DirecTV writes off satellites "New HD Soon?"

[Hell Raiser]

Satellite TV operator DirecTV announced Tuesday that it was writing off most of the value of two satellite originally planned for a broadband Internet service. The company, in its quarterly earnings report, said that a decision to reconfigure the Spaceway 1 and 2 spacecraft to provide direct-to-home television instead of Internet prompted a requirement to test if the assets were "impaired" according to accounting rules. The company said in a statement that the satellites, originally valued at $1.9 billion, exceeded their new fair value by $1.47 billion, and the company took a $903-million after-tax charge to its earnings in the third quarter. The company had previously stated that the two satellites would be used primarily for television, including HD TV; the impairment charge suggests that it is unlikely those satellites will be used much, if at all, for data services.

Here is the link: http://www.spacetoday.net/Summary/2623
Could this be the new HD we all have been waiting for???? :shocked

 

[Darin]

It's the new HD locals that we knew was coming for almost a year. The only difference is it was originally thought that they'd carry a mix of HD locals and internet.

 

[CWS_kahuna]

Well I suppose this can be good news for those of us looking for more HD. Would these satellites require and additional transponders though? Would D* be able to fix the compression issue with their HD content with these sats?

 

[Darin]

They wouldn't even really be related to the existing satellites. They are Ka band, and specifically for local HD channels. Doesn't mean they can't and won't put national channels on them, but that's not their focus.

 

[tommyc_295]

Doe's this mean that we are getting closer to having the new birds in the sky? Closer than they thought, anyway?

TC

 

[colofan]

So if they are Ka band satellites what would the slot locations be? 72.5? Also wouldn't me the customer with a phase III setup require additional hardware to receive?

 

[Curtis0620]

99, 101 and eventually 103.

 

[colofan]

Could we hear from the dealers then on what is coming down the stretch so I can get the additional equipment ordered and ready to go. Yes I know the birds are not even on the launch pad. I just like to be prepared

 

[colofan]

Is there no one that knows what hardware is going to need to change or add to get these new ka band satellites?

 

[charper1]

Prob new dish for sure, and might bet new receivers (or at least new software).

 

[colofan]

So not just a new head in the current phase III dish? Since we are talking same orbital slots I thought that a new LNB with a built in switcher would be the most cost effective but maybe not.

 

[LonghornXP]

Latest word I've got is that it will require a new dish at some point in time and will require software updates. I've been told that all HD boxes except the RCA DTC-100 will support the new additions. Also they are pretty sure that the Hughes E86 will be supported but they aren't sure until they send the software update. If it doesn't work they will replace it for customers with the protection plan and for those without it they will offer a very cheap upgrade option with as you might guess a one year agreement with any total choice package.

 

[charper1]

So not just a new head in the current phase III dish?

I am not sure the focal points would be correct, but I am sure those engineers might work it out. Sounds good.

 

[cr0mag]

Does anyone have a time frame for the HD locals?

 

[charper1]

no sooner than mid-05 start from what I read, and that will be the top few market areas only, maybe the first 10 - 15

 

[jdspencer]

DirecTV's Super dish thread on AVS.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=438825

 

[hongcho]

Not until those new satellites launch. And that would be at least till mid-2005.

Hong.

 

[cr0mag]

Thanks Charper1... Guess I should still get an outdoor OTA after all.

 

[LonghornXP]

Latest info I've gotten is that the top 30 markets HD LIL are planned to be up and running in or around June 2005. Now I've also been told that they will be charging extra for HD locals for those who purchase an HD locals package but pricing has not yet been set. Also they will be putting extra effort into getting the HD locals that cable doesn't offer in those markets. For example DirecTV will work very hard even if they have to pay extra to get say NBC HD, UPN HD and WB HD in the Tampa market. If they have too they will go to court and have a middle man work out a deal for those locals. This sounds very good to me and its about time someone would take these companies to court because it just flat out isn't right for a company like Media General telling BHN they have to set aside twice as much bandwidth than what they need to broadcast all of NBCs digital stations. That is the case for WFLA-DT in Tampa, Florida.

Also I've been told that the HD locals will be much more able to handle rain fade than current satellites because they will be using very fine tuned high powered spots that would be sending the video as more of a data signal than a video signal as used today and this would allow them to keep going while others go out when raining. So that also sounds pretty good as well.

So the singals will still be in MPEG2 format but the new sats will stream it as data via spots and for some reason this would allow for the signal to be sent with a much more powerful spot so they can avoid rain fade even better than todays satellites currently in use.

Now I don't know how all this stuff works so I'm just passing on what I was told and explaining it with the best of my specific knowledge on this subject so again I'm sorry if I said things wrong or it doesn't seem to make sense.

 

[byron!]

cool. waiting sucks.