Echostar throws HDTV Monitor against the wall

[Richard King]

Think it will stick?

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/business/article/0,1299,DRMN_4_1666607,00.html

[rmassey]

OMG, considering what they did to the PVR in terms of reliability, I'dhate to see the results of an HDTV by Echostar.

Damn, they ought to just concentrate on fixing what they already produce instead of making more junk.

[James_F]

So a crappy monitor to go along with their crappy receivers. :rolleyes:

[gcutler]

But wouldn't it be cool to take bets on which component will fail first. :p

[platinum]

Originally posted by gcutler
But wouldn't it be cool to take bets on which component will fail first. :p
LOLLLLLL........:rolling:

[Mike123abc]

Well the good news is that the monitor will probably have no equipment to go wrong. Sounds like it will just be monitor no tuners. Just have to hook up a 921 to it to get PiP, your locals ota in HDTV or on satellite. $1700 and weighs 300 pounds sounds like it is a 38" CRT 16:9.

[Frapp]

Echostar: The worst satellite recivers ( and now HDTV,s) known to man :lol:

[Richard King]

I think it is a great idea if they can execute. I don't want to buy an HDTV with a built in anything other than a screen. I have no need for a tuner nor an audio system and no one else is exploring my type of market. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised to see this go the same route as the combined satellite receiver/DVD player that they showed a while back (before the price of DVD players dropped through the floor).

[Nick]

"...the monitor would receive only the EchoStar signal."

Say WHAT??? That must be a typo. No one could possibly be stupid enough to do that!

[Richard King]

I suspect it is designed to go with the model 6000 and 921 along with others on the way. Both of these receivers will receive off air signals along with the Dish signals. This could also be aimed as competition to those RCA televisions (HDTV included) that have DirecTv receivers built in and, as I understand, won't work with Dish receivers.

[tampa8]

About a month or two ago I was skimming an article about Samsung and I'm sure there was a mention of Echostar in the article but I never really read the article except - it was about High Definition. Maybe Samsung would build it with the Echostar name? Pure speculation of course.

[platinum]

Echocrap should get the bugs out of their receivers before they start messing with monitors.

[Ray_Clum]

Originally posted by Nick
"...the monitor would receive only the EchoStar signal."

Say WHAT??? That must be a typo. No one could possibly be stupid enough to do that!

IIRC, RCA or Phillips made an HDTV that had an integrated DirecTV receiver in it so the HDTV could only accept the DirecTV signal. So I guess it could be said that someone would be stupid enough to do that...

[Richard King]

IIRC, RCA or Phillips made an HDTV that had an integrated DirecTV receiver in it so the HDTV could only accept the DirecTV signal.You recall correctly. I almost ordered three of the RCA HDTV models at the SBCA show a couple of years ago, until I found out about this "feature". The distributor who handled the RCA line here insisted that it had no receiver built in, so I insisted that he follow me to the RCA booth where he was properly educated and where I cancelled my order.

[jzoomer]

Bad business strategy if they are making their own. They can't compete. Now if they are just branding an existing monitor to package it, I don't see that helping either. Echostar doesn't have a positive name branding effect that maybe a Kenmore or Craftsman has (or used to have). You can tell that by the above posts.

Besides, I can buy a 30" 16:9 Akai HDTV monitor at Sam's club for $480 right now and hook it up to an Echostar receiver.

[Mike123abc]

Originally posted by jzoomer
Bad business strategy if they are making their own. They can't compete. Now if they are just branding an existing monitor to package it, I don't see that helping either. Echostar doesn't have a positive name branding effect that maybe a Kenmore or Craftsman has (or used to have). You can tell that by the above posts.

Besides, I can buy a 30" 16:9 Akai HDTV monitor at Sam's club for $480 right now and hook it up to an Echostar receiver.

Who says Dish does not have a good brand image? They have millions of happy subscribers. Just because some complain on a message board like this, does not mean that the great unwashed masses are not happy. People do not sit around and post that they are happy with their DBS picture today and everything is working great. People only post when things go wrong.

[jeffwtux]

So does this have an intergrated Dish DBS receiver or not? If it does, then this is huge in the long run for Dish. The weak link for dish in the future is the need for HDTV receiver for each TV to compete against cable which will have integrated tuners in the TVs. If this TV is competitively priced with other non-DBS HDTVs and if it doesn't have problems(a big IF, granted), this could be the answer to their encryption and HDTV tuning problems in the future.
This is long term though. Right now their biggest problem is getting economical programming package from broadcasters and getting fair deal. They need this to compete against DirecTV, because nobody will take AT100-locals of TC/locals right now, and certainly nobody will take AT150+locals over TC+ with locals.

[Chris Freeland]

Originally posted by Rking401
I suspect it is designed to go with the model 6000 and 921 along with others on the way. Both of these receivers will receive off air signals along with the Dish signals. This could also be aimed as competition to those RCA televisions (HDTV included) that have DirecTv receivers built in and, as I understand, won't work with Dish receivers.

Yes, I suspect the same thing and think it is a good idea if E* can bring it off. I think E* would likely sell this monitor in a bundled package with a choice of either the 6000 or 921 HD STB's which would provide the ota tuner and satellite tuner and then add your own sound system. Sound like a good move to me :) '

[sampatterson]

Hmmm, I guess the "pink or black screens of death" (known to us dishplayer customers) would then be in 1920x1080 resolution?

I can't see them selling it as "just a monitor, taking out the receiver" as they said, geez, they would have to have a receiver to be able to update the buggy released software in it!!! <grin>

[lee635]

I see a great lease option for those who want HDTV but don't want to shell out up front. I think this idea may have legs.

[Jacob S]

Maybe some will think that it is made specially for HD and for the Dish Network receiver therefore selling more of the product that way. Is that really a good price considering a 46 inch one is $2500-$3000 ?

[drjake]

My my, how everybody sees the negative. I was at CES and saw the demo 34" HDTV monitors. The picture was quite good. Why everybody thinks that Echostar will make a bad monitor is beyond me. They will do nothing more than assemble the HDTV from parts manufactured by other parties. There are only a limited number of manufacturers making picture tubes out there. There is no software to go in the box. Echostar's early problems with new receivers stem from unfinished software. The reliability of the hardware tends to be good. From what I saw at CES, the monitor had a digital input as well as component inputs. That would mean that it is not just mated to a DISH receiver. Why don't we all just wait and see what happens?

[Jacob S]

Because there has in fact indeed been some hardware issues with the pvr products. That is something that those that have had pvr problems completely understand and therefore would be afraid of what this HD tv would be like. Since it is something new it may be completely different and actually turn out well, or with problems.

[Richard King]

Why don't we all just wait and see what happens?Because for some it's more fun to complain. :D

[lee635]

If you're worried about probelms, then rent first, don't buy. That way you can call the CSR and tell em to come pick it up.

I for one think that it's a sharp idea to rent or lease these items due to the high price tag. When I worked at Monkey Wards, if I had a dime for every time a customer said "But how much is it a month?" ;)

[drjake]

TWICE Magazine reports and my Dish Rep has confirmed that the HDTV monitors, if sold, will be manufactured by Thomson (RCA/GE).

[lgnaclo]

IF e* was to work with somone else in making these screens,at least it can't be as bad as the work they did with microsoft. right?
atleast let's hope.

[Rich B.]

If RCA will be building these TV units, then reliability probably WILL be a problem.

Rich B.