30/06/03
Nothing to say up here today. Link added above with specs for the Coship IRD.
From my Emails & ICQ
From MR Humax
Some feeds from the weekend
Optus B1,12429 V 6667 3/4 "250cc grand prix for Channel 10"
Optus B1,12420 V 6108 3/4 "TEN commentators"
Optus B1,12429 V 6670 3/4 "F1 program"
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 12406 H The Soundtrack Channel Pacific has left , replaced by a test card.
PAS 8 166E 12380 V "SBN - Scholar Business Network" has left .
JCSAT 2A 154E 3915 V "BYU TV" is now Fta.
Insat 3A 93.5E 3800 V "DD Jammu & Kashmir" is still on , Fta, SR 3950, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256.
Yamal 102 90E 3725 L "Radio GTRK Dalnevostochnaya" has replaced Radio Rossii on ,Fta, APID 257.
NEWS
Boeing Committed To M'sia
From http://www.bernama.com.my/B2002/news_business.shtml?business/bu3006_2
KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 (Bernama) -- The Boeing Company reiterated its commitment to the Malaysian market and to exploring further opportunities in order to create closer links with customers and industry in the region.
Boeing Integrated Defense Systems' president and chief executive officer, Jim Albaugh recently visited Malaysia and met up with key government officials and industry leaders to discuss Boeing's continued business interest.
Albaugh's visit follows an earlier visit this year by other senior Boeing executives, an indication of the company's continued interest in Malaysia as a provider of offshore software development services and as a regional participant in back office operations, Boeing said in a statement Monday.
Boeing has also formed partnership with other companies in Malaysia, including holding a 25 percent stake in Asian Composites Manufacturing Sdn Bhd in Kedah, which manufactures composite trailing edge flaps for Boeing's 700 series commercial aircraft.
Binariang Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd and Boeing Satellite Systems, also part of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, have established a relationship to provide the next-generation satellite for Malaysia.
The new Boeing 601HP satellite, designated MEASAT-3, would join the existing Boeing-built MEASAT-1 and MEASAT-2 spacecraft in the Malaysia-East Asia Satellite (MEASAT) system.
Boeing's relationship with Malaysia dates back to 1968 when the national carrier, then named Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, now known as Malaysia Airlines, acquired three 707 aircraft.
Today, Malaysia Airlines has a world-class fleet that includes Boeing's most modern jetliners, including the industry-leading 777 while AirAsia and Transmile Air operate Boeing 737s in regional and domestic service.
In 1993, the Malaysian government purchased eight Boeing F/A-18D Hornets for the Royal Malaysian Air Force.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses.
T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 26/2003 29 June 2003 -
A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic
Edited Apsattv.com Edition
A S I A
AUSTRALIA
BROADCASTERS TO PUSH DIGITAL TV ROLLOUT
An estimated 75,000 digital television receivers have been sold in Australia, two and a half years after the standard was approved locally. That's a small number in a population approaching 20 million, but that may be about to change. Commercial Television Australia is about to launch a promotion featuring personalities from all three commercial networks, set-top boxes that allow analogue sets to receive digital signals are available at $299, and the stage is set for digital television to become a reality for Australians. Sales of widescreen televisions, which improve DVD viewing as well as television, are up by 80 per cent, with about 8000 sets sold monthly. In a startling prediction, receivers sold (including set-top boxes and integrated digital televisions) are expected to rise from 75,000 to 150,000 by the end of this year alone.
SENATE REJECTS MEDIA BILL
The Australian Senate on June 26 formally rejected the government's proposed relaxation of media ownership restrictions. The bill was finally defeated after the government moved in the House of Representatives lower house to exclude an amendment preventing mergers between television broadcasters and newspapers in mainland capital cities. Communications Minister Richard Alston's media ownership reform bill is now expected to be reintroduced to parliament later this year. If rejected by the Senate again, the bill becomes another double-dissolution trigger for Prime Minister John Howard, who has raised the possibility of an election in mid-2004. Alston said the outcome of the government's bid to modernize media ownership rules is "tragic," denying Australian media companies the opportunity to grow and expand.
CANWEST TO HOLD ON TO TEN NETWORK STAKE
CanWest has said it has no plans to offload its stake in Australian commercial terrestrial Ten Network. The Canada-based media giant has a 56.5% stake in Ten and has already put other TV assets on the block as it seeks to pay down debt. Ten will not be joining these however, despite reported interest from a number of companies.
TELSTRA SALE OF FOXTEL SHARES DENIED
Australia's government has thrown out recent recommendations from the Competition and Consumer Commission that suggested Telstra should sell its 50% ownership of pay-TV operator Foxtel. The government explained that substantial media restructuring could undo years of inward investment and as such should be viewed with caution. It also noted that if dominant telco Telstra were forced to relinquish its Foxtel stake, the tax payer may have to compensate the company's shareholders. The state currently owns 50.1% of Telstra.
BANGLADESH
NEW CABLE TV CHANNEL TO LAUNCH
Bangladesh's third private television channel, National Television (NTV), is to launch on July 3, according to M Enayetur Rahman, the station's chairman. He said NTV would be dominated by news and current affairs and committed to "neutrality and independence”. Viewers across the world would be able to watch NTV programmes through satellite. The station also has a partnership agreement with CNN. The two existing private cable television networks are Channel I and ATN Bangla, while state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) has the only terrestrial facility. Many employees of NTV had worked for now defunct private Ekushey Television (ETV), which was Bangladesh's only network having both satellite and terrestrial facilities. ETV shut down operations in August 2002 after it lost its licence following a court battle.
CHINA - HONG KONG
TOM.COM CLOSES IN ON CETV STAKE
Tom.com is closing in on a majority stake in AOL Time Warner's Chinese Entertainment Television Broadcast (CETV), having secured a consensus on terms from the broadcaster's three shareholders. The acquisition will be announced within a fortnight, according to sources close to the deal. CETV is 80 per cent controlled by debt-ridden AOL. Lark International Holdings - which operates the UA cinema chains in Hong Kong - has 16 per cent and veteran producer Robert Chua the remainder. Industry sources estimate CETV has a market value of US$70 million and is running an operating loss of $15 to $20 million a year. CETV is one of only four foreign channels that can legally broadcast to homes in the Pearl River Delta.
PCCW TO RESUME PAY-TV OPERATIONS
PCCW, a Hong Kong-based telco, may resume pay TV operations in October, according to local reports. PCCW shut down a VOD service, inherited from its takeover of Hong Kong Telecom, last year after subs fell below 10,000. But is now in talks with various content providers and set-top box manufacturer NEC about a new service.
SINGEL SUES STARHUB
SingTel has launched a lawsuit against Hong Kong pay-TV provider StarHub Cable Vision, alleging breach of contract. SingTel has accused SCV of using its leased lines to connect commercial pay TV customers, such as hotels and shopping malls, when a 1995 agreement between the two companies applies to residential customers only. SingTel is seeking an undisclosed amount for losses and damages. The companies came to blows last year when SingTel tried to stop StarHub's takeover of Singapore Cable Vision.
INDIA
STAR TV SELLS STAKE IN HINDI NEWS CHANNEL
Star TV has reached agreement with several Indian investors to take equity stakes in its recently launched Hindi-language news service, The Financial Times reported. The Indian government imposed a 26% cap on foreign ownership of news channels earlier this year. According to the report, two individuals, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, and Hemendra Kothari, who heads DSP Merrill Lunch, will both take a 25% stake. The rest will be split among five other individuals, the report said.
GOVERNMENT WALKS OUT FROM CAS MEETING
The Government has indicated that coercive measures might be adopted, including banning of pay channels from going on air, to regulate the cable industry. The meeting between broadcasters and cable operators, facilitated by Indian Government's Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) to sort out the issue of pricing of pay channels for the conditional access system (CAS) ended in a deadlock with Government eventually staging a walk-out. With the July 14 CAS implementation date approaching, the Government has indicated that coercive measures might be adopted, including banning of pay channels from going on air, to regulate the cable industry.
IRAQ
SATELLITE TV BOOM IN IRAQ
Iraqis are snatching up satellite dishes by the thousands. Cartoons, fitness programs, movies and commercials are flooding into Iraqi living rooms. Satellite television has helped introduce them to open debate and free speech. The demand for satellite dishes has continued despite a lack of electricity. Prices have dropped from $300 two months ago to about $250. The Americans have sent advisers contracted by the Defense Department to help set up the Iraqi Media Network. The network is still experimental, but it will let Americans tell their side of the story. During Saddam's regime, Satellite dishes were banned and anyone caught with one was jailed for six months and fined up to $500. Informing on neighbors, relatives or friends with satellite dishes brought a $25 reward.
NEW ZEALAND
MEDIA GROUP CONSIDERS RESTRUCTURING
Rupert Murdoch's New Zealand media outpost, Independent Newspapers, may restructure its interest in local Sky television after it receives the 1.2 billion New Zealand dollars from the sale of publishing assets to Australia's John Fairfax Holdings. INL's main asset after the sale of its New Zealand newspapers and magazine titles will be its 66.25 per cent shareholding in Sky.
THE PHILIPPINES
GMA NETWORK TO LAUNCH INTERNATIONAL CHANNEL
The chairman, president and CEO of GMA Network, the second largest media broadcast company in the Philippines, has announced GMA will soon launch its international channel covering North America. The new channel is expected to rival ABS-CBN's The Filipino Channel, which has had success in the U.S. and Middle East, and which will soon expand to Canada and Europe. The huge number of Filipino workers based in the U.S. and the Middle East has ensured the success of The Filipino Channel. Yalong said GMA is in talks with two big U.S. cable and direct-to-home television operators for the setting up of its international channel.
SINGAPORE
GOVERNMENT TO TENDER MORE PAY-TV LICENSES
The Singapore government on June 24 said it is opening a tender for the city-state's second pay-TV operator. The second license will effectively end StarHub Pte. Ltd.'s current monopoly on subscription TV services. The cable TV operator had a seven-year exclusive pay-TV license which ended June. License bidders have until September 24 to submit their applications with detailed programming, commercial and technical plans, the government said in a statement. The government has been mulling the introduction of new subscription TV service operators for a year, and has indicated that this may include services such as satellite and digital television. The announcement comes days after the government partially lifted a ban on satellite dishes and satellite TV operators, by allowing hotels and schools access to these networks. Singapore Telecommunications, which has been in talks with the government to offer pay-TV services, said it remains keen to explore the service. SingTel, which has conducted trials of its interactive TV service with 300 Singapore families, has said new subscription TV operators would take 12-18 months to commercially launch a service once a license is issued.
29/06/03
No update Sunday
28/06/03
Sites late as I have been waiting for Lyngsat update, but its not here yet. Oh well more info Mondays site update
From my Emails & ICQ
From Bill Richards
0100 UTC
Pas 2 4023 H Sr 6620 FEC 2/3 "Church Feed English" FTA.Vpid1160 Apid1120
From the Dish
No Lyngsat in my email yet
NEWS
TVB 8 and TVB Xing He join AsiaSat 3S
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/june/june186.htm
HONG KONG: TVB 8 and TVB Xing He Channel have begun broadcasting on AsiaSat 3S.
An official release informs that with AsiaSat 3S TVB's two 24-hour Mandarin language satellite channels', the coverage will extend to all cable TV operators and more than 1.2 billion Chinese viewers across the satellite's footprint covering over 50 countries and regions in Asia, the Middle East, Australasia and the C.I.S.
TVB 8 and TVB Xing He Channel are operated by Hong Kong-based TVB Satellite Broadcasting Limited (TVBSB), a subsidiary of Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB). TVB 8 carries a diverse mix of entertainment, infotainment and music programmes while TVB Xing He Channel offers a wide selection of top-rated classical and modern dramas.
The channels are available on AsiaSat 3S in C-band with the following reception parameters:
Transponder: 13H;
Frequency: 4109.5 MHz;
Polarisation: Horizontal;
Modulation: QPSK;
Symbol Rate: 11.23 Msym/sec;
FEC: 3/4 .
AsiaSat 3S is a Boeing 601HP satellite, with 28 C-band and 16 Ku-band linearised transponders and an estimated 16-year operational life. The C-band footprint of AsiaSat 3S covers over 50 countries and regions in Asia, the Middle East, Australasia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The Ku-band coverage consists of two high powered fixed beams serving East Asia and South Asia, as well as an in-orbit steerable beam now positioned over Australia.
AsiaSat 3S currently broadcasts over 70 television channels, including those from SABe TV, Sahara TV, Star, Sun TV and Zee Network in India.
(Craigs comment, not really new news they have been there for some time. Hopefully they will stay fta)
MultiChoice lashes out at ‘unlawful' broadcasting reports
From http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/business/2003/0306270813.asp
Satellite TV broadcaster MultiChoice has attacked media reports that it was broadcasting unlawfully and adds that piracy is not an issue for the group.
Yesterday, the media reported on a Cape High Court judgment that let a pirate viewer off the hook after being prosecuted by the state in terms of the Broadcasting Act of 1999. The findings implied that MultiChoice was broadcasting without a licence as it only has permission from the Independent Broadcasting Authority of SA to offer its subscription satellite services.
A statement issued by MultiChoice says that until 1999 it was not required to hold a licence, because satellite broadcasting was not regulated. It says the company has now complied with the requirements and timeframes of the Broadcasting Act of 1999 and the subsequent Broadcasting Amendment Act of 2003.
“The articles which appear in a number of newspapers on 26 June 2003 are misleading, factually wrong and sensational. They are likely to cause substantial financial loss and embarrassment for MultiChoice, a company which has at all material times been operating legally under the relevant broadcasting legislation,” the statement says.
However, the confusion that has been generated by the judgment highlights the legal minefield that makes up SA broadcasting regulation.
Steven Ferguson of law firm Nicci-Ferguson says: “The two loopholes as I see it were: MultiChoice did not have a valid licence in 2001 when the defendant was charged and therefore could not enjoy the protection afforded to a licensee in terms of section 66 (prosecution of pirate viewing) of the Independent Broadcasting Act.
“And the permission that has now been granted to them was given under section four of the Broadcasting Act, as amended, which does not have any criminal provisions to prosecute such piracy.”
Ferguson says the Broadcasting Act of 1999 (BA) deals predominantly with governing the state-owned SA Broadcasting Corporation, whereas the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act deals with other parties and includes satellite broadcasting services. The new Broadcasting Amendment Act 64 of 2002 (assented to on 29 January 2003) makes certain amendments to both Acts.
“The important provision in the 2002 Act is the addition of section 4(5) to the 1999 BA Act. This new section empowers ICASA [the Independent Communications Authority of SA] to give ‘interim consent' to certain parties to commence broadcasting pending the outcome of their application for the relevant licence. This appears to be the interim measure that the state tried to rely on in their argument,” he says.
What the judges say
According to the findings of the Cape High Court: “To have the ‘necessary permission to continue its activities' is conceptually, legally different from having a licence. Such permission would not be subject to any conditions… Had the legislature intended to equate the position of such an application with that of a licence-holder, then it would have been easy for it to say so.”
Ferguson says: “The significance of this is that the BA Act does not have a corresponding provision to section 66 of the IBA Act. Section 66 makes it an offence to use or be in possession of any apparatus which allows a person to view a satellite broadcast without authorisation from the licensee.”
The MultiChoice statement says it has been operating legally under section four of the Broadcasting Act as amended and as confirmed by ICASA.
“MultiChoice would like to state categorically that neither the judgment referred to in these articles nor any other court in SA has ever held MultiChoice to be broadcasting unlawfully,” the company statement says.
Piracy not a problem
MultiChoice spokesman Lebogang Hashatse says pirate viewers are not a problem for the company and that it has the issue under control.
“I am not aware of any pending prosecutions against pirate viewers at the moment,” he says.
Hashatse says that even if MultiChoice was not afforded any protection in terms of the Broadcasting Act, “companies were protected as piracy was generally considered an illegal act”.
Ferguson says people using smart card readers/writers to gain illegal access to MultiChoice's services could technically be prosecuted in terms of the Electronic Communications and Transactions (ECT) Act.
“In terms of subsections three and four of the ECT Act, persons who use (or sell, offer, etc) any device to circumvent security measures designed to protect data (such as the measures employed by MultiChoice in their smart cards) will be guilty of an offence,” Ferguson says.
Big, big debt to pay
From http://www.wkbn.com/Global/story.asp?S=1340037
Tampa, Florida-AP -- It's not exactly realistic, but a man has been ordered to pay 180 million dollars in restitution in installments of 500 dollars a month.
It will take him 30-thousand years to pay his debt.
Steven Frazier pleaded guilty in Tampa, Florida, to conspiracy in a scheme to steal satellite television signals. He got a five-year sentence along with the court-ordered restitution.
The federal judge ordered the restitution based on a formula about how much Frazier's intended victims, Direct T-V and Echostar, would have lost.
Frazier's lawyer says he's not expected to pay the entire sum, but the installment plan will put a crimp in his budget once he gets out of prison.
Shin says net profit to rise 20%
From http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/28Jun2003_biz65.html
Economic growth, new products the key
Khunying Potjamarn Shinawatra admires super-deluxe mobile phones on display at the Shin Fun Fair yesterday as Shin Corp chief executive Boonklee Plangsiri looks on. _ NATTHITI AMPRIWAN
Shin Corporation expects the combined net profit of the group's companies to grow by more than 20% this year, chief executive Boonklee Plangsiri said yesterday.
``In the first half of this year, we see signs that group net profit will achieve a growth target of 20%. Therefore, there is a high chance that group net profit in the second half will exceed 20% as targeted,'' he said at the opening of the Shin Fun Fair yeaterday.
The three-day fair at Impact Muang Thong Thani is being held to mark the 20th anniversary of the country's largest telecommunications business, founded by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Mr Boonklee predicted the growth in profit would be supported by the country's strong economic growth as well as by the group's introduction of new products and services.
Shin and its three main subsidiaries _ Advanced Info Service Plc (AIS), Shin Satellite and iTV _ earned a combined net profit of 17.35 billion baht on revenues of 103.13 billion last year.
Shin holds a 43.09% stake in AIS, the country's largest cellular operator, which earned profits of 11.43 billion baht on revenues of 81.36 billion last year. It holds 51.53% of Shin Satellite and 55.53% in iTV.
The group posted first-quarter net profit growth of 15.3%.
``The group has launched a number of new service products, which will generate more revenue. In the future, once launched, the iPSTAR satellite will also generate major revenue to Shin Satellite and boost the group's total revenue,'' he said.
Mr Boonklee said the company had not yet decided on any new investment plan, as it was still in talks with potential businesses. Previously he has said Shin was negotiating deals to venture into the entertainment and marketing businesses.
He said Shin Corp had sufficient cash for financing new investments and expansion and had no need to raise new capital.
Meanwhile, AIS chief executive Somprasong Boonyachai said AIS was investing US$400 million in network expansion this year.
He said the company's network could now serve 15 million users, while currently it had 12 million users and was gaining about 400,000 subscribers per month.
Wichian Mektrakarn, vice-president for engineering, said work this year would focus mainly on relocating some capacity to heavy-use areas and adding new capacity in fast-growing regions, in particular the Northeast.
Shin Corp shares closed yesterday at 19.20 baht, down 40 satang, in trade worth 562.8 million baht. Shin Satellite fell one baht to 24 and AIS declined one baht to 59.50.
27/06/03
C1 stopped at 152E for testing keep an eye out for any activity!
Globecast change of Frequency date for the B3-C1 swapover has changed to Wednesday July 16th 5.am
For those interested in the Coship autoscanning units, checkout the report below.
http://www.satcritics.com/edit_coship.php
From my Emails & ICQ
From Superfly
Measat2 VTV test
Testing of the VTV services on Measat 2 (KU Vietnam beam) today showed no sign of a signal on a 2.7m solid dish in Brisbane.
Also no sign of the KU Indonesian beam.
From the Dish
Optus C1 at 152E
Optus C1 is now geostationary around 152 East.
Reception reports are very welcome.
BSAT 2C at 120.5E
BSAT 2C is now geostationary around 120-121 East.
Reception reports are very welcome.
(I don't know the footprint of this satellite just yet)
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3755 V New PIDs for Arirang TV World 1 on : 3601/3606.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3760 H "MTA Internationa"l and a test card have started, Fta,PIDs 1070/1071 and 1080/1081.
Insat 3A 93.5E 4120 V "DD Gujarati" has started, Fta, SR 5000, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/257.
Yamal 102 90E 3725 L "Radio GTRK Dalnevostochnaya" has left .
ST 1 88E 3632 V "Taiwan Music Channel" is now encrypted.
Chinastar1 87.5E 12475 H "GZTV" Sr 6250 Fec 3/4 (One for the dxers in W.A?)
Insat 3C 74E 4121 H "DD North-East" has left .
PAS 10 68.5E 3864 H "ARY Digital India" has started, Fta, PIDs 517/700.
PAS 10 68.5E 3864 H "The Music" has started, Fta, PIDs 515/680.
NEWS
Indian Broadcasters plan alternative channels on FTA tier — Govt mulls capping ad time on pay channels
From http://www.hinduonnet.com/bline/stories/2003062702460100.htm
BOTH the broadcasters and the Government are finalising contingency plans to ensure that the conditional access system (CAS) rolls through.
While, the Government on its part is looking at a slew of options including capping the advertising time on pay channels, broadcasters are planning to launch alternative channels in the free-to-air (FTA) tier.
And the buzz in the corridors of Shastri Bhavan — home to the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry — is that advertising time could be restricted to a specific percentage of the programme time.
Officials are currently in the process of studying various legislations followed in different countries. If this comes through, pay broadcasters could face heavy advertising revenue losses.
Internationally channels are allowed about 10 minutes of advertising in a one-hour show, a norm prevalent in India as well. Some foreign premium pay channels that charge high subscription fees do not take any advertisements. In addition to this, the Government is not likely to allow broadcasters to arbitrarily increase rates and will ask them to freeze the initial post-CAS rates for a specific period of time.
Sources in the I&B Ministry said, "We are looking at a lot of options such as restricting the advertising time. We will also not allow channels to increase rates arbitrarily. However a final decision will be taken only later."
Hence, the meeting between the broadcasters and the Government over the implementation of the CAS on Monday assumes significance because any future course of action by the Ministry would depend on the outcome of this meeting. The Ministry has asked the broadcasters to announce the maximum retail price (MRP) of individual channels on Monday.
Meanwhile, broadcasters on their part are planning to launch clones of existing popular entertainment channels in the FTA tier. Star, for instance, is planning to launch Star Classic, Zee is launching two channels, Zee Comedy and Zee Manasi, while Sony is also contemplating a similar launch.
Industry analysts view this as a smart move as the broadcasting companies would be able to retain a large part of the advertising revenues from the FTA channels and get some subscription revenues from the encrypted ones. "Gradually the broadcaster could shift content from the FTA channel to the pay channel. This way the rollover to CAS could also be smoother," they said. Government also views this development favourably.
26/06/03
An Interesting item in the news section today about the controversial channel "Al-Manar" available via Tarb's (also Pas 2 cband)
Those interested in the Coship autoscanning receiver email me if you have not done so allready.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Bill Richards
0830 UTC
Pas 2 3888 V Sr 6110, FEC 3/4, Vpid 308 Apid 256 SID1 "Tennis Feed".
Pas 2 4054 H Sr 5420, FEC 1/2
Vpid 1160 Apid1120 SID1 Church Feed Eng/French
Vpid 1160 Apid1122 SID2 Church Feed Span/Por
Regards
Bill Richards
South Australia
From George Kamal
dear sir
I have upgrade the software of coship 3188c
in 3188a. the software was upgraded. but the reciever
is not working as by software. what and how can i do for
working the reciever working as a dvb3188c? ( the soft-
ware is working as 3188c. but the reciever was not get
any mpeg signal in blind scan mode) please help me .
best regards- -george
(Craigs comment, the 3188A and 3188C are different units the C version is the one with the hardware that supports the blindscan modes. Loading in the software for a different model is not advised.)
From the Dish
Not received as yet
NEWS
Arabic TV brings war back home
From http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,6651857%255E7582,00.html
THE images are bloody and brutal. Palestinian children throw rocks at Israeli tanks, Israeli soldiers shoot back. Innocent people die. Every night, thousands of Muslims across Australia are tuning into satellite television channels from the Middle East. The images they see are gruesome and confronting. Palestinians are killed by Israelis, children scream and women wail.
In Australia, experts say the most confronting channels remain Al-Jazeera and the lesser know but increasingly popular Al-Manar.
But while Al-Jazeera has been criticised for some anti-Western bias, Al-Manar is blatant about its agenda. It is the mouthpiece of the Hezbollah party in Lebanon, an organisation that has been placed on Australia's list of terror groups.
Hezbollah makes an effort to disseminate its views worldwide. In Australia, it is particularly popular.
Al-Manar is the second most popular Arabic TV channel out of 10 available in Australia via subscription, says a saleswoman for its Sydney-based distributor, TARBS World TV. Al-Manar's website says the Beirut-based channel provides news and current affairs in support of the oppressed Palestinian people. "Al-Manar is the first Arab establishment to stage an effective psychological warfare against the Zionist enemy," the website says.
Yael Adler, vice president of programming and production at TARBS World TV, says the images broadcast on Al-Manar are just like the images broadcast on any other news service. The crucial difference is that they come from a Palestinian perspective, she says. "We've never really seen anything that would justify removing it. It's even available in the [United] States," she says.
Adler rejects the suggestion that Al-Manar incites violence and recruits suicide bombers: "There's a lot of people who say television triggers violence in general. Are you going to ban Terminator?"
Dr Michael McKinley, senior lecturer in global politics at the Australian National University, says while channels such as Al-Manar can influence the actions of Muslims in Australia, there is no evidence that they create terrorists.
McKinley blames a lack of "sensible" and "sensitive" reporting from the local Australian media for the popularity of extremist TV channels.
He says it's hard to know what turns somebody from being sympathetic to a cause to becoming a terrorist. "You're left with that space between advocating the overthrow of Israel and strapping explosives on your back," he says.
He says a lot of what is broadcast in the mainstream news media is regarded by Australian Muslims as propaganda.
But Dr Colin Rubenstein, executive director of the Australia Israeli Jewish Affairs Council, says it is outrageous that in Australia, people can view a channel that is run by a terrorist organisation. "It's a proscribed organisation in Australia, a terrorist organisation of global reach," he says. "There's no doubt that they are spreading a terrorist ideology on the channel. It's totally inconsistent with the criminal code banning Hezbollah that people can view this channel here," he says.
Rubenstein is particularly outraged by the channel's Internet site, which gives contact details for donations to the resistance movement.
He is also concerned that the channel glorifies suicide bombings. "Words are bullets and the images are inflammatory. They disseminate the ideology of hatred and it is extremely damaging . . . It is the precursor of terrorism," he says.
Clive Williams, director of terrorism studies at ANU, says there has been evidence of people seeing injustices on television and then acting unilaterally. "They will see a program that underlines injustices to the Palestinians and they might take it upon themselves to demonstrate their concerns by an act of violence," Williams says. "I don't think one should constrain objective reporting, and Al-Jazeera does this, but if they are straight-out propaganda I think it's highly undesirable."
But Islamic Council of Victoria president Yasser Soliman says there is nothing to be alarmed about. "There are some strong views expressed from the things I've seen about the situation [in the Middle East]. There are some comments broadcast by religious readers encouraging resistance . . . but at the same time there were comments by President Bush," Soliman says.
"The channel handles things differently from how a secular channel would. But I think it's popular because it broadcasts things that aren't broadcast on other channels, from the victims' perspective. It is not a terror channel," Soliman says.
Tony Ishak, managing director of World Media International, a company that provides the three Arabic channels broadcast through Optus including Al-Jazeera, says there are no "hidden messages" in what is broadcast. "If anything, during the war it was probably poor viewing because they aren't very nice images to look at. It's basically about looking at the current situation in their language. They give perhaps greater editorial insight, which as far as I know is a good thing," he says.
He rejects outright the idea that the brutal images Al-Jazeera broadcasts plays on the sensitivities of Muslims living abroad. "If people see dead bodies they won't become terrorists, they . . . are more likely to be against war and violence," he says.
Shock DStv licence loophole
From http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=271&fArticleId=176777
Viewers of Multichoice satellite TV programmes now have one more choice: do it illegally - and do so with impunity.
For months, two Cape Town lawyers believed they had found a legal loophole in South Africa's labyrinthine broadcasting legislation, which gave pirate viewers of Multichoice programmes immunity from prosecution.
Yesterday two judges of the High Court agreed and overturned the conviction of a Strand man for pirate viewing.
The judgment also found that for more than five years, up to last month, Multichoice had been broadcasting unlawfully.
There were no interim measures in place to allow Multichoice to operate as a broadcaster, pending a decision by the Independent Communications Authority (Icasa) on its licence application, the court ruled.
Multichoice had applied for a broadcasting licence in 1998, but Icasa granted it only last month.
Nevertheless, the licence was granted under legislation which does not allow for the prosecution of pirate viewers - and so they can continue to illicitly receive broadcasts without fear of prosecution.
Multichoice corporate communications manager Lebogang Hashatse said that the satellite TV provider would not comment on the judgment at the moment. "We will study the judgment and then decide on how we want to approach to matter," he said.
He said that Multichoice received formal permission to operate from Icasa last month, in terms of the 2003 Broadcasting Amendment Act.
The legal loophole was discovered by advocate Jantjie van Niekerk and attorney Etienne Barnard.
They argued that pirate viewers are prosecuted in terms of the Independent Broadcasting Act. This law refers to licences granted in terms of the act and contains provisions for the prosecution of pirate viewers, but Multichoice had applied for a licence in terms of the later Broadcasting Act.
The court agreed, and found that as a result pirate viewers of Multichoice broadcasts could not be prosecuted in terms of the Independent Broadcasting Act.
Last year Anton Hart was convicted in the Strand Magistrate's Court of pirate viewing. He was caught out using an unlicensed smart card to view programmes broadcast by Multichoice Africa.
Hart admitted to having had equipment in his possession that was intended to be used for the reception of broadcasts by Multichoice.
He was fined R5 000 and sentenced to five months' imprisonment, which was conditionally suspended for four years. He appealed his conviction to the Cape High Court.
In their judgment yesterday, Justice André Blignaut and Acting Justice Ron Goodman said that the law under which Hart was charged - the Independent Broadcasting Act - did not allow for the prosecution of pirate viewers of Multichoice's programmes, because Multichoice had applied for another type of licence, under another law, the Broadcasting Act.
Multichoice applied for a broadcasting licence on November 30, 1998. This was not granted by April 2001, when Hart was arrested for pirate viewing. It was only granted a month ago.
The state argued that the law did make provision for an interim situation where a broadcaster can continue as if it has a licence.
Hart's lawyers said if the law had been intended to mean this, it would have been phrased accordingly.
Judges Blignaut and Goodman agreed with Hart's legal team. They said that parliament did make provision for interim measures in other instances, but specifically did not do so in the case of the licence that Multichoice had applied for.
"In my view the legal issue must be decided in favour of Hart. I say that for two reasons. The first is that what the state argued extended the effect of the law beyond that which is permitted by its wording.
"To have the 'necessary permission to continue its activities' is conceptually, legally and practically different from having a licence.
"Such permission would not be subject to any conditions ... Had the legislature intended to equate the position of such an application with that of a licence holder, then it would have been easy for it to say so."
Singapore invites bids for second pay-TV service
From http://www.advanced-television.com/pages/pagesb/newsdaily.html
Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) has opened the tender for country's second pay-TV license, marking an end to StarHub Cable Vision's (SCV) eight-year monopoly on subscription-TV services. The tender closes on September 24 this year and according to the MDA, the proposal must include detailed programming, commercial and technical plans. Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) has expressed interest in running pay-TV operations here. Other interested players, include Pacific Internet and MediaCorp. SingTel spokesman Chia Boon Chong, said, "We are keen to explore the provision of subscription-based television service in Singapore if it allows us to offer a commercially viable and integrated suite of services that is an extension of our broadband service offering." Last July Singtel successfully completed an 8-month interactive TV trial, jointly with MediaCorp, parent of Channel NewsAsia.On its part, MediaCorp says it is also getting a copy of the tender document and will only be able to decide after it has studied the terms of the pay-TV licence.
Commenting on the opening of the market, StarHub programming vice-president Sandie Lee said, "Generally, we welcome competition as it will help to create a more vibrant TV industry in Singapore. But what we hope to see is differentiated and sustainable competition as there is little or no value added if operators end up chasing the same content."
25/06/03
If you are interested in the Coship autoscanning unit mentioned in the last few days. Please send me an email
Well it seems like only last week we were watching Optus C1 launch. But things are moving quickly!
Globecast will change Frequency as part of the Optus B3-C1 swapover. The date I been given is SUNDAY 13TH July 2003 from 5:00am AEST
SATELLITE DECODER – FREQUENCY CHANGE
Old frequency: 12336 V
New frequency: 12367 V
There will be no dual broadcast, C1 will go to 156E and Transponders will swapover one by one over a 4 day period.
From my Emails ICQ
From David Ross
PAS 2
3888 V "Tennis" Sr 6110 Fec3/4
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 3718 V "Pinoy Central TV" has started, Fta SID 1, PIDs 4096/4097. (Been there a while)
PAS 8 166E 4060 H Occasional feeds, PIDs 1560/1520.
Yamal 102 90E 3564 V "Radio Courants" has left .
(N Kawano)
Intelsat 906 64E 3963 R "JC-TV" has started, Fta, PIDs 2260/2220.
NEWS
Digital viewers hooked on free TV
From http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,984103,00.html
A fifth of all households with digital television now receive free-to-air channels rather than pay-TV, highlighting the rapid growth of the BBC and BSkyB-backed Freeview service since it launched last year.
If the growth of Freeview, which launched in October 2002 following the collapse of ITV Digital and offers 30 digital channels through an existing aerial without a subscription, continues at the same pace then more than half of all UK households will be connected to multichannel TV services by this summer.
The latest statistics from the independent television commission show the number of viewers who have bought Freeview boxes to receive 30 free channels rose by more than 21% in the first quarter of the year to 1.6 million.
Meanwhile, the number of people receiving free-to-air digital channels through a satellite dish has also risen significantly, growing by 18% to 660,000 in the first three months of 2003 according to the ITC's estimates.
This is made up of former SkyDigital subscribers who now use their dish to watch free-to-air channels and viewers who have bought their set-top box through Sky but do not subscribe to the pay-TV service.
Overall, 2.3 million people receive digital television without a subscription to SkyDigital or cable operators NTL and Telewest.
The government is hoping the popularity of Freeview and the possibility of a similar "free sat" proposition developing via satellite will make it cheaper and easier for people to switch to digital, making the prospect of hitting its target of switching off the analogue network by 2010 a reality.
The ITC chief executive, Patricia Hodgson, last week said the BBC's recent decision to break away from Sky and broadcast its digital channels, including BBC3, BBC4 and Cbeebies, free to viewers without a Sky viewing card was "the most extraordinary development since the start of cable and satellite broadcasting".
According to the ITC figures, the growth of Freeview is not harming SkyDigital, allaying analysts' fears that it may cannibalise pay-TV growth, with Sky adding more than 143,000 paying customers over the quarter to take its total to over 6.4 million.
The total number of mutichannel TV viewers now accounts for 48.6% of all households, making it likely that by the summer the industry will pass the psychologically important milestone of reaching more than half of all viewers.
(Craigs comment, this how to do digital tv! what we need is a similar platform via satellite! "Free Sat" )
INSAT 3E launch by end of August
From http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG3_sub.asp?ccode=ENG3&newscode=12624
Bangalore, June 24 (UNI) Communications satellite INSAT 3E has been scheduled for launch from Kourou in French Guyana for the end of August, ISRO Chairman K Kasturirangan said today.
The fourth of the third-generation series of geo-stationary satellites, the INSAT 3E -- to be launched on board an Ariane Five launcher -- would have 24 communications transponders in the C-Band and 12 in the Extended C-Band.
The satellite will be launched along with E-Bird of Eutelsat and Smart-1, the first European moon mission and test-bed for advanced research.
The INSAT 3E is currently undergoing final tests at the ISRO Satellite Centre here.
An exclusive satellite for education-- the Edusat-- would be launched during the third or fourth quarter of next year, Dr Kasturirangan told reporters after inaugurating the geo-informatics lab of the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (KSRSAC) here.
Pilot projects to connect schools and colleges via satellite had been launched in many States, including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, he added.
Dr Kasturirangan said while the existing transponders were being used for the purpose, the expansion of the projects would be facilitated by the launch of the Edusat.
Karnataka would expand its telemedicine project to all districts to facilitate availability of quality healthcare consultancy to rural areas, he revealed.
KSRSAC Director H Honne Gowda said the agency was undertaking over two dozen projects in the areas of natural resource management, agriculture, urban and infrastructure development, watershed planning and satellite communication
India to launch education satellite
From http://sify.com/news/international/fullstory.php?id=13180480
Bangalore: India will launch a satellite exclusively dedicated to education in late 2004, the chief of the national space agency said Tuesday.
"We are currently in talks with the (federal) human resource development ministry and plan to launch the satellite by fourth quarter of next year," said Indian Space Research Organisation chairman Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan.
Named EDUSAT, the satellite network will assist with teacher training in remote regions, he said.
"It will help create virtual classes," Kasturirangan said at the inauguration of the southern Indian state of Karnataka's State Remote Sensing Applications Center's geo-informatics laboratory.
The center has 120 scientists working in fields ranging from oceanography and geology to cartography and the digital image processing of data from remote sensing satellites.
Kasturirangan said space scientists were also working on a plan to link the rural districts of Karnataka to urban hospitals to provide better healthcare facilities.
He denied media reports that India was planning to put an astronaut on board the International Space Station, being put together by a US-led consortium including Russia, Canada and Japan.
"There is no proposal to put our own man in the station," he said.
Shop24Seven Shuts Down Satellite Ops
From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=36886
Mumbai: Shop24Seven, the teleshopping channel promoted by Hinduja TMT and the US-based Planet E-Shop, has shut down its satellite service.
The teleshopping channel, beamed by Thaicom 3 satellite, was carried on several cable networks across the country. The decision is viewed as a move to save costs.
Shop24Seven has changed gear and is now running as a cable channel on the Hinduja-owned INCablenet network. It has also taken air-time slots on Lashkara and Gurjari channels. Sources said the Punjabi and Gujarati language channels, in turn, have been promised ‘better carriage’ on the Hinduja-owned INCablenet network.
“We are running Shop24Seven as a cable channel. We are currently available on the INCablenet network and are in talks with other cable networks for carrying the channel. We are also buying air-time slots on regional channels to have a presence in focussed markets,” said Shop24Seven India Pvt Ltd’s chief executive offficer Pushkar Misra.
The company is in talks with multiple language channels for buying air-time in an effort to penetrate the regional markets.
The company used to have a slot on CMM, a music channel. “We are out of that slot. We experimented with that for a month,” said Mr Misra.
Shop24Seven is trying to have an arrangement with other cable networks but no deal has been struck as yet. “When we were available as a satellite channel, we were on Hathway Cable & Datacom, SitiCable, the Kolkatta-based RPG network and the Orissa-based Ortel. Now we run only on the INCablenet, but are in talks with the others,” he added.
Shop24Seven also uses the Internet to carry out media commerce and e-commerce. It has tied up with portals like Rediff.com and Baazee.com for selling products. It also plans to tie-up with retail stores. “We have 1,000 products, most of which are exclusively sold only through us. The categories range from appliances to fitness, jewellery and toy products. Imported items are available because of our joint-venture partner,” said Mr Misra.
Pricewaterhouse has a 3 per cent stake in Shop24Seven India. The balance 97 per cent is distributed between Hinduja TMT and Planet E-Shop in the ratio of 51:49.
24/06/03
Livechat tonight 9pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards
About the Coship 3188C unit mentioned yesterday. The July issue of Satfacts will have a full report. I have had a sneak preview of it heres a little quote from it
"This receiver does virtually what every DXer has dreamed of for ages, and it does it without a computer or any other hardware. Coship has attained what others called unattainable." As a first it is truly brilliant. A no frills thrill which deserves the inspection of any serious "feed hunter" or DX enthusiast"
Is it time to retire those old Nokias?
Not much news around today
From my Email & ICQ
From Siam Global
Subject: THE MYSTERY DEEPENING
DEAR MR SUTTON,
THE 3985MHz TRANSPONDER HAS NOW BEEN JOINED BY 4025MHz AND 4065MHz ON THE LYNGSAT LIST FOR INSAT 3A. YET HERE IN THAILAND THERE IS NO SIGNAL WHATSOEVER NOW FROM ANY OF THESE THREE TRANSPONDERS AT 1800GMT MONDAY .
INTERESTINGLY THE INSAT CHART SHOWS THE SIGNAL REACHING EASTERN EUROPE , POSSIBLY HUNGARY AND A CLEARLY HUNGARIAN NAME IS GIVEN BY LYNGSAT AS THE PERSON REPORTING THESE TRANSPONDERS.
NO , THERE IS NO ERROR. I PICK UP " CHANNEL GUIDE" AND ANALOGUE CHANNELS FROM THIS BIRD IN FULL STRENGTH.
SO EITHER THERE ARE BRIEF TEST TRANSMISSIONS WE MISSED, AN E. EUROPEAN BEAM NOT RECEIVABLE IN SE ASIA, OR IT'S ALL A HOAX. PRESUMABLY TIME WILL TELL AND WE SHALL KEEP UP OUR MONITORING.
SIAMGLOBAL BKK
(Craigs comment, Lyngsat reports they have all left so you must of missed them)
From the Dish
Jcsat2a 154E 3906 V Sr 3425 ?????
JCSAT 3 128E 4050 V "Da Ai TV and three SET test cards" have started, Fta, SR 11000, FEC 7/8, SID 1-4, PIDs 1024/1025-1072/1073.
Telkom 1 108E 3500 H All channels in the TelkomVision mux are encrypted again.
Insat 3A 93.5E All channels have left 3985 V, 4025 V and 4065 V again.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3687 H "A test card" has started, Fta, SR 3333, FEC 3/4, PIDs 1160/1120.
Apstar 2R 76.5E 4038 H A Singtel test card has started , Fta, SR 2300, FEC 3/4,PIDs 4226/4227.
Insat 3C 74E 3851 V "DD Gujarati" has left .
NEWS
Govt chooses radar system providers
From http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/06/23/1056220539351.html
Two companies had been selected to provide early warning radar systems for a range of tactical military aircraft, the government announced.
Tenix Defence and BAE Systems would provide electronic warfare self-protection systems for the Defence Force's Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters, as well as C-130H Hercules transport planes.
The radar systems would detect threats from anti-aircraft gunfire and missiles.
The government also announced it would re-tender contracts for providing defence garrison support and maintenance services, worth $480 million per year.
Fran Bailey, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, said local providers around defence bases would be encouraged to tender for the contracts.
"The commonwealth government is committed to ensuring that local providers around our defence bases gain access to this important and sizeable market," Ms Bailey said in a statement.
"Local providers right across the country, in both regional and rural Australia, will have greater opportunity for involvement in delivering services and support required by Defence."
Meanwhile, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation was planning to carry out tests on the recently launched Optus and Defence C1 communications satellite.
The satellite, which was launched earlier this month, will be used to provide defence satellite communications across Australia and the Asia Pacific region.
23/06/03
While searching the net on Sunday I saw this interesting new receiver from Coship. The Coship 3188 C which has a "Blind Search" feature that will blindly hunt out all mpg services on any satellite without needing any preset settings such as freq, Symbol rate, Fec, pids etc. It looks fairly basic and cheap but it may make a good 2nd unit for those that like to hunt for feeds! Much cheaper than a Nokia anyway!
Some links about it below
http://www.coship.com/english/products/cdvb3188c.htm
http://www.dvbresource.com/receivers/coship_3188c/coship_3188c_1.html
http://www.dmsiusa.com/cdvb3188c.htm
some screenshots
http://www.pbh-sales.com/screen_shots.htm
GalaxZee HITS Cable headend in the Sky service, appears to be on a different beam to the others on this sat? no reports of reception in Australia yet.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Bill Richards
TV Lanka, now via Apstar 2R
From Chris Pickstock 22/06
World Superbike Championship
9.30pm SA time
B1, 12326 H, sr 6980, on now. Probably a feed for Fox sports.
Chris
From Siamglobal
DEAR MR SUTTON,
THEY SAY THAT IF SOMETHING IS TOO GOOD TOP BE TRUE IT PROBABLY IS !
APPEARING ON LYNGSAT IS A NEW FTA BOUQUET ON INSAT 3A AT 3985V .
IT LISTS DISCOVERY, CARTOON NETWORK AND MANY MORE NORMALLY PAY CHANNELS.
A CLUE TO THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS TRANSPONDER IS THE LISTING OF HBO HUNGARY PLUS ONE OR TWO MORE HUNGARIAN CHANNELS..
WHY SHOULD AN INDIAN SAT HAVE THESE ?
WELL, IT IS ALMOST CERTAINLY AN ELABORATE HOAX, AT LEAST AS CHECKED OUT AT 1800 GMT ON SUNDAY.
THE ONLY VIEWABLE CHANNEL ON THE TRANSPONDER IS AN INDIAN FTA SAHARA TV PROGRAMME.
OUR GUESS IS THAT IT IS A JOKE BY A HUNGARIAN TECHNICIAN WORKING FOR INSAT . THE ONLY STRANGE THING IS THAT IT IS NOT 1 APRIL !
SIAM GLOBAL BKK
(Craigs comment, this is the new "GalaxZee" headend in the sky(HITS) for Indian cable operators. Zee has booked 6 transponder here so expect many services. Its cheaper if Indian cable operators can take their channel feeds all off the one satellite. There should be Fta's on this service as well)
From the Dish
PAS 2 169E 4090 V "Telefe Internacional" has started, fta, PIDs 517/645.
PAS 2 169E 12487 H "Ihug" has moved to 12610 H, SR 11108, FEC 3/4.
PAS 8 166E 3860 H "Videoland Sports" has started, Viaccess 2, PIDs 410/411. PTS has left this mux.
JCSAT 3 128E 3960 V "Phoenix InfoNews" has started, Viaccess 2, PIDs 1104/1105.ETTV Movie has left this mux.
Insat 3A 93.5E 3985 V "Sahara Manoranjan" has started , Fta, PIDs 160/80.
Insat 3A 93.5E 3985 V "Three test cards" have started , Fta, SR 27500, FEC 3/4,PIDs 161/84-163/90.
Insat 3A 93.5E 4025 V "B4U Music, Nickelodeon India, Cartoon Network, BBC World India, Zee News,DD Bharati and five test cards have started, fta, SR 27500,FEC 3/4, PIDs 160/80-169/110, 702/703 and 706/707.
Insat 3A 93.5E 4065 V "Zee TV Asia, Zee Cinema Asia, Zee Music, Zee News, Alpha Marathi,Alpha Punjabi and CNN International Asia have started, Fta,SR 27500, FEC 3/4, PIDs 160/80-165/98 and 702/703.
ST 1 88E 3582 H "TVBS Golden" has replaced CTI TV , enc., PIDs 38/39.
ST 1 88E 3632 V All channels in the TV Star mux are now encrypted, except Taiwan Music Channel, BBC World, Da Ai TV and CASA TV.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H "Kairali Channel" has New PIDs for on : 3137/3138.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 4151 V "Raj Digital Plus, Raj TV, Raj Music (clear) and a Raj Telugu test card"(clear) have started, Videoguard, SR 12121, FEC 3/4,PIDs 512/650-515/680, Asian beam.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 4151 V "Vissa" has started testing , Fta, PIDs 515/680.
Apstar 2R 76.5E 3714 V "TV Lanka" has started, Fta, SR 6500, FEC 3/4, PIDs 1160/1122.
Apstar 2R 76.5E 4050 H "NTV (Bangladesh)" has started testing , Fta, SR 3700, FEC 3/4,PIDs 308/256.
LMI 1 75E 3454 H "TV Lanka" has left , moved to Apstar 2R.
PAS 7 68.5E 3514 V "Adventist TV Network" has started , Fta, SR 6620, FEC 2/3,PIDs 1160/1120, Fri 17:00-18:30 UTC.
NEWS
Tailevu North to get TV
From http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2003/06/22/22h.htm
Fiji Television is aggressively developing a technical plan that will provide television services using satellite technology for all the people of Fiji, including those living in Tailevu North.
Speaking in Parliament on Friday, Minister of Finance and Telecommunications Ratu Jone Kubuabola said Fiji TV considered this a top priority.
“It will continue to push the project along as practically as possible bearing in mind the widespread interest in the universal introduction of television services to Fiji,” Ratu Jone said.
He was replying to Tailevu North parliamentarian, Samisoni Tikoinasau who had asked when would television reception be improved in the area.
“I wish to inform this House that Fiji TV and the Ministries of Communications and Information are currently investigating the ground rules which might be applied to circumstances under which new television services are to be introduced.”
While there remains a great deal of planning and commitments on timing, he said these can only be made once the planning process was completed.
Ntv goes on air July 3
From http://www.thedailystar.net/2003/06/22/d30622100151.htm
The fourth private television channel, ntv, will make its debut on July 3, an official said.
"Viewers will love our progra-mmes as ntv is going to keep their choices in mind," Managing Director of ntv ( National Television) M Enayetur Rahman told reporters at a briefing held at a city hotel yesterday.
President Iajuddin Ahmed will press the button to open the channel on July 3, which will be aired live. The programmes of ntv will begin at 7:30pm on the first day.
The earth station, the telecasting system of ntv, has been set up by the local and American experts. "We hope people will also love the technical excellence of our progra-mmes," Enayet said.
The television channel has already signed a contract with Cable News Network (CNN) and it will be able to update information even eight times a day through the satellite connection.
People from any part of the country, the continents of Asia and Australia and most parts of Europe and Africa will be able to watch ntv where news service will get the top priority.
"We have set up a computerised telecasting system with two modern studios," Rahman said.
Executive Director of ntv Hasnain Khurshed, Director Mohammad Yunus and Programme Director Shamsuddin Haider Dalim were present at the briefing.
(Craigs comment, This is a Bangladeshi Channel and they have already started testing on Apstar 2R)
T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 25/2003 22 June 2003 -
A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic
Edited Apsattv.com Edition
A S I A
AUSTRALIA
FOXTEL OWNERSHIP CHANGES DISMISSED
Australia's government has thrown out recent recommendations from the Competition and Consumer Commission that suggested Telstra should sell its 50% ownership of pay-TV operator Foxtel. The government explained that substantial media restructuring could undo years of inward investment and as such should be viewed with caution. It also noted that if dominant telco Telstra were forced to relinquish its Foxtel stake, the tax payer may have to compensate the company's shareholders. The state currently owns 50.1% of Telstra.
GOVERNMENT TO SPEED UP DTT LAUNCH
The Australian government is set to introduce a new bill that would speed up the launch of digital terrestrial television services in rural areas. Although no timeframe has been finalized, the bill would allow the Australian Broadcasting Authority to determine separate dates in overlapping regional and remote markets from which licensees cam elect to provide a third service. In a separate development, an advertising campaign will launch this weekend across the Seven, Nine and Ten network highlighting the new Free To View DTT services currently available to 75% of Australian households.
OWNERSHIP BILL RECEIVES BOOST
A bid to relax media ownership rules in Australia has received a boost after a key parliamentary party indicated it would reconsider its opposition to the move. The country's Senate is due to vote next week on legislation to allow foreign involvement and cross-media ownership. The bill, introduced by the Conservative government, now has the backing of the opposition Labor party and a number of smaller groups. The Australian Democrats have proposed a compromise in which a U.S.-style "diversity index" would be used to assess proposed acquisitions based on the existing operations owned by the buyer.
FILM COMMISSION WANTS MORE LOCAL CONTENT
The Australian Film Commission is lobbying the government to double the amount of Australian content shown on pay-TV as part of a wide-ranging review of pay-TV rules, the Age newspaper has reported. The Chief Executive of Australian Film Commission, Kim Dalton, said he had asked the Australian Broadcasting Authority to require pay-TV drama channels to lift Australian content from 10 per cent to 20 per cent of programme spending. The commission also wants new rules so that 80 per cent of advertising on pay-TV is Australian-made, as on free-to-air TV, and documentary channels also show at least 20 per cent Australian content.
CHINA - HONG KONG
GOVERNMENT TV CHANNEL PLANNED
A round-the-clock government television channel with live broadcasts of official press conferences and important functions is being proposed in Hong Kong to strengthen direct communication with the public, the South China Morning Post has reported. The move was initiated by veteran TV producer Robert Chua, who voiced fears that the government had no unedited voice to make sure its policies were understood in full by the public. He said the idea was inspired by Singapore's recent move to launch a "SARS channel'' to educate people more about the deadly virus. Under the proposed "public infotainment channel'', a non-profit making body would co-operate with the government to relay press conferences and internal meetings. Phone-in programmes, discussion forums and public affairs programmes produced by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) and Asia Television Limited (ATV) may also be provided. The proposal would first be tried out on one of the Cable TV channels, followed by an independent channel via free TV if it proved successful. The operation would cost US$6.4 million a year, with the funding to be shared equally by the government and commercial sponsorship, he said.
PIRATE CARDS ILLEGAL IN HONG KONG
A court in Hong Kong has ruled in favour of five international cable and satellite networks in a civil case against five companies accused of trading in unauthorised smart cards and other receiving equipment. The five, STAR, CNN, Turner Entertainment Networks Asia, ESPN STAR Sports, Discovery Networks Asia and National Geographic Channel Network Asia sued the Hong Kong-based companies for selling consumers set top box technology capable of receiving signals from pay TV operators in Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. The action was heard in two separate cases. In May, three other Hong Kong companies admitted they were wrong to retail direct to home receiving equipment capable of picking up UBC of Thailand, Astro of Malaysia and other Asian pay TV platforms. Like the first case, the judge ruled that the five had broken the Hong Kong copyright laws by failing to seek permission from the channels before selling the equipment. The industry body, the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA), that supported the legal action expressed satisfaction with the result.
INDIA
CAS PRICES SET
Indian cable operators have revealed that consumers will be asked to pay Rs550 ($10.70) to watch free-to-air and pay channels, if the conditional access system is implanted as planned in July. The figure is considerably higher than the previous Rs200 estimate for the same package by government, which has threatened coercive measures if the rates are not revised. Star channels will be priced at Rs50, Sony channels, Rs41, Zee Rs62 and ESPN Rs22.
REALITY TV SIGNS UP 15 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS
The channel, distributed in India by Zee Turner, the distribution alliance between Zee Telefilms and Turner International, was launched earlier this year. Reality TV, a 24-hour channel that combines hard-hitting and real-life drama with its unpredictable, unbelievable and unrehearsed footage, has claimed that it is now beamed into 15 million households across the country. The channel, distributed in India by Zee Turner, the distribution alliance between Zee Telefilms and Turner International, was launched earlier this year. The channel is brought to India by Zone Vision, the UK-based international thematic channel creator. Along with its Indian reach its global reach stands at 35 million subscribers across five continents and in 15 languages.
PAKISTAN
NEW TV CHANNEL TO PROMOTE REGIONAL LANGUAGES
The NWFP Minister for Information and Public Relations Asif Iqbal Daudzai has urged the need of introducing the languages of all the four provinces in the country to strengthen national unity and acquaint the people of the culture, traditions and values of each other.
SOUTH KOREA
CALLS FOR MEDIA OVERHAUL
The government's main opposition party has called for the abolition of subscription fees for state-run network KBS, while pushing for a privatisation of the country's two major broadcasters. The Grand National Party (GNP) has called the media situation in South Korea "monopolistic," as three major firms - KBS, MBC and SBS - occupy almost 90% of the market. Ha Soon-bong, head of the opposition's specials committee on media, will push for the privatisation of MBC and KBS-2, and will draw up a bill allowing the establishment of new broadcasting organisations. "We believe reform of the broadcasting sector is a demand of the times, considering the recent debates over the appointment of KBS president and its politically biased programmes,’’ Ha Soon-bong said.
TAIWAN
COST OF SET-TOP BOXES DELAYS DIGITAL TV
The price of digital TV set-top descramblers has become an issue in the last few days, and the disagreement between government and industry lingered on June 13. The Government Information Office (GIO) originally approved seven companies to provide 16 new digital TV (DTV) channels via a descrambler and it has placed a ceiling of NT$6,000 for the device, which can be paid for by monthly installments of NT$200. The service is already up and running in Keelung and Changhua counties, but these two areas are already charging considerably less for the box. In Taipei the service is to be launched in July and there has been heated debate over the box fee. The Cable TV Fee Review Committee has rejected the NT$5,000 suggested retail price proposed by two channel providers, Eastern Multimedia Corporation and China Network Systems, saying that the price is too high. The committee, consisting of three Taipei City Government officials and eight industry experts, found the descrambler fee unreasonable and decided to review the matter before settling on an acceptable price. Providers can roll out the service only after receiving the green light from the committee.
22/06/03
Sundayyyyy zzzzzzzzzzzz
21/06/03
Optus C1 is currently at 166.43E and still moving. Hope it doesn't crash into Pas 8 ! :-)
Signal on I804 still being seen in NZ, I get it on 12646 H Sr 22418 Fec 3/4 2 testcards there and on and off Mpg 4.2.2
Satmag "summer" issue is out at http://www.satmagazine.com
From my Emails & ICQ
Nothing to report.
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 3860 H "Super TV" is now encrypted.
PAS 8 166E 4080 V "Z Channel" has replaced Videoland Sports, Digicipher 2/enc.,VC 700.
Insat 3A 93.5E 3960 V "A DD Sahyadri test card" has started, Fta, SR 5000, FEC 3/4,PIDs 1110/1211.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3454 V The Raj TV Network mux has left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3600 H "Remo TV" has left , replaced by a test card.
NEWS
Shot across the bows for TV pirates
From http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/06/20/1055828490950.html
Pay TV networks have begun broadcasting warnings to individual viewers caught using pirated smart cards.
The Big Brother-style screen messages appear on a yellow screen and contain messages such as: "Warning! A pirated smartcard has been detected in your system. Your service will be switched off unless you act now."
The messages are part of a crackdown on subscription TV piracy, which operators claim is costing more than $50 million a year.
The most common form of piracy is modification of the smartcards that pay TV set-top boxes use to identify the programs a subscriber has paid for. Legitimate cards are modified to lift access restrictions, then copied and sold on the black market.
In what is known as grey piracy, subscribers commonly pay a low price for the basic service then replace their own card with a counterfeit card and get premium programming free.
More damaging to operators is black piracy, where the boxes and even satellite dishes are unauthorised, and the service provider gets nothing.
The Herald spoke to one man who said he paid $400 for a home-made cable TV box. He bought the box from a telecommunications worker, he said.
The box allowed unlimited viewing of all Optus pay TV channels. But it "blew up" after only a few months, he said.
The pay TV company Austar says hot smartcards are being sold through flyers handed out in shopping centres or by scammers who tour the suburbs looking for satellite dishes on roofs, then just knock on the door.
Three men have recently been convicted of selling counterfeit cards and fined up to $20,000.
As for the subscribers using dodgy cards, so far they have been let off.
Austar's legal affairs director, Deanne Weir, said: "To date we haven't prosecuted mums and dads at home, but maybe it's something we'll ultimately have to do.
"It's theft, and we need to get people to understand that."
More TV channels, says Fels
From http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6630558%255E421,00.html
RETIRING competition tsar Allan Fels has fired a parting shot at the federal Government for robbing TV viewers of quality sport on pay television and blocking the launch of new commercial TV channels.
Professor Fels, who retires as chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission at the end of the month, said in a report released yesterday that the rules giving free-to-air networks first rights to major sporting events should be loossened, the ban on new commercial channels lifted and existing networks should be allowed to broadcast multiple digital channels.
His long-awaited report -- which was ordered by Communications Minister Richard Alston -- also recommended that Telstra drop its half share in Foxtel because it was killing competition in the pay television industry.
In a surprise boost for pay TV, Professor Fels recommended a review of existing anti-siphoning laws, which confine most major sporting events -- including tennis at Wimbledon, Test cricket and World Cup rugby -- to free-to-air channels such as the Nine Network.
Professor Fels also criticised the federal Government's moratorium on new free-to-air-television licences until 2006 to encourage the take-up of digital content, suggesting the deadline should be brought forward to stimulate competition.
But Senator Alston immediately dismissed the findings of the ACCC, refusing to consider the key recommendations of Professor Fels's last major report.
Commercial TV Australia chief executive Julie Flynn -- representing the Seven, Nine and Ten networks -- welcomed Senator Alston's commitment to maintaining the ban on new free-to-air licences but questioned the ACCC's apparent push to wrest sport from the commercial channels.
"The moratorium recognises the free-to-air TV industry's $1billion investment in the roll-out of digital TV services across Australia," Ms Flynn said.
"Australians should not have to pay to watch sport on TV."
Foxtel's spokesman praised the ACCC's support for the anti-siphoning proposal on TV sports but was concerned with its support of multi-channelling by the free-TV sector.
The ABC and SBS can now multi-channel (offer extra TV channels on their digital TV spectrum) but digital-TV legislation banned the commercial free-TV networks -- including Seven, Nine and Ten -- from doing the same, to protect the pay TV sector.
But the ACCC said in its report that multi-channelling by Nine, Seven and Ten could "heighten competition both between the FTA operators and between the FTA and pay TV sectors".
Professor Fels, a vocal critic of Telstra's influence in the market, found that Telstra blocked the access of other networks to pay TV channels and should be forced to divest its interest.
The report also found that Telstra's interests across the telecommunications industry meant it would fall into the role of gatekeeper when technologies converged in the future.
"With possible convergence between broadcasting and telecommunications services occurring in the future, an independent Foxtel is more likely to become a competitor to Telstra across the range of services that convergence may bring," the report said.
Foxtel is half-owned by Telstra, while Publishing & Broadcasting Limited and News Limited, publisher of The Weekend Australian, control the remaining 50 per cent.
"Through its partial ownership of Foxtel, Telstra has the ability to veto supply of pay TV channels by Foxtel to other networks," the report said. "This places Telstra in the unique position of controlling important inputs of supply for its potential and actual broadband network competitors, and for pay TV operators competing against Foxtel."
But a spokesman for Senator Alston said the minister had no intention of adopting the recommendations.
TVRO Satellite Systems allowed in Singapore hotels and selected institutions
From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/42671/1/.html
Hotels and selected education institutions will now be able to install TV Received-Only or TVRO for short, satellite systems.
This is an extension of Media Development Authority's existing policy to allow easy access of time-sensitive business and market information by companies, embassies and institutions.
However, the restriction on satellite dishes will still continue to prevent undesirable content into households.
Interested parties may receive the satellite TV service by applying for a licence through direct subscription to the operators or engage the services of an authorised pay TV operator in Singapore.
Arianespace signs contract for 30 rockets
From http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6132953.htm
PARIS (AP) - Arianespace, Europe's satellite launch company, said Friday it has signed an order worth euro3 billion ($3.5 billion) for 30 Ariane-5 rockets to be assembled by the newly created EADS Space Transportation.
The bulk order is aimed at reducing the unit cost of the Ariane-5 rocket, currently the largest launch vehicle being used by Arianespace to loft satellites into orbit.
EADS Space Transportation, the launch vehicle division of European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., is now the sole prime contractor for the Ariane-5 launcher following a restructuring agreed upon last month by Arianespace's European partner governments.
Arianespace's chief executive officer, Jean-Yves Le Gall, said in a conference call that deliveries of the latest batch of launchers will start in the spring of 2005 and will continue at a rate of six a year over five years.
The latest order comprises 25 Ariane-5 ECA launch vehicles, the new heavy-lift rocket on which Ariane's future hinges. The December maiden flight of the rocket ended in disaster. The rocket had to be destroyed after going awry minutes after liftoff.
Work to correct a design fault in the Vulcain 2 engines continues. The next test flight of the ECA model, capable of lifting 10 tons of hardware into space, is set for the end of March 2004.
Arianespace has carried out two launches so far this year and two more are planned by the end of 2003.
Shin predicts B1bn boost
From http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/20Jun2003_biz86.html
Shin Satellite projects one billion baht in revenue from its iPSTAR broadband Internet access service this year.
Of the projected revenue, 600 million would come from sales of satellite terminals and 400 million from airtime use, said Yongsit Rojsrivichaikul, the company's chief commercial officer.
Shin Satellite now provides the service via its Thaicom 3 satellite. The iPSTAR satellite, the company's fourth, is scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of next year. Once iPSTAR is in orbit, the service delivered via Thaicom 3 will be shifted to the new satellite.
Shin Satellite projects total revenue of four billion baht this year, mainly from satellite transponder rental business.
Shin Broadband, a subsidiary, yesterday introduced a new service called iLearn, an interactive long-distance learning programme via a high-speed network.
The new service, in collaboration with leading schools, will provide content to Thai students at 10 locations.
Raj TV plans Kannada, Malayalam channels
From http://www.hinduonnet.com/bline/stories/2003062100580600.htm
AFTER its foray into Telugu on June 23, Raj Television Network Ltd is planning to start channels in Malayalam and Kannada, besides launching a 24-hour national news channel and a multi-lingual music channel christened Raj Musix.
The Rs 60-crore television network, which runs Raj TV and Raj Digital Plus in Tamil, has embarked upon a Rs 100-crore expansion plan to increase the number of channels to seven, according to Mr M. Ravindran, the Director of the TV company.
Anouncing the launch of Vissa, Raj's Telugu channel on June 23, he told newspersons that Mr Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, would inaugurate the channel. The Chennai-based company has already invested Rs 15 crore so far on Vissa. "We will spend Rs 20-25 crore more in the coming years to acquire 250 films and create content," Mr R. Radhakrishnan, the Associate Vice-President (Sales & Marketing), said.
"We are expecting to break even in the first year itself as we did in Raj TV," he said.
Stating that the channel would stand out from the crowd by telecasting some innovative programmes, Mr Sumanth C. Paranji, the Vice-President (Planning), said there would be three news bulletins in Telugu and one in Hindi, each of 30 minutes duration.
Three months later, the Vissa programmes would be beamed in the US, UK and Canada as well.
20/06/03
Things very quiet! back tomorrow!
19/06/03
Another quiet day
New signals on Asiasat 4 cband? 1027 H , 1095 ? and 1260 V ?? those with Nokia might like to have a search?
Confederation Cup is on might be feeds somewhere.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Servicom
TNA Wrestling seen FTA
I701 CBand
3769 RHC
Channel 4
From the Dish
JCSAT 3 128E 3960 V SET News has left again, replaced by a test card.
Palapa C2 113E 3604 H "Smart FM" is still, Fta, APID 1213..
Palapa C2 113E 3760 H New FEC for the Global Vision mux: 7/8
Telkom 1 108E 3500 H "RRI Pro 2 FM" has started , Fta, APID 603.
AsiaSat 2 100.5E 3946 H "Sichuan TV" has started, Fta, SR 4420, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256.
ST 1 88E 3632 VAll channels in the TV Star mux are now Fta, except Rainbow Channel 1.
PAS 10 68.5E 3864 H "QTV" has started testing , PIDs 514/670.
NEWS
Russian military plans 35 satellite launches this year
From http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/2003/06/18/114095-ap.html
MOSCOW (AP) - Russian space forces plan to conduct 35 satellite launches this year in an effort to speed up modernization of the nation's satellite fleet, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday.
Ivanov said that eight of the planned launches have already been carried out, the Interfax-Military News Agency reported.
Russia currently has about 100 military and dual-purpose satellites, he said. Last year, Russia put 22 satellites into orbit.
By 2006-2008, half of all Russian satellites will be dual-purpose, Ivanov said.
Ivanov said that upgrading the satellite fleet was one of the top priorities of the military's modernization program. "Without a space component, we can't speak of military reform and the forming of up-to-date armed forces," he said during a visit to the RKK Energia space company.
Officials have particularly mentioned the need to modernize the Russian military's GLONASS satellite navigation system - the equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS. GLONASS, developed during the 1970s, originally had 24 satellites but the number has dwindled.
Russian Aerospace Agency chief Yuri Koptev warned last year that Russia was on the brink of losing GLONASS, which the military needs to obtain essential navigation services. He also said that over 80 per cent of the nation's military and civilian satellites had already served their designated lifetime.
Most Russian satellites were designed during the Soviet era and have a life span of just a few years, and the struggling space industry lacks the funds to develop longer-lasting space vehicles that would be more cost-efficient.
18/06/03
Thanks all that turned up in the chatroom. A few had trouble getting in, not sure why but it happens sometimes. Things are very quiet today not much news around or other activity to report.
Can someone take a look at the "Prima" channel on Palapa C2 and tell me what it is?
From my Email & ICQ
From Victor Holubecki
New channel in the TARBS Bouquet.
I think the frequency is 4090 V 21000 3/4
The new channel is labelled as TEFE.
From Dave Knight
I701
10975H
Sr 30000
Fec 3/4
All channels FTA 10:15am AEST.
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 12406 H "The Soundtrack Channel Pacific" has started, Fta, SR 4285, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256.
Palapa C2 113E 4080 H "Prima" has started regular transmissions, Fta, PIDs 516/654.
Yamal 102 90E 3564 R "Radio Energia" has started, Fta, APID 4190.
Yamal 102 90E 3719 L "Rambler TeleSet (+2h)" has started , Fta, SR 5070, FEC 3/4,PIDs 307/256.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3454 V A Raj Telugu promo has started , Fta, PIDs 515/680.
NEWS
Japan, Korea to share satellite for broadcasting
From http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EF18Dh01.html
TOKYO - Japan and South Korea plan to share a broadcast satellite that enables the viewing of television programs on a portable device, marking their first sharing of a broadcasting infrastructure.
Mobile Broadcasting Corp, in which Toshiba Corp has the leading share, will launch the satellite this year, and SK Telecom, which is planning to provide a similar service in South Korea, has decided to use it. The two companies have reached an agreement on the deal.
Initially, there was some opposition in South Korea to the use of a broadcasting system developed in Japan. This problem was resolved when the two companies explained to the concerned South Korean government agencies that the system is designed in such a way as to prevent the distribution of Japanese TV programs in South Korea. As early as next month, SK Telecom plans to set up a consortium to commercialize a mobile broadcasting business in South Korea.
It aims to launch the venture around April 2004, the same time that the Japanese version is slated to begin. Such firms as major electric appliance makers are expected to take part in the consortium. Mobile Broadcasting and SK Telecom intend to split the roughly 25 billion yen (US$212 million) in initial costs, including that of launching the satellite. But the ratio of cost-sharing has not yet been decided.
17/06/03
Livechat in the chatroom tonight 9pm NZ onwards, and 8.30pm Syd time
Tarb's is adding National Geographic channel to their service. Not much else to report today.
Insat 3A 93.5E added to the satellites page
From my Emails & ICQ
From Schippy75
Currently following channels are FTA on I701
11610H 30000 3/4
Disney Channel
Canal+
Euronews
MCM
TV 5 Asie
M6
Sport+
also Global Vision Test Patterns have returned to Palapa C2 on 3760H 28121 7/8
From the Dish
JCSAT 3 128E 3960 V SET News has replaced Buddhism TV, Fta, PIDs 1104/1105.SET International is encrypted again.
Palapa C2 113E 3760 H11 test cards have started, Fta, SR 28125, FEC 3/4.
Palapa C2 113E 4080 H "MTV Indonesia" is back on , Fta, PIDs 514/652.Kantor Berita Radio has left this mux.
Telkom 1 108E 3460 H The TelkomVision mux is encrypted again.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3920 H "Star Sports South East Asia" has left .(The other FTA is still there)
ST 1 88E 3632 V "Taiwan Music Channel, FTV News Channel, BBC World, CASA TV and PTV" are now Fta.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3545 V "Sanskar TV" is now Fta.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H New PIDs for Kairali Channel on : 3121/3122.
NEWS
Defence to upgrade HF radio network
From http://australianit.news.com.au
THE Australian Defence Force is moving ahead with a $589 million upgrade of its workhorse high-frequency radio communications network despite the bandwidth boost provided by launching the C1 satellite.
High-frequency radio and satellite are used for long range command and control and the distribution of intelligence.
The ADF describes high-frequency radio as an "essential complement" to satellite, acknowledging the C1 satellite shared with Optus won't address all the military's communications needs.
"Although high-frequency radio has a lower capacity to pass information than satellites, it has the advantages of being under national control, on Australian territory and covers a larger single geographical area than any single satellite," the ADF said in a paper on the project.
Ultimate ownership of the C1 satellite will rest with the Singapore government, through its SingTel telecommunications company, which also owns Optus.
However, the ADF denies the ownership of the C1 satellite is a specific concern.
Rather, a spokeswoman said, HF radio would always remain on ADF assets like navy ships or land vehicles, with land stations on Australian soil.
In contrast, satellites and their ground stations "may be subject to non-Australian control".
The ability of high-frequency radio to survive the rigours of battle conditions also meant it would remain an essential back-up system even as satellite availability increases.
The high-frequency modernisation project will rationalise the network of high-frequency radio stations to sites in Darwin, Townsville, North West Cape, and the Riverina region in NSW.
To be complete by the second half of 2004, the first "core" stage of the project will provide higher quality communications without the need for skilled operators.
Military radio operators also will be phased out in favour of civilian personnel.
Increased capacity will also be a feature of the new system.
Stage two will provide extra capabilities, such as automatic links establishment, secure voice, image and data services.
Upgrading equipment on ships, aircraft and land vehicles will be a part of the second stage, which is due to be completed in 2006-2007.
The upgrade will also work with a number of other Defence network projects, including a $700 million Battlespace Communications project for combat radio with integrated voice and data functions.
An operational concept document and request for tender for Battlespace are expected to be put by mid-year.
Sky ready to show House
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz
A plan for continuous television broadcasts of all parliamentary and some select committee sittings will be put to the Government.
Speaker Jonathan Hunt said yesterday that Sky TV was interested in running the broadcasts on a digital frequency, and talks had been held with the pay-TV operator. Sky broadcasts parliamentary question time, but that lasts only about an hour a day.
Mr Hunt and the Clerk of the House, Dave McGee, will put a proposal to Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey in the next two or three months for Parliament to provide a television feed of House sittings and, eventually, select committee hearings on important bills.
16/06/03
Asiasat 4 has started transmitting the Speedcast data service, good signals reported all through the coverage areas. No sign of any video services yet or KU band activity. Perhaps something on Ku to come this week?
Optus C1 for all those asking about it. It's not even geo-stationary yet don't expect any signals for at least a month! even longer before the pay tv providers get onboard. August has been mentioned in some places.
Be sure to checkout the FTA message forums (link on the left) they seem to be going well.
Reminder to those using Pas 2 Ihug in NZ, they will change Freq to 12610 H on Tuesday.
New issue of Satfacts is out, Items include KU LNBF testing, Optus C1 launch and details, Worldspace radio reception, 2.4Ghz band reception (Sband).
From my Emails & ICQ
From Steve Hume (Northern Queensland)
Asiasat 4 4120H Sr 27500 fec 3/4
On Humax Loads as "SpeedCast 5"
99% Sig
99% Quality
From Jsat (W.A)
Re: Asiasat 4
3 channels load as SPEEDCAST 3 / 1 AND 5.
90% on my nokia and 3m kti mesh ...
jeff
manjimup WA.
From Bassett
Big Signal on Hyundai 800 nothing loads.
loads one channel on Nokia "Speedcast 5" nothing plays.
North Coast, 2.4 solid dish,
From Servicom
Satellite : AsiaSat 4 122E
Location : Port Vila, Vanuatu
Freq : 4120H 27500 3/4
Signal : 90%
Quality : 85%
One Channel loads on an Emtech 300 with 3.7 Orbitron Mesh antenna.
From John Harrison
Reception report AS4 and Insat3A
Location Townsville
Emtech210b
AS4 4120H 27500 3/4 sig quality 97-98%
Insat3A 3890V 3500 3/4 sig quality 72-75%
Insat3A 3894V 3500 3/4 sig quality 80-82%
From Schippy
Location: Brisbane with a 2.3 Metre Mesh Dish.
Can Receive Snowy Pictures from Insat 3a
Analogue
3741V DD Punjab
3785V DD Jammu & Kashmir
3941V DD Maharashtra
4105V DD Gujarati
Digital
3800v 3950 3/4 (No Signal Quality)
3890v 3500 3/4 (34% Signal Quality, breaking up picture)
3894v 3500 3/4 (40% Signal Quality, with Picture Occasionally breaking up)
From Jsat (W.A)
Insat 3A
3960 V "DD mumbai feeds" Sr 5000 fec 3/4
comes in as DD SAHYADRI. 30% full lock with humax 3m kti mesh with split feed..
3894V 3500 3/4 40%
3890V 3500 3/4 20%.
jeff
manjimup WA
From the Dish
JCSAT 3 128E 3960 V "SET International" is now Fta.
AsiaSat 4 122E 4120 H "SpeedCast"' has started, SR 27500, FEC 3/4.
Palapa C2 113E 3604 H Smart FM has left .
Palapa C2 113E 4048 V New PIDs for SCTV: 2201/2202.
Palapa C2 113E 4080 H New PIDs for MTV Indonesia on : 517/655.
Yamal 102 90E 3595 L "Kultura Telekanal (+2h)" has started, Fta, SR 4285, FEC 3/4,PIDs 308/256.
PAS 10 68.5E 3836 V "The Big Brother Africa mosaic" is still Fta.
Telkom 1 108E 3460 H The TelkomVision mux is now Fta.
Telkom 1 108E 3500 H All TelkomVision channels are now Fta.
AsiaSat 2 100.5E 4020 V The test card has left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3671 H The RR Sat promo has left .New PIDs for Kairali Channel: 3137/3138.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3685 H "Indiavision" has left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3683 H "Indiavision" has started testing , Fta, SR 3333, FEC 3/4,PIDs 1160/1120.
NEWS
MEN hits back, says FTV defied Indian court
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/june/june95.htm
MUMBAI: Modi Entertainment Network, after an apparently failed attempt to patch up matters with Fashion TV, Paris, has issued a statement today claiming that the fashion channel has refused to recognise Indian courts and hitting out at FTV for breaching contract conditions.
Referring to the 19 May Delhi High Court order restraining FTV from entering into any third party agreements for distribution, advertising, merchandising and licensing rights and directing it to re-encrypt the channel's signal, MEN says that Fashion TV continues to violate the court's edict.
"Further, any Indian company or group of companies cannot get into any business arrangement with Fashion TV Paris directly for business purposes in India and SAARC region without the written consent of the Modi Group, and nor can Fashion TV Paris get into any business arrangement in India and the SAARC region without a consent from the Modi Group.
Any such business arrangement will be in direct violation of the Delhi High Court Order," claims MEN. Fashion TV has, in the last two months tied up with the Worldwide Channel for ad sales.
According to the statement, Modis and Fashion TV Paris got into a long-term arrangement not just for distribution, but as broadcast partners. MEN, says the statement, holds sole and exclusive rights for marketing, ad-sales, advertising, merchandising and licensing, including all copyrights for the region. The agreement does not allow Fashion TV Paris to get into any third party agreements without consent from the Modi Group and all agreements of any kind in India and the SAARC Region for Fashion TV have be entered into through or with the Modi Group.
Fashion TV on the other hand, has slammed MEN for going ahead with the setting up of the Fashion Bars without authorisation from the channels. An aggrieved MEN now claims that although Fashion TV India is the largest operation and the highest revenue generator for Fashion TV on distribution revenues as well as ad sales compared to any other office of Fashion TV worldwide, the channel did not recognise its contributin. 'On the Merchandising front too, the Fashion Bar was launched successfully in Bangalore and two others have been signed up and are under construction in less than a year’s time. The Modi Group has built a high equity for the Fashion TV brand in the region within a short span of two years, the only lasting relationship Fashion TV has ever had in India or elsewhere. Both the previous relationships Fashion TV had in India didn't last for long,' the statement says.
As part of the agreement, the Modi Group says it paid a fixed amount as deposit to be returned without any conditions within 18 months of getting into the agreement. Besides, Modis also paid a minimum guarantee on a monthly basis to Fashion TV Paris, which the Modi Group paid on time and without any default. However, Fashion TV Paris failed to honour their commitment of returning the fixed amount and after several reminders the Modi Group was left with no choice but to stop payment of the minimum guarantee and press for refund of the fixed amount, says the statement.
The channel, says MEN, paid no attention to its repeated requests and threatened to terminate the contract if the minimum guarantee for April 2003 wasn't cleared. In reality, says MEN, the channel owed the Modi Group the money and breached their contract by de-crypting the signal of Fashion TV making it "free-to-air".
After the failure of talks to resolve the dispute, FTV Paris did not refund the fixed amount as per the agreement, failed to re-encrypt the channel keeping it free-to-air, announced the same on their website inviting cable operators thus making the Modi Group lose distribution revenues from cable operators for both present and past collections and got into an agreement with Worldwide Channel to solicit advertisements, which is against the agreement between the two parties, says the statement.
(Craigs comment, this is why Fashion TV on Pas 10 is on and off and why the Asiasat 2 service is now a fta service.)
FTV to press civil, criminal charges against MEN
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/june/june94.htm
MUMBAI: Fashion TV has finally decied to act. In a statement issued yesterday in Paris, FTV has said it is preparing 'a civil criminal charge against Lalit Modi and Modi group in France and in India'.
According to the statement, the move to press charges was triggered when the fashion channel was informed that Modi Entertainment Network, which had a distribution agreement with FTV, 'was entering into agreements selling the 'Fashion Bars' concept to third parties'.
According to the release, FTV has been informed that 'MEN is collecting substantial advance payments of as much as $100 000 even though the agreement between MEN and Fashion TV has been terminated'.
While MEN, which has maintained a stoic silence these past two weeks after pressing charges against FTV for having entered into parallel ad sales agreement with the Worldwide Channel and starting a FTA feed on Asiasat 2, FTV now seems determined to get even with its former ally.
'Even during the validity of the agreement, Modi needed the express written permission to engage Fashion TV in long term partnerships or franchising agreements such as Fashion Bars. Legal counsels in Paris consider this act by Modi as fraud as Modi has never and does not have in the present day the right to sign such agreements and take deposit, advance payments and royalties,' the statement says.
MEN and Fashion TV had launched the Fashion Bar in Bangalore late last year as a means to promote brand loyalty and develop niche clientele among the upper crust. FTV promoter Michel Adam says, "We found out Lalit Modi has been doing this all the time, and that is why we terminated the agreement."
Fashion TV is now appealing the stay order form Delhi High Court claiming that 'information provided by Lalit Modi to obtain the injunction is full of lies'. The Delhi HC had earlier stayed Fashion TV from starting a parallel FTA feed.
The channel has openly declared war with MEN, advising 'all interested parties to verify their commercial relationship between MODI Group and Fashion TV with their legal counsels.'
The ball now seems to be back in the Modis' court.
T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 24/2003 15 June 2003 -
A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic
Edited Apsattv.com Edition
A S I A
CASBAA PUBLISHES PAY-TV AND BROADBAND FIGURES
Asia's Cable TV system operators, satellite platform operators, equipment suppliers and content providers have reason to take an optimistic view of 2003, according to the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA). In Hong Kong, dominant cable operator I-Cable Communications has signed 10,000 new cable subscribers in the first three months of this year, taking its total subscriber base to 620,000 with a target of 650,000 by year-end. I-Cable also has 250,000 broadband subscribers. I-Cable has announced a new carriage agreement in China for its Horizon entertainment and cultural channel in three-star and above hotels and foreign compounds via the SinoSat platform. TVB, a Hong Kong based satellite operator, will be launching on November 2003. The launch package will comprise 24 channels with at least four channels supplied by 49 per cent investor TVB. The Galaxy package should increase to 40 channels within 18 months of the launch and will be distributed via satellite capacity leased from TVB Galaxy partner and Intelsat. Also in Hong Kong, ADSL-based VOD platform operator Yes Television continues to sign new content deals recently adding a Playboy adult service to its line-up alongside Channel NewsAsia, The Soundtrack Channel and soccer service MUTV (Manchester United Television). Yes has also announced a deal to deliver content to broadband companies Hutchison Global Communications and Powercom. In Japan, satellite platform operator SkyPerfect TV reports that it will move into profit next year and now has 3.4 million subscribers (with 3 million DTH subs) and has exceeded its break even point with taxable profits set to begin rolling in March 2004. Singapore's StarHub CableVision has announced that it had attracted 362,000 cable subscribers as of the end of April along with 110,000 cable modem subscribers. StarHub says it should hit the 400,000 subscriber mark by the end of 2003. In Malaysia, local DTH platform operator Astro, which is controlled by Measat Broadcast Network Systems (MBNS), announced that it now has one million subscribers to its package of 40 television channels. On the channel performance front the Indian focused STAR Plus channel contribution to the quarterly results of parent company News Corp. STAR Group Advertising revenues increased by 12 per cent.
AUSTRALIA
GOVERNMENT WANTS MEDIA RULES CHANGES
The Australian government has confirmed it will push ahead with its contentious media ownership legislation. The bill was delayed from a March vote after key independent parliamentarians warned the government that changes were needed to win their support. Currently newspaper, radio and TV companies are limited to owning 15% of other media in the same city, and foreign companies capped at 15% of any TV company. The new bill could allow companies to own two media outlets in any one city and raise foreign ownership caps.
BANGLADESH
BANGLADESH PLANS TO ROOT OUT LICENSE EVADERS
Under proposals presented to the Bangladesh parliament on June 12 by Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman, the licence fee for a radio set will be abolished. At the same time, Rahman proposed that the TV licence fee for three years should be paid by those purchasing a TV set. Many TV set owners in Bangladesh do not bother to pay their annual licence fee, except when they first buy a set.
CHINA - HONG KONG
GOVERNMENT WANTS FOREIGN LOGOS OFF
Chinese plans to roll out a national cable TV network are being hampered by a series of barriers including protests by western channel providers against Beijing’s insistence that they remove their logos from programmes in order to gain carriage. The national cable network is owned by the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television (Sarft) and it plans to reach 30 million subscribers by 2005 using a network separate to the hundreds of provincial and urban systems. Sarft wants to use high-class programming to draw subscribers, but at the same time it does not want to allow foreigners to gain too much presence in the market. That’s why it has told prospective content suppliers that they will have to remove logos if they want carriage. The content providers have baulked at the demand, saying that it will handicap their opportunity to build a brand in the largest market in the world.
SUN MEDIA LOSSES WIDEN
Sun Media Group, a Hong Kong-based cable and satellite broadcaster, has announced its net losses widened five fold in the year to March 31 to reach HK$364.8 million. The 1996, attributed the poor performance to intense competition in news media, with revenue falling 25.3% to HK$184.5 million.
INDIA
PAY-TV OPERATORS GIVEN MORE TIME TO ANNOUNCE RATES
The government of India has offered a significant concession to pay TV broadcasters on the issue of channel pricing by giving them some more time to announce rates. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had earlier said that broadcasters should have their pay channel pricing mechanism in place by June 10 so as to facilitate the cable service providers announcing their rate cards by the June 15. Big players such as Sony, Zee and Star are nervous viewers will reject higher subscription prices and advertising revenue will decline in line with audiences. Currently 75 per cent of their revenue comes from advertising. Under the government sponsored CAS scheme free-to-air channels will be available at a regulated low fee - although prices are still set to rise from of $3.3 to over $5. Not surprisingly may are calling for a delay in implementation and meanwhile it is an open secret Zee and Star are accelerating plans for DTH to circumvent the CAS restrictions.
JAPAN
SATELLITE VIEWERS ON THE INCREASE
The number of Japanese homes taking digital BS services reached 3.66 million at the end of 2002, up 180,000 in December. The Japan Broadcasting Corp. said 1.9 million took the service via satellite while 1.76 million received it via cable.
MONGOLIA
CHRISTIAN TV CHANNEL OFF THE AIR
An eight-year old Christian TV station in Mongolia which claimed huge viewing figures has closed down after a row between its US and Mongolian partners over financing and management. Eagle TV was the result of an unlikely alliance between born-again Christians from South Dakota and the Mongolian government. Its aim was to advance freedom and democracy in Mongolia, as well as promoting the Gospel in the former Communist state, whose people are mostly Buddhist. It claims to have converted 2,500 Mongolians to Christianity. The Mongolian government, keen to establish Western-style broadcasting in the country, granted Eagle TV a licence in October 1995, and the station initially went on the air as a CNN relay. Over the years, along with American-style evangelism, Eagle TV had brought Mongolia "The Flintstones," live coverage of the Iraq war and NBA basketball games.
NEW ZEALAND
TVNZ SPLIT BY TAX ISSUES
Taxation issues will delay the split-up of Television New Zealand Limited (TVNZ) until December, the New Zealand Herald has reported. The newspaper quoted Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey as saying: “The split-up was to have taken place on July 1. More time was needed to allow officials time to work through commercially sensitive taxation issues." TVNZ is to split into two companies - a television company (TVNZ) and a new transmission company (Transmission Holdings Limited), a separate state-owned enterprise. The split will take place under a law that established a charter for TVNZ, restoring its public broadcasting objectives. Under the law, passed in February, it is required to balance its commercial performance with a set of public broadcasting objectives set out in the charter. These include making more high quality local programmes.
PAKISTAN
PRESSURE FOR BAN ON TV CHANNELS TO BE LIFTED
The Secretary General of the Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy has demanded that both governments lift a ban on each other’s satellite channels. The Secretary General of the Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy, Qaisar Khan, has demanded that the governments of India and Pakistan lift a ban on each other’s satellite channels. The secretary general, also an advocate, said the government of both countries should allow the import of newspapers and magazines by lifting all kinds of restrictions on them. He also called for mutual visits of journalists to both countries, adding that the governments should facilitate and encourage them.
SOUTH KOREA
SKYLIFE AND NDS LAUNCH MHP INTERACTIVE TV
SkyLife which claims to be the sole provider of digital satellite broadcasting services in Korea, has launched the SkyTouch interactive TV service. The SkyTouch interactive broadcast is DVB-MHP compliant, a next generation digital broadcasting standard endorsed as the standard in Korea by the Ministry of Information and Communications. SkyLife states that it was one of the world's first satellite pay-TV operators to launch MHP broadcasts with conditional access. An official release informs that the SkyTouch MHP iTV service is based on NDS VideoGuard conditional access, Alticast middleware and SkyLife Smart Box 2.0 set-top boxes manufactured by LG Electronics and Samsung. The SkyTouch iTV package includes interactive services in four genres and 14 categories. Subscribers can play iTV games, educational quizzes, and check their fortune. In addition, subscribers can also receive real-time data iTV services such as weather forecasts, stock trading data and real estate prices.
THAILAND
VH-1 LAUNCHES WITH UBC
VH1, the more mature offspring of MTV Networks, takes its first tentative step in Asia with a debut in Asia this month. VH1 will appear in Thailand as a 24-hour channel on UBC's Channel 50 and daily programme belts on MTV Southeast Asia and MTV Philippines, with an estimated reach of over 17 million households.
15/06/03
Sunday no update
14/06/03
Sorry no update today back Monday, I have loads of things to get done today including installing some new hardware so I hope that there won't be any installations disasters!.
13/06/03
I have tried to keep the C1 news items under control and just stick to the items that have newer details.
Good to see many are having success with Insat 3A at 93.5E.
From my Emails & ICQ
From Ian Peters
Insat 3A 93.5E
2.4m solid Perth, Humax F1-Ace
3890V sr 3500 fec 3/4 "Channel Guide India"
Signal locked but bad bad reception. 16% signal quality. Seems to be a channel guide. Comes up as:OB-333SINGA 3889V Sr3500 FEC3/4
3894 V sr 3500 Fec 3/4 "Lashkara"
Signal locked, 26% signal quality "Lakshara Test Transmission" scrolls across bottom of screen, plays non descript Indian footage/music.
From Rudino Penny
craig,
Insat3a 93.5E
Recieving all analoge channels clear here in Port Hedland W.A
3741V-Punjab
3785V-Kasmir
3941V-Maharashtra
4105V-Gujarati
Recieving Channel Guide India and also Lashkara Digitals with 95% signal strength on pacific sat reciever
Using 3m mesh dish.
From the Dish
Thaicom 1A 120E 3875 V "Nation Channel" has left .
Palapa C2 113E 4048 V New PIDs for SCTV : 308/256.
Palapa C2 113E 4160 H The TV 5 Asie info card has left (PAL).
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 4090 V "PTV National" has started regular transmissions Fta, SR 6666,FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256.
Insat 3A 93.5E 3800 V "DD Jammu & Kashmir" has started , Fta, SR 3940, FEC 3/4,PIDs 308/256.
Insat 3A 93.5E 3890 V "Channel Guide India" has started, Fta, SR 3500, FEC 3/4, PIDs 4194/4195.
Insat 3A 93.5E 3894 V "Lashkara" has started, Fta, SR 3500, FEC 3/4, PIDs 318/256.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3454 V "Raj Music" has started regular transmissions, Fta, PIDs 514/670.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3551 H "TCT World" is back, Fta, PIDs 513/514.
PAS 10 68.5E 3836 V "Big Brother Africa" mosaic is now encrypted.
PAS 10 68.5E 3863 V "Fashion TV" is now Fta.
NEWS
Satellite boosts Defence bandwidth
From http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6584487%255E15306,00.html
THE launch of the C1 satellite shared by Optus and the Australian Defence Force will help the military meet its ever growing bandwidth needs, senior Defence officials said.
The C1 satellite, launched from French Guiana by Europe's Arianespace, is jointly funded by Optus and the Australian Defence Force. Its payload is split between separate systems catering to military and commercial needs.
Full operation of the satellite will begin in September, with Defence use commencing in late July. Defence will use the satellite for X, Ka and UHF band communications. Coverage ranges from Christmas Island to Hawaii.
Satellite is ideal for military use, providing robust, high bandwidth connections to remote locations.
Military communications are growing in volume and complexity and the C1 the satellite will be used for day to day defence operations, as well as for operational deployments, the ADF's director communications systems, electronic systems division, David Marshall said.
He said the "theatre broadcast system" being introduced by Defence was a good example of the increased bandwidth requirement. The system, being developed by Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), was the most advanced of its kind in the world, he said.
The system allows video and other information to be transmitted from the field to "anyone who has the capability to receive it," Mr Marshall said. "So we can provide situational awareness and briefings direct to the people that need it."
The ADF will also provide forces in the field with new communications terminals that will allow them to transmit information back to command and control bases. The project, valued at between $100 million and $150 million, has already seen a number of portable communications terminals upgraded.
Satellite not only helped defence meet its bandwidth requirements, but was an increasingly cost effective option. Satellite data costs had effectively halved over the past few years, Mr Marshall said.
"What we have done with Optus, in sharing the cost of launching has enabled us to put this capability up far more cheaply than we could have otherwise done," he said.
Defence Materiel Organisation head of electronic systems division Shireane McKinnie said the military systems on the satellite were protected by a number of deeds, signed by Optus and its Singapore-government owned parent Singtel.
The deeds require Optus to seek approval for some changes to the satellites and also protect classified US technology carried on board. Optus staff dealing with the satellite are subject to defence security checks. Singtel and Optus are also bound by the terms of an export licence agreement.
"The experience to date has been that Optus and Singtel have acted in accordance with the deeds," she said.
The ADF acknowledged that the launch of the satellite involved some risk. "Although the C1 satellite is insured, damage or loss of the satellite during launch or initial operations will significantly delay the fielding of new satellite communications capabilities for defence," it said before the launch.
AUSTAR welcomes successful satellite launch
From Press Release
Austar United Communications (AUSTAR) welcomed today’s successful launch of Optus’ new C1 satellite, to which AUSTAR expects to migrate its television services towards the end of the year.
When AUSTAR’s services are migrated to the new satellite, its coverage area will increase significantly, enabling more than 200,000 new homes in regional and rural Australia to access its satellite television service using a standard satellite dish. This means that places such as Tasmania, North Queensland and Western NSW that cannot receive AUSTAR’s digital satellite service today will soon be able to do so.
In total, AUSTAR’s service area will be increased to approximately 2.3 million homes as a result of migrating services to the new satellite.
AUSTAR’s CEO, Mr John Porter said, “AUSTAR congratulates Optus, Arianespace and all others involved in ensuring the success of today’s launch. We have enjoyed working with Optus over the past years and are excited by the prospects of migrating our TV services over to the new satellite platform by the end of the year, following a period of intensive provisioning and testing.
“We are particularly pleased that some 200,000 regional households that cannot receive the AUSTAR satellite service with a standard roof-top dish today will soon be able to do so. This means crystal clear digital pictures and sound will be available to many who cannot even receive a decent free to air signal today.
“We look forward to working in partnership with Foxtel, who will be managing the new satellite platform, to develop and grow the digital television channel offering provided to our customers in the coming years. AUSTAR is committed to ensuring we continue to provide regional Australians with a subscription television service that is equal to, or better than, that provided to their metropolitan peers,” Mr Porter said.
Subscribers to AUSTAR’s wireless cable service will also be converted to the satellite service, providing them with a broader range of channels, by the end of 2003. Migration to the new satellite will not interrupt services.
The satellite was launched by Arianespace using the Ariane 5 Generic launcher from the Spaceport in French Guiana. For more information on Arianespace and the launch of the C1 satellite, please visit www.arianespace.com.
Optus satellites help New Zealanders rest assured
From http://www.talksatellite.com/Asia148.htm
Optus has won a major satellite deal with New Zealand’s Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences Limited (IGNS).
The five-year contract will see Optus provide IGNS with satellite data services to aid in the research of natural hazards. IGNS will use Optus’ Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) SatWeb network to monitor and send data that will contribute to an early warning system for earthquakes in New Zealand.
Managing Director Optus Wholesale, Warren Hardy said the deal reaffirmed Optus’ position as the leading satellite provider in Asia-Pacific.
"Optus’ satellite footprint allows us to provide IGNS with real time connectivity to its 40 remote site across New Zealand.
"These sites are very difficult to reach through any other infrastructure. We are providing services via small satellite dishes and working towards improving the safety of the communities." he said.
Optus’ expertise in satellite solutions has been well demonstrated in regional Australia. The company has established and delivered distance learning solutions via satellite to rural and remote communities in New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
"We can offer similar solutions for New Zealand which has been demonstrated through our agreement with IGNS," Mr Hardy said.
Optus will provide this service using the Gilat Networks 360E VSAT system, which enables interactive data to be carried over the Optus SatWeb network.
Optus will work with IGNS and the Earthquake Commission to roll out the system in phases over the next few years.
Third Satellite in BSAT-2 Series to Provide Video Distribution Services For Japan
From http://www.talksatellite.com/Asia150.htm
60-Day Post-Launch Checkout Procedure Now Underway Prior to In-Orbit Delivery to Customer
BSAT-2c geosynchronous orbit (GEO) communications satellite the company built for Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) of Japan was successfully launched aboard an Ariane 5 rocket on Wednesday, June 11, 2003. The mission originated from the Arianespace launch complex in Kourou, French Guiana at approximately 6:38 p.m. (EDT). The BSAT-2c satellite was deployed into a transfer orbit about 35 minutes later. Initial communications with the satellite have been established and it is performing as expected in the early stages of the mission. The BSAT-2c satellite is the third spacecraft Orbital has built for B-SAT and the sixth GEO spacecraft Orbital has launched, each of them carried aboard an Ariane rocket.
Over the next several days, BSAT-2c will perform a series of orbit raising “burns” of its on-board rocket motor to achieve a circular orbit approximately 22,300 miles above the Earth. For several weeks afterward, a team of Orbital and B-SAT engineers will conduct a comprehensive series of tests to ensure the readiness of the spacecraft for final hand-over to B-SAT, which is currently scheduled to occur in mid-August.
The BSAT-2c satellite will operate in Ku-band frequencies from its orbital location at 110 degrees East longitude. The spacecraft is optimized for a 10-year design life and will provide additional capacity for B-SAT’s satellite network over Japan.
ESS signs deal to bring live cricket to Indonesia
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/june/june90.htm
MUMBAI: To feed the appetite of cricket fans in Indonesia, ESPN STAR Sports and Kablevision jointly announced that they had reached an agreement to bring the 'best of Live ESPN STAR Sports cricket' to fans in the country.
This announcement follows the launch of a similar service on CABLE TV in Hong Kong a month earlier.
International cricket matches which will be carried on Channel 53 (Best of ESPN STAR Sports Cricket) are taken from a combination of cricket matches on the India feeds of both ESPN and STAR Sports channels. Original commentary in English will be provided.
While not a full 24-hour service, the new cricket channel will provide comprehensive event coverage of test matches as well as triangular and one-day internationals.
(Craigs comment, the interesting thing about this is an announcement a few days ago that Kablevision will offer a 35 channel DTH pay tv service via a Palapa C series satellite. Which must be Palapa C2 , Cband??? stay tuned!)
12/06/03
Wahoo! finally C1 is up! I ended up watching it on Sky News their coverage was pretty good.
There is a ton of items around today about the C1 launch, I have tried to select just the best of them without repeating to much of the info.
Screenshots from J.H (note these are thumbnails as always click on them for the full size pic)
From my Emails & ICQ
From Jsat (W.A)
Insat 3a 93.5E
4105 V "DD Gujarati"..analog
P4 best so far in manjimup WA.
regards jeff
From the Dish
Telkom 1108E 4095 H "Radio Sonora FM" has started , Fta, APID 257.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3880 H The test cards have left .
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3920 H "Star Sports South East Asia" has started, Videoguard, SID 1463, PIDs 513/644-645.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3920 H "Star Sports Asia" is still Fta (NTSC).
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3940 VAll STAR TV channels have left .
Insat 3A 93.5E 3888 V "India Guide" ?? Sr 3498 Fec 3/4
Insat 3A 93.5E 3896 V "Lashkara"?? Sr 3500 Fec 3/4?
Yamal 102 90E 3645 L "Sport" has started regular transmissions fta, PIDs 701/702.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3454 V "A Raj Telugu test card" has started , Fta, PIDs 515/680.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3551 H "TCT World" has left , moved to 3671 H.
Insat 3C 74E 3781 V "DD Maharashtra" has left (PAL), moved to Insat 3A.
Insat 3C 74E 3869 V "DD Gujarati" has left (PAL), moved to Insat 3A.
(Keep those DX reports coming in, for the Insat at 93.5E)
NEWS
Arianespace Flight 161 News Release
From website
A successful mission for Australia and Japan
Kourou, French Guiana, June 11, 2003 - Arianespace today orbited two geostationary communications satellites: Optus and Defence C1 for the Australian operator Optus and the Australian Department of Defence, and BSAT-2c for the Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) of Japan under terms of a turnkey contract with Orbital Sciences Corporation of the United States.
Twelfth successful launch
With its 12th successful mission, the Ariane 5 Generic launcher confirmed its technical and operational maturity.
This latest success comes two months after the previous Ariane 5 flight -- which also orbited a dual-satellite payload, and less than 10 days after Starsem's successful Soyuz commercial mission with the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft.
Several days prior to launch, a ministerial-level ESA Council meeting authorized the Ariane 5 support plan and approved construction of a Soyuz launch pad at the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport. These decisions give Arianespace the means to operate a full range of launch vehicles that respond to all client requirements.
Prestigious customers: Australia, Japan and the United States The choice of Ariane by major space telecom manufacturers and operators in the United States, Japan and Australia clearly reflects international recognition of Arianespace's top-flight launch service.
Optus and Defence C1 is the second Australian satellite to be launched by Ariane.In September 1987, Ariane orbited the Aussat K3 satellite, while Singtel --the parent company of operator Optus -- had its ST-1 spacecraft launch by Ariane in 1998.
BSAT-2c is the 19 satellite launched by Ariane for Japan, and the fifth for telecom operator B-SAT -- following BSAT-1a on Flight 95, BSAT-1b on Flight108, and BSAT-2a and BSAT-2b on Flights 140 and 142. BSAT-2C is the fifth satellite built by Orbital Sciences Corporation to be launched by Arianespace using an Ariane 5 since March 2001.
Flight 161 at a glance
Flight 161 was carried out by an Ariane 5 Generic launcher from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff was on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 at 6:36 p.m.local time in Kourou (21H36 GMT, 5:36 p.m. in Washington, D.C., 11:36 pm in Paris, and on June 12 at 6:36 am in Tokyo and 7:36 am in Sydney). Provisional parameters at injection of the storable propellant upper stage were: Perigee: XXX km for a target of 590 km (±4 km) Apogee: XXX km for a target of 35,736 km (±260 km) Inclination: XXX degrees for a target of 7.00 degrees (±0.07°)
Optus and Defence C1: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan is the prime contractor, and is responsible for all communications systems. Space Systems Loral of the United States designed, assembled and integrated the bus and satellite
system.
Weighing about 4,725 kg at liftoff, it will be positioned at 156 degrees East. Equipped with 24 Ku-band transponders, it will provide commercial communications services for Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Hawaii. It also carries 4 X-band transponders, 4 Ku-band transponders and 6 UHF channels to provide dedicated links for the Australian Department of Defence.
Built by Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Virginia using the Star-1 platform, BSAT-2c weighed 1,275 kg at liftoff. It will be positioned at 110 degrees East. Equipped with 4 Ku-band transponders, it will provide direct TV broadcast services throughout Japan over its design life of 10 years. Over 16 million households receive programs broadcast by the B-SAT satellite.
Optus satellite a blast for pay-TV
From http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6580520%255E15306,00.html
THE long-awaited $500 million Optus/Department of Defence C1 satellite was launched this morning from French Guiana in South America, opening the skies for the $600 million deployment of digital pay-TV in Australia.
Optus is already planning for its next satellite, or an equivalent amount of bought or leased satellite space, to be ready to fly in 2005/06, Optus chief executive Chris Anderson told The Australian.
"We have already put a request for tender into the market," he said.
The first in the so-called "C" series of satellites, a joint venture with the Department of Defence, will be launched by French company Arianespace and give Optus a one-off revenue boost of about $250 million this financial year (ended March 31), which is allowed under the accounting rules for such projects.
At least $40 million in extra annual sales will stem from the company's deal to lease 14 transponders to Foxtel, with more expected from the six spare transponders. This will push Optus's satellite business to over $200 million a year, according to UBS analyst Tim Smeallie.
But the entry of new satellite companies, such as the Netherlands-based New Skies, could drive prices down, Mr Smeallie warned.
Satellite lies at the very core of Optus's existence and the company sees the technology as a key differentiator to Telstra, which owns no satellites.
As part of the successful bid to grab Australia's second telco carrier licence in 1991, the initial investors in Optus, largely UK telco Cable & Wireless and Atlanta, US-based "baby Bell" Bell South, scored the birds of Aussat which had been government-owned since its formation in 1981.
Foxtel plans to use the Optus satellite to broadcast up to 120 channels of digital television which it is hoping to launch in the first half of 2004, Foxtel spokesman Mark Furness said.
The pay-TV giant plans to make as many as 200 channels available one year after its initial launch.
The $600 million digitisation cost covers the cable and satellite transformation of the Foxtel business, Mr Furness said.
Telecommunications companies are drastically reducing their capital expenditure, and with a failed $200 million interactive TV experiment still looming large in its consciousness, Optus is likely to buy digital TV from Foxtel in much the same way as it now buys existing subscription television services.
The lead times for satellites are extremely long.
Mr Anderson said he first took the proposal to the Optus board in August 1999.
"Honestly, mate, you take a punt," Mr Anderson said. "Then we didn't have the Foxtel deal in our pocket."
But the defence deal gave the company as much financial comfort as it could legitimately have hoped for.
Still, satellite launching has proven to be one of the more inexact sciences in modern day telecommunications.
In the early 90s, the Optus B1 satellite was the victim of a more-than-occasional launch-pad disaster
Aussie satellite launched
From http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/06/12/1055220691566.html
A European Space Agency (ESA) Ariane-5 rocket was launched at the Kourou space base in French Guiana, taking two satellites into orbit for Australian and Japanese customers.
Liftoff was at 2238 GMT (0838 AEST), the the marketing company Arianespace said.
The satellites, which will take up slots in geostationary orbit, were the 1.275-tonne BSAT-2c for Japan's B-SAT satellite operators, and the 4.725-tonne Optus and Defence C1, whose capacity has been divided up between the Australian civilian operator Optus and the Australian Department of Defence.
Arianespace used a so-called Generic, or standard version, of the Ariane-5.
An uprated version of this rocket, the Ariane-5 ECA, capable of hoisting a 10-tonne payload into orbit, has been placed on ice after a disastrous failed maiden launch last December.
ESA is spending a total of $US330 million euro ($A500m) to fix the ECA's design flaw, carry out other modifications and conduct two test launches.
Optus chief operating officer Paul O'Sullivan said the successful launch of C1 reaffirmed Optus' position as Australia's leading satellite operator.
"The demand for satellite communications services is growing strongly - for direct to home subscription television, for remote and rural communications, and for broadband," he said.
It has a life span of 15 years and is the fourth satellite in Optus' fleet.
Mr O'Sullivan said Optus was launching C1 to provide the additional satellite capacity that Australia needed.
Fifty per cent of the C1 satellite's payload is allocated to the Department of Defence.
The balance will be used by Optus to increase its capacity to deliver broadcast services, high speed internet and voice and data communications across Australia and into Asia, Optus said.
Mr O'Sullivan said C1 would contribute significantly to Optus' bottom line. He said launch revenues from C1 would be $250 million and Optus would receive an additional $40 million a year from the sale of C1 transponder capacity to Foxtel.
Optus parent Singapore Telecommunications Ltd said the C1 satellite was the largest hybrid communications and military satellite ever launched.
Satellites up for SingTel, Japan
From http://edition.cnn.com/2003/BUSINESS/06/11/japan.satellites/
Arianespace has more than half the commercial satellite launch market.
(CNN) -- European launcher Arianespace has confirmed the successful launch of two satellites for Singapore Telecommunications and Japan's Broadcasting Satellite System Corp (B-SAT).
The communications satellites were aboard an Ariane 5G rocket which made a successful liftoff at 7.38 am Thursday Tokyo time (2238GMT Wednesday) from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.
SingTel said Thursday its Australian subsidiary Optus had launched the Aust. $500 million ($330 million) C1 hybrid communications/military satellite, which is jointly funded by Optus and the Australian Department of Defence.
Half the satellite's payload is for military use, and half for television broadcasts, high-speed Internet services and voice and data communications across Australia and part of Asia.
Australian defense minister Robert Hill said the C1 satellite would have two separate payloads operated independently to ensure there was no mix-up of data between its defense and commercial applications.
The C1 satellite will have a lifespan of 15 years and has 24 commercial transponders to provide coverage for Australia, New Zealand and East Asia. It also has eight transponders and six UHF channels for defense communications.
Optus chief operating officer Paul O'Sullivan said Optus would get A$250 million in launch revenue and an extra A$40 million a year from the sale of transponder capacity to Foxtel, the Australian subscription television provider.
Arianespace said its successful launch of BSAT-2c aboard the same Ariane 5G rocket was its fifth for telecom operator B-SAT and its 19th overall for Japanese clients.
The BSAT-2c satellite has four transponders and is designed to provide direct TV broadcasts to Japanese households over a 10-year lifespan. It was built by Orbital Sciences Corp of the United States.
B-SAT is owned 49 percent by Japan's public broadcaster NHK and the remainder by six commercial television networks.
SingTel has interests in Intelsat, Immarsat and Hong Kong-based APT Satellite. It also co-owns the ST-1 satellite launched in 1998 with a footprint that covers most of Asia.
Morning lights were 'daytime fireball'
From www.stuff.co.nz
Auckland Observatory says light in the sky this morning was space debris entering the atmosphere
Astronomers have labelled the object that streaked across our skies this morning a "day-time fireball."
Residents from Auckland to Christchurch witnessed the phenomenon. One said it was luminous green, surrounded by red sparks, with a white tail, and about as big as a moon.
Auckland Observatory spokeswoman Jenny McCormick says it was space debris entering the atmosphere.
She says the bright colours suggest different elements burning up, so it may have been human space junk.
Jenny McCormick asks people who saw the fireball to give the observatory a call. She says the pieces that fall to earth are not radioactive, and can be worth a lot of money.
A North Canterbury woman claims she saw a piece of it land behind a bush.
But Carter Observatory astronomer Richard Hall says even though the lights looked like they were landing just over the hill they were probably hundreds of kilometres away.
(Craigs comment, This story was reported in NZ newspapers today, nothing to do with C1 of course but kind of an amusing coincidence)
Broadcasters beat pirates in court
From http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/Weekly2003/06.10.2003/HongKong10.htm
Broadcasters including Star TV, CNN and ESPN yesterday claimed a victory in the war against pay TV piracy, with the Court of First Instance upholding their case against several Hong Kong companies accused of providing unlicensed satellite services.
The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa), representing the broadcasters, described the judgment handed down by Deputy Judge David Gill on May 2 and announced yesterday as a "landmark decision".
"As an industry we have long been concerned about the spread of pay TV piracy in Hong Kong. We've seen piracy come close to destroying the domestic movie industry and we are determined that we will not be pushed into that position," the association's chief executive officer, Simon Twiston Davies, said.
"There are an estimated 70,000 unauthorised connections in Hong Kong, which is supposed to be a showcase for the rest of the region. This is extremely damaging for Hong Kong in terms of costing the industry a large amount of money and damaging [the potential for] investment."
He added that the industry was "greatly encouraged" by the court's ruling.
The six channels that sued were Star TV (Star Movies and Star World), CNN and CNN International, the Turner Entertainment Network (Cartoon Network), ESPN and Star Sports, Discovery Channel and NGC Network (Adventure One and National Geographic).
The channels filed a writ against five companies last October for importing and trading in unlicensed satellite signal decoders.
Two of the defendants, Alpha Communications Technology and a director of the company, Andy Yeung Chun-wah, reached an agreement with the broadcasters before the hearing.
The remaining defendants named in the writ are Gamestar Technology, JP Technology, Tongyong Youhe Ltd and company director Li Ka-siu and Yau Po Satellite Company.
One of the most popular satellite services is the UBC signal from Thailand, with many armchair soccer fans installing dishes to watch the UEFA Champions League on UBC after Cable TV lost broadcast rights to the tournament for two seasons.
In passing judgment, Deputy Judge Gill said that by transferring a decoder intended for use outside Hong Kong to a customer in Hong Kong, the companies had breached the broadcasters' copyright.
"It is no answer for [the defendants] to deny all knowledge of the position as to licences. One is either licensed or one is not; the defendants are quite obviously not," he said.
The court granted an injunction against the use of the decoders, satellite dishes and smart cards associated with the illegal broadcasts and found the broadcasters were entitled to an inquiry into damages.
Cable TV external affairs manager Garman Chan Ka-yiu said the court's decision was a step in the right direction.
"We welcome any measure that will help us combat the problem [of piracy]. What we are looking for now is for legislation to be further tightened up to be an effective deterrent," he said.
Mr Chan said Cable's network already covered 1.97 million households, or more than 95 per cent of Hong Kong.
Two new relay stations had been completed last year and negotiations were under way for a third at the University of Science and Technology's Clearwater Bay campus or at an alternate site. Viewers in outlying areas, such as Clearwater Bay and Sai Kung, are now unable to receive Cable TV.
Mr Twiston Davies said while he was not unsympathetic to the plight of people living in these areas, there appeared to be "some confusion" that pay television was somehow a human right, rather than a commercial product that had to be paid for and properly funded.
He noted that TVB's Galaxy project would be available in the next few months, providing more broadcasting options. .
11/06/03
Tomorrow may be turn out to be very disappointing it would seem that Optus have embargoed the live broadcast of the launch of C1. I have appealed to both Optus and Globecast for at least delayed coverage of this historic event. So if Globecast or Optus are reading this, come on fella's we would really like to see it launch as well!! Please try to at least let us all join in on the launch as well
Anyway Optus good luck with the C1 launch from all users of Apsattv.com
State of Origin tonight, Live on Star Sports Asiasat 3?
From my Emails & ICQ
From Chris Pickstock
Star Sports digital on Asiasat 3 has switched from Pal to NTSC. Boo Hiss
Chris
From the Dish
Insat 3A 93.5E 4105 V "DD Gujarati" has started, PAL, 5.50 MHz. (Any luck in W.A?)
NEWS
Dishing it up
From http://afr.com/property/2003/06/11/FFXIVBGSQGD.html
Councils throughout Victoria have lost control of the installation of home satellite dishes after a decision by the state's planning tribunal.
While some TV dishes may be considered unsightly, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal said they no longer required a planning permit.
Phillip Nolan, senior associate of national law firm Hunt & Hunt, said the decision was contrary to previous practice, where home owners applied to councils for the right to erect the dishes.
The Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment is seeking legal advice over the ruling, which the Municipal Association of Victoria said left councils with no control over the size or location of TV dishes in residential areas.
Mr Nolan said the VCAT decision was made after a Glen Waverley home owner was refused a planning permit by Monash City Council for a dish 2.3 metres in diameter and 5.4 metres high. It was used to pick up Greek television.
VCAT said the dish was ancillary to the house, like a barbeque or clothes line, and therefore did not need a permit.
MAV planning adviser Matthew Evans said councils believed a permit was necessary for large TV dishes because they were dealt with as telecommunications infrastructure under the state's planning scheme. Mr Evans said the ruling was contrary to previous VCAT decisions, leaving home owners and councils confused.
(Craigs comment, Great news looks like a win for Cbanders in Victoria! get those 5 meter mesh monsters up!)
Satellite flies out of the east
From http://www.e4engineering.com/item.asp?id=44284
Alcatel Space has signed a $118 million contract with APT Satellite Holdings Limited (APT), a satellite operator in the Asia Pacific region, to design, manufacture and deliver a telecommunication satellite and its associated ground segment.
Alcatel Space will supply its SB4000 geo-stationary telecommunications satellite for APT's future APSTAR VB project.
With 50 Ku-band and C-band transponders, the satellite offers APT the capability to provide advanced broadband multimedia, new digital television services and traditional telecommunications services to telecom and television operators in the Asia Pacific region.
The transponders will enable the satellite to have a 'footprint' that extends over almost the whole Asia Pacific region from India, China to Australia.
Through its Satellite Control Centre in Tai Po, Hong Kong, APT Satellite Holdings currently operates three in-orbit geostationary satellites comprising APSTAR I, APSTAR IA and APSTAR IIR.
Asian Satellite and Cable Industry Sees Turnaround This Year
From Satellite today
Satellite platform operators, cable TV providers, equipment suppliers and content providers are seeing subscribership and revenues increase after years of investment and sluggish growth, according to the Hong Kong-based Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA).
In Hong Kong, TVB Galaxy is ready to launch its satellite platform service in November. Industry reports suggest the launch package will comprise 24 channels with at least four channels supplied by 49 percent investor TVB. The Galaxy package should increase to 40 channels within 18 months of the launch and will be distributed via satellite capacity leased from TVB Galaxy partner Intelsat.
In Japan, satellite platform operator SkyPerfect TV reports that it expects to become profitable next year.
In Malaysia, local direct-to-home (DTH) satellite platform operator Astro, owned by Measat Broadcast Network Systems, has reached the one million subscriber mark. Earlier in the year, Binariang Satellite Systems and Boeing Satellite Systems announced a $200 million contract for Boeing to build a Measat-3 satellite that will be collocated with Measat-1 at 91.5 degrees East Longitude. Scheduled for launch in 2005, Measat-3 will carry 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders, each providing 36 MHz of bandwidth over a 15-year minimum service life.
In Indonesia,cable operator KabelVision has revealed plans to launch a DTH platform in the final quarter of this year using the Palapa C satellite. Within 12 months, the platform could be distributing up to 35 channels.
FTV announces rates for pay channel
From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=16133
NEW DELHI: The controversial FTV on Tuesday announced rates for its pay channel Fashion X TV which will focus on "fashion, cabaret shows, lingerie and events like the Rio Carnival”.
In a letter to the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Michel Adam, president of FTV, said while Fashion TV will be a free-to-air channel, Fashion X TV will be a pay channel costing Rs 30.
Describing its pay channel, he said it will "absorb some of the programmes that may be controversial from FTV making it more acceptable as a free-to-air channel according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting”.
He said it will be more focussed on fashion and lingerie shows, cabarets, making of photographers and events like the Carnival but asserted that content "will not be sexual and will comply to the sensibility of the Indian viewers and censorship rules".
FTV, the free-to-air channel, is dedicated to the "universe of fashion, style and beauty".
The government has given a June 15 deadline for declaration of pay channel rates.
10/06/03
Live chat tonight 9pm NZ and 8.30 Syd time onwards in the chatroom
Thanks to those that sent birthday wishes, it was a nice relaxing day.
Property TV has started on Sky Channel 95 (Encrypted on B1) as expected its nothing more than around the clock house selling. www.propertytv.co.nz is their website.
Optus C1 Launch coverage on Thursday
Live on Globecast B3, 12336V "Adhoc" channel from around 7a.m Syd onwards
For those outside Aus/NZ there will also be coverage on Asiasat 2 Cband (details unknown as yet)
Other possible coverage on Sky News Australia and Euronews (French LBF Package on I701)
Watch it live Thursday Launch window: Syd 7:36am - 9:02am
http://www.streamingbox.com/arianespace/v3/launcher.php?langue=en
From my Emails & ICQ
From Jsat 9/06 (W.A)
Insat 93.5E reception report
3741v P3 quality
3785v P4 quality
3941v P4 quality
3 meter mesh C/ku dual feed
jeff
From Chris Pickstock 9/06
Star Sports back on again in digital,
Asiasat 3 3920 H, sr 26850
Star Sport Asia, Vpid 512, Apids 640 and 641, Clear, Pal
Star Sports South, Vpid 513, Apids 644 and 645, Encrypted.
Testing again no doubt. Lets see if it goes off late at night again.
Chris
From the Dish
JCSAT 2A 154E 3915 V "BYU TV" is now encrypted.
Measat 2 148E 11602 H "MAC TV" has left .
Palapa C2 113E 4080 H "Prima Channel" has started testing, Fta, PIDs 516/654.
Telkom 1 108E 3460 H All channels in the TelkomVision mux are encrypted again.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3920 H Star Sports Asia is back .
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 4090 V A PTV National promo has started , Fta, SR 6666, FEC 3/4,PIDs 308/256.
NSS 6 95E 12595 V New FEC for the test card : 2/3.
Insat 3A 93.5E 3741 V "DD Punjab" has started , PAL, 5.50 MHz.
Insat 3A 93.5E 3941 V "DD Maharashtra" has started, PAL, 5.50 MHz.
Yamal 102 90E 3645 L "Kultura Telekanal (+2h)" has left , replaced by Sport tests.
ST 1 88E 3632 V The TV Star mux is now also encrypted in Viaccess 1.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3454 V "Raj TV" is now encrypted.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3545 V "Star News" is now encrypted.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3551 H The STN Radio promo has left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3797 V "DD Punjab" has left (PAL), moved to Insat 3A.
Thaicom 3 78.5E 3815 V "DD Punjab" has left .
Thaicom 3 78.5E 4155 V "DD Jammu & Kashmir" has left (PAL), moved to Insat 3A.
Insat 3C 74E 3799 V "DD Maharashtra" has left .
PAS 10 68.5E 3863 V "Fashion TV" is encrypted again.
NEWS
Satellite dishes up a Tassie TV feast
From http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6556443%255E3462,00.html
A SATELLITE to be launched next week will mean a new deal for Tasmanian TV viewers.
The new $500 million C1 satellite -- owned by Optus and the Australian Department of Defence -- will provide Tasmania with improved pay-TV coverage and make satellite coverage more accessible and affordable for thousands of other TV viewers, particularly those in remote areas.
Presently, 90 per cent of Hobart's subscribers to pay-TV operator Austar receive the service by so-called wireless cable, using microwaves, and only a limited number of customers have access to satellite services.
Owner of satellite installation company TASSAT Communications, Stewart Young, said C1 was great news for Tasmania and predicted once it was operational there would be "satellite dishes everywhere".
Mr Young is a commercial installer servicing both free-to-air and pay-TV clients.
Pay-TV subscribers who live in remote areas are required to purchase satellite dishes at their own expense and Mr Young said the cost was about to fall dramatically.
"A 1.2 or 1.5-metre dish currently costs around $800 or $1000 to buy and install -- but once the new C1 satellite is operational smaller satellites of around 85cm can be used, which could halve the price."
"What it all comes down to is the footprint of the satellite will have more power over Hobart and southern Tasmania, reducing the need for larger dishes and making installation cheaper."
There will also be changes in what Tasmanians can watch. "Due to the frequency spectrum on Mt Wellington, Hobart is currently limited to 19 analogue channels but the new satellite will provide around 45 digital channels," he said.
Austar said new satellite subscribers would enjoy better coverage, clearer picture quality and sound, as well as an additional 26 channels, and the option of interactive services such as games, voting polls and competitions.
Subscription to the Austar satellite service would cost about $6 a month more than the present basic service, and it was believed there would be increased costs for extra outlets within one home.
By the end of 2003, Austar hopes to have all customers changed over to its satellite service.
This would involve the removal of existing grid- shaped antenna and replacement with satellite dishes.
An Austar spokesman said it was unlikely this re-installation would be at any extra charge to customers.
Mr Young said this replacement would also benefit local products and services.
"At present, a lot of service providers use internationally owned satellites, but depending on the rates it is predicted that there will be the option to use satellites from Australian-owned companies instead."
With all space missions, there is the possibility the launch could fail.
"It looks good on paper but until it gets into space and gets turned on, they [Optus] won't really know," Mr Young said.
The satellite will be launched from a space centre in French Guyana next Thursday at 7.30am our time.
BT Broadcast Services makes presence felt in Asia
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/june/june46.htm
LONDON: BT Broadcast Services (BTBS) which claims to be the world-leading supplier of bespoke global broadcast solutions has announced its first-ever move into the Asia Pacific region with a new dedicated operation based in Singapore.
Servicing clients that broadcast ethnic shows to the Chinese and Indian communities around the world in addition to those looking to transmit British and US content into Asia. BTBS Asia Pacific has completed its first project with Celcom, Malaysia's premier telecommunications service provider, to carry content for the recent Formula One 2003 in Malaysia.
An official release informs that for the first time ever, BTBS enabled footage to be taken directly from the Formula One circuit itself and beamed via satellite to the BT ISDN port in the UK. BTBS MD Mark Smith said: "The Asia Pacific region covers 29 countries, stretching from Australia to Korea and Taiwan to Pakistan, and is becoming an increasingly important area for broadcasters.
"The demand for European programming, such as sporting events and soap operas, is growing, whilst there is a greater need than ever before for Asian content to be transported globally. The Celcom Formula One deal is a significant client win, and a great step towards our aim of developing the region into a broadcast hotspot and further strengthening our presence worldwide," adds Smith.
Celcom Group CEO Ramli Abbas said: " Through its initiatives in the Asia Pacific region, BTBS offers Celcom an opportunity to provide a range of innovative and integrated communication solutions within the areas of TV broadcasting.
"BTBS' entry into the Asia Pacific region will lead to the enhancement of Malaysia's broadcast and telecommunications industries. This partnership with BTBS provides Celcom yet another platform to share its capabilities beyond Malaysian shores," adds Abbas.
BTBS provides a comprehensive range of terrestrial and satellite based multimedia transmission solutions as well as systems integration, content and customer management services.
Korea’s fifth satellite is scheduled for 2006
From http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200306/09/200306090248294309900090609062.html
KT Corp., the largest fixed line carrier in Korea, said yesterday that it has contracted with the Agency for Defense Development to launch the fifth Mugunghwa satellite in early 2006.
Alcatel Space of France will make the satellite for KT.
The fifth Mugunghwa, which will be used for civil and military communications, will replace a predecessor that was launched in 1996, the company said.
The fifth satellite will have double the communications capacity of that predecessor, Mugung-hwa No. 2, the company said. It will be able to receive and relay signals over a wider Asian region, instead of only in Korea.
Two Mugunghwa satellites are in operation. Mugunghwa No.1 was launched in 1995, and was replaced by No. 3 in 1999. The fourth Mugunghwa, scheduled for 2004, was canceled in 2000.
Deal Set for Latest Satellite
From http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200306/200306080005.html
KT and the Agency for Defense Development have signed a contract with France’s Alcatel Space to construct a new satellite, the Mugunghwa Satellite 5. The satellite will be launched in 2006 and would replace the functions of the Mugunghwa 2 while possessing additional capabilities.
The new satellite will feature military communications relay equipment, making it the first domestic satellite compatible with military programs. The Agency for Defense Development has been pursuing a satellite communications project with KT since 1996 for the modernization of Korean communications.
Compared with Mugungwha 2, the new satellite's transmitting devices will have double the capacity and a higher frequency output. Its service range will also be wider, including Japan, China, Taiwan and the Philippines.
Mugunghwa 1 was launched in August 1995 and Mugungwha 2 in January 1996. Mugunghwa 3 was launched in September 1999 to replace No. 1; a No. 4 was planned to replace No. 2, but plans were suspended and then revised as No. 5.
Mugunghwa 2 and 3 are currently being used for Skylife’s satellite broadcasting system as well as a few other broadcast services.
(Craigs comment, more commonly known as Koreasat)
T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 23/2003 8 June 2003 -
A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic
Edited Apsattv.com Edition
A S I A
CHINA - HONG KONG
FOREIGN COMPANIES INTERESTED IN TV AND CABLE MARKET
Foreign media giants are expected to push into China's programming and cable TV arenas over the next two years as they seek to expand in the world's most populous nation. China may be open to foreign investment to help fund a planned digital cable network expected to cost billions of dollars. Chinese leaders have said development of such a system is a top priority, with a goal of national coverage by 2015. Chinese regulators may also be receptive to programming joint ventures - technically illegal right now - to help fill anticipated demand for new TV shows. Chinese regulators are looking for ways to make domestic media companies more competitive, including possibly bringing in limited foreign investment. Foreign investment in the broadcasting sector has been limited to Guangdong and high-end hotels elsewhere.
TVB SAYS CHINESE RIGHTS STILL NOT SECURED
Hong Kong's TVB is not on the verge of securing official landing rights for the Chinese mainland a spokesman told local press. Market rumors boosted the share price of the island's leading commercial terrestrial but a deal is not imminent according to TVB. The South China Morning Post quoted a source as saying the Chinese broadcast watchdog SARFT had resumed negotiations with broadcasters after a delay caused by the Sars outbreak.
FIJI
FIJI TELEVISION TO REMAIN SOLE SERVICE PROVIDER
Fiji Television will continue as the sole provider of television services in Fiji, according to the Commerce Commission. At a joint press conference on June 4, the parties announced that Fiji TV will not seek an exclusive license as it deems it inappropriate. Instead, Fiji TV will work with government in developing a policy environment for broadcasters and improving the television industry in Fiji. All parties, Fiji TV, government and the Commerce Commission, consider the move a win- win situation - Fiji TV will be the sole provider, government since Fiji gets 100 per cent TV coverage and the Commerce Commission as it will get a policy for future competition. Fiji TV has announced that it will provide services all over Fiji, pay-TV for the Northern Division [the island of Vanua Levu], educational and cultural service. But it has given no time-frame for the developments.
INDIA
PAY-TV CHANNELS TO ANNOUNCE RATES BY JUNE 15
India's federal government on June 5 said it's examining a proposal that will cut the stake of broadcasters in television distribution companies. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said all pay channels will have to declare their tariffs to local cable operators by June 15, failing which they will not be beamed from July 15 when a conditional access system takes effect. Prasad added multi-service television operators have promised to provide up to 73 free-to-air channels. Prasad has given television broadcasters till June 15 to line themselves up either as pay channels or free-to-air channels, reports CNBC India. They also been told to declare their pay tariff by then. In case they fail to do so, the minister has declared that their transmission through cable networks will be stopped.
ZEE TELEFILMS TO LAUNCH TWO FTA CHANNELS
India's Zee TV has applied for a free-to-air CAS license to commence broadcasting its Zee Biz Hindi business news channel from July 14. The company has also confirmed plans for a female lifestyle channel, Mansi, and a comedy channel, Zee Comedy, due to launch later this year. However, Zee TV News group director L. N. Goel has said no decision has been made as to whether Zee News would switch to free-to-air at CAS launch.
FASHION TV TO LAUNCH NEW CHANNEL
France-based Fashion TV is set to launch a new channel, FashionX TV, on India's conditional access cable system. FashionX TV will feature "more exclusive and glamorous content", while an unencrypted "light" version will be available to all CAS subscribers. The original Fashion TV channel is now a free-to-air service in India, with revenues coming advertising, event management and merchandising.
JAPAN
NHK IN THE BLACK FOR 13TH YEAR IN A ROW
Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) has reported that it remained in the black for its fiscal year to March 31 for the 13th straight year, with operating revenues exceeding expenses by US$ 86 million, according to the Japan Times. Operating revenues for fiscal 2002 amounted to US$ 5.6 billion, while expenses totalled US$ 5.5 billion, the public broadcasting organisation said. Of the revenues, income stemming from licence fees amounted to US$5.4 billion, down US$ 51 million from the initially budgeted figure, it said. Among expenditures, NHK was saddled with a US$8.4 million bill for programmes related to the war in Iraq, while it booked an expense of US$13.5 million for programmes related to the World Cup football finals. But overall spending was down US$57.3 million from its initial budget. NHK will use US$67 million of the US$86 million surplus to pay off a part of its liabilities and set aside the remaining sum as retained earnings to stabilise its finances, it said.
MALAYSIA
NEW TV STATION TO TARGET YOUTH
A new television station in Malaysia - Channel 9 - is planning to start test transmissions by the end of the month, according to the Star newspaper. The newspaper said that the licensee, Medan Mas Sdn Bhd, is claiming that it would be unlike other terrestrial TV broadcasters in Malaysia because it would be targeting urban young adults between 15 and 35 years old. It said that Channel 9's programme line-up would reflect this focused strategy both in the programme genres as well as the individual titles.
NEW ZEALAND
SKY TV TO LAUNCH PROPERTY CHANNEL
Harcourts has teamed up with Sky Television to launch a 24-hour property show devoted to showcasing Harcourts' property listings from around New Zealand. The Property Channel, which will go to air on June 8, will be available to all Sky digital subscribers. The companies expect an audience of more than one million people. The programme will showcase each property or up to 60 seconds, and each listing will be placed into categories of residential, apartments, investment, waterfront, prestige, rural-country, and commercial. The categories will be repeated throughout the week at progressively later times each day.
PAKISTAN
PTV LAUNCHES NEW SATELLITE TV CHANNEL
The new satellite channel of Pakistan Television has been named as "PTV National" at a meeting held on May 30 with Minister for Information and Media Development Sheikh Rashid Ahmed at PTV Headquarters. The inauguration of PTV National on June 12 will be Telecast live through all the PTV channels. The arrangements would also be made that the telecast of PTV National could be viewed on normal antenna as initially it could be viewed through satellite dishes and dedicated cable system. This round-the-clock channel will telecast programs in all the regional languages besides the national language - Urdu.
NEW MEDIA CITY PLANNED
Pakistan's Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, says his government is considering setting up a 'media city' in Islamabad along the lines of the one in Dubai, Radio Netherlands has reported. Two privately owned Pakistani channels, ARY and Geo, are using the Dubai facilities. The Minister has also told journalists that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has issued licences for seven TV stations, of which four are already operating and the other three are still being set up. Ahmed said that PEMRA has also issued 28 licences for private radio stations. Two have already been set up, while the rest will be established by November this year. Finally, he revealed that a fourth public TV channel, PTV-4 (National), will soon be inaugurated. It will air regional programmes around the clock in Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushto and Balochi besides other regional languages. PTV is also planning to set up a dedicated sports channel, and a regional channel for Jammu and Kashmir.
SINGAPORE
SARS CHANNEL PROVES TO BE A SUCCESS
Some half a million viewers have tuned in to the SARS Channel since it was launched two weeks ago, Channel News Asia has reported. A joint effort by MediaCorp, StarHub and SPH, the SARS-related programmes reach some 36,000 viewers daily. The channel re-broadcasts all SARS-related programmes aired on MediaCorp TV and SPH MediaWorks channels. Besides free-to-air and cable TV programmes, the channel also shows Australian and Taiwanese SARS programmes.
TAIWAN
BBC WORLD ON CHINA AIRLINES FLIGHTS
The BBC's international rolling news channel, BBC World has signed a deal putting a bilingual feed into all flight of Taiwanese flag carrier, China Airlines. From this month, BBC World will provide passengers with BBC bulletins in English and Japanese, on all the airline's flights to 40 destinations in 20 countries.
CABINET APPROVES NEW MEDIA BILL
Taiwan's Cabinet has approved a new draft of its broadcasting and television law, according to the Taipei Times. The paper said the draft was a bid to realise President Chen Shui-bian's call to free the media from political influence. The draft would integrate three existing laws, the Terrestrial Radio and Television Law of 1976, the Cable Radio and Television Law of 1993 and the Satellite Radio and Television Law of 1999. According to Hung Chiang-chuan, Deputy Director-General of the Government Information Office, the draft would ban certain civil servants and political party members from owning, funding or assuming certain key positions in the media. The positions are founder, member of the board of directors, supervisor or manager. Elected civil servants and political party members owning media outlets would have to forsake their stakes six months after the law takes effect. Family members of party members or elected civil servants would be banned from owning more than a 10 per cent stake in a media outlet. Foreigners, including Chinese nationals, would be prohibited from investing and assuming key positions. as founder, shareholder, fund donator, member of the board of directors or supervisor in terrestrial television stations. The draft also states that foreign investment in the cable television station market would be limited to a 50 per cent stake, the same as for ownership of satellite television stations. To ensure Hakka and Aboriginal languages and cultures, authorities would be allowed to designate certain cable media service providers to broadcast Hakka- and Aboriginal-language programs free of charge. The draft will proceed to the legislature for further review and final approval.
THAILAND
CHANNEL 5 PREPARES FOR FLOTATION
Thailand's Channel 5 has committed to expanding its business interests in advance of a 2004 stock market listing. The channel, which is owned by the Royal Thai Army, has secured an increase in capital from Baht250 million ($6 million) to Baht1.1 billion and has reorganized internal administration. The company is targeting 2003 revenues of Baht1.2 million and profits of Baht600 million.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
ABU DHABI TV EXPANDS GLOBAL COVERAGE
After a long-term deal with France Telecom-owned satellite transmission provider GlobeCast, Abu Dhabi TV will be beamed around the clock into DTH homes across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. The Emirates Media-owned general channel will be carried on GlobeCast’s complete DTH platform, including the Hotbird satellite for pan-European distribution; Eurobird for the UK and Ireland; Telstar 5 over North America; Hispasat 1C to Latin America; NSS 7 to Africa; Intelsat 701 over Southeast Asia; and Optus B3 over Australia and New Zealand. Nearly 90% of the channel's line-up consists of original programming, including several politically-themed shows and news coverage. It also includes cultural programming, family entertainment, televised series and documentaries.
9/06/03
Somebodys birthday no update :-)
8/06/03
No update Sundays
7/06/03
Its pretty quiet so no update this weekend, and since Mondays my Birthday no Update Monday. So back on Tuesday hopefully with a bigger update than usual.
6/06/03
The mystery feed on I804 NZ beam? seems to have changed to Mpg 4:2:2 but probably still FTA for those that can view this format.
Indian channels have started to leave Thaicom and moving to the new Insat 3A at 93E. Those in W.A might like to have a look.
New Globecast DTH website www.globecastaustralia.com/dth
From my Emails & ICQ
From Mr Humax
Optus B1. 12429 V 6110 3/4
V8 Tape feed seen
From the Dish
Telkom 1 108E 3460 H All TelkomVision channels are Fta.
Chinastar 87.5E 3736V SR 7408 feed?
PAS 10 68.5E 3863 V "Fashion TV" is now Fta.
NEWS
Urdu Channel ARY Digital To Debut In India This Month
From http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=35653
Mumbai: With tensions between India and Pakistan reducing, an Urdu satellite entertainment channel is making an entry into India.
ARY Digital, a television channel owned by Dubai-based ARY Group, has already started test transmission for a separate India-specific feed and will soon be formally launched in India.
The company will open an office in Mumbai and set up a distribution network across the country. Ary Digital’s distribution and marketing will be handled by Live Satellite Media India Pvt Ltd. The free-to-air channel will be beamed from PAS-10 satellite.
“We have been given the distribution and marketing rights. We plan to launch the channel in India on June 22. We are targeting the Urdu population and initially our aim will be to penetrate the northern and western regions,” said Live Satellite Media managing director Atul Saraf. The plan to launch the channel late last year was delayed as the relationship between India and Pakistan was strained. Besides, it was necessary to have a separate India feed.
“ARY Digital, which beams into Pakistan and Europe, has several programmes that wouldn’t be in tune with the Indian market. News and current affairs from Pakistan would not be relevant. A separate feed would be essential to customise content,” said Mr Saraf.
The India-specific feed would have 30 per cent local content. “We are looking at acquiring content from local production houses. Serials would also be shot in the UK and Dubai,” said Mr Saraf.
News from the original channel would not be carried on the India-specific channel. Current affairs would be tailor-made for the local market.
“It would be a Hindi-cum-Urdu mix channel, similar to that of several other channels in India which have gone the Hinglish way,” said Mr Saraf.
(Craigs comment, this service has been seen recently testing on Pas 10 )
ATN plans Ahimsaa channel by 15 August
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/june/june36.htm
MUMBAI: ATN International is planning to launch a satellite channel, Ahimsaa from 15 August 2003.
The company has informed the National Stock Exchange that the board of directors, at its meeting held on June 4, has decided to launch the new 24 hour global satellite television channel shortly. The channel will serve as a platform to portray issues on value education like spiritual discourses, environment conservation, animal protection, health care, human rights, gender equality, women's empowerment, racial and economic parity, corruption and unemployment and so on, according to the company statement.
The channel will be uplinked from India on a global platform tentatively from 15 August and would cover more than 50 countries of the world, the statement says.
5/06/03
I have had a response back from Star Sports, they didn't seem to be able to answer the questions I had asked, so I have fired off a reply which I hope will get a better response.
Not much news today but it seems like 2 more FTA channels from Zee tv are coming?
From my Emails & ICQ
From Star Sports
Thank you very much for your mail. We would like to take this opportunity explain the situation
Starting from March 2003, STAR Sports Asia feed only provide Mandarin Commentary for their programs. The reason is this feed is mainly caters to the China and Taiwan markets.
ESS do have an encrypted STAR Sports channel - South East Asia feed which provide English Commentarty. However, ESS do not currently distribute this channel in the New Zealand, we are sorry to say, at the moment, there is no other way to subscribe this channel.
Sorry for any inconvenience caused and you are always welcome if you have any further enquiry.
Hope our answers would help your understanding. Thanks for supporting STAR.
Should you have any further inquiry, please feel free to contact us again.
Best regards,
Customer Service Department
STAR Group Limited
From Bill Richards
Star Sports screenshot (Asiasat 3 Digital)
From Joe
Great reception here in Melbourne on a 2.3 m mesh:
Level 72%
Quality 98%
and I finally get to see it in colour!!
From Bassett
85% signal on North Coast with 2.4 solid..
Makes me wonder if the rumor a while ago about Star going digital with two
channels, one encrypted, is coming true.
Time will tell, if we get the rubbish on the FTA channel, at the moment
there all shown as encrypted with NDS,, Thanks Rupert
From Jeff
Hi Craig.
Asiasat 3 signal 3920h receiving 55% signal quality in Rockhampton QLD. 2.4M Paraclipse dish & Emtech EM200 (Although it is raining lightly). like Chris said, hope it is still FTA for the next F1 GP.
Cheers
Jeff V.
From Ian Peters
Subject: Fw: [Apsattv] star tv new freq
Signal disappeared approximately midnight Western Australia time for all 4
channels ... not encrypted, just nothing at all. NTSC analogue broadcast on
3800H still kicking strong. Seem to suggest testing is in progress leading
to an announcement soonish.
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 3860 H "Z Channel" has left .CTI TV is back on PIDs 500/501, Viaccess 2.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 3920 H "Star Sports Asia" has started , SR 26850, FEC 7/8, Fta, PIDs 512/640-641.
NEWS
Zee Telefilms to launch two more FTA channels
From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/june/june30.htm
NEW DELHI: The Subhash Chandra-promoted Zee Telefilms is very bullish on certain aspects of conditional access system (CAS) and feels that it is rightly positioned to take advantage of the evolving scenario in the country. On cue, it has decided to launch two other channels in the free to air mode.
"The company would be launching two more channels soon," Zee Telefilms director, news group, Laxmi Goel told indiantelevision.com. Though he did not give a time frame for the launch, Goel did admit that the two proposed channels would be free to air.
India's largest vertically integrated media company would come out with Zee Manasi, primarily targeted at women, and Zee Comedy, which, as the name suggests, would serve comic or light fare. Details on the two proposed
channels were not available.
Industry experts felt that though the two proposed channels look like niche products, going by the sketchy information available on them, launching them in the free to air mode is surprising. Niche channels, experts felt, would work better as part of a DTH bouquet or may even work for the headend in the sky model (HITS) through which Zee is aiming at introducing CAS in a digital mode.
But Zee's plans to launch by mid-year a business news channel, Zee Biz, seems to have got stuck in bureaucratic hurdles. While information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told indiantelevision today that the relevant file on Zee Biz had not yet reached him, officials in the ministry maintain that Zee Telefilms would have to undergo restructuring as per the new uplinking policy if it wished to get permission for uplinking the proposed business news channel from India.
"The case of Zee's business channel is being studied in the view of the new uplinking policy," a senior government official had told indiantelevision.com few days back.
As per the new uplinking policy by the Indian government, news channels desirous of uplinking from India cannot have more than 26 per cent foreign holding.
The likes of Star News and CNBC India were given 90 days to comply with the regulation and it was understood that Zee News, since it already uplinked directly to a broadcast satellite from India, was to get a year's time to undergo restructuring to fulfil the norms. In Zee Telefilms, the total foreign holding is over the prescribed level at the moment.
Meanwhile, the Zee Tele scrip today closed lower by 3.86 per cent or Rs 3.20 at Rs 79.80 with volumes of 3,665,506 on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
According to a CNBC India analysis, the Zee scrip had been rising since last Tuesday, when it closed at Rs 78.20. But the stock reversed the trend yesterday to close lower at Rs 83. It hit a high of Rs 105.25 on 10 January, and a low of Rs 60.15 on 31 March 2003.
(Craigs comment, hopefully these will be on their Asiasat 3 mux)
BHEL deploys solar panels on satellites
From http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2003060502651800.htm
NEW DELHI JUNE 4. The Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. today announced the successful deployment of its space grade solar panels on the recently launched satellites INSAT 3A and GSAT2 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
A company release says the satellites carried a solar panel each fabricated at the Bangalore-based electronics system division. The panels are designed for high reliability and working in stringent conditions encountered in the outer space. The ISRO has lauded the BHEL's efforts in producing the 41 sq.metres of space grade solar panels, it said.
The BHEL has also entered into an agreement with the ISRO for fabrication and delivering of space quality batteries for use in their satellites. These special batteries, to be charged by solar panels, will provide power to spacecraft systems. The ISRO would provide the technology for fabrication and testing for such batteries, for which the BHEL is setting up a specialised facility at its Bangalore unit. The ISRO has provided funding support for both solar panel and battery assembly facilities.
The BHEL also manufactures state-of-the-art terrestrial solar photovoltaic modules at its electronics division in Bangalore, with an installed capacity of 2 MW per annum.
The company has proven expertise in producing solar modules and systems for generating over 10 MW.
In addition, it has supplied large quantities of solar cells and modules to various countries such as Germany, Australia and Italy.
4/06/03
The big news for today is Star Sports Asia starting in Digital PAL on Asiasat 3 and yes its FTA and has an English Audio track.Details are Asiasat 3 3920 H Sr 26850 Fec 7/8. Please send in your reception reports.
Satfacts page has been updated.
From my Email & ICQ
From Chris Pickstock
Can confirm that 4 channels load at this frequency.
Star Sports Asia, Vpid 512, Apid 640, FTA
Star Sports Asia, Vpid 512, Apid 641, FTA
Star Sports South, Vpid 513, Apid 644
Star Sports South, Vpid 513, Apid 645
All are PAL
The signal on 3920H booms in here to South Aust. Signal as strong as any others on Asiasat 3, H or V.
The channel with Apid 640 is in English. Roll on the next F1 GP. (As long as it remains FTA)
Star Sports Asia is identical to what is on 3800H analogue
Chris
(Craigs comment, looks like of course just the 2 services and using an extra pid for the other audio track.)
From Steve Johnson , NZ
I804 @ 176E
Craig. Two digital carriers on I804 @ 176E are still there, strong as ever
(12610vt & 12648vt, SR 25220, FEC 2/3).
Video pid - Na im not telling
Audio pid - Na im not telling
Steve J
(Craigs comment , I make them both H pol rather than vertical)
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 3880 V "DZMM - Radyo Patrol" has started, PowerVu, APID 1620.
PAS 8 166E 4121 V "Iglesia ni Cristo TV and Net 25" are back, Fta, SR 4774,FEC 3/4, PIDs 258/259 and 513/514.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 4090 V "PTV National test card" has started , Fta, SR 6666, FEC 3/4,PIDs 308/256.
Insat 3A 93.5E 3785 V "DD Jammy & Kashmir" has started in , PAL.
Insat 3A 93.5E The test cards have left 3745 V, 3825 V, 4065 V and 4145 V (PAL).
Yamal 102 90E 3720 L The Rambler TeleSet tests have left again.
NEWS
Arianespace Flight 161: The satellites meet their Ariane 5 launcher
From http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=9353
Preparations for Flight 161 marked another milestone today as the final integration of Ariane 5's dual-satellite payload began at the Spaceport in French Guiana.
The Optus and Defence C1 satellite was installed atop the SYLDA 5 dual-payload deployment system on Saturday, May 31, while the BSAT-2c spacecraft was integrated atop the Ariane 5 vehicle today.
Our photo report below details the final preparations as the launch campaign moves ahead on schedule for liftoff on the evening of June 11
The Optus and Defence C1 is lifted by an overhead crane inside the Ariane 5 final assembly building for its installation on the SYLDA 5 dual-payload deployment system. SYLDA 5 is the black cylinder-shaped structure illuminated inside the work platform in the background. To its right is the payload fairing, which is ready to be lowered over the Optus and Defence C1/SYLDA 5 combination.
The silver-colored pads inside the payload fairing are Helmholtz absorbers that control the acoustic level under the fairing during liftoff and ascent. Mitsubishi Electronic Corporation of Japan is the prime contractor for Optus and Defence C1, and is responsible for all communications systems. Space Systems/Loral (USA) designed, assembled and integrated the bus and satellite system.
The bullet-shaped Ariane 5 payload fairing was lowered over the Optus and Defence C1/SLYDA 5 combination. In the next step, the completed "stack" will be hoisted to the upper level of the launcher integration building for installation over the BSAT-2c satellite, which already has been mated atop the Ariane 5.
BSAT-2c is inspected by launch team members after its installation on Flight 161's Ariane 5. The BSAT-2c spacecraft is in the lower payload position on Ariane 5, while the Optus and Defence C1 satellite will ride in the upper position. During the mission, Optus and Defence C1 will be deployed first, followed by the separation of SLYDA 5. The BSAT-2C will then be released from Ariane 5, completing the launcher's mission. Orbital Sciences Corporation is the BSAT-2c satellite manufacturer.
(Craigs comment, oddly there were no photos with this item)
Army moves to cut losses on satellite unit
From http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/04Jun2003_biz78.html
The Royal Thai Army is taking steps to stop further losses, amounting to about one billion baht over the last five years, from its Thai Television Global Network (TGN) satellite operation, by recruiting professionals and undergoing extensive restructuring.
The army's operating firm, Tor Tor Bor.5 Co, began restructuring last November by laying off 30% of its workforce and hiring skilled marketing staff and professionals to strengthen operations.
Tor Tor Bor.5 now sells advertising airtime on TGN, previously run by Royal Thai Army Radio and Television.
TGN carries programmes to 155 countries. Starting in July its programmes, mainly from the local Channel 5, will be broadcast around-the-clock compared with 12 hours a day currently.
Lt Gen Thira Boonpitak, director of Royal Thai Army Radio and Television, said he expected the company to earn a net profit of 50 million baht this year.
Tor Tor Bor.5 Co acts as a holding company for three subsidiaries that sell airtime, handle radio and television production and equipment rentals.
Tor Tor Bor.5 lost 11 million baht last year. After restructuring this year, it expects revenue to grow 167% to 580 million baht, with a net profit of 120 million baht, including 50 million from operating TGN.
The company also wants to quadruple its registered capital to 1.1 billion baht this year in order to list on the SET.
3/06/03
Live chat tonight 9 pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom.
Another new Pakistani channel has started on Asiasat 3, 4090 V Sr 6666 Fec 3/4 This round-the-clock channel will telecast programs in all the regional languages besides the national language - Urdu. It will start broadcasts on June 12th.
Asiasat 3 and Insat 2E Gallerys updated
From my Email & ICQ
From Tim Mason (Imparja)
Dear All
Just a quick update particularly for those who have commented on my previous mail.
I think most people have picked up what I was trying to say, we're not after the 'hobbyist" but we have to stop commercial exploitation If the PID changing works we all win, Imparja saves money and hobbyists can still get the signal
Believe me the barriers to integrating a scrambler are real, and non-trivial, (and those of you who know my background will realise I don't say this lightly). If necessary however this is what we will do. (We could also technically put the backhaul on Fibre but have you tried to buy 8Mbps of telco full time capacity from Alice to the Cap Cities? Talk about a wounded bull)
Adding a "disclaimer/warning" before individual programmes would only highlight the problem (and confuse the 98% of our viewers who watch via re-transmission, remember DTH is only applicable to a small fraction of our audience)
ABC/SBS don't have problems because they don't operate in licence areas. They own national rights for all their content. As pointed out an Aurora card gives access to all timezones for them both.Seven (and ABC/SBS) don't have the same issues because they have very little programme content that's attractive to the pubs etc (miaow!), and in any case as a Seven affiliate most of Seven's programmes are contemporaneous with the local network,
I think that's picked up most of the points people have raised, thanks for listening. I intend to retire from the discussions now, but if individuals want to contact me with views, suggestions (preferably not rude), I'll try to respond.
Once again thanks for the opportunity to participate
Kind Regards
Tim Mason
Chief Engineer
Imparja Television Pty. Ltd. ABN. 78009 630120
Address: 14 Leichhardt Terrace, Alice Springs NT 0870
PO Box 52, Alice Springs NT 0871
Phone: 08 8950 1450 Fax: 08 8953 0322
From Vetrun
Asiasat 3 4090 V Sr 6666 Fec 3/4
One channel loads with test card that says PTV NATIONAL
From Bill Richards
0645 UTC
Asiasat 3 4108V Sr 6666, FEC 3/4
"PTV-World" has started transmissions in Digital,Vpid 308 Apid 256 SID1 Text273
Regards
Bill
(Craigs comment, more channels to be added soon? also note they have Teletext)
From Steve Hume
PTV Asiasat 3
Strong into North QLD.
PTV Network
4108 V SR 6666 3/4
From Schippy
PTV is 91% Signal Quality on 2.3 Metre Mesh in Brisbane.
From Ian Peters
PTV, Asiasat 3, 95% signal quality on 2.4m solid in Perth in awful weather. English available on L eng audio, something else on R. Nothing on fre audio.
From RC256
A link for a small tracking dish ideal for the car or campervan
http://www.starkelectronic.com/wmv2222.htm
From the Dish
PAS 8 166E 3860 H "CTI TV" has left .
PAS 8 166E 4122 V "Iglesia ni Cristo TV and Net 25" have left .
Optus B1 160E 12610 H "Dig Radio" has started on , 12626 H and 12643 H, Fta, APID 2321.
Optus B1 160E SBS (HDTV) and SBS EPG have started on 12420 H and 12437 H, Fta,PIDs 102/103 and 163/85.
Thaicom 1A 120E 3875 V "Nation Channel" has started, Fta, SR 5632, PIDs 308/256.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 4100 V (PAL) "PTV 2, PTV World and Radio Pakistan" have left.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 4108 V "PTV World" has started , Fta, SR 6666, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256.
AsiaSat 3 105.5E 4108 V Radio Pakistan has started , Fta, APID 256.
Yamal 102 90E 3720 L "Rambler TeleSet" is only testing, fta, SR 3570, FEC 3/4, PIDs 308/256.
Apstar 2R 76.5E 4007 H The test card has left again.
NEWS
Abu Dhabi TV Extends Reach to Five Continents
From http://www.pressi.com/int/release/67435.html
GlobeCast, the world's leading satellite transmission provider, announced today that it has signed a long-term agreement with Abu Dhabi TV - the satellite channel of Emirates Media, Inc. (EMI) - to provide satellite delivery across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia via seven digital DTH ("Direct to Home") platforms operated by GlobeCast.
GlobeCast, a France Telecom subsidiary, is the world's largest provider of satellite transmission and production services for professional broadcast, enterprise multimedia and Internet content delivery.
GlobeCast operates the most comprehensive global network of satellite platforms for DTH delivery. Abu Dhabi TV will be carried on GlobeCast's complete DTH platform inventory, including HOT BIRD for pan-European distribution, EUROBIRD to U.K. and Ireland, Telstar 5 (GlobeCast WorldTV) platform over North America, Hispasat 1C to Latin America, NSS 7 to Africa, Intelsat 701 over Southeast Asia, and Optus B3 covering Australia and New Zealand.
GlobeCast is providing Abu Dhabi TV with end-to-end, seamless service including turnaround, multiplexing, standards conversion, uplinks and satellite capacity. Five teleports, seven digital platforms and GlobeCast's proprietary trans-world ATM fiber ring are being utilized to backhaul and transmit Abu Dhabi TV's signal across the globe.
- Paris: reception and uplink to HOT BIRD and NSS7, plus ATM fiber
- London: reception and uplink to EUROBIRD
- Madrid: reception and uplink to Hispasat 1C
- Los Angeles: reception and uplink to Telstar 5 (GlobeCast WorldTV) and to Intelsat 701
- Sydney: reception and uplink to Optus B3
Abu Dhabi TV, a 24-hour Arab-language channel, is a subsidiary of Emirates Media, Inc. (EMI) - the largest and most diverse media group in the United Arab Emirates and in the Arab world in general. 90% of the channel's lineup consists of original programming, including politically-oriented shows, news reporting, cultural programming, family entertainment, televised series and documentaries. Abu Dhabi TV is particularly renowned for the quality and accuracy of its current-events coverage. Its footage of the recent events in Iraq was picked up and rebroadcast on several other channels worldwide, enhancing the channel's reputation.
"Our new agreement with Abu-Dhabi TV is significant in that it encompasses global distribution across all of our major DTH satellite platforms. This project demonstrates GlobeCast's ability to offer one-stop service to international broadcasters for global satellite coverage. We are very pleased to be a partner with Abu Dhabi TV as it enlarges its audience and expands into new markets." remarked Christian Pinon, President and CEO of GlobeCast.
GlobeCast (www.globecast.com ) - a France Telecom subsidiary - is the global leader in satellite transmission services for professional broadcast, enterprise multimedia and Internet content delivery. With 16 offices and teleports throughout Europe, America, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa, GlobeCast offers the complete range of satellite broadcast solutions, including sports programming backhaul, TV channel distribution, secure satellite Internet delivery, webcasting, satellite newsgathering, direct-to-home distribution, studio production, special events mobile production and audio distribution.
New PTV channel named ‘PTV National’
From http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_1-6-2003_pg7_38
The new satellite channel of Pakistan Television has been named “PTV National”.
The decision was taken at a meeting at PTV Headquarters on Saturday. Minister for Information and Media Development Sheikh Rashid Ahmed chaired the meeting. The meeting was told that Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali would be the chief guest at the opening of the new channel. This round-the-clock channel will telecast programs in all regional languages besides Urdu.—APP
INSAT-3A takes over SAR services from INSAT-2B
From http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/01021605.htm
Bangalore, June 2. (PTI): India's latest multi-purpose communication satellite, INSAT-3A, has taken over the Satellite Aided Search and Rescue (SAR) services from INSAT-2B, which has outlived its design life.
INSAT-3A, launched on April 10 this year, is the only geostationary satellite at present, providing Geostationary Satelite Aided Search and Rescue services (GEOSAR) in this part of the globe, covering Europe to Australia in the Indian Ocean and the Australian regions, an Indian Space Research Organisation statement said today.
Two American satellites, GOES(W) and GOES(E), provide these services on the Western Hemisphere. "SAR service is provided under the international COSPAS-SARSAT system that provides location information of the distress signals, transmitted by beacons mounted on board ships, aircraft or those carried by individuals," it said.
Bootleg devices cost Lake County man $9M
From http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1054460255233520.xml
A federal judge has ordered a Lake County man to pay $9 million in restitution to satellite-television company DirecTV for making and selling thousands of bootleg devices for pirating satellite-dish TV signals.
U.S. District Judge Peter Economus also sentenced the defendant, Donald Sockloskie, 51, of Concord Township, to a year in prison and two years of probation at a hearing Friday.
An FBI investigation led to Sockloskie being charged in February with manufacturing, selling and distributing equipment that illegally decrypts scrambled satellite signals. He pleaded guilty March 6.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Kern said word had spread through an "underground community" of satellite-TV pirates that Sockloskie would illegally modify small circuit boards called DSS access cards and reprogramming devices.
The changes disarm electronic filters that keep DirecTV customers from getting pay-per-view programming and premium channels such as HBO, Showtime and Cinemax without paying the satellite service's premium fees.
Sockloskie admitted to altering 4,000 devices, charging $50 to $100 a pop, Kern said.
Federal prosecutors don't target users of the illegal devices, Kern said, though satellite companies can sue them or work out repayment.
The $9 million restitution figure, the prosecutor said, is based on a formula that estimates what the highest tier of premium and pay-per-view programming would cost - about $2,000 per year - multiplied by the 4,000 devices.
Kern said Sockloskie could have his future earnings garnisheed and have to forfeit assets, but he said the odds are slim that will ever repay DirecTV all the court ordered.
"The statute requires the court to order a restitution amount," Kern said. "Collecting it is another matter."
T S I C H A N N E L N E W S - Number 22/2003 1 June 2003 -
A weekly roundup of global TV news sponsored by TELE-satellite International
Editor: Branislav Pekic
A S I A
AUSTRALIA
ABC CLOSES DOWN DIGITAL TV CHANNELS
THE ABC will close its FlyTV and ABC kids digital TV channels on June 30, blaming a lack of budget funding from the Federal Government. The ABC’s managing director, Russell Balding, warned that more programs and jobs would be cut as the full ramifications of the Government’s budget decision are felt by the ABC. The ABC will need to find $20-$25 million in savings after the Government rejected its request for an extra $250 million over the next three years. Closing the fledgling multichannels will save $7 million. Balding said all ABC programs and services were being reviewed. The board will decide by the end of July which other programs will be affected.
CHINA - HONG KONG
AOL TO SELL CETV STAKE
AOL Time Warner is in talks to sell a controlling stake in its mainland China television station, according to The Financial Times. The sale would be to Tom.com, a media group controlled by Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong’s richest tycoon. Officials at the AOL unit, which is called Chinese Entertainment Television Broadcasting, and Tom.com said on May 26 they were in advanced talks over the sale of the CETV, but declined to give details. AOL's CETV station is loosing money and has managed to capture just 2 per cent or less of the market in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou after a year and a half of operations. Bringing in tom.com as a partner would see AOL emulate a model used by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp in its Phoenix Satellite Television Co venture in Hong Kong.
SUN TV TO SELL 70% STAKE
Yang Lan, Chairperson of Sun Media Group Holdings, will sell 70% of stakes in Sun Television Cybernetworks Holdings to Stellar Media Group for RMB 80 million. Sun TV will be under cooperative management of Stellar Media and Sun Media, which will continue to produce programs for Sun TV to broadcast two hours per day. Stellar Media has make commitment to ensure operation capital, TV commercial volume and profits. Nevertheless, Sun Media will keep to its core businesses of TV broadcasting, publishing and education, and it will maintain its shares in original product publications and pay TV services. Stellar Media has formed a production base that can produce hundreds hours of TV series and other TV programs. It has abundant TV commercial sources in China.
MORE CHINESE CHANNELS ON ASIASAT
TVB 8 and TVB Xing He Channel have begun broadcasting on AsiaSat 3S. With AsiaSat 3S, TVB’s two 24-hour Mandarin language satellite channels’ coverage will extend to all cable TV operators and more than 1.2 billions Chinese viewers across the satellite’s footprint covering over 50 countries and regions in Asia, the Middle East, Australasia and the C.I.S. TVB 8 and TVB Xing He Channel are operated by Hong Kong-based TVB Satellite Broadcasting (TVBSB), a subsidiary of Television Broadcasts (TVB). TVB 8 carries a diverse mix of entertainment, infotainment and music programmes while TVB Xing He Channel offers a wide selection of top-rated classical and modern dramas.
DELAY FOR LAUNCH OF GALAXY PAY-TV
The long-awaited debut of the Galaxy Satellite pay-TV TVB joint venture between Hong Kong’s Television Broadcasts (TVB) and Intelsat will have to be pushed back three months to November, the partners have warned. In a conference to outline TVB’s latest financial results, group general manager Ho Ting-kwan said that more time was needed to prepare the news channel one of five services the broadcaster will supply to Galaxy. The extra time will be spent moving to a new facility in Hong Kong, as well as hiring and training new staff, Ho added. TVB was awarded a pay-TV licence in July 2000 amid controversy since it is the more dominant of Hong Kong’s two free to air terrestrial networks. TVB has said Galaxy could break even by the end of the fourth year of operation when it is expected to have 275,000 subscribers.
FIJI
GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS SCRAPPING MEDIA BILL
The Fijian government says it may shelf its controversial media bill because of poor public response toward a public hearing on the proposed legislation. Fiji's Information Minister Simione Kaitani says it is likely government will shelve its media bill and there is a possibility there will be no bill at all. He says that after a week of public hearing only 20 people gave submissions. The bill has been described by the media industry as draconian and is an attempt by the government to have control over the industry. The majority of the public submissions have criticized the bill and have called for more media freedom.
INDIA
HUMAX TO SUPPLY BOXES FOR STAR TV
Humax, a leading set-top box manufacturer, said it has clinched a deal with Hathway Cable & Datacom, an Indian multi-system operator, to provide $6 million worth of set-top boxes by July. It also agreed with the company to supply the communications equipment for the next two years. Hathway, one of India's three largest cable network operators, is broadcasting 80 channels in India with a total of 3 million subscribers. Star TV based in Hong Kong holds a 26 per cent stake in the company. The set-top boxes to be shipped this time are ND-1000Cs embedded with conditional access systems, or CAS, to meet new Indian government requirements, Humax said.
SET-TOP BOXES TO BE CHEAPER
The government, trying to go ahead with its planned Conditional Access System for cable television viewers from July 15 despite rising political opposition, on May 29 slashed the import duty on set-top boxes, needed to access pay-TV channels, from a whopping 50 per cent to five per cent. This will be in effect till July 31. The duty cut is expected to bring the prices of set-top boxes, currently around Rs 5,000 for a top-end digital one, down by at least Rs 2,000, industry sources said. These boxes would be required by cable TV viewers in the four metropolitan cities New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai to access pay-TV channels from July 15 onwards if CAS is implemented on schedule. But despite the government’s determination, there appears to be question mark about that, particularly with members of Parliament from all political parties demanding that the switchover to CAS be delayed. There was near unanimity among members of the parliamentary standing committee on information technology and communications that the July 15 deadline not be adhered to.
PAKISTAN
NEW TV LICENSES TO BE ISSUE
Pakistan's Electronic and Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has issued 28 licences for establishing radio stations, while another 15 are in the final stages, the Dawn newspaper has reported. Seven licences for TV stations have also been issued to the private sector. PEMRA chairman Mian Mohammad Javed said, "PEMRA has also issued a code of ethics to protect the ideology and cultural values of Pakistan and committees of viewers have been formed to implement this code." He said that the authority was making efforts to monitor the performance of cable operators so that they could not misuse the technology. He said a council of complaints, managed by the private sector, had been formed to ensure nobility, decency and upholding of the country's ideology in the private electronic media.
2/06/03
No update Monday due to Holiday
1/06/03
No update Sunday