J. SpaceTel sounds like SpaceTV(Divi customer), but they are not the same........................
SpaceTel...........................
ftmedia.com
VAN DER HEYDEN UNVEILS SATELLITE PLANS FOR TAIWAN
TAIWAN Ð The SpaceTel Group, headed up by well-connected satellite veteran Thomas van der Heyden, has emerged as the latest player in Taiwan's increasingly crowded direct-to-home satellite landscape. The company, which already has bases in Singapore (Space and Telecommunications Systems Pte Ltd), Indonesia (SpaceTel Indonesia) and the United States (SpaceTel USA), announced the opening of its Taiwan subsidiary, SpaceTel Asia Ltd, in Taipei last week. The Taiwan subsidiary's first task will be to set up a DTH platform for Taiwan. The platform will most likely use Asian Broadcast and Communications Network's (ABCN) L-Star-1 satellite. Among other projects, the SpaceTel group's team designed, built and delivered the digital DTH Indostar (Cakrawarta) system for PT Indovision.
President and chief operating officer of the new SpaceTel Asia is Jack Chang, the former chief executive of Favorlangh Communication Consulting (FCC). Chang's FCC was closely involved in developing DBS Asia: Taiwan for the Bangkok-based ABCN.
ABCN, which floundered early on in Asia's economic crisis, was acquired last year by Thai communications conglomerate Ucom from would-be satellite mogul Sondhi Limthongkul. Ucom looked set to pull the plug on the ABCN project earlier this year when it failed to come up with the fees required by Arianespace for the L-Star satellite launch. The company appears to have a fresh satellite financing structure in place and plans to launch L-Star-1 in the last quarter of 1998.
SpaceTel and ABCN are currently finalising an agreement for SpaceTel's right of first refusal for transponders on L-Star-1's Eastern beam, which covers Taiwan and China.
Van der Heyden, who has close personal ties with Ucom bosses in Bangkok, stresses that the deal with ABCN does not involve a buyout, merger, or share swap.
SpaceTel Asia hopes to have the Taiwan platform, which will include multi-media applications, up and running by the second quarter of 1999. The launch depends on Taiwan's satellite broadcasting laws, which are still being drafted. "We will build the system but won't turn it on until it's legal," Van der Heyden said.
The company is also assisting ABCN in developing business strategies for the L-Star central beam.
SpaceTV...............................
jetcom.com
SpaceTV's MPEG-2/DVB Technology
SpaceTV used technology is the most advanced DVB-compliant MPEG-2 systems. Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is an International Standard Organization (ISO) proposed standard that has been adopted by over 300 international broadcasters, industry and consumer electronics manufacturers and regulators worldwide. DVB is the foundation of the most advanced platform for the delivery of video entertainment in the world today.
The open architecture of this DVB standard has distinct advantages:
fosters open competition by allowing equipment and system manufacturers to source from multiple component suppliers; and
ensures that global volumes of interoperable equipment are always available. In return, this holds down equipment costs which are passed on to consumers.
SpaceTV has installed three multi-channel DiviCom MPEG-2/DVB digital video encoding systems at its three broadcasting centers in Lancaster, CA, Brewster, WA, and Taipei, Taiwan, DiviCom's digital video encoder offers a flexible MPEG-2 compression system in a very compact form factor. The encoder is highly modular, enabling the use to configure a complete encoding system for MPEG-2 networking. DiviCom's systems are designed around an innovative, open architecture, permitting flexible and economical digital video networking solution for a variety of applications. |
