The Leader, Aibreán 1989

SATELLITE TELEVISION IS HERE! 12 After two and a half years of waiting due to technical problems, the powerful Ariane Rocket finally blasted off on the 11th of Decem– ber 1988 from French Guyana, loaded with the new Astra televi– sion satellite on board, destination, 22,000miles high, 19degrees east. Astra is Europe's new televi– sion satellite. It combines the la– test space and communications technology, and was switched on in late February, and is now bring– ing to the viewer a much greater choice of T.V. entertainment from all over the world. Television viewing need no longer be limited to our regular channels. This new satellite will change everything, it will offer a much wider choice of viewing with eight channels in addition to the six we already have, bringing the total to fourteen, with a further eight more at the end of the year, aimed mainly at Europe. The following channels are now on air: EUROSPORT: covering football, athletics, golf, tennis, skiing, motor sport etc. SKY CHANNEL: General entertain– ment around the clock SKY NEWS: 24 hour news from U.K., Ireland and around the world SKY MOVIES: Showing over 300 films per year LIFE STYLE: Womens' Interests - fashion, cookery, keep fit, chat shows, films, documentaries etc. Screen Sport: Covering major sports events LANDSCAPE CHANNEL: For the outdoor person SKY ARTS CHANNEL: For the cla– sically inclined, with a complete new way of presenting art and cul– ture DISNEY CHANNEL: For children. To be opened soon. Most of the channels will be freely available with the exception of about two which will be coded, they can also be received with a decoder which can be purchased at an extra cost. The equipment needed to re– ceive the new channels consists of a small receiving dish approx. 2-2.5 feet in diameter, and can be mounted in the garden, on the wall, or chimney connected to a control box attached to .~'·normal colour T.V. set, bringing in crystal clear pictures. The cost of a complete instal– lation would vary between £390 - £470, depending on the type of equipment used. A very modest price to pay for such a choice of programmes in comparison to a few years ago, when the cost was over £2,000,. The newtransmission can be picked up on a standard eight but– ton tuner colour T.V., using the new equipment, if the T.V. has teletext incorporated, Skytext can also be received, giving access to further information. Satellite programmes can be recorded on video while watching another local ground station. This new system will be par– ticularly welcome where only the two National channels RTE 1 and 2 are being received.. Johnston Grier ------------------------ D SATELLITE DISH D SYSTEMS SPECIAL OFFER NOW ON! Only £399 or £3.48 per week for Three Years NO DEPOSIT! Johncy Boyle FALCARRAGR Circa 1926. Daniel O'! >onnell LOWER MAIN STREET, LETTERKENNY Tel: (074) 21109 LETTERKENNY SHOPPING CENTRE Tel: (074) 21818 Repairs Service Tel: (074) 24224