NH
Apologies for my mirth, Ben, but I expect it would have been called Wire Channel if it had launched on cable.
Yes, it was mainly recieved on cable, because, in those days, you needed a dish about a metre-and-a-half across to recieve it.
It was picked up at cable head-ends and then distributed to homes, but it initially went via satellite.
It was only with the introduction of the Astra DTH, or Direct to Home satellites that people started to pick it up direct.
Nick Harvey
Founding member
Mr-Stabby posted:
Correct me if i'm wrong everyone, but i think the Sky Channel first appeared on cable.
Apologies for my mirth, Ben, but I expect it would have been called Wire Channel if it had launched on cable.
Yes, it was mainly recieved on cable, because, in those days, you needed a dish about a metre-and-a-half across to recieve it.
It was picked up at cable head-ends and then distributed to homes, but it initially went via satellite.
It was only with the introduction of the Astra DTH, or Direct to Home satellites that people started to pick it up direct.
IS
Yes, they were owned by the IBA (as were all non-BBC land-based transmiters at the time) and BSB was just a programme service on them (again just like with ITV and C4).
Bizarrely as it seems these days the IBA insisted that there were 2 satelites for 5 channels - the idea being that there was a reserve capacity. The MarcoPolo Sats
were sold to a Scandinavian company, moved to a new location and renamed Thor. They have both since been taken out of service.
In answer to the original question all the stations you could recieve at home before Astra were provided on Intelsat and Eutelsat satellites... although they weren't really intended as Direct to Home services
Bizarrely as it seems these days the IBA insisted that there were 2 satelites for 5 channels - the idea being that there was a reserve capacity. The MarcoPolo Sats
were sold to a Scandinavian company, moved to a new location and renamed Thor. They have both since been taken out of service.
In answer to the original question all the stations you could recieve at home before Astra were provided on Intelsat and Eutelsat satellites... although they weren't really intended as Direct to Home services
DE
This was when satellite television was real "enthusiast's" territory as large (often motorised) dishes were required to receive anything. Most services were unencrypted AFAIK as they were intended to be picked up by cable head ends and redistributed. I recal seeing features on satellite enthusiasts in the mid 80s: "We meet the man with 100 television channels" and watching an interview with a man who is fascinated by receiving Italian testcards ... 
HA
Yes apparantly there were the best time for satellite enthusiasts with tons of feeds unencrypted, I think a lot of them still wish this was the case today. But what happened to the Marco Polo satellite after BSB vanished?
harshy
Founding member
deejay posted:
This was when satellite television was real "enthusiast's" territory as large (often motorised) dishes were required to receive anything. Most services were unencrypted AFAIK as they were intended to be picked up by cable head ends and redistributed. I recal seeing features on satellite enthusiasts in the mid 80s: "We meet the man with 100 television channels" and watching an interview with a man who is fascinated by receiving Italian testcards ...
Yes apparantly there were the best time for satellite enthusiasts with tons of feeds unencrypted, I think a lot of them still wish this was the case today. But what happened to the Marco Polo satellite after BSB vanished?
MS
They were both sold to Scandinavia, MP1 to Sweeden, MP2 to Norway, via NTL (who did quite a fat comission on the deal!)
http://www.skyrocket.de/space/index_frame.htm?http://www.skyrocket.de/space/doc_sdat/marco-polo.htm
http://www.selkirkshire.demon.co.uk/analoguesat/bsb.html
Both have now been dumped, but were untill the end contriolled from the old BSB uplink site in Hampshire, now of cource opart of BSkyB.
harshy posted:
...... But what happened to the Marco Polo satellite after BSB vanished?
They were both sold to Scandinavia, MP1 to Sweeden, MP2 to Norway, via NTL (who did quite a fat comission on the deal!)
http://www.skyrocket.de/space/index_frame.htm?http://www.skyrocket.de/space/doc_sdat/marco-polo.htm
http://www.selkirkshire.demon.co.uk/analoguesat/bsb.html
Both have now been dumped, but were untill the end contriolled from the old BSB uplink site in Hampshire, now of cource opart of BSkyB.
NG
noggin
Founding member
There were quite a few TV satellites over Europe long before Astra 1 launched, and with it the Sky analogue bouquet of channels (Sky One, Sky News etc.)
However there was a Sky Channel operating via other satellites (not sure if Eutelsat, Intelsat etc.) broadcasting to cable head ends, and a few "big dish" enthusiasts, across Europe. I'm not sure this was always owned by Rupert Murdoch - but he certainly owned it before he launched the Sky service to the UK, and effectively Sky Channel became Sky One I believe.
There were other satellite channels broadcasting across Europe before Sky - Premiere was an encrypted film channel, SuperChannel was originally a "best of" BBC/ITV channel (before it was bought by italians and completely re-launched) SuperChannel even had its own news bulletins provided by ITN ISTR.
The BBC had a satellite service as well - encrypted using the same system as Premiere - and marketed to expats. Originally it was called simply "BBC One/Two Mix" then it was re-launched as "BBC Europe". It carried a mix of BBC One and Two - and only the shows the Beeb had low-cost European rights to (mainly BBC shows) Around the same time the BBC also ran "BBC World Service Television". Both channels were refined and eventually relaunched as BBC Prime and BBC World...
From memory I think MTV, CNN and quite a few state broadcasters (RAI, TVE etc.) were broadcasting on satellite before Sky launched their Astra services.
However there was a Sky Channel operating via other satellites (not sure if Eutelsat, Intelsat etc.) broadcasting to cable head ends, and a few "big dish" enthusiasts, across Europe. I'm not sure this was always owned by Rupert Murdoch - but he certainly owned it before he launched the Sky service to the UK, and effectively Sky Channel became Sky One I believe.
There were other satellite channels broadcasting across Europe before Sky - Premiere was an encrypted film channel, SuperChannel was originally a "best of" BBC/ITV channel (before it was bought by italians and completely re-launched) SuperChannel even had its own news bulletins provided by ITN ISTR.
The BBC had a satellite service as well - encrypted using the same system as Premiere - and marketed to expats. Originally it was called simply "BBC One/Two Mix" then it was re-launched as "BBC Europe". It carried a mix of BBC One and Two - and only the shows the Beeb had low-cost European rights to (mainly BBC shows) Around the same time the BBC also ran "BBC World Service Television". Both channels were refined and eventually relaunched as BBC Prime and BBC World...
From memory I think MTV, CNN and quite a few state broadcasters (RAI, TVE etc.) were broadcasting on satellite before Sky launched their Astra services.