Directv Going To Lease Only On 3/1/06

[Digital Dude]

Oh, No. It looks like DSL Lite.

Thanks for all the smart alec remarks. I tried to help expand the knowledge base by posting info on the technology.

 

[newsposter]

I assume any stuff we own now can be shelved for a year and then turned back on right?

 

[lou_do]

Thanks for all the smart alec remarks. I tried to help expand the knowledge base by posting info on the technology.

If you consider that a smart alec remark, you have misinterpreted my comment.

I was only referring to the DSL speed being slow. My provider, Bellsouth, has 4 speeds of DSL service and the lowest one is called DSL Lite. Your information was appreciated and I am sorry you took my comment the wrong way, it was referring to the slow speed and not your posting.

 

[Jimbo]

You call this High Speed Internet? I have 15m/2m. If that's all they are giving, good luck competing with FIOS and cable.

I guess the FIOS is dealing with the something else is always better syndrome.

Does anyone even have FIOS up and working anywhere.

Sounds like we should all throw our equipment away and go to FIOS, no questions asked, It must be the best there ever will be .....

Sheeesh.

It is available in what 2% of the country ???

 

[Jimbo]

TMAC, cut'em some slack it's very new in terms of generation. You have to give it time. I see a lot of promise for this product. You still have to remeber that much of the US still can only get dialup. Not being slaved to old generation phone or cable lines is very exciting for a lot of people especially considering most broadband is is about 3m downstream for the average consumer. FIOS is a possible but it is still a ways away in terms of true mass roll out.

Not being slaved to old generation phone or cable lines ???

Is FIOS just going to appear ?
FIOS is a CABLE that will be either buried or in the air. still suseptible to all the trouble of being cut or cheweed into causeing problems.

 

[mustang65]

How will this effect someone new with D*. I posted earlier about having all i need for a DIY except my 2 d10's. Will i get 2 D10's from D*, pay for one and lease the other? I played shop around with the CSR and got the same response with all of them. Ols sub's cant recieve new promotions.

 

[navychop]

Fios is fully up and running in Kellor TX. No where near 2%. And it will be many years in coming. They are laying it in Fairfax County VA where I live and it's still projected to be 3-7 years away from neighborhood. And no video service here yet, just voice & data. Think how long before they can offer it in areas where they haven't even begun laying fiber!

 

[jabroni]

I am extremely grateful that I already own four Tivos (one HD) and another HD receiver.

I can merely sit on the sidelines and wait for this "transition" period to end!

 

[free-1]

New Lease Program......

And we all thought D* had bombed out at the CES!!! How's that for an announcement

 

[bigmutt]

I still don't quite understand: is this good news or bad news for new subscribers? (it seems clear that current subscribers think it's bad for them).

 

[CPanther95]

So far there's no specific bad news for existing subscribers - just D* retailers will not be paid commission on Sales, only leases. At this point it is just another option out there.

 

[jovach]

Saying goodbye to Dish - Hello Direct. I need two HD DVRs, one HD, and one DTV. Customer service says 119.00 per mo for everything Direct has to offer. Installation in 3 days, mpeg 4 HD DVR's and HD receiver. My local Dish outlet has told me that I do not qualify for the Dish-it-up because they didn't install my system and that I don't qualify as a new customer because they already provide me with service. The very same service the installed 4 years ago. Enough of this BS from Dish. COS at direct states that all HD programming will be true HD, not lite

 

[jovach]

I am trying to verify the HD/HDlite statement and will post if I get anything definitive. I would appreciate any recommendations on the equipment as I know very little about Direct equipment.

 

[Stargazer]

So if they are going to lease only does that mean that customers will no longer need the $5.99+ warranty to cover the receivers? If you do not own the receivers then why should you have to pay for a replacement if it fails? If DirecTv lowers their prices instead of raising them in which was mentioned in another thread plus everything is warranted for free then this could easily become a $10 difference in price between Dish Network and DirecTv. If you tack on the DVR fee per tuner that Dish Network charges thats another $5+ if you have multiple DVR's.

 

[Digital Dude]

Come 3-1 if you subscribe as a new lease customer then you'll be on the hook for the early termination fee. ($300 pro-rated over 2 years) At least according to the Direc CSR I spoke with.

 

[JosephB]

So the only real change is that they're eliminating the 'send your equipment back' out in the contract. That must be how they are going to use it to lower average subscriber acquisition costs. Also, WTF are they thinking charging the same up front price for the receiver and then saying you lease it??? How do they think that is competitive with cable? NO single national cable company charges an upfront cost like that for leased systems.

 

[Crystal Pepsi Ball]

I dont want to jump to any conclusions. I am just going to wait and see what happens.

 

[joedekock]

I don't see why D* would drop their programming package price. If anything I would think that they would not raise the price, and somehow market the fact that this lease option is "saving" you money with D* unlike in the past when we had to make an investment. This is an American company. NO ONE drops their prices because they want to make the customer happy, or they can afford it. Look at GM... they only dropped the prices on their vehicles, because they HAD to. Profit is the reason D*, and any company in this country is in Business.

 

[shappyss]

if they think they can attract enough customers to make up for the loss in revenue they can drop the price. Then they will have more customers which will result in better carraige deals. Also they will eventually raise the price again so in the long run droping the price could make them a bigger profit

 

[DTV TiVo Dealer]

I can't get any coherent answers from DIRECTV myself. If I understand the consumer’s side of this it should make little to no difference as DIRECTV is not charging any additional fee(s). All they did is re-name the $4.99/mo. additional receiver fee to a lease fee. Most hardware prices stay the same, except if you go through a big box CE chain or through DIRECTV directly you must order and pay for professional installation.

-Robert