Please Read: Uplink Report Update by Scott
- Thread starter Scott Greczkowski
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Do you think they will come out with a good Dish n Up deals to swap out the 625s for 722s?
Do you have any information to back this up ? Or is this another teaser post? Please share what you think you know.
There is no question that E* is launching additional satellites this year sooo........
OK, then how about a time frame? Are we talking days, weeks, months, or "soon?"
See http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/123795-dish-hd-locals-update.html
Scott posted this information. Note that they are adding a lot of new HD LiL markets. Dish does not seem to have room for these markets. But, they would if they turned the spot beams on 61.5. So, that gives us a timeframe for them to work with. They have 6 by the end of Q1 to get done.
Notice: SatelliteGuys.US - Subscription 61.5°W
All the odd TPs 1-15 are in red (or have a local market or test channels on them). They have already cleared the spot beam TPs off.
This would point to Dish having to turn the spot beams on and add 6 more markets by the end of March. Given Dish's pace in the past they only really seem able to do 1-2 markets at most a week. Even that is pushing it. One assumes they already have station agreements in place for all the markets mentioned in the announcement or they would not have announced them. So, they are busy getting the channel reception equipment, fiber links to uplinks (which they have permitted a bunch with the FCC lately), and getting MPEG-4 encoders set up for them.
This would point to them pretty much having to have 61.5 in spot beam mode around the end of this month so they can start adding the first 6 of the announce markets by the end of Q1/March. Then it looks like a busy pace of 1-2 markets a week for the next 3 months to get the rest of the mentioned markets by the end of Q2.
If they move 61.5 to spots, which they appear to be doing, and move the local markets off of TPs 17 & 21 (which includes NYC), they will have 2 empty transponders sitting around (17&21). Which means that they in theory have capacity for 12-16 National HD channels on these 2 freed up TPs.
Sky angel is going away 3/31. This will free up 2 TPs, another 12-16 national HD capacity will appear.
Meanwhile they are launching AMC-14 and IF it gets up in time and tests out OK it could be in place sometime around May. This would give them 4 more TPs at 61.5 (E3 has 4 burnt out atm). This of course would give them 24-32 more national HD capacity.
They may move more international off of 61.5, freeing up more space (6 TPs?) by the end of the year. This will give them a ton more space. Not to mention they are going to launch 2 more satellites this year which will give them more capacity at 129 to match 61.5, and maybe free up some satellites for new slots.
Well they will probably have E3, E6 and E8 unused once AMC-14 and E11 are in place. The question is will they move the old satellites to new slots (like they did with E5). They currently have 2 slots licensed for broadcast into the US that are unused, 77 and 86.5. E3 could move to 77, yes 4 TPs but that would still give them a lot of room. Perhaps E6 or E8 or both could move to 86. There are lots of possibilities.
First - you guys need a remedial reading course !
Scott said "programmers tell me that Dish has signed contracts with them".
And you reply "Dish is feeding you B.S. again".
Hello ? He said he talked to the programmers, not Dish.
Second - as mentioned in one of these threads, Dish has commitments to add some channels based on contractual obligations. So, there may be some open channel slots that are reserved for those channels, because satellite launches can be delayed (of course, we know that because some have already been delayed).
So, even if they have signed contracts to add certain channels, they may have to wait for successful satellite launches to add those particular channels.
Third - Charlie mentioned that they would be adding HD channels that have significant HD content. I think you can point to TBS and A&E as HD channels that don't. In fact, generally, the HD simulcasts of SD cable channels have the least HD content.
Channels like MGM-HD and Smithsonian-HD have a lot more new HD content, and I think that is why those are currently uplinked.
Fourth - due to the writers strike, just about all the new drama programming is over, until they can film new episodes. So, there is really not that much of a rush. Fall is when you will really see more actual new HD programming.
Fifth - Dish is concentrating on adding more HD local markets, because the "cable channels" have really dropped the ball in terms of the HD conversion. Partly this is because local channels were forced to convert to digital by the FCC. But in the same time that hundreds of network affiliates switched to HD, most "cable channels" have been unable to get one HD feed going, and most of their programming is still SD.
When one thinks of HD programming, after sports, what comes to mind is "Lost" (ABC), "Heroes" (NBC) and "Prison Break" (Fox) - all beautifully photographed to take full advantage of 16x9 and HD resolution.
All of those are on HD Locals, along with most HD sports, and in August, the Olympics.
So, from a sales and marketing perspective, a TV provider has to think first in terms of HD Locals.
Scott said "programmers tell me that Dish has signed contracts with them".
And you reply "Dish is feeding you B.S. again".
Hello ? He said he talked to the programmers, not Dish.
Second - as mentioned in one of these threads, Dish has commitments to add some channels based on contractual obligations. So, there may be some open channel slots that are reserved for those channels, because satellite launches can be delayed (of course, we know that because some have already been delayed).
So, even if they have signed contracts to add certain channels, they may have to wait for successful satellite launches to add those particular channels.
Third - Charlie mentioned that they would be adding HD channels that have significant HD content. I think you can point to TBS and A&E as HD channels that don't. In fact, generally, the HD simulcasts of SD cable channels have the least HD content.
Channels like MGM-HD and Smithsonian-HD have a lot more new HD content, and I think that is why those are currently uplinked.
Fourth - due to the writers strike, just about all the new drama programming is over, until they can film new episodes. So, there is really not that much of a rush. Fall is when you will really see more actual new HD programming.
Fifth - Dish is concentrating on adding more HD local markets, because the "cable channels" have really dropped the ball in terms of the HD conversion. Partly this is because local channels were forced to convert to digital by the FCC. But in the same time that hundreds of network affiliates switched to HD, most "cable channels" have been unable to get one HD feed going, and most of their programming is still SD.
When one thinks of HD programming, after sports, what comes to mind is "Lost" (ABC), "Heroes" (NBC) and "Prison Break" (Fox) - all beautifully photographed to take full advantage of 16x9 and HD resolution.
All of those are on HD Locals, along with most HD sports, and in August, the Olympics.
So, from a sales and marketing perspective, a TV provider has to think first in terms of HD Locals.
I wouldn't make this assumption. Smithsonian, for their part, has less than 100 total hours of programming. For the math impaired, that's about a week's worth of twice a day programming.
Does not hold water. Fishing Channel has no hd. Tennis Channel has a few hours a day of hd.
If your going to think Charlie is being upfront with us by just adding hd channels with hd content. Then I guess we believe Charlie when he said at the CES that he wanted his csrs to speak English when his subs call.
Have you called Dish at night?
Do I have to spell out every detail of the Satellite TV business with every post ?
Other reasons for adding channels:
- They are paying Dish Network for carriage
- They sell things and give Dish Network a percentage
- They are required to be added by agreement (in order to get other channels or in order to get a better total price)
Damn kstuart. You have to be in politics. When you post something and someone calls you on it. You dance around just like a politcian.
