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 Satellite : CBS CEO: Dish's Ad-Zapper Is Illegal |
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May 18, 2012 - 11:38 PM - by fatone147
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CBS CEO: Dish's Ad-Zapper Is Illegal
By Swanni Washington, D.C. (May 18, 2012) -- CBS CEO Les Moonves told the Wrap.com yesterday that Dish Network's new Auto Hop feature, which eliminates network commercials during recorded playback, is illegal.
"They can't put our content on without commercials," Moonves told the web site. "They just can't do it. It's illegal." The CBS executive stopped short of saying the networks would sue Dish, but he added, "You never know."
Moonves' comment is the latest salvo in the networks' attack on Auto Hop, which was added last week to the satcaster's Hopper HD DVR. The feature, which automatically skips commercials, only works with the set-top's 'PrimeTime Anytime' network recordings. (The Hopper automatically records all primetime shows on ABC, Fox, NBC and CBS.)
NBC Chairman Ted Harbert last week said Auto Hop was an "insult" and an "attack" and Fox announced that it would not run any Dish commercials that promoted Auto Hop.
Moonves said Auto Hop could dramatically change how the networks operate, saying it would be impossible to produce a show like CSI without viewers seeing the show's ads.
Dish has maintained that Auto Hop merely gives viewers what they want -- an easier way to watch their favorite shows without commercial interruption. But Moonves' comment yesterday suggests that the networks will not allow it to continue without a fight.
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0 Replies | 13 Views
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Satellite : Dish claims $7 billion GDP pop from network plan |
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May 17, 2012 - 10:43 PM - by fatone147
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Dish claims $7 billion GDP pop from network plan
Denver Business Journal by Greg Avery, Reporter
Date: Thursday, May 17, 2012, 2:55pm MDT - Last Modified: Thursday, May 17, 2012, 7:13pm MDT
Dish Net Corp. estimates the wireless broadband network it is planning will increase the U.S. economy by $7 billion annually and create 28,000 jobs.
But the Douglas County-based satellite TV company wants a proposed Federal Communications Commissions deadline for an early phase of the network’s construction moved back by one year.
Those were the main points made by Charlie Ergen’s 14-million subscriber satellite TV company Thursday in a response to the FCC’s proposed rules for Dish Network’s use of its wireless network frequencies.
The 40 megahertz Dish owns is one of the largest unused swaths of spectrum suitable for wireless broadband. Dish — whose 14 million subscribers make it the U.S.’s second-largest satellite TV company — wants to use the spectrum to launch services competing with the likes of AT&T , T-Mobile and Verizon wireless.
Dish Network (Nasdaq: DISH), in its FCC response, pointed to economic studies on the impact of wireless broadband to show every 10 megahertz of spectrum used for mobile broadband increases the U.S. gross domestic product by $1.7 billion, adds at least 7,000 jobs and generates $468 million in revenue for the government.
Extrapolating that to its 40 megahertz, Dish Network arrived at the $7 billion in GDP growth, 28,000 added jobs and nearly $1.9 billion in added government revenue.
Dish spent $2.9 billion acquiring the frequencies by buying TerreStar and DBSD North America satellite companies out of bankruptcy in 2011.
Dish Network needs FCC permission to use the satellite companies’ frequencies for wireless broadband. The FCC proposed rules March 21 that mostly permit what Dish Network wants
But Dish asked Thursday for a few modifications to the FCC proposal.
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0 Replies | 32 Views
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Satellite : Peachtree TV is back on Dish after three months |
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May 17, 2012 - 10:40 PM - by fatone147
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Peachtree TV is back on Dish after three months
7:43 pm May 16, 2012, by Rodney Ho
 Martin Prado and the Braves can now again be seen on Peachtree TV for Dish customers. Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com
Atlanta Braves fans who happen to get Dish Network have missed a few games this year because of a dispute with Peachtree TV that goes back to early February.
But the dispute over “restransmission” fees is over. Dish and Peachtree TV, after three months, have resolved their differences and the network is back on Dish.
Peachtree TV is owned by Turner but run by Meredith Broadcasting, which owns CBS Atlanta. That’s why over the months you’ve seen crawls about the battle on WGCL-TV.
“We’re pleased on behalf of our customers – especially Braves fans – to be able to offer that channel again,” said Steve Caulk, a spokesman for Dish out of Denver.
Braves fans with Dish missed 10 games. Peachtree TV airs 45 games a year, the next ones on Friday and Saturday vs. the Tampa Bay Rays. You can see the schedule here.
Otherwise, Peachtree TV airs repeats of shows that can be seen elsewhere, including “The Big Bang Theory,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Meet the Browns” and “The Office,” to name a few.
Dish does not release how many customers it has in Atlanta, though based on its national numbers, its base is probably smaller than rivals such as Charter, DirecTV and Comcast.
Dish has also announced it plans to drop AFC, IFC, WE-TV and Sundance at the end of June so if you like “Breaking Bad” or “Braxton Family Values,” you might be out of luck.
Here is Dish’s explanation:“AMC Networks channels such as IFC, WE, AMC and Sundance overall have had significant declines in viewership among DISH subscribers. AMC Networks’ very limited popular programming is non-exclusive, and available to our customers through multiple other outlets such as Amazon.com, iTunes and Netflix.
“Our decision to drop AMC Networks’ channels is solely dependent on their high renewal cost when compared to their low viewership. DISH will make alternative high-value channels available to our customers as replacements.”
But it’s more complicated than that. There is some litigation between VOOM, a subsidiary of AMC, and Dish over whether Dish dropped a deal with VOOM in a breach of contract. Here’s how AMC explains it:May 4: As a result of a new ruling in the ongoing VOOM
HD/DISH litigation, the case is now set for trial. In the latest ruling, filed on
Thursday, April 26, 2012, the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme
Court denied DISH’s application to further appeal a prior trial court decision
sanctioning it for bad-faith destruction of evidence in the case.
The case began in 2008, when VOOM HD (an indirect subsidiary of AMC
Networks (NASDAQ: AMCX)) sued DISH Network for breach of contract. The
case concerns a contract in which DISH agreed to carry a suite of HD networks
known as VOOM for 15 years. In early 2008, DISH improperly terminated the
VOOM contract, and VOOM HD filed suit, seeking over $2.5 billion in damages.
In a pre-trial ruling, the trial court judge ruled that DISH had destroyed evidence
in the case, citing DISH’s “pattern of egregious conduct and questionable – and,
at times, blatantly improper – litigation tactics.” The Appellate Division recently
affirmed the trial court ruling, writing that DISH “acted in bad faith in destroying
electronically stored evidence.” And on April 26, 2012, the Appellate Division
denied DISH leave to further appeal the decision, leaving the case to be set for
trial.
Within days of the denial of DISH’s final avenue of pre-trial appeal, DISH
informed AMC Networks of its intention to drop its award-winning networks.
In response to the latest developments, AMC Networks released the following
statement: “AMC Networks has some of the most acclaimed programming on
television, with shows like “Mad Men,” “The Walking Dead” and “Breaking Bad.”
In fact, AMC’s “The Walking Dead” is the number one scripted drama with DISH
subscribers.
It is unfortunate that, because of setbacks in an unrelated litigation, DISH even
suggests that they might deny their customers access to some of their favorite
networks and and shows that are offered by every other major satellite and cable TV
provider.”
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0 Replies | 28 Views
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Satellite : Tornado takes home, Dish takes $300 |
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May 17, 2012 - 10:35 PM - by fatone147
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Tornado takes home, Dish takes $300
Posted: 05/17/2012
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 By: John Matarese,
Many people have switched from cable to satellite TV services because satellite TV tends to cost a bit less.
But there are some downsides: You are no longer dealing with a local cable company. And if there's a local issue or tragedy, as one man learned, you may not get the same service.
Tornado Destroys House
It's impossible for people in the Cincinnati area to forget the TV images from March 2, 2012, when a line of tornadoes ripped through Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.
Among the hardest hit areas: Peach Grove and California, Kentucky, two small communities along the Ohio River, about 20 miles east of Cincinnati.
Jeff Demoss lived there, and had his life turned upside down March 2, when storms and strong winds ripped apart the modular home he and his fiance had just moved into.
He showed 9 News a photo album of the devastation.
"That's the frame of my house," he said. "It was across the road up in the tree."
Dish Wants Their Equipment Back
About the only thing left was the post with their electric meter and satellite dish for Dish Network.
"So we called to cancel our service, and told them what happened," Demoss said. "Basically they said 'No problem, it will be taken care of.'"
Only there was a problem: Their rented Dish Network receiver, the box under the TV set, was lost.
"We kept getting letters in the mail saying 'You are going to have to return the receiver, or we will have to charge you $300 for it,'" Demoss said.
Demoss says he even asked an emergency management official to contact dish. But a couple days later, Demoss said they had the money taken out of their account.
Customer Complaints Not Unusual
Dish Network gets a "C Plus" rating from the Better Business Bureau, with 13,000 complaints the past three years.
However, Dish's contract states leased equipment must be returned "undamaged and in working order," so legally the company did nothing wrong in this case.
But when we contacted Dish Networks's media relations department, a spokeswoman promised to look into Demoss's complaint immediately. Dish now tells us it will issue a full refund to Demoss and his fiance, and apologizes for the oversignt.
Demoss just wanted a little understanding as they try to rebuild.
"I understand that they want their property back," he said. "But I don't have it. I can only tell them so many times I don't have it."
Has Happened Before
Satellite companies have faced similar complaints in the past about fees for lost equipment after a storm, such as following the Joplin, Mo., and Alabama tornadoes in 2011.
Ultimately in that case, Dish Network, DirecTV, and local cable services all agreed to waive fees for storm victims. But just like in this case, the waiver wasn't always automatic for those who lost their homes and equipment.
So if you ever lose cable or satellite equipment to an act of God, you need to escalate the complaint. Don't take the first "no" you receive for an answer.
That way you don't waste your money.
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0 Replies | 24 Views
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Satellite : Network Execs Blast Dish's Ad Zapper |
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May 15, 2012 - 9:36 AM - by fatone147
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Network Execs Blast Dish's Ad Zapper
By Swanni Washington, D.C. (May 15, 2012) -- NBC and Fox network executives yesterday blasted Dish Network's new 'Auto Hop' commercial zapper, saying it's an "insult" and an "attack."
The feature, which was added last week to Dish's new Hopper HD DVR, allows viewers to watch the playback of a network show without ever seeing the commercials. (Auto Hop works with the set-top's 'PrimeTime Anytime' network recordings. The Hopper automatically records all primetime shows on ABC, Fox, NBC and CBS.)
Unlike the Fast Forward button on a DVR, Auto Hop automatically removes the commercial without the viewer doing a thing.
"I think this is an attack on our ecosystem," NBC Chairman Ted Harbert told reporters yesterday at an NBC promotional event in New York. Harbert added that it was an "insult to our joint investment in programming."
Peter Rice, chairman of the Fox Entertainment Group, also had harsh words for Dish enabling the Ad Hop, saying "it seems to be a strange thing (for Dish) to do," writes the Los Angeles Times.
However, the executives stopped short of saying that they would sue Dish for installing the Ad Hop on Hopper HD DVRs. The hesitation may be industry disagreement over whether the suit would be successful. DVR pioneer ReplayTV offered a similar ad-skipping feature more than a decade ago and the networks sued. But the case failed to get a final adjudication because ReplayTV went out of business.
Now the ad-skipping controversy is back and Dish, headed by the highly litigious Charlie Ergen, would be a more formidable opponent than ReplayTV.
There's also the possibility raised here last week that Dish is merely using the Auto Hop as leverage in future carriage negotiations with the networks. The satcaster could offer to remove the ad-skipping feature in return for lesser fees to carry the networks.
The 'retransmission' disputes between TV providers and programmers has gotten increasingly testy in the last few years due largely to the programmers demanding more money to carry their channels.
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0 Replies | 41 Views
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Satellite : Free Preview of Showtime Coming to DirecTV |
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May 14, 2012 - 11:16 AM - by fatone147
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Free Preview of Showtime Coming to DirecTV
Free Preview for: Showtime
Available to Subscribers of: DirecTV
Free Preview Begins: June 15, 2012 (Friday)
Free Preview Ends: June 17, 2012 (Sunday)
If you’re a DirecTV customer, you’ll be able to catch a free preview of Showtime June 15-17.
Channel Lineup:
545 – 558 – Showtime
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0 Replies | 102 Views
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Satellite : Satellite : Free Preview of HBO & Cinemax for DirecTV |
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May 14, 2012 - 11:03 AM - by fatone147
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Free Preview of HBO & Cinemax for DirecTV
Free Preview for: Cinemax, HBO
Available to Subscribers of: DirecTV
Free Preview Begins: June 8, 2012 (Friday)
Free Preview Ends: June 11, 2012 (Monday)
There’s going to be a free preview of HBO and Cinemax on DirecTV June 8-11 to promote the return of True Blood.
There’s also a free preview of HBO and Cinemax on Cox going on at this time and a free preview of HBO on Dish this month.
T
Channel Lineup:
501-511 – HBO
515 – 523 – Cinemax
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0 Replies | 60 Views
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Satellite : Free Preview of HBO for Dish |
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May 14, 2012 - 11:01 AM - by fatone147
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Free Preview of HBO for Dish
Free Preview for: HBO
Available to Subscribers of: Dish
Free Preview Begins: May 14, 2012 (Monday)
Free Preview Ends: May 16, 2012 (Wednesday)
Dish is having a free preview of HBO May 14-16. You can find the included channels below.
Channel Lineup:
300 – HBO
301 – HBO2
302 – HBO Signature
303 – HBO West
304 – HBO2 West
305 – HBO Family
307 – HBO Comedy
308 – HBO Zone HD
309 – HBO Latino
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0 Replies | 95 Views
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Satellite : Dish Free Preview of Universal Sports |
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May 14, 2012 - 10:55 AM - by fatone147
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Dish Free Preview of Universal Sports
Free Preview for: Universal Sports
Available to Subscribers of: Dish
Free Preview Begins: May 3, 2012 (Thursday)
Free Preview Ends: May 15, 2012 (Tuesday)
Dish will be having a free preview of Universal Sports May 3-15.
Channel Lineup:
402 – Universal Sports
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0 Replies | 97 Views
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Satellite : Satellite : Dish Promotes Free 24-Hour 'Test Drive' Of Slingbox |
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May 14, 2012 - 10:54 AM - by fatone147
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Dish Promotes Free 24-Hour 'Test Drive' Of Slingbox Features to Cable, DirecT
Dish Boosts Video Quality In 'TV Everywhere' iPad App
Satellite Op Promotes Free 24-Hour 'Test Drive' Of Slingbox Features to Cable, DirecTV Subs
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 5/11/2012 4:56:18 PM
Dish Network released a revamped app iPad app for "TV Everywhere" access that improves video performance -- particularly for the new iPad's higher-resolution screen -- enhances the on-screen guide and also allows access to the operator's Blockbuster on-demand titles.
The satellite TV operator said the enhanced Dish Remote Access app improves on-device video quality, taking advantage of the new iPad's 2048-by-1536 Retina display, with the implementation of Apple's HTTP live streaming (HLS) technology.
 In tandem with the launch of the new iPad app, Dish is pushing a free 24-hour trial account to let cable TV and DirecTV subscribers access its "TV Everywhere" features with 15 live channels on PCs, smartphones or tablets, provided using a farm of Slingbox-enabled DVRs.
The channels Dish currently offers through the free trial are: DIY, HGTV, Cooking Channel, GSN, GMC, MavTV, A&E, Bio, History, MavTV, Epix, TBS, TNT, CNN and Cartoon Network. Users can sign up for the free service at Code:
Code:
www.dish.com/testdrive
.
A Dish spokesman noted that service provides a 24-hour test drive, "but you can sign up multiple times if you want to try for more than one day."
The trial service currently does not provide DVR features. Dish originally launched the promotional service at CES in January. Ordinarily, to watch live or recorded TV on computers, iPads, iPhones and Android devices, Dish subscribers need a Sling Adapter and a compatible broadband-connected HD DVR receiver, such as Dish's Hopper whole-home DVR. With the new iPad app, customers with Dish's Hopper can access eight days of primetime programming from ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC using the new iPad app. Dish this week announced a new feature of the PrimeTime Anytime service called Auto Hop that lets users skip commercials.
Other new features of the Dish Remote Access iPad app include a multitasking slider that allows users to simultaneously watch a program and browse available video content; and an on-demand tab to access titles from popular networks, including HBO, Cinemax, Epix, Encore, Starz and MoviePlex.
Separately, Dish in the midst of a fight over its attempt to secure a trademark on the term "TV Everywhere," which it originally applied for in September 2009.
Cable operators, Time Warner Inc. and Hulu have objected to the move, arguing that "TV Everywhere" is a generic industry term, while Dish asserts that it has successfully associated it in consumers' minds with the Slingbox-enabled DVR service.
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0 Replies | 47 Views
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Satellite : Is Dish's Ad Zapper a Network Bluff? |
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May 14, 2012 - 10:53 AM - by fatone147
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Is Dish's Ad Zapper a Network Bluff?
By Swanni Washington, D.C. (May 11, 2012) --
Dish Network yesterday launched a new HD DVR feature called Auto Hop that allows you to play recorded shows without ever seeing the commercials. The feature was added to Dish's 'Hopper' set-top.
As you can imagine, the new technology is likely to upset network executives who have been concerned about DVR ad-skipping since the device was introduced more than a decade ago.
And that could be why Dish chose to launch Auto Hop.
Like other TV providers, Dish is concerned that the networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) are getting increasingly bold in seeking higher compensation for carriage of their channels. The satcaster could be planning to use Auto Hop as leverage in future negotiations.
It shouldn't surprise anyone if that happens. Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen is famous for playing hardball in high-level disputes and you could certainly see Ergen looking a network exec in the eye and saying, "You drop the price for your network and I'll remove the Auto Hop feature from your network."
It's interesting that Dish has only added Auto Hop to the new Hopper HD DVR -- and did not make it available on non-broadcast network channels such as TBS, CNN and TNT. It's as if Dish is trying to send a message to the networks:
We can control your future revenues by eliminating your commercials so don't get greedy the next time we sit down to negotiate a new carriage deal.
If indeed this is a ploy -- and it works -- I could also see Dish use it with the non-broadcast cable networks. Dish executives said yesterday that Auto Hop would work just as well with those channels.
Now you might say that Dish would be reluctant to remove Auto Hop once customers start using it. But remember, it's only available on the Hopper set-top -- and only on the broadcast networks. The number of customers affected by removing Auto Hop would be relatively few.
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0 Replies | 49 Views
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Satellite : DISH adds automatic ad skipping to Hopper DVRs |
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May 14, 2012 - 10:52 AM - by fatone147
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DISH adds automatic ad skipping to Hopper DVRs
Michael Crider, May 10th 2012 Discuss [2]
The rise of TiVo and other digital video recorders foretold an apocalypse, a sweeping river of change that would destroy the television industry as we know it thanks to lowered commercial advertising revenue. Except it didn’t – it just made it easier to skip those four Honda commercials interrupting Law & Order. Now DISH Network has taken it one step further, installing a feature on its Hopper DVRs that automatically bypasses commercials.
The Wall Street Journal reports that DISH Network is sending out an update to its Hopper and Joey branded DVRs today that adds an “auto hop” feature. Press the button when a commercial break begins, and you automatically skip to where your show starts up again. If you press the button before the show begins, it will automatically skip all commercials, showing just a blank screen or a few frames of the first ad a split second before kicking in. “This has been the holy grail of television viewers for 40 years,” said DISH CEO Joe Clayton.
Not so fast, Joe. There’s a pretty severe list of limitations on the feature even as it launches. One, you can only use auto hop for recorded broadcasts, not any of the shows in your current buffer. Two, only shows from ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC are eligible, and even then only the prime time programs. (This is probably because the skips need to be synced with each broadcast.) And finally, you can only use the feature after 1 a.m. the following morning. Welcome to the future! If this is the holy grail, it comes with one hell of a catch.
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0 Replies | 49 Views
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Satellite : DIRECTV: NFL Ticket Price 'One-Time' Deal |
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May 14, 2012 - 10:51 AM - by fatone147
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DIRECTV: NFL Ticket Price 'One-Time' Deal
DIRECTV: NFL Ticket Price 'One-Time' Deal By Swanni Washington, D.C. (May 9, 2012) -- DIRECTV says the decision to cut the price of its NFL Sunday Ticket package from $325 to $199 for current customers is a "onetime opportunity." In an analyst call yesterday following release of DIRECTV's first quarter report, company CEO Mike White noted that roughly 1.5 million new customers got the NFL Sunday Ticket for free last year. (DIRECTV is offering it for free to new customers again this season.) To ensure that last year's new customers don't unsubscribe this year, DIRECTV felt it was necessary to offer a more attractive price for the football package. "We have a onetime opportunity to take advantage (of)...one million free trials we gave out last summer. I think if you look at the history, with the old approach, you might have gotten, I don't know, 100,000 at most that would've re-upped.," White said. "I want to be clear, as we looked at the (2012) pricing decision, we were looking at a 1-year thing." White was not asked what would happen in 2013 if the Sunday Ticket price for current customers goes up again and 2012 "new customers" are unwilling to pay that much after getting it for free.
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0 Replies | 42 Views
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Satellite : Dish Bashes AMC; Adds 104,000 Subs In Q1 |
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May 08, 2012 - 7:21 AM - by fatone147
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Dish Bashes AMC; Adds 104,000 Subs In Q1
By Swanni Washington, D.C. (May 8, 2012) -- Dish Network yesterday reported that it added 104,000 net subscribers in the first quarter, better than the 62,000 estimate from Wall Street analysts.
The satcaster said net income fell to $360 million in the quarter, compared to $549 million a year ago. But revenue jumped 11 percent to $3.6 billion.
Dish also said subscriber churn fell to 1.35 percent in the first quarter compared to 1.47 percent in the 2011 first quarter. The company now has 14.071 million subscribers.
"DISH delivered a solid quarter for net subscriber growth and financial performance," said DISH CEO and President Joseph Clayton. "I am encouraged by two quarters of net additions, as well as a reduction in churn."
In the last financial quarter, the satcaster added 22,000 net subscribers.
DIRECTV is scheduled to release its first quarter report on Tuesday.
Following the release of its first quarter report, Dish held a conference call with Wall Street analysts during which Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen slammed AMC for allowing its programming to be accessed on Internet services such as Netflix, iTunes and Amazon. The satcaster is threatening to remove AMC and three sister networks at the end of June over a carriage fee dispute and Ergen said yesterday that the networks are not worth the money in part because their programming is so easily available elsewhere.,
"Those particular channels are also available to our customers through a variety of other sources like iTunes, Amazon and Netflix and so forth and so on. So one of the things that programmers have done is they've devalued their programming content by making it available in many multiple outlets," Ergen said.
The Dish chief added: "You can get it multiple ways and customers are asking for more flexibility or have more flexibility to get the programming, so it's not quite the same if something was exclusive."
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0 Replies | 37 Views
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Satellite : Dish Whole-home HD DVR: How the Hopper measures up |
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May 07, 2012 - 7:24 AM - by fatone147
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Dish Whole-home HD DVR: How the Hopper measures up
Posted: 05/07/2012 01:00:00 AM MDT By Andy Vuong
The Denver Post
 (Jupiter Images)
Dish Network pulled out all the stops this year to showcase the Hopper, the satellite-TV provider's latest set-top box.
The device was the centerpiece of the Douglas County-based company's media event at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. It is also the focus of a multimillion-dollar national ad campaign that tipped off in March.
Does the Hopper live up to the hype? Not entirely. Here's my take after spending about a month with the Hopper (it replaced a VIP722K set-top box).
The good
PrimeTime Anytime: The Hopper has three tuners, compared with two for the VIP722K. One of the tuners is dedicated to the prime-time anytime feature, which automatically records three hours of content from ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC every night and stores the high-definition content for eight days. On several occasions, I lamented the fact that I forgot to record a show only to realize that it's sitting there in my DVR library. This feature allows you to watch prime-time content on your schedule and not the network's. It is especially handy at a time when reality shows like "The Voice" air on multiple days during the week.
Massive hard drive: The box features a 2-terabyte hard drive, with 1 TB allotted for subscriber recording space. That's enough room to record up to 500 hours of HD content.
Recall button: It shows the previous four channels, not just one. But if you don't like the feature, you can turn it off, and the recall will go directly to the previous channel.
Remote control finder: A simple but very useful and headache-eliminating feature. Tap a button on the box, and the remote beeps until it's found.
The bad
Processor: Dish says the Hopper is the world's fastest satellite receiver, with a 750 MHz processor. Well, it's not fast enough. The guide lagged more often than it did on the VIP722K. Whether it's software bugs or network interference, the lag occurred on more than a few occasions and was absolutely annoying.
No keyboard: Would it have been so hard to include a full, flip-out keyboard with the remote, especially as part of a next-generation device? With hundreds of channels, it can be a pain to find shows. The easiest way to speed things up is to use the search function, but unfortunately, you're stuck typing with arrows and the select key.
The good and the bad
Size: At about 2 inches high and 16 inches wide, the Hopper is slightly smaller than the VIP722K. But executives from Dish and sister company EchoStar have told me that they don't expect their set-top boxes to shrink much more. That's a shame because, as Apple has shown with electronic devices, slim and sleek are in.
User Interface: The UI is attractive and an improvement over old pay-TV screens. Options appear like apps on smartphones and tablets. But the on-screen guide still looks like standard pay-TV guides.
Upgrade or not?
New Dish customers can lease the Hopper for free if they subscribe to Dish's America's Top 200 programming tier or higher. If I'm a cable-TV customer contemplating a switch to satellite, the Hopper may tip the scale in Dish's favor over DirecTV.
But existing subscribers have to pay at least $100 for the Hopper, depending on their programming package. As an existing subscriber, I will not shell out the money for the upgrade.
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0 Replies | 59 Views
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Satellite : DIRECTV.com Offers Streaming Movies, Shows |
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May 06, 2012 - 5:00 PM - by fatone147
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DIRECTV.com Offers Streaming Movies, Shows
By Swanni Washington, D.C. (May 6, 2012) -- DIRECTV has launched a subscriber-only streaming service at its web site which offers movies and TV shows that can be viewed instantly over the Internet in and outside the home.
The page, which allows subscribers to instantly watch programs on TV, tablets, smart phones and laptops, includes new video releases such as Contraband and Happy Feet Two as well as content from premium networks such as HBO, Starz, Cinemax and Encore. Shows from DIRECTV's own Audience Network and the Sony Movie Channel are also available.
To watch the programs via streaming, subscribers must install the free DIRECTV Player on their laptops or a DIRECTV app on the tablet or smart phone. (No Internet connection to your DIRECTV HD DVR is needed.) Many of the programs require a fee under $5 for viewing, but subscribers to the premium networks can watch their shows for no additional charge.
TVPredictions.com reported last February that DIRECTV was planning to launch the streaming service at its web site. Patrick Doyle, the satcaster's CFO, said at an industry conference that his company would likely expand the offering at some point so it would be similar to Comcast's new Streampix plan. The cable operator charges a monthly fee for streaming, although it's free to upper-tier subscribers.
"We think that's an opportunity," Doyle said when asked at an industry conference about the Comcast service.
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0 Replies | 66 Views
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Satellite : Dish to Drop AMC Cable Channels |
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May 04, 2012 - 11:32 PM - by fatone147
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Dish to Drop AMC Cable Channels
By SHALINI RAMACHANDRAN
Dish Network Corp. said it would drop all four of AMC Networks Inc.'s cable channels, including AMC and the Independent Film Channel, citing the channels' high costs "compared with their low viewership."
Enlarge Image
 
AMC A scene from AMC's 'Mad Men.' Dish cited high costs for dropping AMC's channels; AMC blamed it on bad blood over a legal setback.
Dish said the channels, which also include WE TV and Sundance Channel, "overall have had significant declines in viewership" among Dish subscribers. Dish said its contract to carry the channels was "nearing its end" and it would drop them at the end of June.
While some of the channels are low-profile, such as WE TV, AMC's eponymous flagship channel "has had some of the strongest ratings performance among all cable networks," said Todd Juenger, analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein.
AMC airs such well-known dramas as "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad" and "The Walking Dead." The channel has boosted its audience 6% so far this season, compared with the same time last season, according to Nielsen data through April 29, during a period when many other cable channels have seen severe ratings declines.
Dish noted, however, that the "very limited popular programming" on AMC was "available to our customers through multiple other outlets such as Amazon.com, iTunes and Netflix." Currently, past seasons of "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad" and "The Walking Dead" are available on services such as Netflix but not current seasons.
Earlier, AMC had attributed Dish's move to an appellate court ruling on April 26 that dealt a setback to the satellite operator in a years-old lawsuit between the two companies relating to a now-defunct series of high definition channels called VOOM.
A Dish spokesman disputed AMC's statement late Friday, saying that the company sent notice to Sundance Channel about dropping it "about a week" before the court's ruling. According to Dish, AMC "incorrectly attempts to tie together two separate issues."
AMC declined to comment on Dish's statement and could not be reached late Friday about the Sundance Channel.
Dish's move highlights increasing tensions in the television industry as pay-TV distributors balk at the rising cost of programming. High-profile disputes over renewal terms for channels have become common. Adding to the tensions is the practice of popular channels being bundled with less popular channels owned by the same company.
At DirecTV Inc.'s annual shareholders' meeting on Thursday, Chief Executive Mike White said in response to a question about rising programming costs that part of his cost-cutting strategy will be "finding smaller channels that we don't need to carry anymore."
Meanwhile, Dish's statements about the online availability of AMC shows highlights a debate in the industry. Some TV executives worry that licensing TV shows to Web outlets could hurt their traditional viewership. Netflix Inc.'s CEO Reed Hastings has taken a different stance. He recently attributed a 20% audience increase for the television premiere of the fifth season of "Mad Men" to the fact that its old seasons were available online.
"Even now, the most watched episode of 'Mad Men' on any given day on Netflix is the first episode of the first season. This means we are still growing the fan base for this show nearly six years after it first premiered on television," he wrote in an April 23 letter to shareholders.
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Satellite : Dish Strikes Deal with Wyoming Stations |
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May 04, 2012 - 11:27 PM - by fatone147
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Dish Strikes Deal with Wyoming Stations
Stations Were Dark for Four Months
Mike Farrell -- Multichannel News, 5/4/2012 3:35:15 PM
Four months after first going dark to Dish Network customers in Wyoming, a trio of stations hammered out a retransmission consent deal earlier this week to return to the satellite TV provider.
The stations - KTWO (ABC), KFNB (Fox), and KGWC (CBS) - located in Cheyenne and Casper, Wyoming and owned by Wyomedia Corp., Silverton Broadcasting and Mark III Media, reached a retransmission consent deal with the satellite giant on May 1. The stations first went dark on Dec. 31.
"Dish Network is pleased to announce these new agreements," said vice president of programming Andrew LeCuyer in a statement. "We are most pleased on behalf of Dish customers in Wyoming who will continue to receive the best channel choices at the lowest everyday prices in the industry."
Terms of the multi-year deal were not disclosed.
"We are just ecstatic, so happy to be back on Dish and sorry for the role we played in the interruption of service, said Mark III Media secretary and treasurer Mark Nalbone in a statement. "I believe both sides realized that they were better off together than they were apart."
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0 Replies | 54 Views
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Satellite : Ergen: We Have a 10-Year Plan For Dish |
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May 02, 2012 - 7:22 AM - by fatone147
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Ergen: We Have a 10-Year Plan For Dish
By Swanni Washington, D.C. (May 2, 2012) -- While some companies are reluctant to look too far beyond the next financial quarter, Charlie Ergen says he has a 10-year plan to transform his Dish Network into a 'one-stop shop' for Internet, video and voice service at home and via mobile devices.
That's according to an article by the Associated Press.
Ergen, the founder of Dish Network who now sits as the company's chairman, told an industry conference on Tuesday that no company has yet to provide the complete package that consumers are looking for. He noted that cable operators offer video, voice and the Net, but arguably fall short on mobile services.
He said his company's goal is to provide everything a consumer would want in 10 years.
"When we go install video in your home we can say, 'No matter where you are, you can take that video with you,'" Ergen told the Milken Institute Global Conference. said. "You can also get your broadband and make your voice calls."
He added: "It doesn't have to be that you drop three calls in New York City and it doesn't have to be that you get your bill and you don't understand it. We can change that."
In recent months, Dish has acquired and/or developed services to provide the multiple features that Ergen is referring to. The company last year purchased Blockbuster Video and it bought two companies with wireless licenses that could be used for Broadband.
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0 Replies | 83 Views
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Satellite : FCC Order Allows Broadcasters To Share Channels |
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May 01, 2012 - 7:34 AM - by fatone147
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FCC Order Allows Broadcasters To Share Channels
April 30, 2012
After our deadline last Friday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Report & Order (R&O) it believes may spur broadcasters to hand over channels for an auction benefiting the wireless carriers.
The R&O allows multiple broadcast stations to stream individual programming while sharing a single channel – if they want to. “Specifically, the R&O establishes a framework for how two or more television licensees may voluntarily share a single 6 MHz channel in conjunction with the auction process,” the agency says, adding, “The new rules apply to full-power and Class A television stations, including both commercial and noncommercial educational television stations. The rules neither increase nor decrease the cable and satellite carriage rights currently afforded broadcast licensees.”
Stations that opt to share a will continue to be licensed separately; they will retain their original call signs and all the rights pertaining to an FCC license; and they will remain subject to all of the FCC’s rules, policies and obligations.
Industry Responses
Commented Gary Shapiro, president/CEO at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), “The nation’s spectrum crisis is real, and it is here. The FCC’s action today is a key step toward ensuring that additional spectrum for wireless broadband is available so that all Americans can enjoy the robust mobile broadband networks that our nation so desperately needs. We applaud the FCC for its efforts to help our nation move forward toward more efficient use of valuable spectrum. We have only just begun the journey. I urge full cooperation from all stakeholders in the broadcast, wireless and manufacturing communities as we unleash the limitless potential of wireless broadband.”
Added Steve Largent, president/CEO at CTIA-The Wireless Association, "By allowing broadcasters to share channels, the FCC is making TV spectrum license holders more efficient users of this finite resource. In turn, consumers will benefit as wireless providers will have an opportunity to purchase the repacked spectrum for billions at auction."
In separate FCC news, the agency’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau is teaming with the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) to host a workshop May 1 focusing on collocations of wireless and broadband antennas on wireless and other communications towers and structures. The session will be held in the Commission Meeting Room at FCC headquarters in Washington, D.C. from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The workshop will provide an overview of wireless collocations that augment mobile broadband and wireless services in cities and communities, and it aims to help inform municipal leaders, planners and the public how wireless collocations can provide benefits and economic opportunities by expanding mobile broadband and wireless data coverage, and aiding first responders.
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0 Replies | 73 Views
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Satellite : Hulu Could Strike Blow to Cord Cutting |
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May 01, 2012 - 7:34 AM - by fatone147
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Hulu Could Strike Blow to Cord Cutting
By Swanni Washington, D.C. (April 30, 2012) -- Hulu.com, which allows consumers to watch current season TV shows for free, is often cited as a reason why some pay TV subscribers drop their cable or satellite service. But a New York Post report says Hulu plans to soon require users to prove they subscribe to a pay TV service before viewing.
The newspaper writes that Hulu's new business model would include "authentication" -- subscribers would have to log in with their cable or satellite account numbers. The change would unquestionably drop Hulu's user totals (it had 31 million unique users in March, says the Post).
But it could generate significant revenue from pay TV services who would likely pay Hulu to require a cable or satellite subscription. (Hulu is owned jointly by NBC, News Corp. and Disney.)
The new business concept would irk longtime Hulu users -- and perhaps even some longtime Hulu financial supporters. Providence Equity Partners decided to drop its funding of Hulu last week after learning of the new plan, the Post reports.
The newspaper writes that Hulu collected $420 million in advertising last year. But the switch to authentication would dramatically lower those numbers. (Hulu also collects monthly sub fees from its Hulu Plus service; it's unclear if the authentication feature would apply to Hulu Plus as well. The timing of the Hulu authentication plan is also unclear.)
The authentication feature is used by several pay TV operators for their 'TV Everywhere' service. For instance, DIRECTV allows subscribers to watch live shows and movies on mobile devices, but they first have to punch in their DIRECTV account numbers.
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0 Replies | 88 Views
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Satellite : DIRECTV to Offer Free Preview Of 9 HD Channels |
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May 01, 2012 - 7:33 AM - by fatone147
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DIRECTV to Offer Free Preview Of 9 HD Channels
By Swanni Washington, D.C. (May 1, 2012) -- Perhaps smarting from subscriber demands for more HD channels, DIRECTV tomorrow will begin a one-week free preview of its 'HD Extra Pack.'
The programming package, which normally costs $4.99 a month, includes nine channels: Hallmark Movie Channel HD; HDNet Movies; MGM Movies; Sony Movie Channel HD; Crime & Investigation HD; Universal HD; Palladia HD; Smithsonian HD; and Shorts HD
The free preview will go from tomorrow, May 2, to May 9.
The nine channels in the package can not be ordered without the Extra Pack plan. At DIRECTV's web site, the satcaster is also offering a free 3-month trial of the Extra Pack. However, you might want to contact DIRECTV's customer service to determine if you are eligible.
DIRECTV, which once was considered the industry's HD leader, has added relatively few HD channels over the last two years, prompting complaints on Internet message boards and other forums.
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0 Replies | 76 Views
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Satellite : DishAnd DirecTV: Satellite Dishes Could Be Banned |
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Apr 30, 2012 - 7:17 AM - by fatone147
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DishAnd DirecTV: Satellite Dishes Could Be Banned
April 29, 2012 | includes: DISH, DTV, SIRI
Back in the early 1990's I owned a house with the most beautiful back yard and view of the lake. And then my next door neighbor moved in and put up a satellite dish in his backyard which was at least nine feet in diameter and at least 12 feet high. It was within a few feet of my fence and cast the most horrible shadow over my new swimming pool. Twenty years later, thanks to technology, we now have (what seem tiny in comparison) little versions. But these are now becoming a problem according to an article in the Wall Street Journal:Along some streets in East Boston, satellite dishes protrude from nearly every house, with some multifamily structures decked with as many as eight. Other cities are reporting a similar outbreak. "We have blocks that look like NASA or Area 51," said William Carter, a chief staffer for the Philadelphia City Council.
Not only are the current dishes an eyesore, but a lot of owners move and leave their dish behind. Evidently this is not regulated by anyone. Because of these problems some cities are considering a ban on the dish. Boston was the first large metro area to ban them, and other cities may be following their lead:Boston may be one of the first cities in the nation to ban satellite dishes. The problem is that many think they look awful. "A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which transmit data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television."
Judging from comments on the internet, this issue seems to be evenly divided between people who are anti-dish and prefer cable and those who are pro-dish. As a matter of fact, both sides of this issue are becoming very vocal this week. All of these stories may really affect companies like Dish Network (DISH) and DirecTV (DTV). On April 25th, the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA) issued a formal statement to a Massachusetts television station. Here is an excerpt from that release:Federal law, however, prohibits such regulation. FCC regulations that have become known as the "OTARD rules (for "over the air reception device") prohibit cities from restricting dish placement. They essentially prohibit restrictions that increase costs, delay installation, or preclude signal reception-unless the restrictions are both justified by real safety or historic preservation concerns and applied evenhandedly to all devices, not just satellite dishes. The recent city ordinances plainly cannot meet this standard. So the satellite industry has filed appropriate legal proceedings at the FCC.
This FCC law seems to be pretty clear cut. But we have to remember that it is an old law (1990's) and may need to be updated based on these new problems. So far this news has not affected either of the two big "satellite dish" stocks in a negative way. As a matter of fact, in the last five days both stocks have gone up. Considering the millions of satellite TV subscribers in this country, I think there would be a revolt if the dishes were to be banned. However, I know it is possible because they are not allowed where I live now.
Dish also has a lot of other things going for it. The company is petitioning the FCC to start its own cell phone network right now. And AT&T (T) has been courting the company as a possible takeover target. The only negative thing about this is the amount of time the FCC takes approving its application. Some analysts feel that the time delay would encourage AT&T to make a move.
One thing that has come up in some of the discussions about the dish situation (on different web sites) is the fact that there are other types of satellite antennas. For instance, the antenna used on automobiles for Sirius XM (SIRI) Backseat TV is not a dish antenna. I realize that it only receives three channels, but can't this technology be used to redesign the "ugly dish" shape? The new satellite radio antennas keep getting smaller and smaller. And considering how much the dish has changed over the years, someone should be able to shrink it smaller. This picture shows the two Sirius XM Backseat TV satellite antennas (top right) for a car:
If you own either DirecTV or Dish, I would not be worried just yet. And as I said, Dish has a lot of other great things going for it. So far this problem is only in a couple cities, and the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association has filed a petition with the FCC. The outcome will probably take months. If by then the ruling is bad for the dish, those companies will have had time to develop an alternative antenna. But this may eventually affect you in the future both as an investor and a consumer.
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0 Replies | 93 Views
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Satellite : DIRECTV to Subs: We Need You Now! |
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Apr 27, 2012 - 8:18 AM - by fatone147
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DIRECTV to Subs: We Need You Now!
By Swanni Washington, D.C. (April 26, 2012) -- Has DIRECTV finally realized it's a good idea to listen to your customers?
In the past two years, the satcaster has alienated many subscribers by refusing to add basic cable channels in high-def, such as Turner Classic Movies, CNN Headline News, TruTV, E! Entertainment, BBC America and a host of others.
In addition, DIRECTV upset football fans last year when it decided to offer the NFL Sunday Ticket for free to new subscribers but keep the same price for current subs. Some longtime Ticket subscribers felt like their loyalty to DIRECTV was not appreciated as the satcaster chased new subs at their expense.
The two policy decisions prompted some subscribers to leave, adding to DIRECTV's churn rate. Although DIRECTV was still able to add 662,000 net subscribers in 2011, there's little doubt that the number would have been higher if HD enthusiasts and football fans were better treated.
Now, that said, there's evidence that DIRECTV is trying to make amends with these two critical groups.
In the past month, DIRECTV has added TruTV HD and E! Entertainment in high-def and there's rumblings that more HD channels will be added in the coming weeks. After all-but ignoring the HD audience for two years, DIRECTV suddenly seems extra motivated to make it happy.
And what about the football fans? Well, DIRECTV announced last week that it was lowering the price of the NFL Sunday Ticket for current subscribers by 40 percent to $199. While the satcaster will again offer the package for free to new subscribers, current subscribers at least now feel like DIRECTV has their interests in mind as well.
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You might say that DIRECTV executives suddenly had an epiphany. Or, maybe they read a book on customer service. Or -- who knows? -- maybe they just decided to do the right thing by their customers.
But I think you would be wrong. DIRECTV in February warned that subscriber growth will likely slow in 2012 and beyond due to everything from increased competition to the sluggish economy. So I think the satcaster has decided it needs to do something different to keep old subs happy because it's easier (and cheaper) to keep a current customer than to acquire a new one, particularly in this environment.
For HD fans, this is great news. Your calls for new HD channels will no longer fall on deaf ears. DIRECTV may not add the HD channel you want immediately, but I'm betting that it will give it serious consideration in the months ahead.
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Satellite : Satellite : Dish Free Previews April 26 - May 22 |
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Apr 26, 2012 - 6:51 AM - by fatone147
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Dish Free Previews April 26 - May 22
EPIX™
Friday, Apr 27th - Sunday, Apr 29th
 Channel 380-382
Only EPIX assembles the greatest Marvel Heroes together in one place! Iron Man 2, Thor and the US TV Premiere of Captain America: The First Avenger are only on EPIX! Watch all three blockbuster movies during the Marvel Heroes Weekend on EPIX- plus exclusive behind the scenes looks at all three movies and the premiere of the EPIX Original Documentary With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story- a look at the life of legendary comic book creator Stan Lee.
Lifetime Movie Network
Thursday, Apr 26th - Tuesday, May 22nd
Channel 109
From movies based on the world’s best selling novels, to true stories that stop you in your tracks as well as feature film releases: LMN brings the matinee to your living room and makes every night movie night.
PixL
Thursday, Apr 26th - Tuesday, May 22nd
Channel 388
PixL is the first true family-safe movie channel featuring original movies and series that inspire, entertain, and touch the heart. Timeless dramas, wholesome comedies and love stories that lift the human spirit and span generations — with the biggest stars from film and television in the world today. All available, anytime, with absolutely no commercial interruptions.
Baby TV
Thursday, Apr 26th - Tuesday, May 22nd
Channel 126
BabyTV is the world’s leading baby channel. Airing 24 hours a day and completely commercial-free, BabyTV features award-winning shows that are created by leading child development experts, designed for parents to share with their child in learning and in play.
Hallmark Channel
Thursday, Apr 26th - Tuesday, May 22nd
Channel 388
Hallmark Channel offers viewers a way to celebrate life’s moments, creating heartfelt connections with programming meant to make the most out of every season and every day. Delivering family friendly original content from a trusted brand with over 100 years of experience in celebrating special moments, Hallmark Channel offers quality programming where everyone in the family can feel at home.
Hallmark Movie Channel
Thursday, Apr 26th - Tuesday, May 22nd
Channel 187
Hallmark Movie Channel is a trusted destination for top quality, timeless and powerful stories that inspire and entertain the whole family. With movies from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame Collection and original premieres,
Hallmark Movie Channel celebrates family movie night like no other place on television.
gmc
Thursday, Apr 26th - Tuesday, May 22nd
Channel 188
gmc is the uplifting destination where viewers go to be entertained, inspired and to feel good about the faith-friendly, family values they cherish. Music, movies, dramas and comedies are the building blocks of gmc, the only faith-friendly family entertainment destination! gmc is Uplifting Entertainment.
RFD-TV
Thursday, Apr 26th - Tuesday, May 22nd
Channel 232
RFD-TV is the nation’s first 24-hour television network dedicated to serving the needs and interests of rural America with programming focused on agriculture, equine and rural lifestyle, along with traditional country music and entertainment.
RURAL TV
Thursday, Apr 26th - Tuesday, May 22nd
Channel 231
RURAL TV is a multimedia agribusiness and rural lifestyle network. The network is dedicated to educating and entertaining the growing global population, while maintaining a strong link with traditional country enthusiasts and those in professional agricultural industries.
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Satellite : Intelsat's Galaxy 19 Nears 250 Intl. Channels |
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Apr 23, 2012 - 9:20 PM - by fatone147
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NAB: Intelsat's Galaxy 19 Nears 250 Intl. Channels
Company to Install New point of Presence in Miami as Part of Growing Latin American Business.
George Winslow (Broadcasting & Cable) -- Multichannel News, 4/19/2012 5:38:05 PM
Growing demand for international content in the U.S. has helped push the number of international channels up to nearly 250 on Intelsat's Galaxy 19 satellite, which is located at 97° West and provides complete coverage of the continental United States, the Caribbean, Alaska and Hawaii.
Overall, the nearly 250 DTH channels of programming included content in more than 40 languages (up 32% from the end of 2010). The programming originates from 66 countries (up 14%) and 53 channels of religious-themed content (up 29%.)
The satellite services provider also reported that channels carried by Galaxy 19 cater to about 70% of those viewers in the U.S. whose native language is not English or Spanish. About 83% of content is free-to-air.
A recent survey conducted by IBOPE Zogby International also found that the content on the Galaxy 19 is viewed by 28% of Arabic speakers, and 33% of Farsi speakers.
"North America is home to a growing number of viewers who seek diverse and compelling programming from their native countries," said Kurt Riegelman, senior vice president of global sales at Intelsat in a statement.
To further build on its international business, Intelsat also announced that it would be adding a new point of presence (POP) in Miami and noted that it had signed new agreements with a number of leading Latin American programmers on Intelsat 9, Intelsat 805 and Intelsat 11.
Some of the new agreements were being driven by the launch of new HD channels.
Recent agreements include one with Discovery Communications, which signed a multi-year agreement to expand its use of capacity serving numerous Latin American countries, including Brazil and Argentina. The agreement will allow Discovery to deliver high definition channels both to cable and DTH providers in the region.
In addition, Overon America has expanded its use of capacity on Intelsat 805 at 304.5° East, which will allow Miami-based Overon America to distribute new high definition video channels to cable and DTH service providers in Latin America.
Finally, Argentinean service provider TIBA, recently signed a multi-year agreement for capacity on Intelsat 11 at 317° East to provide video distribution services to viewers throughout Latin America.
The new deals build on earlier agreements announced in March with Viacom and HBO.
"Intelsat's media business continues to make great strides in Latin America as we attract new programmers to the region's top video neighborhoods," said Carmen Gonzalez-Sanfeliu, Intelsat's regional vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean in a statement.
The new IntelsatONE POP in Miami will give the Caribbean and Latin American region improved access to Intelsat's fiber network, satellites and teleports and will be installed over the next several months.
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Satellite : Startup NimbleTV To Build Set-Top Farms For Internet TV Play |
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Apr 23, 2012 - 9:19 PM - by fatone147
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Startup NimbleTV To Build Set-Top Farms For Internet TV Play
Tribune-Backed Company Launches Beta Test With Unidentified Cable, Satellite Services
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 4/23/2012 1:07:08 PM
NimbleTV, a 15-employee startup in New York City, is promising to sign up anyone anywhere in the world for pay-TV service locally, and then deliver live and recorded programming over the Internet to a slew of devices -- an approach the company maintains is perfectly legal.
NimbleTV's backers include Tribune Co., which owns or operates 23 local broadcast TV stations across the U.S.
Here's how it works, according to CEO Anand Subramanian: NimbleTV signs up for satellite or cable TV service on behalf of its customers, and manages the installation of set-top boxes at a physical location somewhere in a given market. The company then re-encodes the signals to deliver live TV or DVR recordings over the Internet, to wherever the customer may be.
 In addition to their monthly cable or satellite TV bill, customers would pay an additional monthly fee -- of about $20 -- to NimbleTV.
Subramanian said the startup's initial beta test is kicking off this week in New York City. Eventually NimbleTV expects to have several hundred test users, who will be able to access 26 channels.
NimbleTV is not disclosing which pay-TV providers it will use for the test, or for the subsequent commercial launch targeted for this summer. Major operators in the New York area include Time Warner Cable, Cablevision Systems and Verizon's FiOS TV. Subramanian said the startup also will offer satellite TV service, which would be provided by either DirecTV or Dish Network.
Asked what would happen if a cable or satellite TV operator refused to install service in one of NimbleTV's proxy locations, Subramanian responded, "We believe we are bringing in new customers for them... If they don't [work with NimbleTV] there will be another MVPD [multichannel video programming distributor] who will."
NimbleTV is the latest startup aiming to shake up the current TV landscape with a multiscreen Internet-delivered video offering. However, in contrast to another New York-area startup, Aereo -- which is being sued by broadcasters because it believes it is not obligated to pay retransmission fees -- NimbleTV's approach ensures that everyone in the TV ecosystem still gets paid, Subramanian said.
"We wanted to make sure all the stakeholders in the industry are not harmed, either contractually, legally or economically," he said.
The initial reaction from pay-TV operators that NimbleTV has approached "has been very, very positive," Subramanian claimed. "They stand to get more subscribers."
In addition to Tribune, NimbleTV's other investors include venture capital firms Greycroft Partners and Tribeca Venture Partners. Subramanian declined to disclose how much funding the startup has raised but said it's "a pretty good chunk."
 NimbleTV will provide a full lineup of cable programming, depending on which package a customer selects. On its website, the startup displays logos from networks including ABC, Fox, NBC, TNT, TBS, USA Network, Bravo, ESPN2, History, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, MTV, Nick, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Lifetime, Syfy, Discovery, TLC, Travel Channel, Food Network, FX, IFC, NFL Network and MLB Network.
The service is not aimed at luring cost-conscious consumers, Subramanian acknolwedged, given that it requires users to pay for a full TV subscription plus the monthly NimbleTV fee: "This is not a product for people who want to cut the cord," he said.
Subramanian said the 26 channels in the beta test represents a smaller package than what will be available in the commercial version of the service. NimbleTV will pay for the service on behalf of customers in the trial.
After receiving the TV programming at set-tops at different locations in New York City, NimbleTV will use proprietary technology to stream the video to customers. The startup is using some off-the-shelf technologies, including transcoders, Subramanian said.
The DVR component of the service will offer 10,000 hours of DVR storage space -- or more, according to Subramanian. The DVR part of the service will be offered in tiers, so "you can take 1,000 hours and add more space as you go," he added.
NimbleTV also expects to launch TV offerings in India and eventually plans to roll out in other countries.
Subramanian formed NimbleTV in January 2011. Previously, he was the founder of ContextWeb, an online advertising exchange that merged with digital marketing company Datran Media to form PulsePoint.
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0 Replies | 99 Views
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Satellite : EchoStar Shutting Down U.S. Cable Set-Top Unit |
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Apr 23, 2012 - 9:17 PM - by fatone147
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EchoStar Shutting Down U.S. Cable Set-Top Unit
Company Cites 'Insufficient Revenue Return Opportunities' in Discontinuing Aria Platform
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 4/23/2012 6:36:01 PM
EchoStar Technologies is pulling the plug on efforts to sell set-top boxes to U.S. cable operators and will cease development of its Aria platform immediately, citing lack of sales traction, the company confirmed Monday.
With the change, the company said in a statement provided to Multichannel News, it will shift resources to support "EchoStar's unique intellectual property and advanced content-delivery technologies." The company owns Sling Media, developer of the Slingbox device, and acquired the adaptive bit-rate technology of Move Technologies last year for $45 million.
However, EchoStar said it "remains firmly committed to supplying advanced hardware, software, and system solutions to its global cable, satellite, and telecom customers outside of the U.S. cable set top box market."
"EchoStar recognizes that the highly demanding and competitive nature of the U.S. set-top market is very cost-competitive," the company said. "After considerable review of the market and EchoStar's sales/product development efforts, EchoStar has concluded the U.S. cable market offers insufficient revenue return opportunities to the company and our investors."
EchoStar last year launched the Aria suite of products, which included hybrid Internet set-top boxes designed to let independent cable operators deliver over-the-top VOD and HD user interfaces.
The set-tops included "SlingLoaded" units, which provided access to TV and DVR recordings programs over the Internet. Along with the Aria devices, EchoStar was offering IP-based content delivered via the Internet to servers at an MSO's headend, to let smaller cable operators deliver VOD, an HD guide and Slingbox features to customers without a large capital outlay for infrastructure.
EchoStar had previously said at least one major mid-tier operator was planning to test out Aria. Cable One had been testing the Aria boxes but ended those trials after the vendor missed several delivery deadlines, Light Reading Cable reported in February.
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Satellite : Dishs Joey |
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Apr 23, 2012 - 8:46 PM - by fatone147
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Dishs Joey
 12
- Pros Simple to install. Offers full access to Hopper features.
- Cons Only three tuners in Hopper mean a third Joey is limited to what's being watched on other TVs.
- Bottom Line The Joey expands the functionality of the Editors' Choice Dish Networks' Hopper DVR to various HDTVs. And up to three boxes are included with the Hopper.
 Will Greenwald
Analyst, Consumer Electronics
The Joey is a local receiver for the Editors' Choice digital video recorder Dish Network Hopper (4.5 stars). While the Hopper serves as the tuner recorder with storage, the Joey lets you access anything on the Hopper from any room in the house with a TV. You can install up to three Joeys (via coaxial cable) with each Hopper, and they're provided for free as part of the Hopper package for Dish Network subscribers of mid-tier programming packages, and the service costs $7 per month per Joey in addition to the Hopper itself.
Design
At 1.5 by 6.5 by 5.1 inches (HWD), the Joey is much smaller than the Hopper, but maintains all of the user-end functions. The front panel holds a few basic buttons including Power and Up and Down navigation controls, but you'll need the remote to navigate on-screen menus. Joey comes with an identical remote to the Hopper, and you get a sheet of stickers for labeling each Joey remote. There are dedicated buttons for the DVR library, recording video, and searching the channel guide. You'll spend most of your time navigating menus with the direction pad, but the dedicated buttons make accessing certain functions like the connected Hopper's DVR capabilities easy.
On the Joey's back panel, there's a coaxial cable port, HDMI and composite video outputs, an optical audio output, and an Ethernet port. The Joey connects to the Hopper through the coaxial cable connection (the installer will run a splitter between the two cables), and the Joey's Ethernet port is mostly vestigial; on-demand and networked TV services like Blockbuster on Demand are accessed through the Hopper.
Connectivity
Up to three Joeys can be connected to a Hopper to use the Hopper's three tuners. Two of those Joeys can tune to live TV while the Hopper is showing TV, and the third Joey can tune into any of the three active streams or access DVR or streaming video content. We installed two Joeys with our test unit, and both easily accessed the storage and tuners on the Hopper.
If you want satellite TV in your bedroom, garage, or other rooms in your house, the Dish Network Joey is a no-brainer. Up to three boxes are free with the Hopper, which stands as our Editors' Choice DVR, and they can access everything on the Hopper with ease. If you have more than one screen in your house, the $7 per month for each Joey is worth the price for all the programming you can get.
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1 Reply | 87 Views
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Satellite : Dish Sues Hopi Over $500 Fee |
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Apr 23, 2012 - 8:39 PM - by fatone147
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Dish Network Sues Hopi Over $500 Fee
By TIM HULL
 PRESCOTT, Ariz. (CN) - Pointing out that its satellites are 22,236 miles above the Earth - not on the Hopi Reservation - Dish Network sued the tribe in Federal Court, challenging its $500 annual fee to provide satellite television service on the rez.
Dish Network, which listed the fair market value of its assets at $2.4 billion in its annual report for the year ending Dec. 31, 2011, sued the top three members of the Hopi Tribe's Office of Revenue Commission, claiming the $500 annual licensing fee violates federal law.
Dish Network claims that fewer than 900 of its 14 million U.S. subscribers live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona.
The tribe first charged the fee in 2009, then sued Dish Network in Tribal Court in December 2011, seeking an injunction ordering Dish to get a business license and pay an annual fee, plus "a $500 a day penalty for failure to obtain a license and pay
the annual fee in the past," according to the complaint.
Dish Network claims that only the Federal Communications Commission has power to regulate "direct-to-home satellite services," and that, by the nature of its service, Dish has no actual presence on the remote Hopi Reservation.
"In fact, DISH's satellites are 'geostationary,' meaning they move at the same velocity as the Earth itself, and therefore are stationed at a fixed longitude, some 22,236 miles above the Earth's equator," according to the complaint. "The programming is uplinked to these satellites from uplink centers in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Gilbert, Arizona, among other locations, none of which is situated on the Reservation. In turn, the several hundreds of programming networks that constitute DISH's DBS service travel to these uplink centers from points in the United States and abroad, none of which is on the reservation."
Dish seeks declaratory judgment that the Hopi lack the authority to charge the fee, and an injunction to stop it from doing so.
Dish Network is represented by Peter Kozinets, with Steptoe & Johnson in Phoenix.
The Hopi Reservation is about 1.5 million acres of land within the much larger Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona. Members of the tribe live in 12 villages scattered across three high mesas.
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0 Replies | 81 Views
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Why Netflix's Stock Tanked |
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Apr 25, 2012 - 6:28 AM - by fatone147
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Why Netflix's Stock Tanked
By Swanni Washington, D.C. (April 25, 2012) -- Netflix on Monday released its first quarter report and the numbers were better than what most analysts predicted. The online rental service added 1.7 million... [Read More]
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0 Replies | 79 Views
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Netflix Adds 660,000 Subs In 1Q |
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Apr 23, 2012 - 8:31 PM - by fatone147
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Netflix Adds 660,000 Subs In 1Q
By Swanni Washington, D.C. (April 23, 2012) -- Netflix today said overall U.S. domestic subscriptions increased by about 660,000 in the first quarter.
The online rental service said U.S.... [Read More]
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0 Replies | 77 Views
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