TS News - Channel 5 Outlines Re-tuning Plans

• From: martyn@twics.com (Martyn Williams)
• Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 10:56:39 +0900
• From owner-ts-news@tele-satellit.com Mon Jul 29 22: 01:45 1996

TELE-satellit News, 30 July 1996

Channel 5 Outlines Re-tuning Plans
  LONDON, England, 96/07/30 (TS) -- The UK's last terrestrial broadcast
network, Channel 5, today outlined plans for re-tuning the nation's TV sets,
a condition of its licence. Usually viewers are left to find new channels
when they begin broadcasting but the advent of Channel 5 in the UK is different.

  According to technical experts, the only available space for the channel
in in the UHF band around channels E35 and E36. This is an area currently
set aside for video recorders, satellite receivers and other home
entertainment devices. Channel 5 will broadcast on these frequencies but
this will cause interference with millions of such devices, thus the company
must re-tune them all.

  This is a fairly simple operation involving moving the output of the
device to a free channel and will only take a few minutes. The problem has
come from worries about criminals using the scheme to gain easy access into
homes.

  Channel 5 has set out a series of security measures, such as strict
background checks, photo ID cards, passwords and special code numbers
specific to each visit. A workforce of 7,000 will be recruited to carry out
the work which must be completed by 1 January 1997, if the channel is to
launch on that day.

  The problem in the UK is made worse by the government giving up use of the
VHF TV bands several years ago and interference in many areas from high
powered transmitters in nearby European countries.


(c)TELE-satellit 1996. All rights reserved.

• Prev: TS News - Arianespace Signs Landmark Asian Contract
• Next: TS News - Digital News Exchange On Eutelsat
• Index: TS-news mailing list