# Murdoch may dump DirectTV



## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

It sounds like Murdoch doesnt like DirecTV anymore since he cant compete in the broadband business.

I wonder if this means Tivo may eventually come back to the fold.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060914...rp_liberty_dc_1


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

The link you posted is no good

Update:
Here is another link
http://rds.yahoo.com/S=53720272/K=D...nm/20060914/bs_nm/media_newscorp_liberty_dc_1


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

One side take (IMHO), is that the FOX (aka News Corp) and Dish Network DNS issue.

News Corp may need to seperate it's self from the competing product, to continue with their with-holding DNS access to Dish Network.


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

Copied and pasted from the HDTV thread and it got me.

Earl, your fast.

What would Liberty do to DirecTV???


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

zalusky said:


> What would Liberty do to DirecTV???


Don't know enough about Liberty to even theorize what they would do.
But with a company and user base as large as DirecTV... anything they did would take a while to implement.


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## HomieG (Feb 17, 2003)

From http://www.libertymedia.com/overview/default.htm

"Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LINTA,LINTB,LCAPA,LCAPB) is a holding company owning interests in a broad range of electronic retailing, media, communications and entertainment businesses. Our businesses include some of the world's most recognized and respected brands and companies, including QVC, Encore, Starz, IAC/InterActiveCorp, and News Corporation."


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Media


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## HomieG (Feb 17, 2003)

ebonovic said:


> Wikipedia
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Media


A couple of interesting tid-bits there:

"...it is the largest shareholder in News Corporation (though the founding Murdoch family owns more voting shares), and has a 4 % stake in Time Warner."


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

Thats what the news article is about. Murdoch wants his shares back and will give up directtv for them.


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

If it helps DirecTV to focus on HD and better PQ, I'm all for it.


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## vector1701 (Nov 15, 2004)

Murdoch called Direct TV a "TURD BIRD" .....and I agree...

Look at it....
Cable has 5 - 10 times more HD channels, including locals....Direct TV promised more in late 2007

Cable has Triple Play...TV...PHONE...Internet.....
Direct TV has a crap Internet service that they advertise ALL THE TIME

Direct TV all but breaks ties with TIVO, a main reason why people signed up with Direct TV as one of the first TV providers with DVR service and they were teamed up with THE BEST DVR provider....now Direct TV has a showstring relationship with Tivo, make thier own DVRs riddled with problems and handicapped thier own legacy DTV Tivos...all while cable companies sign deals with Tivo, maybe to avoid litigation, but regardless, once they advertise TIVO as thier DVR people will sign up in droves as they did with DTV a few years ago......

What was a cheaper service (DTV), now they have adopted the cable model with price increases, LEASED equipment, and multi-year contracts....

Look fellas, when the primary shareholder calls his company a "TURD BIRD"...that calls serious attention

At the end of the day, if it wasnt for Sunday Ticket (and now with more Saturday, Thursday and NFL network games coming in the next few years)..I would drop DTV like a bag of dirt...and so would alot of thier core customer base. Thats why they pay the NFL buko bucks for the Sunday Ticket..that exclusivity is thier remaining competitive advantage, which is dwindling.


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

Actually more than that DirecTv decided to take back control of all receivers. Yea I know the media centers is supposedly coming but I would like the hardware licenses to go out to all the players and let us choose our hardware of choice.

Look at the cell phone industry, you can buy a cheap no frills giveaway or a highend with all the bells and whistles every two years. 

I would apply the same thing to DVRs You could buy a Dell Media Center with DTV, A Tivo or anybody else. The competition would certainly improve the product and the upgrade cycles.

There are new cell phones every few months. Tivo could partner with more hardware vendors and ger more revenue as a result.

The current model is basically slows innovation.


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## ewolfr (Feb 12, 2001)

At least if Liberty gets ahold of DTV, it won't fall into Charlie Ergen's possession. I have vowed to go back to cable in an instant if that doofus from Dish Network ever takes over.


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## Phantom Gremlin (Jun 20, 2002)

ewolfr said:


> At least if Liberty gets ahold of DTV, it won't fall into Charlie Ergen's possession. I have vowed to go back to cable in an instant if that doofus from Dish Network ever takes over.


Thankfully even the Republicans figured out that Charlie is a doofus.

Also the regulators just recently made a statement that a merger would still not be approved.


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## drew2k (Jun 10, 2003)

vector1701 said:


> Cable has 5 - 10 times more HD channels, including locals....Direct TV promised more in late 2007


I wish! My cable system has only TWO** more HD channels than are offered by DirecTV ... maybe we're just behind the times. 

** Cablevision: In-HD, MSG-HD.


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## skaeight (Jan 20, 2004)

I'm pretty sure MSG-HD is being added this fall, and I just read something w/ an executive at Directv who said INHD would most likely be the next national HD channel added (once they get the capacity).

I just hope that maybe if Liberty takes d* over, they might start up talks w/ TiVo again. Remember, NDS was Rupert's baby, if he's gone what incentive would they have to use it?


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

See these articles from the last two days:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/shanks091406.htm
http://www.tvpredictions.com/nextshanks091406.htm

We are not going to see any new national HD this year (IMHO).
INHD is not "comming" soon, the way I read it. They just dropped their lawsuit when they where at least offered a similar contract as the one they offered to Dish Network.

Bottom line... right now, there simply isn't the bandwith to support ANY additional national HD networks.


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## skaeight (Jan 20, 2004)

ebonovic said:


> See these articles from the last two days:
> http://www.tvpredictions.com/shanks091406.htm
> http://www.tvpredictions.com/nextshanks091406.htm
> 
> ...


Yep, those articles are what I was refering to. The executive said part of the reason they haven't added INHD is because the content isn't all that great (outside of baseball which they offer already). Surley though the main reason is capacity. Hopefully they get the new birds up soon.


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## BillyT2002 (Oct 19, 2002)

If DirecTV is a "turd bird", it is only because Murdoch and his lackeys have made it that way by re-defining their relationship with TIVO and saying one thing "We want to get and keep high end customers" and then doing another "let's push our buggy DVR products on them and provide terrible service and allow all of our competitors to trump us in the HD market until 2007 when maybe we'll do something about it." In my opinion, Murdoch is the chief "turd" in DirecTV and the sooner he keels over, the better.

Seriously, what is going to happen now? If Murdoch jumps ship, will the satellites that are supposed to bring us more MPEG-4 HD still go up next year? Will the HR20 and R15 still get be getting bug fixes to make them usable? (I'm set up to have an HR20 installed on Monday, but I don't like the sound of this.)


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

MPEG-4 is still in the cards... has to be... as they simply don't have capacity otherwise.

They are not going to throw out the years of work in the R15 and HR20... and other products that have been worked on and that haven't been released.

Any transition to a different company, would take a lot of time... So nothing would probably change in 2007... DirecTV is too larger and too large of a user base to change things over night.


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## shore (Nov 20, 2001)

ebonovic said:


> MPEG-4 is still in the cards... ... DirecTV is too larger and too large of a user base to change things over night.


So what are you saying here?


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## ewolfr (Feb 12, 2001)

MPEG-4 is going to happen. The sats have been paid for and will go up. If Malone takes over turning DTV in a new direction will be like turning a battleship. They have 14m subs, nothing new will happen overnight.


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## minorthr (Nov 24, 2001)

Well if he does sell it it was nice of him to have it long enough to dump Tivo. Thanks a ton 

Also in those articles linked above Eric Shanks says he will put D* HD up against anybody in picture quality. Well then I invite him to my house and he can see what Comcast locals in HD look like and what my D* local HD looks like and tell me what he thinks.


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

shore said:


> So what are you saying here?


As ewolf said... with nearly 16 million subscribers... any changes will be slow. and will take multiple months if not years, to change directions.


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## vector1701 (Nov 15, 2004)

minorthr said:


> Well if he does sell it it was nice of him to have it long enough to dump Tivo. Thanks a ton
> 
> Also in those articles linked above Eric Shanks says he will put D* HD up against anybody in picture quality. Well then I invite him to my house and he can see what Comcast locals in HD look like and what my D* local HD looks like and tell me what he thinks.


Exactly...
And the fact that their Standard Definaition bandwith/resolution looks like CRAP on any new HD-Ready television sold out there....and when hooked up to cable they look fine...not in HD, but still fine.

But you all are right...changes will be SLOW and WILL TAKE YEARS....Are you willing to wait and keep dealing with DTV's lack of customer appreciation? 3 months of free Showtime only goes so far....


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## FlWingNut (Mar 4, 2005)

One observation -- I know this a TIVO board, but I think many here overestimate the importance of Tivo to D*'s customers. I'd guess most of D*'s base has NO DVR at all, and of those that do, it's not the main reason they have D*. I had D* long before I had Tivo. I went from the old Hughes receivers to UTV then to Tivo, and now two D*Tivos and an R15. Newcomers to the DVR world at D* are going to get either R15s or HR20's and I suspect most will be fine with it.

Tivo is a great DVR, no question. Like I said, I do own two. But let's not get carried away. I don't think there's going to be a great stampede away from D* because they've ended their partnership with Tivo (has there been so far?). Has the rush for the S3 started? How many have cancelled D* and gone to cable now that the S3 is out? I follow the content, not the means of recording it, and D* suits my needs fine, for now. That, of course, may change at some point. But that will have nothing to do with Tivo.


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

IMO, DirecTV should add CW HD as a DNS option for subs that don't yet even have their SD locals. They would have plenty of bandwidth if they just got rid of a few stupid channels, many of which have been mentioned already.


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## super dave (Oct 1, 2002)

There's Good TV, There's Better TV............ Then There's Turd TV.






Courtesy of Dish Roamer.


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## vector1701 (Nov 15, 2004)

super dave said:


> There's Good TV, There's Better TV............ Then There's Turd TV.
> 
> 
> Courtesy of Dish Roamer.


NOW THATS THE QUOTE OF THE DAY!!!

F-Jackie....
F-Artie....


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## tbeckner (Oct 26, 2001)

vector1701 said:


> NOW THATS THE QUOTE OF THE DAY!!!
> 
> F-Jackie....
> F-Artie....


What's even scarier is that is what the Murdoch thinks about DirecTV.

With that thought in mind, what does that mean to the DirecTV customers.

If Murdoch thinks that DirecTV is a "TURD BIRD" (an organization that is full of crap and not worth holding and improving), will there be anymore improvements to DirecTV, except very short-term quick and dirty low cost improvements that would allow him to UNLOAD DirecTV? Now where does that leave us and the R15 and HR20 customers. This is like being in *"TURD BIRD HELL"*.


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## dtremain (Jan 5, 2004)

tbeckner said:


> This is like being in *"TURD BIRD HELL"*.


Personally, I'm still enjoying watching TV. Other things in my life come closer to hell.


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