Future of TV — And Retention of Millions of Customers — At Stake In HD Claims

[Sean Mota]

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6446741.html

Very interested article with lots of lots information about Cable, DirecTv, Echostart and the future of their HDTV offering.

Higlights of the article include:

Pending Law suits against DirecTv
Pending Law suits against Cable Operators
Switch Video will provide unlimited HDTV capacity for Cable Operators
Echostar not as agressive in the HDTV area as DirecTv.
Echostar and DirecTv could share satellite space if agreement is reached.

All very interested ideas. Read the article...

 

[technoguy]

In early May, Comcast launched an aggressive print and radio campaign proclaiming that in a survey, satellite customers thought the cable operator had the best HDTV picture quality. Those ads sparked a false-advertising lawsuit by DirecTV, which in turn is being sued — also for alleged false advertising — over its TV commercials by Time Warner Cable. All of that litigation is pending

It would be fun watching this 2 sued each other for "false advertising",I can wait to see the response of each side"happy costumers".

Leichtman said that DirecTV is “doing a great spin job” of making the market think they’ve got the most HDTV channels.

“You’ve got to look at not what their advertising says, but what the reality is,” Leichtman said. “So as of May 2007, the leader in HD programming is EchoStar … Who has the least channels is DirecTV.”

 

[hancox]

Switched video is the big question mark here...

I have a feeling there would be a fairly large class-action lawsuit on the heels of any large-scale switched rollout in HD, mostly due to cablecard customers losing access.

Plus - the use of "unlimited" is a much bigger stretch over ANYTHING the DBS guys have said, isn't it?

 

[technoguy]

Plus - the use of "unlimited" is a much bigger stretch over ANYTHING the DBS guys have said, isn't it?

Totally Agree
But the real question for cable is they can deliver in that prediction??

 

[chuckf1]

Totally Agree
But the real question for cable is they can deliver in that prediction??

As someone who is a cable customer, (months ago an attempt to get E was unsuccessful to to LOS issues), I certainly hope the cable can deliver on that prediction!

 

[cebbigh]

"EchoStar, in turn, will launch two more satellites by the end of the year, which will give it the capacity to offer 200 national HD channels and 100 HD local channels reaching 85% of the country, according to officials." :

 

[Paradox-SJ]

Does any even care about HD LITE anymore LOL...

Seriously this is all good stuff for we the consumer...Fight it out try to out do each other....in the end..WE alll win.

 

[JimK2]

As someone who is a cable customer, (months ago an attempt to get E was unsuccessful to to LOS issues), I certainly hope the cable can deliver on that prediction!

When they stop broadcastng the analog channels February 2009, cable will have plenty of bandwidth for digital hd.

 

[harshness]

“There are going to be 100 channels that are running full time in HD, but it’s not necessarily all dedicated to a traditional linear channel per se,” Chang said. “But I think the bulk of it certainly will be. We are not sitting here spouting off a two-hour movie or a three-hour game as an HD channel.”

If they are counting SuperFan HD programming, they are counting the same kinds of "channels". Channel, by definition, implies linearity.

I have no problem with switched digital or other event broadcast technologies, but if they (cable or satellite) are going to claim to have the capacity, they had better be able to crank it all out simultaneously. Cable has the advantage of being able to partition its systems. Satellite must use spotbeams to partition and that's not particularly effective if at least one customer in each spotbeam wants to watch each program.

Mr. Chang is wielding a double edge sword and he is sustaining some self-inflicted damage.

 

[harshness]

When they stop broadcastng the analog channels February 2009, cable will have plenty of bandwidth for digital hd.

That depends largely on how successful they are at convincing their low-end subscribers to upgrade to digital services. If they don't get a running start at it, they may be stuck with a large enough contingent of analog customers that they either have to give STBs or bid them adieu.

 

[Paradox-SJ]

That depends largely on how successful they are at convincing their low-end subscribers to upgrade to digital services. If they don't get a running start at it, they may be stuck with a large enough contingent of analog customers that they either have to give STBs or bid them adieu.

They will have no choice but to give them STB and kindly charge them for it but I doubt they will say good bye to these customers...as that is a hughe portion of their revinew stream

 

[navychop]

When they stop broadcastng the analog channels February 2009, cable will have plenty of bandwidth for digital hd.

OTA stops being transmitted in analog (NTSC) on Feb 17, 2009. The connection to analog cable is tenuous at best. All details are not finalized yet, but it seems likely that the cablecos will continue their analog tier. They will take the digital OTA (& other) signals and convert them to analog. This will allow old analog TVs that are plugged in to cable directly, and those with analog boxes, to continue working.

Certainly, the cablecos want to move people over (in a cost effective manner) to digital and recover the bandwidth. But it isn't going to happen by 2/17/09. Not for everyone.

 

[riffjim4069]

A very good read. However, the local Adelphia/Comcast can't get cable, Internet, and VOIP right...so how are they ever going to get switched video right. Also, the article failed to mention that FiOS has the upper hand when it comes to PQ and capacity.

 

[harshness]

Also, the article failed to mention that FiOS has the upper hand when it comes to PQ and capacity.

FIOS is not in the same league as Comcast, Time Warner and DirecTV. They have a very limited service footprint and fewer customers than anyone but Uverse. As of March 31, 2007, FIOS had only 348,000 TV customers spread across a number of markets. For comparison, Comcast had more than 24,000,000 TV customers.

 

[gadgtfreek]

SDV is already in use. Comcast and TWC are already moving some analogs to digital to free room. Comcast just announced more HD additions putting them ahead of D*, plus many of their markets have hd locals.

If you think Comcast aint gonna be there with E* and D* in hd programming, your kidding yourself. Ive said it before, the MAIN reason Im with sat and not cable is the crappy dvr. Comcast in my area is damn good. Our local rep(on avs) stated that they are setting up SDV and will be moving analogs to the digitial tier, all in late 07.

 

[wmj5]

I think the satellite co. and cable should have packages for people who don't like sports,or people who don't like movies. Jerry

 

[gadgtfreek]

I wish there was a feasible way to have a la carte. I watch about 15 of the 250 I have.

 

[grydlok]

FIOS is not in the same league as Comcast, Time Warner and DirecTV. They have a very limited service footprint and fewer customers than anyone but Uverse. As of March 31, 2007, FIOS had only 348,000 TV customers spread across a number of markets. For comparison, Comcast had more than 24,000,000 TV customers.

That's what I been saying.
Lets see what happen to verizon network "if" they ever decide to get over 1 million subs.

 

[kb7oeb]

I read on AVS that the Chicago cable company recently removed all but 20 or so analog channels.

 

[whatchel1]

why

When they stop broadcastng the analog channels February 2009, cable will have plenty of bandwidth for digital hd.

Why would the stop of broadcast OTA make any difference to cable?