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Comments on news posted 2010-01-04 16:01:13: We've already mentioned that DirecTV was (like many other phone, cable and satellite TV companies) planning a suite of rate hikes starting in March, though specifics were hard to come by. ..

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rahvin112
join:2002-05-24
Sandy, UT

rahvin112

Member

D12 was successfully launched last week.

D12, DTV's next satellite was successfully launched last week. This will add capacity for another 200 HDTV channels. We're going to have to pay for that plus the increased cost from Disney and all the other content providers.

Retired6
Premium Member
join:2002-11-09
Earth

Retired6

Premium Member

Re: D12 was successfully launched last week.

I love it.

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA

aaronwt

Premium Member

Re: D12 was successfully launched last week.

When is the new TiVo for DirecTV arriving?

rawgerz
The hell was that?
Premium Member
join:2004-10-03
Grove City, PA

rawgerz to rahvin112

Premium Member

to rahvin112
Another 200 channels? I've followed on this and only found it will allow them another extra 50 HD channels, or for around 200 total.
Big Dawg 23
join:2002-03-27
Northfield, MN

Big Dawg 23

Member

Re: D12 was successfully launched last week.

It is an increase of 50% capacity which says 200 additions to National HD Channels. See slide 18.

rawgerz
The hell was that?
Premium Member
join:2004-10-03
Grove City, PA

rawgerz

Premium Member

Re: D12 was successfully launched last week.

Slide.. where? Wiki doesn't say that
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Di ··· ustomers

scott2020
join:2008-07-20
MO

scott2020

Member

OTA baby

OTA all the way. Take advantage while you can! OTA will be gone someday.

Boricua
Premium Member
join:2002-01-26
Sacramuerto

Boricua

Premium Member

Re: OTA baby

said by scott2020:

OTA will be gone someday.

Epicenter The Business of Tech
Comcast Buys NBC, Clouding Online TV’s Future


You're right, free TV will be a thing of the past .
19579823 (banned)
An Awesome Dude
join:2003-08-04

19579823 (banned) to scott2020

Member

to scott2020
quote:
OTA all the way. Take advantage while you can! OTA will be gone someday.
Yup probably sooner than one thinks!

VirtualSlew1
join:2008-01-18
Ambler, PA

VirtualSlew1

Member

My Bill was about $40 per month in 2000.

I paid $29.95 +$5 for slave receiver and another $5 for local channels in year 2000. I dumped Dtv for FiOS in 2007 when my bill was scheduled to jump to nearly $60 per month for exactly the same service I had in 2000. It must be approaching $75 per month for what I had in 2000. I blame most of the hikes on the demand for HD, resulting in newer satellites needing to be launched. Unfortunately those that don't want HD get stuck with the bill too.
gopnick
join:2005-01-07
Benton, AR

gopnick

Member

Re: My Bill was about $40 per month in 2000.

Very true... that, and sports packages.

I subscribe to HD but no extra sports... so I'm sort of in the middle as far the as screwed-to-getting-screwed ratio.

sleuth3
Premium Member
join:2001-08-30
West Des Moines, IA

sleuth3

Premium Member

Re: My Bill was about $40 per month in 2000.

said by gopnick:

Very true... that, and sports packages.

I subscribe to HD but no extra sports... so I'm sort of in the middle as far the as screwed-to-getting-screwed ratio.
I hope you didn't get the NFL Season ticket. NFL Redzone does everything the season ticket does, and better. It only costs me $5 /month and I can unsubscribe at any time.

I wish there were ways to implement similar types of programming for other sports.
dishrich
join:2006-05-12
Springfield, IL

dishrich to VirtualSlew1

Member

to VirtualSlew1
said by VirtualSlew1:

Unfortunately those that don't want HD get stuck with the bill too.
This is true for ANY HD provider - cable, DBS or telco, including FiOS...
tferguson01
join:2009-07-27
Newnan, GA

tferguson01

Member

If my rates are going up.

I WANT VS (verses) back.
sven_kirk3
join:2002-07-23
Lithia Springs, GA

sven_kirk3

Member

Re: If my rates are going up.

Agreed! And before the Dakar race/broadcast.

tacoma
Bleeding Dodger Blue
Premium Member
join:2001-05-18
Murrieta, CA

tacoma

Premium Member

No sensationalizing here

60% increase the sky is falling!

oh wait its just for international subs, and it went from $10-$13-$16

but they really got me over a barrel, most of the great shows aren't on broadcast tv of course. so i must have paid tv and i'll probably continue to waste $120+ on it, until i get the nerve up to just get everything 10 minutes after it aired on my favorite torrent tracker, and cancel directv. i wonder what id do with the extra money

Cheese
Premium Member
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL

Cheese

Premium Member

Re: No sensationalizing here

said by tacoma:

60% increase the sky is falling!

oh wait its just for international subs, and it went from $10-$13-$16

but they really got me over a barrel, most of the great shows aren't on broadcast tv of course. so i must have paid tv and i'll probably continue to waste $120+ on it, until i get the nerve up to just get everything 10 minutes after it aired on my favorite torrent tracker, and cancel directv. i wonder what id do with the extra money
But then you are murdering kitties by downloading illegally! Think of the kitties why don't you! MURDERER!
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned) to tacoma

Member

to tacoma
said by tacoma:

60% increase the sky is falling!

oh wait its just for international subs, and it went from $10-$13-$16
$6 a month is $72 a year over 10 years that's $720. That's decent HDTV. So basically you're giving DirecTv a new HDTV every 10 years. No biggie right?

Camelot One
MVM
join:2001-11-21
Bloomington, IN

Camelot One to tacoma

MVM

to tacoma
said by tacoma:

but they really got me over a barrel, most of the great shows aren't on broadcast tv of course. so i must have paid tv and i'll probably continue to waste $120+ on it, until i get the nerve up to just get everything 10 minutes after it aired on my favorite torrent tracker, and cancel directv. i wonder what id do with the extra money
I used my first month of savings to pay for the OTA antenna. The second month of savings to pay for the OTA Antenna booster. (needed only because I'm stuck using an attic mount, and all of my stations 40+ miles away) If I hadn't already had the tuner card laying around, that would have eaten up month 3 of savings.

Since then I've used the $93.52 I was paying (for basic channels + HD + 1 DVR) to pad my savings account. I can't blame DirecTV entirely for that price, here in FL there is an an insanely high communications tax on satellite. But I got sick of watching the bill climb up a few dollars every few months, while we still only watched the same dozen or so stations.

We still watch every show we did before, but I now I don't even have to bother fast forwarding through commercials. My equipment runs better than their DVR, and if I don't like the way something works, I can change it. The one and only thing I miss is seeing the previews and such for new shows. But they are easy enough to find online.
westdc
join:2009-01-25
Amissville, VA

westdc

Member

If cost is too high

Turn the service off-Cable & Dish ,Fios are all going up-Everyone who works for D* needs a raise as well.

If you turn the service off, you will no longer get a bill or a price hike.

I enjoy the service, when it reaches my price point, I'll turn the service off.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: If cost is too high

said by westdc:

Turn the service off-Cable & Dish ,Fios are all going up-Everyone who works for D* needs a raise as well.

If you turn the service off, you will no longer get a bill or a price hike.

I enjoy the service, when it reaches my price point, I'll turn the service off.
And this is just more proof that the content providers are driving the price increases. The increases are being levied by cable; telco; satellite and they compete against each other. They are all raising rates and it is because Hollyweird is the real monopoly the FCC won't touch.

jt85
@comcast.net

jt85

Anon

Re: If cost is too high

content providers do hold same of the blame. but cable satellite provider are also increaseing there rates too. the price of dvr has nothing to do with the content providers.

Biggs
@qwest.net

Biggs to FFH5

Anon

to FFH5
"They are all raising rates and it is because Hollyweird is the real monopoly the FCC won't touch."

Complete nonsense. The FCC has absolutely no jurisdiction over the motion picture industry, be it in Hollywood, New York, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, or anywhere else. It's jurisdiction over cable tv is cursory, and it's control over Satellite is virtually nil.
XJakeX
join:2005-03-05
Coventry, RI

XJakeX

Member

Re: If cost is too high

>>It's [FCC] jurisdiction over cable tv is cursory, and it's control over Satellite is virtually nil.

And that's the problem. Cable FIOS and Sat, clearly are an oligopoly, and the TV networks are the same. They need some serious regulation.

I wouldn't count this new FCC commissioner out just yet. It will take some balls to stand up to them, but his recent comments on Net Neutrality have at least given me hope in that area.

For now, I am using OTA, and writing the FCC and all my representatives with my comments on the recent rumblings from FOX about abandoning broadcast TV. There are twenty million people using OTA, and that number is growing, not declining, since the switch to digital. Their complaints of lost revenue are pure bunk. They simply can't stand that they are not getting paid from both ends.

The more people that move to OTA, the less they will be able to avoid the numbers. There's a lot of digital bandwidth on the sub channels going to waste. You would think they would be anxious to fill that with commercials.

qworster
join:2001-11-25
Bryn Mawr, PA

1 edit

qworster

Member

DTV lied to me...

When I signed up, they told me that my contract was for 18 months. Now they claim it's for two years-and the 18 months runs out on the 17th.

I'm self employed and had a major client file for bankruptcy on December 23rd owing me $2500.00 so I couldn't pay the DTV bill (I owe for December and January) and they shut me off yesterday. I won't have the $$ in house to pay until the 18th. Guess what? Over the air serves me just fine. Paying 80 dollars a month for HD service with no premium channels is a luxury I can't afford right now.

Has anyone else had experience with them increasing the terms of their committment?

MSauk
MSauk
Premium Member
join:2002-01-17
Sandy, UT

1 edit

MSauk

Premium Member

Re: DTV lied to me...

said by qworster:

When I signed up, they told me that my contract was for 18 months. Now they claim it's for two years-and the 18 months runs out on the 17th.

I'm self employed and had a major client file for bankruptcy on December 23rd owing me $2500.00 so I couldn't pay the DTV bill (I owe for December and January) and they shut me off yesterday. I won't have the $$ in house to pay until the 18th. Guess what? Over the air serves me just fine. Paying 80 dollars a month for HD service with no premium channels is a luxury I can't afford right now.

Has anyone else had experience with them increasing the terms of their committment?
yes it happened to me. After at least an hour talking and it being escalated to a "manager" it was reduced to the proper contract length I had signed.

They tried to pull a fast one on me!
callingbrian
join:2003-05-26
Dallas, OR

callingbrian

Member

Goin' Broke

Ya know, when I first subscribed to DirecTV, about five years ago, it was because I was unable to get over-the-air reception in this part of the world, and the cable system (Charter) seemed incapable of constantly delivering an image one could recognize.

About a year ago, Charter rewired the whole town (all 12,000 of us) with fibre-optic.

It looks like DirecTV is going to run me at least $80.00 a month. Foregoing the "which-is-better" argument, I can approximate what I have, programming and hardware wise, with Charter for about $75.00 a month, installation free and no contract. FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS! After that, apparently, all bets are off, and the price tag tops out at nearly $100.00.

I'm living on Social Security. We've just been informed Social Security has been frozen and there will be no benefit increase for cost-of-living this year. In the govt. view, I guess, there has been no increase in the cost of gas, groceries, rent, trash pickup, energy, medication, health-care, AND TV in the last year. And it seems they are unaware there is a recession going on and the economy is in the toilet, which I can't afford to flush!

I think my high-def TV, which I sweated bullets to afford, is about to become the worlds most elaborate paper weight.
BosstonesOwn
join:2002-12-15
Wakefield, MA

BosstonesOwn

Member

Re: Goin' Broke

I still have no idea in this economy how they have the nerve to raise rates ?

No one I know has gotten a raise , many had to take pay cuts. But yet these fools decide they need to raise rates.

All of these companies really need a good swift boot in the ass. And the investors they serve need to stop being greedy.
SauceMaster
join:2004-08-01
Kokomo, IN

SauceMaster to callingbrian

Member

to callingbrian
said by callingbrian:

I'm living on Social Security. We've just been informed Social Security has been frozen and there will be no benefit increase for cost-of-living this year. In the govt. view, I guess, there has been no increase in the cost of gas, groceries, rent, trash pickup, energy, medication, health-care, AND TV in the last year. And it seems they are unaware there is a recession going on and the economy is in the toilet, which I can't afford to flush!

I think my high-def TV, which I sweated bullets to afford, is about to become the worlds most elaborate paper weight.
It's not just this year ... it's for 2 years. So you will get no cost of living increase next year either. The next potential increase would be 2012 , if your lucky.

toby
Troy Mcclure
join:2001-11-13
Seattle, WA

toby

Member

Re: Goin' Broke

said by SauceMaster:

said by callingbrian:

I'm living on Social Security. We've just been informed Social Security has been frozen and there will be no benefit increase for cost-of-living this year. In the govt. view, I guess, there has been no increase in the cost of gas, groceries, rent, trash pickup, energy, medication, health-care, AND TV in the last year. And it seems they are unaware there is a recession going on and the economy is in the toilet, which I can't afford to flush!

I think my high-def TV, which I sweated bullets to afford, is about to become the worlds most elaborate paper weight.
It's not just this year ... it's for 2 years. So you will get no cost of living increase next year either. The next potential increase would be 2012 , if your lucky.
I don't live on SS, but I do pay into it.

I use Netflix and the internet, cheaper and better.

If you can't afford it, don't get it.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned) to callingbrian

Member

to callingbrian
said by callingbrian:

I'm living on Social Security. We've just been informed Social Security has been frozen and there will be no benefit increase for cost-of-living this year. In the govt. view, I guess, there has been no increase in the cost of gas, groceries, rent, trash pickup, energy, medication, health-care, AND TV in the last year. And it seems they are unaware there is a recession going on and the economy is in the toilet, which I can't afford to flush!
Actually the recession is the EXACT reason why you didn't get an increase. If you actually bothered to learn how SS determines COLA you'd understand. Yeah it sucks not to get an increase but based on the numbers it is what was called for.

from the SS website

How is a COLA calculated?
The Social Security Act specifies a formula for determining each COLA. In general, a COLA is equal to the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of one year to the third quarter of the next. If there is no increase, there is no COLA.


Oh by the way the cost of gas went DOWN last year. The year before it was up over $4 a gallon this year hovered around $2.50. That's a nearly 40% drop in price.

•••

AnonPerson
join:2000-08-26
Lexington, KY

1 recommendation

AnonPerson

Member

We're in luck

Well good thing it is becoming increasingly easy to pirate a TV show 1 hour after it airs. No need to pay these ever increasing prices for TV shows saturated with commercials.

••••••

n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY

n2jtx

Member

No Surprise!

Have to pay extra for Fox, Food and HGTV. Not to mention CBS, ABC and NBC soon.

Ioweyou
@comcast.net

Ioweyou

Anon

Rate Hike

I will NOT pay $6.99 a month for each of my DVR's just to have the 'privledge' of being able to record TV shows. I'll just go back to my VCR's.
Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL

Joe12345678

Member

Re: Rate Hike

said by Ioweyou :

I will NOT pay $6.99 a month for each of my DVR's just to have the 'privledge' of being able to record TV shows. I'll just go back to my VCR's.
$7 for all the dvr's vs $15-$20 per on cable.
dishrich
join:2006-05-12
Springfield, IL

dishrich

Member

Re: Rate Hike

Correct, & actually, when DirecTV first came out with the D-Tivo's, the DVR fee was $10/month for all DVR's. They also charged a $10 DVR fee for the UltimateTV DVR's that some people still use. (if you happened to have both types of receivers on your account, you paid TWO DVR fees...)
When DirecTV took over the DVR service from Tivo, they actually cut the price in 1/2 to $5 for all DVR's on an account. I'm not saying it's a good thing that DirecTV is raising their DVR rates, but they are still the cheapest of all DVR services out there, particularly if you have multiple DVR's.

'course I can't complain - I paid the $249 lifetime DVR fee when it was still available & now pay ZERO DVR fees for all 5 DVR's on my account; best $$$ I ever spent & it's already paid for itself twice+!
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

stock market rally

there is real pain in the economy (the people) and even on this bad news the stock market rallies... little do these day traders know that pumping up commodities is a great way to start the roller coaster a-going again! this time around alot of these mainstream companies are going to get hit hard in the bottom line. make sure the deals are more that 50% off these just raised rates for a timeframe of not less that 1 year.. with no contract requirement before even considering to sign back up.

cable-tv subscription rates will fall in 2010-- not rise. THIS TIME there is fire in that smoke filled back room where these deals to raise consumer's rates will lead to real consumer backlash & unaffordable pricing (for the lower middle class). nevertheless, individuals & families do without worse than advertisement padded cable-tv luxury.

Airwolf7
Premium Member
join:2004-12-12
Franklin, KY

1 edit

Airwolf7

Premium Member

My DTV bill is going up $3.00 and I ain't sweating it none.

I'm not liking that it's going up $3.00 a month but $3.00 a month ain't going to make me or break me.

I'm getting nickled and dimed to death everywhere I turn so $3.00 a month don't even phase me anymore. $3.00 a month is like loose change you find under your couch cushions.



These f*ckers below are the ones that are raping me.

Not in any order.

Water bill.
Electric bill.
Natural Gas bill.
Food costs.
Health Care costs.
Fuel costs.

They got it broke off so deep in me that $3.00 don't even make me flinch!

••••
cooldude9919
join:2000-05-29

cooldude9919

Member

Will be talking to charter soon

I have charter internet and phone, with DTV for TV service. My contract is up in April, so i wlll be talking to charter soon, and i can even pay $20x4 ETF fee if i want it earlier. I am paying ~$100 to charter for 20/2 and phone, and ~$100 to DTV for hd plus dvr with another receiver. I can get pretty much the higest bundle from charter and be paying less than i am right now, not counting the increase.

I can then go back to DTV later on if i want and be a new customer

yolarry
join:2007-12-29
Creston, WV

yolarry

Member

welp

there goes my 5 dollar foot long for subway each month.

gigahurtz
Premium Member
join:2001-10-20
USA

gigahurtz

Premium Member

I may need to switch..

I currently have about $41.00 in credits due to customer referrals, 12 month programming credits and dvr credits. Once these credits expire, I believe I may be switching to Brighthouse/AT&T U-Verse for my TV service. I currently have Brighthouse for phone and internet so a combo deal would be very cheap for me.
gigahurtz

gigahurtz

Premium Member

Re: I may need to switch..

said by gigahurtz:

I currently have about $41.00 in credits due to customer referrals, 12 month programming credits and dvr credits. Once these credits expire, I believe I may be switching to Brighthouse/AT&T U-Verse for my TV service. I currently have Brighthouse for phone and internet so a combo deal would be very cheap for me.
Canceled on Thursday and had Brighthouse hooked up today. I made my payment for the month for DirecTV and I'm owed $77.00. They said it will take "6-8 weeks" to process. I asked them why they didn't allow me 6-8 weeks to make a payment.

Joey Mac
@fuse.net

Joey Mac

Anon

Can I get out of my DTV contract ?

Can I get out of my contract with DTV since they are changing my rate plan ? I have been with them for about 13 months, and I am looking for an excuse to leave them w/o paying any fees. Anyone out there know the answer to this ?

•••

battleop
join:2005-09-28
00000

battleop

Member

Another headline with another load of crap.

Let's make sure we play up the negative. I looked at the 60% and it's based on pricing on the international basic package increase from 2008 to 2010. On top of that it's a $3 increase over last year.

Ioweyou
@comcast.net

Ioweyou

Anon

Feedback

@Rid0617 yes you can remove and add equipment to your account even without a contract. You should have hung up and called back to get a rep who knew the correct procedure. One of my old Samsung 40 hour DVR's died. I went to Costco and bought a new one. Got home, called and had them remove the bad DVR then added new one. You have to give the serial number, Rcvr ID number and access card number. That's it. No contract required. However... if you owe a balance on your account DTV will not make any changes until the balance is paid.

@Joey Mac You can get out of your contract very simply. Move to a new place like an apartment or townhouse and call DTV and tell them you don't have 'line of site' because there's a big tree blocking your new patio or your patio faces north. Tell them your property manager will only allow a tripod mounted dish and won't let you mount it on the building. If you don't want to move tell them the city just put up a parking garage across the street and it's blocking your signal. If you insist that you cannot remount the dish somewhere to get line of site they will let you out of your contract.

BillRoland
Premium Member
join:2001-01-21
Ocala, FL

BillRoland

Premium Member

Its PROGRAMMING costs

The reason they keep raising rates is because content providers keep charging them more. Its clear nobody is going to eat all of it, cable companies, telco TV, nor satellite are willing to absorb all the rate hikes. They have bottom lines too.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: Its PROGRAMMING costs

Hoe dare they try to make money. Don't they know they are supposed to provide with entertainment of free? They sound like Hollywood or the music industry always talking about losing profits. They never learn. If they'd only provide us with all our entertainment for free with no advertising they would make a killing! Don't ask me how, I think it works sort of like magic.
elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA

elray to BillRoland

Member

to BillRoland
said by BillRoland:

The reason they keep raising rates is because content providers keep charging them more. Its clear nobody is going to eat all of it, cable companies, telco TV, nor satellite are willing to absorb all the rate hikes. They have bottom lines too.
All the more reason to implement ala carte, and let the consumer decide what he really wants to buy, rather than hide behind "programming costs" ($.30) as a convenient scapegoat.

The
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