AT&T looking toward eliminating Direct satellite TV by 2020

tanglemoose said:

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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

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Not sure how downloading and watching what you download equates to streaming. Chuck

I know one thing, every time I go into our local Sam's club store, I have trouble getting past the young folks who are hawking Direct TV.  Also, I get an offer in the mail at least every week!!!  They're still pushing for subscribers pretty darned hard!

Sure, might as well make every buck possible.......

Just another reason I am so happy I went with Dish Network, rather than Direct TV!

Also with Dish I am able to change my local channels with a simple chat session with Dish.  Years ago we use DNS (Distant Network Service) where we only got NYC or LA.  I much prefer getting the local channels.  A lot of the time there are 1/2 hour segments about very interesting things in the local areas.  While I don't care much about the news of local car crashes, traffic reports, or who shot whom, I do like seeing easy to watch video of local activities.

Additionally we spend a lot of time out in the boonies, where the cell phone signal is weak or non existent, so getting streaming TV over the cell network, won't work.

I think there is a misconception here. AT&T is not trying to eliminate Direct TV service at all. What they expect is that in the future they will deliver more canned video rather than broadcast tv, including shows of their own that are available only from AT&T-owned distribution channels.

Not sure how downloading and watching what you download equates to streaming.

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You might think of it as "delayed streaming" rather than realtime.  Digital streaming from a storage device on your computer rather than from storage somewhere in "the cloud" using the internet. 

The other misconception is that it's AT&T/DIRECTV doing this to us.  In fact it's just the opposite.  Netflix, Hulu, Amazon have all cut deeply into 'the market'.  And those are just the big three!  There a dozens of others.  I, and millions like me, get most of my entertainment through streaming, and downloading.  The ONLY reason I still have DTV is because of the RV.

With Netflix setting up to stream live TV any day now the writing is on the wall.  If AT&T/DIRECTV doesn't become a leader in streaming soon they will go the way of Blockbuster. 

8Muddypaws said:

The other misconception is that it's AT&T/DIRECTV doing this to us.  In fact it's just the opposite.  Netflix, Hulu, Amazon have all cut deeply into 'the market'.  And those are just the big three!  There a dozens of others.  I, and millions like me, get most of my entertainment through streaming, and downloading.  The ONLY reason I still have DTV is because of the RV.

With Netflix setting up to stream live TV any day now the writing is on the wall.  If AT&T/DIRECTV doesn't become a leader in streaming soon they will go the way of Blockbuster.

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If it were just that simple. But until the wireless carriers decide to offer true unlimited service, this isn't going to happen for a very long time. Those with high caps or unlimited service through their home DSL or whatever wired modem is provided can take advantage of Netflix, etc.  But a very large segment of the populations has data limits that make this less than practical for other than occasional viewing. Even DirecTV's offer for slimmed down streaming packages that will be offered this month, DirecTV Now, is only going to be good for portable devices like your cell phone or tablet. Any attempts to use it tethered to these devices for streaming will cost big time. So all this is NOT ready for prime time yet. And in the mean time, we will continue to use our satellite systems, over the air antennas and cable connections to get our programming. Yes you can push the mobile device to your TV, but how many will really want to go through the trouble and what happens when you're in an area where the signal is not strong enough or non-existent? My satellite system works everywhere. Certain technologies will take time despite what those that will try and sell us the latest and greatest want us to believe. Chuck

We have direct TV at home and take old huge sat. With us n our extra receiver to get tv in the rv. We have slow Internet at home as we live in the country. To stream anything would be a push... but how can I stream at kids house and store on what to take in rv? Have laptop, what else do I need. A newbie at this...

Millions of people already have such high caps that it is virtually unlimited.  Heard the term 'Cord cutters'?  That's what it's about.  In my highest usage months I have barely made a dent in my cap.  And I download several TV programs at a time and save them for later.  Later being when we're in the RV.

Streaming is a bad choice for mobile living.  That's going to be true for several more years.  But for now capturing the stream and saving it for later works for me.  It just takes a little geeky wizardry and time.  Mostly time. 

8Muddypaws said:

Millions of people already have such high caps that it is virtually unlimited.  Heard the term 'Cord cutters'?  That's what it's about.  In my highest usage months I have barely made a dent in my cap.  And I download several TV programs at a time and save them for later.  Later being when we're in the RV.

Streaming is a bad choice for mobile living.  That's going to be true for several more years.  But for now capturing the stream and saving it for later works for me.  It just takes a little geeky wizardry and time.  Mostly time. 

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But not with a mobile device, which most of us use in our RV's, unless we pay more than the satellite service. That's the point. Millions of people using their mobile devices for internet AND streaming do not have virtually unlimited caps. Unless most of us are missing something. Chuck

Apparently you didn't read the last line of my post.

bobsharon said:

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.

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Or, is it a matter of the Government getting out of the way?
RichH

I work in this industry. ALL the satellite companies want to get out of satellites and dishes. Dish networks is the largest proponent of this. Charlie Erker, who owns Dish, suggests that the next generation of users will not pay $200 a month for TV content. He is buying up high frequency broadband as he figures all content will come from cell towers in the future. Satellites are simply way to costly and satellite dishes have Issues with line of sight. Once it all goes terrestrial there will be no need for "bucket
Trucks"  and technicians hanging dishes and realigning after storms etc.. it is estimated the next generation of users will only pay $35 a month for all communication needs.

Dish is already experimenting with their new SLING broadband video distribution network at $20 a month.

No question, the age of satellite dishes and set top boxes is coming to a rapid end.

rbertalotto said:

I work in this industry. ALL the satellite companies want to get out of satellites and dishes. Dish networks is the largest proponent of this. Charlie Erker, who owns Dish, suggests that the next generation of users will not pay $200 a month for TV content. He is buying up high frequency broadband as he figures all content will come from cell towers in the future. Satellites are simply way to costly and satellite dishes have Issues with line of sight. Once it all goes terrestrial there will be no need for "bucket
Trucks"  and technicians hanging dishes and realigning after storms etc.. it is estimated the next generation of users will only pay $35 a month for all communication needs.

Dish is already experimenting with their new SLING broadband video distribution network at $20 a month.

No question, the age of satellite dishes and set top boxes is coming to a rapid end.

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Are we talking months away or a few years?  I have Dish at home and really like it.

rbertalotto said:

I work in this industry. ALL the satellite companies want to get out of satellites and dishes. Dish networks is the largest proponent of this. Charlie Erker, who owns Dish, suggests that the next generation of users will not pay $200 a month for TV content. He is buying up high frequency broadband as he figures all content will come from cell towers in the future. Satellites are simply way to costly and satellite dishes have Issues with line of sight. Once it all goes terrestrial there will be no need for "bucket
Trucks"  and technicians hanging dishes and realigning after storms etc.. it is estimated the next generation of users will only pay $35 a month for all communication needs.

Dish is already experimenting with their new SLING broadband video distribution network at $20 a month.

No question, the age of satellite dishes and set top boxes is coming to a rapid end.

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I sure hope it happens SOON !

Network TV programing is horrible, at best. So I'm paying $100 bucks a month for 200 channels, of which, I watch maybe 10 or 12.

Something is Wrong with that Picture. (Pun ?.. well maybe) 

Joe

it is estimated the next generation of users will only pay $35 a month for all communication needs.

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Who is estimating that?  Forgive me for being skeptical, but Verizon & AT&T won't be going there. Nor HBO either.

A few years.....

Here is another issue. DirecTV has an aging satellite that supplies over 200,000 subscribers with "analog" signal rather than newer digital. Over time, all these satellites need minor adjustments to their orbits and they all carry enough fuel for X number of years worth of adjustments. A few months ago the DirecTV analog "bird" went into a severe wobble and they used nearly all the remaining fuel to fire the retro rockets to stabilize. This bird was supposed to last a whole bunch of years and now it could wobble again within days, months, years...who knows. without any fuel to restabilize.

200,000 facilities will lose service! Boom!

AT&T is scrambling to get technician out into the field to replace hundreds of thousands of analog STBs with digital Set Top Boxes. This is a huge issue.

Without the space shuttle to reliably and cost effectively launch new birds, the cost of satellite launching has gone through the roof with only US private firms and Russia doing the launching, and quite unreliable at that.

When I first got into the business of cellular back in the 80s, the system would only support 832 conversations on each tower. The industry at the time thought that was plenty! Now at a NFL game or a NASCAR race there can be hundreds of thousands of high data rate transmissions going on at the same time. It is truely amazing how fast and how good terrestrial data transmission has progressed. And you ain't seen nothing yet!!

HBO and most other "Pay Per View" are already streaming content on Netflix, HuLu, Amazon Prime, Apple Fire Stick and hundreds of other venues (Check out KODI if you have a chance)

They know what is coming and getting ready for it.

This is not "if"......Just a matter of time....

Do some research on the thousands of subscribers each month that have "Cut The Cable" as it is called in the industry and are using high speed internet to stream everything. Streaming will be the only solution down the road. Period....

Three of my four children are in high tech. None of them have a set top box. They stream everything to their personal devices and then send it to an Apple TV unit or a Google Chrome Cast connected to a big screen TV. (The fourth kid is raising babies and struggles with email...go figure!)  My youngest son works for Yahoo and spent time in Taiwan recently to work on these future broadband transmission technologies. He looks at my digital modulators that we build and asks...."Where do you put the coal!"/////Smarta**!

I guess we shouldn't be too surprised. Technology is moving at the speed of light these days. Shoot, I still remember when I thought pagers were pretty slick.  Now I carry a super computer on my belt.  I still see the choke point as being available bandwidth though.  I stream some stuff now on Netflix, but in a busy RV park it can be a real challenge.

I still see the choke point as being available bandwidth though.

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And therein lies one big reason I can't see cellular streaming being he be-all and end-all of video distribution. And the more dense the population, the worse the problem.

HBO and most other "Pay Per View" are already streaming content on Netflix, HuLu, Amazon Prime, Apple Fire Stick and hundreds of other venues (Check out KODI if you have a chance)

They know what is coming and getting ready for it.

This is not "if"......Just a matter of time....

Do some research on the thousands of subscribers each month that have "Cut The Cable" as it is called in the industry and are using high speed internet to stream everything. Streaming will be the only solution down the road. Period....

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Certainly they are doing this because there is tremendous demand, especially amongst the younger folks, but there is still a huge demand for other means of distribution. And you also have to consider that once rural folks (those who rarely have high speed anything, and where cell service is spotty and/or weak) can't get TV, there will be political hue and cry to come up with a way to get a way for them to watch TV/video. I suspect most large companies know about this, because of the hullabaloo in telecommunications over the years about the "last mile problem" in many categories -- this isn't new, it goes back to long before cell phones existed.