Albert's Attic Gallery

Astra - The Hot Bird for TV Programmers

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How excited we all were! Until then satellite TV had been for enthusiasts (or madmen, as we were called by our wives), and cable companies only. It needed a 1.8m dish to produce a half-decent picture, and even then there was really only CNN and Music Box to watch. In 1983 you could pay £550 for an LNB! In those days visitors didn't say 'That's a big dish', they asked, 'What on earth is that thing in your garden?' As soon as the little Amstrad dishes were available we set one up temporarily at home, and made an instant decision not to sell them. Enquiring customers were regretfully advised to try Comet. It was half a year before Maspro brought out some decent kit, and from then on we did very well with satellite installations.

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