Dish Earnings Conference Call and reported HD Plans...

[BFG]

Join us tomorrow (11/9) at noon for EchoStar Communications Corp. Q3 2004 Earnings Conference Call!​

We'll have the chat room open @ http://chat.satelliteguys.us to discuss the conference call as it happens live.

To listen to the conference click here: http://biz.yahoo.com/cc/8/49108.html

Interesting news that is reported will also be posted in this thread, so you can check back here if you can't make it.

There will be lots of talk about RPU and SACs so it should be fun

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

E* Earnings Call Notes

Hey guys, the Echostar Earnings Call with Charlie Ergen is about to start, our Chat Room is now open at http://chat.satelliteguys.us for those who want to chat about the Ernings Call.

I will be posting items of interest here to this thread, if you are also listening to it and hear something that users may find interesting from the call you are welcome to post them here as well.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Nothing to note yet other then the fact Dish spent $13 million on new smart cards.

People are wanting to know why Dish is issuing a dividend instead of buying back stock or paying off debt.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

The Solar Panell on Echostar 4 has deployed, however it still has problems that prevents them from using any more transponders on Echostar 4 then which they are using now.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Charlie says he wants to move to MPEG 4 however that move is still a year away.

Someone else mentioned that Dish is 0 out of 100 in regards to fighting congress and laws. (That tells me Dish has poor management and a poor legal team!)

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Charlie was asked about MPEG4 and he says he will frist switch the HDTV customers over to MPEG 4 fist, and all the existing HD boxes will need new boxes.

Charlie says it will take 4 years to switch people over.

People who has HDTV now will continue to get their HD channels however new HD channels will be in MPEG 4 meaning that if the customer wants the new HD channels then they will need to buy a new HD box.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Dish is out of room for new HD CHannels they will not have any additional room until they launch new satellites next year for additional HD channels.

 

[TuxCoder]

Dish is out of room for new HD CHannels they will not have any additional room until they launch new satellites next year for additional HD channels.

Finally some official response on this topic. Not quite the response many were looking for though.

That one post almost deserves to be in a sticky thread of its own.

 

[TuxCoder]

I notice the SatelliteGuys Reporter is very excited about the earnings report!

 

[Neutron]

I think if Charlie and Co. were to upgrade to MPEG4 and make everyone buy a new box they should at least subsidize some of that cost....

 

[ChetK]

I think if Charlie and Co. were to upgrade to MPEG4 and make everyone buy a new box they should at least subsidize some of that cost....

Boy, you ain't lyin'. If I'm buying a new receiver for the new HD Channels, it had better be an HD-PVR with stable software. AND it had better be cheaper than the $550 D* is now getting for the HD-Tivo.

 

[Neutron]

From the sounds of it the 921 will be worthless to for the new MPEG4 channels when they do become available....

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Neutron thats what I thought as well.

The call was mostly doom and gloom, with Charlie giving a lot of "Umm and uhhhh's"

I was disapointed to hear that there is no room for aditional HD channels, and additionally I was disapointed to hear that to get the new HD channels I would need to replace my equipment and from the sounds of things replace it mostly on my dime.

Dish has some problems.

 

[NightRyder]

I have to wonder if the 942 will be MPEG 4 capable or upgradable?


NightRyder

 

[mwgiii]

So my $1000 921, which now sells for $549, will be totally useless next year for the new HD channels.

 

[NightRyder]

So my $1000 921, which now sells for $549, will be totally useless next year for the new HD channels.

Yep.



NightRyder

 

[DishBacker]

Dish is out of room for new HD CHannels they will not have any additional room until they launch new satellites next year for additional HD channels.

So, I guess the replacement bird for 105 will not be hosting any HD content as previously discussed?

 

[Neutron]

If DISH doesn't want a flood of defectors and wants to stay afloat they better find some way of making the 942 either MPEG4 right out of the box or have an addon card to make it MPEG4.

 

[NightRyder]

If DISH doesn't want a flood of defectors and wants to stay afloat they better find some way of making the 942 either MPEG4 right out of the box or have an addon card to make it MPEG4.

Even then the only way I would get one is if they leased it. The MPEG 4 add-on could end up going the way of FireWire on the 921. How could we trust them?


NightRyder

 

[nuts4scuba]

So my $1000 921, which now sells for $549, will be totally useless next year for the new HD channels.

Charlie may have said that MPEG-4 next year, but I will have to see it to believe it. He carried around an empty shell of a 921 for 3 years before he got to market.