Greetings from the Echostar Press Event

[M Sparks]

The 942+ is the Vip 622.

No, the 622 is what some had been refering to as the 962.

The 942+ was a very recent rumor. It's a 942 with an upgraded chipset. No larger hard drive, no ethernet, no other goodies. The rumor was that the 942+ was only for free swap-outs, not for sale or new customers.

 

[deuces]

No, the 622 is what some had been refering to as the 962.
The 942+ was a very recent rumor. It's a 942 with an upgraded chipset. No larger hard drive, no ethernet, no other goodies. The rumor was that the 942+ was only for free swap-outs, not for sale or new customers.

So what other differences are there between the 622 and 942, other than MPEG4 and hard drive space?

 

[DishBacker]

So what other differences are there between the 622 and 942, other than MPEG4 and hard drive space?

622 has an ethernet port on it.

 

[deuces]

622 has an ethernet port on it.

Help out a non-techie, what will that gain me?

 

[sampatterson]

Help out a non-techie, what will that gain me?

No one knows for sure yet.

It could mean that you will get realtime VOD of shows over the internet

or View DVR events from other DVRs on the network (view shows in the bedroom that you recorded in the livingroom)

...or it may be a port like the firewire port on the 921 or 942. Never activated because they moved on to other things.

 

[hammerdown]

Nothing regarding the fact that 1280x1080i is not High Definition, yet all these press releases contain the words HD___? Nothing from Charlie regarding what resolution these "HD" channels will be?

Hammer

 

[BobMurdoch]

Help out a non-techie, what will that gain me?

It could also be used to receive programming instructions to remotely program a recording (log in from your office and set up a recording remotely)...

This decision sux huge. We just lost the Super Bowl in HD via E*. Oh, it will be there (I'm from the NYC local), I and everyone else in the area just won't be able to SEE it.

My next thing to do is to send a harsh letter to ceo@echostar.com. They should AT LEAST add ESPN2HD and the Broadcast locals in MPeg2 until they are ready to flip the switch. All they did was turn the 622 into an XBox360. Let the supply imbalance commence!

 

[philssatellite]

with all this news, it may be the reason DSI is hounding me to become a directv dealer.I don't know whether to jump in that mess or not.

 

[shanewalker]

Until we know exactly what the existing customer program is going to be, and what the specs are on the channels once they're transmitting in total, can we really say that what was announced today is all that bad? Or am I totally insane/missing something?

I have a lease on a 942 and two 811s and get Showtime/HBO/Voom w/ locals on top of the Top 160 and a two-dish setup...so the upgrade is substantial to get me up to snuff w/ a full MPEG-4 Chicago HD market package.

My question is down to when/how much...I was hoping for the "MPEG 4 preview" window rumored here a while back, so I'd be able to watch UHD, etc. while waiting my turn to upgrade, and that may yet happen, right? That would make sense. If the answers to these questions come the end of next week are not satisfactory, I'll simply check my other options--there ARE other options. Whining prior to that doesn't, in my mind, do me any good, does it?

 

[CJPC]

Id be happy if for the next month if E gave us a tease, upgraded the Demo channel (would be a good idea about upgrading to mpeg4) and adding even 1 channel to mpeg2 for us , like UHD or ESPN2, something to tease us (though in all reality, a voom channel would be better, so people dont complain as much when it goes mpeg4)

 

[waltinvt]

I posted my feelings (and they're not pretty) about all this horseshit in the Dish HD forum, so I won't rehash it all again here.

I do want to remind everyone that Dish is monitoring this and other discussions. Some of what's happening here is a classic case of testing the waters.

Dish made the big "splash" announcments, yada, yada, which are designed to get everyone's attention and hopfully attract a lot of new subs but they're also seeing just how far they can push (read that as screw) their existing subs without loosing any. They know exactly what the competition is doing and when. They also know many of us will put up with (and pay) just about anything to get more HD. It's just a money game with them.

It would just be nice, for once - just once, to have Dish say and do something to let their existing subs know they're important and a priority to Dish in the grand scheme of things but no, asper usual we're left hanging, not knowing where we stand, not knowing if we're going to get shafted on a receiver upgrade or even if we'll be allowed to upgrade.

I mean, hey, it's not like this hasn't happened before but we don't need to go there in this thread. I'm just saying it might be good to say what you think about some of this and say it loud and clear because it could have a lot to do with what Dish says in the next day or two and what Dish does in the next month or two.

 

[M Sparks]

What the difference most people will not be upgraded by Feb. 1 anyway, and will not get any new HD channels. Leave it to Dish to not even have a transition period to MPEG4.

Why do they need a transition period? Non-MPEG-2 receivers will receive the exact same programming for the same amount of money. (Well, for the same price increase they would have had with or without the extra channels.)

I honestly don't understand why ANYONE is upset about this. Disappointed, yes, but being upset is absurd. Sure, we all love to get something for nothing right now, but it's not the normal way of life. Until upgrade plans are announced, there's no reason to be pissed.

BTW...this IS the start of the transitional period. Not having a transitional period means switching EVERYTHING to MPEG-4 today and leaving you with a blank screen.

 

[enoree]

My E* commitment is up in April, as is my D* commitment, and at the same time my local Telco has been offering digital SD over their phone lines for about a year now, with the promise of HD to come this year. I WILL have an option besides E* or D*, and I DO get about 17 DT stations OTA, among them All the nets in HD. If they both offer a screw the existing subs deal then Telco here I come.

 

[M Sparks]

It would just be nice, for once - just once, to have Dish say and do something to let their existing subs know they're important and a priority to Dish in the grand scheme of things but no, asper usual we're left hanging, not knowing where we stand, not knowing if we're going to get shafted on a receiver upgrade or even if we'll be allowed to upgrade.

That's the first valid complaint I've seen on the topic. I think the last part is without merit...there won't be any shafting. They have to at least come close to what DirecTV is doing.

But you're absolutely right...they should have given SOME indication as to how this is going to work.

 

[Lucky]

Why do they need a transition period? Non-MPEG-2 receivers will receive the exact same programming for the same amount of money. (Well, for the same price increase they would have had with or without the extra channels.)
I honestly don't understand why ANYONE is upset about this. Disappointed, yes, but being upset is absurd. Sure, we all love to get something for nothing right now, but it's not the normal way of life. Until upgrade plans are announced, there's no reason to be pissed.
BTW...this IS the start of the transitional period. Not having a transitional period means switching EVERYTHING to MPEG-4 today and leaving you with a blank screen.

Because I think it stinks when DirecTV is only using MPEG4 for locals and Dish is using it for nationals. They could have given us the new nationals in MPEG2 for a few months while everyone gets upgraded. That is what they should have done rather than force everyone to upgrade. I was actually looking forward to watching ESPN2HD, and now who knows when I will actually see it. I will wait out my Dish contract that is up in May, and then I may go to DirecTV unless Dish gives us a great upgrade deal.

 

[Drone35]

On the bright side to forcing us to upgade Dish should make it painless as possible and for a fare price at that, if they don't then we can lower the boom on them!

 

[DWS44]

Since you had extra time to ask about Howard Stern...what as their response when you inquired about HD-lite and existing HD customer upgrades? Maybe I overlooked it in the previous 10 pages.

 

[jerryez]

Scott, ain't going to piss them off by asking embarassing questions in public. He isn't crazy.

 

[gutter]

Scott, ain't going to piss them off by asking embarassing questions in public. He isn't crazy.

Gee ...he said he would if he had too when this whole DISH HDLITE debate started. I realize it would be embarassing but I hope he took one of the execs into the woodshed and got some straight answers. That we do expect.

 

[mr_snerdly]

Scott, ain't going to piss them off by asking embarassing questions in public. He isn't crazy.

What is embarrassing about asking if their resolution will be increased? That is like not asking the dealer if your pick-up has a hemi in it out of fear of putting the dealer in a bad spot.

To me, it is more embarrassing, and a waste of time to ask about Stern. Of course Dish isn't going to carry Stern. In the end Charlie laughed about it! I would rather have Charlie utter a nervous laugh when Scott asked him about HD-Lite. The last few months has been built-up to finding out what new HD channels we will get and what resolution they will be. Everyone makes mistakes I guess.... In the end Scott went to CES on his dime, in support of his web-site, so he can ask what questions he sees fit.