Special Retailer Chat Recap - March 18, 2008

I wonder if the locals and maybe the national being moved from April to March had anything to do with the launch mishap??
 
Potential customers do not know what they are missing in national HD channels yet. They first look to see if their locals are carried. They do not want to go back to the 1950s with an antenna on the roof.

Most customers see:

locals in HD - Check
ESPN in HD - Check
RSN in HD -Check

It goes down hill fast from there. People on this site are more technical minded and do not really care if there is an antenna on the roof. Having a dish on the roof is bad enough, much less having some giant antenna for most people. Why do you think the LiL SD market is so big, Dish and DIRECTV raced to get as many local markets up as fast as possible, compressing the heck out of many national channels while they did it. Over and over again it is shown the OTA networks are tops in ratings. These channels are watch more than any cable channels.
 
I don't know if this has been asked, how do they plan to add another 25 national HD channels in the next few months?

Adding them on 61.5 is not a real "national release" isn't it?
 
Potential customers do not know what they are missing in national HD channels yet. They first look to see if their locals are carried. They do not want to go back to the 1950s with an antenna on the roof.

Most customers see:

locals in HD - Check
ESPN in HD - Check
RSN in HD -Check

It goes down hill fast from there. People on this site are more technical minded and do not really care if there is an antenna on the roof. Having a dish on the roof is bad enough, much less having some giant antenna for most people. Why do you think the LiL SD market is so big, Dish and DIRECTV raced to get as many local markets up as fast as possible, compressing the heck out of many national channels while they did it. Over and over again it is shown the OTA networks are tops in ratings. These channels are watch more than any cable channels.

I agree with this assessment. Most people just watch local channels. Those of us who frequent this site are more in the tech areas, especially HD. Frankly with local HD and the addition of SCI-FI HD, I could show more patience. With any luck that may SOON happen.
 
I agree with this assessment. Most people just watch local channels. Those of us who frequent this site are more in the tech areas, especially HD. Frankly with local HD and the addition of SCI-FI HD, I could show more patience. With any luck that may SOON happen.

I tend to disagree, yes HD locals are important, but if you look at the poll results national HD's are also very important to those who are into HD.
 
...I have been 100% on about all of this and have no intentions of being wrong now. I wish I could put the retailer chat audio online, as it sounded almost like I said on Sunday Night word for word. I am actually kind of proud of that. :)
And you should be! What I really like about this site is the great fun discussing, speculating, etc. until we get the "word according to Scott" which is uncannily reliable :)

Talon Dancer
 
So the question remains, how can DISH add another 25 new HD's NOW other than just on 61.5? On 148? 148 would be ideal for the west coast.

Scott you have been spot on but you forgot the great migration had happened now there are folks living on the west coast:)
 
I tend to disagree, yes HD locals are important, but if you look at the poll results national HD's are also very important to those who are into HD.

Those poll results taken here are biased by who we are.. But as a retailer who actually sells this stuff to real consumers who don't know anything about much of nothing, The Locals are where it's all at. All my customers want HD Locals.. And right now neither Dish Nor Direct offer them here. The first one to offer them here is going to be the winner.. No wait. I am going to be the winner when they offer them here.. Because I am going to get busy. Years ago when Dish brought SD Locals here 3 months before DirecTV did, I was so busy pulling out Direct Systems and replacing them with Dish just so they could have locals. My best scenario right now would be DirecTV getting the HD Locals first so I could go do new installs for all these old Dish Customers. But I will take the upgrade business if Dish gets them first. Right now we are not on any list to get them, although DirecTV originaly promised us HD LIL's in December 06..

To sum this up, HD Locals are what will sell Satellite Systems. And both Dish and DirecTV already know this.