DIRECTV's Eric Shanks On HDTV

[Chris Blount]

TV Predictions Interview

DIRECTV's Eric Shanks On HDTV

The satcaster's executive VP says more national HD channels are coming in 2007.
By Phillip Swann

Washington, D.C. (September 14, 2006) -- DIRECTV was once the leader in providing national High-Definition TV channels. Many early high-def owners subscribed to the satellite TV service to watch such popular HD networks as HDNet, Discovery HD Theater, HBO HD and ESPN HD.

However, in the last year or so, the satcaster has fallen far behind rival EchoStar (and several cable TV systems) in the total number of national HD channels. EchoStar's Dish Network now has 30 national high-def channels while DIRECTV carries around 10.

Read the rest of this article by clicking here. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/shanks091406.htm)

Link for Part TWO
http://www.tvpredictions.com/nextshanks091406.htm

[harsh]

That will happen in the second quarter next year, when we'll have the capacity to launch more than 150 national channels.Is this guy on dope? If the current target month (there is, as yet, apparently no confirmed date) for DirecTV 10 is April 2007 and there isn't a date yet for DirecTV 11 (where reportedly 2/3rds of this capacity resides), there seems to be a vanishingly small chance of getting both birds handed off by the end of June.

Perhaps they have a plan for DirecTV 9S???

[Herdfan]

and there isn't a date yet for DirecTV 11 (where reportedly 2/3rds of this capacity resides),
But he can get away with saying it because even with 1/3 of the 150 channel capacity, D* will be able to carry almost any national HD channel available.

[Herdfan]

We are currently serving 39 markets with local HD and will be in 68 by the end of the year.
Have there been 68 markets announced? IIRC, they had stopped in the 50's and were said to be done.

Edit: Yes, there are 11 more announced markets to go with the 39 launched for a total of 50. That means there are 18 more markets to launch.

Hmmmm....

[Earl Bonovich]

Part Two of the Invertview is now available:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/nextshanks091406.htm

[stuart628]

yeah guy has some balls to say in part two that he would put their HD signal up against anyones

posters edit:I presonally dont have a problem with Directvs hd, but I know ALOT of people do.

[harsh]

But he can get away with saying it because even with 1/3 of the 150 channel capacity, D* will be able to carry almost any national HD channel available.The implication is that the capacity to carry more than 150 HD nationals would be there in Q2 2007. I'd say that's an unqualified mis-statement.

Based on the handover lag of Spaceway 2 (five months; November 19 launch to April 19 handover), I'd be concerned that even DirecTV 10 won't be ready to go by the end of Q2 2007.

[harsh]

It is interesting that on one hand, DirecTV dismisses the Voom channels as being not worth the investment and then they make a huge deal about covering a single event in the same genre (Video Gaming). Personally, I don't understand the attraction to Voom's Gameplay Network, but I'm pretty sure I've heard it dissed by DirecTV subscribers as an example of a "stupid" Voom offering.

Maybe this is an example of DirecTV not having a good picture of what their subscribers want. On the other side of the fence though, the grass always seems greener.

[Alan Gordon]

Based on the handover lag of Spaceway 2 (five months; November 19 launch to April 19 handover), I'd be concerned that even DirecTV 10 won't be ready to go by the end of Q2 2007.

Considering that SpaceWay 1 and SpaceWay 2 had to go through EXTENSIVE testing from several different companies whereas DirecTV 10 shouldn't, I'd say DirecTV should be closer to the wait people experienced with earlier KU satellites.

~Alan

[Alan Gordon]

"Customers who will lose programming, for example, as we switch the digital distant network feeds to MPEG4, will be offered a free upgrade to the MPEG4 compatible equipment. "

I've spoke about this on the HR20 boards on several occasions, but it's good to hear them confirm this once again.

It should definately help with the Bandwith crunch...

~Alan

[Herdfan]

Considering that SpaceWay 1 and SpaceWay 2 had to go through EXTENSIVE testing from several different companies whereas DirecTV 10 shouldn't, I'd say DirecTV should be closer to the wait people experienced with earlier KU satellites.
IIUC, as part of the sales agreement between Hughes and Newscorp, D* got Spaceway 1&2, but Hughes was allowed extensive testing before handover since Hughes retained the rights to Spaceway 3&4 and wanted to see exactly what they could do.

Add to that fact that at the time, Spaceway 2 wasn't really needed by D*, so the delay was a non-issue.

I believe that 7S was operational within 2-3 weeks after launch in May 2003.

[Alan Gordon]

IIUC, as part of the sales agreement between Hughes and Newscorp, D* got Spaceway 1&2, but Hughes was allowed extensive testing before handover since Hughes retained the rights to Spaceway 3&4 and wanted to see exactly what they could do.

Add to that fact that at the time, Spaceway 2 wasn't really needed by D*, so the delay was a non-issue.

I believe that 7S was operational within 2-3 weeks after launch in May 2003.

Correct me if I'm wrong Herdfan, but didn't Boeing also do testing with one (or both) of the SpaceWay satellites?

~Alan

[saleen351]

They need ala carte pricing.. They waste too much money and space on channels I'm positive no one watches.

The FCC is down with it, so why not?? Let us vote on the channels. I probably only watch 30 channels at the most.

[Earl Bonovich]

ala-carte pricing has 100% no effect on bandwith.

Even if you don't pay for a channel, your box does receive it (those on the CONUS beams). You just can't decode it.

[Herdfan]

Correct me if I'm wrong Herdfan, but didn't Boeing also do testing with one (or both) of the SpaceWay satellites?
Yes, I believe they did.

[harsh]

Considering that SpaceWay 1 and SpaceWay 2 had to go through EXTENSIVE testing from several different companies whereas DirecTV 10 shouldn't, I'd say DirecTV should be closer to the wait people experienced with earlier KU satellites.I thought that the handover happened when Boeing completed their testing and the real testing by DirecTV (and much later, Hughes) happened after handover.

Of course none of this happens without putting the birds in orbit in the first place.

Suffice it to say, after DirecTV10 is in place, there will be plenty of CONUS room for as many MPEG4 channels as are reasonably available at that point in time.

[harsh]

I believe that 7S was operational within 2-3 weeks after launch in May 2003.Ah, but it is a whole lot more crowded up there now and the capability of the new bird is an order of magnitude greater.

[Jeremy W]

It is interesting that on one hand, DirecTV dismisses the Voom channels as being not worth the investment and then they make a huge deal about covering a single event in the same genre (Video Gaming).
There is a huge difference between having a single show about a single video gaming event, and having a 24/7 channel dedicated to video gaming.

[Nick]

(Eric) Shanks says DIRECTV subscribers might not see more national HD until next year,
and he strongly encourages cable channels to convert to HD as quickly as possible. Uh, er, huh? :eek: :confused:

Thanks for the boost, Eric. As a high-end cable sub, I'll pass on your timely advice to my local cableco. :)

[Jeremy W]

Thanks for the boost, Eric. As a high-end cable sub, I'll pass on your timely advice to my local cableco. :)
He was using "cable channels" as a generic term for channels that are not available OTA.

[cookpr]

A couple things noted in there are positve...

The part where he does his best to sugar coat picture quality is strictly his job. What is he supposed to say. "Yes, our picture quality is the worst of any major provider and will not get better in the near future." The fact that he acknowledged that "enigenners will look at the bandwith or bitrates and make necessry adjustments when the new space is avail" was the nugget I was hoping for. He basically admitted the problem with that statement.

Also, I thought we were looking at more of a 2nd half 2007 thing with all this HD. He mentions Q2 2007, which means April, May and June. That is much sooner that I thought this would happen....

[Kheldar]

ala-carte pricing has 100% no effect on bandwith.

Even if you don't pay for a channel, your box does receive it (those on the CONUS beams). You just can't decode it.

While that may be true to start with, since a lot of less popular channels would die (no subscribers, no $$$, eventually no channel), "a la carte pricing" would definitely clear up bandwidth.

[saleen351]

While that may be true to start with, since a lot of less popular channels would die (no subscribers, no $$$, eventually no channel), "a la carte pricing" would definitely clear up bandwidth.

That's my point. There would be atleast 100 channels of crap that dissapear and they would have the ability to get more HD now. In fact for some of the channels they can get more than what DTV probably gets charged, such as ESPN.

I don't see many channels past the top 30 that if DTV didn't carry that a sub would leave, in fact, they would be able to use their nice new HD tv on more channels.

I have 51 channels in my favorites, and about 20 of them we are too lazy to delete.

There was a study on cell phones, that on avg a person only uses 4 numbers, I have a feeling it's the same way in the tv biz, but instead of 4, it's 40. My current dtv package has 185 channels, about 135 of crap!

[Jeremy W]

I don't see many channels past the top 30 that if DTV didn't carry that a sub would leave, in fact, they would be able to use their nice new HD tv on more channels.
They would also pay more every month. Don't forget that a lot of those "useless" channels actually pay DirecTV for carriage.

[P Smith]

yeah guy has some balls to say in part two that he would put their HD signal up against anyones

posters edit:I presonally dont have a problem with Directvs hd, but I know ALOT of people do.

If he is really have them, then at AVS forum Scott accept his challenge :D.

[Alan Gordon]

DirecTV Class Action Waiver Held Unconscionable (http://www.metnews.com/articles/2006/dire091906.htm)

~Alan

[pattcap]

Is there a link to a "road map" for DirecTV,

what they have in the air, what each one is doing,
What is going up, what it is "expected" to deliver?

And or, a list of what is transmited in MPEG2 & MPEG4