Dish messing with Voom, All are now HD-Lite 1280x1080i: Discuss this issue HERE!

[Scott Greczkowski]

Chances are VERY good that they will not be taking phone calls on the next chat. It will probably be email only questions instead.

Remember the Charlie Chat is not a place to vice your concerns to Charley, it is a place for Dish Network to market their new products to you.

 

[Spike]

Ah, Got it Gary. Thanks. Now that I understand your point, I am with you 100% on that one! Big time!

 

[Ilya]

Just FYI: here is a message I sent to Dish:

Dear Dish Network (Echostar) management!

I am an administrator at SatelliteGuys.US forum. As you may already
know, in the past few days many members of our forum, as well as other
on-line communities have expressed serious concerns about recent
changes in the quality of HD channels, including VOOM channels. It
looks like more and more channels on Dish Network are shown in so-
called "HD-Lite" (1280x1080i) resolution, and the bit rates of these
and other HD channels are reduced, resulting in softer picture and
various compression artifacts.

There is of course an on-going discussion on whether these changes are
noticeable by an average viewer and whether they are important to the
customers. As an active member of on-line communities and discussion
groups, as an HD enthusiast and as a Dish Network subscriber, I can
assure you, that yes, the changes in the picture quality are very
noticeable, and they are extremely important to HD subscribers! Those
who invested thousands of dollars in their HDTV equipment demand
nothing less than the top-level picture quality and will not accept
sub-par resolution. It is also important to note, that even those who
have smaller HD displays (and who probably won't tell the difference
between 1280 and 1920) will feel betrayed, knowing that Dish Network
no longer delivers real HD quality to them.

I was covering a recent CEDIA EXPO for SatelliteGuys forum back in
September, and one trend that I noticed at the Show, was that almost
all major TV manufacturers were rushing to introduce new 1080p sets!
Why would they do that if resolution was not so import??! I think this
says a lot!

Since the introduction of VOOM HD channels in its lineup, Dish Network
has become the HD leader. We applaud your commitment to deliver the
best HD channels available and are excited about your plans to expand
the HD lineup in January 2006. We really hope that Dish Network will
stay committed to delivering the best HD experience possible and will
not sacrifice the picture quality!

Kind regards,

ilya @ SatelliteGuys.us

 

[M Sparks]

I wrote the word ALL in my title to mean "now are all 1280x1080i" implying that everyone knows that 6 of the 10 Vooms HAVE been 1280x1080i since day one

I didn't. I've only had Voom a month or so, and I usually watch Monsters or Equator, which apparently were full HD...so I never noticed. And I don't have any engineering equipment in my house to measure the resolution daily.

There are plenty of us on this group who have plenty of technical knowledge, but we are not engineers and don't have time (or inclination) to obsess about this stuff daily. But we are grateful to those of you who do, and look to this board for information.

I'm the first guy to razz someone for asking stupid questions, but many of us are just looking for some information and conversation. I don't have time for this elitist secret handshake crap.

 

[Ilya]

Here is a reply I have just received. (It is based on the same template as some others, but I like that they personlize their replies!):

Thank you for expressing your concerns and interest in DISH Network.
Customer input is an important tool in our efforts to continuously
improve the quality of the DISH Network service.

Thank you for your perspective as an administrator of SatelliteGuys.us.
We are certainly aware of the concerns of many of our HD customers and
have confirmed the VOOM issue. Unfortunately we have also received many
emails of customers dropping HD service in haste prior to giving us an
opportunity to address the situation. We have had several meetings over
the last few days and have figured out a solution. Another meeting is
scheduled today to finalize our resolution. It is our policy not to give
out the technical information aspect of this, but rest assured we will
be working as fast as possible to resolve it. We thank you for your
continued patience and for pointing this situation out to us. Our HD
customers are valuable, and we hope you are pleased with the result!

At DISH Network we appreciate the time customers take to email their
audio/video quality concerns. Thank you for your patience, information,
and for being a valued customer.

EchoStar Satellite LLC

Quality Assurance Department
dishquality@echostar.com

 

[FreddyvsJasonvsAsh]

I could see Dish now with all these people calling and e-mailing them saying they are dropping them... Dish running around like chickens with their heads cut off

 

[Ilya]

Unfortunately we have also received many
emails of customers dropping HD service in haste prior to giving us an
opportunity to address the situation.

I would advise everyone to refrain from dropping the service at this point. Let's give Dish a chance to prove that they are indeed HD leaders. The next 30 days will show what their real intentions are!

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I found this line interesting...

Unfortunately we have also received many
emails of customers dropping HD service in haste prior to giving us an
opportunity to address the situation.

I should note that we have never told anyone to cancel service because of this, we just wanted people to let Dish know that we won't accept HD Lite. And from the feedback I personally have been getting from my contacts, I think they have heard us.

Thank you to everyone who emailed them.

 

[riffjim4069]

Ilya,
That was an excellent letter! It clearly states our concerns in a cordial and constructive manner. It is often better to step away from a situation than it is to act in haste - your letter is proof in action.:

 

[Stargazer]

Wait until the next Charlie Chat coming up and see if this is addressed there or if someone calls in to ask a question. If there are as many people that tries to call in to ask this question with a cover up one that emailed Dish or complained to them then I think there is bound to be someone to get through.

 

[kds64]

So

 

[Stargazer]

So what lol. J/K.

 

[Gary Murrell]

I agree with Scott
DO NOT DROP Dish folks, it's too early for that, give them to at least CES to show us what they are going to do

-Gary

 

[Maineiac]

I just received the same letter that Ilya received from dish after relating my concerns to dish quality. Nice to see that they are responding.

 

[dfergie]

Stats on Garys Threads as of 5:15 pm MSt

SatelliteGuys 273/18,354

Totals all 3 Sites: 634/31,920

 

[Stargazer]

I think it is too early to drop Dish as well before giving them a chance to correct the problem but do you really think they will put it back exactly the same way as it was? I have my doubts.

 

[BlackHitachi]

I would advise everyone to refrain from dropping the service at this point. Let's give Dish a chance to prove that they are indeed HD leaders. The next 30 days will show what their real intentions are!

This is very good advice!! Thank you for such a great letter that represents us as a forum.:

 

[rdinkel]

Stats on Garys Threads as of 5:15 pm MSt
SatelliteGuys 273/18,354
Totals all 3 Sites: 634/31,920

Remember, we had three threads on the topic going at the same time. So if you add in those other two threads, our numbers are even larger.

 

[dfergie]

True... just counting Garys Threads...

 

[Gary Murrell]

Yep and just as many threads and more will be started by me praising Dish if this problem is corrected, it goes both ways from me

I have always praised Dish for their HD quality and would love to continue to do so

-Gary