No more HD Distant Networks?

[Brussam]

I admit, I don't have a good idea overall, but I suspect of the small percentage of RV subscribers, an even smaller percentage are clamoring for HD.

You are far far outnumbered to those that want full time RSN's for instance.

Be consistent, you "don't have an idea" of "you are far outnumbered".

Either you know or you don't.

You want RSNs, I want HD DNS.

It seems that Sobongo has a business case for supplying HD DNS and Dish can provide for less cost.

I haven't heard anyone wanting to pay extra for RSNs.

 

[mike123abc]

Just for the record as you seem not to know the full-time RV world. We are not on an extended camping trip. We live in our RVs full-time. They are our houses. We just change the real estate.

We rely on satellite TV as things like Netflix doesn't work well as we move. We live with satellite Internet or air-card connections with 5GB data limits.

Satellite TV is important to use. For example our 40' house has two 1080p flat screen TVs, a VIP722K, a VIP612, AT250, Ultimate HD, Starz, and DNS. This is typical for full-timers except many of the diesel pusher motorhomes have more TVs. So we are not $1.98 "just AT120 subs."

Also, since we have a lot of investment in our receiving equipment (roof dishes, ground tripods) we are not always threatening to jump ship. We are loyal subscribers.,

It just might be that the HD DNS market comes first and whatever is left, can be used for "sticks and bricks" subs.

It is also quite possible with the Dish system to simply change your locals to where you are if you are staying a few months a different locations throughout the year. Again I am not saying that there is not a valuable RV market, it is just that Dish will work to get the best return on their satellite TPs. Remember Dish handled all the AAD authorizations, they have a complete record of who subscribed to what, who had an RV, who had HD in an RV, etc.

If Dish can make the most money on you, they will provide DNS. The mystery of course until the rumored end of the week announcement is what Dish will provide. Perhaps HD and SD of different cities from AAD, perhaps just SD, maybe just west coast feeds, maybe none. It is all a guess until we see the announcement.

I could even see an automated system where you call in when you go somewhere and punch in your account and a DMA code and presto the locals are turned on. Of course you could be in an SD only market, which would not be so nice. It would also cause DVR timer problems. But, it is a solution Dish could come up with (similar to how they do the prepaid accounts).

 

[Brussam]

Would you like to call Dish to change you Locals daily? Even an automatic system? Do we move every day, no. Do we stay for months, only for the winter.

Again, people who aren't full-timer RVers shouldn't make statements on what is functional for them.

 

[jacobm69]

Here in Salisbury it's one of the last remaining markets if not the last that Dish has not gotten our locals up and running either in SD or HD. Direct has them for our area (they just got them in the last several weeks) but Dish doesn't have them for us. I have east and west NBC and Fox SD and still have HD from AD. Our locals are not available through Dish.

see this thread for a discussion on that issue: http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/215700-new-locals.html

 

[joecap1946]

Just lost my CBS HD feed from AAD. Chicago and LA are gone. 3:42 cst.

 

[joecap1946]

Just Lost My AAD FEEDS

CBS HD from Chicago and LA are gone.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Still here on my receivers at 3:43pm. But I did get a phone call from AAD/sobongo telling me I could get a deal to get them for a cheaper price. I said no HD , no thanks. Please cancel my account like I asked last week. He said no problem. But he said I would see the networks go off at midnight tonight.

 

[joecap1946]

Thanks Mike, I actually bought the CBS SD. I enjoy having the dual feeds via timezones. I paid 49.95 for 13 months, deal sounded good.

 

[MikeD-C05]

L.A. still here in Texas , at least till midnight tonight according to AAD call I got today.

 

[Tampa8]

Either way, RV subscribers are in the extreme minority. I was being honest in saying I don't have exact figures, but it doesn't take much to know what I stated. You can't tell me there are thousands of RV's with HD TV's, and that subscribe to Dish, and that are willing or even want to pay for HD. Again, I want you to have it if you want it, we are only saying it may make more business sense to answer the requests of the majority of subscribers. I see many threads here and the other sites about full time RSN's, or some staring to ask why OWN is not in HD etc...I see almost nothing from RV owners posting about not getting HD.

And it isn't a matter of people wanting to pay more for RSN's. Paying more isn't the issue, if it was you would have even less of a case there just isn't enough that would be subscribing. And since SD, at least at this time is available from Dish through AAD (Sobango) for you I would tend to think getting full time HD for the majority might be a priority because other carriers have them full time.

With all this posting, we still have to keep in mind we don't know what Dish is planning, maybe it isn't a matter of one or the other......

 

[makman]

I see almost nothing from RV owners posting about not getting HD.

I have got to put my two cents in. The reason you probably don't see many posts about RVs not getting HD is that HD was available to them already through AAD. Why would they post?

Mitch

 

[bradfordj]

The ones who are getting their distants turned off are the ones who are calling AAD with questions and cancelling their services. Wait til they get turned off before you call to cancel. It's not that hard to comprehend. It'll be a sad day of AAD shuts off the HD feeds. It was easier to get distants since AAD was a separate entity to Dish. If Dish takes over it'll be much harder to get distants and it's likely they won't offer HD.

 

[markcosenza]

I haven't called them so I guess that's why I still have my feeds. (At least for today.) I would think that if Dish is allowing AAD to continue with the SD service, than if Dish is going to provide some type of Distant Network service, it would be in HD. It wouldn't make sense to have 2 providers provide SD.

The ones who are getting their distants turned off are the ones who are calling AAD with questions and cancelling their services. Wait til they get turned off before you call to cancel. It's not that hard to comprehend. It'll be a sad day of AAD shuts off the HD feeds. It was easier to get distants since AAD was a separate entity to Dish. If Dish takes over it'll be much harder to get distants and it's likely they won't offer HD.

 

[Tampa8]

I have got to put my two cents in. The reason you probably don't see many posts about RVs not getting HD is that HD was available to them already through AAD. Why would they post?

Mitch

This thread is 18 pages long. There is a thread on another forum. How many RV owners have posted? Until today almost none of us have lost the HD distants, but have been posting.

"I would think that if Dish is allowing AAD to continue with the SD service, than if Dish is going to provide some type of Distant Network service, it would be in HD. It wouldn't make sense to have 2 providers provide SD."
That's my point however. I am not so sure Dish is going to provide "Distants" I think they are going to provide networks from an adjacent DMA when your DMA does not have a network available. They may also provide "Significantly Viewed" networks. And that could be in HD without using anymore sat space. But since they can not give anyone a distant network if they are able to provide the locals, that eliminates most of the subs. It's not like AAD who could give anyone in a white area distants.

One additional thought. After talking to my Father in Law, he suggested there are people when he is camping in his RV who stay in one spot for a prolonged period. He was wondering if they did have satellite service, why they just couldn't get the locals from where they are if no distants are offered.

 

[Brussam]

his thread is 18 pages long. There is a thread on another forum. How many RV owners have posted? Until today almost none of us have lost the HD distants, but have been posting.

I guess from this statement that this forum thread represents a scientific cross section of the United States.

Strange. I can search through a RV forum and find no issues with RSNs. Ergo there is no need for more RSNs.

he suggested there are people when he is camping in his RV who stay in one spot for a prolonged period. He was wondering if they did have satellite service, why they just couldn't get the locals from where they are if no distants are offere

There is camping and there is full-time RVing. Just like going on vacation to a resort is different from living in your house.

Again, I can relate living in a house and the TV needs for that because I did it. You can't relate to full-time RVing because you didn't.

 

[Tampa8]

But I can relate to the issue, which in the end is monetary for Dish as it would be for any business. Which should Dish serve when (or if) they have to make a choice, the relatively few RV owners who get Dish, or the millions of homeowners? Bet few of them have ever lived full time or an extended time in an RV either.....but they don't need to, to understand the economics of it.

Btw, you made my point better than I even did. No complaints about RSN at the RV forums. That tells me there are too few that even get satellite from Dish or perhaps HD from Dish, otherwise they would be just as those here do.
So as not to prolong this, I don't think I can add much more than I have already said, I will read replies of course, just not post about this specific discussion. Enjoyed the back and forth!

 

[Brussam]

In your view, the whole world wants the same thing you do, RSNs. Believe it or not, that is not the case.

My point on the RV Forum is that not every Dish user is on this Forum. Actually out of over 13 million subs, this forum is a very poor sampling of the desires of the Dish Community. Heck, there are even non-Dish sub on this forum. This forum is highly populated by techno-users and by the nature of comments, younger than than retirees who full-time RVers usually are.

So to establish a business model for Dish based upon this forum is dicey at the best.

When I mentioned that RSNs weren't mentioned on the RV forum did not mean that RVers do not discuss satellite T and Dish TV. These are high topics of discussion. Many of RVers using satellite TV use ground tripods which means the users are also installers, sometimes daily. This is how I first got onto this forum when I first had troubles setting up my tripod. There are many installers on this forum which had helpful information. I am sure the percentage of installers on this forum is far higher than amongst the total Dish subscription base.

You keep mentioning economics but fail to accept than the HD DNS subscription model is a proven profit model, since Sobongo was doing it, including reducing prices over time. Prices do not drop if profits are not present.

Back to RVers, generally retired and understand business. Actually you probably heard the term Baby Boomer, the name for the largest marketing target in the country. The market that is retiring. The market that is moving into the rapid increasing RV life. The market that is changing the direction of many business, including TV.

You do not see the "I out of here" comment in when subscription prices change in RV Satellite TV forums. Just discussion of what is changing as and how to cope with it. This is the mature thing as the RVer has equipment to be changed to change vendors and that equipment is not covered by the vendor. Also, the RVer has the sense that whatever is changing prices at Dish will also change at DirecTV. You do not see demands on RV Satellite TV forums that the vendors should be supply new HD channels every month. I guess the maturity of life says there are only so many hours in the day.

The RVer watches sports but maybe not into needed every RSN in the country. There are other things in live besides sports. But RVers do want HD. You think a million dollar motorhome user is satisfied with SD on his 54" TV? Yes there are many million dollar RVs out there. GThe usual cost of a full-time motorhome or truck and trailer is about the price of a house. These rigs are houses in evry way with the addition of wheels and the desire of things like HD is there.

You do not think there are enough RVers, and over-the-road truckers(much more than RVers) to warrant a DNS market but the facts say yes. You believe millions of households want RSNs based upon what?

 

[digiblur]

HD distants will be going to slates on 1/19. Not sure what time.

 

[makman]

HD distants will be going to slates on 1/19. Not sure what time.

What are slates?

 

[digiblur]

What are slates?

Still video slate with some information for you to read. Like tuning to a HD RSN that is not currently showing anything...there's a slate saying to check back later or something.