From: phil@phunt.MV.COM (Phil Hunt)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite,rec.video.cable-tv,rec.arts.tv
Subject: SuperGuide review (semi-long!)\
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 09:55:51 EST
Organization: Howtek, Inc.
Reply-To: phil@phunt.MV.COM
X-Mailer: uAccess - Macintosh Release: 1.5v4

Hi,

Well, I've purchased a SuperGuide Box!  I have it connected to my Satellite
System, although a version is soon planned to allow it to work with a cable
system!  SuperGuide (SG from now on) is a subscription service on Satellite.

For $59 a year, you can download into the box, the listings for either 3
or 11 days worth of programs/services/wild feeds and news articles into the
box.   The articles are from OnSat magazine and show up regularly during the
normal feeds.  The system downloads off a satellite using a datastream concept.
The box has a glorified 4800/9600 baud modem inside it to do the recieving.
The download can be scheduled for any time day or night (mine is set to 4:55am)
and it takes about 20 minutes for the data to be loaded.  My box, the eleven
day version, shows it has recieved 14000-16000 listings A DAY!.  Because it
downloads every night, it is always up to date.  Movies are listed with titles,
not just the word 'Movie' as we see in alot of printed guides.

The box is a cable box sized device, with 2 IR senders.  You connect Baseband
satellite to it and RF or video in/out for the picture.  What it shows you
is a TV Guide on the screen.  You want to watch something, press the WATCH
button on the remote, you want to TAPE something, press TAPE.  The IR senders
are placed in front of your VCR IR Sensor and IRD Sensor.  The box actually
moves the dish AND starts the recorder recording at the set time.  It moves
the dish 2 minutes before the set time. It starts the recorder 1 minute before 
the time set, puts up a bluescreen with a full-page description of the item 
being taped, which goes on the tape. Then shows the service! Very slick. It can
also remind you to watch a program.  It can store up to 12 events in the box,
so your VCR and IRD timers don't have to be bothered with.

You can scan the listings by day, where you can skip forward by 1/2 hour,
day or week.  You can also select listings for a particular service.  You
can also display by category, like movie/special feeds/sports (With subtypes!)
etc.  If you see something you like, you can SELECT it, to get a full 
description of it, SELECT again will give you a cross reference of when the 
program is on again. SELECTing any day on the XREF chart will give you 
times/sat-transponder of showings for that day.  Pretty neat!

Special feeds are listed in the standard listings as well as listed 
Alpabetically as a news article, updated every day.

They are abnout to come out with a UHF remore control for the box.

They also store info about each satellite, like wattage, KU format type, when
launched and any news about the satellite, just go to the 'Display Sats' menu
item, select a satellite and press 'SELECT'.  It shows the info.

The box also has a SAT key, to send the dish to a specific satellite or 
transponder and a GOTO SERVICE menu.  New services are added daily.  As an
example, I flip the dish to G5-04 and ask what is there, and as of 2 nights
ago, it now knows the SCI-FI channel is there!  Nightly updates are great!!

Cost of service?  $59 a year, but you get 2 months free whgen you buy the
box.  For the updated listings and the current cost of sat guides, I think
it is well worth it!!

Now, the problems....STS is doing a software upgrade in October, fixing some
small annoyances.

Some I've found, and reported...

It doesn't handle parental lock at all
No serial output, to make your own guide (It was supposed to have this when
    the system was described 1.5 years ago.  It has a serial port, but currently
    it is used to send the IR stuff to IRDs that use a serial command input 
    (Chapparal 100c as an example).  So, this feature could be added later,
    since the port IS there!
The user interface needs some polishing (Thier biggest priority).
You cannot cancel a 'remind' or 'tape' session when it is about to start, although
    you are supposed to be able to do so.



All-in-all, a great box!!!!!!!

Phil Hunt
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite