309 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
309 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
--------------------------------- SKYGUIDE UK ---------------------------------
|
|
| |
|
|
| Issue 2 - Index - Issue 2 |
|
|
| |
|
|
----------------------- Week Ending Sat 27th March 1993 -----------------------
|
|
|
|
Page 1
|
|
|
|
* JUDICIAL REVIEW FOR RED HOT BAN
|
|
|
|
* RED HOT RUSH
|
|
|
|
* HARDCORE UK
|
|
|
|
* THE HOT TICKET
|
|
|
|
Page 2
|
|
|
|
* EVEN NON-VIEWERS WANT THE CHOICE
|
|
|
|
* YET ANOTHER STORY ABOUT HUNDREDS OF CHANNELS FROM ASTRA
|
|
|
|
* WRN RETURNING TO ASTRA
|
|
|
|
* DAS DEUTSCHES STEREO KANAL
|
|
|
|
Page 3
|
|
|
|
* BBC SATELLITE RADIO "A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION"
|
|
|
|
* KEEP AN EYE ON SKY
|
|
|
|
* CABLE LIFESTYLE
|
|
|
|
* UK GOLD FILLS IN THE BLANKS
|
|
|
|
Page 4
|
|
|
|
* DALEKS? WHO?
|
|
|
|
* SKY ONE AIMS FOR LIFESTYLE VIEWERS
|
|
|
|
* ANORAK TIME
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
==========================
|
|
skyguide/skyguide #6, from bignoise, 2811 chars, Mar 26 18:48 93
|
|
This is a comment to message 5.
|
|
There are more comments to 5.
|
|
--------------------------
|
|
Skyguide Issue 002 Page 1
|
|
|
|
--------------------------------- SKYGUIDE UK ---------------------------------
|
|
| |
|
|
| Your digest of the latest news in the world of Satellite & Cable Television |
|
|
| |
|
|
----------------------- Week Ending Sat 27th March 1993 -----------------------
|
|
|
|
* JUDICIAL REVIEW FOR RED HOT BAN
|
|
|
|
It took just ten minutes for Red Hot Television to win permission for a
|
|
Judicial review in the High Court, on Wednesday this week.
|
|
|
|
The judge, Justice McPherson, said that there was an arguable case for a
|
|
judicial review, although adding that "It seems to me a bit bleak that we can't
|
|
stop pornography coming into this country if we don't want it to". Mark Garner
|
|
of Continental Television said the ruling was a "Victory for democracy".
|
|
|
|
The UK Government intends to proscribe the channel under Article 22 of the
|
|
European Community's ironically named "Television Without Frontiers"
|
|
directive. This allows member states to block broadcasts which might "seriously
|
|
impair the physical, mental or moral development of minors".
|
|
|
|
However, Article 22 goes on to say that broadcasts may be proscribed EXCEPT
|
|
when "it is ensured, by selecting the time of the broadcast or by any technical
|
|
measure that minors would not normally see such broadcasts" - As RHTv
|
|
broadcasts after midnight and requires a smart-card based decoder (of which
|
|
more later), it seems to comply with the directive on both counts.
|
|
|
|
Continental Television have employed leading media barrister David Pennick to
|
|
handle their appeal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
* RED HOT RUSH
|
|
|
|
The Government may have done RHTv a favour - following the announcement of the
|
|
ban last Friday, more than 3,500 people rushed to get subscriptions to Red Hot
|
|
Television over the following four days. Much overtime was had by all, it is
|
|
claimed.
|
|
|
|
This brings the number of subscribers in the UK alone to around 27,000.
|
|
|
|
|
|
* HARDCORE UK
|
|
|
|
Meanwhile, The Adult Channel are refusing to comment on speculation that they
|
|
will uplink from abroad in order to show more explicit films to their 135,000
|
|
viewers.
|
|
|
|
SES, owners of Astra, have recently stated that they would not allow Astra to
|
|
be used as a vehicle for the bypassing of UK laws on pornography.
|
|
|
|
The Adult Channel is apparently putting pressure on the Government and
|
|
Independent Television Commission to allow them to uplink harder-core
|
|
programming from the UK.
|
|
|
|
|
|
* THE HOT TICKET
|
|
|
|
RHTv are soon to be posting out smartcards to their subscribers. The cards are
|
|
advertised as working in one of Continental Television's "Enigma" decoders, or
|
|
in viewers existing Videocrypt decoders. Transmission tests of the new system
|
|
are ongoing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
==========================
|
|
skyguide/skyguide #7, from bignoise, 2758 chars, Mar 26 18:49 93
|
|
This is a comment to message 5.
|
|
There are more comments to 5.
|
|
--------------------------
|
|
Skyguide Issue 002 Page 2
|
|
|
|
* EVEN NON-VIEWERS WANT THE CHOICE
|
|
|
|
According to a survey of 1,200 people, most viewers disagree with banning
|
|
channels that feature explicit films - as that is censorship.
|
|
|
|
The majority of people polled said that even if people do not wish to watch
|
|
hardcore programming, they should be allowed the freedom of choice to do so, as
|
|
long as the programming was limited to after midnight and children were not
|
|
exposed to it.
|
|
|
|
Only one in three actively disapprove of hardcore on television, with just one
|
|
in seven disapproving of the "soft" pornography that is already available.
|
|
|
|
The poll proves that not all opinion polls are biased to reflect the views of
|
|
those who commission them. This particular poll was commissioned by the
|
|
Independent Television Commission, who have been badgering the Government for
|
|
quite some time to outlaw Red Hot Television.
|
|
|
|
|
|
* YET ANOTHER STORY ABOUT HUNDREDS OF CHANNELS FROM ASTRA
|
|
|
|
SES have now confirmed that they will be launching a sixth Astra satellite in
|
|
1995. Astra 1F will join Astra 1D and 1E as carriers of compressed digital
|
|
television transmissions, which could result in the much-quoted figure of 180
|
|
channels from one dish.
|
|
|
|
Astras 1D, 1E and 1F will be able to carry conventional analogue television
|
|
like Astras 1A, 1B and 1C, as well as a much higher number of digitally
|
|
compressed television services.
|
|
|
|
Naturally viewers will need some leading-edge technology in their own homes to
|
|
decode the digital transmissions. It is hoped that a common platform can be
|
|
established among a number of differing possible formats for the broadcasts.
|
|
Any such equipment is unlikely to be seen before the end of 1994.
|
|
|
|
The decision to launch the sixth satellite was confirmed by Dr. Pierre Meyrat,
|
|
SES's director general, in Los Angeles, where he was viewing the Astra 1C
|
|
satellite which is due to launch in May this year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
* WRN RETURNING TO ASTRA
|
|
|
|
The World Radio Network, a radio station made up of programming from radio
|
|
broadcasters across the world, returns to Astra on the 1st of July this year.
|
|
|
|
The service had transmitted experimentally last year on an audio subcarrier of
|
|
The Comedy Channel. The new service will be transmitting on a subcarrier on
|
|
Sky News.
|
|
|
|
A report on Radio Sweden indicated that a number of broadcasters are already
|
|
signed up for the service, including the USA's National Public Radio, Vatican
|
|
Radio, Radio Finland, Radio Japan, Radio France International and Radio Canada
|
|
International.
|
|
|
|
|
|
* DAS DEUTSCHES STEREO KANAL
|
|
|
|
German entertainment broadcaster Sat-1 is planning to transmit a stereo
|
|
soundtrack for its programming on Astra.
|
|
|
|
It already provides a stereo soundtrack on its service on the TV-Sat satellite.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
==========================
|
|
skyguide/skyguide #8, from bignoise, 2692 chars, Mar 26 18:49 93
|
|
This is a comment to message 5.
|
|
There are more comments to 5.
|
|
--------------------------
|
|
Skyguide Issue 002 Page 3
|
|
|
|
* BBC SATELLITE RADIO "A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION"
|
|
|
|
Chris Garrett, leader of a campaign to save Radio 4's Long Wave broadcasts in
|
|
the face of the BBC's decision to launch a news service on the frequency, has
|
|
greeted the news of the BBC's radio broadcasts on Astra as "A step in the right
|
|
direction".
|
|
|
|
The Astra service, to be launched officially on April 3rd, brings the stations
|
|
into homes across Europe, where a number of ex-patriate listeners were upset at
|
|
the prospect of losing Radio 4. Listeners in the UK were also concerned that
|
|
they may lose the service as their FM reception of the station was marginal.
|
|
|
|
Mr. Garrett made the point that many listeners will not be able to afford the
|
|
receiving equipment, and that satellite radio cannot be received in cars.
|
|
|
|
|
|
* KEEP AN EYE ON SKY
|
|
|
|
Sky's programming will be under scrutiny in a two-week investigation by the
|
|
Independent Television Commission, starting this Saturday.
|
|
|
|
Programming on Sky, ITV and Channel 4 will be monitored from 6pm to midnight
|
|
each day for acts of violence. The study is intended to prove false the claims
|
|
that "there's nothing but violence on TV".
|
|
|
|
On the first day of their survey, the ITC will be able to note a number of
|
|
explicit acts of violence in Sky's pre-watershed screening of Terminator 2.
|
|
|
|
|
|
* CABLE LIFESTYLE
|
|
|
|
Many cable operators across the UK found themselves deluged with complaints
|
|
following the closure of the Lifestyle channel. They're hoping to fill the gap
|
|
with a new channel, "The Cable Network", which would primarily cater for the
|
|
Women's daytime market.
|
|
|
|
TCN, which launches on May 4th, will feature a number of programmes on topics
|
|
such as cooking, fashion and pet care, as well as quizzes and competitions. It
|
|
is also currently considering purchasing some of Lifestyle's more popular
|
|
programmes.
|
|
|
|
It's unlikely that satellite viewers will be able to get in on the action,
|
|
though, since it is thought that the new channel will be delivered to
|
|
cable head-ends on videotape.
|
|
|
|
|
|
* UK GOLD FILLS IN THE BLANKS
|
|
|
|
New shows in April for UK Gold include the game show Blankety Blank, which
|
|
will be screened daily in the 5pm slot.
|
|
|
|
New in the evening is Colin's Sandwich, starring Mel Smith - 10:30pm on Friday
|
|
nights from April 30th. Also a screening of the popular satellite spoof series
|
|
KYTV from Monday April 19th at 10:30pm. Carrott's Lib takes over once the
|
|
supplies of Carrott Confidential episodes are exhausted.
|
|
|
|
Another blank being filled in the shape of UK Gold's teletext service, which
|
|
launches on April 2nd, providing enhanced listings and synopsis information
|
|
for programmes, amongst other things.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
==========================
|
|
skyguide/skyguide #9, from bignoise, 1536 chars, Mar 26 18:50 93
|
|
This is a comment to message 5.
|
|
--------------------------
|
|
Skyguide Issue 002 Page 4
|
|
|
|
* DALEKS? WHO?
|
|
|
|
Apparently no Dr. Who episodes featuring The Daleks can be screened on UK Gold,
|
|
since permission to show any Dalek stories on Satellite television has been
|
|
witheld by the writer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
* SKY ONE AIMS FOR LIFESTYLE VIEWERS
|
|
|
|
Sky One could be hoping to attract the audience of the defunct Lifestyle
|
|
channel in April - game show Concentration is screened daily at 10:30am, and
|
|
talk show Sally Jessy Raphael gets a daily outing at 2:15pm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
* ANORAK TIME
|
|
|
|
It was Pal Plus night on 3sat's transponder this (Friday) morning - around one
|
|
and a half hours of widescreen tests took place from 1am UK time. As well as a
|
|
BBC High Definition film of a Scottish castle, a number of helpfully-labelled
|
|
and headache-inducing test patterns were broadcast...
|
|
|
|
U/B 1MHz 2MHz 4.4MHz Staircases
|
|
U/B 0.5 - 5.0 MHz Sweep
|
|
U/B 1MHz 2MHz 4.4MHz Staircases Compressed
|
|
U/B 0.5 - 5.0 MHz Sweep Compressed
|
|
Hyperbolic zone plate (75%)
|
|
Circular zone plate (75%)
|
|
Hyperbolic zone plate (75%)
|
|
Multi-burst
|
|
Pulse & bar
|
|
Static YUV test pattern
|
|
Moving Y test pattern (camera mode)
|
|
Moving UV test pattern (camera mode)
|
|
75% colour bars
|
|
Grids and fans
|
|
Swinging colour bars (camera mode)
|
|
Eye Balls
|
|
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Skyguide is published weekly and is copyright. Not to be redistributed without
|
|
consent. (c) 1993 bignoise@cix.compulink.co.uk
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|