Is KBS World free to top 60 subscribers (and up) or not?

[Bon]

Well, my installers just came and went without installing a Superdish so that I can receive KBS World on 121. E* customer service insisted that I have to subscribe to an international package to get it. From what I've read on this forum as well as what I see on the E* web site I still believe that I can receive KBS for free with a Top 60 subscription or above. The weekend supervisor that I talked to refused to budge so I asked for a new install date some 10 days away so I can get the facts and a Super Dish install so I can receive the 121 signal.

Please, any suggestions for dealing with E* to resolve this will be greatly appreciated. The installer(s) were gracious and said they would get me a phone number for "Executive Managers". I hope they follow through. But I still feel that I need some additional ammo to help them understand their programming offerings.

Or am I the one that's wrong? Is KBS World free on 121?

Thanks!

[Bon]

At the E* website http://www.dishnetwork.com/downloads/pdf/programming/SD_Channel_Lineup.pdf it says that KBS is "Available at no cost to all Dish Network customers. KBS world requires SuperDISH antenna pointed at 121 orbital location and subscription to qualifying programming."

As i'm reading this, if "qualifying programming" meant an international package then "Available at no cost" makes no sense. Yet, this is how the E* CS rep is interpreting the above. Besides, I can receive the International Package without pointing to 121°. It's available on 61.5° which I already have.

The only way I can make sense of the above is that the International subscription Korean package which includes KBS (on 61.5°) is available for a monthly fee but KBS is available seperately "at no cost" on channel 704 if I have a dish on 121°.

[BFG]

KBS World is free, what's not free is the superdish. There in lies your confusion with dish...

The cheapest you can get a superdish installed for is $59.95 and that requires a year commitment to at least dish family.

http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/customercare/offers/superdish_upgrade/index.shtml

[Bon]

Yes, you're right. I'm paying to have the SuperDish installed.

The CSR's are telling me, however, that I have to subscribe to an International package and then I don't need the SuperDish.

Technically they're right. If I subscribe to an International package I don't need the SuperDish for KBS but I don't want to subscribe to the International package but I do want KBS on 704 - for free- as I am signing up as a Silver subscriber.

[TNGTony]

Bon,

Some more fuel to the fire here. KBS World is NOT free on channel 704. It never has been. Here is the way it works out:

Channel 652 at 61.5 and 148 requires a subscription to Korean Basic Pack

Channel 704 at 121 requires a subscription to the Korean Basic or Variety Packs

Channel 9850 at 121 is part of the Free Public Interest Pack which requires any basic subscription to Dish Network and the equipment necessary to pick it up.

Crazy, I know. But that is the way it works out.

see www.dishchannelchart.com

[wkomorow]

Not certain I know how to interpret this and I do not know the date this was posted, but from the KBS web site:

The Echostar Dish Network currently carries KBS WORLD in its premium package. KBS and Echostar reached an agreement to put KBS WORLD in its basic package in the near future, enabling access to over a million Americans.

Found at: http://english.kbs.co.kr/world/station/wor_sta.html

Certainly Dish has more that a million subscribers in total - so maybe this is the number of subscribers at 121.

BTW, War of the Roses and Farewell to Sorrow were great series; Without giving away the ending - both shows ended the same way vis-a-vis a main character (Ms. Kang and Maeng Sun-yi) and those around her - do most Korean dramas end that way?

[Bon]

Bon,

Some more fuel to the fire here. KBS World is NOT free on channel 704. It never has been. Here is the way it works out:

Channel 652 at 61.5 and 148 requires a subscription to Korean Basic Pack

Channel 704 at 121 requires a subscription to the Korean Basic or Variety Packs

Channel 9850 at 121 is part of the Free Public Interest Pack which requires any basic subscription to Dish Network and the equipment necessary to pick it up.

Crazy, I know. But that is the way it works out.

see www.dishchannelchart.com

Thanks, TNGTony

I never meant free as in "no string attached". I'm only trying to determine whether channel channel 9850 on 121 is included in a basic (?) package such a the HD Silver? Today when the install was going to happen the installers showed up without the SuperDish and neither the installers or any CSR's or supervisors thought that KBS was included in any package except for the International packages. :nono2:

So do you think that if I insist on the SuperDish (and pay for it) that channel 9850/KBS will automatically be included in the Silver plan?

[ban_cable]

Thanks, TNGTony

I never meant free as in "no string attached". I'm only trying to determine whether channel channel 9850 on 121 is included in a basic (?) package such a the HD Silver? Today when the install was going to happen the installers showed up without the SuperDish and neither the installers or any CSR's or supervisors thought that KBS was included in any package except for the International packages. :nono2:

So do you think that if I insist on the SuperDish (and pay for it) that channel 9850/KBS will automatically be included in the Silver plan?

How come on the dish network website, to get KBS World for free, you must subscribe to preminum (international) or qualifying programming with Superdish? When I click on the upgrade Dish to Superdish link, it said to get Superdish, you must subscribe to one of the following channels for a year (contract..Top 60 and some other package choices) and other or international channels to get the Superdish.

Is there english subtitles on kbs drama series like the Mon-Tues, Wed-Thurs series? What series are they airing right now? All I know is Spring Waltz just ended in Korea (M-T) and Goodbye Solo also ended (W-TH).

[Fifty Caliber]

Public Interest Channels are included on all Dish HD and Dish Latino packages. America's packages of America's Top 60 or higher also include the Public interest channels. In addition, there is a Public Interest package available, which can be added at no charge to any active customer subscription.

Personally I would like to see KBS World made available to Public Interest subscribers on 61.5 and 148. This would reduce the need for a some Superdish installations.

[jegrant]

I've wondered this myself. Since they're already uplinking it to 61.5 // 148, why not just turn it on? Is capacity that much cheaper at 121?

(Also, I don't think they get official credit with the FCC for having a "public interest" channel by uplinking it to 121, since it's not technically a DBS service slot.)

[Fifty Caliber]

I've wondered this myself. Since they're already uplinking it to 61.5 // 148, why not just turn it on? Is capacity that much cheaper at 121?

It's not even a capacity issue, mirroring a channel in the 9000's range does not use any more transponder capacity. This is why E* has lots of unessesary mirrors for the "Adult Guard Suport" channel.

[Bon]

Public interest channels are the 9400 series channels as far as I can find on the Dish Network web site. Does public interst channels also apply to the 9800+ channels?

[ban_cable]

How can the degree location change?

[TNGTony]

From the Dish Network web site:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/channels/indexpackage.asp?NetwID=51818

Available at no additional cost to DISH Network customers with subscription to qualifying programming. Requires SuperDISH antenna pointed at 121 orbital location. Additional fees may apply for new and existing DISH Network customers to upgrade their dish antenna.

Satellite:
Channel:
Transponder:
121
9850
15

"Qualifying Programming" is AT60 or DL2 and up. But this is actually old. The new Free PI Pack only requires any kind of subscription to Dish Network.

See ya
Tony

[SummitAdvantageRetailer]

KBS World is free, what's not free is the superdish. There in lies your confusion with dish...

The cheapest you can get a superdish installed for is $59.95 and that requires a year commitment to at least dish family.

http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/customercare/offers/superdish_upgrade/index.shtml

We, as a retailer, got burned by this SUPERDISH121 upgrade program. We were told that the customer just had to commit to a year of qualified programming, Dish Family and above, for 12 months to get SUPERDISH121/105 upgrade for only $59.95. But, DISH has quietly changed their mind and we may have to go into litigation to get our upgrade funds back. But there's no way a current sub can get a SUPERDISH121 upgrade for $59.95 without subscribing to international programming that requires it.

[SummitAdvantageRetailer]

Well, my installers just came and went without installing a Superdish so that I can receive KBS World on 121. E* customer service insisted that I have to subscribe to an international package to get it. From what I've read on this forum as well as what I see on the E* web site I still believe that I can receive KBS for free with a Top 60 subscription or above. The weekend supervisor that I talked to refused to budge so I asked for a new install date some 10 days away so I can get the facts and a Super Dish install so I can receive the 121 signal.

Please, any suggestions for dealing with E* to resolve this will be greatly appreciated. The installer(s) were gracious and said they would get me a phone number for "Executive Managers". I hope they follow through. But I still feel that I need some additional ammo to help them understand their programming offerings.

Or am I the one that's wrong? Is KBS World free on 121?

Thanks!

Bon, this is the easiest and hassle free way to get a SUPERDISH121 if you're a customer ordering directly from DISH Network. Order a 121-specific international channel for at least a month. DISH Network may make you get a 121-specific international channel for perhaps up to 6 months or a year, but see if you can go for only a month without penalty. That's all you need. If you need a list of 121-specific international channel, look up TNGTony's DISH Channel Chart. Some examples include German programming, Italian Panorama, Great Wall, some South Asian programming, and etc.

If you can keep a 121-specific programming for only a month and get the SUPERDISH121 for free, hey you just saved a bunch of money and got DISH to supply the SUPERDISH121 for free to ya. Best wishes.

[SummitAdvantageRetailer]

Public Interest Channels are included on all Dish HD and Dish Latino packages. America's packages of America's Top 60 or higher also include the Public interest channels. In addition, there is a Public Interest package available, which can be added at no charge to any active customer subscription.

Personally I would like to see KBS World made available to Public Interest subscribers on 61.5 and 148. This would reduce the need for a some Superdish installations.

I asked that question myself at E*. Their simple reasoning is to limit access to this "free" channel so that Dish Family, Dish Latino, Great Wall, and quite recently no qualified programming customers can't pick up KBS World by having the customer go through an expensive dish option. Plus, it was a stop gap measure for many Korean subs that left E* after a key Korean channel left the lineup. It helped my retailer stem the churn but it probably lost E* key revenue that they were able to get before.

If and when E* puts KBS World on the wings, you'll see a bunch of subs drop their qualified programming and opt for the free Public Interest package. They can simply order locals and get KBS World with it, which would be a major financial loss of revenue for E*. Trust me, E* ain't dumb.

Our customers that see the advantage in a free KBS World package pay to get the SUPERDISH121 added in their new order. They're few and far wide in between just as E* had planned it to be. They're pretty shrewd people.

[Fifty Caliber]

That makes a certain amount of sense. However would not most Great Wall subscribers already have Superdish 121? I would think out of the four core tiered tracks, the Great Wall subscriber would be the most likely to be interested in KBS world. The Dish Latino subscriber, would probably be the least likely subscriber to want a Korean Channel but would be more likely to have interest in a Portugeese, Brazilian, Italian or Romanian station due to the linguistic similarities.

But this still nags at me, why make KBS World a public interest channel at all?!?

[wkomorow]

Is there english subtitles on kbs drama series like the Mon-Tues, Wed-Thurs series? What series are they airing right now? All I know is Spring Waltz just ended in Korea (M-T) and Goodbye Solo also ended (W-TH).


Yes most weekday dramas have English subtitles. A few series like Marriage Clinic (excellent series) are Korean only. Goodbye Solo was on Wed and Thursday nights. It is not over on KBS-America, since Thursday night they showed previews to the next episode. It is not in the Dish EPG for the next week, but one word of warning, the EPG for KBS-America is often very wrong. The Bizarre Bunch is still being shown. Thank You Life is in mid-series.

The schedule is here:

http://www.kbs-america.com/schedule.asp

[ban_cable]

The Mon-Tues series is called "Summer Scent". Isn't it suppose to be Spring Waltz or Spring Scent? Mistake. Summer Scent was a series made in 2003 and none of the pay channels ever repeat the older tv series.

Since I still do not understand whether KBS America is free or not, when SBS decided to leave Dish Network last year, this really affected the korean programming package.

[Bon]

This is getting crazy! Right now I have a Dish 500 and a dish 300 on 61.5. My programming consists of SD, HD, VOOM, locals and the Korean Pack.

Following some good advice, I called E* and requested additional programming of the Chinese Select Pack at 121. since this pack is on 121 I requested a superdish upgrade to receive it.

Everything was great until she said that I won't be able to receive all the channels that I'm subscribing to and the order can't be placed. she couldn't explain it any better than that. She directed me to the Dish Network website to investigate it for myself.

Did I just get the runaround or can I not receive 110, 119, 121 and 61.5 at the same time through using the combination of superdish and a dish 300 at 61.5?

[Fifty Caliber]

You can receiver signal from 110/119/121 and 61.5 with a SuperDish and a second Dish300 all conected to a DishPro Plus 44 multiswitch.

[Bon]

Thank you - I'll try again tomorrow - with another CSR.

[Chandu]

Does KBS World carry any sports programming from Korea (or Japan or Taiwan or anything East Asian) at all? For example soccer/baseball from Korea/Japan, any other international sports like Olympics, World Cup, Asian games, Asian Champions League etc. in Korean, anything?

I have to say this bizzare setup up of putting this channel on 121, but combining it with regular AT packages is the most sneaky move by DISH of limiting access to this channel. :nono:

[harsh]

So do you think that if I insist on the SuperDish (and pay for it) that channel 9850/KBS will automatically be included in the Silver plan?You are free to install a Superdish 121 yourself and at your own expense. You'll need to add a $300 MSRP DPP4 switch to handle the four inputs. If you shop around, you can get used switch and antenna for around $250. You may be able to auction off the DP34 that comes with and the Dish500 that you will no longer need.

Once you get everything hooked up and peaked, you should be able get your free channel. As you might have guessed, Dish is disinclined to give you another $200 worth of equipment for free so that you can avail yourself of something that they aren't going to derive any revenue from.

[wkomorow]

Does KBS World carry any sports programming from Korea (or Japan or Taiwan or anything East Asian) at all? For example soccer/baseball from Korea/Japan, any other international sports like Olympics, World Cup, Asian games, Asian Champions League etc. in Korean, anything?

I have to say this bizzare setup up of putting this channel on 121, but combining it with regular AT packages is the most sneaky move by DISH of limiting access to this channel. :nono:

Mostly series, news, variety shows, and concerts. I have not seen any sports. RPN (Philippines) was showing the Asian games - though I am not certain they are the ones that people really want to see - billiards, bowling, etc. KBS news needs to work on its transcriptions, though - they are really bad.

<Opinion on>
KBS-America/World is one of my favorite channels. (I have a dish pointed at 121 only because that is where my locals were located.) Dish should make this channel available on 110 or 119 as a PI channel; they should also push for providing public television stations (broadcasting or subtitled into English) from around the world. I can not imagine that public stations are very expensive and most have original programming. Wasn't Mark Twain who said that "travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." Watching the world through others' eyes is almost as good as travel. </opinion off>

[wkomorow]

You are free to install a Superdish 121 yourself and at your own expense. You'll need to add a $300 MSRP DPP4 switch to handle the four inputs. If you shop around, you can get used switch and antenna for around $250. You may be able to auction off the DP34 that comes with and the Dish500 that you will no longer need.

Once you get everything hooked up and peaked, you should be able get your free channel. As you might have guessed, Dish is disinclined to give you another $200 worth of equipment for free so that you can avail yourself of something that they aren't going to derive any revenue from.

Does any one know if Dish intends to keep this channel on 121 or will they move it to a free PI at 118.x or elsewhere? I'd hate to recommend an install at cost to someone if Dish has plans to move the channel. Dish has the habit of moving channels unexpectedly. For example, I have been a Dish customer for about 6 years and have had 5 different satellite configurations - Dish 300, Dish 500, Superdish 105 (for locals), SuperDish 121 (locals moved to 121), and now 121 plus 61.x.

[Chandu]

RPN (Philippines) was showing the Asian games - though I am not certain they are the ones that people really want to see - billiards, bowling, etc.

When I said "Asian Games", I meant an Olympic like once in 4 year championships for Asia. They're somewhat similar to Commonwealth Games. Thanks for the reply. Looks like I have little use of this channel, and I won't bother with a Superdish 121 setup just for it. Just exactly what DISH wanted - limiting access to it for most of its customers.

[ban_cable]

Mostly series, news, variety shows, and concerts. I have not seen any sports. RPN (Philippines) was showing the Asian games - though I am not certain they are the ones that people really want to see - billiards, bowling, etc. KBS news needs to work on its transcriptions, though - they are really bad.

<Opinion on>
KBS-America/World is one of my favorite channels. (I have a dish pointed at 121 only because that is where my locals were located.) Dish should make this channel available on 110 or 119 as a PI channel; they should also push for providing public television stations (broadcasting or subtitled into English) from around the world. I can not imagine that public stations are very expensive and most have original programming. Wasn't Mark Twain who said that "travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." Watching the world through others' eyes is almost as good as travel. </opinion off>

If we move the sat dish around, am I able to get a 121 degree?

[ban_cable]

Are the drama series edited? Each episode is 60 minutes, but the local station airing KBS drama love editing each episode to 45 minutes. What about KBS America?

[Fifty Caliber]

And will this channel be uplinked to 119K as a public interest channel?

[wkomorow]

Are the drama series edited? Each episode is 60 minutes, but the local station airing KBS drama love editing each episode to 45 minutes. What about KBS America?

No editing. The programs run about 55 minutes. After each program there is a 1 minute preview of the next segment -- see you soon if you will. There is then some announcements about KBS programs (highlights) and often there is a music video.

[wkomorow]

If we move the sat dish around, am I able to get a 121 degree?

No, 121 uses a different signal technology to get you the signal called FSS. You can not re-point a standard Dish network dish at 121 and get the signal. You definitely need a 121 dish (or if you have a 105 dish, a conversion kit) to receive 121. As I warned, no one knows whether dish has plans OR NOT to move KBS to a different satellite. I would not want to you to pay for a 121 install only to find the channel moved elsewhere.

[ban_cable]

No editing. The programs run about 55 minutes. After each program there is a 1 minute preview of the next segment -- see you soon if you will. There is then some announcements about KBS programs (highlights) and often there is a music video.

Good, I am glad each episode is not edited. The KBS tv series aired on local stations in selected states or cities are edited, 45 minutes without commercials. Then, 5-7 minute commericial and KBS show also edited.

[ban_cable]

No, 121 uses a different signal technology to get you the signal called FSS. You can not re-point a standard Dish network dish at 121 and get the signal. You definitely need a 121 dish (or if you have a 105 dish, a conversion kit) to receive 121. As I warned, no one knows whether dish has plans OR NOT to move KBS to a different satellite. I would not want to you to pay for a 121 install only to find the channel moved elsewhere.

That is true. I also discover a lot of foreign stations missing on the listing and some funny middle eastern station included IN RED COLOR.