Scott Greczkowski

Looking Back at the Year 2007
December 31, 2007

Looking back at the year 2007 in the world of Satellite Technology can be summed up with just two letters; those letters are HD.

The year started with Dish Network as the king of the HD Mountain, over the year Dish added new HD and was the first satellite provider delivering its customers MPEG4 HD. Dish Network led the HD race for over half the year, but that all changed this fall when DirecTV finally delivered on it’s promise for more HD.  It did not deliver its 100 channels of HD like they advertised however they ended the year the kings of High Definition.

DirecTV also made inroads in 2007 in the world of IPTV.  While still in public beta their DirecTV On Demand service has knocked the socks of customers nationwide.  Dish Networks halfhearted attempt at IPTV called DishONLINE has so far been a failure, plagued with software bugs and service outages.

It was a year of change for both companies in 2007, as many customers needed new equipment and some even needed new satellite dishes so that they could enjoy all the new offerings from their satellite company.  MPEG4 was a big buzzword early in the year but as it has rolled out many people talk about MPEG4 now like its old hat.

Dish Network has had a roller coaster ride this year on the stock market, reaching its 52-week high and then almost it’s low all within a few weeks of each other. DirecTV’s stock did not really move in 2007.

While DirecTV may wear a few crowns to end 2007, I wouldn’t consider Dish Network down and out.  In 2007 Dish Network was plagued by issues, which prevented them from launching 2 new satellites.  These issues were not the fault of Dish Network but instead problems at the rocket launch facilities.  If these satellites would have launched on time, Dish Network could still be wearing that HD Crown today.

Posted by Scott Greczkowski on December 31, 2007 | Comments (0)