[Prev][Next][Index]

DVB News 110 - 2

North America .......


                          DBS NEWS
                              

Tee-Comm Announces Sale Of ExpressVu Shares

     Tee-Comm announced that it has divested itself of its
shares in ExpressVu Inc., the digital direct-to-home
satellite service in which it was a founding partner along
with BCE Inc., Western International Communications Ltd.,
and Canadian Satellite Communications Inc.

     ``This is the best solution for all the founding
partners of ExpressVu because it allows each of us to follow
our own initiatives in the digital direct-to-home
business,'' said Al Bahnman, President and CEO of Tee-Comm.
``We feel very strongly that Canadians want and deserve a
digital DTH service and Tee-Comm will continue with its own
efforts to bring this service to market as soon as
possible,'' he added. No details of the divestment were
announced, but the sale of all Tee-Comm's shares in
ExpressVu is effective immediately. On August 15, 1996, Tee-
Comm's subsidiary, AlphaStar Canada Inc., filed applications
with the CRTC for digital direct-to-home licenses.



Telesat To Use Anik C1 for Canadian DTH

     Telesat Canada announced plans for the return of the
Anik C1 satellite to serve Canadians in 1997, by meeting the
initial needs of one of Canada's direct-to-home (DTH)
television companies.  For almost four years, Telesat has
operated the Anik C1 and C2 satellites for Paracom Satelites
of Argentina, under a multi-million-dollar international
agreement that allowed Argentina to establish its own
domestic Ku-band satellite communications system.

     Anik C1 is one of a series of spin-stabilised, high-
power communications satellites operating in the 14/12 GHz
FSS band. It was launched on April 12, 1985. In 1993, the
Anik C1 and C2 satellites were put into service to bring
broadcast services to Argentina until the completion of that
country's permanent system at the end of 1996. The
satellites were sold to Paracom Satelites, in which Telesat
maintained a 10 per cent interest.

     Telesat has been planning the reacquisition of the Anik
C1 for some time, as its service in Argentina comes to a
close right on schedule. Telesat now resumes ownership of
both satellites, with plans for Anik C2 still to be
determined.

     Argentina plans to launch its Nahuel 1 satellite in
January or February of 1997. After traffic is successfully
transferred to the new satellite, Telesat will move Anik C1
from its current position of 72 degrees west to Canada's
orbital slot at 114.9 degrees west. This should make the
satellite available for Canadian use by the spring of 1997.
It will operate in an inclined orbit for the provision of
specialised services such as DTH television.



PRIMESTAR Adds BET to its Programming Line-up


     PRIMESTAR will add Black Entertainment Television (BET)
to its PrimeValue package when it launches its GE2 successor
satellite early next year.  The addition of BET comes on the
heels of PRIMESTAR's announcement that it will also add
CNN/SI to PrimeValue.


Speedvision to Air Daily Coverage

     SPEEDVISION will provide daily updates of Craig
Breedlove's historic attempt to establish a new land speed
record, exceed 700 mph, and, ultimately, break the sound
barrier.

     Starting September 30, Speedvision will offer daily
coverage, airing at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, to the network's
five million subscribers.  Additionally, Speedvision will
provide a daily highlight feed of each day's activities to
broadcasters throughout the world via a special satellite
feed from 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, through the
following satellite co-ordinates:

  
    September 30 - October 4      SBS 6 - Transponder 15
    October 5 & 6                 SBS 6 - Transponder TBA
    October 7                SBS 6 - Transponder 15
    October 8                SBS 6 - Transponder TBA
    October 9                T401K - Transponder 6-Full
    October 10 & 11               SBS 6 - Transponder 15
    October 12                    SBS 6 - Transponder TBA
    October 13                    SBS 6 - Transponder 15
     
     

 Tee-Comm Electronics Inc.


     Tee-Comm Electronics Inc. has reduced the price of its
entire line of small dish digital satellite receivers
including the Star Trak 1000 brand and all OEM receivers.
Complete systems, including the receiver, antenna and LNBF,
will now be available to consumers for as low as $399. The
price reduction is effective immediately.

     Tee-Comm subsidiary AlphaStar Television Network Inc.
also announced that it will offer new subscribers who choose
annual subscriptions a discount of $60 per year ($5 per
month), on any of its programming packages. Current
subscribers who pay monthly have the option of locking in
their introductory rate by purchasing an annual subscription
before December 1st.



"Working From Home" on HGTV
     
     
     HGTV will explore the home office industry this fall
with new episodes of "Working From Home With Paul and Sarah
Edwards," telecast on Thursdays at 10:00 pm (ET).

     With visits to actual home offices, hosts Paul and
Sarah Edwards provide information on products, organisation
and design for people who work at home.  Among other things,
the show examines how to make a home office more functional
and helps viewers to maintain a balance between home and
work when they happen to be in the same place.

     In upcoming episodes, Paul and Sarah explain in basic
language what to look for in a computer, help viewers to
select inexpensive office equipment, offer tips on hiring,
explore colour usage in the home office, overview important
points to consider when setting up or reorganising home
office space and offer tips on space saving and time
management.

     
     

USSB to offer Tyson vs. Holyfield bout

     USSB will  air the Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield
match-up live from the MGM Grand/Casino in Las Vegas on
November 9.

     World Boxing Council (WBC)/World Boxing Association
(WBA) Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson, fresh from his
shutout of Bruce Seldon, will battle former undisputed
heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. The card will also
feature two other heavyweight bouts with International
Boxing Federation (IBF) Heavyweight Champion Michael Moorer
battling undefeated challenger Francois Botha, and World
Boxing Organisation (WBO) Henry Akinwande taking on No. 1
contender Alexander Zolkin.  U.S. Satellite Broadcasting
will make the action available to all DSS owners on channel
900.




Home & Garden Television Adds New Features

     Home & Garden Television (HGTV)'s online website
(http://www.hgtv.com), has developed a series of new
features including discussion forums, a real-time
programming feed and samples of articles from the network's
"HGTV Ideas" magazine.

     Computer users interested in home and garden topics can
now use "HomeTalk," HGTV's new category-specific discussion
areas to exchange ideas and information on building and
remodelling, decorating and interior design, gardening and
landscaping, crafts and hobbies, and special interests in
the home and garden category.

     On October 12, HGTV will air "Live and Online: Get
Ready for Winter," the network's first live call-in show.
HGTV hosts and experts will answer viewers' questions about
home maintenance, car care, and gardening.  The show will be
simulcast on HGTV Online with question and answer forums
moderated by network experts.

     Starting in late September, Internet users will be able
to see HGTV's cable programming fed directly to the HGTV
website.  The freeze-frame images, pulled directly from
HGTV, will automatically update every 1O seconds.

     "HGTV Ideas," the network's magazine for home and
garden enthusiasts, now has an expanded presence on the
site, offering a full synopsis of each issue and the full
text of select articles.  Visitors to HGTV's site can also
order the magazine for direct home delivery.

     In the first quarter of 1997, HGTV will introduce an
online tour of its facilities, enabling fans to see behind
the scenes at HGTV.  The tour will be presented as a photo
bubble, allowing for 360 degree exploration of HGTV's
headquarters.


Speedvision Goes Online


     The Speedvision Network announced the launch of
Speedvision Online (www.speedvision.com), the network's
companion internet site.

     Produced by Santa Monica, California-based MindShare
Media, Speedvision Online was developed specifically for
enthusiasts who wish to obtain the latest consumer-oriented
news and information and motorsports results, standings and
highlights.  The service also features up-to-the-minute
information on the network, including the network's program
listings and descriptions, as well as upcoming events airing
on Speedvision.

     Additional sections of the site include an
instructional/how-to area, an arena for professional and
amateur photographers to display their work and bulletin
boards.  Also accessible is an interactive chat room, which
will play host to question-and-answer sessions with various
individuals, from on-air personalities and industry
executives, to drivers from various race series.

     Available in approximately five million homes,
Speedvision is currently carried by some large cable
companies, DirecTv and on Satellite C-4, Transponder 11.


ALPHASTAR AND MMIC

     AlphaStar Television Network Inc. has signed an
agreement with the sponsors of the MultiMedia Instant Credit
Program to offer consumer financing to AlphaStar's
distributors and dealers. The MMIC program, developed by
Greenwich Capital Financial Products Inc. and ArgentBank,
provides the consumer with funding for a complete package of
digital satellite television equipment, installation and
programming service.

     The MMIC program is available to qualified consumers
through their local AlphaStar dealer.

     
     
                        DIGITAL NEWS
                              
                              

Cycle Sat, Inc. Completes Digital Encoder


     Cycle Sat, Inc. has now completed its fifth and final
successful digital MPEG 2 encoder installation in Detroit,
Michigan.  The installations include DigiCipher II, MPEG 2
digital encoding equipment supplied by General Instruments,
GI Communications division and GI's DSR-4400 digital
satellite receivers. Cycle Sat is using a transmission data
rate of 19.5 Mb/s and will also implement high speed
isochronous digital data at rates up to 9 Mb/s.




NSN to move USA satellite network clients to GE-1

     All NSN USA satellite network clients will be moved to
GE-1 during October, 1996. NSN owns transponder 13, with 60
watts and 36 MHz Ku band capacity. The satellite is
currently in geosynchronous orbit, and will replace GSTAR-1
at 103 degrees west longitude.




Avid Technology
     
     
     Avid Technology, Inc. reports 82 of 111 of this
season's prime time television shows are being edited on
their Media Composer and Film Composer digital non-linear
editing systems.  The shows include those previously cut
using laser disk-based technology, such as "Family Matters,"
returning shows such as "Seinfeld," "Beverly Hills 90210"
and "Melrose Place," which had previously been edited on
other digital non-linear systems, shows such as "Ellen,"
"ER," "Wings"  and "Caroline in the City" which are again
being cut on Avid systems, and 31 shows premiering this
fall.

     A majority of multicamera sitcoms (45 of 59) including
"Cosby,"  "Suddenly Susan" and "Men Behaving Badly" are
using Avid's multicamera Media Composer system, which
displays four camera sources playing back simultaneously and
lets editors and producers make editorial decisions by
viewing all areas of coverage played back in sync.

     Some of this fall's premiering shows that are being
edited on Avid's Media Composer or Film Composer systems
include:

"The Burning Zone"         "Clueless"             "Come Fly
With Me"   "Common Law"               "Dangerous Minds"
"Everybody Loves Raymond" "EZ Streets"   "Good Behavior"
"High Incident" "Homeboys in Outer Space" "Life With Roger"
"Life's Work"
"Malcom and Eddie"         "Men Behaving Badly"   "Moloney"
"Mr. Rhodes"
"Mr. and Mrs. Smith"   "Nick Freno"      "Party Girl"
"Pearl"
 "The Pretender" "Promised Land"            "Profiler"
"Public Morals"
"Relativity"               "Sabrina, Teenage Witch" "Sparks,
Sparks & Sparks"
"Something So Right"       "Spin City"
"Suddenly Susan" "Townies"


GRTV Network Forges Agreement TCI


     GRTV Network, the cable and satellite distribution arm
of Guthy-Renker, has formed a five-year affiliation
agreement with TCI.

     Scheduled to begin this fall, the TCI agreement will
allow GRTV Network programming to be carried by any TCI or
affiliated system, expanding the channel's carriage by a
planned four million by year's end and a possible six
million further subscribers in 1997.

     Launched in February 1995, GRTV Network now boasts
agreements with the top three cable operators in the U.S.,
including Time Warner and Continental Cablevision,
furthering the network's goal of reaching 25 million total
subscribers by year's end.

     The terms of this agreement will allow TCI to air any
Guthy-Renker program as well as those produced by other
direct response companies on any of its numerous cable
systems in any given daypart.  For GRTV Network, it will add
to the channel's current base of 15 million cable and
satellite subscribers.


Europe .......

     
     

Pace UK Unveils First MPEG-2 Digital Cable Decoder
     
     
     The Pace DVC500 MPEG-2 digital cable unit features full
multi-level, multi-program capability.  The set-top box also
features a V22 bis (2,400 bits-per-second) internal modem
and two SCART sockets.  All units will feature Open TV
software supporting EPG (electronic program guide) and IPPV
(impulse pay-per-view) functions with the option of software
upgrade downloading. The digital cable units  also
incorporate eight megabytes of flash RAM.


Hyundai to Produce Digital Decoders for  Nethold
     
     
     NetHold, the international pay-television group, has
signed an agreement with Hyundai Electronics America (HEA)
as a major partner to manufacture digital IRDs (integrated
receiver decoders), or set-top boxes, for supply by the end
of 1996.

     Under the agreement, Hyundai will be able to supply up
to 60,000 decoders per month for all the territories where
NetHold has, or is about to launch, digital television.

     Hyundai will be one of the first manufacturers to
deliver cable and satellite digital IRDs direct to the
consumer market.

     Digital platforms, offering a wide selection of
national and international programming, have already been
launched by NetHold via satellite in Europe, Africa, and the
Middle East, and will soon also be offered on cable networks
in Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands, along with "Movies
On Demand," a new near video-on-demand service.  Global
Partnership



Miscellaneous .......



News IN Brief

  u    Viva Productions Inc. of the Philippines has signed an
     agreement with Macrovision to develop videocinemas in the
     Philippines using CineGuard, Macrovision's theatrical
     antipiracy system. Viva has also acquired the master license
     rights allowing them to license CineGuard to other Filipino
     exhibitors.  Viva intends to develop and license 100 screens
     in the next 5 years which will exhibit Filipino, Chinese and
     MPAA films.
     
  u    Directsat Corporation has been given authority to
     launch its "USABSS-4" Direct Broadcast Satellite ("DBS")
     service satellite into the 118.8o W.L. orbital location and
     to operate the satellite using its DBS channel assignments
     at that location.

END OF PART TWO
     
Our main web site is at
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/satellite_journal/
[Other mailing lists]