Direct TV

MikeR

Well-known member
I read in a business news release today that AT&T, now owners of Direct TV, will be getting out of the satellite business. They plan on making Direct TV a streaming business in 3 - 5 years. I guess a change like this takes some transition time.
 

Bohemian

Well-known member
Other companies have tried ploys like this to capture customers.

Often it kills the business they hobble, Directv.
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
I've been considering dropping our DirecTV . . .

Can't believe I'm paying this much and over half of the channels are nothing but infomercials.

We have Verizon cell service (best out here in the wild west), so the streaming thing doesn't do us much good.

Been thinking about buying another King/Jack antenna and putting it up in the roof of the garage!

Like this one on our Prowler:

ProwlerMaxxAirFrontDoneStorm-P1010871.jpg
 

SNOKING

Well-known member
We have been binge'n this summer with a T-mobile hotspot. Get really fast service out of it. Will turn off our VZW MiFi and shorten up the VZW data plan if this T-Moblile one works as well in our Arizona park. VZW has lousy service in our summer park.

Will be sorry to see DTV go. It is a trap, get everyone to switch to wireless TV with free data, then change the plan to start charging more and more for the data or channels you want to watch. Nothing remains free very long!

Chris
 

wdk450

Well-known member
Direct TV has a MAJOR asset in their 5 (?) satellites in orbit they would be losing. People can get most cable TV already on the internet mostly for free, so how could Direct TV enter this market and make anything like they are making from their satellites? I think it is more likely to see another buyer for the Direct satellite system.

On the other hand, Dish has been expanding its business with its development and marketing of satellite internet for fixed rural locations.
 

HornedToad

Well-known member
Mike, then you would lose the ability to stream Directv App with no data hit.

The only time I've ever used streaming was from my Suddenlink home account to watch the Olympics on my computer at work.

The real reason for my comment "Hello DISH" is I recently had a poor customer service experience with DirecTV. I've paid $15 a month for years to get Distant Network Service so I can watch the football games on the broadcast networks when I'm away from home tailgating during football season without having to deal with my over the air antenna. I changed my home address in May and Direct TV just cannot understand that my service is on an RV and "No I do not need to schedule a service call to install a dish at my new home" I have cable. It seams they dropped my Distant Network Service and needed a new agreement with the new address. Of course I didn't find out until Labor Day weekend when I was trying to watch the Longhorns play. "I'm sorry we cannot restore your network access without a new agreement and it will take 45 days to process" OK... the football season will almost over by then, Why didn't you tell me to send in a new form in May?

WOW... I think this is my first RANT Post, now I'll have a little more sympathy when I read one!!!
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
I've had a couple of not-so-great phone conversations with DirecTV CS as well.

I tried to renegotiate my deal and they refused . . .

Which is why after almost 5 years with them I may either switch to Dish or put up a roof antenna.
 

mlpeloquin

Well-known member
AT&T sold me on streaming their TV service. Well their office data is wrong as far as distance goes. I am twice the distance form their hub. If I accepted the install, I could possibly get one set with high def with no computer and no other sets on. Do to the distance and after five hours of trying, the tech was able to get me higher speed internet so long as there are no filters used in the line. The tech called in another tech to help follow the connections through each main hookup. They disconnected the lines and twisted them to see if it would help. That is why I can get an improved internet signal. So I ended up with higher speed internet at the same price and no TV. I have been using Direct TV for years. If AT&T goes this direction, hello Verizon and Dish! The tech said AT&T has no plans to put in fiber except in new construction. Just how many 20 million Direct TV customers are they really going to be able to keep? Oh just jack up the prices to make up for the customers that went elsewhere.
 

porthole

Retired
I read in a business news release today that AT&T, now owners of Direct TV, will be getting out of the satellite business. They plan on making Direct TV a streaming business in 3 - 5 years. I guess a change like this takes some transition time.


If they make it a "streaming business" I guess that means you would require a hardwired internet connection?

We use DTV at home. The ONLY reason I continue to use my current internet provider (cable), is because that is the only option available and there is only one cable company at that.

If it was only me to worry about I would have just "over the air". Where we live I can get 40-50 channels from NYC area. Add a second antenna pointing towards Philly and I could get those as well.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
If they make it a "streaming business" I guess that means you would require a hardwired internet connection?

We use DTV at home. The ONLY reason I continue to use my current internet provider (cable), is because that is the only option available and there is only one cable company at that.

If it was only me to worry about I would have just "over the air". Where we live I can get 40-50 channels from NYC area. Add a second antenna pointing towards Philly and I could get those as well.

Porthole: Have you looked into Dish Network home internet? This was set up for remote ranchers and the like, but isn't portable like their satellite TV service (no good for RVers).

Also, I still see some Hughes Network and other satellite internet dishes in use - in fact, Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes uses that as their park internet provider.
 

Nabo

Southeast Region Director-Retired
Funny but we had to have DirecTv out to the camper last week to fix a receiver problem and I asked both the DirecTv reps (2 of them) and the AT&T reps (also 2 of them who followed the DirecTv tech) about AT&t selling DirecTv and both said absolutely not happening. So the question is do we need to do a fact-check on this like in politics (lol).
 

danemayer

Well-known member
If Directv is looking ahead to streaming video over the internet, they're talking about a long-term transition. Urban and suburban households have pretty good penetration of broadband internet service sufficient to stream video. Rural areas are looking at how to upgrade and many areas will get better service in a few years. We're in a rural area where DSL and Cable Internet are not available. The only choice (apart from a Verizon Cell data plan) is a wireless radio transmitter service. Download speeds are 5, 7 and 10 Mb/sec, and upload speeds are 250 Kb/sec. Within the next 24 months the service should get upgraded significantly.

Of course, from an RV'ing standpoint, none of this will matter. We'll either be dependent on data rich cell plans, or on campgrounds that install better WiFi, or we'll go with a satellite provider who stays in the satellite business.

As for Directv's migration to streaming, they'll get the service going and will figure out from the financial projections how fast to make the transition, or whether to make it at all.
 

SNOKING

Well-known member
We have found in recent years RV parks would rather abandon their WiFi than make it viable. We are in a Cal-Am park and they could care less about their WiFi, and I am sure if people continue to complain they will just turn it off, telling people to contract with Media Com. Chris
 
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