Telesat to Launch New Anik G1 Satellite for Shaw Direct
Telesat, the world's fourth largest fixed satellite services operator, it has completed an agreement for a new satellite with one of its key customers, Shaw Direct. Shaw Direct, a provider of direct-to-home satellite television services in Canada, has agreed to utilize a payload on a new Telesat satellite called Anik G1. Anik G1 is planned to commence construction in the second quarter of 2010 and enter commercial service in the second half of 2012.
The Shaw Direct payload on Anik G1 will consist of sixteen national transponders operating in the extended Ku-band frequencies that will augment Shaw Direct's capacity and capabilities at its prime orbital location of 107.3 degrees West Longitude for the anticipated 15-year life of the satellite.
"We are delighted that Shaw Direct has chosen Telesat to provide the satellite capacity needed to expand its high quality video service offerings," said Dan Goldberg, Telesat's President and CEO. "The ability of Telesat and Shaw to make the substantial investments associated with Anik G1 is the result of Industry Canada's recent decision to make extended Ku-band available for direct-to-home television services, a decision that allows our companies to expand the delivery of advanced video services to all Canadians and enhances competition in Canada."
In addition to the Shaw Direct capacity, Anik G1 will carry additional payloads to serve other markets. Telesat expects to announce the selected manufacturer of this new satellite in the next two to three months. [April 1, 2010]
Shaw Direct (Starchoice) was cripled in their HD offerings. Specially on the French side. They simply could not offer the existing channels in HD due to shortage of transponder space. They seem to be in the direction of solving all that.
According to their contract, as soon as a channel is available in HD, you are supposed to get it free if you already receive the standard non-HD format.
But that did not occur for the french channels. Most notably TV5, TFO, Télé-Québec, RDI. Evasion, Historia and Mystere. A friend of mine was so mad he switched to Bell. Shaw Direct said the stations did not provide HD programs more than 50% of the time. All of them were HD 100% of the time.