StarGuide III History and Background

During 1999 through 2001 most of the national commercial radio networks and syndicators transitioned to a new satellite system. Scientific Atlanta and Ariel satellite receivers were replaced with Starguide receivers. To help you understand this transition better we have put together a list of topical questions and answers that we believe can make this "new distribution platform" clearer to our existing and future customers. For more detailed technical information, please feel free to download one or more Starguide Receiver Spec Sheets in PDF form. See links at left.

Question: Why did ABC Radio Networks and other networks and syndicators convert to Starguide?

Answer: 1. Support: The older Ariel and Scientific Atlanta products were no longer supported or repaired by their manufacturers.

2. New Receivers Unavailable: Stations could no longer purchase new Scientific Atlanta or equivalent receivers. They stopped being manufactured several years ago, and the number available on the used equipment market shrunk considerably. This prevented some stations from affiliating with a network that uses Scientific Atlanta technology unless they had -- or could find -- a used receiver.

3. Fixed Channel Sizes: The Scientific Atlanta DATS system had either 19 or 57 audio channels of fixed sizes and could not accommodate any wide-band data channels (wider than the 32 kbits / sec available today).

4. More Efficient Audio Coding: Audio coding has advanced since 1992. A 15 kHz mono channel for a news or talk show can now be transmitted in 96 kbits / sec instead of 128. A slightly lower grade channel, about 8.3 kHz in bandwidth, can now be transmitted at 64 kbits / sec. The advantage is the ability for syndicators to make their own choice between price and quality. Syndicators can choose a stet, near-CD-quality stereo channel. Or they can choose a 64 kbit / sec mono channel that occupies one fourth the space segment and is slightly more than one fourth the price. Or the syndicator can choose anything in between. For its own programming, ABC Radio Networks will use 192 kbits / sec in "joint stereo" mode or 96 kbits / sec in mono. The 96 kb channels will actually be half of a 192 kb channel operating in "dual mono" mode.

Q: Why can't my affiliates use their existing receivers for another 5 or 10 years and then replace them?

A: Audio satellite receivers are not standard and must be compatible with the uplink. Receivers must be replaced when the rest of the network or syndication world replaces their receivers or the corresponding uplink equipment.

Q: I've heard of stations that got free or cheap receivers from their networks? How do I get one?

A: All networks, when selling receivers to their own affiliates, can make negotiated deals or can sign barter transactions so that station expenditures for receivers are minimized. Individual stations should contact the affiliate relations representative at their network or syndicator.

Q: What's the difference between the Starguide III models that were distributed by ABC Radio Networks and Premiere today and the Starguide II models that were distributed by CBS and Westwood a few years ago?

A: The Starguide III has 6 card slots in the back compared to 5 in a Starguide II. The II model is also limited to receiving a signal with a data bandwidth of 6.144 Mbits / sec. The Starguide III can go up to 25 Mbits / sec. When ABC Radio Networks and Clear Channel / Premiere convert to their permanent transponder relocations, their signals will be wider than 6.144 Mbits / sec and therefore will not be receivable on older Starguide II receivers. Starguide IIIs are the "universal receptors" that can receive any Starguide signal, new or old, wide or narrow.