Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : C-Cube -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ed's Head who wrote (35287)	8/19/1998 4:13:00 PM
From: Stoctrash	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 50808

Ed, what brings you out of the woodwork? You ain't missed much...only ones making money on CUBE are the ST traders for a point or two and the option writers.

To: Ed's Head who wrote (35287)	8/19/1998 4:13:00 PM
From: Don Dorsey	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 50808

There were a lot of large blocks today. A 50k block and at least two 25k blocks went by on the buy side.

To: Ed's Head who wrote (35287)	8/19/1998 9:37:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50808

Cable vs. DTH. Satellite services can do what cable says they'll do, and maybe sooner................................ This is David Lieberman's USA TODAY column, which appeared Aug. 18, 1998. Direct broadcast vs. cable You might think that this would be a miserable time to sell direct broadcast satellite television, which goes to subscribers who have 18-inch receiving dishes. After all, cable operators are starting to hit back at DBS' big advantage: its ability to deliver as many as 200 channels with digital clarity. Many systems are rushing to install digital decoder boxes, which enable subscribers to order dozens of new programming services. And the prospects for DBS providers such as DirecTv, U.S. Satellite Broadcasting and Echostar should look drearier as powerhouses such as AT&T move in and promise customers interactive services such as high-speed Internet access and telephone connections. But don't cry for DBS just yet. Top providers are surprising analysts by signing up new subscribers at a much faster pace than they did last year. And they are forging alliances that will enable them to champion digital and high-definition TV as the transition to this new form of broadcasting begins in November. That could upstage cable, which has been slow to embrace those new technologies. While they take a lead in digital TV, DBS companies say they can also offer interactive services for those who want Internet data and an on-screen program guide capable of programming a VCR. ''Anything cable claims they can do, we can do,'' DirecTv President Eddy Hartenstein says. ''And we'll probably do it first'' across the entire country. For now, DBS' best ally is a strong economy and growing familiarity with the product. ''You go to your neighbor's house, you see it and like it, and that has a snowball effect,'' says Echostar's David Moskowitz. DirecTv, with 3.8 million subscribers, has picked up 454,000 new customers so far in 1998. That's 33.5% ahead of last year's rate. Echostar, with 1.4 million, has added 342,000 - 42.5% ahead. That growth is impressive because ''the average cable system has more channels this year than last year,'' says Lehman Bros.' Bob Berzins. But the competition will get tougher. DBS subscribers must pay hundreds of dollars up front for a dish and receiver, and the service often costs more than cable. As a result, DBS is ''incredibly susceptible to a softening economy,'' says Media Group Research's Curt Alexander. Cable's popularity also could soar among affluent consumers if they fall in love with systems' high-speed, and fully two-way, Internet services. DBS' Internet system is a bit less elegant. It would transmit data in advance to a hard drive in a decoder box or a personal computer, or users can call up pages the old-fashioned way: via telephone. Yet DBS companies say their trump card is still entertainment, news and sports - offered with the clearest pictures and sound. That's why the transition to digital and HDTV, which begins this fall in the 10 largest markets, is so important to DBS companies, particularly DirecTv and USSB. More................. usatoday.com