no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? in http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20909120 en Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:38:12 EDT Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:38:12 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20926724 Splitpair :
said by robl27 See Profile :

if i want satellite, i'd get a free to air system that covers both the c and ku spectrum.. over 500 channels there and FREE

-Rob
Good idea if you have the area to place a few 4 meter dishes.

Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20926724 Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:13:20 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20914737 NetLarry : DirecTV does have bundles of a sort; they have partnered with Verizon (Triple play - phone, DSL and DirecTV). But it's true that won't last long-term; Verizon only uses it as a stopgap measure to prevent subscriber loss to the cable companies. Once FIOS is expanded to a certain coverage percentage we can look for Verizon to end their partnership (and customer discount). From what I've heard from Verizon contacted call center employees, they've already made the bundle an "honor do not offer" deal.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20914737 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:45:37 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20913457 cbrigante2 : I wonder if rain fade happens more up north? I have my dish on my roof with a very clear view of the southern sky and I get rain fade for just a minute or two every time a heavy lightning or rain storm passes the sky to the south.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20913457 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:09:06 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20912312 rid0617 : I've had free to air for almost 8 years now. Will never be without it again. While there are a lot of foreign channels, galaxy 10 has a pile of network TV on the KU side. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20912312 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 03:48:02 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20911886 CopperMonkey :
said by robl27 See Profile :

the service fades out in the rain due to the fact the dishes are too small
Wha-what? Have the system re-installed. Rain should NEVER cause satellite TV to go out if it's installed properly. The ONLY weather that's ever knocked out my DirecTV is snow, and that's because the snow packs in on the dish, obstructing the feedhorn. This is the biggest misconception of satellite TV. I can see hurricanes, tornadoes, or thunderstorms killing the TV, but not rain. Never.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20911886 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:23:56 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20911474 KrK : Chainsaw... :D]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20911474 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:38:58 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20911064 raw : The dish was on the front of the property, and the trees shoot up a solid 40-50 feet over the house (excluding the older, taller trees).

The pole thing might have worked... if it were 100 feet tall. The back yard is all of 30 feet deep. When I say backs up to woods, I mean it in the most literal sense possible.

Thanks for the tips, though. :)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20911064 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:21:18 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910763 fiberguy : HUH? Dish size DOES affect rain-fade. Larger dishes, while do experience rain fade on a lower powered sat system, larger dishes will sustain longer. However, I've installed and maintained MANY dishes as a vendor and had signal in the 90's that still experienced rain fade.

Also, with the drive to install more and more dishes, techs are allowed to install dishes with laxed conditions.. I've seen dishes pointed right through trees, and I've seen them pointed at another building, all with reduced signal.. can they install with lower signal levels now over the past? yes.. do you see more fade? yes.

Another example.. in Iowa, a friend's house, he has Dish Net.. if you've ever been in rural Iowa there really isn't anything to block the line of sight. Even with mid 90's, a SLIGHT, and I do mean slight, rain storm has caused fade.

Lazy, dumb or high.. that's a hiring issue.. but it's not 100% of the reason rain/snow (we'll just say storm) fade happens.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910763 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:20:20 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910720 fiberguy : Profitability has nothing to do with it. There is competition issues at hand.. They have cable and phone to compete with, and sometimes small muni systems. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910720 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:15:10 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910684 MagicVuedoo : heya rob,

cant say about the fta stuff but you know, dish size has nothing to do with service fade. if you got crappy service, it is due to the fact that your technician was lazy, dumb, or high. take your pick. either way, your dish was not peaked in correctly.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910684 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:08:26 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910650 Dogfather :
said by KrK See Profile :

Is DTV finally making money? It lost money for years.
This is according to news items about their latest results "profit up 10%". Dish Network's profit was up 50%.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910650 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:02:02 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910606 anon :
said by Ammler See Profile :

I'm not buying that. I believe the same argument Sirius and XM used to merge (competition from terrestrial radio, CDs, MP3s, etc.), can be applied here as well (competition from cable, terrestrial tv, internet, iTunes, dvd, blue-ray, etc.).
so much

Not so much, xm and sirius used am/fm as their reason yes, however when they tried this merger in 01 they used Cable TV and terrestrial tv and it got shot down, chances are FCC isn't going to let them happen, remember terrestrial tv doesnt get you PPV and HBO and the sorts, and people who live in areas were there isn't cable (yes there are still these places) Are aloud to have a choice in who they pick, remember these are the only 2 players in the park on this one, and a monopoly will screw these folks out of a choice of who has got the best deal. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910606 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:53:36 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910601 anon :
said by Ammler See Profile :

I'm not buying that. I believe the same argument Sirius and XM used to merge (competition from terrestrial radio, CDs, MP3s, etc.), can be applied here as well (competition from cable, terrestrial tv, internet, iTunes, dvd, blue-ray, etc.).
I totally agree with them. Let these two merge as well. This would give the cable companies real competition for a change.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910601 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:52:32 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910530 fiberguy : Satellite isn't its only competitive market, rather, satellite (both of them) are considered to be "video providers" period. If that wasn't the case, then they're going to have some hard times explaining what happened in the L.A. area.. In LA, satellite penetration raise to a percentage of that of cable to allow for cable to escape the rule of franchise as they were no considered a monopoly.

Satellite is either a video provider, or not... to clear it up, satellite IS simply another video provider. I don't care to see the two merge, however, in reality, people talk like satellite is in it's own classification when it's not.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910530 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:39:06 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909316 anon : its not free. you have to buy all the equipment. so you still pay for it. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909316 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:58:48 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910298 KrK : The advantages I see are:

1) Bandwith. They would gain control of both companies satellite spectrum. Result: They could dump duplicate services and use the bandwidth to bring more channels, more HD, less compression, etc etc

2) Numbers of subscribers. With a larger group of subscribers, it gives them more clout with the content providers--- ie puts them in a better position to negotiate on prices. If they can keep programming costs lower, then they can compete better on price. (And still remain profitable.)
--
"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910298 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:49:14 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910273 Corydon : I don't see how a merger would do much of anything to change your analysis. The DBS company would still face competition from cable (and more and more, telcos).

Sure they could save some money by eliminating positions. Sure they might make a bit more by putting more of a squeeze on rural customers who have nowhere else to go.

But they still will not be able to offer a viable bundle alternative and would end up getting squeezed by triple play companies who can.
--
"Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too."]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910273 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:45:19 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910123 KrK : There's some options. Relocate the dish to the front of their property, or, elevate the dish so it can see clearly above the trees. I had trees behind my property for years, and I found that if I checked around the property there was several places I could get clear signal... surprisingly. I went with a TV antenna style pole on the roof with the dish mounted to the pole. It gave me elevation that I needed and still the dish was out of sight.
--
"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910123 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:19:07 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910101 KrK :
said by DaveNJ See Profile :

If Dish and Direct are profitable and sustainable they shouldnt be allowed to merge.
Hmmm. SBC and Bellsouth was profitable. They merged. Citi merged with Travellers.... etc etc. I don't think profitable is really a standard they use.

They weigh in on competition. A merger of DBS would create one provider for rural subs--- not so good.... *but* DBS is facing STRONG competion from Telco and Cable offerings that they have a hard time competing with due to the fact they cannot offer other services to sweeten the pot. (IE Bundles.) A stronger DBS competitor here would be good for these consumers.

SO, the argument could go either way.
--
"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910101 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:15:41 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910074 KrK : Is DTV finally making money? It lost money for years.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910074 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:10:01 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910066 KrK : I've never had the rain fade issue on Dish. I've only had the "extremely severe thunderstorm outage" and even then I think the longest outage I remember was 15 minutes.

Course, your Dish needs to be perfectly aligned for strong signal strength. I knew some friends who had DirecTV and their dish was mounted on the corner rail of a large wooden deck. I think the deck would move a little with heating and cooling, wood swelling, etc. They had signal problems a lot. They went with cable eventually though.
--
"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20910066 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:09:03 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909936 raw :
said by Corehhi See Profile :

I second that. I rarely lose Directv.
On the flip side, my parents had to drop DirecTV because their house backs up to thick woods in the due southwesterly direction (from Knoxville, TN), and eventually the tree growth got so thick that signal strength was in single digits on a clear sunny summer day. Sad day indeed, because they certainly enjoyed it while it lasted.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909936 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:46:18 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909456 Dogfather : Crap. Hopefully the next company won't ruin it like Infinity got ruined with the lame Free FM and Jack FM cookie cutter formats.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909456 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:21:46 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909446 DaveNJ : wait read this ! dang

»www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=827268&spid=1314


Would Mel Sell Sirius XM Radio?
August 6, 2008

In a new interview with the New York Times, Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin floats the idea that once the merged satcaster turns a profit, he could flip the company and sell it off. Karmazin says that his goal is to turn Sirius XM into a profitable company, which could happen in just a year or two, "then we can argue about what the company is worth."

Karmazin suggests that he could then sell off the satcaster once it is profitable. "I’m not a visionary; I’m an operator,” he told the Times. "And I’ve been a seller. The bankers all want the next transaction."

Discussing the upcoming cost cutting at the merged satcaster, Karmazin said he aims to cut approximately $400 million in annual costs and half-jokes that "When I became the CEO of CBS, the first thing I did was sell the artwork."

Karmazin also discussed the recently completed merger, saying that the outcry from terrestrial radio and the NAB against it was "the best thing that happened," because it proved his argument that satellite radio was indeed their competition.

--
“Say no to fear. Don’t let anxiety crush your life. Live life free and unfettered.”



]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909446 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:20:21 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909415 Dogfather :
said by DaveNJ See Profile :

Why doesn't Dish buy Sirius XM ?
I doubt Mel would be that interested. Sirius XM now has more subscribers than any company other than Comcast.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909415 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:15:54 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909387 Dogfather : Satellite radio has much more competition from far more independent sources that DBS has. And unlike satellite radio, DBS is highly profitable and leads their industry in content, price and service.

As far as mobile competition, they again can't be compared because of the cost of movies and the listening/watching patterns of people.

In general, you will listen to the same song over and over and over again while there are few if any individual movies you will watch that many times. So for the $1 you may pay for a song, you get far more value and it's far more competitive than an $8-$15 DVD you may watch a few times. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909387 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:12:55 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909386 DaveNJ :
said by Dogfather See Profile :

Because neither satellite radio company was profitable, not even close.

Both Dish Network and DirecTV are profitable and despite the subscriber losses, profit for Dish Network is up in the 2Q as was DirecTV.
If Dish and Direct are profitable and sustainable they shouldnt be allowed to merge. Satellite radio wasnt and it needed to merge to survive. Why doesn't Dish buy Sirius XM ?
--
“Say no to fear. Don’t let anxiety crush your life. Live life free and unfettered.”



]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909386 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:12:34 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909384 Corehhi : I second that. I rarely lose Directv. The only times I can remember were a hurricane and a couple of bad electrical storms. For that matter my power goes off about every month or two so directv is more reliable than my power company. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909384 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:12:25 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909356 Camelot One :
said by robl27 See Profile :

the service fades out in the rain due to the fact the dishes are too small and, their is nothing on tv worth watching anymore.
I have to disagree with the first part. I've been with DirecTV for almost 7 years now. I have no shortage of complaints about various things, but as long as the dish is PROPERLY lined up, you won't get rain fade. I had mine working during 2 hurricanes back in Florida, and only lost the signal for about 30 minutes in each. I've had 0 problems here in Austin. Mind you I said when the dish is PROPERLY lined up, and most of the DTV sub-contractors don't bother to make sure it actually is. They shoot for a signal of any kind on a clear sunny day, and call it a day.

I will agree however that there is little worth watching these days, certainly little worth paying the price for.
--
Intel Q6600 @3400Mhz/GA-EP35-DS3P/2x 2048Mb G.Skill/Seagate 750.10/EVGA 8800GT's SLI/Silverstone 850W/Custom water cooler]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909356 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:09:12 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909347 Ammler : I'm not buying that. I believe the same argument Sirius and XM used to merge (competition from terrestrial radio, CDs, MP3s, etc.), can be applied here as well (competition from cable, terrestrial tv, internet, iTunes, dvd, blue-ray, etc.).]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909347 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:08:06 EDT Re: no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909154 Dogfather : Because neither satellite radio company was profitable, not even close.

Both Dish Network and DirecTV are profitable and despite the subscriber losses, profit for Dish Network is up in the 2Q as was DirecTV.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909154 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:38:29 EDT no more satellite radio competition, why not tv? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909120 robl27 : xm and sirius are now one company, why can't dish and direct.

it's all about pushing the little folks (us) wallet's even shorter and shorter.

the service fades out in the rain due to the fact the dishes are too small and, their is nothing on tv worth watching anymore.

if i want satellite, i'd get a free to air system that covers both the c and ku spectrum.. over 500 channels there and FREE

-Rob
--
»www.cband.info come join our IRC chat room and meet some new friends and listen to some good radio. We don't bite unless it's a piece of steak!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20909120 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:33:20 EDT