From the history of “non-standard” satellite broadcasting

Perhaps many do not know (or managed to forget), but in the late 90s and early 2000s, during the transition from analogue to digital satellite TV broadcasting, Nokia receivers from the MediaMaster series were popular .


( photo from archiwum.allegro.pl )

Models 9100/9500/9600 were produced (differences in the configuration of the RF modulator, modem, etc.). And their "custom" option for the German provider DF-1 called DBox (1)).


( photo from archiwum.allegro.pl )

At that time, not only was the hardware high-quality in assembly and components, but it was also quite “tasty” and in features (for example, the presence of a SCSI interface).


( photo from archiwum.allegro.pl )

But ... for some reasons and only the nascent "marketing", the functionality with the native FW was very limited.

Explosive growth of interest in these devices (and given that there weren’t any others) occurred after the alternative firmware fromUli Hermann ( Dr. Owerflow ).

The first, relatively public versions were called DVB98, but relatively soon renamed DVB2000 .

The main “locomotive” for flashing the devices was, of course, a direction that is now not customary to “discuss loudly”.

But! there was one more, quite legal and officially existed - listening and recording (!) MP3 files (44.1 / 128) from the air of a popular thematic radio station.

On a computer connected via SCSI, a profile program was launched, which not only collected the mp3 file from the stream, but also using the transmitted data, registered it with an adequate name (artist / song), and also registered the necessary tags. And if there was an album cover in the stream, I worked with him.

But, because even in those days, flashing the receivers was not very accessible "for the average user" ( at us, in Chip-Dip (e), sellers recognized the list of parts on the printout for assembling the BDM adapter of the primary flashing ). Then the company “approved” the direction of using TV cards (tuners) for installation on a PC.



Of course, “lures / improvements” went

Skins

It is clear that the “one-way” file transfer could be overshadowed by errors, so after a while the “corrective” FixDiff service appeared (but already using 2-way Internet and a group of enthusiasts).

Screens of program menus

In the midst of enthusiasm, the Music Pl @ y company was created in Munich , which made friends with the NBC broadcaster and began transmitting its stream (UpLink in the Düsseldorf district) from one of the NBC transponders in the spring of 2000. Official information said that the broadcast is in the “service fields” of teletext (let’s leave it “as is”).

Thematic “intervals” were as follows:

Spoiler with themes

80



90



Chillout



Clubbing



HipHop



Rock — It !



Schmuse ( — «» (18+))



TOP-50

In addition to “just tracks”, the broadcaster introduced the “MegaCD” collection.



In terms of meaning, these were some “The Best” collections, about 140 such collections were created during the year.

A year later, this R@dio.MP3 filed for bankruptcy (financing went only to advertising revenue, which did not give the expected profit). And her undertaking, after some time, was intercepted by the next company - Megaradio .

Initially, the broadcast went on the air (terrestrial), streaming streaming (www) and via satellite.
Alas, by this time, certain structures recognized the potential and the threat from the “uncontrolled” distribution of mp3 files. And the broadcaster was forced to quite noticeably change the broadcast policy. Broadcasting via satellite became paid, some of the services were allocated into separate offers Meg@radio.MP3 (for example, paid by subscription, it began to download what was broadcast on the current air). Well, downloading “MegaCD” began to cost a separate 5Euro (I write from memory, maybe I confuse the details a bit).

There is almost no information on this time / event on the Internet.

There is a page on the German Wiki:
transition to WIKI DE

There is a "page of memory" (R@dio.MP3)
transition to the site

+ some inf. about those times (more precisely the receiver from Nokia) can be read on:
Website " Computerpress "
transition to "Computerpress"

Archive site of the journal Telespletnik Telesputnik
transition to Telesputnik

Promo tracks can be listened to on YandexDisk (there are also pairs of html / xls MegaCD lists for 2000 and 2001) + pdf_ of the advertising booklet R@dio.MP3 )
I-Disk folder