No free upgrades?

[Digital Dude]

Who was panic prone? I believe the negative posts usually started with "IF". Speaking of "if", if DerrecTV would communicate with its long time subs they would curtail the anxiety that turns into animosity.

I'd also be peeved if I bought a new Honda Odessey for $30 grand only to find out that Honda knew there'd be no more gas stations in 2 years and vehicles would only run on propane.

Take a lude, dude. You're the only one who really is in a snit in this thread.

 

[charper1]

As always, DirecTV (and most other companies for that matter) WILL NOT discuss anything specific before they are setup, tested and ready to go. The "panic prone" are those users constantly seeking rumors and hearsay to feed their need to know first, that can be OK but also leeds to being burned or disseminating bad info. Those that can't wait until things are tested and ready are in need of the ludes (as you say). Seems like another post more worried about trolling for a slam than talking real issues. If Honda wants to make gasoline powered cars even though they know gasoline will be gone is their marketing choice, it would be up to the gas companies and others watchdogs to report those coming TRUE changes to consumers, and thus the consumers choice to buy them or not. However you forget the DirecTV is mostly proprietary and they will keep things close to the vest until proven and officially announced to the market and/or public, so the car/fuel analogy doesn't compare. Items in the CES world are routinely outdated within months or even before they hit the street; its just the price people pay for buying too early or too late, not a conspiracy.

 

[Digital Dude]

As always, DirecTV (and most other companies for that matter) WILL NOT discuss anything specific before they are setup, tested and ready to go... However you forget the DirecTV is mostly proprietary and they will keep things close to the vest until proven and officially announced to the market and/or public.

Not to go off on too much of a tangent but after the fiasco with the H-10 upgrades on the west coast, with all the calls to the service center about having to reboot and run setup again... they could have been proactive when rolling the firmware update further east by notifying customers with H-10's either by e-mail or message on their IRD what known problem was headed their way.


[/QUOTE] not a conspiracy.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, just ask Les Nesman of WKRP!

 

[vurbano]

Then don't get HDTV.

But thats the problem. That attitude will end HDTV. It can NOT continue to be a money pit and survive or grow.

 

[Chado]

But thats the problem. That attitude will end HDTV. It can NOT continue to be a money pit and survive or grow.

All new technology is a money pit. Look at CD Players, DVD Players, HD-DVD Players.... As some of you may disagree, HD is still a "new" technology in the US Market.

The price is coming down.... But Hogarth's point is valid. If you can't afford it, don't get it.

 

[vurbano]

All new technology is a money pit. Look at CD Players, DVD Players, HD-DVD Players.... As some of you may disagree, HD is still a "new" technology in the US Market.

The price is coming down.... But Hogarth's point is valid. If you can't afford it, don't get it.

Without a mass adoption of this technology it wont survive. Even D* sees that. Hence the plan to rent the boxes and eliminate the costs.

 

[Chado]

Without a mass adoption of this technology it wont survive. Even D* sees that. Hence the plan to rent the boxes and eliminate the costs.

Won't argue that one bit, but I don't think its as drastic as you like to believe. The technology has already been accepted. This is not a VHS/Beta, HD-DVD/Blu-Ray issue. IMO, the closest thing you can compare this to is the introduction of Color TV.

Its simply a point of waiting for the price point fall lower for the average customer. For that to happen, technology needs to advance even further to make production costs cheaper and to have something else become the top tier on the TV market.

 

[Madtown HD Junkie]

Sure do love to read this with the morning coffee
I really can see a valid point for many sides. "IF" (lol) D* tried to offer their new boxes at let's say $200 cost they will be burned by cable companies who rent them and can bundle their services with internet, phone etc at a much better price then D* can touch. I for one, am going to go back to cable for this very reason till D* rolls out the new birds and adds some HD, Putting account on hiatus and not dropping D* as I would then not qualify for the upgrade of the boxes i have when mpeg4 hits my area. I think D* is still the best option out there for videophiles, provided they go back to true HD with new Sats. However saving $50 a month by switching to cable for more HD channels, an HD-DVR (no working DVI though), and no commitment is hard to pass up till D* can compete. HDTV is going nowhere Vurbano We did not go back to 8tracks when cd's came out it just took time as someone said for the market to reach critical mass and prices to drop. And guys don't be so harsh on people how truly spend a large portion of their income to venture into the HD arena, to some it can be a struggle to just get the D* bill paid each month. Just becasue their disposable income is minimal makes them no less entitled to HD and to complain "if" D* tried to charge for boxes to replace ones that work fine due to format changes. I can afford new boxes easily but will be damn pissed if I have to shell out more for a cost I feel should be largely, maybe not totally, bore by the company. If they offer rental options, which they will I guess, this will eliminate that issue. It is much like the ST HD fiasco. I am not getting the ST this year because of the price hike....I can easily pay it but it is the principal. Anyway...D* get those satellites up SSSSSSSSSSsooooooon!

 

[Chado]

Sure do love to read this with the morning coffee
I really can see a valid point for many sides. "IF" (lol) D* tried to offer their new boxes at let's say $200 cost they will be burned by cable companies who rent them and can bundle their services with internet, phone etc at a much better price then D* can touch. I for one, am going to go back to cable for this very reason till D* rolls out the new birds and adds some HD, Putting account on hiatus and not dropping D* as I would then not qualify for the upgrade of the boxes i have when mpeg4 hits my area. I think D* is still the best option out there for videophiles, provided they go back to true HD with new Sats. However saving $50 a month by switching to cable for more HD channels, an HD-DVR (no working DVI though), and no commitment is hard to pass up till D* can compete. HDTV is going nowhere Vurbano We did not go back to 8tracks when cd's came out it just took time as someone said for the market to reach critical mass and prices to drop. And guys don't be so harsh on people how truly spend a large portion of their income to venture into the HD arena, to some it can be a struggle to just get the D* bill paid each month. Just becasue their disposable income is minimal makes them no less entitled to HD and to complain "if" D* tried to charge for boxes to replace ones that work fine due to format changes. I can afford new boxes easily but will be damn pissed if I have to shell out more for a cost I feel should be largely, maybe not totally, bore by the company. If they offer rental options, which they will I guess, this will eliminate that issue. It is much like the ST HD fiasco. I am not getting the ST this year because of the price hike....I can easily pay it but it is the principal. Anyway...D* get those satellites up SSSSSSSSSSsooooooon!

I think this is a valid reason, although you don't need validity to do what you want, why D* should be concerned with their current HD pace.

 

[vurbano]

Won't argue that one bit, but I don't think its as drastic as you like to believe. The technology has already been accepted. This is not a VHS/Beta, HD-DVD/Blu-Ray issue. IMO, the closest thing you can compare this to is the introduction of Color TV.

Its more than just being accepted. If you want more HD channels you need viewers. You wont get a lot of viewers until the channels exist. And the channels wont come until it becomes attractive to advertisers. If you want HD to succeed then it needs to become an advertisers medium as well. No advertiser really gives a damn at this point because theres no real viewership numbers. You wont get those until its adopted by the masses. The longer it takes for that to happen, the greater the chance of its failure IMO.

Its simply a point of waiting for the price point fall lower for the average customer. For that to happen, technology needs to advance even further to make production costs cheaper and to have something else become the top tier on the TV market.

That price point is here with the start of rental fee instead of a purchase price for the HD STB. The top tier is here as well, its called 1080p.

 

[colofan]

Its more than just being accepted. If you want more HD channels you need viewers. You wont get a lot of viewers until the channels exist. And the channels wont come until it becomes attractive to advertisers. If you want HD to succeed then it needs to become an advertisers medium as well. No advertiser really gives a damn at this point because theres no real viewership numbers. You wont get those until its adopted by the masses. The longer it takes for that to happen, the greater the chance of its failure IMO.


This is only valid assumption that all programming in one form or another is being supported by advertising. That is a 50's model of how TV started out but let's compare an HBO channel which has original programming and no advertiser's.

Even more to the point is the recent report that the on in theater viewing is down but IMAX is up especially for full length movies.

The customer is going to drive this ultimately not business. I also hate multicasting!!!