Starting Friday, October 1, DISH Network may stop carrying some of America’s most popular channels from FOX Networks, including FOX Sports Southwest, FX and National Geographic Channel. This means DISH customers could miss some of their favorite shows and teams, like Sons of Anarchy and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on FX, Border Wars on Nat Geo, the Mavericks, the Rangers and the Stars on FOX Sports Southwest.
On November 1, DISH Network may also stop carrying KDFW, which means DISH customers could also lose some of America’s most popular broadcast programming like The World Series and The NFL on FOX, Glee and House on FOX, along with KDFW’s local news, weather, sports and more.
DISH Network may also stop carrying My27 on November 1. DISH customers could miss the My27 programming you love. ]]>
Gov't & Reg: The Wrap has unwrapped a laundry list of charitable giving by Comcast as it seeks to sway D.C. to let its proposed NBC-U merger go through. Among the lucky boys and girls are cherry-blossom festivals and small town baseball leagues, many of which have been enlisted to express their gratitude to D.C. denizens. --- The FCC is formally proceeding with plans for a five-year phaseout of wireless universal service funding which have already been agreed to by Verizon Wireless and Sprint. That's no surprise say Stifel Nicolaus analysts and could even help the companies "by giving them credit for funding reductions they have already incurred."
Hispanic HH: Hispanic TV households will account for 40% of new TV households for the 2010-2011 TV season, says Nielsen. Hispanic TV HH now stand at 13.2M, a more than 3% gain year-over-year. The largest increase in Hispanic households occurred in Philadelphia (up 8%).
People: Rentrak has appointed Evan Goldfarb SVP of Agency Sales for the company's Advanced Media and Information division. --- General Cable announced that Charles “Chip” McClure, Jr. and. Patrick Prevost will serve as independent directors of the company until they stand for election at the next annual meeting of stockholders in 2011.
Tech: Ericsson is now offering a Media Delivery Network for video over IP services. --- Motorola and Ericsson have teamed up to provide an "industry leading LTE-based solution for public safety mobile broadband."
Promotions: DIRECTV wants to find the Ultimate Displaced (NFL) Fan as it launches its third annual contest calling for videos, essays or photos from displaced fans. The most die-hard (and, we bet, funny) of the bunch will get the Super Bowl extravaganza prize including tickets to the big Bowl itself. ]]>
• No more Howard Stern for Sirius XM? That's what the shock jock claims, saying he's "pretty sure" he'll leave. Then again, he may just be bargaining.
• The Space Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2011 Teacher Liaisons, educators who can effectively use space themes for great lesson plans. Applicants do not have to be math or science teachers ... they just need enthusiasm for the subject. Benefits for winners include free admission to the 27th National Space Symposium, specialized training and programs.
• Russian DTH provider Orion Express has added capacity on the Intelsat 15 satellite. In addition, Bulgarian telecom provider, VIVACOM, has signed a a multi-year, multi-transponder contract on the Intelsat 12.
• The COMSYS VSAT 2010 conference in London has sold out in just one week.
• DIRECTV wants to find the Ultimate Displaced (NFL) Fan as it launches its third annual contest calling for videos, essays or photos from displaced fans. The most die-hard (and, we bet, funny) of the bunch will get the Super Bowl extravaganza prize including tickets to the big Bowl itself.
• Stratos Global now boasts 5,500 FleetBroadband activation via Inmarsat.
• Hispanic TV households will account for 40% of new TV households for the 2010-2011 TV season, says Nielsen. Hispanic TV HH now stand at 13.2M, a more than 3% gain year-over-year. The largest increase in Hispanic households occurred in Philadelphia (up 8%).• ]]>
"The Broadcasters thus ask the Commission to fossilize the method of predicting whether a household can receive an over-the-air signal while ignoring any available improvements to a model that, as they themselves emphasize (as if it were a mark of distinction), had its origins in 1968."
The DBS pair argues that satellite legislation passed in 2010 should trump methods more than four decades old (and flawed even then). An"antenna" is just an antenna, they note; it does not mean an "outdoor antenna"; and when Congress directed the FCC "to minimize consumer burdens" they really meant consumers, not broadcasters.• ]]>
The DISH Network got official certification as a qualified carrier pursuant to the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010 (STELA). The company extended the pro forma thanks to the FCC and noted that it "is proud to be the only pay-TV provider to offer local-into-local service in all 210 local markets in the country, and we look forward to receiving our distant signal license back from the court so that we can offer a full complement of the big four networks to our customers in every local market.”
• The FCC's International Bureau has extended the deadline for filing reply comments on the Fourth Annual Satellite Competition Report to September 24, 2010 from the previous Sept.7.
• The Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG) has launched an new tool in its effort to identify and mitigate the ever-growing problem of satellite interference. SUIRG’s Signature Interference Characteristics tool (SIC) has identified and cataloged over two dozen types of the most common forms of interference. The SIC provides spectrum examples based on this interference catalog, along with possible causes and suggested corrective measures. ]]>
According to Euroconsult, the next decade will see an estimated 1,220 new satellites built for launch, a 60% boost over the tally for the previous decade. Revenues from all the building and launching are expected to reach $194B worldwide by 2019.
The majority of the satellites (approximately two thirds) will go to government infrastructures. On the commercial side, the majority of new satellites will replace aging capacity in orbit.
Meanwhile, one of those 1200 launches took place on Sunday as China launched the SinoSat-6 on Sunday to replace the troubled SinoSat-3. The new satellite will provide radio and television capacity. ]]>
Still up this morning.
up on 119 tp 12384 ]]>
Peter B. de Selding - SpaceNews - September 3, 2010
PARIS — The satellite insurance market appears on its way to another highly successful year after several years of profitability, with total 2010 premiums likely to approach $600 million and claims, as of now, at zero, insurance brokerage Willis Inspace said Sept. 3.
At least six more commercial launches remain to be conducted this year, but the recent low-claim trend already has pushed insurance premiums down to levels not seen in a decade, Willis Inspace Chief Executive Roger Bathurst said in a webcast.
For a well-tested satellite design and launch vehicle, premiums have been around 10 percent of the insured sum for coverage of the satellite’s launch and first year in orbit, and below 10 percent in at least one case, according to Willis data.
In 2009, insurance underwriters booked between $800 million and $825 million in premiums and paid out slightly more than $400 million in claims for full or partial satellite losses. So far in 2010, premiums have totaled around $400 million, with no claims paid.
In a Sept. 3 interview, Bathurst said the continued profitability of space insurance underwriters should put further downward pressure on premiums, which he said should drop to 7 percent for a satellite’s launch plus its first year in orbit, matching a level reached in the late 1990s.
Insurance underwriters do not dispute the raw figures but point out that the late-1990s rates proved unsustainable because of satellite and rocket failures that occurred. Rates subsequently rose.
Bathurst said that one reason rates should continue to drop is the technical maturity of the Russian Proton-M and European Ariane 5 ECA rockets, which are responsible for the majority of commercial launches. In addition, he said, satellite designs now appear more trouble-free. The market is willing to assume that in-orbit problems on one satellite are limited to that spacecraft rather than to force higher premiums or stricter terms on all satellites of similar design.
One example: the Star 2 satellite platform built by Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., which has suffered its first major in-orbit anomaly with the April failure of the Galaxy 15 satellite owned by Intelsat of Luxembourg and Washington.
Orbital and Intelsat are still trying to figure out what caused the problem, which caused Galaxy 15 to stop responding to ground commands. In the past, this might have caused insurance underwriters to write coverage exclusions into the policies of similar satellites that come up for insurance renewal. Most in-orbit policies are for one year.
Bathurst said Willis went to the market to renew coverage of a similar Orbital Star 2 satellite just weeks after the Galaxy 15 failure and was able to secure a new policy with no exclusions.
Like launch-plus-one-year policies, insurance rates for in-orbit satellites have dropped sharply in the past year. Intelsat has had two in-orbit failures but the company does not insure its fleet beyond the first year in orbit, so there have been no claims for the IS-4 and Galaxy 15 failures.
Several large insurance underwriters have fixed insurance floors, saying they will not go below a certain premium rate, regardless of the record of the satellite platform or launch vehicle.
“This is where the sum insured becomes relevant,” Bathurst said in the webcast. “Can the risk be placed without these minimum-rate markets?” The larger the amount of coverage being sought, the more likely it is that a large swath of the total satellite insurance market will need to be involved in the policy. In some cases, all underwriters will align their rates to those of the underwriter taking the hardest line.
Trying to squeeze more savings from the market, some satellite operators have adopted a practice of asking brokers to compete to find the lowest rate to insure an in-orbit satellite. Bathurst argued that this often works to the disadvantage of the satellite owner because a given underwriter will quote to brokers the same rate for a satellite. ]]>
Pascale Paoli-Lebailly - RapidTVNews - September 3, 2010
The plan of French Minister of Budget François Baroin to increase the VAT payable on pay-TV services to 19.6 %, has, not surprisingly, attracted the ire of France’s service operators.
The whole French TV sector is worried about the scheme. The CEOs of all the pay-TV groups concerned—such as Martin Bouygues, Marc Lombardini of Iliad/Free and Jean-Bernard Levy of Vivendi— have criticised the idea, pointing out that it lacks coherence and is fundamentally bad for consumers.
At present, half of the subscription revenues of Canal+, CanalSat, Numericable and the suppliers of triple play offers are currently taxed at 5.5 %. The new tax plan would likely bring around €1 billion to the French state who is defending the move by saying that France is acting according to a request by the EC to review its tax regime.
The French association of digital and theme channels A.C.C.e.S. also condemned the move saying: “it would lead to a loss of subscribers. And if operators do not raise their prices they will undoubtedly decrease the licence fee they give back to channels.” For its part the French association of TV authors described the proposed move as destructive, adding that it would lead to a reduction of investment by operators and TV services into TV, reducing cinema production and weakening the whole French TV landscape. ]]>
NEW YORK--Just having the latest and greatest 3D-enabled TV won't guarantee you a virtual court-side seat this weekend when CBS Sports broadcasts the U.S. Open tennis tournament in 3D. You'll also have to subscribe to D*recTV's satellite TV service.
Avid sports fans can now feel like they're part of the action in their own living rooms thanks to 3D TV broadcasts of live sporting events, such as the U.S. Open. But exclusive distribution deals limit who gets to see what.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Tennis Association, which hosts the U.S. Open and CBS Sports, which has broadcasting rights to the tournament on the two main weekends the tournament is happening, announced they'd be broadcasting the event in 3D on one of D*recTV's dedicated 3D channels.
The U.S. Open is the latest sporting event that is being shot using 3D cameras and broadcast in 3D. Other events, such as the Masters golf tournament, the NCAA Final Four college basketball tournament, Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby and All-Star game, and the Beijing and Vancouver Olympics, along with a few other events, have also been broadcast in 3D.
Though the 3D experience can be viewed only on a 3D-enabled TV and while wearing 3D glasses, the audience has been limited even further by the fact that these events have been available only on certain TV services. For example, the Masters Golf Tournament was available in 3D on Comcast's network along with a few other cable operators, but it was not offered on any satellite or telco TV services. The U.S. Open tournament will be available only on D*recTV. And an upcoming NFL preseason game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots will be viewed in 3D on only Verizon's Fios network.
Because broadcast rights vary for each major event, rights holders are able to negotiate individual deals with paid TV services, such as cable, satellite, or telco TV. What this means for the average TV viewer is that simply buying a 3D TV and the $150 glasses that must be worn while watching aren't enough to get you access to all the sports that is being broadcast in 3D.
For viewers who want to experience 3D TV today, D*recTV offers the most content. This summer, it launched three dedicated channels of 3D TV content. One channel features pay-per-view content, another features live sports, movies, and other events, such as concerts. And the third channel offers video-on-demand content in 3D.
D*recTV has also been working with technology partners, such as Panasonic, to create its own 3D video content to fill these channels. On Wednesday, Panasonic announced both a new professional 3D camera and the first-ever consumer 3D camcorder. The company also has plans to open a new 3D TV development center in the U.S. to help push the technology forward. The companies have teamed up to produce documentaries and to produce live events, like music concerts in 3D. The idea is to populate the D*recTV channels with as much 3D video as possible.
"We learned when we rolled out high-definition TVs that we needed the content to sell TVs," said Peter Fannon, vice president of corporate and government affairs for Panasonic. "We chose D*recTV as a partner because they have a nationwide footprint."
Other TV service providers, such as Comcast, AT&T U-verse, and Verizon Fios, are offering more-limited 3D-viewing opportunities. But each provider says it plans to add more 3D content to its lineup. Terry Denson, vice president of content strategy and acquisition for Verizon, said at a recent event in New Jersey showing off the Fios 3D TV service that more 3D content will be offered on Fios TV service starting in the fourth quarter of 2010 and in early 2011.
"We are in the process of identifying unique content that we think will help us offer a sustainable channel," he said.
For D*recTV, already having its dedicated 3D channels plus having the exclusive rights to broadcast major sporting events, such as the U.S. Open, are differentiators that put it ahead of competitors.
"Sports content has always been exclusive as a way for us to differentiate our service," said Steven Roberts, senior vice president of new media and business development for D*recTV.
Indeed, this has been an industry practice for years. D*recTV is the only paid TV service offering the NFL Sunday Ticket, a premium package that offers D*recTV viewers access to all major football games regardless of which market they're in. D*recTV also offers other exclusive content, such as early broadcasts of the TV show Friday Night Lights. And cable companies, Comcast and Cablevision, which own rights to broadcast certain local sports content, have also used their exclusive broadcast rights to combat competitors.
But there is no doubt that the exclusive distribution of 3D sports broadcasts is further limiting an already small pool of potential viewers of these 3D events. According to iSuppli, only 1.8 million out of a total of 46.5 million TVs shipped to retailers in the first quarter of 2010 were 3D-enabled--about 4 percent. That number is expected to grow substantially during the next 18 months, but it won't be huge. iSuppli predicts that by the end of 2011, manufacturers will ship about 12 million 3D-capable TVs for the whole year.
For now, starting with a smaller audience may be fine, since most consumers aren't buying new TVs primarily for 3D.
"It's not like the beginning of HD TV when TVs were thousands of dollars more than regular TVs," Roberts said. "3D only adds a couple of hundred dollars to the price of the TV so if you are in the market for a new TV anyway, why not future-proof the purchase with a 3D TV?"
Roberts said that during the next couple of years the same sporting events will be available in 3D on multiple TV services. ESPN is already moving in this direction. It is offering its ESPN 3D network, which launched this summer, on D*ecTV, Comcast, and AT&T U-Verse. So far the 3D programming is limited to special events. ESPN 3D broadcast the World Cup soccer tournament in 3D, and this fall it will carry 13 college football games in 3D.
As other sports broadcasters, such as CBS Sports, add more 3D coverage, distribution deals will likely expand to multiple TV services.
"You'll see this open up more and more," Roberts said. "But for the near future, the important events will be exclusive. It's really all about the broadcasting rights."
Panasonic's Fannon agrees that the same 3D sports broadcasts will increasingly become available on more services to reach the maximum number of 3D consumers.
"Other distributors will get access to the same sports content sooner rather than later," he said.
And once TV manufacturers and broadcasters overcome the hurdles of getting wider TV service distribution, then they'll have to work on overcoming the next big obstacle to 3D adoption: those $150 glasses. Current 3D TV technology requires people wear a set of "active" technology glasses that permit the eyes to view images in 3D. Critics wonder if the glasses alone will turn off some consumers. But Fannon said a glasses-less 3D TV viewing experience is still years away.
"Right now the technology that would allow people to watch 3D TV without glasses costs so much, it's just not feasible for consumer products," he said. "So we are years away from not having to wear those glasses."
Correction at 11:55 a.m. PDT:An earlier version of this story misstated on which TV services the 3D version of the Masters golf tournament was available. It was available on Comcast's service as well as a few other cable operators. ]]>
Bell's back up over downloads
TORONTO - B*E Inc.’s B*ll Canada is vehemently opposing a regulatory decision this week to allow smaller Internet providers more room on its network but not because of the immediate competitive threat they pose. Instead, it is the online TV giants standing behind them Bell is likely more concerned about.
Forced by regulators on Monday to provide matching download speeds to firms such as TekSavvy Solutions Inc., which provides unlimited downloading, B*ll risks losing out on coveted TV customers to Internet content-streaming behemoths such as Netflix Inc., which is bringing services to Canada this fall.
Unlike B*ll and other incumbents, there are no download caps at wholesale resellers like TekSavvy and Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc.
Combined with Monday’s decision from the CRTC ordering B*ll, Telus Corp. and other major providers to give TekSavvy customers equal speeds to their own, it means smaller ISPs can stream high-quality video in huge volumes, creating an attractive alternative for TV products from B*ll, Telus and even Rogers Communications Inc.
“[The incumbents are] concerned,” said Brahm Eiley, principal at Toronto-based Convergence Consulting Ltd. “Netflix, Apple, even Microsoft with the Xbox — anybody with a content platform can benefit from unlimited data usage.”
So-called “data hogs” or users that account for the vast majority of online downloading have migrated to TekSavvy and the like, but until this week’s decision, have had to live with sluggish speeds, confining activity to mostly peer-to-peer torrent trading.
The CRTC, in its impulse to spur competitive pressure, changed that.
“Now they impose speed-matching, a wholesale competitor comes in here, gets access to our network without putting any risk capital in the ground, and can take away our Internet service from that home,” Mirko Bibic, chief of regulatory affairs at B*ll said.
More than that though, the current framework threatens to undermine B*ll’s — and indeed Telus’s too — strategic push to win greater share among television subscribers.
With a viable alternative entering market in Netflix (and likely others) the high-speed, unlimited model wholesalers can provide is an uncomfortable scenario for incumbents, even cablecos, all of which have imposed usage-based billing on their own customers to help manage network strain (in part from P2P file sharing).
Rogers lowered its download caps this summer — the same day Netflix announced it was headed to Canada — perhaps to send a message that online streaming won’t be tolerated as an alternative source of TV content. So far, incumbents are prohibited from imposing usage based billing on wholesalers, a related issue regulators must make a separate ruling on this fall.
But to head off the current threat, B*ll wants Cabinet to once and for all overrule the speed-matching decision, and has threatened to scale back investment in next-generation technology failing that.
“We will be making our views known to Industry Canada and Minister Clement that this is the wrong decision for broadband deploymt in Canada,” Mr. Bibic said.
Cabinet has 90 days to make a final determination on Monday’s decision by the CRTC.
In the United States, “cord cutting” or nixing traditional TV for Internet alternatives remains a nascent phenomenon. To date, a mere 1% of households, or about one million, have dropped cable or satellite, according to Convergence.
“But we’re at the beginning of new era,” Mr. Eiley says.
The major beneficiary of cord cutting in the United States would be Netflix, which is pushing its online streaming platform over its older DVD mail-delivery service of popular television shows and movies.
The California company grew by three million subscribers in 2009 — a 50% rise over the year earlier. Another three million Americans have joined since the beginning of the year to bring the total to 15 million.
“You see the pattern,” Mr. Eiley said.
Financial Post ]]>
($499)
Now that's what we're talking about. Hiking? Fishing? How about hanging out watching satellite TV on this baby from D*rectTV? The Sat-Go has a 17-inch LCD screen, a receiver, and an antenna, and it runs on a laptop-style battery, all contained in a moderately sized briefcase.
The kit weighs 27 pounds, but the system has many of the features of regular D*rectTV, including a programmable remote control, a timer to automatically tune in to a program, the ability to play video games, and interactive functions such as weather info and horoscopes.
Washington, D.C. 20554
Application of D*SH Network, LLC for Qualified Carrier Certification
MB Docket No. 10-124
ORDER
Adopted: September 1, 2010
Released: September 2, 2010
By the Commission:
I. INTRODUCTION
1. On June 30, 2010, D*SH Network (“D*SH”) filed an Application for Certification1 (the “Application”) as a qualified carrier pursuant to the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010 (“STELA” or the “Act”).
The Application describes the initiation of local broadcast television retransmission by satellite in all 210 television markets, 29 of which are receiving this service for the first time. Such service will provide all D*SH subscribers with local programming, information, weather alerts, and other valuable services that many had previously been without. As required by STELA, D*SH’s application was placed on public notice and one comment was filed.
STELA states that the Commission “shall issue” a qualified carrier certification to any satellite carrier, upon making certain determinations regarding the service provided by that carrier.4 After review of D*SH’s filing and consideration of the record, we have determined that Dish meets the statutory requirements for certification.
ORDERING CLAUSES
18. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that, pursuant to Section 342 of the Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. § 342, a certification for the purposes of section 119(g)(3)(A)(iii) of title 17 IS ISSUED to D*SH Network, LLC. ]]>
It didn’t take British broadcast regulator OFCOM long to find the operator of “Unknown FM,” a station broadcasting illegally and also interfering with the satellite TV signals of BBC1 & BBC2.
The complaints came from the town of Chingford, and authorities subsequently raided the home of Paul Hampshire, finding him as the DJ of his illegal station, reports the Guardian newspaper.
Hampshire pleaded guilty to violating sections 36 and 37 of the U.K.’s Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006. His broadcast equipment was confiscated.
OFCOM released a statement, saying, “In the past six months we’ve received several hundred complaints relating to pirate radio. The vast majority of these come from consumers, who complain about illegal broadcasts drowning out legitimate stations.” ]]>
More than 30% of Sky's total subscriber base, which stood at 9.86 million at the end of June, now watching in high definition
BSkyB has signed up the 3 millionth subscriber to its high definition (HD) television service just over four years after it was launched in the UK.
Nearly 50 channels are available in high definition on the Sky digital satellite service, including BBC HD, ITV1 HD and five high-definition Sky Sports networks. Living became the latest broadcaster to join the HD platform today , with several more ITV channels due to join it before the end of the year.
More than 30% of Sky's total subscriber base, which stood at 9.86 million at the end of June, is now watching in high definition, a key driver in boosting the satellite broadcaster's average revenue per user.
Sophie Turner Laing, Sky's managing director of entertainment, news and broadcast operations, said the broadcaster had "recognised the potential of HD early", adding that the superior quality broadcasts had now "grown into something which our customers utterly love and now demand as standard".
However, the latest milestone also suggests that the growth rate of HD has slowed after a bumper second quarter boosted by the football World Cup. An extra 429,000 customers were signed up in the three months to the end of June, taking total HD subscribers to 2.94 million.
A slowdown was predicted by the BSkyB chief executive, Jeremy Darroch, who said in July that he expected to see a "pause for breath" in take-up of the new technology. The next set of subscriber figures, for the third quarter of 2010, will be announced at the end of October.
Sky's high-definition service launched in May 2006. High-definition channels are also available on Virgin Media, Freeview, the BBC and ITV's free-to-air satellite joint venture, Freesat.
Living HD, which broadcasts programmes including Britain's Next Top Model presented by Elle Macpherson, became the 46th high-definition channel on the Sky platform, following the launch of Good Food HD earlier this week.
Jonathan Webb, managing director of the Living TV Group, said: "Living is home to some of the glossiest UK and US programmes on television and they deserve to be seen in their pin-sharp HD glory."
Eden HD, ITV2 HD, ITV3 HD and ITV4 HD will all launch before the end of the year, taking Sky's total number of HD channels to more than 50. BBC1 will also be simulcast in high definition in its entirety for the first time this autumn.
Sky Sports' biggest HD audience to date was Manchester United's 3-0 win over Newcastle in their opening Premier League fixture of the season last month, which was watched in more than 800,000 homes.
Sky's next big marketing push will be 3D television, with the broadcaster set to launch Europe's first dedicated 3D channel on 1 October. ]]>
Satellite crashes may be rare, but when they happen, the impact can be long-lasting.
By Irene Klotz - Discovery News
Collisions in space don't happen very often, but when they do the impact is long-lasting. A coalition of satellite traffic cops, however, aims to prevent these episodes from occurring at all.
In orbit, chunks and fragments from a crash won't settle down. They'll keep moving -- extremely rapidly -- upping the odds of additional crashes.
"You don't just sweep up the debris and haul it away on a tow truck. That's why we're having to take all these precautions," said Tobias Nassif, vice president of satellite operations and engineering for Intelsat and a director of the newly formed Space Data Association.
The group, which began operations in July, provides advance notice of potential collisions so satellite operators can reposition their spacecraft before it's too late.
Washington, D.C.-based Intelsat partnered with London-based Inmarsat and SES of Luxembourg to develop and launch Space Data Association, which currently runs interference for the group's combined 120 satellites.
In 16 years of work in the field, Nassif says he's had to maneuver spacecraft perhaps twice to avoid coming too close to another satellite. But as more and more spacecraft are put into orbit, the chance of a collision increases as well, he added.
The prospect of an orbital crash seemed pretty remote until Feb. 10, 2009, when an obsolete Soviet-era satellite called Cosmos 2251 plowed into a working commercial telecommunications satellite owned by Iridium.
Striking at a relative speed of 7.2 miles per second, the crash, which occurred 491 miles above Earth, generated more than 1,700 pieces of debris that were large enough to be tracked by radars on Earth. Ninety-six percent of the junk remains in orbit today.
The Iridium-Cosmos 2251 crash isn't even the largest source of space debris. That dubious distinction belongs to the Fengyun-1C spacecraft, which was the target of a Chinese anti-satellite test in 2007. NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office says there's still more than 2,700 pieces of orbital space junk from Fenyun-1C's destruction.
"We saw a need to operators to work better to share information in order to protect our operations in space," Nassif told Discovery News. "Just having the contact information among the operators might help mitigate the possibilities of collisions in space."
The group, which is a non-profit based in the Isle of Man, expects to be fully operationally by January, issuing not just warnings of potential collisions, but also ways to mitigate radio interference.
"Our objective is to attract any and all that are interested," Nassif said.
Currently, there are about 350 commercial satellites in orbit 22,300 miles above Earth, and hundreds more in lower orbits.
"The system really isn't limited in the number of spacecraft that it can handle. We're outreaching to all the operators and civil agencies," he said.
Details of the U.S. military's collision avoidance programs will be discussed at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Space 2010 conference in Anaheim, Calif., this week.
__________________ ]]>
MUMBAI: A recently released research reveals that one in three Australians are involved in film and TV content theft, or piracy, while at the same time believing piracy is stealing or theft. The study forms the basis for a new communications campaign by the film and television industry which appeals to audiences to ‘Please, Watch What You Watch’.
The Intellectual Property Awareness Foundation (IPAF), an alliance of film and television organizations in Australia, commissioned research through Sycamore Research & Marketing. The survey asked respondents nationally, aged between 18 and 64, about their attitudes and activities in relation to content piracy.
The research revealed that a third of Australians - 34 per cent - said they see piracy as stealing or theft but they regularly do it by burning, buying or downloading illegal or unauthorized copies of films or TV programs.
In other words one in three Australians participate in something that they don’t agree with. To describe this disconnect between people’s actions and beliefs, IPAF coined the phrase ‘Accidental Pirate’.
IPAF CEO Gail Grant said, “Our research provided us with some shocking overall statistics such as 53% of people pirated film or TV content during the year. We also found that people think they are basically honest. We learned some Australians don’t agree with piracy and don’t think they contribute to the content theft problem while regularly doing it. People aren’t making the connection between their actions and their beliefs.”
IPAF has created a national campaign focusing on raising awareness and educating the public on the actions that constitute content theft at the everyday and every person level.
The campaign aims to achieve this in a unique way, using humor. IPAF has created likeable caricatures of everyday Australians to disarm the automatic barriers to the message, before challenging people to become more informed in the future.
“Every act of piracy has consequences across a broad spectrum of creative pursuits and businesses and, at the most basic level, is responsible for taking someone’s livelihood away with every act. Our campaign will encourage people to think about their actions and attitudes towards piracy and we want to communicate with people on an inclusive level,” added Grant.
Motion Picture Association president and managing director Mike Ellis said, “The research released today reminds us of the need to persist in raising public awareness. Many people continue to engage in infringing activity without realizing the impact it has on their friends and neighbors in the creative community. Respecting copyright in film and television is a win/win for movie lovers and film and television industry practitioners, as a healthy patronage of genuine cinema, DVD and television experiences stimulates investment in more films and shows for audiences to enjoy. We congratulate IPAF on the launch of this campaign and have confidence that it will make a difference.”
The ‘Accidental Pirate’ campaign is a fully integrated public education program involving national print, television, radio and cinema, public relations and social media. ]]>
New report provides detailed analysis of the Telecommunications market
In Latin America's vertically integrated telecom market, convergence has become a popular solution not only for companies, as a way to attract more customers, but also for regulators, as a way to promote competition. In most countries, the incumbents continue to dominate the fixed-line sector, with Local Loop Unbundling being rare in this region and wholesale activity not very well developed. In the broadband sector, most incumbents have secured a virtual monopoly in the delivery of ADSL access. The only broadband competition is across technologies, from cable modem and WiMAX services.
The concern many governments face is the shortage of fixed line infrastructure, tied to the fear that operators will cease to invest in their network if they are forced to unbundle their local loop or lower wholesale prices. Of course, telecom companies have done their best to encourage this fear.
Many regulators hope alternative operators will build their own infrastructure and reach unserviced areas, thus increasing teledensity. New entrants do not build copper cable networks, but usually use wireless technologies such as WiMAX. Over these, they offer broadband and sometimes telephony or even pay TV.
Cable TV companies, meanwhile, have jumped onto the bandwagon, flaunting their ability to offer both broadband and telephony over HFC or fibre optic networks, thus being able to increase the country's teledensity and broadband penetration, and create a more competitive environment thanks to their triple paly solutions.
The incumbents, for their part, not to be outdone by any competitor, have launched their own triple play services, sometimes by acquiring existing cable TV operators, and sometimes by resorting to satellite TV or IPTV technology.
One of the consequences of triple play is the start of competition between cable TV and telecom operators. This is, of course, beneficial for customers, who have a greater choice between service providers. But in many countries, issues of market balance and fear of losing market share to competition have led to lengthy regulatory battles, involving cable TV companies, telecom operators, and regulatory authorities.
The result of these battles has normally favoured triple play, and this has led to an increase in the number of cable modem connections. Between 2001 and 2007, ADSL was gobbling up most of the broadband market, its share soaring sky-high throughout the region. But since 2008, cable modem has been regaining some of its lost ground.
The success of triple play has also pushed up the number of cable TV subscribers throughout the region and strengthened CATV companies, so that they were hardly affected by the financial crisis of 2008/09 - unlike the economic slump of 2001/02, which brought cable TV to its knees throughout Latin America.
Although many CATV networks are still analogue, digital cable is gradually establishing a foothold in Latin America. One of the reasons for the interest in digital cable has been the problem of cable TV piracy. Besides allowing for more advanced services, migrating to a digital platform enables providers to prevent signal theft, forcing any households involved to become paying subscribers if they wish to continue viewing cable TV.
The start of digital terrestrial TV in Latin America has been delayed by arguments over the standard to be adopted: USA's ATSC, Europe's DVB, or Japan's ISDB. Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador have elected the ATSC standard; Uruguay and Colombia have opted for the DVB standard; Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Venezuela have chosen a modified form of the ISDB standard known as SBTVD. The remaining countries are still undecided. There would have been clear advantages to having a regional common system, as this would have boosted economies of scale when importing television sets. But the decision in most Latin American countries is prompted more by political reasons than by technical ones, based on each government's relations with the USA, Europe, or Japan.
Argentina
Argentina's pay television market is the most mature in Latin America. In fact, Argentina is a world leader in terms of pay TV penetration, with more than 50% of homes subscribed to pay TV services.
Brazil
Convergence between telecom and pay TV operations is unclear under Brazilian legislation This has led to confusion and conflict, involving pay TV companies, telecom operators, and regulatory authorities. A draft bill is in the pipeline to allow IPTV services, which are prohibited by Brazilian telecom regulations.
Chile
When it comes to new technologies, Chile tends to be Latin America's pioneer. The region's first triple play, and IPTV services were launched in Chile. In September 2009, Chile adopted the Japanese standard ISDB-T/MPEG-4 for digital terrestrial TV services, with a ten-year period for analogue TV to be completely replaced by digital TV.
Mexico
In Mexico the 3 main CATV providers have been incentivising the purchase of triple play bundles of cable TV, broadband and telephony, with great success. In early 2010 quadruple play appeared imminent as broadcasting giant Televisa received regulatory approval to acquire a stake in the mobile operator Nextel de Mexico. While in the satellite TV market, Dish Mexico has had early success with rapid subscriber growth and Axtel has also received regulatory approval to launch satellite TV and plans to begin offering triple-play services in 2010.
Markets highlights
In Venezuela over 50 companies offer pay TV services, yet five operators have 86% of the market;There are about 120 companies with a CATV licence in Uruguay;Cable TV comprises approximately 88% of Argentina's pay TV market;Over 60 digital TV channels are authorised in Mexico.
Offical Wire. 1 Sept. 2010. END
This is so out of date and so full of misinformation, one wonders where they get their information from. Latinoland is so way ahead of other countries. Digital has been here for a year. They even have fta SAT TV and I can vouch for that. Most countries' Telecommunications are controlled by Carlo Slim and he has already stopped DN trying to get their nose into those countries!!! including where I live,,,,,,,,, Dominican Republic. ]]>
By Eric Savitz
Howard Stern told listeners to his Sirius XM (SIRI) radio show this morning that he is “pretty sure” he will leave the satellite radio business when his contract expires at the end of the year, according to the blog Orbitcast.
Stern also reportedly said it he not considering leaving the radio business entirely, and told listeners he would announce soon where he’ll go next, “hinting towards a possible mobile application and low monthly fee.”
On the other hand, the post says Stern also mentioned the possibility of launching a third satellite radio channel, and also discussed doing a similar show to the one he does now but with less hours.
Stern also reportedly said Sirius wants to sign him to a new five-year contract, but that he wants a shorter deal. ]]>
Winnebago Offers 'Your HD' TV Service
MotorHome, September 2, 2010
Pace International, a national authorized distributor for DISH Network LLC and a leader in integrated home-theater solutions, has introduced a new “pay-as-you-go” satellite program designed specifically for the RV market.
The program, marketed as “HD for the road less traveled,” is the first of its kind and is supported by a customized RV toll-free support line, according to a news release.
Winnebago Industries Inc. has named the satellite program “Your HD” and is offering “Your HD” along with the DISH Network Mobile HD receiver on select 2011 Winnebago and Itasca models in anticipation of the high demand this program will create, Rochester, Minn.-based Pace stated.
The new DISH Network Mobile HD program allows RV owners to pay month-by-month, only when they want to watch satellite TV programming. Subscribers purchase the receivers outright; there are no contracts, no equipment to return and no activation fees. Setup is simple: (1) Purchase the DISH Network Mobile HD receiver, (2) pick a programming package and (3) call the toll-free (800) 472-1039 to activate.
“We’re excited to be able to offer a new pay-as-you-go satellite option for the RV industry with DISH Network. People want their entertainment, and we believe it should be on their terms as much as possible. This program really helps to deliver a great experience for people who want ‘HD for the road less traveled’,” commented Vern Swedin, Pace International. ]]>
By Press Release
New Berlin, WI – Sportsman Channel, the leader in outdoor TV for the American Sportsman, today announced the network is available in both SD and HD as an a la carte option on DISH Network Ch. 395. In an effort to raise awareness and funds for Gulf regions working to recover from the recent oil spill disaster, Sportsman Channel will funnel this year’s proceeds from the a la carte pricing to a special “Sportsman’s Fund” created with the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) to benefit Gulf coast habitat restoration and research. CCA is one of the largest non-profit marine conservation groups in America.
To help support and bring awareness to these efforts, DISH Network is offering a free preview of Sportsman Channel Sept. 3 – 28. Additionally, Sportsman Channel and its parent company, InterMedia Outdoors, are utilizing all print, on-air and digital assets to further promote the cause. ]]>
Great news! The DISH Remote Access App is now available for the iPad! Now DISH Network customers can enjoy all the great features that DISH Remote Access offers on their iPad device!
The free DISH Remote Access App for the iPad is a fully-featured remote DVR scheduler that gives DISH customers complete access to DVR functions and features. Schedule DVR recordings on multiple receivers, delete timers, browse and search nine days of shows, and manage your DVR library by setting recording priorities, resolving recording conflicts, and deleting already-viewed programs!
Remote Control Feature for iPad
The new DISH Remote Access App for the iPad also includes a feature that transforms an iPad into a remote control for TVs connected to compatible DISH Network receivers (ViP612 DVR, ViP622 DVR, ViP722 DVR, ViP922 SlingLoaded DVR)! Using the iPad as a remote control, customers can change channels, browse the program guide, start playing recorded programs, and enjoy all standard remote navigation features such as fast forward, replay, and pause.
What is DISH Remote Access?
DISH Remote Access allows customers to manage their compatible DISH Network DVR from anywhere they have access to a PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod touch or iPad with Internet access – whether they are at home, at the office or on the road! Keep in mind that the DISH Remote Access features that customers can access will vary depending on whether their receiver is connected to a broadband Internet connection.
Available DISH Remote Access Features
• Features on All Compatible DVR Receivers – With DISH Remote Access and
a DVR receiver (512, 522, 625, ViP612 DVR, ViP 622 DVR, ViP 722 DVR, ViP 722k DVR, ViP 922 DVR), customers should be able to perform the following tasks from virtually anywhere, as long as they have access to the Internet:
o Schedule DVR recordings;
o Browse and search the program guide; and o View graphics and posters from television shows and movies.
• Features on ViP-Series DVR Receivers – In addition to the functionality listed above, customers with DISH Remote Access and a ViP-series DVR receiver (ViP 612 DVR, ViP 622 DVR, ViP 722 DVR, ViP 722k DVR, ViP 922 DVR) connected to a broadband Internet connection should be able to perform the following tasks from virtually anywhere, as long as they have access to the Internet:
o Manage DVR disk space;
o Set recording priorities;
o Manage recording conflicts (use the “Conflicts” option on the My DVR Tab to choose which recording timers to
skip if there is a recording time conflict); and
o Delete previously recorded shows.
Customers who have a model ViP 922 DVR receiver connected to broadband Internet OR a ViP-series DVR receiver connected to broadband Internet and also connected to a Slingbox should be able to watch live TV or DVR recordings when logged into a computer or when using the SlingPlayer mobile app on a compatible device!
Compatible Devices – Customers may use the following devices to access their DVR receiver over the Internet using DISH Remote Access, as long as they have a compatible Internet browser (i.e., Internet Explorer (I.E.) Version 6.0, 7.0 or 8.0; Firefox Version 2.0, 3.0 or 4.0; or Safari for a computer or Safari for a mobile device):
• Computer
o PC; or
o Mac
Mobile Device Setup – Customers using mobile devices to access DISH Remote Access must complete the following steps:
1. Customers must create a username and password for their DISH Network online customer account at DISH Satellite TV - $24.99 & HD Free For Life - Let's Watch TV from a PC or Mac (if they have not previously created an online customer account). Customers must then login to their account, click on the DISH Remote Access link on the left-hand side of the page, and use DISH Remote Access at least once from a computer before logging into a mobile application.
2. Download the FREE iPhone or iPad app for DISH Remote Access. It is available through the Apps icon on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, or through the Apps store on iTunes at Apple. ]]>
WASHINGTON
Satellite TV company Dish Network Corp. spent $230,000 in the second quarter lobbying the federal government on the proposed takeover of NBC Universal by rival video provider Comcast Corp. and other issues, according to a recent disclosure report.
That's down from the $320,000 that Dish spent in the year-ago period, and less than the $240,000 it spent in the first quarter of 2010.
The company also lobbied the government on issues related to paying for the right to retransmit the signal of local TV stations, according to the report filed on July 19.
In the April-to-June period, Dish only lobbied Congress, according to the report filed with the House clerk's office. ]]>
By Chip Brian
When EchoStar (NASDAQ:SATS) reported earnings 18 days ago on August 09, 2010, analysts, on average, expected the company to report a loss of $0.01 on sales of $479 million.
The company actually reported a loss of $0.49 on sales of $603 million, missing EPS estimates by $0.48 and beating revenues estimates by $124 million.
Since the company's report, share of EchoStar have fallen from $19.65 to $19.14, representing a loss of 2.60% in the past 18 days.
SmarTrend is bearish on shares of EchoStar and our subscribers were alerted to Sell on June 25, 2010 at $19.62. The stock has fallen 2.4% since the alert was issued. ]]>
This is being reported by Tokyo media, which is quoting the Japanese government as the source of the information regarding the Japanese satellite. According to the Center for Satellite Intelligence for the Government, the radar system of the satellite, launched into orbit in February 2007, went down earlier this week, causing the satellite to go completely out of order. Specialists are trying to restore the radar system by remote control — however, they recognize that the chances of success are rather slim. The satellite’s radar was to have a lifetime expectancy of five years and was to complete its mission in 2012. Journalists have noted that the breakdown has occurred at the most inopportune time as the North Korean government continues to develop missile and nuclear programs. Currently, the situation on the Korean peninsula is being monitored by three Japanese spy-satellites, one of which has practically exhausted all its resources. All of them are reportedly only equipped with optical devices. (Source: The Voice Of Russia.) ]]>
Scott
3D will probably start in 4th quarter (presumably this year) Start with some dedicated channels. Quite a bit of new technology of 3D (new chipsets, new technology). Will get more excited about 3D with the next generation of technology of set-top boxes and TV sets about a year from now.
Still might need 3D glasses.
Technical explainer about using every other frame of video.
Will improve that with new chipsets next year.
Don't know if it'll cost extra. Probably some basic stuff and some premium. ]]>
DBS Provider Is Exclusive U.S. Outlet For India's Most Popular Network
Mike Reynolds --8/27/2010 3:31:35 PM
Dish Network, continuing to bolster its already robust international programming menu, has launched India's PTC Punjabi service.
Located on the DBS provider's channel 604, PTC Punjabi is a 24-hour entertainment channel that broadcasts news, entertainment and religious programming from Punjab, India. Exclusively available in the States via Dish, the channel features Gurbani from Takhat Sri Hazoor Sahib and such popular shows as Preeto TOP10, Voice of Punjab, Ghar Ghar Vich Ghuggi and Miss PTC Punjabi 2010. The network also offers news and current affairs with authentic updates on current events, news and happenings all over the world for the Punjabi diaspora in the U.S.
PTC Punjabi is available to Dish customers for $19.99 per month as part of its Punjabi Pack, which includes GPunjab-Newstime, Alpha Etc Punjabi, Jus Punjabi TV, Pubjabi TV, Jus One and MH1.
"With the addition of PTC Pubjabi, the No. 1 rated Punjabi channel in India, we continue to provide our customers with the most high-quality channels of any TV company in America," said Chris Kuelling, vice president of international programming for Dish in a statement. "Dish Network is proud to be the go-to TV provider for the widest variety of top-rated International programming at the absolute best price in the industry."
Noted PTC Punjabi director and COO Rajiee Shinde: "PTC Network has always strived to provide more than just television to every Punjabi. We strive to be a part of their everyday life and we are glad that through Dish Network, we are also able to touch every Punjabi's life in the U.S." ]]>
By Space News Staff
Satellite fleet operator EchoStar Corp. seeks market opportunity in its existing Ka-band capacity and is even weighing investment in new satellites for certain niche applications as it struggles to carve out a sustainable market in North America, EchoStar officials said.
Englewood, Colo.-based EchoStar hopes to benefit from the fact that its larger competitors in the United States — Intelsat, SES and Telesat — view North America as a low-growth market in the coming years and are focusing their attention elsewhere.
“Our difference is a focus on North America,” said Dean A. Olmstead, president of EchoStar Satellite Services, the company’s division assigned to find a market beyond satellite-television provider Dish Network for EchoStar’s satellite capacity. “There’s a difference between a growth rate and an absolute number of transponders,” Olmstead said in an Aug. 9 conference call with investors, suggesting that EchoStar might find a profitable business that SES and Intelsat would view as too small.
EchoStar officials declined to disclose the fill rate on their satellites not leased to Dish Network. In the past the company has conceded that much of its current capacity is unused — both on satellites it owns and on satellites it leases from SES.
Olmstead nonetheless sounded upbeat, saying “entrepreneurial” activity in the satellite industry seemed on the rise again, and that EchoStar “is now thinking about whether we should build new satellites at new [orbital] slots to capture this entrepreneurial activity.” ]]>
Gov't & Reg: DIRECTV and DISH want the FCC's STELA rules to include normal indoor antennas when determining which customers can or cannot receive over-the-air signals when determining which households are eligible to receive distant signals.
Programming: USA won the summer ratings season hands down besting the No. 2 cable net in most categories by +15% to +36%. --- GolTV kicks off live coverage of the 2010-2011 Spanish La Liga season Aug. 28 as Málaga takes on Valencia. --- CBS News has sunk to its lowest viewer rating in nearly 20 years, an abyss that it actually matched in June. --- VH1 is planning a "who's the greatest" of music based on a poll of well known artists and experts on Monday Sept. 20. --- Comcast Hometown Network programming continues to grow with the latest announcement featuring plans to televise 10 high school football games in northern and central California.
Deals: Panasonic has agreed to sponsor the US Open for three years, with 3D broadcasts covering all Arthur Ashe Stadium matches. The matches will be available via DIRECTV's 3D "n|Powered by Panasonic" channel. --- HBO Latin America has upped its distribution across Latin America via a new multi-year deal with Intelsat. --- Time Warner has purchased Chilevision, a net owned by Chile President Sebastian Pinera, for a rumored $150M
Industry Upheavals: More evidence of changing consumer behavior: Ericsson's ConsumerLab says its latest global study finds that more than 70% of consumers surveyed are streaming, downloading or watching recorded broadcast TV on a weekly basis, and 50% are using internet-based on-demand TV/video every week.• ]]>
The recent STELA legislation, the DBS point point out, eliminated all qualifiers on what constitutes a suitable antenna. Commenting on STELA's distant signal language, they note, "Plainly, a household is now unserved, and therefore eligible to receive distant stations, if it cannot receive a signal of sufficient strength by means of a simple indoor antenna, an antenna of the type used by most consumers for over-the-air reception."
In its most recent Notice on the subject however, the FCC "still proposes to base both predictive model and measurement method upon the unrealistic, outdated (and now unauthorized) assumption of a gigantic directional antenna towering over the consumer’s house in a 1950s cityscape." Ergo, the DBS guys argue, it's time to modernize the definitions and admit that a signal received only via a towering backyard structure is not appropriate in 2010.
We can already hear the broadcasters yelling on this one.• ]]>