Any notice to the 1st 12 markets yet?

[Barney]

I would say first half of 2006 but I would highly expect them in first quarter of 2006. As with anything new little problems could occur that have to be worked out which is why yours could take until the end of the first half but even with little setbacks here and there I don't see it taking longer than the end of February maybe very early March.

That info kindof helps me. Buffalo is #46 on the list...maybe march huh? I live in Austin, Tx #54..........guess I'm looking to a year from now......

Barney

 

[LonghornXP]

That info kindof helps me. Buffalo is #46 on the list...maybe march huh? I live in Austin, Tx #54..........guess I'm looking to a year from now......

Barney

I wouldn't say that. To put it this way both spaceway 1 (up in space today) and spaceway 2 (going up very very soon) can handle from what I hear at least the top 75 markets HD LIL channels so with all that said the problem isn't going to be bandwidth but how long will it take to get deals for the channels and upgrading customers. With all that said those of you in the top 75 markets should see HD LIL channels well before the end of 2006 and I'm thinking that those of you towards the end of the top 75 will be around summertime maybe longer but they will be available before the start of next years football season. I know I'm not being concrete here but understand I'm factoring in the chance of both simple and major setbacks that can and most likely will occur.

Those setbacks can range from getting programming deals, satellite and box issues and local installer issues which could range from more demand for dish upgrades than expected and product not being stocked fast enough to be installed. This isn't as simple as what we all would want this to be and if many people wait for the HMS that could mean that the second and third batches locals that would cover say the top 40 markets could get slowed down because half of the top 12 markets customers will be getting upgraded. You see how all this could break down and D* is working out a plan on how they will handle all this knowing that a good percentage of customers will be waiting for the HMS and/or HD DVR and as such they need to guess if those customers will be enough to severely slow down customer installs for addition markets above the top 12.

 

[charper1]

What about people in the digital white areas? Will they be turned on along with the NYC/LA markets?

 

[Barney]

NFL football season is just a couple months........how many HD customers in the 1st "batch"? Thats alot of DISH's, LNB's, STB's..........no one has any info?

So come July 1, 2005.......10's of thousands STB's, DISH's, & LNB's just appear? Oh, now they need to be "installed"........."hello, I need to set up my D* update...........Sorry Sir, we're backed up with 3000 installs...we might can come by on......July 14, 2007"

No way.........I'm a D* supporter & will be for the long haul.........something doesn't add up here.
Am I wrong here?

Example: Fairbanks is #204.......they will have their HD service updated by...when?


Barney

 

[charper1]

I am wondering if we will get upgrades shipped to our homes along with a voucher for the free install, but yet we schedule the install ourselves; which would suit me because I installed mine myself, but this would be a great fast way to do it and still be free for those customers that will qualify for a 100% free upgrade.

 

[Barney]

okay, D* states they are going to take care of the "old" HD customers 1st. What if I was a new customer that wants the "new" HD package (forget the analog customer's that sign up everyday).
I have a friend in Dallas, Tx that has 8 STB's (I think he has 3 HDTV's). He is also a Nielsen connection..........this is just one customer that will have the HMC......along with all the HD-DVR's clients etc.

We're not talking about just adding a DVR to our systems.........we're talking about replacing the whole system for each HD customer in the 1st group before the NFL Season...........& no one has any info about the HD-DVR's or HD-STB's...........or Dish or LNB's or multi-switches........? And no installers are prepaired for this "wave" of business.........
D* still hasn't launched DirecTV8 this month or Spaceway 2 in June....NFL starts when, Aug 2005?
Also no news about how Spaceway 1 & its beta testing going?

Sorry, I'm not sure the glass is half empty or half full on this one....I'll be 55 in Nov & love D*....and can retire in 3 years.........this job is for "SuperMan"..

Look in the local newspaper: Job listing-Install Satellite System, "can you use a cordless drill, if not, on the job training".........Oh, boy!!!

Barney

Barney

 

[dgordo]

The new satellite was just launched around 10 days ago. It takes about 30 days to get to the correct orbital location and about another 30 days of testing, minimum, before it is ready for use. My contact, who I believe knows what he is talking about, says he would be shocked if spaceway 1 is in use before 8/1.

 

[Barney]

The new satellite was just launched around 10 days ago. It takes about 30 days to get to the correct orbital location and about another 30 days of testing, minimum, before it is ready for use. My contact, who I believe knows what he is talking about, says he would be shocked if spaceway 1 is in use before 8/1.

Thank you dgordo.......8/1........if everything is cool.........then where are the STB's? Its 5/6 today.........?

 

[charper1]

The new satellite was just launched around 10 days ago. It takes about 30 days to get to the correct orbital location and about another 30 days of testing, minimum, before it is ready for use. My contact, who I believe knows what he is talking about, says he would be shocked if spaceway 1 is in use before 8/1.

I am 100% positive that DirecTV has had MPEG4 transponders on other birds that have been in test for awhile. Remember this is just a compression scheme on their end and DirecTV's current fleet of birds are more than capable of transmitting these MPEG4 encoded streams to us and they have already had more than a few receiver prototypes on their benches, it is ONLY the END USER that needs the new hardware. Remember they displayed their MPEG4 broadcast for all to see at CES in 01/05, they didn't just fire it up unknown, think about it, they had been testing all along and I would bet big money that the boxes are all ready piling up for distribution. These new birds just allow for a broader use, more expansion, more KU and KA transponders, they are not specially designed as I have read, they are not "MPEG4 ONLY" they are just more overall space (someone please correct me if I misread and direct me to the facts). AND NEWER for those aging birds.

25 - 30 days to establish the proper orbit and another 25 - 30 days is a total of 60 days, so that brings us to around June 26th; so make it July 1st for an added few days.

I am with Barney on the extreme quiet on this front, but the birds can be ready to add and / or relieve stress from some of the others within 60 days for sure, but DirecTV does needs to speak up on the upgrades to users.

 

[dgordo]

I'm not saying that they need to test the MPEG4 compression but D* has never launched programming for a satellite without testing it for 45 days. I feel very confident that it will be closer to 8/1, not 7/1, when upgrades will begin. Feel free to disagree, I don't claim to have all the answers but I trust my source.

 

[LonghornXP]

As others have said D* will be upgrading current customers first before allowing new spaceway customers to get installed. As others have said D* has been testing MPEG4 and I've seen in person a very decent prototype of the HMS about 4 months ago and I wouldn't be suprise if that would be ready around football season. The hardware from what I heard is final in both its features and design and all that is holding this product up is software and I'm telling you that software wasn't far off when I saw it four months ago. People who think these products haven't been worked on for many months are flatout clueless. How could anyone think this. When Fox announced their new splicer system they started broadcasting HDTV with football within months but that doesn't mean Fox wasn't working and building this system for the last year and more which they were. Hell we didn't even know fox was ever going HDTV until almost a year after they started designing a brand new HDTV splicer system. That alone should tell people something.

As of now we have four months until the start of the NFL Sunday Ticket football season and what makes you think installs wouldn't start until both sats were tested. Right now D* can install about 600 thousand new net customers every quarter so right now if D* starts in June and hires extra people why wouldn't you think they couldn't do the at least half of the 500 grand of HD customers. Just remember that customers in the top 12 markets will be upgraded before anyone else. Once they are upgraded the rest of the HD customers will be upgraded within a few months at which time new HD national channels would be offered. Also remember that from what I hear the NY and LA network feeds will be offered in both MPEG2 and 4 on both the current sats and the new spaceway sats. That means that customers in NY and LA would get their dishes and hardware replaced first while customers with waivers will still get them the way they do today until they get upgraded along with the rest of the HD customers at which time customers with waivers will get the same feeds in MPEG4 only via spaceway until their market has HD LIL channels from D*.

Anyone who thinks D* isn't working with installers to get both more people and the system in place is crazy.

 

[Kentstater72]

As others have said D* will be upgrading current customers first before allowing new spaceway customers to get installed.

The voom rebate ends June 30th and I was going to wait to see what transpired between then and now but if I am reading this right I will be better off signing up now. Or is it too late?

 

[hancox]

Also remember that from what I hear the NY and LA network feeds will be offered in both MPEG2 and 4 on both the current sats and the new spaceway sats. That means that customers in NY and LA would get their dishes and hardware replaced first while customers with waivers will still get them the way they do today until they get upgraded along with the rest of the HD customers at which time customers with waivers will get the same feeds in MPEG4 only via spaceway until their market has HD LIL channels from D*.

This makes a lot of sense. My only worry is that if I do want NFL ST, it will "force my hand" with regards to waiting on the MC or trading my HD Tivo for an MPEG4 non-MC box.

 

[LonghornXP]

This makes a lot of sense. My only worry is that if I do want NFL ST, it will "force my hand" with regards to waiting on the MC or trading my HD Tivo for an MPEG4 non-MC box.

I knew I forgot to say something. Sadly to say D* won't be doing all NFL games in HDTV this year (Fox and CBS won't be doing them all) but what was done last year will be done this year and as such I got word just a few days ago that all NFL ST HD games will still remain on current satellites and in MPEG2 this year and the following football season NFL ST customers will have all NFL Sunday Ticket games in HDTV and in MPEG4. That simply means that you can use your OTA antenna until D* releases their HMS at which time you can upgrade without missing any HD on NFL ST during that gap. Hope this helps you out.

Also to the previous poster I've heard that both existing and returning customers should be getting the same exact offer for the HMS while new customers shortly after the HMS debut will have a different offer tied into a new customer promo.

Also a returning customer is a customer that isn't a new customer but isn't with D* now and will be signing back up again as an existing customer. For example I was a new customer with D* about two and a half years ago and I cancelled my account about 4 months ago so if signed up again with D* when the HMS is out I would be a returning customer.

The above isn't meant to portray people here as being stupid but I wanted it clear as stone.

 

[Neutron]

My wife and I will be moving to Athens, TX this August which is cool since they are in the Dallas DMA (doesn't make sense since Athens is closer to Tyler) we will get upgraded.

 

[Barney]

LonghornXP,
I sooooooooo enjoy your info. this 1st group is around 34% of their customers.
My question is....HD-DVR's, where are they & what kind of hard drive? What are their inputs/outputs? Do they have DVI/HDCP or HDMI? if they have HDMI outputs.........how do we turn off the digital audio output to our monitors? Do they have optical & coax digital for the audio to our systems? Do they have the option to output,480I, 480P, 720P, 1080I, & 1080P (which HD monitors are already doing)?
What kind of PG do they have? can we fast-forward/skip commercials?
The general public is pretty slow (so am I sometimes........well most of the time).........we're talking 3 months with just rumors........installers, thats another story..........

Sorry, but we're talking re-installing a whole system........and if using Ethernet....or wireless.......this is not overnight!

..........and no word from D*...........

I'm #54 on the list..........gear is "history" in a year........slacker, not a betting guy, but I don't see anything for me for a couple years....by then....fiber optics may offer programing by D*.....

Again LonghornXP.....pray your right............I just don't "see it"..."hope I eat those words my friend"

Barney

 

[LonghornXP]

LonghornXP,
I sooooooooo enjoy your info. this 1st group is around 34% of their customers.
My question is....HD-DVR's, where are they & what kind of hard drive? What are their inputs/outputs? Do they have DVI/HDCP or HDMI? if they have HDMI outputs.........how do we turn off the digital audio output to our monitors? Do they have optical & coax digital for the audio to our systems? Do they have the option to output,480I, 480P, 720P, 1080I, & 1080P (which HD monitors are already doing)?
What kind of PG do they have? can we fast-forward/skip commercials?
The general public is pretty slow (so am I sometimes........well most of the time).........we're talking 3 months with just rumors........installers, thats another story..........

Sorry, but we're talking re-installing a whole system........and if using Ethernet....or wireless.......this is not overnight!

..........and no word from D*...........

I'm #54 on the list..........gear is "history" in a year........slacker, not a betting guy, but I don't see anything for me for a couple years....by then....fiber optics may offer programing by D*.....

Again LonghornXP.....pray your right............I just don't "see it"..."hope I eat those words my friend"

Barney

Both the multiroom HD DVR and basic HD DVR will be out by years end but I can't tell you when exactly they would come out and I wish I knew the exact timeframe myself.

The basic HD DVR should have a 250GB drive it in. The HMS will have either a 350GB or 400GB drive in it.

As far as outputs both the HD DVR products will have the following below.
HDMI with HDCP and I'm hearing that each product will come with both an HDMI cable and an HDMI to DVI adapter.
Component outputs with cables in the box for both products.
analog video and stereo inputs and outputs on both boxes which include S-Video.
Both products will include an optical digital output and coax digital output is unknown at this time.

Both component and HDMI connections will support 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i and both connections will have full screen scaling for all formats and for both 4x3 and 16x9 sets. Full screen scaling is what I refer to various zoom modes so non HD channels fill the screen.

I'm hearing the PG will be either 10 or 14 days and both guides will have a picture windows in the corner that shows the current playing channel.

Also I've got word that the HMS clients would connect via coax cables to start.

Also keep in mind that this HMS is being built so that an existing customer with wired rooms for D* installed could have the HMS installed very easily without even installing a new jack. New customer installs won't be that much different with the HMS compared to now.

Also all new customers that signup for HD in about a month or so would get the new dish and an MPEG4 basic HD box as a rental from the start so I wouldn't expect D* to have more than 650,000 total HD customers that would need upgrading. Again D* with current installers can install just about 600,000 new customers every quarter. I would assume that at worst around 350,000 of the 650,000 HD customers would be in the top 12 markets and as such if D* hired extra people (I should say the local installation companies) they can install the new dish and swapout your box within an hour. If they took one installer per area for just upgrades they could get at least 6 customers upgraded each day and when I say area I'm talking about say one small city.

The fact is if D* wanted to and hired enough extra people which they can they can get all 650,000 HD customers upgraded within three months without a sweat.

 

[Dog6869]

I hate to bust your chops but they did do their first live MPEG4 broadcast Jan 6, 2005 ... it was at CES only.

Right I do understand that BUT he was telling me that evey "D"er had it in there home

 

[Barney]

LonghornXP,

Again........I pray your right ......and I get to post here "eating my words on the time frame".

Barney

 

[EEJay]

Any thoughts as to what will happen for previous HD package subscribers? I cancelled my HD package two months ago because the content was absolutely not worth the price. I still have two HD STBs, so if I re-subscribe when they add channels, will they swap out my Samsung boxes?