2014 MPEG 4 Conversions

[Tampa8]

Seems like dual HD locals is the way to go for the future. JSheridan is correct imo but it has to happen. SD only receivers have to go away, so that everything is MPEG4.

 

[HDRoberts]

I kind of surprised they have not also started the premiums and AT250 channels. I would think most people that sub to such a high level of programing already have mostly HD receivers. Market by market will only free up spot space, especially at 110 (though, granted, Dish needs that, too, and they try to get all locals in HD).

 

[Mojo Jojo]

I kind of surprised they have not also started the premiums and AT250 channels. I would think most people that sub to such a high level of programing already have mostly HD receivers. Market by market will only free up spot space, especially at 110 (though, granted, Dish needs that, too, and they try to get all locals in HD).

I am guessing some subs have been loyal customers for years with Dish and have SD receivers and never changed their equipment setup. Some subs probably figure if it Is not broken why fix it. There are also some people who do not understand how HD technology works and think getting an HD TV (without updating/upgrading their SD receivers) means they have HD (as ridiculous as may sound to some posters here). As someone said here, our members are not the average Dish customer.

 

[agentc13]

So anybody who has a WA view but no EA view loses their locals altogether? That's gonna be a lot of customers if it ever happens around here.

Living and installing in one of those locations, the move to EA would mean less NLOS in my market (maybe not by much, but there are more times we can get LOS to EA and not WA than the other way around).

Although I heard we may go dual EA/WA for a while now, but hadn't heard that we would then lose the WA.

 

[rocatman]

I kind of surprised they have not also started the premiums and AT250 channels. I would think most people that sub to such a high level of programing already have mostly HD receivers. Market by market will only free up spot space, especially at 110 (though, granted, Dish needs that, too, and they try to get all locals in HD).

If Dish needs spotbeam capacity on the WA, E-14 has the capability at 119W to use five more TPs for spotbeams. So Dish could start phasing out the SD duplicates of HD channels such as the premiums and the AT250 channels to free up TPs for spotbeam use.

 

[nelson61]

I am guessing some subs have been loyal customers for years with Dish and have SD receivers and never changed their equipment setup. Some subs probably figure if it Is not broken why fix it. There are also some people who do not understand how HD technology works and think getting an HD TV (without updating/upgrading their SD receivers) means they have HD (as ridiculous as may sound to some posters here). As someone said here, our members are not the average Dish customer.

A few years back, Charlie was talking about mgeg4 in a conference call. He said that at that time, he was surprised to see that there were still some very early first generation boxes still running. I guess there are people out there that say if it is not broke don't fix it. Wife's sister is a good example. She is back in the dark ages with her receiver and says it works fine. I think the Smithsonian will likely ask her to donate it to their tech museum.

 

[JSheridan]

Living and installing in one of those locations, the move to EA would mean less NLOS in my market (maybe not by much, but there are more times we can get LOS to EA and not WA than the other way around).

Although I heard we may go dual EA/WA for a while now, but hadn't heard that we would then lose the WA.

Our SD locals have been on 110 forever and the HD locals have been on 61.5 since they started. It's a good arrangement for the occasional job that has no LOS to EA and the customer doesn't mind SD locals. Our LOS for EA is usually really good and our WA LOS is very low but to have both available has made it so that we very, very rarely have no LOS at all.

 

[JSheridan]

Seems like dual HD locals is the way to go for the future. JSheridan is correct imo but it has to happen. SD only receivers have to go away, so that everything is MPEG4.

We'd love to have our HD locals on both arcs, or even MPEG4 SD locals on the WA would be great. But to eliminate the locals that have been on 110 forever altogether is gonna be a problem.

 

[nelson61]

We'd love to have our HD locals on both arcs, or even MPEG4 SD locals on the WA would be great. But to eliminate the locals that have been on 110 forever altogether is gonna be a problem.

They are building a new spot beam satellite for 110W right now. Their newest satellites have lots more spots so we may see dual arc HD for some markets.

 

[HDRoberts]

I am guessing some subs have been loyal customers for years with Dish and have SD receivers and never changed their equipment setup. Some subs probably figure if it Is not broken why fix it. There are also some people who do not understand how HD technology works and think getting an HD TV (without updating/upgrading their SD receivers) means they have HD (as ridiculous as may sound to some posters here). As someone said here, our members are not the average Dish customer.

Doesn't mean that Dish, for those few customers, couldn't upgrade their receivers at no cost. I'm just thinking that that is the best way to reclaim CONUS capacity, as those customers probably represent the fewest (granted, nonzero) number of SD customer.

 

[HDRoberts]

If Dish needs spotbeam capacity on the WA, E-14 has the capability at 119W to use five more TPs for spotbeams. So Dish could start phasing out the SD duplicates of HD channels such as the premiums and the AT250 channels to free up TPs for spotbeam use.

I agree, but for that to happen, my suggestion of phasing out AT250/Premium MPEG-2 has to happen.

Personally, though, I suspect those E14 spots are there to backup E10.

 

[JSheridan]

They are building a new spot beam satellite for 110W right now. Their newest satellites have lots more spots so we may see dual arc HD for some markets.

That's good news. Thanks Nelson.

 

[JSheridan]

I wonder if DISH is long term planning to drop the locals from the WA that are duplicated on the EA, then they might have enough room to do away with 129 so the MPEG4 WA would be 110 and 119 like the MPEG4 EA is 61.5 and 72. Hmm?

 

[whatchel1]

Except all those dishes on the western side of apartment buildings, I can think of about 30 or 40 that I personally installed, then there are the western side of hills and mountains, etc., etc.

And when you're in an area of mountains and trees like we are, yes there are a LOT.

That's a drop in the bucket in relationship to the number of subs that E* have.

 

[JSheridan]

That's a drop in the bucket in relationship to the number of subs that E* have.

No kidding. But you start adding up all those drops and pretty soon your bucket is much emptier.

 

[Tampa8]

I wonder if DISH is long term planning to drop the locals from the WA that are duplicated on the EA, then they might have enough room to do away with 129 so the MPEG4 WA would be 110 and 119 like the MPEG4 EA is 61.5 and 72. Hmm?

To me they should be doing the opposite - aiming for HD only locals on both arcs for most States. I agree with you alot of drops empties the bucket and the future of pay TV is going need DISH to at least be accessible to as many as possible.

 

[JSheridan]

To me they should be doing the opposite - aiming for HD only locals on both arcs for most States. I agree with you alot of drops empties the bucket and the future of pay TV is going need DISH to at least be accessible to as many as possible.

With HD locals on both arcs almost everybody has a great LOS.

 

[Miner]

Except all those dishes on the western side of apartment buildings, I can think of about 30 or 40 that I personally installed, then there are the western side of hills and mountains, etc., etc.

And when you're in an area of mountains and trees like we are, yes there are a LOT.

Why do you think I was EA in San Diego? I had an east facing balcony. It was less than optimal as I couldn't get locals at all, but was better than no dish.



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[Mojo Jojo]

Doesn't mean that Dish, for those few customers, couldn't upgrade their receivers at no cost. I'm just thinking that that is the best way to reclaim CONUS capacity, as those customers probably represent the fewest (granted, nonzero) number of SD customer.

While I agree with you on this and although it may sound crazy, some subs would not want this. I know a neighbor by a family member who would want a channel from a cable company (like ESPN U or NFL Network) that is on digital cable but refuses to get a receiver because she does not want a box connected to her TV. I also know a family member who has had D* for years and upgraded her TVs to HD. Yet, she refuses to get HD equipment because she likes her current SD setup saying it does not go out in the rain or storms. She also would not do autopay and paperless billing to get free HD and would not be willing to pay $10/month more for HD. It took me quite a while to even get her and her husband to connect composite cables to their HD sets since they had only the coax cable connected from the receiver to each TV.

So, some people do not embrace new technology or they are just scared of it in terms of not being able to operate it or it not working as well as the old technology. Some people also are not tech savvy and do not fully understand HD. For example, one of my uncles thought he got HD through his SD TV by going to Input 1 and SD by going to channel 3. XD Some people just do not understand while some others are just set in their ways of what they want and do not want.

 

[3HaloODST]

For every technophobe/Luddite out there, there are probably two or three times as many people that would be attracted by a larger HD selection from Dish.

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