from the Swanni

[wolfjc]

Otherwise known as Swanni.
This does not look good at all.

EchoStar: We May Miss Digital TV Deadline
The satcaster warns the FCC that it likely won't be ready by the February 2009 transition date.
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (September 4, 2007) -- EchoStar has told the Federal Communications Commission that it likely won't deliver all local TV signals in digital when the nation switches to Digital TV on February 17, 2009.

That's according to an article by SkyReport.com.

On the Digital TV transition date, all broadcasters must switch their analog signals to digital which means viewers will need a pay TV service, a Digital TV or a digital converter box to watch television.

However, Sky Report writes today that EchoStar, the nation's second largest satcaster, has filed a brief with the FCC saying it can't possibly be ready by February 17, 2009, particularly if local broadcasters wait until the last minute to switch from analog to digital.

If EchoStar is unable to offer all local signals in digital on February 17, 2009, millions of satellite viewers could lose their local channels on that day.

Noting that it now offers local TV service in 175 markets, the satellite TV company said: "Given the magnitude of the switch-over...even conducting the transition over a matter of many months would be a substantial hurdle."

EchoStar urged local stations to make the switchover long in advance of the February 17, 2009 deadline to give it more time to address issues of quality control and related technical issues.

Unless the local stations cooperate, EchoStar told the FCC that "there is not sufficient manpower for such a mammoth task (meeting the Digital TV deadline.)."

EchoStar also urged the FCC to give TV providers more time to convert all signals to digital if broadcasters delay in their switch to digital.

There has been no word from DIRECTV on whether it shares EchoStar's concern on local digital signals.

Comment on this article!
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[Scott Greczkowski]

I invite everyone to read the full article at SkyReport.COM.

Its an interesting read.

 

[mikew]

More posturing by Charlie. All of my local channels have been simulcasting digital/analog for at least the last 2 years. I lived in Las Vegas 2 years ago and all but one channel was broadcasting in digital. It is not as if every station in the US is waiting to make a magic switch in 18 months. If I were the FCC, I'd tell Charlie the old saying...poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part. I read this as Charlie looking for ways to reduce the rights fees for digital. Here in Tucson, when I arrived 2 years ago, only CBS was available in HD. 6 months later, ABC went on line and it wasn't until about 3 months ago that Fox and NBC were added (via Cox). It has nothing to do with digital availablitiy and everything to do with $$$.

 

[abricko]

no way scott, swanni is god!

 

[richiephx]

HD has nothing to do with this deadline.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Swanni is good at reporting what he has read from other people.

He major strength though is his interviews, this is where I feel he truely shines.

 

[bjdraw]

Swanni is good at reporting what he has read from other people.

He's not even good at that, how difficult is it to link to the source?
You're using their content, the least you can do is promote their site with a link.

SkyREPORT.com - Satellite Industry Daily News, Information, Data and Research for direct-to-home, DBS, C-Band, Local Channel, Broadband, High Speed Data, PVR and Interactive Television.

 

[navychop]

Actually, the rules are for OTA broadcasting. But I fail to see major problems moving from converting an analog signal to satellite digital, versus OTA digital to satellite digital.

However, last I heard there was at least one significant area (somewhere in CO?) that did not have digital OTA because the local zoning folks would not allow new towers to be put up. So they might shift directly from analog to digital on 2/17/09. That'll be a rough experience.

 

[abricko]

Swanni is good at reporting what he has
He major strength though is his interviews, this is where I feel he truely shines.

I'm hoping I'm detecting sarcasm!

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

No his INTERVIEWS are well done, and he gets people to talk who normally wont do interviews.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

He's not even good at that, how difficult is it to link to the source?
You're using their content, the least you can do is promote their site with a link.

SkyREPORT.com - Satellite Industry Daily News, Information, Data and Research for direct-to-home, DBS, C-Band, Local Channel, Broadband, High Speed Data, PVR and Interactive Television.

It happens all the time, Engadget has done it to US over the past few weeks. (They even did it yesterday) with no link.

It happens I guess.

 

[Cyclone]

HD has nothing to do with this deadline.

While you are correct technically. I think what the problem here is that Dish won't be ready when all of these locals are broadcasting 1080i/720p channels. Even if many don't have HD content, Dish would be obligated to carry them at those resolutions. Sure Dish has been able to pull off the "big 4 networks" in many DMAs, but can they do the same with all of the locals in all of the DMA's by the deadline? Charlie doesn't think so.

This would include all of the CW, MyNet, PBS (and duplicate PBSs) in all of the 240+ DMAs. Thats a lot to ask out of the satellites. Imagine what Digital must carry is going to do with our PQ?

 

[VinceT3]

It happens all the time, Engadget has done it to US over the past few weeks. (They even did it yesterday) with no link.

It happens I guess.

Engadget linked to the site, you just needed to click on the picture.

 

[VinceT3]

I say they stop carrying locals all together.. talk about bandwidth savings..

 

[MikeD-C05]

So I gather that DISH wants the digital deadline to be extended due to the fact that they can't possibly convert all sd locals to their digital counterparts before the 2/09 deadline? IT seems to me that they should of already started this digital conversion about a year ago and added all new markets in digital instead of sd and they would be ready by 2009. IF they don't get any kind of extension from the FCC what does that mean for sd locals on DISH? Will they go off the air because they won't be converted to the digital channels in time for the 2/09 deadline?

 

[navychop]

Think about the antenna pointing comments in that article. First, I would hope most locals aren't being picked up OTA by Dish, but that's another matter. Some stations will continue digital broadcasts as they do today, from their "new" digital transmitters and antennas. Others will shift the digital signal over to their current (normally higher powered) "analog" transmitter and antenna. So there's a lot of repointing and effort anyway, if they're getting the signal off an OTA antenna. Nothing new.

 

[John Kotches]

While you are correct technically. I think what the problem here is that Dish won't be ready when all of these locals are broadcasting 1080i/720p channels. Even if many don't have HD content, Dish would be obligated to carry them at those resolutions. Sure Dish has been able to pull off the "big 4 networks" in many DMAs, but can they do the same with all of the locals in all of the DMA's by the deadline? Charlie doesn't think so.

This would include all of the CW, MyNet, PBS (and duplicate PBSs) in all of the 240+ DMAs. Thats a lot to ask out of the satellites. Imagine what Digital must carry is going to do with our PQ?

This is where some co-opetition would be beneficial to both of the * companies. Having a shared LiL-Sat service so that they don't have to duplicate the bandwidth would be a tremendous savings.

Cheers,

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Engadget linked to the site, you just needed to click on the picture.

Cool, they use to put something like Credit SatelliteGuys.US or something like that.

I love Engadget, outside of SatelliteGuys it is my favorite site. (My wife hates it though, as I see too much stuff there that I want)

 

[waltinvt]

It has far less to do with affiliates (or Dish) not being ready and more to do with $$$. There are many affiliates that have been broadcasting digital for years now that Dish has not picked up.

The reasons vary, depending on who you talk to. Some locals have a highly over-inflated sense of their own worth and of course Charlie thinks he can buy their retrans for a pile of cold dog sh*t, so there you have it.

Example: Dish listed (in '05) the Burlington / Platsburg DMA (#90) as one of 50 they planned to launch in '06. At the time Dish published that list, none of the Burlington locals were even doing digital yet but they did launch in the Fall of '06.

In Jan '06 Mark Lumpkin said Dish carrying the Vt digital locals was "dependent on the status of the E-10" satellite. It's now Sept '07; all the Burlington stations have been OTA for a year and some are even passing on HD to some cable companies.

Why aren't they (and many other digital locals) on Dish?

Many reasons but they all come down to the cost of getting the digital signal into Dish's system. Even if the stations aren't asking for retrans dollars, they might be telling Dish to foot the cost of the uplink.

It's probably far less costly for Dish to pick up some of the main DMA HD LiLs and then just make "moving" real easy for the viewers inbetween. Some things (and DBS companies) never change and this may come back to bite them like the distants thing did.

I think there's some stalling right now with Dish waiting to see what "D" and the bigger cable comanies do as the deadline gets closer. We're certainly not hearing as much about HD LiLs right now.

 

[tigerfan33]

I thought Dish was 100% digital. The deadline has nothing to do with hd??? I know that Dish has yet to carry all of the country locals but I thought they were pretty close. When I watch a shopping network say that all of the country will switch over to hd in 2009 I just want to scream.