Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : C-Cube -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DiViT who wrote (24875)	11/5/1997 3:47:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Respond to of 50808

More UK settops......................................................... Focus-Uk Firms Move Closer To Digital TV Era Received: November 04, 1997 01:00pm EST From: REUTERS By Jeff Daeschner LONDON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - British broadcasters on Tuesday stepped closer to launching digital television on schedule next year by unveiling two pacts that will be crucial to the introduction of multiple TV channels in Britain. Both deals involve the set-top boxes that all viewers will need if they want to receive the new digital programming, which boasts more channels, wide-screen format and CD-quality sound. The difference is how the new channels will be delivered -- digital terrestrial TV (DTT) will offer some 30 channels via viewers' existing TV sets and aerials, while subscribers will need to buy a new dish to receive British Sky Broadcasting Plc's 200-channel digital satellite TV service. On the terrestrial side, Britain's top DTT broadcasters, including Carlton Communications Plc and Granada Group Plc , said they had agreed on the industry-wide decoder technology that will be wrapped into DTT set-top boxes. "This announcement puts us on track to bring multi-channel television to people's homes through existing aerials and televisions," said John Egan, co-chairman of the Digital Multiplex Group (DMUX), which also includes the British Broadcasting Corp [BBC.CN], Channel Four and Channel Five. Not to be outdone, BSkyB and Franco-Italian chipmaker SGS-Thomson Microelectronics NV said on Tuesday they would collaborate to help manufacturers start mass production of set-top boxes in the spring of 1998. SGS-Thomson planned to supply chips for the set-top boxes and use the same reference platform as the basis for its own digital terrestrial decoder design. Analysts said the rival deals reinforced the market's view that Britain will see digital TV next year. "It reconfirms that digital is here. This is affirmation that the whole thing is going ahead," said Louise Barton, media analyst at Henderson Crosthwaite. Despite the news, the major broadcasters' shares fell amid # Page 2 an overall weak market. BSkyB's shares slipped 4.25 pence to 420, while Carlton shed 1.5 pence to 484 and Granada lost five pence to 820.5. Among terrestrial players, British Digital Broadcasting (BDB) -- the pay-TV venture between Carlton and Granada -- said it was inviting companies to put in their bids to make the first batches of set-top boxes. "This is an important milestone," said BDB director Nigel Walmsley, adding that the group expected to announce a set-top box deal with manufacturers in about a month. According to some industry estimates, nearly one million terrestrial versions of the set-top boxes are expected to be available by the time of DTT's launch, which is set for the second half of 1998. The boxes are expected to be subsidised so that BDB subscribers will pay about 200 pounds ($335) for the apparatus. With the advent of DTT, Britons will be able to receive existing free programming in digital format, new free channels from the BBC and ITV, as well as BDB's subscription service of up to 15 channels. -- London Newsroom +44 171 542 7717 ($ = 0.596 British Pounds) REUTERS