An old idea used as a marketing tool.

[woodheat/nooil]

An old idea used as a marketing tool. They never wrote back.

To: executivecustomerservice@echostar.com
Charles Ergen, I sent an e-mail to the Chairman of the FCC. I had hope to get support for free to air on satellite just like the old rabbit VHF antennas. I do not know what advertisers pay for your air time? But have you thought of a free dish network package? 7 channels like the old 2-13 and I know I would buy a receiver and dish from you. Also your pay per view would go up as well as the number of homes that would buy such an offer, (more homes higher advertising rates).

This product would make for sales to go up as fast as the prices at the gas pumps!
As a public service Dish Network could set a new standard for DTH satellite.

Thank you, Chris

LETTER FROM FCC…

serviceFCCInfo@fcc.gov wrote:

Date: Thu, 24 May 2007 10:07:33 -0400 (EDT)
From: <FCCInfo@fcc.gov>
Subject: CIMS000003876 - Comments to the Chairman

You are receiving this email in response to your inquiry to the FCC.

Thank you for contacting the FCC Consumer Center.

The FCC does not dictate to the providers what will be provided without charge or in-the-clear.

Rep Number : TSR41

Okay, no body listens to one guy. But I tried to get all direct to home satellite provides to look at this old idea and use it as a marketing tool to sell more receivers as well. This helped me a bit, look how many free to air is on these sats.

Eurobird 1 & Astra 2A/2B/2C/2D at 28.2°E - LyngSat
Türksat 1C/2A at 42.0°E - LyngSat
Badr C/3/4 at 26.0°E - LyngSat

Europe has so many free dvb channels why not here? All my request were not answered but how about one of those lobbying groups that take a senator out to lunch and pass a bill to get real FTA in North America?

They can’t get any money from me it all goes into my gas tank. I would write to a all the people in Washington but I am just one guy, as a group I think we should think about it before they put a tax on having a free to air dish! That is my marketing tool; what do you think?

As a public service they should have more free to air. "SatelliteGuys Now Over 97,000 Strong" sounds like a lot of votes to me? Do you support having a voice in Washington or as a group going fishing with some letters then posting them up on the site for all to read? At least we would know a senator’s views on this subject? Just a thought.

 

[Hermitman]

Although I respect your right to have an opinion, I think you don't understand the business model the DTH satellite companies like Dish And Direct use. The money for these companies isn't made from receiver sales. It's made by having the maximum number of subscribers paying monthly charges for services. That's why, occasionally, those satellite companies will have free previews for movie or network channels. They're trying to get more subscribers to sign up for more services to make more money on the monthly charges. Besides, there's lots of FTA channels out in the ether. You just have to be willing to find them and then be grateful and appreciate them while they last. And as for getting the folks in Washington involved with this, I don't see that as a very good idea. It's obviously hard for them to handle the things already on their plate. Good luck.

 

[woodheat/nooil]

you have a point

That why I have a c-band and dvb setup.

 

[qwert1515]

The "best" people I can think of to write to would be your: State's Congress member or Representative, I am not sure how helpful they will be, since most probably do not know what FTA is.

 

[woodheat/nooil]

An old idea used as a marketing tool

I just think that the more people that have FTA the more advertising dollars
Might lead to more channels on KU FTA. My C-band dish was grandfathered in the town i live in. Now they will not allow the bud's on your own property. Don't pay your taxes, then they own your property.

 

[Davage]

I just think that the more people that have FTA the more advertising dollars
Might lead to more channels on KU FTA. My C-band dish was grandfathered in the town i live in. Now they will not allow the bud's on your own property. Don't pay your taxes, then they own your property.

I follow your logic in regards to the advertising dollars. The sad fact is that a lot of people are willing to pay money to watch these channels anyways. I still wonder why people are willing to pay DirecTV or DishNetwork $5 a month for their local channels when they can plunk down a set of rabbit ears on top of their tv, or use an antenna up in their attic and get them for free. People have just become accustomed to paying for TV, so the small dish guys are going to keep the channels scrambled as a subscription service until nobody wants to pay for the channels anymore.

I put up a C-Band dish 4 or 5 months ago knowing full well that they aren't allowed in my area. I haven't had any complaints, and my dish is not visable from the road, so any authorities going around looking for dishes won't find it. Of the neighbors who can see my big dish, one guy is a satellite dish installer, and I think he thinks that it is cool that I have a BUD up. One of the others is a guy who has dishes pointed at ExpressVu and Dishnetwork birds, but I know that he doesn't have any Bell or Dish receivers in his house, if you know what I mean... I've done my best to keep that dish as low to the ground as possible and out of site.

 

[woodheat/nooil]

I wouder if HD TV off air will grow

Receiver :: Pansat TR-100

I know you get what you pay for. In the near future all off air will go digital.
You can not mover your house to get a new stations. But you can point a dish to another sat in the arch. The more people on FTA, the more channels will open.

Davage, I agree with you,

"I still wonder why people are willing to pay DirecTV or DishNetwork $5 a month for their local channels"

Soon a gallon of milk will sell for 4 dollars, I will keep looking for a less expensive way to watch tv.

 

[lumpkin666]

The more people on FTA, the more channels will open.

Or... the more people using FTA receivers, the more companies will look for opportunities to make money from those people by encrypting their signal and offering subscription packages using the card slots in tons of the fta receivers on the market.

 

[colbec]

FTA unencrypted is good for a couple of things - ensuring 100% availability of signal and institutional/national reach advertising.

100% signal should be the goal of our national institutions such as PBS, NPR, CBC, TVO etc. OTA and encrypted national does not give 100% coverage. One day one of these institutions will be successfully sued for not providing the service to all who pay taxes and we will all benefit.

It seems to me that most advertising is not national. Joe's pizzeria gets no benefit unless the signal hits his local area. The major networks carve up their advertising by local market and therefore have no interest in a broadly broadcast signal unless they take the trouble to design a revenue stream around it.

Specialist channels will always be encrypted, that is their revenue model.

I hope that one day the national institutions will come to their senses, probably after a loud enough voice has been heard.

 

[jayelem]

This makes me madder , I used to get C-span and C-span 2 on my analog cable until comcast moved them to Digital Cable , WTF Public programming paid with Taxes and Goverment Dollars should be accessible for free , same with PBS .

Now that's a law that should be enacted , non for profit public TV should always be ITC including all PBS networks on the pizza dishes.

 

[woodheat/nooil]

You are so right

Exactly my point! We all paid for the technology and they should let more come in free. I will try to take this subject up with a senator just to see what they will tell me.

 

[Pepper]

PBS already has national coverage, you just need to have a Ku dish and receiver with digital audio support.

But I agree with the OP, if Dish were to, say, offer locals for free with no additional obligation, they would (1)sell a lot of equipment and (2)have a lot of potential customers who would just be a phone call or website visit away from putting money in Charlie's pocket and would be tempted every time they noticed the huge difference between "all sub" and "all chan".

Unfortunately their business model is "lease, not sell" and "never give anything for free if people are willing to pay"

 

[Tron]

Or... the more people using FTA receivers, the more companies will look for opportunities to make money from those people by encrypting their signal and offering subscription packages using the card slots in tons of the fta receivers on the market.

I agree, if FTA ever becomes popular, everything will be encrypted. Greedy corporate thugs have purchased our television viewing rights on this side of the pond.

 

[woodheat/nooil]

I sent three letters out today I hope that one of them might see the point that I tried to make.
I still feel that all networks that are in the clear on a off air antenna for VHF o or UHF in the US and Canada should be in the clear on satellite KU band.

 

[zaxxon]

I agree, why pay five bucks a month for something that is free.

In a word L-A-Z-Y.

I have a BUD a FTA and an antenna on the roof for OTA.

My friends, children and neighbors ask what is that thing on the roof??

I explaine it is my CM4228 for OTA HD for local channels.

They all say the same thing. "Oh those come with my small dish or cable".

 

[Tron]

Here's the kicker: You get BETTER quality pulling in digital locals with your own antenna than you get on digital cable or pizza dish (even if they offer them in HD). The pay service provider (dish or cable) adds an extra layer of compression...

 

[lumpkin666]

Here's the kicker: You get BETTER quality pulling in digital locals with your own antenna than you get on digital cable or pizza dish (even if they offer them in HD). The pay service provider (dish or cable) adds an extra layer of compression...

And you get all the late-breaking news sooner due to getting it directly from the source and not waiting for the compressing and up/down loading from satellite (albeit only a second or so sooner, if even that)

 

[woodheat/nooil]

Opportunity?

I know an old post, but the DVB-S2 and all the rest of the formats are out of my reach. I never did get any response about true FTA like in Europe and why North America falls short on this. I wrote to a few senators and if you are not a resident of that state they will not respond, only to tell you to talk to your state senator.

(From TRG "I noticed that the Europeans have all kinds of cool stuff that are lacking in the North American market. Why is that? High definition, 4.2.2 and DVB-S2 seem slow to propagate in the U.S. FTA arena.")

http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/141722-amc-18-nbc.html

If this new trend of changing DVB receivers every few years, I better get used to radio again. I can only imagine if some company would offer FTA here and the commercials would cover the cost to down link to us. People are driving on there bicycle's again to save money. And if FTA was more mainstream you would see a 80cm ku dish on many homes. Costs of everything are not going down anytime soon. Alot of DVB receivers will be good for nothing if this keeps up. I see an opportunity for the networks, or a entrepreneur to start FTA here.

Off the air in my backyard just does not work. I know the cable and satellite companies must have a strong lobbing group in Washington. And we have no one to fight that battle for us. So what can I do? Putting up another ku dish today. Better get some use out of it before I lose that one too.

 

[empiretc]

http://www.pansatusa.com/product/receiver-tr-100.htm

"I still wonder why people are willing to pay DirecTV or DishNetwork $5 a month for their local channels"

Soon a gallon of milk will sell for 4 dollars, I will keep looking for a less expensive way to watch tv.

that has always freaked me out. I asked a friend about it and he responded, "i can use my DVR that way." They charge for the DVR as well. Double the fee for something free, .

I agree it would be a great marketing campaign. There are still a lot of people that do not live close enough to catch their locals with bunny ears.

Leave the locals unscrambled and there will still be NASA and whatever else. Then when someone gets to watch a "free preview" some channels do every now and then, they just might get hooked and upgrade. And let's not forget the PPV- especially the fights.

BTW, i have been paying $5/gallon for milk for the past few years .

 

[Anole]

not saying it's good, but . . .

Actually, Dish Network does have a low-end, pay-as-you-go package.
Sadoun (and probably DishStore) sells it.
You pay (a low price) for an old 3900 remanufactured clunker, and a dish.
Then, you buy a refill card every month or so, to watch your channels.
In truth, they're looking to collect around $40/mo, if I read it right, but you might be able to stretch that $40 over two month.
All depends on what you choose to watch.
And maybe you have to choose packages, so it's not like a vending machine... but still, it's a different business model that I never thought I'd see Charlie offer.