AT&T Reportedly Seeking Final Bids for DirecTV

Do you mean a 4K Server? Because there is a 4K Genie Mini

I don’t think it would have changed much since most people just move there Genie to a room that was served with something else and get rid of that

the HS17 it doesn’t matter. That goes somewhere then you can get 8 4K minis scattered around the house

People clamor about the Hopper supporting 4K while ignoring the 4K Joey doesn’t support HDR

 

The "addition of a built-in Genie 4K Mini" only makes sense in the context of the HS17. Making it modular would cost more than having a separate piece.

 

I fail to see how it only makes sense in the context of a HS17 when they were initially released to work with the HR44/54 before the HS17 was even a thought

 

The size of the HS17 is more about making it good for wifi than because they need it to be that big. Dropping HDMI from it means you can put it where it makes the most sense for wifi, rather than where your TV is (and in a cabinet under a TV in a corner of the house is the worst possible place for wifi coverage through the rest of the house)

Not integrating streaming stuff is an obvious choice when selling TV is all you do, versus cable companies that sell internet to the large majority of their TV customers. Still, that's just software, Directv could change their mind at any time without needing to replace the HS17 hardware.

 

The HRx4 (x>3) series DVRs already have the ability to drive a TV without a client so it doesn't make sense there. I would imagine it wouldn't take a huge investment to upgrade the HR54 to add 4K (just as it wouldn't cost much to build a 4K client into the HS17).

I wonder how many wireless Genie Minis DIRECTV has been installing and whether the access point feature is getting a lot of use.

 

Yes I was referring to the XG1V4 by Xfinity and IIRC it is licensed to other Cable Co's. Bringing up the CPU whether it is faster or not, is a techie POV but not a consumer POV. I have tried both the V4 and HS17 or HR54's etc. The V4 is a nicer product. Changes channels just as fast as the HS17 or HR54 but the Guide and On-Demand blow away Directv products. It is a server like the HS17 but has the HDMI 4K with HDR output.

I have the HS17, its big and in general few want to see it. Having to have a C61K is crazy, that puppy is slow.

I have had Directv for 25 years but as a person with a professional lifetime in consumer electronics, they stopped innovating. They haven't kept up. And the evolution of GenieGo was a disaster and the quality of downloaded recordings is awful.

 

The US consumer has embraced streaming. For TV's and mobile products. Directv could change their mind at any time but seems to have decided to focus on ATT TV with development. My original point is that Directv hasn't introduced anything new in 2+ years and I suspect won't be any time soon. If a money fund company buys Directv, it won't get better. It will get worse, IMO.

 

I liked the GenieGo in the past when we had the separate box. Although I agree with you the concept was kind of a joke, I could still add programs and download from any DVR, not just a Genie.

Since AT&T decided to take that feature away too (2016 I believe) and basically brick the $100 box I bought and just do GenieGo internally only for a Genie and no other DVR’s, I really don’t even use it anymore, except for maybe once or twice a year for two seconds. Sad. ☹️

 

The box was bricked before ATT rook over

 

I’m not sure why you never find my posts credible. It was bricked on/about Nov. 10, 2016 well after ATT took over (summer 2015)- I had one, and remember that day. If you did a search, you would be able to verify that.

 

Its not a server like the HS17.. It is a server like the HR54... if it was like the HS17 it wouldnt have HDMI... I dont have any speed complaints about the C61K/HS17 Combo.. Speed wise the C61k moves just as fast as say a Tivo Mini Vox..

Size wise.. my HS17 is in my basement where no one see's it.. it is perfect. Now I do agree with you the GUI sucks... The GUI on the ATT Osprey box is actually pretty good and I dont see any reason that could not make that work on the Genie platform.. Or at least the HS17.. But that would require there software team putting in some effort I still think just removing the logos from the guide was a huge mistake

 

Because they are usually wrong.. while ATT closed on the sale of Directv in Fall 2015.. Nothing changed for quite sometime.. While you are aware of the Genie Go being bricked in 11/16.. That decision was started in early that year as testing was being done on moving the platform to the Genie at the time

 

Yeah, the consumer is picking streaming more and more, but ATT is falling behind there too. Just like the DirecTV sat boxes, the ATT TV Osprey box hasn’t had any real improvements or changes to it since it first came out a couple years ago.

And coupled with that, the subscription offerings haven’t been rejiggered much either in that same time period. IOW, from all appearances ATT’s video products are in maintenance mode other than HBO Max.

 

I had satellite TV, Both Dish and DirecTV for 23 years before switching back to cable in 2017. Satellite was innovative, alway trying new things and cheeper then cable for many years. It was also fun when you could install your own equipment. Then it began getting complicated with multiple LNB's, switches and satellites. The networks, locals and programmers did everything they could to jack up prices to the point there was no advantage over cable any more. Even to the point that self installation was not allowed.

The AT&T purchase of DirecTV brought a new level of low with offshore customer service, worse than Comcast!

Any advantage satellite had over cable was lost. As I get older I have no desire to go outside on a 20 degree day to brush snow off a dish anymore.

I have Comcast/Xfinity and the XG1v4 and Tivo's. The few interactions I have with Comcast have been fine and I always have the option of face to face interaction at their storefronts. The Tivo's were great for a couple of years but then they lost their way also. Pre-roll ads on recordings and a clutter filled guide, no more on demand and Apps that don't work. I downgraded them to the version T3 software and just use them in spare rooms now.

The XG1v4 has been stable and has good picture quality on both HD and 4K. The Apps work well and I get a discount by having a double play (internet) package. I also have a Roku and Apple TV for apps that the XG1v4 doesn't support, which I believe is Disney+ and HBO Max at this time.

 

Move to an area operated by Altice USA (Optimum or Suddenlink will do) and then you will know truly horrible customer service. So horrible in fact you would consider AT&T/DirecTV and Comcast the gold standard in customer care. I know from living in a Suddenlink area then Comcast then an Armstrong area w/DirecTV.

 

Yeh Altice and Comcast are bad. Hello Verizon was a **** show also for the 10 months I had Fios

 

From the WSJ this morning., but behind a paywall:

AT&T Enters Late Stage of DirecTV Auction, Fielding Offers Above $15 Billion - WSJ

From the article..."The auction is in a late stage and should the company reach a deal with one of the suitors, it could be completed by early next year."

 

The bad thing about Altice and Optimum online is that the customer service reps actively lie, small example, you don't need an expensive high speed internet package, you ask for the lowest tier, they tell you it is not available, that is one of many lies I've heard from them, I've never encountered so many lies from a customer service team, they are the worst I've seen.

The lies were there before Altice bought Optimum online.

AT&T DirecTV Bids Valuing Satcaster At Over $15 Billion – Report – Deadline

Can someone explain what would be the implications if one of the groups mentioned in the article purchased Directv, I understand nobody here can predict the future but what would be the logical ending if such a deal was pulled off? What would the group do, would they run the company themselves or is this some sort of a way for an established media company to take over?

 

If a SPAC takes it over as rumored then it could have two possible goals.

One, a short term project to stabilize/fix the business (not having headlines about how many customers are leaving every quarter would be a good start) to increase its value then take it public (i.e. an IPO)

Two, operate the business for the long term sort of like a bond until it is no longer profitable or on the verge of being no longer profitable, then see if they can find a buyer who sees more value in it than they do and if not shut it down.

AT&T will have made somewhere between $20 and $25 billion in profit from Directv during the time they've owned if it is sold in the first half of next year. That would mean a loss at sale of between $10 and $15 billion - or possibly more depending on the amount of debt it held at the time they bought it and how much debt it holds at the time of sale. They also benefited to the tune of several billion in cheaper carriage rights for Uverse TV. Since AT&T will be a majority owner of this SPAC (but not have operational control) they may end up losing more or less than that depending on how things turn out for it.

But I guess AT&T is getting some things they really want out of this: a big one is that they're unloading Uverse TV which may be the first step to selling off their copper lines in areas where they don't plan to upgrade to fiber. I assume keeping majority ownership of the SPAC is to allow them to have AT&T TV included in carriage negotiations so they continue to benefit from the size/negotiating power of Directv+Uverse TV which was one of their original reasons for buying it.

The real question Directv customers want to know is "will this make Directv better than it was under AT&T or worse?" We can't know for sure, but it would be hard for them to run it worse than AT&T... The "stabilize/fix the business to increase its value" option might be better in the short term, but after it goes IPO it is a crapshoot what happens. Operating it for the long term like a bond might be the best long term outcome, I don't see any reason it couldn't remain profitable throughout the 2020s. Hard to see any DBS satellite company having much success beyond that, once 5G has filled in almost all the country and SpaceX etc. has filled in the little gaps that remain.