Uplink Activity Report - 11/6/2008 3:39pm - 47 changes

[tigerfan33]

There is no customer frustration.

There is frustration amongst a dozen or so guys who constantly press the F5 button on this Forum on Wednesday afternoon.

When you bought your HDTV, there were still millions of Dish customers who had not even heard of HDTV.

My in-laws recently bought an HDTV (they had not heard of HD when I bought mine), and when I next visit there, I am pretty sure that they will have been watching stretched SD channels all this time, thinking they are HD.

Someone in the regular Dish Network Forum here mentioned another factor, that Dish and DirecTV and cable companies are in negotiations with Fox and CBS over renewal of rights to local channels. Those are the same two companies that own most of the HD channels not currently on Dish Network.

Dish actually provides far more "honest rapport" with customers than most companies. Where is the "Charlie Chat" on DirecTV? On Comcast ? on Sony ? Microsoft ?

During the last chat, they were asked about the Viacom HD channels, and the reply was "we are in negotiations and hope to add them by the end of the year".

"More rapport" would have to be technical details, which would not mean much to customers and would be frowned upon by the negotiators, i.e. "we offered them 15 cents per channel for 2 years, and they countered with 19 cents per channel for 3 years, and ... "

Channels are only not available when there is a technical problem or a contract problem. 12 million customers don't want day-to-day updates.

db2. You are so right. Chuck is in the house.

I got one important question Chuck. (I hope you don't mind if I call you Chuck)

When your Volunteers go out and get a football coach, will you be in charge of the search committee and will you conduct the search the way you run your Dish company??

Chuck. I sure hope so because I am a fan of every SEC school but yours!!

 

[kstuart]

db2. You are so right. Chuck is in the house.

I got one important question Chuck. (I hope you don't mind if I call you Chuck)

I don't mind if you call me Chuck, but I will correct you, that I am more like "Chuck" on NBC at 8pm Mondays, than "Charlie" (I am a software engineer and went to Stanford). I never worked at Best Buy, though...

 

[Pat A]

Wow, finally some additioal HD for us in the great white north.....they are finally using that empty spot beam they have been transmitting up here for months.
I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I have to question the logic of the channel choices. TWC?? I would much rather have DiscoveryHD or HistoryHD. (I don't think I have ever watched the weather channel......now I will be able to watch the weather forcasts for the lower 48 in HD....great!!)!sadroll

 

[sammy4041]

Wow, finally some additioal HD for us in the great white north.....they are finally using that empty spot beam they have been transmitting up here for months.
I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I have to question the logic of the channel choices. TWC?? I would much rather have DiscoveryHD or HistoryHD. (I don't think I have ever watched the weather channel......now I will be able to watch the weather forcasts for the lower 48 in HD....great!!)!sadroll

The content of TWC may be questionalbe, but the picture is awesome. There are a few good things to watch on there.

 

[ehren]

If they aren't going to add any HD atleast convert ESPNHD to MPEG 4 already! God I am sick of watching the compression suffer on that channel when watching NBA games.

 

[Nick1Toast]

I probably missed this somewhere, but why the mirror channels on 6201,2,3,4,& 6 with channel ID labeled TNT, HDNET, HDNETM, ESPN, HDTHR but no program descriptions?

 

[kstuart]

I probably missed this somewhere, but why the mirror channels on 6201,2,3,4,& 6 with channel ID labeled TNT, HDNET, HDNETM, ESPN, HDTHR but no program descriptions?

So that owners of MPEG2-HD receivers can still watch their programs, while they are waiting for their replacement MPEG4-HD receivers to be installed.

By changing the 9xxx channels to not work with old receivers, it gives people a further kick in the pants to make the change.

 

[Nick1Toast]

So that owners of MPEG2-HD receivers can still watch their programs, while they are waiting for their replacement MPEG4-HD receivers to be installed.

By changing the 9xxx channels to not work with old receivers, it gives people a further kick in the pants to make the change.

Thanks for the answer K.

 

[waltinvt]

There is no customer frustration.

There is frustration amongst a dozen or so guys who constantly press the F5 button on this Forum on Wednesday afternoon.

While I concede everyone may not be frustrated, I believe it's a bit more than 12.

When you bought your HDTV, there were still millions of Dish customers who had not even heard of HDTV.

Depends which one. My first in 2004 - yes, probably but my last one (last July), I doubt it. Unless you don't do tv at all or your antenna livers under a rock somewhere, everyone's at least heard about HDTV, if even only in conjunction with the impending digital transition.

My in-laws recently bought an HDTV (they had not heard of HD when I bought mine), and when I next visit there, I am pretty sure that they will have been watching stretched SD channels all this time, thinking they are HD.

I DO hear ya there

Dish actually provides far more "honest rapport" with customers than most companies. Where is the "Charlie Chat" on DirecTV? On Comcast ? on Sony ? Microsoft ?

I didn't say they didn't talk to us - it's what they say and how they say it. Instead of the usual smoke & mirrors of "we expect "up to X" channels by year's end" or "we plan to offer that soon" and then using HDPPV "fillers" to "up" the channel count, they could be a whole lot more realistic about their plans without getting into what you call "technical details"

"More rapport" would have to be technical details, which would not mean much to customers and would be frowned upon by the negotiators, i.e. "we offered them 15 cents per channel for 2 years, and they countered with 19 cents per channel for 3 years, and ... "

No, more rapport would be improving the company-customer relationship by increasing their credibility, which happens when their projections and excuses are more realistic and honest.

 

[wassupTC]

No, more rapport would be improving the company-customer relationship by increasing their credibility, which happens when their projections and excuses are more realistic and honest.

Well said!

 

[Bobby H]

Credibility (or lack thereof) is the key factor in why a lot of E* customers are not too happy right now.

People in my local DMA who have upgraded to an HD package have been expecting to see the HD versions of those local channels made available. Instead, every target date has been missed. And in the last addition of HD local channels, our DMA (which was one of 7 markets to have HD locals added) was the only one out of the group to not see anything added at all. Many of the others got only 1 channel added. Meanwhile DirecTV is adding HD local markets at an impressive pace.

DirecTV may not have a Charlie Chat or anything like that. But I also don't see them promising a lot of things they cannot deliver either. I think E* would be better served if their executives just kept their mouths shut about what will or won't be added and only make announcements when the additions actually happen.

 

[Bill Millar]

Bobby H,
Wichita Falls Texas is supposed to be up and running November 19, we shall see this time, but you will have to have a differnt dish.

 

[Bobby H]

Oh, I don't mind adding a wing dish for 61.5°.

Still, I am militantly taking the "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude when it comes to Dish doing anything with the Wichita Falls, TX - Lawton, OK market. They've been promising and proposing target dates for half a year and missing all of them. It won't be anything different if they blow it on November 19 either.

I won't expect them to get it done until they already have got it done. For now, they're the Keystone Cops until they actually accomplish something substantial. Given with what happened with the last HD LiL's "add", I wouldn't be too surprised to see E* only light up 1 single channel in this market rather than doing a legitimate add where all four major network stations are added in HD. If they light up only one channel, I won't bother adding another wing dish and extending my contract.