From: roberts@triton.unm.edu (Robert Smathers)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: FIRST ANNUAL INTERNET TVRO ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Date: 31 Dec 92 16:44:38 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque


And, the award goes to, ....   8^)

Robert

-=-=-=-=-=
Robert Smathers -- (roberts@triton.unm.edu)  Albuquerque, NM USA
                                                         (-
South Scanner Satellite Services Chart vol 2 num 1 avl. ||          __/
UNZIP for UNIX also available!                          --          \/
NORTH AMERICAN SIGHTINGS contributor, Satnews magazine              /|
Moderator, UNI Satellite TV Conference                               |\
Author of various info articles for home TVRO users

-=-=-



THE FIRST ANNUAL INTERNET TVRO ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

THE BEST AND WORST OF TVRO 1992

SUBMITTED BY THE USENET REC.VIDEO.SATELLITE/HOMESAT READERS

-=-=-=-=-=

From: Jerry Neal <neal@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>

BEST TVRO DEVELOPEMENT OF 1992:  Replacement of F3(F1r) with
Satcom C3   good pictures at last!!

WORST TVRO DEVELOPEMENT of 1992:  Video compression.  More artifacts, more
shopping and religious channels less quality. ;-(  Did TCI do us a favor?

=-=-=-=-=-

From: edg@comm.mot.com

This nomination falls under "worst".  Worst what? I would say one of the
worst violations to the cable bill of 92.

EVENTS:

            International Soccer Games to qualify for USA94 World Cup.

            About 4 games were transmitted by the M2/M1 Satellites and
            were scrambled using something other than VC2/+.  But that
            is not all.  The real vioaltion is that nation-wide the ads
            on Spanish TV read "NO MORELOS (satelite), NO PARABOLIC 
            ANTENNAS.  Obviously, XEW-TV (TELEVISA-Mexico) has become as 
            greedy as their american cable counterparts, and has total
            disreguard for american law.  By the way, this channel 
            usually runs ITC.

The games were not available to the dish owners, period. The promoters
were happy to put this in their ads.  Did the government do anything
to correct this, you ask?  Silch! Nada! Zero!

If this note sounds like Im pi**ed, its because I am!

-=-=-=-=-=

From: jvz@pt.com (John Zambito)

BEST LIVE COVERAGE OF 1992: Retrieving the satellite on NASA Select.

WORST SHOPPING CHANNEL OF 1992: All of them.

=-=-=-=-=-

From: Paul Johnson <pjohnson@aoc.nrao.edu>

My vote for Best Posting of 92 is your South Scanner Satellite Services Chart.
An amazing piece of work. 

=-=-=-=-=-

From: Jay Novello <ecsvax!jay@uncecs.edu>

Best encryption method -- video inversion

Worst new transmission format -- D2-MAC / digital compression (tie)

Best Christmas ID Slide -- Caribbean Super Station's Santa Claus &
reindeer

Best Disappearing Act -- LVTN / McD TV (tie)

Best Channel for shows about hunting whales and living with lots of
Snow-- TVNC

Most attractive Children's show hostesses -- Almendra Gomelsky and
Monica Santa Maria (Nubeluz -- SUR, S2-22 and others)

Most unlikely function of a TVRO home shopping show host:  Sean Kenny makes
carrot juice on "Greensheet" (G6-23, March 31st)

Single most exciting Satellite TV event (advance notice) -- Intelsat 603
rescue

Single most exciting Satellite TV event (no advance notice) -- Nicky and
Jackie's wedding, SBS6-7, September 19th.  Fabulous hotel ballroom, big
band, exquisite cake, expensive outfits, attractive cousins of the
bride

Most exciting news coverage events:  LA Riots, Hurricane Andrew

Best Foreign Language Cooking Show -  ANA's Arabic Pastry Chef

Best Foreign Language Quiz Show -- TVE's "Sin Verguenza"

Scariest TV evangelist -- Robert Tilton / Pat Robertson (tie)

Best antics by a news reporter waiting to go live -- ABC's Sheila
MacVicker, on the roof of the Baghdad Information Ministry, July 25th on
T1-11.  Complaining about the heat, applying Chanel makeup, eating a
plate of spaghetti made by cook Mohammed, uttering four-letter
Anglo-Saxonisms.

Most amusing occasional audio subcarrier -- Delmarva Downs, G6-23/6.2
and others

Best figures of speech heard on consecutive days: "I don't want to be
the skunk at the party, but..." (McNeil Lehrer Report, S4-06 8/13) and
"I don't want to get in anybody's Dutch Soup, but..." (Dean Spratt,
LTRN, S3-21 6.2 8/14)

Best closed circuit News Producer's briefing:  NBC News Channel (K2-13),
starring Rosemary Freitas (weekdays around 1140 Eastern time)

Best insight into the buisiness of news gathering:  the tapes run for
the RTNDA conference, week of 9/23, on SBS-6

Worst new Lottery show:  Russian TV-1 "LOTTO MILLION"

Best new Satellite service:  BBC World Service TV (sorry, guys...)

Most outrageously busy night ever on Satellite:  Election Day, November
3rd

Best Heavy Metal DJ:  Heavy Harv, AEN (G6-17)

Worst new Satellite service -- National Empowerment TV, G6-07, Tuesday
nights

=-=-=-=-=-

From: Robert Smathers (roberts@triton.unm.edu)

FUNNIEST SELL LINE OF TVRO 1992:

We're going DDDDOOOOWWWWWNNNNNTTTTTOOOOOWWWWNNNNN!

SECOND FUNNIEST SELL LINE of TVRO 1992:

That's all you pay.

GREATEST LOSS OF TVRO 1992:

Shaun Kinney

BEST TVRO SHOPPING CHANNEL OF TVRO 1992:

Greensheet - always saw the neat older stuff there!

WORST DBS SYSTEM OF 1992:

Skypix 

BEST DBS SYSTEM OF 1992:

DirectTV

MOST ANTICIPATED SERVICE OF TVRO 1992:

Sci-Fi Channel

WORST SATELLITE LAUNCH OF 1992:

Galaxy 1R --  Not the worst launch by execution - just fate.

BEST SATELLITE LAUNCH OF TVRO 1992:

(tie) Galaxy 7, Satcom C3, Satcom C4, Galaxy 5

BEST SATELLITE DATA SERVICE OF TVRO 1992:

The Satellite Data Text Service

THE WORST SATELLITE DATA SERVICE OF TVRO 1992:

(tie) All services that are encrypted or not receivable by
dishowner

UGLIEST AUDIO DELIVERY SYSTEM OF TVRO 1992:

SEDATS/DATS -- home dish owners can't get it yet.

BEST TELEVISION SYNDICATED SHOW OF 1992:

Rush Limbaugh 

WORST TELEVISION SYNDICATED SHOW OF 1992:

The Chuck Woolery Show

MOST ANTICIPATED SYNDICATED SHOW OF TVRO 1992:

Deep Space 9

THE SERVICE THAT HAD A HARD TIME FINDING A HOME:

Las Vegas Television Network

BEST SATELLITE TELE-EVANGELIST OF TVRO 1992:

Dr Gene Scott -- can you ever get bored of this guy?!?

WORST SATELLITE TELE-EVANGELIST OF TVRO 1992:

(tie) All the others -- oh so boring.  No excitement like Dr. Scott!

WORST SATELLITE SERVICE MOVE OF TVRO 1992:

GLOBAL scrambling -- but at least it wasn't their fault -- the
CRTC made them do it so their signal could not be seen beyond
Ontario

BEST TALK NETWORK OF TVRO 1992:

Let's Talk Radio Network -- so many informative, fun shows.

BIGGEST PPV FLOP OF TVRO 1992:

Olympics TripleCast -- it was priced too high, plus who'd want
to watch it when NBC and others on Satellite TV had FREE
coverage?

BEST SERVICE WE MAY NEVER SEE FULL-TIME IN NORTH AMERICA:

The BBC World Service

WORST CABLE IDEA FOR TVRO 1992:

Developing a 500 channel cable system -- I can see it now... 350
tele-evangelists, 175 home shopping channels, 25 basic
channels...

MOST ANTICIPATED NEW SERVICE THAT TURNED INTO A FLOP OF TVRO
1992:

(tie) The Las Vegas Television Network and Brightside Network
Systems

THE SLIGHTLY DISAPPOINTING CONSUMER ADD-ON ACCESSORY OF TVRO 1992:

The Universal SCPC receiver.  It was getting closer to the
"ultimate" SCPC consumer receiver but it still lacks several
features.

THE BEST BARGAIN FOR CONSUMER ADD-ON ACCESSORY OF TVRO 1992:

The Janiel Stereo Processor -- I found it worth more than $40!

BEST SATELLITE TV COVERED NEWS EVENTS OF TVRO 1992:

(tie) Earthquakes, Hurricane and L.A. Riots.  May there be more
in 1993!!!!

WORST SATELLITE TV COVERED NEWS EVENT OF TVRO 1992:

The Cable Bill -- it was mainly talked about on hobbyist/industry
radio networks -- very "who cares" coverage to the normal public
- normal public should have had better coverage because of the
way it may affect them.

BEST SPECIALTY TV SERVICE OF TVRO 1992:

The Trucker Channel

THE "WHY IS IT THERE?" SERVICE OF TVRO 1992:

The Infomercials on T1.  They clog T1, but who are they directed
at -- I can't imagine that many dishowners would watch and
purchase things from those to keep them up there on so many
tranponders.

BEST MISSED INFOMERCIAL OF TVRO 1992:

The Bikini Dating Party!  8^)   (o.k. I"m not serious about this
category, but I had to add something funny....)

BEST NEW FOREIGN SERVICE WE SAW OF TVRO 1992:

Deutsche Welle

BEST SATELLITE TV EVENT THAT LIT THE SKY:

Without a doubt, November 3 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION COVERAGE

SADDEST SATELLITE SHUTOFF OF TVRO 1992:

Westar 5

UGLIEST SCRAMBLING METHOD OF TVRO 1992:

(tie) BMAC and LEITCH

BEST PURPOSE FOR A SATELLITE TV CHANNEL FOR TVRO 1992:

Sky High TV

BEST MOVE G.I. HAS MADE SINCE 1986:

Shutting off the Videocipher 2 and going to something that will
be more secure -- well, at least for another few weeks.  8^)

FAVORITE WINTER TIME SCPC CARRIERS THAT I CAN GET:

KRLD, Dallas and WHO, Des Moines

WORST WINTER TIME SCPC CARRIERS THAT I CAN GET:

Most of them -- Larry King is the reason.  He is all over the
SCPC dial -- some Mutual Broadcasting feeds and some local
affiliate stations are on SCPC.  Too much Larry King!

FAVORITE SUMMER TIME SCPC CARRIERS THAT I CAN GET:

(tie) All the baseball networks -- after all, how do I enjoy my
favorite sport when all the backhauls are encrypted?

-=-=-=-=-=

I hope you enjoyed this compilation of Best/Worst for TVRO 1992.

Happy New Year!!!!!

Robert