Your Opinion On SeaLaunch & D* New Market Locals

[ItamaeChef]

Situation:
I've been a longtime subscriber to D* and have enjoyed it's services for quite a while. Since I am not directly in D* market territory I have to use Pegasus and have always had to use Pegasus. I've found that my monthly rates over the past years have gotten above and beyond competing E* rates and offers.

Regardless, I've been told for years that D* would have locals launched I'm my market "very soon". Now because I follow information here closely as well as other sources I know that Traverse City, MI locals ARE currently offered by E* and WILL be offered by D* in the future. The future?

SeaLaunch is set for a May launch date roughly and if I'm not mistaken there will have to be some testing time of the spotbeam before we could just magically get our locals now. Yet when I called just now to finally close my account with Pegasus I was told that they've been testing my locals for a while and that they'd be available within 2 months.

Granted, the first CSR I spoke with said within 1 month. I find that near impossible but I proceeded to close none the less. All the CSR's were very nice and weren't pushy at all.

So, I'm wondering what stories you've been told about locals in your market? Curious really?

ItamaeChef

 

[skaeight]

Situation:
I've been a longtime subscriber to D* and have enjoyed it's services for quite a while. Since I am not directly in D* market territory I have to use Pegasus and have always had to use Pegasus. I've found that my monthly rates over the past years have gotten above and beyond competing E* rates and offers.

Regardless, I've been told for years that D* would have locals launched I'm my market "very soon". Now because I follow information here closely as well as other sources I know that Traverse City, MI locals ARE currently offered by E* and WILL be offered by D* in the future. The future?

SeaLaunch is set for a May launch date roughly and if I'm not mistaken there will have to be some testing time of the spotbeam before we could just magically get our locals now. Yet when I called just now to finally close my account with Pegasus I was told that they've been testing my locals for a while and that they'd be available within 2 months.

Granted, the first CSR I spoke with said within 1 month. I find that near impossible but I proceeded to close none the less. All the CSR's were very nice and weren't pushy at all.

So, I'm wondering what stories you've been told about locals in your market? Curious really?

ItamaeChef

I just checked d*'s locals info page: http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/LocalChannelsAction.do.

Traverse City, MI is in the second batch of locals slated for "Coming in 2004." My DMA is also in this set of locals, so this issue interests me very much. I wouldn't hold my breath for them being up in even 2 months. I'm pretty sure the first list which are slated for second quarter 2004 will most definitely be up in 2 months though.

The reason why I'm sceptical of the date you've been told is, that the second list of locals will be coming from a satellite at the 72.5 orbital position. This is NOT 7s. 7s is to be launched soon (May 2 if everything keeps going according to schedule.) 7S will be at the 119 orbital position and it will serve all of the markets slated for Second quarter. All of these markets will be able to receive their locas with the Phase III dish.

However, the 72.5 orbital position is actually going to require a second dish. What d* will be doing is moving the satellite that is currently at 119 to 72.5. They have not released any information about what equipment will be required for these markets. One more issue is that the FCC still has not yet approved d*'s use of the 72.5 orbital position, as it currently being used by a Canadian sat company.

I'm expecting that I should have locals by the fall. However, I won't be surprised if it doesn't happen by then. I live in the Johstown-Altoona DMA. E* currently has my locals, yet I still chose to go with d* a few weeks ago for several reasons. If I were you I would wait it out. As long as you are currently able to get networks (either via lifeline cable, distants, or ota) you should be able to wait a few more months. In my opinion d* is the superior service.

 

[vurbano]

a waste of money

 

[mini1]

7s officially launches on May 4th at 5:22-7:22AM Pacific time. it is not may 2nd, that was an estimated date from a month ago.

I would hold out for the locals if I thought I was going to drop D*. My DMA is on that list too. I have been waiting for them for so many years, since I can't get half of my locals OTA at my location. E* in a surprise move will be putting my DMA up on Thursday of this week, the 29th. But that doesn't get me to go sign up for E*, nothing can at this point. I think the whole 7s thing has taken way,way,way too long, and D* hasn't pushed Loral and SeaLaunch to get this sat done and operating at all.

 

[ramcm7]

I just checked d*'s locals info page: http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/LocalChannelsAction.do.

Traverse City, MI is in the second batch of locals slated for "Coming in 2004." My DMA is also in this set of locals, so this issue interests me very much. I wouldn't hold my breath for them being up in even 2 months. I'm pretty sure the first list which are slated for second quarter 2004 will most definitely be up in 2 months though.

The reason why I'm sceptical of the date you've been told is, that the second list of locals will be coming from a satellite at the 72.5 orbital position. This is NOT 7s. 7s is to be launched soon (May 2 if everything keeps going according to schedule.) 7S will be at the 119 orbital position and it will serve all of the markets slated for Second quarter. All of these markets will be able to receive their locas with the Phase III dish.

However, the 72.5 orbital position is actually going to require a second dish. What d* will be doing is moving the satellite that is currently at 119 to 72.5. They have not released any information about what equipment will be required for these markets. One more issue is that the FCC still has not yet approved d*'s use of the 72.5 orbital position, as it currently being used by a Canadian sat company.

I'm expecting that I should have locals by the fall. However, I won't be surprised if it doesn't happen by then. I live in the Johstown-Altoona DMA. E* currently has my locals, yet I still chose to go with d* a few weeks ago for several reasons. If I were you I would wait it out. As long as you are currently able to get networks (either via lifeline cable, distants, or ota) you should be able to wait a few more months. In my opinion d* is the superior service.

In recent Sky Report stories, it has been portrayed that D* is lobbying for a single dish requirement as part of the SHVIA renewal. If they will need a two-dish solution to use the 72.5 for LIL, then, either 1) they are extremely short-sighted and their left hand does not know what the right is doing, OR 2) they do not really want to deliver LIL (profitability of those markets?) and want legislation that puts off their requirement to serve those markets.

Any thoughts?

 

[ramcm7]

7s officially launches on May 4th at 5:22-7:22AM Pacific time. it is not may 2nd, that was an estimated date from a month ago.

I would hold out for the locals if I thought I was going to drop D*. My DMA is on that list too. I have been waiting for them for so many years, since I can't get half of my locals OTA at my location. E* in a surprise move will be putting my DMA up on Thursday of this week, the 29th. But that doesn't get me to go sign up for E*, nothing can at this point. I think the whole 7s thing has taken way,way,way too long, and D* hasn't pushed Loral and SeaLaunch to get this sat done and operating at all.

Perhaps D* did push Loral - to the point of bankruptcy. Then Charlie tried to buy the bird out from under D*. I a, guessing that the D* 7S bird was not the only reason for Loral's problems, but I am guessing that D* didn't help much. Does anyone know if D* caused any delays during their merger review periods for both the E* merger application (unsuccessful) or during the NEWS merger review?

 

[Greg Bimson]

Loral's problem is they can never deliver a satellite on time.

The "one-dish" solution for locals means that the locals must be delivered from one dish. That has nothing to do with the core channels. Example: DirecTV is planning to add Syracuse to the 72.5 slot. All of Syracuse's locals will be delivered from the 72.5 slot. It doesn't matter if the core programming is from a different slot.