From: Satjournal@aol.com
10
Satellite Journal International
                                                 Volume Five
                                                   April, 14
                                                        1997
                   WITH CORRESPONDENTS IN:
     DALLAS-WASHINGTON-LOS ANGELES-TORONTO-LONDON-DUBLIN
       PARIS-BERLIN RIYADH-TOKYO-SYDNEY-RIO DE JANEIRO
     "Anyone who enjoys the privilege of publishing and
   broadcasting in open societies should demonstrate their
unshakeable belief in the universality of free speech should
they ever seek to broadcast in societies that are closed."
                             =20
  ARIANESPACE Flight 95 Scheduled for April 16
  PanAmSat Tops Record
  PanAmSat-Hughes Communications Galaxy Merger
  General Instrument at the NAB
  Harris Receives $21 Million Letter of Intent
  DiviCom Partners with Tandberg
  TVN To Store and Deliver Programming
  Turner Classic Movies adds commentary
  Taiwan Broadcaster Targets Overseas Asian Audiences
  GE Spacenet expands its global commns
  CNN contracts NTL for trans-Atlantic digital link
  France Telecom Combines Broadcast Services
  Maxat Launches Bloomberg TV
  Lotte Data Communications
  Scientific-Atlanta Delivers First IRIDIUM terminals
  Vyvx Advertising Distribution Services Upgrade
  Groupe AB and Radio Nostalgie
  Upcoming Launches
  New files and documents at our WebStand
  In Brief
                             =20
         ARIANESPACE Flight 95 Scheduled for April 16
         All checks on the ARIANESPACE spacecraft-launcher
adapter have been satisfactorily completed in Kourou, and
the launch preparation campaign has resumed.
     Lift-off of the ARIANE 44LP, the version of the
European launcher equipped with 2 liquid and 2 solid strap-
on boosters, is now scheduled for Wednesday, April 16,
between:
"    10:59 p.m. and 11:41 p.m. GMT,
"      7:59 p.m. and 8:41 p.m. Kourou time,
"    12:59 a.m. and 1:41 a.m. Paris time,
"      5:59 a.m. and 6:41 a.m. Bangkok time,
"      7:59 a.m. and 8:41 a.m. Tokyo time,
"      6:59 p.m. and 7:41 p.m. Washington time (EDT).
         ARIANESPACE Flight 95 will put into orbit the
Thaicom 3 telecommunications satellite for Thailand, and the
BSAT-1a direct broadcast satellite for Japan.
                             =20
                    PanAmSat Tops Record
     PanAmSat has beamed nearly 20,000 hours of special
events and   news coverage over its global satellite system
during the first three   months of 1997. Total special
events and part-time transmission traffic for the quarter
was the highest in PanAmSat's history.
     Among the events transmitted during the quarter over
PanAmSat's global   satellite system:
"    Continuing coverage of the Peruvian hostage crisis.
Since the hostage situation began in mid-December 1996,
PanAmSat has provided almost 13,000 hours of service over
its PAS-1 and PAS-3 Atlantic Ocean Region satellites for
more than 30 broadcasters, including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fuji,
NHK, Nippon TV, TBS and TV Asahi.
"    Live, ongoing coverage of the Cricket Tour of the West
Indies over PAS-3 for nearly 30 Caribbean Broadcasting Union
member stations
   Live coverage in March of Formula One races from
Sydney, Australia, uplinking to the PAS-2 Pacific Ocean
Region satellite and from Sao Paulo, Brazil, over PAS-3 to
Germany for RTL and DSF.
"    Live transmissions of the Academy Awards broadcast from
Los Angeles to Europe, Asia and Latin America for ABC, BBC
and CBS. The awards ceremony on March 24 was broadcast to
Latin America over PAS-3, to Europe over PAS-1 and to Asia
over PAS-2.
"    Live satellite news reports of the Albanian political
crisis over PAS-1 for Antenna TV of Greece.
"    Live coverage of the Senior Slam Golf Tournament at Los
Cabos, Mexico, in late February for Turner Broadcasting
System.
    =20
                             =20
        PanAmSat-Hughes Communications Galaxy Merger
     The proposed merger of PanAmSat and the Galaxy
satellite services business of Hughes Communications, Inc.
has moved another step closer to completion when the FCC
formally approved the transfer of orbital slot licenses this
week from both PanAmSat and Galaxy to the new, combined
PanAmSat Corporation.
     The FCC action is the second affirmative decision by a
U.S.  federal agency reviewing the merger.  In December 1996
the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) permitted a 30-
day review period to pass without taking action to halt the
merger or imposing an additional review period.  PanAmSat
and Galaxy had previously filed with the DOJ and the Federal
Trade Commission under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust
Improvements Act.  At that time, the DOJ claimed
jurisdiction over the antitrust review.
     The final federal clearance necessary for the merger to
conclude is expected shortly from the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission.  The final step will be
approval by PanAmSat shareholders.
                             =20
                General Instrument at the NAB
    =20
         General Instrument demonstrated the company's video
compression technology, introduced six new satellite and
terrestrial receivers, demonstrated a new broadcast receiver
design, displayed DTH solutions world-wide, and highlighted
three new subtitle vendors during the annual convention of
the National Association of Broadcasters in Las Vegas.
               Under the name "Digital Density", GI
demonstrated it's 16-to-1 digital video compression
technology by setting up 16 TV monitors to receive 16
separate compressed feeds, equivalent to the capacity of a
single 24 MHz satellite transponder.  Three of the 16
digital feeds featured multilingual subtitles prepared by
Cavena Image Products AB; Screen Subtitling Systems, Ltd.,
and SOFTNI Corp.  The subtitles display was processed in
real time by GI's commercial satellite receivers.
               Another demonstration of 10:1 broadcast
quality compression with the Magnitude MPEG-2/ DVB System,
featured real time compression of 10 video channels in a 27
MHz transponder, including one channel of digital local
insertion.  For this demonstration nine video channels were
compressed at variable rates using the StatMuxPlus software
package.
     Also demonstrated in the DVB arena were a family of new
satellite receivers.  These are Magnitude consumer receivers
for DTH applications and commercial models for cable head-
end delivery, broadcast distribution, distance learning and
private network applications.  Both units are MPEG-2/DVB
compliant and offer high speed data options.
              Another demonstration featured private network
downlinks from Nebraska Educational TV Network, Fordstar
Dealer Communications Network and Georgia Public Television,
showing such private network applications as distance
learning and business television.
                             =20
            Harris Receives $21 Million Letter of Intent
    =20
     Harris Corporation has received a U.S. $21 million
letter of intent from TV Azteca in Mexico for television
transmitters, antennas, and other broadcast equipment that
will further expand the network's reach throughout Mexico.
     During the next year, Harris may deliver 1 UHF and 44
VHF television transmitters, antennas and accessories for 30
TV Azteca sites, and four Satellite News Gathering (SNG)
vehicles for remote news and special events coverage.  Also
included in the contract is television transmitter equipment
for TV Azteca's first international site in El Salvador.
                             =20
                DiviCom Partners with Tandberg
     DiviCom Inc. has entered into a co-development and
distribution agreement with Tandberg Television ASA, a
European manufacturer of MPEG-2 DVB-based transmission
systems.
     The two companies have already made several joint
system sales including Telenor, the Norwegian national
telecommunications provider and the largest satellite
provider in Scandinavia; and Telia, the largest
telecommunications provider in the Nordic and Baltic
regions.
     As part of the distribution agreement, Tandberg will
design and sell MPEG-2 systems comprising a combination of
its own receiving, processing and control products, and
DiviCom's encoders and multiplexers.  In addition, DiviCom
will incorporate Tandberg products into its system
solutions.
                             =20
            TVN To Store and Deliver Programming
           TVN  has installed an EMC Media Server at its
Network Operations Centre in Burbank, California.  EMC's
SNMS servers are able to receive, store, retrieve and
transport a variety of TV signal formats over satellite
broadcast systems, as well as standard terrestrial
telecommunications networks.  TVN's digital service for
cable, "Digital Cable Television," is a turnkey end-to-end
system, enabling virtually any cable operator to provide a
full range of digital programming services, competitive with
those offered by direct broadcast satellite, with only
modest expenditures for transcoding equipment required at
the cable head-end.
     TVN uses the SNMS server to deliver digitally
compressed multi-channel PPV programming, which it provides
to cable operators along with a full suite of interactive
digital applications, and complementary transactional
support services for the operator, including ANI ordering,
billing, collection, customer service, payment processing,
studio license fee administration, and sophisticated
management and marketing reports.
     TVN offers subscribers a tier of digital services,
including initially 40 PPV channels of near-video-on-demand
movies (one playing continuously on each channel), an
interactive on-screen electronic program guide, numerous
channels of CD-quality music, and a variety of information,
data and text services.  Included with each sign-up for the
tier of digital service will be a digital/analogue set-top
converter box, and a universal remote control which the
subscriber will use to navigate the on-screen program guide
and instantly order PPV movies
                             =20
            Turner Classic Movies adds commentary
     Turner Classic Movies will offer a new way for people
to watch movies on television, with the addition of select
Audio Commentary Track motion pictures from the Criterion
collection beginning this fall.  ACT is similar to the
commentary available on some laser discs in which actors,
directors, historians and/or other film participants add
insight, share stories and provide new information on the
film via the second audio program.
     TCM will premiere such presentations as SPARTACUS
(1960), with voice-over by Kirk Douglas; SOME LIKE IT HOT
(1959) with voice-over by Jack Lemmon; and BAD DAY AT BLACK
ROCK (1955), with voice-over by director John Sturges
(others TBD).  In an eight-movie film licensing agreement
with Janus Films also announced, TCM will acquire the ACT
version of such classic international titles as Ingmar
Bergman's THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957) and AUTUMN SONATA (1978);
and Francois Truffaut's JULES AND JIM (1961).
                             =20
       Taiwan Broadcaster Targets Overseas Asian Audiences
     Space TV Systems released further information regarding
their launch. As reported, Space will launch eight satellite-
based Asian language channels to the Eastern Asia, North
America and Australian regions next month.
     Space TV will use two transponders on Intelsat 702 -
one with a China beam, the other to Australia - and one
transponder on Intelsat 511 and SBS5 for US and Canadian
services.
     Acer will provide 150,000 MPEG-2/DVB satellite
receivers, while France Telecom will supply the conditional
access.
                             =20
            GE Spacenet expands its global commns
     GE Spacenet has agreed to purchase AT&T Tridom. Terms
were not disclosed. AT&T Tridom (Marietta, Ga.) has been
providing VSAT satellite  communications networks to major
companies world-wide for more than a decade.
     GE Spacenet officials said the acquisition of AT&T
Tridom's 56 hub facilities supporting more than 20,000 sites
will significantly enhance its capabilities to provide
global communications services using VSAT technology.
                             =20
      CNN contracts NTL for trans-Atlantic digital link
     NTL has announced a multi-million pound sterling, five-
year deal with Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc. (TBS) to
provide contribution feeds from CNN's European Production
Centre in London to the network's headquarters in Atlanta,
Georgia.
     CNN will replace its existing analogue link on Intelsat
601 with multiple digital feeds using MPEG-2 technology.
     The new service will commence in May, enabling the
London Production Centre to send news items to Atlanta for
fast compilation and insertion into CNN's domestic and
international programmes for redistribution around the
world.
     NTL currently uplinks TBS's European news and
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