Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 9, 1994 TAG: 9410220020
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
According to Video Magazine, that prophecy is now coming true.
The first small, direct-to-home satellite package is being offered by Digital Satellite System (DSS), a consortium consisting of GM Hughes, DirecTv, Hubbard Broadcasting's United States Satellite and Thomson Consumer Electronics' RCA.
Sales of the small-dish system began in Jackson, Miss., where the first system was purchased, and a handful of other test cities. Now, the system is rolling out region by region across the country. DSS should be available in most areas later this month and, by year's end, coast-to-coast.
DSS subscribers can choose from dozens of new and familiar channels, sports events, and movie channels. Programs are distributed to home satellite dishes about the size of a pizza (18-by-20 inches to be exact) via two high-powered satellites hovering 22,300 miles above the equator.
It seems that DSS will soon be sharing the cable alternative market. Tele-communications Inc., Time Warner Cable and other major cable operators have joined to form Primestar Partners. This group is racing to compete with DSS by improving on the existing larger dish system.
Other companies are sure to emerge as well, which would likely spark a price war, making satellite dishes more affordable for consumers.
Currently, RCA's core DSS system, consisting of a small metal dish, a mount, a receiver and a remote control, sells for $699. For an additional $200, RCA's primo system can be purchased, which includes a universal remote, a glass-reinforced plastic dish and a dual output low-noise block converter capable of serving two TVs simultaneously with different programs.
The system can be professionally installed at an extra cost of $150 to $200. A surprising 40 percent of early DSS buyers are opting for the $70 parts kit and installing the system themselves.
by CNB