Cable trouble? Just dish it better

Amazingly, this sounds like a story you would read in almost any U.S. city, but it actually originates in Calcutta, India! I guess no matter where you go in the world, people still want to dump cable for a dish!





"Tired of cable spats and whimsical service providers spoiling your television viewing? Maybe it's time to cut the cable and make a dash for the dish.
Saturday's STAR and Sony switch-off on multi-system operator SitiCable provided the perfect platform for Zee Network to pitch its direct-to-home (DTH) service, Dish TV, in the city on Sunday."



The Telegraph - Calcutta : Metro

KVH Introduces New High-Performance Marine TracVision Satellite TV Systems

"'KVH's new TracVision 4-HP, G4-HP, 6-HP, and G6-HP marine satellite television antennas ensure the best possible operation in even the most extreme conditions,' said Ian Palmer, executive vice president of satellite sales for KVH. 'The new HP enhancements also offer significant improvements to our already robust tracking capabilities.



Now, thanks to TracVision's even more precise tracking, KVH customers are able to enjoy satellite TV farther offshore and in conditions where competing products just won't work reliably. These improvements, which have been phased in over the last several months, allow the TracVision antenna systems to provide superior performance even when installed in dynamic and demanding applications, such as on tuna towers.' "



KVH Introduces New High-Performance Marine TracVision Satellite TV Systems:

Interactive TV poised for a rollout

This is interesting.... just as the cable companies are eating away at the dominance of phone companies in providing voice services, now the Bells are getting into Interactive TV. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side huh?



Article Excerpt:



"Just as the tech bubble's promise of 'IP' telephone service over an Internet connection is only now becoming a widespread reality, IPTV finally appears to be on the verge of cracking the U.S. mainstream.



Not the cable TV establishment - which questions the technology and the demand for so much interactivity - but rather three Bell telephone companies are taking IPTV off the drawing board in the United States, much as telecom players in Asia and Europe have led the way abroad.



The extent of the Bells' plans vary considerably, but perhaps a dozen markets will see some form of IPTV starting later this year, and millions of homes may have the option by the end of 2006. "



Link To Complete Article:



USATODAY.com - Interactive TV poised for a rollout

Cablevision Chair Buys Rest Of Satellite Ops His Board Sold To EchoStar

I guess you don't make the Forbes 400 if you don't have any guts and Charles Dolan (Chairman Of Cablevision) is definitely putting his money where his mouth is. If it were his decision, I don't think he would've sold any of the Voom assets. But in today's corporate environment, risk is something to be avoided.



Here is an excerpt:




"Back in orbit: Cablevision Systems (nyse: CVC - news - people ) Chairman Charles Dolan is not quitting the satellite TV business after all. Dolan, who was forced by his board last month to sell the only satellite of Cablevision's fledgling Voom service to EchoStar Communications (nasdaq: DISH - news - people ) for $200 million, now plans to buy the remainder of Voom's assets."



Link To Complete Article



Forbes.com: Dolan: Cablevision Chair Buys Rest Of Satellite Ops His Board Sold To EchoStar:

OpenTV Builds First Interactive Television Shopping Application for Dish Network

OpenTV Corp., one of the world's leading interactive television companies, helped EchoStar Communications Corporation's DISH Network and The Sharper Image make retail history by developing an iTV commerce application that brings the nation's first interactive television shopping channel to DISH Network's interactive TV line-up in February.



Viewers will control the shopping experience by using their remote control to purchase merchandise from The Sharper Image on-screen catalog, access the status of their accounts, order history, and much more.




OpenTV Builds First Interactive Television Shopping Application for Dish Network and Sharper Image

DISH Network Satellite TV Offers Pentagon Channel

"ALEXANDRIA, Va. (NNS) -- EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH) and its DISH Network satellite TV service announced in February it is now offering the Pentagon Channel, the Defense Department's news and information network for and about the military.



The Pentagon Channel, which was launched stateside on May 14, 2004, will now be distributed 24 hours a day, seven days a week to DISH Network satellite TV customers. The channel is provided to customers at no additional cost as part of DISH Network's public interest channels. A second satellite dish may be required."



DISH Network Satellite TV Offers Pentagon Channel