Future of 61.5? My installer is concerned

[KeyserMeeps]

After doing a renovation and being out of my house for 4 months, I am reinstating my Dishnetwork account. I had to unistall my Dish farm and move things around a little, but now I've gotten it back to a reinstall at the same location. I've got a seemingly competent installer who has just tried to install a Dish 1000 to get the two main satellites but he claims we will only get a crappy 129 signal. Prior to the renovation, I had (and continue to have) a great view of 61.5 for my HD channels (zero complaints). He verifies that installation-wise, there is no problem to put the second dish and get 61.5, but he says it is his understanding that since Dish has migrated a copy of all the HD programming on 129, that it is only a matter of time before Dish discontinues the HD programming on 61.5 and requires everyone to move.

Anyone ever heard this? I thought the whole point of duplicating the HD on 61.5 and 129 was to address this very concern (and to be an advantage over Direct which doesn't have that option). Can anyone verify that there are no plans to kill off the 61.5 HD? (insofar as anything can be guaranteed when you are dealing w/Charlie).

BTW the way, I am in Eastern North Carolina, New Bern, with a 622.

Thanks in advance for the greatest place to get all this kind of info

 

[RandallA]

This is the second thread that mentions an installer saying that 61.5 is going away. As far as we know, 61.5 is staying put but with E* anything can change in a New York minute.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=97467

 

[navychop]

After doing a renovation and being out of my house for 4 months, I am reinstating my Dishnetwork account. I had to unistall my Dish farm and move things around a little, but now I've gotten it back to a reinstall at the same location. I've got a seemingly competent installer who has just tried to install a Dish 1000 to get the two main satellites but he claims we will only get a crappy 129 signal. Prior to the renovation, I had (and continue to have) a great view of 61.5 for my HD channels (zero complaints). He verifies that installation-wise, there is no problem to put the second dish and get 61.5, but he says it is his understanding that since Dish has migrated a copy of all the HD programming on 129, that it is only a matter of time before Dish discontinues the HD programming on 61.5 and requires everyone to move.

Anyone ever heard this? I thought the whole point of duplicating the HD on 61.5 and 129 was to address this very concern (and to be an advantage over Direct which doesn't have that option). Can anyone verify that there are no plans to kill off the 61.5 HD? (insofar as anything can be guaranteed when you are dealing w/Charlie).

BTW the way, I am in Eastern North Carolina, New Bern, with a 622.

Thanks in advance for the greatest place to get all this kind of info

The installer is wrong. 129 is a weak satellite and will be replaced. It wobbles, and is low on the horizon for you. 61.5 is a good shot for you and will provide a strong signal- MUCH stronger than you will ever get from 129. You don't need and don't want 129. Your locals are on 110. There are two new satellites going up, but that will not affect you for years, if ever. 61.5 is a major investment, there are two Dish satellites there, and they are staying. HD will likely stay on 61.5 for a long time to come. HD might be duplicated on one or both of the new sats, and 129, but will continue on 61.5.

There are no plans to kill off 61.5.

Good to hear from you. I lived in Bayboro and worked in River Bend. Still have friends I keep up with in New Bern.

 

[pweezil]

It's hard to believe that 61.5 would be removed in favor of 129 as the 129 satellite doesn't cover a large portion of the northeast. It would seem that if it is indeed going away, the programming will have to go somewhere other than 129.

 

[VinceT3]

129 can't be picked up in South Florida without a VERY large dish.. so I highly doubt it's going away unless they convert everything to mpeg4 and move it all to 110 & 119

 

[RandallA]

129 can't be picked up in South Florida without a VERY large dish.. so I highly doubt it's going away unless they convert everything to mpeg4 and move it all to 110 & 119

Isnt' that the plan that came out of Team Summit?, except that the orbital locations were not disclosed.

 

[navychop]

Not for current customers- at least not for some years. At some point new customers will receive only MPEG-4 equipment and use the all MPEG-4 new satellites.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Actually they said that the new sats will most likely be 86.5 and 97 and Scott speculated that once they get everyone to repoint to the new sats they might use 110/119 for mpeg 4 for the west coast versions of the national channels. Either way they will have a lot of satellites, they won't need anymore with the 2 new sats that can be received with one 18" satellite dish.

 

[navychop]

I believe the idea is to avoid having to repoint current customers. And it's not just a matter of repointing, never mind LOS issues. It's having MPEG-4 capable receivers, too. So that part is years off.