1999 SATELLITE PREDICTIONS compiled from satellite newsgroup/mailing list readers Compiler: Robert Smathers -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: michaelr Predictions: Galaxy 7 and DTV Couch Potato 1 will bite the dust Dr. Gene Scott will bite the dust Tom and Darryl will divorce Pirate radio will increase The ARRL will quit adding to their multi million dollar cash reserves Gary Bourgois becomes a monk. Oh? You say he already is? Dan Morgan declares VCII+ break will be announced in two more weeks. Christianne Amanpour feeds satellite news from the scene of a revenge bombing in Washington, DC Larry King gets divorced. SHVA turns off millions of satellite viewers. NAB lobbyists celebrate. Dean Spratt enters FNL IRC chat room Keith Lamonica claims he has earned a PHD from Washington State University but paperwork to prove it is not available. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: George Antunes Robert: My contribution to you prediction list. GI releases a 4DTV HDTV adapter. It allows the 4DTV to receive DC2 HDTV signals put up by HBO and other broadcasters. Dishheads complain that it costs too much and leaves out several important features. People with HDTVs buy them anyway, in order to have something in high definition to watch on their very expensive HDTVs. The GI DC2 HDTV adapter finally begins to get the 4DTV receiver some attention at home theater boutiques. Home theater fanatics without HDTV buy 4DTV receivers instead of mini-dish receivers. They like the 4DTV because it is "HDTV ready." George ================================================== George Antunes Voice 713-743-3923 Political Science Fax 713-743-3927 University of Houston antunes@uh.edu Houston, TX 77061 antunes@pdq.net -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From Robert Smathers (roberts@nmia.com) - Las Vegas Television Network will launch again and shortly thereafter go off the air. - No services will fail next year other than LVTN and some of the analog subcarriers who are just struggling by in 1998 - SHVA will still not be clearly settled; it should remain a mess over objectivity of the standard used to determine a qualifying household - More programmers will merge; pretty soon it will be at the level that consumers will be paying more for their programming because of more lack of competition or more exclusivity deals for programmers to offer some channels - More Hughes satellites will develop problems - so many HS-601's have so far so that it seems to be a quality control or technology problem than isolated failures - NASA Television will continue to offer coverage of great shuttle missions; more International Space Station construction missions are planned for 1999 - Primestar will acquire or make a deal with Echostar for more high-power DBS space; the former Tempo transponders at 119 deg W will not be enough to satisfy Primestar's desire for 18" dish DBS service; gaining more high-power Ku-band transponders will free up transponders on GE-2 Ku-band for VSAT, data, digital video, analog video services - The FCC will start rejecting cable/telephone company mergers as it is not in the consumer's best interest; too many of the big players are already in "cartel" type situations with so many prior acquisitions of former competitors - Most of the radio/television/wireless communication satellite launches will be more successful than they were in 1998 - More satellite launches will be postponed as satellite manufacturers ponder quality control and technology design issues; launches will be postponed as it is better to check and verify design and construction issues on the ground - More and more educational institutions will use fiber optic transmissions over satellite transmissions due to cost and due to the fact more and more locations will be wired for fiber optic system connectivity - More and more networks will incorporate digital satellite newsgathering into their operations; there is so much need for satellite time for newsfeeds that digital video will allow for more feeds on a single transponder than the number of analog feeds that can exist on that same transponder - There will be only one or two newsfeeds that really light up the satellite arc with news feeds and special report over-the-air tv station coverage. The biggest potential story to accomplish this would be a major California earthquake. - As the year draws to a close, there will be dominant news coverage of cults and some people who will preach the danger of the Year 2000. Some of those cults will commit mass suicides as the Year 2000 arrives.