BEST AND WORST OF TVRO 1999 submitted by readers of various satellite TV mailing lists and newsgroups -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From: Carroll Kirby My most humble opinion, for whar it is worth, THE WORSTT----All sng and snv major zzzzz!news network feeds,,---THE BEST------GE-4 replacing Spacejunk 4, what a XMAS present for us!. and, radio via the birds. -- Safe and Sane??????? Xmas to all sir, regards to U. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From: Frank Kennedy (fkenn@home.net) Best of 1999:=20 1) The promise of higher wattage C-band birds, thus making smaller dishes possible for some new market. 2) No major solar flare disasters of the type that would take out a score of birds. 3) More launch facilities in more countries and more competition. 4) Launch technology getting more sophisticated. 5) MPEG2 and the new group of dishheads who are taking the hobby through the decline caused by the dropout of the VCII+/RS couch potato = population. 6) More people working hard to create satellite dish mailing lists and = web sites. More creative, uncensored, input. 7) Realaudio being used in TVRO radio shows 8) Tolerance. Respect. Acknowledgement of hard work give selflessly to = the hobby. Worst of 1999: 1) 300,000 less subscribers. 2) The 4DTV failing to make a mark 3) More dish-oriented companies closing their doors or simply leaving the C-band market. 4) The loss of W0KIE and FNL. Plus, the loss of interest in TVRO radio by many hardcore hobbyists. 5) Intolerance. Lack of respect. Petty revialries. Longstanding feuds. = Bad karma. Arrogance. Elitism. The "good old boy" network. The country club attitude that excludes. The culture that denies credit to hard worked accomplishments. ************************************************* * Frank Kennedy, fkenn@home.net, KA5CFW * * 203 Lark Lane, Euless, TX,76039 * * TVRO Web Site http://www.dishdata.com with * * the DishData.Com Master Links List * * Over 1000 telecom related links! * * Freedom of the press is limited to those * * who own one. - A.J. Liebling * ************************************************* -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From: Darwin Teague Best FNL Mpeg TVRO Worst BBC World scrambling The leak in Delphi's "New Finds" forum -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From: "Michael R." The worst was without question the near total control by the NAB of SHVA = Act of 1999 as well as the end of C band as we know it. That includes = 1, Superstar/Netlink/Turnervision/PCH selling out, more or less to DISH = Network 2. Regional Fox sports networks going dark on analog on C band = Dec. 31. 3. Shutdown of PT24 West. 4. The demise of W0KIE Satellite = Radio Network on Dec. 31. The best was the W0KIE Satellite Radio = Network proving that high quality audio can be transmitted to an uplink = center and satellite aired on the cheap. It is worth mention that 4DTV support at GI became mostly non existent = after key support 4DTV staff were fired mid year. Also a cheaper = version of the 4DTV was mothballed by GI before being officially = announced. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From: Ron Schnell Best: World Series 1999 - Bob Costas's comments on Jim Gray's interview with Pete Rose Who Wants to be a Millionaire - During its first run, it was apparently edited somewhere different from where it was taped, and they uplinked the raw unedited master every day. That was as good as a backhaul. Panamsat - Just because they didn't lose a bird for the whole year. Worst: World Series 1999 - Some idiot releasing the tape of the Bob Costas backhaul so that now no microphone will ever be left on. Nasa TV 1999 - Just because NASA couldn't do anything right. Are these guys supposed to be rocket scientists? Fox Sports - For removing all TVRO channels and requiring a DBS system. ABC (Only loosely related) - For putting NYPD Blue on extended hiatus, and not giving Sports Night the chance it deserves (but thank you for continuing to give it a chance). -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- >From homeboy.com!knip Worst treatment of the digital and analog TVRO community: Fox Sports, for their pulling of their RSNs from BUD land. Biggest enemy of the BUD: Fox Sports. See above. EK -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From: Mike Frisch Best ==== * HDTV on satellite * Cheap Unity Motion HDTV boxes & positive reports about their performance * Plenty of MPEG-2/DVB programming for the us hobbyists * Getting the networks back (for those who cared) * Plenty of MPEG-2/DVB receivers to choose from Worst ===== * 4DTV still does not have a significant market share. * 4DTV price didn't budge. * Loss of Fox Sports on 4DTV. * Programming providers joining the (LSD) darkside * Overpriced/functionally challenged GI HDTV decoder * GI HDTV decoder delayed countless times and still not released * Drake no longer manufacturing consumer equipment -- ====================================================================== Mike Frisch Email: mfrisch@saturn.tlug.org Northstar Technologies WWW: http://saturn.tlug.org/~mfrisch Newmarket, Ontario, CANADA ====================================================================== -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From: Mike Northam The very worst: The loss of any meaningful sports networks to analog C-band dish owners. The migration of all the Fox sports nets to digital means that the only meaningful option for C-banders is to install one of those LSD's and pay exorbitant amounts of money in order to see sports--at least those fans of NBA and MLB. Worst: The loss of network signals to millions of satellite dish owners due to the draconian provisions of the SHVA (supposedly a viewer *protection* act, but in actuality the exact opposite) and the court opinions regarding that legislation. 1999 saw the loss of at least one provider (PrimeTime 24 West) and the huge increase in cost to those in "white" areas of obtaining network coverage in the future due to the loss of so many subscribers. Exactly the kind of rural folks who are least able to pay for the signals. The best: The continued launch of high-power satellites, meaning that many folks in the central part of the US can receive C-band signals on leftover pizza pans, and those of us on the left coast have a shot at sparkly-free reception of many birds on our 10' dishes and our Videociphers will actually lock in on most signals (for those few analog signals remaining, that is). Mike in Oregon -- 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: ElecConnec@aol.com Worst of TVRO! Category: "Free Downgrade!" PCH and Netlink's attempts to destroy the C-band market by offering "upgrades" to Pizza dishes, and threatening subscribers that they might as well switch because "all the channels are leaving the big dishes"... -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From: Dishnut Well another year has past by, and lots has happened in the world of TVRO so here is our best & worse of 1999.... unfortunately the worse out ranked the best :-( The Best of 1999 W0KIE achieving near studio quality with their host to uplink via the internet. The successful launch & put into service of Telstar 6 & 7 The successful launch & soon to be put into service of GE-4 & G-11 The successful first commercial launches of SeaLaunch & Ariane 504. The successful repair of the Hubble Telescope watched live on NASA TV. Worst of 1999 Destruct Tv Thugs causing Dan Morgan to close his business & DB1 Show going off the air on July 28th. The W0KIE Satellite Radio Network leaving the airways, unable to find a new home as Wisdom Network needs the space to expand into edgeband digital. Charlie Ergan putting out a "C-Band Bounty" . PCH & other program providers trying to persuade C-Band owners to dump their BUD's and switch to the Cabull Reflector cabull services. The continued decline of C-Band sub's due to the propaganda campaign to persuade people to make the switch to the controlled Cabull Reflector. (where is this "C-Band Coalition"????) The SHVA & the riders added to it, plus the politics behind it. The continuing downgrade to digital by broadcasters. Primetime 24 shutting down the west coast feeds. What's left of the network feeds, sub prices for them have been raised to the point of persuading people to downgrade to the Cabull Reflector which is offered cheaper...In our opinion an orchestrated move. KTI buying out Orbitron and slowly killing the product line. Fox sports pulling about all of the regional sports feeds from analog. Motorola buying General Instruments....... unknown what the effects of that would mean to the C-Band area?. Spacenet 3 being decommissioned (even tho it was not the best bird up there, but hate seeing one go away) Drake announced they will stop manufacturing consumer satellite receivers. After watching the successful launch of NASA's Mars Polar Lander in Jan to have it end up not responding in Dec; Watching on NASA TV every communication pass come up with nothing, and the hopes dwindle. And weeks before that the companion probe disappeared due to "a goof up in the english measuring system to metric"....Doh! There is probably some we have left out. We would like to wish everyone in TVRO land a Happy New Year, and seeya all in the next century!. The Dishnut Family. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- >From Robert Smathers (roberts@nmia.com): BEST: DVB signal availability - most new services are using DVB technology, not DC2 New, high-power hybrid birds to provide more capacity for digital and analog video and audio Sea Launch - yet another alternative for launching satellites should other launch programs get delayed due to launch failures Ethnic channels airing in the domestic satellite TV arc; allows access to more news events from wars to the millenium celebration Satellites having problems; it makes it interesting to wonder what satellite may be the next to go out of service (if even just momentarily like several satellites did this year) HDTV usage - still very sporadic programming carried right now but the near future looks promising WORST: Loss of sports channels to the small dish (as they drop off C-band) Those DirecTV subscribers who made NASA Television one of the most requested channels to add to the system and then complain over a minor hardware addition that would allow NASA TV to be received since NASA TV is not broadcasted from the primary DirecTV slot NCAA Final Four Tournament PPV - the sign of the future of sports continues - watch local TV or pay a fair amount of money to watch it without restriction; what's next? NASCAR PPV? Golf PPV? College baseball PPV? I suppose CBS and the NCAA got wise when they saw how successful the pro sports leagues utilize PPV. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- de fcc sgn, Robert Smathers (roberts@nmia.com) Albuquerque, NM USA Robert's Satellite TV/Baseball page: http://www.nmia.com/~roberts/ Proud owner, 5 TODYWEN(!) and 6 BUD-lites - Albuquerque Intl. Downlinkport TVRO Audio Subcarrier/SCPC Guide columnist, MONITORING TIMES Magazine