# Lets keep all of this in perspective folks



## SteveHas (Feb 7, 2007)

A multi million dollar satellite is a complicated piece of technology.
Things can go wrong
CSRs say what they are told
there are no conspiracies here
DirecTV never promised 9/19 or 6 AM on 9/19
the new channels will come
lets keep this all in perspective here :grin:


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## Standtall29 (Sep 16, 2007)

Well Daaa!!!! We all know that.


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## betterdan (May 23, 2007)

Standtall29 said:


> Well Daaa!!!! We all know that.


Then why did you post that Directv let you down in another thread? You just said said everyone knows that they never officially promised the new channels on 9/19 at 6 am so how could they have let you down?


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## pharmer53 (Jul 13, 2007)

Standtall29 said:


> Well Daaa!!!! We all know that.


Well Daaa, if you are one of the few who has things in perspective, then why reply like a smart...


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## SteveHas (Feb 7, 2007)

SatNoob said:


>


sadly
this is not true, just cruise around here folks, people are going nuts!!!!!!!!!!!!
SatNoob chill dude


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## BSHERRIS (Dec 11, 2006)

The only real mistake that Directv made here was making this a last minute decision change. They NEVER should have started the automated calls yesterday, as well as telling all the retention and CSR representatives that this was happening today.

The amount of grief they are going to suffer PR wise is going to be severe, and they could have easily avoided this.

Lets face it here, the decision-makers at Directv are not the brightest folks.

B.


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## Standtall29 (Sep 16, 2007)

pharmer53 said:


> Well Daaa, if you are one of the few who has things in perspective, then why reply like a smart...


You Can say what you want. You are hurt also Sh** I am, they fed us the wrong info thats all im saying. Its there D**m Sat they do what they want to.:nono2:


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## betterdan (May 23, 2007)

BSHERRIS said:


> The only real mistake that Directv made here was making this a last minute decision change. They NEVER should have started the automated calls yesterday, as well as telling all the retention and CSR representatives that this was happening today.
> 
> The amount of grief they are going to suffer PR wise is going to be severe, and they could have easily avoided this.
> 
> ...


I guess I missed it, what automated calls were they making yesterday? Are you talking about the one asking if you had a B Band Converter? I got that call a few weeks ago.

As for telling the CSR's that it was going live this morning, do you think they did it as a conspiracy or do you think they may have planned to go live then something bad happened to prevent it? If you believe the latter then how could they have avoided something they didn't plan on happening?

If not being able to look into the future and be able to avoid things that you don't know will happen makes someone not the brightest then we all must be dim.


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## SteveHas (Feb 7, 2007)

BSHERRIS said:


> The only real mistake that Directv made here was making this a last minute decision change. They NEVER should have started the automated calls yesterday, as well as telling all the retention and CSR representatives that this was happening today.
> 
> The amount of grief they are going to suffer PR wise is going to be severe, and they could have easily avoided this.
> 
> ...


automatic calls (the ones about having the BBCs) started a month or so ago. I got mine in August, so did my neighbors


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

SteveHas said:


> A multi million dollar satellite is a complicated piece of technology.
> Things can go wrong
> CSRs say what they are told
> there are no conspiracies here
> ...


How do you reconcile "CSRs say what they are told" with "DirecTV never promised 9/19 or 6 AM on 9/19"?


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## betterdan (May 23, 2007)

SteveHas said:


> ...just cruise around here folks, people are going nuts!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ahem...



Standtall29 said:


> You Can say what you want. You are hurt also Sh** I am, they fed us the wrong info thats all im saying. Its there D**m Sat they do what they want to.:nono2:


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## pharmer53 (Jul 13, 2007)

Standtall29 said:


> You Can say what you want. You are hurt also Sh** I am, they fed us the wrong info thats all im saying. Its there D**m Sat they do what they want to.:nono2:


WOW. I am somewhat disappointed, but not angry. Things happen and someone tries to post a positive thread, and here comes the whip. Truce


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## BSHERRIS (Dec 11, 2006)

betterdan said:


> I guess I missed it, what automated calls were they making yesterday? Are you talking about the one asking if you had a B Band Converter? I got that call a few weeks ago.
> 
> As for telling the CSR's that it was going live this morning, do you think they did it as a conspiracy or do you think they may have planned to go live then something bad happened to prevent it? If you believe the latter then how could they have avoided something they didn't plan on happening?
> 
> If not being able to look into the future and be able to avoid things that you don't know will happen makes someone not the brightest then we all must be dim.


Plain and simple...when you are dealing with the public, you should play your cards close to the vest and keep you information as conservative as possible.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

I am a terrestrial broadcast engineer, not a satellite engineer, but it is difficult to see what could be wrong to prevent the activation of ALL channels that they did not discover earlier than last night. Are we to believe that all the testing went OK, but when they "flipped the big switch" nothing happened?

It is hard not to think that the engineering people have known for some time that there might be a decision made not to go online this morning. 

I guess I'd better join the "It's just TV" camp and stop worrying about it.


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## BSHERRIS (Dec 11, 2006)

paulman182 said:


> I am a terrestrial broadcast engineer, not a satellite engineer, but it is difficult to see what could be wrong to prevent the activation of ALL channels that they did not discover earlier than last night. Are we to believe that all the testing went OK, but when they "flipped the big switch" nothing happened?
> 
> It is hard not to think that the engineering people have known for some time that there might be a decision made not to go online this morning.
> 
> I guess I'd better join the "It's just TV" camp and stop worrying about it.


AGREED 100%!!!


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## JFHughes08088 (Mar 24, 2007)

a week from now, when there is new HD content, all this will be forgotten. To think there is some conspiracy on the part of D* or that they are doing this on purpose is just silly. It's in their best interest to get the satellite transmitting


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## betterdan (May 23, 2007)

BSHERRIS said:


> Plain and simple...when you are dealing with the public, you should play your cards close to the vest and keep you information as conservative as possible.


They did. They never officially announced the HD launch.
You didn't answer my questions though.


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## BSHERRIS (Dec 11, 2006)

betterdan said:


> They did. They never officially announced the HD launch.
> You didn't answer my questions though.


You want answers? Call Directv...they are running this circus.


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## Ed Campbell (Feb 17, 2006)

SteveHas said:


> automatic calls (the ones about having the BBCs) started a month or so ago. I got mine in August, so did my neighbors


They began making the calls, again, yesterday. I was called for the 2nd time - yesterday. I was also called in August.

All I have to do, this morning, is yank the Post I had scheduled to publish online at the blog where I'm an editor. The one where I praised D* for being the Leader in HD.


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## BSHERRIS (Dec 11, 2006)

Ed Campbell said:


> They began making the calls, again, yesterday. I was called for the 2nd time - yesterday. I was also called in August.
> 
> All I have to do, this morning, is yank the Post I had scheduled to publish online at the blog where I'm an editor. The one where I praised D* for being the Leader in HD.


Leader in HD?? Har har har!!! :hurah: :hurah:


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## betterdan (May 23, 2007)

BSHERRIS said:


> You want answers? Call Directv...they are running this circus.


I didn't ask Directv anything I was asking you. You should have been a politician with the way you dodge the questions. :lol:


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## TimGoodwin (Jun 29, 2004)

Ed Campbell said:


> They began making the calls, again, yesterday. I was called for the 2nd time - yesterday. I was also called in August.
> 
> All I have to do, this morning, is yank the Post I had scheduled to publish online at the blog where I'm an editor. The one where I praised D* for being the Leader in HD.


You can put that back on the shelf for a while longer I guess.


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## BSHERRIS (Dec 11, 2006)

betterdan said:


> I didn't ask Directv anything I was asking you. You should have been a politician with the way you dodge the questions. :lol:


No...I have a job to get to...and I stand by my original comments. If you want more elaboration, call Directv...this is their screw-up.


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## MIAMI1683 (Jul 11, 2007)

Ok so whats official? I spoke with them last night also, and she said Tommorrow, she didn't say 6am though. Is there any truth to another delay? If so where did ya find it from them? I read the post from the link it doesn't give any sources! I would be interestd to see what sources or what they have to say about it. Atleast SF is HD for me I would like more too, but I am not dissapointed yet cause the day isn't over yet.


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## FlyBono24 (Jan 3, 2007)

Yes they did promise 9/19 when they told every CSR that works for them to tell customers that date. So everyone that called and asked for the date got the answer: 9/19.

9/19 is here, it's past 6 AM (which was NOT announced but is usually the time they "flip the switch") and there are NO NEW CHANNELS. Let's see how this unfolds in the morning and what kind of bull**** excuse they come up with now.


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## Jon D (Oct 12, 2006)

raott said:


> How do you reconcile "CSRs say what they are told" with "DirecTV never promised 9/19 or 6 AM on 9/19"?


Believe it or not, it IS possible to communicate plans without making promises. Never heard the qoute "I/We promise..." from anyone at DirecTV.


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## HOPPER810 (May 20, 2007)

i know i'll get flamed,but come on folks like another poster said it's only tv.my family's healthy,we have food in the house.so damn cool it the channels will come. i have other more important things going on to be upset over some tv chanels with more clarity not being turned on. get off the couch play with your kids,take a walk,gees do something besides cry and moan over some tv programs.


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## Jon D (Oct 12, 2006)

FlyBono24 said:


> Yes they did promise 9/19 when they told every CSR that works for them to tell customers that date. So everyone that called and asked for the date got the answer: 9/19.
> 
> 9/19 is here, it's past 6 AM (which was NOT announced but is usually the time they "flip the switch") and there are NO NEW CHANNELS. Let's see how this unfolds in the morning and what kind of bull**** excuse they come up with now.


NO!! They did NOT promise 9/19! They planned on 9/19. They were pretty sure about 9/19. Something happened and 9/19 didn't work out. Simple as that.

I don't understand why people want to make this into some kind of sinister conspiratorial act at DirecTV.

Good Lord! People are completely losing their minds over this! :nono:


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## Jon D (Oct 12, 2006)

HOPPER810 said:


> i know i'll get flamed,but come on folks like another poster said it's only tv.my family's healthy,we have food in the house.so damn cool it the channels will come. i have other more important things going on to be upset over some tv chanels with more clarity not being turned on. get off the couch play with your kids,take a walk,gees do something besides cry and moan over some tv programs.


Amen.


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## ptimmerm (Jan 8, 2007)

I hate to be the one to point this out (I guess others have too)..... but this is just TV. It's not the end of the world. Good things come to those who wait.


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## Goodwrnch03 (Feb 23, 2007)

HOPPER810 said:


> i know i'll get flamed,but come on folks like another poster said it's only tv.my family's healthy,we have food in the house.so damn cool it the channels will come. i have other more important things going on to be upset over some tv chanels with more clarity not being turned on. get off the couch play with your kids,take a walk,gees do something besides cry and moan over some tv programs.


+1

Get a life people..........


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## Azdeadwood (Aug 18, 2007)

ptimmerm said:


> I hate to be the one to point this out (I guess others have too)..... but this is just TV. It's not the end of the world. Good things come to those who wait.


It is the lies that make us all angry.

In early January Directv announced the "YEAR of the HD".

SO here we are on September 19th - over 9 months latter with exactly ZERO more HD.

That is why I'm pissed off.

Dish still is the leader in HD - as it has been all year!


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## purtman (Sep 19, 2006)

"Year of HD" or "Year of DirecTV HD"? 
I had problems when they did the software download at around 3 a.m. this morning. That's there the problem went askew. The tech I spoke to said the lines were jammed with everybody calling. I will bet that all available engineers are working on this.


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## MIAMI1683 (Jul 11, 2007)

I never heard them say 6am. I read all the time about this stuff and know how it goes with software and firmware and all. Be patient with it. They will get it working asapif it is software anyways. Midnight tonight if there's no hd then complain I guess. Since the day isn't over yet try to relax.


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## Dolly (Jan 30, 2007)

Well I would bet the rent that Charlie at E* is laughing his you know what off about this situation.


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## RUBBLE (Mar 6, 2006)

I See It As I Still Got New Hd Channels To Look Forward To. Once They Are Here The Anticipation Is Over And You Say "now What". Kinda Like When The Red Sox Win A World Series.


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## betterdan (May 23, 2007)

BSHERRIS said:


> No...I have a job to get to...and I stand by my original comments. If you want more elaboration, call Directv...this is their screw-up.


Good way to dodge the questions. I'll just take that as you have no clue.


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## JLucPicard (Apr 27, 2004)

For all of those that seem to be so whizzed off about this, I'm guessing you should really count your blessings. If your life is so good that your anger is raised by something like this, you must have it pretty good overall!

On the other hand, maybe your life is so miserable if one of the only things that can make you happy is getting HD on your TV and not getting it is enough to set you off.

Personally, I'm not doing anything different today because the HD isn't lit up yet than I would if it had been lit up. I'll go to work, come home, watch some TV and you know what? There will still be programming coming through on my TV. Imagine that.


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## betterdan (May 23, 2007)

FlyBono24 said:


> Yes they did promise 9/19 when they told every CSR that works for them to tell customers that date. So everyone that called and asked for the date got the answer: 9/19.
> 
> 9/19 is here, it's past 6 AM (which was NOT announced but is usually the time they "flip the switch") and there are NO NEW CHANNELS. Let's see how this unfolds in the morning and what kind of bull**** excuse they come up with now.


Wrong. Not everyone was told 9/19 as the date. It was never officially announced. If you trust CSR's you are gonna be disappointed time and time again. As much as that sucks it's just the way it is.


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## betterdan (May 23, 2007)

Azdeadwood said:


> It is the lies that make us all angry.
> 
> In early January Directv announced the "YEAR of the HD".
> 
> ...


Actually the year isn't over so how did they lie?


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## tealcomp (Sep 7, 2007)

betterdan said:


> Wrong. Not everyone was told 9/19 as the date. It was never officially announced. If you trust CSR's you are gonna be disappointed time and time again. As much as that sucks it's just the way it is.


Ditto! Betterdan, JLucPicard:

GEESH everyone, take a CHILL PILL, all things in their good time. When is the last time anyone on here took something a CSR said to heart ?

All of the speculation in the world will not change when this will happen. In this world there are so many people wondering where their next meal will come from; on the other hand we are wondering when our HD programming will be available 
Kind of puts things in perspective for me.

-Dan


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

purtman said:


> "Year of HD" or "Year of DirecTV HD"?
> I had problems when they did the software download at around 3 a.m. this morning. That's there the problem went askew. The tech I spoke to said the lines were jammed with everybody calling. I will bet that all available engineers are working on this.


Purtman, what happened at 3AM? I was up at 1 and up at 4:30, and everything looked the same as last night on my TV.


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## BSHERRIS (Dec 11, 2006)

betterdan said:


> Good way to dodge the questions. I'll just take that as you have no clue.


I was NOT dodging any questions, SIR, I was trying to be a little succinct in my comments. Since that is not sufficient for you, my dear Directv apologist, I will give it to you longform.

Directv, through their CSRs, retention representatives, and publicity channels ALL indicated that the start of their HD expanded rollout would be this morning.

Since I figure it is safe to assume that all the angry folks here this morning are not ALL under the wrong impression, it is safe to assume that this morning IS the target date/time that Directv has been shooting for, and repeatedly informing people about.

IF, at the end of business yesterday afternoon, they had made the decision to delay the rollout this morning, they should have damn well posted a statement on their website, and not allowed folk here - some of the most avid, and dedicated Directv customers - to go through the night with the impression that there would be something to see this morning. THEY DID NOT!

So, at the very least, they are guilty of horrendous public relations handling in this matter.

The MORNING of your projected rollout is NOT -- I repeat N-O-T - the time to tell your customers, "Ooops, sorry, not today...we have a problem."

So, you can apologize for Directv all you want, it is not going to change any of the above facts!

B.


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## sarfdawg (Jan 21, 2007)

HOPPER810 said:


> i know i'll get flamed,but come on folks like another poster said it's only tv.my family's healthy,we have food in the house.so damn cool it the channels will come. i have other more important things going on to be upset over some tv chanels with more clarity not being turned on. get off the couch play with your kids,take a walk,gees do something besides cry and moan over some tv programs.


Welcome to the board, by the way! 

To add to what you said, there are stretches of time that I stay away from the boards for this very reason. If someone up there "flips the switch," then I'm pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, I was up until late into the eveving/early morning, and now I'm mildly disappointed. Kind of like the "watched pot" thing...not sure how that goes, but you know what I mean!

VOD mildly caught me by surprise, and what a surprise it was!!


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Did we keep it in perspective when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

They can't do this to us!

Remember...Never, never, never give up. 

May God have mercy upon our enemies, because we won't.

Go on men and women! Take the battle!
I'll be right behind you 

I love the sight of HD in the morning


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## BSHERRIS (Dec 11, 2006)

betterdan said:


> Wrong. Not everyone was told 9/19 as the date. It was never officially announced. If you trust CSR's you are gonna be disappointed time and time again. As much as that sucks it's just the way it is.


Dan...you really are a kool-aid drinker...

Directv's CRS are the company's most immediate and direct contact with the public. If the information they are disseminating is wrong, IT IS DIRECTV'S FAULT!

To try and absolve Directv from responsibility for this delay by saying that their CSRs are not responsible for what they are telling the public, is just plain apologist excuses, and nothing more!

B.


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## Jon D (Oct 12, 2006)

Azdeadwood said:


> It is the lies that make us all angry.
> 
> In early January Directv announced the "YEAR of the HD".
> 
> ...


And you can prove that DirecTV intentionally misled you how? In order to have lied they would have had to have WILLFULLY MISLED you. So. Before you start maligning someone's integrity you might want to be sure you can back it up.


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## sarfdawg (Jan 21, 2007)

BSHERRIS said:


> I was NOT dodging any questions, SIR, I was trying to be a little succinct in my comments. Since that is not sufficient for you, my dear Directv apologist, I will give it to you longform.
> 
> Directv, through their CSRs, retention representatives, and publicity channels ALL indicated that the start of their HD expanded rollout would be this morning.
> 
> ...


Dude, seriously. With all due respect...and, I do say this with respect...

I bet over 90% of all DirecTV customers have NO CLUE that the rollout is supposed to be today, this week, or this month. In fact, I'd venture to say that most don't even really do more than flip on the TV and enjoy their share of channels.

I have two close friends, both with the HD package, and they had no clue that we were even remotely close to having new HD channels. Quite frankly, I'm not sure that they care.

We, on dbstalk, are a very small niche that pay attention to dates. We are miles from being mainstream. If retention gets a bunch of calls and complaints today, it will not be from Joe Consumer because of "promises."


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## BSHERRIS (Dec 11, 2006)

sarfdawg said:


> Dude, seriously. With all due respect...and, I do say this with respect...
> 
> I bet over 90% of all DirecTV customers have NO CLUE that the rollout is supposed to be today, this week, or this month. In fact, I'd venture to say that most don't even really do more than flip on the TV and enjoy their share of channels.
> 
> ...


Oh, I quite agree.

But what is your point?

That this delay will only have minimal impact in the overall because only a small percentage of us are 'In the know?"

Perhaps you are right...but once this gets out into the entertainment and business news, Directv is going to take a broadside hit - THIS, you can be sure of.

B.


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## Steveknj (Nov 14, 2006)

Maybe they meant 6AM Pacific time 

Seriously, the dumbest thing that D* did was tell their CSRs to tell people 9/19!! As someone who works on various projects that require timelines and due dates, one thing I have learned is NEVER give out a date unless you are 99.999999999% sure that it will happen, because if it doesn't, then there are LOTS of irate people who will want explanations. D* could have simply told their CSRs that HD is coming SOON, we don't have a date. This way they are covered. Sure, you will get some insistant customers that want one, but, if you give out ANY kind of date, either tentative or hard, and it doesn't happen, people will be more irate. Look at the folks here on this board who are "in the know" and have taken this date as the gospel truth. See how irate people are getting? Now you know why Earl and the folks who have a real inside with D* are not saying much.

Look, crap happens, this is technology. Think about all the computer crashes, cell phones not working, and even snowy reception on your indoor antenna back in the day. We'll get HD when we get it. Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy what we have. And if you can't, E*, or your local cable company will be glad to have you as a customer. I know I'm NOT jumping ship over this.


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## FlyBono24 (Jan 3, 2007)

betterdan said:


> Wrong. Not everyone was told 9/19 as the date. It was never officially announced. If you trust CSR's you are gonna be disappointed time and time again. As much as that sucks it's just the way it is.


So was it just a coincidence that almost every CSR in every D* call center has said the same specific date for the last week or two?

They don't just pull the date out of their ass, ya know.  This came from high up and trickled down to them through the various links in the chain of command. And whoever the "high up" person was just lied to a lot of their paying customers.


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## chopperjc (Oct 2, 2006)

I am upset, I know it is only TV and I have posted that before. The "news blackout" is what is frustrating. Yes I was told by a CSR (not that I consider that a reliable source) the 19th. Many people have been. Let's also face reality this is not the first time D* has not come through after promises made. I would be happy with a news release that gave details and what the future plans are. I am not going to leave and go to another company. I like D* and the product but how many times can a company cry wolf? I would just like the truth. As a customer that is how I judge a vendor that I use. 


BE HONEST D*!

You can of course spin it (the great american term for misleading) but in the end I disagree that the statements were not out there from D* and their representives. OK so now we will hear well we only officially said by end of month. I have doubts but ok here we go again.


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## SoCool (Feb 16, 2007)

Ken S said:


> Did we keep it in perspective when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
> 
> They can't do this to us!
> 
> ...


The Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?


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## ddrumman2004 (Mar 28, 2007)

JLucPicard said:


> For all of those that seem to be so whizzed off about this, I'm guessing you should really count your blessings. If your life is so good that your anger is raised by something like this, you must have it pretty good overall!
> 
> On the other hand, maybe your life is so miserable if one of the only things that can make you happy is getting HD on your TV and not getting it is enough to set you off.
> 
> Personally, I'm not doing anything different today because the HD isn't lit up yet than I would if it had been lit up. I'll go to work, come home, watch some TV and you know what? There will still be programming coming through on my TV. Imagine that.


Here, here! 
Something told me that the new channels would not be up this morning. I remember calling tech support about the HDMI problem we had shortly after getting HD and was told my H20 would get a software update for that last March!
Well March came and went without the new software so nothing surprises me.

I plan on getting out on my motorcycle today and do the other things I normally do and when I sit down tonight to watch television, if the channels are on, fine. if not, I'll sleep normally like I always do.

I wonder what will happen to the "traffic" on this site once they are up and running.


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## waynebtx (Dec 24, 2006)

SoCool said:


> The Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?


With you there was my dad and history teacher
wroung all these years???


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## saryon (Aug 12, 2007)

People never get that "1941" with John Belushi reference do they?


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## gresmi (Mar 4, 2007)

SoCool said:


> The Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?


forget it...he's on a roll


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## Steveknj (Nov 14, 2006)

chopperjc said:


> I am upset, I know it is only TV and I have posted that before. The "news blackout" is what is frustrating. Yes I was told by a CSR (not that I consider that a reliable source) the 19th. Many people have been. Let's also face reality this is not the first time D* has not come through after promises made. I would be happy with a news release that gave details and what the future plans are. I am not going to leave and go to another company. I like D* and the product but how many times can a company cry wolf? I would just like the truth. As a customer that is how I judge a vendor that I use.
> 
> BE HONEST D*!
> 
> You can of course spin it (the great american term for misleading) but in the end I disagree that the statements were not out there from D* and their representives. OK so now we will hear well we only officially said by end of month. I have doubts but ok here we go again.


Somebody had to tell the CSRs to say that. If one said it, than maybe they were pulling it out of their butt, but if a bunch of them are saying it, it had to come from a higher source. THAT was D*s mistake as I said earlier. Never promise unless you are almost 99.999999% sure. But anyway, the day has just begun, and maybe it will happen still. I think the odds are probably 50/50. So, before you all go an get ugly on D*, give them the day at least. And then blame the idiot who told the CSRs to say 9/19


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## EMoMoney (Dec 19, 2005)

I feel bad for the 25 people who voted they would call out sick today. They just wasted one.


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## tpm1999 (Sep 5, 2006)

saryon said:


> People never get that "1941" with Jim Belushi reference do they?


Man...get your refrence right...


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## Steveknj (Nov 14, 2006)

saryon said:


> People never get that "1941" with John Belushi reference do they?


Dude, that was Animal House, not "1941"


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## HDTVFreak07 (Sep 12, 2007)

EMoMoney said:


> I feel bad for the 25 people who voted they would call out sick today. They just wasted one.


Ha, I don't feel bad for them at all. They need to get a life! It's only TV!


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## saryon (Aug 12, 2007)

K, got me there.... For some reason I had 1941 in my head. I plead lack of coffee.


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## BSHERRIS (Dec 11, 2006)

Steveknj said:


> Maybe they meant 6AM Pacific time
> 
> Seriously, the dumbest thing that D* did was tell their CSRs to tell people 9/19!! As someone who works on various projects that require timelines and due dates, one thing I have learned is NEVER give out a date unless you are 99.999999999% sure that it will happen, because if it doesn't, then there are LOTS of irate people who will want explanations. D* could have simply told their CSRs that HD is coming SOON, we don't have a date. This way they are covered. Sure, you will get some insistant customers that want one, but, if you give out ANY kind of date, either tentative or hard, and it doesn't happen, people will be more irate. Look at the folks here on this board who are "in the know" and have taken this date as the gospel truth. See how irate people are getting? Now you know why Earl and the folks who have a real inside with D* are not saying much.
> 
> Look, crap happens, this is technology. Think about all the computer crashes, cell phones not working, and even snowy reception on your indoor antenna back in the day. We'll get HD when we get it. Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy what we have. And if you can't, E*, or your local cable company will be glad to have you as a customer. I know I'm NOT jumping ship over this.


Steve:

I agree entirely about your statement that Directv should NEVER have quoted a date...HUGE MISTAKE! And unfortunately, they are going to receive a LOT of grief for having done so.

B.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

saryon said:


> K, got me there.... For some reason I had 1941 in my head. I plead lack of coffee.


1941 - very underrated movie IMO.


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## jimb726 (Jan 9, 2007)

saryon said:


> People never get that "1941" with John Belushi reference do they?


It wasnt 1941 it was Animal House wasnt it?


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## timdh (Sep 3, 2007)

BSHERRIS said:


> To try and absolve Directv from responsibility for this delay by saying that their CSRs are not responsible for what they are telling the public, is just plain apologist excuses, and nothing more!
> 
> B.


Apparently you have never negotiated with a CSR on the cost of upgrading a receiver. You will get 7 different answers from 5 different CSRs.  I have long ago learned to take anything a CSR says with a grain of salt.


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## Ext 721 (Feb 26, 2007)

DUDES.

People go nuts when they don't have a date, and they go nuts when a date seems to expire.

Compromise, dudes.

at midnight pacific, then begin to worry.


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## Tugboat (Jul 11, 2007)

Some of us remember way back when (oh, late 2006) when Directv's official spokesman, Bob Mercer, said with a straight face (I figure his face was straight) that the HR20 was released with just a few minor glitches, and the vast majority of subscribers were happy with the box after a few software downloads. Completely untrue at the time, but he said it officially (just check back on Directv's official release/comments).

Now this.

Hey, it is just TV and all that. But Directv has a finely-tuned corporate culture of spin and deception (much like its brethren in the cable industry). They do deliver a good product overall (programming-wise), but they are also leaders in the smoke and mirrors category. So is this a surprise? Not for anyone who has been a long-term customer.

It gonna be fun to keep checking the guide to see what new channel is added day by day (at least that's the latest release strategy someone else reported in another thread, as told to him by a CSR. Doh!).


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

Goodwrnch03 said:


> +1
> 
> Get a life people..........


+2 Totally agree. Those of you drooling over E*s HD lineup and knocking D* this morning. Do us all a favor and move to E* already. D* never promised a thing as far as a hard date. We all know CSRs frequently are wrong and this happens to be the case now too. No big surprise.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

It was Animal House, then Winston Churchill, George Patton and of course...Apocalypse now...albeit all a bit twisted.

Lighten up Francis.


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## chuckrollz (Dec 2, 2006)

tick tock tick tock


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## nocaster (Nov 2, 2006)

Around November/December of last year every HR-20 shipped with the OTA tuner disabled. There was some speculation as to what date it might be activated and CSR's were giving out vague dates. There was one date where we all thought the "switch would be flipped" and it came and went. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

Then Santa showed up early and made some of us very happy.

Then the firmware enabling the tuner went national.

Then we didn't talk much about it anymore.

This anticipation for the new HD channels is much like us waiting on OTA on a much bigger scale. It will happen. We watched a successful launch and tracked the new satellite all the way to its final parking spot. We now see transponders "lit up" from this same satellite. Any number of catastrophic failures could have happened from the launch pad to the final orbit. The channels will come online when they are ready.


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## MikeR (Oct 6, 2006)

We should keep this in perspective...just blows to have invested this amount of $$$$ into a service, only to be left disappointed with the ROI. 

Anticipation of having a great date...only the date ended up being with a transvestite.


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## fwlogue (Dec 6, 2006)

BSHERRIS said:


> They NEVER should have started the automated calls yesterday,
> B.


They did not start this call yesterday I have received at least 3 over the past month. Even the emails I have gotten confirming orders and notifying of statement ready have had the same info on them.


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## kirkus (Mar 21, 2006)

Ken S said:


> It was Animal House, then Winston Churchill, George Patton and of course...Apocalypse now...albeit all a bit twisted.
> 
> Lighten up Frances.


And remember that HD Technology is very complicated. It's all ball bearings nowadays . . . didn't you guys know that?


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## Ext 721 (Feb 26, 2007)

timdh said:


> Apparently you have never negotiated with a CSR on the cost of upgrading a receiver. You will get 7 different answers from 5 different CSRs.  I have long ago learned to take anything a CSR says with a grain of salt.


Yeah, and I'm sure if one accidentally says $99 after three others all say $299, that one with the $99 quote is the one people will "believe" and stick to, and whine "why can't you people be consistent"

My suggestion...before you ask about price, ask if they can order one. It's not advised to ask the ticket-taker the cost of a hot dog.


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## dedalus_00 (Sep 8, 2007)

OK guys, I have a confession to make. It's really all my fault that the new HDs didn't go live this morning. 
You see, I called DirecTV's cheif engineer last night and said that all of us here at DBSTalk are having SOOOO much fun anticipating the new HD channels that I would hate to see it all end by those channels actually being delivered.
So please, stop blaming DirecTV and blame me. And look on the bright side, we have a lot more anticipation to look forward to. Might it be days? Weeks? Months? Who knows!!!!


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

kirkus said:


> And remember that HD Technology is very complicated. It's all ball bearings nowadays . . . didn't you guys know that?


I bet they didn't use Quaker State and probably didn't lubricate the Fetzer valve properly!


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## betterdan (May 23, 2007)

FlyBono24 said:


> So was it just a coincidence that almost every CSR in every D* call center has said the same specific date for the last week or two?
> 
> They don't just pull the date out of their ass, ya know.  This came from high up and trickled down to them through the various links in the chain of command. And whoever the "high up" person was just lied to a lot of their paying customers.


So you talked to every CSR in every call center? I don't think so. I talked to a CSR and so did some others and they said the HD channels should be out by the end of September. Sorry to ruin your conspiracy theory.


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## betterdan (May 23, 2007)

BSHERRIS said:


> So, you can apologize for Directv all you want, it is not going to change any of the above facts!
> 
> B.


Sorry it took so long to respond but I was at work, you know that thing people do when they aren't sitting at home whining about something that was never guaranteed to happen anyway. 

Ok to reply to your statement, I am not apologizing, just stating the facts. I too am disappointed that the channels weren't on this morning but come on guy this isn't life or death here and again there was no date set in stone stating when the channels would be out. All the whining in the world will not change that fact. You are just going to have to wait for the channels like the rest of us.


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## hankmack (Feb 8, 2006)

I suspect that 99.9% of HR20 owners are not aware there may have been a (possible) delay in adding the HD. Get a life, it is only TV!


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## gopherhockey (Mar 24, 2003)

SatNoob said:


> I'm tired of people saying get a life, it's only TV. We pay thousands of dollars for TV service, equipment and we spend countless hours watching it. When I hear this i wonder what these people are even doing on a forum dedicated to TV service(s). I'm not angry about HD service not happening yet, but I'm also not surprised some people are.


I don't post here often, but I wanted to say...

Well said!

Being in the IT field I've also learned to ignore these stupid promised and speculated dates. Its all vaporware and marketing crap until it happens - and thats typically months later, not days.


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## FlyBono24 (Jan 3, 2007)

SatNoob said:


> I'm tired of people saying get a life, it's only TV. We pay thousands of dollars for TV service, equipment and we spend countless hours watching it. When I hear this i wonder what these people are even doing on a forum dedicated to TV service(s). I'm not angry about HD service not happening yet, but I'm also not surprised some people are.
> 
> So to you I say, get a life it's a TV forum goto to off topic.


I agree.

It's a forum for PEOPLE WHO WATCH TV... and some of these $#$%$ keep saying "It's only TV, quit whining". 

If they don't care that much for TV then why don't they LEAVE? Instead of mocking us who actually care about what's going on and are tired of the lies and false promises.


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## EMoMoney (Dec 19, 2005)

hankmack said:
 

> I suspect that 99.9% of HR20 owners are not aware there may have been a (possible) delay in adding the HD. Get a life, it is only TV!


You being the 0.01%?


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## SteveHas (Feb 7, 2007)

lotta anger issues here folks
I LOVE TV
I LOVE HD TV, 
I am incredibly [email protected]#d off that they didn't go live today
but they will eventually go live
this forum is degrading quickly 
its a shame
I will be FAR more [email protected]#d off if they want me to pay more money for more HD channels the same channels that will eventually be the broadcast norm in 2009
Santa didn't come, but he will
thats my perspective


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## hankmack (Feb 8, 2006)

SteveHas said:


> lotta anger issues here folks
> I LOVE TV
> I LOVE HD TV,
> I am incredibly [email protected]#d off that they didn't go live today
> ...


I got interested in this forum when I was considering switching from Dish to Direct and finding out about the HR20. Thanks to some excellent posts and info I did get the HR 20 and am very happy. I will be even happier to see more HD, I watch TV about 2-3 hours a day even though I am retired. I do watch much longer when watching baseball, college football and NFL. I am just very surprised at some of the emotions expressed on this thread that the "delay" is causing. A former business associate of mine advised me to stop worrying about things you can not do anything about, concentrate on things you can do.


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## Jestr40 (Jul 23, 2007)

Ken S said:


> I bet they didn't use Quaker State and probably didn't lubricate the Fetzer valve properly!


Okay, I got the STRIPES ref, but you lost me with the ball bearings. :grin:


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## betterdan (May 23, 2007)

Love HD, spent a lot on the equipment, like this forum, I am disappointed but not angry enough to act like a fool about HD channels that were never officially announced.

Don't be a whiner.


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## Meglos (Mar 17, 2006)

hankmack said:


> I got interested in this forum when I was considering switching from Dish to Direct and finding out about the HR20. Thanks to some excellent posts and info I did get the HR 20 and am very happy. I will be even happier to see more HD, I watch TV about 2-3 hours a day even though I am retired. I do watch much longer when watching baseball, college football and NFL. I am just very surprised at some of the emotions expressed on this thread that the "delay" is causing. A former business associate of mine advised me to stop worrying about things you can not do anything about, concentrate on things you can do.


And that's exactly what everyone is doing. Doing what they can do: *****ing about stuff on an on-line forum.


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## shendley (Nov 28, 2005)

"Lies and false promises"? Isn't that just a bit over the top here? A lot of CSRs said the 19th was the _expected date for launching the new HD channels. I don't think anyone promised or lied (why would they lie? do they just want to piss people off?). And as pissed as some people are about not getting their new HD channels today (btw, I wouldn't describe myself as pissed today; disappointed, yes, but not pissed), I wonder how pissed people would have been had DTV gone online with the channels with all sorts of issues cropping up because they weren't really ready. Do space buffs get pissed when NASA has to delay the launch of the Shuttle because of technical difficulties? I suspect not - disappointed, yes: I can understand that. But pissed?



FlyBono24 said:



I agree.

It's a forum for PEOPLE WHO WATCH TV... and some of these $#$%$ keep saying "It's only TV, quit whining". 

If they don't care that much for TV then why don't they LEAVE? Instead of mocking us who actually care about what's going on and are tired of the lies and false promises. 

Click to expand...

_


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

SteveHas said:


> ... the same channels that will eventually be the broadcast norm in 2009 ...


Keep in mind, most (if not all) of the channels that they are adding can continue to be available in Standard Definition for some time to come. The 2009 deadline is for ATSC over-the-air signals .. has nothing to do with the satellite signals that you receive.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

As I understand it, D* has set up a call volume launch time for the new channels. Sort of like a telethon. As soon as the CSR's receive the exact amount of complaints and inquiries to the new HD channels they will turn them on. I am not sure that posts or threads are included.


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## henryld (Aug 16, 2006)

armophob said:


> As I understand it, D* has set up a call volume launch time for the new channels. Sort of like a telethon. As soon as the CSR's receive the exact amount of complaints and inquiries to the new HD channels they will turn them on. I am not sure that posts or threads are included.


What the ****?:eek2:  :nono2:


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

henryld said:


> What the F**K?:eek2:  :nono2:


forgot the smiley again, sorry, ammended


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## MikeR (Oct 6, 2006)

armophob said:


> forgot the smiley again, sorry, ammended


!rolling !rolling !rolling !rolling

It really didn't need one.


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## GordonT (Apr 17, 2007)

A lot of people are focusing on what D* did or didn't promise, and whether they should or shouldn't have announced a specific date/time beforehand.

But I have not seen anyone talk about the other side of the coin. Why are so many people so anxious to know when the new channels are going to go online? Because, as far as I can tell, there's not going to be any kind of explicit notification when they *do* go online. Are we going to get a message popup when we turn on our TV telling us to look in our inbox? A phone call (like the automated ones about the BBC's? In the absence of some sort of explicit notification, are we supposed to scan the guide for new channels every time we turn on the TV? And I'm not just talking about the small percentage of users who read this forum. What about the "average" D* user who knows that there are new HD stations coming sometime, but has no idea whether its this week or next month? Does that mean they don't care? Is it OK if they don't happen to tune to CNN or The History Channel or one of the other 10-15 channels until a week or more after they go online?

Bottom line; I wouldn't mind them not pre-announcing things as long as they plan to make sure that the vast majority of their HD customers will know it ASAP when the new channels are there. And I have not heard anything that leads me to believe they are going to do that.


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## K4SMX (May 19, 2007)

Please see my post #237 in the other thread to put this all in perspective for you...


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Jestr40 said:


> Okay, I got the STRIPES ref, but you lost me with the ball bearings. :grin:


Fletch

"Fletch: Awww, come on guys, it's so simple maybe you need a refresher course. [leans arm on hot engine part, then jumps away] Heyya! It's all ball bearings nowadays. Now you prepare that Fetzer valve with some 3-in-1 oil and some gauze pads, and I'm gonna need 'bout ten quarts of anti-freeze, preferably Prestone. No, no make that Quaker State."


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## gonzlobo (Jul 4, 2006)

You folks need to get a life. It's just TV. Go outside, kiss a girl, read a book.


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## bwaldron (Oct 24, 2005)

armophob said:


> forgot the smiley again, sorry, ammended


I personally didn't think it was needed


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

bwaldron said:


> I personally didn't think it was needed


2nd motion passed and re-ammended


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