|
- Star Choice History -
Star Choice
is currently Canada's second largest direct to home satellite
service, delivering 300+ channels to over 870 000 subscribers in Canada via a small 24" satellite dish antenna and set top receiver.
Early History
Star Choice was originally incorporated in 1996 as Star Choice Television Network, a subsidiary of Direct Choice, a small distributor of satellite components in Eastern Canada. The founding president was Greg Walling, who shared a dream of becoming the first Canadian direct to home satellite service. Two competing companies, Expressvu Inc. and Power Directv Inc. had been licensed a year previous by the CRTC, but had not been successful in actually bringing an operational service to the Canadian market. Star Choice had recognized the immediate need for a Canadian service, as tens of thousands of Canadians were opting to purchase a grey market satellite system for the U.S. Directv and Dish Network services.
|
The company was based in New Brunswick, Canada and had ambitious plans for the Canadian market. What they lacked in size and corporate strength, they made up in spades with spirit as they would be competing head to head with Expressvu Inc., which was wholly owned by BCE, Canada's largest Telecommunication Company, a company with hundreds of millions in cash reserves.
|
Clearly Canada was in desperate need of a digital satellite service
as most Canadians were tired of unfulfilled promises, as Expressvu had committed over half a dozen launch milestones which they had missed for a number of reasons from equipment problems to satellite capacity. For many Canadians, the grey market had become the only alternative, especially to those in rural areas which were not services by cable vision.
Star Choice's initial platform was to utilize the Canadian Anik E1 satellite to deliver 112 channels, which would include 52 Canadian and US video channels as well as 35 digital audio channels. They had also planned to offer an additional 25 U.S. CRTC approved channels from the Dish Network satellites, which at the time was seen as ambitious as no DBS provider had provided equipment that would receive feeds from 2 separate satellites on one small dish. They had entered into an agreement with Echostar, the parent company of the U.S. Dish Network satellite service to provide equipment for the Canadian DBS venture.
A Canadian DTH satellite license had been applied for in early 1996, which was finally granted by the CRTC at the end of August 1996. It had an initial projected launch milestone of last quarter of 1996. In March of 1996, the troubled Canadian Anik E1 satellite suffered a near total loss of its satellite capacity as one of its primary power systems had failed, leaving it crippled. This loss meant that there was no longer sufficient satellite capacity to allow 2 fully operational satellite services. One of the CRTC's primary conditions of license was that Canadian satellites must be used to deliver Canadian signals. It would allow US signals to be delivered via US satellites however.
The loss in capacity meant Starchoice would have to modify its initial programming offerings and push back its launch date. In early 1997, Star Choice and HomeStar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shaw Communications began negotiations for a possible merger. HomeStar had recently received authorization from the CRTC to begin a DTH service in Canada, but had not yet put the infrastructure in place. A merger with meant they would be set for a much earlier entrance in the Canadian market. It also meant for a much needed source of financial backing from Shaw, which was one of Canada's largest cable vision companies. The merger was put before the CRTC and approved in May of 1997. It gave Shaw controlling interest in Star Choice. Show also had controlling interest in Cancom, which owned much need satellite capacity aboard the Anik E2 satellite. This gave Star Choice the capacity it needs to launch a full featured DTH service to the Canadian market. Shaw also made some equipment changes, abandoning the Echostar platform in favor of the Motorola Digicipher II platform, in use in the US by Primestar. Motorola is a recognized leader in consumer electronics.
Star Choice Launches
In late May, 1997, the Star Choice service went on the air and was officially launched. Ironically, it was one of the last companies in Canada to be awarded a license by the CRTC to commence a Canadian satellite broadcasting operation , yet it became the first company to actually fully launch a successful
service, beat only by the Alphastar Canada service, which would fail some months later.
Satellite Technology
Expressvu would also launch their service to Canadian in late summer of 1997, more than 2 1/2 years after they had been licensed. Initially, both Canadian services shared satellite capacity on the Anik E2 satellite. Expressvu would however move to a new DBS satellite, Nimiq 1 launched by Telesat in 1999. This would free up a large capacity for Star Choice to expand their service to better compete with Expressvu, which controlled nearly all of of the capacity on Nimiq 1. Star Choice was also able to aquire some capacity aboard the crippled Anik E1 satellite, which was scheduled for replacement in 2004 by a new Anik F2 satellite. Anik E2 was replaced by the successful launch of Anik F1 in 2000 at the Telesat 107.3° WL orbital location. This offered more broadcasting power at 115 watts per channel, more capacity with 48 active and 10 space Ku channels as well as 44 C band channels as well as a larger satellite footprint, covering virtually all of North America. The crippled Anik E1 satellite was also replaced by the new Anik F2 satellite at Telesat's 111.1° W.L. orbital location, launched in July 2004. Anik F1 developed power problems in obit due to a solar panel problem plaguing all Boeing 702 satellite designs and it was replaced with the successful launch of Anik F1R in September 2005. Anik F1R is a ASTRIUM E3000 design and carries a C/Ku-band as well as a GPS/Waas payload.
Star Choice Satellites at a Glance
- Anik F1R - 107.3° W.L.
- Anik F2 - 111.1° W.L.
Anik F1 satellite Footprint 107.3° W.L.
Anik F2 satellite Footprint 111.1° W.L.
|
08/04/2008 11:20 AM
In order to give the website a better focus, we are phasing out the less popular areas of the site, including the high definition and digital video recorder areas and forums. This will leave the site focused on digital satellite television and satellite radio.
|
 |
 |
America's Next Top Model
CW
8:00 pm ET
The contestants are excited about their first Top Model photo shoot, until they learn that they can only wear one article of clothing during the session. Andre Leon Talley makes his debut on the judging panel with Tyra Banks and Nigel Barker in the new episode "Dreckitude!"
Great Performances at the Met
PBS
8:00 pm ET
Tony Award-winning Broadway director Bart Sher ("The Light in the Piazza," "South Pacific") helms this breezy 2007 production of Rossini's sparkling comic masterpiece "The Barber of Seville," starring Joyce DiDonato, Juan Diego Florez, Peter Mattei, John Del Carlo and John Relyea. Maurizio Benini is the conductor.
Gary Unmarried
CBS
8:30 pm ET
After Gary (Jay Mohr) discovers that his and Allison's (Paula Marshall) divorce papers were never filed, he tries to use the information as leverage to get his beloved "stuff" back. Allison's sister (guest star Rachael Harris) comes to town and gives Mitch (Rob Riggle) a makeover in the new episode "Gary Unmarried?" -- which is also the season finale. Niecy Nash and Garret Dillahunt guest star.
Mercy
NBC
8:00 pm ET
After a St. Patrick's Day binge, Veronica (Taylor Schilling) considers seeing a therapist. Chloe (Michelle Trachtenberg) starts to warm up to Dr. Briggs (James Van Der Beek) when she learns why he became a doctor. Still privately mourning the death of her patient, Sonia (Jaime Lee Kirchner) runs into an ex-boyfriend at a St. Patrick's Day fair. Guillermo Diaz and Margo Martindale also star in this new episode.
The New Adventures of Old Christine
CBS
8:00 pm ET
After Barb (Wanda Sykes) has her lawyer send over divorce papers to end their sham marriage, a miffed Christine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) hires an aggressive divorce attorney (guest star Corbin Bernsen) who convinces her that Barb owes her alimony in "For Love or Money." Clark Gregg and Hamish Linklater also star.
High Society
CW
9:30 pm ET
Alexandra and Dabney plan a "single's shower" for Tinsley, but her mother, Dale, just makes things awkward for everyone. At Paris Fashion Week, Tinsley is with a German prince who may not be exactly what he seems to be. Jules fights with the hotel staff in the new episode "Prince Un-Charming."
First Love, Second Chance
TVLAND
10:00 pm ET
Years ago, Chris became the favorite customer of Pam, a hot young bartender, but he broke her heart when he moved to Florida. After sowing his oats as a party animal, however, Chris wonders what might have been and hopes for a second chance at love if he can show Pam he has changed.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
NBC
10:00 pm ET
A girl claims she was raped in the stairwell of her apartment building, but after an unpleasant meeting with a man she claims is her boyfriend, Benson and Stabler (Mariska Hargitay, Chris Meloni) begin to suspect she made up the story to get attention. When the girl finally reveals there was an eyewitness, however, the detectives rush to get vital testimony before it is too late. Richard Belzer also stars in the new episode "Witness."
Shear Genius
BRAVO
10:00 pm ET
The remaining stylists do the time warp with their two challenges this week. First, celebrity stylist Kimberly Kimble judges their work as they give recent high-school graduates sophisticated looks for the next stage of their lives. Next, VIP clients get red-carpet looks inspired by the 1960s and '70s for an album release party for Grammy winner Estelle in the new episode "Hotter Than a Gay Bar on Fire."
The Locator
WE
10:00 pm ET
Hoping to repay many years of kindnesses, foster child Tiffanie helps Debra, the woman who raised her, find her own biological daughter, whom Debra was forced to give up when she became pregant at 16. That loss drove Debra into a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol before she turned her life around by getting sober and ministering to others via the Salvation Army. Locator Troy Dunn is on the case in the new episode "A Life Comes Full Circle."
|
 |
|
|
