SSSSSSSS AAAAAAAA TTTTTTTT NNNNNNNNN EEEEEEEEE WWWWWWWWW SSSSSSSS SS SS AAA AAA T T N NNN N E E W WWW W SS SS S SS S AA AA TTT TTT N NN N E EEEEEEE W WWW W S SS S SS SSSS A AA A TTT TTT N N N E EEEEEEE W WWW W SS SSSS SSS SSS A AA A TTT TTT N N N E EEE W W W W SS SSSS SSSS S A A TTT TTT N NN N E EEEEEEE W W W SSSS SS S SS S A AA A TTT TTT N NNN N E EEEEEEE W W W S SS S SS SS A AA A TTT TTT N NNN N E E W WWW W SS SS SSSSSSSS AAAAAAAA TTTTTTTT NNNNNNNNN EEEEEEEEE WWWWWWWWW SSSSSSSS :---------------------Electronic Headlines----------------------: : : : Issue: 117 :-------:Published Biweekly:------: Date: 27/09/93 : : : :---------(C) Copyright 1991-93 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD ----------: : : :-------------------------------------------:-------------------: : SATNEWS is published biweekly by M2 : HOW TO CONTACT US : : Communications Limited and is Copyright(C): : : 1991-93 M2 Communications Limited. This : INTERNET : : electronic version is a delayed, limited : satnews@cix. : : subset of the printed subscription edition: compulink.co.uk: : which is available from the publisher. : TELEPHONE : : This file may be freely distributed as : +44 203 717 417 : : long as NO portion is amended in any shape: FACSIMILE : : or form. Copyright violators will face : +44 203 717 418 : : legal action for unauthorised editing and TELEX : : breach of copyright. : 94026650 DBRI G : :-------------------------------------------:-------------------: : Editor/Publisher: Darren Ingram : Contact Satnews : :---------------------------------------------------------------: NOKIA JOINS FORCES FOR EURO COMPRESSION TV/Com International and Nokia Consumer Electronics have entered into a technical and marketing business relationship to develop an advanced, flexible digital video compression system, set to be marketed primarily in Europe. The system, known as Compression NetWORKS, was previewed to broadcasters and network operators at the recent International Funkaustellung (IFA) trade fair in Berlin. Initial test transmissions are set to commence over the coming weeks to prove the outline technology central to the system says Nokia. Details of the satellite transponder to be used are presently not yet known, although Eutelsat II-F4 or Eutelsat II-F3 are viewed as potential favourites. Henk Henselaar, president and CEO of TV/COM, said: "Nokia is just the right European partner we have been looking for. They are able to develop consumer products very quickly and to the highest standards. Nokia's production capacity is substantial and they already have the facilities needed to handle what will be one of the most advanced consumer electronics products ever developed." And Heikki Koskinen, executive vice-president of Nokia Consumer Electronics, said: "TV/Com's digital video compression system features a very advanced design and offers cost-effective solutions for the European market. We are very excited about adding our expertise to TV/COM's design and we aim to quickly introduce consumer products for Europe." The TV/Com system utilises the MPEG-2 standard and is based on an open architecture which enables forward engineering should standards or requirements change. Dr Helmut Stein, vice president of R&D at Nokia, said: "TV/Com has developed a future-proof system that provides the greatest flexibility for broadcasters and satellite operators so that they can use the available bandwidth in coping with data rates from 4mbit/s to 60mbit/s, and can offer more cost advantages than other systems." TV/Com has been active in the development of secure cable, satellite and MMDS vision control systems. Its engineers were instrumental in the development of the first true encryption-based commercial television security systems, and it is now concentrating on advanced digital encryption systems. TURNER SCREENS MAY GO BLANK IN EURO-ROW Turner Broadcasting System's recently-launched 'The Cartoon Network' and 'Turner Network Television' may be forced to cease broadcasting following a row caused by EC member countries. EC member states are upset at the overwhelming amount of American-originated programming. The channels have been granted satellite broadcast licences by the UK government, but EC officials have warned the UK government that the licences could be violating EC rules aimed at promoting European-made programming. France, an often vigorous critic of UK domestic policy and staunch EC supporter, is leading the complaints against TNT and TCN. France and Belgium have banned the system from being carried over cable television systems. The Television Without Frontiers directive is at stake say the complaining countries. The directive requires member governments to ensure "when practicable" that broadcasters reserve a majority of airtime for European works. If that cannot be achieved, the broadcaster has to broadcast the national average of European-sourced material, as was evident in 1988. US government officials are viewing this latest debacle as another spat in the long-running trade war between Europe and the US, and they are attempting to get the GATT world trade negotiations changed to ban import restrictions on audiovisual products as it fears that its massive movie, TV, radio and broadcast production markets could be affected should restrictions be further tightened. At the moment the UK government is sitting tight, and no decision or change is expected for some time. In the case of a logjam, the EC could take the UK government to the European Court of Justice to force it to honour EC law by revoking the licence or by taking TBS to court to change its programming policy, but an EC source said that this move would be taken "very reluctantly." Sources at the EC are concerned that the vast majority of programming will be brought in from the USA, and that there are presently no signs of plans to redress this imbalance. Ted Turner, ebullient president of TBS, says that the row is due to a misunderstanding and that he was a confident that a solution could be found. In an interview with Belgium's Le Soir newspaper, Turner criticised the idea of allocating television programme quotas according to where programmes are made, saying that such a formula could only deal with the quantity, not the quality of programming. With tongue firmly embedded in his cheek, Turner said that he had nothing against France and that he was grateful for the publicity sparked by this row, as it would make television viewers more curious to see the channel." ASIAN BTV TO LAUNCH NETWORK IN NOVEMBER Asia's first business television channel focusing on financial affairs will commence broadcasting in November, and Dow Jones will be actively marketing it in the region, providing a great stamp of authority onto its output. Asia Business News was initially announced earlier this year (Satnews 102) and as well as Dow Jones holding a 29.5 percent stake in the venture, it has been contracted to sell advertising airtime and generally promote the services throughout Asia. "The reaction of the advertising community has been very, very favourable," said Bill Peake, director of sales and marketing at Dow Jones. "They see the logic of the two parties coming together to work hand-in-hand." Telecommunications Inc., the US cable giant, Television New Zealand Ltd., Business News Network and SIM Ventures Pte., an offshoot of the Singapore Broadcasting Corp., have joined forces to launch the new service. The company will trade under the name Asia Business News (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., and will be headed by Adam Singer, a vice-president at TCI. At the announcement of ABN, Singer said: "SouthEast Asia is the world's most economically dynamic region but it lacks a regional television service dedicated to business news and analysis. In particular, the region lacks up to the minute financial information and analysis which this dynamic entrepreneurial community needs for informed decision-making." Initially the channel will broadcast for 18 hours a day in the week, and six hours on a Saturday. There will be no broadcasts on a Sunday. The system will transmit on the Palapa B2P satellite, and will be supported by advertising revenue. CNN International, ESPN, Home Box Office and Australia Television International also use the Palapa B2P satellite. ATVI commenced broadcasting recently as part of an expansion plan (Satnews 101). Under local legislation, private reception of satellite programming is prohibited, but some financial institutions have been allowed to receive programming since April 1992 (Satnews 075) provided that it was relayed via satellite of through the Singapore Cablevision Pte. company. TURKEY TURNS ON TO MTV EUROPE A five-year agreement has been signed with the Turkish broadcasting company Prime Holding Inc., which will see MTV Europe's signal relayed into 3.5 million Turkish homes in Istanbul, Ankara and Ismir. The service will be downlinked from MTV's recently acquired Eutelsat II F1 transponder (Satnews 116) by Prime and relayed through terrestrial circuits. The channel will be broadcast for 24 hours a day. William Roedy, managing director and CEO of MTV, says that MTV Europe's signal will now be receivable by 52 million households in 32 countries. "This [agreement] is another exciting chapter in the development of MTV. Already we can see the benefits of the new transponder and its increased footprint. Launching in Turkey endorses the channel's universal appeal and, by increasing our reach to over 52 million households, brings us closer to achieving the largest satellite channel in the world," said Roedy. Cem Uzan, chairman of Prime Holdings, said: "We are thrilled to be bringing such a prestigious channel as MTV to Turkey. Its innovative programming and music from all corners of Europe will, I am sure, be an inspiration for the Turkish youth." * Due to an error by Sprechley Pittham, public relations consultants for Maxat in the UK, the report on the MTV/Eutelsat transponder deal failed to carry the important news that a 12-year contract had been signed with Maxat, a very significant development in the satellite broadcasting industry. Unfortunately this is not the first problem experienced in getting cooperation for Maxat-related stories. Although Satnews is not directly responsible for this error, nevertheless it wishes to apologise for the delayed publication of this important fact. DMX GROWS TO 120 CHANNELS, EVEN MORE PLANNED International Cablecasting Technologies Inc. has signed a US$20 million contract with Spar Communications Group for the supply of digital audio receivers that will receive ICT's 120 channel Digital Music Express (DMX) service by DBS satellite. DMX initially started with a 30 channel offering, but the company is in the middle of an aggressive service and geographical expansion programme. With the new receivers, customers can tune into 120 20Khz CD- quality music channels at the touch of a button. The new offering will be initially restricted to the North American marketplace, and it will enable the company to expand its business music offering, DMX for Business, which provides commercial-free, DJ-free music to stores, offices and factories. Doug Talley, vice president and chief technical officer at ICT, said: "Our ability to expand our channel selections and geographic needs is dependent on the development of new technologies. Spar's digital audio receivers represent a breakthrough in technology, with the capacity to receive up to 120 channels of CD-quality signals from one mid-power, Ku-band transponder utilising a small antenna dish." A 75cm antenna will be used to receive broadcasts throughout the USA and North America from the SBS-5 satellite. Each receiver is fully addressable, enabling special broadcasts to be sent to subscribers. There is also the capability to offer generic corporate programming broadcasts on under-utilised channels, switching in receivers as required. "DMX for Business is designed to give business operators total control over their background music. Although we offer a wide array of music programming, managers are able to tailor their systems so that only the formats they have selected are played," said Lon Troxel, president of ICT's commercial division. Spar Communications, who took over Comstream Corp. late last year, say that the new receiver is compatible with ICT's existing DMX DJ, an interactive remote control that displays programming information and details of specific music transmissions upon request. BT GETS YACHTS AWAY WITH MILLIONS TO SEE British Telecom's visual and broadcast services offshoot has successfully televised the start of the 1993 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race from Southampton, UK. A massive television event was coordinated with footage transmitted live around the world. Over the next nine months television footage will be beamed by satellite from local host broadcasters. BT and Inmarsat will also be coordinating on-boat footage at regular intervals through a unique satellite store and forward system (Satnews 115) Independent terrestrial broadcaster Meridian in the UK acted as the host broadcaster through London Sports Network (LSN). International journalists were provided with TV broadcast facilities including transmission circuits, OB points, radio and TV interview studios and editing services at the media centre, utilising unused space at the Price Waterhouse (accountancy company) offices in Southampton. Sixteen television cameras for the pool were placed around the Solent and linked into BT's OB unit, in turn linked by microwave to nearby Fort Gillicker. BSS managed the linking and provided a pool feed. On the day some interference was noted to the feed's sound and vision, affecting client broadcasts. At the time of going to press the actual cause was unknown, but interference to the microwave circuits was believed to be responsible. A special videoconferencing codec is being used by BT to provide broadcasters with on-yacht pictures from the race. Ten of the 17 participating yachts have been signed up to carry picture transmission equipment. The Inmarsat-A HSD system used utilises bandwidth 2000 times narrower than those used for normal TV pictures. Video pictures are first compressed on the BT codec at 384kbit/s or 768kbit/s before being relayed at 64kbit/s. Data from yachts is being transmitted to Reuters TV in London. A two-minute video clip compressed to 384kbit/s takes around 12 minutes to transmit from the yacht to London. At Reuters in London a second codec decompresses the file and makes it ready for playout or conventional distribution. BSKYB RAPPED OVER MULTICHANNEL ADVERTS British Sky Broadcasting has been publicly rapped by the Independent Television Commission's Television Advertising Complaints report for August 1993 over TV adverts for its multichannel offering. Ten viewers took time out to complain, and typically only one or two viewers may take the trouble to follow through with a full complaint. The complaints centred around BSkyB's claims that 14 channels were being added into the Multichannels package, and that nine of them had never previously been carried on satellite. Complainants pointed out that some channels would not be encrypted on the launch date and would remain available without payment of a subscription fee, others would not be on the air at the time of launch, and that some of the channels claimed to be available for the first time on satellite had been, in fact, carried on Intelsat and Eutelsat satellites for some time. BSkyB defended its adverts, saying that it was important to distinguish between the promotion of the launch of the package on the whole and the availability of individual channels within the package. It claimed to have recognised that it was necessary to indicate that not all channels would be available through the Multichannels package on the launch date, and took steps to advise accordingly. BSkyB also said that it stood by its claims that some of the channels had not appeared on satellite, as its promotions were aimed at homes with Astra receiving equipment, and it was true that these channels made their debut on Astra. A rather contentious point was raised when it said that Intelsat and Eutelsat receivers tended to be used only by a majority of specialists viewers or by companies providing programmes for cable networks. The ITC accepted that the offer was complex but concluded that in those promotions where the launch date and the number of channels were specifically mentioned the viewer would be given the clear impression that these channels would be available on the launch date. The use of explanatory superimposed text was noted but the broadcaster was reminded that the ITC did not accept the use of such text where it effectively served to contradict, as opposed to clarify, a message being conveyed more prominently elsewhere in the commercial. Only nine of the claimed 14 channels could be properly said to be available through the viewing card on the launch date, said the ITC, with three not yet launched and two broadcast in the clear. The ITC also accepted BSkyB's comments that the average satellite viewer would understand "satellite" to be Astra, but warned it about making technically inaccurate claims. The ITC upheld the complaint in full against BSkyB. EUROPEAN GROUP LOOKS FOR EURO HDTV STANDARD Broadcasters and regulatory authorities in Europe are working together to find a common standard for digital high definition (HDTV) services. A memorandum of understanding has been signed by a group of satellite operators, broadcasters, manufacturers and regulators, with the signing ceremony in Bonn, Germany. The group, known as the European Launching Group for Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) project, comprises of 85 members including one Japanese electronics firm. "They [the members] are jointly undertaking to make every effort to provide European digital television and to place it on the market as from 1995," said Wolfgang Boetsch, minister of the German Posts and Telecommunications department. There has been a great controversy in Europe over planned EC funding into analogue high definition television, with the matter only recently resolved. Public confidence in analogue high-definition television is likely to be severely shaken, especially with the potential introduction of digital HDTV a couple of years away. SEVEN SATELLITES SET FOR LAUNCH At the time of going to press Arianespace were putting the final touches to flight 59, a launch which is set to put seven satellites into orbit. The satellites -- SPOT 3, the third in a series of earth observation satellites for the French Space Agency (CNES); STELLA, a space geodetic satellite for CNES; HEALTHSAT 1, a micro-satellite for Satlife (USA) which will distribute medical information to receivers; POSAT, a satellite designed to stimulate the Portuguese industrial economy,; KITSAT II, a Korean military satellite; EYESAT-A, a industrial monitoring/military satellite and the ITAMSAT Italian radio amateur message forwarding satellite, are set to be launched in a four-hour period. An Ariane 40 rocket launcher is responsible for launching the satellites through its multiple payload configuration. IBM DEVELOPS LAPTOP "COMPUTER" TV SYSTEM IBM has developed a new card for its ThinkPad range of laptop computers which will enable the machine to receive and display television signals broadcast terrestrially on VHF and UHF frequencies. Initially US retail prices for the add-in cards are set to be around US$900, but IBM Corp. officials say that this should drop "quite dramatically" with volume production. Shipping will begin in the first quarter of 1994. Cable television or satellite signals could be fed into the receiver through an interface lead, enabling you to take your laptop into the field when aligning receivers. Truckers on the road could take a laptop and a compact antenna, tuning into distant signals while parked at rest areas. Researchers at IBM's Yamato, Japan laboratories are responsible for this innovation, following on from customer requests for more flexible Thinkpad peripherals. Ron Sperano, a IBM product planner with specific responsibilities for ThinkPad, said: "We got the mission to come up with rest and recreation, things we could do to relax." There are about six million laptop sales worldwide each year, but computer industry consultants debate whether the television add-in would be a popular addition for computer users. Scott Miller, a consultant at InfoCorp in Santa Clara, California, said that unless the product was very inexpensive, the average computer user would not pay for what is essentially a fun item. MAXAT GATHERS NEW BROADCAST CONTRACTS Maxat's broadcast services division has signed a number of new broadcast-related contracts, much to the dismay of rivals such as BT and SIS. Sports television rights holder CSI has signed a contract to relay the UK Premier League matches throughout Europe and the Middle East until the end of the 1993/94 season. Three matches will be relayed weekly with an additional one hour highlight programme. Additional ad hoc feeds will also be carried. To achieve coverage of the whole area through one satellite, Maxat switched a transponder on the Eutelsat II F1 (transponder 46) to a widebeam footprint, enabling coverage in western and eastern Europe as well as north Africa, the Middle East, Iceland and the Canary Islands, with transmissions in B-MAC. Tony Still, traffic manager for Maxat, said that the extended transponder footprint and enhanced network monitoring services were prime reasons for choosing Maxat. "We are delighted to have won CSI's business on the strength of our technical capabilities. This is the result of all the efforts we have put in over the past two years to become a full service operator and not only a niche player within a single market," said Daniel Nabet, head of broadcast services at Maxat. Worldwide Television News (WTN) has also extended its existing contract with Maxat for a further 15 months. MARIETTA UNDERTAKES INTERNAL PROBE A full-scale internal investigation has been started by Martin Marietta Corp. into its space division's activities after in a recent three-week period, one of its rockets exploded after launch and two of its satellites lost contact with earth. Company executives are worried that the sudden tranche of problems is damaging Marietta's reputation in the worldwide space industry, a concern well- founded as the Great China Wall Corp. found out after it had problems with its Long March rockets, culminating in the loss of an Australian pay television satellite (Optus B2) late last year. At the same time the investigation will take the opportunity to ensure that its recent acquisition -- GE Aerospace -- is operating with "common links" to Marietta, said Phil Giarmita, spokesman for Martin Marietta, noting that there is bound to be some transitional changes after the company paid US$3 billion for GE Aerospace in March 1993. One report in the Washington Post quoted unnamed senior company sources as being concerned about a difference in "company cultures", with GE Aerospace being decentralised and flexible, while Marietta is top-heavy, inflexible and bureaucratic. "Martin [Marietta]'s highly structured style may mean you're slower and costlier, while GE Aerospace's worker empowerment tradition may mean they'll find a cheaper and better way to do something," quoted the report. A former Martin Marietta executive, James Sterhardt, will head the panel made up of NASA and Marietta officials. The investigation will run independently of separate internal and government investigations into the recent losses. SWEDISH TV BREAKING RULES ONCE AGAIN The Swedish government's Broadcast Council has once again ruled that TV4, the country's only terrestrial channel, has violated its licence by broadcasting adverts in the middle of programmes, reports Sweden Calling DXers and Reuters. TV4 has had seven previous rulings upheld against it, and it has constantly appealed to the government for a change to its licence, but the government is not willing to cooperate. The Swedish government has also proposed a ban on pirate decoders, designed to enable viewers to tune into encrypted programmes without paying for a decoder or subscription. The ban, if approved, would stop the manufacture, rental and installation of decoders, and would come into effect on 1 January 1994. Reports say that comparatively high cable television tariffs has led to a outbreak of pirate decoder manufacturing. With the growing popularity of satellite television in the country, demand for decoders has also risen. If the law is introduced, many private viewers may be forced to smuggle in pirate decoders from more liberalised countries, such as Germany and Portugal. LOCKHEED SIGNS FIRST RUSSIAN LAUNCH CONTRACT Lockheed Corp. has signed its first launch service contract which utilises a Russian-built Proton rocket launcher. Lockheed-Khrunichev-Engeria International, the Russian affiliate of Lockheed, says that the agreement calls for the launch of up to five satellites on Proton rockets by 1998. The first Loral-built satellite will be launched in the fourth-quarter of 1995, with the remainder over the following three years. All of the launches will take place from the Balkonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. "This is LKEI's first major launch services agreement and it marks a significant milestone for US and Russian industrial cooperation in space. With our combined capabilities, LKEI can offer satellite manufacturers and other customers reliable, cost- competitive access to space," said Dan Tellep, chairman of Lockheed Corp. Lockheed formed its joint venture early in 1993 with the agreement of the US and Russian governments, and it utilises technology developed for use within the former Soviet space programme. TELEWEST EXPANDS UK CABLE TV NETWORKS Telewest International has purchased cable television franchises currently held by The Washington Post Co. in a bid to strengthen its UK cable television business. Franchises affected will include around 421,000 homes in six areas in central Scotland near Perth and Dundee, namely: Cumbernauld, Dumbarton, Falkirk/Livingston, Fife, Strathclyde and Tayside. Terms of the sale were not disclosed, but the Washington Post Company said that it will make around US$10 million profit on the sale. "The goal of our cable investment had been to provide profitable multichannel video services to UK residents. We remain optimistic about the growth prospects for cable in the UK," said Alan Spoon, CEO of the Washington Post Co. "Since our entry into the UK, regulatory changes there have been strongly encouraged for cable companies to provide local land-line telephone services as well. Telephone construction and operation have taken top priority as the industry exploits more fully this opportunity. To construct both cable and telephone would have required a very substantial increase in capital spending, and we believe we have other opportunities that more closely match our investment criteria." The company will be using the freed-up funds to concentrate on the emerging wireless personal communications service (PCS) technology. Gary Bryson, president of TeleWest International, said: "The Post's franchises in Scotland are a perfect complement to our cable TV and telephone operations in the UK. Along with our franchise in Edinburgh, these new systems give us an excellent base from which to offer both cable TV and telephone service to an even wider audience in Scotland." TeleWest International is a joint venture between Telecommunications Inc. (TCI) -- the world's largest cable television network operator, and US West Inc., a major US telecommunications carrier. BBC TO LAUNCH JAPANESE WSTV SERVICE The British Broadcasting Corp. has formed a joint venture with a Japanese trading company to launch a Japanese version of World Service Television (WSTV) early in 1994. Signing the agreement with Nissho Iwai, Japan's seventh-largest trading company, is a break with tradition for the British state-owned broadcaster which is usually reticent about forming alliances with profit-making organisations. A new company has been formed for the joint venture. Nissho will be the majority partner in Satellite News Corporation, and it will act as the advertising agent for BBC WSTV. The BBC will retain the final control on editorial matters. WSTV will initially be available to cable and satellite viewers in the region, although a deal is understood to being made with one of Japan's six terrestrial broadcasters for retransmission rights. MUSIC ON DEMAND NETWORK TO LAUNCH A new cable television channel offering music programming on demand is to be launched by the Bertelsmann Music Group and Telecommunications Inc. in the USA. The two companies have formed a joint venture to create a new channel that will allow viewers to choose their favourite music videos while having the ability to purchase a number of music-related products and services through home shopping. Broadcasts are set to commence within a year, and the service will initially be carried on TCI's cable systems. Agreements are also being sought with other cable television network operators. Fred Vierra, executive vice-president and head of worldwide programming for TCI, said: "This network marks the beginning of music made popular by consumer choice. The worldwide presence of BMG, the music and entertainment arm of one of the world's largest media companies, empowers the new music channel with an in- depth knowledge of the world's music markets and the ability to exploit global opportunities in advertising and merchandising." The channel has yet to be named, and it will not be utilising any interactive television services. Instead customers will, for now, use the telephone to place orders through a toll-free number. US AND EUROPE FULL OF TECHNOPHOBES - SURVEY A multi-national survey conducted by Dell Computer Corporation has found that the British are more comfortable using today's technology than the French, Germans or even Americans. Videos, satellite receivers and audio equipment can confuse the most intelligent members of society, and fill others with fear and loathing. The survey revealed that 55 percent of French and American adults and teenagers were 'techno-phobic' (fearful and resistant to modern technology), followed by 50 percent of Germans and only 46 percent of British people. "Techno-phobia is a sign of our times. One of the main reasons many people are paranoid about technology is that no one in the industry has bothered to help them understand how simple it is to use and what it can specifically do for them," said Dan Gookin, an author of books designed to explain complex computer programs to beginners. A majority of Britons (71 percent) expressed a high level of comfort using video recorders, compared to 46 percent of French, 33 percent of Germans and 77 percent of Americans. The survey also found that males were more likely to be techno-confident than females, and that teenagers and young adults were generally more responsive to new technology than their older peers. MBC SIGNS COOPERATION WITH US ARABIC NETWORK The London-based Middle Eastern Broadcasting Centre has signed an agreement with the Arab Network of America, the dominant Arabic language network of the US, to exchange news and programming. ANA broadcasts its programming by satellite from studios in Washington, and broadcasts are relayed on many cable television systems throughout North America. A nationwide Arabic radio service is also provided by ANA, and distributed over satellite for local terrestrial redistribution. MBC executives are confident that further cooperation with regional Arabic broadcasters will be made in the future to provide an even-greater service for its viewers. BT HITS OUT AT CABLE TV REGULATION Iain Vallance, chairman of BT in the UK, has hit out at government regulation of privatised businesses, and made specific references to the treatment of cable television and entertainment services. During a 15 September speech at the Reform Club in London, Vallance was critical of the government's handling of BT, through Oftel -- the independent telecomms watchdog. Vallance accepted that many of Oftel's rulings have helped shape BT, but he also noted that it was still being held back, and expected to "wet nurse" competitors. "There is clear evidence, for example, that one of the principal reasons for the UK's success in attracting a disproportionate share of EC inward investment is the existence of our advanced telecommunications networks (which are particularly attractive to multinational companies) and supplier choice. Indeed, there is no doubt that the UK's regulated, but largely competitive, market structure, has produced services of a range, quality and price generally unmatched in the rest of Europe," said Vallance. "In telecommunications competition is rapidly developing in all sectors of the market. Customer premises equipment has long been a free-for-all. Mercury and now Energis [a telecomms company using fibre cables slung between power transmission pylons] offer competing trunk and international networks." "Increasingly cable TV companies offer alternative local networks, while Ionica [a radio-based telecomms network set to launch next year] is poised to offer a wireless option to the home. Cellular networks -- Cellnet and Vodafone -- cover most of the country as will the new PCN services." Criticising the wet-nursing of competitors, Vallance said that BT was in fact being prevented from competing fairly, and that the consumer was losing out. "A clear example of this [treatment] is the ban on BT (and indeed Mercury) carrying broadcast video services across their telephone networks, while cable television companies are allowed to carry telephony across their TV networks. What this has done, to date, is to promote the dominance of North American operators in Britain's cable TV -- to the tune of over 90 percent of the action." "They have brought in a rag-bag of mostly American technology (although BT and British suppliers have undertaken world-beating research in this area). And the lessons learnt from this unique testbed will go to the benefit of BT's overseas competitors rather than to the UK domestic flag-carriers." "There is a distinct danger here that the regulatory framework adopted by Government and Oftel, to help solve that perennial 'BT problem' will deny the UK the opportunity of a national broadband network, a telecommunications superhighway delivering a full range of new and as yet unimagined services to the entire population," concluded Vallance. ARABSAT BORROWS FOR SATELLITE EXPANSION Arabsat, the Arab Satellite Communications Organisation, has signed a US$104 million loan with eight banks to part-finance the building and launch of two new satellites. Aerospatiale, the French aerospace company, is building the satellites at a total cost of US$258 million. The first satellite is set to be launched in 1996, with the other to be mothballed for an unspecified period. The loan has been syndicated primarily through Middle Eastern banks. Arabsat is paying cash for around 60 percent of the total satellite's cost from existing cash reserves. "Arabsat is buoyant about its profitability prospects as a result of the full use of its satellite capacity by administration and private sector companies," said Saad al-Bidnah, director-general of Arabsat. REVIEW: ARD200 satellite receiver Cambridge Industries, UK Astra 200-channel integrated receiver-decoder Retail price: GBP 179.99 (receiver only) The ARD200 receiver is Cambridge's first ASIC-based satellite receiver, and on first impressions it is a very well-built and designed unit, ideal for most domestic Astra satellite viewers. Its 200-channel memory will be able to store all the television and radio stations carried on Astra's 48 channels with ease. Additionally 20 of the 200 memories can be stored into a separate 'favourite programme' menu for quick scanning. All the ARD200's features are controlled through the relatively small remote control device. Switching between the satellite receiver and other SCART connected devices can be managed with ease. Such is the popularity of the ARD200, BT has chosen Cambridge as the OEM supplier for its SVS200 satellite receiver,its first move into domestic satellite receiver sales. Cambridge will rebadge the ARD200 and associated add-ons for BT. A second LNB can be connected through a special switch box, allowing feeds from a second satellite to be viewed. Unfortunately due to technical constraints the receiver cannot be realistically used as a multi-satellite receiver. As the receiver is designed as a single satellite unit, this will not be a problem. But the ease of use would have made it nice even for multi-satellite use. Maybe Cambridge will design a multi-satellite system based on the ARD200 in the future! One particularly interesting feature is the ability to dump the contents of your receiver's memory into another ARD200 through a SCART lead. Dealers can now fully program up their demo kit and download the latest channel allocations at the point of sale. What a value-added service with immediate impact. Using the system is simple, and the user is guided through a series of on-screen messages and menus. The ARD200 is available in Europe without the integral Videocrypt decoder, and hence all ARD200's have a number of external decoder and differential audio subcarrier settings contained as standard. Connecting the receiver into a TV/video chain is no problem as separate SCART sockets are provided for direct connection to a TV and video, with a third SCART for an external decoder. Connection can also be made to a TV or video through a tunable UHF modulator if required. A couple of little points niggled away during the review of an otherwise decent product. D2-MAC and other encrypted channels often messed up the on- screen graphics if the relevant decoders were not connected. When searching channels this became something of an irritation. Cambridge should consider allowing a channel setup flag to be enabled which would blank the video, just like it does for radio mode operation, with a message saying that it is an encrypted channel. A key could then be pressed to view the encrypted output if required. The other little niggles were the lack of Wegener audio processing and noise reduction, but the audio output through the television and through an amplifier were most respectable. Finally the front cover which covers most of the rarely needed receiver functions kept falling off. Operator error may have been at fault there though. In conclusion: The ARD200 is a worthwhile addition to a household requiring satellite television. Its handling of radio and television programming is excellent, and it is well worth its modest pricetag. One cannot wait to see what other products Cambridge has in its pipeline. Look out Pace and Amstrad for this 'dark horse.' NEWS IN BRIEF Black Entertainment Television says that it plans to launch a jazz channel late in 1994 once cable television networks in the US move onto digital- compression technology. BET On Jazz: The Cable Jazz Channel will be supported by advertising which is promised to be unobtrusive to the viewer. Since its launch aboard a Eutelsat II F1 satellite eight months ago, Euronews has attracted over 11 million viewers through cable and DTH reception. Many cable systems have recently signed carriage agreements for the pan-European news channel, and further agreements in central Europe are set to be signed in the coming months. A group of Russian television journalists say that they are planning to launch their own independent channel. Evegenii Kisselev said on the Ostankio TV weekly political programme Itogi that the channel called Segondnya (Today) would begin in October, using journalists from the Ostankio and Russia-state television broadcasting companies. Many journalists are leaving the state-owned company because of alleged interference by political paymasters. Yurii Koptev, head of the Russian Space Agency recently appeared on nationwide television saying that his agency has only received half of its allocated budget, reports Radio Free Europe. Koptev says that in 1994 Russian space companies are set to receive around US$100 million in contract payments. An agreement is also reportedly under discussion which could see a spaceport being built for a Russian space company at an unspecified date. Three French radio stations are being carried on the Eutelsat II F1 satellite, says Eutelsat. France Info, Radio Victor and France Inter are using audio subcarriers on the TV5 video transponder. Francoise Bouzitat has joined Arianespace as Secretary General, replacing Roland Deschamps who was appointed when Arianespace was formed in 1980. Bouzitat, a former assistant to the director general at CNES, the French space agency, comes from IFREMER, a French offshore maritime research institute. According to show organisers, 445,989 paying visitors attended the recent International Funkaustellung in Berlin, to view 740 exhibitors from 33 countries. Over 4,300 journalists attended the show -- quite a daunting thought. The next IFA is scheduled to take place 25 August-3 September 1995. More than 15,000 technical and business decision makers in over 300 sites around the world tuned into the second Microsoft Corp. DevCast satellite- networked information strategy broadcast. The next DevCast is set for 9 December, which will outline the business benefits of Microsoft Office and the Microsoft Windows and Windows NT operating systems. Further BSkyB financial figures have emerged. The company says that it intends to start paying shareholders back from early 1994, with around GBP1.3 billion outstanding in loans. BSkyB is now grossing around GBP7.5 million weekly in subscription fees, and advertising accounts for around GBP1.5 million per week. Operating costs rose 14 percent to GBP318 million. The European Commission has approved the takeover of STC Limited by the French company Alcatel Alsthom, citing the fact that the merger or takeover falls outside of the scope of EC merger regulations. Alcatel Cable, a unit of Alcatel Alsthom, will acquire STC from Northern Telecom Europe, a subsidiary of Bell Canada Enterprises. MCM Euromusique is determined to introduce encryption for its 24-hour music service from 15 October. After being forced off the air for some time because of financial problems, the station is determined to remain "on air" in the future. It will be encrypting its signal in D2-MAC/Eurocrypt-M, and annual Europe- wide subscriptions will be a FFr150 one-off payment for the smart card, followed by FFr200 per year. Ardent Euro-porn watchers report that Red Hot Television is still having some problems. One night it managed to lose the pre-recorded tape of the night's programming, and it is still rotating between Enigma and SAVE encryption. One technician reports that RHT has experienced problems with video synch, leading to a unstable encrypted signal. Russian president Boris Yeltsin has been set a letter by the directors of the Ostankino television company in Russia, complaining over the proposed transfer of the fourth state-run channel to the "Most commercial company. Ostankino is concerned that the creation of independent superstations will actually restrict viewer choice instead of expanding it. Deutsche Welle TV is to expand its European output from 16 hours daily to 24 hours during 1994, with the biggest problem being 'work' problems between ARD and ZDF. Dieter Weirich, managing director of Deutsche Welle, is confident that things can be sorted out in good time for the service expansion. Trimble Navigation has been awarded "Class A2" approval by the US Federal Aviation Administration for its GPS airborne navigation system. Charles Trimble, CEO and president of the company, said that the approval has been granted for the company's TNL2000T and TNL2100T GPS systems. Trimble is the first company to receive the Class A2 approval standard. Pearson Plc, a major shareholder in British Sky Broadcasting, announced a 34 percent rise in half- year pre-tax profits, and announced plans to expand its television interests in Europe and Asia. Frank Barlow, MD of Pearson, said that British cross-media ownership rules stopped it from expanding in the UK (Pearson owns the Financial Times and regional newspapers in the UK), but declined to comment on the plans. Lord Blakeham, chairman of Pearson, did rule out plans to create an Asian television network. King Broadcasting Co., a US company which owns four television stations in the Pacific Northwest, says that it is to launch a 24-hour cable news channel specialising in regional coverage. Around 1.5 million viewers will be able to tune into the service, known as Northwest Cable News, from Spring 1994. Once operational, it will be the largest regional news service in the US, and it will hire 100 additional staff to provide regional news coverage. Lee Enterprises Inc. has signed a six-year agreement to affiliate nine of its TV stations with Home & Garden Television Network, the new Scripps Howard 24- hour regional cable channel set to launch late in 1994. Continental Cablevision Inc. has also signed an agreement to carry the channel on its local cable systems. Iran's youth spend the least time concentrating on their religious activities, instead preferring to watch television, a recent conference of Iranian religious revolutionary guards was told. "A study by the High Council of Youth showed that young people on average have seven hours and 22 minutes of free time per day. More than three hours are spent watching television and the rest on sports, reading, recreational activities, visits and religious duties. The least amount of time is given to reading and religious activities," said Ali Larjani, Islamic Culture and Guidance Minister for the Iranian government. Talks to sell-off British Aerospace's satellite- making division to Matra Marconi Space will commence early in October, forming a part of BAe's ongoing attempt to concentrate on core-business activity. Discussions between the two companies broke down last year, and since then over 1000 staff have been made redundant. A fast deal is expected to be completed, and insiders expect a conclusion by the year-end. MTV has derided a survey saying that most pop videos portray women as 'brainless bimbos.' Research said that 98 percent of videos showed women as "sex-crazed playthings who wriggle and strut for male titillation, whereas men were portrayed as being intelligent. Researchers at New York's Alfred University came up with the findings, criticised for being "total rot." US West has transferred an initial US$1.5 billion of a US$2.5 billion sale to Time Warner Inc for a share in Time Warner Entertainment. Once the sale is complete, US West will hold a 25.5 percent stake of the company, including Warner Bros. studios, Home Box Office and the Time Warner Cable television networks. The October 6 meeting of the European Commission's Telecommunications Council has been cancelled until 7 December, because of scheduling problems amongst delegates, said an EC statement. Cablevision Systems Corp. is to buy a controlling stake of the American Movie Classics basic cable channel from Liberty Media Corp., an affiliate of cable TV giant Telecommunications Inc., for an undisclosed price. Cablevision already has a 25 percent stake in the company, and faces stiff competition next year from Turner Broadcasting who plans to launch a rival, almost identical, network. The European Space Agency has held a one-day symposium on the utilisation of space by 'non-space industry' in France, and it presented the results of a feasibility study of the Research Associations for the Development of the Industrial Use of Space group. The group said that there was a great potential for industrial exploitation of space in the coming years. National Transcommunications Limited's teleport at Crawley Court, UK has now officially been opened, and it is uplinking seven programme services onto the Astra 1C satellite, making it the UK's largest Astra uplinker in the process. Channels being uplinked are TNT, The Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel Europe, Bravo, Family Channel, Children's Channel and Country Music Television Europe. The Vietnamese state-owned television company is planning to join forces with the Australian-owned Vietnam Investment Review to form a pay-television channel. Initial investment is said to be around US$2 million, and a system should be operational by the end of the year in Hanoi and later in Ho Chi Minh City. Currently Vietnamese people have to rely upon terrestrial broadcasts. Only a few hundred people tune into overseas television through satellite receivers. GEMS, the US-based Spanish-language television service directed at women, will commence 24-hour broadcasting from 2 October, instead of its present 18-hour daily schedule. The service is now being carried on over 75 cable networks reaching 1.5 million households throughout the Americas. The channel, launched on 1 April, plans to begin transmissions to Spain and Europe in early 1994. ON THE MOVE: UK Gold has moved to The Quadrangle, 180 Wardour Street, London W1V 4AE, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 71 306 6100, fax: +44 (0) 71 306 6101. They are at the former premises of WH Smith Television -- one hopes that they do not start to emulate said company's performance. The European Space Agency is holding the second ERS-1 symposium on 11-14 October 1993 at the Hamburg Convention Centre, Germany, where over 700 ERS-1 users will discuss the ERS-1 system and uses of data downloaded from various missions. United Artists Cable in London are to launch a cable radio service for subscribers from November. Eclipse FM will be broadcasting around the clock. QVC Corporation has proposed a merger with Paramount Communications with a financial stock merger and acquisition to create a major multimedia production concern. Nokia has launched what it claims to be the UK's first combined television, satellite receiver and Videocrypt decoder. Prices start at GBP700 ex-dish, and major marketing deals are planned. STOP PRESS: Minutes before Satnews 117 went to press news that National Transcommunications Limited is to be renamed emerged. The company will be known as NTL instead of the old National Transcommunications Limited name. NORTH AMERICAN SIGHTINGS By Robert Smathers The Christian Television Network has moved from Satcom C1/11 to ASC-1/12. French 2 News (French news with English subtitles) is now seen on Galaxy 7/15 on an occasional video basis. The BBC 9pm News (in the PAL television standard) can be seen on Galaxy 7(ku)/13 in the early evening Eastern Daylight Time. The Asian American TV Network has launched on Galaxy 7(ku)/12. AsiaNet, another narrowcasting service, has launched on SBS6/14. This transponder is a CONUS COMMUNICATIONS rental transponder. Galaxy 6 is filling up with more and more occasional feeds. Recent feeds seen on Galaxy 6 include baseball games, football games, horse racing, and other sports feeds. The Virginia/Virginia Tech Educational Service has recently moved to Telstar 301. Transponders 9, 13, 15, 17 and 19 are being used for various subject courses. The American Infochannel has moved from Satcom C1/1 to Galaxy 3/21. The old home on C1/1 is now a rental transponder by Teleport Denver. KGAY, the audio service with gay and lesbian listeners as the target audience, has left satellite television. They were behind in paying their uplink bill and the uplinker pulled them on 14 September. It is not know if they will try another attempt at launching again to continue their service. SATELLITE TV EVENT OF THE WEEK: The major event this week occurred at 11:46 am Eastern Daylight Time on the South Lawn of the White House when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands to complete the signing of a very important peace accord. This peace accord is seen as a big step in resolving 46 years of Arab-Israeli turmoil. There were many feeds from Washington and some feeds from the Middle East to get reaction to the signing of the peace accord. Feeds that I found were on Satcom K2, Telstar 302, Telstar 301, Galaxy 4, Galaxy 7, SBS6, GSTARs 1,2, and 4, and Telstar 303. Some of the feeds I found were broadcasted back to European news organizations and to the news organizations in the Middle East. I am certain the "reaction" feeds were sent to the United States over Atlantic Ocean satellites (mainly Intelsats). ----------------------------------------------------- SATNEWS is published biweekly by M2 Communications Limited and is (C) copyright with all rights reserved. This electronic version is a based on the printed subscription version. To subscribe to the printed version, please contact M2 Communications Limited at Reptile House, 2nd Floor, 20 Heathfield Road, Coventry CV5 8BT UK. Subscription inquiries: tel. +44 (0) 203 717 417, fax. +44 (0) 203 717 418. Subscription rates are 200 (UK/EUR), 250 (North America) and 300 (rest of the world). Discounts available for non-corporate subscribers, with subscriptions starting at 50. Further discounts for delivery of Satnews by electronic mail are available. 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