THE LEADING UK CONSUMER ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGYMAGAZINE TELEA; son SERVICINGVIDEOSATELLITEDEVELOP TS AI ION MAY 1999 -£2.70. A REED BUSINESS PUB Projectif Mains -operated ROhandsettee Installing digital TV Test report: Digisat meter T. boot-up, configuring and customising Servicing the ndiana 100/200 chassis 0 5> 11 97 0 324 0 5 Fault reports TVs, VCRs, PC Monitors andSatellite KUNIG ELECTRONIC The Ultimate Source TV-Video-Satellitecomponents l<C1\1r= ADDING VALUEto your Repairs asstated byoneofourNationwide Distributors 4W V e know fitting Konig means fitting the best" Available from all top Distributors CONTENTS May 1999 Vol. 49, No. 7 TV Machinations 451 TV Fault Finding 476 Editor John A. Reddihough What a Life! 454Help Wanted 493 Production Editor A microwave oven, TV, people and various other Tessa Winford problems. Donald Bullock's servicing commentary. Servicing the Indiana 100/200 456Chassis 494 Consultant Editor Teletopics AlanDent provides an in-depth fault-finding guide. Martin Eccles Sets fitted with these chassis appeared in the Alba, Bush, NEI, Nikkai and Perdio ranges. Includes the Publisher power supply circuit diagram. Mick Elliott Advertisement Book Review 497 Sales Manager Grant Allaway Test Report 498 0181-652 3032 Eugene Trundle has been trying out the Digisat meter, which has been specifically designed for dish and LNB Advertisement Sales alignment with digital transmissions. Executive Pat Bunce 0181-652 8339 Fax 0181-652 8931 Editorial Office 0181-652 8120 New products and developments seen at the Electrical Fax 0181-652 8111 Retailing show. Digital TV update and a meter for DTT installations. Latest trade news. Note that we are unable to answer technical queries over the Satellite Workshop 458 telephone and cannot provide Jack Armstrong's column onsatellite receiverservicing information on spares other than and related matters. that given in our Spares Guide. Test Case 437 459 Monitors 460 Hints and tips on dealing with computer monitor faults. Satellite Notebook 462Corrections 499 Solutions to problems with satellite TV equipment and installations. A Mains -operated RC Handset Tester 500 PC Operation and Repair 464 unit, designed by Michael Dranfield, can be with the PC's This handy Part 2 of K.F. Ibraliim's new series deals left permanently connected to the mains supply ready to mode of operation: the booting up process and how check any suspect remote -control handset. configuring and customising are carried out. May issue on sale DX and Satellite Reception 504 April 21st. Letter* 469 Terrestrial DX and satellite TV reception. News from DTT reception problems. abroad and about satellite developments. The problem Next issue, of RF interference. Roger Bunney reports. Hands-on Digital 472 dated June, on sale Experience with digitalTVinstallations, both terrestrial 508 May 19th. and satellite, is fast increasing. J. LeJeune describes VCR Clinic some problems that have been encountered and provides a summary of good practice. Next Month in Television 510 *Because of space problems with this issue, several letters we had intended to publish have had to be held over until next month. TELEVISIONMay 1999 449 The A ICE C A S, !V. "A bible for the satellite TV industry .. includes invaluable hints, tips and THE headend Interspacetricks of thetrade." SATE ''...All in all most of the information thatsays you'll ever need or want to know li about satellite television is at your fingertips ... It's certainly the best What YES to work of its kind" . Satellite jig 7.-Animpressive book... practical aspects Quality are dealt with in a way that leaves no Oa 04 doubt... 100s of pages... lavish use of Ease of use very clear diagrams throughout." 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Match or 'Make Free' Service New price list now available. 15 Lostock Road, Davyhulme /MONEY' Competitive Prices From £6.50 Manchester M41 OES 1SAVING/ Telephone: 0161 746 8037 Fax: 0161 746 8136 For Further Information - Just Call Our Helplines MasterCard Tele: 0181-870 3388 Fax: 0181-870 9988 SWITCH Suddenly - You'll Love Selling Remote Controls 450 May 1999 TELEVISION COMMENT TV Machinations Theworld of TV was once so simple. It So far, the European pay -TV moguls arm of Kirch Group. The latter is separate- was run, in Western Europe at anyhave been more successful in dominatingly forming a joint -venture company with rate, by national broadcasters such astheir own markets than in becoming trulyMediasattoholdassetsthatinclude the BBC, ORF, ORTF, RTE, RTP, TVE transnational. Rupert Murdoch dominates Betafilm, Kirch's international film distri- and so on. Then along came the commercial pay -TV in the UK, but has to date made no bution company, and Publieurope, channels, which were operated under fairlyheadway on the continent. The French mar- Mediasat's international advertising sales close supervision. That more or less filledket is dominated by Canal Plus - which got arm. A company called European Tele- the channels available. In some countries, into digital TV well ahead of BSkyB, invision Network is also involved: it will particularly the Netherlands and WestApril 1996. Kirch Group dominates theinclude 29 per cent each of the German Germany, cable played a greater role from German market. channel Sat 1 and the Spanish TV company an early stage, providing increased scope Kirch and Canal Plus both have signifi-Telecinto. As part of the agreement, for independent broadcasters and a Widercant interests in Italy, but Canal Plus has Mediasat is to pay Kirch Media about $210 variety of channels. been more successful in extending itsto compensate "for lack of balance in the Pay -TV, as a terrestrial off -air service, European broadcasting interests.Ithas venture's current assets". Is that quite clear ?! started in Europe on November 4th 1984, operations in Spain and, following its At one stage Murdoch was involved in when Canal Plus began broadcasting in acquisition of NetHold (owner of thethese negotiations, but withdrew in the France. It was officially the fourth channel,FilmNet channel) in early 1997, is active inbelief that News Corporation would be able and soon caught on - its competitors hadthe Scandinavian and Benelux markets. to exercise little control, also because asset not been all that successful in their appeal Canal Plus now claims to have some twelve valuation was difficult to establish. He to the viewing public. Subsequently satel- million subscribers. withdrew from a subsequent attempt to lite broadcasting became feasible, and in The overall stakes are enormous. It has merge BSkyB with Canal Plus, again on the the UK Rupert Murdoch appeared on the been estimated that there were 55m pay -TV grounds of who would exercise control. scene as a broadcaster. Other entrepreneurs subscribers in Europe at the end of 1998, Meanwhile Kirch Group is to increase its had by that time become active, in particu-and that the figure will rise to some 97m by stakeinthe German pay -TV channel lar Leo Kirch in West Germany and Silvio the year 2006. Interactive TV operationsPremiere by buying most of a stake held by Berlusconi in Italy.