Nipper the RCA cocked-ear canine and his young colleague Chipper have had new TV images to gaze at lovingly in recent television and print ads: programs beamed into homes from two new satellites in orbit 22,300 miles above the equator. The question is whether noncanine viewers will be similarly captivated by the new DSS service -- for Digital Satellite System -- and its 18-inch dishes.
DSS is backed by deep-pocketed firms like RCA, Sony and General Motors subsidiary Hughes Electronics. A national marketing push is aimed at convincing viewers who still get their video through rooftop antennas or rabbit ears that they should switch to DSS's better reception and increased program choices -- as many as 175 channels.
Marketers of DSS also hope to draw away cable TV subscribers by flaunting DSS's clear, CD-like sound, generally sharp laser disklike images and a program lineup that besides the usual cable fare of CNN, HBO, MTV, the Disney Channel and so on, piles on still more movies and sports.
Subscribers can view any of up to 12 NFL football games each Sunday, for example. Or they can pick from among dozens of movies repeated through the day -- with a few currently popular films such as The Paper beginning a new showing every 30 minutes. DSS program packages cost about $22 to $35 a month for combinations with a fair number of attractions. Someone wanting to receive just about every major cable service, including premium channels, may pay about $65 a month, plus extra fees for some sports events and $2.99 each for pay-per-view movies.
Satellite video is nothing new, of course. What is new is the unobtrusive receiving dish. The small size, possible because the satellites beam extra powerful signals, allows the dish to be tucked away on a roof or balcony, hidden among bushes or set on a window ledge. The main requirement is an unobstructed view of the southern sky. The dish is wired to a receiver about the size of a small VCR. The receiver hooks to your TV and also to your phone line to automatically transmit billing charges when you watch extra-cost programs. A supplied remote can be used to scan channels or make selections from on-screen menus.
The antenna-receiver package is sold only through electronics dealers by RCA for now, with Sony expected to start selling units next year. The upfront cost for equipment makes DSS prices a bargain compared with the $2,500 to $3,500 typically required for a full-size dish installation but far more expensive than a cable hookup. A minimal DSS package, which feeds service to one TV, costs about $700. For about $900, you get a package with an upgraded remote that can control an entire audio-video setup and a receiver that can feed two TVs the same satellite program. People who want two TVs to receive different programs must buy a second DSS receiver at $649. Close to half of buyers are choosing to install and aim the dish themselves -- not hard for the handy. Dealers offer a $70 parts kit that includes an instructional video and a compass to help aim the antenna. Installers charge about $150 to $200.
No two-timing. The DSS system has a few gaping holes in its TV coverage. Federal rules bar the satellite from supplying network programs unless a subscriber cannot receive a usable signal with an ordinary antenna. Nor are local stations carried. So DSS users may want to retain a regular antenna or sign up for the lowest level of cable service. (The DSS receiver allows easy switching between the satellite and other sources of video signals.) VCR owners may be miffed to discover that without an additional satellite receiver they can't use their VCRs to record one program while they watch another. There's also no provision in the DSS receiver for timer-controlled channel changing, which means you can't use a VCR for unattended recording of several satellite programs.
Still, DSS is enhancing viewing choices. And now, other satellite services -- such as Primestar, founded several years ago by six cable firms and General Electric and currently requiring a 36-inch dish -- are upgrading and expanding. For video habitues, things are looking up -- in a small but bountiful way.
