What Satellite and Digital TV
Encyclopedia
What Satellite and Digital TV is a satellite
, terrestrial
, cable
and broadband
television magazine
published monthly in the United Kingdom
by MyHobbyStore. Although the magazine is primarily targeted for the UK market, it is also sold in Europe
, Africa
and the Middle East
.
It became a monthly magazine in May 1989, following the launch of the first Astra
satellite and Sky TV, and changed its name to What Satellite TV for the October 1992 issue. WV Publications was purchased by Highbury House Communications plc in 1998, which published the title until Summer 2005 when Future Publishing acquired What Satellite TV along with the majority of the Highbury House specialist consumer titles for £30.5 million. What Satellite TV focused exclusively on satellite television, including the Astra
and Eutelsat
satelltes and the Sky Digital platform until June 2002 when it also started to cover digital terrestrial television, including ITV Digital
, Freeview and Top Up TV
and renamed itself to its current name. It now covers all aspects of digital TV, including broadband and internet-delivered services such as Virgin Media
, BT Vision
, TalkTalk TV, the BBC iPlayer
and 4oD
, and digital radio. The magazine has incorporated listings for many years, and has done so since early editions. It also includes features on up coming TV shows, film reviews and interviews.
In April 2002, What Satellite and Digital TV was the first magazine to discover secret military broadcasts of NATO spy planes over Bosnia
being broadcast and received using a one metre satellite dish
The United States encrypted
the transmissions after the security breach was discovered.
The magazine was merged with sister title Satellite TV Monthly (formerly known as Satellite TV Europe, which was purchased by Highbury in 2001) when that magazine ceased publication in 2005; starting with the June 2005 issue.
The May 2007 issue of What Satellite and Digital TV marked the 250th issue of the magazine's publication.
In July 2011, Future Publishing announced its intention to either sell or close the magazine alongside other publications due to a slump in profits. On 11 October 2011, it was announced that MyHobbyStore had purchased the magazine along with sister publications Hi-Fi Choice and Home Cinema Choice.
es, satellite dish
es and gadget
s, in depth features on satellite and terrestrial television technology as well as satellite television channel line-up's by satellite and TV listings, plus Certificate X, an article on censorship
in the media
, specifically, but not exclusively dealing with the adult
satellite television industry.
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
, terrestrial
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
, cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
and broadband
IPTV
Internet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
television magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
published monthly in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by MyHobbyStore. Although the magazine is primarily targeted for the UK market, it is also sold in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
History
The magazine was originally launched as What Satellite by WV Publications in May 1986, as an eight page monthly supplement with What Video magazineIt became a monthly magazine in May 1989, following the launch of the first Astra
SES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
satellite and Sky TV, and changed its name to What Satellite TV for the October 1992 issue. WV Publications was purchased by Highbury House Communications plc in 1998, which published the title until Summer 2005 when Future Publishing acquired What Satellite TV along with the majority of the Highbury House specialist consumer titles for £30.5 million. What Satellite TV focused exclusively on satellite television, including the Astra
SES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
and Eutelsat
Eutelsat
Eutelsat S.A. is a French-based satellite provider. Providing coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, it is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues.Eutelsat’s satellites...
satelltes and the Sky Digital platform until June 2002 when it also started to cover digital terrestrial television, including ITV Digital
ITV Digital
ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster, which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network as ONdigital in 1998 and briefly re-branded as ITV Digital in July 2001, before the service ceased in May 2002. Its main shareholders...
, Freeview and Top Up TV
Top Up TV
Top Up TV is a pay television service in the UK launched in March 2004, operating on the digital terrestrial platform. The aim of the service is to "Top Up" Freeview customers by providing additional channels and services....
and renamed itself to its current name. It now covers all aspects of digital TV, including broadband and internet-delivered services such as Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
, BT Vision
BT Vision
BT Vision is a hybrid IPTV-digital terrestrial television service provided by BT Group in the United Kingdom which was launched in December 2006...
, TalkTalk TV, the BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer, commonly shortened to iPlayer, is an internet television and radio service, developed by the BBC to extend its former RealPlayer-based and other streamed video clip content to include whole TV shows....
and 4oD
4oD
4oD is a video on demand service from Channel 4. Launched in November 2006, 4oD stands for "4 on Demand". The service offers a variety of programmes recently shown on Channel 4, E4, More4 or from their archives...
, and digital radio. The magazine has incorporated listings for many years, and has done so since early editions. It also includes features on up coming TV shows, film reviews and interviews.
In April 2002, What Satellite and Digital TV was the first magazine to discover secret military broadcasts of NATO spy planes over Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
being broadcast and received using a one metre satellite dish
Satellite dish
A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which transmit data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television.-Principle of operation:...
The United States encrypted
Encryption
In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
the transmissions after the security breach was discovered.
The magazine was merged with sister title Satellite TV Monthly (formerly known as Satellite TV Europe, which was purchased by Highbury in 2001) when that magazine ceased publication in 2005; starting with the June 2005 issue.
The May 2007 issue of What Satellite and Digital TV marked the 250th issue of the magazine's publication.
In July 2011, Future Publishing announced its intention to either sell or close the magazine alongside other publications due to a slump in profits. On 11 October 2011, it was announced that MyHobbyStore had purchased the magazine along with sister publications Hi-Fi Choice and Home Cinema Choice.
Features
The magazine features news, a letters page, reviews on satellite and terrestrial television set-top boxSet-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
es, satellite dish
Satellite dish
A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which transmit data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television.-Principle of operation:...
es and gadget
Gadget
A gadget is a small technological object that has a particular function, but is often thought of as a novelty. Gadgets are invariably considered to be more unusually or cleverly designed than normal technological objects at the time of their invention...
s, in depth features on satellite and terrestrial television technology as well as satellite television channel line-up's by satellite and TV listings, plus Certificate X, an article on censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
in the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
, specifically, but not exclusively dealing with the adult
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
satellite television industry.