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

To: Stoctrash who wrote (41373)	5/20/1999 1:54:00 PM
From: DiViT	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50808

Incestuous?... EchoStar Selects Tandberg Television to Supply Digital Turnaround Equipment For DISH Network's 'Local into Local' Programming 08/31/1998 PR Newswire (Copyright (c) 1998, PR Newswire) WALDORF, Md., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Tandberg Television Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Tandberg Television Systems AS of Oslo, Norway, announced today that EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH, DISHP) has purchased a large quantity of Tandberg MPEG-2/DVB professional decoders for EchoStar's "local into local" television station programming. The decoders were chosen for EchoStar's DISH Network(TM) Uplink Center in Cheyenne, Wyo. EchoStar, based in Littleton, Colo., is the only digital broadcast provider in the United States to provide digital local television service for selected major metropolitan areas. Viewers typically prefer their local stations for local newscasts and advertising. DISH Network currently serves local retransmissions to 12 U.S. cities and will offer local channels to more cities soon. EchoStar's system works by encoding broadcast signals from the major network stations in selected markets to MPEG-2/DVB digital signals, which are transmitted via satellite to the Cheyenne Uplink Center. (MPEG-2 and DVB are international digital video broadcast standards.) At the Uplink Center, signals are received while selected programs are decoded by the Tandberg Television Model TT1100 professional multi-channel decoders. These are monitored for quality and content. To preserve signal quality, the transport stream containing all the stations from a given market are passed through the Tandberg decoders without decoding and encoding, and are uplinked directly to authorized customers. The recent purchase adds to the number of Tandberg TT1100 decoders already in use at EchoStar's Uplink Center. Previously, EchoStar had used the decoders to receive other types of programs transmitted via satellite or fiberoptic signal. According to Jeff McSchooler, director of technical operations for EchoStar in Cheyenne, "We've had excellent results and reliability from the Tandberg products. We like the flexibility, modular design and robustness of the equipment; these were the key reasons why we've made this additional purchase." "Tandberg has enjoyed an excellent relationship with EchoStar," said Bob Natwick, director of North American sales at Tandberg's new U.S. headquarters near Washington, D.C. "We look forward to extending that relationship, and will be better able to support EchoStar now that we have an office in the U.S." Natwick said Tandberg's future plans include developing more products for terrestrial broadcast, including high-definition television. Tandberg is also targeting the cable television market as that market begins to convert to digital standards. EchoStar Communications Corp. includes three interrelated business units: * DISH Network, EchoStar's state-of-the-art DBS system that offers customers over 300 programming services of digital video and CD-quality audio programming, fully MPEG-2/DVB compliant hardware, installation, financing and leasing. * EchoStar Technologies Corporation (ETC, formerly HTS(TM) - Houston Tracker Systems, Inc.), designs, manufactures and distributes DBS set-top boxes, antennae and other digital equipment for the DISH Network and various international customers that include ExpressVu Canada and Telefonica's Via Digital system in Spain. ETC also provides uplink center design, construction oversight and project integration services for customers internationally. * Satellite Services provides the delivery of video, audio and data services to business television customers and other satellite users. These services include satellite uplink, satellite transponder space usage, and other services. The DISH Network currently serves over 1.4 million customers. DISH Network is a trademark of EchoStar Communications Corporation. HTS is a trademark of Houston Tracker Systems Inc. DISH Network is located on the Internet at: dishnetwork.com. Tandberg Television inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tandberg Television ASA in Oslo, Norway, which is an important supplier of advanced television broadcast products. Tandberg manufactures a broad range of professional MPEG-2 products, including decoders, transport stream processors and advanced multiplexers, as well as network interface solutions. Tandberg can be reached at 301.638.5006 or www.tandbergtv.com. Contact: /CONTACT: Bob Natwick, Director of Tandberg TV North American Sales, 301-638-5006, bnatwick@msn.com; or Marc Lumpkin, PR Director of EchoStar Communications, 303-723-2020, marc.lumpkin@echostar.com/ 08:04 EDT