Annenberg's got a new tow, and it could change the way Penn looks at television. It's a?

S U P E R D I S H S U P E R D I S H There has been a subtle change in the University skyline. Where once only the flat, stunted buildings and pointed stone archs protruded from the trees surrounding Locust Walk, a far more majestic structure now leaps up into the air. This bizarre colossal creation is located on the roof of the Annenberg School for Communication, with its sweeping, irregular curves and daunting 30-foot height, looks more like a work of modern art than a piece of expensive cutting-edge communications technology. Yet cutting-edge technology is exactly what Annenberg's new toy, called the Simulsat Seven Satellite Dish, is all about. Together with the network which is set to be installed this fall, these ??? space-age rabbit ears, and the sights and sounds they will bring to the University community, have the potential to revolutionize the way the University learns, communicates and watches television. The satellite dish can theoretically receive up to 528 television signals from the 14 satellites which it currently monitors, according to John Masse, the chief television engineer at Annenberg. Masse, casually referred to as "a genius" by the building's maintenance workers, has done most of the work hooking the dish up to the building's receivers. Taking a gander at the infinitely complex maze of wiring which connects the dish to the receivers at Annenberg's video laboratory, one realizes the immensity of the task. The Simulsat Seven is impressive both in its size and its technical complexity, said Masse. The top-of-the-line dish weighs in at almost 5,000 pounds, and measures a diameter of more than 43 feet across and 30 feet vertically. Masse said that a major portion of the dish's cost went to reinforcing the Annenberg School's roof so that a gust of strong wind would not blow the satellite -- and the roof along with it -- onto the Walnut Street food trucks below. ·Many Potential Uses But the Simulsat Seven is good for more than allowing Annenberg professors to get free ESPN. Although the dish is still in its "infancy" stage, according to Catherine Schifter, Annenberg's director of multi-media technology. The potential long-term effects that the Simulsat Seven system could have on the University community are wide-reaching -- ranging from pay TV channels for student dorms to increased security from video cameras linked to University Police. "The satellite dish is more like a television station than a cable system," she said. ·The Academic Video Network According to Schifter, the dish has the potential to broadcast any satellite signal to any monitor on the University campus, bringing the power of the system throughout campus, so long as the miles of necessary wiring are connected first. Projects Planning Manager for the University's Data Communications and Computing Services, Michael Palladino, is in charge of the University's "Academic Video Network;" this network would connect University buildings to the Simulsat Seven, allowing them to access to satellite programming. Unfortunately, with the exception of Lauder-Fischer Hall, none of these places are currently wired so that any television set in the building can receive the satellite programming, Palladino said. Phase One only places the "backbone" of the network in the buildings. In order to deliver full satellite access to all monitors in a building, the division of the University which controls the specific building would have to pay for that procedure, said Palladino. He added that no requests have yet been made for buildings to be fully wired. Palladino also said that there is currently no money available from the provost's office, which funded the initial phase, to connect additional buildings to the satellite dish hook-up. Most buildings that can cover the costs of connection to the Academic Video Network could be hooked up, Palladino said. ·Teleconferencing The dish allows members of the University to both hold and participate in the fledgling field of teleconferencing. The dish's potential to allow University researchers and administrators to participate in national symposiums and conferences from their office would be immensely beneficial to the University, Schifter said. ·Diverse Satellite Programming Though the dish can receive up to 528 different television signals, Schifter said the School's current policy does not intend for the dish to receive the more "frivolous" programming that lacks immediate educational value. Administrators at Annenberg decided on 24 channels from the 14 satellites' selection of programming which would best serve the educational mission of the University, according to Masse. Schifter said that initially, the program selection was based on providing the maximum educational value, such as foreign language and technical programming. Currently, the Simulsat Seven does not receive "frivolous" channels, such a PRISM, HBO, Cinemax or MTV. The satellite programming received by the Simulsat Seven includes Scola, a service which broadcasts news shows from around the globe, Cable News Network, C-Span I and II, live coverage from both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, National Technical University engineering programming, Virginia Institute of Technology math programming, Univision (Spanish programming), a Brazillian channel, a Middle Eastern channel and various other business, medical and international shows. ·News From Around the World At first glance, the list of satellite programming chosen by Annenberg to be sent out around the University may sound a little, well, boring; almost like PBS gone berzerk. Granted, the average student won't get much out of some of the more technical channels, but upon closer inspection, some of these "educational" channels are more than just watchable, but downright interesting. CNN has always been a favorite among more current events-hungry University students, particularly with CNN's recent 24-hour reporting of the Persian Gulf War. But once one focuses on C-Span's live Congressional coverage, one can see just how human the people who run the government really are. Perhaps the most amazing channel currently broadcast by the Simulsat Seven is Scola. On this channel (no, its not a brand of mouthwash), news broadcasts from dozens of nations around the planet are shown every half hour or so. News from India is followed by news from Czechoslovakia, followed in rapid-fire succession by the latest breaking stories from Malaysia, Oman, Kenya, Sweden and Saudia Arabia. Although viewers probably can't understand the languages the various reporters speak, and although most international newspeople aren't quite caught up on '90s fashions (India's lead anchor has lapels that would make Elvis proud), the diverse values and cultures of the entire world are dramatically driven home by the network. From the the exuberant facial expressions of the participants in Czechoslovakia's first democratically elected parliament, to the haggard desperation shown by a Filipino reporter while his country is smothered in volcanic ash, Scola thrusts viewers out of their Ivory Tower in West Philly and into the real world. Whether a student of language, culture, political science, media, history, business (some news broadcasts have commercials, too), art or whatever, Scola proves more entertaining and meaningful than thirtysomething, or even the beloved Cheers. ·Looking Into the Future After September 1 rolls around, and the dish has been hooked up to 15 buildings, it will signify a the beginning of a new era in communications throughout the University. Phase Two in the Academic Video Network is as yet undefined, said Palladino. But both Schifter and Palladino said that the number of potential applications for the dish are enormous. If funding is allocated for room hook-ups, then dormitory rooms and student lounges could be wired to receive cable television channels via satellite at a small fraction of the normal cost. Programming for specific classes could be aired over the network, so that documentaries and other specialized academic programming received by the satellite dish, could be coordinated with specific classes. If a two-way signal were installed, technicians said, radio programming from WXPN also could be sent into student dorms, along with University-created informational and educational channels. Sports events from the Palestra and Franklin Field could be broadcast directly to monitors in University buildings. In order to increase safety, dangerous areas such as parking garages and building entrances could be monitored by University Police with the help of video cameras. Palladino describes these examples as being just the tip of iceberg, saying that many applications which exist have not even been thought of yet. ·Linking Obstacles The implementation of the Academic Video Network, and any future modifications of the system powered by the Simulsat Seven, will face several obstacles in the years to come, said Palladino. Installing the large receivers on the tops of the University's more ornate and antique buildings may pose a problem with facilities management, he said. Also, Wade Cable Company, which has a contractual monopoly to bring cable channels to West Philadelphia, may claim that sending satellite programming illegally violates their jurisdiction. Whatever the obstacles, the Simulsat Seven system will bring the technology of the '90s right to your doorstep.

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