# DISH needs to move forward



## Steve H (May 15, 2006)

Now that the 4.01 release is underway I think it would be a nice time for Dish to start taking care of their (IMHO) other HD problem. I think that for every major market that Dish has the four major network feeds for thir customers they (Dish) should get contracts in place with those networks for HD service as well as SD service. Why is it that in some cities Dish and one or more of the networks cannot agree to provide HD service while at the same time the same network does provide HD to cable and D*?

We all pay the same price for the HD package but we do not all receive the same service.......................

I think Charlie should put this HIGH UP on his priority list.


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## garys (Nov 4, 2005)

Sounds simple enough, , but it is a HUGE Undertaking. Also, working out the contracts are a two way street. Some of the locals want more money than Charlie thinks he should pay for. HD versions of the networks need a new contract for each, plus bandwidth is need to uplink them. So even if you are talking about four channels in each market, and lets just say in 100 markets (I know there are more than that), you are talking about 400 HD channels. Some would be uplinked via Fiber Optic cable, other via OTA (and there may be other ways to obtain the signals). Providing 400 digital/HD channels in one fell swope is no easy task.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

Of course, there are customers like me that are paying exactly the same price for my HD that you in the 'major markets' are paying, but are so far down the HD locals list we probably will never see them.

So for me, I would prefer that the Golf channel (which IS available in HD) and SciFi be brought into the HD lineup...


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## robert koerner (Aug 20, 2005)

Thanks to the FCC, Dish has to pay local stations.

Another option would be to broadcast each major network, nation wide, instead of having to broadcast 1,000s of local stations.

If you want to watch a local "news" broadcast, you could download it from the internet, or record it over the air.

Bob

PS: ever wonder why we can't buy SAT sigs from Canada or Mexico?


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## kkozma (Mar 1, 2007)

Or in the very least allow those of us who do not have local HD offered through dish the ability to recieve local programming guide info. If my locals were re-broadcast on dish in HD I would absolutely pony up the $5 extra for it just so that I have the extra tuner to record one local and watch another (my tv doesn't have a tuner).


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## Mike D-CO5 (Mar 12, 2003)

IF Dish could make deals with the major networks and bypass the affiliates , then we could get network programming just like a movie premium pack. Then if they would come up with some way to get ota antennas installed for everyone that can receive ota signals, they could satisfy the local part too. All without needing to deal with each local station in the country.


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## garys (Nov 4, 2005)

Unfortunately FCC, local networks and local advertisers will never allow one set of HD locals.


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## dclaryjr (Mar 11, 2007)

robert koerner said:


> PS: ever wonder why we can't buy SAT sigs from Canada


There is very little you can't buy if you have the money!:up_to_som


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## joebird (Sep 15, 2003)

Except for HD RSNs, apparently.


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## Chandu (Oct 3, 2005)

joebird said:


> Except for HD RSNs, apparently.


What are you talking about?

If you had the money, you would get HD RSNs from local cable or DirecTV or whoever else is offering them, in addition to keeping your DISH subscription.

Or better yet, if you had the money you would launch your own HD RSN if none exists in your local market yet.


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## SMosher (Jan 16, 2006)

Chandu said:


> What are you talking about?
> 
> If you had the money, you would get HD RSNs from local cable or DirecTV or whoever else is offering them, in addition to keeping your DISH subscription.
> 
> Or better yet, if you had the money you would launch your own HD RSN if none exists in your local market yet.


I'm sitting on the fence with both D* and E* subs just for the HD RSNs from D*, and now MLB EI.


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## PghGuy (Oct 13, 2006)

robert koerner said:


> Thanks to the FCC, Dish has to pay local stations.
> 
> *Another option would be to broadcast each major network, nation wide, instead of having to broadcast 1,000s of local stations*.
> 
> ...


The problem you run into has to do with local advertising with the commercials (which is why you can't get locals from another city). A national broadcast of the major networks would not be able to provide the commercials that companies paid to air in specific local markets (plus there are different time zones that would complicate this). What you are suggesting is really no different than someone requesting the locals from another city because all dish would have to do is provide HD locals for a couple major cities across the country (maybe in each time zone) and let customers suscribe to those local channels if they wanted them in HD, but as we know you can not get locals from another city. It's really the same issue from a national broadcasting perspective.

If I had to download my local news over the internet just to watch it, I doubt I would be a dish customer...or at least be a dish and cable customer (which takes cash away from Dish). As much as I love dish network, I watch the local news several times a day (school closings, traffic, weather, etc.)


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## dclaryjr (Mar 11, 2007)

joebird said:


> Except for HD RSNs, apparently.


Apparently--but that wasn't what I was addressing. You CAN get sat signals from Canada.


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## santafeguy (Jan 31, 2007)

It really comes down to money, like people have said. For instance, here in the ABQ/Santa Fe market...NBC, ABC, PBS, & FOX are all available in HD and carried by DISH. But CBS isn't because the company that owns it wants more money. Which is why you can't get them in HD with any provider. (Comcast, DISH, or DirecTV) The really funny thing is, the FOX affiliate is owned by the same company and IS available. :nono2:


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## Steve H (May 15, 2006)

I could understand if bot Dish and D* did not carry the same HD network in one market but when one does and the other doesn not I think the $$$ may be only part of the problem. Why would a network channel hod one carrier "hostage" and sell to the other?


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Steve H said:


> I could understand if bot Dish and D* did not carry the same HD network in one market but when one does and the other doesn not I think the $$$ may be only part of the problem. Why would a network channel hod one carrier "hostage" and sell to the other?


TV stations are permitted to deal independently with each satellite carrier (and cable). It could be that their price is equal and E* just doesn't want to pay that much --- it could be that the station somehow prefers one carrier over the other. E*'s stand seems to be that they don't want to pay for signals unless it is an absolute must. Paying in one market makes it easier for the next market to demand payment. Sometimes it is better to play hardball and not get stuck in the pattern of having to pay more and raise rates to cover it.

E*'s rates went up $3 this year with D*'s new customer rates raising $5 (with the exception of the highest D* package). E* still has more national channels on their system than D* (296 channels in AEP vs 254 in Premier, which is $5 more).

Customers end up paying for the way that each system negotiates. D* pays and raises rates more, E* holds off and raises rates less.


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