When your locals go black on screen most likely.
All DMA's now Western Arc
- Thread starter JSheridan
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I don't know why DISH doesn't just start a streaming version of DISH and then if you can't see the western arc you go with streaming versions and then they could keep customers if they had good internet speeds. I mean Sling TV could be changed to Streaming DISH TV if they wanted since both companies are under Echostar. Then you would still be able to use your ota antenna with Air TV devices like I do with Air TV Anywhere with 4 ota tuners.
Not going to happen overnight. Probably a couple million antennas to be realigned,
The Western arc will have new or nearly new, state of the art satellites.
From the last EchoStar 10Q:
The Western arc will have new or nearly new, state of the art satellites.
From the last EchoStar 10Q:
In May 2026, we modified the Nimiq 5 lease term to October 2034. |
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It may be a matter of the sooner they can get it over with, the better. But I do have to question how they can put all the locals markets into just the 110 and 119 slots, along with everything else.
A satellite dish of any kind in the US is needing to be looking toward the south- toward the equator. The arc onto which the TV sats line up extends from the southeast to straight south to southwest, rising to its full height in the sky when straight south and tapering down to near the horizon in the east and west. For EA your dish is pointing generally southeast, and to switch it to WA would involve repointing it generally to the southwest and likely also switching out the LNBF. If you can see the southwestern sky (without obstruction from trees, etc.) from where the dish is as easily as it now sees the southeastern sky, you should be good for a simple repoint.
I'm not sure that's accurate; my recollection was EA was created because WA, despite having 3 slots, did not have the capacity to offer all LIL markets. So EA was created to solve this problem, as EA locals were primarily on the "east coast" of the US...though for whatever reason there was some duplicate DMA's on both arcs. (though the "look angle" issue you mention ended up being a side benefit for some of the DMA's, since they obviously had the capacity to do this at the time)
In a related matter, the DIRECTV DBS license for the 3 frequencies on the inactive T5 satellite located at 110W expires on Feb 28, 2027.
It's quite likely, FCC will refuse to renew the license since it is not serving the DBS market.
Then EchoStar could get permission to use the 3 frequencies on a provisional or possibly permanent licensed basis for DBS service unless or until someone else licenses and operates a DBS satellite at that location.
This would be similar to the 61W location where EchoStar has operated provisionally on several frequencies for many years.
It's quite likely, FCC will refuse to renew the license since it is not serving the DBS market.
Then EchoStar could get permission to use the 3 frequencies on a provisional or possibly permanent licensed basis for DBS service unless or until someone else licenses and operates a DBS satellite at that location.
This would be similar to the 61W location where EchoStar has operated provisionally on several frequencies for many years.
I think some of both. DiSH was always at something of a disadvantage to DTV for look angle, being at 110/119 vs. DTV's 101. DiSH added 61.5 way back simply because it had the allocation there, and placed most of its int'l, Sky Angel, etc. ch's there. Subs only getting int'ls could then use the smaller original "300' dish just on 61.5, or if combining with regular ch's would add it on to the "500" as a 2nd "wing" dish. So that was really the "seed" for their EA concept. Then 2 things happened- first, they got slapped down by courts on activating net affils from out of subs' local markets and decided the answer was to try to put all of the many markets' net affils up there, and second, HD. Thus became a huge bandwidth crunch, particularly with SD being left up there even as HD versions of same stuff were being added. Not only could 110/119 not handle it all, even adding on 129 and putting most of the HD there still was leaving them short.
Plus, now they've taken a merely disadvantageous look angle and made it all the worse. 129, which they've now done away with, was really tricky to get in most places. So the idea of offloading some carriage to a new "eastern arc" looked good to them, both from the bandwidth availability and the look angle- now they could offer an alternative to prospects with blockages to the southwest (and needed to, given how low 129 was). They switched a bunch of the locals over there, presumably ones located more in the eastern US, and duplicated all the regular stuff.
But now things have resettled after they've mostly shut off SD feeds and dropped 129. Still though my question stands- How can they put everything they have now into just 110 and 119? Or maybe they'd go back to 61.5 as a "wing" add-on for certain locals, etc.
Powering the EchoStar XXV Mission Powering the EchoStar XXV Mission
With the Hopper being connected to the internet..the wing might not be needed
Because the newly activated E*25 sat is able to offer more LIL spotbeams than previous sats. Because of this, ALL LIL markets will be available on 110/119, & there will be NO need for other sat slots.
Also not only because they removed all SD dupes of HD channels, ALL remaining SD-only channels were converted to MPEG4, which enabled more reduced bandwidth requirements, as well as better pic quality on those SD channels. (also note, EA has ALWAYS been MPEG4-only from the start)
And note of all the channels that are now IP-only, which are not even on satellite now, such as everything that previously was on 118, & some previous sat channels on WA, that migrated to IP-only as well; note also of the several new channels that are also IP-only.
Honestly if someone was really thinking@E*, not only should they be doing this, but they should just abandon the "SLING TV" platform/layout, & start over fresh with a new "DISH Stream" TV service, a la DirecTV Stream. AND like D* stream, the first thing they should do, is come out with their own streamer box, that also includes a full-function remote just like their original satellite DVR remotes, with numerical keypad! It really shouldn't be that difficult, considering D* Stream's Gemini box is Android TV based & comes with a full numerical remote as well. BUT, E* should also design it that if someone chooses to use their own streaming device, (Roku, Google & Fire to at least start with) they can do so as well, but obviously they won't get the full functionality experience.
One thing I have always thought E* got right, was the design of their satellite remotes...at least until, IMHO, they started downgrading them with their latest "limited button" remotes with the Ho/Jo's. They even used that same, basic design when they came out with their DTV Pal OTA converter boxes. The layout is still one of the best around, & they could almost copy that same design into a stream TV service. They should also try to mimic the EPG/DVR & other menu elements of the basic Hopper platform, as again, it's still one of the most simple systems for folks to understand & manipulate.
If they did this & allowed users to purchase these devices outright - instead of making subs RENT them forever like D* does now - E* could have a winning service in their sights. (of course, they would have to market it correctly, but I think it would be so doable)
The end of Dish?? You DO know that for about the first 20 years, everyone was on Western Arc, right?
No they didn't. EA was primarily because of MPEG-4, Eastern spot beams, and Bandwidth. It has nothing to do with LOS for people whose western sky was obstructed.
This is my guess too….it will be a several year process. If not, they better not charge me the ETF because I have zero view of the WA sats. Hate the thought of losing Dish, but WA is a total no go for me.
Is Dish reaching out to customers to schedule appointments?
Well, Good!!!! I am still happy with having Dish, along with my Family.
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