BEST AND WORST OF TVRO 1998 compiled from Internet satellite newsgroup/mailing list readers -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: The KJB Well, hands down, the Best of the Worst has got to be Hughes for putting up all those birds that have a habit of catastrophic failures at some of the worst times (like there's a good time). A close second, maybe a tie is new uplinker Audio + Video West who can't seem to run anything in the same spot twice. A few of the feeds they'd originally received contracts for have since migrated over to trusty old 4MC. Can the others be far behind? KJB osiris@idir.net -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: "Carroll Kirby" In the what it`s worth department coming from me=I respectfully submit all of the networks(major ones-especiaLLY PBS) for their ongoing insanity forever changing modulation methods(NOw Scientific Atlanta=most expensive on the planet-to go to MPEG2) we the taxpayer just built them a Digicipher 11 system! Next would be CNN(the Castro news netwk\Clinton news netwk). Cheers=merry xmas. Don`t watch tv=dishes all used for audio only. Dummmeee me! My humble nomination for best of 1998 of tvro is (W0kie and Fnl new networks on GE-1)(hooray)=no more .5 transponderitis and bacon frying-broadcast quality audio=thanx you sir for the good work. Am still hammering NPR(guess I am the only one)=the american sheeple asleep at the switch. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: "parrotboy" Worst of 1998 Obviously, it would be Galaxy 4's failure. Also would be the loss of Galaxy 10 during launch. Happy New Year, Fred N4YQT Please check out my dish farm at http://www.bigfoot.com/~parrotboy -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: Ron Schnell Least happy Insurance Company: Whoever insures Panamsat's satellites. Galaxy 4, Galaxy 10, and people are getting pretty suspicious about the way Galaxy 6 is behaving. Least stable wild feed: Melrose Place Most stable wild feed: Anything from Fox International Syndication Best moment in white house pool feeds: The deep breath that Clinton took when his countdown to air ticked down to 3 seconds...this was for his speech where he admitted the "improper relationship". -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: Peter Montgomery I think Peter Mpntgomery's STAR TREK NOTES definitely deserve some kind of recognition. :) Good or bad recognition? I'm not quite sure. :) Cheers, Peter ************************************************************* * Peter Montgomery Montgomery@camosun.bc.ca * * Exitus effigium effigies exituum * * * * Starbase MONTGOMERY: http://www.camosun.bc.ca/~peterm * * List site - PopCult: http://www.camosun.bc.ca/~pculture * ************************************************************* -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: Mike Frisch Best of 1998: MPEG-2/DVB new stuff ITC to surf with our choice of receiver Worst of 1998: MPEG-2/DVB lack of standardized subscription programing Mike. ====================================================================== Mike Frisch Email: mfrisch@saturn.tlug.org Northstar Technologies WWW: http://saturn.tlug.org/~mfrisch Newmarket, Ontario, CANADA ====================================================================== -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: michaelr The Best W0KIE Network moving to GE-1, transponder 12, 5.7 with 24 hour uplink access Unscrambled movie and entertainment channels on digital transponders on various satellites. Charlie Ergen's Echostar didn't go belly up. The continuing ABC NABET strike causing very funny production screwups. The Worst W0KIE Network moving to GE-1, transponder 12, 5.7 but not being noticed by Robert Smathers in his Satellite Radio chart in Monitoring Times. The death of satellite technical guru A.C. Walle Hughes HS601 satellites failing one after another The Presidential intern channel scrambling on a 4DTV zero key generic W0KIE Network having an uplink agreement cancelled by Oral Roberts TV for unstated reasons just before first uplink. Satellite launch failures all year long. Continuing internet flames from Steve Livingston, Dale what's his name and Frank Kennedy. Now, Robert, how about a 1999 predictions section? -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: "Tom & Darryl" Best; All the new(digital)channels to play with W0kie on C-Band 24/7 Brit-coms on bbc america WBCQ Short wave having tvro related shows so we're not just preaching to the choir (even calls from England) Flat rate weekends Monica is om every night on PAX, giving testimoney from God (touched by an angel) Worst All those digital channels instead of analog ones :) G4 KABOOM OMC gone Anic birds not working right Too many logos in the corners Miami Court Dicision on White Areas Monica is on every channel every night Giving testimony to Kenneth Starr.Or is that Kenneth D Starr?:) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: Mike Donnelly Worst: *Galaxy-4 taking a spin *Z Music going digital *The Anti-Satellite Court decisions (SHVA, Copyright fees, et. al.) *Galaxy-10 launch *CBS "Leitch"ing *PBS "pulling" their extra channels off 4D. *SCETV doing the same *Fox Sports regionals going digital *SuperStar and Turner vision becoming "Supervision" *E! Style network Best: *w0kie leaves SBS-6 for GE-1 (and there were around 100 w0kie-list emails leading up to their first broadcast from GE-1) *4DTV bugs fixed *ABC strike makes all ABC ITC *My landlady either doesn't notice or doesn't care about the 12 foot Paraclypse during her annual visit. *FX East returns to C-band VC2 Fixed key "for the forseeable future" -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: Darwin It's a no brainer this year! Best - FNL back on C band! Worst - expected loss of network subscriptions Darwin Teague --------------------------------------------------- Dishheads, dishheads, Roly poly dishheads! Computer controlled TVRO - http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/7438/dishhead.html Home web page- http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/7438 Celebrities on acid!! http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5190/acid.html --------------------------------------------------- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: Mike Northam Worst Satellite Practice (Perpetual Award) Out of market sports channel blackouts (even when the home team isn't televising the game) Worst Government Regulation (The Ghostie Award) The Satellite TV Home Viewers' Act, which has prevented many viewers with marginal or poor reception of local TV stations from subscribing to the better signal satellite network channels could provide. Another One Bites the Dust Award Fox scrambling affiliate feeds to protect their MLB and NFL games. Mike Northam -- mbn@teleport.COM Public Access User --- Not affiliated with Teleport Mike Northam coords: 123 11' 40"W 45 37'14"N O- http://www.teleport.com/~mbn/ for Blazers stuff and more [not line noise] Free Randal Schwartz! email fund@stonehenge.com for details -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: hastings@nbnet.nb.ca (Kevin Hastings) Robert: This certainly will not be original, but here goes: The best of 1998 - Z-Music of course! This station gave us perfect quality christian video music now for several years, and nearly finished the year with the same potent signal on G1R-6 that we have come to know for a long time. Stereo audio, and nothing that would offend anybody, we'd say. What will they think of next? Scrambling TV-Land? Never! The worst of 1998 had to be the fateful scrambling (or digitizing) of Z-Music (Friday Dec.4th if I recall correctly). Test pattern, that's all that's left by Saturday Dec. 6th. A few honourable messages in this newsgroup about it being under new management, moving offices, and certain on-air reps having moved on. A shame... Honourable mentions: TV-Land is still safe for the kids to watch unattended The Military Channel debuted this year with an unmistakeable theme - military stuff 24 hours a day WCBS-FM subcarrier on S4-16 reminded us non-New Yorkers what non-talk radio in the big apple really sounds like these days - great channel enen if it is not strong, or in stereo! Happy holidays! Kevin C. Hastings Rothesay, New Brunswick CANADA -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: Peter Moore Worst: The increasing use of 3/4 screen promos pushing the credits to a show that just aired into 1/4 screen and blotting out the soft theme music with loud obnoxious noise by the CBC (especially) and other networks. I can take a lot of the other worsts that I've seen, but this one really ruins the moment for me when it happens. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: "Randy Erickson" Here's two: BEST: Fox maintains its International no-commercial wildfeeds of hit programs ITC. WORST: Fox scrambles its East and West primetime affiliate feeds on T402/13 and T5/13. BEST: NBC shows all 1998 NBA playoff feeds ITC. WORST: There won't be any 1999 playoff feeds. Randy in Modesto -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: Dishnut Heres my picks.... The best: W0IKE becoming a full time service by the move to over to GE-1 C tr.12 Panamsat for making the wise decision to cancel out the plan of launching Galaxy 11 on the maiden launch of Sea Launch, and instead contracting with Arianespace with a upcoming Ariane launch. The NABET strike causing ABC to keep their network feeds ITC (which they should be ITC all the time!!) TV-Land deciding not to scramble anytime soon (a delight to Mom!) The Worse: The decision to launch Galaxy 10 on the maiden launch of the new Delta III rocket, resulting in the destruction of the bird due to the vehicle failing and blowing up. The loss of Al Stahl to a heart attack. The loss of Galaxy 4. The loss of NHK World/Sumo to that blasted digital garbage!....soon to follow the loss of the last NHK World analog feed on Pas 2 tr.18 in November. The overall loss of more programing services/backhauls etc. to the digital abyss. CBS switching to LEITCH scrambling system...because of stupid football. The ongoing decline in BUD owners due to the propaganda put out by the DBS industry making you think the LSD (Cabull Reflector) is a smaller version of full view TVRO. And digital is better. And of course General Instruments .....no need to go into detail, that in its self, is self-explanatory. Well thats all I can think of for now, sadly more negative than positive this year in TVRO. Dishnut. The Quantity Goes In, As The Quality Goes Out........Digital Television!!!!!!!!!!! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: Robert Smathers (roberts@nmia.com) IF ALL COULD GO WRONG, IT ALMOST DID AWARD: Panamsat - what a year for them! Galaxy 4 goes out entirely, Galaxy 7 almost goes out entirely, Panamsat-5 is having battery problems, Panamsat-8 is having Ku antenna coverage problems, and Galaxy-8i is speculated to be having problems of its own BEST INNOVATION: Hughes Global Systems for their Asiasat-3 around-the-moon to geosynchronous orbit maneuver EASIEST PREDICTED OUTCOME: Las Vegas Television Network - a new launch attempt, same results. They need to do better market research (or talk with Lowell "BUD" Paxson or CBS Owned and Operated stations about how infomercials can make some money) BEST NEW NETWORK: Pax Net - better audience national coverage may increase ratings; the big question is will the public go for wholesome family programming? wait and see... BEST CHANNEL: NASA TV - this year NASA Television brought into the homes of Americans and the World both the past and the future - the past being the second flight of John Glenn into space; the future being the first construction mission of the International Space Station WORST SATELLITE BUILDER: this year, Hughes Space and Communications win hands down! Their satellite models have received the most press for catastrophic or near catastrophic failures BEST DBS SYSTEM: DISH NETWORK - once again this year, they seem to be the most willing to consider and add cable services that are desired by subscribers WORST SATELLITE PROBLEM: Galaxy 4 dying - so many things from data and pagers to television and radio were carried on this bird. A preview of Y2K? 8^) BEST USE OF SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY: Digital Satellite Newsgathering - the use of digital technology has allowed for consolidation of satellites used for SNG feeds and for more of those feeds on each transponder. This is great news for fixed dish users who can put up a small 3 foot dish on a few satellites and get most of the SNG and other news feeds. The greater number of feeds on each transponder also make possible more long-form news coverage WORST GOINGS ON IN SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY - Mergers between programmers. The consumer eventually loses...