All Tech News
January 30, 2007
The launch of the SES New Skies NSS-8 communications satellite by Sea Launch Company, LLC was brought to a rather abrupt and very fiery end this evening, when the Zenit 3SL launch vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure almost as soon as the main engine was lit.It proved to be third time unlucky as the twice-postponed launch was given the final go ahead at approximately 23:22 GMT. The rocket appeared to topple slightly and then collapse only a few seconds after ignition, and then exploded in a massive fireball, completely engulfing the Odyssey Launch Platform.The Sea Launch website reports that all personnel at the launch site are safe and accounted for.Please visit the forum for more pictures and a video of the disaster.Another sad day for the satellite industry.
NSS-8 launch ends in disaster
byThe launch of the SES New Skies NSS-8 communications satellite by Sea Launch Company, LLC was brought to a rather abrupt and very fiery end this evening, when the Zenit 3SL launch vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure almost as soon as the main engine was lit.It proved to be third time unlucky as the twice-postponed launch was given the final go ahead at approximately 23:22 GMT. The rocket appeared to topple slightly and then collapse only a few seconds after ignition, and then exploded in a massive fireball, completely engulfing the Odyssey Launch Platform.The Sea Launch website reports that all personnel at the launch site are safe and accounted for.Please visit the forum for more pictures and a video of the disaster.Another sad day for the satellite industry.
December 23, 2006
Seasons greetings to all our members and guests! May your holiday period be happy and safe.Why not check out the January 2007 issue of What Satellite and Digital TV magazine to see our forum feature in the Sat Ch@t section?The Satellite Help forum has just celebrated its first birthday, and we have had a fantastic inaugural year. If you've not yet signed up to our forum, why not give it a try? We're a very friendly bunch, and between us we have a lot of experience in the field of home satellite installations and forum-based support etc.We're particularly interested in getting complete beginners involved, and can offer some simple 'getting started' advice - so no need to worry about being flamed!Regards, Satellite Help
Happy Christmas from Satellite Help!
bySeasons greetings to all our members and guests! May your holiday period be happy and safe.Why not check out the January 2007 issue of What Satellite and Digital TV magazine to see our forum feature in the Sat Ch@t section?The Satellite Help forum has just celebrated its first birthday, and we have had a fantastic inaugural year. If you've not yet signed up to our forum, why not give it a try? We're a very friendly bunch, and between us we have a lot of experience in the field of home satellite installations and forum-based support etc.We're particularly interested in getting complete beginners involved, and can offer some simple 'getting started' advice - so no need to worry about being flamed!Regards, Satellite Help
November 6, 2006
International Launch Services (ILS) said today that it's on schedule to launch Arabsat's BADR-4 on Wednesday, 8th November from Launch Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. BADR-4 will be launched by a Proton M/Breeze M at 20:01 Nov 8 GMT. The BADR-4 satellite is an Astrium Eurostar E2000+ model, the third Eurostar satellite to be launched this year on Proton.Live coverage on BADR-3 at 26E if you have a large enough dish, or are in the footprint of BADR-3.Frequency: 11996 Polarisation: HorizontalSymbol Rate: 27500FEC: 3/4Otherwise there is live internet coverage available at http://streamvox.streamos.com/vyvx/ils110806
Arabsat’s BADR-4 on schedule
byInternational Launch Services (ILS) said today that it's on schedule to launch Arabsat's BADR-4 on Wednesday, 8th November from Launch Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. BADR-4 will be launched by a Proton M/Breeze M at 20:01 Nov 8 GMT. The BADR-4 satellite is an Astrium Eurostar E2000+ model, the third Eurostar satellite to be launched this year on Proton.Live coverage on BADR-3 at 26E if you have a large enough dish, or are in the footprint of BADR-3.Frequency: 11996 Polarisation: HorizontalSymbol Rate: 27500FEC: 3/4Otherwise there is live internet coverage available at http://streamvox.streamos.com/vyvx/ils110806
October 30, 2006
China successfully launched a homemade high-power communications and broadcast satellite into space aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket at 0:20 on Sunday. The new-generation SinoSat-2 satellite, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China's Sichuan Province, is designed to serve broadcast TV, digital TV, live broadcast TV and digital broadband multimedia systems on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Satellite separation from the rocket occurred approximately 25 minutes after lift-off. The satellite then successfully entered the geosynchronous transfer orbit. Its orbit will be adjusted several times by commanders on the ground until it is positioned above the equator at 92.2 East Longitude. SinoSat-2, developed and manufactured mainly by the China Academy of Space Technology, weighs about 5.1 tones and has 22 transponders. It has a designed life of 15 years, including 12 years of in-orbit service life. The carrier rocket used in the launch was developed and manufactured by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. The launch marked the 93rd flight of Long March series of carrier rockets and China's 51st consecutive successful space launch since October 1996. Earlier this month, Sun Laiyan, chief of the China National Space Administration, said that the satellite would enable every farming household to receive TV signals using a small dish, thereby bringing educational programs and even remote medical services to farmers. Industrial sources said the launch was a milestone for the communication sector and would most probably speed up the reform of China's satellite TV service by prompting the abolishment of a 13-year-old regulation banning individuals from setting up dish antennas. Industry analysts predict that once individuals are allowed to install satellite dishes, up to 100 million households will do so between 2006 and 2010. China currently has about 400 million television sets, a huge potential market for satellite TV. China has already launched about 50 satellites aboard Long March rockets, which also carried the country's first manned space flight in 2003. Its ambitious space programme includes plans for an orbital moon probe next year and a permanent space laboratory by 2020. The 2003 manned mission made China only the third country to launch an astronaut into space after Russia and the United States.
China launches SinoSat-2 satellite
byChina successfully launched a homemade high-power communications and broadcast satellite into space aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket at 0:20 on Sunday. The new-generation SinoSat-2 satellite, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China's Sichuan Province, is designed to serve broadcast TV, digital TV, live broadcast TV and digital broadband multimedia systems on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Satellite separation from the rocket occurred approximately 25 minutes after lift-off. The satellite then successfully entered the geosynchronous transfer orbit. Its orbit will be adjusted several times by commanders on the ground until it is positioned above the equator at 92.2 East Longitude. SinoSat-2, developed and manufactured mainly by the China Academy of Space Technology, weighs about 5.1 tones and has 22 transponders. It has a designed life of 15 years, including 12 years of in-orbit service life. The carrier rocket used in the launch was developed and manufactured by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. The launch marked the 93rd flight of Long March series of carrier rockets and China's 51st consecutive successful space launch since October 1996. Earlier this month, Sun Laiyan, chief of the China National Space Administration, said that the satellite would enable every farming household to receive TV signals using a small dish, thereby bringing educational programs and even remote medical services to farmers. Industrial sources said the launch was a milestone for the communication sector and would most probably speed up the reform of China's satellite TV service by prompting the abolishment of a 13-year-old regulation banning individuals from setting up dish antennas. Industry analysts predict that once individuals are allowed to install satellite dishes, up to 100 million households will do so between 2006 and 2010. China currently has about 400 million television sets, a huge potential market for satellite TV. China has already launched about 50 satellites aboard Long March rockets, which also carried the country's first manned space flight in 2003. Its ambitious space programme includes plans for an orbital moon probe next year and a permanent space laboratory by 2020. The 2003 manned mission made China only the third country to launch an astronaut into space after Russia and the United States.
October 19, 2006
Eutelsat Communications today announced that Astrium will build the HOT BIRD™ 10 broadcast satellite which will be launched in first quarter 2009 and positioned at the Group’s 13 degrees East location. Following HOT BIRD™ 8 and 9, it is the third high-power broadcast satellite based on Astrium’s Eurostar E3000 platform that will be located at Eutelsat’s premium video neighbourhood for cable and satellite broadcasting. Astrium’s Eurostar E3000 platform was selected by Eutelsat for the HOT BIRD™ 8 satellite, which went into full commercial service this month, and HOT BIRD™ 9 which was ordered from Astrium in May this year. With each satellite equipped with 64 high-power Ku-band transponders spanning the entire range of 102 Ku-band frequencies at 13 degrees East, they will together deliver customers exceptional levels of security and in-orbit redundancy for the development of digital entertainment services and HDTV channels. HOT BIRD™ 10’s deployment in 2009 will also enable Eutelsat to pursue its objective to develop video activities at other orbital locations. The new satellite will release the Group’s HOT BIRD™ 7A satellite from 13 degrees East in order for it to be repositioned at the 10 degrees East neighbourhood. The proximity of these two neighbourhoods enables reception of channels from both positions with a single antenna equipped with a dual feed.
Eutelsat orders HOT BIRD™ 10
byEutelsat Communications today announced that Astrium will build the HOT BIRD™ 10 broadcast satellite which will be launched in first quarter 2009 and positioned at the Group’s 13 degrees East location. Following HOT BIRD™ 8 and 9, it is the third high-power broadcast satellite based on Astrium’s Eurostar E3000 platform that will be located at Eutelsat’s premium video neighbourhood for cable and satellite broadcasting. Astrium’s Eurostar E3000 platform was selected by Eutelsat for the HOT BIRD™ 8 satellite, which went into full commercial service this month, and HOT BIRD™ 9 which was ordered from Astrium in May this year. With each satellite equipped with 64 high-power Ku-band transponders spanning the entire range of 102 Ku-band frequencies at 13 degrees East, they will together deliver customers exceptional levels of security and in-orbit redundancy for the development of digital entertainment services and HDTV channels. HOT BIRD™ 10’s deployment in 2009 will also enable Eutelsat to pursue its objective to develop video activities at other orbital locations. The new satellite will release the Group’s HOT BIRD™ 7A satellite from 13 degrees East in order for it to be repositioned at the 10 degrees East neighbourhood. The proximity of these two neighbourhoods enables reception of channels from both positions with a single antenna equipped with a dual feed.
October 13, 2006
Arianespace successfully placed a further two commercial satellites into geostationary transfer orbit today. After an on-time lift-off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, the Ariane 5 launch vehicle went on to deploy DIRECTV 9S for U.S. digital TV service provider DIRECTV, along with the Optus D1 telecommunications spacecraft for Australia's Optus. The launch occurred at 5:56 p.m. local time, providing a rare daytime view of the Ariane 5's ascent, since most missions occur after sunset. As it climbed into clear skies, the vehicle's trajectory was followed downrange by tracking cameras, providing an excellent view of its progress – including the jettison of its solid propellant boosters. Ariane 5 once again demonstrated its excellent accuracy. Provisional parameters at the injection of its ESC-A cryogenic upper stage were: > Perigee: 249.4 km for a target of 249.5 km (±3) > Apogee: 35,940 km for a target of 35,946 km (±160) > Inclination: 6.98 º for a target of 7.0 degrees (±0.06º) It was Arianespace's fourth dual-satellite Ariane 5 mission this year, bringing the total payload mass delivered by the workhorse launcher so far in 2006 to more than 31,670 kg. Overall, Ariane vehicles have orbited a combined total payload mass of over 600 metric tons. DIRECTV 9S weighed approximately 5,535 kg., for today's mission. It was the sixth satellite to be launched by Arianespace for DIRECTV, Inc., the leading provider of digital multi-channel television service in the United States. The broadcast platform was built by U.S. satellite manufacturer Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, California.Optus D1 was released as the second payload in Ariane 5's mission sequence. This 2,350 kg. spacecraft is to provide fixed communications and broadcasting satellite services over Australia and New Zealand for Australia's Optus. The satellite was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Virginia, and is based on the company's successful STAR series of smaller-sized spacecraft. Riding as a piggyback payload on the mission was Japan's LDREX-2, which is designed to validate the deployment process for a large, lightweight antenna reflector that will be used on Japan's ETS-8 engineering test satellite. Mounted to the base of Ariane 5's payload "stack," LDREX-2 was to be commanded through its unfurling sequence after the release of DIRECTV 9S and Optus D1.
DIRECTV 9S and Optus D1 launched
byArianespace successfully placed a further two commercial satellites into geostationary transfer orbit today. After an on-time lift-off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, the Ariane 5 launch vehicle went on to deploy DIRECTV 9S for U.S. digital TV service provider DIRECTV, along with the Optus D1 telecommunications spacecraft for Australia's Optus. The launch occurred at 5:56 p.m. local time, providing a rare daytime view of the Ariane 5's ascent, since most missions occur after sunset. As it climbed into clear skies, the vehicle's trajectory was followed downrange by tracking cameras, providing an excellent view of its progress – including the jettison of its solid propellant boosters. Ariane 5 once again demonstrated its excellent accuracy. Provisional parameters at the injection of its ESC-A cryogenic upper stage were: > Perigee: 249.4 km for a target of 249.5 km (±3) > Apogee: 35,940 km for a target of 35,946 km (±160) > Inclination: 6.98 º for a target of 7.0 degrees (±0.06º) It was Arianespace's fourth dual-satellite Ariane 5 mission this year, bringing the total payload mass delivered by the workhorse launcher so far in 2006 to more than 31,670 kg. Overall, Ariane vehicles have orbited a combined total payload mass of over 600 metric tons. DIRECTV 9S weighed approximately 5,535 kg., for today's mission. It was the sixth satellite to be launched by Arianespace for DIRECTV, Inc., the leading provider of digital multi-channel television service in the United States. The broadcast platform was built by U.S. satellite manufacturer Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, California.Optus D1 was released as the second payload in Ariane 5's mission sequence. This 2,350 kg. spacecraft is to provide fixed communications and broadcasting satellite services over Australia and New Zealand for Australia's Optus. The satellite was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Virginia, and is based on the company's successful STAR series of smaller-sized spacecraft. Riding as a piggyback payload on the mission was Japan's LDREX-2, which is designed to validate the deployment process for a large, lightweight antenna reflector that will be used on Japan's ETS-8 engineering test satellite. Mounted to the base of Ariane 5's payload "stack," LDREX-2 was to be commanded through its unfurling sequence after the release of DIRECTV 9S and Optus D1.
October 6, 2006
Freeview is delaying its main marketing spend for its digital TV recorder strategy until the New Year. Though some manufacturers will have Freeview Playback-branded digital TV recorders in shops by Christmas, the main awareness campaign is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2007. Freeview launched its digital TV recorder strategy in May after research suggested that while consumers had high interest in being able to record digital programmes there was little awareness of the tape-free recording technology, resulting in low take-up of digital terrestrial digital TV recorders. Freeview general manager Cary Wakefield told Lovelace Consulting: "The industry has worked incredibly hard over the past four months and has achieved a great deal, with the logo and specification agreed and products already undergoing compliance testing. "A very high standard has been set for Freeview Playback and we're committed to offering a range of quality digital TV recorder products. We're working to clearly define the category for Christmas 2006 and will continue to build upon the momentum generated this year to launch a wide-range of products to consumers in Spring 2007."
Freeview delays Playback campaign
byFreeview is delaying its main marketing spend for its digital TV recorder strategy until the New Year. Though some manufacturers will have Freeview Playback-branded digital TV recorders in shops by Christmas, the main awareness campaign is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2007. Freeview launched its digital TV recorder strategy in May after research suggested that while consumers had high interest in being able to record digital programmes there was little awareness of the tape-free recording technology, resulting in low take-up of digital terrestrial digital TV recorders. Freeview general manager Cary Wakefield told Lovelace Consulting: "The industry has worked incredibly hard over the past four months and has achieved a great deal, with the logo and specification agreed and products already undergoing compliance testing. "A very high standard has been set for Freeview Playback and we're committed to offering a range of quality digital TV recorder products. We're working to clearly define the category for Christmas 2006 and will continue to build upon the momentum generated this year to launch a wide-range of products to consumers in Spring 2007."
September 23, 2006
C More Entertainment is restyling and repackaging the Canal+ premium channels in the Nordic region. The existing mixed-content offerings will be done away with. In their place will be three Canal+ branded channels dedicated to movies & series with two others focussing on sports. Subscribers who choose both the movie and sports packages will also get Canal+ HD and the bonus channel Canal+ mix. Perhaps the most significant change will be the shift in branding with the emphasis once more on the Canal+ name rather than the corporate C More name that has appeared on-screen in recent years. C More Entertainment has approximately 860,000 subscribers in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.
Canal+ Nordic gets a fresh look
byC More Entertainment is restyling and repackaging the Canal+ premium channels in the Nordic region. The existing mixed-content offerings will be done away with. In their place will be three Canal+ branded channels dedicated to movies & series with two others focussing on sports. Subscribers who choose both the movie and sports packages will also get Canal+ HD and the bonus channel Canal+ mix. Perhaps the most significant change will be the shift in branding with the emphasis once more on the Canal+ name rather than the corporate C More name that has appeared on-screen in recent years. C More Entertainment has approximately 860,000 subscribers in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.
September 9, 2006
Rupert Murdoch was paid more than £14m ($25m) last year as chief executive of media giant News Corporation - almost 10% up on the previous year, according to documents filed in the US. The media mogul made £13.8m ($25.7m) in the year that ended in June, including a £11.3m ($21m) bonus, a rise of 9.8%. And his New York apartment has cost the company £27,000 ($50,000) a month since May, according to News Corp's annual proxy statement filed with the US Securities & Exchange Commission. However, Mr Murdoch was not the best-paid executive at the company. The president and chief operating officer, Peter Chernin, took home a pay packet of £15.7m ($29.3m), which included a £4.3m ($8.1m) salary and a bonus of £11.4m ($21.2m). Mr Chernin's bonus was distributed in cash and restricted stock units, News Corp said, adding that bonuses paid to senior executives were calculated with reference to growth in earnings per share. Mr Murdoch, Mr Chernin and chief financial officer David DeVoe were also compensated £222,000 ($413,000) between them for their personal use of the company's aircraft. News Corp's businesses include the 20th Century Fox film studios, the Fox News Channel and the publishers HarperCollins. In the UK it owns the Sun and Times newspapers and satellite TV business BSkyB. Source: Media Guardian
Murdoch pockets £14m pay packet
byRupert Murdoch was paid more than £14m ($25m) last year as chief executive of media giant News Corporation - almost 10% up on the previous year, according to documents filed in the US. The media mogul made £13.8m ($25.7m) in the year that ended in June, including a £11.3m ($21m) bonus, a rise of 9.8%. And his New York apartment has cost the company £27,000 ($50,000) a month since May, according to News Corp's annual proxy statement filed with the US Securities & Exchange Commission. However, Mr Murdoch was not the best-paid executive at the company. The president and chief operating officer, Peter Chernin, took home a pay packet of £15.7m ($29.3m), which included a £4.3m ($8.1m) salary and a bonus of £11.4m ($21.2m). Mr Chernin's bonus was distributed in cash and restricted stock units, News Corp said, adding that bonuses paid to senior executives were calculated with reference to growth in earnings per share. Mr Murdoch, Mr Chernin and chief financial officer David DeVoe were also compensated £222,000 ($413,000) between them for their personal use of the company's aircraft. News Corp's businesses include the 20th Century Fox film studios, the Fox News Channel and the publishers HarperCollins. In the UK it owns the Sun and Times newspapers and satellite TV business BSkyB. Source: Media Guardian
September 1, 2006
In a press release from Eutelsat Communications and Alcatel Alenia Space today, September 1, 2006 the pair announced that Eutelsat has retained Alcatel Alenia Space, for the design, manufacturing, assembling, tests and on-ground delivery of the W2A satellite. Due to be launched in first quarter 2009, the main mission of this powerful new satellite will be to extend Ku-band capacity for video, broadband and telecommunications services in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and boost the C-band capacity available through Eutelsat’s fleet for services across Africa. Eutelsat has also asked Alcatel to proceed with head start activities for a state-of-the-art S-band payload at 2.2 GHz on W2A. A final decision on flying the S-band payload will be taken by Eutelsat in October following completion of a full assessment of market demand, the regulatory framework and financing. Based on the Alcatel Alenia Space Spacebus 4000C4 platform, W2A’s baseline mission comprises up to 46 transponders in Ku-band and a C-band payload of 10 transponders. The Ku-band payload will provide up to 37 transponders connected to a fixed Widebeam serving Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, which will enable Eutelsat to provide capacity for business networks and broadcasting services and additional capacity for expansion of services. Additionally, up to 12 Ku-band transponders will be connected to a second fixed beam serving southern Africa and Indian Ocean islands. The C-band mission of 10 transponders will provide pan-African coverage for broadband and telecommunications services. Designed with a lifetime of more than 15 years, W2A has a maximum launch mass of 5.7 tonnes and will deliver 11 kW of payload power.
Eutelsat orders W2A satellite
byIn a press release from Eutelsat Communications and Alcatel Alenia Space today, September 1, 2006 the pair announced that Eutelsat has retained Alcatel Alenia Space, for the design, manufacturing, assembling, tests and on-ground delivery of the W2A satellite. Due to be launched in first quarter 2009, the main mission of this powerful new satellite will be to extend Ku-band capacity for video, broadband and telecommunications services in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and boost the C-band capacity available through Eutelsat’s fleet for services across Africa. Eutelsat has also asked Alcatel to proceed with head start activities for a state-of-the-art S-band payload at 2.2 GHz on W2A. A final decision on flying the S-band payload will be taken by Eutelsat in October following completion of a full assessment of market demand, the regulatory framework and financing. Based on the Alcatel Alenia Space Spacebus 4000C4 platform, W2A’s baseline mission comprises up to 46 transponders in Ku-band and a C-band payload of 10 transponders. The Ku-band payload will provide up to 37 transponders connected to a fixed Widebeam serving Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, which will enable Eutelsat to provide capacity for business networks and broadcasting services and additional capacity for expansion of services. Additionally, up to 12 Ku-band transponders will be connected to a second fixed beam serving southern Africa and Indian Ocean islands. The C-band mission of 10 transponders will provide pan-African coverage for broadband and telecommunications services. Designed with a lifetime of more than 15 years, W2A has a maximum launch mass of 5.7 tonnes and will deliver 11 kW of payload power.
August 9, 2006
Currently undergoing what could be described as beta-testing, the stream2db plugin is a useful utility for the Dreambox which allows streaming of DVD and other video TO a Dreambox receiver as opposed to originating there. Developed by a knowledgeable friend in the Dreambox field, PCD, this plugin should prove very useful to just about anyone with a Dreambox.Please feel free to download this neat tool, and leave some feedback on our satellite forum if you wish.
Stream DVD’s to your Dreambox!
byCurrently undergoing what could be described as beta-testing, the stream2db plugin is a useful utility for the Dreambox which allows streaming of DVD and other video TO a Dreambox receiver as opposed to originating there. Developed by a knowledgeable friend in the Dreambox field, PCD, this plugin should prove very useful to just about anyone with a Dreambox.Please feel free to download this neat tool, and leave some feedback on our satellite forum if you wish.
August 5, 2006
ILS have announced the launch is successful and Eutelsat have said they expect to have Hotbird 8 in commercial service in October. BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, Aug. 5, 2006 - A Proton Breeze M launch vehicle successfully placed the HOT BIRD 8 satellite into orbit today, for the fourth launch of the year for International Launch Services (ILS). The launcher lifted off at 3:48 a.m. Saturday local time (21:48 Friday GMT, 5:48 p.m. Friday EDT). The mission lasted 9 hours and 11 minutes before HOT BIRD 8 was released into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The satellite is a Eurostar E3000 model built for Eutelsat by EADS Space. From its final orbital position of 13 degrees East longitude, HOT BIRD 8 will serve customers in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.More on the Satellite Forum
Hotbird 8 launch is successful
byILS have announced the launch is successful and Eutelsat have said they expect to have Hotbird 8 in commercial service in October. BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, Aug. 5, 2006 - A Proton Breeze M launch vehicle successfully placed the HOT BIRD 8 satellite into orbit today, for the fourth launch of the year for International Launch Services (ILS). The launcher lifted off at 3:48 a.m. Saturday local time (21:48 Friday GMT, 5:48 p.m. Friday EDT). The mission lasted 9 hours and 11 minutes before HOT BIRD 8 was released into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The satellite is a Eurostar E3000 model built for Eutelsat by EADS Space. From its final orbital position of 13 degrees East longitude, HOT BIRD 8 will serve customers in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.More on the Satellite Forum
July 30, 2006
Eutelsat's Hotbird 8 broadcast satellite is undergoing final preparations in Baikonur for an ILS Proton Breeze M launch scheduled for August 4 at 21:48 UTC, 22:48 British Summer Time, 03:48 August 5 in Baikonur. Based on EADS Space's Eurostar E3000, Hotbird 8 has a capacity almost three times that of the previous-generation HOT BIRD satellites. It will operate with a payload power in excess of 11 kW, which makes it the most powerful satellite ever built in Europe. Equipped with a two-level communications module, an all-chemical propulsion system and lithium-ion batteries, it will have a launch weight of almost 5 metric tons. The solar panels, spanning 39 metres once unfolded in orbit, will provide more than 14 kW of electric power. HOT BIRD 8 is designed to have a 15-year service life in orbit.With 64 transponders that can be operated simultaneously, of which 58 transponders will operate at full power for most of the satellite’s lifetime, HOT BIRD 8 is the largest satellite yet ordered by Eutelsat. It will join the company’s constellation of HOT BIRD broadcasting satellites at 13 degrees East that provide 950 television channels, 600 radio stations and interactive services to 110 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.HOT BIRD 8’s mission is to replace existing HOT BIRD capacity and to join HOT BIRD 7A in bringing in-orbit sparing to a level where 13 degrees East can maintain its reputation as one of the most secure multi-satellite video neighbourhoods. The satellite has been designed to cover all 102 Ku-band transponders/frequencies at 13 degrees East which means that it can substitute any transponder on the other HOT BIRD satellites.To date 43 Eurostar satellites have been ordered, 29 of which have already been successfully launched. Six Eurostar E3000s are currently operating in orbit, while nine more are in production.Image Copyright EADS SPACE
Hotbird 8 prepares for launch
byEutelsat's Hotbird 8 broadcast satellite is undergoing final preparations in Baikonur for an ILS Proton Breeze M launch scheduled for August 4 at 21:48 UTC, 22:48 British Summer Time, 03:48 August 5 in Baikonur. Based on EADS Space's Eurostar E3000, Hotbird 8 has a capacity almost three times that of the previous-generation HOT BIRD satellites. It will operate with a payload power in excess of 11 kW, which makes it the most powerful satellite ever built in Europe. Equipped with a two-level communications module, an all-chemical propulsion system and lithium-ion batteries, it will have a launch weight of almost 5 metric tons. The solar panels, spanning 39 metres once unfolded in orbit, will provide more than 14 kW of electric power. HOT BIRD 8 is designed to have a 15-year service life in orbit.With 64 transponders that can be operated simultaneously, of which 58 transponders will operate at full power for most of the satellite’s lifetime, HOT BIRD 8 is the largest satellite yet ordered by Eutelsat. It will join the company’s constellation of HOT BIRD broadcasting satellites at 13 degrees East that provide 950 television channels, 600 radio stations and interactive services to 110 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.HOT BIRD 8’s mission is to replace existing HOT BIRD capacity and to join HOT BIRD 7A in bringing in-orbit sparing to a level where 13 degrees East can maintain its reputation as one of the most secure multi-satellite video neighbourhoods. The satellite has been designed to cover all 102 Ku-band transponders/frequencies at 13 degrees East which means that it can substitute any transponder on the other HOT BIRD satellites.To date 43 Eurostar satellites have been ordered, 29 of which have already been successfully launched. Six Eurostar E3000s are currently operating in orbit, while nine more are in production.Image Copyright EADS SPACE
July 21, 2006
Awareness of digital switchover is increasing, and older viewers are the most aware of any group, according to new research by Digital UK and Ofcom. Digital UK, the public service broadcaster and digital terrestrial multiplex operator-funded body charged with coordinating the Government's 2008-2012 switchover timetable, said its tracking survey showed in the three months to June that 66% of the population had heard about the switchover process. Awareness was highest in the Border TV region. Switchover begins there in Whitehaven in the autumn of 2007, with most of the region following in 2008. The survey showed 82% of people were aware of the change. Across the UK awareness is highest among those aged 65-74, at 78%, and lowest among the 16-24 age group, at 47%. Digital UK said the national survey of more than 2,500 adults showed a "marked increase" in public awareness following its first information campaign. The campaign, featuring friendly robot Digit Al and comedian Matt Lucas, ran in May on BBC and commercial channels. Following the campaign, awareness increased by 13% nationally and by 11 points in the Border region. West Country and Wales, the TV regions that will follow Border in the switchover sequence, also have above-average awareness of switchover. In West Country, 77% of people are aware, and in Wales 71%, said Digital UK. Digital UK CEO Ford Ennals said: "These results are encouraging and demonstrate that the message about switchover is getting through, particularly to older viewers. "We still have a lot of work to do in order to ensure everyone knows about switchover and understands what they need to do to prepare. This includes knowing that all televisions need to be able to receive a digital signal. Nevertheless, this is a good start to our programme of communication and support, one we will continue to build on in the coming months and years." Ofcom strategy director Jim Egan said: "The switchover tracker research will provide valuable intelligence on consumer attitudes and expectations in the run up to full digital switchover. It will also be an important means of monitoring progress in the critical years ahead."
Digital switchover awareness rises
byAwareness of digital switchover is increasing, and older viewers are the most aware of any group, according to new research by Digital UK and Ofcom. Digital UK, the public service broadcaster and digital terrestrial multiplex operator-funded body charged with coordinating the Government's 2008-2012 switchover timetable, said its tracking survey showed in the three months to June that 66% of the population had heard about the switchover process. Awareness was highest in the Border TV region. Switchover begins there in Whitehaven in the autumn of 2007, with most of the region following in 2008. The survey showed 82% of people were aware of the change. Across the UK awareness is highest among those aged 65-74, at 78%, and lowest among the 16-24 age group, at 47%. Digital UK said the national survey of more than 2,500 adults showed a "marked increase" in public awareness following its first information campaign. The campaign, featuring friendly robot Digit Al and comedian Matt Lucas, ran in May on BBC and commercial channels. Following the campaign, awareness increased by 13% nationally and by 11 points in the Border region. West Country and Wales, the TV regions that will follow Border in the switchover sequence, also have above-average awareness of switchover. In West Country, 77% of people are aware, and in Wales 71%, said Digital UK. Digital UK CEO Ford Ennals said: "These results are encouraging and demonstrate that the message about switchover is getting through, particularly to older viewers. "We still have a lot of work to do in order to ensure everyone knows about switchover and understands what they need to do to prepare. This includes knowing that all televisions need to be able to receive a digital signal. Nevertheless, this is a good start to our programme of communication and support, one we will continue to build on in the coming months and years." Ofcom strategy director Jim Egan said: "The switchover tracker research will provide valuable intelligence on consumer attitudes and expectations in the run up to full digital switchover. It will also be an important means of monitoring progress in the critical years ahead."
July 11, 2006
Channel 4’s film channel, Film4, will relaunch as a free service on Sunday 23rd July at 9pm, with the free-to-air premiere of Sofia Coppola’s Oscar-winning film, Lost in Translation (2003), starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. The channel will screen a mix of major Hollywood films with great British films, both new and old, alongside timeless classics and cult favourites. Film4 is relaunching with a continuing commitment to showcasing British films and filmmakers, with one in four of all films transmitting on the channel coming from the UK. On launch night, following Lost in Translation, the highly acclaimed British gangster film and FilmFour production, Sexy Beast, is scheduled to lead the roll out of home grown films. The new free-to-air Film4 has secured carriage on all major digital TV platforms, including BSkyB’s Freesat, meaning that some 18 million digital TV homes will be able to receive Film4 from day one, at no extra cost, making it the UK’s biggest film channel. The new channel, which joins Channel 4, E4 and More4 on the Freeview platform, replaces existing subscription channel, FilmFour, which final day of transmission is 19th July.Source: Film4
Film4 goes free from 23rd July
byChannel 4’s film channel, Film4, will relaunch as a free service on Sunday 23rd July at 9pm, with the free-to-air premiere of Sofia Coppola’s Oscar-winning film, Lost in Translation (2003), starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. The channel will screen a mix of major Hollywood films with great British films, both new and old, alongside timeless classics and cult favourites. Film4 is relaunching with a continuing commitment to showcasing British films and filmmakers, with one in four of all films transmitting on the channel coming from the UK. On launch night, following Lost in Translation, the highly acclaimed British gangster film and FilmFour production, Sexy Beast, is scheduled to lead the roll out of home grown films. The new free-to-air Film4 has secured carriage on all major digital TV platforms, including BSkyB’s Freesat, meaning that some 18 million digital TV homes will be able to receive Film4 from day one, at no extra cost, making it the UK’s biggest film channel. The new channel, which joins Channel 4, E4 and More4 on the Freeview platform, replaces existing subscription channel, FilmFour, which final day of transmission is 19th July.Source: Film4
July 7, 2006
HOT BIRD 8 signals Breeze M Return to Flight International Launch Services (ILS) has scheduled its next Proton mission for Aug. 5 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan (Aug. 4 GMT) with the launch of the HOT BIRD 8 satellite for Eutelsat. Following that, ILS plans two additional Proton Breeze M missions in 2006, based upon customers' satellite delivery schedules.The HOT BIRD 8 satellite arrived in Baikonur yesterday morning. Weighing 4.9 tons and equipped with 64 Ku-band transponders for television and radio broadcasting, HOT BIRD 8 will be the largest satellite yet orbited by Eutelsat.This is ILS' second Proton mission of the year and fourth launch overall for 2006. ILS suspended missions with the Breeze M upper stage after a Feb. 28 launch failed to place the Arabsat 4A satellite into the correct orbit. ILS is ready to return to flight with its Proton M/Breeze M vehicle now that a Russian State Commission and an independent review panel have concluded their inquiries into that failure."As we start the launch campaign, we acknowledge the confidence of our long-standing customer Eutelsat in the Proton M/Breeze M vehicle," said ILS President Mark Albrecht."The Proton M launch vehicle has a 100 percent success rate, and the reliability of the Breeze M upper stage remains one of the highest in the industry," Albrecht said. "With the arrival of the satellite, all the flight hardware is in place to start operations."Source: ILS
HOTBIRD 8 will use Breeze M
byHOT BIRD 8 signals Breeze M Return to Flight International Launch Services (ILS) has scheduled its next Proton mission for Aug. 5 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan (Aug. 4 GMT) with the launch of the HOT BIRD 8 satellite for Eutelsat. Following that, ILS plans two additional Proton Breeze M missions in 2006, based upon customers' satellite delivery schedules.The HOT BIRD 8 satellite arrived in Baikonur yesterday morning. Weighing 4.9 tons and equipped with 64 Ku-band transponders for television and radio broadcasting, HOT BIRD 8 will be the largest satellite yet orbited by Eutelsat.This is ILS' second Proton mission of the year and fourth launch overall for 2006. ILS suspended missions with the Breeze M upper stage after a Feb. 28 launch failed to place the Arabsat 4A satellite into the correct orbit. ILS is ready to return to flight with its Proton M/Breeze M vehicle now that a Russian State Commission and an independent review panel have concluded their inquiries into that failure."As we start the launch campaign, we acknowledge the confidence of our long-standing customer Eutelsat in the Proton M/Breeze M vehicle," said ILS President Mark Albrecht."The Proton M launch vehicle has a 100 percent success rate, and the reliability of the Breeze M upper stage remains one of the highest in the industry," Albrecht said. "With the arrival of the satellite, all the flight hardware is in place to start operations."Source: ILS
June 22, 2006
If you like the simple life and have £20 going spare, then you may like to try the latest stable release of CoreAVC - Version 1.1 Pro.This should not only work on the Skystar 2, but most other cards as well.Used in conjunction with the DVBViewerGE software you should have no problem getting this to work, as there is no fiddling about to do - just straightforward installs.Download the two pieces of software from the 'net. They're around a tenner each.1. CoreAVC 1.1 Pro from http://coreavc.corecodec.org (You DO need the PRO version for BBC HD)2. DVBViewerGE. You should purchase DVBViewer from http://www.dvbviewer.com and then download the GE version from the members area.Make sure you don't have any other H264 codecs installed (inc fddshow) to ensure that there are no conflicts.As we've said before, you need a very fast dual-core processor and high-end video card to achieve a decent frame rate with no freezing on the mpeg4 transmissions.
BBC HD on Skystar 2 the easy way
byIf you like the simple life and have £20 going spare, then you may like to try the latest stable release of CoreAVC - Version 1.1 Pro.This should not only work on the Skystar 2, but most other cards as well.Used in conjunction with the DVBViewerGE software you should have no problem getting this to work, as there is no fiddling about to do - just straightforward installs.Download the two pieces of software from the 'net. They're around a tenner each.1. CoreAVC 1.1 Pro from http://coreavc.corecodec.org (You DO need the PRO version for BBC HD)2. DVBViewerGE. You should purchase DVBViewer from http://www.dvbviewer.com and then download the GE version from the members area.Make sure you don't have any other H264 codecs installed (inc fddshow) to ensure that there are no conflicts.As we've said before, you need a very fast dual-core processor and high-end video card to achieve a decent frame rate with no freezing on the mpeg4 transmissions.
June 12, 2006
Radio Caroline has joined the Sky platform after years of fund-raising for an EPG slot. Radio Caroline has famously broadcast from ships at sea from 1964 to 1990 and has been broadcasting off the Sky EPG for several months. A station spokesman comments on today's Sky launch: "Being on Sky's EPG will bring us more listeners, some of whom may remember the station from our offshore days but many will be listening for the first time." "It's been a long time coming and we must thank those many people who have donated money to our EPG Fund to bring this to fruition." Radio Caroline has launched on EPG 0199
Radio Caroline makes Sky launch
byRadio Caroline has joined the Sky platform after years of fund-raising for an EPG slot. Radio Caroline has famously broadcast from ships at sea from 1964 to 1990 and has been broadcasting off the Sky EPG for several months. A station spokesman comments on today's Sky launch: "Being on Sky's EPG will bring us more listeners, some of whom may remember the station from our offshore days but many will be listening for the first time." "It's been a long time coming and we must thank those many people who have donated money to our EPG Fund to bring this to fruition." Radio Caroline has launched on EPG 0199
June 1, 2006
Amstrad plc announced today that it has made its first deliveries of digital satellite high definition (HD) set top boxes to Sky Italia.Sky Italia launched its HD service in May and will be providing full coverage in HD of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Sir Alan Sugar, Chairman and CEO, said today "High definition is the future direction TV broadcasters are going, meeting the deadline of the World Cup shows that Amstrad is technically well advanced and positioned going forward in this new exciting technology".The Amstrad DRX700i HD Sky Italia Receiver International Standards• DVB-S2/DVB-S compliant audio and video decoding• MPEG2 video at MP@ML• MPEG4/H.264 HP L4.0 Interfaces• HDMI and HDCP 1.1• IF input• Modem telephone line• Left and Right Audio Outputs• TV and VCR SCART• Optical audio Conditional Access• NDS CA with integral smart card reader Modem• V.92 PSTN Modem Hardware and Software Features• Sky Guide electronic programme guide• Enhanced RC• Satellite FE (tuner/demod.)• MPEG2 audio decoder• Dolby Digital 5.1• Supports 'over air' download of new software into FLASH memory• 256 colour OSD from palette of 16k colours• Parental lock• Open TV middleware• Interactive applications• IP Internet Protocols for Interactive Services Consumer Features• Pay Per View compatible• Access to Free to Air programmes• Enhanced guide• Interactive applications Dimensions• 340mm x 220mm x 50mm
Amstrad delivers first Sky Italia HD boxes
byAmstrad plc announced today that it has made its first deliveries of digital satellite high definition (HD) set top boxes to Sky Italia.Sky Italia launched its HD service in May and will be providing full coverage in HD of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Sir Alan Sugar, Chairman and CEO, said today "High definition is the future direction TV broadcasters are going, meeting the deadline of the World Cup shows that Amstrad is technically well advanced and positioned going forward in this new exciting technology".The Amstrad DRX700i HD Sky Italia Receiver International Standards• DVB-S2/DVB-S compliant audio and video decoding• MPEG2 video at MP@ML• MPEG4/H.264 HP L4.0 Interfaces• HDMI and HDCP 1.1• IF input• Modem telephone line• Left and Right Audio Outputs• TV and VCR SCART• Optical audio Conditional Access• NDS CA with integral smart card reader Modem• V.92 PSTN Modem Hardware and Software Features• Sky Guide electronic programme guide• Enhanced RC• Satellite FE (tuner/demod.)• MPEG2 audio decoder• Dolby Digital 5.1• Supports 'over air' download of new software into FLASH memory• 256 colour OSD from palette of 16k colours• Parental lock• Open TV middleware• Interactive applications• IP Internet Protocols for Interactive Services Consumer Features• Pay Per View compatible• Access to Free to Air programmes• Enhanced guide• Interactive applications Dimensions• 340mm x 220mm x 50mm
May 24, 2006
Will I be able to watch the BBC HD trial on my Skystar card? This is a question that's been asked on a lot of forums, but the bottom line is only just starting to fall into place - so here's the latest word from the street. The BBC have now started their HD trial using DVB-S1, and will move to DVB-S2 at 'some point in the future'. This is pretty well accepted now, as more than one independent source has confirmed this as coming directly from the BBC in 1:1 correspondence. That 'some point in the future' will hopefully be after the World Cup, but that is NOT a ‘given’. The Skystar 1 and 2 cards (including all variants thereof) will not handle DVB-S2, so based on what the BBC have stated above, this is therefore not a long-term solution for BBC HD reception. The main reason then, that a whole heap of effort is going into keeping the Skystars afloat on the Hi-Def sea, is the hope of watching the World Cup. If you’re not a footy-fan, you may want to switch off now! The BBC transmissions will be in MPEG-4 and not MPEG-2 (the originally intended mode of the Skystars) from day one. Many people think that because the current decoding capabilities of the Skystar cards are limited to MPEG-2, that it's just not possible to push MPEG-4 encoded video into the front end of your card and get true Hi-Def out of the back of your computer. They think that High Definition means MPEG-4 and that MPEG-4 decoding is in turn solely a function of the chipset. The fact is that neither of those two statements is true. The first is known not to be true by many Skystar owners, who have been watching MPEG-2 HD test transmissions for some good while now. High definition simply means a 'High Definition' picture - a high resolution. It's not synonymous with MPEG-4 or DVB-S2 per se. It would be misleading though, to suggest that the future will not see these two standards adopted across the board for HD. MPEG-4 has many compression advantages (especially when combined with DVB-S2). That means less bandwidth, and that in turn means either more channels per transponder, or less cost per channel for the broadcasters.Read the full article on the Satellite TV Forum
BBC HD on my Skystar card?
byWill I be able to watch the BBC HD trial on my Skystar card? This is a question that's been asked on a lot of forums, but the bottom line is only just starting to fall into place - so here's the latest word from the street. The BBC have now started their HD trial using DVB-S1, and will move to DVB-S2 at 'some point in the future'. This is pretty well accepted now, as more than one independent source has confirmed this as coming directly from the BBC in 1:1 correspondence. That 'some point in the future' will hopefully be after the World Cup, but that is NOT a ‘given’. The Skystar 1 and 2 cards (including all variants thereof) will not handle DVB-S2, so based on what the BBC have stated above, this is therefore not a long-term solution for BBC HD reception. The main reason then, that a whole heap of effort is going into keeping the Skystars afloat on the Hi-Def sea, is the hope of watching the World Cup. If you’re not a footy-fan, you may want to switch off now! The BBC transmissions will be in MPEG-4 and not MPEG-2 (the originally intended mode of the Skystars) from day one. Many people think that because the current decoding capabilities of the Skystar cards are limited to MPEG-2, that it's just not possible to push MPEG-4 encoded video into the front end of your card and get true Hi-Def out of the back of your computer. They think that High Definition means MPEG-4 and that MPEG-4 decoding is in turn solely a function of the chipset. The fact is that neither of those two statements is true. The first is known not to be true by many Skystar owners, who have been watching MPEG-2 HD test transmissions for some good while now. High definition simply means a 'High Definition' picture - a high resolution. It's not synonymous with MPEG-4 or DVB-S2 per se. It would be misleading though, to suggest that the future will not see these two standards adopted across the board for HD. MPEG-4 has many compression advantages (especially when combined with DVB-S2). That means less bandwidth, and that in turn means either more channels per transponder, or less cost per channel for the broadcasters.Read the full article on the Satellite TV Forum
SKY Italia selects Pace for HD
bySKY Italia selects Pace for high definition launchPace press release, 22nd May 2006 Pace Micro Technology plc, the leading dedicated innovator of technology solutions for the payTV industry, has been selected by SKY Italia as a launch partner for its high definition (HD) TV service. Pace is supplying its next generation HD set-top box to SKY Italia - the DS815NS - part of the Pace HD family of products. The DS815 incorporates DVB-S2 technology - giving up to a 30% improvement in performance - and H.264 compression decoding to optimise bandwidth utilisation. It also comes with HDMI connectivity, with HDCP, to ensure secure transferral of data to HD-Ready displays.SKY Italia`s HD service launched on 17 May with live coverage of the European Champions League Cup Final. In June, SKY Italia will provide full coverage in HD of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Mark Williams, SKY Italia COO commented: "High definition is the ultimate way to enjoy television. We are very excited about our launch, especially with the FIFA World Cup only weeks away. Pace was a natural choice as an HD partner as we launched our initial digital service together and also recently our PVR service at the beginning of the year." Neil Gaydon, Chief Executive Officer added: "SKY Italia is among the first major payTV operators in Europe to start deploying HDTV - as Premiere is doing in Germany - and Pace has been the launch partner for both."It is our experience in delivering HDTV to the States over the last four years that has given us this lead in the development of the HD technologies for Europe. We are pleased that we can continue to build on this success with our key customers across Europe."
May 17, 2006
Toecutter is on the move again.The huge pirate satellite TV forum Toecutter's Den appears to have had a bit of a clearout. The database has been emptied of all discussion threads, and the following message reposted by Toe in his inimitable style:THIS SITE IS DEAD AND SO IS TOECUTTERTHERE WILL BE A NEW ONE TO REPLACE IT THE URL WILL BE STARWARSBAR.COM SO WATCH THE URL A REJOIN WILL BE NEEDED AND I WILL BE F**KIN OFF THE BACK STABBERS THERE WILL BE ONE BOSS I'm sure everything will have changed again within a week.Good luck to Mike, whatever he does next.
Toecutter’s Den reinvents itself
byToecutter is on the move again.The huge pirate satellite TV forum Toecutter's Den appears to have had a bit of a clearout. The database has been emptied of all discussion threads, and the following message reposted by Toe in his inimitable style:THIS SITE IS DEAD AND SO IS TOECUTTERTHERE WILL BE A NEW ONE TO REPLACE IT THE URL WILL BE STARWARSBAR.COM SO WATCH THE URL A REJOIN WILL BE NEEDED AND I WILL BE F**KIN OFF THE BACK STABBERS THERE WILL BE ONE BOSS I'm sure everything will have changed again within a week.Good luck to Mike, whatever he does next.
May 14, 2006
Just found out about a very exciting range of High Definition receivers waiting in the wings from Kaon. A well-know brand, with a good name in the satellite industry, they have a range of five STB's lined up for release at some time in the (hopefully) near future. One is a cable box, and one a purely terrestrial box, but the other three are very interesting to the satellite community. The KSF-S700 is the 'basic' High Definition satellite receiver, but looks very well put together. The KTSF-S700 is an intriguing satellite and terrestrial combination machine, whilst the star of the show is surely the beautiful looking KSF-S700H2.It's not just a pretty face either. Under the bonnet lies a pair of twin satellite tuners and, wait for it, a PVR facility!Here's the basic spec:- 2 Tuners PVR- Compliant MPEG-4/H.264 & Fully DVB-S2 (High Definition) - Simultaneous 6 Record and 1 playback - Simultaneous Time-shifting & Dual Recording - Dual Decoding from Live stream or Recorded stream (PIP: Picture-in-Picture)- MP3(MPEG-1 Layer-3) Transfer & Play from Internet via USB 2.0 - RGB and YPbPr and S-Video and CVBS and HDMI video Outputs- Powerful & Stable Trick mode - USB 2.0 support for Fast transfer via PCOh yes, it has the USB socket to boot, if you'll excuse the double entendre ;)It supports full 1080 resolution, Dolby AC-3 and has the essential HDMI connector (although only one).Read the full specification on the Satellite TV Forum
Dreaming of the Kaon KSF-S700H2
byJust found out about a very exciting range of High Definition receivers waiting in the wings from Kaon. A well-know brand, with a good name in the satellite industry, they have a range of five STB's lined up for release at some time in the (hopefully) near future. One is a cable box, and one a purely terrestrial box, but the other three are very interesting to the satellite community. The KSF-S700 is the 'basic' High Definition satellite receiver, but looks very well put together. The KTSF-S700 is an intriguing satellite and terrestrial combination machine, whilst the star of the show is surely the beautiful looking KSF-S700H2.It's not just a pretty face either. Under the bonnet lies a pair of twin satellite tuners and, wait for it, a PVR facility!Here's the basic spec:- 2 Tuners PVR- Compliant MPEG-4/H.264 & Fully DVB-S2 (High Definition) - Simultaneous 6 Record and 1 playback - Simultaneous Time-shifting & Dual Recording - Dual Decoding from Live stream or Recorded stream (PIP: Picture-in-Picture)- MP3(MPEG-1 Layer-3) Transfer & Play from Internet via USB 2.0 - RGB and YPbPr and S-Video and CVBS and HDMI video Outputs- Powerful & Stable Trick mode - USB 2.0 support for Fast transfer via PCOh yes, it has the USB socket to boot, if you'll excuse the double entendre ;)It supports full 1080 resolution, Dolby AC-3 and has the essential HDMI connector (although only one).Read the full specification on the Satellite TV Forum
May 11, 2006
UK television history is made, as the BBC begins FTA High Definition trialThe BBC is beginning the first public free-to-air high-definition television transmissions in the UK as part of a 12 month trial, ahead of the official launch of Sky HD, while research shows that licence fee payers expect the BBC to offer high-definition broadcasts as standard.Following the broadcast of a promotional preview from midday on 11 May, the BBC is planning to broadcast the first five episodes of the natural history documentary Planet Earth and sixteen episodes of the classic Dickens drama Bleak House over the Whitsun Bank Holiday from 27-29 May.Starting on 9 June, the BBC World Cup coverage will be simulcast in HD, as will major Wimbledon matches.From July onwards, the BBC will transmit high-definition highlights of drama, documentaries, events and music for a few hours each day.The broadcasts will initially be available to satellite television viewers with high-definition compatible receivers and displays. Satellite broadcaster BSkyB, which is launching a full HD service, will start installing compatible set-top boxes from 22 May, having received over 40,000 advance orders.The BBC HD channel will also be carried in some cable areas in time for the World Cup, following an agreement reached with NTL Telewest.Terrestrial reception will be limited to a BBC trial service in the London area, as there is currently not enough capacity available nationally for the high-definition broadcasts. Test streams have already been received in the capital.Research conducted by GfK NOP for the BBC showed that the majority of those sampled expected the BBC to broadcast in high-definition free-to-air on all platforms in the future.A representative sample of 1,500 respondents revealed that 73% had heard about high-definition television. Of those, 87% said they expected the BBC to broadcast in high definition in the future; 93% expected those broadcasts to be free to air; and 95% expected them to be available on satellite, terrestrial and cable television.“These are small but exciting first steps in the BBC’s ambition to offer the option of high definition to all in the future,” said BBC director of television Jana Bennett. “It’s clear that licence fee payers expect high-definition broadcasts from the BBC, the same way they have moved to colour television, widescreen, digital radio and online services with us in the past.”
BBC starts UK HD broadcasts today
byUK television history is made, as the BBC begins FTA High Definition trialThe BBC is beginning the first public free-to-air high-definition television transmissions in the UK as part of a 12 month trial, ahead of the official launch of Sky HD, while research shows that licence fee payers expect the BBC to offer high-definition broadcasts as standard.Following the broadcast of a promotional preview from midday on 11 May, the BBC is planning to broadcast the first five episodes of the natural history documentary Planet Earth and sixteen episodes of the classic Dickens drama Bleak House over the Whitsun Bank Holiday from 27-29 May.Starting on 9 June, the BBC World Cup coverage will be simulcast in HD, as will major Wimbledon matches.From July onwards, the BBC will transmit high-definition highlights of drama, documentaries, events and music for a few hours each day.The broadcasts will initially be available to satellite television viewers with high-definition compatible receivers and displays. Satellite broadcaster BSkyB, which is launching a full HD service, will start installing compatible set-top boxes from 22 May, having received over 40,000 advance orders.The BBC HD channel will also be carried in some cable areas in time for the World Cup, following an agreement reached with NTL Telewest.Terrestrial reception will be limited to a BBC trial service in the London area, as there is currently not enough capacity available nationally for the high-definition broadcasts. Test streams have already been received in the capital.Research conducted by GfK NOP for the BBC showed that the majority of those sampled expected the BBC to broadcast in high-definition free-to-air on all platforms in the future.A representative sample of 1,500 respondents revealed that 73% had heard about high-definition television. Of those, 87% said they expected the BBC to broadcast in high definition in the future; 93% expected those broadcasts to be free to air; and 95% expected them to be available on satellite, terrestrial and cable television.“These are small but exciting first steps in the BBC’s ambition to offer the option of high definition to all in the future,” said BBC director of television Jana Bennett. “It’s clear that licence fee payers expect high-definition broadcasts from the BBC, the same way they have moved to colour television, widescreen, digital radio and online services with us in the past.”
May 8, 2006
Satellite broadcaster BSkyB will begin installing its high-definition television boxes in the UK and Ireland on 22 May, after receiving 40,000 advance orders since 13 April when the UK's dominant pay-TV supplier began taking bookings from the general public. The number of orders for the long-awaited service is higher than the total number of sales of the Sky+ personal video recorder in its first year. The buzz surrounding Sky HD—which promises pictures four times sharper than standard definition and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound—has seen sales forecasts for this year rise from 1.4m units to 2m, with the cumulative total expected to be 2.7m at the end of 2006. Sky HD will also launch its programming line-up on 22 May. Highlights for the day and the rest of the month include live Test match cricket between England and Sri Lanka, and the Guinness Premiership rugby union final. There will also be US drama series 24 and Rescue Me, and a number of recent hit movies such as 2005's final Star Wars film, Revenge of the Sith, and the Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit In The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Sky HD will cost £10 per month in addition to a Sky digital subscription (currently priced between £15 and £42.50 per month). Subscribers will also pay £299 for set-top box that will incorporate a 160GB hard drive, allowing them to record 30 hours of high-definition programmes or 80 hours of standard definition content using the full functionality of Sky+. Last month, the satellite broadcaster offered HD customers £100 cash back on new Sony BRAVIA HD Ready TVs as part of a marketing tie-up between Sky and Sony UK. Of all televisions sold in February 2006 with a screen of 26 inches or larger, 46% were HD-ready, compared to just 3.4% in the same period a year earlier.
Sky HD advance orders hit 40,000
bySatellite broadcaster BSkyB will begin installing its high-definition television boxes in the UK and Ireland on 22 May, after receiving 40,000 advance orders since 13 April when the UK's dominant pay-TV supplier began taking bookings from the general public. The number of orders for the long-awaited service is higher than the total number of sales of the Sky+ personal video recorder in its first year. The buzz surrounding Sky HD—which promises pictures four times sharper than standard definition and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound—has seen sales forecasts for this year rise from 1.4m units to 2m, with the cumulative total expected to be 2.7m at the end of 2006. Sky HD will also launch its programming line-up on 22 May. Highlights for the day and the rest of the month include live Test match cricket between England and Sri Lanka, and the Guinness Premiership rugby union final. There will also be US drama series 24 and Rescue Me, and a number of recent hit movies such as 2005's final Star Wars film, Revenge of the Sith, and the Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit In The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Sky HD will cost £10 per month in addition to a Sky digital subscription (currently priced between £15 and £42.50 per month). Subscribers will also pay £299 for set-top box that will incorporate a 160GB hard drive, allowing them to record 30 hours of high-definition programmes or 80 hours of standard definition content using the full functionality of Sky+. Last month, the satellite broadcaster offered HD customers £100 cash back on new Sony BRAVIA HD Ready TVs as part of a marketing tie-up between Sky and Sony UK. Of all televisions sold in February 2006 with a screen of 26 inches or larger, 46% were HD-ready, compared to just 3.4% in the same period a year earlier.
May 2, 2006
SKY ITALIA BOOSTS EUTELSAT HOT BIRD™ CAPACITY TO SUPPORT LAUNCH OF SKY HDParis, 2 May 2006SKY Italia, Italy’s leading pay-TV platform which broadcasts exclusively from Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ video neighbourhood, has unveiled its planning for the launch this month in Italy of its new SKY HD package dedicated to HDTV content.In order to support its expansion into HDTV, SKY Italia began leasing an additional HOT BIRD™ transponder on 1 May, taking its total capacity used across Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD satellites to 18 transponders. The new service will launch on 17 May with live coverage of the European Champions League Cup Final. In June, SKY Italia will provide full coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, enabling subscribers with HD-ready equipment to benefit from panoramic views and razor-sharp detail of all 64 matches. Broadcasting in DVB S2 with MPEG4 compression, SKY Italia will be able to accommodate up to five HDTV channels in a single HOT BIRD™ transponder.Following the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, SKY Italia will launch its HD bouquet, with channels dedicated to movies, sports and general entertainment. Access to the SKY HD package will cost €7 per month, in addition to the main subscription. Subscriptions will be available from 8 May.Commenting on the upcoming HD launch, Giuliano Berretta, Eutelsat CEO said “We are delighted that our HOT BIRD™ video neighbourhood, which ten years ago accompanied the launch of Europe’s first digital video channels in DVB, is also the platform of choice for commercial HDTV broadcasting to satellite homes. SKY Italia’s move into HD further consolidates the important role it plays in Italy’s dynamic television market and opens the door to a new broadcasting experience for Italian TV homes”.This new offer will take SKY Italia's channel line-up to over 160 TV and radio channels serving a subscriber base in Italy of more than 3.6 million homes.
Sky Italia boosts capacity for HD
bySKY ITALIA BOOSTS EUTELSAT HOT BIRD™ CAPACITY TO SUPPORT LAUNCH OF SKY HDParis, 2 May 2006SKY Italia, Italy’s leading pay-TV platform which broadcasts exclusively from Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ video neighbourhood, has unveiled its planning for the launch this month in Italy of its new SKY HD package dedicated to HDTV content.In order to support its expansion into HDTV, SKY Italia began leasing an additional HOT BIRD™ transponder on 1 May, taking its total capacity used across Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD satellites to 18 transponders. The new service will launch on 17 May with live coverage of the European Champions League Cup Final. In June, SKY Italia will provide full coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, enabling subscribers with HD-ready equipment to benefit from panoramic views and razor-sharp detail of all 64 matches. Broadcasting in DVB S2 with MPEG4 compression, SKY Italia will be able to accommodate up to five HDTV channels in a single HOT BIRD™ transponder.Following the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, SKY Italia will launch its HD bouquet, with channels dedicated to movies, sports and general entertainment. Access to the SKY HD package will cost €7 per month, in addition to the main subscription. Subscriptions will be available from 8 May.Commenting on the upcoming HD launch, Giuliano Berretta, Eutelsat CEO said “We are delighted that our HOT BIRD™ video neighbourhood, which ten years ago accompanied the launch of Europe’s first digital video channels in DVB, is also the platform of choice for commercial HDTV broadcasting to satellite homes. SKY Italia’s move into HD further consolidates the important role it plays in Italy’s dynamic television market and opens the door to a new broadcasting experience for Italian TV homes”.This new offer will take SKY Italia's channel line-up to over 160 TV and radio channels serving a subscriber base in Italy of more than 3.6 million homes.
April 26, 2006
Sky Sports have today announced a three-year contract with Arqiva who will provide HD facilities on location.The deal will see Arqiva migrating from the standard definition format it currently provides for Sky Sports' coverage of the Football League competitions, to HD in time for the 2006-07 football season.Arqiva's outside broadcast facilities will be used to provide HD coverage of the Coca Cola Leagues - Championship, League One and League Two - and the Carling Cup knock-out competition. Sky Sports has already started to produce Barclays Premiership football and Guinness Premiership Rugby in HD and will produce England's Test and One-Day internationals and county cricket in HD this summer.Darren Long, Head of Sky Sports operations, added, "High definition is the next big step in broadcasting and is simply stunning for sport. Arqiva is a great partner for us and will provide excellent facilities on location. We are glad to be working with them on our HD coverage."Sky HD is on track to launch next month (May 2006) bringing viewers a cinema-like experience with sharper, clearer and more vibrant pictures and, with compatible home cinema systems, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Sky HD will capture detail and movement with greater clarity, providing four times the picture detail of standard definition. In order to enjoy Sky HD consumers will need a compatible HD-ready TV, a Sky HD box and the relevant subscriptions.
Sky Sports agree HD broadcast deal
bySky Sports have today announced a three-year contract with Arqiva who will provide HD facilities on location.The deal will see Arqiva migrating from the standard definition format it currently provides for Sky Sports' coverage of the Football League competitions, to HD in time for the 2006-07 football season.Arqiva's outside broadcast facilities will be used to provide HD coverage of the Coca Cola Leagues - Championship, League One and League Two - and the Carling Cup knock-out competition. Sky Sports has already started to produce Barclays Premiership football and Guinness Premiership Rugby in HD and will produce England's Test and One-Day internationals and county cricket in HD this summer.Darren Long, Head of Sky Sports operations, added, "High definition is the next big step in broadcasting and is simply stunning for sport. Arqiva is a great partner for us and will provide excellent facilities on location. We are glad to be working with them on our HD coverage."Sky HD is on track to launch next month (May 2006) bringing viewers a cinema-like experience with sharper, clearer and more vibrant pictures and, with compatible home cinema systems, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Sky HD will capture detail and movement with greater clarity, providing four times the picture detail of standard definition. In order to enjoy Sky HD consumers will need a compatible HD-ready TV, a Sky HD box and the relevant subscriptions.
April 25, 2006
Conexant’s Complete Satellite Set-top Box Solution powers Humax HDTV Receivers.Humax is using five Conexant chips in the PR-HD1000 HDTV receiver. They include:• The CX24116 DVB-S2 demodulator/decoder: DVB- S2 leverages key developments in channel coding and modulation to provide up to a 35 percent capacity increase over the previous DVB-S standard.• The CX2418X MPEG-4/H.264 decoder: H.264 compression provides greater recording capacity on STBs with personal video recording capabilities, and increases the number of HDTV channels a broadcaster can transmit.• The CX2417X MPEG-2 HDTV decoder: This device performs navigation through a digital broadcast service and securely decodes authorized program content for presentation on an HDTV display.• The CX24118 direct down-conversion satellite tuner: This solution supports 8PSK advanced modulation and coding specifications, providing satellite operators with up to 35 percent higher data throughput rates using existing bandwidth.• The CX20552 universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 physical layer (PHY) transceiver: This chip interfaces with the CX2417X, allowing the HDTV receiver to work with a variety of external USB 2.0 devices and expand its capabilities.The PR-HD1000 HDTV receiver is primarily aimed at customers of the German broadcaster Premiere.
Conexant powers Humax STB’s
byConexant’s Complete Satellite Set-top Box Solution powers Humax HDTV Receivers.Humax is using five Conexant chips in the PR-HD1000 HDTV receiver. They include:• The CX24116 DVB-S2 demodulator/decoder: DVB- S2 leverages key developments in channel coding and modulation to provide up to a 35 percent capacity increase over the previous DVB-S standard.• The CX2418X MPEG-4/H.264 decoder: H.264 compression provides greater recording capacity on STBs with personal video recording capabilities, and increases the number of HDTV channels a broadcaster can transmit.• The CX2417X MPEG-2 HDTV decoder: This device performs navigation through a digital broadcast service and securely decodes authorized program content for presentation on an HDTV display.• The CX24118 direct down-conversion satellite tuner: This solution supports 8PSK advanced modulation and coding specifications, providing satellite operators with up to 35 percent higher data throughput rates using existing bandwidth.• The CX20552 universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 physical layer (PHY) transceiver: This chip interfaces with the CX2417X, allowing the HDTV receiver to work with a variety of external USB 2.0 devices and expand its capabilities.The PR-HD1000 HDTV receiver is primarily aimed at customers of the German broadcaster Premiere.
April 20, 2006
The launch of the Astra 1KR communications satellite this evening was a complete success, with spacecraft separation occurring at around 23:16 UK time. The launch was televised on Astra Vision 3 at 19.2E and proved to be well worth watching as the very impressive pictures from the launch were relayed back. The first phase of the mission concluded with the first shut-down of the Centaur second-stage engine and commencement of the 80-plus minute coast phase. The engine restarted successfully, and the separation of the satellite occurred soon after. Astra 1KR must now negotiate it's way into geostationary orbit ready for operational readiness testing.SES Astra must be very relieved! More info and pics here
Astra 1KR launches successfully
byThe launch of the Astra 1KR communications satellite this evening was a complete success, with spacecraft separation occurring at around 23:16 UK time. The launch was televised on Astra Vision 3 at 19.2E and proved to be well worth watching as the very impressive pictures from the launch were relayed back. The first phase of the mission concluded with the first shut-down of the Centaur second-stage engine and commencement of the 80-plus minute coast phase. The engine restarted successfully, and the separation of the satellite occurred soon after. Astra 1KR must now negotiate it's way into geostationary orbit ready for operational readiness testing.SES Astra must be very relieved! More info and pics here
ASTRA 1KR launch televised
byDetails for the launch broadcast: For Europe: Transmission on transponder 116 on ASTRA 1G at 19.2E with following reception parameters:Downlink Frequency: 12669.50 MHzDownlink Polarisation: VerticalSR: 22 MS/s QPSK FEC: 5/6Service name: ASTRA VISION 3For the US:Transmission on transponder 17 on AMC 4 at 101o W C-band analogue with following reception parameters:Downlink Frequency: 4040 MHzDownlink Polarization: Vertical Bandwidth: 36 MHzTest signals begin around 3.45 pm EDT (21.45 CET)
April 14, 2006
ASTRA 1KR will join the seven ASTRA satellites currently co-located at the orbital position 19.2 degrees East. It will operate as a replacement satellite for existing capacity at this position allowing the redeployment of resources within SES ASTRA's fleet. The ASTRA 1KR satellite is an A2100 model built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems and scheduled to launch on an Atlas V-411 vehicle.Launch Date: Thursday, April 20, 2006Launch Window: 2 hours, 50 minutes 4:27-7:17 p.m. EDT, 20:27-23:17 GMT Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Launch Complex 41Launch Services Provider: International Launch Services , McLean, Va. ASTRA 1KR, with its pan-European footprint, will provide DTH services for the whole of Europe. ASTRA 1KR is also planned to transmit HDTV channels across Europe. It ensures continuity of the unique inter-satellite back-up and provides replacement capacity for ASTRA 1B and ASTRA 1C.
Atlas V to launch ASTRA 1KR
byASTRA 1KR will join the seven ASTRA satellites currently co-located at the orbital position 19.2 degrees East. It will operate as a replacement satellite for existing capacity at this position allowing the redeployment of resources within SES ASTRA's fleet. The ASTRA 1KR satellite is an A2100 model built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems and scheduled to launch on an Atlas V-411 vehicle.Launch Date: Thursday, April 20, 2006Launch Window: 2 hours, 50 minutes 4:27-7:17 p.m. EDT, 20:27-23:17 GMT Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Launch Complex 41Launch Services Provider: International Launch Services , McLean, Va. ASTRA 1KR, with its pan-European footprint, will provide DTH services for the whole of Europe. ASTRA 1KR is also planned to transmit HDTV channels across Europe. It ensures continuity of the unique inter-satellite back-up and provides replacement capacity for ASTRA 1B and ASTRA 1C.
April 11, 2006
Ground controllers at ESA’s European Spacecraft Operations Centre (ESOC) confirmed the end of the Venus Express main engine burn at 10:07 CEST today. A few more automatic operations should now follow to reorient the spacecraft towards the Sun (so-called ‘sun acquisition mode’) and then have one of the spacecraft’s high gain antennas (the HGA 2) oriented towards Earth, ready to establish the first communication link with ground control.At 09:45 CEST this morning, the Venus Express spacecraft disappeared as expected behind the planet disc. The spacecraft signal was lost for about 10 minutes. That phase started about 25 minutes after the beginning of the main engine burn and is known as ‘occultation’. Receiving the spacecraft signal after the occultation period was one of the first positive signs of successful orbit insertion. Ground controllers confirmed re-acquisition of the low-gain antenna signal from the Venus Express spacecraft at 09:57 CEST. This confirms that Venus Express has completed its slingshot around the planet at the expected velocity. It was on 9 November last year that ESA's Venus Express spacecraft lifted off from the desert of Kazakhstan onboard a Soyuz-Fregat rocket. Now, after having travelled 400 million kilometres in only about five months, the spacecraft has reached its final destination. To begin to explore our Earth’s hot and hazy sister planet, Venus Express must now complete this critical step, the most challenging one following launch.. The Venus Orbit Insertion (VOI) manoeuvre allows the spacecraft to reduce its speed relative to Venus, so that it can be captured by the planet’s gravitation. Source: ESALive satellite coverage can be seen here:Eutelsat Hot Bird 1 at 13 degrees east Transponder 2 Polarisation: VerticalFrequency: 11.242 MHzSR=27500 MS/secFEC=3/4Channel id 'ESA'
Venus Express main engine burn ended
byGround controllers at ESA’s European Spacecraft Operations Centre (ESOC) confirmed the end of the Venus Express main engine burn at 10:07 CEST today. A few more automatic operations should now follow to reorient the spacecraft towards the Sun (so-called ‘sun acquisition mode’) and then have one of the spacecraft’s high gain antennas (the HGA 2) oriented towards Earth, ready to establish the first communication link with ground control.At 09:45 CEST this morning, the Venus Express spacecraft disappeared as expected behind the planet disc. The spacecraft signal was lost for about 10 minutes. That phase started about 25 minutes after the beginning of the main engine burn and is known as ‘occultation’. Receiving the spacecraft signal after the occultation period was one of the first positive signs of successful orbit insertion. Ground controllers confirmed re-acquisition of the low-gain antenna signal from the Venus Express spacecraft at 09:57 CEST. This confirms that Venus Express has completed its slingshot around the planet at the expected velocity. It was on 9 November last year that ESA's Venus Express spacecraft lifted off from the desert of Kazakhstan onboard a Soyuz-Fregat rocket. Now, after having travelled 400 million kilometres in only about five months, the spacecraft has reached its final destination. To begin to explore our Earth’s hot and hazy sister planet, Venus Express must now complete this critical step, the most challenging one following launch.. The Venus Orbit Insertion (VOI) manoeuvre allows the spacecraft to reduce its speed relative to Venus, so that it can be captured by the planet’s gravitation. Source: ESALive satellite coverage can be seen here:Eutelsat Hot Bird 1 at 13 degrees east Transponder 2 Polarisation: VerticalFrequency: 11.242 MHzSR=27500 MS/secFEC=3/4Channel id 'ESA'
April 6, 2006
Sky HD will go on sale to the general public next Wednesday, April 12, it has been announced.Installations of the HD service will begin next month in advance of the World Cup in June. Pre-registration has been open to interested customers for the past fortnight.Customers will be able to book a Sky HD installation via the Sky website, certain retail stores or by calling 08702 40 40 20. A monthly subscription will cost £10 and the set-top box £299, while installation is free until the end of May or while stocks last.Meanwhile, Sky has also confirmed that the HD box will be equipped with a 160Gb hard drive, allowing for 80 hours of standard definition recording or 30 hours of HD recording.Source: Digital Spy
Sky HD available from April 12th
bySky HD will go on sale to the general public next Wednesday, April 12, it has been announced.Installations of the HD service will begin next month in advance of the World Cup in June. Pre-registration has been open to interested customers for the past fortnight.Customers will be able to book a Sky HD installation via the Sky website, certain retail stores or by calling 08702 40 40 20. A monthly subscription will cost £10 and the set-top box £299, while installation is free until the end of May or while stocks last.Meanwhile, Sky has also confirmed that the HD box will be equipped with a 160Gb hard drive, allowing for 80 hours of standard definition recording or 30 hours of HD recording.Source: Digital Spy
ITV, Ch4 & FIVE join DTT HDTV trial
byITV is joining the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel Five for a trial this summer allowing digital terrestrial television viewers in London to get a taste of programmes shot in high definition.However, viewers wanting to see a range of HD channels rather than just a taster can sign up for BSkyB's digital satellite offering, Sky HD, from next Wednesday, April 12.BSkyB is to begin installing Sky HD set-top boxes next month, giving customers access to enhanced picture quality versions of channels including Sky One, Artsworld, National Geographic, Sky Sports and Sky Movies.
March 30, 2006
Eutelsat's HOT BIRD™ 7A broadcast satellite which was boosted into orbit by an Ariane 5 ECA rocket on March 11, has completed Low Earth Orbit Phase manoeuvres which include fully circularising its orbit at 36,000 km and deploying solar panels and antennas. Using dedicated facilities located at Eutelsat's Rambouillet teleport near Paris, these manoeuvres were managed by Eutelsat with support from Alcatel Alenia Space, HOT BIRD™ 7A's prime contractor, and Telespazio. The satellite is now undergoing a series of in-orbit tests prior to joining the HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood at 13 degrees East in April in order to assume broadcasts by HOT BIRD™ 1. HOT BIRD™ 7A will also host a new digital platform operated by Serbia Telekom and accompany the expansion of the digital platform operated by Swiss public broadcaster SRG SSR.
HOT BIRD™ 7A gearing up for service
byEutelsat's HOT BIRD™ 7A broadcast satellite which was boosted into orbit by an Ariane 5 ECA rocket on March 11, has completed Low Earth Orbit Phase manoeuvres which include fully circularising its orbit at 36,000 km and deploying solar panels and antennas. Using dedicated facilities located at Eutelsat's Rambouillet teleport near Paris, these manoeuvres were managed by Eutelsat with support from Alcatel Alenia Space, HOT BIRD™ 7A's prime contractor, and Telespazio. The satellite is now undergoing a series of in-orbit tests prior to joining the HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood at 13 degrees East in April in order to assume broadcasts by HOT BIRD™ 1. HOT BIRD™ 7A will also host a new digital platform operated by Serbia Telekom and accompany the expansion of the digital platform operated by Swiss public broadcaster SRG SSR.
March 25, 2006
Due to be released in Australia in April 2006 is the beautiful looking Topfield TF7000HT High Definition Set Top Box. The TF7000HT has a very chic look and comes in both black and silver to fit in with your colour scheme. The controls and VFD display are concealed behind the front tinted pull down cover. The twin-tuner satellite receiver incorporates an HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connector carrying both crystal clear pictures and high quality 5.1 audio through a single cable, whilst other outputs include Component (Y,Pb,Pr), RGB (15pin), S-Video, Composite and both optical and coaxial audio outputs. With the Topfield HD STB you can use both the HD and SD outputs simultaneously, allowing you to connect directly to a VCR or DVD recorder for easy recording. It is also possible to use 2 HD outputs at the same time (e.g. HDMI to your LCD and RGB to a projector) with no switching required. The TF7000HT features automatic resolution switching allowing the STB to automatically mirror the transmission resolution (i.e. 1080i, 576p, 576i). This of course can be manually overridden and the STB will convert the format accordingly. It is not clear at this time whether the box is built around the DVB-S2 standard, but it does not come with a hard disk. Topfield Australia's General Manager Jai Kemp said, 'I am confident that the TF7000HT will add value to the Home Entertainment experience and will back up Topfield’s ongoing goal of providing seamless and reliable technology". The TF7000HT will carry a recommended retail price of $599 down under, and then allegedly roll out across Asia. A European release date has not yet been announced.
Awaiting the Topfield TF7000HT HD
byDue to be released in Australia in April 2006 is the beautiful looking Topfield TF7000HT High Definition Set Top Box. The TF7000HT has a very chic look and comes in both black and silver to fit in with your colour scheme. The controls and VFD display are concealed behind the front tinted pull down cover. The twin-tuner satellite receiver incorporates an HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connector carrying both crystal clear pictures and high quality 5.1 audio through a single cable, whilst other outputs include Component (Y,Pb,Pr), RGB (15pin), S-Video, Composite and both optical and coaxial audio outputs. With the Topfield HD STB you can use both the HD and SD outputs simultaneously, allowing you to connect directly to a VCR or DVD recorder for easy recording. It is also possible to use 2 HD outputs at the same time (e.g. HDMI to your LCD and RGB to a projector) with no switching required. The TF7000HT features automatic resolution switching allowing the STB to automatically mirror the transmission resolution (i.e. 1080i, 576p, 576i). This of course can be manually overridden and the STB will convert the format accordingly. It is not clear at this time whether the box is built around the DVB-S2 standard, but it does not come with a hard disk. Topfield Australia's General Manager Jai Kemp said, 'I am confident that the TF7000HT will add value to the Home Entertainment experience and will back up Topfield’s ongoing goal of providing seamless and reliable technology". The TF7000HT will carry a recommended retail price of $599 down under, and then allegedly roll out across Asia. A European release date has not yet been announced.
March 16, 2006
This is not niche-market stuff. Have you ever thought "Wouldn't it be great if I could have satellite TV on my PC?" You are not the only one. If you're fairly new to the concept, then you have some exciting times ahead. Not only is it possible, it's highly affordable and highly effective.There is a huge fuss being made in the media at the moment about claims of 'Free satellite TV on your PC' or 'Free Sky on the Internet' services. A lot of it is just the usual Media Hype, but the TV companies and broadcasters are starting to take notice. In fact, they've been watching for quite a while.Are you confused about what's possible? Do you just want the bottom line on how (or even if) it works?That's quite easy. With the advent of 'Web-TV' the lines have been blurred somewhat, but you can either have the video streamed over an IP network (like the Internet, or your home LAN if you have one) or you can receive it from a satellite. Only the latter is real 'satellite TV'. The subject of much of the media attention of late has been the Internet streaming of things like Premiership football and movies. The reality is that the vast majority of those services are very poor-quality viewing and very unreliable. Even Sky's own video-on-demand service has had poor take-up and an incredibly high churn rate with many customers being disappointed by the quality. As for the dodgy websites offering the moon and delivering something a little less impressive, why do you think that most of them want a one-time, up-front membership fee?If there weren't so many of them, they would probably be quite rich by now, as people are sucked in by the tempting sales pitch.So what does that mean for someone who just wants some basic, free TV on their PC?Well, both the BBC and ITV are currently trialling web-streams of their flagship services and they're not too bad actually, but they will probably only be available to UK residents. Other domestic services across Europe are likely to follow suit due to the complex media rights agreements they have already signed with content providers.For high quality satellite TV on your PC there is a much better solution. Live TV, direct to your home. No middle man, no 'server busy, please try later'. No here-today, gone-tomorrow lifetime subscription services, no satellite subscription and no worries about who's knocking on your door - it's completely legal to watch the free to air (FTA) channels from all over Europe. Thousands of them.Of course, if you want to get free Premiership football, movies, porn or whatever then you can do that too via various mechanisms, but that's not what this is about.This is about a simple, standard and well-proven piece of hardware which plugs into either a vacant PCI slot in your motherboard, or a free USB port. Although the latter might sound appealing, far better results are generally achieved using the PCI card. It's just a faster device.A Skystar1 or Skystar2 card will provide the required platform to get the pictures onto your PC screen. It's so cheap, it's ridiculous! The only other thing you need is a satellite dish. That will rule this option out for some people, but it's no big deal for most. You can even piggy-back off your existing dish. Even your Sky minidish.You can source these cards very easily, cheaply and legally from the UK and all over Europe. They are also used to receive 'Internet by satellite' data links.One of the best things about the Technisat Skystar cards is that they will even decode HDTV (though not the new Sky channels) and live 4:2:2 format feeds.How much? Around £45 new for the Skystar 2 TV card.There are lots of other cards to choose from too, but the Skystar has an unrivalled after-market community support platform.Go and have a scout around and see what you can get one for. Then come back here and we'll help you set it all up, 'cos we're nice like that!What's in it for us? Well, nothing actually. We don't sell anything. We just get a kick out of helping you get free TV. Have a browse of our TV cards section <here> for more information.Satellite TV on my PC? Oh yes, and you're going to love it!www.satellitehelp.co.uk
Satellite TV on my PC – Possible?
byThis is not niche-market stuff. Have you ever thought "Wouldn't it be great if I could have satellite TV on my PC?" You are not the only one. If you're fairly new to the concept, then you have some exciting times ahead. Not only is it possible, it's highly affordable and highly effective.There is a huge fuss being made in the media at the moment about claims of 'Free satellite TV on your PC' or 'Free Sky on the Internet' services. A lot of it is just the usual Media Hype, but the TV companies and broadcasters are starting to take notice. In fact, they've been watching for quite a while.Are you confused about what's possible? Do you just want the bottom line on how (or even if) it works?That's quite easy. With the advent of 'Web-TV' the lines have been blurred somewhat, but you can either have the video streamed over an IP network (like the Internet, or your home LAN if you have one) or you can receive it from a satellite. Only the latter is real 'satellite TV'. The subject of much of the media attention of late has been the Internet streaming of things like Premiership football and movies. The reality is that the vast majority of those services are very poor-quality viewing and very unreliable. Even Sky's own video-on-demand service has had poor take-up and an incredibly high churn rate with many customers being disappointed by the quality. As for the dodgy websites offering the moon and delivering something a little less impressive, why do you think that most of them want a one-time, up-front membership fee?If there weren't so many of them, they would probably be quite rich by now, as people are sucked in by the tempting sales pitch.So what does that mean for someone who just wants some basic, free TV on their PC?Well, both the BBC and ITV are currently trialling web-streams of their flagship services and they're not too bad actually, but they will probably only be available to UK residents. Other domestic services across Europe are likely to follow suit due to the complex media rights agreements they have already signed with content providers.For high quality satellite TV on your PC there is a much better solution. Live TV, direct to your home. No middle man, no 'server busy, please try later'. No here-today, gone-tomorrow lifetime subscription services, no satellite subscription and no worries about who's knocking on your door - it's completely legal to watch the free to air (FTA) channels from all over Europe. Thousands of them.Of course, if you want to get free Premiership football, movies, porn or whatever then you can do that too via various mechanisms, but that's not what this is about.This is about a simple, standard and well-proven piece of hardware which plugs into either a vacant PCI slot in your motherboard, or a free USB port. Although the latter might sound appealing, far better results are generally achieved using the PCI card. It's just a faster device.A Skystar1 or Skystar2 card will provide the required platform to get the pictures onto your PC screen. It's so cheap, it's ridiculous! The only other thing you need is a satellite dish. That will rule this option out for some people, but it's no big deal for most. You can even piggy-back off your existing dish. Even your Sky minidish.You can source these cards very easily, cheaply and legally from the UK and all over Europe. They are also used to receive 'Internet by satellite' data links.One of the best things about the Technisat Skystar cards is that they will even decode HDTV (though not the new Sky channels) and live 4:2:2 format feeds.How much? Around £45 new for the Skystar 2 TV card.There are lots of other cards to choose from too, but the Skystar has an unrivalled after-market community support platform.Go and have a scout around and see what you can get one for. Then come back here and we'll help you set it all up, 'cos we're nice like that!What's in it for us? Well, nothing actually. We don't sell anything. We just get a kick out of helping you get free TV. Have a browse of our TV cards section <here> for more information.Satellite TV on my PC? Oh yes, and you're going to love it!www.satellitehelp.co.uk
March 12, 2006
March 11, 2006 Ariane 5 deploys another dual-satellite payload into orbit! Arianespace kicked off its 2006 launch activities with the Ariane 5 ECA's successful orbiting of two telecommunications satellites from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana tonight. Spain's SPAINSAT governmental telecommunications spacecraft and the Eutelsat HOT BIRD 7A television broadcast platform were injected into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) in a mission that marked another demonstration of Ariane 5's dual-satellite payload capacity. The 3,680-kg SPAINSAT was deployed approximately 27 minutes after the Ariane 5's liftoff from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, followed about 5 minutes later by the separation of HOT BIRD 7A, which had a mass of 4,100 kg.HOT BIRD 7A was the 21st satellite orbited by Arianespace for Europe's Eutelsat telecommunications operator. "The privileged relationship of our two companies is particularly exemplary, and we are particularly pleased to confirm it again this evening," Le Gall said. "I want to thank [Eutelsat Communications CEO] Giuliano Berretta and all of his shareholders for the confidence they place in us." The HOT BIRD 7A spacecraft will be located at an orbital slot of 13 deg. East – which is Eutelsat's flagship location for television and radio program broadcasting. Built by Alcatel Alenia Space in Cannes, France, this platform carries 38 Ku-band transponders, and it will renew Eutelsat's current capacity and provide redundancy for its HOT BIRD family of relay spacecraft.
Hotbird 7A makes it away at last
byMarch 11, 2006 Ariane 5 deploys another dual-satellite payload into orbit! Arianespace kicked off its 2006 launch activities with the Ariane 5 ECA's successful orbiting of two telecommunications satellites from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana tonight. Spain's SPAINSAT governmental telecommunications spacecraft and the Eutelsat HOT BIRD 7A television broadcast platform were injected into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) in a mission that marked another demonstration of Ariane 5's dual-satellite payload capacity. The 3,680-kg SPAINSAT was deployed approximately 27 minutes after the Ariane 5's liftoff from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, followed about 5 minutes later by the separation of HOT BIRD 7A, which had a mass of 4,100 kg.HOT BIRD 7A was the 21st satellite orbited by Arianespace for Europe's Eutelsat telecommunications operator. "The privileged relationship of our two companies is particularly exemplary, and we are particularly pleased to confirm it again this evening," Le Gall said. "I want to thank [Eutelsat Communications CEO] Giuliano Berretta and all of his shareholders for the confidence they place in us." The HOT BIRD 7A spacecraft will be located at an orbital slot of 13 deg. East – which is Eutelsat's flagship location for television and radio program broadcasting. Built by Alcatel Alenia Space in Cannes, France, this platform carries 38 Ku-band transponders, and it will renew Eutelsat's current capacity and provide redundancy for its HOT BIRD family of relay spacecraft.
Trouble aligning your dish system?
byIf you are having trouble aligning your satellite dish or motor, then we have something to help you.Novices and experts alike have trouble sometimes. It's particularly difficult for beginners to visualise an imaginary fleet of satellites above their homes. If you have not achieved the nirvana of perfect elevation, azimuth and declination, or don't even know what they are, we can help.We have produced a diagrammatic representation which should aid those wishing to either improve the arc-tracking of their motorised system, move a dish to another satellite location, or just show what's possible for you in the future.There is a whole heap of entertainment up there in the sky. Let us show you how to get it! Satellite Arc Tuning
March 8, 2006
In the latest of our FAQ's/How-to's to roll off the presses, we discuss the factors which should drive your decision to motorise, and which type of motor to get. We'll not be deciding for you, but after digesting the contents you should be that much closer to your intended goal.The guide is aimed at beginners wanting to understand the basic options.Read it here: Satellite Dish Motor Selection © 2006 www.satellitehelp.co.uk. All rights reserved.
Should I buy a DiSEqC motor?
byIn the latest of our FAQ's/How-to's to roll off the presses, we discuss the factors which should drive your decision to motorise, and which type of motor to get. We'll not be deciding for you, but after digesting the contents you should be that much closer to your intended goal.The guide is aimed at beginners wanting to understand the basic options.Read it here: Satellite Dish Motor Selection © 2006 www.satellitehelp.co.uk. All rights reserved.
March 7, 2006
Arianespace's upcoming Ariane 5 ECA heavy-lift mission moved one step closer to liftoff with a full dress rehearsal, which was held at the Spaceport in French Guiana on March 6th. The rehearsal, which is part of pre-launch preparations for every Ariane flight, brought all key mission elements into play for a simulated countdown. Participating in the exercise was the complete launch team - including Arianespace mission personnel, technicians for the dual-satellite payload of SPAINSAT and HOT BIRD 7A, and the Spaceport’s launch infrastructure team - lead by the Range Operations director (DDO), and involving meteorologists, operators at the downrange network of tracking stations, etc. The countdown was started 6 hours prior to the simulated liftoff, and continued through the steps leading to deployment of SPAINSAT and HOT BIRD 7A into geostationary transfer orbit. TV coverage of the March 9th launch can be found here:Satellite: HOT BIRD™ 1 @ 13° EST Network ID: 318 Transport stream ID 500 Transponder 5 Name: Business Tv Frequency: 11303.660 Pol. X S/R 27.500 Msymb Fec 3/4 Service ID 8404 Pmt Pid 212 Pid Video 340 Pid Audio 1 341 Pid Audio 2 342The launch is scheduled as soon as possible within the following launch window: 7:06 p.m. - 8:13 p.m., Kourou, French Guiana 5:06 p.m. - 6:13 p.m., Washington , D.C. 22:06 - 23:13 GMT 23:06 - 00:13, Paris and Madrid. The exercise enabled all participants to have a hands-on experience with the end-to-end launch procedure, including the mission's two customers and their satellite manufacturers - who monitored the status of their payloads, both from the equipment installed on-site at the Spaceport and at their home satellite control master stations. Simulated launcher data using tapes from a previous mission was broadcast through the network, providing realistic conditions for participants at the Spaceport and the downrange tracking stations at Natal, Ascension, Libreville and Malindi. Weather balloons were deployed from the launch facility to measure the temperature and winds at various altitudes above the Spaceport. In total, as many as 200 persons in French Guiana, Africa, Europe and the United States participated in the dress rehearsal.Good luck, and let's hope it's third time lucky!
Hotbird launch on Business TV
byArianespace's upcoming Ariane 5 ECA heavy-lift mission moved one step closer to liftoff with a full dress rehearsal, which was held at the Spaceport in French Guiana on March 6th. The rehearsal, which is part of pre-launch preparations for every Ariane flight, brought all key mission elements into play for a simulated countdown. Participating in the exercise was the complete launch team - including Arianespace mission personnel, technicians for the dual-satellite payload of SPAINSAT and HOT BIRD 7A, and the Spaceport’s launch infrastructure team - lead by the Range Operations director (DDO), and involving meteorologists, operators at the downrange network of tracking stations, etc. The countdown was started 6 hours prior to the simulated liftoff, and continued through the steps leading to deployment of SPAINSAT and HOT BIRD 7A into geostationary transfer orbit. TV coverage of the March 9th launch can be found here:Satellite: HOT BIRD™ 1 @ 13° EST Network ID: 318 Transport stream ID 500 Transponder 5 Name: Business Tv Frequency: 11303.660 Pol. X S/R 27.500 Msymb Fec 3/4 Service ID 8404 Pmt Pid 212 Pid Video 340 Pid Audio 1 341 Pid Audio 2 342The launch is scheduled as soon as possible within the following launch window: 7:06 p.m. - 8:13 p.m., Kourou, French Guiana 5:06 p.m. - 6:13 p.m., Washington , D.C. 22:06 - 23:13 GMT 23:06 - 00:13, Paris and Madrid. The exercise enabled all participants to have a hands-on experience with the end-to-end launch procedure, including the mission's two customers and their satellite manufacturers - who monitored the status of their payloads, both from the equipment installed on-site at the Spaceport and at their home satellite control master stations. Simulated launcher data using tapes from a previous mission was broadcast through the network, providing realistic conditions for participants at the Spaceport and the downrange tracking stations at Natal, Ascension, Libreville and Malindi. Weather balloons were deployed from the launch facility to measure the temperature and winds at various altitudes above the Spaceport. In total, as many as 200 persons in French Guiana, Africa, Europe and the United States participated in the dress rehearsal.Good luck, and let's hope it's third time lucky!
March 4, 2006
Here's a quick guide on how to setup ProgDVB to use a DiSEqC motor. It's not the most obvious thing to do as the interface is far from logical, but it's easy once you know how.Read it here: ProgDVB with DiSEqC motor
ProgDVB setup with DiSEqC motor
byHere's a quick guide on how to setup ProgDVB to use a DiSEqC motor. It's not the most obvious thing to do as the interface is far from logical, but it's easy once you know how.Read it here: ProgDVB with DiSEqC motor
‘Orbit’ package begins broadcasts
byThe 'Orbit' bouquet is now up and running on ATLANTIC BIRD 2 (352.0E - 8.0W)It looks to be an extremely good package, with many well known channels including Animal Planet, The History Channel, Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, TCM and several movie channels - all with English audio. It carries many high profile radio stations too such as Radio One and Virgin Radio.Early reports suggest that it makes very good viewing. It's not yet known how easy it is to get a subscription in the UK.It seems to be encrypted with Mediaguard, and subscription apparently involves having a proprietary Orbit receiver installed.A full channel line-up can be found at http://www.satcodx9.com/3521/eng/
March 1, 2006
Launch of HOT BIRD™ 7A postponed to Thursday, March 9, 2006 Following the postponement of the launch on Friday, February 24, 2006, Alcatel Alenia Space has performed a complete verification of the telemetry signal system of Eutelsat's HOT BIRD™ 7A satellite. As a result the satellite was confirmed to be in perfect health and ready for launch. Furthermore, on Saturday, February 25, the disconnection of a cryogenic purging umbilical line between the launch table mast and the launch vehicle led Arianespace to roll back the launch vehicle to the Final Assembly Building for the change of the connector. The launch is now scheduled during the night of Thursday, March 9, 2006, as soon as possible within the following launch window: 7:06 p.m. - 8:13 p.m., Kourou, French Guiana 5:06 p.m. - 6:13 p.m., Washington , D.C. 22:06 - 23:13 GMT 23:06 - 00:13, Paris and Madrid.
Hotbird 7A goes on March 9th
byLaunch of HOT BIRD™ 7A postponed to Thursday, March 9, 2006 Following the postponement of the launch on Friday, February 24, 2006, Alcatel Alenia Space has performed a complete verification of the telemetry signal system of Eutelsat's HOT BIRD™ 7A satellite. As a result the satellite was confirmed to be in perfect health and ready for launch. Furthermore, on Saturday, February 25, the disconnection of a cryogenic purging umbilical line between the launch table mast and the launch vehicle led Arianespace to roll back the launch vehicle to the Final Assembly Building for the change of the connector. The launch is now scheduled during the night of Thursday, March 9, 2006, as soon as possible within the following launch window: 7:06 p.m. - 8:13 p.m., Kourou, French Guiana 5:06 p.m. - 6:13 p.m., Washington , D.C. 22:06 - 23:13 GMT 23:06 - 00:13, Paris and Madrid.
February 28, 2006
Sky have now completed the promised Electronic Program Guide reshuffle. It occurred at around 05:30 this morning. Although the seven-category split was more than sufficient when Sky launched its digital service in 1998, the number of channels has exploded in recent years. As a result, an increasing number of channels have been launched into inappropriate categories - particularly in the 'entertainment' section - while an even larger number have found themselves hidden away in the depths of the guide. "These enhancements are designed to improve navigability for viewers and to assist Sky to meet continued demand for EPG slots," said a Sky spokesperson. "Better signposting will help make it easier for viewers to find the programme and channels that they want to watch." A full list of the new channel lineup can be found on the forum. <More>
SKY planned EPG shuffle has occurred
bySky have now completed the promised Electronic Program Guide reshuffle. It occurred at around 05:30 this morning. Although the seven-category split was more than sufficient when Sky launched its digital service in 1998, the number of channels has exploded in recent years. As a result, an increasing number of channels have been launched into inappropriate categories - particularly in the 'entertainment' section - while an even larger number have found themselves hidden away in the depths of the guide. "These enhancements are designed to improve navigability for viewers and to assist Sky to meet continued demand for EPG slots," said a Sky spokesperson. "Better signposting will help make it easier for viewers to find the programme and channels that they want to watch." A full list of the new channel lineup can be found on the forum. <More>
February 26, 2006
A new Balkan package called Total TV has started broadcasting on 16 degrees east, comprising around 20 channels. Only the three porn channels are encrypted in NDS, whilst the remainder are currently Free To Air.The two transponders are:10972 V 27500 2/311554 V 30000 7/8Channels available (some with English audio) include:BBC PrimeCinemaniaDiscovery ChannelTV1000 BalkanNickleodeonIt has been reported that they will remain FTA until 14th March, when they too will become encrypted using NDS.
Total TV currently FTA on 16E!
byA new Balkan package called Total TV has started broadcasting on 16 degrees east, comprising around 20 channels. Only the three porn channels are encrypted in NDS, whilst the remainder are currently Free To Air.The two transponders are:10972 V 27500 2/311554 V 30000 7/8Channels available (some with English audio) include:BBC PrimeCinemaniaDiscovery ChannelTV1000 BalkanNickleodeonIt has been reported that they will remain FTA until 14th March, when they too will become encrypted using NDS.
February 24, 2006
The Arianespace web stream is currently carrying the message 'POSTPONED LAUNCH - LANCEMENT REPORTÉ'Which translates as 'LAUNCH PUT BACK'.<More>
Hotbird 7A launch postponed again
byThe Arianespace web stream is currently carrying the message 'POSTPONED LAUNCH - LANCEMENT REPORTÉ'Which translates as 'LAUNCH PUT BACK'.<More>
February 23, 2006
Sky have released details and pictures of the long-awaited Sky HD receiver or 'digibox' which will be able to receive the Sky HD transmissions due to start in April.Take a 360 'tour' of the new machine at www.sky.com/hd along with much more information regarding the new service.
New Sky HD digibox
bySky have released details and pictures of the long-awaited Sky HD receiver or 'digibox' which will be able to receive the Sky HD transmissions due to start in April.Take a 360 'tour' of the new machine at www.sky.com/hd along with much more information regarding the new service.
Humax launches HD receiver
byHumax have unveiled a satellite receiver for both FTA and subscription HD channels. At the moment there are only a few free 'test' channels, but by the summer there exists the possibility of watching the World Cup in HD broadcast by the BBC and other providers! It has long been rumoured that many broadcasters will use the World Cup to showcase the new technology. Some subscription services have already confirmed their intentions.According to Humax the HDCI2000, which will retail for £300 when it debuts in March can receive and decrypt the latest MPEG4 HD transmissions, as well as display both MPEG2 HD and standard definition, free-to-air satellite signals. Specification: Optical output for Dolby Digital sound; two scarts to connect additional home cinema devices; a data port for software updates and a HDMI video output. There are also two common interface slots, allowing future expansion into Pay TV services when they become available. The receiver will NOT be suitable for receiving the new upcoming Sky HD transmissions in the UK.
February 22, 2006
Latest :-"The launch of Eutelsat's HOT BIRD™ 7A satellite, scheduled for February 24, has been delayed. At the request of Alcatel Alenia Space, a verification is being carried out on the telemetry circuit. Further information will be provided shortly." Arianespace's heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA launch is confirmed for Friday 24th February.The new launch date for Arianespace's heavy-lift Ariane 5 mission with SPAINSAT and HOT BIRD 7A has been confirmed for tomorrow, Friday February 24. This will allow for additional preparations following the discovery of an anomaly with ground equipment earlier this week at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.The Ariane 5 ECA was returned to the Final Assembly Building at Europe's Spaceport, and will be rolled out again tomorrow for its transfer to the launch zone. This will clear the way for a final countdown leading to the Ariane 5's liftoff at the opening of the following launch window: GMT 2211 -- 2321 24th Feb CET 2311 -- 0021 24/25th Feb Washington 1711 -- 1521 24th Feb
Hotbird launch
byLatest :-"The launch of Eutelsat's HOT BIRD™ 7A satellite, scheduled for February 24, has been delayed. At the request of Alcatel Alenia Space, a verification is being carried out on the telemetry circuit. Further information will be provided shortly." Arianespace's heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA launch is confirmed for Friday 24th February.The new launch date for Arianespace's heavy-lift Ariane 5 mission with SPAINSAT and HOT BIRD 7A has been confirmed for tomorrow, Friday February 24. This will allow for additional preparations following the discovery of an anomaly with ground equipment earlier this week at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.The Ariane 5 ECA was returned to the Final Assembly Building at Europe's Spaceport, and will be rolled out again tomorrow for its transfer to the launch zone. This will clear the way for a final countdown leading to the Ariane 5's liftoff at the opening of the following launch window: GMT 2211 -- 2321 24th Feb CET 2311 -- 0021 24/25th Feb Washington 1711 -- 1521 24th Feb
