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AsiaSatLink Quarterly Newsletter
Issue 55, Autumn 2007 |
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LUXE.TV HD Service Launches on AsiaSat 2 |
World's first international television network dedicated to luxury lifestyle LUXE.TV has begun broadcasting to Asia in both High Definition (HD) and Standard Definition (SD) on AsiaSat 2.
Delivered in MPEG 4 format, LUXE.TV HD offers exceptional picture resolution, 3D effects and digital sound quality to Asian viewers. LUXE.TV's short documentary-style programmes are all exclusively shot and produced in HD, focusing on five major luxury sectors: art and craftsmanship; cars, jets and yachts; jewellery and watches; hotels and gastronomy; beauty and fashion.
To allow viewers without HD reception capability to enjoy the high-end coverage of the luxury industry and to facilitate the gradual adoption of HD television broadcasting technology in the Asian region, LUXE.TV also offers a parallel broadcast of a SD channel. Both the HD and SD versions of LUXE.TV are available 24/7 in English language on AsiaSat 2 serving audiences in more than 53 countries.
Launched in June 2006, LUXE.TV operates an international production network with headquarters in Luxembourg and production crews in 16 major cities around the world. LUXE.TV currently broadcasts in English, French, German, Italian and Russian via satellite, cable and IP platforms throughout Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Asia.
Jean-Baptiste Stock, General Manager of LUXE.TV (left) with Peter Jackson, CEO of AsiaSat on the occasion of contract signing in Hong Kong
Al-Dawri & Al-Kass (Al-Kass) has launched an Arabic language sports channel to the Asia Pacific region on AsiaSat 2. Al-Kass, operated under the Qatari public broadcast network, Qatar Radio and Television Corporation, is the official channel for the country's football league. The launch of Al-Kass to Asia provides Asian audience an insight into the football culture and the unique variety of sports in the Middle East.
News One, a 24-hour, free to air news channel, is now on AsiaSat 3S to serve the Urdu speaking community across the Asia Pacific region. This new channel provides top quality up-to-the-minute coverage of news events such as the presidential, national and local elections, as well as the yearly budgets of Pakistan.
News One is part of Airwaves Media, a private television network in Pakistan owned by Interflow Communications, one of Pakistan's leading advertising agencies. Besides News One, Airwaves Media also uses AsiaSat 3S to distribute two other channels, the popular Urdu entertainment channel 'TV One' and the Seraiki language infotainment channel 'Waseb TV' across Pakistan and 50 other countries in the region.
Russia Today, a 24/7, English language news channel has joined the AsiaSat 3S broadcast platform to present to viewers events happening in Russia and around the globe. In addition to providing breaking news, stories on politics, business and public affairs, Russia Today's quality programming also includes exclusive interviews with high-ranking personalities, leading economists, politicians and prominent figures in culture, art and sports.
WIKKID Plus, Pakistan's first indigenous children's channel, has commenced free to air broadcasting on AsiaSat 3S. The channel carries a diverse array of educational and entertainment programmes for children, including story reading, puppet shows, quiz show, travelogues, adventure, music shows, talk shows, cooking, "Kids" news, cartoons and drama series. 60% of its programming is produced locally in Urdu language and the remaining foreign programmes in English.
WIKKID Plus, operated under Total Media Limited, a wholly-owned media operation of Worldcall and First Capital Group of Companies in Pakistan, has production and uplinking facilities in Lahore. Through AsiaSat 3S, the broadcaster is able to serve a wider geographic audience with quality and innovative programming.
E! International Network, a 24-hour, English language channel of programming dedicated to celebrities and the world of entertainment, has begun broadcasting on AsiaSat 2. E! is a global entertainment channel operated under Comcast Entertainment Group in the Los Angeles, USA. Besides E! Entertainment Television, Comcast also operates E! Online; The Style Network and G4.
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AsiaSat Tai Po Earth Station Supports AsiaSat's Strategy of Expanding Service Offering |
Through its 5,711 square metre Earth Station in Tai Po, Hong Kong, AsiaSat is expanding its portfolio of satellite products and services to offer one-stop transmission solutions including space segment, optical fibre, downlink, uplink and other value added services such as playout and conditional access.
The expanded service offering includes a recently announced brand new C-band MCPC platform on AsiaSat 3S to provide video, audio, data and IP based broadcast services to customers from its Tai Po Earth Station.
This new multi-client platform for broadcast customers will deliver services at full power of the transponder and complement AsiaSat's existing MCPC platforms that are operated either directly by AsiaSat's Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong or by partners throughout the region.
AsiaSat Tai Po Earth Station is also the heart of the control and support operations where AsiaSat's satellite fleet and customers' traffic are monitored 24/7 by professional engineers. The state-of-the-art satellite control facilities include six antennas with four 7.3 metre, one 11.3 metre and one 6.3 metre. The earth station also offers other value added services such as backup services to customers.
AsiaSat Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong
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AsiaSat 5 Progressing Well in Spacecraft Integration and Testing |
Following the completion of integrating the final units of the payload, bus and power systems onto the spacecraft, the testing of AsiaSat 5 has begun.
The payload units are in their final stages of completion. C-band TWTAs (Travelling Wave Tube Amplifiers) have been combined with channel amplifiers, linearised and installed on the spacecraft. The Ku-band TWTAs are being mated with channel amplifiers and being linearised. The Ku-band amplifiers have the capability to operate in fixed gain mode as well as Automatic Level Control (ALC) mode. In both modes, transponders will be operating with full linearisation.
The receivers on both C-band and Ku-band have successfully completed testing in high overdrive conditions and maintain linearity at levels of greater performance.
All transponders are currently being matched for gain so that each transponder has the same performance. At the completion of this testing, all transponders will be measured against specification for gain transfer, frequency response and group delay.
Payload testing is being designed prudently to ensure a highly flexible switching between the C-band beam and the Ku-band beams. The bus units including reaction wheels, Gyro's and Sun and Earth sensors, etc. have been installed and have proceeded through initial testing. The bus is complete and ready for main body mating which is currently scheduled for December.
Antenna fabrication is proceeding well with three of the four antenna reflectors and feed assemblies having completed component level testing. The first two antennas, Ku-band steerable and East Asia, have successfully completed near field range testing and the data compares well against the predicted coverage.
Power subsystems which include batteries and solar arrays are progressing and are ready for initial testing. The propulsion system has been installed and tested on the spacecraft. Orbit raising motor has been delivered and is being inspected. Attitude control thrusters have been assembled and tested, and will be installed by the end of this year.
AsiaSat 5 is the replacement satellite for AsiaSat 2, scheduled for launch to the 100.5 degrees East orbital location in 2009. AsiaSat 5 is able to offer high power, expanded coverage and excellent look angles over the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, South East Asia and Australasia for enhanced satellite based services such as regional and international broadcast, wholesales news distribution, occasional services, VSAT networks and broadband content delivery to the Asia Pacific region.
Communications panel of AsiaSat 5
Korea Telecom (KT) signed a new lease for C-band capacity on AsiaSat 2. The capacity is used for the provision of VSAT network services across the region.
RTP Internacional (RTPi) renewed its lease for C-band capacity on the European Bouquet's digital broadcast platform on AsiaSat 2 to continue to provide Portuguese TV and radio programmes to Asia and Australasia. RTPi, the Portuguese national broadcaster, has been broadcasting on AsiaSat 2 for its Asian services since 1996. In addition to RTP, the European Bouquet platform also broadcasts six digital television channels and 19 other radio channels on AsiaSat 2.
SpeedCast Limited renewed its C-band leases on AsiaSat 2 to continue to provide its customers in over 30 countries with a comprehensive range of satellite IP based services including Internet Access, Enterprise Network Services, Corporate Broadcast Services, Multimedia Content Distribution and an interactive Mobile TV platform MobiCast. SpeedCast, a leading satellite and multimedia service provider in Asia, is 72% owned by AsiaSat.
CVC Network renewed its C-band lease on AsiaSat 2 to continue to offer radio services across the region. From its Asia Pacific broadcast centre in Queensland, Australia, CVC provides broadcast for three major language services including Mandarin, Bahasa Indonesia and English. The multicultural CVC Network is well recognised as a world class international radio broadcaster.
Beijing Sky Satellite Communications Co. Ltd. signed a new Ku-band lease on AsiaSat 3S for the provision of a VSAT network for data communications in China.
Shaanxi Bao Ji Shi Bao Trade Co. Ltd. renewed its C-band lease on AsiaSat 2 to continue to support VSAT applications in China.
Shanghai Cai Zhi Xing Information Technology Co. Ltd. renewed its C-band lease on AsiaSat 3S to continue to provide nationwide data broadcasting service.
Beijing Earthquake Network Centre signed a new lease agreement for Ku-band capacity on AsiaSat 4. The capacity is used to operate a network for collecting and exchanging data and information on earthquake conditions across the country.
AsiaSat's 2007 China Users Conference was held in Nanchang, China on the 30th and 31st of August. The conference was attended by over 130 delegates including users from various parts of Mainland China, and representatives from various government departments, experts from the satellite industry and equipment suppliers, system integrators and the media sector. The conference consisted of a series of presentations from AsiaSat on various topics including AsiaSat's satellite resources, customer services and development strategies. Guest speakers also shared their experience and views on satellite service, new satellite application technologies and equipments, and the development of satellite broadcasting industry in China.
A technical seminar was also organised for delegates on the topics of broadband communications, wireless technologies, satellite network management and interference prevention. Sight seeing activities were arranged after the conference for delegates to visit Mount Lushan, a popular tourist attraction hosting the famous mountain resort town of Lushan and the Lushan National Park.
Panel discussion at the China Users Conference
The 11th World Summit for Satellite Financing was held on the 4th to 6th of September in Paris, France. AsiaSat took part in a panel discussion on Growth Opportunities in Regional Satellite Markets. During the discussion, Peter Jackson, CEO of AsiaSat shared his views on how regional operators could reposition and exploit their advantages of regional presence, amid stronger competition from global players as a result of increased M&A and consolidation activities across the globe.
The event, organised by Euroconsult, gathered up to 400 senior executives who have regional and global presence in the satellite communications, media & IT, and banking and finance industry.
The Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC)'s Annual Conference was held on the 18th to 20th of September in Bangkok, Thailand. Peter Jackson, CEO of AsiaSat was invited to speak at two panel sessions. During the Satellite Operators CEO Roundtable, Jackson shared his insights on how AsiaSat as Asia's leading satellite operator positioned itself in a competitive market for continued profit and revenue growth. At the Satellite Financing Roundtable, Jackson gave a presentation on the perception of the overall satellite sector and discussed about the strategic issues impacting operators' performance.
William Wade, Deputy CEO also joined a panel session on Asian Satellite Business Market Strategies where regional operators shared their views on how operators could position themselves in the rapidly changing marketplace.
The WBU-ISOG Forum was held on the 22nd and 23rd of October in Croatia. During the Satellite Operators and Service Marketers session, Sabrina Cubbon, General Manager Marketing of AsiaSat gave an update on service offering covering AsiaSat's occasional service and HD transmission capability. Barry Turner, General Manager Engineering took part in another session on Progress on Broadband Wireless Interference Issues.
Founded in 1985, the International Satellite Operations Group (ISOG) is a committee of the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU). The forum is for representatives from broadcasters, satellite and fibre optic carriers, transmission service providers and invited participants associated with the industry to discuss and action on topics of common interest.
Themed "It's all about Content", the CASBAA Convention 2007 was held in Hong Kong on the 30th of October to the 2nd of November. It attracted over 1,500 participants from around the world including many of AsiaSat users and business partners for this event.
The Convention featured interactive debates on how content, technology and changing consumer demand were shaping the growth of creative content development and content delivery, including a forum dedicated to opportunities and challenges in China and India, and a technology session showcasing the products and technical solutions for the pay TV industry.
Besides hosting a juice bar serving delegates refreshing fruit juice throughout the four-day programme, Peter Jackson, CEO of AsiaSat was invited to moderate a session on Software Solutions in a Multicast World.
Representatives of Cubavision Internacional, an AsiaSat user, at the CASBAA Charity Ball
AsiaSat's ultimate holding company, Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, announced interim results for the first six months of 2007. Turnover for the half year was HK$461 million. Excluding the one-time receipt, revenue rose 6% compared to last year same period. The Board of Directors resolved to pay an interim dividend of eight HK cents per share, maintained at the same level as that of last year.
Sun Outage
Q: I heard from my dish installer that I will experience a few minutes outage from my satellite TV during certain dates in March and September every year. What is the reason?
A: The scenario you described is called Sun Outage. Sun outage is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the Sun passes behind the satellite and is within the field of view of an antenna on the ground. During the period, the Sun's energy will momentarily interfere with the satellite signals received by the antenna.
Sun outage occurs two times a year: around the Spring and the Fall Equinox. Usually each outage will only last for a few minutes depending on the location of receive site, and the size of the receiving dish. To know the date and time of sun outage, you may visit the Sun Outage section on AsiaSat website:
http://www.asiasat.com/eng/05_technical/sun_outage.html
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If you have any comments or questions regarding AsiaSatLink, please write to: Winnie Pang, Manager - Corporate Affairs, Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd., 17/F, The Lee Gardens, 33 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.
Tel: (852) 2500 0880 Fax: (852) 2500 0895 Email: wpang@asiasat.com
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