AMGTV and Ku

[rlariv]

Was wondering if anyone knew why KU band was so much more expensive than C Band for these providers... got this email from AMGTV... My friend has a KU G25 setup and lost this channel - asked me to research it for him

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Thank you for writing to AMGTV and for letting us know how much you enjoy our network's programming. While we'd like to try and accomodate our viewers and their providers, the cost KU Band is very prohibative for us to continue providing programming through this media. Again, thank you for writing to us.

Wanda.


Wanda Thomas

Director, Affiliate Sales and Relations

AMGTV/ACCESS MEDIA GROUP

 

[Mr Tony]

I dont know but I'm pretty bummed. They were on G26 C-Band which I could get pretty well...then they moved to G28 when G26 started fritzing out and I pegged the meter

now they moved to G25 and I dont get SQUAT for signal on it..not even a blip. I'm gonna miss my wrestling on Saturday

 

[satcom1]

Ya Know what gets me is that with every new satellite, capacity goes up. Power on transponders goes up. Why in Europe is FTA such a big business? Ya wonder if these greedy mongers that are driving USA into the ground are at fault.

 

[Mr Tony]

G25 isnt a new satellite...actually its very old. That has been renamed twice (from T5 to IA5 to G25)...G19 will be replacing it soon

 

[docj2005]

hey ice who has wrestling on i saw you mention it afew posts ago...

 

[Mr Tony]

NWA Anarchy....what was NWA Wildside that Channel 45 carried a few years ago. Wildside closed up shop a couple years ago and Anarchy took its place. Most of the same guys but a new promotor

 

[Machman]

Ya Know what gets me is that with every new satellite, capacity goes up.

Looks like it's going down at 97W soon:

G25: 24C/28Ku
G19: 24C/24Ku

That orbital slot is so popular that you'd think they would put one of those 64-transponder satellites that they use in Europe there.

 

[Mr Tony]

they cant...there is no low band on the satellites here in North America until you get over the Atlantic. Plus too many people have standard LNB's

 

[qwert1515]

I was looking at the math (using information about the predicted transponder configuration) but it does not add up correctly, anyway the point I want to make is that not all transponders are equal.

For example G25 currently has 24 Ku-Band Transponders with 27 MHz bandwidth
and 4 more Ku-Band Transponders with 54 MHz bandwidth.

(Bandwidth is like the width of a transponder -> If you use the same modulation and FEC you can have a higher symbol/data rate on a transponder with a larger bandwidth)

So just because G19 has less transponders each might be configured to have more bandwidth (I believe that will be the case according to the predicted specifications).

G19's specification also shows that it will have 4 spot beam transponders (Like what the pay providers use for the local channels), that will have to be pointed towards California so that I can pick them up

 

[Machman]

they cant...there is no low band on the satellites here in North America until you get over the Atlantic. Plus too many people have standard LNB's

Do you know why there's no low band here (except for Galaxy 11)? Is it reserved for the southern hemisphere, terrestrial use, or maybe non-geostationary satellites? I'd like to know who is wasting this valuable spectrum that could be used for more TV

The only info I could find said it had to do with a lack of international coordination. That kind of makes sense, but with all of the money that goes into building, launching, and operating satellites you'd think they could afford a few international meetings to work that out, or a few bribes at least

qwert1515: It's nice to know that I was wrong! Is there a page that lists the transponder configuration of various satellites? The ones I've found are very incomplete or incorrect. I could use it for a project I'm working on.

 

[rlariv]

still dont know why KU is more money than C band for these providers. AMGTV seems to be saying that they can not afford the KU band prices... and by the looks of how much they have moved over the last year... started in KU, then to a few C band TPS, it looks like they are always bargaining for better prices - even in C Band...

I just hope someone in NA - fixes the cost of uplinks - so we can be a little more open here to what is available in Entertainment... and let competition and freedom reign in the video entertainment business...

Still - though - why would KU be more than C ? it doesnt make sense ? other than maybe a supply and demand thing ?

 

[lumpkin666]

Still - though - why would KU be more than C ? it doesnt make sense ? other than maybe a supply and demand thing ?

Could be supply and demand, could be the cost of newer technology, or it could be that the cost is similar, but that the cost is spread out among more entities. If the channel is being redistributed by cable companies/etc, then they probably HAVE to keep the c-band channel going to get the redistribution, in which case the cost of KU becomes a cost that is shared only by a minimal number of potential ku-band viewers.

 

[Mr Tony]

AMGTV seems to be saying that they can not afford the KU band prices... and by the looks of how much they have moved over the last year... started in KU, then to a few C band TPS, it looks like they are always bargaining for better prices - even in C Band...?

actually they were on C-Band the whole time. they added a KU uplink on G25 where a lot of channels are uplinked as trials (for Glorystar).

They moved from G26 to G28 because G26 had a failure. Wasnt really their choice

Why they moved to G25 is beyond me....because I cant get it

 

[Mr Tony]

Could be supply and demand, could be the cost of newer technology, or it could be that the cost is similar, but that the cost is spread out among more entities. If the channel is being redistributed by cable companies/etc, then they probably HAVE to keep the c-band channel going to get the redistribution, in which case the cost of KU becomes a cost that is shared only by a minimal number of potential ku-band viewers.

probably...and alot of their channels (affiliates) are smaller powered stations. Also C-Band has minimal rain fade

 

[rlariv]

excellent - makes sense... and she did mention about the affiliates... so that makes sense too

thanks very much...

PS> I think my friend watched the KU uplink channel, because that was how I caught on... he watches G25 for its foreign content and liked AMGTV when it was there

 

[Mr Tony]

I liked AMGTV when it was on KU too

I would recommend scanning G25 once in a while since some of the transponders change stuff alot

 

[Lak7]

Wonder if one of the guys with the 1 meter Primestar C Band can lock it?

 

[Mr Tony]

I cant even lock it with my 6 footer....