View Full Version : New EchoStar Ads Target TiVo, Cable DVRs
Chris Blount
02-01-05, 06:14 AM
Beginning today, EchoStar will start running new print and outdoor billboard advertising that takes aim at TiVo's DVR service while at the same time promoting its digital recorder technology.
The ads, which will run for several months, targets perceptions that TiVo's DVR products are expensive. Tag lines from the EchoStar print advertising effort include "Sure, TiVo is hot. TiVo is also expensive" and "For people who think the idea behind TiVo is cool, but the price isn't."
The EchoStar advertising also promotes an offer from the company for a free upgrade to a two-room DISH DVR. The ads are a variation of EchoStar's "Why is Digital Cable So Expensive" marketing campaign, and points out that some consumers must get digital cable to receive a cable DVR box.
In addition to print and outdoor advertising, some radio and TV spots will eventually surface from the company, spokesperson Marc Lumpkin said.
EchoStar, which operates the DISH Network satellite TV service, has nearly all of its new DISH Network receivers featuring DVR functionality, including high def DVRs.
http://www.skyreport.com (Used with permission)
If I had the money I'd have the campaign that said "Sure, TiVo is hot, TiVo is expensive but - you know what? TiVo *WORKS*."
Capmeister
02-01-05, 07:15 AM
Heh. I was thinking the same. While my 501 worked fine, it didn't do 1/3 of the things my Tivo does.
I love my 721, but it won't do NBR or Season Passes. I love my standalone TiVo Series 2, but it isn't a Dish receiver, so I have it connected to my 811, and the subscription fee would pay for 5 years Dish DVR fees. :)
terfmop
02-01-05, 07:55 AM
"Sure, TiVo is hot. TiVo is also expensive" and "For people who think the idea behind TiVo is cool, but the price isn't." ...........
Most folks who own a Tivo, soon realize that the price is well worth it. I wish there could be some way for E* and Tivo to team up.
scottchez
02-01-05, 10:19 AM
Here is my Ad
Tivo- the slowest Guide in the World.
If you like waiting for the hour glass and if you like push the page down button only to have it draw pages on line at a time then the Tivo is for you.
Capmeister
02-01-05, 10:37 AM
On the grid guide, yes, but the list guide is fine, and to be honest I like it better than the grid.
Cyclone
02-01-05, 10:46 AM
I still don't know how after all these years, Tivo has not been able to reprogram the guide to work at a compfortable speed.
garypen
02-01-05, 11:01 AM
Pretty hypocritical advertising campaign, as the satellite (DirecTV) version of Tivo is CHEAPER than Dish's DVR @ $5 per household vs. $5 per receiver.
I guess that "Sure, Tivo is hot, and it's also cheaper, more functional, and works more reliably than Dish DVR's. But, please use ours anyway." doesn't have the same ring.
Has E* contacted with a bunch of out of work political ad execs? All their ads as of late are negative about the competition.
If they keep playing this game maybe the other will do a little pay back to E*. How about a commercial with a D* HR10-250 user sitting back and watching TV while an E* 921 user has a phone in is ear and a error message sitting on his screen.
Has E* contacted with a bunch of out of work political ad execs? All their ads as of late are negative about the competition.
If they keep playing this game maybe the other will do a little pay back to E*. How about a commercial with a D* HR10-250 user sitting back and watching TV while an E* 921 user has a phone in is ear and a error message sitting on his screen.
That would be classic! Maybe some DTV employee is running this up to his boss in marketing now.
I have a DirecTV TiVo (HDVR2) and a DISH DVR (model 721). BOTH have their good and bad points. As noted, the TiVos are extremely slow (compared to the 721). The 721s have been somewhat buggy as noted by the posts about them (mine has been much better than most of them; the worst problem that I have had is that I have had to re-boot it several times). And, as noted, the TiVo has a few features that the 721 doesn't have.
As for DISH's new ad: I feel that they would be better off spending the money on software engineering than spending it on ad campigns that (as is the fault of most ads) are not entirely truthful.
If I had the money I'd have the campaign that said "Sure, TiVo is hot, TiVo is expensive but - you know what? TiVo *WORKS*."
Had a 508 for 4 years. Its sure nice that now I have a TiVo that works and does so much the Echo-crap!
To this day they're still introducing new bugs to my Dishplayer...
BasicBlak
02-02-05, 04:43 PM
If I had the money I'd have the campaign that said "Sure, TiVo is hot, TiVo is expensive but - you know what? TiVo *WORKS*."
Amen to that, djlong!!! :D
LOBO2999
02-02-05, 05:54 PM
I still don't know how after all these years, Tivo has not been able to reprogram the guide to work at a compfortable speed.
The speed is suppose to get faster after the 6.2 sofwear D/L that is what it says here/ http://www.directv.com/see/landing/dvr_upgrade.html
Find what you want faster. Navigate through your ON-SCREEN GUIDE more quickly than before. Plus, you'll be able to SEARCH faster for your favorites.
Jacob S
02-02-05, 08:31 PM
Dish Network would not be advertising against Tivo if they felt as if they were not a threat to their DVR business particularly with the new software that they are releasing. This tells me that Dish Network feels as if their DVR business is being jeopardized by Tivo's product if they are targeting ads against Tivo.
I will take the free dvr. Which would be the 721. Bugs and all. I will reset till my finger is numb. As long as its free. And remember...........Its only tv.
garypen
02-03-05, 12:03 AM
Ironically, Tivo's CEO just quit because he spent years brokering a deal to partner with Comcast, and the Chairman of the Board vetoed the deal, basically sealing Tivo's doom. They certainly can't survive without a major distro partner to fill the gap left by DirecTV.
Does everybody really agree with Gary? :nono: :rolling: :icon_peac
garypen
02-03-05, 11:12 AM
Only the smart, good-looking ones.
I will take the free dvr. Which would be the 721. Bugs and all. I will reset till my finger is numb. As long as its free. And remember...........Its only tv.Well, the 721 wasn't really free, you paid $xxx for it up front, just like I paid $xxx for my 508s (not that I'm complaining :) ).
If you compare what you can get *now*:
DirecTV - $49 per DVR, $4.99 TiVo fee per household
Dish - $49 or $99 per DVR, $4.99 DVR fee per receiver, $4.99 lease fee per receiver. (The $49 fee is refunded for new subs.)
Whether new sub or not, TiVo is cheaper within 10 months.
Well, the 721 wasn't really free, you paid $xxx for it up front, just like I paid $xxx for my 508s (not that I'm complaining :) ).
If you compare what you can get *now*:
DirecTV - $49 per DVR, $4.99 TiVo fee per household
Dish - $49 or $99 per DVR, $4.99 DVR fee per receiver, $4.99 lease fee per receiver. (The $49 fee is refunded for new subs.)
Whether new sub or not, TiVo is cheaper within 10 months.
Was talking about the DVR FEE. Thats what i meant by free dvr. I have already gotten my money back with the 721 by not paying the DVR fee. So neither the 522 or the tivo is cheaper for me in the long run.
garypen
02-04-05, 12:36 PM
Was talking about the DVR FEE. Thats what i meant by free dvr. I have already gotten my money back with the 721 by not paying the DVR fee. That must be one cheap 721. Even at the special $249 price that was offered last year, it would take over 4 years to pay for itself, at $60/year. It would take twice that at the original $500 price tag.
That must be one cheap 721. Even at the special $249 price that was offered last year, it would take over 4 years to pay for itself, at $60/year. It would take twice that at the original $500 price tag.
Sorry to disappoint you. But I didnt pay that much. But lets break this down. You suggested I paid 249 for a 500 dollar receiver. Big savings there so far. But now lets take away 60 bucks for one year. Thats 189.00 so far for a two tuner receiver. Im down to 140.00 so far for a receiver that retails for 400 plus. Im sorry but i consider that a receiver that has paid for its self. And still going. Thats just me.
Now lets see how Tivo can pay for its self. :nono2: You got me on this one..... :confused:
ceo@echostar.com let me have a 721 for 200.00. I had to pay 249.00 up front but he gave me a 49.00 dollar credit on my bill.
garypen
02-04-05, 10:34 PM
Your formula escapes me. Please explain again how it has paid for itself? I didn't suggest you paid any specific amount. The only thing for sure is that you save $60 a year. Did you pay $120, and have it for two years? $180 and have it for 3 years? (Is it the 721 that old?)
The math is simple. If you paid more for it than $60 x the years you've owned it, it hasn't paid for itself. You may be happy with it. Or, it may hold great value for you. Or, maybe given you great pleasure. But, it hasn't paid for itself until enough time has passed that the $60 per year adds up to what you paid for it.
For me, at $249, it would take over 4 years. But, it's a moot point because I will be selling it in a few weeks.
BTW, the DirecTivo is about $50, plus $5 per month. It would take over 3 years to cost as much as my 721 did.
And, Comcast's HD DVR has ZERO upfront cost, and $10 a month. But, that $10 includes the DVR fee, Lease fee, Add'l Rcvr fee, and HD programming package.
Those are both very viable alternatives to the Dish 721 or anything Dish has to offer.
Ok...let me put it to you this way...its paying for its self. But to me...and this is just me....it has paid for its self. You might not agree but thats how i see it. Now show me how tivo can pay for its self and I might just get one. And i dont want all the channels that directv offer in order to get free dvr services.
A 40 GB Directivo for 50 bucks after rebates dont compare to a 721. 721 has a much bigger harddrive. And in about 2 years or more the cost of that receiver would equal what I paid for the 721.
jtravel
02-05-05, 04:40 AM
If you compare what you can get *now*:
DirecTV - $49 per DVR, $4.99 TiVo fee per household
Dish - $49 or $99 per DVR, $4.99 DVR fee per receiver, $4.99 lease fee per receiver. (The $49 fee is refunded for new subs.)
Whether new sub or not, TiVo is cheaper within 10 months.
This would only be true if you have more than 1 DVR receiver on your account.
New E* subs get the DVR-522 at no upfront cost.
Lease fee on first receiver is included in the programming package.
You pay a extra $5 lease fee per receiver 2-4 if you have them.
DVR VOD fee is $4.95 per month per DVR
garypen
02-05-05, 09:24 AM
Ok...let me put it to you this way...its paying for its self. Ah. Big diff. :D
I can see how you like the 721. I like it too. It's still alittle buggy for a receiver that's been out for some time now. But, I'll definitely miss it when I sell it in a few weeks. (I'll post it in the classified forum in late Feb/early March.)
Bob Haller
02-05-05, 09:30 AM
Does everybody really agree with Gary? :nono: :rolling: :icon_peac
I do TIVO sadly TIVO is a terminal case alive yes but their days are numbered.
E buying them would be a natural, and Charlie would no doubt infect it with bugs :nono2:
jakattak
02-14-05, 03:28 PM
Pretty hypocritical advertising campaign, as the satellite (DirecTV) version of Tivo is CHEAPER than Dish's DVR @ $5 per household vs. $5 per receiver.
I guess that "Sure, Tivo is hot, and it's also cheaper, more functional, and works more reliably than Dish DVR's. But, please use ours anyway." doesn't have the same ring.
Is this a new pricing structure by DirecTV? I had looked at them as recently as a few months ago and it was definitely more than $5 per household for the DVR (I thought it was closer to $10.)
As far as more functional, I agree. I soooo wish E* had set something up with Tivo instead of going the route they did. As far as more reliable, I guess it depends which DVR you're talking about. I've had a 510 now for close to 18 months, and it has never let me down. I have absolutely no complaints about it.
jakattak
02-14-05, 03:35 PM
If you compare what you can get *now*:
DirecTV - $49 per DVR, $4.99 TiVo fee per household
Dish - $49 or $99 per DVR, $4.99 DVR fee per receiver, $4.99 lease fee per receiver. (The $49 fee is refunded for new subs.)
Doesn't DirecTV also charge a fee for additional receivers? (They did when I was their customer)
DirecTV - $49 per DVR (actually 99 sans rebate), $4.99 TiVo fee per household and $4.99 mirroring fee per additional receiver
Dish - same as quoted above
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