Important Clarification

Here's another question E* will have to tackle when all HD is in MPEG4 - how can they justify charging the $6 mirroring fee for an HD receiver than can no longer receive HD? Because of this I suspect that the increased fee will only be for MPEG4 receivers. That increased HD fee may have something to do with the MPEG4 license fee. If so MPEG2-only receivers should not be charged extra.
 
waltinvt said:
Instead you uplink all the new channels in MPEG2 (which is what they've done), so all existing HD customers can get them but be clear that this is temporary and part of the overall move to MPEG4 and better PQ for all HD.
This does 2 things:
1. It at least comes closer to fulfilling the earlier promise of "all 21 Voom channels by the end of '05" "plus maybe one or two more channels". This helps discredit Dish's past history of broken promises instead of substaniating it.
2. It makes existing customers feel included instead of exploited. Your getting part of something now but your also expected to do something in exchange for this and more to come.
What it doesn't do is try to decieve customers like the disguising MPEG2 as MPEG4 move so obviously tried to do. Dish has always underestimated the ability of their customers being able to figure out what's really going on.

You owe me a new keyboard, as I spat out my coffee on my old one after reading this.

I think some of us are losing sight of a blunt fact: The absolute worst thing for Dish Network to do would be to take any currently available channels away from those who don't pay a price to upgrade their hardware.

It would give Dish Network the precedent that they could wrangle a $300 fee out of customers who want a given channel. Look how hard it is for them to even move a channel to a higher-priced tier (i.e. AT120 to AT180); I can't recall the last time that was even done, and we're talking about a $10 per month upgrade.

The notion that customers would be given the channels in a preview mode and "be expected to do something in exchange for this and more to come" is ludicrous. It is laughable; it is naive. If E* were to say "after so-and-so, you won't be able to receive this channel unless you upgrade your hardware", they would face a class-action lawsuit the day after they switched it over. Even if they run an annoying banner 24-7 on the channel that said "THIS CHANNEL IS BEING PREVIEWED FOR FREE", at best they would still face serious customer blowback (much worse than they're currently getting, which seems confined to this and other message boards) once they moved it to MPEG4.

Also keep in mind that the channel providers get paid per subscriber. How does a months-long "free preview" work from a contract standpoint? Does anyone honestly think ESPN would sit still if Dish put ESPN2-HD on the main HD pack at first, but then months later moved it to an MPEG4 tier with much fewer subscribers? Maybe they could work out a deal with Dish, but then Dish would have to work out similar deals with every other content provider that it wants to put onto this new tier, if it wants anything else besides ESPN2-HD on it.

Sorry, peeps. The way I see it, Dish had no choice but to put out MPEG4 hardware ASAP and create the demand for it. If they had waited until MPEG4 encoding was ready for prime time (so to speak), which as far as I can tell is at least a year away, they would have only put off the inevitable task of switching out their entire customer base, while seeing DirecTV pull farther and farther ahead.

And while I'm irked that I haven't gotten any new HD programming, I'm still getting the same channels that I have been getting. I can't complain about that, nothing has been switched off, and won't be until sometime late next year IMHO.

And before you flame me as a Dish apologist, keep in mind I own a 921. We're the ones who deserve medals or something.
 
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As a directv customer, it sure is nice to see you guys over here have tons of problems too. I thought we were the only ones. :) My major complaint now is no HD dvr for many months and can't get more than the Big 4 locals in with mpeg4. What a waste. Plus losing tivo bites too.

Back to your problems now. Thanks for all the insight and misery sure does love company.
 
So on Feb. 1 you can upgrade for 299.00 to the new HD receiver? Also this is only for existing customers? I am trying to catch up with the entire thread and wanted just the facts. I know in any business model that the early adopters are going to pay the prem. price. That is a given. I usually like to stay a little behind this curve for best price to performance.

I have the HD receiver on main TV, but like to upgrade to DVR with HD. Looking at buying a Tivo box or other hard drive based system. Rather just have a new dish box to handle to heavy lifting though, then another box plugged into the TV.

One more question, is Dish going to offer locals in HD with the locals that I am already paying for? Using OTA for those channels right now, but wife does not like the fact you can not punch the number into the remote and change the channel. An example is 47-01, instead of just 47.

thanks............

p.s. I had to respond to message because the little box at the top of the web page told me to........:)
 
CPanther95 said:
Until then, if they can get volunteers, why not take advantage of it.
That's right - if you change "volunteers" to "suckers". :(

Signed: A FORMER "sucker" who paid $1000 for a POS 921 - although I'll be keeping it when I DO finally get a 622. It's quite useful as a seconed OTA DVR, and the two satellite tuners will be recording HIST, DISC, TLC, etc. for a long time to come. Eventually, it'll die, no replacements will be available, and they'll replace it with another 622 - because I'm on the old warranty program, continuously for 8+ years.
 
SimpleSimon said:
That's right - if you change "volunteers" to "suckers". :(
Signed: A FORMER "sucker" who paid $1000 for a POS 921 - although I'll be keeping it when I DO finally get a 622. It's quite useful as a seconed OTA DVR, and the two satellite tuners will be recording HIST, DISC, TLC, etc. for a long time to come. Eventually, it'll die, no replacements will be available, and they'll replace it with another 622 - because I'm on the old warranty program, continuously for 8+ years.

Simon, Is that the $1.99 per month everything warranty that I have had for years, also? If so, do you think they will let us keep it with the new pricing structure? It is a good deal. It already got me a free replacement 6000 after my original one went up in smoke one evening (power supply caught fire!!!). Bob
 
rdinkel said:
Simon, Is that the $1.99 per month everything warranty that I have had for years, also? If so, do you think they will let us keep it with the new pricing structure? It is a good deal. It already got me a free replacement 6000 after my original one went up in smoke one evening (power supply caught fire!!!). Bob

When I had trouble reactivating my 6000 (actually because I did not have the new yellow card), the tech suggested that I get the warranty program for $4.95/month while we were still talking, and then he sent me a replacement 6000 right then. I was told by him that I could cancel the warranty plan the next day if I wanted. And I did.

So it seems possible to get the warranty only when you need it.

Shelly
 
shelly said:
When I had trouble reactivating my 6000 (actually because I did not have the new yellow card), the tech suggested that I get the warranty program for $4.95/month while we were still talking, and then he sent me a replacement 6000 right then. I was told by him that I could cancel the warranty plan the next day if I wanted. And I did.
So it seems possible to get the warranty only when you need it.
Shelly

The warranty we have is only $1.99 per month and covers everything. And when you own all your receivers, dishes, and switches (including DPP44) that is a good deal that they no longer offer.
 
I don't think there is much of an issue for E* to first make ESPN2-HD available as part of a free preview and then move it later to the MPEG4 tier. E* is paying a negotiated fee which will not change regardless of where ESPN2-HD is placed. So this is E*'s issue, not ESPN's.

Can't see how E* is going to be able to market ESPN2-HD very aggressively, since they won't be able to meet demand for MPEG4 receivers for months anyway.
 
Weezknight said:
Well I was writing as an existing HD customer who isn't planning on upgrading right away. I guess they are in a position where they can cancel my programming at will (not a great move customer service wise), but I was hoping if they shut off my MPEG-2 HD channels, and I'm still in my contracted period they would have to upgrade me to MPEG-4 for free so I can still see the channels I pay for.

No current programming is going away any time soon. I agree that they should be doing more for the people who really pay the bills (HD customers I believe have a higher average bill than SD only customers.). The scheme given above is, I believe, fairly accurate, given Dish's past upgrade history. Not sure how accurate the timeline is, but the actual "how it will happen" is likely right on.
 
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