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HISTORY & TECHNICAL
BACKGROUND:
Asia
and the Pacific Rim were the first places in which
MPEG-2 Free Air Channels reception was used on a large
scale. The difference between those markets and America
was that prior to the mid 90s, it took literally very
huge antennas to get even a few dozen channels...making
TV reception of many channels an impossible dream.
MPEG-2 technology was a breakthrough that allowed
great reductions in per-channel transmission costs.
Mass consumers in those regions never had the chance
to spend lots of money on more costly analog equipment.
Their first exposure to satellite TV was more often
than not in a digital format. No 15 to 20 year learning
curve of various stages of analog receivers prior
to going to digital.
So
the Asia-Pacific market was a test bed on how to get
it right, with costs coming down due to companies
from the Far East trying to compete for the huge mainland
Chinese market. Then Europe....now America.
MPEG-2
is a worldwide satellite transmission standard for
digital broadcasting. It is the wave of the future,
because of the simple economics that can allow 8 or
even 10 video signals to occupy the same space as
one channel of analog transmission. Just as some analog
signals can be scrambled for subscription use, digital
channels can be transmitted either scrambled or in-the-clear.
In-The-Clear is known in the digital TV world as FTA
or Free Air Channels . Since it is a worldwide standard,
there are more MPEG-2/DVB (digital video broadcasting)
channels available in places such as Europe, the Middle
East, and Asia, than presently found in the American
market. National public broadcasters in other parts
of the world have adopted MPEG-2 as a cost-effective
way to distribute their signals on limited budgets.
Spread
of free MPEG-2 signals into North America has been
previously hampered by the dominance of the Digicipher
2 video standard made by the former General Instrument
(now Motorola Broadband) group. Receivers such as
4DTV and other versions of the Digicipher 2 actually
have the letters MPEG-2 stamped on them, but are not
compatible with the rest of the world. The difference
comes in the way that signals are layered together,
especially in the encryption process. It has given
the Digicipher 2 a protected monopoly in America.
Scientific-Atlanta's PowerVu system is more closely
related to MPEG-2, and it has a lion's share of digital
channels in the rest of the world. It helps that the
worldwide PanAmSat satellite system works closely
with Scientific-Atlanta in promoting this digital
alternative. What is unique is that when signals are
NOT addressable encoded, the PowerVu system can be
viewed in-the-clear (or Free Air Channels ) on most
consumer MPEG-2 digital receivers. Several DBS systems
in North America use the MPEG-2 platform, and when
they choose NOT to encode channels, signals are also
available in the same manner. These include Echostar's
DISH Network, Canada's Bell ExpressVu, Mexico's SKY
MEXICO, and the former Sky Vista and AlphaStar...once
on Telstar 5 but now out of business.
This
unusual mix of compatible Free Air Channels systems
has presented the opportunity for a great number of
channels to become available to North American viewers.
There are always a few channels in the transition
between in-the-clear and subscription transmission
mode. The ultimate goal in many cases is for a subscription
service, but some channels have been in-the-clear
for months and even years before reverting to scrambling.
When a channel goes into that mode, arrangements are
usually available with one of the small dish DBS services
to sell a subsidized priced receiver when making a
long-term commitment to a subscription. We shall concentrate
on the channels that continue to transmit in a free
mode.
A
great number of the channels available Free Air Channels
in MPEG-2 are those from other countries. Such availability
is contingent upon somebody paying the bill for satellite
transmission across the ocean, and then retransmitting
to the North American market. In some cases, the North
American signal is made available on one of the small-dish
systems such as DirecTV or DISH Network for a monthly
fee, but the incoming feed from overseas is left in
the clear. The reason is primarily economic, with
the logic that very few people will go to the trouble
of installing a large C-band antenna in this day and
age to view one free channel, when they can have it
delivered by alternative methods for what some might
consider to be a reasonable fee. Problem is that this
"free" reception sometimes gets too popular, and the
bean counters at DISH Network decide to encode the
incoming international feeds, thus forcing all to
subscribe. This happened recently with Polish services,
then Russian, and who knows what next. A great number
of Arabic channels are presently in the clear...a
few are incoming feeds for DISH Network, and several
others are sponsored and paid for by different governments
in Arabic countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The latter wish to make their signals available around
the world to expatriates as well as the rest of the
world..as a window into their culture. These governments
pay to keep these signals available free of charge
to individual viewers with satellite equipment. Such
benevolence goes against the U.S. model of commercialism
and paying for TV, but it helps explain why some languages
are readily available here and others are not. Somebody
has to pay to get it on satellite, and if a country
or a language does not have either a sponsor or an
adequate number of paying customers, then it will
likely not be available to our market.
PLEASE
READ BEFORE CONSIDERING THE PURCHASE OF AN MPEG-2
RECEIVER !
We
cannot guarantee the permanent availability of any
particular channel. These receivers are primarily
designed for the hobbyist; to allow hundreds of additional
channels to become available via satellite. This is
not the same as, and not a replacement for a 4DTV
digital receiver. It should be considered as a supplementary
way of getting additional channels otherwise unavailable---no
more, no less. Please do a little homework by studying
sources such as the Lyngemark Satellite Chart at http://www.lyngsat.com/.
These
lists will show current in-the-clear (Free Air Channels
) channels, if you are looking for particular information
on the status of a channel or service. Any channel
that is now part of an otherwise subscription service
but temporarily in free mode should be considered
as NOT available on a permanent basis...unless you
pay a subscription fee and have hardware for that
service. Other broadcasters could be approached individually
with an Email, requesting info on what their future
plans may be with regard to subscription or free status.
The Lyngemark Satellite Chart listed above has Email
links and contact information for many channels around
the world. Otherwise, do as most hobbyists do...enjoy
the free show while it lasts. The number of channels
continue to grow, so if your favorite Free Air Channels
service goes away or switches to subscription, chances
are better than not that something else will soon
come along that tickles your fancy. |
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