Fox Sues Dish For Two Hopper Features

[SQUEEZON]

As the heated law suits move along over the commercial skip feature on the Hopper we now have a new feature being challenged, by Fox , the primetime record 6 at a time
feature :http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-...feature-pending-u-s-trial.html?cmpid=msnmoney

 

[Mike_H]

we now have a new feature being challenged, by Fox , the primetime record 6 at a time
feature

Ah... no...nothing new. Fox just filed a request for an injunction to halt the use of the features they are litigating about until the litigation is resolved. Nothing to do with 6 recordings at one time specifically.

 

[digitalblue]

If the court ruled in Fox's favor they'd have to disable all DVR's based on the complaint "Fox Broadcasting Co. sought a preliminary court ban against Dish Network Corp.’s feature that let consumers skip commercials, saying it would lose revenue otherwise."

All DVR's allow consumers to skip commercials.

 

[ronfelder]

All DVR's allow consumers to skip commercials.
That's why this lawsuit from all the networks is stupid. I've been skipping commecils since I ot my fist dvr from dish a 510 back in 2003. I haven't seen a commercial since when I dvr a show. So I don't know what their problem is. If that is how then etworks feel they need to end the use of all dvrs. TIVO inculded.

 

[DustoMan]

Yea, okay... disable the feature. Then what happens is that their customers choices for recording channels goes from 6 to 3. Now, you go from getting your programming guaranteed to be on viewers DVRs to them choosing to maybe not record your network that evening.

Then there's the fact that Auto-Hop doesn't kick in until early morning after the time that is most important to them for ratings, the Live+Same Night numbers, has elapsed. The difference in the amount of money between that time and the "+7Days" time frame are huge. What they are doing is cutting into their own ratings!

And really lets be frank, the Neilson ratings system as it is right now is the biggest farce there is. They don't want to know exactly how many people are watching their shows. They would much rather throw in fuzzy math and estimate the number of household watch TV and sell their advertisers a number and get money for it. It doesn't have to be true. Really, how much real effect do the fraction of Dish subscribers that have Hoppers have? Absolutely none!

 

[Vagabondwsu]

Yea, okay... disable the feature. Then what happens is that their customers choices for recording channels goes from 6 to 3. Now, you go from getting your programming guaranteed to be on viewers DVRs to them choosing to maybe not record your network that evening.

Then there's the fact that Auto-Hop doesn't kick in until early morning after the time that is most important to them for ratings, the Live+Same Night numbers, has elapsed. The difference in the amount of money between that time and the "+7Days" time frame are huge. What they are doing is cutting into their own ratings!

And really lets be frank, the Neilson ratings system as it is right now is the biggest farce there is. They don't want to know exactly how many people are watching their shows. They would much rather throw in fuzzy math and estimate the number of household watch TV and sell their advertisers a number and get money for it. It doesn't have to be true. Really, how much real effect do the fraction of Dish subscribers that have Hoppers have? Absolutely none!

Bravo to you all and yes if the Court rules in favor of Fox they are saying that all DVR's are "illegal equipment" Amazing why you have to watch so many infomercials now at 3AM.. thank god for PTAT or Prime Time Any Time (now i can sit on my couch drink a beer, Knit a Scarf and watch Grey's Anatomy)

 

[Brodieb]

You would think Fox would be happy more people are recording (and thus potentially watching) their network every night with no set up or hassle. The networks are looking at things from an outdated "watch it live or don't watch it at all" model and that is not going to work out. We are a society who now wants content when we want to watch it not when it is scheduled to air. Fox and the other networks need to evolve or go away.

 

[Scherrman]

I wonder how many of these corporate people and executives have DVRs at home themselves. No way they sit at home and watch every commercial. No one enjoys wasting half their day watching commercials.

 

[mike123abc]

I wonder how many of these corporate people and executives have DVRs at home themselves. No way they sit at home and watch every commercial. No one enjoys wasting half their day watching commercials.

They probably see all the episodes in advance commercial free during screening sessions. Probably do not even watch much TV at home.

 

[tedb3rd]

Sooner or later, it's going to be like videos on the internet and half the BD discs out there... You are forced to watch the commercial (or in BD case, can't get to top menu until you watch the previews). When the networks can't get your money, they'll make the government step in and force you. The networks love the increased revenue. The government loves enforcing more laws.

 

[SQUEEZON]

Ah... no...nothing new. Fox just filed a request for an injunction to halt the use of the features they are litigating about until the litigation is resolved. Nothing to do with 6 recordings at one time specifically.

Then explain what this means:Fox, in an Aug. 22 filing in Los Angeles federal court, also sought to stop Dish from offering a function that records all prime-time shows on the four major U.S. networks and saves them for as long as eight days .

 

[sparc]

Going after an injunction is just a usual step in these long dragged out cases. At least from what i've seen. With this case there are 4 networks involved, Dish and court cases in two states. A lot of legal drama going on since May. Might be more than any case Dish has ever had to deal with.

I'm not even sure venues have been completely settled as Dish is still fighting that....

 

[ohioankev]

Fox is on a power trip. The sad part is FOX will pay off the judges, Charlies defense team will screw up and it'll be another fiasco on whether or not we'll lose DVR service because it's "illegal" instead of having our DVR's disabled by TiVo. Basically the studio's want control of everything. They wanted DVR units leased by cable companies and satellite companies over DVD/Bluray recorders so we don't have those in our market. Now that DISH has a receiver that will record from all networks they aren't happy because it's not what they want. They want total control. Hollywood is the toddler throwing a tantrum and it's freaking annoying.

If it happens to where we cannot skip over commercials with our DVRs, where PTAT is disabled and anything else they can do to hinder my TV viewing experience (think limits on recordings like we have on PPV now) then I'm done, I'm cutting the cord and guess what I won't be watching any of FOX's channels. I'll forget about TV all together like I did before I received my first DVR. In retrospect it probably wasn't a good thing to even get a DVR back then *L*

 

[fuzzfacefrombboard]

WHY in the world would ANY network want to get rid of PTAT? Seems like a GREAT way to get people to give shows a chance that they might not otherwise ever check out...
Wouldn't they rather someone who had never watched Bones (or whatever) stumble on it at a later date and maybe like it than just flat out never watch it at all?

 

[satjay]

WHY in the world would ANY network want to get rid of PTAT? Seems like a GREAT way to get people to give shows a chance that they might not otherwise ever check out...
Wouldn't they rather someone who had never watched Bones (or whatever) stumble on it at a later date and maybe like it than just flat out never watch it at all?

PTAT this summer has introduced me to some shows that otherwise I may have not given a chance to

 

[ohioankev]

WHY in the world would ANY network want to get rid of PTAT? Seems like a GREAT way to get people to give shows a chance that they might not otherwise ever check out...
Wouldn't they rather someone who had never watched Bones (or whatever) stumble on it at a later date and maybe like it than just flat out never watch it at all?

I know right? They are pissed because of advertising. DISH is giving us this great DVR system that can virtually record anything we want during prime time and watch it commercial free while other people are subjected to commercials via Hulu/Hulu+. Technically they don't care about Bones, just the ad revenue the timeslot that Bones airs in brings into the corporation.

I see this as an attack on innovation. PTAT is no more illegal than me having two Hoppers that record from each network individually.PTAT is no more illegal than having some TiVo's or barebones cable company DVRs. PTAT is no more illegal than having half a dozen VCR's connected to my TV in the late nineties.

So I demand that Fox and the other networks follow suit and sue every other provider that offers a DVR and the company TiVo for having the ability to record TV programs. I better not hold my breath while I wait.

 

[Jim S.]

What really troubles me is not that Fox thinks that technological advances are a bad idea, but that enough people agree with them for this to even have been admitted to the legal system in the first place. It should have died with the first person that the idiot who thought of it tried to explain it to!

What's going to happen when we have fast enough technology, and dense enough storage, to digitize not just one transponder, but the entire IF spectrum for later perusal? If corporate capitalism survives that long, they'll really freak out then!

 

[fuzzfacefrombboard]

I know right? They are pissed because of advertising. DISH is giving us this great DVR system that can virtually record anything we want during prime time and watch it commercial free while other people are subjected to commercials via Hulu/Hulu+. Technically they don't care about Bones, just the ad revenue the timeslot that Bones airs in brings into the corporation.

I see this as an attack on innovation. PTAT is no more illegal than me having two Hoppers that record from each network individually.PTAT is no more illegal than having some TiVo's or barebones cable company DVRs. PTAT is no more illegal than having half a dozen VCR's connected to my TV in the late nineties.

So I demand that Fox and the other networks follow suit and sue every other provider that offers a DVR and the company TiVo for having the ability to record TV programs. I better not hold my breath while I wait.

But remember, PTAT and Autohop are two different things, even in this suit. I can understand their logic behind autohop (though I don't agree with it and think their mode of thinking is outdated), but PTAT enbables ultimately can only lead to more people watching a given show than was there before which should lead to higher ratings which lead to higher revenue (commercial skiping aside).

 

[Stargazer]

They will really get red hot fire mad when Dish Network starts inserting their own advertisements. The networks will have to come up with their own clever way of doing advertisements during the shows.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

They will really get red hot fire mad when Dish Network starts inserting their own advertisements. The networks will have to come up with their own clever way of doing advertisements during the shows.

DISH just can't start inserting ads on feeds where they don't have permission to do so. That is a copyright violation as they are altering the channels broadcast.

DISH can only put ads on channels where they have agreements to do so and only at specific times. You might notice inserted commercials on channels like Comedy Central, A&E, USA and others.