(North-West China) have reached an agreement for the supply
of a digital compression system and 500 head-end IRDs.  The
system will be used to distribute 5 TV channels and 3 radio
channels throughout the vast Xinjiang Region via Apstar 1a,
which now carries a single analogue Xinjiang program.
     The DVB compliant compression system, to be located in
Urumqi, uses 5 over 2 redundancy and will be connected via
optical fibre with the Xinjiang satellite earth station. The
existing analogue microwave connection will act as a back-up
link, carrying the QPSK modulated MPEG-2 signal. The system
will also contain the advanced CryptoWorks Conditional
Access system.
     The 500 Philips head-end IRDs, also supplied with the
system, will be able to receive the Xinjiang channels using
a secure Smart Card.  This will allow Xinjiang to control
access to their programs and ensure optimum quality of the
reception, but it will also enable them to introduce many
additional services in the near future.
System installation will start in June 1997, together with
the roll-out of the IRDs, enabling Xinjiang to be fully
operational by July 1, 1997.
                              
         Sanders manufactures IRIDIUM satellite bus
     Each bus for the 66-satellite constellation is being
built by Sanders, a Lockheed Martin company in Nashua, N.H.,
under contract to Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space (LMMS),
Sunnyvale, Calif.  LMMS is responsible to Motorola Satellite
Communications Group, the IRIDIUM prime contractor, for the
spacecraft bus as well as other related products and
services.
     At Sanders' Nashua, N.H., manufacturing facility,
technicians receive the bare structure from Dow United
Technologies, Tallasee, Ala., and position it on a mobile,
rotatable dolly.  The unit is rolled through eight separate
manufacturing stations during the 10-day assembly period.
At each station the structure is built out with harnesses,
electronic components which comprise the attitude control
system and the satellite's propulsion system.
     Once complete, the bus assembly is tested and shipped
to Motorola Satellite Communications Group's Chandler,
Ariz., facility, where the satellite construction is
finished with the addition of the communications payload,
solar panels and main mission antennas.  The satellite is
then shipped from Chandler to the launch site.
     Sanders is building a total of 80 satellite buses under
a May 1994 contract.  The company's 20,000 square feet of
special cleanliness manufacturing space for IRIDIUM bus
assembly includes a Class 10,000 "clean room" for the
assembly of the propulsion system.  Sanders manufactures the
propulsion unit as well as the harnesses for the bus.
Production of the buses is scheduled to continue through
December 1997.
                              
             PowerTel TV, Ontario Hydro team up
     PowerTel TV  in addition to planning its roll-out
across southern Ontario, the wireless digital television
company is looking beyond the current CRTC licensing process
and investigating opportunities to offer the benefits of
digital television and Internet services to all parts of the
province.
     PowerTel TV has signed a letter of intent with Ontario
Hydro to develop a plan that would enable the company to
purchase various services, including the use of certain
tower sites and fibreoptic transmission facilities
throughout the province. This purchase would enhance the
service that PowerTel TV plans to offer Ontario consumers.
                              
             Hyundai-TV/COM and Grundig alliance
     
      BSkyB  has awarded a contract to a Grundig and Hyundai-
TV/COM alliance for the supply of digital Set Top Boxes
(STB) for reception of BSkyB digital satellite television
services in Europe.
Hyundai-TV/COM and Grundig have decided to form a strategic
alliance in digital STB design, manufacture, marketing and
sales to derive maximum benefit from the opportunities
created by BSkyB's introduction of digital satellite
broadcasting into the United Kingdom.  The Grundig branded
STB's will be manufactured in the company's dedicated
satellite factory in Wales, based upon a Hyundai design.
                              
                  Ziff-Davis Launches ZDTV
     Ziff-Davis Inc.  announced the launch of ZDTV: Your
Computer Channel. The 24-hour television network will be
dedicated exclusively to providing information and
entertainment about computers and the Internet.
     ZDTV: Your Computer Channel, fully funded by Ziff-
Davis, will debut in the first quarter of 1998.  The
television network will incorporate a completely integrated
Web site which will enable viewers to interact with the
channels television hosts, guests, and other viewers in real
time.  The Web site companion to the television programming
will debut in the fourth quarter of 1997, as programming
content is being built for the 1998 debut of the television
channel. A sister unit, ZD Television Productions, will
continue to co-produce programming for other channels,
including The Site, television's only one-hour nightly prime-
time show on computing, which airs on the cable network
MSNBC.
                              
                     La Chaine Histoire
     Groupe AB and A&E Television Networks, the owner of The
History Channel, have signed an agreement to launch a new
thematic channel to be called La Chaine Histoire.
     Groupe AB's digital DTH service, AB Sat, will begin
broadcasting La Chaine Histoire this week with Nuremberg a
Nuremberg by Fridiric Rossif in commemoration of the
armistice of May 8, 1945.  The channel, which will be edited
and operated by AB Sat, will offer French viewers a
combination of French and international thematic history
programming from The History Channel International's
program catalogue, which includes A&E's Biography series,
and from Groupe AB's library.  The new channel brings the
number of thematic channels in the AB Sat package to
nineteen.
     In addition to France, La Chaine Histoire will also be
marketed in the French-speaking territories of Belgium,
Monaco, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Andorra.
     The new channel, which is owned 100% by Groupe AB, will
license the La Chaine Histoire brand-name from A&E.  It is
anticipated that A&E will take an equity stake in the
channel in the future.
                              
             DIRECTV (GLA) officially in Panama
     Available in Panama since December 1996, DIRECTV (GLA)
was officially unveiled at an event held this week in Panama
City.
     In Panama, DIRECTV is distributed by Astrovision, GLA's
local operating company.  Astrovision was formed in 1995 as
an independent corporation by a group of local investors.
     With the launch later this year of Galaxy VIII-I,
DIRECTV (GLA) will provide up to 238 channels of digital
video and audio programming.
                              
                       SPAR Wins Contract
     
     Spar Aerospace Limited has won a $9.5 million contract
to supply Russia's INFORMCOSMOS with four high power Ku-Band
repeater panels for the GALS-R16 satellite.
     Under the terms of this contract, Spar Space Systems
will design and build the amplification module of the GALS-R
16 repeater, which will rely on Spar's expertise in high
power payload systems and the use of heritage equipment.
Spar will also cooperate with lNFORMCOSMOS for the
integration of the repeater.
         Due for launch at the end of 1998, GALS-R 16 is a
new generation of Russian built satellite that will provide
telecommunications services over Russia and the former
Soviet Union.
     Joint Stock Company INFORMCOSMOS is a leading Russian
designer and manufacturer of satellite communications
systems. It currently is developing a new generation of
fixed communications and Direct Broadcast by Satellite
satellites (EXPRESS and GALS-R 16) to replace the existing
GORIZONT satellites as well as a mobile satellite system
(MARAFON) to provide reliable communications with mobile
vehicles and remote terminals.
                              
                      Upcoming Launches
    "    Check our web site for current listings of 1997
                          launches.
"    Click on "Launch Info".
      Next Delta Launch             Next Ariane Launch
   THOR 2A -- May 17, 1997     INSAT 2D/INMARSAT 3F4 --June
                                         3, 1997
                              
            New files and documents at our WebStand
1    DVB News International Vol. 2 No 3
1    PBS Monthly Programming Schedule
1    PBS Weekly Previews
1    A&E Prime Time Schedule
                              
                          In Brief
"    The next Chinese satellite, Dongfanghong-3, is due to
be launched on May 13 on a Long March 3a rocket. The launch
was originally scheduled to launch on May 5, however, it was
delayed in part to ensure a successful launch after a number
of failures last year.
"    Tee-Comm Electronics Inc.'s  shares dropped  52% this
week after the company reported  that it won't be able to
meet an interest payment now due. Tee-Comm has a further 15
days before it will be considered in default.  The company
is considering proposing that its convertible subordinated
debenture holders exchange some of their convertible
debentures for equity, as a way of injecting the firm will
additional funds.
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--- Msged/386 4.00
Hello everyone.
This query should be in the proper location but if not please let
me know of a more suitable conference.
Hopefully someone has faced a similar situation in the past and
can assist in finding a solution.
We do not watch a whole lot of television but when using the PC's
all tv's in the house have some degree of interference. The
landlord upgraded the electrical a few months ago and it helped
but not enough. Still a lot of white lines on many channels.
I have tried indoor antennas (tv top, rabbit, plug-in) and a roof
antenna in the attic (landlord hasn't put it on the roof yet).
Mostly the results have been hours of futzing to get a clear
station nobody watches. 
While on my vacation I figured I'd get cable installed to
hopefully solve this once and for all so I can get some work done
when I want and not when everyone's asleep or out of the house.
Didn't realize it would be $35-70 a month and I'd _have_ to use
the cable box' remote even though every tv and vcr is 'cable
ready'. The service is to be installed later this week and we
will scale back the channels to make it more affordable but we
wondered if there's a more economical solution.
I just started looking at the satellite dish alternative but it
seems DSS is the way to go if I want to own the hardware. PrimeStar
looks like a good cross between cable and satellite where I pay
monthly and rent the hardware.
The $40 or so monthly is similar to cable's basic to mid packages
but how does the service/programming compare? Is satellite more of
a hassle in the beginning but more feature/program rich in the
end? Can I use the remotes that come with the components I have
now for basic channel surfing? What are the approximate costs to
set up 3 tv's where each can view different channels at the same
time? What possible difficulties arise when you live near an
airport (Laguardia in NYC)? Where can I find information that can
get me started in semi-laymen's terms without a sales pitch?
Thanks in advance for any information offered.
                                                Joe
InterNet: joe.johnson@sysmatic.com {or} @worldnet.att.net
    RIME: "->5210" Systematic BBS - Bronx, N.Y.  (718) 716-6198
  MHPNet: Caz' Devastation BBS - Bronx, New York (718) 892-0187
... A man's home is his HASSLE!
---
 * Tag-X Pro v1.51 *
--- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 
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