Currently sharing a Starchoice Subscription? Not for ever if Starchoice has there say.

Inside scoop.....

Starchoice and Express Vu have, and will continue to loose money on customers that have several receives under one account and all the receivers don’t reside off of the same dish.

It looks like Starchoice is going to be the first company to take this to the next level. Sometime in 07 they are going to start shipping new LNBs with serial numbers imbedded in the LNB.

They plan on using the new DiSEqC 2.0 bidirectional switch to ping the LNB on your dish for its serial number.

If all starts when you activate your receiver for the first time, you will do it just like now, but you give them one more piece of info, the serial number of your LNB. Them on power up, and every 12 hours after that (to verify that you have not moved you receiver) it will ping the LNB for verification that the LNB serial number and serial number downloaded by Starchoice in to the receiver upon activation match. And any other receiver in your home will be slaved to the Master. So when you add a 2nd, 3rd, 4th … to your Starchoice account, the Master receiver will be downloaded the serial number of the other units. And then every 6 hours they 2nd, 3rd, 4th receivers … will communicate via the RG6 cable to the Master to verify they are on the same LNB. If not they will display a blank screen.

IN 2008 – 2009 they are planning on replacement swap out of all OLD multi switches LNB to the new DiSEqC 2.0 bidirectional switch and LND with serial numbers

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DiSEqC 2.0 adds a return channel, used for getting information on the connected add-ons. It will inform the receiver, after sending a particular signal, about the amound and type of LNB's available and how they are interconnected.
Particular 2.0 applications (Next to the 1.0 application):
- Reception of up to 4 satellites
- Two way channel (info on what's connected to the receiver)

When you say "ship new lnb's" is that for new subscribers?

This may also need to ship out new receivers as the memory footprint in the legacy receivers likely won't take the required new code to support such a feature, nor is the Motorola expertise still available on those units for other than purely maintenance and not development purposes.

They can certainly do that with the 5XX and new lo-cost units.
This also opens them up for a 3 satellite LNB solution using the existing ellipticals as long as the 3rd sat is with view.

The current 22Khz satellite switching system only permits a 2 sat selection, whereas DiSEqC can support at least 4.

While bad news for some perhaps, good for those that wandered just how they intend to bring 100+ HD channels to markets in coming years.
This is certainly one way, there are others.

I suspect though, that it wil take longer as cash flow is king over in Shaw Town!

Pie in the sky.

Here's a company that has spent next to $0 on promotion and only reluctantly spent a couple million/year for a few new transponders for HD.

Yet, someone posts that SC is going to spend $150M+ for a LNBF swapout and $400M for a new satellite + $100M for the required uplink hardware upgrades.

Yah right - That's $600/sub

It sounds interesting but 987654321, why is a new satellite needed to implement this?

This "pinging" presumes your receiver is connect to a phone line, no?

Or are they bringing out 2-way satellite equipment now?

what about legitimate 'second locations'? I have two 530's, one at home one at the cottage....does that mean I am signal splitting? Will I have to identify two serial numbers?

Hmmm, this sounds expensive for *C and the consumer...

It sounds interesting but 987654321, why is a new satellite needed to implement this?

As ARR pointed out, DiSEqC 2.0 is only required for greater than 2 satellite reception.

Under the most favourable conditions, SC could put all present SD services on F1R using 8SPK. This would leave room for 100 HD on F2 using MPEG4.

However, Shaw Broadcast Services (nee Cancom) cannot survive in the medium to long term under the present conditions. They have just lost their biggest non Shaw owned customer - Rogers. And if SBS closes shop - that is the end of SC.

The way I see it, SBS must go after the American small cable head end market for HD service delivery or it's game over.

For the present dish to work, the new satellite(s) would have to be non Ka band in the arc from 105 to 119 degrees.

what about legitimate 'second locations'? I have two 530's, one at home one at the cottage....does that mean I am signal splitting? Will I have to identify two serial numbers?



There is a thread on the recent CRTC decision regarding SC's Home away from Home program which means that there will no longer be a second "legitimate" location.

There is a thread on the recent CRTC decision regarding SC's Home away from Home program which means that there will no longer be a second "legitimate" location.

Wrong. It just means Star Choice has to pay the broadcasters as if it were two seperate accounts, instead of as one account as was done previously.


But it does bring up a related question, what happens to those people who have 2 dishes on their house to support their maximum 6 receivers? Are they going to have to change over to a DiSEqC 2.0 compatable multiswitch for the extra ports and stick with one dish?

However, Shaw Broadcast Services (nee Cancom) cannot survive in the medium to long term under the present conditions. They have just lost their biggest non Shaw owned customer - Rogers. And if SBS closes shop - that is the end of SC.


Oh my... that's certainly not good news. :( Is Rogers using the Bell sats now?

sorry to go off topic

Wrong. It just means Star Choice has to pay the broadcasters as if it were two seperate accounts, instead of as one account as was done previously.


Certainly. They'll continue with the program and absorb the costs on your behalf. http://www.websmileys.com/sm/fingers/fing20.gif

This "pinging" presumes your receiver is connect to a phone line, no?

Or are they bringing out 2-way satellite equipment now?

The way I read this is the pinging happens between the receiver and LNB, not the satellite. This info is inputted at SC and downloaded at install/activate time. As new receivers are activated this get inputted at head office then downloaded to master receiver. Then the receivers talk to each other.

I wonder why each receiver can't simply ping the LNB like the 1st one?

I have no issues with this, so long as it works.

Oh my... that's certainly not good news. :( Is Rogers using the Bell sats now?

sorry to go off topicThey're using their own fiber network because they felt Cancom was overcharging them. Here's a recent thread on the subject if you want to follow up. http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=51470

Certainly. They'll continue with the program and absorb the costs on your behalf. http://www.websmileys.com/sm/fingers/fing20.gif

According to the other thread, they already said they will. It is now a one time $50 charge for the Home Away from Home program with no monthly charges after that.

Anything official on this? It seems a little odd that the whole issue would be skirted by a one-time $50 charge.

I just signed up with the HAFH a few day ago and I get a signal fine. Its just on every channel it says pls wait processing request. Does it work if my cottage is out of province?

Of course!

Pie in the sky.

Here's a company that has spent next to $0 on promotion and only reluctantly spent a couple million/year for a few new transponders for HD.

Yet, someone posts that SC is going to spend $150M+ for a LNBF swapout and $400M for a new satellite + $100M for the required uplink hardware upgrades.

Yah right - That's $600/sub

Totally agree.

Steph

The way I read this is the pinging happens between the receiver and LNB, not the satellite. This info is inputted at SC and downloaded at install/activate time. As new receivers are activated this get inputted at head office then downloaded to master receiver. Then the receivers talk to each other.It's still not 100% foolproof. It's only a matter of time before someone will have duplicated the LNB, along with the embedded serial number so that you could place that dish elsewhere and the box would not know the difference. Hopefully *C won't invest too much money into this.