Really Rocket Science - Satellite TV

World Cup Star Wars

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:13:02 -0700

Sure, there's media attention on the World Cup in South Africa. The latest of Adidas is entertaining (above), and Nike broke viewing records with its spot...

Shaw Direct Satellite TV will be broadcasting the the CBC's FIFA World Cup in 3D-TV throughout Canada. ESPN will be using an OC-12 fiber connection and use MPEG-4 encoding for their main feed from South Africa. This list goes on and on.

So who's at the source of all this worldwide broadcasting? Host Broadcast Services, that's who. And it's complicated. With more cameras and tech than ever before. TV Technology gives us the detail...

HBS crew at the IBC can browse the servers in the OB trucks, while also ingesting up to 18 live video feeds coming from the venues to the IBC. HBS packages the content into a fully formatted programme feed for wholesale delivery to Media Rights Licensees.

The EVS equipment tally at the HBS Production facility is 50 HD XT[2] servers, totaling 1900 hours @ 108 Mbps (DVCPro HD), plus another 1100 hours of hi-res media in an XStore[2] storage platform. 140 IPDirectors are for logging, browsing and content management. 6 XF[2] units are for removable storage. 32 Xedio Media Dispatchers are for P2 file selection, clipping and transfer.

3. IBC Johannesburg — MRL Production — this other half of the IBC comprises the studio and production facilities set up individually by each of the visiting broadcasters, as well the home broadcaster, SABC. Deemed “Media Rights Licensees”, the abbreviated form “MRL” is now the common term to describe the visiting broadcasters and those who stayed at home but nonetheless paid for the rights to rebroadcast the FIFA World Cup matches in their geographical zone.

Collectively, the MRL’s in the IBC will be making good use of 60 EVS HD XT[2] servers, 30 IPDirectors and 20 XF[2] sets of removable storage.

4. Distribution — now somewhat more complicated than it used to be due to the emergence of web and mobile video distribution pipelines in addition to the traditional terrestrial, satellite and cable outlets. Extremely fast turnaround of packaged clips is part of the system design. The HBS promise is to deliver craft edited clips for mobile devices within three minutes after the live action.

Something to think about as you watch.

DISH Credit Rating

Tue, 18 May 2010 07:17:47 -0700

Is TiVo toast? Maybe, at the hands of the full panel of judges at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (rehearing the case en banc). Which is pretty good news...

Dish Network won a full-court review from a federal appeals court for its ruling in the case involving TiVo. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington granted an en banc review to Dish, which it ruled against in March. Friday’s ruling vacates the one issued in March that left Dish owing TiVo damages of around $303 million.

TiVo sued the Dish Network six years ago over using digital video recording technology for which TiVo said it possessed the patents. TiVo won damages of $103 million in that round, and Dish was told to stop using the DVR technology. The satellite TV provider claimed to have created a work-around technology, but TiVo went after Dish again, saying the work-around still violated TiVo patents. A federal court agreed last year, granted TiVo another $105 million and told Dish to disable the DVR function in its set-top boxes. At the time, an estimated 4 million Dish subscribers had DVR-enabled set-tops.

Professional handicappers are chiming in, with Moody's thinking a win would lift Dish Network's credit rating...

In March 2010, Dish ended up on the losing side of a patent infringement case with TiVo Inc. Dish faced a $400 million judgment and the prospect of either paying TiVo for licensing or turning off its DVR service until it is able to replace its boxes or software at great cost. It appeared as though an en banc hearing was remote, however, the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has granted their petition for rehearing en banc which means that the entire 16 member court will rehear the case, effectively appealing the March decision made by only three judges. We believe that the consequences of a more favorable ruling by the larger court could have positive credit ramifications for Dish Network in the near term by virtue of the cash judgment and over the longer-term if it results in Dish being able to continue offering its DVR service without paying a significant licensing fee to TiVo. Dish's rating outlook is stable.

With Sling's technology, Dish Network's DVRs very competitive. A little more time to find a workaround is good for Charlie.

Technorati Tags: dish dish+network tivo satellite+tv

Satcom Crisis: Fair and Balanced

Tue, 04 May 2010 14:41:06 -0700

We knew this was trouble. Now, Peter de Selding and Fox News report a crisis in the making...

Galaxy 15 stopped responding to ground controllers on April 5. The satellite's manufacturer, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Virginia, has said an intense solar storm in early April may be to blame.

An adrift Intelsat satellite that stopped communicating with its ground controllers last month remains out of control and has begun moving eastward along the geostationary arc, raising the threat of interference with other satellites in its path, Intelsat and other industry officials said.

In what industry officials called an unprecedented event, Intelsat's Galaxy 15 communications satellite has remained fully "on," with its C-band telecommunications payload still functioning even as it has left its assigned orbital slot of 133 degrees west longitude 36,000 kilometers over the equator.

Galaxy 15 stopped responding to ground controllers on April 5. The satellite's manufacturer, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Virginia, has said an intense solar storm in early April may be to blame. It was launched into space in 2005.

The first satellite likely to face signal interference problems from the adrift Galaxy 15 is the AMC-11 C-band satellite owned by SES of Luxembourg and stationed at 131 degrees west, just two degrees away from Galaxy 15's starting position.

Rob Bednarek, chief executive of the SES World Skies division, which operates AMC-11, said Intelsat and SES have been meeting since April 5 to coordinate how to minimize the Galaxy 15 impact on AMC-11's media customers. [Spot satellites from Earth.]

Adrift in space

In an interview Friday, Bednarek said that while it remains unclear whether SES World Skies will be able to avoid a signal interference problem as Galaxy 15 enters the AMC-11 orbital territory, the company has benefited from full disclosure on the part of Intelsat, SES's biggest competitor.

"The cooperation with them really has been very good," Bednarek said. "We all realize that we could be in the same position tomorrow. We are neighbors in space."

Alan Young, chief technology officer at SES World Skies, said the company's best estimate is that Galaxy 15 will enter AMC-11's neighborhood — meaning one-half of one degree distant — May 23. It will continue traveling at its own pace through the AMC-11 slot, exiting on the east around June 7.

Young said the period of May 31 to June 1 is going to be the riskiest time for AMC-11 customers as SES World Skies seeks to maneuver AMC-11 to the maximum extent possible out of the Galaxy 15 track while at the same time maintaining links with the company's AMC-11 customers.

Tobias Nassif, Intelsat's vice president for satellite operations and engineering, said Friday that the company, in concert with Galaxy 15 manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., has sent between 150,000 and 200,000 commands to the satellite in the nearly four weeks since the satellite stopped sending or responding to commands.

These communication attempts, the equivalent of mild wake-up calls to return Galaxy 15 to service, have had no effect. As it moved all Galaxy 15 customers onto Galaxy 12, which was pulled into service from another orbital location, Intelsat at first focused on recovering Galaxy 15 to regular service.

Zombie satellites in space

On May 3, Intelsat will play what as of Friday appeared to be its last card by blasting Galaxy 15 with a more powerful signal intended not to salvage the satellite, but to force it into a complete shutdown.

That attempt will last about 30 minutes. It will not be repeated, both because a second attempt is viewed as unnecessary — the treatment works or it does not — and because sending out powerful radio frequency signals carries the risk of interfering with other satellites in the area.

Even if the May 3 action succeeds, Galaxy 15 will remain a problem as it continues to wander the geostationary arc. But it is a problem that satellite operators know how to deal with. Industry experts say there are several dozen spacecraft, sometimes called "zombiesats," that for various reasons were not removed from the geostationary highway before failing completely.

Depending on their position at the time of failure, these satellites tend to migrate toward one of two libration points, at 105 degrees west and 75 degrees east. Figures compiled by XL Insurance of New York, an underwriter of space risks, say that more than 160 satellites are gathered at these two points, which Bednarek described as the orbital equivalent of valleys.

"Unfortunately for us, we were downhill from Galaxy 15 as it rolls toward" the 105 degrees west libration point, Bednarek said.

Satellite signal stealer

Satellites like Galaxy 15 and AMC-11 are so-called "bent-pipe" designs that receive signals from the ground, amplify them on board and redistribute them to customers' ground antennas. Emptied of its customers — except one, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which uses an L-band payload on Galaxy 15 to guide aircraft landings — Galaxy 15 is no longer broadcasting. But its electronics payload is ready to capture and rebroadcast signals it receives that are intended for other spacecraft.

Young said that both SES and Intelsat are fortunate in this case because their two satellites' customers are mainly media companies using fairly large antennas to communicate with the satellites. During the period of maximum danger for AMC-11, SES expects to be able to reroute customer signals to SES-operated teleports with still-larger antennas to maintain communications links.

Nassif said Intelsat and Orbital Sciences have solicited outside opinions from other satellite manufacturers on possible maneuvers that might return Galaxy 15 to control or force it to shut down.

"The fact is that this is the first major anomaly on an Orbital-built satellite," Nassif said. "Other manufacturers have been through problems and might have something to suggest to us."

Because nothing like this has happened before, Intelsat remains uncertain as to when Galaxy 15, as its Earth sensor realizes it is no longer in the desired position, might lose its Earth-pointing capability. That would lead to its solar arrays losing their lock on the sun. Within hours, the satellite's batteries would discharge and the spacecraft would shut down on its own.

While cautioning that the company is revising its most-likely-scenario thinking almost on a daily basis as it gets input from Orbital Sciences and others, Nassif said the current estimate is that Galaxy 15 will lose Earth pointing by late July or early August.

As luck would have it, that timetable would mean the only other satellites in Galaxy 15's C-band frequency that face interference issues are owned by Intelsat.

After it leaves the vicinity of AMC-11, Galaxy 15 is expected to approach Intelsat's Galaxy 13 satellite, at 127 degrees west, around July 13. On July 30, it will enter into the Galaxy 14 satellite's orbital territory at 125 degrees west before heading toward Galaxy 18 at 123 degrees in mid-August.

"We are in regular contact with all our customers of these satellites to keep them apprised of the situation," Nassif said.

Technorati Tags: galaxy-15 ses-1 cable+tv amc-4 amc-2 a2100 a2100+solar+arrays galaxy-12 ses intelsat orbital+sciences star-2+bus

Thaicom Uplink is Freedom

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 05:24:41 -0700

The protesting Red Shirts in Thailand have seized the Thaicom uplink to ensure news broadcasts remain uninterrupted, via Political Prisoners in Thailand blog...

The Bangkok Post (9 April 2010) reports that People TV satellite uploader Thaicom, “the country’s sole satellite service provider, said the government’s blocking of the red shirts’ People Channel television station (PTV) had severely damaged its international reputation.The company said foreign customers using the same transponder as PTV were threatening to sue Thaicom for their losses. An executive expressed concern that interference with the station’s signals could damage the satellite’s transponder.” He added “Despite the fact that signal jamming violates our contract and causes severe damage to our reputation, we must follow the order…”.
In response to the closing of People TV, The Nation (9 April 2010) reports that red shirts have broken through army “barricades and entered ThaiCom uplink station’s compound and were trying to enter the station’s buildings in Lat Lum Kaew, Pathum Thani province at about 2.40pm.”
The army used “smoke bombs” but were unable to stop the “thousands” of demonstrators who reportedly “seized police trucks park[ed] inside the compound and forced open and seized weapons from the trucks.” No evidence of this weapons claim presented anywhere else, including on a BBC report from the compound [but see update below].
There were said to be 7,000 anti-riot forces at the Thaicom site.
It is reported that red-shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan had “urged the red shirts to stay calm and not to raid the satellite uplink station.” However, when it became clear that the anti-riot forces were making “preparations for crowd control” the red shirts responded. These troops “were seen deploy[ing] the water cannon to deter the crowds after devices emitting heav[y] smoke were thrown from the crowds.”
By 5.20 p.m., the government had apparently agreed to restore the People TV broadcast. The Nation reports that “red-shirt leader Natthawut Saikua said the red shirts had succeeded to force Thaicom uplink station to resume its satellite service to PTV. The negotiations was brokered by Provincial Police Region 1 chief Lt General Krisada Pankongchuen. In exchange for the resumption of PTV broadcast, the red shirts agreed to disperse from the uplink station and allow police to gain control of the area.” People TV was back up by about 5.45 p.m.
It was reported that about 20 persons, mainly red shirts were injured in this action.
A brief but important victory for the red shirts but another action to “contain” anti-riot forces is already said to be underway at the Police hospital at the Rajaprasong intersection at around 6 p.m.
Update 1: This latter action seemed to coincide with action at the Rajaprasong area as “customers and workers were asked to leave shopping malls around Rajprasong. Police are reportedly preparing six locations to detain suspects.” This report is associated with a picture gallery at The Nation’s website. Note that the malls had already re-opened.
Update 2: Some international coverage of the Thaicom events: The Times, Christian Science Monitor and The Globe and Mail. Note that this latter report seems oddly different from all others that PPT has seen to date, referring to protesters “Hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails.” It also states that: “After the clash, some security forces were seen throwing down their shields and riot gear and shaking hands with the protesters.” The same report states that, “The Red Shirts offered water to soldiers and police, and showed reporters a small cache of weapons, including M-16 assault rifles and shotguns, they had seized from soldiers.” The government estimated that 15,000 demonstrators were at Thaicom.

Satellites and freedom: gotta love it.

Here's the video, Thai guys & gals...

Technorati Tags: thaicom uplink thaicom+uplink thai+red+shirts red+shirts protests democracy

We Have A Problem

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:45:06 -0700

Just days after the SES-1 spacecraft arrived in Baikonur from Dulles, Intelsat lost control of Galaxy-15. Both spacecraft are based on Orbital's Star-2 bus, which means the 4-week launch campaign's schedule may slip.

The immediate impact for Intelsat is to transition customer to an in-orbit spare, Galaxy-12, from 123° West to 133° West. Sounds simeple, but it's not. It is likely the engineers are concerned about future Orbital spacecraft. Galaxy-12 is also a Star-2 bus, so they won't relax until they know what the root cause of the failure was. Same goes for all who have one in-orbit or being built. Sure, Indostar-1 had some problems, but that's probably been fixed on subsequent spacecraft.

For SES, replacing the spacecraft co-located at 101° West, AMC-4 and AMC-2, is critical. With so much at stake, it would be prudent to delay the launch if there are doubts about future performance. They've got enough trouble as it is. Fix it before it flies.

But here's the real, immediate operational challenge: how do you transition customers if you don't control one of the spacecraft? Then, how do you get it out of the way so it doesn't interfere with adjacent spacecraft? Take, for example, C-SPAN on AMC-11 at 131°W, operating on transponder 7, 3840V. The Fox Sports mux is on Galaxy-15 at 133°W, transponder 7, 3840V. Now we've got a real problem: same frequencies, and the operators on the ground can't communicate with G15, so they can't turn it off. Get my drift?

Both SES and Intelsat have a real problem on their hands. Something always happens in time for the NAB show in Las Vegas.

Technorati Tags: intelsat ses galaxy-12 a2100+solar+arrays a2100 amc-2 amc-4 cable+tv ses-1 galaxy-15 orbital+sciences star-2+bus

FAIL: Satmex Bondholders

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:56:29 -0700

The deal to buy Satmex is off. What seemed like a brilliant acquisition by all accounts, will not go through.

EchoStar Corp. and MVS Comunicaciones SA ended their agreement to buy Satelites Mexicanos SA for $267 million after the Mexican satellite operator's bondholders objected to the deal.

Satmex, as the company is known, failed to get approval from holders of a majority of bonds within the 17 days allotted under the agreement, EchoStar said Tuesday in a U.S. regulatory filing.

El Economista suggests they're holding out for a minimum of $500 million. Not sure it's such a good idea to wait. If Satmex-5 fails, how much would the company be worth then? I say cash out now while you still can.

The Mexican government owns 20% of the company, so it would be interested to get their take on this.

Technorati Tags: echostar mvs dish+network dish+mexico satmex ses quetzsat

Google Dish

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:31:32 -0800

So what's all this we read in The Wall Street Journal about a deal between Google and Dish Network? Just the usual "according to people familiar with the matter." Bloomberg writers use the same source. But there appears to be serious speculation as to exactly what's going on, even though we blogged it three years ago.

The service, which runs on TV set-top boxes containing Google software, allows users to find shows on the satellite-TV service as well as video from Web sites like Google's YouTube, according to these people. It also lets users to personalize a lineup of shows, these people said.

With the test, Google moves deeper into a crowded field of companies, large and small, that have been trying for years to marry the Web and TV and their business models—from rivals Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc. to the manufacturers of televisions and set-top boxes.

Just last week, TiVo Inc. announced new digital video recorders that blend broadcast and online content.

Google's test, which began last year, is limited to a very small number of the company's employees and their families and could be discontinued at any time, said the people familiar with the matter.

Viewers in the Google test, these people said, can search by typing queries, using a keyboard rather than a remote control. Google hopes to connect the service with its nascent TV ad-brokering business, allowing it to target ads to individual households based on search and viewing data.

I think this is the beginning of something wonderful. Google will be able to target individual STBs -- in the same household, for example -- and sell the context, just as they do today across millions of Web sites. How can you do that with video? Simple: use the audio track to identify context. Yeah, Microsoft can do that, too.

Bring it!

Technorati Tags: echostar dish+network google google+tv

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 03/05/2010

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:10:36 -0800

Orbital Sciences reaches agreement to acquire spacecraft development and manufacturing business of General Dynamic's subsidiary GD Advanced Information Systems.
[SatNews - 03/05/2010]

Air Force accepts WGS-3 from Boeing.
[UPI - 03/05/2010]

RRsat Global Communications Network signs agreement with ISG Media of India to provide fiber connectivity, playout and distribution for satellite broadcast in Europe and North America.
[SatNews - 03/05/2010]

SatMAX and TLC Engineering offer SatMAX repeaters to aid Chile.
[CNN Money - 03/05/2010]

GlobecCast's new Content Acquisition and Distribution division signs agreement with Chinese content provider ZN Animation to deliver content to Video on Demand viewers throughout Europe.
[SatNews - 03/05/2010]

GOES-P satellite, NASA and NOAA's environmental satellite completing the N -O series, is successfully launched from Cape Canaveral.
[NASA web site - 03/04/2010]

OmniGlobe Networks EMEA signs Letter of Intent to acquire entire issued share capital and assets of privately-held Sat-Comm Ltd.
[SatNews - 03/04/2010]

Telesat expresses support for Canadian government's commitment to remove foreign ownership restrictions on Canadian satellite operators.
[SatNews - 03/04/2010]

Iridium provides satellite voice and data communications for 2010 Iditarod sled dog race.
[Market Watch - 03/04/2010]

European Satellite Operators Association representative takes part in Commercial Satellite Critical Infrastructure Protection workshop with experts working on critical national security and emergency programmes from the European Commission, the US Department of State, and Department of Defense and others.
[SatNews - 03/04/2010]

TiVo wins court ruling against Dish Network and EchoStar for patent infringement with Digital Video Recorder software.
[Business Week - 03/04/2010]

Global VSAT Forum called upon to expand reach of the GVF VSAT Installation & Maintenance Training Programme.
[SatNews - 03/04/2010]

Texas senator proposes bill to extend space shuttle program.
[Space.com - 03/04/2010]

U.S. Air Force investigates electrical mini-thrusters for possible use in satellite propulsion.
[PHYSORG - 03/03/2010]

Secretary of State Clinton delivers satellite phones in Chile following earthquake and tsumani.
[Kaiser Family Foundation - 03/03/2010]

Gilat is chosen by Satcom Systems to deliver SkyEdge II network for broadband internet connectivity in Africa.
[Market Watch - 03/03/2010]

iDirect announces launch of Talia Home by Talia Limited, providing consumer-focused internet and telephone communications service in MENA, using iDirect Evolution technology.
[SatNews - 03/03/2010]

Tachyon Networks announces availability of new end-to-en d fixed and mobile broadband satellit solutions for Southwest Asia using ultra-small aperture terminals.
[SatNews - 03/03/2010].

Earth's day is shortened by earthquake in Chile.
[Time - 03/02/2010]

UN and Iridium rush satellite phones to Chili to help restore vital communications links.
[PC World - 03/02/2010]

MTN supplies satellite communications system for Oasis Of The Seas, the world's largest cruise ship.
[Space Daily - 03/02/2010]

Upstar Comunicacoes selects Eutelsat to broadcast ZAP, the new satellite TV bouquet of Angola.
[PR Newswire - 03/02/2010]

New satellite mobile broadband service OverHorizon, based in Arlington, VA, selects Arianespace to launch its first satellite.
[Space News Examiner - 03/01/2010]

Millions of tons of water ice found at North Pole of Moon.
[Space.com - 03/01/2010]

Russia launches 3 navigation satellites.
[Space Daily - 03/01/2010]

NASA announces plans to launch small cube-shaped satellites for educational and not-for-profit organizations.
[Space Daily - 03/01/2010]

SES WORLD SKIES announces plans to join leading broadcaster, programmers, TV makers, and technology providers in series of extensive tests aimed at accelerating delivery of 3DTV.
[SatNews - 03/01/2010]

Soldiers provide communications support in Haiti, working with a variety of networks and satellite links.
[DVIDS - 03/01/2010]

SatMAX receives 2nd U.S. Navy order for its satellite communications repeater system.
[CNN Money - 03/01/2010]

EchoStar to purchase SatMex.
[Multichannel News - 02/28/2010]

TRA grants Al Yah Satellite Communications Company a Satellite Services License.
[WAM - 02/28/2010]

Antarctic satellite broadband project wins funding under Australian Space Research Program.
[Computer World - 03/01/2010]

WBMSAT PS - Satellite Communications Consulting Services

Technorati Tags: satnews satellite+today via+satellite satellite+week

Mexican Slots for Charlie

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:39:53 -0800

"Saludar a mi pequeño amigo!"

That's right: say hello to my little friend. EchoStar is buying Satmex in a joint venture with MVS Comunicaciones:

Under the deal, EchoStar and MVS Comunicaciones, one of the largest media and telecommunications companies in Mexico and EchoStar's partner in the Mexican direct-to-home TV service Dish Mexico, will take ownership of Satmex, that nation's leading satellite operator that delivers video, audio and data services, through a joint venture.

According to the parties, EchoStar and MVS Comunicaciones will acquire all of the outstanding stock of Satmex for approximately $267 million in cash, plus up to $107 million in cash on the Mexican satellite operator's balance sheet at closing.

As such, there will be up to $374 million for distribution to Satmex's stakeholders. The transaction is expected to close early in the third quarter 2010.

In connection with the sale, Satmex said it intends to offer to purchase all of its outstanding senior secured notes for cash upon the closing of the sale of the Satmex shares.

Established in the mid-1980s as part of a government operation before becoming a commercial organization, Satmex, which has some 200 employees, owns and operates three satellites and two satellite uplink facilities, all of which are expected to be included as part of the transaction.

"We are pleased to make this announcement with EchoStar, a major provider of satellite services in the United States with a significant and growing presence in Mexico," said Satmex CEO Patricio Northland in a statement. "Our companies have common goals in delivering satellite communications services across the Americas, and EchoStar has the dedication and expertise for continued growth."

"The Satmex acquisition provides us with a footprint over Mexico and South America and presents us the opportunity to serve a growing global demand for satellite services," noted Dean Olmstead, president of EchoStar Satellite Services L.L.C. "We look forward to leveraging our satellite operations and uplink expertise in North America to expand our fixed satellite services throughout the Americas, including the delivery of satellite Internet to rural communities."

EchoStar set up the business a couple of years ago, a few years after they signed up with SES in the formation of QuetzSat S.R.L. de C.V. in the successful bid for the 77° West orbital location. The QuetzSat-1 satellite is expected to come into service in 2011.

Great move my EchoStar. Although Satmex 5 is a sickly HS-601, it still has several choice orbital locations and a decent business model. Satmex-6 is in much better shape (Loral FS-1300). This will definitely have a positive effect on DISH Network's plans for Mexico, as well as Central and South America.

Way to go, Dean O!

Technorati Tags: echostar mvs dish+network dish+mexico satmex ses quetzsat

DIY Friday: Park & Watch Satellite TV

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:01:19 -0800

On the road again? Tailgating? No TV where you are? Bet you're bummed you missed Anja Paerson's crash in the downhill at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. If you're RVing across North America (or caravaning in Europe), you're got a few options.

In the U.S., there's Backseat TV from Sirius XM, but that's for kids (although they're potentially entertaining for some adults). For real "on the move" satellite TV, be prepared to spend a few thousand dollars for a KVH Tracvision A7. Sadoun has them at discount, as well as others. You could also pay half that for a VuQube, essentially a portable contraption with an antenna inside that's nearly self-pointing. There are other motorized solutions out there, but it won't be cheap.

What about doing it yourself? Get an extra antenna, mount it on a tripod, grab your home satellite receiver and hit the road. You're only going to watch TV after you park your vehicle, right?

For some, this may sound simple, but it gets complicated in a hurry. The satcom techs who do home installs are trained and get it done quickly, after they do their homework. The spacecraft orbits at 22,300 miles (36,000 km), so you've got to know where to point that antenna. You can probably get yourself a signal meter (like the SF-95), calculate your look angle (elevation & azimuth) and point your antenna. Sure, you'll need a compass and your geographic coordinates (long/lat). You may not know that when you're "out there."

How do you know whether you can "see" the satellite from where you decided to park? What if you didn't do your homework ahead of time? Get yourself a good app phone like the Apple iPhone or Google Android, then download the DishPointer Pro AR app. Launch the app, then point it toward the southern horizon if you're in the northern hemisphere, and toward the northern horizon if you're in the southern hemisphere. On the equator, point straight up. Like magic, using the phone's camera, shows you what you can see and whether any obstacles on in the way. Hit compass lock and you've got elevation, azimuth and skew (polarization).

Is that awsome or what? $20 gets you the app, available via the Apple iTunes App Store and Android Market. And it totally works.

Technorati Tags: tailgating azimuth elevation look+angle truckstop caravan rv satfinder dishpointer

Free HDTV in Canada / Libre TVHD au Canada

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:30:34 -0800

That's right, Nanook: the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) gave the approval to FreeHD Canada to provide 100 local and 150 national channels for, uh, FREE. I like that price. The summary, via the Globe and Mail:

A satellite TV upstart has won limited approval to do business in Canada. The new company, FreeHD Canada Inc., applied in August for permission to offer a package of local television channels for free - if customers agree to buy the equipment necessary to pick up the company's satellite signal. BCE Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., which operate Bell TV and Shaw Direct respectively, have made similar proposals. FreeHD is also planning to offer an additional package of 150 pay and specialty channels. Yesterday, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the licence, but said that FreeHD will have to operate under the same rules as other satellite providers. That means its basic package cannot include local stations only; such providers are required to include certain channels, such as at least one CBC station and one Radio-Canada, APTN and the Weather Network. The larger pay package must also follow rules requiring services like adult channels to be optional to consumers.

Read all about the "approval, in part" on the CRTC site.

Since Dave Lewis is running things at FreeHD Canada, I suspect he'll be using some capacity on the Ciel-2 spacecraft. If the box and dish cost $300 or less, this ought to sell like waffles on a Sunday.

Almost as exciting as Maelle Ricker's gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Technorati Tags: freehd+canada olympics canada canadian+tv satellite+tv ciel

DIY Friday: Satellite Site Survey

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 08:25:29 -0800

Us rocket scientists and satnuts know that to get a signal from an orbiting spacecraft, the satellite antenna must be pointed directly at the satellite, without obstructions between the two. This means no trees and no buildings. Generally, you ought to take into consideration future tree growth, house remodeling or additions and new construction.The satellite signal will not pass through leaves or branches -- or houses and buildings.

DirecTV's self-installation guide (PDF) starts with these pointers:

The satellite is always located south of Texas. That means if you live in Miami, you must have a clear line of sight to the southwest; if you live in San Francisco, you must have a clear line to the southeast. How High Up in the Sky is the Satellite? Depending on where you live, the satellite will be at an elevationangle between 30 and 60 degrees. Southern states point more toward 60 degrees; northern states point more toward 30 degrees.

Elsewhere, the guide suggests you use a map. In Europe, ASTRA's installation assistant does a decent job of taking you through the process. For most, taking the free installation (see DISH Network) is a good idea.

Before you go out and buy a $500 BirDOG gadget, better make sure you can see the satellites. The Flash animation on ASTRA's site can help you when you're in the field, unless you calculate your look angle ahead of time.

On-site and need help with your site survey? There's an App for that (both for iPhone and Android).

I've got one location where the trees grew since installation, so this has ongoing practical use. DigitalTrends selected it as one of the best augmented reality apps.

If guys in Afghanistan can use it, so can you.

Technorati Tags: dishpointer satfinder diy look+angle elevation azimuth birdog satcom site+survey

2 Minutes for Interference?

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:08:22 -0800

Canadian upstart Ciel Satellite Group is in a battle with DirecTV over the 103° West orbital slot, via the Ottawa Citizen:

In a war of words at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, the two companies are accusing each other of threatening effective operation of broadcast satellites and undermining global industry rules. But behind the rhetoric is the deadly serious business of building investor confidence to finance satellites that cost $300 million each to construct, insure and launch.

Ciel is working with an undisclosed manufacturer on the Ciel 6 satellite, scheduled for launch in 2012.

DirecTV got FCC approval in July to launch the RB-2A satellite. Now called DirecTV-12, it was shipped earlier this month to Kazakhstan for launch in the near future.

Combined with two other DirecTV satellites, it will deliver 200 high-definition channels. The FCC said the new satellite "will stimulate competition in the United States and provide consumers more alternatives in choosing communication services." The FCC must consider major issues in the dispute.

In theory, the two satellites can co-exist in the same orbit path. But that would involve technology compromises to avoid signal interference. The changes could limit the markets each seeks to tap.

With consumers and business demanding more bandwidth-hungry high-definition television, video and Internet services, the battle for spectrum and satellites to support the market is growing.

DirecTV is the biggest U.S. satellite direct-to-home service company with 18 million subscribers, plus another six million in Latin America.

It said recently that two-thirds of new subscribers signed up for high-definition TV and related hardware services in the September quarter, the highest level in company history.

DirecTV generated $5.47 billion U.S. in revenues in the September quarter, 10 per cent more than a year earlier.

Ciel has only one satellite in service but it has some powerful allies. Its investors include Borealis, an arm of the giant Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS), and SES Americom, one of the world's biggest satellite operators.

It won its first Canadian licence in 2004 and launched its first satellite last year to serve an orbital slot off the coast of B.C. It is developing business plans for six more slots awarded by the federal government last year.

It also has a big customer in DISH Network, which is a direct competitor to Direct TV. Calian Technologies manages the Ciel satellite under a long-term contract.

I'm relatively certain Telesat is in this fight, too. EchoStar is on the bench, ready to jump over the boards if required.

As they say in hockey, it's part of the game.

Technorati Tags: directv ciel+satellite dbs dish+network dish+tv satellite satellite+tv bell rogers echostar

"Spots On The Wall" by Hu Flung Sat

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:43:24 -0800

Now we're getting somewhere with this "TV everywhere" concept.

With it's ubiquitous coverage, satellite TV is already "everywhere." Now DISH Network, and it's Sling Media technology, is truly flinging its signals around. The critical summary, via Light Reading's Cable Digital News:

Dish, which bought Sling Media in 2007 for $380 million and later folded it into its EchoStar Technologies LLC set-top and technology division spinoff, is basing its TV Everywhere strategy on a combination of new hardware and software products that enable customers to "sling" video from the set-top to PCs, mobile handsets, and other video displays with broadband connections. (See EchoStar to Buy Sling Media and Sling Media Slings at CES.)
That all starts with the ViP 922, an HD-DVR that features a 1-terabyte hard drive with Sling's technology built in. Dish, which was expected to launch that box last year, is matching that with the "TV Everywhere Adapter," a sleeker version of the old Slingbox that gives place-shifting capabilities to a number of Dish HD-DVR receivers using a USB connection. According to Dish's Website, six existing receivers are compatible with the new place-shifting adapter: the 522, 625, ViP 612, ViP 622, ViP 722, and ViP 722k.
Dish's new hardware also includes a free-standing, 16x9 WiFi Monitor, also developed by Sling, that is capable of wirelessly transmitting an HD video signal from a set-top to another device on the home's wireless network. The display itself renders video in 720p and can be used to access the functions of the connected Dish receiver, including the ability to manage DVR recordings.
Dish has also developed a Web-based "Remote Access Mobile App" so customers can manage their DVR recordings on multiple receivers. It also has the ability to transform an iPhone or iPod Touch device into a remote control for TVs connected to compatible Dish boxes. Although Dish's TV Everywhere hardware components won't be out until the second quarter, it's already offering the Remote Access Mobile App for free download.
Dish hasn't announced any pricing on its TV Everywhere offerings, including the fancy WiFi monitor, but intends to reveal those details closer to the official launch, a company spokeswoman said.
With Sling at the core of this strategy, Dish should find itself ahead of its cable competitors when it comes to TV Everywhere, a term that the satellite-TV giant has since trademarked (it reportedly filed for the trademark last fall), at least in terms of the types of screens it will support at the get-go.
Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) launched its initial TV Everywhere product, Fancast Xfinity TV, last month, providing authenticated PCs access to a walled garden of on-demand content. Comcast plans to add support for mobile devices later this year. Dish's version already supports mobile devices, as well as access to the subscriber's lineup of linear programming. (See Comcast's 'Xfinity' Goes Live and Comcast's 'Xfinity' to Go Mobile in 2010 .)
However, cable MSOs will have an opportunity to offer much of what Dish is introducing in the second quarter. EchoStar, Dish's tech spinoff, is also marketing a lineup of Sling-loaded boxes for U.S. and European MSOs, but has yet to announce any cable deals. EchoStar officials have also expressed interest in selling Slingboxes directly to MSOs, and it would appear that Sling's latest standalone box, the 700U, would fit the bill.

Great idea and excellent use of in-house technology. Who knows, maybe I'll go back to DISH for this?

Having a mobile app for your DVR has some practical use, as we've noted before.

Meanwhile, DirecTV is all about 3-D TV at CES. I don't know, man. Didn't we just accept HDTV as the "OK, I got it now" technology? Now 3-D? Seems a little early for that, but the "Avatar" movie is out to change that.

Technorati Tags: dbs satellite+tv dish+tv dish+network directv panasonic 3dtv hdtv 3-d avatar sling tv+everywhere

More HD for DirecTV

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:46:04 -0800

Beautiful launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome last week, putting DirecTV 12 into orbit:

The new satellite will boost DIRECTV's High-Definition capacity by 50 percent, to more than 200 HD channels, increase the number of local HD markets DIRECTV will serve and significantly expand movie choices on the DIRECTV CINEMA™ and DIRECTV on DEMAND services. DIRECTV offers more than 130 HD channels today and delivers local HD programming to 138 markets, representing 92 percent of U.S. TV households. Click here to see which HD channels DIRECTV currently carries.

D12, a Boeing 702 model satellite, lifted off on an International Launch Services Proton Breeze M vehicle at 4:22 p.m. PT yesterday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Controllers at the ground station in Hartebeesthoek, South Africa, have made contact with the satellite and confirmed that all systems are functioning properly.

Here's the integration work...

...and the traditional 6:30 a.m. roll-out (yeah, it was cold) ...

...and finally, the launch itself...

Technorati Tags: directv ils baikonur proton+rocket rocket+launch