Sinclair inks deal with D*:

[LonghornXP]

When I read this article on SkyReport I called some of my contacts and have been told this. To start off this deal will include carriage of all sinclair owned HD stations. But be aware that if your sinclair owned station is one of the big four networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) it will be carried from the start while both WB and UPN stations regardless of ownership will be offered a few months after the launch of the big four networks. Now that means that if your local WB or UPN is owned by sinclair it will be carried via D* spaceway sats within months after its launch. I've also heard that Sinclair owned WB and UPN stations could be offered from the start but I needed to give you both options.

For those in the Tampa Bay Area WTTA-DT will be offered in HDTV via satellite by D*.

 

[DobyMax]

How does one find out who owns their local stations?

 

[hancox]

Hmmm - this got me thinking about my market...

NYC has a Fox owned UPN (WWOR) and a Tribune owned WB (WPIX).

Seeing as these are both "superstations" too, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Ramy]

When I read this article on SkyReport I called some of my contacts and have been told this. To start off this deal will include carriage of all sinclair owned HD stations. But be aware that if your sinclair owned station is one of the big four networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) it will be carried from the start while both WB and UPN stations regardless of ownership will be offered a few months after the launch of the big four networks. Now that means that if your local WB or UPN is owned by sinclair it will be carried via D* spaceway sats within months after its launch. I've also heard that Sinclair owned WB and UPN stations could be offered from the start but I needed to give you both options.

For those in the Tampa Bay Area WTTA-DT will be offered in HDTV via satellite by D*.

So does this mean that all big four networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) will go up from day 1 when the new sats go up, or does it mean when D* gets to your DMA on the list they will go up immediately?

 

[Tonedeaf]

So does this mean that all big four networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) will go up from day 1 when the new sats go up, or does it mean when D* gets to your DMA on the list they will go up immediately?

Assume it means when your DMA goes up on the Spaceway sats for Local HD's.

 

[LonghornXP]

Assume it means when your DMA goes up on the Spaceway sats for Local HD's.

Correct. They will roll out the first 12 markets big 4 first while a few months later the WB and UPN locals for those first 12 markets will go online. Here is an example of their rollout idea but don't quote the dates because I'm using them for pure info and understanding.

July 2005 - First 12 markets get big four networks (ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC).
September 2005 - First 12 markets get remaining WB, UPN and PBS HD channel.
September 2005 - Next 10 or so markets for example get their big 4 networks.
December 2005 - Those next 10 new markets get their remaining WB, UPN and PBS HD networks.
December 2005 - The next 10 or so markets big 4 are offered.....

And so on and so on and so forth.

Now with all that said they will be working hard at getting the top 35 markets full HD local lineup (this will include WB, UPN and PBS) up and running by the end of the year. Now the reason you have a few months between the WB, UPN and PBS additions and the next set of markets big 4 is this below.

They need time to upgrade customers dishes and hardware so they can use a gap of two months to get contracts for all the coming networks so they get deals for current markets WB, UPN and PBS HD feeds along with the big 4 contracts for the upcoming markets so by the time that is done they would have the next rollout markets upgraded hardware wise.

I hope you all can see how this is working.

 

[Carter]

Longhorn,

Have you heard what the Ka payload for DirecTV 8 will be used for?

 

[Gator5000e]

LonghornXP, I won't quote you, but do you have idea if D* will add any National HD channels during the time period for the local HD rollout you set out above? Some of us get local HD OTA and are dying for some national HD channels. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[LonghornXP]

LonghornXP, I won't quote you, but do you have idea if D* will add any National HD channels during the time period for the local HD rollout you set out above? Some of us get local HD OTA and are dying for some national HD channels. Thanks for your thoughts.

They will be expanding national HD offerings beyond both TNT HD and ESPN 2 HD by late 2005 and very early 2006. Now what I don't know yet is what specific channels and on what satellites national HD channel will be put on. It would seem a good bet that D* 8 will be used for national HD offerings via its KA payload but I can't say yes or no on that. What I do know is that Spaceway 1 & 2 and/or D*8 will be used for national HD offerings but specifics aren't known yet.

Also the latest I'm hearing for new national HD offerings are TNT HD, ESPN 2 HD, Starz HD and InHD 1&2 but besides that I haven't heard anything else.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Do you know if this will require an installer to visit , or would they mail the dish and the reciever? for some of us do it your selfer's

 

[LonghornXP]

Do you know if this will require an installer to visit , or would they mail the dish and the reciever? for some of us do it your selfer's

My guess is as good as yours but I'm sure we all will find this out sooner rather than later. But to add any new national HD offerings will require replacing current dishes and if they have todo this they might as well replace customers hardware and use MPEG4. Now also be aware that they plan on sending out letters to upgrade current HD customers outside of the top 30 or so markets so they can be ready for new HD offerings by the end of the year and for the future HD LIL coming to their area within a few years. How this all breaks down is unknown but they at least for now are planning to get all HD customers upgraded to spaceway and MPEG4 by the end of the year but the focus will be only on the top 12 markets at first so after that is done they will start scheduling customer upgrades who want national HD offerings but don't want or have HD LIL offerings.

 

[DTV TiVo Dealer]

Do you know if this will require an installer to visit , or would they mail the dish and the reciever? for some of us do it your selfer's

I am sorry to say, but it looks like DIRECTV will only authorized professional satellite technicians to upgrade the dish system. DIRECTV has a big push on training and hiring more Home Service Providers, HSPs.

-Robert

 

[beast37799]

well soon hopefully we shall know what we are getting as far as dish size and recievers and multiswitch

 

[CWS_kahuna]

Thanks for the updates Longhornxp.

Sounds like a nice bunch of channels to be released in the next 8 months or so.

 

[gene1138]

I am sorry to say, but it looks like DIRECTV will only authorized professional satellite technicians to upgrade the dish system. DIRECTV has a big push on training and hiring more Home Service Providers, HSPs.

-Robert

I think that's a bad idea. I think D* would get the migration done quicker if they have the pro installers focus on the people that can't or won't do the installs themselves and let the do-it-yourselfers take care of themselves.

I've installed the small round dish and a gainmaster and all my readings are 95 or higher. It didn't seem very hard to get it right. I would think that the new dish with its probable multi lnb in a single housing a la the phase III dish someone that could accurately hit 101, 110 and 119 shouldn't have a difficult time getting the new sats at 99 and 103 being so close to 101. Unless there is something I'm missing.

I think its the wrong direction to go. Who is the person I need to talk to to stop this from happening?

 

[hdtvtechno]

I would think that the new dish with its probable single lnb package a la the phase III dish someone that could accurately hit 101, 110 and 119 shouldn't have a difficult time getting the new sats at 99 and 103 being so close to 101. Unless there is something I'm missing.

Weren't the new dishes supposed to be 5 LNB's all intergrated together. ?

 

[DTV TiVo Dealer]

The new 5 LNB antenna dish system will have a .66 meter elliptical reflector.

-Robert

 

[ShadowEKU]

ok im confused... sinclair owned the Fox station locally.. does that mean it will be carried on spaceway or that ill be able to pull in the fox hd channel soon?

 

[gene1138]

Weren't the new dishes supposed to be 5 LNB's all intergrated together. ?

Yes. That probably was not the correct wording. Guess I was just fired up that I wouldn't be able to do my own install. It will most likely be 5 lnbs combined into a single houseing.

I've edit my prior post.

 

[LonghornXP]

ok im confused... sinclair owned the Fox station locally.. does that mean it will be carried on spaceway or that ill be able to pull in the fox hd channel soon?

As long as the Fox station is broadcasting HDTV (even if its on low power) you will be getting it via the spaceway satellites without needing an antenna when D* gets to your market. Now if your Fox station isn't broadcasting in HDTV yet than your out of luck on it being carried via spaceway until the station themselves upgrade and broadcast in HDTV.