Questions With Answers from Dish at CES

[Tom Robertson]

Vision
To be the best provider of Video at the lowest cost.

Locals in HD
Still using the previously announced roadmap. Issues are bandwidth and cost/value propositions [for the smaller markets]. Enabling OTA is the early approach at this time.

Networks
In ongoing discussions with majors. Mark Jackson was surprised fewer networks have announced definitive plans for HD. Bandwidth is available for a few more.

RSNs
Seemingly stalled working on contract negotiations. RSNs want more money for content already paid for by SD customers. (Unlike premiums who roll it into their existing contracts and pricing.) The RSN’s want premium money for a product that would only be available to a small percentage of customers.

MLB in HD Rumor
Mark Jackson had no direct knowledge of actual status. Richard or I might try to pin down someone else.

VOD
Announced and coming very soon.

VIP622 Specific questions
Native Passthru
Working on technical and training issues. Tends to drive up support center calls, so has to be carefully announced.

Side by Side PIP
Coming pretty soon.

5.1DD via HDMI
Testing now, expected in the Februrary release.

Disk Usage indicators (both overall and by program)
Could become a backdoor feature; normal user doesn’t understand DVR concept of rolling disk usage.

Second OTA tuner
Not supported in current 622 hardware. Future version of 622 or new model will likely support.

16x9 format for second TV
Not supported in the hardware today. Also perhaps in a future 622 model.

Pocket Dish
Support for newer Archos models has been announced (only 3rd party pocket video players supported today, looking at others as they meet DRM requirements). Will be available soon.

HTPC Cards
Working with Microsoft, no timeline as yet. Microsoft has to work out DRM issues to satisfy the copyright holders.

Respectfully submitted,
Tom and Richard

[Tom Robertson]

Place Holder for followup Q&A

[Ron Barry]

Is Native Passthru being demoed on the show floor? If so, would love to gets some pictures of the screens?

[Stewart Vernon]

Originally Posted by tibber

16x9 format for second TV
Not supported in the hardware today. Also perhaps in a future 622 model.

I've seen discussions about this before... can someone explain to me just what feature people are looking for here?

I ask because... I am running my 622 in single mode, so I normally use the ViP PIP features... but I also ran S-video to the back of my TV from the unit... and when I switch my TV to that input, I get 16x9 output on my TV from the S-video connector.

So when does a user not get 16x9?

[James Long]

TV2 is 4x3 only. If you are using the TV2 outputs (including the TV2 RF out) to reach a second set you cannot get a 16x9 display.

Not sure why this isn't possible on the current chipset. Just add a stretch mode to make HD fill the screen (no crop). Let the TV figure out how to display the image.

[Aransay]

plese remnebr to fin abotu dish mexican plans
setanta sprots
new chanelcomign

[Ironace]

Originally Posted by tibber

Pocket Dish
Support for newer Archos models has been announced (only 3rd party pocket video players supported today, looking at others as they meet DRM requirements). Will be available soon.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom and Richard

I bought the av 500e last month and fell in love with it... so much so that this weekend I ordered the 604 wifi should be here tommorow. I hope that Dish makes a plugin for the 604!

[Richard King]

Originally Posted by Ron Barry

Is Native Passthru being demoed on the show floor? If so, would love to gets some pictures of the screens?

No such luck

[Tom Robertson]

Originally Posted by Aransay

plese remnebr to fin abotu dish mexican plans
setanta sprots
new chanelcomign

Sorry, didn't get all the answers yet, but I do see I forgot this answer. At this time, it appears Dish network is not about to enter the Mexican market. They have studied it, but haven't decided to enter anytime soon.

Tom

[Hound]

It is very disappointing that Dish did not make an announcement about new
HD content similar to Directv. HD and 1080P are the main video news and creating all the buzz at CES. Dish's press releases are about new products or applications that do not support HD. As the third largest multi video provider, it is very noticeable the lack of HD content news. Glaring.

The answer with regard to RSNs is what I suspected. The content owners want
premium prices for HD RSNs. There are many subscribers willing to pay the
premium, but the content owners want the premium spread over all subscribers
or all HD subscribers. Cable, Verizon Fios and Directv are providing HD RSNs.
The subs that want this programming are going to have to decide what programming is most important to them in choosing their multi video provider.
Dish is a little cheaper than cable and Directv, but many subs have just shelled out
the big bucks for a new HDTV, and want to see their favorite, baseball, basketball
or ice hockey team in HD.

[James Long]

It looks like it was a bad year for negotiations ... a $3/$5 price increase ($10 for some) and yet they still had trouble coming to terms with HD RSNs and local HD TV stations. Perhaps they need to do a HD Plus package like AT60 Plus where they add your local RSNs for $5 more per month.

[Hound]

The issue with adding the HD RSN for $5 a month is whether the content provider
will allow it. This would in effect be an a la carte arrangement. The content provider wants its monthly fee from all subscribers.

Also the $5 a month deal for AT60 Plus subscribers is a huge money maker for
Dish because the RSNs do not cost any where near $5.00 per month. Most are in
the $2 to $3 a month range and some are under $2 a month.

[harsh]

Originally Posted by Hound

It is very disappointing that Dish did not make an announcement about new HD content similar to Directv.

I'm kinda glad that they didn't embarrass themselves like D* has for the last couple years. Considering the Mark Jackson comment about the networks dragging their feet, D* may step into a bigger hole than their already in.

D* still hasn't learned its lesson about cashing the checks that the cheerleaders are writing. In the long run, an honest approach will hopefully pay off.

[gjh3260]

Originally Posted by James Long

It looks like it was a bad year for negotiations ... a $3/$5 price increase ($10 for some) and yet they still had trouble coming to terms with HD RSNs and local HD TV stations. Perhaps they need to do a HD Plus package like AT60 Plus where they add your local RSNs for $5 more per month.

I agree. I realize the cost of everything has increased but its a little easier to take the price increase if there were more national HD channels or the HD RSN's on the horizon but that doesnt sound like the case. Seems like it will be just keep the status quo for E* for the HD channels. Looks like the price increase will cover E*'s legal costs lately. It may be time to look at other providers and see where they are at with HD programming when my contract expires.

[Hound]

Originally Posted by harsh

I'm kinda glad that they didn't embarrass themselves like D* has for the last couple years. Considering the Mark Jackson comment about the networks dragging their feet, D* may step into a bigger hole than their already in.

D* still hasn't learned its lesson about cashing the checks that the cheerleaders are writing. In the long run, an honest approach will hopefully pay off.

What whole is D in? What lesson have they not learned?

[Hound]

Originally Posted by gjh3260

I agree. I realize the cost of everything has increased but its a little easier to take the price increase if there were more national HD channels or the HD RSN's on the horizon but that doesnt sound like the case. Seems like it will be just keep the status quo for E* for the HD channels. Looks like the price increase will cover E*'s legal costs lately. It may be time to look at other providers and see where they are at with HD programming when my contract expires.

E* has seemed to lose focus with its lack of HD announcements at CES. CES this
year is definitely all about HD and 1080P. E* has announced new products
that are not HD related, and one HD announcement that brings it in line
with a common practice in the cable industry, plus the press release talks
about $20 added to a standard subscription package when most cable
companies do not charge anything extra for HD.

[FTA Michael]

Originally Posted by tibber

Disk Usage indicators (both overall and by program)
Could become a backdoor feature; normal user doesn’t understand DVR concept of rolling disk usage.

First, let me say that these two did a better job covering Dish/DirecTV at CES than I would have done as a full-time reporter. My deepest thanks to both of them for their hard work.

Second, thanks to Mark Jackson for taking time away from the Dish booth to thoughtfully answer our questions. He was very gracious to tell us everything that he could in covering what we wanted to know.

To address this quote, though, I'd want to drag in what happened at the Dish press conference. Someone asked Charlie how much hard drive space was devoted to VOD, and whether consumers complained about not having that chunk of space. Charlie was characteristically circumspect about the specifics, declining to say how much space was devoted to VOD and reinterating that the Dish DVRs provide more room for recordings than other DVRs, with external storage capabilities on the way.

To me, all of this suggests that we should not expect disk usage indicators any time soon, even as a back door.

[Tom Robertson]

I'd also like to thank Mark, Carl Vogel, and Dan. (For executives, I can share full names, for everyone else, I'd like to use first names). Anyway, the three of them were extremely gracious with their time on the first day of CES. They were genuine people and their interest in their commitment to customers was clear. There are phony people in the world, they were not, nor did they "condescend to talk to us"--they just talked to us. Very Nice.

As for 1080P, in another, totally separate discussion on Sunday, I found out just how 1080P is truly supported. CES wanted to run a 1080p24 channel for displays to use as well as the 1080i60 stuff. Fully 25% of the TVs did not support the whole of the official 1080p specs, especially the 1080p at 24fps and 30fps. So CES had to drop it altogether right now.

And, there is the matter of getting 1080p24 content. And that isn't likely until more TVs support it, and they won't support it until they get content, yada, you know the vicious circle. My personal, private hope is that good reviewers will mention the issue to the manufacturers and/or the 1080p brand will pull TVs that aren't compliant.

Cheers,
Tom

[suptech]

Pocket Dish
Support for newer Archos models has been announced (only 3rd party pocket video players supported today, looking at others as they meet DRM requirements). Will be available soon.

Can someone clarify this with Dish ?
The new / current Archos models will work with Dish ?
Or we have to wait for Dish branded versions of the new/current Archos models .
What is " soon " ?

Thanks !!

[Richard King]

From what I gathered from the conversation, NEW Archos branded models will support Pocket Dish. I don't believe existing Archos branded models will. I'll try to verify today.

[Richard King]

I'd also like to thank Mark, Carl Vogel, and Dan. (For executives, I can share full names, for everyone else, I'd like to use first names).

I ditto that comment and add Charlie to the list. He didn't have to hang out after the press conference with an audience of three until we were booted from the room (and continue the conversation in the hallway after being booted).

[RAD]

Originally Posted by tibber

Networks
In ongoing discussions with majors. Mark Jackson was surprised fewer networks have announced definitive plans for HD. Bandwidth is available for a few more.

If that's true, where's Cinemax-HD???

[FTA Michael]

Dish is still arm-wrestling with HBO, which apparently wants particular bundling terms between HBO and Cinemax which were not what Dish wanted. Dish has filed a complaint with the FCC and reduced its promotion of Cinemax. I would not expect to see the addition of Cinemax HD on Dish until that dispute is resolved.

[Dozoclown]

What does RSN stand for?

[FTA Michael]

in this context, regional sports networks (such as NESN and Fox Sports Net Midwest)