Just after midnight Sunday morning (Oct. 29) a Long March 3B carrier rocket launched China's first high power DBS satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. SinoSat-2 will be used for satellite TV broadcasting and broadband communications. A Chinaview article quotes Sun Laiyan, chief of the China National Sp

Potentially offering competition to satellite TV powerhouses EchoStar and DirecTV, Northpoint Technology Ltd. has asked FCC permission to launch two DBS satellites that promise 300 channels of video programming and 2 Mbps Internet service. The "Compass" will allow broadcast of local stations by a terrestrial component

China successfully launched a "homemade high-power communications and broadcast satellite" into space last weekend aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket, according to the Xinhua News Agency . The new SinoSat-2 satellite, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, "is desi

This week the FCC authorized Spectrum Five LLC and EchoStar to provide DBS service to the U.S. from 114.5 degrees West Longitude and 86.5 degrees WL, respectively. Under the Region 2 BSS (broadcast satellite service) and feeder link plans, the United States is assigned eight orbital locations at 61.5, 101, 110, 119, 14

Nova, a Greek satellite service, has announced plans to initiate HD service before the end of the summer.

An article in People's Daily Online said China Radio International reported Guangzhou, a city in Southern China, plans to build "the world's tallest TV tower" by 2007. The tower would be between 580 and 600 meters (1,903 to 1,969 feet) high. The article, Guaugzhou to build world's tallest TV tower didn't define "TV

China Central Television (CCTV) will roll out the first HD channel in the world's most populous nation this week (Sept. 8) for viewers in Hangzhou. The service will feature movies, TV series, documentaries and animated features, according to published reports and the two designated TV service providers--CTV Media a

Rainbow DBS, Cablevision's satellite provider, will offer as many as 39 HD channels with its new service.