150 lines
6.2 KiB
Plaintext
150 lines
6.2 KiB
Plaintext
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bbcid MORGAA01 @ BBC-BH
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Skyguide Issue 023
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-------------------------------- SKYGUIDE UK ---------------------------------
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| Your digest of the latest news in the world of Satellite & Cable TV |
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------------------------- Week Ending Sun August 29th ------------------------
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* THE SCRAMBLING GOES ON
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Scrambling tests on Sky One are being intensified in the run-up to the launch
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of the Multi Channels package on September 1st.
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As well as reminding viewers of the urgency to subscribe if they have not
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already done so, these tests are also being used to highlight a number of
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official Sky viewing cards that do not appear to decode Multichannels
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properly.
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Sky have recently made some changes to their Videocrypt transmissions to knock
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out the flood of pirate cards that are circulating around Europe. Viewers with
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pirate cards have found that Sky channels now alternate between clear and
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scrambled every three seconds.
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While an upgrade has been announced for these pirate cards to circumvent this
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effect, there is still doubt as to whether the Multichannels package will be
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correctly unscrambled by the unlicensed cards.
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Sky One's encryption tests have revealed a small number of official Sky cards
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that will not decode Multichannels properly either, although this can be fixed
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by a simple over-the-air upgrade which cures the problem instantly.
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Subscribers experiencing problems can call Sky for the upgrade to be sent then
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and there.
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* GOLDIE BITES THE DUST
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Sky aren't the only broadcasters planning a new look for their channels in
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September. UK Gold will introduce major continuity, presentation and schedule
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changes in an effort to reflect a fresher, more modern and welcoming look for
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the channel.
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Live continuity, almost unheard of on UK satellite channels although quite
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common terrestrially, will be introduced, and evening schedules will be
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simplified. There will be an hour of soaps at 6pm, drama at 7pm, comedy at
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8pm and more drama at 9pm.
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UK Gold's on-screen dog, originally named "Goldie" although never referred to
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on-air as such, will be replaced by a new station logo.
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New programmes planned for the Autumn season include BBC comedies Ever
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Decreasing Circles, Brush Strokes and Are You Being Served?, plus the dramas
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All Creatures Great And Small, Rockliffe's Babies, Secret Army, and The
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Survivors.
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* ON AIR
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German broadcaster ZDF is now on air on Astra 1C, Transponder 33. It joins
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the East German regional channel MDR3 and SWF who are now also broadcasting
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on the satellite.
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ARD, Germany's first national channel has now taken over the Astra 1B
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transponder from Eins Plus.
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* CHANNEL HOPPING
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Filmnet's out-of-band transponder on Astra 1C is now carrying some encryption
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tests. While many viewers have been able to pick up RTL-5's out-of-band
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broadcasts, it is unlikely that many domestic viewers will be able to pick up
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Filmnet's broadcasts with their existing equipment.
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Meanwhile, a set of identical test-cards have been sighted on Astra 1C, on
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Transponders 34, 38 and 47.
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34 and 38 have been ear-marked for UK Living, due to launch on September 1st,
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and QVC, to launch in the clear on October 1st.
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Transponder 47's fate is still not officially known, although SES have now
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confirmed that the test card is, along with the others, being uplinked by BT
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in the UK, on behalf of a British broadcaster.
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It is now almost certain that this broadcaster is Sky, who will use it to
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launch a second sports channel, as predicted in Skyguide Issue 21.
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* YET MORE SPORT
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Speaking of which, Sky Sports will begin broadcasting the UK hockey season,
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beginning on October 12th.
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* AND THEN THERE WERE SUBTITLES (Or 'As we predicted several months ago...')
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>From October, Sky's premium movie channels will carry teletext subtitles for
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the deaf and heard of hearing on a number of major movies and premieres.
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In October, the following ten films will carry subtitles on page 888:
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Sky Movies: Cape Fear, The Doctor, Final Analysis, Father Of The Bride.
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Movie Channel: Basic Instinct, Prince Of Tides, Memoirs Of An Invisible Man,
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Bugsy, The Butcher's Wife, Shining Thorough.
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The subtitles will be produced with the assistance of Independent Media
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Support Limited. It is possible that the majority of subtitles will be
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purchased from outside agencies rather than created in-house. Many of the
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films listed above were among the first batch of videos released in the UK
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with NCI closed-caption subtitles.
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This makes Sky the first satellite broadcaster to carry teletext subtitles on
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their channels. Other UK broadcasters may follow, with UK Gold in particular
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being a distinct possibility, owing to the large amount of material already
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subtitled by Ceefax or Oracle for the original terrestrial screenings.
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* A SMALL POINT
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Sky Movies Plus becomes no more as of September 1st, when the channel reverts
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its original title of just "Sky Movies". The "Plus" was added to the channel
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name over two years ago, to reflect the additional special events such as WWF
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Wrestling or live pop concerts that were carried on the channel on an
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occasional basis.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Skyguide Issue 23 Edited by Ant Purvis
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Skyguide is published every week. You can find it on London's CIX conferencing
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system in the Skyguide conference, the Fidonet Satelite TV echo, the Packet
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Radio Network, and on internet in the alt.satellite.tv.europe newsgroup.
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Skyguide is not a commercial publication, nor is it a cut-down version of a
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printed journal. Nonetheless, it is copyright, and is not to be redistributed
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in any form without consent. Errors and Omissions expected.
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Back issues can be mailed to internet mailboxes on request.
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Comments, suggestions, stories and monetary donations are always appreciated!
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You can contact Skyguide in the following ways:
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CIX : mail to bignoise, or use the Skyguide/comments conference.
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Fidonet : Netmail to ANTONY PURVIS at 2:251/203, or leave a message in the
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Satellite TV echo. Please note the new netmail address!
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Internet: bignoise@cix.compulink.co.uk
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