(return to home page) WHO WE ARE About the company E-mail us! Address and phone numbers OUR PRODUCTS Satellite Business News FaxUPDATE Trade Show Dailies Trade Show Videos ONLINE NEWS & INFORMATION Changing Channels Digital TV Beat Scanning the Skies Industry Stats A Look Back: Satellite TV History SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Sign up for the magazine and the fax Get back issues Read past show news ADVERTISING INFORMATION Ads in the magazine Ads in the fax Trade Show Products Online ads: The latest, hippest way to get your name out there! About our readers

1999 Consumer Electronics Show READ ALL ABOUT IT! PAGE 3 CE Manufacturers Applaud Digital DBS In yesterday’s “DTV Supersession,” representatives from the major television manufacturers applauded the leading role DBS is playing in the transition to digital signals. The manufacturers said DBS’ digital and high-definition signals are important because they provide CE retailers with a national and readily available source for display signals, adding high-definition DBS signals in sports bars may help drive the digital conversion in the future. Jim Palumbo of Sony Electronics answered a long-standing question saying Sony will integrate DirecTv/USSB receivers into its digital television sets. The question is "when," not "if," he said. Broadcasters on the panel, including U.S. Satellite Broadcasting President Stan Hubbard, and retailers also discussed how those two groups can cooperate during the digital transition. Representatives from the major networks discussed their programming roll-outs, which have been fairly extensive, with the exception of NBC. That network is currently creating new programming in high-definition rather than upgrading feature films, as ABC and CBS are doing. Hubbard said HBO will be the most important driver of early high-definition sales because it is available nationwide and HBO has a history as a pioneer in non-network programming. Hubbard also said customers need to be re-educated about off-air antennas and begin to see them as an appropriate reception tool during the digital transition. Ness Calls For Digital Must-Carry, Kennard Blasts Cable During a speech at the “DTV Supersession,” FCC Commissioner Susan Ness said “consumers should not have to choose between cable and digital sets.” In a veiled endorsement of digital must-carry, she argued cable companies should also carry digital broadcasts unaltered, in the format in which they are delivered by broadcasters. In order to facilitate cable’s participation in the digital transition, Ness said set manufacturers must continue to work toward cable-ready digital TVs and work with broadcasters, cable companies, and content providers to resolve copyright protection issues. Ness also applauded DBS providers for taking a lead role in the digital roll-out but urged providers to cover all fifty states, not “just the lower 48.” As reported, EchoStar plans to bring DBS service to Alaska and Hawaii upon completing its deal with News Corp. The FCC is in the process of reviewing the transfer of control requests that resulted from that merger. During her speech, Ness also joined the widening circle of FCC commissioners and staffers urging Congress to pass laws permitting local signal reception via satellite. In related news, FCC Chairman William Kennard released a general outline of his goals for the FCC this year. Among them are increasing competition to cable and deregulating cable rates. TURN THE PAGE OTHER ISSUES: Thursday, Jan. 7, 1999 Friday, Jan. 8, 1999 Sunday, Jan. 10, 1999   Please direct questions about this site to general.mail@satbiznews.com q 2000 Satellite Business News Inc. All rights reserved.