ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 30, 1996 TAG: 9604300041
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
Last time, I reported on recent developments in the burgeoning Direct Broadcast Satellite industry: Two new DBS systems debuted last Spring, while dishes and digital receivers are now available from at least eight vendors. On another front, a new federal law seeks to limit the authority of neighborhoods and communities to restrict satellite dish ownership. All of this bodes well for DBS.
Nevertheless, don't write off "large-dish" satellite systems too quickly. C-band remains the ultimate delivery vehicle for television programming. Here's why:
"C-band" refers to the small slice of radio spectrum allocated to TVRO (television receive-only) satellite services. The broadcast and cable television industries use C-band for the wholesale distribution of live and prerecorded video signals. That's unlikely to change anytime soon.
Programming: Home-based C-band evolved as a shadow industry of sorts. Anyone willing to shell out the bucks for a receiver and motorized dish could pull down virtually every network and cable channel for the price of a breath of air. No so anymore. Many of the high-profile cable channels (e.g., ESPN, Disney, A&E, HBO, etc.) are now available only with a properly authorized decoder.
Even still, scrambled programs cost less through C-band than either DBS or cable TV. Dozens of program "packagers" have sprung up in recent years; most offer a full slate of cable channels and pay-per-view movies. Unique to C-band: All channels are available a la carte - many for less than $10 a year! Or you can choose from a wide selection of deeply discounted package plans.
C-band's greatest strength is what you don't pay for. More than 100 channels are transmitted "in the clear" (not scrambled) including C-SPAN, Home & Garden, NASA, the Learning Channel and EWTN. You can also view live feeds from all major networks including PBS, Fox, UPN, and more than a dozen international networks. Best of all, much of what's on C-band is simply not available elsewhere - at any price.
Picture quality: Contrary to popular belief, digital doesn't equate to perfection: C-band actually edges out DBS in terms of picture quality (although both formats blow the socks off conventional broadcast and cable TV). Until HDTV arrives, only the venerable analog laser disc tops C-band.
Digital compression, the foundation for DBS and the new digital video disc (DVD) format, involves trade-offs that can lead to minor image flaws, especially in fast-motion shots. However, because compression dramatically increases a satellite's capacity, C-band programmers are beginning to make the transition to digital. The first consumer-grade digital receivers will be introduced this fall.
Interference: Although early glitches in the compression software have largely been resolved, DBS is naturally prone to disruption from heavy rain. (DBS advocates are quick to point out that cable systems experience their own share of outages!) C-band, on the other hand, is unaffected by rain.
Sound quality: Although the audio for in-the-clear C-band channels is analog, it's superior to conventional broadcast and cable television audio. Scrambled channels on C-band feature digitally encoded audio and often carry surround-sound information. DBS audio is totally digital.
Dish size: Yup, C-band antennas are big. However, it's often possible to situate a dish so that it can't be seen from the road. And thanks to more powerful satellites, the most popular dish size is now 7.5 feet in diameter. Sub-6-foot models work fine in some geographical regions.
Cost: C-band systems start at about $2,000 - more than twice what you'd pay for an 18-inch DBS system. That price includes dish, mount, motor drive, IRD (integrated receiver-decoder) and setup. However, when you factor in the monthly programming costs, C-band looks very attractive, indeed.
So is C-band always the smart choice? Not necessarily. Notwithstanding dish size and placement issues, the decision often boils down to individual programming preferences - as it should.
To receive a copy of my Home Satellite Resource List, send your name and address along with $2 (no envelopes please) to David Butler F-610, Department TWN, 14713 Pleasant Hill Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28278-7927. The list includes C-band and DBS equipment manufacturers and program packagers. You'll also receive a copy of an informative 24-page pamphlet, "A Simplified Guide to Satellite TV."
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: C-band remains the ultimate delivery vehicle forby CNBtelevision programming.