DirecTV rumors

[borghe]

Source

To recap for the lazy:

More International channels

More movie channels

and the big one, eliminating the mirroring fee for boxes continuously connected to the phone line.

Many of us DirecTV subs know that you aren't really "forced" to keep your receiver connected. I am not even talking about illegal usage, just laziness.. Well now it looks like you WILL be forced to keep it connected, but the advantage would be in a $5 per month per box reduction in your bill (past your first free box of course). I don't know about you other guys, but for me that alone will knock $10/month off of my bill, and that was after already getting another $10/month knocked off when Tivo went to it's new pricing scheme. If this happens soon that will be a $20 reduction in my bill in less than a year. :cool:

[Matt Heebner]

Call me a type "A" personality, but I have always had all four of my receivers continually connected to a phone line. I would love to see the extra box fee go away as it would save $15 or so off my bill.

Matt

[mnr929rr]

What are they going to do:Send the phone police to your house.:confused:

[gparris]

If you knew EVERYTHING, they would worry. The thing about their card, your receiver and the phone line is DIRECTV can monitor its cards and to where these are hooked to. A phone line has a number that is to ONE house (read: one subscriber)  and one billing. This eliminates the cable from your house to the neighbors or whomever trying to "share" the mirrored service. I doubt if they hit your receiver's card WITH the phone line and find all is ok the "phone police" are ever coming your way! With no phone line hooked to your receiver(s), something could be amiss, and what with all the piracy going on, DIRECTV might have a concern. This is NOT to say a missing phone line connection is bad-just not complete security for DIRECTV and therefore the additional(if the rumor is TRUE) mirroring charge to your billing. If anyone is worried about DIRECTV and their phone line hookup, get cable!

[borghe]

mnr929rr - no, they will just continue charging the $5/month for each additional receiver past the first...

gparris - don't start with cable.. Otherwise I will have to get into how these cost savings are even bigger...

[mnr929rr]

borghe,just trying to keep things fun.Hope you didn't take it the wrong way. I am just an ota guy.

[Greg Oman]

Even though I've been a sat guy for years with both Dish and Direct, I've really never found the need to have the phone line connected.  I've not really had any interest in any of the PPV offerings.  I hope this ultimately doesn't lead to a phone connection being a requirement:p

Greg O

[borghe]

Greg - I don't think they are trying to continue making it a requirement. I think if this is true they are simply trying to "recoup costs" of illegal or gray market activities.

To me this is a win/win situation. If you don't want to connect it to the phone line, this has no affect on you. However if you do have it connected or want to save the $5/month, just plug a phone cable in.

I think there are enough people out there who don't/can't connect it to a phone that DirecTV is looking for a way to motivate the other people to connect their receivers while letting the people who don't want to or can't still be.

[mnr929rr]

What is the REAL reason to have the phone line plugged in? Because you can still order ppv movies without it.

[veyj]

I'm all for removing the mirroring fee, but would like to see it achieved some other way.  I would love to get rid of this land base phone and save the $20/month.  Directv is my last obstacle in this endeavor, me thinks.  

John

[borghe]

mnr929rr - umm. sort of.. Just talking "gray market tactics", if they don't shut off your remote control ordering you can order up to 25 $3.99 PPV items, but if your receiver can't call out you will not be able to order anymore.

But for most it never gets to that point as it seems they will usually shut off remote PPV ordering within a month or so of missed calls. Also, I believe your receiver will shut off all >$3.99 item ordering after just a few missed call attempts.