anime.in4mation

Satellite TV Notes

What is Satellite TV Anime?

Europe
Most European countries broadcast some animation on their entertainment TV channels, including Japanese animation, dubbed, inevitably, into the local language. This is carried on a mixture of channels i.e. terrestial UHF, digital satellite (free to air and encrypted), and analog satellite. Analog satellite is being phased out.
This opens the possibility of viewing Japanese animation broadcast from elsewhere in Europe, as the satellite signals aren't confined to national boundaries. The equipment cost involved is low, being trivial for the now obsolescent analog satellite equipment, and quite cheap (i.e. less than the cost of buying one long TV series on DVD) for digital equipment. Few will bother obtaining decryption cards for foreign encrypted services but there are still many free-to-air services to check out. It should be said that cross-border viewing is a minority interest: of British anime fans who watch satellite TV anime, over 99% will be watching it in English on their own or their parents' BskyB digital satellite subscription service.

A historical note
Over ten years ago, a handful of British fans were sufficiently interested in the anime goodies broadcast on the Continent to have French Secam tapes of Ranma 1/2, Italian tapes of 'Lady Oscar' and the like sent over.
Later on, I discovered that a stunning amount of unknown anime was being broadcast on analog satellite and could easily be picked up with £30 (45 Euros) worth of secondhand equipment. It was at this time that I stumbled on the "World Masterpiece Theater" (meisaku) series - 26 or more classic TV anime series, some over 50 episodes long.

Japan
Not surprisingly, the Japanese have digital satellite anime too, (NOT receivable in the UK or Europe) and this (or rather the digitised "raws") has become a source of material for well-connected English-speaking digital fansubbers issuing 'digisubs'.

Want to know more?
For more information read the FAQs on the Satellite pages at:
Shoujo and General


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