28/07/02

Sunday no update

27/07/02

Not much to report for today, have a look around the sky this weekend and see what you can find. Try realoading some of the services you have loaded in your receivers you never know what changes have been made but havn't been reported yet.

Satfacts page updated!

From my Emails & ICQ

From Steve Johnson

B1 feed, 12410 V, SR = 6110, FEC = 3/4 (Astralinks - V8 supercars?)

From Bill Richards

0835 UTC

Pas2 4045V Sr 4285, Fec 3/4, Vpid 4194 Apid 4195, SID1, "Occ Asian Feed" "Tadiran Scopus"

Regards
Bill

From Thomas Baxter

HD DEMONSTRATION TAPE

http://www.dba.org.au/templates/files/Nine_HD_Loop020726.pdf
The Nine Network HD demonstration tape consists of a number of high
quality video segments with discrete 5.1 surround sound compiled into a
43 minute programme.

The programme is repeated throughout the day. The tape is intended to
show consumers, the quality that can be achieved with high definition
generated material.

The perceived quality to a viewer will be dependant on the resolution of
the display device which should have a minimum resolution of 1365 x 768
pixels.

Technical Parameters ­ HD Video.
* *Aspect ratio 16 x 9
* *Scan rate 1080 lines, 50i vertical
* *Resolution 1920 pixels
* *Encoding standard MPEG2, 4:2:0, GOP 12, IBBP
* *Data rate 12.5Mbps

Technical Parameters ­ HD Audio.

* *Encoding standard Dolby AC-3, 5.1 channels
* *Data rate 448Kbps

Technical Parameters ­ Terrestrial Transmission.

* *Channel 8 Band 3
* *Frequency 191.625Mhz

* *Channel bandwidth 7MHz
* *Effective average radiated power 30Kw
* *Modulation 64 QAM
* *Transmission COFDM 8k
* *Inner FEC ¾
* *Guard interval 1/16

Technical Parameters ­ Network Satellite Distribution.

* *Optus B1T12 as a 15Mbps payload
* *Frequency 14,239.75 / 12,491.75Mhz
* *Modulation 8PSK
* *FEC 5/6
* *Symbol rate 6.510638 MBaud

Thomas 'bacco007' Baxter

(Craigs comment can anyone tune into the B1 service? I guess its an H pol Transponder)

From the Dish

PAS 8 166E 4020 H "ESPN Brazil" has started on , PIDs 1260/1220, Fta.
New SIDs and PIDs for several of the channels.Occasional ESPN feeds on SIDs 15 and 16, PIDs 1760/1720 and 1860/1820.

Agila 2 148E 12541 V "ABS-CBN Channel 2" has left .

Asiasat 3 105.5E 3980 V "National Geographic Adventure 1 India" has started, Videoguard,SID 1741, PIDs 512/640. National Geographic Adventure 1 Asia has left this mux.

Asiasat 3 105.5E 3700 V Updates in the Zee Network, Mediaguard, "Zee International" has started on PIDs 161/84.Zed TV has replaced Zee Music
Asiasat 3 105.5E 4140 V Updates in the Zee Network, Mediaguard: "Zee Music" has started on PIDs 35/34.Zee News is now Fta.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3600 H "CMM Music" has left , replaced by a test card.

PAS 10 68.5E 12428 H The Doordarshan tests have left .

NEWS

Pay-TV 'unsustainable'

From http://finance.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,4783616%255E462,00.html

PAY-TV group Foxtel confirmed yesterday its net loss had blown out to $100 million and warned Australia's industry was unsustainable under the current regulatory regime.

"In Foxtel's own instance it lost $100 million in the last financial year . . . the one just finished," Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams told a regulatory conference in Sydney. Foxtel, Australia's largest pay-TV group, is locked into expensive programming contracts with Hollywood studios which force it to pay for content in US dollars.

Mr Williams referred to reports that Foxtel spent more than 65 per $1 in revenue on programming costs.

"I am not going to share with you the full horror of that figure but it is north of 65 I can assure you," he said. The Australian competition watchdog is currently considering a major content-sharing proposal by Foxtel and SingTel's pay-TV arm Optus aimed at salvaging the loss-making industry.

Mr Williams said $8 billion had already been spent on Australia's pay-TV industry with no sign of a return on the investment.

"Australia's subscription television is unprofitable and in its current market construction unsustainable," Mr Williams said. As well as lobbying for the Foxtel-SingTel deal to be approved, the pay-TV industry is also pushing for changes to tough anti-siphoning laws which are designed to keep major sporting events on free-to-air television.

It is believed the Government is considering relaxing the anti-siphoning laws as a trade-off for allowing free-to-air networks to introduce digital multi-channelling. Mr Williams used the conference to attack anti-siphoning laws as a "national outrage" and said Foxtel had invested hundreds of millions of dollars on expectations that multi-channelling would not be introduced before 2005.

In a rare sign of support for Foxtel's complaints, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission indicated it might be willing to consider supporting an easing of the anti-siphoning laws. "The ACCC has in previous submissions to the Productivity Commission inquiry on broadcasting certainly indicated due to their inherent anti-competitive nature that if they were not meeting their social objectives they should be pretty seriously looked at," ACCC general manager telecommunications Michael Cosgrave told the conference.

Australia's Foxtel 2001-02 losses at A$100mn

From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=17146913

SYDNEY: Pay-television group Foxtel confirmed on Friday its 2001-02 net loss had blown out to A$100 million and warned Australia's pay-TV industry was unsustainable under the current regulatory regime.

"In Foxtel's own instance it lost A$100 million in the last financial year ... the one just finished," Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams told a regulatory conference in Sydney.

Foxtel, Australia's largest pay-TV group, is locked into expensive programming contracts with Hollywood studios which force it to pay for content in US dollars.

Williams referred to reports that Foxtel spent more than 65 cents per every A$1.00 in revenue on programming costs.

"I am not going to share with you the full horror of that figure but it is north of 65 cents I can assure you," he said.

The Australian competition watchdog is currently considering a major content-sharing proposal by Foxtel and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd's Australian pay-TV arm aimed at salvaging the loss-making industry.

Williams said A$8 billion had already been spent on Australia's pay-television industry with no sign of a return on the investment.

"Australia's subscription television is unprofitable and in its current market construction unsustainable," Williams said.

As well as lobbying for the Foxtel-SingTel deal to be approved, the pay-TV industry is also pushing for changes to Australia's tough anti-siphoning laws which are designed to keep major sporting events on free-to-air television.

Local newspaper reports say the Australian government is considering relaxing the anti-siphoning laws as a trade-off for allowing free-to-air networks to introduce digital multi-channelling.

Williams used the conference to attack anti-siphoning laws as a "national outrage" and said Foxtel had invested hundreds of millions of dollars on expectations that multi-channelling would not be introduced before 2005.

In a rare sign of support for Foxtel's complaints, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission indicated it may be willing to consider supporting an easing of the anti-siphoning laws.

"The ACCC has in previous submissions to the Productivity Commission inquiry on broadcasting certainly indicated due to their inherent anti-competitive nature that if they were not meeting their social objectives they should be pretty seriously looked at," ACCC general manager telecommunications Michael Cosgrave told the conference.

Foxtel is half owned by Australia's largest telecoms group Telstra.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Kerry Packer's Publishing & Broadcasting Commission each own 25 per cent.

Telstra shares were one per cent weaker at A$4.76 in a lower overall market Friday. News Corp lost 4.4 per cent to A$8.52 and PBL was trading 1.4 per cent lower at A$9.03.

GREEN LIGHT FOR DIGITAL TV PLATFORM

From TSI CHANNEL NEWS -

The government of Vietnam has given the go-ahead for a $15 million joint
venture project to build a digital TV platform covering the south-east Asian
territories of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The government has commissioned
the South East Asia Technical & Vocational Institute (SEATVI) to set up
the country's first digital platform. It will see the launch of initially
four educational channels - health, public administration, foreign languages
and technology - out of a possible ten, all to be carried on EuAsiaSat-1.
The satellite is owned by a joint venture between Turk Telekom and France's
Alcatel Space. The Vietnamese project will see some 10,000 subscribers,
chosen from among the country's students, public officials and other decision-makers,
getting the set-top boxes needed to receive the channels. SEATVI will oversee
the production of the channels in Vietnam. The project is due to be launched
by the end of 2003

26/07/02

Jcsat2a continues to surprise all with its signal levels, so far an 85cm in Perth is the record for small dish reception! remember this is CBAND. It might even be useable for a DTH pay service?

Commonwealth Game feeds should be available has anyone located any yet?

From my Emails & ICQ

From Zapara (W.A)

Jcsat2a 85.6cm Jonsa Offset, 25 deg Cal amp voltage switching LNBF
Humax 5400, 18% signal lock, very roughly setup /

From Stewert

Re: Jcsat2a

Hi Craig, FYI Jcsat here in Rockhamton, Central Queensland on a 1.2 fibreglass prime ,60% but perfect.
the LNB it is a GARDINER 27deg, C-band feed is ADL.The dish is about 15 years old, I had it made by a spa maker. Receiver is a Phoenix 222

Cheers
Stewart

From Andrew Moore

Hi Craig,

Here in Melbourne 7.5Km due East from the central business
district the Mormons on Jsat-2a are coming in at a surprising 92% on a Strong
4600 with a 1.2M Andrews solid dish and a Zinwell 15 degree LNB.

This is the strongest signal I have logged on C band. Only the
Ku band Optus signals are quite this high on the scale. As a comparison the
BBC on PAS2 comes up in the mid 60% range.

Always a pleasure to check out your site. It is one of the most
if not the only reliable source of information on this topic on the web.

Best regards
Andrew Moore

From Carl Ling

Jcsat2A

I finally found this bird and the BYU signal.

Strong signal. Location=Canberra, 2.6m mesh dish, Satcruiser 201. I finally worked out the trick with this receiver - you must find the bird before SR is entered. Otherwise, nothing loads.

From Mario Garcia

Mormon's channel on JCSAT2A / 8 in Perth is loud and clear!!!
Signal quality on Humax 5410z is 100% (incredible). 3.0 m mesh dish

From John Harrison

ESPN mux on Pas 8

Lyngsat reports this as fec 7/8 it is now 4020H Sr 26470, Fec 3/4

From Zapara (W.A)

ESPN on Pas 8

Chs.

1. BRAZIL V 1260 A 1220
2. ESPN 2 V 1660 A 1620
3. ESPN V 1560 A 1520
4. LATIN A V 1160 A 1120
5. LATIN B V 1160 A 1122
6. ATLANTIC V 1360 A 1320
7. PAC RIM V 1460 A 1420
8. SYNDICATE NTSC V 1760 A 1720
9. SYNDICATE PAL V 1860 A 1820

And here are the screenshots

Espn, Espn 2, Espn Brazil

Espn Latin, Espn PacRim

From the Dish

PAS 8 166E 4020 H All channels in the ESPN mux are Fta. New FEC: 3/4.
PAS 8 166E 12686 H "Barker Channel" has left , replaced by a test card.

Agila 2 146E 12581 V "Studio 23" has left .

Asiasat 3 105.5E 3980 V "National Geographic Adventure 1 Asia" has started, Videoguard, PIDs 517/660.

Thaicom 3 78.5E 3600 H "Aastha TV" has left , replaced by an info card.

PAS 10 68.5E 3774 V "Aastha TV" has started testing, Fta, SR 2940, Fec 3/4,PIDs 308/256.

NEWS

Ten eyeing one NZ station

From http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/07/25/1027497382835.html

The Ten Network is likely to limit its bid for the New Zealand television assets put on sale by cash-strapped parent CanWest to just one network to avoid further damage to its investment record following the Eye Corp disaster.

Ten has apparently emerged as a leading contender for the two television stations but is said to be reluctant to take on the loss-making TV4 network, which has eroded the positive earnings generated by TV3.

"I'll be surprised if (executive chairman) Nick Falloon wants to do something so soon in Ten to damage the impeccable reputation he currently has," an analyst close to the deal said yesterday.

CanWest reported that its TV stations made an operating loss of $C1.6 million ($A1.88 million) in the third quarter, ending May 31.

"There's already three commercial broadcasters in NZ as it is and the fourth, in what is a small market, was always going to be difficult," said another source close to the sale process.

Ten is believed to have lodged two offers - one for the TV networks and the other including CanWest's radio assets.

Speculation has emerged that Ten, which is 57.5 per cent owned by CanWest, was under pressure to pay an inflated price.

However, analysts believe the network is more determined to restore faith in its investment judgment after spending $240 million on a 60 per cent share of the loss-making Eye Corp advertising business.

CanWest is expected to raise as much as $NZ350 million ($A303.75 million) from the sale, which will help cut some of its $C3.5 billion debt and avoid breaching banking covenants.

Prime New Zealand, owned by Australian regional media group Prime TV, is also a strong contender for the TV networks, with its bid said to be worth $NZ100 million. Ten's offer for the networks, valued at about $NZ80 million, is believed to be well under Prime's figure.

Meanwhile, Fox FM and Triple M network owner Austereo is a leading candidate for CanWest's MoreFM and Radio-Works networks with an offer that is believed to exceed $NZ250 million.

Ten shares were unchanged yesterday at $2.10 as Austereo rose three cents to $1.58, and Prime climbed one cent to $1.96.

From skyreport

*MultiChoice Debuts ITV - MultiChoice Africa, the South
African pay-TV provider, said it's rolling out interactive
TV services to its customers, an effort that started in
early July. Among the offerings are TV-Mail, TV-Shopping
and a new DStv Guide.

Irdeto Access finds another Chinese customer for Irdeto M-Crypt

From indiantelevision.com

Irdeto Access, a world leader in content protection and management and a subsidiary of MIH, has signed on another partner in China. This time it has licensed Jiangxi Radio & TV Network Transmission Co to use its Irdeto M-Crypt content protection system.

According to the licence agreement, Jiangxi Radio & TV Network Transmission Co will use the compact conditional access system for the introduction of digital pay-TV in the province of Jiangxi. The first order of 5,000 smart cards has been made.

Jiangxi Radio & TV Network Transmission Co. will use Irdeto M-Crypt to encrypt TV signals from the satellite and interactive programs to broadcast over its cable network covering the Jiangxi province The operation is expected to grow to 100, 000 subscribers in the coming three to five years.

The province of Jiangxi is located in the south-east of China. There are 11 cities and districts in the province and 99 counties. Most of the cities and districts in the province have been integrated in the cable network. The total population of the province is 41 million with about three million cable TV subscribers among them.

Irdeto M-Crypt is a compact conditional access system that is specifically developed for the small to medium-size pay-TV operator and is of a high standard as any large-scale system. Irdeto M-Crypt is easier to use and to maintain than other conditional access (CA) system as it runs on a Windows NT platform and can be installed onto a standard PC, a company press release claims. Irdeto M-Crypt is also a modular CA system that allows the operator to grow his business while protecting the content of his broadcasts at the lowest possible cost. As the subscriber base grows, Irdeto M-Crypt can be upgraded smoothly to Irdeto Access' large-scale system: Irdeto PIsys.

"Through co-operation with Irdeto Access and OpenTV, we will create an integrated end-to-end solution based on a very advanced platform that will bring the digital TV operation of the province of Jiangxi to a new stage," said general manager of Jiangxi Radio & TV Network Transmission Co Wang Zhuqing.

DD Plays Its French Connection

From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=13863

New Delhi: Time was when the government wanted to take Fashion TV (FTV) off the Indian television screens for all the skin that the French channel was exposing the desi audience to. Several months and many high-level meetings later, not only does FTV continue to thrill thousands in the cable and satellite homes, but another channel has started airing French fare, though this time it’s all censored. Move over from FTV to Doordarshan (DD)!

Censor or no censor, one tends to associate hemlines and all things steamy and adult with anything French. But DD is cautious. DD never shows anything adult on its channels, boasts an official. After all, the public broadcaster has to act in a responsible manner. Despite the censor axe, DD does not want to ruffle any feathers. So, the broadcast time has been fixed at 11 p.m every Friday, immensely adult time!

The 26 French films, that DD Metro is showing over a period of six months till the end of the year, have to undergo the sometime ruthless cuts of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). While six films have already been cleared by CBFC, out of which three have already been shown on DD Metro, the remaining 20 films are yet to get the nod of the board.

At a time when film certification is a touchy issue, with the government rubbishing a proposal on legalising exhibition of soft porn films and the subsequent resignation of the CBFC board chief Vijay Anand, DD’s on a long-term date with the French. Interestingly, France is the first country to go for a long-term association with India in the broadcasting sector, when Canal France International (CFI) of France signed up with DD for the French films. Other countries too have had cultural exchange agreements with India, but none for a long-term period.

With its current offering ranging from old classic movies to newer ones such as Witch Way Love, Fanfan The Tulip, The Black Tulip and Damned Nuisance, all software free of cost, France’s CFI may talk money at a later stage.

According to a DD official, revenue-sharing between DD and CFI is likely to be explored. Some sponsors have already been tapped, he said, as an indicator.

As for now, every Friday it’s French time on Indian tele, post-scissors, of course!

25/07/02

"UPFM" in The Sky mux on Optus B1 actually started broadcasting after being listed for several weeks. Good to see that it's FTA like all radio services on Sky should be. "The Edge Radio" is the only that isn't fta there now. Perhaps someone needs to talk to them? getting all the radio services FTA is a start they may even wake up and realize the TV channels should be as well.

From my Emails & ICQ

From Glen Gibson

Craig and all,

Jsat 2a(8) confirmed on a 1.6m solid dish from Brisbane.
Yes I said a 1.6m!!!!. Also the data/strength rate is 100%!!!!!
This is quite a strong signal, so for the guy on chat last night, I think
you have a major problem if you cannot recieve this one.

Cheers
Glenn

From The Bassetts Kennel

I would just like to report that the Mormon channel is running at around 93%
strength at Bassettville, in the Dorrigo Hills Northern NSW
on 2 mitre solid dish, using Hyundai 800, No need to wake the Nokia up.. For
people using a Horizon to Horizon mount, the signal can be found [ took me
all of 2 mins] if you set the mount dead centre of the Arc.

From Bill Sydney

hi craig long time no talk no probs with jcsat2a/8 here in sydney on 3mtr dish

85%on satcruiser 1 tv

Sorry i get it right
{ bill sydney}

From "rambod"

I have 60% on Jsat 2A.

3m from Melbourne, with satcruizer.
this signal is strong, same as CNBC, from pas2.

(Craigs comment, might be worth checking your dish it should be better than Pas 2)

From the Dish

Palapa C2 113E 3473 H "RCTI 2nd copy" has NOT started on , PIDs 1260/1220, still only on 1160/1120.

Insat 2E 88E 3643 V "Asianet Global" has moved here from 3683 V, Fta, PIDs 514/670.

From Linton

Hi from sunny! Nth East Victoria.

I have 3M Dish on a polar mount.Swept west of B3 with small sat finder in
line with RX and jcsat2A came in with strong signal.

Setup specs from Lyngsat, Hooray!! Mormon TV.

Regards Linton.

(Craigs comment, whoever thought we would be happy to welcome The Mormons into our houses! I would say for most of us its not the content that matters its the fun of seeing a new satellite up there with a good strong signal.)

NEWS

Ten Sports ready and waiting to unveil Morocco tri-nations cricket tourney

(24 July 2002 9:00 pm)

From indiantelevision.com

MUMBAI: After the Fifa World Cup what next has been what the naysayers have been harping on when it comes to new kid on the block Ten Sports. Well, big ticket cricket is what the new sports broadcaster that is promoted by Sharjah cricket's Abdur Rahman Bukhatir has lined up.

All is set and ready for the kick-off of the first international tournament to be held in Morocco's multi-million dollar Tangier Cricket Stadium. Taking place between 12 and 21 August, the tri-nations cricket tourney will have Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka participating.

The $ 25-million Tangier Cricket Stadium in northern Morocco with five pitches and another seven in the practice area will provide a striking oasis-like setting amidst the dry, desert backdrop of the African environment. What makes this event all the more unique is that it will be the first major tournament to be held there after it was granted international status by the ICC.

The Tangier Cricket Stadium The stadium met the relevant cricketing admission criteria following an inspection of the ground, facilities and infrastructure and has been audited by the ICC Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) against stringent security standards and protocols.

When the matches are in progress it will be Kingston inmedia, the satellite-centric broadband solutions provider of Kingston Communications (KCOM.L) that will be delivering content to Taj TV, the parent company of Ten Sports.

What is planned is that one of Kingston inmedia's satellite news-gathering (SNG) Trucks will be driven down to Tangier from London to cover the duration of the series. It will deliver the signal to Taj TV's base in Dubai, from where Ten Sports will broadcast the tournament throughout the Indian subcontinent.

Mike Walsh, head of sales for Kingston inmedia K-Links division, was quoted as saying in an official release: "Kingston inmedia is thrilled to be working with Taj TV in distributing this very special sporting event. It's the first time that a high-level international cricket tournament has been held in Morocco, and proves once again how incredibly flexible our SNG fleet can be."

Fred Clow, director of operations for outside broadcasts, Taj TV, said: "We selected Kingston inmedia based on the company's reputation for providing an ultra fast, ultra reliable service. We know the Kingston team can deliver the goods, and we are delighted that their high standards mirror our own."

Bukhatir's Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS), the Sharjah-based organisation that put Sharjah on the international cricket map, will be handling the organisation of all tournaments hosted at the Tangier Cricket Stadium. With total prize money of $250,000 and $120,000 for the winning team in this tournament, Tangier could soon outshine Sharjah as a venue for offshore cricket.

Morocco is very close to Europe and can be easily accessed from the Gulf. It has a pleasant Mediterranean climate and is cool during the subcontinental summer. During the monsoons, when it is difficult to hold sporting events in India, Morocco has only mild rain.

Morocco has also been proposed as a potential venue for Australia's series against Pakistan in September, due to the security concerns following the suicide bombing in Karachi recently that killed 14 people.

EuroStar To Distribute NagraVision CAS

From indiantelevision.com

Chennai: Swiss company NagraVision, the leading international manufacturer of conditional access systems (CAS) for digital TV and broadband Internet, has appointed Chennai-based Eurostar Network Private Ltd as the sole authorised distributor of its digital CAS for pay channels.

Steel baron LN Mittal-owned satellite channel B4U Music is the first customer for the NagraVision CAS, according to Eurostar managing director Harry T Jethwani.

?These systems are encrypted for greater security and are completely hacker-proof,” he said. The systems cost between $175,000 and 300,000 per unit.

Eurostar, which is a marketer and manufacturer of satellite receiving systems, is already a major supplier of digital receivers to most free-to-air channels in the country. The pay channels, however, require more secure access to information, which includes encryption and access rights management. The uplinking signals are formated in such a way that only authorised persons (those who have paid the subscription, in this case) can gain access to them while others cannot intercept the signals.

The company has also recently entered into a technological tie-up with Dalvi of the UK to manufacture inexpensive basic analogue set-top-boxes useful for scrambling TV channels priced at Rs 2,500 per unit. Currently, an imported analog set-top-box costs around Rs 5,000, while a complete broadband pay TV CAS costs upwards of Rs 10,000.

24/07/02

More Jcsat2a reports, excellent signals reported everywhere and some in NZ are saying its the strongest satellite available! I will assemble all the reports and forward them to my contacts at Jcsat. How about some reports from outside of NZ and Australia. Especially the Pacific Islands part of the beam covers Hawaii and New Caledonia, some signal should spill into other parts of the Pacific.

I made a mistake yesterday about Intelsat at 176 or 178 possibly carrying the feed of the BUYTV channel just misread one of my emails.

From my Emails & ICQ

From "jsat"

hi receiving JSAT2A in the lower south west of WA on a 3m KTI with c/ku feed
at 100% on my nokia Dbox...99 signal reading on the tuner menu!

regards jsat

From "Anon viewer in W.A"

Jcsat2a %90 on Pheonix 333 on 2.4M solid Paraclipse

Also Tarbs PAS 10 %74

From Mathew who first reported Jcsat 2a

I am getting 9C-A2 range on the nokia here on a 3m kti in Perth. Strongest
signal I have ever seen here.

Matthew

From Ahmad Mobasheri (Auckland, NZ)

Jcsat2a At 154E, 3915V,3426,3/4 on Pheonix 333, 3m mesh dish, 99% signal strength in Auckland.
One TV channel, many Radios. luckily understand nothing!

Cheers

From Keith (Nelson, NZ)

On a 3 Meter mesh dish, Jcsat2a %69 signal strength on Pheonix 111 Receiver
Pas 8 usually %65 !

From Gavin Barbour (Christchurch, NZ)

JSAT2a Report

Received here in Chch nz 15 db above noise
a small signal in something that hopefully will be a full bandwidth of FTA

From Andrew Rajcher

BYU TV is Brigham Young University TV from that den of polygamy,
Salt Lake City, Utah!

It's english language, with lots of audio-subcarriers for foreign languages.

Coming through in Melbourne 97-100% signal quality on a 3.0M KTI mesh dish!

Andrew (aragorn)

From Mathew (W.A)

PAS-10 4065 V Sr 21000 Fec 3/4

listed as follows, all scrambled except the one radio channel

vid aud
VIT 512 640
INN 513 641
TVM 514 642
ALIC 515 643
NAPI 516 644
STV1 517 645
LEON 518 646
ORE 519 647
PL09 520 648

P102 (Russian Radio?) 661

Matthew

From the Dish

PAS 8 166E 12366 H "ABC Asia-Pacific (-2h)" has started, Fta, SID 5, PIDs 1281/1282.

Palapa C2 113E 3473 H "RCTI" a 2nd copy has started , Fta, PIDs 1260/1220.
Palapa C2 113E 4080 H "RFI" has started , Fta, APID 663.

NEWS

Satellite companies merge

From http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,4765712%5E15320%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html

FRANCE Telecom subsidiary GlobeCast has acquired local player MediaSat, forming the largest satellite transmission service company in Australia.

Both companies offered satellite transmission of live sporting and news events for free-to-air and pay television stations.

GlobeCast Australia chief executive Peter Booth said the two companies had competed for the same clients but had different technical capabilities.

GlobeCast relied on satellite trucks while MediaSat had a teleport - an earth station with a bank of satellite dishes - and a switch room at the MLC building in Sydney's central business district.

The transaction was an all-scrip deal resulting in a new merged company half owned by France Telecom and half by the Australian businessmen who founded MediaSat.

The new company would lease capacity on the Optus B3, Intelsat 180 and Intelsat 62 East satellites.

Mr Booth said the industry was still "very competitive" but the new company would have more than a 50 per cent of the satellite transmission market.

But the company would have to stave off a challenge by satellite alternatives such as fibre optic networks, which were gaining in popularity at Australia's sporting venues.

Previously MediaSat employed 27 people, while Globe Cast had a team of seven. Mr Booth said the new GlobeCast would have 23 staff, but only two people had been made redundant. The rest had left of their own accord over the nine-month acquisition process.

"In 2003 if we grow, which we plan to do, we will need extra people," Mr Booth said.

(Craigs comment, good to see a local item take note of the satellites they plan on using)

Digital TV reforms deferred

From http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/07/23/1027332376485.html

Federal Communications Minister Richard Alston is expected to rework plans for anti-siphoning and digital TV reform to appease disgruntled pay television operators.

The minister was forced to defer presenting his proposal to cabinet at yesterday's meeting following a hostile reaction to the mooted changes.

This follows reports that Senator Alston is preparing to overturn his digital TV strategy and give in to the demands of Kerry Stokes' Seven Network.

The Federal Government will spend the next month talking to key media players, including the free-to-air networks, Foxtel and Fox Sports, in an attempt to resolve their concerns.

Reports that a decision was imminent prompted Foxtel to write to all cabinet ministers a fortnight ago, attacking plans to allocate multiple digital channels to free-to-air broadcasters.

The pay TV broadcaster argued that even a more palatable anti-siphoning regime, which prevents major sporting events migrating to pay TV, would not offset the damage inflicted by free-to-air multi-channelling.

A spokesman for Senator Alston disputed Foxtel's claim that anti-siphoning reform was a trade-off for multi-channelling. "Anti-siphoning is an issue about what's a fair amount of protection that free-to-airs should get to ensure the public gets access to the most important sporting events - that's somewhat of a separate issue to how we might be able to encourage greater digital TV take-up," he said.

"We want to try and expedite the onset of digital TV and give the public a reason for making the move."

Despite the problems with digital multi-channelling in the UK, the spokesman said, the experience in Europe suggested it could be an economically viable model for broadcasters.

The Federal Government is also looking at the benefits of using a single set-top box to accommodate pay TV and free-to-air networks for the roll-out of digital television. All relevant media players are preparing submissions on the issue to meet Friday's deadline.

"On the face of it, it has value, and means the public only has to have one box," the spokesman said. "But it's premature to mandate it."

The Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association and Foxtel will argue that the 78 per cent of households that do not have pay TV should not be forced to pay for a common box.

23/07/02

Live satellite chat tonight 9pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom

Jcsat2a at 154E Alive! or should that be slightly awake, finally some video on this satellite the BYUTV channel has arrived in glorious NTSC with all your favourite Mormon programs. Yes its a religion channel and appears to be hopped to us via 176E? (details unconfirmed) Please keep those reports coming in. It sounds like it could be good even on dishes in the 1.5M range. Expect a door to door Mormon "Salesman" to bring you a new message from god shortly.

Looks like I will be able to add a Jcsat2a page soon if it stays.

Coops Tech digest magazine, for those who get it yes it is late it should of been Posted Monday. This months issue is about Piracy around the world.

Satfacts magazine yes this issue about Nokias was a sellout and copies are no longer available. But not to worry the entire article will be made available here soon. If you have this issue let me know if someone out there can scan the pictures that went with the article. My scanner is still packed away in a box somewhere. Or else someone may like to put the whole article into a PDF file?

Sky TV share watch.. down to $3.81 at 6pm NZ

From my Emails & ICQ

From Mathew

Hi everyone,

Scanned around the sats tonight and found what could be the first C-Band
channel or feed on the new JSAT-8 at 154 deg East

(BYUTV Screenshot Thanks to Bill Richards)

Parameters are

3916 V Sr 3424 Fec 3/4, Vpid 4121, Apid 33 english, 34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44
pcr 4121 pmt 32 sid 1

It looks like Church of the Latter Day Saints TV in english with numerous
audio subcarriers in other languages, very strong signal on my nokia here in
Perth, as strong as Insat 3 DD signals

I think this Mormon TV is called BYUTV and here my be the link for any

Mormans out there http://www.byutv.org/

PAS-10 TARBS report

Tarbs bouquet I found on PAS-10 is as follows although of little interest as it is all encrypted

Pas 10, 4065 V Sr 21000, Fec 3/4

All scrambled channels without an epg so hard to work out exactly what
channels are there

Cheers
Matthew

From "Schippy75"

Subject: [Apsattv] Re: JSAT2a Report

94% Signal Strength on 2.3 Mesh Dish from Brisbane

From John Harrison

JSAT2a Report

Comfirmed

Spanish/English Morman Channel

Sig Quality In Townsville 90% loads on emtech as CH-9-0001
Freq 3915v, Sr 3426, Fec 3/4

regards
John

From Peter Eade (NZ)

Mormons found @ 177East (Napier,NZ)
Twelve dual audio channels!!
3M Andrews dish, 100% data rate

Peter Eade

From Steve Johnson 22/07/02

Two feeds seen last night

B1 - 12420vt, SR = 6980, FEC = 3/4 (Globecast A)
B1 - 12430vt, SR = 6980, FEC = 3/4 (Tandberg - Celebrity Big Brother) 16x9.

From "SiamGlobal"

Subject: SKY NEWS UK

UK expats need not fret. Once more Lyngsat is wrong ! Sky News audio is still up and running on Intelsat 704
66 degrees East. This is the only fta 24 hr source of local UK news available by satellite in Asua Pacific.

Siamglobal Bkk. [ PS The parameter details are available on Satcodx ]

From "nyoman-yudi"

Subject: [Apsattv] moto gp feed at palapa C2

the feed was clear sunday at 3935 H sr : 5632 the moto gp
was quite interesting....anyone know other feed schedule ??
and also j-league soccer feed every saturday evening at
4040 H sr: 28125 . last saturday feed also show bbc world
and some gp highlight but went color bar again sunday.
RCTI was encrypted sunday night , we all missed
"highlander" ...i wonder why they did that ??

From John Vandeven

Subject: [Apsattv] Emtech

For all your upgrades and latest information on eMtechs go to
http://www.sat-news.co.uk/_eM_team/index-em.html

Best Regards
John Vandeven
Manager
www.johnselectronics.com.au
PO Box 174 Albury NSW Australia
Ph: 02 60413388 0418 698106
Fax 02 60413047

From the Dish


JCSAT 2A 154E 3915 V "BYU TV" has started, Fta, Sr 3424, Fec3/4, PIDs 4121/33.

NEWS

Sky TV denies bid for NZ TV stations

From http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,1275157a13,FF.html

Sky Network Television stated today that contrary to a media report, it had not put in an offer for CanWest's New Zealand television assets, TV3 and TV4.

The Sydney Morning Herald today said Rupert Murdoch, through Sky, was one of at least three prospective buyers for the stations.

Sky TV's share price was down 14c to $3.88 in a broadly weaker market this afternoon.

Now for Planet TV

From http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,7558,759366,00.html

Maggie Brown examines the World Service's television plans

It has been clear, ever since September 11, that the World Service has been on a roll, recognised as a great British institution, able to bring objective and trusted news and information to the most fraught areas, for a comparatively small outlay - £188m last year.

But quite how ambitious, confident, and, yes, empire building it is feeling has become apparent with the news that, as it gears up to celebrate its 70th birthday on December 19 - it began life as Broadcasting to the Empire from a transmitter in Daventry - it plans to add a television channel.

Mark Byford, its director, and Gavyn Davies, BBC chairman, have been negotiating to expand the World Service brand from radio - where listening in key areas such as India is falling - and the internet, into a full-blooded 24-hour global TV news channel.

There were hints in last week's annual report. The corporation has just asked the government, initially, for permission to move BBC World, the chronically loss-making commercial news, current affairs and BBC repeats service, funded by advertising, into a new global news division, headed by Byford, where it will be made "much more focused" on news, he says.

The Foreign Office is supportive about future development. It grants World Service funds, and has just agreed the most generous new settlement ever - £48m extra money over three years, double the real increase built into the BBC licence fee. This might even result in a hybrid service being eventually created, part funded by public money.

There is even a suggestion, raised by the Foreign Office, that the licence fee agreement could, in the 2006 new charter, be rewritten to allow some funds raised here to be directed into a global news channel. The government is toying with the idea.

The minister involved, parliamentary under-secretary Denis MacShane, is in basic sympathy with the proposal, which was first mooted by the BBC in the 1980s, but rejected by Margaret Thatcher. He says it is being examined seriously. The BBC also runs News 24, as a domestic news service. Its performance is currently being reviewed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

MacShane sees the World Service's challenge for the 21st century as, "building a World TV service which has the same impact as radio had in the 20th century. There's no doubt, wherever you go, in even the poorest countries, people are watching television. But it has to have the BBC name up there and it has to be public service."

On the radio side Byford has plans on what to do with the extra money. The first priority and initial £8m tranche is for Afghanistan and the Arab world, to keep 24-hour services running and expand programming in Pashto and Persian.

There will also be a wider range of programmes devised for Africa, where listening is rising, beyond news and current affairs programmes such as Network Africa and Focus on Africa. Development and health issues in a continent devastated by Aids are top priorities. It will also start an English language business service for China. After this is fixed, World service will ramp up its conversion to FM broadcasts and away from short wave, so audiences get better reception (70% of output is still in crackly short wave). The target is to ensure FM coverage in 75% of the world's capital cities. After that, it will develop more foreign language websites, which have been the success story of the past five years.

But the incentive to drive into television can only be reinforced by its sobering experience in India and Indonesia. Total audiences last year dropped 3m to 150m after years of solid growth, due to "exploding competition".

The survey of India, historically one of the key audiences, showed that they had melted away over seven years by 45%, to 14.6m. "In India, TV has gone from 19% penetration of the population to 68% in a decade. Radio has fallen from 50% to 24%," says Byford, who is devising a fightback.

BBC World attracts one of its biggest audiences in India. That's why a tri-media strategy, bringing in the missing link of television, looks so compelling. And when is a government likely to be more supportive?