Neil Bierbaum=20
Residents and owners of flats and townhouses could face difficulties if the=
opt for satellite television. Most municipal by-laws only allow for one aerial stack or satellite dish.=
However, existing units do not have the correct wiring to carry the high=20 frequency (IF) signal from a satellite dish to the Integrated Receiver=20 Decoder (IRD) if the latter is placed in each unit. One alternative is that each unit has its own dish which feeds directly int=
the IRD. But this is illegal and, even if the law were changed, many believ=
it would be unsightly to have a dish outside each unit. Another possibility is that the entire block selects which channels it want=
to receive and sets up one IRD at the =D2head end=D3 for each of those=20 channels. In other words, if it chose five channels then it would set up fi=
IRDs, each of which would then be wired to all the units in the complex.=20 The viewer would then change channels on his or her television set. This is possible because the IRD converts the high frequency satellite=20 signal into an analog signal that can be transmitted along existing wiring.=
The problem with this option is that consensus has to be reached on a=20 limited number of channels. If the complex wants 16 channels it will have=
to install 16 IRDs. Subscriber-management company MultiChoice, which will be=20 administering the subscribers to the PanAmSat-4 service, has another=20 problem. One of the major benefits of digital satellite technology is=20 interactivity. The viewer can order pay-per-view programmes, access on- screen programming menus and order products from a home-shopping=20 channel, all using the remote control. MultiChoice clearly wants all viewers to have the full benefit of this=20 technology. It also wants to sell as many decoders as possible, to bring th=
price down in the long term, so it will not willingly take on multi-unit=20 dwellings as subscribers.=20 Developers, however, are reluctant to wire new complexes with the=20 appropriate IF wiring necessary for a multi-unit dwelling to receive signa=
from a single dish. =D2It is too expensive for them,=D3 says Anthony Glass,=
chairman of Aerial Empire. =D2It costs about=20 R1 000 per unit, whereas existing UHF cabling costs between R200 and=20 R300 per unit. =D2I would like to see everybody knuckle down and provide backbone=20 systems. Having more than one dish detracts aesthetically and doesn=D5t=20 allow for expansion when new options become available. You could end=20 up with two or three dishes next to each unit.=D3 There is mixed reaction from the industry. Some believe that MultiChoice=20 is being fair, other say not. =D2They are trying to save everybody money fr=
a programming point of view,=D3 said one satellite distributor who did not=
wish to be named, =D2but the initial cost of digital boxes is too expensive=
Another pointed out that programme providers in other countries subsidise=
the installations of receiving equipment. =D2If they insist on individual b=
in each unit then they should subsidise some part of the installation,=D3 h=
One installer suggested that the installers of receiving equipment also=20 install new cable systems and rent them to MultiChoice.=20