Apsattv.com Official Predictions for Year 2004
Please Note The following contains, rumours, gossip, half-truths, misleads, daydreams, exaggeration, wild guess's and good old B.S it also contains some real info, it's up to you the reader to work out the fact from the fiction.
January
Impactv test signal is on air and the first paytv service available in Antartica..
The Impactv testcard includes well known icon Humphrey B. Bear.
Lots of Pay TV pirates get switched off
Asiasat 4 replaces Asiasat 2!
February
The Japanese bring out a new type of dish, the Satagami yes it folds up and is made from recycled newspaper!
Globecast adds 3 new channels, Praise the lord TV, Bible TV, and the Jesus channel
Tarbs adds the Al Qaeda Channel
Ipstar launches to 120E, a revolution in affordable 2 way sat internet!
Free XTV launches in the region
Sky NZ share plummet from $5 down to $2.10 Competition blamed
March
Tarbs add more services, including Xhosa tv which is for members of the South African Xhosa tribes.
Foxtel raises its prices after piracy levels hit a record low.
Foxtels new 100 channel "digital" service, redefines what is considerd to be a "channel", most turn out to be audio services and interactive wallet openers.
The Free XTV service leaves
A Darwin man dies in freak Satagami dish incident, Japanese manufacturer suggests the dish is not approved for use in rainy season locations.
April
The Foxtel digital upgrade turns into a disaster subscribers desert it in droves.
Russians launch AM11 to 96.5E
Apstar V launches to 138E and the huge cband footprint covers Australia / NZ / Pacific Islands and everywhere else. Giveing us yet more Chinese channels.
Chinese/Taiwanese service on I804 goes off
May
NZ's new Freeview service starts up...
AMC 13 Launches to 172E with 60 cband transponders of course they don't have any customers due to the massive amounts of spare cband capacity in the region.
Asiasat orders Asiasat 5
Free XTV starts again in our region
TV3, 4 and Prime go FTA on satellite!
Tarbs is kicked out of another Uplink
Apsattv holds the first ever make a dish contest, Vk4 wins with an effort made entirely from recycled flattend beer cans.
June
Insat 3d launches to 93.5E
Sky NZ offers their new Arts channel in the basic package due to the lack of interest in it
Some major paytv cardsharing networks are busted! services being shared include, Multichoice South Africa, Foxtel, Austar and Impactv
Playboy channel starts on Foxtel
The Eskimo channel launches on Tarbs
A satellite company in Melbourne is busted for selling pirate cards for a certain Chinese service
July
The combination of NZfreeview+PVR is a winner in the NZ market! Sky rushes to bring out a PVR unit and charge an extra $10 a month to be able to use it plus a $200 install fee.
A dozen Chinese channels signup to use AMC 13
Sky NZ moves Sky Sports 1 into the basic line-up as they are being hit hard by people canceling and moving to the new Freeview service.
A well known Australian Satellite equipment supplier switches to selling home appliances.
A small Chinese company release a cardless box that logs and decodes PowerVU channels!
FTA Satellite receivers drop below the $25 U.S mark
August
Australian man starts up a business exporting wooden dishes to iraq
Tarbs purchases the Foxtel Copter
Telkom 2 launches to 118E
Bassett killed by falling Gorizont satellite. Dunnett blamed for the sudden Impact
September
Sky NZ Subscribers flood the phonelines furious at another provider beating Sky TV to the rights of a major sporting event.
Shine TV is dumped by Sky
Impactv adds extra transponders
Small dish Cband satellite tv becomes popular
October
The new Foxtel cards are CRACKED!!!!!!!! but don't get excited its due to a stress fault in the material they are made from.
Thaicom 3 dies totally! putting Tarbs off air for 2 weeks
Nss 8 launched to 57E
Lyngsat website no longer free to view, subs $5 a month!
Rupert Murdoch has a heart attack
November
Optus B3 now has 25 FTA Ethnic TV channels, but still nothing worth watching
Australian pay tv installers go on strike
Rupert Murdoch has a heart attack
Cyclone hits NT region, 5000 Austar dishes blown away due to non compliant mounts..
December
Impactv hits 100000 subscribers
Ex Washing machine repairman named NZ business man of the year.
Rupert Murdoch has a heart attack