High Above : The Untold Story of Astra, Europe's Leading Satellite Company

Frequently it is suggested that the ́ golden age' of television was during the period 1950-1960. It is true that television almost ruined Hollywood's fortunes during this period. But if this was the authentic golden age, then it was an age of black and white, somewhat limited creativity, poor reception, lack of competition (except in the United States) and ́ by and large ́ public service broadcasting. However, if we take 1950 as a generic ́ starting point' for modern television broadcasting, then we talk about a kind of prehistoric stage of the medium ́ in which it remained for the best part of three decades. The younger days of broadcasting were the 1980s; the time when commercial television started on a large scale and, in this youth, was getting younger in terms of programming. Luxembourg-based SES Astra appeared on the scene at exactly this time. Astra was instrumental in the dramatic developments in television that we have witnessed since then. This is the story we want to tell in this book. Without satellite technology and the success of satellite reception, without the resulting mass-market penetration of television sets and general economic prosperity we would not have the necessary base ingredients to make the great leap forward into digital, into HDTV, 3D-television, and the prospects of Ultra High Definition now in sight Front Matter....Pages i-xi 01 TV that ‘Comes Alive’....Pages 12-21 02 Location, Location, Location....Pages 22-35 03 A Place in Space....Pages 36-45 04 Luxembourg: The Mouse that Roared....Pages 46-61 05 Achieving the Breakthrough....Pages 62-83 06 Europe’s Dish and Box Wars....Pages 84-99 07 Astra Cracks the German Market....Pages 100-107 08 Overcoming the Barrier....Pages 108-115 09 Astra Adds Up for Canal+....Pages 116-125 10 Countdown to Launch....Pages 126-139 11 The Brave Pioneers....Pages 140-151 12 Satellites: The ‘Early Birds’....Pages 152-163 13 The Satellite Miracles....Pages 164-175 14 The TV Revolution: Beyond the Shannon Limit....Pages 176-187 15 The Future for the Box....Pages 188-195 16 How on Earth?....Pages 196-205 17 Hard Science or Science Fiction?....Pages 206-215 18 The Astra Chronicles....Pages 216-231 Back Matter....Pages 232-242