Thoughts and ponderings....

[bcshields]

I've been sitting back and soaking up all of the info that has happened in the past week or so and I'd like to weigh in on the a few things...

Rainbow 1: Those spot beams are going to be virtually useless at 61.5. Everyone is hoping for more HD, and Local in Local HD, which, frankly, is the only programming area left to explore. It also takes alot of bandwidth. With the 18 month ruling on local channels being on 'one dish' it makes alot of sense to move Rainbow one, once aquired, to either 110 or 119. This, along with E*10, which should launch within the next 18 months, should make a huge impact on your Dish 500 capacity and ability to provide more HD and LILHD. Not to mention what effect MPEG4 will have on the capacity as well.

I just hope Dish bribes the right people over at the FCC in order to git 'er done.

 

[korsjs]

good idea, makes to much sense, won't happen.

 

[GregN]

1) E* will have EchoStar 10 at 110 in six months they may not do anything till this bird is in place and FCC approval.

2) E* needs a replacement for Echostar III at 61.5.

3) D* is chasing LIL HD with KA band (unproven technology and costly to implement)

4)Two dish FCC law only applys to analog LiL not digital/HD.

5)There is no "must carry FCC law" for Digitals HD LiL.

I see Rainbow one staying at 61.5 doing HD LIL (top ten HD LiL markets on wings for 05) this way they will not need to replace any costly hardware. (6000, 811, 921's, 942)

06 they will go Mpeg4 with Motorola STB's?

 

[dishrich]

Rainbow 1: Those spot beams are going to be virtually useless at 61.5.

Not necessarily - if E* wanted to, they could use those to put up most, if not all the remaining DMA's for about 2/3's of the US easterly, simliar to what D* is doing @ 72.5. (just not using spotbeams) Granted, people in these DMA's would have to have a 2nd 18" dish to get their locals, but wouldn't be better than not at all.