[opendtv] Re: HD DVR for the antenna crowd
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 09:51:18 -0500
At 8:22 AM -0800 1/11/08, Dale Kelly wrote:
Best of CES 2008
© EchoStar
Best of Home Video
EchoStar TR-50: HD DVR for the antenna crowd
Aside from the misstatements in this story, there
is a great deal that can be read between the
lines in the DISH/Slingbox announcements.
Clearly the cable and DBS industry look at the
DTV transition as an OPPORTUNITY to pick up new
subscribers when the full power analog
transmitters are turned off.
Question is, how will they go about this, and is
there a possibility that a merged DirecTV/DISH
could use support for Free TV as an
ace-in-the-hole to get approval for the merger?
Both the cable and DBS industries seem to be
moving toward a strategy to tell local
broadcasters where to stick their re-transmission
consent payment demands. By adding ATSC tuners to
their STBs, they give the subscriber the choice
of putting up an antenna, or paying extra for
their local stations via satellite.
We have already seen that BSkyB is offering a
free tier of programming in the UK, to attract
new subscribers, and FTA satellite is an
important part of the DTV transition strategy in
New Zealand.
So let's speculate that the DBS operators tell
the bureaucrats that they will use a portion of
the spectrum that will be freed-up when they
eliminate the duplication of programming on their
systems to deliver a tier of programming in the
free and clear, and that all of their STBs will
have the ability to tune to FTA terrestrial
broadcasts...
This might be enough to get the merger approved,
and it would allow the merged DBS system to sell
boxes that would allow viewers to pay for
additional services such as VOD or paid
programming tiers.
Apparently the first banners went up at the
Moscone Center Friday for next week's MacWorld
Conference. The banners say: "Theres Something In
the Air"
I've gotta believe that Feb. 17th 2009 is going
to be remembered for much more than just the end
of full power analog broadcasts.
Regards
Craig
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