The Dish Network Universe will be paradise after CES

[TNGTony]

I keep seeing post saying something to the effect, "Dish is probably waiting for the CES to...[fill in the blank]". This is usually in relation to new features, channels, equipment, customer offers, etc.

I looked throught the Dish Channel Chart changes logs going back to 2001. I cannot find even one instance of something super-significant actually happening for CES. I look and I see lots of releases for what Dish PLANS to do, but never anything substancial.

Last year Charlotte HD locals were made available in Jan 20 and A&E HD became available on Jan 30. Neither were in conjunction with CES. At the same time BET was removed from the Dish Latino packages and Current was added to the line-up.

Really, with the exception of 2006 when the FamilyPack came around just before Dish's largest single price increase in their history, there has been nothing super interesting in January. That is unless you want to count the Lifetime Networks disaster with resulted in Oxygen being added in January 2006 as well

Or the Viacom Disaster in January 2004?

In 2002 there were a ton of local channels added courtesey of the Congress, the FCC and the SHVIA. Not CES

So do we REALLY expect Dish to do anything like the announcement of 157,254 new HD channels? I don't. But what do I know.

See ya
Tony < -- currently Mr. Killjoy Schleprock.

 

[digiblur]

The only thing different is DirecTV has stepped out front and everyone is expecting it to happen at CES.

 

[DishSubLA]

I think this is the one time Charlie may really announce something significant only because it will be a bit closer to some plans coming to fruition a few months later. But, we shall see.

 

[tigerfan33]

I keep going back and forth on this one. On one hand Tony is right, Dish has rarely made a big positive splash at CES with programming. On the other hand Dish is behind the eight ball right now. Not only Direct is ahead but cable companys are gaining fast. Last year at the CES Direct made it's big announcement with 100 hd channels at the end of '07. Maybe this year Charlie will want to show them up with something. If I were a betting man, I would give it about a 30% chance at a splash.

 

[nlk10010]

I keep seeing post saying something to the effect, "Dish is probably waiting for the CES to...[fill in the blank]". This is usually in relation to new features, channels, equipment, customer offers, etc.

I looked throught the Dish Channel Chart changes logs going back to 2001. I cannot find even one instance of something super-significant actually happening for CES. I look and I see lots of releases for what Dish PLANS to do, but never anything substancial.

-snip-

So do we REALLY expect Dish to do anything like the announcement of 157,254 new HD channels? I don't. But what do I know.

See ya
Tony < -- currently Mr. Killjoy Schleprock.

I'm afraid I have to agree with you. It's ALWAYS this way. When uplinked channels don't appear it's : "they're waiting for the Tech Talk". When that doesn't happen it's "they're waiting to make an announcement on the next CC". Then it's "CES". Hope springs eternal. It's like your favorite team just before the season begins. THIS year it's going to be different. Hey, there's nothing wrong with hope. Definitely not calling anyone stupid (it probably would apply to me rather than anyone else in any case) but recalling Einstein's definition of stupidity might be relevant here.

The evidence is that Charlie doesn't care what we care about. He's apparently aimed at a completely different target.

COULD there be an announcement that we consider major at CES? Sure, but if there is it won't be for the reasons WE think. As it stands, without new satellites up, there is absolutely no reason to think this CES will be different from the majority of the previous ones.

=NLK=

 

[B_Kranski]

I personally think with the seperation of dish and echostar into seperate divisions...I think that there will be less focus on the TV part then the hardware part. I also think the merger with slingbox points to that direction. He is probley putting more eggs into the how much can we make off of hardware basket then the bread and butter also known as TV sales. Probley costs alot more to operate a satellite company then a hardware company? More money to put new birds up in relation to the profit you get in return? Maybe I am wrong, hope I am wrong, but I could see this all going to either ATT or Direct tv/dish merger. And then there will be one big company, just like the sat. music service. Then two sat companies wont have to duke it out to see who is better all the time.

 

[Stacy A]

Didn't Dish announce the much anticipated 921 at a CES back around 2002 or so? It even won the top award at CES, I think.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I just hope that DISH doesn't just talk about the 722 or the new 612 hd receivers that we haven't seen released yet & that is it. Charlie better speak up and talk about what is going on. His nervous subs and stock holders need some direction and this is not the time to be silent. In 6 months we will have all the hd we could want and this will be a bad memory, but for now Charlie needs to communicate.

 

[Poke]

Yeah I think Dish will be fine...

 

[RandallA]

I agree with Tony and I posted something similar in another thread:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/1159893-post11.html

Dish Network as far as I remember has never made a major programming announcement at CES. All they do is show their future hardware plans that are usually still in the development stages.

 

[Poke]

Yeah Dish does not usually come out and make promises on things that they can not always control. When they can add things they just do it..

 

[db2]

I'd like to take Tony's observation one step further. Not only does Dish not announce anything significant at CES, but they rarely announce anything significant when they "should" announce something.

Every time I have read posts like, "It would be a good move by Dish if they announced X at Cedia" or "Dish better make an announcement regarding X during the next Charlie Chat or they're in trouble" nothing happens.

As many have said, right now Dish (and every other provider) is behind DirecTV in terms of HD. But instead of announcing what and when they will launch more programming, Dish has chosen to do 2 things: 1) Pretend that D* is not ahead of them 2) Talk about how good their DVR is.

CES will be no different.

 

[flyingsquirrel]

CES reality check

So what is the purpose of the Consumer Electronics Show? It is to build excitement and momentum for selling stuff to consumers of electronics.

So would programming announcements do that? Is adding USA or FX or TWC going to build excitement for adding new Dish customers or getting existing Dish customers to buy more stuff?

I don't think so.

So I would not expect programming announcements, unless by coincidence.

The exception might be SPEED HD, since Dish has dumped so much money into NASCAR that they might have a Dish NEtwork show car and a driver in the booth with an HD Dish on the roof of the car. Given the amount of money they are spending on NASCAR tie-ins, it would be stupid not to promote carriage of SPEED HD at launch during the biggest week of the NASCAR year.

SO WHAT WOULD GET PEOPLE TO BUY MORE STUFF? OR extend their committments (almost as important as the stuff for financial reasons).

Looking back at history (things like the 921 and other DVRs, etc.) you could come up with stuff like this:

1) Close ties ins with Slingbox. Perhaps software that allows 622s and 722s to be slingbox base stations and be directly controlled by SlingBoxes through DISHcomm. That would be cool.

2) A VOD tie in. How hard would it be to build software for the 622/722 that would allow them to directly access Netflix or Blokbuster or Voodoo? Probably not that hard. So would it be cool to be able to use DishCOMM to remotely program your 722 to download something from Netflix that you could watch when you get home? Sure it would. I would be interested in that. And homezone already does something like that. And the marketing tie in would help both companies.

3) Sharing HD programming on a home ethernet network. How cool would it be to have a VIP 222 be able to play a recorded program from your 622/722 over an ethernet connection? So Cool that I would sign up that afternoon for a new HD reciever and I might even buy an Aquous to boot for the bedroom! And I would extend the committment, whatever.

3a) Failing the above, how about just being able to use your Hard Drives on all of your VIPs, so that you could take programs from the 622, save them to a Hard drive and then connect the drive to the 222 in the bedroom and play them? I would sign up that afternoon.

The circuitry and programming for either 3 or 3a exist today. It is just a matter of getting it to work and making sure the programmers are on board with whatever DRM scheme needs to be in place to prevent piracy.

I would emphasize that for me, either 3 or 3a would be much more important than any new HD programming. It's something I would use every day. It would get me another HDTV and would save me the cost and complexity of having two DVRs, which I don't really want. I want one central repository, or I want two repositories that can SHARE.

Sure it would be nice to have USA and FX and Speed in HD. But that is not going to get me to spend more money or extend my committment. Cool new features might.

 

[goober]

TNT_HD was announced at CES a few years ago

 

[MikeD-C05]

I am betting that we will hear something about programming this CES. AFter all they have nothing new to talk about in the way of receivers except the 612 and that is old news from last Team Summit. I imagine they will talk about the 722 and the external hard drive support and possibly slingblade media. I don't see what else they could do to add excitement other than: " We have reclaimed some bandwith and we expect to launch up to 10 hd channels starting today and the plan for more hd is in play and we hope to have up to 200 hd channels late this spring or by summer of 2008 with the relaunch of DISH in total MPEG 4. " That would definately get the excitement up at CES. I know it did when Charlie announced the same thing at Team Summit last May.

 

[tigerfan33]

I am betting that we will hear something about programming this CES. AFter all they have nothing new to talk about in the way of receivers except the 612 and that is old news from last Team Summit. I imagine they will talk about the 722 and the external hard drive support and possibly slingblade media. I don't see what else they could do to add excitement other than: " We have reclaimed some bandwith and we expect to launch up to 10 hd channels starting today and the plan for more hd is in play and we hope to have up to 200 hd channels late this spring or by summer of 2008 with the relaunch of DISH in total MPEG 4. " That would definately get the excitement up at CES. I know it did when Charlie announced the same thing at Team Summit last May.

You need to go to work for Dish it their p.r. dept. That is exactly what us subs want to hear. Dish. How difficult can it be??

 

[goober]

You need to go to work for Dish it their p.r. dept. That is exactly what us subs want to hear. Dish. How difficult can it be??

I guess u dont remember the "Super Dish" fiasco a few years ago. They promised 50 channels of HD Vaporware and got burned pretty badly. Thats why they dont say much any more

 

[DWS44]

Hmmm...Let's See...

Big event on Horizon...Dish doing/saying little or nothing...BUT, Dish is then expected to make announcement at big event to make up for it...Everone gets real excited and posts fly about the goodies that may be coming...Big Event takes place and what happens? Dish does/says little or nothing.

nope...never seen that happen, have we?

LOL

 

[MikeD-C05]

You need to go to work for Dish it their p.r. dept. That is exactly what us subs want to hear. Dish. How difficult can it be??

I would if they would pay me . GOD knows I PAY them enough with three different accounts and all the referrals I gave them over the last 11 years. I also have worked with their head engineer over the locals and with the dishquality folks to fix pq problems with the locals. I " moved" a lot in the past . I love their service and have invested many an hour talking about their service and products hoping that they will read and learn what I and others think about them and make changes that will enhance their service. I think for the most part they do indeed read our posts. Scott says they are on these boards daily reading them. We are the cheapest focus groups out there and they don't have to pay us.

I also wish that DISH will get a clue and do exactly what I have posted. I am basing most of what I wrote over what I read last May on the team summit thread. That was where most of my information comes from. Also the fact that Digilbur has posted that they are putting 7 hd channels on one transponder now leads me to think that DISH will do what they have to do to add more hd. I am hoping that between that and the moving of all internationals to 118.5 ,will free up more space for more hd NOW . I know that 148 won't have much on it after the international moves ,which could mean more hd locals for the west coast anyway. They have even been tinkering with the spotbeams on 61.5 that they haven't used up to now , which could mean more hd locals for the east coast. This should tide us over till the relaunch in mpeg 4. I think this will still happen because CHArlie has said last month , that 3 new sats will be launched in 2008. ON the last Charlie Chat they said over 100 dmas will have hd in 2008. That goes right along with what he said last May at team summit. :

I have faith in Charlie and that he will come through for all of us this next year. So I say 2008 will be our year for more hd. I will give him till this summer to make the dream a reality. If I don't see any new hd or plans to do new hd by this summer or add anything in the interim , I will re-evaluate my whole thoughts on DISH and make a decision to change providers. I don't want to leave DISH but loyalty goes just so far.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I guess u dont remember the "Super Dish" fiasco a few years ago. They promised 50 channels of HD Vaporware and got burned pretty badly. Thats why they dont say much any more

That fiasco was because they jumped the gun and announced their plans before they even knew the foot print was for the 105/121 sats. Not to mention the size of those dishes were quite large and cumbersome. Who would want one that big on your house ?

They also screwed up when they used 129 for a slot using the piece of junk Echostar 5. IF they had used one of the spare sats doing nothing like echostar 6 or 8 , they would of avoided a lot of problems with the dish 1000/1000.2 sat dishes and they wouldn't of needed to do side sat dish installs for bigger dishes for 129.

Some of this could of been avoided if they would of tested and thought things through before they talked about them to the public. That being said CHarlie has already said publicly at this year's team summit last May about their plans for hd additions and a relaunch of DISH in mpeg 4. So it wouldn't hurt to fill us in and update the public on why these plans have been delayed and if they are still on track to deliver in 2008.

Loose lips sink ships but deafening silence in the face of the competition is just as bad. It is often interpeted as Nero fiddeling while Rome burns or in this case: Charlie fiddeling while DISH CHURNS.