AT&T looking toward eliminating Direct satellite TV by 2020

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SargeW

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Saw this posted on another forum.  You may want to hold off upgrading to that new expensive satellite system...

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/techflash/2016/09/report-at-t-has-set-a-timeline-to-phase-out.html
 
I planned on getting another receiver for the trailer next year to use while doing the campground host thing. Guess I won?t now. I?ve never liked Directv in spite of signing up twice in the last 16 years. This reinforces my feelings.
 
It seems to say they intend to make streaming the primary platform, but not necessarily eliminate satellite. Included in the story is this quote:

?There?s going to be segments of the population that are going to continue to use satellite for a period of time to come?

On the other hand, a substantial reduction in satellite subscribers can only lead to a reduced investment in that medium. Satellites are expensive to launch and maintain, and it doesn't bode well for pricing if the subscriber database is small.

AT&T is already known for focusing on densely populated markets and giving short shrift to geographically dispersed users. Streaming via wireless media makes sense in dense markets, but few carriers build the infrastructure to deliver it in rural areas. As RVers already know...
 
That's pretty crazy.  For many people that live in rural areas, DirecTV satellite is the way to go.  I am in a rural area, and even though new stuff is going up all around us, AT&T is very haphazard in how they provide service here.  Very helter skelter and those that do get any kind of AT&T service are about half and half on the reliability.  I sure would hate to lose it after being with them for over 10 years now.  Especially if they can't deliver anything better than what they have so far.  Which to my house has been nothing!
 
I think AT&T is playing the numbers game.  They would rather spend their efforts and dollars on highly packed urban areas that have lots of subscribers, instead of rural areas that have few paying customers.  It will be interesting how this shakes out.
 
This may turn into another fine example of where the guv'ment (SEC) didn't do their job when they let AT&T buy DirecTV. :mad:
 
It'll be interesting to see what Dish does with this announcement. It might be a good marketing opportunity to boost satellite subscriptions in the near term, while waiting for wireless technology to catch up with the needs of widespread streaming. Combined with Sling, they can grab the best of both worlds in the interim. There will be plenty of disenfranchised DTV subscribers that don't have high speed broadband available that will be looking for a new TV programming "home".
 
I think this is a very astute move on their part.  If you haven't heard the term 'cord cutters' you've been living under a rock.  Cord cutting has cut into their subscription base in a huge way already.  And the trend is accelerating.  HBO offers their programming via HBO Now, a streaming service.  Other premium channels will follow suit soon if they haven't already.  There are dozens of streaming boxes on the market, Roku, and Apple TV come to mind but there are dozens of others.  I have four different Homebrew streaming boxes, one of which is based upon a $35 Raspberry Pi computer.  The software is free.

Streaming is going to be the primary method of content delivery long before 2020.  In my house it's already more than 50% of what we watch.  And when we're on the road it's more like 80% because I download full seasons of programs to take with us on $39 hard drives.

The times they are a-changin'.
 
I quit Direct TV then Time Warner a few years ago...Dish is the current company to handle our TV needs..and with the 2K automatic sat dish on our rig I hope they are here for awhile.......
 
When 5G wireless rolls out then need for satellite connection diminishes, if they really don't count Directv streaming against the data limit.

I just hope I don't have to replace the Travelr dish in the next few years. Still this won't be great for RVers because there area lot of places today that don't have good 4g connections and therefore probably won't have good 5g. The good side is you won't have to fight the trees for satellite view.
 
Well.. I'm not all that upset over the loss of DirecTV.. In days of old DISH offered DNS, 5 different cities you could choose from, But it turns out they were a bit free with the DNS accounts (Distant Network Service), I might add DirecTV is no less free and easy with the accounts.. But let me continue

Dish got sued, Settled with ABC, CBS and so on all but FOX, FOX refused to settle.  Turns out one of the major owners of FOX also held major interest in DirecTV so he was feathering his own nest.. now AT&T owns Direct (So my complaint against them is hitory) but Fox is still un-American. (Primary stock holders are foreign interests)

I suspect Dish network will continue for many years if AT&T pulls the plug on DirecTV and converts it to a internet network.

This will make life somewhat easier for us here in the forum because now when people have issues with their Sat TV we have to ask Dish or Direct. and when AT&T pulls the Direct pulg.. We won't have that question any more.
 
"Cord Cutting" is another urban thing, though. Rural residents in the US have poor internet access as well as poor tv, so they typically don't have a streaming option. 
 
The Dish DNS issue was settled long ago and Dish or a contractor has offered it since then, although it's now a dead issue. Changing service addresses with Dish to get the area locals is such a simple process that there's likely not enough demand to cost justify maintaining a DNS offering. It's even possible to get a sort of pseudo-DNS by using a service address in a TV market area that has non-spot beamed locals. There are over a dozen to choose from, although the NYC market is the only one I know of on the western arc sats. The rest are all on the eastern arc, ruling out reception with automatic domes like the Tailgater.
 
Changing service addresses with Dish to get the area locals is such a simple process that there's likely not enough demand to cost justify maintaining a DNS offering.
That's fine if the RV is the only place you're caring about. But I take one receiver from home, and I expect to have my home setup continue to record programs, using the RV unit in a more limited fashion. So changing the service address isn't good for me. Still, I don't have the DNS, either, so I currently miss the local channels other than over the air.

It's not a big deal for me, but it might be for some.
 
Larry N. said:
That's fine if the RV is the only place you're caring about. But I take one receiver from home, and I expect to have my home setup continue to record programs, using the RV unit in a more limited fashion. So changing the service address isn't good for me. Still, I don't have the DNS, either, so I currently miss the local channels other than over the air.

It's not a big deal for me, but it might be for some.

If you use the "pseudo-DNS" method I described in my post, both your RV and home units would get the same major networks, assuming they're both using the same Dish satellite arc set. Other than that, we frequently record network programs on the Hopper at our upstate NY cottage while traveling though. We just record them from the OTA stations instead of the non-working sat feeds. On the road, we use the Hopper's "Search and Find" feature to set up our recurring network recordings so they're not channel dependent.
 
As was already mentioned. DirecTV DID NOT say they are discontinuing satellite TV. They did say that their primary focus would be streaming IF the technology is in place to make this viable for them. There is no need for anyone to change service or delay purchasing a satellite system. Chuck
 
Chuck is correct. I won't panic yet.
Maybe they will spin off the satellite systems to someone who wants the customers.
If i remember correctly they lease the satellite space while dish owns theirs.
 
chuckbear said:
As was already mentioned. DirecTV DID NOT say they are discontinuing satellite TV. They did say that their primary focus would be streaming IF the technology is in place to make this viable for them. There is no need for anyone to change service or delay purchasing a satellite system. Chuck

Well, I must have missed that.  I suppose a "Whew" is in order.  Or something like that.  Thanks for the clarification.
 
.

Streaming is going to be the primary method of content delivery long before 2020.  In my house it's already more than 50% of what we watch.  And when we're on the road it's more like 80% because I download full seasons of programs to take with us on $39 hard drives

Saw this wondered how you download onto a hard drive... thx...
 

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