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DirecTV HD DVR Delayed Again
Courtesy Multichannel News
http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6355813
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By Linda Moss 7/24/2006 5:06:00 PMDirecTV once again delayed the rollout of its new HD digital-video recorders, which could make impatient subscribers switch over to competitors EchoStar Communications or cable, a Wall Street analyst said Monday.
In a report, Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett wrote that DirecTV's churn rates could rise because of yet another postponement of the deployment of its state-of-the-art dual-tuner HD DVRs.
"There is obviously a limit to how long customers -- who, after all, have just spent large amounts of money on a flat-panel HDTV -- will be willing to wait for an upgrade from DirecTV before they simply switch to a competitor instead," Moffett wrote. "EchoStar and cable operators could benefit."
Moffett cited a letter that DirecTV is sending to customers on a wait list for the HD DVRs. The direct-broadcast satellite provider said the new HD DVRs -- originally expected early this year, then pushed back until spring -- are now set to be available this fall. He blamed the delay on a lack of product inventory.
"We believe shortages of the combination HD DVR unit have contributed to DirecTV falling behind cable competitors in HD readiness," Moffett wrote. "HDTV penetration of digital subscribers among cable operators appears significantly higher than at DirecTV."
But in what he calls "the bizarre calculus that is the DBS industry," Moffett said the glitches in getting the new DVRs to subscribers in some ways will help DirecTV's bottom line in the short term, since the upgrade involves "significant" costs to the company.
"More delays for the HR20 should translate into better near-term financial results, since upgrades are a key driver of retention-marketing expense [and capital expenditures such as upgrade equipment are now capitalized under their new leasing plan]," Moffett wrote. "Lower retention marketing means higher EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, debt and amortization] and higher earnings … But we're skeptical that investors will continue to give DirecTV a free pass, however, as the future upgrade requirement is clearly growing."
The analyst also made reference to a plan announced last week by News Corp.'s British Sky Broadcasting to provide free broadband service to its subscribers in Great Britain. News Corp. owns 38% of DirecTV, which doesn't have a broadband offering yet.
"News Corp.'s willingness to slash cash flows at BSkyB would appear to raise the risk of an unwelcome surprise in capital spending related to plans for a terrestrial broadband network at DirecTV, as well," Moffett wrote. "Even if the business were to be built off-balance-sheet, subscriber-acquisition costs associated with the broadband venture could directly and significantly impact DirecTV's cash flows.
A Federal Communications Commission auction for the so-called AWS (advanced wireless services) spectrum begins in a several weeks, he noted.
Courtesy Multichannel News
http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6355813
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Linda Moss 7/24/2006 5:06:00 PMDirecTV once again delayed the rollout of its new HD digital-video recorders, which could make impatient subscribers switch over to competitors EchoStar Communications or cable, a Wall Street analyst said Monday.
In a report, Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett wrote that DirecTV's churn rates could rise because of yet another postponement of the deployment of its state-of-the-art dual-tuner HD DVRs.
"There is obviously a limit to how long customers -- who, after all, have just spent large amounts of money on a flat-panel HDTV -- will be willing to wait for an upgrade from DirecTV before they simply switch to a competitor instead," Moffett wrote. "EchoStar and cable operators could benefit."
Moffett cited a letter that DirecTV is sending to customers on a wait list for the HD DVRs. The direct-broadcast satellite provider said the new HD DVRs -- originally expected early this year, then pushed back until spring -- are now set to be available this fall. He blamed the delay on a lack of product inventory.
"We believe shortages of the combination HD DVR unit have contributed to DirecTV falling behind cable competitors in HD readiness," Moffett wrote. "HDTV penetration of digital subscribers among cable operators appears significantly higher than at DirecTV."
But in what he calls "the bizarre calculus that is the DBS industry," Moffett said the glitches in getting the new DVRs to subscribers in some ways will help DirecTV's bottom line in the short term, since the upgrade involves "significant" costs to the company.
"More delays for the HR20 should translate into better near-term financial results, since upgrades are a key driver of retention-marketing expense [and capital expenditures such as upgrade equipment are now capitalized under their new leasing plan]," Moffett wrote. "Lower retention marketing means higher EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, debt and amortization] and higher earnings … But we're skeptical that investors will continue to give DirecTV a free pass, however, as the future upgrade requirement is clearly growing."
The analyst also made reference to a plan announced last week by News Corp.'s British Sky Broadcasting to provide free broadband service to its subscribers in Great Britain. News Corp. owns 38% of DirecTV, which doesn't have a broadband offering yet.
"News Corp.'s willingness to slash cash flows at BSkyB would appear to raise the risk of an unwelcome surprise in capital spending related to plans for a terrestrial broadband network at DirecTV, as well," Moffett wrote. "Even if the business were to be built off-balance-sheet, subscriber-acquisition costs associated with the broadband venture could directly and significantly impact DirecTV's cash flows.
A Federal Communications Commission auction for the so-called AWS (advanced wireless services) spectrum begins in a several weeks, he noted.
30 Replies
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5212 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Much better than the critics would want you to believe. Only problem, the last guy was pretty obvious a couple of episodes in.
4 Replies
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1303 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Amazon Sets 'The Lord of the Rings' TV Series In Mega Deal With Multi-Season Commitment
$250 Million just for the rights to make something
The LOTR original series, a prequel to Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, will be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust; HarperCollins; and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which produced the hugely successful LOTR movie franchise.
Set in Middle Earth, the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring.
$250 Million just for the rights to make something
The LOTR original series, a prequel to Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, will be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust; HarperCollins; and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which produced the hugely successful LOTR movie franchise.
Set in Middle Earth, the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring.
13 Replies
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1723 views
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
548 Replies
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18878 views
I saw that, wasn't sure if PHP was employed by XenForo or not.
arstechnica.com
PHP warns it plans to release 2 emergency patches imminently
Unconfirmed report claims PHP2Shell exploit remotely executes code on PHP sites.
arstechnica.com
Yup thats what xenforo is written in, php.
But all patched now.
But all patched now.
More specifically, these:
A more scholarly story is here:
www.bleepingcomputer.com
A more scholarly story is here:
PHP warns admins of two critical flaws, emergency patches coming tomorrow
The PHP security team is warning administrators to prepare for emergency security updates tomorrow to address two critical vulnerabilities, as information about the flaws has reportedly leaked ahead of their scheduled disclosure.
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share
10 Replies
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87 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68563 Replies
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2675241 views
For quite a while now, people with a VIP211k have been losing their recordings on their activated external HDDs... even when there's nothing physically wrong with HDD. I believe this is an intentional and underhanded tactic that Dish is pulling in an attempt to force users away from the VIP211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
169 Replies
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7752 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDlKhq4TMbc
Direct YouTube Link - Windows Weekly 1006
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDlKhq4TMbc
Direct YouTube Link - Windows Weekly 1006
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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8 views
Every time my Dish contract comes up I weigh the options of keeping Dish or switch to streaming. Right now I can watch/record the OTA channels vis my HDHomerun. I also can stream CBS and NBC via the Paramount+ and Peacock apps. What I would need to find is how to watch the Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark channels, Great American Family, Lifetime channels plus a few more with an app or two. My current Dish bill is $118, so I should be able to get a few apps for a lot less.
Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.
Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.
1 Replies
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75 views
USA and SyFy content is on Peacock, you can receive the rest of those channels via Philo, only $25 a month.
Philo - Stream Live and On-Demand TV
Why pay more for TV? Start your Philo free trial and enjoy live TV plus on-demand content starting at just $25/month. Stream hit shows, movies, and more.
www.philo.com
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Stumbled across this ... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/USGas_ZipSearch.asp
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy
Ethanol Free Stations
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy
Ethanol Free Stations
5561 Replies
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461039 views