Monday November 13th, Tech Chat Recap

On the USB storage for 622, here's the exact quote: "it's coming out very soon, we're just trying to get the rest of the company all figured out how to sell it, but technically it's working like a champ, we really like it a lot and we're hoping to be able to start offering that to consumers in the first quarter."
Not to beat a deadhorse, but this utterance is almost verbatim to what was said late last year, and again this spring, about USB External Storage. Here it is a year later and E* is still trying to find out how to make money off of this when Cable has been offering external storage as a free "value added" feature for the past two years? We're now looking at a February-March launch...very strange and very disappointing. I can already see one or more of the following:

1. Purchase/Lease Dish Network branded USB storage devices.
2. USB Storage Enabling Fee

Big, Big, Big, :(
 
Don, great reacap. :) So no new news about rsn's or any of that. Im hopeing in december when i get home on leave, I can break some exciting news on that providing scott or digi doesnt beat me to it :) . Untill, then :)
 
Timeline of events
*Nov 1988- Echostar asks Court to confirm interpretation of law is accurate.
*April. 2003- Court finds Echostar's current practices meet requirements.. no shut-offs required.
*Oct. 20 2006- Court says stature leaves no choice but to shut off distant networks.
*Nov.13-16, 2006- Congress must hear from you.
*Dec. 1, 2006 Court requires all shut-offs must be completed.


Seems the timeline above misses a few facts. How do you go from April 2003 where apparently the court says everything is terrific to October 2006 where the Court orders nationwide injunction. Hmmmmmmm...


It was nice of Charlie to apologize but it does nothing to help those of us in "rural America." And I realize that he is attempting to put the best face on this situation, but many current subscribers are going to be affected than just us hicks in the country. With the injunction meaning that those that get Significantly Viewed nets being also impacted, people are going to be really upset when they lose one or two of the nets. So while an insignificant number of us country bumpkins will lose all of our DNS, many more suburban customers are going to be affected too.

As of Friday it's adiós E*. TWC is hooking us back up and I'll actually save $30.00 a month the first year, a few bucks the second year and just about break even after that with the ALL-In-One package. But I'm not happy at all about having to leave E*. Charlie let me down.
 
I have to thanks Scott a bit for my SlingBox win, I was fairly sure it was the Big Lebowski but when Scott said it I figured "What the Hell" and I called. Called the wrong# first and then called and it was busy, called back and they picked up! So thanks Scott!!!

Mike
 
Great recap! :up

Not to beat a deadhorse, but this utterance is almost verbatim to what was said late last year, and again this spring, about USB External Storage. Here it is a year later and E* is still trying to find out how to make money off of this when Cable has been offering external storage as a free "value added" feature for the past two years? We're now looking at a February-March launch...very strange and very disappointing. I can already see one or more of the following:

1. Purchase/Lease Dish Network branded USB storage devices.
2. USB Storage Enabling Fee

Big, Big, Big, :(

Yes, 622 USB news is ugly. Very ugly. And very, very, unwise.

Up until recent months there really were no credible competitors to E* in the greater Washington, DC area, IMHO. However, today Verizon's FIOS is a real comer - not quite ready for prime time in every aspect, but most certainly has the potential to be the best in the business and unless Mr. Wegleitner has changed since I knew him, his organization will continue to press forward in that direction. Again IMHO, E* is at the top of the heap right now; however, they are facing some huge competition and this is hardly the time to be squandering a good opportunity to keep their premium (HD DVR, etc.) customers satisfied.
Very, very unwise.


Just my two cents.

---Doug
 
Seriously, lay off the crack. They might be bit starved, but I have to call BS when you claim that is why they label them now.

Lets relax a bit -- my friend BlackHitachi was being sarcastic! Its ok to have a little fun when it comes to E*'s latest great ideas.. :rolleyes:
 
The online Chat was great, as long as I could stay with it. Had a problem and had to suddenly leave the chat chat.

Well, the Tech Chat was a big unpleasant surprise. I've been thinking how unfair some guys here were being on Dish. Constant predictions of endless delays in the external USB storage. I figured this time Dish was going to do right by us. After all, the concept came out years ago, even if the USB 1.1 port of the 721 wouldn't support it very well, later units would. Then the delays. Then the announcement that the "problem" was trying to get it to work with the 942. Since the 942 support was abandoned, we should see the feature for the ViP622 "Real Soon Now." Early December, even. Now, it works fine, we're just trying to figure out how to "sell" it. STRONG implication of a fee or you have to buy it from Dish. And the announcement that it might be out as early as next quarter! These guys ever hear of the Christmas buying season? They should shove it out the door NOW.

Well, if Dish is totally STUPID, they'll actually try to get a monthly fee. I can see buying it from Dish, for a REASONABLE premium.

They should just put it out there, able to use any USB drive, with no monthly fees, as a value added incentive to go with Dish. One more nice feature to distinguish them from the competition. Or at most, one time purchase of the external unit from them, with no more than a 20%-30% premium. They will, after all, have support calls on this.

But now I've learned. The naysayers are right. They're not being pessimistic, they're being realistic.

Just more bad news out of Dish.
 
P.S.- Fios has potential, but they must come up with a better DVR. Single tuner? 15 minute buffer?
 
Navychop,

I have to AGREE with you 100%.

There should be NO NEED to "sell" it, they should just release it and let it sell itself. Doing this Dish would gain a LOT of very high end customers and would also make a lot of long term HD customers.

Don't charge a fee for it...
Don't make us use a special USB Drive...

However give us a list of tested working devices.

Give it to us with the caviot that the External storage solution is UNSUPPORTED by Dish Network, so that people can't call in and bug them for help, if people need help they can come here to SatelliteGuys.

Dish I know you are reading this. How about it?

Come on Mark Jackson, if it works as good as you say, then lets roll it out. And THAT'S a challange!
 
Question - Bob: As an Rv'er and Nascar fan we use distant locals on the road, have you thought about getting Nascar and Rv'ers involved in this.
A: This will affect you as (with rv waiver), as of December 1st we will no longer be able to sell you that signal unless congress acts. (we dont have enough time to rally Nascar and Rv'ers)

So RV waivers are gone as of 12/01/06.

E-Mail Question from Matt: I live in Albany Georgia and only have 2 channels, will I lose my Atlanta Channels?
A: Albany does not have a CBS or ABC channel assigned to it, the court ruling will not allow us to give you the Atlanta CBS and ABC.

In this case "Matt" is apparently getting Atlanta ABC and CBS channels as distants, and will lose them as of 12/01/06. It's still not clear whether SVs go away as well.
 
Unbelievable job on the recap Don. Nice work :)

Watching the Tech Forum last night I really got the feeling that everything at E* is on the back burner right now as a result of the Distant Network situation. When you think about it we haven't had any significant programming additons since FoodNetwork HD, the external storage capability was pushed back yet again and name based recording on certain machines is not being done because, "we've got other issues that need to be taken care of first."

Hopefully after the DNS situation settles E* will get back to working regular issues.
 
Boycott USB External Storage?

Navychop,

I have to AGREE with you 100%.

There should be NO NEED to "sell" it, they should just release it and let it sell itself. Doing this Dish would gain a LOT of very high end customers and would also make a lot of long term HD customers.

Don't charge a fee for it...
Don't make us use a special USB Drive...

However give us a list of tested working devices.

Give it to us with the caviot that the External storage solution is UNSUPPORTED by Dish Network, so that people can't call in and bug them for help, if people need help they can come here to SatelliteGuys.

Dish I know you are reading this. How about it?

Come on Mark Jackson, if it works as good as you say, then lets roll it out. And THAT'S a challange!

I - like many of you - have been waiting a LONG TIME to see the external USB storage capability released on first the 942 and now the 622. Although we have no facts at the moment, I would be extremely disapointed with DISH if they either charged to use the capability once released, or required us to use a DISH branded drive. Either case IMO is just plain greed and no common sense used to either incent new customers, or provide parity to other forms of programming transmission.

What Scott said above is dead-on in my opinion. To be perfectly honest, it will make me angry enough (in spite of my desire to have the feature) to blow DISH off and not pay them for either scenario. Unfortunate for me, but enough is enough as far as I'm concerned.

If enough folks were to take this stance, it may affect DISH's strategy (thinking optimistically and trying to give professional business people at DISH credit for common business sense...). As Scott said above - DISH, are you reading this?

What do others think about this? It has worked in other consumer areas in the past.

Doug
 
ripnbigc:

Yes, you're right. Side by side PiP is nice. I should be more grateful.

But external storage is FAR more important. I feel like a politician has just stolen my lollipop.

And NASCAR, with some controlling interest by Darth Murdoch, is hardly going to make a noise over something that hurts Dish and helps DirecTV.

Frankly, I don't understand why Dish is pushing people to call Congress. They aren't going to add to their agenda as lame ducks. Heck, lot's of them, including Senator Allen from my area, are just busy cleaning out their desks and moving out. They only move fast if they can Schiavo the American public. So why the drill, when there's zero chance of results? Setup for the next Congress to help out?
 
Wow, I predict a massive virtual real estate boom, as many folks in the boonies move to the city. At least as far as E* is concerned....
 

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