anytime data at 15 x 1 for a little bit more. The total bill is a little above $60/month, but I expense $50 of that.
Read more
Reply
comfortably_numb
comfortably_numb
EarDemon said:
No I wouldn't. Like I said:

T-Mobile - Absolutely zero reception within a few miles of where I live
Sprint - 3G only unless hotspot is the the bathroom window
AT&T - Almost no service inside, outside standing on the drive way I can get poor but somewhat usable HSPA+
Verizon - Unstable reception in the areas I need it

For cellular, my router only accepts USB modems for failover where my router and other network gear is located there is next to no cell phone reception from either Sprint or Verizon, the only two providers that work inside of my house. The whole idea of this is to have as seamless of a process as possible. If I lose cable, the satellite modem will pick up on the fly and I can continue to access my NAS, printer and other network resources with out fumbling around. And as long as I have UPS and a satellite signal, the satellite connection is good, if as cellular tower goes down, or there is a backhaul problem I'm SOL.

And then there's the whole data usage thing. There is a lot of stuff I could do in the overnight hours if need be to use the 50 GB bonus data, instead of burning through the anytime data.



Not really. If I can't make it into work because I'm snowed in, I don't get paid unless I can prove I'm actually working from home. In 2014 we got 70+ inches of snow in a 4 day span and when a snowplow came by, the weight of the snow slamming against the utility pole caused my cable line to be ripped out and I lost internet access for a few days. The whole area was under a driving ban, no way did I expect them to come out and fix it. I spent half of the week working off of a Verizon Jetpack that I had 3GB of data on, but could barely get more then a couple of Mbps out of. That's what motivated me to pursue satellite internet.

Plus my work pays for most of the bill. They let me do the same thing as I do with my cable bill, I can expense the cost of basic service, any extras are on me. So I expense $65 for Spectrum since that's what their basic service cost, and the price difference between Standard Internet and Ultra Internet is on me. Same thing with HughesNet. I opted for the second to lowest tier. The standard Gen 4 package was I believe $50 for 5GB of anytime data at 10 x 1. I opted for 10GB of anytime data at 15 x 1 for a little bit more. The total bill is a little above $60/month, but I expense $50 of that.
Click to expand...

Makes sense to me. As an IT person I can understand the need for redundancy and it sounds like satellite internet is your only option
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: littlecloud319
EarDemon
EarDemon
Yep. Not counting the actual work day, if I were to be stuck home, there are other things I need reliable and redundant internet for after hours.

There are a small handful of mission critical things I have to monitor weekly after hours for financial reasons involving batch jobs that execute on servers via Task Scheduler. Some of the batch files on the server then trigger things to happen on the PCs of some of my end users. Some of the end users manage to do some really odd things to their PCs and the end result is FUBAR and I need to manually re-run jobs by remoting into servers via RDP or the desktop of users via VNC. I really have no idea what these jobs do, other then calculate a bunch of fancy financial stuffs for the bean counters in Accounting to analyze, but the end results eventually get reported to our bank so it's imperative that the results are accurate as possible. When the final output CSV file from our ERP system that is generated from some highly customized Excel macro that I can't even begin to understand is around 50kb in size and it normally is around 50mb, I need to have that re-run prior to the first financial transaction of the next day.

Having approx 50 users who are not based out of the office and live all around the country and travel for sales and service, I have been emailed on the weekends and in the middle of the night to disable VPN access and disable AD accounts for employees on the road who become disgruntled. Twice I had instances where managers thought employees were feeding competitors information and I received calls from HR asking me to allow monitoring of their emails. Basically set up transport rules in Exchange that all incoming and outgoing mail from the user in question be BCC'd to their boss.

This is all stuff that may not seem big in the grand scheme of things, but as one of two IT guys, working at a company I really have come to like and enjoy, having multiple solutions for internet access is the best way I can do my job and ensure the company is best taken take of if the need arises. I don't have satellite internet for the hell of it,so I can attempt to SnapChat neekid pictures of myself like all the cool kids are doing or to cry about how awful my life is on Facebook or whatever non-social media platform is cool this month if my cable goes out. It serves a purpose, I hope I never have to rely on it, but if I use it just once to defuse a potential bad situation, it will be 110% worth it.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: littlecloud319, stardust3 and comfortably_numb
NYDutch
NYDutch
Have you considered just installing a cell signal amplifier/repeater with an external antenna that would give you more reliable service from multiple cell carriers? We have one installed in our RV that's done a great job of giving us solid signals everywhere we've been so far, including areas where the carriers coverage maps say "No service".
Read more
Reply
navychop
navychop
Hey, many of us here have made our living, off and on, correcting keyboard-chair interlink errors!

Today, I am a proud beancounter, and more and more, back to being an HR professional.
Read more
Reply
View all replies (30)
JSheridan
JSheridan
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

All DMA's now Western Arc

I know HipKat said that they were working on conversions but we got the official news yesterday right from Dish that starting next month all DMA's will be on the western arc, and all customers will be assigned to that. That's gonna mean a lot of customers around here aren't gonna get Dish unless there are exceptions. Too many mountains and trees.
Read more
156 Replies · 4327 views
Load Replies (156) Reply Legacy View
  • Like
  • Sad
Reactions: That American Girl, MikeD-C05, AkaDoubleG and 6 others
Foxbat
Foxbat
Unless Dish acquires DirecTV and its mid-USA satellite slots, I may not have Dish Network to reach 40 years. Or, I guess we could buy a new house…
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: charlesrshell
S
slow_poke_pete
Foxbat said:
Unless Dish acquires DirecTV and its mid-USA satellite slots, I may not have Dish Network to reach 40 years. Or, I guess we could buy a new house…
Click to expand...
have charlie buy you a new house :biggrin :clapping
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: charlesrshell
T
telstar_1
Well, I didn't immediately think of broadcast, where there are all kinds of digital "subchannels"- I remember back when digital broadcast began that supposedly the 6mhz channel would likely support just 1 HD program and that the added subchannels would likely have to remain SD. I don't watch enough broadcast to know. Are there a lot of the subchannels in SD-only, and how do they do that, like are they in 4:3 or some kind of low-res widescreen?
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: charlesrshell
Foxbat
Foxbat
slow_poke_pete said:
have charlie buy you a new house :biggrin :clapping
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, I don't think my social proximity to Charle Ergen provides any special perks. Maybe if Foxbat, Jr. were to marry his daughter…🤞🏻🤣
Read more
Reply
  • Haha
Reactions: Bobby, slow_poke_pete and charlesrshell
S
slow_poke_pete
Foxbat said:
Unfortunately, I don't think my social proximity to Charle Ergen provides any special perks. Maybe if Foxbat, Jr. were to marry his daughter…🤞🏻🤣
Click to expand...
that would be one hell of a convo :biggrin.
Read more
Reply
  • Haha
Reactions: charlesrshell
osu1991
osu1991
telstar_1 said:
Well, I didn't immediately think of broadcast, where there are all kinds of digital "subchannels"- I remember back when digital broadcast began that supposedly the 6mhz channel would likely support just 1 HD program and that the added subchannels would likely have to remain SD. I don't watch enough broadcast to know. Are there a lot of the subchannels in SD-only, and how do they do that, like are they in 4:3 or some kind of low-res widescreen?
Click to expand...
New more efficient encoders. I think there's around 60 channels/sub channels now in the Tulsa dma. 480 widescreen for most of the sub channels, but some have 2 HD channels and a couple of SD sub channels while others have 1 HD and 5 or more SD sub channels. If they moved to mp4 or hevc encoding they could do higher bitrates for SD or more HD or even 4K in that 6Mhz channel. That could render some early digital tvs unable to tune though as they may not have the codecs for that. Considering 4K tvs have been on sale for years, I think it would be a very small minority of TVs with the problem. I'd rather see that happen and keep ATSC 1 than continue the move to a DRM enforced ATSC 3 world.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: charlesrshell
View all replies (156)
S
SatZach
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Is Roku the new Legacy Cable?

The title was to catch everyone's eye lol! But it is a thought I've been having as I dev a Roku app for a client. You see many MAAANY years ago I got really interested in cable TV channels and even chatted with a regional carrier, Insight about what it took to get a channel number. It was surprisingly easy although prohibitively expensive.



You could petition, reserve a high channel number, they monitored performance and if they liked you, you'd get lower channel number overtime and cut into ad overlays.



Roku has a similar setup. Make an app, if it has a strong, original linear component you could get channel assignment on The Roku Channel.



As mixed as my feelings are on the current media landscape, I can't help but feel a little excited interest when I scope out the apps in the Roku store.
Read more
2 Replies · 46 views
Load Replies (2) Reply Legacy View
navychop
navychop
Hmmm. I think Roku will last. But will Firestick? With their backing, I guess so. Apple TV STB? Of Course. Walmart? Seems someone ought to go, but with their backing?….

Off brands have, as probably expected, very short lives.
Read more
Reply
S
SatZach
navychop said:
Hmmm. I think Roku will last. But will Firestick? With their backing, I guess so. Apple TV STB? Of Course. Walmart? Seems someone ought to go, but with their backing?….

Off brands have, as probably expected, very short lives.
Click to expand...
All of those services have FAST Channels. FAST is a linear online broadcast stndrd. You notice how their linear channels all have some overlap? They are gettting paid for every second those streams are up without really having to do their own accounting. Best part is they don't even facilitate any of the stream bandwidth. Over glorified app stores on some android hardware. No reason NOT to stay in the game.
Read more
Reply
K
klang
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in TV Shows

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy - Paramount+

Season 2 order already in hand:

'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' Renewed for Season 2, Tatiana Maslany to Guest Star in Season 1

I've not been optimistic about this show based on what I've read so far. Seems to be aimed at a younger audience. Interesting though that Tatiana Maslany will have some sort of role.
Read more
94 Replies · 3717 views
Load Replies (94) Reply Legacy View
  • Like
Reactions: MikeD-C05, TheKrell and Foxbat
harshness
harshness
Females wearing any clothing is unthinkable on Ferenginar.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: Foxbat
long_time_Dish
long_time_Dish
harshness said:
Females wearing any clothing is unthinkable on Ferenginar.
Click to expand...
Was never a huge of the Ferengi-centric episodes in Trek...
Read more
Reply
Jimbo
Jimbo
long_time_Dish said:
Was never a huge of the Ferengi-centric episodes in Trek...
Click to expand...
Me either ...
They turned out to be a Poor adversary ....
Read more
Reply
Foxbat
Foxbat
They got their proper due on "Deep Space Nine"
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: long_time_Dish
long_time_Dish
long_time_Dish
Foxbat said:
They got their proper due on "Deep Space Nine"
Click to expand...
And too many episodes centering on/around them as well...
Read more
Reply
View all replies (94)
SuperDish_Fan23
SuperDish_Fan23
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Its crazy how the ViP922 is so rare for no reason.

Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
Read more
35 Replies · 1106 views
Load Replies (35) Reply Legacy View
S
Strega
I looked for wrecked trains on ebay and those are hard to find too!
Read more
Reply
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: AZ., dishdude and charlesrshell
Almighty1
Almighty1
I remember this in the news too...

www.nbcnews.com

$14,000 spent on rented rotary phone

A widow rented a rotary dial telephone for 42 years, paying what her family calculates as more than $14,000 for a now- outdated phone.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: MikeD-C05 and charlesrshell
Bobby
Bobby
Almighty1 said:
I remember this in the news too...

www.nbcnews.com

$14,000 spent on rented rotary phone

A widow rented a rotary dial telephone for 42 years, paying what her family calculates as more than $14,000 for a now- outdated phone.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com
Click to expand...
That is a misnomer. In the old days you subscribed to telephone service. That included the telephone line and one telephone. An extension cost $1 a month extra. So that $14,000 over 42 years was for the service not the leased telephone. There is no way they paid $28 a month for 42 years for a leased telephone.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: MikeD-C05, charlesrshell, AZ. and 2 others
SuperDish_Fan23
SuperDish_Fan23
SuperDish_Fan23 said:
Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
Click to expand...
Whoever still has their 922, please let me know i just wanna see photos of the ui and other stuff
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: MikeD-C05 and charlesrshell
S
slow_poke_pete
SuperDish_Fan23 said:
Whoever still has their 922, please let me know i just wanna see photos of the ui and other stuff
Click to expand...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wL6dsORmXg
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: SuperDish_Fan23 and charlesrshell
T
telstar_1
Slicker guides never did much for me
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: charlesrshell
Almighty1
Almighty1
Bobby said:
That is a misnomer. In the old days you subscribed to telephone service. That included the telephone line and one telephone. An extension cost $1 a month extra. So that $14,000 over 42 years was for the service not the leased telephone. There is no way they paid $28 a month for 42 years for a leased telephone.
Click to expand...
Good point as part of that time mentioned was before I was even alive.

While reports from the family's case focused entirely on the equipment rental charges, media records show that Ester Strogen originally started by paying $29.95 per quarter ($9.98 per month) in the 1960s for her combined telephone connection.
The actual base cost for standard residential telephone service over a 42-year period (spanning roughly 1964 to 2006) reveals how basic connection costs evolved compared to the equipment rental fees:

Historical Phone Service Rates
  • 1960s – 1970s Base Rate: Standard local phone service was heavily subsidized and tightly regulated under the Bell System monopoly. A basic landline package with unlimited local calling typically cost between $5.00 and $10.00 per month.
  • 1980s – 2000s Post-Deregulation Rate: Following the AT&T divestiture in 1984, base line service rates steadily climbed due to the introduction of subscriber line charges, touch-tone fees, and local infrastructure adjustments. By 2006, basic flat-rate local residential phone service hovered around $15.00 to $25.00 per month (excluding long-distance packages and taxes).
The True Lifetime Service Bill

Assuming an average baseline connection fee of roughly $12.00 a month over that 42-year span, the line connectivity itself would have realistically accumulated to approximately $6,000 in raw cash payouts.
When you bundle the actual service costs together with the escalating equipment rental fees, the total cumulative out-of-pocket phone expenses over those four decades easily crossed $12,000 to $14,000. Long-distance phone calls—which were billed entirely by the minute back then and could cost up to 15 to 30 cents per minute—would add significantly more to that historical total depending on usage.

The widely publicized calculation stems from a viral news story from 2006 involving a widow named Ester Strogen. Her family discovered she had been continuously leasing two rotary dial telephones from AT&T for 42 years.
The total cost—which actually came out to more than $14,000 by the time the lease was canceled—was calculated based on the following legacy telecom structure:
  • The Monthly Fee: At the time her granddaughters discovered the charges, the ongoing leasing fee was $29.10 per month for the two outdated phones.
  • The Math: Over 42 years (504 months), paying roughly $24 to $30 a month accumulates to between $12,000 and $14,600 ($29.10 × 504 months = $14,666.40).
Why did this happen?
Prior to the landmark breakup of AT&T ("Ma Bell") in 1984, consumers were legally not allowed to own their phones; they were required to lease them directly from the phone company.
When the laws changed and phone ownership became legal, AT&T spun off its rental division into a company called QLT Consumer Lease Services. Millions of customers, particularly elderly individuals who were used to seeing a single unified phone bill, simply never realized that the small recurring "equipment lease" line-item could be canceled by buying a cheap phone at a retail store.

Yes, leasing absolutely cost that much in reality, and the math is entirely accurate. However, the calculations performed by the family did contain one major historical nuance: they multiplied the final 2006 rate across all 42 years, which means the actual total cash paid out was likely a bit lower.
The original viral story focused on 82-year-old widow Ester Strogen from Canton, Ohio, who paid $29.10 a month for two black rotary phones until her family intervened in July 2006.
The reality behind how the cost reached that staggering total breaks down into two distinct phases:

Phase 1: The Historical Base Rate (1960s – 1984)

When Strogen first got the phones in the 1960s, renting was a legal mandate and cost a fraction of the 2006 price—usually just a few dollars a month.
  • The "Insurance" Mirage: In exchange for that fee, Ma Bell promised free, lifetime maintenance. If the phone broke, they replaced it instantly at no extra cost.
  • The Cost-Plus Reality: Because these solid-state phones were built like tanks out of heavy plastic and steel, they almost never broke. Consumers paid a continuous premium for decades for a repair service they rarely used.
Phase 2: The Deregulation Rate Hikes (1984 – 2006)

After AT&T was forced to break up its monopoly in 1984, the rental side of the business was shifted to Lucent Technologies and later a legacy holding company. To maximize profit off a shrinking customer base, they steadily increased the monthly rental fees over the next 20 years.
  • By 2006, the rental cost had quietly ballooned to roughly $14.55 per phone per month.
  • When the family discovered the $29.10 monthly charge, they looked back at the 42-year span and estimated the collective loss at over $14,000.
Even adjusted for historical inflation—where $2 a month in 1964 had the purchasing power of roughly $20 today—Ester Strogen and hundreds of thousands of other elderly Americans realistically paid thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for standard desk phones they could have purchased at retail for $10.

The exact out-of-pocket dollar amount Ester Strogen paid over those 42 years was never publicly determined, as neither AT&T nor the family had access to monthly billing records stretching all the way back to the 1960s.
The figures reported in the media are entirely mathematical estimates based on the 2006 rate. The two primary numbers used to define the "cost" are:
  • The Stated Media Total: More than $14,000.
  • The Exact Family Formula: $14,666.40. This was derived by taking her final recorded bill of $29.10 per month and multiplying it across the full 42 years (504 months).
What the True Cash Cost Likely Was

Because AT&T did not charge $29.10 a month back in 1964, the true historical cash sum she handed over was lower than $14,000. In the 1960s and 1970s, basic phone lease fees were generally bundled into standard service or itemized at just $1.00 to $2.00 a month per phone.
If we realistically assume she paid lower base rates for the first 20 years before the post-1984 deregulation price hikes took effect, a realistic estimate of the actual cash paid is between $5,000 and $7,000.

The Real Cost When Adjusted for Inflation

While the family's $14,000 calculation overestimates the raw cash paid, it actually underestimates the true economic damage when factoring in the time value of money.
Paying $2.00 a month for equipment in 1964 sounds minor, but due to severe inflation during the 1970s, those early single dollars had the purchasing power of roughly $20.00 each in 2006 terms. If you adjust every historical lower monthly payment upward to account for inflation, Ester Strogen realistically lost the equivalent of well over $15,000 in modern purchasing power by renting instead of buying.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: charlesrshell
S
slow_poke_pete
telstar_1 said:
Slicker guides never did much for me
Click to expand...
me either. sometimes it seems like things disappear when they start changing sh*t around :biggrin
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: charlesrshell
S
slow_poke_pete
Strega said:
I looked for wrecked trains on ebay and those are hard to find too!
Click to expand...
you would be better off looking in ca for a train wreck to nowhere :biggrin :p
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: charlesrshell
View all replies (35)
jcrandall
jcrandall
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in DIRECTV Programming Forum

Channels on DIRECTV Satellite and not on Stream/Internet

So...DirecTV advertises the Choice package with 95+ bonus channels for Satellite customers. You don't want 90+ of the 95...

Excluding PPV, premium networks, infomercial, shopping, religion, and non-English programming, there are 7 channels on satellite that are not on streaming:
NFL Network, MavTV, FE TV, Free Speech, NASA, INSP, and Pursuit. I'm pretty sure a couple of those are public interest that they have to carry to meet an FCC quota on satellite.

I hope they get called out for this advertising because that is ridiculous. One big network, NFL, will probably get added to streaming when their next agreement comes up, and the rest are likely very low viewership.

What about streaming, what do you get extra with the Choice package that isn't on Satellite:
Two stations - one of which is an internet TV - Fox Weather, and Heros & Icons (a diginet). Nothing special here to look at either.

If they cleaned up a couple of their agreements, added a few public interest stations to streaming, they could probably have their lineups match. It's close now, if you take out all the garbage on satellite that they earn money on. If they can sell infomercials on satellite, why can't they on streaming, seems like a miss. A bigger miss, including those stations in the "bonus channels just for satellite customers." Pretty sad marketing right there.

1681344805401.png


Attached is a comparison sheet of satellite vs streaming for the three main packages if anyone is interested.

MOD EDIT: See Post #3 for an up to date list of what channels are available on sat but not on streaming/internet, see Post #21 for an up to date list of what's available in the app for streaming customers, but not for sat customers.
Read more
DirecTV Sat vs Stream.pdf 46 KB
243 Replies · 31875 views
Load Replies (243) Reply Legacy View
  • Like
Reactions: DS0816, Tecnicoloco and Jimbo
K
KyL416
WNPX/28 Nashville (The new home of the Predators) and WMYD/20 Detroit (the new home of the Pistons) are testing on the stream server.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: darren_s, mario315, Former member 209992 and 2 others
harshness
harshness
One might get the impression that what DIRECTV does, or doesn't, is becoming far less consequential than it used to be.
Read more
Reply
M
mario315
harshness said:
One might get the impression that what DIRECTV does, or doesn't, is becoming far less consequential than it used to be.
Click to expand...
Read more
Reply
K
KyL416
WPLG/10 Miami is now available to stream customers

The CW stations WCWW/25 South Bend and WBKP/5 Marquette are testing on the stream server

Last week they also added a bunch of CW stations that are still not available to sat customers:
WETM-DT/19 Elmira
WJET-DT/25 Erie
KLFY-DT/11 Lafayette LA
KARD-DT/15 Monroe
WVBT-DT/44 Norfolk
WTWO-DT/3 Terre Haute
WFXV-DT/34 Utica
KFDX-DT/4 Wichita Falls
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: Mr Tony and mario315
M
mario315
Well, that was fast ! DTV Stream brought back WTCN's HD signal today.

I have to assume the station signing up a week ago as the Miami Heat affiliate here (to carry their games) did the trick. NBA magic !!!

Or the station engineer took care of the problem after hearing about it.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: KyL416
D
darren_s
KyL416 said:
WNPX/28 Nashville (The new home of the Predators) and WMYD/20 Detroit (the new home of the Pistons) are testing on the stream server.
Click to expand...
Channel 28 Nashville hasn't been added so far, correct?
Read more
Reply
K
KyL416
WNPX Nashville and WMYD Detroit were added to stream about 2 months ago.

They also now have PRDTRS/651 for those in Predators territory outside of the Nashville DMA and PISTONS/663-2 for those in Pistons territory outside of the Detroit DMA.
Read more
Reply
View all replies (243)
TheForce
TheForce
Supporting Founder Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Phone & Tablet Zone

Apple Event September 2026

Apple Fall Hardware Event takes place today, September 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. It marks the debut of new CEO John Ternus and the expected reveal of Apple's first foldable phone.
Read more
132 Replies · 1466 views
Load Replies (132) Reply Legacy View
comfortably_numb
comfortably_numb
Can't remember if I've posted this yet..


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfL5seXJyWU
Read more
Reply
  • Haha
Reactions: slow_poke_pete
Foxbat
Foxbat
If you ponied up for an iPhone Duo, keep it away from anything other than your soft, fleshy fingertips. No fingernails, no dust, sand, dirt, or other particulate matter. And don't bend it more than it needs to. Zack has destroyed $2,000 of Apple hardware to get those views, which should cover his expenses.
​
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: comfortably_numb
comfortably_numb
comfortably_numb
Foxbat said:
No fingernails, no dust, sand, dirt, or other particulate matter
Click to expand...

And definitely no medieval chain armor!
Read more
Reply
  • Haha
Reactions: Foxbat
harshness
harshness
comfortably_numb said:
medieval chain armor
Click to expand...
Aka "mail" or "maille".
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: Foxbat and comfortably_numb
Foxbat
Foxbat
IFixIt has published their Teardown and they had some positive things to say about the iPhone Duo. It still showed some dust ingress into the hinge assembly but seemed otherwise well-sealed.
​

But with a considerable number of reports of the main screen dying with similar failures, AppleCare+ should be a no-brainer for this phone.
Read more
Reply
S
slow_poke_pete
comfortably_numb said:
Can't remember if I've posted this yet..


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfL5seXJyWU
Click to expand...

most carriers do. that's why they send updates that slow phones down!! i buy unlocked phones no effect to me
Read more
Reply
S
slow_poke_pete
Foxbat said:
IFixIt has published their Teardown and they had some positive things to say about the iPhone Duo. It still showed some dust ingress into the hinge assembly but seemed otherwise well-sealed.
​

But with a considerable number of reports of the main screen dying with similar failures, AppleCare+ should be a no-brainer for this phone.
Click to expand...

hope you have apple care a screen job is 1000.00 :oops:. can we say over priced garbage!!!
Read more
Reply
View all replies (132)
meStevo
meStevo
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section

NFL 2026-2027 Season

Schedule drops tomorrow. Mandatory mini camps in June. Hall of Fame game August 6th.
Read more
127 Replies · 2319 views
Load Replies (127) Reply Legacy View
  • Like
Reactions: Jimbo and dfergie
rvvaquero
rvvaquero
Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson had an argument about who was responsible for the dynasty building of the early 90's Cowboys.

The rest of us figured it out in about 3 years, Jerry has had over 30 years but still can't admit it. It's all he lives for, to show everyone he can put together a winner. I don't think he can. His kids only know what he taught them.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: Mike0616, dfergie and b4pjoe
Y
Yespage
rvvaquero said:
Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson had an argument about who was responsible for the dynasty building of the early 90's Cowboys.

The rest of us figured it out in about 3 years, Jerry has had over 30 years but still can't admit it. It's all he lives for, to show everyone he can put together a winner. I don't think he can. His kids only know what he taught them.
Click to expand...
Johnson built it, but without the Herschel Walker trade, it never happens.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: b4pjoe
b4pjoe
b4pjoe
Yespage said:
Johnson built it, but without the Herschel Walker trade, it never happens.
Click to expand...
Jerry made himself General Manager after he bought the team but make no mistake Jimmy engineered that trade. As well as a lot of others at the time.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: rvvaquero, osu1991 and Yespage
rvvaquero
rvvaquero
Jimmy Johnson is a football guy. Jerry Jones is a marketer (hustler).

When I see a football player get a 15 yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct (like taunting) in a close game, I often wonder what he was thinking. Was he thinking, I'm doing everything I can to make this a better team and help win a championship? Or, was he saying to himself, I want everyone to notice how great I am?

Johnson inspires one, Jones the other.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: b4pjoe and Mike0616
meStevo
meStevo
meStevo
Got to unfurl and hold the flag at Allegiant for the anthem today - amazing experience.
Read more
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: Mike0616 and Foxbat
View all replies (127)
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

This Week in Tech 1107

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHoCBzfrdmQ


Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Tech 1107
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
Read more
0 Replies · 10 views
Replies Reply Legacy View
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

This Week in Tech 1107

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYRNrj5MQzw


Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Tech 1107
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
Read more
0 Replies · 18 views
Replies Reply Legacy View
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

This Week in Tech 1107

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41qc5p2NdN4


Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Tech 1107
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
Read more
0 Replies · 4 views
Replies Reply Legacy View
Load More
Top
Back