30/09/08
Live satellite chat 9.pm NZ and 8.30 pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3551H sr 13333 Fec 3/4 "ETN TV" is new on Vpid 2011 Apid 3011
From my Email & ICQ
..
From the Dish
No Lyngsat in my email
NEWS
Iridium renews fleet of satellites
From http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24424035-39525,00.html
THE much-troubled Iridium, the part-Australian owned company that operates a fleet of 66 satellites delivering wireless mobile services across the world, is planning to send up a new satellite network.
Hopefully they'll provide a better service than the current one, which has its share of problems. To be fair, in Australia as elsewhere it does offer mobile phone services in remote areas no other service can reach, such as drilling rigs, deep sea fishing boats and surveying teams deep in the Tanami Desert of the Northern Territory.
Telstra touts Iridium as an alternative to its Next G third-generation service, which covers less than half the continent.
Iridium's current 66 working satellites, plus 13 spares, fly relatively close to the earth, about 800km up.
Its problems include hefty and expensive handsets and slow connections that drop out indoors, under large trees or sometimes even when it's cloudy.
The brick-like handsets cost almost $2000, and users also need to ante up $125-$185 a month for one of Telstra's satellite plans. The minimum cost over two years is $4995.
Users who live beyond the reach of conventional mobile services such as Telstra's Next G, can qualify for a government subsidy of 60 per cent of the handset cost, up to a maximum $1000.
Iridium's satellites are pretty tired. They were launched back in 1998 by a Motorola-led consortium, which went bankrupt within a year.
Iridium was then put up for sale, and a company based in Perth at the time, the ASX-listed Quadrant, bought a 16 per cent chunk of the action, renaming itself Quadrant Iridium.
It has since been renamed Fulcrum Equity, is now headquartered in Melbourne, and its shareholding is down to 6 per cent.
Last week the US-based Iridium announced plans to merge with a US investment bank, which plans to pay off Iridium's debts and raise an additional $US2 billion for the new satellite network, to be called Iridium Next.
The idea is to gradually replace the 66 old satellites with new ones, which will allow Iridium to offer a fast internet protocol broadband data service, as well as mobile phone communications and, hopefully, smaller handsets.
The service would operate at up to 10Mbps, which is not bad if you're somewhere out in the Tanami Desert.
Don't hold your breath, though. The new network is not expected to be complete before 2016.
Meanwhile, a plan by Optus to introduce a new, and hopefully cheaper, satellite service with similar reach using dinky little handsets, has been delayed but is still expected to be launched before the end of this year.
The service will link not to Optus's own communications satellites (B3, C1, D1 and D2) but to one operated by Thuraya, an outfit based in Abu Dhabi.
Built by Boeing and launched in January, it's one of three operated by Thuraya.
Unlike Iridium's ageing birds, these are up to date and fly very high (35,786km out) in geosynchronous orbit, so a big fleet is not needed to cover most of the earth.
Thuraya's handsets are small and natty, with colour screens just like the latest mobile phones.
Some models do double duty, connecting via conventional GSM when in range, or via satellite in outback areas or at sea.
Optus had hoped to launch the service in August but it has been held back for so far unexplained reasons.
Optus folk assure Doubleclick it will be operating before the end of the year, with handsets available in Optus retail stores.
Pricing is yet to be decided, but it should be cheaper than existing satellite services.
Whether buyers will qualify for the $1000 government subsidy remains unknown.
Chinese Television joins Freeview
From http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/2167026
New Zealand viewers will have even more to watch on Freeview|HDTM with the arrival of ChineseTV8.
The channel will launch in early October on channel number 28.
ChineseTV8's programming will include news and current affairs from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, popular drama series, variety shows of diverse formats, documentaries with an Asian emphasis and a wide range of Asian focussed `infotainment'.
Freeview's General Manager Steve Browning says ChineseTV8 is an exciting addition to what is already available on Freeview|HDTM, which was launched in April 2008 and is available to 75% of New Zealand homes.
"There are approximately 150,000 ethnic Chinese in New Zealand and almost 75% of those citizens live in the greater Auckland area. Given that ChineseTV8 content will be broadcast predominantly in Mandarin we think there will be a strong demand for it and we're delighted to have it on our platform," he says.
Henry Ho, CEO of World TV Limited, says it is a very exciting development for the Chinese community, for our business, and for all New Zealanders.
ChineseTV8 joins an ever increasing list of Freeview|HDTM channels which are available via digital terrestrial (through a UHF aerial) including TV ONE, TV2, TV3, C4, Maori Television, TVNZ6, TVNZ7, TVNZ Sport Extra, Parliament TV, tvCentral (Waikato/BOP only), Radio New Zealand National and Radio New Zealand Concert.
(Craig's comment, most Chinese living in Auckland already have a dish on Chinasat6b so a single Chinese Freeview channel won't be of much interest)
AsiaSat, ProtoStar spat now very public
From http://rapidtvnews.com/index.php/200809292211/asiasat-protostar-spat-now-very-public.html
Normally, satellite operators are extremely polite. But if there’s one topic that frequently causes blood to boil it is the question of the co-ordination of satellite frequencies. An especially ugly spat has broken out between Hong Kong-based AsiaSat and ProtoStar, a satellite operator that was originally licensed by Singapore, is nominally based in Bermuda but exists to serve the Asian community – including DISH Network in India.
In India, ProtoStar – or at least some of its capacity - is better known as the Agrani satellite, backed and financed by Zee TV’s parent company. Each and every satellite has to coordinate its frequencies via a well-established formula administered by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Geneva. Officially, ProtoStar 1, which launched on July 7 was launched too late and failed to meet an obligation to get itself into orbit by a June 28 deadline.
These deadlines are often missed, but the ITU is well within its rights to forbid it to transmit, especially when potentially overlapping frequencies have not been precisely agreed between adjacent operators.
Peter Jackson, CEO of AsiaSat, told Satellite Finance a few weeks ago that: "The [ProtoStar] Ku band is an issue, but it's the C-Band on the satellite that's going to be the real problem, [as] it is going to interfere with a number of satellites. I know that the Chinese national operator has a problem because they are only a half a degree away with Chinasat 22, and Thuraya has a problem because they have a satellite right at 98.5°. New Skies will have issues as well."
AsiaSat continues to argue that ProtoStar has yet to complete its orbital co-ordination obligations, and China’s Ministry of Industry & Information Technology is also grumbling. AsiaSat says that it reserves the right to take action to “eliminate any interference caused by [ProtoStar]”. This means closing down transponders.
ProtoStar, therefore, seems to be in a confused legal situation, without the shelter of any regulatory support, although ProtoStar says it does have support from a government – except it seems not to be saying which one. One well-informed source says ProtoStar’s new “best friend” is Belarus and the InterSputnik operation.
An AsiaSat statement said: “Due to overlapping geographic coverage and frequencies, ProtoStar-I will have to operate on a non-interfering basis if it has to operate at 98.5°E. This could mean that it may have to operate at very low power levels and use larger antennas, or even switch off the overlapping transponders in order to accommodate other users with higher priority.”
The loser in all this confusion is almost certainly going to be Zee TV’s Dish Network, operating out of New Delhi, which badly needed Agrani/ProtoStar for its channel expansion.
Japan's Jupiter Mulling BS Service
From http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1571962/japans_jupiter_mulling_bs_service/
Tokyo, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)--Japan's top cable television operator Jupiter Telecommunications Co. is considering starting broadcast satellite-based TV service, President Tomoyuki Moriizumi said Monday.
The firm is considering acquiring one of the new BS channels set to become available in 2011, when Japan's TV broadcasting goes fully digital, Moriizumi said in an interview with Jiji Press.
Jupiter Telecommunications, better known as J:Com, aims to broaden its customer base by starting the BS service, he said.
The firm hopes to find partners from among content holders in the BS service, Moriizumi said.
Japan's communications ministry plans to add eight to 18 digital BS TV channels in 2011.END
History HD to Debut in Japan
From http://www.worldscreen.com/newscurrent.php?filename=history092908.htm
NEW YORK, September 29: Following the September debut of History HD in Southeast Asia, the network continues its rollout in the region with an October 1 launch in Japan.
History HD will be managed, programmed and operated by The History Channel Japan Corp., a joint venture of A&E Television Networks (AETN) and Super-Network. The network will broadcast HD content languaged in Japanese with a mix of local programming, plus series and specials from the History catalogue, such as Cities of the Underworld, The Universe, Ancient Discoveries and Ice Road Truckers.
Tatsuo Suzuki, the president of Super-Network, said: “We are very excited to be launching History HD as one of the pioneering high-definition channels in Japan with the support of AETN. This further strengthens the position of the brand in the still developing Japanese multichannel market.”
“We are very pleased to team with Super-Network to bring History HD to Japan, expanding the channel’s Asian footprint,” said Alan Hodges, the managing director for the Asia Pacific at AETN. “Japan has been a leader in the development of high-definition television, and viewers are very savvy about the format. We believe History HD is critical to keeping our leadership position in factual entertainment in Japan.”
The Style Network Coming To StarHub TV
From http://www.asiamediajournal.com/pressrelease.php?id=560
StarHub is the first operator in Southeast Asia to launch The Style Network
Singapore – Come 1 October, StarHub will add a brand new lifestyle channel – The Style Network, to its suite of channels in the Lifestyle Basic Upsize Group.
StarHub TV customers using the HubStation, digital or High Definition set-top box and who subscribe to Lifestyle Basic Upsize Group can look forward to the exciting programmes on The Style Network via StarHub TV Channel 81.
Together with Japan, StarHub will be the first pay TV operator in Southeast Asia to launch The Style Network. With the addition of The Style Network, the total number of channels in StarHub TV’s Lifestyle Basic Upsize Group will be increased to five. The other channels in this group are BBC Entertainment (StarHub Channel 76), FX (StarHub Channel 87), MGM (StarHub Channel 82) and Turner Classic Movies (StarHub Channel 65).
“By offering The Style Network to our Lifestyle Basic Upsize Tier, we hope to give our customers more value,” said Mr Patrick Lim, StarHub’s Head of Cable TV Services. "StarHub is pleased to collaborate with Comcast International Media Group to add another new lifestyle channel on our pay TV platform. Singaporeans are paying more attention to their personal appearances and well-being and this channel is definitely able to provide our viewers, especially the ladies, with valuable lifestyle information and tips.”
Ms Christine Fellowes, Managing Director, Comcast International Media Group, Asia Pacific shares her excitement to launch The Style Network in Asia, "Since launching The Style Network globally in 2007, we've had an amazing response from international broadcasters. This new launch with StarHub TV underscores the popularity of Comcast International Media Group's relatable and inspirational content in the fashion, beauty, home and relationship genres to audiences in Asia. We're delighted to partner with such a prestigious broadcaster, and look forward to delivering our latest lifestyle content offerings to viewers in Singapore.”
The Style Network offers a dynamic mix of original programming in different genres such as fashion, beauty, home and lifestyle. Through this channel, viewers can look forward popular series such as Style Her Famous featuring Jay Manuel (America's Next Top Model) and his top-notch team of makeover maestros turning ordinary women into glamorous goddesses. Viewers can also get tips from the home style gurus on how to turn their houses into dream homes in programmes like My Celebrity Home and Dress My Nest which features Thom Filicia (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy). Other programmes available on The Style Network include How Do I Look which is hosted by Emmy Award winner - Finola Hughes, Instant Beauty Pageant, Stripped, Style Star, Fashion Police, The Look for Less, Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? and Married Away.
To enjoy The Style Network, StarHub TV customers must subscribe to the Lifestyle Basic Upsize Group upon subscription to a minimum of three StarHub TV Basic Groups (including Lifestyle Basic Group). Existing StarHub TV customers can call 1633 to add the Lifestyle Basic Upsize Group while new customers can call 1630 to take on a StarHub TV package. StarHub TV customers who wish to upgrade to a HubStation, digital or High Definition set-top box can visit www.starhub.com/tv for more information.
Receiving HD Satellite Broadcasting Signal in Seoul Wages Conflict Between Korea
From http://english.etnews.co.kr/news/detail.html?id=200809290010&mc=m_028_00001
As Japan enhances the frequency of its broadcasting satellite for digital broadcasting, the signal even is available in Seoul.
Therefore, the Korean peninsula became available to receive the HD broadcasting signal, a conflict between Korea and Japan is likely to happen again. Particularly, Japan’s broadcasting satellite system features excellent picture quality and contents. So, even cultural sovereignty can be threatened.
According to the industry insider, those residents living in Korea can receive the broadcasting signal of NHK1, NHK2, Fuji TV and Asahi TV via their satellite antennas and tuners.
This is the first time for the Korean residents to receive the signals from 10 channels of the Japanese HD satellite broadcasting system.
The signal of Japan’s Broadcasting Satellite digital broadcasting system has been received in Southern part like Busan, closest city to Japan. In Seoul, the analog signal has been received.
However, the signal of the digital broadcasting system has been available since the middle of this month and the number of available channels is almost 10. The BS digital broadcasting system has been introduced in Japan to resolve the signal quality problem and the free service of OTA networks. As of the end of September, a whopping 10 million households are watching the BS system in Japan. Unlike the Sky Perfect TV which uses the communications satellite, it costs no charge.
Kim Young-chul, member of broadcasting technology at YTN Radio, said, “The broadcasting satellite’s digital broadcasting signal has been popular among Korean viewers four years ago. Since then, only 2 analog channels were received. The recently available signal is high definition level, affecting the market significantly.”
However, the Broadcasting Communications Commission says that there is no regulations on this phenomenon considering the feature of satellite system as well as the open sky policy.
Oh Yong-soo, manager of the Broadcasting Communications Commission, said, “From the perspective of a national border, this is crossing the border. However, according to the open sky policy, individual’s watching behavior cannot be subject to the punishment.”
PLDT urged to reacquire franchise
From http://www.bworldonline.com/BW093008/content.php?id=042
PHILIPPINE LONG Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is being urged to seek a fresh congressional license for its digital TV service, since its existing franchise has been tainted by allegations of corruption.
Sadly, the congressional franchise of [PLDT unit] MediaQuest Holdings, Inc.’s subsidiary MediaScape Inc., has been irreparably damaged by grave allegations of corruption and self-dealing," Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago, former chief of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), said in a statement yesterday.
Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza has criticized MediaScape, formerly GV Broadcasting System, Inc., for the allegedly illegal sale of its franchise to PLDT. The latter acquired MediaScape, including its congressional franchise to offer digital TV service.
Efforts to reach PLDT and MediaScape officials were unsuccessful. MediaQuest, a subsidiary of PLDT’s Beneficial Trust Fund, has a minority stake in BusinessWorld.
Mr. Plaza has filled a bill that seeks to repeal the franchise. He also accused then NTC Commissioner Ponciano Cruz, Jr. of self-dealing, for allegedly issuing a "midnight" direct-to-home TV license to MediaScape, where he was a stockholder and a board member.
Mr. Santiago said Securities and Exchange Commission documents showed that Mr. Cruz was a board member and shareholder of SATVentures Inc. which, upon subsequent investigation, turned out to be the controlling owner of MediaScape.
He noted that under the circumstances, MediaScape would find it difficult, if not impossible to commercially launch its satellite and mobile TV ventures. Mr. Santiago, chairman of the House information and communications technology committee, said he expects the House to endorse the repeal of MediaScape’s franchise.
New Tang Dynasty Television Launches Satellite Initiative
From http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/world/ntdtv-launches-satellite-initiative-4995.html
New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) has begun an effort to raise money toward directly renting or purchasing satellite access to broadcast into China after encountering problems with satellite providers denying service, owing to interference by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
NTDTV, an independent Chinese-language TV network, provides uncensored news concerning China and important issues such as human rights that the current Chinese regime finds threatening. The station has faced a variety of forms of interference from the regime, especially concerning its satellite broadcasts into China.
The most recent incident was on June 16, when Eutelsat, the satellite provider that had been broadcasting NTDTV on its W5 satellite since 2004, stopped the NTDTV signal, citing technical reasons. A July 10 investigative report by Reporters Without Borders revealed, however, that this was a premeditated act, owing to influence by the CCP.
The CCP finds satellite broadcasts threatening because they have no way of blocking the signal—and therefore resort to pressuring satellite providers to block independent news programming.
"We know that it only takes about six satellites to cover the entire world," said NTDTV spokesperson Carrie Hung. "However, CCTV, the CCP-owned TV station, is on 33 satellites around the world. So obviously, they are using this as an opportunity to monopolize the satellite industry so that when it's time they can use it to threaten the satellite companies. Many of these Western satellite companies, because of short-term interest, have caved into pressure."
Prior to using Eutelsat, NTDTV encountered similar problems with other providers.
In order to continue to reach those in China with access to satellite dishes, NTDTV is seeking to rent two satellite transponders, in an effort they call the "Freedom Satellite for China" plan. Transponders are units within a satellite that can be rented, instead of purchasing an entire satellite, which would run around $200 million before launching costs.
There are an estimated 30 to 40 million satellites dishes in China capable of picking up NTDTV broadcasts. Conservatively, this may mean as many as 100 million Chinese viewers, as it is known that families share receivers, and in rural areas, entire villages sometimes share just one satellite dish. Given the right technical information, anyone can tune into NTDTV if they have a dish.
Part of NTDTV's mission is to provide uncensored news to China—and Eutelsat's blocking comes at a time where unfiltered news is all the more important, with tainted food scandals, suppression concerning the Olympics and Tibet, and the Sichuan earthquake.
One transponder can carry multiple TV and radio channels, so NTDTV is seeking independent media to join with them in this effort. "The idea for this platform is to invite all the independent media to join us," says Hung.
"What NTDTV is doing here is taking the initiative, that first step, and we welcome everyone to join us, either in Chinese language or in English, as long their mission is to bring the free flow of information to ... China," said Hung.
Having two transponders will ensure better coverage of China, and will also allow for continuation of the signal even with possible interference by the CCP.
NTDTV is seeking help with this initiative, through monetary donations, as well as any information or connections to those who would be interested in pursuing such a channel of free information into China.
The cost of renting two transponders will be $30 million to establish a 5-year contract.
The TV station is also asking people to spread this information, so as to let more people know about the situation in China and the importance of this initiative for independent news to reach China.
Ways to Donate
NTDV has set up a Web site for donations, by check or wire, at www.ntdtv.com/fsc.en
By check
Please make the check payable to "New Tang Dynasty Television"
Mailing Address:
New Tang Dynasty Television
Attn: Freedom Satellite for China
229 W 28th Street, Suite 1200
New York, NY 10001
Bharti may softlaunch DTH service in first week of October
From http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/006200809300383.htm
New Delhi (PTI) Sunil Mittal's Bharti group is likely to softlaunch its direct-to-home service in the first week of October.
The company, according to industry sources, is hoping to get an FIPB approval before that. Market sources said the sales team has sounded out October 8 as the launch date.
A Bharti spokesperson said the company does not comment on market speculation, while adding "we have said we will launch our DTH service by this year".
Government had earlier asked Bharti group to seek a separate FIPB approval within three months for its upcoming DTH services.
"The DTH licensee Bharti Telemedia is ordered to seek separate FIPB approval within three months from the date of issue of this order," a directive issued by Information and Broadcasting Ministry on August 25 said.
The I&B order follows replies by the company to its earlier show-cause notice over alleged 'violation' of FDI and other guidelines.
As per the existing guidelines, any foreign investment in cable and broadcasting company requires FIPB approval. The bone of contention was Bharti Airtel, the group's mobile telephony arm holding 40 per cent stake in Bharti Telemedia, as well as having a cable operator's licence, owning over the permitted stake in the DTH arm.
"Bharti Airtel, which has a 40 per cent share in the DTH licensee company, is registered as a cable operator. The eligibility condition for DTH license provides that the licensee shall not allow broadcasting and/or cable network companies to collective hold or own more than 20 per cent of the total paid up equity in the DTH venture," the notice had said.
29/09/08
NZ Regulatory Review of Digital Broadcasting.
http://www.mch.govt.nz/publications/digital-tv/index.html
Interesting reading, especially section 88-93 RE: FTA broadcasting via satellite
http://www.mch.govt.nz/publications/digital-tv/CabinetPaperRegulatoryReviewofDigitalBroadcastingReportBackOnOptionsFollowingPublicConsultation.pdf
D1 12707 H sr 22500 Fec 3/4 "Country Channel" started (Sky NZ) (Channel99 on Sky decoders)
Asiasat 4 122.2E 12430 V sr 20000 Fec 3/4 "ORT" is FTA
Some feeds from the weekend.
Friday night
D2 12554 V 6980 3/4 AFL
D2 12669 V 6670 NRL
Saturday
Asiasat 4 12570 v 6620 "A - League Adelaide v Newcastle"
Asiasat 4 12585 v 6620 "NRL Finals, Manly v Warriors
From my Email & ICQ
..
From the Dish
Agila 2 146E 3892 H "Makisig TV" is now encrypted.
Agila 2 146E 12661 H "God TV Asia" has left
JCSAT 4A 124E 12283 H "TBS Channel, TV Asahi Channel, Star Channel HV and Eisei Gekijo" have started
on , DVB-S2, SR 23303, FEC 3/4, MPEG-4, HD, Multi 2.
JCSAT 4A 124E 12493 H "Adult HD Red and Adult HD Blue" have started on , MPEG-4, HD, Multi 2.AsiaSat 4 122.2E 3880 H "DD Jaipur" has left .
AsiaSat 4 122.2E 3960 H "DD Bihar" has left .
AsiaSat 3S 105.5E 3920 H "Star Sports China" mpg4 has left again.
Measat 3 91.5E 3645 V "C/S Origin" has started on , Digicipher 2, enc. All channels in this mux are now encrypted.
Insat 4A 83E 3805 H "Sudarshan TV" has left .
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3562 H "VTV" has left again.
ABS 1 75E 3652 V "UK TV Granada" has left .
NEWS
Further steps towards "All digital" television
From Media release
Hon David Cunliffe
Minister for Communications and Information Technology
29 September 2008
Communications and Information Technology Minister David Cunliffe today announced further progress towards an all-digital television environment for New Zealand.
“The government has agreed to revised policies for analogue and digital television licences which will allow licence holders to plan their transition to digital technology with greater certainty,” Mr Cunliffe said. “These policies complement the existing free-to-air digital television licences, which are already providing services in main urban areas
The revised policies confirm the ability of licensees to convert their analogue broadcasting to digital at any time, but require broadcasters to accept any frequency and technical changes necessary to consolidate television use within the band after analogue services are switched off. The policies also offer licensees longer term certainty of use of their licences beyond the present expiry date of 2020.
Digital television services use the radio frequency spectrum more efficiently than analogue services, and this allows part of the television band to be considered for re-allocation after analogue broadcasts stop. This surplus spectrum is commonly referred to as the “digital dividend”.
The Ministry of Economic Development has been asked to re-plan and consolidate the existing UHF television bands to enable the early identification and allocation of digital dividend spectrum.
“A number of countries are already planning or allocating digital dividend spectrum for new services and, following analogue switch-off, New Zealand will also be able to implement new services,” Mr Cunliffe said. “The benefits for consumers lie particularly in the potential for new mobile, broadband and broadcast services.”
More information
Full details of the revised policies will be published on the Ministry of Economic Development website.
Questions & Answers
What does conversion from analogue to digital technology entail?
Broadcasters will need to roll out new transmission networks, but otherwise there will be few changes ― studio and outside broadcast equipment is predominantly digital and has been for some years.
Consumers will need to replace their existing analogue equipment with a digital receiver or ― the cheaper alternative ― a set-top-box. The majority of New Zealand households already have a Sky decoder or a Freeview receiver and their number is growing rapidly. As analogue television sets reach the end of their useful life over the next decade they will undoubtedly be replaced by fully digital receivers.
When will analogue transmissions cease?
A target analogue switch-off date will be set once digital television reaches 60% of New Zealand households. A firm date will be set when digital television take-up has reached 75% of households or in 2012 ― whichever is earlier.
Does ‘consolidation’ mean that broadcasters and consumers will need to change frequencies?
In some cases, yes, but the digital technology simplifies any change. A receiver can be “instructed” which frequency to use if one of the frequencies used is changed, or the consumer can simply automatically re-scan all available channels.
What are the advantages of digital, as opposed to analogue, television?
In short, the viewer gets a better picture and audio quality and more programmes. The technology also enables broadcasters to transmit channels in standard, wide-screen or high definition formats.
The spectrum can also be used more efficiently. One analogue programme can be replaced with up to ten standard digital programmes, or up to three high definition digital programmes. This allows for a greater number of programmes and more variety for the viewer but also releases spectrum for other uses ― the digital dividend.
What uses are planned for the digital dividend?
These are still to be determined. The spectrum in the UHF-TV band is technically very attractive for radiocommunications services as it has a relatively high carrying capacity, good range and excellent building penetration. It is therefore of interest to broadcasters, mobile radio operators, broadband service providers, telecoms companies and many others. The Ministry of Economic Development, in consultation with industry, will consider options for the optimum allocation of this spectrum over the coming year.
Report puts Sky in 'limbo'
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4709564a28.html
Sky Television faces the prospect of significant regulatory creep under Labour, but no "big bang" overhaul of broadcasting rules that would suddenly throw its set-top box network open to competitors and programme makers.
That was some analysts' interpretation of a long-awaited Cabinet paper setting out the next steps in a sweeping review of broadcasting regulation, led till now by the Culture and Heritage Ministry.
The Cabinet paper contains mixed messages on the central issues of whether Sky should be operationally separated or "unbundled" and forced to carry programmes on terms and conditions set by regulators.
"It almost looks like two different people wrote the report," says Sky TV chief executive John Fellet.
As expected, the Government will consider setting up a "converged" or single regulator for broadcasting and telecommunications.
It could be given new powers to set terms on which Sky might have to carry programmes and list them on its electronic programming guide, and may also establish common technical standards for set-top boxes.
Sky's latest set-top boxes can download programmes over the Internet, prompting fears the pay- TV company could become a gatekeeper for access to both television and the Web.
But the Cabinet paper says there is no evidence programme- makers face difficulties getting shows on air.
"As the risk at this stage is hypothetical, and consistent with the principle of applying the minimum level of regulation necessary, we do not propose that there be a universal requirement for an open access regime."
The task of trying to reconcile the two contrasting sentiments appears to have fallen to the Economic Development Ministry. It will take the lead in one of the next key steps in the review – a competition study that will examine "the state of existing and potential competition in broadcasting-like markets, across all relevant platforms in New Zealand".
Ministers are due to report back to Cabinet with the results of that study – which will help determine what powers should be given to any new regulators – and their recommendations for reforms by August, so they can be costed and put in the 2010 Budget.
The paper recommends the Culture and Heritage Ministry also considers options for a "higher degree of live, free-to-air coverage of sports that may be considered of national significance".
They could include anti-siphoning rules that would prevent Sky buying exclusive broadcasting rights for events such as All Blacks tests.
National Party broadcasting spokesman Jonathan Coleman says National is likely to let the review run its course if it wins the election, but will make up its own mind on any recommendations.
"I can't see we would automatically stop the work programme because a lot of time has been invested, but we are not going to rush to judgment."
TVNZ spokesman Peter Parussini took heart from Cabinet's assessment that there was a tendency toward monopoly or near-monopoly in the broadcasting market. He says that sets the agenda for a referee in the marketplace.
But Mr Fellet says that if New Zealand had a super regulatory body, as floated by the Cabinet paper, "it is very possible all of us would still be waiting for high- definition TV".
Europe's "space truck" heads for Pacific breakup
From http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Europes_space_truck_heads_for_Pacific_breakup_999.html
Scientists have earmarked a remote area of the South Pacific where bits of Europe's massive space freighter may crash when the orbiting craft is destroyed in a suicide plunge on Monday, an official said on Friday.
The "entry zone" is a strip 2,700 kilometres (1,700 miles) long by 200 kms (120 miles) wide, Mike Steinkopf, in charge of the operation at European Space Agency (ESA) mission control in Toulouse, southwestern France, told AFP.
Around a hundred parts of the 13.5-tonne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) may survive the fiery heat and stress of re-entry and splash down in pieces in this remote sea area, said Steinkopf.
The entry zone is located about 2,500 kms (1,500 miles) east of New Zealand, 6,000 kms (3,750 miles) west of Chile and 2,500 kms (1,500 miles) south of the Easter Islands.
"We [have] notified the competent bodies in order to prevent ships and airplanes going through this area during the re-entry phase," he said.
Measuring 10 metres (32.5 feet) in length and with nearly the volume of a large shipping container, the robot craft was sent aloft in April on a one-way trip.
It docked automatically with the International Space Station, bringing 7.5 tonnes of equipment, water and air to its three-men crew.
The ATV was filled up with the ISS's trash before detaching on September 6.
It was then placed in a holding orbit to position itself for re-entry, in which it will be deliberately sent on a steep trajectory that causes maximum friction with the atmosphere, helping it to break apart and burn.
The first manoeuvre to decelerate the ATV will take place on Monday between 1000 and 1006 GMT, according to plans likely to be reviewed on Sunday, said Steinkopf.
A second manoeuvre will follow at 1258 GMT.
At 1313 GMT, the ATV is scheduled to enter the atmosphere, 120 kilometers (75 miles) above the Earth. At 1331 GMT, any surviving pieces will splash down.
"We expect that the ATV will disintegrate after reentry. Most of the parts will melt because of the high temperatures of about 1,500 degrees [Celsius, 2,912 degrees Fahrenheit] and the high pressure," said Steinkopf.
"But up to 30 percent of the parts might crash into the ocean, i.e. up to 100 parts. We cannot say exactly how big they are going to be. Our simulation models showed that the biggest parts might be between 10 and 500 kilogrammes (22 to 1,200 pounds)."
Two observation planes, taking off from Tahiti, will monitor the re-entry, which will also take place directly below the ISS. As the station is in low orbit of around 350 kilometres (220 miles), its crew should be able to film and take pictures, said Steinkopf.
Designed and built for 1.3 billion euros (1.885 billion dollars), the craft, named Jules Verne, after the French forerunner of science fiction, is Europe's costliest contribution to the ISS.
It will be followed by four more cargo ships, whose assembly and launch will each cost over 300 million euros (435 million dollars). The next ATV mission is planned for 2010.
The biggest controlled destruction from orbit was the 135-tonne Soviet-Russian space station Mir, on March 23 2001, also over the South Pacific.
"You cannot compare" the two operations, said Steinkopf. "Mir was much bigger, but the principle is the same."
Carlyle to acquire Taiwan's Videoland: report
From http://www.chinaknowledge.com/News/news-detail.aspx?type=1&id=17811
Sep. 29, 2008 (China Knowledge) - Carlyle Group, a U.S.-based global private equity investment firm, is planning to acquire Taiwan-listed Videoland Inc for NTD 30-35 per share, a local newspaper reported Tuesday, citing an unidentified source as saying.
According to the report, this offer is higher than its net value per share of NTD 20, and the deal is expected to total NTD 3.5 billion.
Founded in 1983, Videoland is a cable network program provider in Taiwan. As one of Taiwan's major satellite providers, it is offering six channels of programming. Its annual revenue was around NTD 3.5 billion.
Earlier in July, the U.S. private equity firm was reportedly considering selling the stake in holds in Taiwan's cable TV provider Kbro Co, and intended to acquire a 21% stake in Taiwan Mobile, the island's second-largest telecom service carrier.
In 2006, Carlyle embarked on a combined NTD 47.6 billion investment to take over a 60% stake in Kbro coupled with 40% in Eastern Broadcasting Co.
Medias and Grammy join satellite pool
From http://www.bangkokpost.com/270908_Business/27Sep2008_biz38.php
Ad revenue draws content providers
Two SET-listed entertainment companies will launch their first satellite TV channels at the start of next month, aiming to tap a growing industry expected to expand rapidly next year.
Media of Medias Plc (MEDIAS) will introduce an entertainment channel called Media Channel on Channel 20 of satellite TV systems nationwide. It will broadcast 70% reruns of old soap operas from Channel 7, the country's top-rated free-to-air station. The rest will be movies and series provided by business partner M Pictures Plc, a subsidiary of the Major Group, according to Medias chief executive Charlotte Donavanik.
At the same time, the country's leading entertainment firm, GMM Grammy, is planning to launch its pioneering satellite TV channel, Fan TV on Channel 38. It will specialise in look tung or Thai country music.
Content providers are enthusiastic about satellite TV investment since the 2008 Broadcasting Law took effect in March, allowing them to earn revenue from advertising for the first time.
Media Channel is one of three channels that Media of Medias plans to introduce to the pay-TV market. The others are news and lifestyle stations, perhaps launching next year, said Mrs Charlotte.
It plans to use Media Channel to establish its brand. If successful, it will proceed with Media News channel and Media Lifestyle Channel later on.
''Lifestyle Channel would likely be the next since the market had a good response. A news station is costly,'' she said.
Channel 7 soap operas are very popular among the Thai mass market, so she is banking that it won't take a long time to establish the brand.
Mrs Charlotte said the company expected to earn ad revenues between 80 million and 100 million baht in 12 months starting from October. So far, it is planning for 40 million baht in ad revenues for six-month contracts.
She predicts total ad spending on the pay TV industry will be around 300 million baht by the end of this year, more than doubling that next year. However, that spending pales in comparison to 50 billion baht in the free TV industry.
Krij Thomas, Grammy's COO for the music business, said Fan TV was the first channel for Grammy in the satellite TV industry. Within three or four months, it plans to launch another four named Bang, Green, Acts and Bird.
''Agencies show interest in Green and Bird Channel because the concept of the channels are clear,'' he said, adding Green Channel is about the environment, similar to the Green Wave radio station. The content of Bird Channel will relate to children.
Grammy hopes Fan TV will generate income from digital content such as music downloads. Currently, it earns 35 million baht a year in revenue from digital content, and it hopes that will increase to 50 million baht after expansion to satellite TV.
Medias shares closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 5.05 baht, unchanged, in trade worth 66,000 baht. Grammy closed at 13.50 baht, up 30 satang, in trade worth 2.85 million baht.
Students in remote areas to e-learn
From http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/09/26/technology/technology_30084509.php
To reduce the knowledge gap between students living in remote areas and cities, the Education Ministry has announced an interactive e-learning project, which will be introduced in 3,000 schools across the nation by 2011.
Education Ministry permanent secretary Chinnapat Bhumirat said the four-year project, called MOE Channel, aims to enable two-way communications via a satellite for primary- and secondary-school students.
The project is an alternative means to promote educational development in Thailand. It will solve the problem of a lack of professors and experts, especially in the science, math and english fields.
"The project also plans to develop multimedia courses, which will be available through the e-learning model, for students located in remote areas," Chinnapat said.
He said the project will teach math, science and english, focusing on students in Phatomsuksa 4 to Phatomsuksa 6 and Mathay-omsuksa 1 to Mathayomsuksa 4 in 3,000 schools across the country.
He said the project is divided into four phases. In the first phase, which will start in November, the ministry will launch a demo project in which teachers from Horwang School, Suankularb Wittayalai School and Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) School will teach students in Mathoyomsuksa 3 in 12 schools in remote locations through e-learning.
Next year, in the second phase, the project will provide e-learning to students in Mathoyomsuksa 2 and Mathoyomsuksa 3 in 280 schools.
The third phase will target students of 1,200 schools in Phatomsuksa 4 to Phatomsuksa 6.
Finally, the project will cover 1,300 schools, focusing on students in Phatomsuksa 4 to Platomsuksa 6 and Mathay-omsuksa 1 to Mathayomsuksa 4.
Samart Communication Services will provide the infrastructure for the project. The Education Ministry expects to spend about Bt3.2 billion on the project.
"The project will be another step toward promoting literacy among Thai students and giving a boost to the educational system. They will get opportunities to acquire knowledge and gain equal footing with international students, which will help Thailand develop competitiveness among knowledge-based societies," Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said.
Scientists work on tiny satellites
From http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iS0WY_ZGPdoisaDiVQrDAPN3FwcA
Scientists announced plans to commercially produce a tiny, cheap satellite that could collect readings from electricity and gas meters.
The CubeSat, with sides measuring just 10cm and weighing the same as a large bag of sugar, could also collect data from remote locations such as wind farms.
The 1kg devices, which can be constructed with off-the-shelf electronic components, have traditionally been a cheap way for universities to research outer space.
They are launched by piggy-backing onto larger satellites when they take off. Once in space they use solar panels as power sources.
But University of Strathclyde scientists have teamed up with Glasgow space firm Clyde Space to develop an advanced version of the tiny satellites.
Clyde Space would like to commercially produce them, and the university team hopes to use the partnership to launch Scotland's first satellite.
Scientists estimate the CubeSats will be about a thousand times cheaper than their larger counterparts.
Mechanical engineer Professor Colin McInnes, who is involved in the project, said the devices could collect readings "from things like gas meters or electricity meters."
He added the project was still at the research stage and there were no plans to contact any energy companies.
The group has funding for two years and they started research in July.
Discovery Communications set to explore new global opportunities
From http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2008/09/29/story5.html?b=1222660800%5E1705688
Newly armed with the resources of a public company, Mark Hollinger wants to get Discovery’s content in more overseas markets.
Now that Discovery Communications Inc. has gone public, company executives hope their access to new capital will allow the Silver Spring-based media giant to move more aggressively into international markets.
Before Discovery restructured its ownership and became a public company Sept. 18, its chief operating officer, Mark Hollinger, spent much of 2007 assessing margins and looking for ways to improve revenue.
The internal review led the company to more narrowly define its mission, making Discovery a “pure-play” programming provider. As a result, the company closed 103 retail sites and cut more than 1,000 employees.
Discovery now plans to expand in international markets through new network launches and increased distribution on existing cable and satellite networks.
It also wants to grow in U.S. markets through content created for the Web and mobile devices.
That strategy, however, required access to more money.
“The idea simply was that there is often a limit to growth for private companies and that the best way for us to position ourselves for growth going forward was to be public,” Hollinger said.
Discovery’s move to the stock market, however, did not involve an initial public offering. An existing public company, Discovery Holdings Co., had a two-thirds stake in Discovery Communications, and privately held Advance/Newhouse Communications had a one-third stake. A stock restructuring made Discovery Communications a publicly traded company.
In its first week of trading, Discovery stock (Nasdaq: DISCK) opened at $12.80 and reached a high of $20 on Sept. 19.
Discovery’s international business brings in a third of the company’s revenue. The company already has technical infrastructure in more than 170 countries and advertising sales offices worldwide but sees more opportunities in markets where cable and satellite penetration is still growing.
“Overseas you have a lot of markets where there’s either room to grow in terms of distribution of the platform itself — of cable and satellite penetration — but you also have a lot of head room on the advertising side,” Hollinger said. “The biggest market that nobody’s in the way that they want to be in, it is China, but we’re in China in every way that we’re allowed.”
As cable penetration plateaus in the U.S., media companies will become more global, said George Van Horn, senior analyst for Los Angeles-based research company IBISworld. “While cable and satellite operators have huge costs in developing and maintaining systems, there are incentives for [content providers] to distribute as widely as possible.”
In the U.S. where cable TV is pervasive, content distribution is moving to new media platforms like Internet properties that target niche audiences and mobile devices.
So far Discovery’s content is distributed online via its own Web sites and new “semi-independent Web sites” that include recent acquisitions petfinder.com, treehugger.com and howstuffworks.com.
When Discovery considers future acquisitions, it will look at the property’s business potential rather than its traffic volume.
“The question for us is, can we take what is an appetite for our type of content and really turn it into a great business?” Hollinger said.
As media companies push their content through new distribution channels, the challenge is finding a way to generate a predictable revenue stream, Van Horn said.
“Everybody is trying to get their hands around what is the best business model,” he said. “Whether through iPods, Internet TV or other devices, ultimately these agreements come down to covering fixed and variable costs.
Hollinger said his company’s greatest asset is its proprietary library of more than 100,000 hours of content, a trove that Discovery and its production partners hope to expand.
Discovery’s new drive toward content on all platforms and international growth could provide opportunities for increased revenue at local production companies like Silver Spring-based Brainbox Enterprises Inc., ThinkFilm in D.C. and Takoma Park-based JWM Productions Inc.
JWM’s chief executive officer, Jason Williams, said he believes Discovery will look for “a lot more breakout programming” as it creates more networks. He said Discovery’s new Investigation Discovery network is one of the fastest growing networks in cable history.
JWM just finished the fourth season filming Discovery’s longest-running series, “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” for Animal Planet and is working on a series about treasure hunting for the Discovery Channel.
Only about 10 percent of Discovery’s content is developed in-house. Most of the programming is produced externally, which is unlikely to change even with Discovery’s new status as a publicly traded company.
“This provides us as much opportunity to expand the business here in the Washington area as in the other places around the world that we do business,” Hollinger said.
Fall of the wild
From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24391149-5010800,00.html
For better or worse, the increasingly popular wildlife genre is the new CSI, writes Graeme Blundell
TELEVISION is where we look for intelligent entertainment and wish-fulfilment.
view: A still from Animal Planet's Animal Camerashows an eagle being fitted with a recording device
And our premier storytelling medium has also become our primary source of encounters with the natural world.
It's easy to get the impression that nature exists only so that it can entertain us on TV. It's the only place where many of us will see wild animals or wilderness. But these days most wildlife shows on TV are just that: shows, razzle-dazzle, theatre.
All those programs about inquisitive meerkats, fog-basking beetles and dog-paddling elephants are not scientifically accurate portrayals of wildlife but are as artificial as any episode of CSI: Miami and often just as contrived. The formula, according to the industry, is more extreme action, more youth, more humour and more (animal) sex.
The idea of wildlife TV has evolved from its origins in 1878, when Eadweard Muybridge's serial photographs of trotting and galloping horses stunned artists, scientists and critics in the US and Europe. Muybridge's camera revealed equine bodies frozen mid-leap in positions never before detected by the human eye or captured onfilm.
Now anything caught on film in any wilderness anywhere turns up eventually on Animal Planet's dedicated cable network, with its slogan "All animals, all the time." It's the place, they like to say, where animals rule and viewers are held captive.
This week the fourth most watched cable and satellite channel in the Asia-Pacific region is changing its look, the new Animal Planet highlighting stories designed to appeal to an adult audience seeking compelling entertainment. It is a measure of just how far TV wildlife programming has been progressively absorbed into the broader category of factual entertainment. The new slate of shows, we're told, will tap even deeper into the primal instincts that drive us all: maternal, survival, social, violent and sexual. "Fascinating stories," the publicity tells us, rather paradoxically, "that resonate with what it means to be human."
On Animal Planet the producers love to impose human definitions of love, friendship and family happiness on wild creatures that would gobble them up if they caught them alone on the tundra. Maybe it's a reflection of older traditions of oral and written animal fables as reflections of human society.
Certainly, the best wildlife shows do force us to evaluate the place of humans in the natural world and the amount of ecological damage, habitat destruction and pollution we cause. But altruism is not generally high on their agenda.
Nature TV is big show business these days. It's a form of entertainment, rigorously following the established conventions, codes and ideas of narrative exposition as much as drama or comedy does. We've come a long way since January 1955, when Heinz Sielmann's 20-minute film on woodpeckers was shown on British TV, revolutionising the profile of the limited wildlife programs on the BBC.
This short film on the secret life of a family of woodpeckers by the previously obscure German cinematographer was filmed with astonishing intimacy through the back of a nesting hole. It revealed aspects of the birds' parenting behaviour never before observed by scientists, let alone by the viewing public.
But a half-century later, the boundaries between the wildlife program and other TV genres have become blurred, and the makers of natural history shows have been forced to develop new styles of character and story-driven modes of presentation.
This is the only way to engage the attention of an audience that maintains an abiding fascination with the wilderness but is unlikely to give in to that tempting desire to forsake the pressures of civilisation for the noble simplicity of the natural world.
Once wildlife TV was a quite discrete generic category, its filmmakers serious bearded people largely from the scientific community. Natural history filmmakers stressed a scientific, dispassionate approach to nature, turning a seldom-interfering analytical eye on their subjects at the expense of storytelling.
Now it has been overturned by the developments within the sphere of factual documentary and the rapid proliferation of entertainment-oriented reality formats, spreading like electronic couch grass. Wildlife TV formats encompass travel and adventure, soap opera and cop shows as well as natural history. As often as not, they celebrate the circus-like antics of human performers such as Steve Irwin, as much they explore wildlife behaviour.
Herpetologist Austin Stevens, for instance, likes to eyeball king cobras or manhandle giant pit vipers, offering a breathless commentary as he pokes and prods, deliberately trying to provoke an encounter. The excitable Snakemaster is not one to emphasise caution and respect for animals.
In the transformed TV wildlife landscape, nature has a multiplicity of guises. Alongside the occasional blue chip series, high-value, meticulously observed films about individual species, epitomised by BBC1's wildlife specials, there are celebrity travelogues, conservation lectures, adventure and shipping yarns, and "vets and pets" series such as Adventures in Doggy Daycare. I'm not a great fan of pet genre shows. But recently I have become hooked on Animal Planet's Animal Cops Detroit, as much a descent into rural American madness and paranoia as it is natural history TV.
The show exposes the cruelty with which some animal owners treat their pets, a twisted mirror of an aberrant society with its half-naked losers and psychopaths. Some stories end happily, for instance with heartwarming efforts to reunite lost pets and their owners, but most end as badly as a James Ellroy thriller.
Animal Cops is a kind of visceral street travelogue that transports viewers to Detroit, a city where animal crimes revolve around dog-fighting, pets exposed to the elements, animal neglect and the occasional abused reptile. Michigan Humane Society-Detroit investigators respond to almost 5000 animal cruelty incidents a year and Animal Cops has unprecedented access to each story, as well as follow-ups on the fate of the perpetrators.
Like so many of the shows on Animal Planet, this series is an often unsettling combination of emergency-room thriller, police procedural and elegy for the sad state of mankind.
Heightened narrative has helped reinvent the genre and it will be fascinating to see what Animal Planet's filmmakers do with a brief to turn the network into a place to see animals as characters, not merely creatures, and present the wilderness not as a pristine parallel universe but a place also occupied by humans.
UK broadcast systems launches new E.TV in South Africa
From http://www.apanews.net/apa.php?page=show_article_eng&id_article=76454
APA - London (United Kingdom) The independent British systems integrator Megahertz Broadcast Systems (MHz), announced this weekend that it has completed work on the server-based infrastructure and broadcast systems for a new 24-hour news channel at South African broadcaster e.TV.
Alongside the state-of-the-art file-based facility and workflow for the startup news channel, the project also included two new DSNG vehicles for current affairs coverage in and around Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.
These were built at MHz’s UK headquarters and incorporated an innovative satellite remote-control system, M2RC, developed by MHz engineers at e.TV’s request.
Between March and the start of June, when the news channel was launched, the MHz team led by former South African resident Don Wilson, oversaw the design and construction of both a main and a subsidiary news production studio - the latter used for pre-recording interviews and features.
New chip promises four separate HD streams over Wi-Fi
From http://blogs.zdnet.com/home-theater/?p=118
Israeli semiconductor company Celeno Communications claims it’s developed a new chip that allows you to stream up to four different pieces of HD content over a Wi-Fi network.
Considering that even streaming one piece of high-def video over the latest networking technology, Draft N (the draft version of the still-yet-to-be-officially-ratified 802.11n standard) is dicey, Celeno’s solution, the CL1300 WiFi SoC, would seem to be a remarkable technical feat. The company claims that by optimizing existing 802.11 technology, the new chip would allow for ranges 10 times that of an 802.11n device, with a zero packet error rate.
As you might imagine, if such a chip could be reliably deployed that can do all (or even most) of what Celeno promises, it could be a game changer for cable and satellite providers, as well as TV makers. You could conceivably have one Wi-Fi device (which could include DVR functionality) to handle the streaming to TVs that have Celeno chips to receive the streaming HD content.
Of course, as with all potentially exciting developments like this, the hype precedes the goods. While Celeno has demonstrated the technology at a recent industry show, there have been no announcements of testing by any hardware vendors, so don’t expect this coming to your home anytime soon.
U.K Freesat releases first figures
From http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/?p=8868
The Freesat free-to-air satellite platform has notched up 100,000 sales in the first five months following its launch. Freesat has also announced that its personal video recorder (PVR) product will be known as Freesat+. Manufacturer Humax is scheduled to launch the first units in November.
Freesat went live on May 6, 2008 with the organisation claiming “steady growth throughout what has been a tough summer for high street retailers”. In a statement Freesat said sales of high definition boxes had been helped by coverage of sporting events including Euro 2008, Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.
Emma Scott, MD of Freesat went on to highlight concerns that people who have purchased an HD Ready set are often mistaken in thinking they are automatically receiving HD signals. “We want to help everyone understand that HD Ready is not the same thing as HD now. Without an HD digital receiver connected to an HD Ready TV or an integrated TV with Freesat HD built in you can’t watch an HD TV programme,” she said.
Freesat continues to look to its free HD offer as a means of differentiation, even though it still has just BBC HD and the part time ITV channel, accessed through the Red Button.
Tata Sky to offer 3 ESS channels on basic pack till November
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k8/sep/sep280.php
NEW DELHI: Direct-to-home (DTH) operator Tata Sky has agreed before Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (Tdsat) that it wil continue to provide free signals of ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket on its basic package till November.
Tata Sky counsels filed the statement amidst arguments over a petition filed by one West Bengal-based Federation of Consumer Associations.
While admitting Tata Sky’s submission, Tdsat chairperson Justice Arun Kumar said: "Counsel for respondent Tata Sky has clarified that it will continue to offer three channels ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket free to those subscribers who have enrolled six months prior to 1 June up to 30 November.”
Earlier in June, Tata Sky had altered the price of its basic package by removing some prime channels such as BBC, Ten Sports, ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket from its basic package.
The DTH operator had further asked its customers to pay additional fee to view these channels.
However, Tata Sky later had to restore ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket through an undertaking following the directions of the Delhi High Court.
Later, Tdsat relieved the DTH operator from the undertaking given to Delhi High Court and permitted Tata Sky, in August, to withdraw the three channels and reintroduce it on its add-on package.
When contacted Tata Sky managing director and CEO Vikram Kaushik said, “The case is still going on. While it is on, this is hardly something you can expect me to comment on.”
DTH market to expand five-fold in four years: Dish TV
From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Media/DTH_market_to_expand_five-fold_in_four_years_Dish_TV/articleshow/3536918.cms
NEW DELHI: The market for direct-to-home in the broadcasting sector in India is expected grow nearly five-fold and touch a subscriber base of 30 million in the next four years, a leading player said on Sunday.
"We believe that the DTH market will grow exponentially and is estimated to touch 30 million subscribers by 2012 from 6-7 million now," Dish TV CEO Vinay Agarwal said.
Industry also feels that DTH would take a lead against the cable TV in the next 10 years with more than three lakh customers being added on monthly basis, sources said.
Agarwal said his company has a subscriber base of 3.76 million with a marketshare of over 50 per cent. "We aim to add five million subscribers by March 2009."
Commenting on growing competition in the segment with the entry of new players, Agarwal said with more competition in the market it is bound to get better as there is a huge opportunity and a lot of pent-up demand in the Indian market.
The increased competition would have a positive effect. It will accelerate the growth besides making it easy for people to change from traditional cable to digital DTH technology, he added.
"With advent of DTH, TV viewing habits have changed completely. We have now entered a more advanced era where a customer has the freedom to choose content according to his or her preference," he said.
It is significant advantage over analogue cable, he said, adding that in a short span of time DTH category has acquired a substantial number of subscribers and is growing at a fast pace.
Centre orders IPTV players to carry 8 DD channels
From http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1193931
That’s twice the number for DTH. Blame bandwidth perception.
NEW DELHI: The government has significantly increased the number of TV channels to be compulsorily carried on IPTV (internet protocol television) platforms.
In a memorandum issued to all IPTV owners, the information and broadcasting (I&B)
ministry has listed eight, including Doordarshan and Parliament channels, on the must-carry list.
The other must-carry channels are Lok Sabha Television, DD Rajya Sabha, DD-1 or national channel, DD News, DD Sports, DD Urdu, Gyan Darshan and DD Bharti.
Cable TV operators, as per the Cable TV Network Regulation, are supposed to air at least
two DD terrestrial channels, two Parliament channels and one regional channel — a total of five.
As for direct-to-home (DTH) players, it is mandatory for them to have at least four channels—two DD and two Parliament channels—on their platforms.
Sujata Dev, co-founder of IPTV Forum, an industry body, said the government has asked IPTV players to carry more state-owned (DD) channels because of the general perception that there’s no bandwidth restriction here, unlike in DTH or cable TV.
While admitting that relatively there’s less restriction on bandwidth in IPTV, she said every channel takes up around 2MBPS.
“We are going to approach the government on this issue,” said Dev.
This is not the only issue that IPTV players are grappling with. There’s no clarity on pricing of channels in IPTV either, she added.
Also, the recent consultation paper of the telecom regulator, Trai, on restricting cross-media ownership may also pose a hurdle, she argued.
Many players may like to wait and watch the government move on cross-media ownership rules before commercially launching their IPTV ventures, she argued.
On an average, an IPTV platform is expected to have anything between 100 to 200 channels.
Last month, the government made IPTV a lawful broadcasting operation. Till then, IPTV has been in a no-man’s land, and its regulation a grey area.
State-owned telcos, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), commercially launched their IPTV services a few months ago. But, they have been facing problems in accessing content from registered broadcasters, in the absence a policy framework. Among the private players, Bharti and Reliance Communications have conducted their IPTV pilots across many cities, but they are yet to commercially launch the service.
IPTV refers to a distribution platform using high-speed internet, to offer TV channels along with many interactive and value-added services. For instance, an IPTV subscriber can pause a live show, record it and watch it later.
TRAI had earlier this year recommended that uplinking and downlinking guidelines should be amended to enable broadcasters to provide signals to all distributors of TV channels including IPTV service providers.
28/09/08
No update Sunday
27/09/08
No update Saturday
26/09/08
Measat3 91.5E 4107 V Sr 6666 Fec:3/4 "ESPN Feeds" (Mpg4?)
From my Email & ICQ
..
From the Dish
AsiaSat 3S 105.5E 12684 V "Kerman TV and Khalij-e Fars TV" have started on , Fta, SR 5800, FEC 3/4.(South Asian beam)
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3960 V "News One (India)" has started on , Fta.
Intelsat 10 68.5E 3808 V "Zone Reality India & Asia" has started on , Irdeto.
NEWS
Media: Sky in spotlight as TV war heats up
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10534280
Years of Sky lobbying against limits on sports rights have come to nought as the television war between Rupert Murdoch's pay TV firm and free-to-air channels hots up.
Cabinet has approved the next stage of a broadcasting review of regulations to deal with convergence of telecommunications and broadcasting.
And it includes looking at anti-siphoning rules despite diligent lobbying of Labour and National.
The review has a whole raft of changes including the creation of a new super quango to regulate content both in traditional broadcasting and online. Labour's thumbs-up to examining Sky - revealed this week - marks a big success for TVNZ and MediaWorks.
They told the Ministry for Culture and Heritage that Sky TV - which also owns Prime - had deep pockets and bundled programme purchases.
MediaWorks pressed for anti-siphoning laws ensuring that the pay TV company was not allowed to own some key sports events.
Sky winning the rights to the London Olympics shocked TVNZ, which has always covered the Games.
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage team found there was prima-facie evidence that Sky's position could limit New Zealanders' ability to see important events.
Sky says it is doing nothing wrong and the only dominant player in New Zealand was TVNZ with 44 per cent of viewership.
Chief executive John Fellett says he is not worried about the next stage in the review unless its aim was to entrench the power of TVNZ.
He said that some investors had been concerned in the past about regulatory moves but when he explained the situation they did not view it as a problem.
Many are surprised that the anti-siphoning laws survived given that National and Labour politicians have both had a hands-off approach to media dominance issues and avoided challenging Sky for 20 years.
MEDIA OVERSIGHT
The review goes beyond Sky TV and one option is to have two new regulatory bodies for the converged telecommunications and media worlds. One would look after network issues and the other would look at content, opening the door to more government oversight of media and online content.
One TV insider counselled networks to be wary about the review, saying there was a strong push toward regulation in the bureaucracy, and oversight of media content could be a problem.
Australian Analog TV on air until 2013
From http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24400468-15306,00.html
THE federal Government has moved to cement 2013 as the new date for the switch-off of Australia's analog TV signals in a bill introduced to parliament yesterday.
The Howard government set 2009 as the original end date for analog TV signals, but that had to be altered when it became clear people were not ready.
About 40 per cent of Australian homes now have free-to-air digital TV, meaning the Government must still convince people in about 4.2 million homes to upgrade their TV sets to digital.
The bill also gives the Government the option of varying switch-off dates in some markets by three to six months if problems emerge.
"These dates are not appropriate for a smooth transition to digital-only television," Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said.
The law would also give the minister powers to determine which local market areas could be switched over, the dates for the switchover, and a window period of up to six months for it to take place.
"This will mean that, if appropriate, some areas could switch off analog earlier than currently permitted,'' he said.
Debate on the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Television Switch-over) Bill 2008 was adjourned.
Fiji TV records $313k profit
From http://www.fijilive.com/news_new/index.php/news/show_news/9010
Despite its monopoly, Fiji Television's Fiji operations contributed only $313,000 to the group's $2.74 million profit for its financial year ending June 30 this year.
The bulk of the profit came from its Papua New Guinea-based (PNG) subsidiary, Media Niugini Limited, which more than doubled its profits from $999,012 last year to over $2.6 million.
The group’s subsidiary Communications Pacific Limited (Compac) recorded a profit for the first time - of $65,895.
The profit of the Fiji operation while better than the $107,614 recorded last year is considered low in view of the monopoly status of the company until recently.
Fiji TV faces two free to air rivals in the coming year - Mai TV and the FTA channel of pay TV operator PBS TV. However, it has a healthy $7 million in the bank.
The group’s revenue increased by 10.11 per cent to $27.03 million in the year under review.
Group chief executive officer Mesake Nawari said the increase in revenue was a result of a growth in operating revenue for the holding company Fiji TV (6 per cent) and subsidiary company Media Niugini Limited (16 per cent), and Compac.
“These results are attributed to increases in advertising revenue from the company’s free-to-air operations in Fiji and Papua New Guinea, growth in subscriber numbers in its pay TV arm, SKY Pacific and efficient management of Compac’s resources,” Nawari said.
He also revealed that the company’s board of directors had declared its second interim dividend of $927,000 (9 cents per share), to be paid out today.
Nawari said Fiji TV expected the 2008 and 2009 financial year to be a challenging one “because of the economic challenges in Fiji and competition in the free-to-air TV market in both Fiji and PNG”.
“However, the company remains optimistic because of the projects that have been put in place to align the company to its vision of being the communications business for Pacific communities,” he said
Dr. Nongluck Phinaintisart to continue APSCC Presidency for second term
From http://www.satellite-evolution.com/Satellite 2007/newsresult.htm
September 25, 2008 - At the joint 2008 APSCC Council and Plenary joint meeting held on September 24, 2008, the current APSCC President, Dr. Nongluck Phinainitisart (President, THAICOM Public Company Limited, Thailand) was re-elected as President by a unanimous vote.
In accordance with the APSCC Constitution, Dr. Nongluck will continue her presidency for the next two-year term (2009-2010). As the main representative of APSCC, she will be responsible for implementing the directions and guidelines set by the APSCC Constitution and the Council, in consultation with the Board of Directors, Vice Presidents and Executive Director.
Since Dr. Nongluck was elected as President of APSCC at the 2006 APSCC Council and Plenary meeting, held on September 27, 2006, APSCC has grown to become an indispensable asset to the satellite industry as an international association representing the Asia-Pacific and a great deal of progress has been made. During the last 2 years, APSCC welcomed seven new members, well-known key players in the industry and enlarged its membership to a total of 111 members from 32 countries worldwide.
MEASAT: Gateway Communications Leases Capacity On Africasat-1
From http://www.mbtmag.com/articleXml/LN857791680.html
Kuala Lumpur -- MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd (MEASAT) announced today that Gateway Communications, a leading provider of high quality satellite communication services in Africa, had signed an agreement for C-Band capacity on the AFRICASAT-1 satellite.
Under the agreement, Gateway will lease multiple C-band transponders on AFRICASAT-1, commencing October 2008. The capacity will further develop Gateway's market leading position in the provision of high quality, secure and reliable voice, data and Internet access to its 1,200 corporate customers across 40 countries on the African continent.
"MEASAT welcomes Gateway to our growing family of premium customers leveraging the AFRICASAT-1 platform for connectivity in the African region," said Terry Bleakley, Vice President, Commercial Operations, MEASAT. "We look forward to a long and successful cooperation with Gateway in expanding their broadband services."
Peter Gbedemah, CEO, Gateway Communications: "Our goal is to offer high quality voice, data and internet connectivity to all businesses in Africa. Because Gateway designs and develops services specifically for African businesses it means customers benefit from applications that are ideally tailored to their needs. Gateway can provide satellite connectivity for all requirements; from simple voice and data to the most complex and bandwidth-intensive video, audio and Internet content, e-commerce or enterprise networking. We rely on our satellite partners for that capacity and are delighted to be working with MEASAT."
About MEASAT
MEASAT is a premium supplier of satellite communication services to Asia's leading broadcasters, DTH platforms and telecom operators. With the recent commissioning of AFRICASAT-1, the MEASAT fleet is able to provide satellite capacity over 145 countries representing 80% of the world's population across Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Europe and Australia. The fleet will be further enhanced with the launch of MEASAT-3a, providing additional capacity and in-orbit redundancy at the Company's key 91.5E orbital video slot.
Leveraging facilities at the MEASAT Teleport and Broadcast Centre, and working with a select group of world-class partners, MEASAT also provides a complete range of broadcast and telecommunications services including high definition and standard definition video playout, video turnaround, collocation, uplinking and IP termination services.
About Gateway Communications
Gateway Communications owns and operates the largest and most advanced pan-African communications network, with customers in 40 African countries. Established in 2001, Gateway Communications has been responsible for pioneering thedelivery of high quality, cost effective voice, data and e-commerce services throughout the continent. Gateway Communications has developed the local presence, skills and expertise combined with the global infrastructure and relationships to uniquely meet the voice and data communications needs of local telecommunications operators and businesses operating within Africa.
CONTACT: Chan Ming Yang, MEASAT Tel: +60 (3) 8213 2154 e-mail: [email protected] WWW: http://www.measat.com/ Ali Merifield, africapractice, for Gateway Tel: +44 (0)20 7462 7550 e-mail: [email protected] WWW: http://www.gatewaycomms.com/
Glonass System Gets 3 More Satellites
From http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1568584/glonass_system_gets_3_more_satellites/
MOSCOW. Sep 25 (Interfax-AVN) - Three GLONASS-M satellites launched by a Proton-M carrier rocket from the Baikonur space center (Kazakhstan) on Thursday have detached from the DM booster bloc and took up their calculated orbits.
"The satellites will be switched on after a series of cyclic tests to adjust control systems and systems responsible for the reception and transmission of signals. This may take roughly between 30 and 60 days after the launch," a source in the Russian space agency Roscosmos told Interfax-AVN.
Another three GLONASS-M satellites are scheduled for launch in December 2008.
The GLONASS global navigation system, an analogue of the American GPS, supplies navigation data and precise time signals to ground, sea, air and space-based consumers.
Fourteen GLONASS satellites are currently in operation and one satellite has been temporarily switched off for technical maintenance. To ensure the uninterrupted reception of navigation signals on a global scale, GLONASS needs 24 satellites whose number may increase to 30 by 2011.
SABC evades questions
From http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=2822&art_id=nw20080926105155841C953332&set_id=
SABC Head of Sport Sizwe Nzimande evaded a question about the national broadcasters ineptitude when it comes to showing soccer games live.
"This is not the platform to speak about that," he said at the SOCCEREX 2008 launch in Sandton. "We are going to launch a 24-hour sports channel soon," was all the usually eloquent SABC boss could say.
While SuperSport recently launched a high definition (HD) version on their satellite broadcast, the SABC are still struggling to show games live on a Wednesday night. Usually the SABC only airs night games, which kick off at 7.30pm, at 10pm.
Last year the SABC fought - in court - the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and SuperSport for the legal rights to televise PSL matches. SuperSport won the rights and have shown more PSL games live, albeit to their subscribers only.
With this happening just over a year ago the national broadcaster, who have a responsibility to more viewers than the pay-channel, have not matched their competitor's investment in the game of billions.
Meanwhile, talk of a 24-hour sports channel are still doing the rounds. - Sapa
High-def Slingbox enters the market
From http://www.betanews.com/article/Highdef_Slingbox_enters_the_market/1222380463
News from Sling Media hasn't been this big in quite a while. The Slingbox Pro-HD is now available -- the company's first device that enables streaming of high-definition content.
Though the device is half a year late, the new Slingbox Pro-HD is fortunately over a hundred dollars cheaper than originally anticipated. Priced at $299.99, the Slingbox Pro-HD can be purchased directly from Sling, or at select stores throughout the country.
Select stores? As it turns out, those stores' locations are quite sparse. In Maryland, for example, there are no stores selling the device at all. Maryland residents would have to drive to either Virginia or Pennsylvania to buy a Slingbox Pro in person. Sling Media says that eventually Best Buy, Fry's, J&R, Microcenter, and more will begin carrying the device in the coming weeks.
For the Slingbox Pro-HD to work as intended, a home connection with a 1.5 Mbps or higher uplink speed is necessary. HD sources can be one of the following: over-the-air HD digital signals (ATSC), digital cable channels (Clear QAM), HDTV cable set-top boxes, HDTV satellite receivers, or HD DVRs.
Slingbox first premiered in 2005, offering the unique ability to take TV signals and "re-broadcast" it through the user's Internet connection, making home content viewable and controllable from remote locations. But while the original Slingbox Pro could accept incoming HD content, it could only stream it back out in standard definition.
In the opening weeks of 2008 at CES, the company showed off an early version of the Pro-HD, anticipating availability in the third quarter of the year for around $400.
(Craig's comment, No Pal version as yet)
International ring committing fraud by broadcasting private TV channels disbanded
From http://www.torrevieja.com/eng/torrevieja/british-tv-channels-fraudulently-ring-9984.html
The Guardia Civil of Torrevieja has disbanded an international ring which broadcasted fraudulently private TV channels for English clients living in the Costa Blanca.
In the operation, 14 members of the ring have been arrested and computer equipment, decoders and cash with a value of more than 5 million euros were seized.
The organisation worked underhand by employing three legal companies. They acquired the broadcasting rights of several British channels to distribute their signal to users in the British territory.
The broken up ring declared a much smaller number of subscribers than the real one, and it even distributed illegally the signal inside the Spanish territory without counting with the rights to do so.
The investigations were started as a result of a complaint submitted by a local representative of Sogecable, when he had detected that several British channels broadcasting included contents whose audiovisual rights ownership belongs in our country exclusively to the said digital station.
It is calculated that the organization might have defrauded more than 500 million euros. They kept powerful satellite dishes and decoders, which had been contracted in Ireland and the United Kingdom, inside a building located in Algorfa.
These technical media allowed them to receive the signal of different British satellite TV channels, and they decoded it and encrypted it again by using a system called IRDETO, after which process they distributed it among their clients al through the coast.
More than 60,000 clients paid 22 Euros monthly
The ring counted with more than 60,000 clients, most of them British citizens, paying 590€ installation costs plus their monthly fees, which ranged between 18 and 22 Euros, or yearly fees instead, which ranged between 200 and 220 Euros, depending on the channels contracted.
The installation at the clients’ domicile consisted in a specific dish for the broadcasting frequencies used and a decoder device which worked only with a card having a numbering for each client, which made possible cutting off the signal in case of non-payment.
People arrested
- Spanish: A.O.M., 59 years old; I.O.M. 30 years old; D.L.M.E., 59 years old; F.J.P.Q., 33 years old; G.G.P., 28 years old; J.R.M., 34 years old; J.A.S.G., 35 years old; A.J.S., 29 years old.
- British: P.G.W., 37 years old; R.E.I.G., 52 years old; and R.G.W., 54 years old.
- Byelorussian: Y.S., 43 years old.
- Rumanian: F.M.P., 35 years old.
- Russian: A.Z., 54 years old.
Video Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zPJrd0dbCc
(Craig's comment, not a backyard operation! check out the video clip!)
Dish TV to air Neo bouquet shortly
From http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=335534
With the India-Australia cricket series just two weeks away, Dish TV is planning to add Neo Sports bouquet of channels to its platform. The move is aimed at attracting more subscribers, which the Essel group’s direct to home (DTH) service provider lost to prime competitor Tata Sky.
Dish TV Senior Vice-President Deepak Mehrotra said, “There is a substantial demand for Neo sports bouquet as cricket matches are screened on this channel. We have taken notice of the same and are planning to add this channel to the Dish TV platform. As the India-Australia series is just two weeks away, we will soon take a final call in this regard.”
Until now, Dish TV did not provide these channels as it had certain disputes with the Nimbus management, which runs the Neo channel bouquet, over subscription charges. This allowed Tata Sky to garner many new subscribers. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had sold the telecast rights of all international and domestic cricket matches organised by the board within India to Nimbus Television. Dish TV launched its new channel package called “Happy Home” that provides 125 satellite channels at a monthly subscription of Rs 100.
The firm is in the final stages of tariff negotiation with Nimbus Television. “They offer the bouquet at Rs 42 and we are negotiating on this price. Once the channel is added platform, subscribers can avail it by paying the additional charges,” Mehrotra stated. Dish TV already has 37 lakh subscribers across India and it is targeting to reach 50 lakh by March 2009. The company is also setting up Dish Shoppees, which would provide an one-time solution to all problems and queries related to Dish TV service.
“We will have 1,500 Dish TV shoppees operational by December-end all over India,” he added.
Discovery eyes HD content
From http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=335528
In a bid to attract more viewers in the prime time slot, Discovery Networks India is looking at showcasing some of the channel's high definition, multi-million dollar production series under a new programme band called Ultimate Discovery.
Starting this October this new programme band would be aired every night in the prime time slot between nine to ten and would showcase some of the most popular high definition series to attract higher TRPs.
“Some of these series are multi-millon dollar productions, with some developed indigenously and some outsourced, but all of them had delivered rise in ratings, for which they have been chosen”, said Rahul Johri, senior vice president & general manager, Discovery Communications India.
Some of the new offerings in the new band would be an exclusive six-episode series on NASA missions which would showcase some unseen footages and clippings from NASA archives captured by cameras onboard spaceships.
Discovery which would show episodes on former Indian cricket coach-Greg Chappel, a show on Diwali celebrations in India and on Kerala's traditional martial art form Kalaripayat.
“The channel would bring in more of high definition content which is the future of television space for DTH and digital platforms,” said Johri.
Discovery Networks asked the ministry of Information and Broadcasting three months back for permission to launch three 24-hour channels named Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo and Discovery HDW, now on air in the Asia-Pacific region.
Discovery HD would dedicated to high definition content since few Indian television productions were in high definition, he claimed. These would hit Indian screens only next year, since the channel had not yet received the green signal from the ministry.
The channel presently had three channels in India -- Discovery Channel, Discovery Travel & Living, and Animal Planet, with some feeds in regional language.
25/09/08
Feed seen Wednesday night
Asian Champions League
Adelaide v Kashima Antlers As4 12575 v 6620
From my Email & ICQ
..
From the Dish
Telstar 18 138E 12358 H "Xinshidai" has started on , Fta, SR 1496, FEC 3/4.
JCSAT 4A 124E 12493 H "Sukachan HD 190-192 and Perfect Choice HD 138" have started on , DVB-S2, MPEG-4, HD, Multi 2, SR 23303, FEC 3/5.
JCSAT 4A 124E 12613 H "J Sports Plus, Fuji TV CSHD, Movie Plus and Fox Japan" have started on ,DVB-S2, MPEG-4, HD, Multi 2, SR 23303, FEC 3/5.
NSS 11 108.2E 12511 H All channels in the Mediascape mux are/were Fta.
AsiaSat 3S 105.5E 3680 H "China Entertainment TV 3" has started on , PowerVu.
Insat 2E 83E 3438 V "Jain TV" has left .
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3450 H "God TV Australasia" has left .
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3450 H "BVN TV" has left .
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3502 V "Dhi TV" has started on , Fta, SR 4444, FEC 2/3.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3617 V "5 Series" is encrypted again.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3814 V "Mh 1 Music" has left again.
Thaicom 5 78.5E "Horn Cable TV" has moved from 3551 H to 3640 H, Fta.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3562 H "VTV (Maldives)" has started on , Fta, SR 4444, FEC 1/2.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3714 V "Pinoy Movie Hits has replaced PBO" on , Conax, new SR and FEC: 4800 and 3/4. NBN has left.
Intelsat 4 72E 3709 V "ZBC TV" has left .
Intelsat 904 60E "TVBN, TVB Entertainment News, TVB Classic and TVB Lifestyle" have moved from 3719 L to 4022 L, clear, SR 13300, FEC 1/2.
NEWS
NZ Govt looks to regulate media loopholes
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4703178a28.html
The Government says it is moving to plug loopholes which have opened up in media regulation as broadcast, telecommunications and internet technologies converge.
It is looking at the potential for New Zealand to follow Australia and have the same regulator covering broadcasting and telecommunications media.
But initial consultation has shown more support for having two "converged" regulators, one dealing with economic and access issues, and the other responsible for social/cultural issues such as content.
"Digitisation and increasing convergence between broadcasting, telecommunications and the internet are causing profound changes to the ways in which people access and use broadcasting-like content," Broadcasting Minister Trevor Mallard said yesterday.
"We need to ensure that our regulatory regime is ... `future-proofed'."
Though audiences can increasingly choose what they watch, when and where, there are potential risks to universal access, compatibility of technologies and space for less "commercial" local and special interest content.
Government decisions will also determine whether broadcasters who also put news and other content on the internet should have to meet the same broadcasting standards, and whether those should be extended to other content providers.
Some industry observers have said imposing the standards met by free-to-air television and radio broadcasters on internet providers could stifle the freedom of expression and innovation new technologies can foster.
Mr Mallard and Communications and Information Technology Minister David Cunliffe have announced a review of digital broadcasting regulation and whether it "needs changing given the increasing convergence between broadcasting, telecommunications and the internet".
Initial public consultation had highlighted the need for a competition study of issues around access to premium content such as sports events of national significance, and access for broadcasters to networks and technology platforms.
The Government is wrestling with ways in which it could ensure a higher degree of availability of live and free-to-air sporting events.
TV3 owner TVWorks has previously called for a law change that would force pay TV channel Sky to sell its terrestrial network, Prime, and Television New Zealand has described Sky as "too dominant".
TVNZ is reported to have asked the Government to stop Sky buying exclusive rights to sporting events, such as major rugby competitions, and to have alleged Sky is "hoarding" big sports events and charging fans a "sports tax" to watch them.
But Sky has claimed that major sporting codes would go bankrupt if the Government intervened.
Other competition issues include the copyright broadcasters exert over programme listings, effectively constraining the use of computerised recording which could automatically cut out the advertisements from broadcasts.
The ministers are also looking at options for enhancing public service broadcasting, such as whether all free-to-air channels should be available on both pay and free-to-air digital platforms, and content standards.
Most of the people responding to the initial consultation agreed on the need to improve diversity, maximum visibility and accessibility of publicly-funded programmes.
Mr Mallard said a strong public broadcasting presence is important for the nation's culture and identity.
It was an "incredibly complex" area which increased the importance of getting the regulatory framework right rather than rushing any changes.
Culture and Heritage and Economic Development ministries will report to cabinet by August 31 2009.
Asiasat MEDIA STATEMENT RE: PROTOSTAR
From Press Release
Hong Kong, 23 September 2008
In response to media reports on ProtoStar-I’s recent announcement of an agreement with the INTERSPUTNIK International Organisation of Space Communications (Intersputnik) regarding its use of the orbital position of 98.5°E. Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) as a close neighbour of ProtoStar-I has noted these media reports and the fact that it has been stated that this new agreement will make the required ITU (International Telecommunication Union) coordination process easier for ProtoStar-I, we would therefore like to make the following clarifications:
AsiaSat has the AsiaSat 2 satellite in operation and AsiaSat 5 being constructed as the AsiaSat 2 replacement due for launch in 2009, at 100.5°E. AsiaSat has filings with the ITU for its satellites operating and planned at 100.5°E dated as early as 14 November 1991 giving AsiaSat a very senior priority of the use of our filed frequencies. Filings for this orbital position have been successfully coordinated according to the ITU regulations are on the Master International Frequency Register (MIFR) which provides the ultimate international protection of the use of the frequencies in the relevant filings.
ProtoStar-I, launched on 7 July 2008 is presently located at the vicinity of 98.5°E, has not completed the orbital coordination process with its neighbours. In accordance with the procedures stipulated by the ITU Radio Regulations a satellite operator with a lower priority filing in the unplanned Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) is required to seek coordination with neighbouring satellite operators that have higher priority filings.
Completion of this coordination process is required in order to provide protection to the filings with higher priority.
Intersputnik has filings with the ITU for the use of 98.5°E orbital slot (priority date: 29 December 2005), a much lower priority than the filing sought earlier by ProtoStar-I from the Administration of Singapore (priority date: 27 December 2001). The Singaporean Government has since announced that it is no longer involved with this satellite. This lower priority filing date means that ProtoStar-I is now required to coordinate on an increased number of filings than that requires under Singapore. Under the ITU Radio Regulations, ProtoStar-I is required to obtain the prior agreement of a number of Administrations including China (the Administration for AsiaSat, APSTAR, SINOSAT, Chinasat all of which have filings close to 98.5°E), Russia (the Administration for Express AM33) and the UAE (the Administration for Thuraya 3) which have higher priority than Intersputnik’s before ProtoStar-I can bring any interfering frequency into service at 98.5°E.
Due to overlapping geographic coverage and frequencies, ProtoStar-I will have to operate on a non-interfering basis if it has to operate at 98.5°E. This could mean that it may have to operate at very low power levels and use larger antennas, or even switch off the overlapping transponders in order to accommodate other users with higher priority.
At 100.5°E, AsiaSat has the AsiaSat 2 satellite in operation since 1996. AsiaSat also has AsiaSat 5 being built for launch in 2009. AsiaSat 5 will provide expanded coverage, and more frequencies for business growth. ProtoStar-I will have to accommodate not just AsiaSat 2 but also AsiaSat 5 and any other future AsiaSat satellites under all AsiaSat’s filings with higher priority than Intersputnik’s in accordance with the ITU frequency coordination process.
To safeguard the long term business growth and its traffic on AsiaSat 2 and beyond, AsiaSat, working under its own Administration, China, has urged ProtoStar-I and its new Administration Belarus (Intersputnik’s relevant Administration) that no emissions with respect to ProtoStar-I are authorised until the required coordination is completed with the neighbouring satellites, operating in accordance with the provisions of the Radio Regulations. In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of China has stated in a letter dated 27 August 2008 that China will hold anybody authorising operation that causes interference into Chinese networks operating in accordance with the Radio Regulations economically responsible. In the event that ProtoStar-I enters into service without completing coordination, AsiaSat through its Administration will enforce its rights under the ITU Radio Regulations and demand ProtoStar-I’s Administration to take action to eliminate any interference caused by them, this will mean that the interference causing transponders will have to be shut down.
- # # # -
About AsiaSat
AsiaSat, the leading regional satellite operator in Asia, serves over two-thirds of the world's population with its three satellites, AsiaSat 2 at 100.5ºE, AsiaSat 3S at 105.5ºE and AsiaSat 4 at 122ºE. The AsiaSat satellite system provides services to both the broadcast and telecommunications industries. Some 300 television channels are now delivered by the Company's satellites, reaching over 96 million households, with more than 360 million viewers across the Asia Pacific region. Many telecommunications customers use AsiaSat for services such as public telephone networks, private VSAT networks and high speed Internet and multimedia services. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, a company listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (SEHK: 1135). For more information, please visit
www.asiasat.com
Media inquiries:
Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited
Sabrina Cubbon, General Manager Marketing Winnie Pang, Manager, Corporate Affairs
Tel: (852) 2500 0899 Tel: (852) 2500 0880
Mobile: (852) 9097 1210 Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
INTERSPUTNIK TO LEASE CAPACITY ON AFRICASAT-1
From Press Release
Kuala Lumpur, 19 September 2008 - MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd. ("MEASAT")
announced today that it had signed a contract to provide satellite capacity to the INTERSPUTNIK
International Organization of Space Communications (“Intersputnik”). In the agreement
Intersputnik will lease capacity on the AFRICASAT-1 satellite to provide satellite services into the
African region. The contract was signed within the framework of the Distribution Agreement that
appoints Intersputnik as a non-exclusive distributor of transponder capacity on the AFRICASAT-1
satellite.
“MEASAT’s movement into the Africa region has further been strengthened through our
relationship with Intersputnik,” said Terry Bleakley, MEASAT Vice President – Commercial
Operations. “The contract signifies the trust that highly respected international organizations, such
as Intersputnik, has placed in the quality and reliability of MEASAT’s services.”
Stefan Kollar, Deputy Director General of Intersputnik, said, “Intersputnik is an all-purpose supplier
of satellite capacity and technical solutions and works with telecom carriers, broadcasters and
ISPs worldwide. The partnership with MEASAT substantially expands our service offering in one of
our traditional markets and gives us the opportunity to further enhance relationship with our
customers by offering them affordable and reliable capacity that complements our existing
services in the African region.”
About MEASAT
MEASAT is a premium supplier of satellite communication services to Asia’s leading broadcasters,
DTH platforms and telecom operators. With the recent commissioning of AFRICASAT-1, the
MEASAT fleet is able to provide satellite capacity over 145 countries representing 80% of the
world’s population across Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Europe and Australia. The fleet will be
further enhanced in early 2009 with the launch of MEASAT-3a, providing additional capacity and
in-orbit redundancy at the Company’s key 91.5E orbital video slot.
Leveraging facilities at the MEASAT Teleport and Broadcast Centre, and working with a select
group of world-class partners, MEASAT also provides a complete range of broadcast and
telecommunications services including high definition and standard definition video playout, video
turnaround, collocation, uplinking and IP termination services.
About INTERSPUTNIK
Founded in 1971 under the intergovernmental Agreement on the Establishment of an
INTERSPUTNIK International System and Organization of Space Communications, Intersputnik is
an international intergovernmental organization headquartered in Moscow, Russia. Intersputnik
can be joined by the government of any state which shares the Organization’s principles of activity.
Presently, Intersputnik has 25 Member-countries.
Intersputnik’s core business is to lease to telecommunications operators, broadcasters and
corporate customers the required frequency and power resource of geostationary satellites under
agreements with partner operators and to offer, through its 100 % subsidiary Intersputnik Holding
Ltd., full-scale services aimed at installing and operating satellite telecommunicat
ions networks.
More about Intersputnik at www.intersputnik.com.
MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd.
MEASAT Teleport & Broadcast Centre, 63000 Cyberjaya, Malaysia
Tel: +60 (3) 8213 2188 Fax: +60 (3) 8213 2120
www.measat.com
Contact:
Chan Ming Yang
MEASAT
+60 (3) 8213 2154
[email protected]
Intelsat's Galaxy 19 satellite reaches orbit
From http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock News/1901033/
Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a subsidiary of Loral Space and Communications (Nasdaq:LORL), announced on 24 September that the Galaxy 19 satellite built by SS/L for Intelsat has successfully reached orbit and is performing post launch operations as planned.
The satellite was launched aboard a Zenit-3SL rocket from Sea Launch's Odyssey equatorial launch platform on the morning of 24 September and deployed its solar arrays several hours after launch. It will begin firing its thrusters to transfer to a geostationary orbit on 25 September.
Galaxy 19 is the last launch of the replacement programme for Intelsat's Galaxy Fleet. It has a hybrid communications payload with a total of 52 physical transponders and it weighed approximately 4,690 kilograms at launch. The satellite is based on SS/L's 1300 platform.
Intelsat will use Galaxy 19 to provide telecommunications services to customers in North America, Central America and the Caribbean islands from its orbital location at 97 degrees West. At total of 56 SS/L satellites are currently in orbit.
Space junk threatens security
From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24392938-31477,00.html
THE security of space is under increasing threat from billions of bits of space junk, from clapped out satellites and booster rockets to tiny pieces of debris smaller than one centimetre in diameter, according to a new report from international experts.
While the key hazard to the world's space-based activities is detritus from routine operations like the launch and decomissioning of spacecraft, a rapid rise in anti-satellite weaponry has worsened according to Space Security 2008, released by the Canadian not-for-profit organisation Project Ploughshares.
The report is the fifth annual review of trends and developments in space and comes as Australia is rethinking its space policy.
This month, for instance, the Cutler Review of innovation recommended that the commonwealth invest in space and astronomy. Last June the interim Senate report of of Australia's space science and industry also flagged the importance of space to national security and development.
And last June a Defence Department discussion papercited space as a "security challenge".
A spokesperson for Defence acknowledge that Defence is a "significant user" of space-based systems but said it could not comment on Space Security 2008 at present.
The Australian understands that Defence has agreed to pay the costs of one of up to six satellites forming a secure US military communications network.
According to the Canadian report, the worst debris-creating event in the history of the space age occurred in January 2007 when China used an anti-satellite weapon to destroy an ageing weather satellite.
As reported in The Australian, the successful test added millions of pieces of space junk to the clutter of debris already circling Earth.
"There is growing tension between the US and China over the security of outer space, largely driven by mistrust and suspicions over weapons programs," said Ray Williamson of Secure World Foundation, a contributor to the report.
Dr Williamson highlighted the need to renew international efforts to safeguard the use of space. As noted in the report the Conference on Disarmament - the principal international institution created to discuss space security issues - has been deadlocked since 1998.
"It's very much to Australia's interest to work to solve problem (of safeguarding space)," said Adelaide based lawyer Michael Davis, an expert in space law. "This report is important to the ongoing deb ate about Australia's role in space."
RTM To Restructure, Go Digital In Three Years
From http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=360563
PERSONAL ATTENTION... Ahmad Shabery (centre) having a chat with staff of Information Department during the breaking-fast reception organised by the department, Sunday. At the function, he said RTM staff would be retrained and utilised to bring about the change and streamline the existing system to compete with other disseminators of information such as Internet blogs. "I am giving personal attention to this change and I understand that the RTM administration is fostering a change of mindset in the staff," he said. Pic: Arjasneh Ahmad KUALA TERENGGANU, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) is to undergo a restructuring over the next three years, with the emphasis on going digital and adding more regional and provincial news and issues on the RTM1 and RTM2 television channels.
Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said total digital broadcasting would be achieved two years earlier than the five-year target.
He also said that television viewers of today were more inclined to know what was happening in their vicinity than issues of a national nature.
"The trend has changed. Regional news is well received. What happens to a boy in the backyard is, sometimes, more important than stock market news," he told reporters after attending a breaking-of-fast reception with staff of the Information Department here last night.
"The people of Sarawak want news on Sarawak; those in Sabah want news on their state. It is the same with the other states," he said, adding that it would not be impossible to have simultaneous channels carrying provincial news with digital broadcasting.
Ahmad Shabery said it was necessary for RTM, which was 34 years old, to undergo a shift to maintain its relevance and not fall behind local private television channels as well as government television channels of other countries.
The minister called on RTM staff, especially those working in the states, to upgrade their expertise and be ready to produce more provincial news.
He said RTM staff would be retrained and utilised to bring about the change and streamline the existing system to compete with other disseminators of information such as Internet blogs.
"I am giving personal attention to this change and I understand that the RTM administration is fostering a change of mindset in the staff," he said.
Ahmad Shabery also praised BernamaTV for its presentation of news which he said was well received by all quarters, including opposition political parties.
Although the news content of RTM1 and RTM2 was not exactly similar to that of BernamaTV, this was a challenge which RTM should take up, he said.
Voice of America to Air Presidential Debates Live
From http://www.medianewsline.com/news/119/ARTICLE/2905/2008-09-25.html
The Voice of America (VOA) will carry the first presidential candidates' debate on foreign affairs live from Oxford, Mississippi on September 26, 2008, providing international audiences with analyses and commentary.
VOA, the largest U.S. international broadcaster, is sending a team of journalists to cover the debate between Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and Barack Obama, D-Ill.
VOA journalists from English-language programs as well as those from Hindi, Urdu, Persian and Central African services will be on location at the University of Mississippi, with supplemental coverage at VOA's Washington, D.C. headquarters.
In a special program aimed at Urdu-speaking audiences in Pakistan, VOA and Pakistan TV (PTV) will assemble panelists in Islamabad and Washington to discuss issues raised in the debate about U.S. relations with Pakistan and its neighbors.
"The 2008 presidential election is generating intense interest around the world," said VOA Director Danforth W. Austin. "VOA - reaching about 134 million people in 45 languages - is uniquely poised to explain to its audiences the differences and similarities in the candidates' foreign policy positions."
VOA will also cover future debates, including those between McCain and Obama at Belmont University, Nashville, Tenn., on October 7, and at Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y., on October 15. It will also cover the debate between the Vice Presidential candidates, Sen. Joseph Biden, the Democrat, and Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican, on October 2 at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
Televised debate coverage will be carried in English on all of VOA's satellite paths - Intelsat 907, New Skies 806 and 703 (VC 340 only), Asiasat 3, and Eutelsat Hot Bird 3 (VC 340 only). Special coverage in Urdu of the presidential debates, but not the vice presidential debate, will air on New Skies 703 (VC 420), Asiasat 3 (VC 409), and Hot Bird 3 (VC 240).
The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts approximately 1,500 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 134 million people. Programs are produced in 45 languages.
Spain stops TV pirate network
From http://www.advanced-television.com/2008/sep22_sep26.htm
The Spanish police has dismantled an International TV piracy network targeted at British customers living in Alicante, Murcia and Almeria, in the East of Spain.
Fourteen people have been arrested accused of defrauding TV platforms and the public purse of more than E500 million. The gang, composed of eight Spaniards, three British and three from Eastern Europe - was illegally taking the signal from several British channels to offer them to British TV customers in the east of Spain without paying TV rights or taxes.
The illegal network had 60,000 clients, most of them from the UK, who were paying E590 as a connection fee, plus monthly fees of E18 to 22 or annual fees of E200 to 220 to enjoy the TV services. The network was operating through three companies and had sophisticated equipments to decode and encrypt again to distribute the signals to its clients. The police has seized devices and equipment with an estimated value of E5 million.
The police operation was triggered following a formal a complaint made by Sogecable on the grounds that the platform owned TV rights.
Satellite phone company Iridium bought for 591 mln dlrs
From http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Satellite_phone_company_Iridium_bought_for_591_mln_dlrs_999.html
Satellite phone company Iridium Holdings is being purchased for 591 million dollars by a private equity group, the companies said Tuesday.
Iridium, which has 305,000 subscribers and provides voice and data mobile satellite services, is being bought by GHL Acquisition Corp., which is 17.5-percent owned by investment bank Greenhill & Co..
"Iridium is the fastest growing full service voice and data MSS (mobile satellite service) provider and only one of a handful of players in its industry," said Scott Bok, co-chief executive officer of Greenhill.
As part of the deal, Greenhill agreed to invest nearly 23 million dollars in Iridium while GHL Acquisition agreed to repay Iridium's outstanding debt of 131 million dollars.
The Bethesda, Maryland-based Iridium, which will retain its current management, will be renamed Iridium Communications when the deal goes through and will seek a listing on the Nasdaq.
Iridium offers satellite voice and data communications from areas where land lines and terrestrial-based wireless services are unavailable.
It operates a network of 66 low-earth orbiting satellites, the largest commercial satellite constellation in the world, covering he entire Earth, including oceans, airways and the polar regions.
Iridium, launched a decade ago by US group Motorola and international partners, went into bankruptcy after failing to get enough subscribers to cover its costs.
A privately held venture acquired Iridium at bargain-basement price of 25 million dollars in a deal approved by a bankruptcy court in 2000.
UAE to launch first earth observation satellite late this year
From http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/24/content_10103538.htm
ABU DHABI, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will launch the country's first earth observation satellite late this year, local Gulf News reported on Wednesday.
The Emirates Institute for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) was quoted as confirming that the satellite named DubaiSat-1 is all set to launch.
DubaiSat-1 was developed by Satrec Initiative of South Korea together with UAE engineers of EIAST.
The satellite will be launched by a Russian rocket of the Moscow-based International Space Company Kosmotras, according to the report.
DirecTV Extends Indian Programming Pact
From http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6599072.html
Signs Multiyear Deal For Four Networks Available Through WorldDirect Platform
DirecTV and Star have signed a multiyear contract extension for four Indian services.
The pact, terms of which were not disclosed, calls for continuing distribution of Star India Plus, Star I One, Star India News and Vijay on the nation’s largest satellite distributor, the original U.S. home for the services that debuted here in November 2004.
The networks are available through DirecTV’s HindiDirect and HindiDirect II programming packages, which are part of the carrier’s WorldDirect platform that is tailored toward Hindi speaking audiences within the United States.
"Since their launch in 2004, Star's leading Indian channels have become household names among DirecTV’s South Asian subscribers," said David Wisnia, Star's senior vice president for distribution and sales and head of Star's North American and European offices, in a statement. “We are excited to extend our relationship with our partners at DirecTV and are confident that viewers will continue to be captivated by the top rated comedies, drama series, reality shows and news programs that these top rated channels showcase on a daily basis.”
Added John de Armas, vice president of WorldDirect: "DirecTV is the premier destination for the most current South Asian programming available in the U.S. By extending our relationship with Star, India's leading programmer, we are enabling the U.S. Indian community to continue to view the best entertainment, sports, news and events programming from their home country.”
WorldDirect customers must first subscribe to DirecTV basic ($9.99 per month) or any DirecTV base programming package ($29.99 per month or above) before they can purchase the ethnic offering.
Murdoch and Turner Battle for Indian TV
From http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/1565109/murdoch_and_turner_battle_for_indian_tv/
Despite years of effort, Rupert Murdoch has made little headway in China. Beijing tightly controls its media industry and has restricted severely the ability of News Corp. (NWS) to operate in the country. No wonder Murdoch is such a big fan of Asia's other giant media market, India. Since 1993, News Corp. has invested $2 billion in India. The company has 13 India-specific channels up and running, offering news, music, movies, and other programming. The media giant's Hindi-language flagship, Star Plus, has been India's leading entertainment channel for years. And Star India accounts for 70% of Star Asia's revenues and 60% of profits.
Now Murdoch is making his India business even bigger. Last month he made a hectic five-day visit to the country. In between meeting old friends, he took time to lobby New Delhi to increase investment limits in the media sector; presently foreign companies can own only own a 26% stake in newspapers, magazines, or TV news channels. Murdoch also announced another $100 million in investments to enlarge News Corp.'s footprint in the Indian TV business. The company will launch five new regional-language channels, including programming in Marathi and Gujarati. On Sept. 18, News Corp. set up a distribution company -- Fox Star Studios -- in India to release Hollywood films and produce Bollywood and Indian language films.
Other Western broadcasters are doubling down on their Indian investments, too. As their home markets slow, global broadcasters like Turner, NBC Universal, and Viacom are vying for a larger chunk of India's $1.8 billion TV business. In response, more established players like Sony (SNE) and News Corp. that have operated Hindi channels are launching channels in regional Indian languages, such as Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali, where there are fewer competitors.
Brisk Ad Growth There's good reason for all the activity. The TV ad revenue business is growing 22% annually, according to a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers entertainment report. On the broadcasters' program platter: general entertainment channels and local extensions, which will serve a concoction of the current hot genres such as family soaps, reality shows, and Bollywood fare. "India is a market of scale which is accessible with a vibrant entertainment culture. It aligns well with our business," says Stephen J. Marcopoto, Asia Pacific president of Turner International.
Indeed, the big appeal for global broadcasters is India's demographics. Almost half of India's population of 1.1 billion is under 25 years of age. Although disposable income of Indian middle-class families continues to increase, the number of TV-owning households is just 110 million. That's only a 50% penetration rate, compared to more than 90% in China, 98% in Indonesia, and more than 68% in Pakistan. So there's plenty of room to grow. "India's audience size, growth rate, and growing consumerism are all a heady blend for any media company," claims Haresh Chawla, chief executive officer of Viacom18, a joint venture with Indian media conglomerate Network18 Media, a New Delhi-based media company which operates business channel CNBC in English and Hindi and English news channel CNN-IBN with Turner Broadcasting.
In keeping with the new relationship, Viacom has aggregated all its India channels under the Viacom18 umbrella. Viacom, which operates MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, and Studio18 in India, launched Colors, a general entertainment Hindi channel in July with plans to launch regional language stations soon. Its music channel MTV will have niche extensions, too. Even old hand Sony Television, which has been residing in India since the mid-90s and has Hindi and English channels for general entertainment and movies, is following News Corp.'s strategy of tapping the regional language market. It plans to double its six-channel tally over the next three years.
Getting Around the Restrictions Companies are finding creative ways around Indian restrictions on foreign ownership. In January, NBC bet $150 million for a 26% stake in NDTV's British subsidiary, since NDTV in India already had private equity and other foreign institutional investors. Since then, NDTV has rolled out two new entertainment channels.
Turner, too, is spreading out to enhance its already strong presence in children's programs and news. One of the first broadcasters to enter India, Turner's Cartoon Network has been a kiddie staple since 1994. In 2003 it launched Pogo for preschool children, a first for Turner globally. Its other offerings include HBO, CNN, an Indian news channel CNN-IBN with Network18, and a distribution tie up with local broadcaster Zee Entertainment.
In the last eight months Turner has struck a deal with Indian production house Miditech to set up an entertainment channel by yearend and a host of entertainment channels in regional languages. It's also joining sister concern Warner Bros. to set up a movie station, and will also make animated films in India -- the first time outside the U.S., says Turner's Marcopoto. Turner's love of India is not hard to decipher. India provides 30% of Turner's Asia Pacific revenues and will overtake Japan this year as the largest revenue grosser in the region, according to Marcopoto.
Shakeout Ahead The local language play also is a way to reach out to a fragmented audience. According to Spatial Access, a Mumbai-based media audit and consulting firm, there are 35 general entertainment channels in India, up from just three in 1993. Moreover, the genre has the highest viewership -- over 35% -- in the country; general entertainment broadcasters have an easier time raising money, making them favorites of both advertisers and financiers. But the genre is dominated by Hindi entertainment, which has 60% penetration, leaving enough room for other regional language channels. "There are just two to three strong players in every regional market, making it attractive for new entrants to develop brands," says Peter Mukerjea, the former CEO of Star India, who was a casualty of the organization's restructuring in 2007. He now heads his own TV business -- INX Media with three live channels.
But with opportunities growing and money coming in, the challenges are plentiful. "Today, anybody and his dog can start a channel, but there's not enough ad revenue to sustain it," says Meenakshi Madhvani, managing partner of Spatial Access. Ad spending is growing but all the new channels will be vying for that pie, putting pressure on the sustainability of channels. Besides, a subscription for basic-access cable TV is still a measly $5 per household. So with too many players vying for the same piece of the market, broadcasters say there definitely will be a shakeout. "But it will be a long drawn battle," warns Kunal Dasgupta, CEO of Sony Entertainment.
Channel players are ready to slug it out, as new revenue streams surface beyond advertising and cable TV. Now, the markets for direct-to-home, Internet protocol TV, and 3G are gradually opening up new avenues. That's quite a bit for the foreign broadcasters to tune into.
Satellite launch plans may be delayed
From http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Dish-s-satellite-launch-plans-may-be-delayed/365067/
The Essel Group-owned direct-to-home service Dish TV’s plans to augment its channel capacity to 420 with the launch of its own satellite Agrani could be indefinitely delayed. Dish TV, which tied up with satellite services operator ProtoStar to launch the satellite, is caught in a feud with the Geneva-based The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), say industry sources. This estimated Rs 800 crore project has issues including frequency coordination with other satellites and is yet to receive the ITU approval. ProtoStar helps its customers manage their investments required to launch their own satellites and instead focus their efforts on the business of DTH. Dish TV currently holds nine c-band transponders on a European satellite NSS-6 and can show 220 television channels.
Jawahar Goel, MD, Dish TV could not be reached for comments. Sources say it is because of this dispute with ITU that Dish TV has now shifted its strategy and has put digital video recording (DVR) on the offer. Analysts question that if Dish TV can increase the number of channels in the coming months, then why is it silent about it and instead aggressively marketing the DVR service. Dish TV was supposed to increase the number of channels from August.
The satellite was launched on July 7, following which ITU said that it is “extremely concerned and alarmed to be the witness of a situation in which a satellite, in this case ProtoStar-1, could be operated in contravention of the ITU Constitution...without a responsible administration and by an unknown operating agency not duly authorised by an ITU member state.” ITU also issued a call for assistance from its 191 member governments to determine whether any of them has assumed responsibilities for a recently launched telecommunications satellite that one ITU member - the United Arab Emirates - fears may pose “a risk of physical collision” with its Thuraya-3 mobile communications spacecraft.”
International reports also disclose that ProtoStar has lost the backing of the Singapore government for its orbital-slot and broadcast-frequency license following a decision by an ITU body not to grant an extension to the June 28 deadline for bringing the ProtoStar-1 system into operation. That leaves ProtoStar without regulatory support and in an unclear legal situation. Later, ProtoStar issued a statement that it had secured regulatory support from an unnamed government and would disclose the government’s identity to the ITU in due course.
Property TV to launch in India, Middle East
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k8/sep/sep244.php
MUMBAI: India Nivesh TV Networks, a subsidiary of Luminaire Technologies, is launching an international real estate channel in India, Middle East, UAE and Far East.
Property TV will be launched in mid-October. Designed on the 'infotainment' format, The channel, based out of Singapore, will have Gulf-specific programming at Dubai prime time daily, said Property TV director and CEO Prince Goyal. It will be a free-to-air channel in the Gulf.
"Irrespective of the recent negative reports appearing in the media, Dubai property is still on the minds of local and international investors. The UAE as a whole is involved in headline-making and mind-boggling projects. Property TV will cater to the global interest in real estate by airing world-class infotainment-based property programmes," said Goyal.
Property TV has set up a production and editorial unit in Dubai to do Gulf-specific programming. The channel will be available to over 5 million subscribed households through cable and satellite and direct-to-home players across the region and millions more across Europe and other parts of the globe.
"We feel there is a strong need for a dedicated property channel with an international footprint and global perspective," said Goyal. "Viewers will get to know everything they wanted to know about property investment and home décor."
Star TV mulls wedding channel
From http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=335343
MEDIA: Targets the Rs 1,25,000-crore Indian marriage market with a 24-hr Hindi channel; experts say market is robust and immune from any downturn.
It is a Rs 1,25,000-crore market growing at between 25 and 30 per cent a year. And Star India is getting ready to exploit the Indian wedding market by launching a television channel around it.
The 24-hour channel is expected to be in Hindi. Senior executives at Star said that the plans are at an early stage and no details could be made available as yet. However, they admitted that the idea of a lifestyle wedding channel has been in the works for a while.
“It is a unique channel proposition, though it can’t really be called a niche channel as it has a wide viewer interest, especially in India where weddings are a big deal. Indian weddings involve the whole family,” said a Star source.
And if you thought that the channel will carry only video footage of celebrity weddings, think again. The programming could include reality shows or be instructional or documentary in nature. The channel could create content around shopping for wedding, planning engagements and weddings, grooming, couture, makeovers — slimming for women and six pack abs for men — and much else.
“In programming terms, the opportunity is stupendous. The marriage business could be taken ahead with programmes on planning honeymoons, doing up the house to agony aunt kind of shows,” said a Star executive.
Clearly, such content would attract a range of advertisers in product categories for grooming, garments, jewellery, consumer durables and even automobiles. “The fact is that the subtext of a lot of commercial messages is to do with weddings. And currently there is no single destination for such television commercials,” said the executive.
Wedding planner and the promoter of Backstage Production, Vandana Mohan, said she was not sure whether a wedding channel would work “as most celebrities would not let the cameras in.” However, she said that the potential of the business is huge and shows no sign of a slowdown. “Money for a wedding is already allocated and kept aside. This money is not connected to profit or loss,” she said. Her four-year-old wedding planning business now matches the turnover of her 18-year-old corporate events business, she said.
Bridal Asia CEO Divya Gurwara, whose wedding exhibition is in its tenth year, said: “Considering the way we spend in India on weddings, the channel will work. Interest in weddings is not limited to say just one member of the family and is of interest to everyone.”
Does she see any dip in the business? “The response for our event this year is better than it was last year. There is absolutely no slowdown. We have taken Bridal Asia to Kolkata and we are planning to take it to West Asia next year,” she replied.
Not surprisingly, even Star India has lent its Star Parivaar brand (that is, its TV star awards) to one such wedding exhibition to be held in Mumbai next month. Star Parivaar will own a stall at the exhibition which will be visited by its TV stars in all their finery.
24/09/08
No update due to connection problem, back on Thursday
23/09/08
Live satellite chat 9. p.m NZ and 8.30p.m Syd time onwards.
From my Email & ICQ
..
From the Dish
NSS 11 108.2E 12511 H "GMA 7 has replaced HBO Asia" on , Videoguard.
AsiaSat 3S 105.5E 3920 H "Star Sports China" has started on , MPEG-4, Fta.
AsiaSat 3S 105.5E 4140 V "Zee Tamil" has started on, MPEG-4, Conax.
AsiaSat 2 100.5E 3760 H "The Style Network Emea has replaced E! Emea" on , PowerVu.(Style Network is launching in the region soon)
ABS 1 75E 3659 H "World Fashion Channel International" is now encrypted.
ABS 1 75E 3679 V "Deluxe Music and The Healing Channel (USA)" have started on , Fta.(Dvb S2 8PSK format)
NEWS
Casbaa adds telcos to membership
From http://rapidtvnews.com/index.php/200809222159/casbaa-adds-telcos-to-membership.html
Membership of the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) is changing to reflect the development of new technologies in the region, with five new or recent telco members.
Australia’s Telstra, which has a 50% stake in pay-TV provider Foxtel, as well as offering video services via its Bigpond ISP and the Mobile Foxtel from Telstra platform, has just joined Casbaa as a corporate member, along with SingTel, Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom, Telkom of Indonesia and India’s Reliance, which backs recently-launched DTH platform Big TV.
Casbaa now represents 25 digital cable, IPTV and DTH platforms across the Asia Pacific region, as well as 55 pay-TV channels, both domestic and multinational. The organisation now has over 130 member companies.
Simon Twiston Davies, CEO of CASBAA, said: "The increased participation of telco giants such as Telstra…is evidence that the new video platforms recognise that working closely with content owners on multiple levels is essential.”
Al Jazeera International has also stepped up its membership from corporate to patron status.
Thomson And AUSTAR Join Forces To Drive High-Definition Services To Australian Consumers
From http://www.broadcastbuyer.tv/publish/New_Contracts_24/Thomson_And_AUSTAR_Join_Forces_To_Drive_High-Definition_Services_To_Australian_Consumers_17806.shtml
Australia’s leading regional Pay TV operator, AUSTAR, has selected Thomson to develop and supply a four tuner High Definition Personal Digital Recorder (PDR) platform along with extensive systems’ integration services.
The combination High Definition set top box (STB) will mirror AUSTAR’s current MyStar STB, which features both dual Satellite and dual Terrestrial tuners, and will offer AUSTAR customers the experience of watching and simultaneously recording both AUSTAR delivered Satellite content plus local Free-To-Air terrestrial services.
John Porter, AUSTAR’s CEO said: “We’re thrilled that Thomson will be involved in this next exciting chapter of content personalisation for our customers. Since the successful launch of our standard definition PDR, MyStar, AUSTAR has developed a strong relationship with Thomson, using their local expertise, which is thoroughly backed up by their global R&D teams. In selecting a partner to help us continue to plan for HD, we needed someone who has a complete understanding of our requirements and of the marketplace, and Thomson fits the bill.”
Mr Porter noted that AUSTAR has not made a decision on the launch date of its HD content services, but that this development offers the company maximum flexibility for delivery to customers.
Frederic Kurkjian, Vice President of Thomson’s Video Premises Systems activity said: "Thomson is extremely pleased that its strong and proven HD PDR platform has been selected to further advance the already successful deployment of AUSTAR’s services portfolio. Coupled with our global systems integration expertise, we aim to enable AUSTAR to offer the highest quality and most compelling digital video experience to their customers.”
AUSTAR’s arrangement with Thomson covers PDR development and systems integration services, under which Thomson will take responsibility for integrating Thomson hardware with AUSTAR developed applications and third party developed middleware and conditional access systems. Thomson is currently supplying AUSTAR with the MyStar branded standard definition PDR, a four tuner platform which has experienced very strong consumer demand since launch.
AUSTAR is a leading provider of subscription television services in regional and rural Australia, with more than 700,000 customers enjoying principally satellite digital television services. Internet and mobile telephony services complete AUSTAR’s product offering. AUSTAR is also a significant provider of programming in the Australian television market through its 50% owned joint venture, XYZnetworks, which owns and/or distributes Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, Discovery Channel, Channel [V], Channel [V]2, MAX, Arena, The LifeStyle Channel, LifeStyle Food, Country Music Channel and The Weather Channel. Liberty Global Inc., the largest international broadband cable operator in terms of subscribers, holds an indirect controlling stake in AUSTAR.
Japan set to cross another invention off Arthur C. Clarke's list - sets aside £5bn for "space elevator"
From http://www.techdigest.tv/2008/09/japanese_set_to.html
A mere 30 years after Arthur C. Clarke first mooted the idea of running super-thin, lightweight cables into space and tethering them to a satellite in his book The Fountains of Paradise, Japanese scientists reckon they're ready to bring all the parts together and make it happen.
For a relatively low in space travel terms bill of £5bn, the boffins think they're close to solving the carbon nanotube technology issue that could make the existence of 22,000 mile-long cables possible. That amount of rope or even Ethernet cable would snap under its own weight, but carbon nanotubes are light enough to go from Earth to a satellite. They just need to be made four-times stronger than they are today.
The Japanese scheme apparently favours stringing up an additional nanotube alongside the elevator to carry the power, allowing the cars to power themselves into space using a similar system used by the Japanese bullet trains. They are so serious about it they have registered a domain name - check out the Japan Space Elevator Association for more news. It's in Japanese, mind you.
Korean Broadband TV Looks Tired at Birth
From http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/09/133_31451.html
Internet protocol television (IPTV) has gotten a lot of press as the future of home entertainment, touted as the ultimate lovechild between the country's advanced information technology (IT) and television industries.
Just weeks ahead of the scheduled commercial launching, however, it's becoming more likely that the next-generation television services will be born a worn-down infant.
KT, the telecom giant that controls more than 90 percent of fixed-line telephony customers and nearly 45 percent of broadband Internet customers, had originally planned to start its IPTV services next month.
However, with the company failing to reach deals with the country's three national television channels ― KBS, MBC and SBS ― to buy their content for IPTV transmission, the highly-anticipated debut could be pushed to November.
``It's hard to give a date for our IPTV opening, whether it be mid-October or November,'' said KT Vice President Yoon Jong-lok in a news conference last week.
``More than 60 percent of our Mega TV video-on-demand service subscribers said it is inconvenient for them to watch terrestrial broadcasting and Mega TV separately. We are not thinking about pushing IPTV without the content of terrestrial broadcasters,'' he said.
IPTV is about the delivery of conventional television broadcasts over broadband networks, allowing subscribers advanced features like video-on-demand, online commercial transactions and data transfer with a lot more interactivity.
Telecom operators like KT, which have been struggling to sustain growth in a saturated market, hope their move into television could secure them a new revenue source.
Yoon's comments sounded softer, and vaguer, than the words by another KT executive weeks earlier who warned television stations that the company could start IPTV without them, packaging the set-top boxes with antennas to allow subscribers to receive terrestrial broadcasts for free.
This would certainly save the company a lot of money, considering that the television stations are reportedly demanding an annual fee of around 30 billion won (about $ 26.6 million) for the broadband retransmission of their content.
However, it would also render the whole point of IPTV irrelevant, as the television content couldn't be used for interactive services.
KT, which is targeting 300,000 IPTV customers by the end of the year and 1 million at the end of next year, knows it can ill-afford to jump into television without help from national broadcasters.
The failure to secure content from KBS, MBC and SBS sucked the air out of satellite mobile television, another much-anticipated high-tech service that its backer, SK Telecom, now treats like an embarrassing family member.
It remains to be seen whether IPTV would sizzle or fizzle. However, Yoon is confident that his company won't repeat SK Telecom's mega flop, saying that television stations are becoming more convinced of the business potential of Web-based television and wouldn't be interested in killing off the buzz.
``The talks over price are getting more reasonable,'' said Yoon.
KT recently started its IPTV trial services at 200 households in Seoul and the metropolitan area, providing real-time broadcasting of 12 cable and satellite channels, including popular movie channel ``Catch-On,'' and also KBS1 and EBS, which are obligatory public channels. The company said it will charge a monthly rate of 16,000 won for IPTV customers.
KT is hoping IPTV will become a significant revenue source, generating sales of about 900 billion won by 2012. However, even if IPTV does bring an increase in average revenue per user (ARPU), it remains to be seen how much of the extra money would end up in KT's pocket as content providers would need to get paid.
Nothing to Watch on IPTV
A concern for KT is the modest fanfare for ``Mega TV,'' which provides video-on-demand, but no live television programs. Since starting the services last year, KT had only 768,000 Mega TV customers at the end of August.
Rival broadband operator SK Broadband, which also has an IPTV license, has just over 760,000 customers for its ``Hana TV'' video-on-demand services, while LG Dacom, the third IPTV operator, has just over 40,000 customers for ``myLGTV.''
This gives IPTV a start-up customer base of about 1.5 million customers, eerily similar to how satellite mobile television started out.
The video-on-demand service, which allows subscribers to download films and watch them at any time, seemed to generate serious demand at first. In fact the number of Hana TV customers exceeded 910,000 at one point.
However, without securing content from terrestrial broadcasts, estimated to have more than a 45 percent share of television viewership here, there are not enough shows to keep subscribers interested.
``For some cable television shows, it sometimes takes more than a month for them to be updated,'' said Lee Sun-jin, a Mega TV customer.
``And it always seems that you have watched all the CSI episodes that are available, and bore yourself tired waiting for next week,'' he said.
Securing content from terrestrial broadcasters is not the only problem, as the cable television sector is giving IPTV the cold shoulder as well. Cable operators can't be too happy about the emergence of broadband television, which overlaps with its core customer market. This, in turn, has resulted in the reluctance by independent show producers to provide their content to IPTV at the risk of angering their cable television clients.
Of the 186 program providers listed by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), the country's broadcasting and telecommunications regulator, only 17 of them applied for license to provide IPTV content.
According to a survey by the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), 69 percent of program providers said they are concerned about hurting their relationship with cable operators when providing content for IPTV. However, about 63 percent of the companies said they wish to sell their content to IPTV operators.
``It is evident that the program providers have high hopes for the introduction of IPTV, which they believe will give them a larger market to sell content,'' said Kim Seong-cheol, a senior researcher at ETRI.
``However, it is also apparent that they don't feel free enough to commit fully to the new market segment,'' he said.
Another problem is that the telecommunications operators have thus far failed to suggest a business model that could convince content providers to make the IPTV jump.
Despite publishing a massive amount of jargon to explain how IPTV could create an ``ecosystem'' of profit, KT has yet to explain how it will share its IPTV revenue with content providers.
If the securing of quality programs continues to be a problem, the country's IPTV industry could be destined for a similar fate as that of Europe.
According to market research firm, Screen Digest, about 40 percent of European IPTV subscribers are accessing the services for free, with the Web-based television merely reduced as bait for telecommunications firms to sell their broadband Internet services.
Not expecting to create serious revenue from pay-TV, the European telecommunications operators are reluctant to spend too much on securing content. This has reduced IPTV into merely a video-on-demand service for many operators, some of them allowing viewers to received free digital broadcasts on their set-top boxes without any interactivity.
StarHub launches Tamil movie channel Vannathirai in Singapore
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k8/sep/sep225.php
MUMBAI: Singaporean pay-TV operator Starhub has added Tamil movie channel Vannathirai (VTV) to its pay-TV line up.
Starting 24 September, StarHub will add VTV for Indian community in Singapore. The Starhub TV customers using the HubStation, digital or HD set-top-box can check VTV on channel 30.
“We are always looking at offering niche programming to cater to the needs of different audience segments and we are confident that the addition of VTV will be welcomed by our Tamil-speaking subscribers,” said Starhub’s head of cable TV services Patrick Lim.
Pixel Production CEO Thamray Veloo added, “VTV is a channel suitable for all age groups as it screens movies from the 1960s to the latest releases in 2008.”
VTV, the 24-hour Tamil movie channel, will offer classics as well as latest movies. It will also go live seven days a week at primetime. In live show, Hello ‘V’, viewers can call in to dedicate songs to their friends and loved ones.
VTV will also air local programmes tailor-made for the Singapore market like Nayyandi Club, a comedy-based skit featuring local artistes and Start Camera Action, a reality show whereby a local host goes around the Singapore streets in search of people with special talents.
VTV will screen seven movies daily from five slots, namely ‘Morning Classic’, ‘Mega Matinee’, ‘Evening Hits’, ‘Blockbuster Reels’ and ‘Hit Night’. Viewers will get to see movies ranging from those produced during the black-and-white era to the latest releases in the respective categories.
Apart from movies, local programming and live show, there will be line-up of entertaining filler programmes on VTV. These filler programmes are grouped under different themes like Beat Box, which features songs from old and new movies, Kollywood Glitz that showcases the latest happenings, behind the scenes of Kollywood, Star Talk which presents interviews with Kollywood’s movie stars, Movie Talk to share movie reviews and list of top 10 movies and songs and Comedy to remind viewers of memorable funny moments captured from each movie.
'Pubs must sell 25,000 extra pints to pay for Sky'
From http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=61227&c=1
Trade group research claims to have found true cost of having satellite service
Sky has come under fresh attack over research claiming some pubs have to sell 25,000 extra pints over the football season to cover the cost of a subscription.
The figures from the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) suggest that a typical pub has to more than double its usual takings over the bar on all 92 Premiership match days to break even.
The group’s figures are based on an average Sky subscription costing £15,000. However, Sky says that nationally an average commercial subscription is much lower, at around £5,400.
The ALMR said that thousands of pubs are ditching the satellite service, while others are raising the price of drinks or being forced to charge an entry fee to fans.
Nick Bish, the ALMR’s chief executive, said: “Sky has exploited its monopoly position in the commercial sector to impose enormous price increases on pubs.
“They shouldn’t underestimate how important the sector is: we estimate that Sky now generates £340 million annually from pub subscriptions, covering the majority of its £433 million outlay on Premiership TV rights.
“If Sky continues unchecked, more and more pubs will be faced with the stark choice of pulling the plug or passing on costs in uncompetitive beer prices.”
However a spokeswoman from Sky said: “Our product helps pubs attract customers and increase sales. We invest almost £1 billion a year in sport and we provide value for money through a year-round schedule of live sport of which the Barclays Premier League is just one important part.
“Our customers also benefit from coverage of the UEFA Champions League, World Cup qualifiers, the FA Cup, and Carling Cup as well as live cricket, golf and rugby union and rugby league.”
Media regulator Ofcom is currently investigating the pay Tv industry and looking at whether to refer the situation to the Competition Commission.
Hinduja Ventures firm gets govt nod to distribute foreign TV channels
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k8/sep/sep226.php
NEW DELHI: Running a strog cable TV company, the Hindujas are now setting up a content aggregation and distribution outfit mainly for foreign television channels.
Planet E Shop Holdings (India) Ltd, a Hinduja Ventures' affiliate, has received permission from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to downlink and distribute foreign TV channels and content in India.
The idea is to represent foreign channels that want to come to India. Planet E Shop Holdings will handle carriage deals, distribution and marketing of these channels.
The first channel to be distributed is South Korea's Arirang TV, a state-owned International English satellite channel. "We have also tied up exclusively with Miracle Net for its India marketing and distribution," says Planet E Shop Holding business development head Subhashish Mazumdar.
Planet E Shop Holding is in talks with channels from Europe, Asia and Middle East for exclusive marketing and distribution tie-ups. The company plans to have a bouquet and distribute it across various platforms, including IPTV, DTH, digital cable and even mobile TV.
“We hope to bring at least three to four more channels by the end of this fiscal. Though at this stage we won't have big revenues, in the medium term we can see significant cash flows. We are also looking at distributing Indian channels," adds Mazumdar.
WWIL gets nod for HITS, moves Tdsat against Star Den and MSM Discovery
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k8/sep/sep217.php
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (Tdsat) has directed Star Den and MSM Discovery to try and negotiate with Dish TV and Wire & Wireless India Ltd. for a settlement outside the court. This relates to a fresh petition filed by Dish TV and WWIL seeking channels for their upcoming Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) platform.
In the new petition against Star Den and MSM Discovery, Dish TV and WWIL claim to have received a letter from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, dated 9 September, 2008, which states that broadcasters can supply signals of their channels for commencement of the HITS platform and this would not be violating downlinking guidelines.
Earlier on 13 August, the tribunal had dismissed the petition of Dish TV and WWIL on the ground of non availability of uplinking and downlinking guidelines for HITS platforms.
In his order, Tdsat chairperson Justice Arun Kumar has directed Star Den and MSM Discovery to submit their replies within two weeks.
Kumar reprimanded both Star Den and MSM Discovery for being stubborn in their approach towards HITS. “I think all this while we all have been waiting for complete digitalisation to take place as quickly as possible. And now that we have found an easy way for that, instead of cooperating I can see that broadcasters are resisting its growth.”
In an earlier petition, Dish TV and WWIL had alleged that Star Den and MSM Discovery had denied their channels for the upcoming HITS platform.
The case has been listed for further hearing on 20 October.
22/09/08
Weekend local feeds
Friday night
D1 12430 V sr 6510 "NRL Warriors vs Roosters"
Saturday
D2 12662 V Sr 6670 "Nrl Broncos v Storm"
Asiasat 4 12575 V Sr 6620 "A - League Mariners v Victory"
Sunday
D2 12554H Sr 6980 Hostage news feed.
From my Email & ICQ
From Mike Hammond
Fonterra ch up on sky dig nz
D1 12644h 22500 nds launch 12 midday Wednesday 24 sept,should be interesting
From the Dish
Agila 2 146E 12225 H "BenSports TV 3" has started on , Nagravision, SR 3000, FEC 5/6.
Agila 2 146E 12301 H "BenSports TV 1/4/5" have replaced E-Talk, NBN and IBC 13 .
Agila 2 146E 12581 H "BenSports TV 2/7" have replaced TV Maria and Dream Cinema" .
Agila 2 146E 12541 H "BenSports TV 6" has replaced DW-TV Asia .
Agila 2 146E 12621 V "ETTV Drama, TVBS Golden and Da Ai 2" have started on , Viaccess, SR 30000, FEC 3/4.
Agila 2 146E 12544 V "2nd Avenue and SBN 21" have left , new SR: 21428.
Palapa C2 113E 10990 H "ANTV (Indonesia)" has started on , Fta.
Thaicom 5 78.5E "Sindh TV" has left 3600 H.
Telstar 10 76.5E 4006 V "Channel Ten" has started on , MPEG-4, Fta, SR 1011, FEC 3/4.
NEWS
Foxtel launches attack on Terria
From http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24382683-15306,00.html
A WAR of words has erupted between Foxtel and the Optus-led Terria consortium that is bidding for the right to build a National Broadband Network, with the pay-TV operator accusing the consortium of a "Big Brother-style" solution to address Australia's poor broadband speeds.
But Terria struck back yesterday, claiming Foxtel's comments were shaped by the fact that Foxtel is 50 per cent-owned by Optus's big telecommunications rival, Telstra.
The dispute was started in an article in The Australian earlier this month where Terria's bid manager, Michael Simmons, said if the consortium's bid succeeded Telstra should not be allowed to compete with its infrastructure.
Mr Simmons said in the article: "Our proposition to the Government is that no party be allowed to expand the network and operate in competition to the National Broadband Network."
Mr Simmons went on to say that the Government "must preclude any alternative broadband network".
These comments have attracted the ire of Foxtel CEO Kim Williams. "Forcing Australians to take all their services via one network would be a massive step backwards to failed approaches of the mid-20th century," he said. "Terria's approach looks dangerously close to a Big Brother-style totalitarian solution. (It) is hopelessly outmoded in responding to 21st century demands of a contemporary economy -- one which needs less not more protection."
Mr Williams said the comments ran counter to the principle of "providing consumers with what they want, where they want it and over the network of their choice".
Foxtel already uses both Telstra and Optus cable infrastructure to provide subscription television to its customer base, and is proposing to expand broadcast, broadband and mobile phone offerings to customers in years to come as technologies improve.
Mr Williams said if Mr Simmons' comments were correct, he was concerned about whether this existing infrastructure may not be used to compete with any new National Broadband Network.
"If Terria wins the bid, what will happen with existing networks such as the Optus and Telstra HFC networks and mobile networks -- which would all potentially compete with a new NBN network?" he said.
But Mr Simmons yesterday said Foxtel was simply being influenced by Telstra.
"Foxtel is 50 per cent-owned by Telstra so it is no surprise that it has become a mouthpiece for Telstra's propaganda," Mr Simmons said.
"Terria's position on competition and the new National Broadband Network has not changed since day one. Terria maintains that the new network should be structured to ensure open access and fair competition for all service providers of products carried on broadband."
Mr Simmons also claimed Telstra was not committed to competition. "A leopard never changes its spots and history suggests that Telstra's commitment to competition is hollow," he said.
But Foxtel's government and corporate affairs boss, Adam Suckling, said yesterday: "They haven't answered the question, which is, if they win the bid, do they want a prohibition on competing broadband networks being rolled out? And do they want Telstra or Optus to be prevented from upgrading their existing networks in order to compete with the winning bidder of the new broadband network?"
Optus spokesman Maha Krishnapillai responded, saying: "All we are proposing is that them economies justify there being only one fibre-to-the-node network."
Joint channel plan for free TV
From http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24382705-15306,00.html
AUSTRALIA'S commercial free-to-air TV networks are considering a groundbreaking move to share programming on the digital channels they will launch next year, in an attempt to save costs and make the industry's proposed Freeview platform more compelling for subscribers.
The Australian understands that under the terms of a "joint venture proposal", each of the new multi-channels would be based on distinctly different themes agreed by the networks.
The proposal would see Network Ten launching a sports-only channel, with the Nine Network having a "general entertainment" offering and the Seven Network likely to launch a lifestyle channel.
On January 1, 2009, the TV networks will be allowed to broadcast one new standard definition channel with separate programming from their flagship channels.
The Government hopes the new channels will convince TV viewers to buy the digital set-top boxes they will need before it switches off the analog TV signal in 2013.
The discussions are designed to help Freeview (the industry's digital TV marketing arm) provide compelling digital content when it launches its campaign -- likely to be in the second quarter of next year.
Freeview is expected to take on the pay-TV sector, so Ten's sports channel, for example, will bid to compete with pay-TV's Fox Sports channels, while Nine's general entertainment channel would be a competitor to pay-TV's Fox8 channel.
The Australian understands that in a further unprecedented aspect of the deal, the three networks could share non-first-run or unused programming according to the specific requirements of the new digital channels.
One network source says: "An umpteenth repeat of The Simpsons could go from Ten to Nine's new multi-channel as part of its general entertainment offering. Or some sport from Seven or Nine could go to Ten on a second-run basis."
However, there were signs last week that Ten may be getting cold feet about pursuing the joint venture and sharing content.
One source says: "Ten appeared to be saying that it knew what it wanted to do with the multi-channel and what it wanted to give its viewers. The Ten people seemed to be saying the joint venture concept was confusing them."
Sources at Ten's rivals have remained optimistic about resurrecting the deal, with more meetings between the three networks believed to be scheduled for this week. But if Ten does not participate, it is unlikely Seven and Nine would agree on a deal on their own because of their fierce ratings rivalry.
One source says: "If it was all in, it would be easier for Seven and Nine to participate. The opportunity is less clear if Ten is not involved."
In July, Media revealed Ten's plans to form a sports-only multi-channel next year, and since then the network has continued to pursue sports rights.
Earlier this month, it beat Fox Sports to the rights for international netball for four years.
In recent months it has also broadly indicated its desire to start a sports-only channel by showing an increasingly eclectic range of sports live on its existing HD multi-channel. These have even included a world heavyweight boxing title fight, the first time a free-to-air network has screened such an event in more than a decade.
It already has rights to two of golf's four "majors", the US Open and US Masters; cricket's emerging powerhouse, the Indian Premier League (IPL); and its joint coverage of the AFL with Seven and Foxtel.
The US Masters and the netball can be repeated on the multi-channels but cannot be screened live and exclusively there because they are on the Government's anti-siphoning list, which protects viewer access to major events on flagship free-to-air channels.
The new multi-channel offerings on the Freeview platform could be completed by a new children's channel offering by the ABC. Earlier this month, at a national press club lunch, ABC managing director Mark Scott said: "Next year, there are likely to be 15 free-to-air digital channels in Australia as we move to analog switch-off. One should be an ABC children's channel."
Content For New HD Channel Still Up In The Air
From http://www.smarthouse.com.au/TVs_And_Large_Display/Industry/G2K4X8E6
A $30 million dollar HD channel upgrade planned by free to air TV networks for 2009 is still up in the air with the TV stations refusing to release information to media buyers claims the Financial Review.
A $30 million dollar HD channel upgrade planned by free to air TV networks for 2009 is still up in the air with the TV stations refusing to release information to media buyers claims the Financial Review.
Analysts have also said that the move to new high quality TV program channels could create problems for the Seven, Ten and Nine networks with OMD Managing Partner Peter Horgan telling the Financial Review that the networks were counting on the new channels to build their audience and "Stymie or slow" the growth of Foxtel in Australia.
Group M Trading Director James Parkinson said that the lack of information on the new TV channels is hindering planning and that the new channels could well "canabibalise their main channels". He also claimed that the networks are caught is a dilemma between whether their new HD networks should be" niche or have broad appeal".
While the Seven Network is tipped to be planning on going it alone in an effort to combine the marketing of their recently launched TiVo personal video recorder with the role out of new content services, Foxtel claim that the HD channel role out will cost the networks $50 million and not the $30million suggested by the networks.
Key to the role out of new HD services by the free to air TV networks is the introduction of Freeview which is a consortium that was formed to help drive the take-up of the free-to-air digital television platform in Australia.
Freeview shareholders include the ABC, SBS, the Seven Network, the Nine Network, Network Ten, Prime, WIN and Southern Cross.
From 2009 Government legislation will allow the commercial free-to-air networks to broadcast an additional standard definition (SD) channel each, in addition to their primary SD channels, and their recently added high definition (HD) channels.
The three new channels, together with the two ABC and two SBS channels and their respective HD channels, will result in 15 HD channels being available under the Freeview umbrella.
To receive all the Freeview channels, consumers will need an HD digital-set-top box, digital video recorder or an integrated digital television.
First digital TV stats show ABC2's success
From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24381008-7582,00.html
CHILDREN'S programming slots on ABC2 are attracting bigger audiences than any one of the dedicated kids channels on pay-TV, according to the first OzTAM ratings data available on the ABC's digital channel.
ABC2 has grown from a weekly reach of 700,000 to 1.5 million in three months -- largely on the back of the popularity of the Beijing Paralympics, which were screened for a world record-breaking 130 hours.
ABC managing director Mark Scott said the growth of ABC2 mirrored the international experience, in which unique content drove digital take-up.
"Compelling content will drive audiences to digital television and will encourage them to upgrade their set or buy a digital set-top box," Mr Scott told Media yesterday.
"The numbers have proven this by effectively doubling the reach of ABC2 over a three-month period, culminating in a reach of 1.5 million."
About half of all Australian households can now receive digital television through subscription television, a set-top box or a digital receiver.
"Reach" is the number of different people who watch the network over one week, and not the average number of people watching at any one time.
According to figures supplied by ABC publicity, the average reach of ABC2 is now 860,000 viewers across the five metropolitan markets.
The live coverage of the Beijing Paralympics was the most successful event so far, attracting a peak audience between 1pm and 5pm of 56,000 and double that for the live session between 7.30pm and 11pm.
"We think there is compelling evidence for a number of propositions," Mr Scott said. "More unique choice on digital television will provide great assistance to government in its aim to switch off analog television by 2013.
"They'll make the switch sooner if there is great television you can only see on digital television. We can see that with our children's programs."
In what must be a worrying development for Foxtel, Optus and Austar, ABC2's dedicated children's slots in the morning and the afternoon are eroding pay-TV's share.
More kids -- and the gap is even wider with pre-schoolers -- watch the free ABC2 channel than Disney, Playhouse Disney, Nickelodeon or Nick Jr.
ABC2 has an almost 15 per cent share of the pre-school audience.
The ABC hopes to snare an even bigger slice of the kids' market with its budget proposition for funding for a dedicated commercial-free ABC children's channel.
While ABC1's audience is older and female, ABC2's audience profile is skewed towards men, and people aged under 40.
The most popular nights on ABC2 are Wednesday and Thursday, when hip, young fare such as The Gruen Transfer and Spicks & Specks are re-screened, after first appearing on ABC1.
But ABC2's most popular program is one that does not screen on ABC1 -- a British engineering game show called Scrapheap Challenge, which has a peak audience of 91,000.
Mr Scott said there were places to put more arts content on ABC2, which has had no dedicated government funding.
Tonga's royal satellite company settles debt
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/4701528a12.html
A Tongan satellite company that turned a princess into a millionaire has repaid its debts to the kingdom but Prime Minister Feleti Sevele refuses to say how much was owed.
Friendly Islands Satellite Communications Ltd or Tongasat, 60 percent owned by Princess Pilolevu Tuita, sister of King George Tupou V, controls equatorial satellite slots and a single satellite.
Its accounting, run through Hong Kong based Pacific Asia Global Holdings Ltd, has been shadowy and the kingdom's pro-democracy movement has long demanded details and said it should be owned by the state, not the royal family.
Dr Sevele told the Tongan Parliament that he was "extremely happy to convey to you the wonderful news about the outstanding success" of Tongasat.
The company had settled all of its outstanding debts to government.
"The amount outstanding was nowhere near the T$50,000,000 (NZ$37.5 million), which the House and the nation have been repeatedly misled," he said, but without specifying the actual amount repaid.
"Today, Tongasat has triumphed, and the whole nation is the recipient of all of its benefits."
Dr Sevele said that since Tongasat had begun in 1988 it has "given the Government and the people of Tonga, in excess of T$40,000,000."
He did not say how this was made up but said it was a monumental success "achieved despite having to also carry the extra burdens of misinformation about the Royal Family and the princess."
Divine intervention saved Tongasat, he said.
His announcement was the latest twist in a story that started when a grieving American showed up in Tonga with a get-rich-quick scheme.
Swedish born Dr. Matt Nilson was an official with the Washington based International Telecommunications Satellite Consortium which controlled geostationary satellites. When his wife died he took a holiday in Tonga.
He came up with a scheme to get around what was a gentlemen's agreement that Intelsat member nations only take up equatorial geostationary orbital slots they actually need.
Tonga, although its own minuscule communications needs were handled by Cable and Wireless, took up his idea and claimed 16 orbital slots, prompting outrage in the satellite world. After a long round of negotiations and legal battles, Tongasat cut its claim back to six slots.
US based Fortune estimated the princess' from Tongasat at US$25 million (NZ$38 million).
In 2003 Tongasat purchased an existing aging satellite, COMSTAR d4 and named it ESIAFI-1. The moved it and parked it over the Indian Ocean to provide satellite services between Asia and Europe. Its foot print does not reach the South Pacific.
Tuita has always claimed her involvement in Tongasat was party of God's plan for Tonga to lead the way in Christianising China. It was why Tonga switched its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing and it moved Tongasat to Hong Kong.
"I believe that God invented us to do this work otherwise we could have become just another foreigner knocking on doors in Beijing for years without having a chance to meet the leaders of China."
Thailand rebuffs US cable plan
From http://www.bangkokpost.com/200908_Business/20Sep2008_biz41.php
Thailand has expressed strong disagreement with a proposal by the United States to extend the scope of copyright protection to signals transmitted through cable TV and satellite.
Such signals are already considered as copyright according to Thai laws, said Wiboonlasna Ruamraksa, the deputy director-general of the Intellectual Property Department, who attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) Intellectual Property Expert Group (IPEC) meetings recently in Lima, Peru.
At IPEC, Washington pressed its signal theft initiative to include signals transmitted through cable and satellite so that it could take legal action against pirates who breach copyright protection.
Ms Wiboonlasna said the enforcement of Thailand's existing copyright law already covered movies transmitted through cable and satellite.
''Signal piracy should rest on the organisations or units that take care of TV and satellite signals,'' she said.
According to the International Intellectual Property Alliance, piracy in Thailand of cable and satellite broadcasting signals, especially US programming, remains rampant, causing revenue losses estimated at US$160 million, the second highest losses in the Asia-Pacific region.
Illegal decoder boxes and smart cards are widely available in Thailand. The cable industry said that in late 2006, there were 1.33 million pirate cable hook-ups, a 10% increase over the previous year, compared with 509,000 legitimate subscribers to pay TV operators.
It said that Thailand had yet to establish an effective system to license and regulate broadcast and cable facilities with the authority to take actions to deter illegal broadcasters.
As well, it said, public performance piracy was thriving in Thailand, as many unlicensed cable operators, particularly in provincial areas, now transmit continuous, unauthorised motion pictures on dedicated movie channels. Hotels, bars and restaurants also screen videos over in-house systems.
XFMedia & All Sports Network Sign Exclusive China Distribution Agreement
From http://www.itnewsonline.com/showprnstory.php?storyid=12611
Company Invests in Hong Kong-Based All Sports Network
BEIJING, Sept. 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XFMedia , a leading media group in China, announced that it has invested US$ 2 million for a 15.5% stake in All Sports Network ("ASN"). ASN is scheduled to be launched by Hong Kong based Yes TV in September 2008. XFMedia has exclusive distribution rights via mobile, television, internet and radio, to ASN's content in China.
ASN will offer exclusive coverage of North America's biggest sports leagues in HDTV (high definition television), including the NHL (National Hockey League), the NFL (National Football League), NCAA basketball and football, March Madness and the Final Four. ASN will also offer coverage in Asia for the top college conferences in the USA including the Big Ten, Pac 10, SEC and ACC, including basketball, baseball, tennis, swimming, golf, football, soccer, track and field and gymnastics. Additionally, there will be extensive coverage of motor sports and extreme sports such as snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding. ASN is expected to generate revenue through subscriptions, advertisings and sponsorships.
"We are excited by the prospects of our investment and new venture with Yes TV as it gives us exclusive distribution rights to high value sports content in China," said XFMedia CEO Ms Fredy Bush. "Quality international sports content is one of the top commercial opportunities in the China media field today. It is a very efficient way to make contact with the upwardly mobile and high net worth demographic that is at the heart of XFMedia's strategy." Ms. Bush added, "We are well positioned to capitalize on this high growth opportunity with our strong, multi-platform distribution capability in China."
Thomas Kressner, CEO & Chairman of Yes TV, commented, "The value of sports content is growing rapidly across Asia, particularly North American sports. We believe there will be significant and growing demand for this content in all major markets, especially China. Going forward, ASN will continue to bring key sports properties to Asia." Mr. Kressner added, "XFMedia's broad distribution capabilities and commitment to YES TV via their investment, validates our business model and will help us expand our footprint throughout Asia."
About XFMedia
Xinhua Finance Media is a leading media group in China with nationwide access to the upwardly mobile demographic. Through its synergistic business groups, Broadcast, Print and Advertising, XFMedia offers a total solution empowering clients at every stage of the media process and connecting them with their target audience. Its unique platform covers a wide range of media assets, including television, radio, newspaper, magazine, outdoor, online and other media assets.
Headquartered in Beijing, the company has offices and affiliates in major cities of China including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit .
About Yes Television (Hong Kong) Ltd
Yes Television (Hong Kong) Limited is a pan-Asia media company focusing on sports content. It launched the dedicated football network -- GOALTV(TM) in 2004. GOAL TV1 and GOAL TV2 are two 24-hour channels featuring comprehensive coverage including exclusive LIVE games from major European leagues and behind-the-scenes access to Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Former NTC chief accused of self-dealing
From http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news4_sept22_2008
AN Estrada-era head of the National Telecommunications Commission issued a “midnight” license to a satellite TV company where he owned shares of stock and sat as a board member, Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza said yesterday.
“[Ponciano] Cruz [Jr.] granted GV Broadcasting System Inc. its first direct-to-home broadcast license when he was NTC chief for less than six months,” Plaza said, adding congressmen discovered the anomaly during a House probe.
“It was definitely a midnight license,” Plaza said.
“The license was stealthily issued a few days after Malacañang had indicated it was already looking for a new NTC commissioner. The license was granted exactly two weeks before Cruz was fired.”
Plaza said Securities and Exchange Commission documents showed that Cruz was a director of SATVentures Inc., the company controlling GV Broadcasting.
“This means that Cruz was either rewarded an equity stake in and a key post in SATVentures for giving GV a license when he was NTC chief, or he was a GV stakeholder from the start and he irregularly gave his own firm a license,” Plaza said.
He said Cruz later brokered the sale of SATVentures’ stake in GV Broadcasting to a media holding company for P450 million.
Plaza said the House would summon Cruz to a hearing along with Romero Federico Quimbo, president and chief executive of the state-run Pag-IBIG Fund, the home financing firm, whose name had also appeared as an incorporator and a stockholder of SATVentures.
Plaza is the author of House Bill 5028, which seeks to cancel GV Broadcasting’s franchise for violating its conditions.
He said GV Broadcasting failed to seek the House’s approval before selling its franchise, which was against the law.
“Prior endorsement by Congress of ownership transfers in franchised entities is compulsory,” Plaza said.
He said JG Summit Holdings sought congressional approval when it acquired Cebu Pacific from the Cantos family of Cebu.
“When JG Summit acquired Cebu Air as a vehicle for Cebu Pacific [Air], businessman John Gokongwei dutifully sought the prior approval of Congress,” he said.
“In fact, the House and the Senate separately conducted hearings on the transfer.”
ILS Proton Successfully Launches Telesat's Nimiq 4 Satellite
From http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/ils-proton-successfully-launches-telesats/story.aspx?guid=%7BB1D3A4BD-F63D-4F06-87FE-404A424F2D93%7D&dist=hppr
BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, Sep 20, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- An International Launch Services (ILS) Proton Breeze M launch vehicle successfully carried the Nimiq 4 satellite into space for Telesat today.
This was the fourth launch of the year, and 47th overall, for ILS. The satellite, built by EADS Astrium, was the second Eurostar 3000 bus launched by ILS in a little over a month. Proton builder Khrunichev Space Center of Moscow is the majority owner of ILS, which is based in Reston, Va.
The Proton vehicle lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 3:48 a.m. today local time (5:48 p.m. Friday EDT, 21:48 Friday GMT). The launch vehicle carried the 5-ton satellite for 9 hours and 11 minutes, releasing it into geosynchronous transfer orbit. Ultimately the engineers at Astrium will move the satellite to 82 degrees West longitude, where it will deliver direct-to-home television across Canada.
"We appreciate Telesat's support as we returned to flight and instituted our quality initiative," said ILS President Frank McKenna. "We are committed to successful performance, as we saw today for Telesat, and for the long run."
McKenna added, "Nimiq 4 is the fifth satellite we have launched for Telesat, and we look forward to launching Nimiq 5 next year."
"We thank ILS and Khrunichev for their dedication to providing a successful launch," said Telesat President and CEO Dan Goldberg. "This is our fifth Proton launch and we value our strong relationship with ILS and Khrunichev."
About ILS and Khrunichev:
ILS provides satellite customers with a complete array of services and support, from contract signing through mission management and on-orbit delivery. ILS has exclusive rights to market the Proton, Russia's premier heavy-lift vehicle, to commercial satellite operators worldwide. ILS is a U.S. company incorporated in Delaware, and headquartered in Reston, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C. For more information, visit http://www.ilslaunch.com/.
Khrunichev, which holds the majority interest in ILS, is one of the cornerstones of the Russian space industry. Khrunichev manufactures the Proton system and is developing the Angara launch system. The Proton launches from facilities at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and has a heritage of more than 330 missions since 1965. Khrunichev includes among its branches a number of key manufacturers of launch vehicle and spacecraft components in Moscow and in other cities of the Russian Federation. For more information, visit http://www.khrunichev.ru/.
SOURCE: International Launch Services
International Launch Services Fran Slimmer, +1-571-633-7462 Mobile: +1-646-229-4801 [email protected]
Russia, France sign contract to launch 10 rockets from Kourou
From http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080920/116990159.html
SOCHI, September 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's space agency and French satellite launch firm Arianespace signed a contract on Saturday to launch 10 Russian Soyuz-ST carrier rockets from the Kourou space center in French Guiana.
The contract was signed by Russian Federal Space Agency head Anatoly Perminov and Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall after a session of a bilateral inter-governmental commission, which took place on the sidelines of the investment forum under way in Russia's Black Sea resort Sochi.
"The contract envisions the purchase of ten Soyuz carrier rockets to be launched from the space center in Guiana... The contract is estimated at a total of $300-$400 million," Le Gall said adding that the first launch is scheduled for late 2009.
The Kourou launch site is intended mainly for the launch of geostationary satellites. Its proximity to the equator will enable the Soyuz-ST to put into orbit heavier satellites than from Baikonur in Kazakhstan and Plesetsk in northern Russia.
Under a contract signed in June with Arianespace, the Soyuz will have a separate launch pad near Sinnamari, a village 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the site used for the Ariane-5, the main European-made booster.
Launches of Soyuz spacecraft are the key part of the Russian-French program of cooperation in space exploration.
Le Gall said three or four Soyuz boosters are planned to be launched annually as of 2010.
Russia to orbit six Glonass satellites by yearend
From http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080919/116968701.html
SOCHI, September 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia plans to launch six satellites in the next three months to increase the existing Glonass (INFOgraphics) grouping to 18-19 spacecraft, a leading satellite manufacturer said on Friday.
Glonass (Global Navigation Satellite System) is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), which is designed for both military and civilian use, and allows users to identify their positions in real time.
"We will launch three Glonass satellites on September 28 and another three satellites in December, so we could have 18-19 spacecraft in orbit, taking into account the possible retirement of outdated spacecraft," an official from the Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems told RIA Novosti.
According to the Central Research Institute for Machine Building, the Glonass system currently consists of 16 satellites, with 13 satellites operating in line with their designated function, two satellites undergoing maintenance, and one due to be withdrawn from the orbital grouping.
The head of the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos), Anatoly Perminov, said on September 5 that the number of satellites in Russia's Glonass navigation system will be increased from the current 16 to 30 by 2011.
It was earlier reported that the Glonass system should include 18 satellites for continued navigation services covering the entire territory of the Russian Federation and 24 satellites to provide services worldwide.
A total of 9.9 billion rubles ($418.25 million) was allocated for Glonass from the federal budget in 2007, and 4.7 billion rubles ($200 million) in 2006.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed a directive on September 12 on allocating an additional $2.6 billion to develop the Glonass satellite system.
Essel Group gets ministry nod for HITS launch
From http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=335097
Having got clearances from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), as directed by the appellate tribunal, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), the Subhash Chandra-led Essel Group is set for the commercial launch of Headend-in-the-Sky (HITS), its new cable distribution platform.
Essel Group’s plan to launch the service in early August hit a roadblock after broadcasters, like those offering Star and Sony bouquets, denied the signals, pointing out that the downlinking guidelines do not provide for HITS.
The TDSAT then asked the group to get the necessary clarification from the ministry.
In a clarification recently, the ministry said that providing signals/content of permitted TV channels to existing HITS operators for retransmission/distribution to cable operators would not be taken as violation of existing guidelines.
HITS is a new cable-distribution platform that is similar to the direct-to-home (DTH) service. It allows distribution of digital-quality cable channels via satellite to cable operators at one go. For consumers, it means access to quality cable channels via a set-top box at reduced monthly rates, while for the cable industry, it means faster and cost-effective digitalisation.
However, unlike DTH, HITS works on a lower frequency (C-band, while DTH works on Ku-band). Also, end consumers under HITS are cable operators, while DTH signals reach consumers directly.
Essel Group’s HITS licencee arm, Wire and Wireless India Ltd (WWIL), has now approached the TDSAT seeking relief. In its plea, WWIL has sought signals from all major broadcasters, including Star DEN, MSM Discovery, among others.
“The I&B ministry has issued a clarification asking all broadcasters to share their channels with our HITS platform...we hope to launch HITS soon,” a senior executive of Essel Group told Business Standard.
According to sources, the HITS platform from the Essel Group may be called ‘SITI Satellite’ and is likely to offer packages of 105-130 channels at attractive price points of Rs 80-100 per month.
This is lower than several packages offered by existing DTH players.
It should be noted that HITS is a new platform and the Government is yet to come out with a detailed policy on HITS.
However, the Essel Group had got the HITS licence five years ago and got a renewed permission earlier this year to launch HITS. The Essel Group is already into broadcasting (Zee TV), cable distribution (WWIL), DTH services (Dish TV) and other related business.
21/09/08
Sunday, No update
20/09/08
Saturday , No update
19/09/08
3 HD Channels started FTA on SkyPerfect
Jcsat 124E 12498 H 23300 Fec:3/4
120E Thaicom 1 3769 V sr 2169 Fec 3/4 "Moe Channel" Vpid 512 Apid 4112 (See news item)
From my Email & ICQ
...
From the Dish
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3617 V "5 Series" is Fta.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3680 H "Big Ten Network" is now encrypted.
NEWS
Waihopai security glitch may have aided entry
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/4697687a12855.html
A security official at Marlborough's Waihopai Valley spy base inadvertently revealed in court that an apparent delay in an alarm on the fence may have meant they were not initially alerted to a breach by three Christian activists.
Elizabeth Stove was giving evidence at a depositions hearing for Auckland friar Peter Murnane, organic gardener Adrian Leason and Hokianga farmer Samuel Land in the Blenheim District Court.
The trio are accused of deflating one of two white domes at the base in April and were committed to trial yesterday after a three-hour summary of police evidence against them.
They said they were calling public attention to Waihopai's alleged role in an international spy network known as Echelon and labelled their action Anzus Ploughshares in reference to similar protests abroad aimed at weapons of war.
They are charged with intentional damage to property and entering with the intention to commit a crime.
In court, Sergeant Steve Frost said that their action had been meticulously planned up to four months beforehand, and the men cut through a series of fences to get to the dome.
He called four witnesses to give evidence.
The first, Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) employee Stove told the court she had been on duty at the time of the incident in her role as a security officer.
She described how an alarm had been activated just after 6am and when she went to investigate she found the three accused men holding a prayer meeting in the grounds and the dome in the process of deflating.
Murnane, 68, who is representing himself, questioned Stove about the exact nature of the security systems in place to protect the base.
She said an alarm would ordinarily be triggered by a breach of the base's outer perimeter fence and another alarm by a breach of the dome itself.
Murnane asked if the dome alarm was a separate sound from the fence alarm.
Stove replied: "Yes."
He then asked if she was aware that the fence alarm had sounded at a different time to the dome alarm.
"To us inside it appeared to be simultaneous" she said.
Frost then called a policeman and two detectives to give evidence. This included the screening of two interviews with Murnane, both of which were suppressed by Judge Bruce Davidson.
At the conclusion of the police case, Michael Knowles the lawyer acting for Leason asked the court to drop the charges in relation to the base on the grounds that no evidence had been produced to prove its ownership by the GCSB.
This was rejected by the judge who committed the men to trial.
All three pleaded not guilty and a court date was fixed for November to begin jury selection.
Outside the court they renewed their verbal assault on the intelligence role they believe the Waihopai installation run by the GCSB plays in Washington's so-called war on terror.
"Echelon and Waihopai are one" said Leason, 42.
"Echelon is what is driving the intelligence community. It is an enormous set of ears that listens to everything, and all surveillance that the US is using in their war is coming out of Echelon."
The Press could not contact the GCSB yesterday but in May its director, Air Marshall Bruce Ferguson, rejected the claim describing the group's beliefs as "quite warped" and "quite nonsensical".
Chunghwa Telecom teams with SingTel to launch new satellite
From http://www.chinaknowledge.com/News/news-detail.aspx?type=1&id=17643
Sep. 19, 2008 (China Knowledge) - New York-listed Chunghwa Telecom<CHT>, the largest telecoms service provider in Taiwan, Thursday announced it would form a joint venture with Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel) to build a new satellite ST- 2, according to sources.
According to the Taiwan-based carrier's statement, Chunghwa Telecom's wholly-owned unit Chunghwa Telecom Singapore will inject TWD 1.35 billion for about 38% stake in the joint venture, while SingTel will control the remaining 62%.
ST- 2 satellite, which is scheduled to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2010 and has a longer service life of 15 years, will replace the ST-1 satellite which was launched by the two companies in 1998. The ST-1 satellite will go out of commission in 2011.
Meanwhile, ST-2 will occupy the same longitude of 88 degrees, but has stronger transmitting power than ST-1, which allows the joint venture to expand its service coverage to include Asia, India and the Middle East.
Earlier this month, Chunghwa Telecom posted its unaudited net profit for August rose 8.2% year-on-year to NTD 5.3 billion, compared with NT$4.9 billion over the same period of last year, and its revenue totaled NTD 15.75 billion, down 1.3% from NT$15.96 billion a year earlier.
SingTel-Chunghwa joint venture to launch ST-2 satellite in 2010
From http://www.satellite-evolution.com/Satellite 2007/newsresult.htm
Singapore, 18 September 2008 – Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) today announced it has signed a shareholders agreement to form a joint venture with Chunghwa Telecom to build the ST-2 satellite. This satellite is targeted to be delivered in 2010 and will replace the ST-1 satellite, which will be retired in 2011.
SingTel will have approximately 62% share in the joint venture. Chunghwa Telecom will own the remaining 38%.
Mr Bill Chang, SingTel’s Executive Vice President for Business, said: “The ST-2 satellite will offer significantly greater capacity than ST-1 and wider coverage to also include emerging markets such as the Middle East. We are well placed to meet the strong demand for fixed and mobile satellite services, including our innovative IP-based solutions, which are transforming the way our customers do business. Even before its launch, about two-thirds of ST-2’s capacity has been pre-booked.”
SingTel, as Asia Pacific’s largest provider of fixed and mobile satellite solutions with more than 35 years experience, is committed to providing customers with the best satellite coverage and services.
PNG government launches own TV station
From http://www.matangitonga.to/article/png_190908_1324_pf.shtml
PAPUA NEW GUINEA'S national government is set to launch its television station today, Sept 17, with broadcasting expected to start at 6pm until midnight on channel two.
Residents in Wewak, Mt Hagen, Lae, Kokopo, Goroka and Port Moresby will get the chance to see the station, dubbed the National Television Station (NTS), being aired in this pre-launch but not other towns.
Special technical adviser Noel Mobiha said yesterday the launch today would be a pilot transmission test as part of the first phase of the K12 million project.
Mobiha said the television would be using cutting edge internet TV technology, meaning pictures and speeches can be sent quickly.
Internet TV was relatively a low investment service which transmits using existing infrastructure including broadband, ADSL, Wi-Fi, cable and satellite which makes it a valuable tool for a wide variety of service providers and content owners looking for new revenue streams.
Mobiha said the other 14 provinces will be linked up in the second phase of the project.
He said the new studio was yet to be completed and fitted with the equipments before a formal launch of the state-owned television station in "few months time".
Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare will be launching the station in Wewak, East Sepik Province, today.
THAILAND: Needy pupils get satellite TV learning
From http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-southeastasia.asp?parentid=97527
Project allows students in remote areas opportunity to learn from more experienced teachers in Bangkok
In his last act as education minister, Somchai Wongsawat launched the distance learning television channel yesterday, a 3.25-billion-baht scheme. The four-year project, called MOE Channel, is operated by Samart Communication Services Co, which was selected by the ministry to bring long-distance study to 3,000 needy schools.
"Actually, I tried to secure a 10-billion-baht budget for this project, but I could not," Mr Somchai said.
"It requires massive investment to bridge the gap between rural and city students. I know the feeling well. I was a straight-A student in Nakhon Si Thammarat, but I struggled and almost flunked in Bangkok."
The project will allow students in remote schools which have teacher shortages to learn from experienced teachers in Bangkok. The channel will be broadcast via satellite.
Subjects offered will be mathematics, science and English. Students can send questions to teachers online.
The schools need only a television set and satellite dish.
The pilot run started this year for Mathayom 3 (grade 9) students in 12 schools in Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Khon Kaen, Buri Ram, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Phatthalung, Suphan Buri and Ratchaburi.
When the project is completed, students from Pathom 4 to Mathayom 3 in 3,112 schools will have access to the channel.
Samart Corporation president Watchai Vilailuck said the firm will provide broadcasting systems, learning software, video multimedia and teacher training.
(Craig's comment, settings are listed at top of todays upday)
Murdoch: I Was ‘Frightened’ of Cable Triple Play
From http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6597182.html?desc=topstory
Says Liberty Swap Was Made in Part Because of Fears Satellite Couldn't Compete
New York—News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch told an audience at an industry conference here Wednesday that his decision to swap his interest in DirecTV Group with Liberty Media was in part because of his fears that the satellite giant would not be able to compete with cable operators and telephone companies.
“I was frightened of the Triple Play in cable and then a superior service coming from the telephone companies,” Murdoch said at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference Wednesday.
News Corp. agreed in December 2006 to swap its controlling interest in DirecTV for Liberty’s 19% voting stake in News Corp., in a deal valued at about $11 billion. The swap helped clear up some major issues for News Corp.—it solidified the Murdoch family as the largest holders of voting shares in the media giant.
But since the swap, DirecTV has performed well against cable and telephone company competition—it reported 129,000 net new subscribers in the second quarter—well outpacing analyst estimates.
Murdoch admitted at the conference that his fears may have been a bit premature. But he believes they may play out in the future.
“I might have been wrong,” Murdoch said. “I don’t think I’m wrong in the long term.”
Murdoch praised News Corp.’s cable channels, adding that the cable networks have reported strong revenue growth despite the sluggish economy. He pointed to Fox News Channel, which is in the middle of renegotiating its affiliate deals with several distributors, as another example of the strong performance on the cable side.
And he said that some of the company’s newest networks are beginning to turn the profitability corner.
Murdoch said that its college sports channel—the Big Ten Network—cost about $83 million to launch. But in the past few months the network has reached distribution deals with most of the major cable operators—it signed deals with Comcast and Time Warner in June and August—and is expected to report a small profit this year.
Its other new network, Fox Business Network, is expected to lose money in its first three years “but will be a very valuable asset.”
But despite the strong performance across most of its business lines, News Corp. stock has been hammered this year. Its shares are down about 35% so far this year, in part because of the company’s exposure to newspaper assets. The company’s $5.6 billion purchase of Dow Jones & Co.—publisher of the Wall Street Journal—didn’t help that perception.
Murdoch said that the Journal has the potential to be a strong revenue generator. He added that he expected the paper to boost its online subscription revenue by $300 million annually over the next three years. Ad revenue at its WSJ.com Web site should be about $100 million alone each year, the News Corp. chairman said.
But Murdoch added that the Journal was probably the last newspaper property News Corp. acquires for some time.
“We’re not interested in buying any more newspapers,” Murdoch said. “We think we have something very special in Dow Jones.”
Will Africa ever own her share of Space?
From http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/-/1066/472392/-/148vvjxz/-/
Over the years, space exploration has yielded diverse interests globally.
Now scientists endeavour to bring on earth new findings about the outer space and its untapped potential, which potential has given rise to a debate and scrabble for the real estate in the sky.
At the centre of the debate is the geostationary orbit located 35, 900 kilometres directly over the Equator.
Because the rotational period here equals that of the earth, objects appear stationary over a fixed point when viewed from the earth’s surface. This property makes this geosynchronous space home to artificial satellites, which to date have found a myriad uses ranging from communication, weather forecasting, navigation, espionage, remote sensing and space sporting and tourism by the developed countries.
Equator, the imaginary line dividing the earth equally into the northern and southern hemispheres and which passes through six African nations, is already at the centre of a global scramble. Once again, Africa will be caught at crossroads just as it happened during the First and Second World Wars.
Like any natural resource and one up for grabs, the equatorial space territory is limited and therefore can’t accommodate the feet of every nation that wants to leave an imprint.
Now, the lack of accompanying rules on such a valuable resource is a recipe for conflict and space analysts fear that it might trigger the next World War.
The writing is on the on the wall as China is embroiled in a space conflict with the US. Actually, the competition for the geostatic space isn’t a new phenomenon.
It was envisioned in 1967 and a treaty signed which, in summary, said that outer space isn’t subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty.
As if in protest, nine out of the 12 states lying on the equator (Gabon and Somalia weren’t represented) in 1976 held a conference in Bogota, Colombia, and came up with another declaration that authorised them to exercise national sovereignty over the arcs of the geostationary orbit.
However, they cannot enforce this claim due to lack of financial and technical know-how, weakness that will certainly give colonial- era style land-grabs a replay in the space.
The stage is already set because not a single equatorial country in Africa has a satellite to its name —logically locking them out of the global outer space ownership debate.
This is why Kenyans and Ethiopians cheered their long distance runners in the Beijing Olympics via a borrowed infrastructure. In the current information society, communication is a valued global activity and one that Africa has gobbled up in earnest.
Almost all African countries have gone, e-governance, e-commerce, e- everything, but on a weak “foreign” and enslaving foundation by putting their much proclaimed sovereignty at the mercy of their sympathisers.
Currently over 80 per cent of internet communication in Africa is routed through satellite internet, yet only six out of the 54 countries that make up the continent have their own artificial satellites in space. Of the 3,275 (as of June 2008) artificial satellites 10 are from African countries.
The satellite internet connectivity is relatively expensive considering that most of the countries are poor. High band width fibre optic cable would have been an economical alternative but this is an innovation yet to reach many African countries, as retrogressive politics stand in the way to its use.
A timely example is the East African Submarine System, a project sponsored by World Bank and African Development Bank.
Upon its completion it is expected to link South Africa, Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan and Djibouti.
Harmonic Honoured With Three CSI Product Of The Year Awards - Pick Up IBC Innovation Award
From http://www.broadcastbuyer.tv/publish/ibc2008_250/Harmonic_Honoured_With_Three_CSI_Product_Of_The_Year_Awards_-_Pick_Up_IBC_Innovation_Award_17795.shtml
Three Harmonic products have been awarded the 2008 Cable & Satellite International Product of the Year Awards and an IBC Innovation Award for Content Delivery. The CSI Awards are one of the most comprehensive and competitive technology awards in the industry, designed to reward technical and product marketing excellence in the cable, satellite, terrestrial broadcasting and telco TV sectors. The CSI and IBC Innovation Award winners were announced at the IBC 2008 exhibition in Amsterdam
Harmonic's CSI Award-winning products were Best HDTV technology or project -- DiviCom Electra 7000 HD MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) encoder, Best digital video processing technology -- Rhozet Carbon Coder universal media transcoding technology and Best fibre contribution/distribution/transport solution -- PWRLink 1310 CWDM forward path transmitter
Harmonic’s Rhozet Business Unit, in conjunction with other partners, also won the industry’s coveted IBC Innovation Award for Content Delivery for instant VOD delivery of Live Earth: Concerts for a Climate in Crisis. Live Earth was a 24-hour, seven-continent concert series that brought together more than 100 music artists and two billion people to generate global awareness of the climate crisis. Live Earth reached this worldwide audience through an unprecedented global media architecture covering all media platforms - TV, radio, Internet and wireless channels. Rhozet transcoding technology was used for rapid transcoding of concert footage to help bring immediate VOD delivery to a worldwide audience.
"Over the past year, we have introduced a number of new solutions that enable delivery of advanced video services," said David Price, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing Communications at Harmonic Inc. "The CSI Awards and IBC Innovation Award are important endorsements of the innovative and high quality design of our products.”
Leading video service providers around the world choose the Electra 7000 HD H.264 encoder to power their HD services--today it is used to deliver more than 1,800 channels. The Rhozet transcoding technology is in use by leading Web video content providers including Amazon.com, MSN and Yahoo!, and has recently been selected as the core technology for the new Adobe Flash Media Encoding Server. The PWRLink 1310 CWDM forward path transmitter enables cable operators to more efficiently deliver the latest generation of broadband video, voice and data services.
Arquiva's Distribution of Masters' Series Goes to Court
From http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1723236945
Arqiva is providing TV broadcast distribution services for the 2008 ATP Masters Series on behalf of ATP Media. Arqiva has already provided distribution services for seven of the tournament's 10 international legs, most recently in Cincinnati this August. Arqiva currently supports global distribution of ATP Masters Series by providing satellite capacity, turnaround, downlinking and on-pass; reaching globally across Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas; and their dedicated help desk provides technical support from Arqiva MCR. ATP Media produces live coverage of every match from every ATP Masters Series event, providing its broadcast partners with up to five live feeds including a fully produced World feed, a News feed and dedicated court coverage of the main and second court action. These feeds are multiplexed and uplinked directly from each venue. Then the multiplexed broadcast signal is delivered to ATP Media's broadcast partners using Arqiva’s lease space on Eutelsat W1 for Europe and the Middle East and Intelsat-9 for the Americas. Arqiva's Winchester teleport provides the turnaround service between the two satellites and also passes the feeds via a number of dedicated fiber links to London's BT Tower. Arqiva, on behalf of ATP Media, also operates a dedicated help desk in the heart of Arqiva's Winchester MCR which provides broadcasters with immediate technical support to ensure a smooth transmission.
18/09/08
..
From my Email & ICQ
Hi Craig
do you know what the sky hd frequencies are you did have them listed and i use to get a lock on my topfield hd, but not now, even lyngsat and satco dx have nothing ??
regards
Robin
(Craig's comment, try 12331 H and 12358 H both using Sr 22500)
From the Dish
Intelsat 8 166E 4080 V "Discovery HD Japan" has started on, HD, Fta, SR 27690, FEC 3/4. (mentioned here a few days ago)
AsiaSat 3S 105.5E 3880 H "9XM" has started on , MPEG-4, Fta.
NSS 6 95E 12535 V "Zee Jagran" is now Fta.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3502 V "Dhi TV" has left again.
ABS 1 75E 12610 V "AXN Sci-Fi Russia" has started on , Irdeto.
Intelsat 10 68.5E 4189 V "NDTV Imagine Showbiz" has started on , Irdeto.
NEWS
Foxtel iQ2 now officially better than TiVo 
From http://www.current.com.au/2008/09/18/article/JAJTPEFQYF.html
Foxtel has today announced the rollout of new software to make its iQ2 personal digital recorder (PDR) the most advanced in the country. The new development is called Foxtel Four Tuner.
The new software enables users to record two channels and watch a third channel simultaneously. Foxtel claims that no other commercially available PDR in Australia has this capability. The original Foxtel iQ device, along with the majority of other PDRs, can only record one program while watching another.
Talking about this is Foxtel executive of product and sales Patrick Delany.
“FOXTEL’s Four Tuners provide another great advantage for iQ2 subscribers allowing them to watch their favourite programs on their time, minimise recording clashes, and reduce family program viewing arguments.
“With these significant benefits it’s not surprising FOXTEL has experienced dramatic take-up of the iQ2 with over 50,000 units already installed,” said Delany.
This development is an especially big blow to TiVo, the PDR promoted by Channel 7 and originally distributed exclusively through Harvey Norman stores. TiVo does not have Foxtel compatibility and can not record as many programs as the new Foxtel iQ2. Channel 7 dedicated a lot of on-air time to promoting TiVo in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics, however, considering how poorly the network broadcasted the Games, it’s unlikely that many people wanted to tape the coverage for posterity.
Four-Tuner Foxtel IQ2 Launched
From http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Home_Cinema/Receivers/D8M2T8L7
Foxtel has upgraded its software roll-out to progressively upgrade all FOXTEL iQ2 personal digital recorders (PDRs) to automatically activate Four Tuner functionality.
The Four Tuners will allow iQ2 subscribers to record two programs while watching a third program live, at the same time. Only the iQ2 has the Four Tuner functionality making it the most advanced PDR currently available in Australia.
The latest High Definition FOXTEL iQ2 is a stylish PDR with a liquid-black finish – it records programs onto its internal hard disk drive that can be easily played back using FOXTEL's intuitive electronic program guide.
The Four Tuner functionality will be enabled automatically to every FOXTEL iQ2, meaning iQ2 subscribers will not be required to do anything to receive the new feature and should be able to access the Four Tuner functionality by December 1, 2008.
Features of the FOXTEL iQ2 also include:
* The ability to pause and rewind live television, record two programs at the same time while watching a third live channel or watch a pre-recorded program from the FOXTEL planner, as well as access to Series Link programs so they can record an entire season with a single button press.
* Using FOXTEL's Online Guide through the internet or a 3G mobile phone to set up the Remote Record functionality to record their favourite programs when away from home.
* Future-proofing as FOXTEL is able to provide software updates to the unit enabling subscribers to access the latest functionality and new technology over time.
* A 320GB disk drive, allowing subscribers to typically record approximately 30 hours of High Definition (HD) programming or 90 hours of standard definition programming (SD).
* The capability to display High Definition images in either 720p or 1080i resolution, delivered to the iQ2 using advanced MPEG4 compression.
TVNZ VOD pacts for ABC shows
From http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117992351.html?categoryId=20&cs=1
Disney-owned channel pacts with Ondemand
The Asia Pacific arm of Disney-ABC Intl. Television has inked a deal with Kiwi pubcaster TVNZ to provide its skeins on its fledgling online delivery service TVNZ Ondemand.
In a first for New Zealand, the web-based delivery platform will provide Disney skeins free for 28 days after they air on TVNZ; service launches with the first season of "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off "Private Practice," and new seasons of such hits as "Lost," "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's" will follow later this year.
"We're delighted to be the first U.S. studio working with TVNZ, a pioneer in the digital media space in New Zealand, to bring our hit U.S. series in ways that are innovative and relevant to viewers here," Rob Gilby, topper of Disney-ABC Intl. Television (Asia Pacific) said in a statement.
The TVNZ service has been running for more than a year with an average of 30,000 hours of TV watched per month.
Men accused of damaging spy base to stand trial
From http://www.3news.co.nz/News/NationalNews/Menaccusedofdamagingspybasetostandtrial/tabid/423/articleID/72176/cat/64/Default.aspx
Damage to the Waihopai spy base is reportedly irreparable
The three men accused of puncturing a dome at the Waihopai spy base have been committed for trial.
While Auckland priest Peter Murnane, Hokianga farmer Sam Land and Otaki teacher Adrian Leason sat in court - their supporters set up a peaceful protest across the road, defending their actions.
Priest Peter Murnane, farmer Sam Land and teacher Adrian Leason allegedly cut their way through fences into the Waihopai spy base and deflated a dome surrounding one of the two satellite dishes.
The men, who are part of an international Christian group called Ploughshares, are said to have sat down and prayed for peace in Iraq after puncturing the dome.
Defence lawyers argued that the two charges relating to burglary and damage at the base should be dropped, saying that the court had not heard any evidence from anyone who claimed to be the owner of the property that is referred to in both of charges.
Leason's lawyer, Andrew Knowles, says because the owners might be ashamed of their involvement with the spy base, it should not excuse them from court proceedings.
However that was rejected by the judge and the men were sent for trial.
The defence for the three men did not present any evidence and will not reveal what their defence is until trial. A trial date will be set in November.
PLDT group, Bermuda firm, ink satellite deals
From http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/09/17/08/pldt-group-bermuda-firm-ink-satellite-deals
Telecom giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and its subsidiary are planning several investments in ProtoStar Ltd., a Bermuda-based company engaged in the satellite business.
PLDT said its 67-percent owned unit, Mabuhay Satellite Corp., agreed to lease the transponders onboard its "Agila 2" satellite to ProtoStar in exchange for $22.5 million worth of the latter's Series C preferred shares.
A transponder is an automatic device that receives, amplifies and retransmits a signal on a different frequency.
Concurrently, PLDT said it inked an agreement for an option to subscribe to $27.5 million worth of ProtoStar's preferred shares.
"Should PLDT exercise the said option, Mabuhay and PLDT will obtain a combined equity stake of less than 10 percent in ProtoStar on a fully diluted bais," it said.
To secure the PLDT group's transponder capacity requirements after the operation of Mabuhay's satellite ends in about four years, it signed an agreement to lease C-band transponder capacity on ProtoStar's recently launched "ProtoStar I" satellite.
This will allow PLDT "to use a customized payload consisting of four 36 MHz C-band transponders and one additional 36 MHz non, pre-emptible extended C-band transponder all on board ProtoStar's first satellite from 2011 to 2017."
ProtoStar I was successfully launched on July this year from Kourou, French Guiana. It has 22 Ku-band transponders, which will support the rapidly expanding Direct-to-Home television markets of India and IndoChina, and 38 C-band transponders for the growing celluar phone markets of Southeast Asia.
"PLDT and Mabuhay's collaboration with ProtoStar will enable PLDT to enjoy full diversity and protection for its satellite needs as ProtoStar continues with its satellite fleet expansion plans," said PLDT president and chief executive Napoleon Nazareno.
"The PLDT group uses significant satellite capacity for its GSM backhaul requirements for its rural cell sites, and this diversification will add to the robustness of its network," he added.
PLDT, whose shares are traded on the stock exchange, is engaged in three principal telecommunications segments, including wireless, fixed line, and information and communications technology.
Mabuhay is the first and only satellite operator in the country with international satellite facilities capable of providing local and overseas communication links to telecommunications, broadcast and other public utility companies in the Philippines and other countries.
Astro backs Indonesia’s anti-corruption probe
From http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/content.jsp?id=com.tms.cms.article.Article_7368b3a8-cb73c03a-1f195fc0-71880670#
KUALA LUMPUR: Pay-TV operator Astro All Asia Networks plc has expressed its full support for Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) probe into allegations of corruption and clarified it has no association with the Lippo Group’s PT First Media and its president director Billy Sindoro, who was arrested on bribery charges.
In a statement issued to clarify issues raised in Indonesian media reports in relation to KPK’s arrest of Sindoro and Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) member Mohamed Iqbal, Astro quashed speculation that Sindoro was acting on behalf of Astro or in the company’s interest.
“Such speculation is completely baseless and could not be further from the truth,” Astro’s legal counsel Alexander Tay told a media conference in Jakarta yesterday.
Also in a statement, Astro said: “Astro has no association whatsoever with Billy Sindoro and PT First Media, a company owned by the Lippo Group. Billy Sindoro and his associates were also not acting on instructions from Astro.
“PT First Media and other Lippo Group companies are in a well-publicised dispute with Astro over a proposed joint venture in PT Direct Vision (PTDV) that uses the Astro Nusantara name in Indonesia, and that (the joint venture) was never concluded.”
The Jakarta Post yesterday reported that KPPU’s Iqbal was “caught red handed” receiving 500 million rupiah (US$53,191 or RM184,573) cash from Sindoro inside the elevator of a hotel in Jakarta on Tuesday evening, quoting KPK chairman Antasari Azhar.
The alleged bribe was connected to KPPU’s decision to exonerate Astro TV of monopoly charges relating to the exclusive rights secured to the Barclays or English Premier League (EPL) broadcast last season, the Jakarta Post report read, citing KPK deputy chairman Mochammad Jasin.
Astro disputed having anything to do with this.
News of the falling out between T Ananda Krishnan’s Astro and the Lippo Group’s Riady family, broke in a front-page article of the Singapore Straits Times on Aug 28.
The report came after months of inconclusive negotiations between Astro and the Riady family to work out a shareholding agreement for PTDV, in which Astro was to acquire a 20% stake.
There had been tell-tale signs that negotiations were not going well, but Astro had maintained it was trying to work out an amicable resolution.
It was only on Sept 4 that Astro announced it would not renew the trademark service agreement it has with PTDV that expired on Aug 31, giving the latter until end-September to make other arrangements with about 100,000 Astro Nusantara subscribers before it pulled the plug.
In yesterday’s statement, Astro also highlighted “an unrelated matter” where KPPU found Astro’s subsidiary All Asia Multimedia Networks FZ-LLC (AAMN) and ESPN Star Sports guilty of violating Article 16 and Anti-Monopoly Law over a recent EPL issue.
“Astro has publicly stated it disagrees with the KPPU decision and will appeal against it through the appropriate channels as the dispute with the Lippo Group with regard to PTDV is a commercial dispute and unrelated to the matter of competition for rights to broadcast EPL that was before the KPPU,” Astro’s statement read.
KPPU had found Lippo’s PTDV not guilty of any charges, it added.
Decision on Astro TV Should be Investigated
From http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasional/2008/09/17/brk,20080917-136024,uk.html
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Member of the Communication and Information Commission at the House of Representatives, Djoko Susilo said the decision by the Business Competition Supervisory Commission on the right to broadcast the English Premiere League held by Astro TV should be investigated.
Djoko said the house commission on communication viewed the decision by the competition supervisory commision on August 2008 which determined that Astro did not monopolize the broadcasting right as suspicious.
The cable TV operator had exclusively broadcasted the English Premiere League matches for 2007-2008 season in Indonesia, while the competition supervisory commission was still examining the complaints filed by three other cable TV operator in Indonesia.
The live broadcasts on Astro TV were ceased at the end of the last premiere league season. Eighty per cent of the cable operator's shares were owned by First Media, another cable TV operator and broadband service provider which is a subsidiary of Lippo Group owned by James Riady.
BabyTV Expands Footprint in Africa
From http://www.worldscreen.com/newscurrent.php?filename=babytv091708.htm
LONDON, September 17: BabyTV will extend its reach in Africa by launching on the new DTH satellite platform DAARSAT in Nigeria on October 7.
DAARSAT will be launched by Daar Communications, which currently operates Africa Independent Television and Ray Power Radio Station. The satellite pay-TV platform in Nigeria will include 40 channels. BabyTV is already available in Africa through MyTV and TrendTV.
Raymond Dokpesi, the chairman of Daar Communications, said that DAARSAT is upping the quality, variety and pricing challenge by deploying the latest digital technologies in its broadcast, as well as by partnering with several of the best broadcasting organizations and franchises across the world.
17/09/08
BVN on Optus D2 and Thaicom 5 has gone 16x9
Wider view for international BVN-TV channel
The international public Dutch/Flemish television channel BVN-TV will start broadcasting all its programmes in 16:9 widescreen this autumn. The channel is a joint venture between the Dutch and Belgian Dutch language broadcasters and brings a mix of programming to a worldwide audience.In Europe, BVN-TV is available free-to-air on both the Eutelsat Hot Bird position and Astra at 19 degrees East. In the Asia Pacific region BVN is available via Thaicom 5 Cband and Optus D2 Globecast.
From my Email & ICQ
From Len
BVN Now in True WS Format?
BVN on D2 12644 V sr22,500 now seems to be broadcasting in true widescreen: 16:9. Can someone please have a look and confirm?
Len
From the Dish
Intelsat 8 166E 3900 H "CNBC Asia" is encrypted again.
Thaicom 5 78.5E Mh 1 Music has started on 3814 V, Fta.
NEWS
Foxtel Lauches New Family Channels
From http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Content_And_Downloads/Industry/U6B8L7V6
Foxtel has cranked up the heat in the pay TV market with the launch of three new family-oriented channels. They include CBeebies, BBC Knowledge, and Channel 111. The Channels will go to air on November 11, 2008.
CBeebies, which will be advertising-free, presents a brightly coloured world targeting pre-school children aged six and under. It provides an interactive environment where children are encouraged to learn through play.
With BBC Knowledge facts are made fascinating with the channel's programming proving the truth can be more entertaining than fiction. The channel brings audiences entertainment for the brain with charismatic experts and quality programming.
The channel provides five key programming strands enabling simple viewing: The World delves and explores new cultures around the world; Science & Technology explores new frontiers from space to motoring; People explores aspects of the human body and mind; The Past brings historical events, places and people back to life; and Business offers invaluable advice to help stay on top of today's challenging business world.
Channel 111 is a general entertainment channel produced by FOXTEL and based from the Melbourne studios where FOXTEL manages the Comedy Channel. It will include general entertainment programming, produced by FOXTEL's Owned and Operated Group and will be offered as part of the Get Started package. CBeebies will be part of the My Playtime package.
BBC Knowledge will be available as part of the My World package and a complement to the existing documentary and factual channels. November programming highlights include Dan Cruickshank's Adventures in Architecture, Top Gear Polar Special and The Gunpowder Plot – both with Richard Hammond – and Tribal Wives.
IDC beams out down under with Aussie deal
From http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/292641753227582.php
International Datacasting Corp. (TSX:IDC) has won a deal to upgrade the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC)'s Papua New Guinea radio network.
The Ottawa-based satellite services company said the Australian national public broadcaster would be incorporating IDC's SuperFlex Pro Audio system of uplink equipment and satellite radio receivers into its new network.
"ABC has been a customer of IDC for over 15 years and we are pleased that they have once again selected our technology as they begin the modernization of their networks. This cutting-edge solution using IDC products and technologies is exciting and will make the Papua New Guinea network one of the most advanced systems in the world," said IDC chief executive Ron Clifton in a statement. "Our commitment to providing the most technologically advanced satellite distribution products for radio broadcasters around the world continues to pay off for IDC."
The deal was won in partnership with IDC's Australian distributor UGL Infrastructure, and includes IDC's NetManager over-the-satellite network management system to control the SuperFlex Audio receivers.
The company noted that the contract is the third major order that it has rececived from the Asia Pacific region this year to upgrade a broadcast radio network with its SuperFlex technology. IDC also won a deal with New Zealand's RadioWorks in April.
Terms of the ABC order are not being disclosed for competitive reasons.
MGM and STAR DEN Join hands
From press release
MGM and STAR DEN Join Hands to Broadly Launch The MGM Channel into India's Cable Television Market, the World's Third LargestChannel Distribution to be backed by the Joint Venture of News Corp.'s STAR India and DEN Digital Entertainment Network, one of India's Leading Cable Companies
LOS ANGELES and MUMBAI, India, Sept 16, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- In a breakthrough distribution deal, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) today announced it will be launching The MGM Channel on Indian cable television, the world's third largest cable market. Carriage of The MGM Channel will be handled by STAR DEN Media Services Pvt. Ltd. (STAR DEN), the distribution joint venture between News Corp.'s STAR India, the leading television network in India, and DEN Digital Entertainment Network, one of India's leading cable companies.
The announcement was made today by Bruce Tuchman, Executive Vice President, MGM Networks at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
Under the terms of the distribution agreement, entered into by MGM Programming Service India Pvt. Ltd., STAR DEN will handle distribution of The MGM Channel, wholly owned by MGM, to cable platforms operating in a nation-wide cable market of over 70 million homes. This will significantly increase the reach of The MGM Channel which is currently available in India through Dish TV, the country's largest direct-to-home satellite platform. In addition, the STAR DEN carriage agreement will also help The MGM Channel secure carriage on new DTH and IPTV platforms that are emerging across the country.
In announcing the deal, Tuchman stated: "Being backed by STAR India and DEN is the ultimate seal of approval in the eyes of India's cable operators, and we're thrilled that we will be distributed as part of STAR DEN's unrivaled bouquet of channel offerings. By working with STAR DEN, MGM will now have a compelling opportunity to extend and accelerate our channel's reach throughout the widest possible audience in the large and burgeoning Indian television market."
Commenting on the launch of MGM Channel, Gurjeev Singh Kapoor, CEO of STAR DEN stated: "MGM with its huge library of compelling Hollywood movies will bring a great value addition to the STAR DEN bouquet of channels and will indeed complement the best of English Programming it offers to viewers in the country."
As one of the most powerful brand names in film entertainment, the 24-hour MGM Channel offers film lovers in India round-the-clock movies from MGM's celebrated 4,000 title library, the largest modern film library in the world. Highlights among the channel's planned movie offerings in the coming year are Woody Allen's "Manhattan," "Network," "Carrie," "A Passage to India," "Midnight Cowboy," "The Pink Panther Strikes Again," "Mystic Pizza," "Desperately Seeking Susan," and many others.
About STAR DEN
STAR DEN Media Services Pvt. Ltd. (STAR DEN), is the distribution joint venture between News Corp.'s -- STAR India, the leading television network in India, and DEN -- Digital Entertainment Network, one of India's leading cable companies.
The market is opening up with several forms of channel deliveries viz analog, digital cable, DTH, IPTV and MMDS. Distribution of channels has evolved way beyond a mere service of delivering channels, to a full blown business in its own right that requires dedicated management focus and strategy. To cater to the changing needs, STAR DEN offers an unrivaled bouquet of channels, each of which is a leader in their respective genres.
STAR DEN currently distributes 22 leading channels and is one of India's most popular bouquets of channels in all genres. STAR DEN bouquet include the highest rated channel in the Indian cable/satellite market -- STAR PLUS, as well as STAR ONE, STAR MOVIES, STAR GOLD, STAR WORLD, The Disney Channel, The History Channel, National Geographic Channel, CNN-IBN and CNBC-TV18, among many other top notch channel offerings. STAR DEN bouquet reaches over 70 million homes and is spread over 4000 cities and towns across India.
The company's consistent performance is attributed to its distribution strength through more than 60 distributors and 6000 cable affiliates. With the mission "To be the largest content aggregator of quality content in the next 3 years" STAR DEN is on its way to establish itself as "One Stop Shop" in the pay channel distribution business in India.
Over the last several years, MGM has focused on growing its channel business in the global marketplace. Currently, there are nearly 20 separate feeds of MGM channels outside the U.S., in over fifteen languages, reaching scores of markets across the Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific Rim. MGM Networks manages Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.'s interests in cable, satellite and other television channels and services that reach over 120 countries and territories around the world.
About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., through its operating subsidiaries, is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world's largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., Ventanazul, MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Domestic Networks LLC, MGM Distribution Co, MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Worldwide Digital Media, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching nearly 120 countries. MGM ownership is as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), TPG (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more information, visit http://www.mgm.com/
Media Contact for STAR DEN: Gurjeev Singh Kapoor, CEO, STAR DEN Media Services Pvt. Ltd. Phone: +91 22 6734 6734 Email: [email protected] Media Contact for MGM Channel: Jeff Pryor, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications Phone: +1 310 449 3446 Email: [email protected]
IBC2008: On2 Touts New Codec for Web Video
From http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6596529.html
Compression supplier claims 50% improvement in bandwidth efficiency.
Compression supplier On2 Technologies released at IBC2008 the eighth generation of its Web-video codec, On2 VP8, which it said can deliver the same video quality in one-half the bandwidth of existing implementations of H.264 advanced video compression.
Clifton Park, N.Y.-based On2 -- which gained a significant foothold in Web video when its On2 VP6 codec was integrated into Adobe’s wildly popular Flash Player in 2005 -- said the VP8 was designed to deliver high video quality for popular TV content using mainstream computer processors.
Since the VP8 bit stream requires fewer processing cycles to decode, On2 chief technology officer Paul Wilkins said, consumers don’t need superpowered laptops or PCs to watch HD video on the Web.
One of the Web-video players that will adopt the new On2 codec is Move Networks, which provides a sophisticated client-server-based compression solution for high-quality Web video to major programmers like Disney, ESPN, Fox and The CW.
Move CTO Greg Smith, who spoke at On2’s IBC2008 press event, noted that while definitions of what constitutes HD video on the Web may vary, there’s no question that Web video is starting to become competitive with what’s delivered to the living-room TV screen.
For example, Smith said, the 480-line progressive-scan (480p) video Move delivers at around 700 kilobits per second “blows away” the standard-definition 480-line interlace pictures being provided today by cable and satellite operators through MPEG-2 compression.
And while Smith doesn’t think the HD video Move delivers at between 1.8-2.4 megabits per second matches the quality of HD broadcast and cable programs delivered at 15 mbps and higher, he said using the Web to deliver content to living-room TVs through “over-the-top providers” and media-extender devices is becoming a definite possibility, largely due to compression advancements.
“There are real business models being built for Internet television, and that’s what’s got us fired up,” he added.
To that end, both Smith and Wilkens said delivering 1080-line-progressive (1080p) video through the Web on a regular basis is feasible, although it probably won’t take off until laptops and PC monitors can actually display full 1080p resolution.
Smith noted that Internet video isn’t constrained by technology standards like digital-TV broadcasters, so companies like Move may experiment with delivering 1080p video to a handful of consumers who have very high-speed broadband service (10 mbps or higher).
Wilkins agreed, saying, “The tables may turn, and you may see 1080p content on IPTV [Internet-protocol-TV] services first, before the broadcasters adopt it.”
Romania to open 3.6 GHz spectrum for WiMAX networks
From http://www.wimax.com/commentary/blog/blog-2008/september/Romania-to-open-36-GHz-spectrum-for-WiMAX-networks-0908
Removal of electronic communication barriers to occur through the issuance of three broadband wireless licenses.
Romania's National Radiocommunications Company (SNR) announced it will organize a tender to purchase EUR19.39 million of communications equipment in exchange for offering two commercial licenses in the 3.6~3.76 GHz frequency band. The spectrum will be used for the development of WiMAX broadband wireless networks across the country, including rural areas and efficient use of broadband spectrum.
The two licenses to be issued occupy 114 MHz between 3.6~3.8 GHz (one at 3.6~3.657 GHz and the other at 3.7~3.757). A third license will be retained by SNR for operation of broadband wireless services under the Radiocom brand. The spectrum was previously allocated for the microwave transmission of video signals. "Currently, these frequency bands are used by the SNR to retransmit radio and TV programs," said SNR General Manager Mircea Cazan. "After buying and putting the equipment into operation, the company will free the frequency bands in order to use them to provide telecommunications services and introduce technologies such as WiMAX."
SNR provides broadcasting and data transmission services through its: national microwave network; national radio and TV transmitters and transponders network; and its digital satellite earth stations. It also provides transmission capabilities for public and mobile telephony, paging, trunked radio, cable TV, and data.
In 2001, SNR launched Romania's first pilot project for point-to-multipoint data transmission in 26 GHz spectrum. It also initiated a project to modernize and expand its broadcast infrastructure using Harris and Cisco equipment. In January 2002, SNR inaugurated a new platform at Cheia satellite earth station to increase data transmission capacity and offer VoIP services via satellite. Privatization of SNR from a government-owned telecommunications provider is underway.
Nat Geo brings HD to Russia
From http://www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=100&article=44457
NEWS BRIEF: National Geographic Channels International is to launch a high definition channel in Russia on the Akado-Stolitsa network's HDTV satellite package Platforma HD, on October 1.
National Geographic Channel HD is currently broadcasting in the US, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Bulgaria, Albania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, Denmark, Austria and Switzerland. It is distributed in Russia by Fox International Channels.
INX Media eyes 18 more channels by 2011
From http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/09/17/stories/2008091750260700.htm
Chennai, Sept. 16 INX Media, which has launched three television channels over the last year, is eyeing the launch of 18 more, spanning news, entertainment, music and niche subjects of interest, by 2011.
Speaking to Business Line here, Ms Indrani Mukerjea, CEO, INX Media, said the next 18 months would see the launch of 10 channels spanning general entertainment, music (in Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi and Gujarati), regional languages (Punjabi, Bengali and Marathi), and metro news (Mumbai and Delhi).
Eight channels are planned for 2010-11 in some of the same categories and include niche subjects as well as movies and entertainment in English, she added.
On the international front, the INX network plans to take its channels to West Asia and the US. Its 9X and 9XM channels are already present in the UK on BSkyB.
INX Media is talking to strategic and financial investors for the second round of funding of $150 million. However, Ms Mukerjea said they would have to take a call on such funding vs deployment of internal accruals. According to her, the stature and attitude of the partner is critical to that decision.
On News X, Ms Mukerjea said the emphasis was on deeper insights into issues and relevant news. “It’s the how and why of the information, not so much the when and where, not so much breaking news,” she said.
The aim of the news channel was to be “print on TV”, she said, pointing out that TV news viewers still revert to the newspapers for detailed information. Prime time on 9X will be extended by end-November. Currently, it runs from 8 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. By December, the channel will begin airing a drama series on the life and times of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, directed by British director Tim O’Mara, Ms Mukerjea said, declining to reveal more details.
Star DEN to distribute The MGM Channel in India
From http://www.businessofcinema.com/news.php?newsid=9946
MUMBAI: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) has signed a deal with Star DEN (the distribution joint venture between News Corp.'s Star India and DEN Digital Entertainment Network) to launch The MGM Channel on Indian cable television,. Carriage of The MGM Channel will be handled by Star DEN.
MGM Networks executive vice president Bruce Tuchman was in India to make the announcement.
Under the terms of the distribution agreement, entered into by MGM Programming Service India, Star DEN will handle distribution of The MGM Channel, wholly owned by MGM, to cable platforms operating in a nation-wide cable market of over 70 million homes.
This will significantly increase the reach of The MGM Channel, which is currently available in India through Dish TV. In addition, the Star DEN carriage agreement will also help The MGM Channel secure carriage on new DTH and IPTV platforms that are emerging across the country.
Tuchman said, "Being backed by Star India and DEN is the ultimate seal of approval in the eyes of India's cable operators, and we're thrilled that we will be distributed as part of Star DEN's unrivaled bouquet of channel offerings. By working with Star DEN, MGM will now have a compelling opportunity to extend and accelerate our channel's reach throughout the widest possible audience in the large and burgeoning Indian television market."
Star DEN CEO Gurjeev Singh Kapoor added, "MGM with its huge library of compelling Hollywood movies will bring a great value addition to the Star DEN bouquet of channels and will indeed complement the best of English Programming it offers to viewers in the country."
The 24-hour MGM Channel offers movies from MGM library of over 4,000 films. Highlights among the channel's planned movie offerings in the coming year include Woody Allen's Manhattan, Network, Carrie, A Passage to India, Midnight Cowboy, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Mystic Pizza, Desperately Seeking Susan amongst others.
Animal Planet to don new look from 1 October
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k8/sep/sep160.php
NEW DELHI: Animal Planet, a joint venture between Discovery Communications and BBC Worldwide, will be donning a new look from 1 October.
The fresh brand identity will be revealed on the channel from 30 September midnight.
Additionally, Animal Planet's Hindi feed will also go through a similar change.
Says Discovery Networks Asia Pacific SVP and general manager – India Rahul Johri, “We are transforming the look, feel and storytelling of Animal Planet in order to deepen our relationship with audiences, affiliates and advertisers alike. The new Animal Planet is full of exciting, instinctual stories that will bring out the raw, visceral emotion in the natural world and lead viewers to see animals as characters, not merely creatures."
The look of the channel will be supported by a new logo and on-air graphics which has been designed by London-based Dunning Eley Jones.
Meanwhile, adults will continue to remain as the target audience for the channel.
In addition, the channel has lined up new programmes like Equator docu-soaps Lemur Street, Meerkat Manor and pet entertainment shows like Groomer Has It and CGI.
“The new sets of programming have been designed keeping the Indian audience in mind. We do a lot of research before deciding on any new program. It is widely known that we have lot of international programs nevertheless we only bring those set of programs that we feel would suit the taste of Indian audiences. The new programs will tap into the primal instincts that drive us all maternal, survival and social with fascinating stories that resonate with what it means to be human”, added Discovery Networks Asia Pacific director- marketing and communications India Rajiv Bakshi.
Marketing and promotion for the new Animal Planet will also begin from 1 October.
Bakshi notes, “We would be using rest of our channels to market the new and vibrant looking Animal Planet. As of now there are no plans of using billboards and hoarding for further promotion.”
The channel completed its ten years in India this year.
16/09/08
Live satellite chat 9p.m NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom
Very quiet today
Feed seen
Is8 4087 H sr 6620 Fec 3/4 "ABC news" ??
From my Email & ICQ
..
From the Dish
No Lyngsat
NEWS
ABC TV plan is news for us
From http://www.psnews.com.au/Page_psn13810.html
The Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Mark Scott has announced a plan to establish a 24-hours a day public affairs channel on free-to-air television.
Mr Scott said his proposal involved providing breaking news and scheduled bulletins as well as rolling coverage of press conferences, Parliaments and Annual General Meetings.
He said the network would be modelled on the American Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN) and the Sky News subscription service currently operating in Australia.
“The challenge of providing information so that the Australian democratic process is more meaningful grows greater each day," Mr Scott said.
"I am a fan of what Sky News has achieved in recent years, but the ABC has a different role to play.”
24/7 public affairs channel mooted
Mr Scott said C-SPAN was a not-for-profit service owned by American cable companies that aired non-stop coverage of Government proceedings unedited and commercial-free.
He said the channel would run Parliament from Canberra and the State Governments; press conferences and Parliamentary Committee hearings; major forums; key Annual General Meetings; and public addresses at places such as the Lowy Institute, the Melbourne Press Club and the Centre for Independent Studies.
"A public affairs channel would be reinforced by the ABC's outstanding news and current affairs service, allowing updates around the clock and the ability to go live on major breaking news events," he said.
"Again, this is something that should be available free in every Australian home - access to our democracy in action."
He said in the areas of local news, children's television, quality news and current affairs and education, the ABC could provide where the market failed.
He said the ABC had already indicated its intention to fund an ABC children's channel.
"If we are concerned about the impact fast food advertising on television is having on our children, doesn't it make sense to give parents the choice of a completely commercial-free children's channel, with high-quality Australian content?" Mr Scott asked.
"No pester power, no exposure to fast food advertising, just quality children's content."
Vinasat Gains ISEy Enhancements
From http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1429652675
ISE (Integral Systems Europe), a subsidiary of Integral Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISYS), has delivered and installed a fully integrated CSM (Carrier Signal Monitoring), transponder planning, and Network Management system for the Vinasat satellite. The system will be part of a Network Operations Center (NOC) to be provided by SES ASTRA TechCom to VTI (Vietnam Telecom International) in Hanoi, Vietnam. It includes products from Integral's wholly-owned subsidiaries, SAT Corporation and Newpoint Technologies. This system consists of SAT Corporation's Monics carrier monitoring and interference detection system for Ku- and C-band beams, Newpoint's Compass Network Management system, and a transponder management system from Optimal Satcom. It will be integrated by SES ASTRA TechCom with antenna, RF systems, and other network operations and monitoring elements. ISE is using industry-leading, pre-integrated products and has scored significant successes on previous programs such as Thuraya, HellasSat, Rascom, and Thor. The new system has been proven to ensure a fast implementation and optimized operational usage. Integral's solution allows all systems to interface easily and to share data automatically.
CETel COMMITS TO Ku-BAND TRANSPONDER ON NSS-12
From http://newsticker.welt.de/index.php?channel=fin&module=smarthouse&id=780382
SES NEW SKIES, an SES Company (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) announces that CETel has formally contracted with SES NEW SKIES to provide services on the upcoming NSS-12 satellite to serve the growing demand in the Middle East and African market for VSAT services and corporate networks.
CETel officially signed a contract for one full Ku-band transponder on the NSS-12 satellite at IBC 2008, the leading Electronic Media & Satellite Communications Exhibition currently taking place in Amsterdam. SES NEW SKIES’ NSS-12 satellite is scheduled for operational service in the second half of 2009 and will replace the existing NSS-703 satellite at the orbital location of 57 degrees East.
CETel, one of the leading Teleport & Satellite Service providers in the Middle East, Africa and Europe, already operates teleport services on the NSS-703 satellite via a 7.6m antenna. From their teleport facilities, CETel is offering dedicated VSAT services for corporate and governmental networks, GSM backhaul services as well as Hub hosting and managed solutions. Its Teleport is headquartered in Germany with affiliate offices in the U.A.E.
"NSS-12 will offer high-power coverage of the Middle East region,” Guido Neumann, Managing Director of CETel, said in a statement. "The additional Ku-band capacity on this new satellite will allow us to increase our service portfolio and to target new customers.”
Scott Sprague, Senior Vice President of Global Sales at SES NEW SKIES, stated: "We are delighted to welcome CETel as another customer aboard NSS-12 and to support their future growth with high-powered, state-of-the-art NSS-12 capacity. NSS-12 will be the second largest spacecraft in our fleet, and it already shows an impressive fill rate, about a year before its planned launch.”
About NSS-12
The powerful, state-of-the-art NSS-12 satellite is under construction with Space Systems/Loral and will be available for commercial service in 2009, replacing NSS-703 at 57 degrees East. NSS-12 will cover virtually the entire Eastern Hemisphere and will bring increased capacity and transmission power to a key orbital location at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. The spacecraft features 40 C-band transponders and 48 Ku-band transponders with DTH power levels, as well as elaborate beam interconnectivity and C-/Ku-band cross-strapping.
About CETel
CETel Germany (Central European Telecom Services) is one of the leading providers of satellite based communications services worldwide. From its Teleport facilities headquartered in Germany and affiliate offices in the U.A.E., CETel offers dedicated VSAT services for corporate and governmental networks, IP backbone connectivity, GSM Backhaul services as well as Hub hosting and managed solutions. The customer services comprise operation, service & maintenance of satellite networks including the provision of satellite capacity, up- and downlink services, fibre connections, broadband Internet, hardware provisioning, VoIP via satellite as well as consulting services.
It is CETels strength to provide satellite connections between worldwide facilities and offices for corporate companies, construction areas, oil- and gas rigs, non-governmental as well as governmental organisations such as embassies, ministries or universities. Cooperating with several satellite operators, telephone network carriers, major TIER-1 IP backbone providers and Field Service Providers all over the world, CETel is able to offer end-to-end broadband communication solutions as a complete package.
For more information please visit http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ce-tel.com&esheet=5779583&lan=en_US&anchor=www.ce-tel.com&index=1
About SES NEW SKIES
SES NEW SKIES is an SES company (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) offering satellite communication services to a range of customers including telecommunications providers, broadcasters, corporations and governments around the world. SES NEW SKIES has a global fleet of seven satellites in orbit, with three additional spacecraft under construction (NSS-9, NSS-12 and NSS-14) and ground facilities around the world. Headquartered in The Hague, the company has offices in Johannesburg, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, D.C. In addition to SES NEW SKIES, SES wholly owns the market-leading satellite operators SES ASTRA in Europe and SES AMERICOM in North America, 90% of SES SIRIUS in Europe, and strategic participations in Ciel in Canada and Quetzsat in Mexico. SES provides outstanding satellite communications solutions via a global fleet of 38 satellites in 25 orbital locations.
MalaysianInsider: Astro blasts Lippo over pay-TV business row
From http://adoimagazine.com/newhome/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3144&catid=11&Itemid=7
Malaysia's Astro All Asia Network yesterday blasted Indonesia's Lippo Group, saying that a dispute between them over a Jakarta-based pay-TV business was triggered by Lippo's failure to establish a joint-venture agreement. It also said Lippo had failed to transfer shares to Astro.
In a statement yesterday, Astro lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis said that Lippo -could have settled this dispute much earlier if it had been committed to establishing PT Direct Vision (PTDV) as a joint venture in the way that Astro has been-.
The statement was released in response to claims made by Lippo's lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea last week.
It was the latest in a series of claims and counter-claims by the two groups since news of their feud emerged last month.
In a press conference called last week, Hotman had alleged that embezzled funds and a failure to honour commitments on the part of Astro had caused the dispute between the companies.
He said that Astro had failed to keep its promise to inject adequate investment into the joint venture.
But Todung yesterday emphatically denied the claims.
-Lippo owned 100 per cent of PTDV and its appointed nominees had equal representation on the board of directors. Lippo also appointed the entire board of commissioners. The fact of the matter is that the proposed joint venture has never been finalised because of the position taken by Lippo,- he said in the statement.
IBC agog over TV demo
From http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/technology/news/e3i6f1a24d20528a547f839b5ced6840da2
NHK's Super Hi-Vision boasts 8K resolution
AMSTERDAM -- Delegates attending the International Broadcasting Convention have seen the future of television.
NHK's developing Super Hi-Vision system was the subject of a stunning demonstration Monday at the IBC. SHV offers 8K resolution -- 16 times that of HDTV -- with a 22.2 channel surround sound system.
Delegates waited in long lines for a glimpse at the scenic images, which were broadcast to Amsterdam's RAI Convention Center in two ways: From a live camera in London over a fiber connection and from a server in Torino, Italy, via satellite.
NHK aims to bring SHV to the home in perhaps 10 years, said Keiichi Kubota, director general of the Science & Technical Research Laboratories of NHK. "Before TV applications, I think SHV will be used for public viewing sites (such as museums)," he said. "That is easier to deploy."
Seeing 8K imagery projected in the demonstration theater also suggests its digital cinema applications. Kubota, though, is not waiting for Hollywood to take the lead.
"If the system is accepted by the movie industry, that's fine," he said. "But since we are broadcasters, we don't want to push our system on people in a different area."
On the broadcasting effort, NHK already is working on a range of SHV equipment, including cameras and TV sets.
One challenge is the television set size, which Kubota said would probably be in the 70- to 100-inch range. "From a technical point of view, it is difficult to make SHV sets smaller and still appreciate the quality," he said.
NHK, the BBC and Italy's RAI recently were among those who formed a research cooperative group called the Broadcast Technology Futures Group. Super Hi-Vision is part of the agenda.
Clarets and Rovers call for crackdown on pubs showing games off foreign TV
From http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/3675474.Clarets_and_Rovers_call_for_crackdown_on_pubs_showing_games_off_foreign_TV/
BLACKBURN Rovers and Burnley FC bosses have united to call for a crackdown on pubs showing live matches on foreign satellite channels.
Both clubs feel the practice - which is an infringement of copyright - is damaging their attendances.
They spoke out after a Lancashire Telegraph investigation revealed that pubs across East Lancashire were continuing to show the matches at 3pm on Saturdays.
The practice is going on despite pledges two years ago to get tough on landlords. As yet there is yet to be a prosecution in East Lancashire.
The Telegraph found more than 10 town centre pubs across the area showing the games. It is feared the true figure is far higher with many community pubs also believed to be using the foreign feeds.
And the situation is a creating a split between landlords, with those who pay more than £1,100 a month for the Sky TV official package upset at those who take the cheaper feed.
The Federation Against Copyright Theft is responsible for making prosecutions, in conjunction with the FA Premier League.
They insist they will take landlords to court where they face fines of £5,000 and the threat of having their licences revoked.
A spokesman for Burnley FC, where the average gate is 12,365, said: “It is impossible to ascertain how much this may, or may not affect attendances at Turf Moor, but the saturation coverage of live games these days has to be a factor in reducing crowd attendances across the board.
“Clearly, with that concern in mind, the footballing authorities in this country laid down strict regulations for live games not to be shown here at 3pm on Saturday afternoons.
“Therefore, we would naturally be urging the authorities to clampdown on any illegal activity regarding the broadcasting of live games.”
It is believed that a case being taken to the European court involving Karen Murphy landlady of the Red, White and Blue, in Portsmouth and BSkyB is responsible for the lack of action as bosses await a decision.
Rovers chairman John Williams said he believed foreign channels were taking traditional fans away from the terraces. He has called for action via Blackburn MP Jack Straw.
Mr Williams, who has seen his club’s gate fall by almost 3,000 in the past seven years, said: “Whether it is illegal is a matter for the courts to decide, but it is something the Premier League are quite clear on and although I have no concrete evidence, I think it is certainly damaging home attendances.”
Chief Executive of the Licensed Victuallers' Association (LVA) Tony Payne said he advised licensees to be ‘careful’ until the European case was concluded.
Mr Payne said: “It is a cause for concern because those who are paying for the proper channels and can’t afford the risk are losing the trade.”
A Darwen landlady, who asked not to be named, said: “We just want to earn a living. You just have to not draw attention to yourself if you’re showing games on those channels.
“It costs us £1100 a month to have Sky, which is too much. We have to get a loy of people through the doors to cover that.”
The landlords of a Nelson pub added: “I think 95 per cent of the games that I show are on Sky or Setanta and I only got the foreign system as an afterthought.”
But another landlord, who does not have the illegal equipment, said he believed those tuning-in to foreign channels on Saturdays at 3pm were ‘killing’ the trade.
A Premier League spokesman said the ban on 3pm television screenings in this country was to protect attendances.
He said: “This is a measure strongly supported by the football authorities and the government and European Commission.
“In addition to this, the use of foreign satellite equipment to broadcast Barclays Premier League football is illegal and the Premier League is continuing to monitor this and action, including prosecutions where appropriate, will continue to be taken.”
Police said they would support any prosecutions and, although it was not for them to take the lead, they sent warning messages to pubs through meetings .
Zoran Announces SupraXD Processors For Global STB Markets
From http://www.broadcastbuyer.tv/publish/productsPreviews_251/Zoran_Announces_SupraXD_Processors_For_Global_STB_Markets_17750.shtml
Zoran Corporation's SupraXD 170 and SupraXD 180 families of highly integrated processors for advanced global set-top boxes support extended decoding for a broad range of video formats including H.264, MPEG-2, VC1, and others.
The SupraXD 170 and 180 processors was demonstrated in a new family of pay satellite set-top boxes at the International Broadcast Convention (IBC) 2008.
"We are delighted to demonstrate our first set-top boxes based on our SupraXD processors at IBC. These processors represent significant investments by Zoran to bring its leading-edge technology and price-performance solutions into the Advanced Pay TV and IP Set-top box markets. Zoran delivers flexibility and lower system costs through integration, the advanced security requirements of leading conditional access vendors, and high quality video processing leveraging our digital television expertise for global markets," said Eric Schiff, director set-top box product line, Zoran's home entertainment division.
The SupraXD 170 and 180 processor families are fully pin-to-pin and software compatible and SVP compliant. The SupraXD 170 processor supports all features of the SupraXD 180 processor; however, it only decodes standard definition video formats. Both processors enable upscaling to 1080p HDMI. Advanced features include: fast hardware-based JPEG decoding, support for popular memory card formats, two tuner digital video recording using a SATA or USB hard drive, Motion Adaptive De-interlacing, and high quality video scaling and noise reduction for outstanding picture quality. Also included are descramblers needed for a broad range of global copy protection formats including: DVB-CSA, DES, 3DES, AES, NDS ICAM, MULTI2 and other formats.
Both processors integrate two high performance MIPS32 CPUs, 32bit DDR2 DRAM, multi-stream transport demultiplexer with extensive advanced security support, 10/100 Ethernet MAC, audio DSP decoding a wide range of formats, a multi-format video decoder supporting H.264, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 Advanced Simple Profile and VC1, high quality graphics and video with 1080p HDMI 1.3 output supporting the Consumer Electronic Control (CEC) standard, audio DAC, digital timing oscillator, smart card protection and power control functions, support for two slot DVB-Common Interface (DVB-CI) with integrated buffers.
NEOTION Unveils The T.NERGY Flyweight Set-Top Box
From http://www.broadcastbuyer.tv/publish/productsPreviews_251/NEOTION_Unveils_The_T_NERGY_Flyweight_Set-Top_Box_17738.shtml
NEOTION - a French Fabless high-tech company that provides ultra secured MPEG-4 chipsets in the Digital TV space - today presents the T.NERGY: the smallest MPEG-4 set-top ever made.
Powered by the fully in-house designed NP5+ NEOTION processor, the T.NERGY aims at pushing further the current boundaries with regards to the growing enthusiasm around both IPTV boxes and PC/TV path & Media Centers ones. It shall enable to commute any television sets with triple play TV lined up by Telcos, but also more globally, to the emergence on Connected TV with the Web 2.0 social networks and the VOD.
First NEOTION product to run on LINUX, the T.NERGY is a genuine IP box that measures less than 4 inches (7 by 9 cm), and weights only 82 grams. However, the T.NERGY doesn’t neglect any of the essential features that are required by TV Operators and Telcos, being notably the compliance with state of the art IPTV & Home network protocols and Standards, the embedded secured silicon based CAS & DRM, the SIMcard reader, and the SD-CARD HC reader together with a totally silent DVR and time-shifting mode (no hard-disk noise, unlike most HDD based PVRs).
In order to contribute to environmental related concerns, the T.NERGY is actually not only ultra small to ease transportation, but also ultra low power. Beyond the vertical operators’ Markets for which it was originally conceptualized, the T.NERGY shall also be capable of being offered straight to consumers when bundled with the Neotion Player – a Media Center type application that turns your Home PC and your Internet connection into a whole TV & DVD server, both multiroom and highly performing - capable of transcoding on the fly any video, photo or music sources using today’s popular codecs – while making them accessible at your fingertip’s via your living-room TV remote control.
Even better, the T.NERGY shall fairly soon be complemented with a totally disruptive accessory option: a DVB Tuner built into an Ethernet plug using a totally new NEOTION chipset. In other words, it shall then be possible to enable remote access, for any T.NERGY one has connected in his Home Network, to a DTT or satellite reception resource located somewhere in one single place in that Home! The Multiroom shall then become a mainstream reality even more important that alongside the analogue switch off that is mandated by 2012 latest in Europe, people shall massively be seeking to connect all of their TV sets to some sort of Digital TV signals.
The T.NERGY is by nature the very first Flyweight IP Box…., but stepping away from usual high cost, high power consumption and cluttering constraints, it shall indubitably be boxing in the “Heavyweight” decoder category. A story to keep on tracking on the Commercial ring.
15/09/08
Weekend feeds
D2 12528 H sr 6670 "Horse racing"
D2 12680 V sr 6670 "V8s"
Asiasat 2 3754 V sr 6111 "V8's"
all Asiasat4
12590 V Sr 6620 "a-leauge soccer"
12571 V Sr 6620 "NRL"
12616 V Sr 6620 "Big Time Boxing"
12575 V Sr 6620 "NRL Storm v Warriors"
From my Email & ICQ
..
From the Dish
Intelsat 8 166E 3900 H "CNBC Asia" is Fta.
Telstar 18 138E 12354 V "Luxe TV HD" has left .
AsiaSat 4 122.2E 3760 H "Sanskar TV" has left .
AsiaSat 4 122.2E 3820 V "ETC Channel Punjabi" is now encrypted.
NSS 11 108.2E 12511 H All channels in the mux are now encrypted.
Insat 4B 93.5E 11110 V "Comedy Thirai" has started on , MPEG-4, Irdeto.
Yamal 201 90E 3552 R "Bridge TV" has started on , Fta, SR 5180, FEC 5/6.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3502 V "Dhi TV" is back on , Fta, SR 4444, FEC 2/3.
NEWS
Extra time for TV review
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/4693184a28.html
'No comment' on rumour ministry was asked to rework advice
A Government decision on whether Sky Television should face draconian new regulations that could include the "unbundling" of its set-top box network, operational separation and controls on the sports rights it can buy has been pushed into extra time.
Broadcasting Minister Trevor Mallard and Communications Minister David Cunliffe were due to have reported to Cabinet by the end of July with their recommendations on a review of broadcasting regulations carried out by the Culture and Heritage Ministry.
"The feedback from the discussion document on the regulatory review and what happens next are quite significant matters that ministers wish to give due consideration," Mr Mallard says.
"This has taken longer than the previously expected timeframe."
There are rumours the ministry was asked to rework some of its recommendations to ministers, and speculation that may mean it has been asked to water them down.
Digital broadcasting strategy manager Jo Tyndall would not comment. A report was "in train" and was in ministers' hands, she said.
The ministry said in May that a "clear majority" of the 80 submissions it received in response to a discussion document called for a single regulator for broadcasting and telecommunications and that most favoured an "open access regime" and "must carry" regulations, that would force Sky to carry third-party programming on terms set by regulators. Sky labelled that summary "inadequate" and said it was concerned about how the Government would use the ministry's summary.
Spokesman Tony O'Brien said Sky was not trying to read the tea leaves, and was concentrating instead on meeting demand for its new generation of high-definition set-top boxes.
One as-yet-unused feature of the set-top boxes is that they can download programmes over the Internet. This has prompted concerns, rejected by Sky, that the pay- TV company could become a gatekeeper for access to the Web.
The Government has promised further public consultations on any changes proposed as a result of the first round of the review and has already signalled the review will not be shelved and there will be a second stage.
Cabinet allocated $300,000 to the Economic Development Ministry in August, which ministry spokesman Angus McLeod says will increase funding for the "next steps" of the review such as "enabling access to expertise".
The Government's Digital Strategy 2.0, published last month, says final decisions will be made on institutional arrangements for broadcasting regulation by the end of next year.
CHANGE OPTIONS
* Single regulator for broadcasting and telecommunications.
* 'Communications commissioner' to replace telecommunications commissioner.
* New Telecommunications and Media Act.
* 'Open access' to set-top boxes that must adhere to mandated technical standards.
* Media companies forced to contribute to broadband infrastructure fund.
* 'Must carry, must pay' and anti-siphoning rules imposed on Sky TV.
* A la carte, or anti-bundling, rules that would prevent Sky selling channels in packages.
* Net neutrality rules that would prevent Sky discriminating against third- party content delivered over the Net to its set-top boxes.
* Combining the functions of the Broadcasting Standards Authority, Advertising Standards Authority, the Office of Film and Literature Classification, and the Press Council in relation to broadcasting.
Where is the remote control?
WE have this TV dish that lets us watch more television as if it was necessary or desirable.
We got it during the recent bout of sporting plague known as the Olympics, so we could watch something different, or even more sport, as it turned out.
We got the dish off a chap who sort of left it on the roof and gave us the electronic box.
He'd probably had enough sport during the previous Olympics and was glad to see it go.
Just plug her in and push the right button on the remote and away you go, he said.
Not. Problem one, the aged television we had would not connect. I like my TV small and discreet, not a focus of the household, however popular the medium.
But like computers, once you get one you are tied to the cycle of new and improved programs that do not connect with the quite workable, effective and useful equipment you already have.
Someone you work with or who lives in the household gets the new and improved version and you all have to follow or be marginalised along with horse-drawn trams and hand-operated washing-machines.
So the satellite TV dish project went on hold while I resisted buying a new goggle box.
Needless to say, I lost, and one day I came home to a bright new monstrous screen leering from the corner of the living room. Whoopee!
When I stopped feeling overwhelmed by the electronics, I quite liked being able to see people's faces clearly and notice subtleties of colour, such as green (as opposed to greenish red) grass and yellow (as opposed to reddish brown) flowers.
It was nice to discover that not all news presenters are Martians with bright red complexion but they do have a lot more spots and wrinkles than I thought.
Now we could plug in the box but couldn't get the satellite channels to show, no way. Obviously, we needed the man.
You can't just look in the yellow pages for "man to fix the TV dish", it is going to be under some other obscure listing that I won't possibly be able to think of. So we had to find a friend, who knew a chap, whose brother-in-law had a business, that dealt with TV stuff.
He was off work but told us about the other person and gave us a telephone contact.
It was one of those you ring and ring and finally a voice says "you have reached the telephone of Mumble, please leave a message after the beep and he will do his best to get back to you as soon as possible" next year.
Much to our astonishment, the man called, and not long afterward, turned up.
Nothing to it, he said of our TV problem.
Three hours and a foot through the roof later, there were only a few little difficulties left to overcome. We could have settled an hour earlier for 27 channels in Portuguese, several in Italian and a couple in French but we felt we should at least have something we had a fighting chance of understanding. The man duly twiddled the dish and we now have many channels in Chinese, some in Arabic, an excellent channel in English with an Arabic accent, a German channel, a French cooking channel, something really weird with an American accent, the fashion channel, a channel that speaks no known language but sometimes bursts into English, and several Hindi channels that are strong on soapies and religion.
The poor man had to keep going to the internet to checking the settings. I thought we could have some quite interesting channels but the so-called Head of Household stopped me from plying the man with liquor and he packed his pliers and went home.
We have only one remaining problem.
Where oh where did we put the remote control?
I'm getting tired of watching the wonders of the Chinese business scene in Mandarin.
German TV firm eyes Fiji
From http://www.fijilive.com/news_new/index.php/news/show_news/8582
A German-based free-to-air television company has its eyes set on Fiji fuelling deep interests to be a player in this recently deregulated industry.
And already there is great determination by experts that this company will “no doubt” get the licence to provide more competition in this industry.
Fiji’s ambassador to the Peoples Republic of China Sir James Ah Koy said this new television company, identity withheld, was coming to Fiji to provide free-to-air services, and in the English language.
He said not only would this provide a much tougher competitive environment for existing players, it would also generate much needed jobs.
In a separate project summary, Ah Koy said this television company project belonged to Fiji-born Yogesh Gokal who had lived in Taiwan and China for the past 30 years.
He said the investor now had the necessary capital and wanted to return to Fiji to invest in a new television company to help the interim Government paint or project its side of the story.
He said this was particularly against overseas media, Australian-owned media entities especially, that were “focussed and determined to crush the interim Bainimarama Government”.
“He has empathy with the ideals of the interim Government and wants to help. He is coming with me to see the PM (Voreqe Bainimarama),” Ah Koy said.
“The reason why they (potential investors) are coming to Fiji, I tell you truthfully, it’s time you guys become unbiased, report the news as the news is supposed to be done,” he said.
“Don’t get the editor to put his thoughts into it. That is the problem with the media today,” he said.
“And the way this government is situated and with...you’re just opening the door for other people.
“And remember, it is a small market so only the best will survive, but it’ll make your jobs harder,” he added.
Ah Koy said this new television company would “get a licence, no doubt because the way you guys (Fiji media) are behaving”.
“I’m sure the (interim) Prime Minister will say ‘by all means, the more the merrier’ and it’s going to make your job very difficult,” he said.
Mediascape Launches New Philippines DTH Platform on NSS-11
From http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/mediascape-launches-new-philippines-dth/story.aspx?guid=%7B8F6B8E2E-8010-45FA-9A2C-5FA0BEC35356%7D&dist=hppr
SES NEW SKIES satellite at 108.2 East welcomes fourth DTH platform
THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Sep 15, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- SES NEW SKIES, an SES company (FR:SESG: news, chart, profile) (LuxX:SESG) announces that it has been contracted by Mediascape, Inc. to provide transponder capacity on the NSS-11 satellite for their new direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television service targeting the Philippines. Terms of the multiple-year, multiple-transponder contract remain confidential.
Mediascape's DTH service is expected to launch 24 channels in its basic tier package which includes highly desirable Filipino and English channels at affordable pricing levels. The service will be available in both postpaid and prepaid plans in collaboration with Smart Communications, Inc., the country's leading wireless company.
States Mr. Orlando B. Vea, President and CEO of Mediascape: "SES NEW SKIES' high power NSS-11 satellite provides optimal DTH coverage of our target markets, allowing for reception of our bouquet of channels on small, easy to install dishes. Direct-to-home satellite television is hugely successful in other markets in Asia, but has lagged behind in the Philippines. We are convinced that our offer on NSS-11 will meet consumer demand in the Philippines; and with our strong marketing and distribution network, we will help propel the pay-TV market here to new levels."
Elias Zaccack, Vice President, Sales, Asia-Pacific at SES NEW SKIES, concurs: "The Philippines' pay TV market is still at a nascent stage, compared with other regional pay-TV markets. At roughly 18% market penetration, pay-TV has a long way to go in the Philippines. NSS-11 offers an excellent platform to drive this growth: High look angles, excellent power levels, and capacity to grow. We look forward to working with Mediascape to successfully develop satellite DTH in the Philippines and beyond."
"108.2 East is quickly becoming a hot orbital position for video in East Asia," adds Zaccack. "With more than 120 channels in Chinese, Korean, Filipino, and English, and over a million homes connected thus far, NSS-11 has become a neighbourhood of choice for programmers wishing to penetrate markets in Korea, Taiwan, HK, China, and the Philippines."
From the orbital position of 108.2 East, NSS-11 provides high-powered Ku-band coverage of China, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, South Asia, and parts of the Middle East. The spacecraft enables a full range of media and data applications, from direct --to-home television broadcasting to government communications and VSAT networks. NSS-11 is currently home to a number of Chinese-, Indian- and Korean-language television channels and pay-TV platforms, and supports an estimated 40,000 VSAT terminals in India.
Mediascape, Inc. a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mediaquest Holdings, Inc., is licensed to offer a direct-to-home (DTH) service in the Philippines and is also currently providing, on trial basis, a DVBH mobile TV service in partnership with Smart Communications, Inc. Mediaquest, its parent company, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund, which holds various interests in media companies in the Philippines.
About SES NEW SKIES
SES NEW SKIES is an SES company (FR:SESG: news, chart, profile) (LuxX:SESG) offering satellite communication services to a range of customers including telecommunications providers, broadcasters, corporations and governments around the world. SES NEW SKIES has a global fleet of seven satellites in orbit, with three additional spacecraft under construction (NSS-9, NSS-12 and NSS-14) and ground facilities around the world.
Headquartered in The Hague, the company has offices in Johannesburg, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Washington, D.C. In addition to SES NEW SKIES, SES wholly owns the market-leading satellite operators SES ASTRA in Europe and SES AMERICOM in North America, 90% of SES SIRIUS in Europe, and strategic participations in Ciel in Canada and Quetzsat in Mexico. SES provides outstanding satellite communications solutions via a global fleet of 38 satellites in 25 orbital locations. Further information on the company is available at http://www.ses-newskies.com/ and on SES at http://www.ses.com/
SOURCE: SES NEW SKIES
Warning for DStv
From http://www.sunday.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=vn20080913092106874C396901
Disgruntled DStv subscribers warned the satellite channel to prepare itself for cancellations as soon as the three new commercial satellite broadcasters kick into action.
The Independent Communicastions Authority of SA has issued three pay-tv licences since last year. These include Telkom Media, On Digital Media, and Walking on Water television.
E-sat, sister business to free channel e.tv, had initially applied for a licence, but decided instead to become a channel supplier to MultiChoice through the 24-hour news channel.
Chris van Zyl, of Telkom Media, said final plans hung in the balance as negotiations with its shareholders continued, but the operator hoped for a range of channels, which were not yet available in the country. Its packages included different bouquets, with one priced at about R100 a month.
Van Zyl said a launch date would depend on the shareholder negotiations.
Walking on Water television will air largely Christian programmes, and will probably start with three channels.
On Digital Media's packages are said to be tailored for subscribers. The operator is expected to have flexible bouquets where viewers can create their own packages.
DStv said pay-per-view services had been available for a small number of movies, but this was not a popular option and was discontinued.
Multichoice added that the satellite bandwidth had been used to increase channel selection.
Multichoice spokesperson Fathima Ebrahim said there were obstacles to offering such a service via satellite.
She said the rights to pay-per-view were different to monthly subscriptions, meaning it could lead to an increase in costs for subscribers.
Pay-per-view, as it is used overseas - in which you pay for what you see - is still not feasible in South Africa, but Ebrahim said the company would consider the option.
Stephen Jeffries, originally from the UK, said he had used the pay-per-view system in Britain, adding that it had been "just great".
"Now you have this monopolistic approach, where people just have to take what they can get. I will cancel my subscription when alternatives become available."
Until the three channels launch, subscribers said they would continue to appeal to DStv for their money's worth.
Lutz Kranz, of Cape Town, said he had sent an e-mail to Multichoice, urging DStv to "stop feeding me re-runs of 30-year-old programmes", adding that he and many other subscribers were "being cheated because I am not getting value for my expensive subscription payments".
Kranz said several friends had sent the same message to Multichoice.
He said until more attractive options were available, he would continue to demand "value for money".
"They are trading under false pretences, and at the moment this product is an absolute joke."
Ebrahim said although there was no way of scheduling repeats, different channels had different systems and limits in place. All the premium movie channels are owned by M-Net. Only TCM is owned by Turner.
DStv's repeat patterns are influenced by M-Net's schedules, and a movie only comes to pay-tv once it has been broadcast a number of times. It then has a number of runs and is cleared for free television.
The other factor affecting repeats was channel positioning. Some channels were first-run content, while others were second-run.
"The former includes premium content and fresh movies and series, like M-Net and the Movie Magic channel. The latter is exemplified by channels like M-Net Stars and Magic World, Sony. The second-run channels are largely intended for broadcast on DStv Compact and DStv Select subscription packages, which creates an opportunity for new, lower-income entrants into pay TV," said Ebrahim.
She said the company consulted with channel suppliers regularly about repeat patterns and the contractual agreements governing new programmes.
UAE blocks illegal TV websites
From http://www.itp.net/news/530957-uae-blocks-illegal-pay-tv-websites
The UAE Ministry of Economy has ordered the disruption of ten websites that allowed users to illegally view satellite television channels without subscription.
It’s the latest move in a national anti-piracy campaign that has intensified over recent months.
“We received communications that illegal operators were broadcasting unsubscribed Euro 2008 matches and other programs over the internet and promptly coordinated with enforcement authorities to conduct a raid. We were able to identify 10 foreign internet links and immediately ordered the disruption of local internet connections to these addresses,” said a source from the UAE Ministry of Economy
Access to 10 Korean-based internet addresses have been disrupted since the initiative began in June. When itp.net probed for specific websites, the client declined to comment for ‘privacy reasons’.
“Cases of pay TV piracy have been increasing in the UAE, with dishonest operators showing more confidence that they can elude the law and the efforts of authorities concerned to prevent this crime,” said Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz Alshihhi, MoE undersecretary.
Under the government’s new pay television anti-piracy program, the Ministry will contact internet service providers to block access to illegal websites based on complaints received by concerned authorities.
The Ministry has also issued orders to all national ports of entry and federal customs to confiscate illegally imported decoder boxes, which are being used to obtain satellite television signals for free.
Saudi judge calls for murder of satellite channel owners
From http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/12/saudiarabia.islam
Sheik Saleh al-Lihedan says owners of networks that broadcast 'bad programmes' during Ramadan can be killed
Saudi Arabia's top judiciary official has issued a fatwa authorising the murder of owners of satellite TV networks that broadcast "bad programmes".
Sheik Saleh al-Lihedan, 79, chief of the kingdom's highest tribunal, the supreme judiciary council, said satellite channels caused the "deviance of thousands of people".
He was answering listeners' questions during the daily radio programme Light in the Path, in which he and other clerics make rulings on what is permissible under Islamic law. One caller asked yesterday about Islam's view on satellite TV channels that broadcast "bad programmes" during Ramadan.
"What does the owner of these networks think, when he provides seduction, obscenity and vulgarity?" said Al-Lihedan. "Those calling for corrupt beliefs, certainly it's permissible to kill them. Those calling for sedition, those who are able to prevent it but don't, it is permissible to kill them."
One of the most viewed Arab satellite networks is Rotana, which broadcasts films and music videos. It is owned by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, a billionaire businessman and member of the Saudi royal family whom Forbes ranks as the world's 13th richest person. Several other networks are owned by Saudi princes. Al-Lihedan did not specify particular channels in his judgment.
Fatwas are regularly issued on everyday issues, although they do not have the weight of law.
Al-Lihedan sparked controversy previously when he issued a religious decree permitting Saudis to join jihadists to fight US troops in Iraq.
NDS Unified Headend(TM) Wins 'Best Content Protection Technology' Product of the Year Award from Cable & Satellite International Magazine
From http://newsticker.welt.de/index.php?channel=fin&module=smarthouse&id=779641
NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital Pay-TV, has won the ‘Best Product of the Year Award’ presented at IBC 2008 Amsterdam by Cable & Satellite International magazine (C&SI). NDS’ end-to-end solution NDS Unified Headend™ was named ‘Best Content Protection Technology.’
The NDS Unified Headend integrates conditional access (CA), Digital Rights Management (DRM) and third-party applications, allowing operators to deliver secure broadcast and Video-On-Demand (VOD) services to a variety of devices – set-top boxes (STBs), mobile phones, PCs, Portable Media Players (PMPs) and digital video recorders (DVRs) – using a common infrastructure. NDS Unified Headend therefore enables Pay-TV providers to realise significant operational efficiencies.
With the NDS Unified Headend, NDS delivers on the promise of ‘four screen’ convergence, enabling operators to deliver a seamless TV and entertainment experience, and to create new compelling applications for their customers. At the same time, operators benefit from the ability to create new kinds of promotions with multiple cross-platform business models.
In July 2008 NDS announced that Russian media giant Sistema Mass Media (SMM) selected the NDS Unified Headend to manage and protect TV content delivery to subscribers across both IP and mobile networks. Earlier, in September 2007 ‘yes’, the premier satellite broadcaster in Israel, chose to implement NDS VideoGuard PC™, a solution centring around the NDS Unified Headend.
"We are honoured to receive the Product of the Year Award for Best Content Protection Technology from Cable & Satellite International,” said Nigel Smith, NDS Chief Marketing Officer. "The NDS Unified Headend clearly builds on our leadership in the conditional access and DRM markets, and enables operators to deliver truly converged services to their subscribers.”
To book your personal tour of the NDS stand, including the chance to see the Converged Home of the Future – centred around the NDS Unified Headend – and see how Pay-TV operators can generate more revenue from the ‘four screens’ please contact the NDS media relations team, details provided below.
About NDS
NDS Group plc (NASDAQ: NNDS), a majority owned subsidiary of News Corporation, supplies open end-to-end digital technology and services to digital pay-television platform operators and content providers. See http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nds.com&esheet=5778173&lan=en_US&anchor=www.nds.com&index=1 for more information about NDS.
Big TV plans DVR launch
From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Media/Big_TV_plans_DVR_launch/articleshow/3477685.cms
BANGALORE: Reliance ADAG owned direct-to-home service Big TV is finalising plans for the launch of its digital video recorder (DVR), which should be available in the market by mid-October, a source close to the development said.
A digital video recorder can record multiple programmes from multiple TV channels in the absence of any viewer or while other content is being viewed. The company has ordered 2.5-lakh DVR-enabled set top boxes from Korean manufacturers, including Hyundai. The first batch of 25,000 set top boxes will be received by September end and will be rolled out soon after.
The digital video recorder, a high-end product, is being offered as a variant to its set-top boxes and is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 7,000-9,000 range. Reliance Communications is mooting the possibility of opening a limited-period offer for order booking on a first-cum-first serve basis, the source said.
Reliance Big TV commercially launched its DTH service on August 19, with set top boxes attached with a USB port priced at Rs 2,490.
Competing DTH operators like Dish TV and Tata Sky are also expected to roll out their DVRs shortly. The current market size of DTH service in India is estimated between 7 million and 8 mn homes of the 125-mn TV household market.
The viability of the DVRs are pegged to the quantum of both TV and DVD player sales as the DVD format throws a competition to the exclusive movie channels these players offer.
4/09/08
No update Sunday
13/09/08
No update Saturday
12/09/08
TDT 10 was running FTA D1 12637 V sr 5100
Is8 4080 V sr 27690 Fec 3/4 "Discovery HD Japan" is running FTA
From my Email & ICQ
...
From the Dish
AsiaSat 3S 105.5E 3860 V "ESPN Pakistan" has left .
NSS 6 95E 12535 V "Isai Aruvi, Zee Jagran and India News" are now encrypted.
NSS 6 95E 12595 V "Fashion TV India, Live India, Aakaash Bangla and Play TV" are now encrypted.
Measat 3 91.5E 3840 V "Golf Channel Asia" has left .
Insat 4A 83E 11670 H "Star Jalsha" has started on , Videoguard.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3545 V "SBB TV" has started on , Fta.
NEWS
Cast out terror TV
HEZBOLLAH'S terrorist television station is once again being beamed into Australia. Al-Manar, translated as "the beacon", has been called more accurately a beacon of hatred and violence. It is to be hoped that the Rudd Government and the Australian Communications and Media Authority are doing everything in their power to block the station, as has been done in the past.
This is in no way hypocritical, nor does it undermine Australia's commitment to freedom of speech.
Even in societies whose commitment to freedom of speech is as strong as Australia's, there are limits to that freedom, such as where the speech incites violence or racial hatred.
Indeed, this balancing has already occurred here for stations such as Al-Manar. In 2005, ACMA proposed new standards prohibiting broadcasts that directly supported terrorist organisations. These standards were the direct result of an ACMA investigation into Al-Manar the previous year. And ACMA has acted again since then to have the station removed from satellites that broadcast into Australia.
Significantly, Australia is not alone in drawing a line between freedom of speech and incitement to violence. The US, France, Canada and the European Union have banned their nationals from broadcasting Hezbollah's TV station into their territories because of the station's message and its dominance by a terrorist organisation.
The prohibition is well deserved. Al-Manar acts as the propaganda arm of Hezbollah, helping to raise money for, and recruit members to, the terrorist organisation. The group and its TV station demonise the West and incite violence against it, repeatedly calling for resistance against coalition forces in Iraq and glorifying terrorism, with videos showing suicide bombers detonating themselves. Al-Manar also helps to perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by stoking violence against Israel.
In one example, a child dressed as Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah repeats one of his speeches to a crowd of children, some of whom are dressed in suicide vests to punish the "Zionist enemy".
Other programs extol the virtue of jihad and suicide operations, calling for death to Israel by exploding bodies.
The station spreads anti-Semitism by perpetuating noxious anti-Jewish myths and conspiracy theories, such as the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion, blood libel and the lie that Jews were behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in 2003, the station broadcast a 30-part anti-Semitic series, one episode for each night, depicting a supposed Jewish global government.
If claims that Al-Manar is popular among Arabic speakers in Australia are true, it is even more important to stop it influencing and inflaming its audience.
Al-Manar cannot be separated from Hezbollah's military wing. Although the terrorist group holds seats in the Lebanese parliament, it makes no distinction between its armed and political branches. Al-Manar, likewise, promotes Hezbollah's political as well as military messages, be it its so-called resistance against Israel or attempts to justify the group turning its arms on Lebanese people, as it did recently.
And, as we all know, money is fungible. Hezbollah's funding of Al-Manar cannot be separated from the funding of its armed branch.
So what could the Government do? First, capitalising on its friendly relations, it should reach out diplomatically to the Indonesian and Qatari governments - both of which own shares in the satellite company that broadcasts the station - as well as private shareholders and impress on them the importance of removing Al-Manar from the menu of channels available on the satellite.
The Indonesian Government has made significant strides in the past several years in combating its militant problem. Broadcasting the propaganda of a foreign terrorist group to Indonesians as well as to populations throughout Southeast Asia and Australia is clearly not in Indonesia's interests. Consistent with those interests, it is to be hoped that the responsible leadership we have seen in public and private domains in both countries will come to the fore on this issue.
The Rudd Government should also pursue all domestic legal measures available to it. It is almost certainly illegal under Australian law to provide support to Hezbollah, a banned terrorist organisation, and, by extension, to its TV station. The Government should determine whether any Australian nationals own part of the satellite company and, if so, take appropriate legal action. The Government should do the same for any Australians found to be facilitating the broadcast of Al-Manar in Australia.
Al-Manar spreads a dangerous and violent message in its role as a Hezbollah mouthpiece. It should not be able to use Australia's airwaves to disseminate such poison to undermine our harmonious multicultural society.
Colin Rubenstein is the executive director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council.
Sausage sizzle planned as spy base trio appear
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4689108a6008.html
Those backing three men accused of attacking Waihopai Spy Base will be able to get a feed while they support the men on their appearance in the Blenheim District Court next week.
Peace Movement Aotearoa is organising a series of events to support the men before and after their depositions hearing next Thursday.
Dominican friar Peter Murnane, 67, farmer Samuel Land, 24, and organic gardener Adrian Leason, 42, were charged with causing intentional damage and entering a building with intent to commit a crime on April 30 when they entered the Waihopai Spy Base and used sickles to deflate one of two 30 metre domes covering satellite interception dishes.
The men, representing the Christian Ploughshares peace group, were protesting against New Zealand's involvement in the war in Iraq.
The night before the depositions hearing a meal and forum will be held at St Mary's presbytery, while a sausage sizzle and cake stall will take place at the Blenheim War Memorial from 1pm on Thursday.
The event at the war memorial, opposite the district court, will raise money for the reconstruction of Iraq.
Peace Movement Aotearoa is also planning protest action in the form of "peaceful prescences" in Wellington and Auckland on Thursday.
Tongasat pays outstanding debts to Tonga Government
From http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=41952
The Tonga Prime Minister Dr Feleti Sevele has told Parliament that the country’s satellite communication provider Tongasat, which is part owned by the King’s sister, Princess Pilolevu Tuita, has cleared outstanding debts to the state.
Dr Sevele did not say how much was owed but says it was nowhere near the 50 million pa’anga that had been suggested earlier.
He told Parliament that Tongasat had always assured the Government that it would honour its commitments but had needed time to do so.
Dr Sevele also says that Tongasat and the Government have ended a lengthy exclusivity arrangement
Aora on lookout for agency
From http://www.brandrepublic.asia/Media/newsarticle/2008_09/Aora-on-lookout-for-agency/32595
JAKARTA - Indonesia’s new pay-TV operator Aora is on a lookout for an agency to promote the Barclays English Premier League, an event it is exclusively broadcasting in Indonesia.
The pay-TV operator recently won the rights to broadcast this event, previously carried by Astro in Indonesia.
Four local agencies, including Max Online, Berakar, DN Pratama and Sponge Inc, have been invited to the creative pitch. Mustika Kusumaningtyas, marketing communications manager at Aora, confirmed the news and said that the agency is looking to engage an agency that can develop full marketing communications to promote the Premier League coverage in Indonesia.
Aora commenced broadcasting in August this year and plans a full commercial launch in early 2009 with at least 50 channels. Kusumaningtyas said that later this year the company will be on a look out for an agency to develop its launch campaign .
The pay-TV operator competes with Indovision, Kablevision and Astro-PTDV in the pay-TV market in Indonesia.
Astro posts RM247.32m net loss in Q2
From http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/11/business/20080911182859&sec=business
KUALA LUMPUR Astro All Asia Networks PLC posted a whopping net loss of RM247.32mil in the second quarter ended July 31, mainly to provisions for its PT Direct Vision in Indonesia.
Astro said on Thursday that it had issued termination notices to PTDV for all support and services provided to it although in response to a request from PTDV, the group would continue supplying these services until Sept 30.
“As a result of these developments, during the quarter the group has provided RM231.1mil in respect of the Indonesian venture. These provisions included costs to provide services to PTDV until Sept 30 and all other costs, of which the group is currently aware,” it said.
Astro also said its direct-to-home TV joint-venture business in India, Sun Direct TV, was benefiting from robust demand for high-quality services and had signed on over one million subscribers since its launch.
“Consistent with the group’s accounting policies, the group expects to account for its share of Sun Direct TV’s losses of up to RM575mil, representing the cost of its 20% equity stake, over the next five years,” it said.
For the second quarter, its revenue was RM742.52mil while loss per share was 12.79 sen. In the previous corresponding quarter it made a net loss of RM54.18mil on the back of RM630mil in revenue while loss per share was 2.8 sen.
Shuttle to launch its own satellite
From http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=373388&type=National
CHINA’S third manned-space shuttle Shenzhou VII is expected to launch its own small satellite to broadcast live the country’s first space walk.
The satellite, equipped with CCD cameras, will be automatically propelled from the shuttle or be released into space by the astronaut conducting the space walk.
The controls on the satellite will place the satellite in suitable orbit to follow the flight of Shenzhou VII, the New Express reported today.
The satellite will send back the first three-dimensional pictures of Shenzhou VII and also broadcast the historic moment when the astronaut steps from the space shuttle, the Guangdong-based newspaper said.
Broadcasts from Shenzhou V and Shenzhou VI, the country’s first two manned spacecraft, were limited to interior shots for technical reasons, the report said.
The Shenzhou VII launch will take place between September 25 and 30. The spacecraft will blast off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China’s Gansu Province.
The optimum launch window will depend on weather conditions, Jiao Weixin, a professor of Department of Spatial Information Science and Technology, Peking University, told the newspaper.
Wind speed on the ground should be less than eight meters per second while maximum wind speed in an area ranging from 3 kilometers to 18 kilometers in the area where the craft will travel should be less than 70 meters per second.
There should be no rain and visibility will have to be more than 20 kilometers, Jiao said, adding that could be no thunder or lightning within 40 kilometers of the launch site for eight hours before the launch and one hour after.
The report said revealed that China has started a new round of training for the astronauts who are expected to be the backbone of the country’s space plans over the next four to five years.
There will be less than 14 trainees in the nation’s second batch of astronauts, Yang Liwei, the first Chinese in space, and now deputy director of China Astronaut Research and Training Center, said.
All the astronauts are elite pilots selected from China’s Air Force and some are under 30, the report said.
They will not only receive physical, psychological and aerospace training but will also learn how to survive under extreme conditions.
The second batch of astronauts may face more complicated tasks when China launches the Shenzhou VIII.
China’s next phase in the final frontier is to have its own state-of-the art manned space station.
In 2003, China became the third country in the world - after the United States and Russia - to send a person into orbit. It followed this with a two-man mission in 2005.
The nation's first lunar probe, Chang'e-1 blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier rocket last October from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province.
Astrium-Built Inmarsat-4 F3 Satellite Successfully Deployed In Orbit
From http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Astrium_Built_Inmarsat_4_F3_Satellite_Successfully_Deployed_In_Orbit_999.html
The third Inmarsat-4 satellite will complete the constellation and allow Inmarsat to achieve global coverage by positioning the Inmarsat-4 fleet accordingly. The three satellites are identical and interchangeable - their coverage is programmable and can be reconfigured in orbit.
Further to its launch by Proton on 18 August 2008, the third Astrium-built Inmarsat-4 satellite took four apogee engine firings to reach geosynchronous orbit. Following full deployment of its 45m solar array and 80m² antenna reflector the spacecraft adopted its final Earth-pointing control mode.
All of the Eurostar E3000 spacecraft's systems are operating nominally. The payload, which includes an innovative digital processor, has been switched on and will be fully tested before the satellite is moved to its operational position at 98 degreesW and enters commercial service.
François Auque, CEO of Astrium, stressed that "Inmarsat-4 is undoubtedly one of the most sophisticated communications satellites ever built, demonstrating Astrium's ability to construct advanced and highly flexible payloads ".
Launched in 2005, the first satellites cover 85 per cent of the world's landmass and 98 per cent of the world's population - including Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and part of the Pacific Ocean.
The third Inmarsat-4 satellite will complete the constellation and allow Inmarsat to achieve global coverage by positioning the Inmarsat-4 fleet accordingly. The three satellites are identical and interchangeable - their coverage is programmable and can be reconfigured in orbit.
The Inmarsat-4 satellites were built to support Inmarsat's global mobile broadband services, which deliver unprecedented voice and broadband data connectivity, at speeds of up to half-a-megabit per second, to mobile users on land, at sea and in the air.
Sea Launch to put U.S. telecom satellite in orbit Sept. 23
From http://en.rian.ru/world/20080912/116731895.html
WASHINGTON, September 12 (RIA Novosti) - The Sea Launch consortium will put a new telecommunications satellite into orbit on September 23 from its ocean-based platform in the Pacific, a company spokesperson said Friday.
Intelsat's Galaxy 19 communications satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral, will provide coverage in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico.
Galaxy 19 will be the fifth satellite Sea Launch has sent into orbit this year, and the 29th overall.
The Sea Launch consortium, established in 1995, is owned by Boeing, Norway's Kvaerner ASA, Ukraine's Yuzhnoye design bureau and Yuzhmash production association, as well as Russia's RSC-Energia. It is the only company that launches from the Equator, which allows rockets to carry heavier payloads than from other latitudes
Geomagnetic Field: When Will Compass Fail
From http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Geomagnetic_Field_When_Will_Compass_Fail_999.html
Scientists predict the North Pole could eventually be found in South Atlantic. An extensive anomaly area with the magnetic field intensity at around 60% of the predicted value shows the forecast is likely to score.
The recent trouble with the ISS, caused by simple computer virus capable of stealing logins and passwords for computer games only, was minor compared to possible environmental changes that could make space flights impossible.
This could also cripple aviation and television, and even put terrestrial life at risk.
It's about the Earth's geomagnetic field, changing rapidly and frequently. Scientists from the Institute for Geomagnetism at the Russian Academy of Sciences say the Earth's magnet poles are gradually drifting towards the Equator, with the field intensity falling slowly, but steadily.
The latter was considered to reach zero point in about 2,000 years, which would be a disaster for living organisms.
The rate of changes happening to the planet's liquid core (movement of the liquid and the solid parts of the Earth's core generate an electric potential, making the planet a sort of an electric generator - A.K.), however, could mean that the polarity shift is going to happen much sooner.
If a hundred years ago somebody said that the South and the North could switch places, he would be definitely taken to a mental hospital.
Nevertheless, as early as 1906, it was revealed that in the past magnetisation of some rocks was opposite to that of the present day, making it clear that some time ago it was different from the modern time.
In 2001, an international polar expedition revealed that in the recent seven years the North magnetic pole shifted around 300 km (186.4 miles). Currently, it is drifting 40 km (24.85 miles) a year from the Canadian Arctic shelf towards Russia's Severnaya Zemlya islands.
Scientists predict the North Pole could eventually be found in South Atlantic. An extensive anomaly area with the magnetic field intensity at around 60% of the predicted value shows the forecast is likely to score.
In the recent 20 years, the planet's magnetic field intensity has decreased by 1.7%, and in South Atlantic by 10%. In the last two hundred years, the Earth's magnetic field has seen a 10% decrease in intensity.
What is the danger, after all? Russian scientists say changes in the magnetic field would lead to the anti-radiation protection falling, with space flights becoming impossible and energy-dependent systems, including mobile phones and satellites, failing.
Then, solar and space radiation would affect the genome of the organisms inhabiting the Earth, causing some of them to become extinct, and others to have a much larger per cent of mutations. Taking into account the solar flares, accompanied by extremely powerful electrojet currents, life is likely to become impossible on Earth before the full magnetic field collapses.
Sounds terrible. But may be there's no need to dramatise and we will not face giant blood-thirsty killer ants from Hollywood horror movies? May be.
Recent reports say that in the last 90 million years, the magnetic poles changed around every 500,000 years, with no total extinction of mass genetical mutations of living organisms taking place and the atmosphere remaining a reliable guarantor of security of the Earth's biosphere.
Equipment, created by the human genius and becoming his incorruptible prison ward, would have it harder.
The above mentioned processes are especially hazardous for computer systems, which are vital for the modern economy. Even today, magnetic storms caused by solar activity inflict huge losses to mankind. A decrease in the Earth's magnetic field intensity would boost the power of magnetic storms and therefore cripple flight connection, with avionics failing.
Besides that, any flight by plane would be dangerous to man. Today, in the low-pressure upper atmosphere, the effect of radiation is becoming more marked. In 2000, a Euro Commission directive relegated pilots and flight attendants to high risk jobs. The geomagnetic field keeps protecting us during flights so far, but what lies ahead?
On the other hand, scientists haven't established so far, if the changes happening to the geomagnetic field are reversible. Nobody has ever found out why the Earth's history has seen times when the magnet poles remained unshifted as long as 50 million years. May be, things will turn out well anyway?
Disruption-free Videos
From http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080905072130.htm
ScienceDaily (Sep. 6, 2008) — Standardized video coding techniques still have their snags – digitally transmitted images are not always disruption-free. An extension of the H.264/AVC coding format allows to protect the most important data packets to ensure they arrive safely at the receiver.
Your favorite detective series has just reached its most exciting moment when it happens: The thunderstorm raging outside interferes with the digital image on your TV. The picture keeps getting stuck – and the murderer goes undetected. The reason for such interferences is that crystal-clear image quality, such as in HDTV, involves an increased volume of data.
But the data packets are at risk during transmission, as information can be lost along the way. This poses a serious problem for developers of video coding techniques. Once the data packets are lost, it is very difficult to correct the error.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI in Berlin are therefore working to improve standardized video coding techniques such as the H.264/AVC format, which is used by the YouTube video portal and Apple’s QuickTime player, for example. If an Internet node is overloaded, for instance, data packets are randomly discarded during transmission.
This causes a jerky picture. “Our extension of the H.264/AVC coding format protects the most important parts of the data packets so that they can be broadcast without error,” says Dr. Thomas Wiegand, head of department at the HHI and a professor at the Berlin Institute of Technology. The data packets in question are precisely those required for a disruption-free video.
The researchers use additional data to protect them. “If, say, two video packets need to be transmitted, we equip an additional data packet with the result of the sum of the bytes in the two video data packets. If any of these three data packets gets lost, we can deduce the content of the original two,” explains Wiegand. The new coding format makes it possible to restrict these additional data packets to the most important part of the video. In this way, if anything does get lost, only the quality will fluctuate.
The extension of the H.264/AVC format is called SVC (scalable video coding). It runs on all H.264/AVC-compatible devices, so customers do not need to buy new ones. Moreover, it works independently of the overall data volume and can ensure fault-free reception even for high-resolution TV. SVC standardization has now been completed and will come into use in various applications: for HDTV, the Internet, video conferences, surveillance technology or mobile radio.
The researchers will present the new extended format at the IBC conference in Amsterdam (Hall 8, Stand 381) on September 12 through 16.
STMicroelectronics Introduces Silicon Tuner and Single-Channel DVB-S2 Demodulator to Enable Cost-Effective HDTV Satellite Consumer Equipment
From http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1550414/stmicroelectronics_introduces_silicon_tuner_and_singlechannel_dvbs2_demodulator_to_enable/
GENEVA, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- STMicroelectronics , the world's leading supplier of silicon chips for set-top boxes (STBs)*, today announced it is bolstering its leadership in DVB-S2 digital satellite broadcast solutions with the launch of a new STB 'front-end' chipset for digital satellite high-definition TV equipment. The new STV6110A silicon tuner and the STV0903 single-channel satellite TV demodulator meet all the requirements of the DVB-S2 standard for broadcast applications. The use of DVB-S2 by consumer equipment manufacturers is strongly increasing in a wide range of applications, including Pay-TV and free-to-air STBs, integrated digital TVs (iDTVs), PC TV cards and the emerging high-definition Blu-ray (BD) equipment.
The DVB-S2 standard increases the capacity of satellite communications links by 30% compared to DVB-S (Digital Video Broadcast for Satellite), which has been in use for many years by satellite operators worldwide. In combination with other new coding and satellite technologies, DVB-S2 enables the effective deployment of high data-rate applications such as HDTV, broadband Internet and interactive services, as well as a significant increase in the number of standard channels that can be broadcast in a conventional transponder. Major satellite operators covering Europe, North Africa and the Middle-East are now in the process of accelerating the migration of all their satellite transponders to the more efficient DVB-S2 standard. The use of the standard is also increasing outside of the US and Western Europe, toward emerging markets such as Russia, India and Brazil, as well as Eastern Europe.
"ST has shipped more than five million DVB-S2 chipsets to leading makers of high-definition set-top boxes and integrated digital TVs and has, by far, the industry's widest portfolio of silicon IP and field-proven digital TV solutions," said Philippe Lambinet, Executive Vice President and General Manager of ST's Home Entertainment Group. "ST is able to offer leading operators and consumer manufacturers a wide choice of advanced platforms including this new stand-alone tuner and demodulator solution or complete fully integrated set-top box platforms, including tuner and single-chip integrated demodulator and decoder."
The new STV0903 demodulator, which operates seamlessly with ST's new STV6110A silicon tuner, is implemented in a cost-optimized process technology and allows easy upgrade to ST's dual-channel STV0900 demodulator, which was launched in early 2007. The STV6110A silicon tuner is a replacement for ST's STB6000 and STB6100 tuners, which have shipped a cumulative volume of more than 30 million units since 2004. The STV6110A is also suitable for use in markets outside of the DVB-S2 standard, such as Japan, and China, in which new satellite standards are emerging. Importantly, this new STV6110A tuner and STV0903 demodulator combo provides manufacturers with a significant reduction in power consumption offering 600mW and 1.2W, respectively, which is approximately 50% of the combined power consumption of ST's previous chipset.
Full software support is available via ST's application program interface (STAPI), enabling ease of use with ST's extensive family of standard- and high-definition H.264/MPEG-4/VC-1 decoders. Both new devices support QPSK (quadrature-phase-shift-keying) and 8PSK modulation, as well as both DVB-S and DVB-S2 processing. The STV0903 demodulator is packaged in a 14 x 14mm 128-pin LQFP and is priced at $9 in quantities of 10,000. The STV6110A tuner is packaged in a 5 x 5mm 32-pin QFN and is priced at $1.5 in quantities of 10,000. Both devices are available now in production volumes.
About STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics is a global leader in developing and delivering semiconductor solutions across the spectrum of microelectronics applications. An unrivalled combination of silicon and system expertise, manufacturing strength, Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio and strategic partners positions the Company at the forefront of System-on-Chip (SoC) technology and its products play a key role in enabling today's convergence markets. The Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, on Euronext Paris and on the Milan Stock Exchange. In 2007, the Company's net revenues were $10 billion. Further information on ST can be found at http://www.st.com/.
* 'MPEG Video ICs: H.264 in the Limelight' published by InStat, June 2007
STMicroelectronics
CONTACT: Michael Markowitz, of STMicroelectronics, +1-212-821-8959,[email protected]
Web Site: http://www.st.com/
Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall
SWE-DISH Drive(s)-Away With New Client — Geo TV Pakistan
From http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1706497557
SWE-DISH Satellite Systems AB, a DataPath(R) company delivered a fleet of SWE-DISH Drive-Away CCT120s to Geo Television Network (Geo TV) in Pakistan making it one of the largest deployments of satellite news-gathering systems in Pakistan. The Drive-Away CCT120s delivered to Geo TV will enable mobile news-gathering teams to broadcast from anywhere in Pakistan, transmitting live news, sports and other events.
Geo TV has been broadcasting since August 2002 on the Intelsat 10 digital satellite using SWE-DISH IPT Suitcase(R) terminals before adopting the Drive-Away. The broadcaster is the first South Asian Urdu-language channel to provide content comparable with world-class television broadcasters. Geo TV is the fastest growing television channel in Pakistan with ratings exceeding all satellite-delivered channels in the market, and it has the widest distribution on cable systems in Pakistan achieving 100 percent carriage within just 90 days of launch.
The Drive-Away CCT120 provides Geo TV with a flexible solution; due to its specialized design, small size and low weight, the Drive-Away CCT120 can be mounted on any of the broadcaster's vehicles. The Drive-Away CCT120 is fully enclosed during transport, and it deploys quickly with point-and-shoot antenna control that enables transmission to begin within minutes.
SWE-DISH launched the Drive-Away CCT120 just last year, and it has been well received due to its weight and transmission capacity as well as the advantages of the modular CommuniCase(R) Technology concept. The common modular system architecture of CommuniCase Technology creates a line of easy-to-change terminals designed to meet present and future operational needs. Like all CommuniCase Technology products, the Drive-Away CCT120 features multiple modules, a plug-in modem, an antenna system, a controller and a transceiver, all of which can easily be replaced and used with current and future SWE-DISH CCT products.
Kudelski Claims Piracy Victory in Europe
From Skyreport
Kudelski, which through its NagraStar relationship with DISH Network provides signal security for the DBS service, said it scored a big victory in its fight against pay-TV piracy in Europe.
A German court has prohibited one of the main "free-to-air" TV decoder importers working in the country from importing, possessing or marketing TV decoders that have decoding capabilities. The decoders contain an electronic mechanism that makes its possible to circumvent conditional access systems and allow for the illegal reception of pay-TV programming, Kudelski said.
Although the banned "free-to-air" decoders also allow for reception of free (unencrypted) programming, the court found that the devices are illegal because they contain the electronic mechanism, the company said. The company, Heinrich Zehnder GmbH, risks a fine of up to 250,000 euros ($348,424 U.S.) or a prison sentence for executives if it does not comply with the verdict.
"This verdict is a clear message for manufacturers and importers of de facto' pirate decoders. From now on, they will have to ensure that such decoders are not equipped with technical elements that - by themselves or through the downloading of pirate software - allow circumvention of content protection systems and the illegal reception of encrypted content," Kudelski said in a statement.
Indian TV Group Reliance BIG TV Selects Thomson Headend System for Massive Deployment of 300 TV Channels over Hybrid Networks
From http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/indian-tv-group-reliance-big/story.aspx?guid=%7BA92022CC-4337-4A2F-AAF9-26EAB334C49F%7D&dist=hppr
PARIS and AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, Sep 11, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Indian TV Group Reliance BIG TV Selects Thomson Headend System for Massive Deployment of 300 TV Channels over Hybrid Networks
Paris (France) / Amsterdam (Netherlands) - IBC, September 11, 2008 - Reliance BIG TV, a new venture of India's largest private company Reliance, is to launch 300 high-definition and standard-definition channels, as well as 50 radio channels, using a complete head end system from Thomson (TMS:
thomson sponsored adr
)
TMS 4.87, +0.16, +3.4%) , the worldwide leader in video solutions.
Reliance has selected Thomson's innovative solutions for launching and managing a hybrid distribution network of satellite direct to home (DTH) and IPTV over broadband, for high-definition (HD) and standard-definition (SD) video services throughout India. Using Thomson's video head ends, Reliance is able to optimise its distribution network to launch a large number of channels, ensure excellent quality of service, and reach more viewers.
"This is an ambitious project and launching such a large bouquet of channels, including HD channels, over a dual-distribution network is a challenging proposition which Reliance Big TV is uniquely qualified to meet. Viewer quality expectations are high and satellite bandwidth over India is limited," said Mr. Arun Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance BIG TV. "We selected Thomson's solutions as they indisputably offer best-in- class performance for picture quality and compression capacity."
"Our solutions have been specifically developed to reply to the pain points encountered by operators when choosing their systems for delivering video - notably quality of service, return on investment and network distribution optimisation for delivery of bandwidth heavy services such as HD." said Didier Trutt, Senior Executive Vice President of the Systems Division within Thomson..
At its launch in later this year Reliance BIG TV will offer 300 HD and SD television channels, making it the first to launch HD video services in India. Reliance is offering its customers a choice of satellite or broadband delivery platforms. To do this cost effectively demands a flexible head end which can manage both DTH and IPTV platforms simultaneously and transparently.
Thomson has supplied Reliance with a complete video headend for hybrid networks, including its market-leading compression solutions featuring the Thomson ViBE Multi-channel MPEG-4 SD encoders, ViBE Premium MPEG-4 encoders for HD video, XMS monitoring equipment, and NetProcessor repurposing and multiplexing solutions. In addition Thomson is supplying full engineering, consulting and support services, including integrating the headend with Reliance's existing equipment.
Thomson has also supported Reliance in creating a redundancy system on a larger scale, providing two separate uplinks which are 1,000 kilometers apart to protect viewing enjoyment being disrupted by exceptional weather factors such as monsoons.
Network agnostic, Thomson's solutions are the heart of some of the world's largest deployments of IPTV, Triple Play, VoIP and Mobile TV. Thomson is unique in being able to offer a complete end-to-end solution for deployment of video and triple play services - from transmitters, video head ends and video on demand servers, to service platforms and consumer premises equipment.
11/09/08
Sorry back on Friday
10/09/08
Selectv have added Disney and Playhouse Disney and increased their prices
From my Email & ICQ
..
From the Dish
Agila 2 146E 3791 H "Da-Ai Jakarta has replaced Da-Ai 2" on , Fta, SR 3100, FEC 3/4.
Agila 2 146E 3915 V "GMA 7 and Q" are now encrypted.
NSS 11 108.2E 12471 H "Crime/Suspense has replaced ABS-CBN Channel 2" on , Conax.
NSS 11 108.2E 12471 H "GMA 7" is back on , Conax.
NSS 11 108.2E 12511 H "Basketball TV" has started on , Fta.
NSS 11 108.2E 12551 H "TV 5 (Philippines), ETC (Philippines), Studio 23, Cartoon Network Asia, AXN Philippines, Animax Philippines, Solar Sports and DZMM TeleRadyo" have started on , Fta, SR 28100, FEC 5/6.
NSS 6 95E 11172 "ETC Channel Punjabi" is now encrypted.
NSS 6 95E 12595 V "Zee Smile" has started on , Fta.
NSS 6 95E 12595 V "Zone Reality India & Asia" has left .
NSS 6 95E 12638 V "PTC Punjabi" is now encrypted.
Insat 4B 93.5E 11070 V 'Mh 1 Music and Enterr 10" have left .
Insat 4B 93.5E 11150 V "Zee Smile, Time TV and Zee Jagran" have left .
Insat 4B 93.5E 11570 V "Win TV" has left .
Measat 3 91.5E 4113 V "Ginx TV" has started on , Irdeto, SR 2960, FEC 3/4.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3502 V "Dhi TV" has left again.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3600 H "Somaliland Space Channel" is now Fta.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3680 H "Big Ten Network" is still on , Fta.
ABS 1 75E 3578 H "Star Cinema" is now encrypted.
ABS 1 75E 12509 H "IRIB 3" is back on , Fta, SR 2000, FEC 3/4.
Intelsat 10 68.5E 3796 V "K2" has started on , Fta.
Intelsat 10 68.5E 3808 V "Zone Reality India & Asia" has left .
NEWS
Euronews strengthens in Oceania
From http://rapidtvnews.com/index.php/200809092056/euronews-strengthens-in-oceania.html
Euronews is expanding its presence in Oceania, signing new distribution agreements in New Zealand, where it launched on September 1, and in Australia.
In New Zealand, Euronews now reaches one million homes and is broadcast in English on channels Stratos TV and Triangle TV, in the morning and in the evening.
Stratos is a national channel available free of charge on both the Sky TV and Freeview platforms. Triangle is a regional terrestrial television broadcaster in Auckland and Wellington.
Since September 4, Euronews has also been broadcast via Australian TransACT’s cable broadband network, that covers capital city Canberra.
Last June , the channel also joined UBI World TV, a multi-lingual and multi-cultural satellite platform broadcasting in languages other than English to 40,000 subscribers.
Before that, Euronews was already distributed on Australian ethinc minority satellite platform SelecTV as well as on Canal Satellite New Caledonia.
Major League Baseball International Reaches Asia, Europe and Latin America with Intelsat
From Press Release
Pembroke, Bermuda, 9 September 2008
Intelsat, Ltd., the world’s leading provider of commercial satellite services, announced that Major League Baseball International (MLBI) signed a contract for international distribution to its rightsholders in Asia, Europe and Latin America, providing local viewing access to games and highlights of the upcoming season.
Standard and high definition feeds of the League’s games will be transmitted into Asia, Europe and Latin America using five Intelsat satellites. Intelsat will pick up the signals via its major video switch interconnects, transport the programming to its teleport facility in Ellenwood, Georgia, and uplink the games to the Intelsat satellites for transmission to the broadcast receive sites in Asia, Europe and Latin America. In addition to regular season games, this contract also calls for transmission of The American League Championship Series, the World Series and The World Baseball Classic in March 2009.
“Major League Baseball enjoys an avid fan base around the world, and we are continually seeking ways to increase the profile of the franchise. As we continue to increase our distribution, we chose Intelsat because it offered us a seamless, one-platform solution for our international broadcasting needs,” said Russell Gabay, Vice President and Executive Producer, International Broadcasting. “The Intelsat satellites provide coverage and access to video neighborhoods that help us expand distribution of our programs.”
“The ability to continue and expand upon our existing relationship for global content distribution with Major League Baseball International is a testament to Intelsat’s industry strength in providing our customers worldwide transmission services for in-demand content,” said Ronald Rosenthal, Intelsat’s Regional Vice President, Broadcast Solutions. “The Intelsat global network affords our customers a one-stop-shop for both standard and high definition services ultimately resulting in further global penetration of their product."
Intelsat will be exhibiting in Hall 1, Stand C71 at IBC 2008, the international tradeshow for professionals involved in the creation, management and delivery of content for the broadcasting industry, which is being held at the RAI Centre in Amsterdam on 12-16 September.
About MLB International
Major League Baseball International (MLBI) focuses on the worldwide growth of baseball and the promotion of Major League Baseball and MLB Club trademarks and copyrights through special events, broadcasting, market development, licensing and sponsorship initiatives. MLBI is committed to showcasing the world’s best baseball talent through international events around the globe. Broadcast in 229 countries and territories, Major League Baseball game telecasts are re-transmitted in 13 different languages. MLBI executes and supports game development programs targeting players and coaches from grassroots to elite levels. With an extensive list of marketing partners worldwide, MLBI continues to grow its position as a leader in the international marketplace. MLBI is supported in its mission through presences in Beijing, New York, London, Sydney and Tokyo.
About Intelsat
Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services (FSS) worldwide, delivering information and entertainment for many of the world’s leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and governmental agencies. Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for advanced transmissions of video, data and voice services. With the globalization of content, broadband, telecom, HD and IPTV fueling next-generation growth, the ever-expanding universe of satellite communications is the cornerstone of today's Intelsat. Real-time, advanced communications with people anywhere in the world is closer, by far.
Contacts
Nick Mitsis
Intelsat
[email protected]
+1 202 944 7044
Matt Bourne
Major League Baseball
[email protected]
+1 212 931 7882
ART-IND Extends Capacity Contract with Intelsat for Programming Transmissions into Australia
From Press Release
Pembroke, Bermuda, 9 September 2008
Intelsat, Ltd., the world’s leading provider of commercial satellite services, announced that International Network Distribution (IND), the premier distributor of ethnic channels globally and a subsidiary of the ART Group (Arab Radio and Television Network), signed a multi-year contract extension for capacity on Intelsat’s IS-8 satellite, located at 166º East. IND is one of 33 DTH platforms that Intelsat supports around the globe.
The contract is set to increase service delivery to the growing demands of Australian consumers while providing IND the ability to increase its services by launching new high-quality channel offerings through a multiplexer that will be managed by Intelsat at its teleport in Napa, California. The agreement is seen to be a positive sign for this regional market that has grown significantly in the past five years.
“Working with Intelsat has been instrumental in providing high quality channels to meet growing viewer demands throughout the Americas and Australasia. We believe this contract will give us the capacity for major market growth,” said Karim Abdallah, CEO of IND. “IND’s global presence, along with its alliances with major broadcasters from the Middle East and Europe such as Al Jazeera news channel and RAI Italia, Italy’s state broadcaster, has positioned IND as the premier distributor of foreign language channels globally. We will continue to serve Arabic speaking Australians by linking them to their homeland with premium quality programming through our wholly owned and operated Australian MySat DBS platform.”
“Ethnic programming continues to be a significant driver for industry growth, creating demand for global satellite capacity. In today’s global society, being able to watch regional programming remains paramount, especially for the ethnically diverse audience of Australia,” said Mike DeMarco, Intelsat’s Vice President, Video Services. “IND’s complex requirements also are typical of today’s global programmers. Our transmission and mux services solutions offer IND the freedom to add channels from different sources and origination points, establishing a more diversified offering, all through one satellite operator. In addition to this contract, Intelsat has provided satellite capacity to IND for its long-term business growth in other regions by distributing its content to Latin America via the Intelsat 9 satellite and to the rest of Asia via the Intelsat 2 satellite.”
Intelsat’s IS-8 satellite is one of the premier DTH platforms for international programmers to Australia and home to some of the best-known broadcasting and cable television networks serving the region. In addition, the spacecraft is the delivery platform for PanGlobal TV, which provides programmers immediate access to the established and growing Australian DTH neighborhood. PanGlobal TV is a joint marketing alliance between Intelsat and GlobeCast Australia. IND complements a total lineup on IS-8 of more than 75 channels, which originate from more than 20 countries in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
Intelsat will be exhibiting in Hall 1, Stand C71 at IBC 2008, the international tradeshow for professionals involved in the creation, management and delivery of content for the broadcasting industry, which is being held at the RAI Centre in Amsterdam on 12-16 September.
About IND
IND, ART’s global distribution arm, is the leading aggregator and marketer of niche television services to various ethnic communities in four continents. Among the languages distributed by IND are Arabic, Italian and Greek. Through its offices worldwide and alliances with major content providers and distribution platforms, IND continues to provide the best Middle Eastern and European programming and links communities to their homeland.
About Intelsat
Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services (FSS) worldwide, delivering information and entertainment for many of the world’s leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and governmental agencies. Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for advanced transmissions of video, data and voice services. With the globalization of content, broadband, telecom, HD and IPTV fueling next-generation growth, the ever-expanding universe of satellite communications is the cornerstone of today's Intelsat. Real-time, advanced communications with people anywhere in the world is closer, by far.
Contacts
Nick Mitsis
Intelsat
[email protected]
+1 202 944 7044
Christian Morsanutto
IND
[email protected]
+1 203 345 6699
Asia Pacific Pay-TV Leaders Join CASBAA Lineup
From http://www.worldscreen.com/newscurrent.php?filename=casbaa090908.htm
HONG KONG, September 9: The regional heads of leading pay-TV channel brands across Asia Pacific, including Discovery, HBO and Turner Broadcasting, have signed on for this year’s Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) conference.
During the convention, which runs from October 28 to 30, there is a back-to-back debate for the Asia Pacific regional industry leaders to deconstruct the building blocks for revenue-generating linear pay-TV services, including subscription and advertising. The convention panelists will also examine the new generation of Asian pay-TV platforms in terms of costing, pricing models and government regulation.
Those set to participate include Steve Marcopoto, the president and managing director of Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific; Todd Miller, the executive VP and managing director for Asia at Sony Pictures Television International; Tom Keaveny, the executive VP and managing director of Discovery Asia Pacific; and Rob Gilby, the senior VP and managing director of Disney-ABC International Television (Asia Pacific).
For the platforms’ perspective, Terry Clontz, the CEO of StarHub in Singapore will be on hand, as well as Shyue-Ching Lu, the chairman of Chunghwa in Taiwan, and Rudy Tanoesoedibjo, the CEO of Indovision in Indonesia, among others.
These executives join the previously announced headliner lineup with IAC’s Barry Diller, MTVNI’s Bill Roedy, NBC Universal International’s Roma Khanna and BBC Worldwide Channels’ Darren Childs.
"The CASBAA Convention 2008 program couldn't be stronger," said Marcel Fenez, the chairman of CASBAA. "Our industry's annual meeting is leveraging Asia's central role as the global growth powerhouse for the worldwide media and telecoms industry. CASBAA 2008 has already broken all its previous records for speakers, sponsors and delegate registration set over a 15-year period. This year's show will blow you away."
Internet-enabled TVs to hit lounges soon
From http://www.smh.com.au/news/biztech/internetenabled-tvs-to-hit-lounges-soon/2008/09/08/1220857517392.html
Television sets capable of directly accessing news, weather details, stock quotes and, eventually, on-demand video content from the internet will start hitting the Australian market as early as this year.
The content will run as "widgets" alongside regular TV shows and poses a significant threat to established free-to-air and pay TV broadcasters, which already see the internet as a way for viewers to bypass their networks.
Samsung said it was aiming to start offering the internet-enabled television sets locally by the end of this year or in the first quarter of next year at the latest.
Most other big TV manufacturers including Sony, Philips, Panasonic and LG have shown off similar models overseas but would not comment on their launch plans for Australia.
Today, the internet can only be accessed on a television set through external hardware such as a games console or computer, such as the Apple TV.
"Your TV is becoming a computer entertainment hub - so it's not just for TV viewing," Samsung Australia senior product manager Evan Manolis said.
"[Initially] you'll be able to have stock, news, sports and weather information streamed on your LCD or plasma."
The widgets could be switched on or off and positioned on the screen by the user but they would appear as a layer on top of the program, as is the case with the news tickers used on shows such as Seven's Sunrise.
But Manolis said the platform would evolve next year to including the ability to surf the web freely and access music and video content provided by a local content provider such as Yahoo7 or Ninemsn.
Last month, chipmaker Intel announced a partnership with Yahoo to develop an internet TV platform called The Widget Channel, which will offer access to tools such as photo sharing site Flickr directly from the TV.
The first manufacturer to add internet connectivity to television sets was Sony with its BRAVIA Internet Video Link product. This is different to newer iterations in that, rather than being built into the TV set itself, the internet feature is added through a separate adaptor.
In the US, Sony recently went into partnership with Amazon to allow Internet Video Link owners to stream movies and television shows directly to their TV sets.
Paul Colley, Sony Australia's technology communications manager, said he could not comment on when the Internet Video Link would be available in Australia.
He noted that the PlayStation 3 could already access websites and video content from YouTube.
Next year, Sony will release the PlayTV PS3 add-on in Australia, which allows people to watch and record TV shows through the console.
"The TV will continue to become the hub of our digital entertainment experience," Colley said.
"We will see our habits transition from watching internet entertainment on the PC to watching it on the TV. This will create a more intense experience for the consumer given that the TV is generally at the centre of our entertainment environment."
Hong Kong has History in high-def
From http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991868.html?categoryId=19&cs=1
Network launches on Now TV IPTV platform
HONG KONG -- A high definition version of The History Channel took to the airwaves Monday in Hong Kong.
Broadcasting entirely in HD and scheduled separately from the standard definition service, History HD has programming including "Cities of the Underworld," "The Universe," "Ax Men," "Dogfights," and "Ice Road Truckers."
Net, launched on the Now TV IPTV platform, is backed by AETN All Asia Networks Pte Ltd, a joint venture between A&E Television Networks and Malaysia's Astro All Asia Entertainment Networks Limited. After The Biography Channel, The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network, it is the fourth AAAN channel to bow in the territory.
Casbaa strengthens speaker lineup for convention
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k8/sep/sep89.php
MUMBAI: The Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) has announced that the roll-call for its convention in Hong Kong from 28-30 October has received a boost.
It has announced several additional speakers in its lineup. They include Starhub CEO Terry Clontz, SPTI executive VP, MD Todd Miller, HBO Asia CEO Jonathan Spink, NDS chairman Abe Peled, Pemra chairman Mushtaq Malik, Discovery Asia Pacific executive VP, MD Tom Keaveny and Disney-ABC International Television (Asia Pacific) senior VP, MD Rob Gilby.
Casbaa notes that Asia’s 280 million subscription television subscribers are served by more than 500 pay-TV networks scrambling to serve almost 100 pay-TV platforms and 3 billion consumers. The speakers will deconstruct the building blocks for revenue generating linear pay-TV services, including subscription and advertising.
The convention panelists will also examine the new generation of Asian pay-TV platforms such as IPTV in terms of costing, pricing models and government regulation.
Casbaa chairman Marcel Fenez says, "The Casbaa convention 2008 programme couldn't be stronger. Our industry's Annual Meeting is leveraging Asia's central role as the global growth powerhouse for the worldwide media and telecoms industry. Casbaa 2008 has already broken all its previous records for speakers, sponsors and delegate registration set over a 15 year period. This year's show will blow you away."
CNBC is the sponsor of Casbaa Golf Masters at Discovery Bay's Golf Course on 27 October, the day prior to the Convention.
STBs key to DTV roadmap
From http://www.apb-news.com/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_article&id=157&Itemid=1
For countries eyeing digital migration, having the right set-top box (STB) specifications is crucial. This is because STBs enable digital signals to be received by TV sets as well as provide the platform to run conditional-access systems.
In June this year, the Association of South-east Asian
Nations (ASEAN) reached an agreement on specifications for STBs, enabling ASEAN member-countries to work closely in setting up digital TV (DTV) standards and policies to create content for digital broadcasting.
These are just some of the association’s preparations in anticipation of the global trend of broadcasters migrating from analogue to digital broadcasting over the next five to 10 years.
Agreeing on a common set of technical specifications for SD and HD STBs is said to create economies of scale for equipment manufacturers and help lower the prices of STBs for regional consumers. At that crucial meeting held in Singapore, ASEAN members also proposed that the association consider adopting multimedia home platform (MHP) as the interactive middleware.
MHP is the software that enables interactive applications and services to be made available through TV sets.
Discussions on technology standards will continue in four areas: Exploring interactive-TV software costs;
MPEG-4 licensing issues; establishment of a common DTV sound standard; and a study of the HD 720p/1080i transmission and production formats.
Dr Christopher Chia, CEO of Singapore’s Media Development Authority, said at the meeting: “ASEAN as an integrated market represents more than half a billion pairs of TV eyeballs. We are thus very pleased that agreements have been reached on various fronts to move the region towards digital switch-on.”
Dr Chia reiterated that banding together through standardisation and cooperation will generate economies of scale. “This will create further economic spillovers in terms of equipment and consumer electronics design, manufacture and marketing, new marketing avenues and boost the creation of more digital content for ASEAN and international markets,” he explained.
Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Ismail bin Pengiran Haji Mohamed, Permanent Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office of Brunei Darussalam, added: “We have a very clear mandate from the ministers, to report to them and make substantive recommendations on the roadmap for digital TV. The next conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) is scheduled next year. Thus, we have about six months to put forward credible recommendations that reflect our professionalism and more importantly show that ASEAN cooperation is relevant and very much alive.”
In May last year, the AMRI conference concluded with a decision to adopt the European-based digital video broadcasting-terrestrial (DVB-T) as ASEAN’s common standard for terrestrial digital broadcasting. Following this announcement, officials were also asked to look into detailed policy considerations in planning for analogue switch-off and to submit a set of recommendations to the next AMRI meeting in 2009.
While ASEAN is busy sorting out other details involving its STB standardisation policy, elsewhere, reports say that STB take-up may be under threat because of the growing number of integrated digital TV (iDTV) shipments worldwide.
An iDTV is a TV set with a built-in digital tuner — eliminating the need for the use of STBs in converting signals for reception on a TV set. Some iDTV sets are fitted with common interface slots to allow the use of a conditional-access (CA) module.
US-based IMS Research is forecasting that shipments of iDTVs will grow to 143 million in 2013, up from the estimated 52 million in 2007. Then came “tru2way” technology, a software-based platform that enables cable TV’s interactive services to be delivered to two-way plug-and-play TV sets, STBs and other devices.
Given that Samsung, LG, Sony and Funai have agreed to make tru2way-certified iDTVs for the US and Korean cable markets, and that every iDTV sold in the European Union (EU) must support a CA module interface for pay-TV, are the days of the STBs numbered?
Stephen Froehlich, IMS senior analyst for consumer electronic, notes: “In Japan, iDTV sets already displace about 1.7 million satellite STB shipments each year, having reduced that market from two million unit shipments in 2003 to just 0.3 million in 2007. While the conditions in Japan that allow this are unique, it is clear that US cable operators are working towards the creation of an even more compelling situation in the hopes of eliminating most of the US$200 cost of a DVR.”
According to the US’ National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), despite the fact that CableCARD iDTVs have been available in the US since 2004, at most, 372,000 cable STBs (out of an estimated installed base of 55 million) have been displaced by iDTVs as of June 2008. Results have been similar in Europe, where every iDTV includes a similar DVB-CI (common interface) interface as per the EU mandate.
Tru2way iDTVs, however, are likely to change this situation. “The fact that the same level of interactivity is available on Japanese satellite boxes and iDTVs, is a significant contributor to the iDTV’s success in Japan,” Froehlich observes.
“Forthcoming tru2way iDTVs will be designed specifically to add interactive functions, presenting a real risk of reduced cable STB volumes in the US. In addition, parallel efforts are under way to deploy the same technologies in Europe, specifically iDTVs with support for MHP or MHEG-based interactivity and improved CI+ (common interface plus) content security.”
Russia to launch SA satellite at year's end
From http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4596130
Johannesburg - Russia has agreed to launch South Africa's Sumbandila satellite. The agreement was reached at a meeting in Cape Town between South African and Russian representatives.
The launch will be undertaken by the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, on a Soyuz rocket, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
It is hoped that the launch will take place in the last week of this year, although the window period stretches for three months from December 25, so lift-off could be in the first quarter of next year.
The meeting was attended, on the South African side, by representatives of the department of science and technology and SunSpace and Information Systems, the Stellenbosch-based firm that designed and built SumbandilaSat.
From Russia, there were representatives of Roskosmos, Lavochkin, which designed and builds the Soyuz rocket, and the Makeev Bureau, which specialises in submarine rocket launches and was originally meant to launch the low-earth orbit imagery microsatellite.
It is understood that both sides agreed there was no need for a new launch contract, but there will be some amendments to the existing contract. These appear to be largely of a technical nature - regarding such issues as the satellite's orbit, which will apparently be slightly different to that originally intended.
It seems as if all the commercial details, including the cost, have been settled. Certainly, the use of the much bigger Soyuz rocket to launch the 82kg SumbandilaSat will not increase the price South Africa has to pay.
SumbandilaSat will be launched with a Russian Meteor M meteorological satellite.
It looks as if this launch will be a loss-maker for Roskosmos, but is being done for basically political reasons - to support co-operation with South Africa.
SumbandilaSat was meant to have been launched last year, from a Russian navy submarine, on a converted Shtil submarine-launched ballistic missile. That arrangement fell through, for reasons that have never been officially divulged.
European science satellite launch is delayed
From http://www.spacemart.com/reports/European_science_satellite_launch_is_delayed_999.html
The launch of a satellite to monitor Earth's gravitational field, scheduled for Wednesday from a base in northern Russia, has been postponed to October 5 because of technical problems, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced on Monday.
Launch preparations at the Plesetsk cosmodrome 800 kilometres (500 miles) north of Moscow were stopped on Sunday "due to an anomaly in one of the units of the guidance and navigation subsystem of the launcher's upper stage," ESA said.
Fixing the problem will mean separating the rocket's components to replace the unit, it said in a press release.
The launch has been rescheduled to October 5 at 1421 GMT, ESA said, adding, "The satellite and its mission will not be affected by this launch delay."
The one-tonne satellite is called the Gravity field and state-steady Ocean Circulation Explorer, or GOCE.
It is part of ESA's "Earth Explorer" programme, initiated in 1999, to deepen understanding about some of the fundamentals of the planet -- its atmosphere, oceans, biosphere and interior.
GOCE's launcher is a Rockot, a derivative of a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile operated by a joint venture between EADS Astrium and the Khrunichev Space Centre.
Google to Order 16 Satellites, Spread Internet Access, FT Says
From http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601102&sid=aNJVc.4pbGnY&refer=uk
Sept. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. will today announce an order for 16 low-earth orbit satellites as the first stage in a $750 million project to connect a variety of countries within five degrees of the equator to fast Internet networks, the Financial Times reported.
The search engine has joined together with cable television magnate John Malone and HSBC Holdings Plc for the project, the newspaper said. The satellites will be ordered from French aerospace group Thales Alenia Space, the FT said.
The project fits into Google's mission to extend Internet use around the developing world, the FT cited Larry Alder, product manager at Google's alternative access group, as saying.
The partners have so far injected around $20 million each to raise about $65 million, the FT said. HSBC will lead the search for further funds in the next two years, said Richard Cole, head of HSBC's private equity group, according to the FT.
The three partners reserve the right to contribute toward the extra $150 million to $180 million in equity financing required, and may bring in other backers, Mike Fries, chief executive officer of Liberty Global Inc., Malone's cable company, told the FT.
Google Satellites Aim to Bring High-Speed Internet to All of Africa
From http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/09/09/google-satellites-aim-to-bring-high-speed-internet-to-all-of-africa/
Google has backed a venture to use satellites to bring high-speed internet to three billion people in Africa and other developing markets around the equator. Today Google announced a partnership with cable operator Liberty Global and bank HSBC. Their partnership is called O3b Networks—O3b stands for “other 3 billion,” a reference to the world’s population that still can’t access the Internet [The New York Times].
The group announced an order for 16 satellites as the first stage in the $750 million project, which will provide cheap, fast internet access to companies that sell internet service via mobile phones or wireless networks. The move is being greeted as a clever technological solution, a boon for the developing world, and a smart business move. “Google has an interest in boosting the Internet all over the world to reach new masses,” said [business analyst] Wim Zwanenburg…. “The growth market for Internet and mobile phones is in emerging countries” [Bloomberg].
The satellites, which should be operational by the end of 2010, will circle the globe in a relatively low orbit in order to speed data transmission time. The satellite system avoids the problem of the lack of fiber optic cables in the developing world, where internet companies haven’t had a financial incentive to invest in such infrastructure. Larry Alder, product manager in Google’s alternative access group, said the [satellite] project could bring the cost of bandwidth in such markets down by 95 per cent [Financial Times].
Internet access over satellite has a poor record - the speed of deployment has often seen ground-based alternatives surpass orbiting connection speeds…. O3b isn’t planning to cover the world, which simplifies things hugely, and its aggressive deployment schedule and targeted demographic means their service is unlikely to be supplanted by anything ground-based - so it just remains to be seen if the disconnected three billion really want high-speed data [The Register].
Google has also patented the plans for a data center floating in the ocean, powered by wave action and/or wind power.
Tata Sky targets new subscribers with Rs 99 pack
From http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091052130500.htm
New Delhi, Sept. 9 In search of newer audiences in smaller towns, DTH operator Tata Sky is introducing a new Rs 99 package — Super Hit Pack. The company said it is a “genuine” pack, a rupee cheaper from other such introductory packs.“After our Hindi EPG guide, we’d like to break through the Rs 100 barrier with a genuine package, which includes general entertainment channels, Set Max which airs IPL (Indian Premier League), children’s programming and news —the complete package. The channels together account for 42-48 per cent of channel share in the North Indian markets,” said Mr Vikram Mehra, Chief Marketing Officer. In comparison, similar packages in the market comprise only free- to-air channels, which according to Mr Mehra, don’t add up to even 10 per cent of channel share. The package also offers the interactive services of the DTH company.
Tata Sky is also expected to start marketing its Personal Video Recorder, offering consumers “appointment viewing” – or the option of recording television programmes. The company continues to be in an aggressive mode. Competition has intensified with the launch of Reliance ADAG’s BIG TV, and Tata Sky is investing on all fronts. Since the hiccup in June when a change in package took consumers by surprise and the resulting calls to the call centre took the company aback, it claims to have strengthened consumer service support.
“We are also guiding our consumers to our Web site. And currently 20 per cent of our payments are done through the Web site, which is also an indication of the quality of consumer, or SEC A audience that we cater to,” said Mr Mehra.
The company claims that the Aamir Khan endorsement has worked extremely well for it. Mr Mehra did not comment on what Khan’s endorsement is worth, but says the actor, who promotes only a handful of brands at a time, brings a huge value to the brand.
A new promo for the current package is to go on air soon. For Rs 99, the consumer can watch Star Plus, Sony Entertainment, SABe TV, Star One, SET Max, Star Gold, Star News, India TV, Disney, Hungama TV and DD Sports amongst others.
Tata Sky has also announced a festive offer for all new subscribers this season, open till end October. A new connection inclusive of hardware, installation charges and a year’s subscription of ‘Super Hit Pack’ will be available for Rs 2,999. A bargain is available for a higher end package as well for new consumers who would like to pick their packages comprising predominantly South Indian regional language channels.
9/09/08
Live satellite chat 9pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom
Sorry about no site update today
8/09/08
Sun outage time! use this handy web link to check for your local "outage" times.
DO NOT ADJUST YOUR DISH IF YOU LOSE SIGNAL IT SHOULD RETURN EVENTUALLY
http://www.satellite-calculations.com/SUNcalc/SUNcalc.htm
Friday feed
Asiasat 4 12571V 6.620m/s VPID 0308 APID 0256 PPID 0308 "Big Time Boxing"
From my Email & ICQ
From Bill Richards
Big Ten Usa Network
Telstar 10
From the Dish
Optus D2 152E 12546 V "CCTV 9" has left .
Agila 2 146E 12661 H "God TV Asia" has started on , Fta.
NSS 11 108.2E 12511 H "ABS-CBN Channel 2, NBN (Philippines), RPN 9, Q (Philippines), Net 25, RJTV 29, CNN International Asia Pacific, SET Asia, PBO, HBO Asia and Crime & Investigation Network Asia" have started on , Fta, SR 28100, FEC 5/6.
NSS 6 95E 12638 V "PTC Punjabi" has started on , Fta.
Measat 3 91.5E Several updates in the Aora TV mux on 3644 H.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3730 V "ABC TV Nepal" has started on , Fta, SR 2411, FEC 3/4.
Thaicom 5 78.5E "Apna Channel" has left 3600 H, moved to 3960 V.
Thaicom 2 78.5E 3824 H "Saha Channel" is back on , Fta.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3680 H "Big Ten Network" has left
Intelsat 10 68.5E 3927 H "SET Asia and Max Asia" have started on , PowerVu.
Intelsat 7 68.5E 3661 V "LoveWorld" has left .
Intelsat 10 68.5E 12562 H "Iqraa and NourSat" have started on , Fta.
NEWS
Foxtel Customers Deserting In Droves
From http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Content_And_Downloads/Industry/M7A9S9X9
Foxtel subscribers are dumping the pay TV provider in droves with the Company now telling the financial media that they are set to cap subscription costs in an effort to retain customers.
As demand for high definition flat panel TV's grow and free to air TV Companies roll out new HD Channels it appears that Foxtel has a problem with up to 14% of their installed base deciding to give Foxtel a miss after trialling the service. This is despite the fact that Foxtel has increased their subscription base during the past year.
Among owners of Foxtel IQ's the churn rate is over 7% however overall the churn rate is close to 14% which is down from close to 20% for earlier this year.
As a result the pay TV operator has said that up to 80% of their customers will "not" have their subscription fees increased.
The pay TV operator who is set to roll out new channels in an effort to compete with Seven Media's TiVo offering and upcoming iPTV services has also lowered the cost of movies but instead of communicating with the mass consumer technology media have chosen instead to only communicate with the Financial Review which is more about preserving their image with advertising agencies and marketers than the customers who buy and sell their services.
The cost of installing a Foxtel iQ HD recorder is around $200 and $10 monthly fee. However the HD channels delivered by Foxtel are extremely limited with five of their most popular HD channels available for free for consumers who have purchased a new HD flat panel TV or own a HD set top box which can purchased for as low as $59.00.
Review:MySky HDI
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/4671143a28.html
My ever patient wife may not be the world's biggest gadget fan but there is however one gadget she won't live without - Our MySky Box.
Before we got MySky, watching TV usually saw my wife wanting to watch house and garden shows on the living channel, whilst I wanted something a little more intellectual such as When the worlds worst police chase desert island survivor go bad. Incompatible viewing tastes inevitably made for tension (not to mention my wife usually getting to watch her shows).
Thanks to MySky however we were able record two channels and play a third show we'd already recorded. Even better still we could also pause and rewind live TV whilst scheduling recordings was so easy even a complete chump like yours truly was able to do it. Like the man who invented the rear vision mirror, we've never looked back.
As good as the original MySky was, it did have some shortcomings. Whilst it delivered adequate video for our old-school standard def telly, it's output looked positively creaky on our new 40" 1080p LCD boob tube. Its 160Gb hard disk may have had more data storage than was used for the entire Apollo moon landing programme, but that didn't stop it from quickly filling up. Play, pause, rewind and fast forward on our old MySky box was sometimes also sluggish.
Bearing these gripes in mind, I was literally itching to test drive the new MySky HDI box. After some extensive on sofa testing, I'm pleased to report that it is not only is MySky HDI a must have, but some solid future proofing, could see it taking couch potatoes boldly where no video-spud has gone before.
MySky's on-screen user interface has been tweaked, but compared to the original MySky box most of the changes seem largely cosmetic. This isn't a bad thing as there's virtually no learning curve for existing MySky owners whilst new MySky HDI owners will also find it a doddle to drive. Unlike the our old box, MySky HDi's menu system was also positively zippy.
As well as offering analogue video outputs MySky HDI has an HDMI output to supply high quality digital video directly connectivity to HD TVs that support it. Speaking of HD, the difference between MySky HDI's HD channels (which include Sky Movies, Sky Sports which can be purchased for an extra $10 per month plus TV 3) and our old MySky box is like night and day.
SkyMovies HD and Sky Sports HD crisp detailed content really shows just what an HD telly is capable of. Equally impressive, MySky HDI can also upscale standard definition to HD, dramatically improving the quality of non HD shows. IF you're lucky enough to own a home theatre setup, MySky HDI can also deliver Dolby digital surround audio which really brings sports and movies to life.
Recording HD video eats hard disk space like its going out of fashion and to this end Sky have doubled the capacity of MySky HDI to a positively roomy 320Gb. MySky HDI is also equipped with four tuners. Whilst only two tuners were enabled at the time of writing, Sky say they will soon enable the third tuner (the fourth is reserved for downloading the electronic programme guide) which allow you to record three shows whilst watching a fourth, bringing TV related domestic tensions to a permanent end.
MySky HDI also appears to incorporate some serious future proofing. Although Sky are playing their cards close to their chests, they have hinted that the network port on the back of the MySKy HDI box could be used for downloading on-demand TV shows and movies over a broadband connection in the near future.
Based on what other pay to view TV operators have done overseas, scheduling recordings remotely via a PC or even a cell phone is also looking like a distinct possibility. Equally exciting are rumours of being able to add extra storage capacity using an external hard drive.
Whilst some people were initially put off by the steep one-off lease price for the previous MySky box, Sky have now introduced a more palatable $15 per month rental scheme as an additional option to their one off $599 leasing fee.
So the verdict? MySKy HDI represents a significant massive improvement over it's previous sibling. HD video, surround audio and what appears to be some serious future proofing means that buying this box is a definite no-brainer for most Sky Digital Subscribers.
The MySky HDI box costs $599 (or $15 per month), plus channel subscription fees.
Anger over SKY HDTV delays
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10530838
Want super-sharp TV pictures? Don't hold your breath, at least not if you already have Sky.
Subscribers have been told they face a seven-week wait to get high-definition TV - a service new subscribers can get in three days.
HDTV is the latest fad for TV buffs. Fans of the service say the signal is twice as clear as a normal television.
But in the rush to sign up for the new service, the number of installers has been seriously stretched.
Sky spokesman Tony O'Brien said the company had to prioritise where it sent its technicians.
Customers having problems with Sky came first, followed by new customers wanting HD, followed by existing customers. The decision to put new customers ahead of existing subscribers in the queue for HD has left some customers fuming.
Orewa resident Steve Hickey said he was furious when he learned his workmate would get Sky HD two days before him, even though he had not asked for it until 6 1/2 weeks later.
The subscriber of four years said that when he heard new customers could get the service in three days, he cancelled his subscription.
Mr O'Brien said the company had had an "overwhelming" number of orders, with 12,200 HD units installed since they were offered in late July, and another 5500 people on the waiting list.
Intersputnik + ProtoStar In Cahoots With ProtoStar-I
From http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=2122674842
ProtoStar I Ltd., a subsidiary of Bermuda-based ProtoStar Ltd., has confirmed the signing of an Orbital Location services agreement with the INTERSPUTNIK International Organization of Space Communications (Intersputnik) of Russia. The agreement will provide for Ku- and C-band services from the ProtoStar I satellite in Asia from a position at 98.5° E under the INTERSPUTNIK-98.5ECK ITU filing. The agreement with Intersputnik has been formally filed with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and reflects an expanding working relationship between ProtoStar and Intersputnik. Agreements between the parties were reached prior to ProtoStar-I’s successful launch by Arianespace on July 7, 2008, from the European Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, on board an Ariane 5 rocket. ProtoStar has also announced the ProtoStar I spacecraft has successfully completed its in-orbit testing. Commercial service is expected to start on October 1, 2008, with capacity being leased primarily to DTH, broadband Internet and GSM cellular backhaul service providers across South and Southeast Asia. ProtoStar II, currently under construction at Boeing, is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2009 on a Proton Breeze M rocket provided by International Launch Services (ILS).
GeoEye-1 Satellite Sensor Launched Successfully from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California
From http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/09/prweb1297804.htm
GeoEye-1 satellite sensor was successfully launched on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 11:50:57 Hrs (PDT) aboard the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II launch vehicle, procured from Boeing Launch Services, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Houston, Texas (Vocus/PRWEB ) September 7, 2008 -- GeoEye-1 satellite launched successfully from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. With the GeoEye-1 successful launch, GeoEye will be ready to start full commercial operations for GeoEye-1 imaging products a few months after launch. Immediately after launch there will be a 45- to 60-day engineering and calibration period.
Satellite Imaging Corporation customers interested in GeoEye-1 imaging products can order basic georeferenced, orthorectified image data for standard products or stereo imagery for the production of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) to support 3D terrain models for various applications including flight simulation, 3D terrain analysis and GIS projects.
GeoEye-1 will have the highest resolution of any commercial imaging system and be able to collect images with a ground resolution of 0.41-meters in the panchromatic or black and white mode. GeoEye's operating license from NOAA requires re-sampling the imagery to 0.50-meter resolution for all customers not explicitly granted a waiver by the U.S. Government. It will collect multispectral or color imagery at 1.65-meter resolution, a factor of two better than existing commercial satellites with four-band multispectral imaging capabilities (RGB and NIR) especially suitable for agriculture crop management.
GeoEye-1 is designed to have better than three-meter geospatial position accuracy, which means that customers can map natural and man-made features to within three meters of their actual locations on the surface of the Earth in reference to the WGS-84 reference system, without GPS derived ground control points . This degree of inherent accuracy will benefit customers requiring the best accuracy possible for commercial imaging, without requiring survey personnel on the ground to establish ground control points prior to Image data acquisition. By using only a couple of ground control points over large areas, sub-meter geospatial position accuracy can be obtained with orthorectification.
GeoEye-1’s optical telescope and high-speed digital processing electronics are capable of processing 700 million pixels per second. GeoEye-1’s camera allows for side-to-side extensions of the camera's 15.2 kilometer (9.44 miles) wide swath width or multiple images of the same target during a single pass to create stereo images.
GeoEye-1 satellite will complement GeoEye's current IKONOS satellite system, proven to be one of the best commercially available high resolution satellite sensors collecting mono and stereo image data in one pass. "With the addition of the GeoEye-1 satellite sensor, GeoEye's experienced Satellite Operation Management (SOM) team will have more imaging resources available to collect and deliver image data even faster than before and continue making deliveries on time." said Leopold Romeijn, President of Satellite Imaging Corporation of Houston, Texas.
The GeoEye-1 will collect imagery about 40 percent faster for panchromatic and 25 percent faster for multispectral collections. Together, the IKONOS and GeoEye-1 satellites can collect almost one million square kilometers of imagery per day. For time critical imagery, Satellite Imaging Corporation can now even faster collect and deliver image data to its ever growing customer base.
With the ability to revisit any location on the globe every three days, and at lesser resolution more frequently, GeoEye-1 will enable customers to receive imagery updates on a regular basis and is ideal for large-scale mapping projects. This capability will benefit a broad array of industries including national defense and intelligence, online mapping, state and local governments, environmental monitoring and land use management, oil and gas, mining, utilities, disaster management, insurance and others.
For more information about GeoEye-1 or IKONOS satellite imaging products and services, please contact;
Satellite Imaging Corporation
12777 Jones Road, Suite 370
Houston, TX 77070-4671
USA
Tel: (1) 832-237-2900
Website: http://www.satimagingcorp.com/
###
High-resolution GeoEye-1 satellite launch a success
From http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/nation/ny-ussatel075832816sep07,0,4771295.story
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - A super-sharp Earth-imaging satellite was launched into orbit yesterday from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the Central California coast.
A Delta 2 rocket carrying the GeoEye-1 satellite lifted off at 11:50 a.m. yesterday. Video on the GeoEye Web site showed the satellite separating from the rocket moments later on its way to an eventual polar orbit.
The satellite makers say GeoEye-1 has the highest resolution of any commercial imaging system. It can collect images from orbit with enough detail to show home plate on a baseball diamond.
The company says the satellite's imaging services will be sold for uses that could range from environmental mapping to agriculture and defense.
Also this weekend, the latest images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft showed faint, partial rings orbiting with two of Saturn's small inner moons, scientists said Friday.
Cassini detected a partial ring, or arch, orbiting with Anthe for the first time, and confirmed the presence of another arch near Methone, scientists said.
The partial rings are likely made of material that micrometeoroids knocked off the small moons.
The two small moons orbit Saturn near a larger moon, Mimas.
Scientists believe the larger moon's gravitational influence could be what pulls the rings into arcs, said Nick Cooper, a Cassini imaging team associate from Queen Mary, University of London.
Scientists said the images will help them understand the intricate relationship between Saturn's many moons and its rings.
Irano-Sino-Thai Sat Put Into Orbit
From http://www.alalam.ir/english/en-NewsPage.asp?newsid=032030120080907192123
BEIJING, Sept 7--Iran's Telecommunications and Technology Minister Mohammad Soleimani said a Chinese missile successfully placed a joint Iranian-Chinese-Thai satellite into the earth's orbit.
Soleimani added that the satellite was manufactured jointly by the three countries and was equipped with sophisticated cameras to monitor climate changes and natural disasters.
Iran successful launched a dummy satellite into space last month, a move which was hailed as a milestone in Iran's space program.
Tehran has announced it is planning to send a manned mission into space over the next ten years.
Head of Iran's Space Organization Reza Taghi-Pour said the main objective of the Iranian space program is sending an unmanned rocket into space, pointing out that the exact date of the mission would be determined during the next six months.
PTDV’s claims threat to Astro not done formally
From http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/6/business/1965047&sec=business
PETALING JAYA: It has emerged that Indonesian pay-TV provider PT Direct Vision’s (PTDV) threat to seek US$250mil in claims from Astro All Asia Networks Plc was made only verbally and not through a formal letter.
The threat came about following an announcement by Astro on Thursday that it would not be renewing its licence agreement with PTDV.
An analyst at a Malaysian bank-backed brokerage said this meant that the threat was not final.
Astro had not responded to queries on whether there was a formal letter and other issues up to press time yesterday.
Also, while the licensing agreement had expired on Aug 31, there was a further 30-day grace period within which the parties could negotiate.
An analyst with another local brokerage said within this grace period, the contract was still considered to be in force.
Any correspondence or legal action would only occur after Sept 30, he said.
The US$250mil amount mentioned in various stock reports and the media was mostly related to the commitment of set-top boxes.
However, Astro also had grounds for a counter claim of the same amount against PTDV, he added.
The key to the dispute appears to be that while Astro had pumped in about RM$536mil as at April 30, it was alleged that the Lippo group had not contributed anything to the funding of PTDV.
Consequently, Astro had not gained any income in the three years that the project had been operating, said the first analyst.
Even more vexing to Astro was the fact that PTDV, with a peak subscriber base of around 160,000, had been “gaining traction” in the Indonesian market, he said.
While the subscriber base has since fallen to about 100,000 currently, PTDV has an average revenue per user of RM50 to RM60 per month.
RM16mil profit seen for Astro in second quarter
From http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/6/business/1965457&sec=business
PETALING JAYA: Brokers’ consensus estimates Astro All Asia Networks Plc to chart net profit of RM16mil for the second quarter ended July 31 compared with RM2.61mil in net loss for the preceding quarter.
An analyst believed Astro would likely report decent second quarter results next week on the back of robust subscriber growth.
According to him, it was premature to gauge the potential downside due to inflation given the major sporting events duringthe quarter.
In addition, the pay-TV sector showed a high degree of resistance to growing inflation and low subscriber tendency to change their package selection.
Citing higher marketing and distribution costs that rose in tandem with fuel costs, as well as the expenses incurred in Indonesia, another analyst projected that Astro would turn in “zero profit” for the quarter.
For the financial year ending Jan 31 (FY09), analysts’ forecast range from net loss of RM47mil to net profit of RM124mil.
The huge disparity in estimates was due to analysts assuming different number of months Astro incurred losses from its investment in PTDV, as well as their forecast of varying amounts of writedown on the venture.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg forecasts net profit of RM118mil on the back of RM2.9bil in revenue for FY09.
Earnings per share is projected to jump 59% to 6.2 sen, while the return on equity is expected to increase 29% to 6.9%.
TheStar: Astro’s Indon headache
From http://adoimagazine.com/newhome/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3097&catid=11&Itemid=7
DESPITE having to contend with some challenging issues while operating in Indonesia, Astro All Asia Network plc, a leading player in the pay-TV segment in Malaysia, has reiterated its interest to continue building its presence in the hugely attractive Indonesian market.
“There is much potential for growth in the Indonesian pay-TV market because it remains largely untapped. The penetration rate in the segment is very low at less than 2%,” says an analyst.
“Furthermore, Indonesia has a huge population of 237 million, which is about 10 times larger than Malaysia’s, and an estimated TV household of 50 million, compared to Malaysia’s five million,” he adds.
According to a local research house, the smallish Malaysia’s market is a limiting factor for Astro’s growth, hence venturing into regional markets such as Indonesia would be a natural progression for the company to boost its earnings.
Astro also has a presence in India under a joint venture with Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd. But while its venture into India since last year has shown encouraging growth with a subscriber base of more than 500,000 as at the end of April, its Indonesian venture has yet to produce ideal results thus far.
South Korea: Military Satellite Working After 14-Hour Break in Communication
From http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1544614/south_korea_military_satellite_working_after_14hour_break_in_communication/
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) - South Korea's first military communications satellite returned to normal service following more than half a day of being out of communication after it was hit by a technical glitch, the satellite's operator KT Corp. said Friday.
Mugunghwa 5, which was built by Alcatel of France and put into orbit in 2006, was fully operating as of 3:54 p.m. [ 0654 gmt] Friday afternoon, about 14 hours after the glitch left military communications and another 20 private clients unable to communicate with the satellite.
The malfunction occurred at 1:55 a.m. Friday morning as the glitch failed to position the satellite appropriately, KT said.
"Seasonal factors, including a solar eclipse, made the satellite change its position. So the satellite processed data incorrectly," an official at KT said.
The recovery was delayed because the company had to work in conjunction with Alcatel, KT said in a statement.
KT is the nation's largest fixed-line telecommunications service provider.
Originally published by Yonhap news agency, Seoul, in English 0815 5 Sep 08.
SES adopt new satellite for Middle East and Africa
From http://station.lu/newsDetails.cfm?id=21686
SES NEW SKIES has announced today that Talia Limited, one of the largest suppliers of satellite internet services for North Africa and the Middle East, has contracted multiple transponders on the NSS-12 satellite due for launch in the second half of 2009. NSS-12 will replace the existing NSS-703 satellite at the orbital position of 57 degrees East.
Talia is recognised as one of the premier satellite internet providers in the Middle East, Africa and Europe, and already operates a successful broadband network on the NSS-703 satellite. The company is headquartered in London with offices in Dubai. Talia has contracted capacity on NSS-12 valued in excess of 10 million USD.
Alan Afrasiab, CEO of Talia, explains his company’s choice of NSS-12: “During 2009, NSS-12 will become one of the most powerful satellites in the region. Its vast footprint and high-output power levels ideally support Talia’s ambitions to increase our coverage area and to target new customers. We look forward to a successful launch of NSS-12 and to our transition from NSS-703 to the new SES NEW SKIES satellite.”
Scott Sprague, Senior Vice President of Global Sales at SES NEW SKIES, stated: “We are most pleased to welcome Talia as one of our first customers aboard NSS-12 and to support them in growing their business with the transition of their existing network to new, increased capacity. The pre-marketing for NSS-12, which will be the second largest spacecraft in our fleet, is running at full speed, supported by the impressive technical specifications of the satellite, its extended coverage of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia, as well as the established orbital position of 57 degrees East at the crossroads of four continents.”
Broadcasters to split feed for DTH platform
From http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=333584
Also plan to charge a premium on advertising.
Companies may soon find it 10-15 per cent more expensive to advertise on entertainment channels that are beamed to direct-to-home (DTH) and digital cable platforms compared to the analogue cable platform.
That is because subscriber viewing patterns of digital subscribers (DTH and digital cable households) are now being measured separately by TAM Media, which measures viewership of channels and programmes. This will open a new revenue stream for the DTH operators, who tend to make losses on each subscriber acquisition because of offering the DTH connections at highly subsidised rates, experts say.
According to Media Partners Asia, by the end of 2008, there may be over 10.3 million subscribers of digital pay television like DTH and digital cable (offered by Hathaway, InCable, WWIL, Digicable, among other cable companies) representing nearly 13 per cent affluent subscribers of the overall 80 million cable homes.
This means the leading pay channel broadcasters like Zee TV, Star TV, Sony TV, among others, will ultimately split the channel-feed between DTH and analogue cable because the leading TV audience measurement company TAM Media has begun monitoring the subscribers of DTH and digital cable platforms, who represent a higher disposable income consumers by the media buyers. Currently, TAM does not give measurement data separately and most of the data on viewership is based on those who receive cable through analog distribution system.
This move will also result in the fragmentation of advertisers too, experts say.
"Those who’d like to reach a pan-India viewership will continue to advertise on the analogue cable feed, while advertisers who want to reach high-end consumers residing in big towns will use the DTH and digital cable platform," a Delhi-based media planner says.
This means Zee TV may sell the ad-spots on its channels to a different set of advertisers for the DTH feed (reaching only the DTH subscribers), while it may have an altogether different lot for the analogue cable platform, experts say.
"Our analysis shows the subscribers of digital television content (primarily DTH) are spending 20 per cent more time watching television and consume more than 10 per cent additional channels per day vis-a-vis the analogue cable subscribers. This will surely interest the advertisers," says LV Krishnan, chief executive, TAM Media.
Broadcasters say they are gearing up to split their feed based on the demographics of consumers. "Both advertisers and broadcasters will gain from this exercise. While advertisers may reduce their ad budgets, they will choose to buy the spots at higher rates than the analogue cable feed," says a senior executive working for a leading entertainment channel.
7/09/08
No update Sunday
6/09/08
No update Saturday
5/09/08
Big Ten Network USA started fta at Telstar 10 (76.5E) 3680 H 27500 (Unconfirmed report)
From my Email & ICQ
From Anon (NZ)
Kordia feeds HD
D1 12268H 12295H
Dvbs2 8psk
From the Dish
NSS 11 108.2E 12471 H "GMA 7" has left .
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3460 V "PSI Preview" has started on , Fta, SR 1538, FEC 3/4.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3502 V "Dhi TV" has started on , Fta, SR 4444, FEC 2/3.
ABS 1 75E 12509 H "IRIB 3" has left .
ABS 1 75E 12518 V "TV 1000 Action East" has started on , Fta.
ABS 1 75E 12548 V "Evrokino" has started on , Fta.
ABS 1 75E 12704 V "NTS" is now encrypted.
Intelsat 10 68.5E 12522 H "Nat Geo Music" has started on , Conax.
Intelsat 10 68.5E 3744 V "M-Net Stars and Disney Channel South Africa have replaced Sport TV Africa and RTP Internacional Europa" on , Irdeto.
Intelsat 10 68.5E 4124 V "Geo News" has left .
NEWS
SkyVision and Intelsat Grow Broadband Infrastructure in Africa and the Middle East
From Press Release Number: 2008-52
SkyVision and Intelsat Grow Broadband Infrastructure in Africa and the Middle East
Pembroke, Bermuda, 4 September 2008
Intelsat, Ltd., the world's leading provider of commercial satellite services, announced that SkyVision Global Networks LLC (“SkyVision”), a leading global provider of Internet services over satellite and terrestrial fiber optic systems, signed a multi-year, multi-transponder contract for C- and Ku-band transponder services on Intelsat’s IS-4 satellite, located at 72º East.
“SkyVision’s business in broadband applications has grown by more than 700% in the last three years and Intelsat has enabled us to expand and to meet that demand,” said Mark Gazit, CEO of SkyVision. ”This contract will further enable SkyVision to deploy IP infrastructure for the innovative VPN services which it now provides to its customers in Africa and the Middle East, in support of their private networks.”
”Broadband connectivity demand continues to be a significant driver for our business. We are seeing growth accelerating worldwide, particularly in the Middle East and Africa,” said Jean-Philippe Gillet, Intelsat’s Regional Vice President, Europe and Middle East. “Intelsat’s competitive strength in providing a satellite infrastructure to service operators in high-demand regions enables these operators to launch applications that fuel corporate networks. Applications include Internet access and connectivity, digital media streaming, distance learning, data file transfers and voice-based services.”
Intelsat will be exhibiting in Hall 1, Stand C71 at IBC 2008, the international tradeshow for professionals involved in the creation, management and delivery of content for the broadcasting industry, which is being held at the RAI Centre in Amsterdam on 12-16 September.
About SkyVision
SkyVision is a leading global service provider of telecommunication services to Internet service providers and also provides global telecommunication solutions to enterprises and NGOs. SkyVision maintains an active presence in more than 50 countries in the developing Internet regions of Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Its services are ’end-to-end’ solutions, deploying standard and customized IP service platforms managed from its key gateways in Europe, the United States and the Middle East. (www.sky-vision.net)
About Intelsat
Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services (FSS) worldwide, delivering information and entertainment for many of the world’s leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and governmental agencies. Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for advanced transmissions of video, data and voice services. With the globalization of content, broadband, telecom, HD and IPTV fueling next-generation growth, the ever-expanding universe of satellite communications is the cornerstone of today's Intelsat. Real-time, advanced communications with people anywhere in the world is closer, by far.
Contacts
Nick Mitsis
Intelsat
[email protected]
+1 202 944 7044
Itai Galmor
SkyVision
[email protected]
+44 20 8387 1750
SingTel to partner Chunghwa in launching new satellite
From http://www.telecomtiger.com/fullstory.aspx?storyid=3746
Chunghwa Telecom Co, the largest telecommunication company in China (Taiwan) and Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) are considering collaborating once again in launching a second satellite to replace ST-1, which was deployed 10 years ago in 1998.
ST-1, which serves ships and remote sites of Tibet, Bhutan and oil rigs of Papua New Guinea, is expected to stop functioning within few years, when its service life expires.
According to Mark Chong, executive vice president at SingTel, the new satellite which is expected to cost around $250 million to $300 million will accelerate the connection speed by up to four times.
Further announcements on the project will be released in the coming months.
Glitch Cripples S. Korea's First Military Satellite
From http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/09/113_30609.html
A technical glitch made South Korea's first military communications satellite inoperable Friday, interrupting services to the nation's military and other private clients, the satellite's operator KT Corp. said.
Mugunghwa 5, which was built by Alcatel of France and put into orbit in 2006, started having problems about 1:55 a.m. Friday morning, a KT official said, adding that the company was unable to communicate with the satellite.
"The satellite isn't pointing toward the Korean Peninsula due to a glitch in the control system," the KT official was quoted as saying by Yonhap News.
KT was working with Alcatel technicians to correct the satellite's position, the official added.
E! Entertainment for Korea
From http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://www.advanced-television.com/2008/sep1_sep5.htm#f6
Comcast International Media Group (CIMG), and SBS, one of Korea's largest multiple program providers, will launch a localised version of the popular E! Entertainment Television channel in early 2009. SBS will operate the new Korean language, pay TV network as the general entertainment and lifestyle channel E! Entertainment Television.
MEDIA-THAILAND: Satellite TV Boosts Anti-Gov't Protests
From http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43798
BANGKOK, Sep 5 (IPS) - On first impressions, Thailand’s political crisis appears to be an attempt to shape the future of democracy in a kingdom that has witnessed 18 military coups. But the anger that drives a protest movement to topple an elected administration has pitted it against the old media order.
Two sisters in their late 50s are among a growing number of largely urban Thais from across the country who are a part of this backlash. They have become devotees of Asia Satellite Television (ASTV) a relatively new entrant into Thailand’s TV world which is dominated by commercial TV stations that offer a staple of light talk shows, soap operas and gossip programmes.
‘’Those stations offer little of the kind of programmes that we want to see -- about politics in Thailand, corruption, how the government is abusing its power,’’ says Hui-Leng, the younger of the two Thai-Chinese sisters, referring to TV stations that have dominated the airwaves, such as Channel Seven and Three. Together, these Thai-language stations enjoy 60 percent of the TV market share in this South-east Asian country.
‘’We want to know more of the truth that is happening in our country; we want to know about the cases against this government,’’ added Hui-Leng, a Bangkok resident, as she sat before a television tuned to ASTV. ‘’You cannot get this information on other channels.’’
ASTV’s programmes, since late May, has consisted of speeches beamed from a stage set up at the site of a Bangkok protest rally, led by an anti-government group that calls itself the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD). The target of criticism is the current government, led by Prime Minster Samak Sundaravej, who was elected in the December general elections. Besides allegations of corruption and the abuse of power, the Samak administration is accused of being unpatriotic and threatening the country’s revered monarch.
ASTV makes little effort to hide its political mission as the principle broadcaster of the PAD. After all, its founder, Sondhi Limthongkul, a fiery speaker, is one of the PAD’s leaders. His sustained attacks on the government and Thai democracy -- that the prevailing elections system does not work, and the country needs a largely appointed parliament -- have resonated with the thousands drawn to the PAD rallies after first hearing them on ASTV.
‘’Our entire programming is now totally dedicated to what is being said at the PAD rallies,’’ says Chadaporn Lin, managing editor of the station’s English-language channel. ‘’It appeals to our viewers, even if the material is strong, subjective and biased. The speeches about corruption and the abuse of power are things the public will not get on other commercial TV stations.’’
Mixed with the speeches is material the station’s 15 teams of reporters produce from the new command centre of the PAD, the office of the prime minister, which the anti-government protesters overran on Aug. 26, in an unprecedented show of civil disobedience. Some reports have included threats to the PAD protesters, which, when relayed over the station, has resulted in more PAD sympathisers ouring into Government House in a show of strength.
Much of this mobilisation is possible due to ASTV’s reach, which is currently estimated at 20 million viewers, Chadaporn said in an interview. ‘’Our audience has doubled since 2006, when we had 10 million viewers, because we present the political side of the news that is not available on national TV.’’
The station’s inroads into the TV market is also evident by the number of satellite dishes mushrooming on the roofs and balconies of houses and apartment buildings in Bangkok and other provinces. ASTV’s signature yellow satellite dish is becoming increasingly noticeable. In Bangkok alone the station has sold 200,000 satellite dishes, a fifth of the estimated million satellite dishes sold across the country by True Vision, the main cable company that offers multiple channels featuring news, films, sports and documentaries.
And if viewers cannot access the station through a satellite dish or a provincial cable company, the Internet offers a way out. Consequently, the website of ‘Manager,’ the newspaper produced by ASTV’s parent company, has seen the number of regular visitors rise. It is currently placed third among the top 10 Thai-language websites, according to ‘Truehits’, a website that monitors Internet traffic. All but one of the other nine website focuses on games, music, teenage interests and dating.
ASTV is now being credited with nudging Thailand to join the growing global technological trend in information flow that is based on satellite broadcast. ‘’ASTV has helped to accelerate the move towards satellite-based TV, as opposed to the older free-to-air TV,’’ Laurent Malespine, a Thai media analyst and founder of ‘Don’t Blink’, a political and media research company, told IPS. ‘’It is challenging the old media order in the country.’’
Content-wise, this recent arrival to the world of Thai TV is winning praise for expanding the space for free expression. ‘’ASTV is offering knowledge and political information and new ideas that have never been seen on Thai TV,’’ says Supinya Klangnarong, deputy head of the Campaign for Popular Media Reform, an independent local group lobbying for media rights. ‘’They have opened a new space for TV. There is 100 percent media freedom. You can say anything against the elected government and get away.’’
But while such a media agenda has tapped into an older audience that has felt left out by the dominant trends on the existing commercial stations, where youth is the focus, it is also creating a following that could become increasingly intolerant, Supinya warned in an interview. ‘’They are creating a culture of hate by the one-sided opinions being broadcast. They are promoting very conservative and very nationalistic ideas.’’
‘’And if it attracts more people, ASTV may take over the role that has always been played by Thai newspapers of setting the political agenda for the country,’’ added the 35-year-old activist. ‘’That will be a win for those who say that Thailand has become too liberal, open and globalised... like my mother’s generation.’’
Last-Ever Look At ESA Gravity Satellite GOCE
From http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Last_Ever_Look_At_ESA_Gravity_Satellite_GOCE_999.html
As preparations for the launch of GOCE on 10 September continue on schedule, an important milestone has just been achieved as engineers at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia say farewell to the satellite as it is encapsulated in the two half-shells of the launcher's fairing.
Now sealing the slender five-metre long GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) spacecraft from view, the protective fairing will not be opened again until around three minutes after launch.
Then, two minutes after the fairing half-shells have opened and dropped away, the second stage is released leaving the Breeze-KM Upper Stage to take GOCE to its injection orbit of 285 km above the surface of the Earth. At that moment, the GOCE transmitters will switch on automatically and we will receive the first telemetry signal from GOCE in space.
The process of joining GOCE to the Breeze-KM Upper Stage and placing it in the fairing requires great care and precision. With only 15cm to spare, the spacecraft, which had already been fixed to the Breeze-KM adapter, was lifted and transferred by crane to join the Upper Stage. Once positioned, the procedure to join the two together took place and the now so-called 'Upper Composite' was thoroughly checked. With the launch campaign team satisfied that everything was correct, the final task was to apply the GOCE and Eurockot logo stickers to the outside of the fairing.
ESA's Launch Campaign Manager Juirgen Schmid commented that, "So far the GOCE launch preparation activities have gone quite smoothly - this is also thanks to the fully motivated industrial team from Thales Alenia Space.
The remaining activities comprise of a final electrical test of the satellite in launch configuration and a dry run of the countdown itself with the Mission Control Centre at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, ESA's Spacecraft Operations Centre (ESOC) in Germany and the ESA ground network. The launch team's stay of 5 weeks at the Cosmodrome has now been completed and we all are looking forward to the launch next week."
The GOCE satellite has been at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome since the end of July 2008 undergoing preparation for launch. Activities have now turned to rolling-out the Upper Composite to the actual launch pad, which is about 5 km from the spacecraft preparation facilities, and integration with the rest of the launcher.
Launch will take place on Wednesday 10 September at 16:21 CEST (14:21 UTC). The launcher is operated by Eurockot Launch Services, a joint venture between EADS Astrium and the Khrunichev Space Centre (Russia).
The sleek high-tech GOCE satellite embodies many firsts in terms of its design and use of new technology in space to map Earth's gravity field in unprecedented detail. Over its lifetime of about 20 months, GOCE will map these global variations in the gravity field with extreme detail and accuracy.
This will result in a unique model of the geoid, which is the surface of equal gravitational potential defined by the gravity field - crucial for deriving accurate measurements of ocean circulation and sea-level change, both of which are affected by climate change. GOCE-derived data is also much needed to understand more about processes occurring inside the Earth and for use in practical applications such as surveying and levelling.
GOCE is the first in the series of Earth Explorer missions being developed within ESA's Living Planet Programme. Earth Explorer missions form the science and research element of the Living Planet Programme and focus on the aosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and the Earth's interior, with the overall emphasis on learning more about the interactions between these components and the impact that human activity is having on natural Earth processes.
Russia's Glonass system to comprise 30 satellites by 2011
From http://en.rian.ru/science/20080905/116569746.html
MOSCOW, September 5 (RIA Novosti) - The number of satellites comprising Russia's Glonass navigation system will be increased from the current 16 to 30 by 2011, the head of the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) said on Friday.
Glonass (Global Navigation Satellite System) is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), which is designed for both military and civilian use, and allows users to identify their positions in real time.
"We will increase the number of navigation satellites to the required 30 by 2011. In all, we plan to launch six satellites by the end of 2008 and six more next year. Therefore, the satellite navigation system will become truly global," Anatoly Perminov said in an interview with Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.
According to the Central Research Institute for Machine Building, the Glonass system currently consists of 16 satellites, with 13 satellites operating in line with their designation function, two satellites are undergoing maintenance and one is due to be withdrawn from the orbital grouping.
Perminov also said that the Russian navigation system has a number of advantages over its foreign analogues as the satellites give better coverage of Arctic zones.
"This is one of the most important preconditions for the successful development of natural deposits and for oil and gas production on the shelf," he said.
It was earlier reported that the Glonass system should include 18 satellites for continued navigation services covering the entire territory of the Russian Federation and 24 satellites to provide services worldwide.
A total of 9.9 billion rubles ($418.25 million) was allocated for Glonass from the federal budget in 2007, and 4.7 billion rubles ($200 million) in 2006.
Landlord fined for showing live TV football
From http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/boltonnews/3648190.Landlord_fined_for_showing_live_TV_football/
A LANDLORD has been ordered to pay almost £5,000 after he illegally showed three football matches on televisions in his pub.
Andrew Trainer, the landlord of the Bay Mare in Blackburn Road, Bolton, screened the matches without paying Sky for the necessary commercial contract.
Pubs are required by law to pay thousands of pounds for the right to show Premier League football matches, with an annual charge based on the rateable value of the premises.
Bolton Magistrates’ Court yesterday heard that up to 20 people watched last year’s Premier League clashes between Liverpool and Manchester United on December 16, Derby and Blackburn on December 30, and Sheffield United and Manchester City in the FA Cup on January 27 this year.
Trainer, aged 44, said the pub already had a contract with Sky when he took over in 2005, but that he felt £9,600 was too expensive.
He said he cancelled the deal and paid £650 to a local company to install equipment so he could pick up English football games from DigitAlb, an Albanian satellite broadcaster.
Danielle Graham, prosecuting on behalf of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), said the only evidence to show that Trainer had a contract with DigitAlb was an invoice for the installation of the equipment.
The court heard that investigators went to the Bay Mare on three occasions, when they saw the Sky Sports logo displayed on the screen.
Ms Graham said the only way this logo could legally appear is through contracts with Sky or Virgin Media, and Trainer did not have such a contract.
She said: “You weren’t showing it using a foreign satellite provider. Foreign satellite is a red herring.
“The Sky Sports logo was present on the screen and you knew it.”
Trainer was fined £2,400 and ordered to pay £2,342 costs, plus a £15 victim surcharge.
4/09/08
The September issue of Satmagazine is online
www.satmagazine.com
From my Email & ICQ
..
From the Dish
Intelsat 8 166E 4096 V "TVBS News" has left .
NSS 6 95E 12638 V "Orissa TV" is now encrypted.
NSS 6 95E "Suwannaphum Channel" has moved from 11676 H to 11635 H, Fta.
Yamal 201 90E 3903 L "Telekanal Zvezda Yuzhniy Region, Telekanal Sport (BISS) and Rostov TV" have started on , Fta, SR 8888, FEC 5/6.
Yamal 201 90E 3900 L "Telekanal Zvezda Yuzhniy Region" has left .
Yamal 201 90E 3907 L "Rostov TV" has left .
Thaicom 2 78.5E 3824 H "Saha Channel" has left .
NEWS
Anti-siphoning review may hand sport to free channels
From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24290125-7582,00.html
COMMUNICATIONS Minster Stephen Conroy signalled that he may hand the free-to-air television stations the right to broadcast sport on their extra digital multi-channels as debate flared yesterday over Channel Seven's AFL finals coverage.
Having recently returned from a taxpayer-funded trip to the US and Britain, Senator Conroy has concluded that content is the "biggest individual factor" in the take-up of digital television.
In Australia, the take-up of subscription and digital television has been hampered by stringent laws restricting which sporting events pay television can buy -- known as anti-siphoning laws. These laws also restrict sports broadcasting on digital free-to-air multi-channels.
"The Government's main lever in the content debate is obviously the anti-siphoning list," Senator Conroy said. "That is subject to a review next year."
He pointed the finger at the Howard government for legislating against sport on new digital channels. "That conflicted with their desire for digital uptake," he said.
"This Government has a policy going in a different direction, which is why the review of anti-siphoning is so important."
ASTRA, the pay-TV representative group, weighed into the anti-siphoning debate again yesterday, calling on the Government to change the laws after it learned AFL fans in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth would not have access to all the matches live during the AFL finals. Seven responded by saying pay-TV wanted people to pay for sports coverage, which was unfair as seven out of 10 Australians didn't have pay-TV.
Senator Conroy also indicated Australia was set to follow the Britain, shutting down traditional analogue television signals market by market, with regional areas going first.
"The new converter boxes as well as the Freeview box in Britain are great boxes, with excellent functionality.
"So it's a combination of content -- which is the biggest individual factor -- and the technology."
The minister confirmed that the analogue shutdown date -- or digital switchover -- would occur before the end of 2013 and Australia would have to wait until then for a possible windfall of billions of dollars.
Sale of analogue spectrum in the US earned taxpayers $US19 billion and it is expected to fetch between pound stg. 5 billion and pound stg. 10 billion in Britain.
Some time between November 1 and the end of the year Senator Conroy will be handed a detailed program for analogue switch-off by the departmental officer in charge, Andy Townend, who was appointed by the previous government.
Senator Conroy says Britain is on the right track with its five year project to close down analogue television -- in contrast to the US.
"We went to the US and Britain to look at how they are implementing their transitions," he said.
Australia would not mimic the US experience, he said. It would use only one test market to shut down analogue signals, in Wilmington, North Carolina, next Monday. It would then close down the entire country in one fell swoop in February. "Most independent observers describe the US model as a train wreck," Senator Conroy said.
"The sector is a train-wreck waiting to happen", he said.
The chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission had admitted the US's biggest mistake was failing to make pay TV carry new digital channels, Senator Conroy said.
Televised sport rules to be reviewed
From http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24291478-29277,00.html
DIGITAL television could become a must-have for sports fans with the Federal Government looking to overhaul televised sport restrictions.
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said he would review a contentious rule that currently bans major sporting events on any digital channels launched by the big three commercial networks next year, The Australian Financial Review reports.
The move, which Mr Conroy said is critical to the success of digital TV, is expected to increase already-bitter rivalry between Foxtel and the the three commercial channels.
PBL Media (owner of the east coast Nine Network stations), the Seven Network and Network Ten have the right to start second channels in standard definition digital from January 1 next year, but currently will not be able use those channels to show the AFL, NRL, Text cricket, the Australian Open or other major sport under a rule imposed by the former Howard government.
Mr Conroy also revealed a proposed funding plan that would offer financial incentives from the end of this year to the neediest Australians to replace their old analogue TV sets, amid fears many would not be ready for the switchoff deadline of 2013.
Pay-TV fury over finals
From http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/sport/afl/story/0,26633,24290204-5016215,00.html
TOMORROW'S Hawthorn-Bulldogs clash is at the centre of the second spat between the Seven Network and the pay-TV industry in a week.
Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association chief executive Debra Richards said sports fans in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth were being short-changed because Seven would delay its broadcast of the match by an hour.
The lobby group, which represents pay-TV companies such as Austar, Foxtel and Optus, said this, along with Seven's "roundly criticised" Olympic Games coverage, proved the Federal Government's anti-siphoning list - which blocks pay-TV access to more than 4700 sporting events in an Olympic year - should be slashed.
"Despite having the ability to broadcast the opening match of the AFL finals series live in these cities, the Seven Network has chosen not to do so, for reasons best known to them, instead offering sports fans Better Homes and Gardens and forcing them to wait," Ms Richards said.
Seven responded sharply yesterday, saying ASTRA had made "another carping, miserable observation".
"You'd reckon being a comfortable monopoly would be enough but they're still demanding that people pay for sports coverage they currently enjoy on free-to-air television," said Seven spokesman Simon Francis.
"That's a most un-Australian demand, especially for the seven out of 10 Australians who choose not to take up pay-television."
ASTRA last week took issue with Seven's Olympic Games coverage, saying the network, which held exclusive broadcast rights, failed to show live events such as pole vaulter Steve Hooker's gold medal win.
The group said legislative change was needed because the anti-siphoning list was "leaving sports fans waiting and wondering".
Ms Richards said all broadcasters should be able to compete for events not currently shown, which would foster competition for sports rights and aid in digital television take-up.
TVNZ evolution to continue in 2009
From http://www.nbr.co.nz/node/34820
TVNZ chief executive office Rick Ellis cautiously described the outlook for 2009 as positive, as the company moves into the second year of the company’s ‘turnaround plan’ following 2007’s loss of $7.1 million.
2008’s annual report saw an increase in ad revenue, backed by the success of local shows such as dancing with the stars and stars in their eyes which reached 2 million viewers each.
Locally produced shows accounted for 17 of the top 20 shows, which is partially due to the writer’s strike in the US limiting premium international content availability. This hurt TV2 more than TVOne.
The 2008 return on average equity was projected to be around 6.4 per cent, but was up at 8.3 per cent.
The goal is to reach 9 per cent per year over the whole three-year plan, which Mr Ellis is confident of meeting.
Restructuring of late has seen several job losses; Mr Ellis confirmed that there are no further major restructuring plans over the next 2-3 years.
Next year’s results have already been given a huge kick-start from the Olympics, which should ensure that the first quarter of 2009’s profits are significantly larger than the same time in 2008. TVNZ announced that finalised figures for revenue and costs associated with the Olympics will not be available until Christmas, as the installed staff and infrastructure are still covering the Paralympics. Pre-production infrastructure and set up costs were accrued in the 2008 year.
Mr Ellis described the event as “the most watched event in New Zealand history”, and was very happy with TVNZ’s coverage of the event, especially with the visibility given to Freeview and TVNZ’s high definition offering (HD).
TVNZ is in the process of rebuilding their infrastructure for the digital and HD age, and this accounted for $30 million dollars of the company’s capital expenditure.
Upgrade costs are ongoing and Mr Ellis stated that some debt will be expected to continue into 2009.
TVNZ has started the process of creating a video file based transmission system for the delivery of all of its channels, including HDTV programmes. Besides the technical aspects there is still a huge amount of work-flow redesign to accommodate the changed patterns required for digital operation.
The TVNZ Pacific service has been a huge success, accruing 600 hours of broadcasting across 14 Pacific nation broadcasters. The company plans to expand this further in the coming year through TVNZ7.
Election 2008 is planned to be the company’s most comprehensive multi-platform coverage ever, with extensive coverage across TVNZ ondemand, TVNZ7 and TV One, featuring debates, commentary and analysis on a daily basis.
Expect a big push from two new shows out of South Pacific Pictures. Writers of the tremendously successful Outrageous Fortune, Rachel Lang and James Griffin each have new shows that are expected to be successful in the new year.
Online is an increased focus, with TVNZ ondemand achieving growth of 85 per cent year on year. The phenomenal success of the Olympic coverage is not expected to be an abberation, and TVNZ ondemand’s revenue is expected to grow.
Head of emerging business Jason Paris projects the first quarter of 2009 to reach 300 per cent growth year on year, describing TVNZ as “the most progressive broadcaster in New Zealand, and probably Australasia.”
TVNZ On Demand: A Pipe Dream?
From http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/tvnz-on-demand-a-pipe-dream-34828
TVNZ has announced some very ambitious plans for its online video service, but how is an SOE going to succeed where so many have failed?
“We’re going to double our revenue every year for three years,” is the proclamation of head of emerging business Jason Paris, referring to the company’s very ambitious targets for its TVNZ On Demand online video service.
Jason Paris has been with TVNZ for two and half years, and was the former UK head of marketing for Nokia; it’s safe to say TVNZ On Demand is his baby.
At just 18 months old, the project has reached an average of 30,000 hours viewed per month, and the 360,000 hours of Olympic viewing at tvnz.co.nz has awoken the local market to the possibilities. Next year will see the first significant flow of premium international content, which should blow these numbers out further.
On Demand was first mooted in December 2006, and was green lighted just four months later. Since then ‘it’s gone absolutely gangbusters’ says Mr Paris.
The business model, which recently changed from an unsuccessful pay-per-view to an ad-based model, has been the main driver of this growth.
“No one had ever really done anything like this before in Australasia, there was no precedent. So we looked at other markets and went with a pay per view model. Within a month we knew it was the wrong decision – the ratio of people watching the free videos versus the pay ones was around 7000:1,” he chuckles.
“But at the same time, you can’t just pick up the TV model and apply it to online. People simply don’t put up with four ad breaks of two to three minutes of ads.”
On Demand uses advertising before and after an online show, specifically targeted to earn their revenue, charging around $200 dollars per 100 views of any show.
Despite the increase in viewership, the costs involved are still very high. Negotiating with international partners has been a long and torturous process, with copyright of big concern to content producers – they are wary of what happened to the music industry in the 90s with the advent of the MP3. Mr Paris is happy to predict that the 2009 year will be huge, with large amounts of international content available for the first time.
“We’re still not able to talk about any of that in detail because we’re still in the process of finalising contracts, but it is in the works.”
Infrastructure and delivery costs are still high and mean that TVNZ On Demand “still sails pretty close to the wind in terms of profitability.”
“We were originally charged significant amounts by the telcos for delivery; we’ve finally managed to negotiate ourselves into a fairer position that makes our business model far more viable,” he said.
So while 2009’s focus will be on the content, Paris is already looking farther a-field. He claims the system is completely future-proofed, and can work on nearly any platform.
“On Demand has been built from scratch as a ‘pick up and drop’ system – it’s designed to work across multiple platforms, be it mobile phone, Playstation 3, or in the future IPTV – and anything else that comes along. We’re already adapting it to Google Chrome,” he said.
At this stage, On Demand has a closer relationship with Telecom that Vodafone, who is tied to Sky’s mobile video service, but Mr Paris makes it clear that there is no preferred platform. “We want our content to be as widely available as possible, to all consumer’s when they want it, how they want it.”
Plans are also in the works to boost the resolution of the service to full high definition through a new adaptive video player. While specifics aren’t available yet, the new system will detect the bandwidth available to the user and adapt the video quality accordingly.
“So if you had an absolutely unleashed fat pipe, you could get full HD, no problem. HD is 100 per cent in the works,” said Paris.
This naturally comes back to the National-Labour broadband infrastructure debate, while the content and ability are there, the national infrastructure may not be ready. So are future luxuries like IPTV completely off the cards?
“There are no plans thus far. We’ve followed what they’ve done overseas, but until Vodafone, Telecom or the government invest in fibre networks to the home, it’s not really possible.”
Sky Perfect readies HD service
From http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991582.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
Japanese broadcaster to unveil channel Oct. 1
TOKYO -- Sky Perfect Communications, which operates the SkyPerfectv! communications satellite platform, has confirmed plans for the October launch of SkyPerfectv! HD (in Japanese, Sukapa! HD), its new HD channel service.
At a press conference on Tuesday, prexy Masao Nito said the company will offer 15 HD channels on the service, starting on October 1, expanding to 70 by October 2009 and 100 by 2012. This will make Sky Perfect the biggest provider of HD channels in Japan.
Among the offerings are four pic channels: a Star Channel Hi-Vision, Satellite Theater HD, Movie Plus HD and Nihon Eiga, a Japanese pic speciality chanel skedded to bow with the original 1954 "Godzilla" and 27 other classic pics, all broadcast in HD. Other channels will offer sports ( J Sports Plus), foreign dramas (Fox HD), domestic entertainment programming (TBS Channel, Fuji TV CSHD, TV Asahi HD), PPV broadcasts (four channels) and adult programming (two channels).
To receive the HD service, subs will need dedicated tuners, but will be able to take any number of channels, starting with one. The picture quality will be comparable to that offered by broadcast satellite and terrestrial digital strands.
Launched in 1994, Sky Perfect Communications provides some 290 channels on its SkyPerfectv! platform and 70 on its e2by Sky Perfect platform sourced from 100 channel consignees. It also operates the Hikari optical fiber network service and, since its April 2007 merger with JSAT, communication satellites in a holding company structure.
As of the end of July, subs totaled 4.28 million.
Microsoft, 12 others to invest in Japanese English-language broadcaster - report
From http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock News/1860674/
TOKYO, Sep 04, 2008 (Thomson Financial via COMTEX) -- MSFT | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Microsoft Corp, NTT Communications Corp and Itochu Corp, together with 10 other companies will take stakes in Japan's first 24-hour English-language broadcasting service, which will be established by Japan Broadcasting Corp, or NHK, in February, the Nikkei reported on Thursday, without citing sources.
Japan International Broadcasting Inc, the unit of NHK which currently has capital of 200 million yen ($1.8 million), will boost its capital by 190 million yen in October, the business daily said.
The NHK unit will issue new shares in private placements to the 13 firms, which also include Nippon Television Network Corp, Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc, two other commercial TV networks and Mizuho Corporate Bank.
Once the new shares are issued, NHK's interest in the unit will drop to around 60 percent, the report said.
The 13 firms will own the remainder, with each putting up 10-20 million yen and taking stakes of no more than about 5 percent each.
In addition to providing news and entertainment shows in English via satellite 24 hours a day, the firm plans to simulcast programming online, the report said.
NHK intends to work with Microsoft and NTT Communications, which have expertise in broadband services, to develop technologies for the stable distribution of lengthy video via the Internet.
Microsoft has been scrambling to beef up its offerings of video content that can be viewed online in order to better compete with Google Inc, which owns the video sharing site YouTube, the Nikkei said.
($1=108.23 yen)
Eutelsat W5 faces new transponder shutdown
From http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/?p=7775
Eutelsat Communications’ W5 satellite is to lose a fifth transponder ahead of a forthcoming solar eclipse. The earlier shutdown of four transponders following the loss of one of two solar panels met with anger from Chinese language channel New Tang Dynasty (NTDTV).
Manufacturers Thales Alenia Space said the reconfiguration, designed to cope with the loss of onboard power on the SB3000 platform, would reduce the life of the satellite by three years. The shutdown of the fifth transponder would provide the additional margin needed for thermal control and battery charging.
In a statement Eutelsat said there was no need to record an impairment charge, based on the information to hand, or to adjust the value of the W5 satellite on its balance sheet.
Nusantara Televisi Launches New Indonesian Channel With OmniBus iTX
From http://www.broadcastbuyer.tv/publish/New_Contracts_24/Nusantara_Televisi_Launches_New_Indonesian_Channel_With_OmniBus_iTX_17401.shtml
Indonesian broadcaster Nusantara Televisi (TVN) has launched TVN01, a new national terrestrial and satellite channel, using the revolutionary OmniBus iTX production, automation and playout system.
Configured as a one-channel system with dual backup channels, TVN's iTX installation provides an end-to-end production system linked to Final Cut Pro for craft editing.
Configured as a one-channel system with dual backup channels, TVN's iTX installation provides an end-to-end production system linked to Final Cut Pro for craft editing.
"Without the legacy of existing equipment, we were able to choose the most efficient way to launch our new channels," said TVN Chief Engineer Abraham Irawan. "OmniBus iTX is an excellent solution because it not only provides a very powerful, scalable production and playout system, but also is much quicker and easier to install, which is an important consideration for an emerging broadcaster launching new services into a competitive market."
"New entrants into broadcasting are well-placed to install the most appropriate technology for today's multi-format, multi-platform world," said OmniBus Systems CTO Ian Fletcher. "They also need to keep their investment closely geared to their returns as they grow. iTX delivers these advantages better than any other system while providing the production quality and powerful range of features that have led to its adoption by some of the biggest names in broadcasting and content delivery."
OmniBus iTX is the next-generation solution that makes the conventional broadcast automation, master control and playout chain obsolete. Combining and exceeding all the functions of a conventional transmission chain in a single, integrated suite of software applications, iTX is flexible, open and feature-rich, and offers a significantly more configurable and responsive end-to-end solution for a wide range of operating environments. With market-beating support for SD and HD, and an exceptional ability to integrate with third-party systems, iTX delivers the most powerful solution available while significantly reducing the investment required to launch and operate high-quality channels in broadcast, IPTV, mobile TV, disaster recovery and business continuity applications.
Murdoch's Star TV agrees US distribution deal
From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Media/Murdochs_Star_TV_agrees_US_distribution_deal/articleshow/3440263.cms
MUMBAI: Rupert Murdoch's Indian television unit has inked its first US cable distribution deal with Cox Communications, bringing three top Hindi-language channels to Northern Virginia, the companies said.
Viewers in one of the largest South Asian enclaves in the US will now be able to catch their favorite Bollywood flicks, Indian soaps and reality television shows on Star India Plus, Star India Gold and Star One.
``The deal with Cox Communications, which operates one of the nation's leading cable platforms, is an important one because it represents Star's first opportunity to reach out to cable viewers in the US,'' David Wisnia, Star's Senior Vice President for Distribution and Sales and head of Star's North American and European offices, said in a Tuesday statement.
``Going forward, we are excited about the prospect of deepening our relationship with Cox to further the distribution of our top-notch channels to other areas throughout the country,'' he added.
Cox Communications is the third-largest cable provider in the US. Star, a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corp, controls over 20,000 hours of Indian and Chinese programming and also owns the world's largest contemporary Chinese film library. The group currently operates 17 channels in India, and recently announced the launch of six more.
ESPN-STAR gets exclusive F1 coverage rights
From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/ESPN STAR_gets_exclusive_F1_coverage_rights/articleshow/3440345.cms
NEW DELHI: Formula One Management (FOM) today renewed, for another five years, a telecast deal with ESPN-STAR Sports, giving them exclusive broadcast rights of the FIA Formula One World Championship across multiple platforms in 24 Asian markets.
The deal will see the broadcaster getting exclusive rights to showcase Formula One action across platforms including TV, internet, mobile and radio.
The rights would cover ESPN-STAR Sports footprint in Asia, including the major markets of India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea.
"We are extremely delighted to continue our 17-year strong partnership with Formula One Management through this historic new agreement," Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports, Manu Sawhney said:
live coverage of all 18 races and complimenting the live coverage are its pre and post-race presentations, Race Day and Chequered Flag, which provide live reports, race analysis and an insight into the people behind the high-speed action.
Broadband Wireless Systems Interfearing with TV Broadcasts
From http://www.tvnext.in/news/131/ARTICLE/1617/2008-09-04.html
Reports of critical interference with TV broadcasts by broadband wireless systems in the satellite C-band frequency are on the rise. The most recent example, in Bahrain in the Middle East, tells a tale of hundreds of consumers - largely expatriates watching Indian-originated satellite TV via large C-band receiver dishes - finding their service cut off as wireless operators power up newly-licensed Wimax systems.
Bahrain ignored repeated protests from broadcasters and satellite service suppliers at last year's ITU World Radio Conference, who forecast that unrestricted Wimax systems operating in C-band would result in millions of disaffected consumers.
Bahraini officials admitted that the domestic TV signals had been disrupted because local telecom operators are broadcasting broadband wireless Internet services over the same frequency as TV channels.
"Wherever the telephone company installs a tower, people living a couple of hundred metres in its vicinity will experience interference with their broadcast," said an industry insider quoted in the Gulf Daily News.
For more than two years the global satellite industry has urged regulators to license alternative frequencies to C-band for Wimax, particularly recommending the lower-frequency and more efficient "S-band".
While many Asian countries heeded the warnings, others, including Pakistan, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Fiji, have licensed inappropriate frequencies, and interference reports are rising sharply as licensed and unlicensed telecom operators fire-up Wimax systems.
"Bahrain and other markets such as Pakistan, where broadcasts have been disrupted by unrestricted Wimax deployment, are the equivalent of the canary down the mine shaft, said Simon Twiston Davies, CEO of the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA). He added, "This is already a big problem and will grow much larger unless industry and consumers can make their voices heard."
"Action needs to be taken now, when licensing is still at an early stage and the situation can be saved", he said. "By the time the consumers lose their TV signals, it's too late."
"Few satellite dishes in Asia are directly licensed," said John Medeiros, CASBAA's Deputy CEO. "The fact is that the regulating agencies take insufficient account of the consumers served by large domestic dishes and the need for technically perfect reception by cable operators."
According to CASBAA and other professional bodies, the implications of disrupted C-band distribution of TV signals are massive since C-band transmissions reach not only individual homes - such as those in Bahrain - but also deliver wholesale television to cable systems serving hundreds of millions of customers.
3/09/08
Scheduled Feed
Eva Mendes Reveals Secret Obsession
NEW YORK, September 3 /PRNewswire/ --
- Risque Calvin Klein SECRET OBSESSION Billboard Unveils in Times Square
- For downloadable video & stills, visit: http://www.dogmatic.com/MNR/secretobsession
WHO: A sultry image of a disrobed Eva Mendes bearing all in NYC's
Times Square. Calvin Klein Fragrances will unveil their latest
provocative billboard of Eva Mendes from the new global
advertising campaign for SECRET OBSESSION, a new women's
fragrance available beginning September 2008.
WHAT: On the heels of U.S. television networks banning the
controversial commercial, Calvin Klein will again be pushing
boundaries with this sexy advertising image. Avoiding the
controversy, the billboard will unveil on September 4 in
celebration of the fragrance launch, New York Fashion Week, and
milestone 40th Anniversary of Calvin Klein. Mendes is
intoxicating in this steamy ad shot by Steven Meisel.
B-ROLL: Billboard unveiling, Eva Mendes ad campaign soundbites, MOS
interviews and Secret Obsession :30 ad campaign spot and print
images.
MORE: A new global online survey about men and women's secret
obsessions was conducted by Calvin Klein Fragrances. The racy
results include:
-- German men are "lustiest" for younger women, the top global
men's obsession
-- UK women are the most likely to be jealous, the top female
obsession overall
-- Italian men are most obsessed with having a threesome
-- UK men are the most likely to want to be tied up
-- Italian women are the most obsessed with plastic surgery
CONTACT: Hardcopy requests and info: Lance Enger, Dogmatic,
+1-310-450-3884,
[email protected]
SATELLITE FEEDS:
EUROPE
1st Feed:
Date: 4th September 2008
Time: 1930-1945 GMT (8:30-8:45PM London Local)
2nd Feed:
Date: 5th September 2008
Time: 0530-0545 GMT (6:30-6:45AM London Local)
Satellite: NSS 7 Dig
Transponder: ENV8/EUH8 Slot AB
KU Band
Downlink Frequency: 11684.5H
FEC: 3/4
Symbol Rate: 6.6176
Color: PAL
ASIA
1st Feed:
Date: 4th September 2008
Time: 2130-2145 GMT (6:30-6:45AM Tokyo Local on 9/5)
2nd Feed:
Date: 5th September 2008
Time: 0430-0445 GMT (1:30-1:45PM Tokyo Local)
Satellite: IS2 Dig
Transponder: 10C Slot C
C Band
Downlink Frequency: 3978.3 H
FEC: 3/4
Symbol Rate: 6.6176
Color: NTSC
From my Email & ICQ
..
From the Dish
Superbird C 144E All channels in the Access TV mux on 12718 V are Fta.
AsiaSat 4 122.2E 12430 V "NTV Mir" has started on , Irdeto. Israel Plus International has left.
Chinasat 6B 115.5E 4020 V "Fortune World has replaced Baby Channel" on , enc.
Measat 3 91.5E 3805 V "Astro Aruna and Astro Ria" have started on , enc., SR 6666, FEC 3/4.
Insat 2E 83E 3934 V "Star Jalsha" has started on , MPEG-4, Viaccess.
Telstar 10 76.5E 3793 H "Diganta TV" has started on , Fta, SR 4340, FEC 3/4.
NEWS
Prime on Freeview? No hope.
From http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/prime-freeview-no-hope-34739
One of the greatest enigmas surrounding Freeview is that it misses one of New Zealand’s key free-to-air channels – Prime.
Sadly, without government regulation, this situation is unlikely to change.
Sky bought Prime in 2006 for $30.26 million, squeaking the sale past the Commerce Commission.
To many analysts, commentators and even TV stations themselves, Prime has long been considered Sky’s Trojan horse. The purchase was positioned as little more than window dressing used to skirt around the edge of regulatory issues, and also to assist in the bidding process for lucrative events like the Olympics and world cups. These events are increasingly inserting “common good” clauses demanding free to air coverage of major events.
Sky chief executive officer John Fellet told NBR Prime would join Freeview when it “makes business sense.” Although this is open to interpretation, it assumes Sky is referring to a decent return on its investment.
Currently, the completely ad revenue-driven Prime has done little more than break even – any attempt to expand its market share and thus revenues should be welcomed.
Freeview would appear to be a logical expansion.
Mr Fellet placed Prime’s transition costs if it moved onto the Freeview platform at approximately $3.3 million. This includes $200,000 annual service fee, $1.62 million on HD transmission and linking costs through Kordia, and another $1.5 million on upgrading infrastructure.
But Prime doesn’t have to go to HD to get on Freeview; it’s already transmitted as a digital signal. The annual service fee of $200,000 dollars, plus distribution costs, would hardly trouble Sky’s books.
Mr Fellet also claimed that there were licensing issues; that because the signal can be picked up by anyone this will affect contract negotiations in buying content. The example he used was a delayed broadcast of the Warriors playing on Prime being available to boffins around the Pacific/Australia – if they had 6m satellite dishes in their back yard.
“A delayed sportscast is worth next to nothing to the rights holders, I’m sure if the issue came up they would be happy for you to say ‘we’re getting this out to 120,000 extra viewers through the free service’ – can we renegotiate please?” Freeview’s Steve Browning said.
Somewhat ironically, if Prime was transmitted in HD, as Mr Fellet mentioned earlier, it would only be available terrestrially through Freeview’s UHF HD service.
Prime is currently broadcasted free-to-air through UHF (with limited reception) and encrypted through Sky’s satellite service. In other words, it’s out there in the ether but blocked from Freeview boxes.
TVNZ 6 and 7 are the same – they are being transmitted unencrypted and Sky has been forced by regulation to block the channels.
Neither party wants to give up its property to the competition, and fair enough. Unfortunately, Sky claims Freeview isn’t competition when referring to their annual report’s churn figures.
“It doesn’t even feature on our top reasons for customers leaving Sky,” Mr Fellet said.
It is all too easy to ascribe underdog status to Freeview, but it is important to remember it is there to make money too, and have performance targets to reach – namely a subscriber base. Prime, and its added sports coverage, would boost numbers, and ruin the Prime to Sky upgrade path it’s building ahead of Sky’s UHF switchoff.
When TVNZ 6 and 7 were announced, Sky no doubt expected that they would be freely available. Opponents determined that the taxpayer-funded channels were effectively giving free content to Sky.
Many pundits have screamed, “I paid my taxes, I should get TVNZ6 and 7 however I like!”
And so you should. The issue could easily be resolved by following the UK model. Effectively, pay TV broadcasters were ordered to make free to air content available over their decoders. This simply meant that anyone could buy a decoder and get all the free channels they wanted, then BSkyB simply sold a card that decrypted their private pay channels.
If customers pull out their Sky cards at home now, they get nothing but dead air.
Freeview is hardly a saint and has a similar problem. Zinwell (the main decoder brand sold here) doesn’t have a card slot – nor would there be any guarantee that Sky’s card would even work in them if they did.
TVNZ posts strong result
From http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/413551/2054946
Television New Zealand made an after tax profit of $19.4 million for the financial year ended June 2008, Chief Executive Rick Ellis said.
This was from operating earnings before non recurring items, interest, tax and financial instruments of $27 million, which represents a $14.3 million turnaround or a 112% increase over the prior year.
Ellis said the strong result was off the back of higher advertising revenues from higher channel ratings and getting the organisation's costs under control.
Ellis said the annual result meant TVNZ achieved a return on average equity of 8.3%, which was ahead of the 6.4% target set for the year.
TVNZ would be paying a $10.3 million dividend to the Crown.
Excluding Government funding for the digital channels, total income for the year was $379.7 million, an increase of $4.7 million (or 1.3%) over the prior year. The primary driver of this increase was a $2.7 million (0.9%) increase in advertising revenue.
Excluding costs for the digital channels which are covered by government funding, total expenses were $352.6 million for the year, a reduction of $9.7 million (2.7%) on the prior year's operating costs.
That means TVNZ had a year on year improvement in earnings (before non recurring items, interest, tax and financial instruments) of $14.4 million from the $4.7 million improvement in income and the $9.7 million of cost reduction from the core business.
"Our revenue targets for the year were all exceeded. This is year one of the TVNZ three year turnaround plan and it's a credit to a highly motivated and focussed staff working to a well thought out strategy," Ellis said.
"Our increase in advertising revenue is particularly pleasing given the broadcasting of the 2007 Rugby World Cup occurred on a competing channel in September and October 2007 and the market conditions in the latter part of the financial year. TVNZ television advertising revenues were strong in the second half of the year with a year on year increase of 3.4% for the January to June period.
"While the economic outlook for the 2009 financial year is challenging for many New Zealand businesses we are cautiously optimistic about the environment and confident in our abilities and plans."
He said local content hours on TV ONE and TV 2 were at similar levels to the previous year at 4,867 compared with 4,822 and 15 of the 20 top rating programmes for the year were on TVNZ channels. It was particularly pleasing that 17 of the 20 top rating programmes on TV ONE were locally produced.
That quantity of local content doesn't count the impact of TVNZ 6 and TVNZ 7 and is more than three times TVNZ's nearest rivals.
"We've had a very strong year on screen. Our flagship ONE News at 6pm has had consistent lifts in its ratings, shows like Dancing With The Stars have proved extremely popular, coverage of major events like Sir Edmund Hillary's state funeral captivated the public and the launch of TVNZ 6 and TVNZ 7 has enabled TVNZ to extend its range of programmes and its value to New Zealanders as the country's public broadcaster."
He said TVNZ continued to work hard on its strategy of "inspiring New Zealanders on every screen" with commercial deals signed with Bebo, Google, Telecom, Fairfax, South Pacific Pictures, Greenstone Pictures and Chinese Television.
TVNZ ondemand had become enormously popular in the space of 18 months with 30,000 hours of television watched on average each month, while tvnz.co.nz. has monthly average unique visitors of 826,000.
He said other highlights included higher than anticipated uptake of digital platform Freeview, of which TVNZ is the largest shareholder; the beginning of a $30 million investment in TVNZ's digital infrastructure; conducting the first statutory review of the TVNZ Charter; the use for the first time in the annual report of a framework to measure TVNZ's delivery of the Charter; and more than 600 hours of content broadcast to14 Pacific nation broadcasters via the TVNZ Pacific Service.
Asia Sat Terminates Transmission of TCP TV Channel
From http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/13050
Colombo, 02 September, (Asiantribune.com): The Hong Kong based management office of Asia Sat Telecommunication Company has informed the Sri Lanka Embassy in Beijing that they have terminated the transmission of Tamil Cultural Program TV Channel through their Asia SAT 3S Satellite.
The Tamil Cultural Program TV Channel beam toward Asia, Middle East and some of the Central European countries broadcast LTTE propaganda programs in Tamil language for the benefit of the Tamil speaking people as well as the LTTE sympathizers.
The Government of Sri Lanka took up the broadcasting of TCP program with the Asia Sat Management Office in Hong Kong and requested them to terminate the facility. The Government pointed out that the LTTE is a terrorist organization outlawed by a number of countries and transmission of the propaganda material of this organization would harm the good image of Asia Sat management as well as the Governments of Hong Kong SAR and China.
SKY Perfect Communications to Launch HDTV Channels
From http://www.japancorp.net/Article.Asp?Art_ID=19626
Tokyo, Sept 2, 2008 (Jiji Press) - SKY Perfect Communications Inc., a Japanese communications satellite-based television broadcaster, said Tuesday it will launch 15 high-definition television channels on Oct. 1.
The Tokyo-based unit of SKY Perfect JSAT Holdings Inc. <9412> plans to increase the number of HDTV channels to over 70 in a year and over 100 by fiscal 2012 ending in March 2013.
The company aims to have one million subscribers in four to five years, its president, Masao Nito, said.
A package of five HDTV channels and 68 standard-definition channels costs 3,500 yen per month.
Kudelski's Nagravision says selected for Chinese Mobile TV service
From http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/09/02/afx5379319.html
LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Nagravision, a Kudelski Group company said it was selected by China Satellite Mobile Broadcast Ltd. as the conditional access provider for a nationwide Mobile TV service.
Nagravision conditional access systems were deployed before the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and the Mobile TV service is based on STiMi (Satellite Terrestrial Interactive Multi-service Infrastructure).
In the first months of the project, Nagravision is deploying a national conditional access system as well as 35 regional systems and the installed base is set to further evolve up to 338 systems by 2010, the company said.
The service will provide national channels accessible throughout China and regional channels distributed at the provincial and municipal level, the company added.
Furthermore, China Satellite Mobile Broadcast and Nagravision intend to create a joint venture to operate the conditional access systems and related activities.
China to launch 1st natural disaster monitoring satellite
From http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/03/content_9762534.htm
BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China will launch the first of eight satellites to monitor environment and natural disasters from the country's north Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center this week, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
The satellite "Environment 1", an optical satellite, will be sent into orbit by a Long March 2C carrier.
It will monitor most of the country and send back data daily, making up for the country's earth observation data shortage, said Wu Xiaoqing, vice minister of Environmental Protection, Wednesday's "China Business News" reports.
"Launch of the satellite will largely enhance our environment monitoring ability," said Wu, explaining that the present environment monitoring and researching method was not good enough to cope with the dynamic environment and the occurrence of natural disasters.
The satellite will work as a constellation with seven other satellites yet to be launched. Its observational footprint is 720 km.
It is expected to forecast and monitor natural disasters such as flooding, drought, typhoon, landslide and earthquake, said Wu.
PangPond to build Chinese fan base through satellite
From http://www.bangkokpost.com/030908_Business/03Sep2008_biz42.php
Banlue Group, the licence-holder of Thailand's much-loved Kai Hua Roh and Mahasanook comic books, has joined with a Singapore satellite TV operator to broadcast PangPond cartoons in six Asia-Pacific countries and tap into the vast Chinese-speaking market. ''The partnership will provide a massive opportunity for the group to further expand awareness of our products abroad,'' said Chotika Utsahajit, Banlue Group's vice-president. ''Our partner's satellite TV [network] can cover a large number of Chinese-speaking people in the Asia-Pacific region.''
Banlue's new partner, Net Leader Holdings Private Limited (NL Holdings), plans to broadcast the group's most popular character PangPond on its entertainment channel on Yellow River Asia satellite TV (YR Asia) in October.
YR Asia, launched early this year, targets 220 million people in 17 Asia-Pacific countries who either speak Chinese or are interested in Chinese language and culture.
PangPond is now scheduled to be shown in Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines. Earlier, the licence for PangPond licence had already been sold in the form of games and animation in Germany, France, the Netherlands, China and South Korea.
There are four PangPond series with a total of 39 episodes. Three series are in 3-D animation: PangPond the Future World Adventure, PangPond the Insect World Adventure and PangPond the Adventure Himmapan Forest. One series, PangPond the Series, is in 2-D animation.
''PangPond is an extremely captivating and adorable character,'' said Vinncent Guo, CEO of NL Holdings. ''It is also unique in enhancing family values, while animation shown in Singapore or Hong Kong is mostly action-based.''
At the first stage, both companies have only agreed on the broadcasting rights licence. Mr Guo hopes NL Holdings could finalise a deal on licensed merchandise by March next year, before Chinese New Year and school holidays.
Mrs Chotika projected initial earnings from the deal at eight digits, without giving specific figures. The two have yet to discuss sharing revenue from advertising agencies in each country.
''Although it's a three-year licence, it's a long-term investment,'' said Santi Laohaburanakit, general manager of Banlue Group's Vithita Animation unit.
''The Chinese-speaking market is huge and YR Asia is a joint venture between the Chinese government and NL Holdings. Therefore, it has the potential to become one of the biggest Chinese satellite providers in Asia Pacific.''
Mr Santi added that the two companies were on a course of long-term partnership as they were now considering entering Indochina as well.
Astro still keen on Indonesia despite lapse of pact
From http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/3/business/1936462&sec=business
PETALING JAYA: Astro All Asia Network Plc’s trade licensing agreement with Lippo group’s PT Direct Vision (PTDV), which allowed the latter to use the “Astro” brand, expired on Monday but Astro is keen to continue working with the Indonesian firm.
An Astro official said although the agreement had not been renewed, the company had agreed to a request from PTDV to give it a grace period to make alternative arrangements to minimise the impact on its customers.
It is not known how long this grace period would be.
Astro had been supplying television content, equipment and technical support to the pay-TV provider for over two years on the basis that discussions on the acquisition of PTDV’s 20% stake by Astro would be concluded.
It is reported that Astro had continued to spend RM20mil a month until a final resolution was achieved. So far, Astro has invested over RM500mil in PTDV.
“Neither Astro nor its affiliates has any conclusive discussion with current shareholders of PTDV on the joint-venture proposal but attempts to reach a satisfactory agreement with Lippo are still ongoing,” the official said.
“Irrespective of the outcome of the situation, Astro intends to retain its position as a supplier of TV channels, channel content and broadcast services to the pay-TV sector in Indonesia,” the official added.
CIMB Research reported that although the option of sourcing for another business partner might be considered, it felt Astro’s potential partner might not surface so soon, given the hostility between Astro and Lippo. Both companies are said to be on bad terms with allegations of funds embezzlement.
When contacted, Astro declined to confirm speculation that it was seeking other partners in Indonesia.
CIMB Research also said while Indonesia’s pay-TV market was still lucrative in the long run, intense competition and regulatory risks added to investment risks at the moment.
Since Astro signed a preliminary accord with PTDV in early 2005, it had been encountering many problems. Instead of replicating its success in Malaysia, Astro’s Indonesian venture has been a disappointment so far.
An analyst at a bank-backed firm said Astro’s results for the second quarter ended July 31, which is expected on Sept 11, would be closely watched as people were anticipating further announcements.
Local fans lose out on Premier League
From http://old.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20080902.A05&irec=4
For Indonesian soccer fans, there is no such thing as a free match, especially when it comes to the English Premier League.
This season's league, dubbed the most lucrative and most watched soccer competition, can only be enjoyed through pay TV channel Aora.
But the public has a right to information from the media, including getting soccer matches such as the Premier League on free-to-air TV, said Mochamad Riyanto, member of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI).
"That soccer fans have to subscribe to certain cable TV channels to watch international leagues, for example the Premier League, is definitely a violation of the spirit of having freedom of information, which is stipulated in Law No. 32/2002 on broadcasting," he told The Jakarta Post here Monday.
"Given that only one cable TV channel is airing the show, I see it (this condition) leading to a business monopoly and it has to be stopped if it harms people's rights."
Riyanto said sporting events were perceived to be a promising entertainment industry for Indonesia, especially on television.
"That's why some broadcasting companies are making profits from the event," he said, adding that KPI is drafting a regulation for broadcasting to prevent monopolies.
Aora TV, a satellite-based local pay TV service, from PT Karyamegah Adijaya, earned the broadcasting rights for the Premier League from All Asia Multimedia Network and ESPN STAR Sports -- the joint owners of the rights for the Asia market -- on Aug. 17. Its service began Aug. 18, two days after the league kicked off.
The cable TV station, owned by former industry and trade minister Rini M. Soemarno, began operating during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Last season, the Premier League matches were broadcast by the cable TV channel Astro.
According to Aora's media relations officer, Dinar Hanggarani, the 2008-2009 season Premier League, estimated to attract half a billion viewers across more than 200 countries, cost the company around US$20 million.
"We are covering all 370 live matches this season, from two channels, ESPN and STAR Sports," Dinar told the Post.
RCTI, one of the regular television channels, said it had no plans to buy the TV rights for the Premier League. The station has broadcast rights for the Champions League and the 2008-2009 Spanish League.
"We already have a full schedule for sports matches until 2011, including the Asian Football Federation championship in December. So we're not interested in the Premier League," said RCTI program director Harsiwi Ahmad.
Another free-to-air station, ANtv, also has no plans to broadcast the Premier League matches.
ANtv head of corporate communications Zoraya Perucha said her company was focusing only on broadcasting the Indonesian Soccer League as it had paid Rp 100 billion ($10.86 million) for the domestic competition's 10 seasons.
Sislink Secures 4000 Hours Of Eutelsat Satellite Capacity For SNG Customers
From http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Sislink_Secures_4000_Hours_Of_Eutelsat_Satellite_Capacity_For_SNG_Customers_999.html
SISLink has signed a new contract with Eutelsat Communications for a total of 4,000 hours of capacity in average 9MHz slots on a range of Eutelsat satellites until 1 June 2009.
This new contract, which continues an almost 20-year relationship between the two companies, equips SISLink to meet growing requirements from agencies and broadcasting organisations to provide TV coverage of leading sports and breaking news events.
The 4,000-hours of capacity will be made available on request to SISLink on a real-time basis via a range of Eutelsat satellites providing reach across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and central Asia. Uplinks in both Standard Digital or HD will be delivered back to SISLinks' teleports in the UK.
SISLink has also renewed its contract for four Ku-band transponders on the Telecom 2D satellite commercialised by Eutelsat. This new multi-year contract ensures that SISLink continues to access capacity in inclined orbit with strong reach over western Europe.
SISLink is a major satellite broadcast company with a fleet of over 100 uplinks developed, enhanced and maintained in the UK, France, Ireland and Italy for immediate deployment in the field. SNG vehicles provide all-in-one editing and uplinking facilities, multi-camera facility and professional audio mixing functions.
The company is also expanding its fleet of HD uplink trucks and fully-equipped flight-cases designed for integration, compression and monitoring of HD services. David Meynell, Managing Director of SISLink said: "We have worked with Eutelsat for many years now, buying both adhoc capacity and fixed long term satellite leases.
"I am very pleased that we can now increase our annual commitment by signing this minimum capacity contract and I look forward to many more years of successful transmissions of major events for our customers utilising Eutelsat's fleet of satellites."
"Eutelsat has partnered with SISLink for the overwhelming majority of the key events it has covered for broadcasters since 1989, and we are delighted to further strengthen our collaboration with this new deal," added Olivier Millies-Lacroix, Eutelsat Commercial Director.
"Flexibility, responsiveness and choice are key features SISLink needs from a satellite operator. We are fully committed to continuing to tick all these boxes and to support a video activity which is an essential component of the broadcasting chain."
Saffron spices up South African TV
From http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991430.html?categoryId=19&cs=1
Indian channel debuts on DStv satellite service
JOHANNESBURG — Pan-African satcaster MultiChoice launched its first South African-produced Indian channel, Saffron TV, on its DStv satellite service Monday.
The majority of the 1.2-million Indian population is descended from19th century laborers who came to South Africa to work on the sugar plantations of the south coast, with most still resident in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal.
They have evolved a separate identity over the years, with many no longer speaking an Indian language or even having known relatives in India..
According to producers Ochre Moving Pictures, the English-language lifestyle and entertainment channel will be a mix of local and international shows covering food, style, beauty and health, as well as Bollywood news and reviews, showbiz gossip, community news and family entertainment..
Aletta Alberts, head of content at MultiChoice, said DStv had launched an Indian bouquet a few years ago that had not done well.
"Research informed us that we had the right content. One day it dawned on us that we were putting the choice into homes where the first language was English — not Indian," she said. "At about the same time, Stan Joseph (of Ochre) walked through the door with the Saffron TV proposal."
African satellite players want less government regulation
From http://www.afriquenligne.fr/african-satellite-players-want-less-government-regulation-2008090211883.html
Nairobi, Kenya - African satellite technologies firm, Afsat, is seeking regulatory approval from a number of African countries to be allowed to provide high-speed internet services to retail customers and home users in an effort to bridge the digital divide Afsat Managing Director Dawood Shah said Tuesday the telecommunication growth wi tnessed in Africa over the past 10 years and the consistent efforts to ease the regulatory environment in the communication industry was responsible for its quick growth.
Afsat is currently rated the continent's largest provider of satellite telecommunication.
The firm's managers say it is investing US$ 18 million annually across its continental network, covering Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Tanzania in order to provide services.
Shah said the firm had been trying to obtain a licence from the Kenyan regulators to enable it to offer direct internet services to millions of home users.
"We have been in discussions with the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) on the possibility of providing our services to end users," Shah told journalists on the sidelines of a meeting of African satellite communication providers here.
The firm, founded by Kenyan professionals to help ease the telecommunication shortfalls in East Africa in the early 1990s, is also seeking to be involved in efforts to create digital villages in Kenya and across Africa, saying the continent still lacked enough bandwidth.
"No one thought telecommunication would pick up in Africa, the profit that the mobile phone companies are making in Africa was not anticipated, that is why note nough bandwidth was available in Africa," Shah said.
He said most African countries where the company operated had consistently de-regulated the telecommunication industry, allowing it more space to operate.
"You need a licence to operate. The biggest setback for us at the start was to convince regulators to give us a licence," Shah lamented. He said, however, the situation had changed.
Africa has been rated the fastest expanding source of new telecommunication growth after years of under-development.
The rate at which new products are being accepted and adopted in Africa far much surpasses the rest of the world.
Africa is rated as the world's leading destination for new investments, a phenomenon which has seen more multinational firms rushing in to capture a slice of the market.
Afsat, one of the few private initiatives developed over the last 12 years to capture the new market, now boasts of a successful investment, with its satellite t echnologies now used in at least 41 countries across Africa, from its base in Kenya.
"We like to treat ourselves as a Kenyan company even though our majority shareholder is now M-Web, a division of Multi-Choice of South Africa," said Job Ndege, the Afsat General Manager.
Sun Direct TV to invest Rs 150 crore for expansion
From http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=333292
As part of its strategy to achieve a pan-India presence, Direct-to-Home (DTH) service provider Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd plans to pump in about Rs. 150 crore for marketing this fiscal.
Sun Direct, which already enjoys subscriber base of 1.3 million, hopes to mark its presence across the country by the end of October this year.
Launched in January 2008, Sun Direct presently offers DTH services in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Now, it has firmed up plans to expand its services across India in a phased manner.
"We are going to launch over services in Hindi speaking belt within next 15 to 20 days. In fact, Sun Direct will be expanding its presence in three phases," said Tony D’Silva, chief operating officer, Sun Direct, which is a 80:20 joint venture between the Kalanidhi Maran family and the Astro Group of Malaysia.
In the first phase, Sun Direct will select sample states from Eastern, Western and Northern parts of the country for roll out of its DTH services and gradually expand its presence in all the states of the country.
"As part of the expansion plans, the company expects to invest around Rs. 150 crore for marketing," he added.
Claiming that Sun Direct is the fastest growing DTH provider in the country, D'Silva said that the company aims to have a subscriber base of 3 million by the end of fiscal 2008-09. In order to achieve pan-India presence, Sun is now strengthening its distribution infrastructure across India.
"The company does not subsidise content but it provides Set-top box free of cost and we will continue to do that," he added. Sun Direct also has plans to launch High-definition TV (HDTV).
Tata Sky chooses NDS for India's first Hindi EPG
From http://www.verivox.de/News/ArticleDetails.asp?aid=93606&pm=1
- Tata Sky chooses NDS technology for the launch of the first Hindi Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) in India
- NDS provides Tata Sky with a customised interactive interface in Hindi to meet the needs of the majority of Indian pay-TV viewers.
- New EPG is the latest innovation in the long-standing partnership between Tata Sky and NDS
- Reinforces NDS’ commitment to the Indian pay-TV market
NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced that Tata Sky, the leading Direct-to-Home (DTH) service provider in India, has launched India’s first EPG in the Hindi language in partnership with NDS.
NDS has been Tata Sky’s technology partner since its service launch in 2006 and has deployed its world-leading VideoGuard® conditional access (CA) and MediaHighway® middleware. NDS CA and DRM technology protects over 90.3 million digital devices around the world. Middleware from NDS has been deployed in over 92.5 million devices.
Hindi is spoken by 40% of India’s 1 billion population. The new Hindi EPG will provide an attractive and popular addition to Tata Sky’s product offering.
The design and delivery of the Hindi EPG is the first of its kind in the India pay-TV market. This underscores NDS’ widely recognised capabilities and leadership in the market. NDS is committed to providing its pay-TV operators with world-class innovative products and services that help them to grow their businesses.
In India, NDS has local sales and support offices in Mumbai and New Delhi, and an R&D centre in Bangalore employing more than 1,000 people.
Commenting on the launch, Sue Taylor, VP and General Manager of NDS Asia Pacific said, “We are delighted to be part of Tata Sky’s initiative of launching the first Hindi EPG in India. The launch of the Hindi EPG reconfirms NDS’ commitment and focus to provide world-leading, innovative and customised digital pay-TV solutions, products and support to our esteemed customers in India.”
Announcing the launch of the new Hindi EPG, Mr. Vikram Kaushik, Managing Director and CEO of Tata Sky Ltd. said, “We are the first company in India to introduce this advanced technology that will give subscribers the flexibility to choose the language in which they want to view their daily TV programme listings at the press of a button. The new EPG reinforces our commitment in building a state-of-the-art DTH operation in India, and we are confident that it will attract viewers from all over India to the Tata Sky platform.”
About Tata Sky
Tata Sky Ltd., the joint venture between the TATA Group and STAR, is committed to offering viewers the best of pay television through its nationwide satellite television service. Tata Sky offers subscribers a wide array of television channels and a host of new-age interactive services. For more information on Tata Sky, visit www.tatasky.com
NDS Group plc (NASDAQ: NNDS), a majority owned subsidiary of News Corporation, supplies open end-to-end digital technology and services to digital pay-television platform operators and content providers. See www.nds.com for more information about NDS.
2/09/08
Live satelite chat 9p.m NZ and 8.30 p.m Syd time onwards
Sorry no update today due to internet problem!
1/09/08
Saturday
D2 12680 v 6670 "A - League Adelaide v Wellington"
Sunday
D1 12260 H 6110 SR PID's 512,4112,512 Provincial Rugby League NZ Labelled Tervice 01 "NZ beam"
From my Email & ICQ
..
From the Dish
NSS 6 95E 12638 V "Orissa TV has replaced DD Sports" on , Fta. ETC, Aastha TV, 9XM and Zee Smile have left.
NSS 6 95E 12638 V "Total TV" has left again.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3421 V "ETC Channel Punjabi" has started on , Fta.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3448 V "CTV 9" has started on , Fta, SR 2222, FEC 3/4.(Weeks ago?)
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3600 H "Somaliland National TV" has started on , Fta.
Thaicom 5 78.5E 3545 V "Chinese Channel" has replaced My TV on , Fta
NEWS
NT Govt scraps satellite dish location
From http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/29/2350672.htm
The Northern Territory Government has scrapped its plan to build a satellite dish on the grounds of the Northern Territory Open Education Centre.
Chief Minister Paul Henderson says he has been inundated with complaints from teachers at the centre and Rapid Creek residents about the proposal.
The satellite dish is part of a communication upgrade for remote schools and distance education students.
The Government is unsure where it will now put the dish.
Satellite phone service arrives
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4676773a28.html
Rural broadband provider BayCity hopes to increase customer numbers to 10,000 by the end of the year, after launching Voice Link, a service that lets subscribers make and receive Internet phone calls over its satellite broadband service.
This means customers can dispense with a fixed-line for both phone and broadband anywhere in the country.
Unlimited calling within New Zealand and to 40 countries – subject to a "fair use policy" and data traffic caps – is priced at $49.95 a month for homes and $129.95 for businesses, plus gst and installation.
Voice Link is only available with a broadband plan, starting at an additional $49.95 a month for a 256 kilobit per second connection with a small, 500 megabyte monthly traffic cap.
The Government is considering controversial changes to the Telecommunications Service Obligation proposed by telcos. These could mean "uneconomic" customers in rural areas might have to accept a subsidised Voice Link service, or other wireless service, in place of a copper landline.
The MacGyver solution: Fixing a Satellite Dish at the South Pole
From http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1307
Polies fix satellite dish with do-it-yourself solution to re-establish important communications link
Some folks down at the South Pole are in line for a MacGyver award after fixing a satellite communications dish that helps connect the isolated research station to the rest of the world.
"It was really ... amazing" that they could repair it, said Henry Malmgren, South Pole IT manager, of the do-it-yourself solution that a team of mechanics and technicians down at the station developed.
In mid-July, the gears that move a nine-meter-wide dish up and down to track two of the three satellites that provide voice and Internet communications to the station literally grounded to a halt. To help solve a recurring problem, personnel had tried a new type of grease that was supposed to retain consistency in temperatures down to negative 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
"It turns out that it doesn't," Malmgren said, noting that it turned to a solid at negative 50 degrees or so. Temperatures at South Pole can plunge to below negative 100 degrees Fahrenheit, though the satellite dish is located in an enclosed but unheated radome.
Basically, the gears were moving without lubrication, according to Malmgren. "It chewed it up pretty good."
Without the dish, the communications window at South Pole Station dropped from about 11½ hours to 7½ hours. A separate, fixed dish could still track a third satellite, a NASA bird called TDRS F1 , which is used primarily to send science data from the South Pole to universities and other institutions. In addition, the broken dish, which tracks satellites called MARISAT-F2 and GOES 3 , could be set in a fixed spot to gain about another hour of diminished connectivity.
Dana Hrubes, science lead at the station and one of two researchers maintaining the South Pole Telescope (SPT) experiment, said that while the transfer of data wasn't affected, the loss of the two satellites was still a serious problem.
"One reason is that we frequently have the need for one of our team members in the States to log on to one of the SPT computers here at Pole to upgrade and debug software," he explained via e-mail. "Being able to do this in the most timely manner allows us to resolve problems more quickly, helping to maximize telescope observation time."
Malmgren said communications between grantees isn't the only thing affected. "Morale is a big part of it, and just any kind of general communications. Meaning the time available for voice calls and e-mail was also reduced. You have to go back to Iridium, with reduced quality." The Iridium connection does allow for small e-mail messages to squeeze through 24 hours a day.
James Travis, the station's utility technician supervisor, and Pete Allen, the satellite technician, first tried troubleshooting the problem. They then recruited Jack Sharp, the vehicle maintenance facility supervisor, and Jason McDonald, a heavy equipment mechanic, to the cause.
Sharp said by e-mail that as soon as he heard the noise coming from the antenna drive's motor he knew the problem was with the bearing. They were able to isolate the problem to the jackscrew assembly, which controls the horizontal movement of the dish.
"We took the right side bearing cap off ... and could see the bearing moving on the shaft. To kind of make it short, we didn't have any parts down here that would fit it. I took the jackscrew apart just to see what we might be able to do with it.
"[I] then decided I might be able to work some magic on it and just maybe get it running," he continued. "I cleaned it up the best I could, changed some things around inside it to get a different wear pattern on the gears. I made up a different lubrication for the gears to run in, [and] put it back together.
"We installed it, and it still seems to be working fine, and I hope it will 'til they get the new parts for it this summer," he added. "No guarantees."
Said Malmgren, "It sounds great. It works perfect. We think it will last until the summer when we can replace it."
Sharp said he had never fixed anything quite that big before, though he had worked for a satellite TV company for a short while. "Being a mechanic, at least the way I am, I don't seem to be able to let things go 'til I give it my best shot on a repair," he said. "When I was drag racing, I would work on a problem for hours, even days, 'til I either solved it or couldn't do any more with it."
The conditions under which the repairs were made make the feat even more impressive, according to Dennis Gitt, director of Information Technology and Communications for Raytheon Polar Services, the prime contractor for the U.S. Antarctic Program .
"It should be remembered that all the activities ... were conducted in temperature conditions within the antenna shelter that approached minus [60] degrees Fahrenheit," he said.
A first-time winter-over, Sharp had a philosophical view of working in such extreme cold. "So far, this is a great experience to be down here - once you get used to the cold, working in the dark with a wind chill of minus 130 below. Your glasses freeze in less then three minutes ... Ha: not a bad place to work; everyone should try it at least once for the experience."
ATG Broadcast And Digistar Complete HD-ready Broadcast Centre For Astro All Asia Networks
From http://www.broadcastbuyer.tv/publish/New_Contracts_24/ATG_Broadcast_And_Digistar_Complete_HDready_Broadcast_Centre_For_Astro_All_Asia_Networks_17339.shtml
ATG Broadcast, working in partnership with Selangor-based Digistar Corporation, has completed a comprehensive rebuild of Astro's All Asia Broadcast Centre (AABC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
A new suite of operational areas has been constructed and the station architecture re-engineered to provide resilience plus easy future expansion capabilities. The entire project took place while the station was on-air, transmitting 100 direct-to-home channels to subscribers in Malaysia and Indonesia.
ATG Broadcast provided consultancy and design services, project management and engineering supervision, working in partnership with Digistar's local engineering and wiring teams.
The newly installed facilities at Astro's Kuala Lumpur premises comprise: Satellite downlinking and incoming lines area; Tape ingest, compliance editing and versioning area; Multi-channel transmission area; Reactive transmission suites and voiceover booths and Master control room.
Each of the new areas mirrors the design by ATG Broadcast for Astro's Cyberjaya Broadcast Centre (CBC) completed in 2006. The provision of identical facilities and user interfaces reduces Astro's training overhead and allows staff to work with seamless efficiency at either site.
The new system architecture is built around GVG Trinix routers under Omnibus control and is fully HD-ready. Additional transmission channels can easily be added with no disruption to on-air services. The first expansion phase was completed in time to provide Astro with additional resources for the Beijing Olympics.
"ATG and Digistar were chosen for their track record in delivering the CBC and for their knowledge of complex file-based transmission systems as well as the associated network requirements," comments Graham Stephens, Chief Technical Officer at Astro. "This was a complex project demanding phased migration both to the new architecture and to the new operational areas, whilst maintaining all services without interruption. Close co-operation between ATG, Digistar and Astro's in-house project team enabled this to take place very smoothly."
"We are delighted that Astro has chosen us for this major upgrade project in the Asia-Pacific region," adds Alan Pimm, ATG Broadcast Sales Director. "The experience gained on previous upgrade projects for Astro and other clients enabled us to recommend a realistic and achievable design and implementation plan meeting all the AABC's current and potential future requirements."
True makes fresh push for IPTV
From http://www.bangkokpost.com/010908_Business/01Sep2008_biz54.php
TrueIPTV Co, the internet-protocol television (IPTV) arm of True Corp, is resuming aggressive marketing for its digital TV operations after completing business and organisational restructuring.
The unit of True Digital Entertainment Co has a new shareholding structure, a clearer business role and definition of the target market segments for IPTV and TrueVisions' conventional cable and satellite Pay-TV services.
Paisit Vatjanapagorn, general manager and director for broadband, broadcast and multimedia of True Corp, said TrueIPTV was relaunching itself as a ''premium service'' targeting affluent Thais and foreigners living in Bangkok.
TrueVisions is now repositioned for wider mass-market appeal, having done well in cross-selling budget packages to True Move mobile phone users.
The new strategy gives a clear role to each business under the True umbrella in order to eliminate duplication of services and customer groups, said Mr Paisit.
It will also support the company's overall convergence strategy by blending content across different telecommunications channels, separating service areas and regrouping customer segments. ''In term of convergence, we mean one plus one equals two or more, not one or 1.5,'' he said.
Given True's diversity of products and services, Mr Paisit admitted that it had been affected by the convergence strategy, giving IPTV and cable as examples.
After slowing down IPTV marketing for one year, he said the company was now ready to revive the business. It is offering 12 channels including multi-language soundtracks, knowledge-based programmes and karaoke-on-demand.
TrueIPTV, delivered over broadband internet via fixed telephone lines, enables users to watch TV and real-time video-on-demand while simultaneously making telephone calls and surfing the Net.
''We expect to double our subscriber base to 6,000 early next year, with average revenue per user of 300 to 400 baht a month,'' he said. ''The figure could reach 100,000 over the next three years.''
However, the target would still be far short of its initial target of 300,000 subscribers expected by the end of last year.
Mr Paisit conceded that IPTV was not a mass-market product with a nationwide audience and would be limited for now to a small niche market in the city.
The company plans to pitch IPTV services to its existing base of two million fixed-line users, 600,000 high-speed broadband customers and 600,000 pay-TV subscribers.
He also said that TrueIPTV could start to turn a profit once its subscriber base reaches 6,000.
True shares closed on Friday on the SET at 2.64 baht, up eight satang, in trade worth 62.9 million baht.
Five RapidEye remote sensing satellites launched
From http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0808/29dneprrapideye/
The Dnepr rocket, a weapon of war converted for peaceful applications, bolted out of an underground silo early Friday and delivered five German agricultural imaging satellites to orbit.
The 111-foot-tall booster lifted off at 0715:58 GMT (3:15:58 a.m. EDT) Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Dnepr's third stage later released the five satellites nearly 400 miles above Earth.
Officials reported the satellites had begun contacting ground stations less than two hours after launch.
The spacecraft will be activated and tested in the next few weeks before entering operational service later this year for RapidEye, a German company that will sell imagery gathered by the satellite fleet.
Engineers will let the craft drift apart to reach an orbital spacing of about 19 minutes, allowing frequent revisits over the same area.
The satellites, each weighing about 330 pounds at launch, will spend more than seven years circling the planet downloading more than 1.5 million square miles of imagery per day, according to RapidEye.
The constellation will produce color imagery with a resolution of about 21 feet, but RapidEye officials say the system will be differentiated by rapid response and timely products for the agriculture industry.
"The Earth observation data obtained with our system is the basis for important management information services that haven't been commercially available until now, especially in the agriculture and forestry industries," said Wolfgang Biedermann, CEO of RapidEye.
The fleet will be able to cover any place on Earth within one day and image all agricultural regions of Europe and North America within five days, according to RapidEye.
"We will be able to deliver data about a customer's area of interest as often as they need it, quickly and at a very competitive cost," Biedermann said.
RapidEye's primary applications include monitoring crops and giving farmers, insurance companies and disaster relief organizations critical information following a natural catastrophe.
"We will be able to deliver imagery and services to our customers for crop planning, crop identification and damage assessment following a natural disaster," said Biedermann said.
RapidEye was co-founded in 1998 by Vereinigte Hagel, a European agricultural insurance firm.
"As soon as the long-awaited data is available, we will have precise information about crop conditions before, during and after a storm and how they develop afterwards," said Dietrich Heine, CEO of Vereinigte Hagel and deputy chairman of the RapidEye supervisory board. "This is a quantum jump from the current damage assessment process."
The quick data turnaround from RapidEye could mean faster insurance payouts to farmers suffering from natural disasters, officials said.
The program's prime contractor, MDA Corp. of Canada, was responsible for the mission and spacecraft design and provided ground systems for image processing, said Daniel Schulten, MDA program manager for space missions.
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., a U.K-based manufacturer of small satellites, built the RapidEye spacecraft.
Jena Optronik of Germany provided the satellites' pushbroom imaging payload.
Friday's launch leapfrogged another Dnepr mission that had been scheduled for earlier this month. That flight has been grounded twice by the objections of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which refused to give clearance for the rocket's first stage drop zone within their territories.
The suspended launch was to carry a Thai Earth observation satellite, and payload officials confirmed the delay earlier this month.
The satellite, named THEOS, must launch on a southerly path from the Yasny missile base in southern Russia.
"Originally the drop zone studied was planned to be in Uzbekistan, which didn't give authorization despite promising meetings and agreements elaborated in 2007 and 2008," said Matthieu Duvelleroy, a spokesperson for EADS Astrium, prime contractor for the THEOS payload.
When Uzbekistan declined to give permission for launch, engineers began redesigning the Dnepr rocket's trajectory to drop the first stage in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan's national space agency, Kazcosmos, authorized the new drop zone in a June message to Russia's Defense Ministry. Astrium and Kosmotras, the international company overseeing Dnepr launch operations, began final flight preparations in early July, according to Duvelleroy.
Russian military officials informed Kazcosmos of the scheduled Aug. 6 launch two days before blastoff, but Kazakhstan replied saying the launch was prohibited, Duvelleroy said.
Kosmotras is negotiating with Russian and Kazakh officials in hopes of clearing the stranded rocket for launch, Astrium officials said.
Red Bee broadcast BBC Africa channels
From http://www.advanced-television.com/2008/sep1_sep5.htm#m12
BBC Worldwide Channels have awarded Red Bee Media the contract to provide playout services for four new channels launching in Africa, as part of the broadcaster’s ongoing expansion. From 1st September, BBC Entertainment, BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle and CBeebies will launch in Africa.
GeoEye to launch high res Earth-imaging satellite
From http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/17312/18336/geoeye-launching-high-res-satellite.phtml
Pics to be beamed back from October
The launch of the world's highest resolution, commercial Earth-imaging satellite has been announced for September 4 from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The GeoEye-1 is designed to take images of the Earth from 423 miles moving at a speed of about four-and-a-half miles a second.
The satellite will make 15 earth orbits per day and collect imagery that will be able to distinguish objects on the Earth's surface as small as 16 inches in size.
The images collected will be ideal for large-scale mapping projects and Google has been confirmed as a client with the plan to use the satellite's imagery for its Earth and Maps applications.
Other uses for the pics including national defense and intelligence, state and local governments, environmental monitoring and land use management, oil and gas, utilities, disaster management and for insurance purposes.
The company says that if all goes to plan it expects to offer imagery and products to customers in the mid- to late-October timeframe.
INX Media India Reaps Benefits Of playKast Automated Playout
From http://www.broadcastbuyer.tv/publish/New_Contracts_24/INX_Media_India_Reaps_Benefits_Of_playKast_Automated_Playout_17335.shtml
INX Media India has invested in ON-AIR Systems' playKast solution as part of its integrated workflow system. INX Media India completed its review of playout automation solution in July.
The challenge was to implement a system which worked with a range of existing channel facilities and systems, and to achieve this within a very tight working schedule. The challenge was taken up by Cineom Broadcast, who suggested an ON-AIR Systems workflow solution, as the flexibility of the channel in a box playout system would enable rapid development, integration and deployment.
The challenge was to implement a system which worked with a range of existing channel facilities and systems, and to achieve this within a very tight working schedule.
Cineom has commissioned state of the art playout facilities for INX Media, allowing for up to 16 channels of fully digital broadcast, and playKast from ON-AIR Systems is at the heart of this. ON-AIR worked with TSS and Isilon to rapidly deploy system interfaces allowing files to be scheduled, ingested, stored and played out. Further integration with Apple Final Cut Pro editing systems allows for the full range of editing from simple cuts on the playout servers to full post-production on short form content.
Shailesh Parab from Cineom said: “We were challenged with an almost impossible time-frame for channel launch, but when we saw the speed and simplicity of the integration ON-AIR were able to achieve during the testing programme, we were confident that they’d be able to deliver a fully working solution within days. The development and support team at ON-AIR gave INX Media an incredible amount of confidence with their response times, suggestions and solutions.”
Mark Bayley, executive vice president technology - network operations at INX Media said: “The delivery and commissioning of the solution surpassed anything I’ve seen in the industry, and the support during our initial broadcasts has been first class”.
The playKast system allows INX Media India to schedule and playout all primary and secondary content including channel branding, news feeds, subtitles and file and live events all from a single PC system, giving them complete control over their output without the need for ancillary equipment.
INX Media and INX News, two companies launched in 2007, are collectively termed the INX Network, which is one of India’s leading independent satellite television broadcasters. The network operates mega Hindi General Entertainment Channel 9X; 9XM, which is the world's Number One Bollywood Music Entertainment Channel; and India's first HDTV-ready premier English News Channel, NewsX. Today, these channels are a byword in world class C&S entertainment and news in India, and 9X and 9XM are also available in the UK on the BSKYB platform. The INX Network also plans to take its entire bouquet of channels across the Middle East, South East Asia, USA, Europe and beyond.
ISRO arm’s revenue up at Rs 940-cr on satellite launches
From http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/08/31/stories/2008083150820500.htm
‘We have also now entered into a good business contract of $5 million (around Rs 20 crore a year) from Russia for IRS data.’
Bangalore, Aug. 30 Two commercial satellite launches made from Sriharikota during 2007-08 have driven up the revenue of ISRO’s commercial arm Antrix Corporation to Rs 940 crore for that year.
Antrix’s pre-audit revenue grew nearly 42 per cent year on year — up from Rs 664 crore — due to the launch of Israeli defence satellite TecSAR in January 2008 and Italy’s Agile in April 2007. A part of it spilled over from the previous year.
The mainstay of business, however, remains the leasing of transponder capacity on ISRO satellites to broadcasters, VSATs and public sector users, according to Antrix’s Executive Director, Mr K.R. Sridhara Murthi. The space services and systems provider of the Department of Space is now a ‘mini ratna’ – which gives it relatively more autonomy to take faster decisions on some of its projects and collaborations.
Antrix also saw its provisional profit after tax touching Rs 169 crore, or 60 per cent growth over Rs 105 crore it gained in fiscal 2007. Two years back, in 2005-06, Antrix’s sales were Rs 414 crore.
In the complex and volatile global space services market: “This growth is certainly heartening but it also poses a challenge as to how we maintain further growth”, Mr Murthi told Business Line.
IMAGERY, LAUNCH DEALS
In remote sensing data sales, which gave 10 per cent of the revenue last year, Antrix has wrested the big and growing Australian market, where it will sell imageries from Resourcesat/IRS-P5. Australia has apparently sought Indian data to replace long-time supplies from US Landsat earth observation satellites after there were supply hitches. Australia, new and important territory to Antrix, would be served initially for three years.
“We have also now entered into a good business contract of $5 million (around Rs 20 crore a year) from Russia for IRS data,” Mr Murthi said. In the past, Russia was an occasional user of IRS data and it can renew the one-year deal.
It recently signed contracts to launch two satellites as co-passengers next year. These are the Italian space agency’s 200-kg IMSAT and Algeria’s Alsat-2A, a 200-kg earth observation satellite. ISRO reportedly charged Rs 45 crore for Agile and a little more than that for TecSAR.
“We are looking at launching some more nanosats and a couple of other opportunities,” Mr Murthi said.
Ideally, Antrix, like other space majors, would prefer to peg its growth on the bigger pie of building and launching satellites for global customers. ISRO has been making its satellites for over a decade and has also launched 16 tiny and small satellites for a fee. Its real opportunity in launch services, according to Mr Murthi, will start opening up when the GSLV-MkIII that can lift four tonnes to space gets into service in two years.
Currently, ISRO is working on two satellite integration contracts that it won jointly with EADS Astrium. The W2M satellite is to be delivered to Eutelsat around October. The other one, HYLAS, is for Avanti Screen Media of the UK.
