It is official now: Spaceway out HDTV in

[mike123abc]

http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040528/tech_newscorp_1.html

The free link above does not go into much detail as the WSJ:

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108569353163023341,00.html?mod=yahoo_hs&ru=yahoo

After months of hinting that Spaceway capacity probably would be shared between HDTV programming and Internet applications, News Corp. has decided that it will use the satellite only to deliver TV channels, officials familiar with the details said. Moreover, industry officials said it isn't clear when, or even if, the second satellite will be put into service.

In El Segundo, Calif., a DirecTV spokesman declined to detail the company's plans. "We are planning on using" the Spaceway satellites "in the most productive ways" possible, he said, adding that such goals could include increasing DirecTV's capacity to broadcast high-definition signals to hundreds of specific U.S. markets.

This should put some new pressure on Dish/VOOM

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

This is good news!

Dish is going to crap their pants when they see all the internationals (which are currently only on Dish) find their way to DirecTV in 60 days.

DirecTV has some BIG plans.

 

[x5ray]

which hd channels and international channels is directv planning to carry in the very near future. otherwise, i may be switching to dish or voom.

 

[Alan Gordon]

Y'all might want to read this statement first.


New Highlights


"Finally, we are committed to launching two satellites in early 2005 with a third satellite as a ground spare."


Is he talking about 8s and 9s, or is he referring to the SpaceWay satellites, because I thought the first was going up this year. Oh well, hopefully this means that in the next ten years, I will be able to pick up my local stations in HD on satellite, because otherwise, I think it will be a LONG TIME before I am able to pick them up at all...


~Alan

 

[fredfa]

Of course, what is Chase Carey supposed to say?
Let's assume D* is in the process of trying to sell off the rights to the second (and third) SpaceWay satellites.
Why would anyone officially say they were? Maybe to lower the value of their positions?
D* plays things VERY close to the vest. If the WSJ got info before D* wanted to release it, of course D* would say there are inaccuracies.
But it is a lengthy story with many elements aside from HD involved.
Who knows what inaccuracies Carey is trying to pinpoint?

 

[Curtis0620]

This is good news!

Dish is going to crap their pants when they see all the internationals (which are currently only on Dish) find their way to DirecTV in 60 days.

DirecTV has some BIG plans.

Scott how about a hint on what the BIG plans are?

 

[Stargazer]

I would guess that not all local stations are HD yet although a number of them are.

Dish Network would take the two-way internet via satellite market while DirecTv would take the HD locals market. I do not think that HD locals will be a huge market for a few years.

 

[rudolpht]

Dish has the dwindling Sat internet market, which goes the way of the dinosaurs whenever DSL or cable broadband comes to town (like w/ me, but that starband dish on the house sure looks purdy, except to my wife) & the HD PVR market for folks that dont care about local guides or recording (anymore), another cable one up.

The pressure on Voom is ONLY on the DVR front. HD Locals will kill DBS as fast as SD locals killed the satelityte PQ advantage. I would love an HD Tivo with all the Voom primary HD content (Max, TMC, Encore, Starz) and would reup in a heartbeat, so I hope DirecTV uses the spaceway sats (despite an a pseudo Superdish LNB kludge potential, but they are smarter than Dish in preventing that kind of fiasco). The DBS services can't hope to capitalize on consumer disatisfaction with cable monopolies but deliver effectively the same content or even less (less in the case of HD in my local area) and worse quality & higher equipment costs and expect to not get the same churn against them. "lock in" plans only encourage resentment and immediate switches as those arrangements expire.

Don't know why I'm soapboxing, but I hope DirecTV is smart enough to deliver on HD. I know Echostar (based on CEO statements & customer repeated double crosses) is not smart enough to leverage an advantage like spaceway presents.

What Voom could do with this capacity & a DVR....