DISH responds to PBS Injunction

[mike123abc]

Dish has the satellite space, they will be able to make it work. The problem is probably backhaul, they are going to have to get busy putting in reception equipment and encoders for all the new stations ASAP.

The Western Arc is not scheduled to get any new satellites before the must carry madate orginally was going into effect anyways. So, they have to already have the capacity there or they would be in violation of the original mandate. EA is missing 1 satellite (spot beam on 77). They will probably be tight on EA, so I would expect some markets not to be launched before the new satellite makes it up. With E15 at 61.5 they will get more spot capacity from E12 to cover EA.

So, I suspect they are going to be busy upgrading the local PoPs to pick up PBS. The downside will probably be other stations such as WB will probably be delayed.

 

[TalonDancer]

And where does the TP space come from to provide every DMA PBS in HD? Oh, don't forget to find the space for all the sub-channels.

Frankly, I'm tired of hearing Dish whine about the lack of TP space, when they haven't maximized the TP space they already have (e.g. 100% MPEG4).

As I've posted before, its pretty obvious that Dish/Charlie does not want to provide subs with PBS in HD and will continue to winge, whine, and sniffle about TP space like a spoiled (rich) brat for as long as he possibly can. It's worked so far. And if it doesn't keep working, he can always trot out the 1st Amendment gambit to stall a little longer. :rant:

Talon Dancer

 

[Voyager6]

Frankly, I'm tired of hearing Dish whine about the lack of TP space, when they haven't maximized the TP space they already have (e.g. 100% MPEG4).

As I've posted before, its pretty obvious that Dish/Charlie does not want to provide subs with PBS in HD and will continue to winge, whine, and sniffle about TP space like a spoiled (rich) brat for as long as he possibly can. It's worked so far. And if it doesn't keep working, he can always trot out the 1st Amendment gambit to stall a little longer. :rant:

Talon Dancer

Yep, new mpeg-4 boxes for all WA subs without them. It's just money after all and Charlie's to boot. I'm sure he's got a billion or two laying around to give his subs new boxes. Oh, and no commitment with those boxes either, right? [/sarcasm]

I'm sure that E* has a plan to transition WA to mpeg-4 but it will take time. Probably won't be done in the STELA timeframe (end of 2012). One national PBS feed would probably satisfy most E* subs but that's not what STELA calls for.

 

[Laddyboy]

E* could have launched additional HD markets before STELA ever went into effect. That they didn't, and now can't until they can get PBS HD agreements, is on them and them alone. I have no sympathy at all for E* in this matter. The bottom line is that they have to provide these channels in any case, regardless of the suit to delay, so just do it now and be done with it. It's not like the contract teams are doing anything except sitting around and suing anyway.

 

[testarc]

Great News!

 

[tomcrown1]

E* could have launched additional HD markets before STELA ever went into effect. That they didn't, and now can't until they can get PBS HD agreements, is on them and them alone. I have no sympathy at all for E* in this matter. The bottom line is that they have to provide these channels in any case, regardless of the suit to delay, so just do it now and be done with it. It's not like the contract teams are doing anything except sitting around and suing anyway.

:up:up:up:up:up:up:up:up:up:up:up:up:up

 

[96corvette]

E* could have launched additional HD markets before STELA ever went into effect. That they didn't, and now can't until they can get PBS HD agreements, is on them and them alone. I have no sympathy at all for E* in this matter. The bottom line is that they have to provide these channels in any case, regardless of the suit to delay, so just do it now and be done with it. It's not like the contract teams are doing anything except sitting around and suing anyway.

:up:up:up:up:up I am a HD PBS Hostage

 

[jerryez]

There are 354 PBS stationa. Care to explain how yanking a few SD shopping channels makes room for so many HD channels (especially when shopping is CONUS, PBS is LiL)?

Plus, Dish is paid for every shopping channel. You want to see your bill go up?

Why is there 354 PBS stations when there are only 210 DMA, why is the government paying for more PBS stations than are needed.

 

[Bobby]

Why is there 354 PBS stations when there are only 210 DMA, why is the government paying for more PBS stations than are needed.

There are 4 PBS stations in the SF Bay Area DMA. All of the large Metro Areas have multiple PBS stations in their DMAs. It's easy to see how there can be more stations than DMAs....

 

[whatchel1]

Don't think so

One question, though. Part of the issue is that Dish needs to get agreements with PBS stations. But I thought they weren't allowed to get any money from retrans. If so, what's there to negotiate?

Part of STELA should have been the rights for cable and sat to retransmit PBS signals without needing an agreement.

I don't think that you are correct on the being able to take retrans $$ on PBS. I think that depends on whre the station gets it's funding. Some are allowed and some are not.

 

[Laddyboy]

Why is there 354 PBS stations when there are only 210 DMA, why is the government paying for more PBS stations than are needed.

There's three in my DMA which is spread out geographically east to west.

 

[Tampa8]

Do you guys honestly think Dish went to court just to make headlines? If Dish rolled over every time these things come up you would be screaming about your bill. It's the number of channels they will have to carry before they had originally intended to where the problem lies. Take away money making channels to make room for PBS. Now that's priceless. Take away a few money making channels to make room for hundreds of PBS ones.
My best guess - a few HD channels might go away, and new ones will wait for awhile if dish has to carry all those stations now. In addition they may need to shuffle present channels to other satellites, possibly needing you to see a different sat in some cases.

As for Charlie and law suits. Thumbs up from me. He wants to keep what little rights businesses have to do actually do business. If you haven't noticed, the Government can't run anything successfully. So you want them to make businesses operate the same way - always in the red? Some regulation is always needed, the U.S. is way way past the needed regulations.

 

[TalonDancer]

....As for Charlie and law suits. Thumbs up from me. .....

As for Charlie and law suits. Thumbs DOWN from me.

Dish/Charlie is spending some of the money I send Dish every month, to provide me with satellite TV and improve their offerings with TV I actually want to watch, on a lawsuit that would allow Dish to do precisely the opposite -- deny me access to TV I want to watch. What's worse, Dish/Charlie is once again wasting some of the money I pay the government to provide law courts to handle meaningful cases, in an obvious attempt to avoid abiding by the law. All in all, a lose, lose situation for tax paying Dish subscribers who would really prefer to watch PBS in HD.

Talon Dancer

 

[pabeader]

all this talk about a PBS station?

 

[Tampa8]

As for Charlie and law suits. Thumbs DOWN from me.

Dish/Charlie is spending some of the money I send Dish every month, to provide me with satellite TV and improve their offerings with TV I actually want to watch, on a lawsuit that would allow Dish to do precisely the opposite -- deny me access to TV I want to watch. What's worse, Dish/Charlie is once again wasting some of the money I pay the government to provide law courts to handle meaningful cases, in an obvious attempt to avoid abiding by the law. All in all, a lose, lose situation for tax paying Dish subscribers who would really prefer to watch PBS in HD.

Talon Dancer

You leave out an important fact. They deny you access to TV you want to watch for the moment and as it was originally proposed I might add. I don't begrudge anyone who wants PBS HD, but at the cost of possibly moving channels to sats making you change your set-up and/or higher prices just because it can't wait a little longer as it was originally going to happen? We're not talking about adding a new or even a few new national channels. This adding hundreds of channels earlier than was talked about.

 

[TalonDancer]

You leave out an important fact. They deny you access to TV you want to watch for the moment and as it was originally proposed I might add. I don't begrudge anyone who wants PBS HD, but at the cost of possibly moving channels to sats making you change your set-up and/or higher prices just because it can't wait a little longer as it was originally going to happen? We're not talking about adding a new or even a few new national channels. This adding hundreds of channels earlier than was talked about.

I'm pretty immune to FUD. In fact, I assume it is false until proven otherwise. So please post a link (or links) with information from an authoritative source(s) supporting your claims on....

1 - the timing of when Dish would have provided PBS in HD to all DMAs where they currently provide locals in HD in the absence of the current law.

2 - the impact on Dish satellite TPs, required changes in consumer dish set-ups and increased subscriber costs for complying with the current law.

Talon Dancer

 

[Mr Tony]

We believe that our customers should be the ones who decide what they want to watch on TV and how they want to watch it.

that line is so funny I had to read it a few times before commenting on it.

If that's so then how come there is lots of comments about PBS in HD?
How come there are threads upon threads about HD RSN's and them being "part time" (games only), "part part time" (games JIP'd) or "no time" (games missed)

yep the customers are the ones who decide

 

[dodger72]

is D* govern by the same rules? ie must carry PBS in HD

 

[Mr Tony]

D* carries PBS in HD in most markets anyways (I think they carry it in all major DMA's). They do have to abide by the same rules as Dish for STELA

 

[DodgerKing]

is D* govern by the same rules? ie must carry PBS in HD

D* carries PBS in HD in most markets anyways (I think they carry it in all major DMA's). They do have to abide by the same rules as Dish for STELA

They carry 2 in HD in my DMA.

Soon KVCR (PBS 24), KPXN (ION 30), and KDOC (IND 56) will also be in HD on Direct