Meet the 922 Tonight

For many consumers they might get their first true look of Echostar / Dish Network upcoming “Slingloaded” ViP 922 HD DVR tonight. Tonight Dish Network will present its quarterly “Tech Chat” with Mark Jackson and Dan Minnick and one of the main topics will be the satellite receiver which stole the show at this year’s CES, the 922.

The ViP 922 was selected as Best of Show by various sources including CNET and also won numerous Innovation Awards by the Consumer Electronics Association.

The 922 takes the best of Dish Networks 722 High Definition DVR and adds in Sling Technology which allows you to watch your television anywhere, plus adds a slick new iPhone like menu system and an ingenious new remote control which features a touchpad / trigger system and crams it into one small box.

In addition tonight’s Tech Chat will feature a guest from Sling Media who will hopefully update us on the status of their upcoming iPhone client.

The Dish Network Tech Chat will air tonight at 9PM ET / 6PM PT on Dish Network channel 101.

Where’s NASCAR?

At the end of the NASCAR season last year word came out that DirecTV was discontinuing offering its NASCAR Hotpass package as we knew it. DirecTV said it was working on something new for the 2009 season but here we are one week before the official start of the season and still announcement yet.

The word I am getting is they are still working on something but all the contracts necessary are not done yet, thus delaying the promised announcement. While the announcement appears to be delayed, I have no fear that DirecTV will be able to pull something off after all DirecTV is not the satellite sports leader for nothing you know.

More on Charlie Wanting to Get Sirius

Since the news broke last week about Echostar buying up the debt of Sirius XM Satellite Radio I have found a few things that have not been reported elsewhere. In addition I have heard a strong rumor which has built up a picture in my head that under Charlie’s control Satellite Radio could be around for a long time.

First issue missed by the mainstream media is that Sirius’s former CEO Joe Clayton is on Echostars board of directors. In addition last week news came out that Ira Bahr was rejoining Echostar as the Senior VP of Marketing. While Mr. Bahr is no stranger to Echostar (he was the CMO there from 2000 – 2002) the interesting part of his carrier that he was also the Senior VP Marketing, Alliances and Communication for Sirius Satellite Radio. It’s Charlie working to put the band back together?

In addition I have been receiving a strong buzz that I will clearly label here as a RUMOR that another music service is in financial trouble, so much so that I am hearing that this company could file for bankruptcy. That company is the popular commercial music service MUZAK.

So where does Echostar fall in this entire MUZAK thing? Echostar currently is one of the satellite uplinkers for the MUZAK service and in addition many of the audio channels on Dish Network are from the MUZAK service.

If (and again I say if) MUZAK does file for bankruptcy it would not surprise me to see Charlie buyout the company and that together with the Sirius properties would turn Echostar into the largest provider of commercial music services in the United States.

Charlie Ergen, you can love him or hate him, but one thing he is not is a dummy. Keep your eye on this one it could heat up and fast.

Just something else to make you go hmm from the pages of The Satellite Dish.