I can get a DVB-S2 DVR with IP streaming capability for as low as $100 (bring your own storage device). It doesn't have a Nagra module in it, but it has a card slot of some sort.
Satellite TV Bills to increase
- Thread starter Tampa8
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 122
- Views 12K
I can get a DVB-S2 DVR with IP streaming capability for as low as $100 (bring your own storage device). It doesn't have a Nagra module in it, but it has a card slot of some sort.
You have omitted all the other sat downlink equipment and far more sophisticated Hoppers (that even at retailers is still subsidized by Dish), that a new subscriber would have to purchase or an existing customer would have to upgrade. Dish's stated cost of acauiring a costumer ranges from over $600-$800 depending upon the installation. That figure will go down over time, but it aint gonna go south of $500 for a while.
I'm glad you spent $800 to buy the TiVo Series 3 648 model (just one box) when it went on sale, and then paid an additional $499 for Lifetime service just for that one box, and then spend all that again (with the $100 Multi-service discount for the 2nd Lifetime) for the TiVo in the 2nd room. Hopefully you didn't need a TiVo for a 3rd room. Yes, that is the superior pricing model for most consumers and families. A great way to make PayTV for the wealthy only. I can't wait for the service truck roll fee to be charged to me and suffer the wages (or time) lost at work so that I can be home so the installer can pair the Cable Cards and pay the up front cost of each Cable Card and the EXTRA fees each month for each Cable Card for each 3rd party box in my home and also pay the extra monthly fees for the Tuning Adapters at each 3rd party box so that I can view and record all my channels, and the have the Cable Card fail, and have Cable Co installer return on another day off of work so he can fix it. It's just a bad pricing model.
I am GLAD to see the FCC move away from Cable Card (as other 3rd parties have encouraged, but mostly TiVo) and on to something far better than can make 3rd party boxes a bit more palatable as far as expense and time. But one still has to be rich to pay for the 3rd party boxes and pay either a monthly fee for service to TiVo or Lifetime on top of that. There is a reason Moxi left the consumer/retail business and focused only on boxes for MSO's, and TiVo is still the ONLY 3rd party box for consumer/retail that can work on cable systems and NOT JUST AN OTA DVR like the Channel Master: It's a terrible model for the DVR makers and the consumer. Even TiVo is ramping down its consumer/retail (layoffs of its hardware people a few months ago) and, according to TiVo's latest quarterly earnings report, the VAST majority of TiVo owners are with MSO provided units with a very small percentage retail, and retail subscriber number went DOWN AGAIN, but MSO provided units did gain somewhat, but those MSO TiVo provided units do NOT require paying the full retail price of such a TiVo up-front, just the additional monthly fees (and possibly a nominal upgrade fee), but most still find that additional cost a deal breaker.
Last edited:
It depends on your provider.
TV manufacturers long ago stopped including CableCARD slots (late 2005?). I'm not sure any other CE device featured a CableCARD slot. The only thing that saved CableCARD was the requirement that cable boxes MUST use actual CableCARDs for their conditional access. Last summer, there was congressional legislation proposed that was aimed at removing the CableCARD requirement from cable STBs.
Cox and Time Warner have long been investigating using alternative systems of conditional delivery (some of which have been implemented for TiVos). AT&T does their own thing and FIOS has been talking for years about moving away from QAM.
At some point, it is possible that AllVid will replace CableCARD. As it is, I think only the US uses CableCARD.
Absent a proven replacement technology, doing away from CableCARD will be the end of TiVo.
The league owns the rights, so they sell them to the highest bidder. And ironically, the more choice in bidders, the higher the bidding price, so competition leads to higher pricing!
The trouble with the no-upfront cost model is that, in the long run, it is far more expensive. I'll use myself for an example. I'm paying $110.49 for Comcast's HD Preferred Triple Play Plus bundle (which has a line-up similar to AT250) which includes 105/20 internet, Streampix, HBO and Starz. I'm using two Tivo Premieres with cable cards, a Series 2 connected to an HD STB (included for free with the package) and a Tivo HD connected to an OTA antenna (I can transfer shows from the other three Tivo's to it though). And equivalent package using Dish for TV (AT 250 with HWS and two Joeys with a pc connected to another tv to watch via sling) would be $132.99 by itself. Add $52 for internet (local cable overbuilder 15/1 speed tier) and $12 for phone (Basic Talk) and I would spend $196.99. The package does go up $25 per month for months 13 - 24 (although I'm not under a contract and can leave at anytime). After that, I'm sure my sales rep would work with me. Isn't that what a lot of people here do with Dish?
I spent $425 for three used Tivo's and $524 for one new Premiere (a couple of years ago) for a cost of $949. After 11 months I'm ahead of the game. And since I bought my Tivo's over a two year period, it didn't really hurt me financially. You don't need to have thousands of dollars under a cushion, just be smart with your money. Actually spending over $86 per month more is really for people with more money than sense when you look closely at it, isn't it?
Because the NFL maintains the rights to the program and all of its many parts. They sell the privilege of being able to broadcast the game and typically that privilege is exclusive. It is like holding a copyright on a unique arrangement of a piece of public domain music: it gains its own copyright status. Since NFL game coverage is typically over 2/3rds filler from a time perspective, there's usually a lot in there that constitutes a unique "arrangement" of the game.
If the broadcaster's rights weren't exclusive and someone independently did a one or two-camera shoot that didn't use the NFL or team logos, official stats and historical footage, you might be able to separate it from the whole but who would watch such coverage (other than the team as part of the post-mortem)? You have 2:12 to fill (on average) between the kickoff and the end of the final play.
Wide open orbital slots/space over the equator as in 'the geosynchronous orbit around the earth'. I didn't think I had to spell that out. My apologies to our short bussers.
they arent wide open they are regulated by a governing body each nation gets so many slots to use.
Other than the OTA channels, I watch less than 10 cable channels at all. USA, Lifetime, HGTV, Epix1,Syfy, TNT, A&E, &ESPN for Monday night football(which I can easily live without). Just give me a generic DVR with a guide(and no monthly fees like TiVo) and I am out of here.
like stated, we are slowly buying mulitple Tivos to suit our needs. we "cut the cord" a while back, and were ok with it. we have free (chitty) cable in our area.
twc, however, has an internet+tv bundle that includes more channels than we get in AT120 and will cost $10 more per month than what we currently pay for internet. once we get the equipment, all we will need is the cable cards.
Dish has been great, DIRT made it better, but the price has become obscene for the amount of TV we actually watch.
If they raise the monthly rate another $10-$15, I'll be making some serious package changes...there's just no way that another $10-$15/month is sustainable in my budget...
And shortly after that, if the price increase is more than $9/mo...I'll have some decisions to make...
I have to keep asking for $20.00 discounts for 6 months twice a year , just to make up for some of the extra FEES that I get charged now for a hopper/super joey/joey setup.
Tivo is now allowing one fee of $15.99 a month and it cost nothing monthly for the Tivo minis ( like joeys),other than the $149.00 for each one that you buy. But if you add the 4 tuner Tivo for just ota and a couple of tivo minis, you can get the same mocca setup and pay only $15.99 a month instead of $12.00 for the hopper, $10.00 for the super joey and $7.00 for the joey = $29.00 monthly in equipment FEES. IF the ota Tivo isn't your setup , you can do a 4 tuner Tivo for both cable and ota or get a Tivo for 6 tuners for cable . This setup would be comparable to what DISH could do with the hopper /joey setup . IF DISH would just cut the fees on joeys alone, they become more competitive with Tivo.
Tivo is now allowing one fee of $15.99 a month and it cost nothing monthly for the Tivo minis ( like joeys),other than the $149.00 for each one that you buy. But if you add the 4 tuner Tivo for just ota and a couple of tivo minis, you can get the same mocca setup and pay only $15.99 a month instead of $12.00 for the hopper, $10.00 for the super joey and $7.00 for the joey = $29.00 monthly in equipment FEES. IF the ota Tivo isn't your setup , you can do a 4 tuner Tivo for both cable and ota or get a Tivo for 6 tuners for cable . This setup would be comparable to what DISH could do with the hopper /joey setup . IF DISH would just cut the fees on joeys alone, they become more competitive with Tivo.
What pisses me off is that my owned equipment has the same fee as leased receivers.
Just think how much money DISH would make if they allowed you to do purchased receivers with NO Extra FEEs attached. I'm sure a lot of people would consider this option instead of the never ending FEES.
