Sarang said:
Because I don't want to end up having paid for a DVR/cable box in rental fees after I've had it for a couple of years. No I agree that Dish products are overpriced and E* needs to cut the crap and start selling their equipment in urban areas to really compete with D*. Also after the local HD bit comes to fruition I think E* needs to make locals cheaper for people who own their own equipment because D* beats E* with locals pricewise. Right now some people may not care because they have HD OTA but in the future the majority of people may want HD LiL's because I've heard people talking about the signal cutting out for HD OTA's so Dish may want to include it into the price to make it more affordable. I know I'm gonna get shredded for saying that.
During this digital TV transition, I just don't see a STB being worth much, if anything, after even two short years (both Cable and DBS). I agree that locals should be included in the package price (if available), but programming costs are bound to go up since broadcasters will most likely be allowed to charge MSOs for carriage of their digital signals.
Tvlman clearly understands the issue at hand: competition is catching up and if E* doesn't do something quickly, they will be at a competitive disadvantage...at least for the higher end customer:
Cable - I can rent as many HD DVRs as I wish for $6.95 per unit. Also, with the local headend rebuilt, they will soon be digital simulcasting will free up room for additional HD channels...plus, bundled discounts.
Verizon FiOS/SBC - coming to my area "big time" next spring/summer w/low-cost HD DVR rentals and lots of pristine SD/HD channels...plus, bundled discounts.
DirecTV - MPEG4 and HD LIL in my area (Washington DC DMA) soon. If they can deliver on half of their HD promises, improved HD PQ, offer a decent HD DVR, then I will give them serious consideration.
Although I am satisfied with my E* service (942 is sweet!), it still does not compare to what I had with VOOM DBS. (missing several VOOM21 and HD National Channels). Hopefully they will fill-in the missings pieces pretty soon and I'll stick with them, but they make it very hard not to look at what other providers are offering. Competition for the consumer video entertainment dollar is heating up quickly: cable is fighting back and DirecTV and Verizon FiOS/SBC are threatending to take video to the next level.
Again, just what are E*'s plans for MPEG-4 for the future? Will they abandon the higher end customer and go strictly for the discount subscriber?