Nice Article on Luken Communications

[towerdude]

Chattanooga Magazine: A Wizard of Telecom Creates New Networks


good article......................

 

[FaT Air]

Aside from the known popularity of a large percentage of the programing, the sluggish economy has made free satellite-fed options a bit more appealing than paid cable service. Luken, the telecom wizard himself, thinks everybody will soon be doing the math.

Reading between the lines here sounds like a Ku service may be on the horizon as a BUD isn't protected by OTARD. Than again, getting nationwide rights to programming may be a problem. Think it may be impossible for a lot of programs. The only way, with the present system of selling the rights to programming for specific regions/markets, is to scramble and have regional market subs. For it to fly, I think he's going to have to change the landscape of programming rights, or it will be a subscription service so that "the man" can dictate, via the almighty dollar, what is available to whom.

 

[toucan-man]

I hope you're right, FaT Air, about a Ku service on the horizon. I wish we could have a mix of free and pay, so I could vote with my wallet and not be required by a multichannel subscription to support Oprah or Al Gore (or their opposites, don't mean to pick on them) if I don't want to, nor pay for the Poodle Clipping Channel franchise and other dross.

 

[Dishman Dan]

Reading between the lines here sounds like a Ku service may be on the horizon as a BUD isn't protected by OTARD. Than again, getting nationwide rights to programming may be a problem. Think it may be impossible for a lot of programs. The only way, with the present system of selling the rights to programming for specific regions/markets, is to scramble and have regional market subs. For it to fly, I think he's going to have to change the landscape of programming rights, or it will be a subscription service so that "the man" can dictate, via the almighty dollar, what is available to whom.

It sure would be great to live in a totally free (FTA) country and where the dollar is not the dictator!

 

[carlospr43]

I hope that whatever sat they choose include a good footprint to the Carribean!!!!! Yes........................

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Having talked to the man, I can say he has a plan and I think its going to be VERY exciting for us FTA guys.

Stay Tuned!

 

[xtgold]

rtv on 83w has been around for a while.
What I miss is the old east/west feeds like rtn had on 123w.
So if you missed a program you could catch it again 3 hours later.

 

[Mr Tony]

if you have access to C-Band all of those nets are on 137W and 87W

 

[xtgold]

I think a lot are mpeg4,so even with a C band setup you would need mpeg4 capability.

 

[Mr Tony]

while the 87W C-Band ones are DVB-S2 the ones on 137W are both S2 and DVB.

137W 4080 mux is DVB as shown in thelist
SatelliteGuys.US_TheList - 137.0°W AMC 7 C

The picture is OK...a little better than the 83W KU feeds

 

[carlospr43]

Since there are so many problems with the S2 signal at 87W, the idea is to test them in the 137W as regular DVD-S. Once they pass the test they're planning to move them to 87W, All of them as regular DVB-S.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I can't see 137 from Connecticut.

I also have lots of issues getting the S2 feeds on 87...

 

[skysurfer]

I wonder where the "300" channels are. I know of about 125 they are doing (unless they heavily use fiber to distribute another 175 to stations). I can believe they have 300 affiliates but not that many channels and that most of them do not use the custom configuration but rather than East/West "national" type feeds. I believe my station here uses one of the national feeds and just overlays a local bug with their call letters. I do find it interesting they monitor their feeds on all those flat screen tv's. I would have thought they did it on one computer screen (with thumbnails for each video service).

 

[xtgold]

125w is my western limit,but I never watch anything beyond 101w ku.

 

[stanleyjohn]

135w is my limit here!Hope luken keeps things on AMC3 and AMC9

 

[KE4EST]

I never realized they were so close to me. I can be at the studio in about an hour and a half to two hours. 127 is as far west I can go now, so I can't wait till they drop the -s2 on 87W. I also wish they would add at least PBJ to 83W Ku for the kids, until I can get 87W C.

 

[whatchel1]

I really hope this comes off. Scott is there any ETA for this service?

 

[Blindowl1234]

Since I physically moved my dish slightly west and the leaves are falling, I get the easier of the two muxes on 87W and I'm getting the stuff on 137W now too. I can go to 139W if need be....Blind

 

[Corrado]

If wish they would put RTV affiliate WHDT on AMC3 for the HD feed.

 

[bobvick]

You would think it would make sense for WHDT to be on 87 since it is in the Miami or WPB market. Looks like 87 would be a much better LOS for South Florida.