Card Swap

[letranchang]

What does this mean? DTV is winning the battle? what about our current card, will they still work?

[scooot]

THERE IS NO P4, or Xcard, just HU... don't sweat anything, it's just a foreworn at most... the best advice is to watch the channel when the programming starts
believe me
i'm black

[Lanceboyl]

I agree with scooot...just relax and watch for now...look on the bright side...the hashes have stopped for the moment

[bobydigatl]

I don't know if this press release was posted yet but it does make mention of new set-top boxes and equipment to receive new locals being brought by the merger.

Merged EchoStar and Hughes Will Deliver Local Broadcast Channels To All 210 U.S. Television Markets
Combined Company Will Also Bridge ‘Digital Divide’ With Affordable Broadband Satellite Internet Service in Every Market


El Segundo, CA and Littleton, CO Feb 26, 2002

EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH) and Hughes Electronics Corporation (NYSE: GMH) announced today a new proposal that will enable the combined company to deliver local broadcast TV channels in all 210 Designated Market Areas (DMAs) in the United States.

In their joint satellite application filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) late Monday, the companies detailed a technically and commercially feasible “Local Channels, All Americans” plan developed by DISH Network and DIRECTV engineers that will allow the merged company to offer every consumer in the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii access to satellite-delivered local television signals.

The filing also seeks authority to launch and operate a new spot-beam satellite that when combined with four existing and under-construction EchoStar and DIRECTV spot-beam satellites and spectrum efficiencies achieved by combining frequencies from three of the companies orbital locations, will enable the merged company to broadcast local TV channels in all 210 DMAs, including full compliance with federal must carry requirements. Today, DIRECTV and EchoStar deliver local broadcast channels via satellite to consumers in a total of only 42 metropolitan markets. The merger eliminates carriage of duplicative content — a total of more than 500 identical channels — from the DIRECTV and DISH Network satellites which, when coupled with advanced spot-beam satellites and efficiencies created by the merger, would enable local channel delivery in all U.S. DMAs.

EchoStar and HUGHES filed the satellite application today contemporaneously with their filing of a formal response to comments on the merger previously filed with the FCC on Feb. 4.

“While there are numerous consumer and competitive benefits from this pending merger, the ability to offer local channels to every consumer in every television market in the country — including rural and underserved areas — certainly is one of the most compelling aspects of this deal,” said Charles Ergen, chairman and CEO of EchoStar. “Today, approximately 42 million TV households do not have the option to receive local channels via satellite, and as such, have no choice but to subscribe to cable. Without this merger, many of those will never see local channels on satellite and have no choice of local television providers.”

Ergen continued, “We have heard the concerns of local, state and federal representatives and officials and we appreciate their feedback and input. Only if this merger is approved by the federal government will millions of consumers in small and rural markets in every state finally have a true, competitive alternative to incumbent cable operators. Clearly, this merger is a win for consumers across all of America.”

New set-top boxes and satellite dishes, which will be capable of receiving satellite signals from multiple orbital slots, will be made available free of charge to all existing DIRECTV and EchoStar customers who will require new equipment in order to receive their local channels from the combined company.

Consumers across the country will receive programming from the merged direct broadcast satellite service via one small satellite dish and will pay the same nationwide price for services. “We are one nation, and there will be one dish and one rate card, regardless of a subscriber’s location,” said Ergen.

“This merger will bring to fruition so many tremendous benefits to consumers that it will set a new standard for the delivery of multichannel video and broadband services,” said Jack Shaw, president and CEO of HUGHES. “In addition to delivering local channels in all 210 television markets, the combined company will bridge the ‘digital divide’ by offering affordable high-speed satellite Internet access to consumers in every market, including the most rural areas of the country. We will create a more robust and efficient satellite platform with a larger subscriber base that will enable the merged company to transition existing niche satellite Internet services to a more affordable and accessible next-generation service.”

The combined EchoStar-HUGHES will also offer more high definition channels, new interactive services, expanded national programming networks and additional educational, specialty and foreign-language programming.

The ability of the combined company to serve all 210 DMAs with local channels is contingent upon the proposed HUGHES-EchoStar merger receiving the necessary government approvals from the FCC and U.S. Department of Justice, and the successful launch of three new spot-beam satellites. Implementation of the “Local Channels, All Americans” plan will begin immediately upon regulatory approval of the merger, and the rollout can be completed as soon as 24 months thereafter. The proposed transaction is also subject to review by the Internal Revenue Service, and requires approval by a majority of GM $1-2/3, GM Class H and EchoStar shareholders.

[BrainDamage]

Originally posted by Lanceboyl
I agree with scooot...just relax and watch for now...look on the bright side...the hashes have stopped for the moment

I am not so sure this is a good thing. More like the quiet before the storm in my opinion.

[chevy]

A card swap won't bother me! I have about 150 HU cards I can send to dave to be swapped out for new cards.

[damodci]

Originally posted by BrainDamage


I am not so sure this is a good thing. More like the quiet before the storm in my opinion.

I'm with Brain on this one. DUH, OF COURSE we're just gonna enjoy it for now. We all are. But its never too early to start game-planning for the near future. But go ahead. You can stick your head in the sand-its your option. The rest of us will carry the people who can't think for themselves and have no respect for those who work on problems before they can occur. When they do, be sure to edit all of your posts and cover your tracks so you can pretend that you knew it all along.

[orvil01]

Originally posted by damodci


I'm with Brain on this one. DUH, OF COURSE we're just gonna enjoy it for now. We all are. But its never too early to start game-planning for the near future. But go ahead. You can stick your head in the sand-its your option. The rest of us will carry the people who can't think for themselves and have no respect for those who work on problems before they can occur. When they do, be sure to edit all of your posts and cover your tracks so you can pretend that you knew it all along.

yeah it usally helps to know what exactly is happening before you start planning becasue in this game you never know. Best thing to do enjoy what you have while you can, if a big hit comes it comes, if a card swap comes it comes there really is no way to around until the dust settles, and everyone actually knows what happened. Sure you can sit and bs about hu emulators which can be interesting, but for the most part it is just that bs. Noonne can predict the future though we sure like to try.