ExpressVu satellite back in 1998?

[JosephHolloway1998]

Although it shared satellite space with StarChoice on the Ku side of Anik E2 (A2) in 1998, with Bell ExpressVu moving to a DBS-only sat the following year (Nimiq 1). ExpressVu used Dish Network software whiles StarChoice used 4DTV and DC-II software. But did you need a Bell ExpressVu receiver in order to watch/see their programming at the time? (Though ExpressVu can only be viewed in Canada), If I'm correct?

 

[SatPhreak]

Yes you needed a Bell Expresvu ird to watch the channels because they were scrambled. When they moved to there own satellite at 91w ,you just needed to remove old lnb add new lnb and repoint the dish. I was watching 91w within 10 minutes of watching on 107.

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[Phil T]

I watched a lot of programming in the clear off Nimiq 1 with a Dish 3000 receiver and regular LNB. I remember CTV out of Halifax being one of the channels in the clear. I believe the 3000 was not activated at the time because I had upgraded to a Dishplayer and later a 301 DVR. The signal strength was only around 70% but good enough here in Colorado. Those were the days when you did your own installs and satellite TV was not just cable in the sky. I also had all E&W networks just for asking and later had three dishes pointed at 119, 148 and 72.5 when HD came along. Wife got mad when I added the forth dish for Nimiq!

 

[JosephHolloway1998]

Yes you needed a Bell Expresvu ird to watch the channels because they were scrambled. When they moved to there own satellite at 91w ,you just needed to remove old lnb add new lnb and repoint the dish. I was watching 91w within 10 minutes of watching on 107.

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So ExpressVu scrambled its channels back then?

 

[SatPhreak]

So ExpressVu scrambled its channels back then?

Yes, most of them. They used Nagravision card in the receiver. Back then if you aimed at a Dish Network satellite, the receiver would down load Dish Network's software and you could see the unencrypted barker channels. Most of the rest were scrambled. When you reaimed the dish to anik satellite it would download Express Vu software again. You could aim at 97w and use a Dish Network or Express Vu receiver to pick up about 5 or 6 channels in Arabic. Shortly after I tried and succeeded I bought my first FTA box for the rest of the channels on 97.

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[JosephHolloway1998]

Yes, most of them. They used Nagravision card in the receiver. Back then if you aimed at a Dish Network satellite, the receiver would down load Dish Network's software and you could see the unencrypted barker channels. Most of the rest were scrambled. When you reaimed the dish to anik satellite it would download Express Vu software again. You could aim at 97w and use a Dish Network or Express Vu receiver to pick up about 5 or 6 channels in Arabic. Shortly after I tried and succeeded I bought my first FTA box for the rest of the channels on 97.

Sent from my P00A using Tapatalk

So Nagravision 3 wasn't compatible with Videocipher/Digicipher II or standard FTA receivers?

 

[JosephHolloway1998]

Besides knowing what their channel lineup was like back then, didn't ExpressVu carried WDIV? (which would be NBC-Central), along with WXYZ (ABC-C), WJBK (FOX-C) and WTOL (CBS-C). (WWJ-TV was considered one of the weakest CBS affiliates, their signal improved when they activated a new tower at Oak Park the following year boosting its effective radiated power to 5,000,000 watts)

 

[harshness]

Besides knowing what their channel lineup was like back then, didn't ExpressVu carried WDIV? (which would be NBC-Central), along with WXYZ (ABC-C), WJBK (FOX-C) and WTOL (CBS-C). (WWJ-TV was considered one of the weakest CBS affiliates, their signal improved when they activated a new tower at Oak Park the following year boosting its effective radiated power to 5,000,000 watts)

Why would a Canadian TV service carry a US broadcast TV channel?

Does Bell carry it today?

 

[KE4EST]

Why would a Canadian TV service carry a US broadcast TV channel?

Because they can be picked up reliably, with an OTA antenna.

 

[harshness]

Because they can be picked up reliably, with an OTA antenna.

Bell's uplink center is just across the border from Buffalo (55 miles?) in the North York area of Toronto. Detroit is over 200 miles away.

Bell's current East Coast NBC feed is the Boston affiliate, WBTS.

Bell ExpressVu launched in September 1997.

 

[Phil T]

I think they had a rotating CTV channel on Nimiq in the clear. I remember watching the Breakfast TV (BTV) morning show from Halifax and the evening news from Vancouver.

 

[KE4EST]

Bell's uplink center is just across the border from Buffalo (55 miles?) in the North York area of Toronto. Detroit is over 200 miles away.

You are attempting an argument with the wrong person. I am just stating the facts, as to the way it is done and why they say they do it. Canada will carry US border stations. How far away from the "border", I do not know. I assume there is money exchanged, contracts, lobbyists, etc. To make this happen.

Here is a link for Joseph to look over: List of United States television stations available in Canada - Wikipedia

 

[harshness]

Canada will carry US border stations.

I observe that Bell Satellite TV currently carries ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and PBS from Boston and Seattle (in both SD and HD). They also carry WGN, WSBK, WPIX and KTLA as "Superstations". While cable companies or Shaw may carry others, Bell's offering doesn't seem to be heavy in US "border stations".

 

[KE4EST]

Bell's offering doesn't seem to be heavy in US "border stations"

Correct. It started with actual border stations, but that no longer applies.

 

[JosephHolloway1998]

Pardon me for reviving this thread, but from my understanding Bell ExpressVu carried both the Seattle CBS and Detroit ABC, NBC, Fox and PBS stations (KOMO 4, KING 5, KIRO 7, KCTS 9, KCPQ 13, WJBK FOX2, WDIV 4, WXYZ 7, WTVS 56) for West and Central feeds, they used WTOL 11 for CBS-C (since WWJ-TV didn't have a strong signal at the time). They carried all the Boston stations for the east coast feeds (WGBH 2 (PBS), WBZ 4 (CBS), WCVB 5 (ABC), WHDH 7 (NBC-now Independent) and WFXT 25 (FOX)), with the exception of WLVI WB56 (which was owned by Tribune Broadcasting at the time). Plus, they also carried WUHF Rochester (FOX-R) exclusively as well as the superstations (WTBS, KTLA, WPIX, WGN and WSBK).

 

[harshness]

What they did 25 years ago and what they can offer now under more stringent CRTC content control are largely unrelated because the changes weren't borne out of technology or practicality.

We study history not to figure out what we've lost but in an attempt to explain what's going on now and with an eye on seeing into the future but that's mostly rendered irrelevant by the cultural promotion efforts of the Canadian government.

 

[Noah12]

Bell is changing things come March 15th, all the old SD receivers are changing out, no cost to customer. Supposedly improving HD or eliminating SD unsure.

 

[navychop]

Seems like both.