Mind you I'm still rolling on the carpet. <br /><br /><br />Apsattv.com Official Predictions for Year 2006<br /><br />Please Note The following contains, rumours, gossip, half-truths, misleads, daydreams, exaggeration, wild guess's and good old B.S it also contains some real info, it's up to you the reader to work out the fact from the fiction.<br /><br /><br />January 2006<br /><br />The year kicks off with a 4-hour outage on B1 blamed on CATS WHISKERS again<br /><br />Optus refuses to comment on the B1 outage.<br /><br />A new DTH service starts uplinked from Australia but servicing viewers in New Zealand. Clue..ONE B.ENT?<br /><br />The return of Dubai Sports Channel!<br /><br />Power problems are reported with the Telkom 2 satellite.<br /><br />An Apsattv.com Test card is seen and runs for several weeks. Will Dr Dish air on this channel ????????<br /><br />CCTV HDTV officially launches<br /><br />The New Zealand Commerce Commission announces Sky may buy Prime TV as long as restrictions on accessing the signal are removed. Sky respond not by turning Prime FTA but by announcing they will start selling off the older Sky decoders with an access card.<br /><br />A bad month for UBI with them losing several of their so called "exclusive channels"<br /><br />A surprise at Kerry Packers Will reading. Rival Rupert Murdoch, is bequeathed his old defibrillator.<br /><br />Panamsat 8 is re-configured to provide a New Zealand beam.<br /><br />MORE Indian TV to NZ<br /><br /><br />February<br /><br />Dr Dish TV launches to Aust / NZ via DTH FTA<br /><br />B1 Signal levels drop over NZ good job its summer with little rain.<br /><br />Globecast remove channels from B3 to improve picture quality but add their channel quality is not for big screen TV’s .<br /><br />All Globecast viewers on B3 are advised to buy 21 inch TV’s. Black and White if possible, the picture looks great and the lack of lip sync does not show.<br /><br />C & Ku band services start up on AMC23 bringing NEW channels to the region!<br /><br />Mike Boulos hits the headlines again...<br /><br />A new Ethnic TV provider starts broadcasting to Australia and New Zealand<br /><br />Other pay and FTA channels follow<br /><br />SelecTV disappears without fanfare.<br /><br /><br />March 2006<br /><br />A New Motor Sport Channel launches to NZ and is so popular Australia then follows<br /><br />Sky announces they too will have a FREE digital service and start giving away their decoders!<br /><br />Angelbox decoder is banned in Thailand<br /><br />Commonwealth games feeds light up the Optus birds<br /><br />Mirchee TV in Auckland finally Encrypts after losing Star News<br /><br />ETC Punjabi starts beaming to Australia and NZ<br /><br />Ubi on Optus B3 switches off. Leaving 100 upset subscribers and 10000 unhappy pirates.<br /><br />Fiji TV buys out what is left of Pacific Broadcasting Services and takes over their KU transponders.<br /><br />New generation of Satellite broadcasters unleash new channels to NZ some are even FTA.<br /><br /><br />April 2006<br /><br />Air New Zealand tests in-flight Satellite TV via AMC23<br /><br />Will there be another Seminar this year for the industry by the same people that brought last years in Auckland and Christchurch?<br /><br />Malaysia launches DMB mobile video in conjunction with TU Media<br /><br />NZ Government releases findings on the Digital Future. announces the National plan for Digital Television. No surprises, Standard definition resolution Via DVB-T and DVB-S (FTA, Optus B1) Channels 1,2,3,Prime, Maori TV. To start with and other (UHF) freqs coming online with extra FREE channels towards the end of the year.<br /><br />NZ Trademe Auction site is then flooded with 3rd rate un approved satellite junk from China.<br /><br />The latest decoder from Schenzen China is released known as the "Devil box" it has networked card sharing, wifi card sharing, UCAS emulation (including NDS) over the air card sharing via 2nd tuner. Does HDTV, mpg 4:2:2, video over i.p. Multiple blindscan tuners (up to 8) handles DVB-T, DVB-C, DVB-S etc. Mysteriously removed from marketplace never to be seen again!<br /><br /><br />May 2006<br /><br />Optus kills off a well known Aurora "key code"<br /><br />Sky NZ do their annual "Put up the prices before Rugby test season starts"<br /><br />TV3 advises "we’re going to wait for Mpeg 6 before we go digital"<br /><br />NZ auction site "Trademe" is flooded with 3rd rate satellite equipment leading to a major crackdown on C-Tick compliance.<br /><br />Indonesia announces, AGAIN, that there will be a new Pay TV platform, and nothing will happen<br /><br />A Major new Pay TV Platform starts in Thailand aimed at middle and lower class, with strong opposition from UBC<br /><br />Bluekiss Adult channel launches on Korean Mobile phones.<br /><br /><br />June 2006<br /><br />Foxtel increases prices<br /><br />Due to lack of access to Power PC Cpu's Dream Multimedia switches to ATI Cpu<br /><br />The Launch of Optus D1 is delayed (gee that’s an easy one to predict!)<br /><br />A New Ethnic tv platform starts on Amc23, has a strange name "Tarbubiselectv". Investigations reveal the company is registered to a P.Debono <br /><br />World Cup 2006 Football starts, Casbaa launches widespread piracy raids across Asia. Some channels are forced to encrypt during matches.<br /><br />Rare "Devil Box" decoder fetches $10000 on Ebay<br /><br /><br />July 2006<br /><br />While hosting a rooftop BBQ at his mansion. Rupert Murdoch trips over a co-ax cable and breaks his hip. While recovering in Hospital, chokes on poisonous pill (Survives!)<br /><br />The Russians find a customer for their global beam transponder.<br /><br />Inclined orbit tracking dish systems become popular again<br /><br />The end of Australia’s long running court case. No not channel 7 Vs Everyone else, but Foxtel Vs the Modshop!<br /><br />More Indian News channels start up<br /><br />Optus D1 finally launches!<br /><br />A new PAY TV service launches in Vietnam on Cable , Satellite and DVB-T<br /><br /><br />August 2006<br /><br />In a tragic incident well known satellite hobbyist Vk4bkp leaves a window open and loses an entire years worth of paper spectrum analyzer plots.<br /><br />The Russians stuff up yet another satellite launch<br /><br />Apstar 6 hits 100 Chinese channels. 80 of them being FTA.<br /><br />A Widespread protest by major satellite operators over the terrestrial use of Extended Cband frequencys<br /><br />Measat 1 launches!<br /><br /><br />September 2006<br /><br />New safety laws in Australia for Pay TV installs. All Pay TV installs will now require a complicated ground wire system to be fitted. Foxtel hires plumbers to install ground pipes for the new earthing systems. Install prices for Foxtel increase due to the new ruling<br /><br />SBS Australia purchases the rights to Tarbs the mini-series. Omar Sherrif picked to play part of Mike Boulos<br /><br />The Scientology channel launches Globally<br /><br /><br />October 2006<br /><br />Kiwi channel finally launches, beaming across the Asia Pacific region. Gets permission to broadcast in China due to a NZ Govt Free trade agreement. Shortland St subbed and dubbed into multiple Chinese Dialects becomes very popular.<br /><br />Astro in Malaysia adds 25 new channels<br /><br />UBC adds 5 new channels<br /><br />Dream TV adds a dozen channels<br /><br />Foxtel adds 2 new +2 channels<br /><br />Sky NZ adds the comedy channel<br /><br />Russians launch satellite to 153.5E. Causing a massive dispute with Optus. ITU tells Optus to shift B3 to 164E<br /><br /><br />November 2006<br /><br />Channel 7 buys out channel 9<br /><br />Maori TV beams into Australia<br /><br />CFII new French news channel launches<br /><br />Simmo becomes a Father again...<br /><br />NZLsat people have major falling out with Intersputnick<br /><br /><br />December 2006<br /><br />Rupert Murdoch has his annual heart attack, is then electrocuted by ex Kerry Packer Defibrillator<br /><br />ABC Asia Pacific worries over fast take up of competing "Kiwi Channel" adjusts programming to include more sheep and Humphrey B Bear.<br /><br />"Kiwi Channel" responds by bringing back "goodnight cartoon Kiwi and Cat"