H/D update per Swanni..

[moonman]

Sept 21st is plausible, only because Chase is going to speak that day in the AM at the Liberty Media Investor Day.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1053404&highlight=

That is the only reason I would see the 21st as the day. Otherwise I bet next Wed is the day, since D* usually does channel launches on Wednesdays.

---------------
DIRECTV to Present at the Liberty Media Investor Day
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 2007--DIRECTV (NYSETV) will present at the Liberty Media Investor Day on Friday, September 21st, 2007, at 11:45 a.m. ET/8:45 a.m. PT. The presentation will include an update and outlook on the DIRECTV business. A live webcast of the presentation will be available at www.directv.com/investor. There will be no archive of the presentation.

Date: Friday, September 21st, 2007

Time: 11:45 a.m. ET/8:45 a.m. PT

Speaker: Chase Carey, CEO and President, DIRECTV

Webcast: www.directv.com/investor

 

[rdr1976]

Martin sent a correction on his way home:

My deepest apologies, but apparently the HD Channels I am seeing at the office are not available to the general public. I was told they were launched but the person was mistaken - there are apparently some glitches with the signals that must be worked through.
When I hear more I will try to update you on when you will get them at home.
Martin
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

 

[TulsaCoker]

Sept 21st is plausible, only because Chase is going to speak that day in the AM at the Liberty Media Investor Day.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1053404&highlight=

That is the only reason I would see the 21st as the day. Otherwise I bet next Wed is the day, since D* usually does channel launches on Wednesdays.

Here's my take. The speach in the 21st will be the exact same speach he gave the other day. No new information. If D* is having authorization code problems (software) then the channels planned for the 19th will come on as soon as the problem is fixed. To me they will not resolve the issue then wait x amount of days to launch them. They will launch them when the problem is fixed. If the problem is corrected as we speak why would they wait a few days to launch them?

 

[johnner1999]

Here's my take. The speach in the 21st will be the exact same speach he gave the other day. No new information. If D* is having authorization code problems (software) then the channels planned for the 19th will come on as soon as the problem is fixed. To me they will not resolve the issue then wait x amoun of days to launch them. They will launch them when the problem is fixed. If the problem is corrected as we speak why would they wit a few days to launch them?

its always nice to have "good" news when talking to investors ;-)

 

[vegas-steven]

This is the response I got from Investor Relations as i'm a shareholder. at 1:52pm CT 9/19 from Martin Sheehan from IR at D*. I'm at the office so i can't check my system, but it sounds like "between 10 and 20 new" channels are on now.

_____________________
Thanks for the email and I appreciate your frustration, I too am a huge HD fan. The issue we have is that we don’t know exactly when channels will be available for viewing – we have to “receive” the channel from the provider (and these dates have change from time to time), and then we have to test it over the satellite to ensure there aren’t any quality issues. So it is very difficult to say that on 9/19 “x” number of channels will be available ahead of time (to be honest I am surprised that our customer service reps are commenting on dates and I am going to look into this).

In fact, the CSRs were correct that 10 – 20 new HD channels were going to be launched today, but just yesterday, that was delayed due to technical issues. Fortunately it appears the technical issues were overcome and you should be able to access somewhere between 10 and 20 new channels (I haven’t counted them all) right now.

As the rest of the quarter rolls out, more and more channels will become available, not necessarily on a firm schedule unfortunately. In about a month, with the launch of a fair number of additional channels, we will begin a marketing push to our current customers and to potential new ones. A couple of points to make – if you tune to channel 247 (TBS) - or any other new HD channel - on your new HD box, it will automatically tune to the HD version – also the guide will display 2 channels – one for HD and one for SD. So, in the meantime before our marketing push, hopefully customers will quickly “discover” all these new channels. Finally, on the guide, if you select HD Channels – all will be listed.

Thanks for your patience on this – I think DIRECTV will make the wait worth your while with a significant rollout of HD channels over the coming months.

Martin Sheehan
Investor Relations

you know... that seems completely LOGICAL except for the fact that people are not seeing those 10-20 channels that he claims you can see "right now"

i can see what he says about the quality and availability, but arent most of the channels that they are launching actually ALREADY broadcasting?

for example, CNN HD is broadcasting NOW with no one to watch (haha funny huh?) and they say that the channels need to be available.

the excuse makes sense if you dont pay any attention to the logic that can completely discredit what he says.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

All DirecTV needed to do was put this on our website...

"September 19, 2007
Attention DirecTV HD Fans, We just wanted to give you an update to let you know that it will be a few more days until we begin our new HD rollout. We are working hard to make sure we deliver you the best HD quality possible.

Thanks for being a loyal DirecTV fan!"

If they did this much of the brew ha ha would have not happened.

 

[iceturkee]

now, scott, in fairness to directv, they did make that slide available on channel 498 this morning. granted, it wasn't much....but it was something.

 

[ScoBuck]

I really don't know the right answer. I have no idea at all what type of call volume that they are actually getting regarding this. I always think that we as the enthusiasts tend to think we have more muscle than we really do - and yes I know there was some level of reaching out to subs to inform them of this happening. Are they getting deluged with calls/complaints or not?

But without hard data as to whether or not they get any type of major response into the call centers, they must think that they are doing the right thing.

They might not want to bring additional attention to this - who knows.

 

[djzack67]

I feel like a mouse running everytime i smell cheese.....

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

now, scott, in fairness to directv, they did make that slide available on channel 498 this morning. granted, it wasn't much....but it was something.

two days too late.

 

[djzack67]

All DirecTV needed to do was put this on our website...

"September 19, 2007
Attention DirecTV HD Fans, We just wanted to give you an update to let you know that it will be a few more days until we begin our new HD rollout. We are working hard to make sure we deliver you the best HD quality possible.

Thanks for being a loyal DirecTV fan!"

If they did this much of the brew ha ha would have not happened.

I so agree.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Could have been worse, they could have told us the channels would be coming on September 31st.

 

[purtman]

i was a real journalist for over 25 years. would you like me to flood your email with the over a thousand stories i wrote for the orlando sentinel? would you like me to email you, my resume?

would you like me to email you my references?

even swann's bio at his website says he's a tv guy and is not a journalist.

Exactly. I have close to 20 years experience myself. A lot of people have slammed him as being a lousy "journalist". I never called him one and don't take him to be one. But he's had some good things and some are lame. There are a lot of people out there who pick up on what's in vogue at the time ("Fox is fair and balanced", "Microsoft stinks", "the 'liberal' media", etc.). I would say that a lot of the people who bash him don't have a real reason to bash him (kind of like the examples I used above) but pick up on something somebody else said.

I should also have added that when I say he's like a media source, I meant that many of the stories we see on TV or read in the paper (nationally, not locally) are picked up off wire services. That's what I am equating him to.

 

[ScoBuck]

On the other side - Swanni has published things that were KNOWN facts as dead wrong as well - he doesn't do his homework well IMO.

 

[iceturkee]

Exactly. I have close to 20 years experience myself. A lot of people have slammed him as being a lousy "journalist". I never called him one and don't take him to be one. But he's had some good things and some are lame. There are a lot of people out there who pick up on what's in vogue at the time ("Fox is fair and balanced", "Microsoft stinks", "the 'liberal' media", etc.). I would say that a lot of the people who bash him don't have a real reason to bash him (kind of like the examples I used above) but pick up on something somebody else said.

I should also have added that when I say he's like a media source, I meant that many of the stories we see on TV or read in the paper (nationally, not locally) are picked up off wire services. That's what I am equating him to.

as a media guy, i have no problems with him. i just have problems with those who take what he says as gospel.....who view him as a journalist. and that comes from my background in the business.

but i appreciate your clarification. thanks! :up

 

[FlyingJ]

I don't think that this is a PR nightmare at all. Only to us and our little HD world. 2 days late, why? There was never an official statement saying the 19th. Does anyone really think tht they are not trying their hardest to get this done?

 

[purtman]

as a media guy, i have no problems with him. i just have problems with those who take what he says as gospel.....who view him as a journalist. and that comes from my background in the business.

but i appreciate your clarification. thanks! :up

+1

I don't take what he says as gospel, but there are too many people who slam whatever he says without knowing whether it's true or not.

Football, eh? Gators' fan? We are now. My niece's husband is a coach with them. Lucky dog!

 

[ScoBuck]

I don't think that this is a PR nightmare at all. Only to us and our little HD world. 2 days late, why? There was never an official statement saying the 19th. Does anyone really think tht they are not trying their hardest to get this done?

Personally I agree with you, but I also DO see the other side - I don't see why better communication would be anything other than beneficial. At worst, it would keep lots of us busy with MORE IMPORTANT things during the day.

I don't see any PR nightmare though.

 

[iceturkee]

nor do i.

 

[Juan]

What are they "testing"?