Message From NPS

[Diamond Jim]

Received this today as to my inquiry into as why we will no longer get WGN and TBS on 4DTV. I am sure most of the members know this, so this is for the ones who don't.

Mike Mountford and Jon Pardieck, NPS's owners did everything possible to get contracts with WGN and TBS. They said the main reason they could not do it was that both of those channels show professional sports , like Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. Major League Baseball requires that certain cities and states must be blacked out when the baseball games are played and are not sold out. When the channels were switched from analog to digital transmission, 4DTV's cannot blackout games the way that WGN and TBS (and ESPN and ESPN2) are required by the baseball league to be done. So they cannot sign a contract with Motorola or with NPS to broadcast on the 4DTV. I hope that answers your questions for us. If not, please let me know.

I did not mention that WPIX is on 4DTV and they have the Mets games.

 

[jself1982]

I understand your frustration too. I, honestly in my opinion, thinks that NPS really doesn't try as hard as they say they do when it comes to negotiations.

 

[Mr Tony]

WPIX has no blackouts that I'm aware of (neither does WWOR for Yanks games)

 

[skysurfer]

instead of worrying about NPS and MLB situations, if you have a DSL line, get MLB.TV on the internet, full screen it and spool it off to a tv set or monitor and watch all the out of market games all season long for about the price of 2 months or so of NPS absolute digital that doesn't have the games.

 

[tvropro]

The 905's and 922's do blackouts properly, all NPS has to do is use a symbol rate the 920's can't see and they would be good to go. But were talking about NPS here. Although I do appreciate what they have done to keep c band programming going. They need to get someone with a technical brain in there that can understand the weak and strong points of the 4DTV and put a plan of action together that can will work to solve this and others issues. Only then will NPS be able to contend with this vs taking the easy way out and blowing off the channel.

 

[14karat]

tvropro,
I'm cornfuzzed... If they change the SR won't that blackout ALL 4D receivers and not just the ones within the 45mi radius (or whatever the distance is...)?

 

[voomvoom]

instead of worrying about NPS and MLB situations, if you have a DSL line, get MLB.TV on the internet, full screen it and spool it off to a tv set or monitor and watch all the out of market games all season long for about the price of 2 months or so of NPS absolute digital that doesn't have the games.

The point here is not about being able to watch Baseball, but about not being able to get TBS, WGN, ESPN, or ESPN2.... especially TBS & WGN, both of which have maybe 150-200 hours of Baseball in a year, while there are 8760 hours (or so) in a year. That means we are without 8500+ hours of programming, because of a couple of hundred hours of Baseball? And that's for each channel. Watching Baseball on the Internet isn't going to help for the rest of the programming. Besides, I hate watching programming on the Internet.

 

[tvropro]

tvropro,
I'm cornfuzzed... If they change the SR won't that blackout ALL 4D receivers and not just the ones within the 45mi radius (or whatever the distance is...)?

No what they need to do is use a SR that only the 922 or 905 can use. 920's wont be able to sub at all. Then they could black out ML baseball etc.

 

[14karat]

Oh... I get it now... DUH...
The 920's are the problem... I didn't realize that...
Figgers tho... since that's what I have...
(beats head on desk)

 

[voomvoom]

tvropro,
I'm cornfuzzed... If they change the SR won't that blackout ALL 4D receivers and not just the ones within the 45mi radius (or whatever the distance is...)?

The point that tvropro is making, is the 920 will only get two signal rates, 29270 & 19510. There are several other signal rates that are used with 4dtv, and the 905 & 922 will get them, but the 920 won't get them. He's saying to use one of those other signal rates, and there wouldn't be a Blackout problem. They would then have to use some other excuse, and I'm sure they would. ABC/Disney doesn't want anything to do with us backyard mavericks. Apparently, neither does MLB.....?

 

[tvropro]

Walt Disney has to be turning over in his grave seeing what has happened to Disney with GREED!

 

[skysurfer]

Walt Disney has to be turning over in his grave seeing what has happened to Disney with GREED!

He has to be smiling in his grave. DISNEY is still really the big theme park to go to, DISNEY still is really the TV channel for kids (I don't see Nick overtaking disney in the must-have kids dept) and DISNEY can sell kids DVD's for way more than what a typical kids DVD goes for.

Sounds like DISNEY is well branded and must have (hannah montana, high school musical, etc), not a has-been so Walt should be smiling that the people in charge following him haven't screwed things up.

 

[tvropro]

He has to be smiling in his grave. DISNEY is still really the big theme park to go to, DISNEY still is really the TV channel for kids (I don't see Nick overtaking disney in the must-have kids dept) and DISNEY can sell kids DVD's for way more than what a typical kids DVD goes for.

Sounds like DISNEY is well branded and must have (hannah montana, high school musical, etc), not a has-been so Walt should be smiling that the people in charge following him haven't screwed things up.

What you say is true, although what I was referring to was how ABC/ESPN/Disney won't have anything to do with C Banders anymore, We don't turn them enough coin

 

[truckracer]

Now everyone sees why I don't subscribe to any type of programming service. The channel owners have got like the oil companies and insurance companies. They are too big and greedy.

between viacom refusing c-band subs the master signals a long while back, disney and the others I said just screw them they won't get my money.

every time you turn around on dish or direct you would see scrolling banners saying something like "this channel may not be available after xxxxx time because xxxxxx and xxxxx have not came to an agreement for contract and payment etc whatever" bs.

exposing this type of hostility in front of the customers is like going to a nice restaurant with your family and the restaurant owner is having a heated argument with his food suppliers next to your table.

its no different....what would you do...you would take the family and get up and leave.
I left the tv programmers . I fired them from the ceos down to the packagers by simply spending my money somewhere else.

I think everyone else should try it for a while and I bet they would beg you for your business and be fair about the pricing.

fta and ota digital only for me now