TMC East/West

[skottey]

This is one of the the craziest thing I have ever seen with Dish. I subscribe to both Dish and my local cable company and I have been for months tweaking my subscriptions with each to get the most channels for the fairest price. I decided to upgrade my Dish account to the 250 pack, where as I had the 100 pack since signing up. This gave me the Encore channels, which were running me $4 a month with my local cable company (BHN). So I dropped those channels with BHN, so all told the 250 pack is really only costing me $19 more a month than I was paying, with the benefit of several other stations I didn't get on BHN, including some HD like National Geographic, Discovery Science, Animal Planet, etc..

Here is the stupid thing....

Since I get Showtime via cable with its greater number of multichannels and On Demand, I don't get it via Dish. BHN does not however package TMC as part of the Showtime pack like Dish does, and commands an extra $10 a month for the four TMC channels and On Demand. Nuts, I know! As far as Premiums go I only get Starz via Dish and Voom and the other HD (if you can call Voom premium, as much as I love Monsters HD).

What surprises me is that I get both The Movie Channel West and The Movie Channel Xtra West as part of the 250 Everything pack, yet I don't get the eastern feeds included. The eastern feeds are part of the Showtime pack. Say what???? It should be all or none, no? So I get half the TMCs with the 250 pack, the western half! It doesn't include Flix 1/2 (east/west) either but I get that already with cable.

Anybody else surprised by this split. Honestly, TMC should be in with Showtime or not, but not divided this way.

 

[steve4810]

East and West TMCs are identical. One is just three hours later than the other.

If you don't already own one, you should get a DVR (622-722) then you just "tivo" what you want to watch and when it was originally on is moot.

You should believe what everyone tells you about owning a DVR: "You will never know how you lived without it". Trust me.

 

[yaz96]

This is one of the the craziest thing I have ever seen with Dish. I subscribe to both Dish and my local cable company and I have been for months tweaking my subscriptions with each to get the most channels for the fairest price. I decided to upgrade my Dish account to the 250 pack, where as I had the 100 pack since signing up. This gave me the Encore channels, which were running me $4 a month with my local cable company (BHN). So I dropped those channels with BHN, so all told the 250 pack is really only costing me $19 more a month than I was paying, with the benefit of several other stations I didn't get on BHN, including some HD like National Geographic, Discovery Science, Animal Planet, etc..

Here is the stupid thing....

Since I get Showtime via cable with its greater number of multichannels and On Demand, I don't get it via Dish. BHN does not however package TMC as part of the Showtime pack like Dish does, and commands an extra $10 a month for the four TMC channels and On Demand. Nuts, I know! As far as Premiums go I only get Starz via Dish and Voom and the other HD (if you can call Voom premium, as much as I love Monsters HD).

What surprises me is that I get both The Movie Channel West and The Movie Channel Xtra West as part of the 250 Everything pack, yet I don't get the eastern feeds included. The eastern feeds are part of the Showtime pack. Say what???? It should be all or none, no? So I get half the TMCs with the 250 pack, the western half! It doesn't include Flix 1/2 (east/west) either but I get that already with cable.

Anybody else surprised by this split. Honestly, TMC should be in with Showtime or not, but not divided this way.

And......???????????????????

 

[skottey]

East and West TMCs are identical. One is just three hours later than the other.

If you don't already own one, you should get a DVR (622-722) then you just "tivo" what you want to watch and when it was originally on is moot.

You should believe what everyone tells you about owning a DVR: "You will never know how you lived without it". Trust me.

Actually, I have three DVRs... a 622 and two with cable. I am also aware that TMC west is TMC, just three hours behind.

But that isn't my point. My point is why would they break up the TMC offerings this way. It is insane!

Thanks for your input.

 

[skottey]

And......???????????????????

What is the point of your reply? If you don't have an answer, if you can't make sense of it either, why reply?

 

[steve4810]

Actually, I have three DVRs... a 622 and two with cable. I am also aware that TMC west is TMC, just three hours behind.

But that isn't my point. My point is why would they break up the TMC offerings this way. It is insane!

Thanks for your input.

Sorry I don't get it. Why would TMC be packaged with Showtime? And why would you want more than one feed?

I guess it's what your'e used to.

 

[jayn_j]

Anybody else surprised by this split. Honestly, TMC should be in with Showtime or not, but not divided this way.

The split is historical and goes back to when what is now the AT-250 pack was created. DISH had problems coming up with enough content to have 50 extra channels. They also wanted to include some premium content so subscribers felt there was some value. The Encore themes and TMC west feeds were about the only thing that wasn't already being offered, so that was what got picked. Been that way for years now.

 

[richiephx]

In the race to become the leader in HD, those who offer both the east and west feed can count each channel even though the programming is identical. It's all about the numbers.

 

[skottey]

The split is historical and goes back to when what is now the AT-250 pack was created. DISH had problems coming up with enough content to have 50 extra channels. They also wanted to include some premium content so subscribers felt there was some value. The Encore themes and TMC west feeds were about the only thing that wasn't already being offered, so that was what got picked. Been that way for years now.

Thank you. This is the explanation I was looking for. Makes sense I guess. Just seemed odd to me that I was getting TMC 1/2 west but not the regular. I just thought it would be all 4 or none. But logic loses out again. Thanks for explaining it well though.

 

[skottey]

Sorry I don't get it. Why would TMC be packaged with Showtime? And why would you want more than one feed?

I guess it's what your'e used to.

TMC is owned by Showtime and sometimes "Showtime Unlimited" has TMCs, Flix, and Sundance in with the Showtimes as part of the subscription. Just like Starz does sometimes with Encore, and sometimes Encore are stand alone. With my cable, TMC is a separate premium channel from Showtime. With Dish, The Showtime subscription includes TMC 1/2 east, a common practice. But one would think TMC 1/2 west would then be a part of that same package and not part of AT250. But instead AT250 has the TMC 1/2 west feeds.. so my question was why Dish split it up, which is an uncommon practice but has been explained and makes sense now.

Thanks

 

[skottey]

In the race to become the leader in HD, those who offer both the east and west feed can count each channel even though the programming is identical. It's all about the numbers.

I know that and that is all fine and well. My quirk is with TMC 1/2 East being part of Showtime Unlimited (I don't subscribe to that through Dish) and TMC 1/2 west are through AT250 (I do get those). Just an unusual way of doing it but no big deal.
My only real concern then is that I won't get TMC HD if they ever add it, and would be dependent on the west feed to which they probably wouldn't add an HD channel. The only reason I don't get Showtime through Dish is that I get a better deal with On Demand for it with cable, and more of the multichannels than Dish offers.

 

[steve4810]

I know that and that is all fine and well. My quirk is with TMC 1/2 East being part of Showtime Unlimited (I don't subscribe to that through Dish) and TMC 1/2 west are through AT250 (I do get those). Just an unusual way of doing it but no big deal.
My only real concern then is that I won't get TMC HD if they ever add it, and would be dependent on the west feed to which they probably wouldn't add an HD channel. The only reason I don't get Showtime through Dish is that I get a better deal with On Demand for it with cable, and more of the multichannels than Dish offers.

My hat is off to you. I thought I was good at stretching a dollar but your mix of cable and dish beats me.

But just you wait. I built a custom OTA antenna array and will put in on the roof this afternoon. At that point I can get all my locals in analog and digital. Then I can turn off cable until Padre spring training.

Beat that!

 

[TNGTony]

There are three channels like this.
Part of AT250

Encore Channel West
TMC West
TMC Extra West

Encore Channel East < Starz Package
TMC East < Showtime Package
TMC East Extra < Showtime Package

 

[skottey]

There are three channels like this.
Part of AT250

Encore Channel West
TMC West
TMC Extra West

Encore Channel East < Starz Package
TMC East < Showtime Package
TMC East Extra < Showtime Package

Yeah... I have Starz so the Encore isn't an issue for me, but you are right, same oddity.

On another note, I am liking the Sirius music stations as an additional perk of the 250. I have XM as a direct subscriber so it is nice to get these music stations too now at home. I wonder what will happen with XM on Direct and Sirius on Dish if and when the merger goes through.

 

[M Sparks]

To follow up on Jays explanation...I BELIEVE what happened with TMC back when AT 250 started was this: Showtime had always included TMC east AND west. They did not carry TMC Xtra. (Called TMC 2 at the time)

When AT250 started up, they changed TMC West to TMC2 East. So Showtime subscribers actually got a new channel. Then they added the West feeds of both to AT 250. I believe the reasoning is, if someone who subscribes to both packages complains they are paying twice for the same channel, it can be pointed out that they get twice as many actual channels. (But they DO pay twice- it's the programming, not the number of feeds.)

They did the same thing with Encore...Starz subscribers get the east feed, which was always there, and AT250 get the west. I don't know if it's still like this, but it used to be that Starz ALWAYS came with at least the main Encore channel. It was part of their contracts.

 

[M Sparks]

oops...didn't see that Tony had already pointed out the Encore thing...

 

[skottey]

oops...didn't see that Tony had already pointed out the Encore thing...

On the subject of Encore... It looks like we are missing Movieplex on Dish. BHN cable and Verizon Fios both have Movieplex. I could be wrong, but I think Movieplex takes a day of each week and takes the feed of one of the Encore multichannels (ie WAM, Love Stories, Drama, Westerns) and airs that feed on this special channel so non-subscribers can get a feel of the Encore channels. BHN has Multiplex free in its analog under 100 tier. It seems to be missing from the Dish lineup.

 

[TNGTony]

Dish uplinked it at one time, but never made it available. It really is a waste of bandwidth. Dish could make its own "preview Plex" if it wanted to by mirroring the channels on a rotating basis in the 200 block if they wanted to.

The Encore channels (Encore west + the other 5 but not WAM) are available for $5 added to AT100 and up and part of AT250

See ya
Tony

 

[skottey]

Dish uplinked it at one time, but never made it available. It really is a waste of bandwidth. Dish could make its own "preview Plex" if it wanted to by mirroring the channels on a rotating basis in the 200 block if they wanted to.

The Encore channels (Encore west + the other 5 but not WAM) are available for $5 added to AT100 and up and part of AT250

See ya
Tony

Between BHN and Dish I get all the Starz, Encores, HBOs, Cinemax's, Showtimes, Voom, etc.. all I am missing is the eastern feeds of TMC, and I can get around that by means of DVR if there was something I wanted to see and was at a bad time. Encore is probably the one I watch the least, and it's big sister Starz seems to have a lot of repeats, even worse than the HBOs. Starz Comedy had The Birdcage on yesterday and today it was on again in an earlier time slot on the same channel. They've got to be kidding me! I just feel like I am missing something if I don't subscribe to everything, but it sure has its cost. I pay over $200/mo between the two, not including cable Internet. But I have heard of people on here subscribing to cable, Dish, DirecTV, etc, so I guess I am not so bad, haha.