DISH Network(TM) Video On Demand Platform to Feature Special ABC Programs

[Sean Mota]

DISH Network(TM) Video On Demand Platform to Feature Special ABC Programs; Overview Specials Recapping 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Lost' and 'Desperate Housewives' Available for Free on DISH On DemandENGLEWOOD, Colo. & BURBANK, Calif--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 21, 2006--EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) and its DISH Network(TM) satellite TV service today announced that it will feature half-hour promotional specials of "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" designed to help viewers follow the storylines on these popular series on its Video On Demand platform, DISH On Demand.
The following specials will be available free of charge beginning today through Wednesday, Oct. 4, for DISH Network customers with a 622 or 625 receiver:

• "Grey's Anatomy - Getting Into Grey's Ana
• "The Lost Survival Guide"
• "Desperate Housewives: Time to Come Clean"

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=68854&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=907896&highlight=

 

[psumattDE]

There's your answer as to what the new #3 selection is for on the DVR menu!

 

[DaveyBoy26]

What a dissapointment......

 

[Posty-McPOst]

Mine isn't active yet. Hopefully after October 4th they will upgrade the offerings. I don't like the idea of paying to watch VOD TV content.

 

[brian24740]

This will be great if they can add more shows and movies free on the VOD service.

 

[dslate69]

More hard drive space being stolen away from us.

 

[brian24740]

There is hard drive space set aside for this that is not part of the 100 hours of recording time.

 

[Posty-McPOst]

More hard drive space being stolen away from us.

At least on the 622 100gb is already reserved for VOD and such. They have already taken all that space away from you but shouldn't need to take anymore.

 

[parp]

Maybe this explains why they sent out L363 with all the bugs... They had to get it out the door!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

There is hard drive space set aside for this that is not part of the 100 hours of recording time.

True, but it is still consuming space that otherwise could have been freed to record our programming instead of their programming.

 

[Anole]

I never have nor do I intend to press the VOD button.
Maybe this is just a trick to get people to "go there" for free...
...and eventually maybe get some money out of them.
They're just training the monkeys.

If they gave us the option to choose to use our hard disk space for VOD or our own programming...
...which do you think the majority would pick?

...or what would the Dish score for Customer Appreciation be, if they gave back 5..10 hours of record time to the users?
Would they be heroes or what?

 

[Tom Bombadil]

IMHO, this is incredibly weak material to force down onto my 622. Plot overviews of network series?!?

A couple of days ago I had to delete programming from my 622 in order to make space for another show. Meanwhile E* is spooling nonsensical stuff like this onto my drive.

 

[LASooner]

As long as they get the USB external drive thing working I don't care about that extra 100GB

 

[Posty-McPOst]

The interface very basic and looks like it will just be a list. Not much hope for those of us who like Cable style VoD. Give me Adult Swim on Demand or give me...well anything but this garbage. Also all the help menu stuff refers to "recordings". I hope it doesn't intend to use one of my tuners to fill up the VoD.

 

[voyagerbob]

I've had my 622 since April. "Knock on wood" but to date mine has not downloaded anything into the VOD. I know this doesn't free up space for me but I find it hilarious. Mine has so many timers and events that there is never more than 30 minutes availabe for it to record anything that dish would have to offer. I check about once a week and there is nothing available for me to view in VOD.

By the way I HATE with a passion the 288 event limit. I call about once a week to complain about it. The 96 timer limit I don't have "as much" of a problem with. It's most likley though because of the event limit that I don't have to worry about the timer limit.

Voyagerbob

 

[voyagerbob]

I hope it doesn't intend to use one of my tuners to fill up the VoD.

That is exactlly what it does. But if you have something scheduled it will record what you want it to record until E* figures out that you can have so many things recording that it will not download anything E* wants it to.

Voyagerbob

 

[waltinvt]

Sounds like the collective brainpower at Dish is only slightly superceeded by that of ABC.

If you're going to cater to the networks, then get smart about it. Make the VOD interactive with some relative choices. Maybe a slot for each network where subs can pick their own downloads from things like a series recap, if that's what they really want or just as important, missed episodes of hit series.

If these idiots don't wake up and start giving the customers a little choice, they're going to blow the whole concept of VOD. As long as they keep trying to sell what THEY think we want from VOD, it's just going to sit there like a dog turd on the sidewalk.

 

[Jolard]

As long as they get the USB external drive thing working I don't care about that extra 100GB

Amen brother!!

I always hated that they take up so much precious hard drive space with their VOD offerings, especially since they are all SD. I would much rather have that space for my recordings, I have never bought a VOD, and never will at SD.

Now as for TV shows and promos, I am a little better with that, I don't think it is quite as bad, since they are free. BUT and a BIG BUT, I would much rather they just had a "promo" channel that showed these kinds of things and then you can record those you want to record, while ignoring those you don't. The only receivers with VOD are the DVR receivers, so everyone could do this. So it would be your choice as to what you fill your DVR space with.

 

[Dishpointer]

How do you access these shows? Is it under Movies & More or the new TV Entertainment selection that isn't activated yet?

 

[kingbiged]

I think that they should go real VOD on HBO, SHO, STARZ, etc and utilize the Ethernet port on the 622 and do like the ITVN guys. Come on, that's what Cable has the major advantage on, and why they have small DVR drives.

BTW, my "TV Entertainment" button is still greyed out, even thought this stuff is to be there today.