High Above (book)
Encyclopedia
High Above - The untold story of Astra, Europe’s leading satellite company is a book describing the development of the European satellite provider SES Astra
, published in 2010 on the occasion of the company’s 25th anniversary by Broadgate Publications in Richmond, UK.
It is a large “coffee table” style book (32 x 24cm) of 239 pages with hundreds of photographs.
The story of High Above is of interest to anyone who watches TV. It covers a period that has seen the emergence of television as the dominant information and entertainment medium. The account shows how Astra was a main driver of European TV development, without which we would not have the necessary base ingredients to make the great leap forward into digital TV, HDTV, 3D television
, and future revolutionary prospects for home entertainment.
But the story of satellite TV is more than a story of rockets and technology; it is the story of the birth of a whole array of new industries and the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs. High Above is also a reflection of politics, 20th Century history, the Cold War
and the collapse of Communism, the creation of Europe, economic growth and wealth, big brands, the Internet age and of technological convergence.
Space journalist, Gerhard Kowalski described High Above as “not only a eulogy to the TV pioneer … also a fact-rich and fascinating history of satellite television in general” while consumer technology website Tech Radar said the book “delivers a fascinating reminder of television’s early days as well as the technology behind the development of satellite TV”.
produced the company that established and then led the DTH satellite industry in Europe. With the commercial, technical and regulatory hurdles to overcome, it was a rough ride, both for Astra and for the broadcasters that now dominate the industry (BSkyB, Canal Plus, Premiere - now Sky Deutschland, etc) – and the whole tale is told, the defeats as well as the victories.
The book also chronicles the development of television itself and of satellites, with the early experiments and the story of rocketry from the first trials of Robert Goddard, through Wernher Von Braun
’s V2 to the US and Soviet space programmes, and the European Ariane
launchers that have carried many of the Astra satellites into orbit.
High Above explains the technology behind, and within, satellite television: why satellites are used for TV broadcasting, how the geostationary orbit
makes it work, how the tiny signals are received and decoded by domestic equipment, and how digital TV gives a choice of thousands of channels to every home.
Chris Forrester is a well known broadcasting journalist and industry consultant. He reports on all aspects of broadcasting with special emphasis on satellite, the business of television and emerging broadcast applications. This very much includes interactive multi-media and the growing importance of web-streamed
and digitised content over all delivery platforms including satellite, cable
and digital terrestrial TV
as well as cellular and 3G
mobile. Indeed, he has been investigating, researching and reporting on the so-called “broadband explosion” for more than 25 years. He has been a freelance journalist since 1988.
Geoff Bains has worked in technology journalism since 1983, investigating, reporting, and explaining the technological advances of the time, as they affect consumers – both in their homes and in the High Street. Author of several books on computing and electronics, Geoff began to follow the emerging satellite TV industry in 1986, and served as Editor of several specialist satellite TV publications, including a 13-year tenure at Europe’s leading consumer magazine, What Satellite
. Freelance since 2003, Geoff continues to inform and guide satellite TV viewers and enthusiasts both in print and online.
Julian Clover is a Media and Technology journalist. He has two decades of combined experience in online and printed media. Julian is an editor of Broadband TV News and New Television Insider. An accomplished conference moderator, Julian is a regular chairman at the annual IBC congress in Amsterdam, as well as Anga Cable in Cologne and the Broadband TV News Business Breakfasts. Television appearances include the BBC’s technology magazine Click
and the popular consumer programme Watchdog
. He is a committee member of the Broadcasting Press Guild
.
Dr. Jörn Krieger has specialised in media journalism since 1990. He has contributed to a wide range of German and English-language trade publications, including Inside Satellite TV, Rapid TV News, Inside Digital TV and Interspace, in addition to providing consultancy and analysis. His emphasis is on satellite television, cable networks, digital television, pay-TV and new markets such as IPTV
, HDTV and mobile TV
.
Serge Siritzky studied at ENA
, one of France’s Grandes Écoles
. He has dual French and American nationality, and has a long career in the cinema and television industries. He is currently Editorial Director of Ecran Total, the highly-regarded French magazine devoted to the audio-visual business.
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...
, published in 2010 on the occasion of the company’s 25th anniversary by Broadgate Publications in Richmond, UK.
It is a large “coffee table” style book (32 x 24cm) of 239 pages with hundreds of photographs.
Outline
High Above tells the story of SES Astra, and how some brave pioneers managed to overcome technical, political and commercial obstacles to become the world's leading satellite operator. It is the story of the Luxembourg-based satellite provider and the growth of European satellite TV, the history of recent developments of the European TV and media industry, and their context in the wider development of TV and space technology.The story of High Above is of interest to anyone who watches TV. It covers a period that has seen the emergence of television as the dominant information and entertainment medium. The account shows how Astra was a main driver of European TV development, without which we would not have the necessary base ingredients to make the great leap forward into digital TV, HDTV, 3D television
3D television
A 3D television is a television set that employs techniques of 3D presentation, such as stereoscopic capture, multi-view capture, or 2D-plus-depth, and a 3D display – a special viewing device to project a television program into a realistic three-dimensional field.- History :In the late-1890's,...
, and future revolutionary prospects for home entertainment.
But the story of satellite TV is more than a story of rockets and technology; it is the story of the birth of a whole array of new industries and the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs. High Above is also a reflection of politics, 20th Century history, the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and the collapse of Communism, the creation of Europe, economic growth and wealth, big brands, the Internet age and of technological convergence.
Space journalist, Gerhard Kowalski described High Above as “not only a eulogy to the TV pioneer … also a fact-rich and fascinating history of satellite television in general” while consumer technology website Tech Radar said the book “delivers a fascinating reminder of television’s early days as well as the technology behind the development of satellite TV”.
Content
Using a series of interviews with key figures from the European satellite TV industry, as well as straightforward story-telling, High Above tells the inside account of how the tiny country of LuxembourgLuxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
produced the company that established and then led the DTH satellite industry in Europe. With the commercial, technical and regulatory hurdles to overcome, it was a rough ride, both for Astra and for the broadcasters that now dominate the industry (BSkyB, Canal Plus, Premiere - now Sky Deutschland, etc) – and the whole tale is told, the defeats as well as the victories.
The book also chronicles the development of television itself and of satellites, with the early experiments and the story of rocketry from the first trials of Robert Goddard, through Wernher Von Braun
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
’s V2 to the US and Soviet space programmes, and the European Ariane
Ariane
Ariane is a feminine name. It is a French translation of the Greek name Ariadne. It may refer to:-People:* Princess Ariane of the Netherlands * Ariane Ascaride , French actress and screenwriter...
launchers that have carried many of the Astra satellites into orbit.
High Above explains the technology behind, and within, satellite television: why satellites are used for TV broadcasting, how the geostationary orbit
Geostationary orbit
A geostationary orbit is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth's equator , with a period equal to the Earth's rotational period and an orbital eccentricity of approximately zero. An object in a geostationary orbit appears motionless, at a fixed position in the sky, to ground observers...
makes it work, how the tiny signals are received and decoded by domestic equipment, and how digital TV gives a choice of thousands of channels to every home.
Authors
High Above is edited by Chris Forrester and written by Chris Forrester with Geoff Bains, Julian Clover, Jörn Krieger, and Serge Siritzky.Chris Forrester is a well known broadcasting journalist and industry consultant. He reports on all aspects of broadcasting with special emphasis on satellite, the business of television and emerging broadcast applications. This very much includes interactive multi-media and the growing importance of web-streamed
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
and digitised content over all delivery platforms including satellite, 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 digital terrestrial TV
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...
as well as cellular and 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
mobile. Indeed, he has been investigating, researching and reporting on the so-called “broadband explosion” for more than 25 years. He has been a freelance journalist since 1988.
Geoff Bains has worked in technology journalism since 1983, investigating, reporting, and explaining the technological advances of the time, as they affect consumers – both in their homes and in the High Street. Author of several books on computing and electronics, Geoff began to follow the emerging satellite TV industry in 1986, and served as Editor of several specialist satellite TV publications, including a 13-year tenure at Europe’s leading consumer magazine, What Satellite
What Satellite and Digital TV
What Satellite and Digital TV is a satellite, terrestrial, cable and broadband television magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom by MyHobbyStore...
. Freelance since 2003, Geoff continues to inform and guide satellite TV viewers and enthusiasts both in print and online.
Julian Clover is a Media and Technology journalist. He has two decades of combined experience in online and printed media. Julian is an editor of Broadband TV News and New Television Insider. An accomplished conference moderator, Julian is a regular chairman at the annual IBC congress in Amsterdam, as well as Anga Cable in Cologne and the Broadband TV News Business Breakfasts. Television appearances include the BBC’s technology magazine Click
Click (TV series)
Click is a weekly BBC television programme covering news and recent developments in the world of consumer technology, presented by Spencer Kelly....
and the popular consumer programme Watchdog
Watchdog (TV series)
Watchdog is a BBC television series that investigates viewers' reports of problematic experiences with traders, retailers, and other companies around the UK...
. He is a committee member of the Broadcasting Press Guild
Broadcasting Press Guild
The Broadcasting Press Guild is a British association of journalists who specialise in writing and broadcasting about television, radio and the media generally....
.
Dr. Jörn Krieger has specialised in media journalism since 1990. He has contributed to a wide range of German and English-language trade publications, including Inside Satellite TV, Rapid TV News, Inside Digital TV and Interspace, in addition to providing consultancy and analysis. His emphasis is on satellite television, cable networks, digital television, pay-TV and new markets such as IPTV
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...
, HDTV and mobile TV
Mobile TV
Mobile television usually means television watched on a small handheld device. It may be a pay TV service broadcast on mobile phone networks or received free-to-air via terrestrial television stations from either regular broadcast or a special mobile TV transmission format...
.
Serge Siritzky studied at ENA
École nationale d'administration
The École Nationale d'Administration , one of the most prestigious of French graduate schools , was created in 1945 by Charles de Gaulle to democratise access to the senior civil service. It is now entrusted with the selection and initial training of senior French officials...
, one of France’s Grandes Écoles
Grandes écoles
The grandes écoles of France are higher education establishments outside the main framework of the French university system. The grandes écoles select students for admission based chiefly on national ranking in competitive written and oral exams...
. He has dual French and American nationality, and has a long career in the cinema and television industries. He is currently Editorial Director of Ecran Total, the highly-regarded French magazine devoted to the audio-visual business.