Who`s in charge around here ?
|
Bronze Member Username: L_k_livesSOLID GOLD MEMBER, SEX WITH WIF... Post Number: 42 Registered: Dec-07 | I am confused, I was just getting used to the fact that Nalin Nyda was the new boss here, and now comes along some johnny come lately who calls himself Warren Ashley. Now which is it, who`s the big cheese, head honcho,numo uno, pimp, the man? It`s getting confusing! Who is the boss man here? Is it still Nalin or is it now Warren Ashley? Or dare I say, are they one in the same? |
|
Silver Member Username: LolPost Number: 107 Registered: Sep-06 | You mean its Not You !!!!!!!!!!!! |
|
Bronze Member Username: CarpiePost Number: 30 Registered: Dec-07 | I vote for Ed Zackary |
|
Gold Member Username: Saqeeb9000Post Number: 1237 Registered: Oct-07 | ed zackary my a*ss.... i think nydas,ftatester,av are still on top of game.. lk if you wanna join.............. |
|
Bronze Member Username: L_k_livesSOLID GOLD MEMBER, SEX WITH WIF... Post Number: 44 Registered: Dec-07 | Paul Silver Member Username: Lol Post Number: 107 Registered: Sep-06 Posted on Monday, December 31, 2007 - 08:42 pm: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You mean its Not You !!!!!!!!!!!! AH, THOSE WHERE THE DAYS |
|
Silver Member Username: Koko_wawaPost Number: 185 Registered: Aug-07 | CONTINUE: Plays Video CD discs in both PAL/NTSC modes. Plays CDs containing MPEG-1 Level 2 audio files (with the right software and a CD-R drive you can fit about 8 CDs onto a single disc). With the addition of a serial cable and a PC: Upload and download of channel settings. Editing of channel settings, including name, PIDs, frontend, video and audio modes etc. Firmware upgrades using LZW compression for speed. Band scanner capability - displays a graph showing signal strength across a range of frequencies and then allows a range of frequencies to be automatically scanned for any DVB compatible MPEG-2 carriers. In other words, you can point the receiver at a satellite and tell it "tell me the frequency, SR and FEC of all MPEG-2 carriers here". Sorting of channels by name, frequency or channel ID Transfer a specific PID stream to the PC - excellent for looking at things like data services, Dish Network song titles etc. With the addition of a SCSI controller in the PC: Upload and download channels at turbo speed. Reading 2047 channels (the maximum supported) takes less than a second and only a couple of seconds to write. Upgrade firmware - typcially takes 6 seconds for the current version of DVB98 (and this is related to the performance of the erase circuit in the Flash - the SCSI interface can easily do 3MB/s sustained). (Future) Ability to select a series of PIDs and have the stream sent to and from the PC in real time. This will allow recording of programming in MPEG-2 format directly on the PC, i.e. turning your PC into a digital VCR. Hyundai HSS-100C - about $600 This Korean receiver is becoming the most popular in North America for a number of reasons. First, it operates on both 110v and 220v, second it outputs NTSC when it encounters a 525 line 60Hz video source and third is quite easy to operate. It cannot search for the symbol rate like the d-box. To run this receiver, you'll need a PAL TV to initially set it up, but it will then drive a normal NTSC TV once it's tuned into video. It handles most MPEG-2 feeds however, locks up on some signals, such as half of the NBC SCPC feeds on GE-1 Ku-Band. There are two versions of the HSS-100C available. Those running firmware version 2.x contain the same Nokia tuner that the d-box uses and the 5.x version which contains a Sanyo QPSK tuner. It appears that the Sanyo tuner isn't as sensative as the Nokia tuner, however, the 5.0 version of firmware does add an automatic FEC mode. On the negative side, this receiver is very slow. This is because it uses EEPROM for its channel memory and EEPROM is very small, so it can't save things like PIDs in its memory. As a result, every time you switch between transponders, the receiver has to lock the signal and process the DVB-SI to figure out which channels are there. Needless to say, this is very time consuming. Pansat 100A - about $500 This receiver is basically the same as the Hyundai HSS-100C but starts in NTSC mode initially. It has all the other drawbacks or advantages of the HSS-100C (depending on your point of view). RSD Communications ODM 300 This Scotish FTA receiver hasn't really been distributed at all in North America. I managed to get hold of one to play with and write some software for, but it certainly does have a lot of potential. It uses a 33MHz Coldfire processor from Motorola, so compared to all the other receivers, it flies, even with complex multi-color graphics. This receiver is like a graphically slick version of DVB98, i.e. it's designed for satellite enthusiasts. It doesn't have all the wonderful technical capabilities of DVB98 but in return is much simpler to operate. Note: The ODM-300 supports DiSEqC 1.2 rotors, which is a very simple way to motorize an offset Ku-Band dish. See the links section for links to DiSEqC 1.2 rotor manufacturers. Echostar 9000 This technically isn't a FTA receiver but with a lot of coaxing can receive some FTA programming. This is basically a Dish Network 3000 receiver but with European things like SCART connectors and a Common Access CAM slot. It contains a Nagra Conditional Access circuit built into the board since it's designed for use with the Spanish Via Digital DBS service. The reason for the built CAM slot is so that it can receive programming from other providers that provide CAMs since this is a legal requirement for all digital satellite receivers in Spain to prevent people from being locked into a particular service (I wish the same were true in North America!). This recevier has two LNB configurations (one set for Universal and the other programmable) and has memories for 8 base transponders (it searches the DVB-SI for other transponders that are part of the boquet). Only one base transponder memory can be active at a time, but then if you consider the fact that it's designed for DBS services, this isn't too much of a restriction. The front-end is only capable of 18MS/s and above, so SCPC or small MCPC packages are not possible - it also doesn't process the PIDs in many packages correctly. Of course pointing it at one of the Echostar DBS slots, ExpressVu or the Microspace package on GE-1 Ku results in a perfect channel map since all three of these services (along with Via Digital in Spain) use the same TV/COM / Divicom encoder equipment that was put together by Echostar's engineering team. Of course, most of these services are encrypted. Prosat P3500 This is probably the least expensive and also one of the fastest MPEG/DVB receivers available. Although it doesn't allow direct PID entry, it does a very good job with virtually all North American signals it has been pointed at. You can read my review here. Pros and Cons of the Receivers Scientific Atlanta PowerVu D-9223 Pros: Searches for PIDs. NTSC output. 950 - 2050 MHz L-Band input. 14v / 18v / 22 KHz LNBF control. Can be computer controlled. Cons: No IR remote. Is not DVB compatible. Does not work well with Wegener MPEG-2. Very Expensive. Standard-Firmware Nokia Mediamaster 9500s (d-box) Pros: Locks every signal in MPEG-2. We haven't found a signal that this box won't lock onto yet. Can figure out the SR and FEC by itself. You only need the approximate frequency and bandwidth of the target signal to get a lock Can be computer controlled, making changing channels much simpler. Plays VideoCDs when used with a SCSI CD-ROM. Generates both 14v/18v and 22KHz switching. An additional 12v signal can be used to switch the RF input between the d-box and analog receivers. Can have its firmware upgraded via a PC serial port. Cons: Tries to display 525 line 60Hz video as a PAL signal and therefore has problems. A screen flash happens every 20 seconds. If switched to NTSC mode, displaying menus crashes the receiver. DVB-98 Equiped Nokia Mediamaster (9200, 9500 or 9600) Pros: Simply the best MPEG-2/DVB receiver available. When used in conjunction with a a PC can search an entire satellite automatically, record and playback streams via the SCSI bus. Play CD-R discs containing either MPEG-1 Level 2 auto files and VideoCD discs. Cons: Needs 220v. Requires a SCART to RCA cable since SCART connectors are non-existant in North America. Hyundai HSS-100C Pros: Very simple to operate. Identifies all channels without the use of PIDs. Uses 110v AC. Switches to NTSC mode when it first finds a 525 line 60Hz signal and doesn't crash. Cons: Occasionally doesn't find a signal or locks up. Defaults to PAL output. Doesn't show or allow entry of PIDs or have many of the advanced features of the Nokia. Requires very accurate information to lock a signal. Requires an EPROM change in order to upgrade the firmware. Switching transponders is very slow. Prosat P-3500 Pros: Very Fast and quite easy to operate Supports NTSC and PAL perfectly Runs from 90 - 260 v AC at 50 or 60Hz UHF modulator so you can plumb it into your in-house TV wiring on a spare UHF channel Supports DiseqC and 0/12v switching Very inexpensive Cons: Cannot enter PIDs Only stores 80 transponders Has to read the streams after power up to figure PIDs which can be slow Nokia Mediamaster Specific Information The Nokia Mediamaster is the generic name for a series of digital MPEG-2 receivers made by the Finish company, Nokia. Many people refer to this type of receiver as a d-box, but that's really a confusing because there are so many variations of this type of receiver. The d-box and dreambox The d-box is a receiver sold in Germany for the DF-1 package. It contains a Conditional Access Module (CAM), which is a descrambler along with a card slot which uses a card that gets married to the CAM. Echostar receivers also have a CAM, however, theirs is built directly onto the main receiver board. If you have a look at an AlphaStar receiver, you can see the CAM - it's a seperate board that connects between the QPSK receiver and main board. The d-box also contains a modem for PPV reporting (it also does faxing, but I'd probably never want to send a fax from my d-box!). When the d-box was introduced, DF-1 subsidized its price in Germany in exactly the same way that DirecTV and Echostar subsidize the prices of MPEG-2 receivers here in North America. People in Holland found out that if you took a standard d-box and added a Multichoice card (Multichoice is a Dutch pay TV service), it would work fine. The result was that suddenly a lot of German d-boxes were showing up in Holland which was costing DF-1 plenty of money as they never received a subscription to the DF-1 pay TV service. When the situation got too much for DF-1 they upgraded the firmware of all d-boxes to stop them from receiving Multichoice, which obviously left a lot of people in Holland very unhappy. Because the Nokia box is based on the Motorola 68340 processor and it has a debugging tool built directly into the chip (and a connector on the Nokia motherboard for the debug tool), some enterprising engineers in Holland figured out how to extract the old firmware from d-boxes that worked with Multichoice and re-programmed it (for a fee of course) into the d-boxes that had been in-effect switched off by DF-1. They also patched the code to prevent any future updates from the satellite, while preserving its ability to be upgraded via the serial port. This receiver is called a "dreambox" from C&J Electronics. It receives all IRDETO scrambled signals (with the correct smart card of course) and also all FTA SCPC and MCPC signals without or without a smart card. Another modified Nokia receiver receiver is available from Bentley Walker and is based on firmware from Bakker Electronics, also in Holland. Since I don't have one of these types of receivers, I can't comment on the firmware, however, I've heard favorable reports about its operation. Their technical support, however, is somewhat lacking in comparison with C&J Electronics though. Links for all of these companies are at the bottom of the page. Nokia Official FTA receivers Nokia also realized the need for a pan-European (meaning usable all over Europe) FTA MPEG-2 receiver and introduced their 9200S model. This is exactly the same as the 9500S platform that's used by DF-1 (and Telepiu in Italy) except that it is missing the CAM connector and the modem. After all, neither of these would be needed for a FTA receiver. Nokia later revised the 9200S model and introduced the 9600S which in theory works with both FTA and encrypted MPEG-2 signals. It uses the new Common Access type of CAMs that include the card-reader built directly into the CAM (CAMs are the same size as a type-3 PCMCIA card). The 9600S also included much improved software that does a much better job finding and storing signals than the 9200S. DVB98 Project DVB98 is replacement code for the Nokia Mediamaster series, developed independantly from Nokia by a satellite enthusiast. It's probably the most versitle operating system for an MPEG-2 receiver for both sky scanners and people that just want to watch the TV. DVB98 can do some wonderful things when used in conjunction with DVBEdit software for Microsoft Windows, such as entire satellite scanning, channel editing and high-speed data transfer via the SCSI bus. See the receivers section for more details and links related to this wonderful piece of code. Before you buy an MPEG-2 receiver If you decide to invest in an MPEG-2 receiver, keep in mind that this is very new here in North America from a hobbyist point of view. Many MPEG-2 receivers have problems with some signals, yet work fine on others or require extra equipment like a PAL TV or a supply of 220v. That said, there are quite a lot of signals in MPEG-2 here in North America. Lyngsat has a quite extensive list. Unless you have a spectrum analyzer, searching for new signals, is much harder than analog however. The only receiver that can easily find new signals is the Nokia receiver. However, this involves knowing the transponder frequencies for the satellite in question (especially important on Ku-band where most of the MPEG-2 video is) and going through each transponder and telling the d-box to search each potential signal for MPEG-2, which typically takes about three minutes per transponder. This process can be automated with DVB98 firmware and DVBEdit's scanner function, however, this process is still very slow taking roughly 3 hours to scan for both SCPC and MCPC signals in a 500MHz range. In short, if you want to sit back and watch a bunch of channels easily, don't get an MPEG-2 receiver at the moment. MPEG-2 receivers are expensive and not generally easy to use, but the situation is improving. European Information When buying an MPEG-2 receiver from Europe, there are a number of terms used there that need to be understood in order to use a receiver designed for that market. Ku-Band is King In Europe, the most common way of transmitting feeds and video programming is via Ku-Band and not C-Band as it is here in North America. The reason for this simple - a) Ku-Band dishes are smaller and therefore easier to install b) the geographical distances there are much smaller than in North America c) if a signal is targeted towards say the Balkan states (Bulgaria, Romania, Albania etc.), a beam can be used for these services because generally no-one outside of these areas will want to receive the signals. The beam results in a stronger signal on the ground, which improves signal quality and therefore can also reduce the size of the receiving dish. C-Band is used in Europe, however, it's typically used for Arabic feeds (again a large geographical area) and for hemispheric feeds (for example, the Deutche Welle feed on Intelsat at 1 west that covers all of Europe and Africa). Because Ku-band is so popular in Europe, most people use an offset-style dish with a combined LNB and feedhorn (an LNBF). The LNBF uses variation of the supply voltage to switch between horizontal and vertical polarity (14v = vertical, 18v = horizontal). In the US, Echostar and DSS use the same technique to switch between left-hand and right-hand circular polarization. Frequency Bands In North America, Ku-Band is split into two bands. The FSS band covers 11.7-12.2 GHz and is used for some DBS services (ex-AlphaStar and Primestar), but also for video feeds between TV stations and data services. The DBS band is designed only for direct to home applications and uses 12.2-12.7GHz. When DBS started in the Europe, the initial band was 11.2-11.7 GHz, however, this has now been expanded to cover from 10.7 to 12.7 GHz, all for direct to home services. Intermediate Frequencies and LOs Initial satellite receivers available in Europe received in the range 950-1450MHz. This meant that the LNB contained a local oscillator frequency of 10.25 GHz (10.25 GHz + 950 MHz = 11.2GHz). When the band was extended down to 10.7GHz, this meant that the receivers had to change in order to receive all the programming. This meant that the IF was extended with the range 950-2100MHz with an LO frequency of 9.75 GHz. Next, along comes digital TV, which occupies the 11.7 to 12.7 GHz band. Trying build a tuner and LNB that handles the entire range of 10.7 to 12.7 is impossible, so therefore the LNB contains two LOs - one at 9.75GHz and the other at 10.6GHz. This type of LNB is called a Universal and it is switched between the two LO frequencies by the receiver modulating a 22KHz tone onto the power supply for the LNB. Diseqc and Hot Bird In Europe, the major orbital location for DBS services (both analog and digital) has always been the Astra slot at 19.2 east. The Astra fleet currently comprises six co-located satellites with more planned. All the satellites are owned by Astra, based in Luxembourg, who then lease the transponder time to programmers. The other major European satellite consortium is Eutelsat (based in Paris) and they recently decided to also get into the direct to home market, much like Astra has. They currently have three high power satellites (called Hotbird) co-located at 13 east with more on the way. Because of only a difference of 6.2 degrees between the two satellites, many Europeans that want to receive from both satellites use two LNBs pointed at the same dish with an adaptor to point each at the correct satellite. Obviously, switching between the two LNBs requires either a manual switch or something a bit more high-tech. Diseqc (DIgital Satellite EQuipment Control) fills this gap by modulating digital commands onto the 22KHz signal that is used to switch between bands. With a Diseqc compatible receiver (like the d-box with its latest version of software), it is possible to have the receiver send a command to a switching device mounted at the dish to switch between the Astra and Hotbird LNBs without the effort of running an extra cable. With the correct external 12v switchbox and a 4 to 1 Diseqc switch box, it's possible to connect up to eight LNB inputs to many modern receivers. In the future, Diseqc will offer bi-directional communications between the receiver and equipment at the dish for features such as dish motorization and switching into circular modes. The Astra 1D Frequency Extender (ADX) When Astra 1D launched, it had sixteen transponders that were below the regular direct to home band, i.e. in the 10.2-10.7 GHz range. Because most receivers that were already in use couldn't tune the band, the ADX was invented. It shifts the IF frequency up or down by 500MHz. In North America, most people use Ku-Band LNBs with a local oscillator frequency of 10.750GHz, which results in the tuning of 11.7-12.2 GHz with an IF frequency of 950-1450MHz. A few satellites (Intelsat K for example) have Ku-Band transponders below the normal North American range, so by using an ADX, the transponders below 11.2 GHz can be received by shifting the 11.2-11.7 GHz band up by 500MHz. Typically, the maximum extra range that can be reached with a regular LNB is about 150MHz. You can tune down to about 11.55GHz, but that's enough for the transponders on Intelsat K, which include a few SCPC MPEG-2 signals. Another North American use for ADXes is if you use a wide band LNB for Ku-Band that has a standard LO of 10.75GHz, but an output range of 950-2100 MHz. Here, you use an ADX to shift down the 11.7 to 12.2 GHz band by 500MHz to make it match the 950-1450MHz IF of most North American receivers. The ADX does cause a couple of band edge spurious signals at the bottom of the band, but generally works very well. I've heard of people using it with a wide band Ku-band LNB on a big dish and getting a signal lock on Echostar 1/2 by shifting down the DBS band at 119 degrees. It's rather weak because of the mismatch of circular versus linear polarization though. What can be received with Echostar and AlphaStar receivers Not too much really. Both receivers are package receivers and therefore have fixed SR and FEC values. However, if you peruse Lyngesat, you'll most probably find something that matches. Info about the Echostar Receiver The Echostar receiver uses SR 20.000 with automatic FEC. Because it was designed to operate in the DBS band (12.2 to 12.7 GHz), it uses a local oscillator frequency of 11.25 GHz in the LNBF. Remember that the Echostar DBS satellites use circular polarity and uses the 14v and 18v technique to switch between right and left hand. There are a few signals (other than Echostar's own) that will work with Echostar receivers. One is the Microspace package on GE-1. Hook the receiver up to an LNB pointing at GE-1 Ku and tune to transponder 16. If you're using an LNB with a feedhorn, set for horizontal polarity. If you're using an LNBF, physically rotate the feedhorn by 90 degrees. You'll get a lock and the program guide will show lots of channels. Sad to say, there are all scrambled. Echostar receivers will also lock onto ExpressVu on Nimiq Ku-Band. This isn't surprising as ExpressVu buys their receivers and LNB's from Echostar - the hardware is identical. Unfortunately, ExpressVu is scrambled, with the exception of the 30 "Galaxie" music channels. Unfortunately, you won't be able to see the music channels on the channel map unless you subscribe (or use an FTA MPEG2 receiver). The third option is the SkyVista programming package on Telstar 5. The SkyVista programming package is a joint venture by Loral Skynet and Echostar, using EchoStar hardware. SkyVista requires the use of a KU Band LNB rather than the circular polarity FSS LNB's used by ExpressVu and EchoStar.. Like Microspace and ExpressVu, SkyVista is scrambled, with the exception of a few arabic channels. Info about the AlphaStar Receiver This receiver was initially made by Tee-Comm for the AlphaStar DBS service which used a symbol rate of 23.000 and FEC 2/3. Software upgrades since the demise of AlphaStar have made it work with a package uplinked by Spacecom Systems on T5 using the same SR/FEC, but this receiver is also being used for a Chineese package on T5 with SR 20.000 FEC 3/4, so obviously someone knows how to change the SR/FEC on this box by changing the firmware. It was also used very briefly in Europe where a Dutch distributor re-wrote the firmware to use variable SR/FEC, along with making the menus in Dutch. Since the Tee-Comm 1000 uses the Nokia tuner, it can actually handle SR from 1-45MS/s. It was never sold though, since Multichoice (now Canal+) wouldn't license the CA to the distributor, which does seem rather odd, since AlphaStar used the same IRDETO CA as Multichoice. Conditional Access - The Key to Private and Pay-TV Systems Conditional Access (CA) is used to prevent unauthorized access to either private or pay-TV systems. Note: As you will have read at the start of this document, this site does not provide any information relating to compromising scrambled signals. We do explain how CA systems work in general, but don't expect to find hacking information here. How is Conditional Access on DVB-systems performed? In the DVB specification, there are only a few of the stream types that must be transmitted without scrambling. Obviously, these only include some of the Systems Information streams such as the Program Association Tables (points to more info about each channel) and the Network Information Table (points to the other transponders used by the service). These streams must be transmitted without scrambling so that any DVB compliant receiver can at least tell "what's there". However, everything else (including the program guide streams in the EIT) can be scrambled. Scrambling of the appropriate streams is performed at the uplink site. The MPEG-2 packets are encrypted by the usual techniques, based on a common key known to both the scrambling and decryption devices. The actual scrambling technique, i.e. how the bits are rearranged to make them nonsensical, is obviously kept a secret, as are the keys contained in both the scrambling computer and the decryption device (typically, a smartcard in DBS applications). When a scrambled packet arrives, before it passed through to the demultiplexor, it's first sent through the CAM or Conditional Access Module. The CAM is the descrambling engine and can be either built directly into the receiver or inserted into the receiver via a PC Card (aka PCMCIA) connector. At the start of each MPEG-2 packet is a 2-bit field called the TSF or Transport Scrambling Flags - if zero or one, the packet is passed through the CAM onto the demux for display since this value indicates an un-scrambled stream. If the TSF is set to either two or three, then the packet is passed through to the CAM, which takes the key obtained from the smartcard and uses it to turn the packet packet back into an MPEG-2/DVB transport packet which can then be processed by the rest of the system. Many people think the smartcard and CAM are the same thing. These are two different entities - the DVB transport cannot be sent through the serial card - the serial interface it way too slow! Instead, based on the card receiving authorization from the service provider (using the DVB EMM and ECM tables), the card will emit the keys required by the CAM which are in turn used to descrambled the program stream. Most smartcard's serial interfaces operate in the 9,600 to 38,400 bps range. Obviously, the key used to scramble the channel changes over time. If you look at the serial communications between the CAM and the smart card with an oscilliscope, you will see a burst of data every few seconds. This is the CAM asking the smart card for the next set of decryption keys for the next few second's worth of video. This also explains why, on most systems, if you pull out the smart card, you'll often see a second or two worth of programming before the picture blanks out. What are the different types of CA being used today? The CA market is big business stuff and so the market is very competitive. There are a number of different companies proving DVB compatible CA systems, so when a DBS provider starts a service, they have many options to choose from. There is always the cost versus security issue, license fees and so on. The following table shows which scrambling systems are being used around the world. If you have information to add to this chart, please let me know via email to rod@coolstf.com. Vendor System Used By Scientific Atlanta (US) PowerVu CA Many feeds and a few private TV services Kudelski (CH) Nagravision Dish Network (US), ExpressVu (CN), Microspace (US), Via Digital (ES) Irdeto Access (SA) IRDETO Many European Systems, ABS Filipino (US), CCTV (CN), Multichoice (SA) Canal+ (FR) Seca, Mediaguard D+ (IT), CanelSatellite (FR), On Digital (UK Terrestrial) France Telecom (FR) Via Access Television Par Satellite (FR), U-Best (US) Philips (NL) Cryptoworks Viacom (US), MEASAT NDS (IL) VideoGuard DIRECTV* (US), DIRECTV Latin America *(Various), Sky Latin America (Various), Sky Digital (UK), Star-TV (East Asia) Note: systems marked with * use the DSS system and are not DVB complaint, but are listed here for completness. Motorola (US) Mediacypher Embedded system for set top boxes. Telenor (NO) Conax Canal Digital (1 West) for Scandinavian countries. Thanks to Ian Wheeler for a large portion of this information, Phillip Whitacre for clarifying the PowerVu CA name, Alexander Langoen for Conax info and David Russ for NDS info. Why is some signal scrambled and yet another isn't? Mostly to protect distribution rights. For example, RTPi and Deutche Welle on PAS5 (58 west) are unscrambled since both of these are public information channels transmitted for worldwide distribution and for use by pretty much anyone without fee, much like in the way that NASA TV is a free channel that anyone can redistribute without cost nor license. Dish Network transmits their "Dish Information" barker channel without scrambling - that way, even if a card swap has occurred due to a hack on their security system, when an out of the box receiver powers up for the first time, it gets the barker channel, therefore verifying the correct operation of the receiver. However, Dish Network also transmits many other interesting streams without scrambling, such as their audio channels. Despite the lack of scrambling, they do actually charge for these channels since the Nagravision security system has the ability to "hide" channels from the user if they are not subscribed. With an "official" receiver, the channels can't be received without a subscription and it obviously saves a lot of hardware for scrambling these streams that really are "low value". In effect, this is "Poor Man's" scrambling. How can I subscribe to a certain signal? Generally, unless it's a signal from an established Pay-TV provider, you can't. Many signals are encrypted for private or exclusive cable distribution and as a result cannot be subscribed to even if you have the right hardware. Many feeds in Canada use the Scientific Atlanta PowerVu scrambling system and even with the right receiver and an address in Canada, you still can't subscribe to many of the channels which are available on cable. DCII - The "other" MPEG-2 satellite standard Well, OK, there's DSS in North and South America along with ISDB in Japan, but one of the major video distribution methods in North America is Motorola's Digicipher II standard. What's Digicipher? Digicipher is Motorola's proprietary video distribution system. The first version was a totally non-standard system called Digicipher I and was one of the first digital video compression systems available in the market. The largest Digicipher I user was the Primestar direct-to-home system which closed down in 2000 after the company was purchased by DirecTV. There are two or three other DCI multiplexes available in North America - mostly feeds for South America that are receivable on global beams. Digicipher II is Morotola's MPEG-2 based distribution system. It's used by about 70% of "cable" channels in North America to distribute their video to cable headends, other satellite companies like DirecTV and Dish Network and also available to backyard dish owners via Motorola's 4DTV satellite receiver products. DCII is also used by Canada's StarChoice direct-to-home service. DCII includes an uncompromized encryption and authorization system. What's different between DVB and DCII? Both systems are based on the MPEG-2 standard. Both use the MPEG-2 transport stream format, so both have a Program Association Table (PAT) and Program Map Tables (PMTs) along with elementary data multiplexed onto various PIDs. The video format used by DCII can be just as varied as DVB - 720x480, 480x480, 576x480 and so on. DCII also supports 4:2:2 video and HDTV like DVB. Moving onto audio, DVB's primary audio format is MPEG-1 Level 2, also called Musicam. DVB optionally supports the AC3 standard from Dolby (otherwise known as Dolby Digital) but DCII requires AC3 for all audio streams. This doesn't mean that all DCII channels are using 5.1 surround - most channels transmit "2.0" format encoded with analog Dolby Suround. Where DVB and DCII are really different is in how the channel definitions get into the receiver. DCII was designed before the DVB standard was ratified and General Instrument (now a part of Motorola) designed their own scheme without any interfacing to the work being done by the DVB team was doing and as a result, we have two totally different standards to deal with. This part of a digital TV system is called the SI or System Information. What SI differences are there between DCII and DVB? During this discussion, keep in mind the two major places where DCII and DVB are used: DCII in the consumer realm where a receiver is hooked up to a motorized dish and DVB in the Dish Network model where an electronic switch is used to switch between stationary dishes pointed at differental orbital locations. So, the fresh receiver gets turned on and due to factory programming and correct installation, is able to receive a "homing" channel. The homing channel contains all the info needed by the receiver to tune any one of the channels that the receiver can receive. In the case of DVB, this means a Network Information Table (NIT - used to tell the receiver about other transport streams - contains frequency, symbol rate, orbital location etc), the Service Description Table (SDT - used to tell the receiver the names and types of programming available on each channel) along with the Time and Date Table (TDT - tells the receiver about programming events on the channels - used to build the electronic program guide). DCII is a little more complicated. First, there's a thing called the Satellite Definition Table (SDT - tells the receiver about the name and orbital locations of satellites), next there's the Modulation Mode Table (MMT - lists the different symbol rate, FEC and modulation types used by DCII) and then the Carrier Definition Table (CDT - this just lists the L-Band frequencies required to tune a channel) followed by the Transponder Defintion Table (TDT - lists the polarity and CDT table index). Finally, the Virtual Channel Table (VCT) is the thing that ties everything together. This lists each channel on the entire DCII system across multiple satellites and contains an index the appropriate TDT, SDT, MMT and CDT tables so that the receiver can select the correct channel analog or digital. If the channel is digital, the VCT also contains the MPEG-2 Program Number (although it's called Service Number in Motorola parlence) so the receiver can process the MPEG-2 PAT and PMT to acutally display the program. Whew! A simpler way to look at the differences is that DVB uses a flat list (much like a comma seperated file with lots of repetition) whereas DCII uses a very relational table structure (much like a SQL database over satellite). What are these DCII modulation types? DVB is pretty straight forward - it's pretty much always QPSK modulation at variable symbol rates and FEC coding. There have been enhancements to the DVB standard to support BPSK, 8PSK and 16QAM modulation modes. BPSK is like QPSK but only transports one bit per time period and is therefore more robust on degraded links. 8PSK and 16QAM increase the data rate by using more than two bits per time period but require a much more robust link than QPSK. DCII has a number of different modes. First, there's regular-QPSK and Offset-QPSK. Offset-QPSK is quite similar to normal QPSK but one of the bits in the symbol is delayed by one bit period and phase changes are limited to 90 degrees, making performance in a non-linear environment much better than QPSK. All DCII signals with a symbol rate less than 19.51 MSps use OQPSK - anything above uses QPSK. In the DCII system, the encoders and receivers have pre-programmed symbol rates. For example, the 3.25 MSps rate supports one 576x480 video stream and one audio stream; the 4.88 MSps rate supports two 352x480 video streams and associated audio streams and so on. There's one other variable for a DCII signal - it's mux mode. As you probably know from reading this document, the higher the symbol rate, the higher the actual bitrate that can be carried across the channel but this also depends on the FEC coding rate - the less fraction of the datarate used for error correction, the higher still the bitrate, so a 19.51 MSps 3/4 stream carries less data per second than a 19.51 MSps 7/8 stream. In regular QPSK, the data is recovered from both the I and Q phases that make up a QPSK symbol, i.e. each bit on the I and Q phases ends up as a serial bit in the transport stream. Because of limitations in either the QPSK demodulator or the transport stream demultiplexor, most DCII streams with a rate above 19.51 MSps 4/5 FEC coding operate in "split" mode. In split mode, the I phase contains a transport stream and the Q phase contains another different transport stream. It's not really true QPSK but more like dual-BPSK. The Mode Modulation Table sent as part of the DCII SI contains an indication as to whether the transmission is using QPSK or OQPSK and whether it's the regular "combo" mode or split mode. Thanks to Mark Hemstad for info about OQPSK. There is one exception to this rule. Some DCII signals use a symbol rate of 29.27 MSps and yet operate in combo mode. One assumes that Motorola was able to correct the limitations that caused them to invent split mode, however, the bad news is that the only receiver that can do this high-speed mode (Motorola calls it MegaStream) is the DSR-4800 which is an expensive commercial receiver. It's worth pointing out that CBS uses MegaStream for it's HDTV network feeds which explains why they can't be received by consumer DCII receivers and the 4DTV HD decoder. What's the "channel map" issue with DCII? Remember when you first turn on a new DCII consumer receiver, it needs to be tuned to a homing transponder so it can download all the appropriate tables that allow it to tune channels. Because 4DTV receivers don't allow manual control of the tuning and video parameters, the only way for a receiver to get told what channels are out there is for Motorola to include them in the channel maps they send on the homing transponders. Motorola used to be quite friendly towards the 4DTV receiver owner and included many channels such as PBS's PBS You and PBS Kids as part of the 4DTV channel maps. However, despite their unscrambled transmission on satellite, PBS insisted that Motorola remove them from the maps being sent to 4DTV receivers and as a result, 4DTV receivers can only tune one of the many PBS feeds that are available and free-to-air. The only known solution to this problem is to use a program called 4Play developed by the author. It works very well with the DSR-905 digital-only DCII receiver, but also supports the DSR-920 and DSR-922 receivers with some limitations. It can add about 50 or so unscrambled channels to the receiver's maps. You can read more about 4Play and download it for free from this link. Why exactly can't DCII receivers receive DVB and vice-versa? Although both DCII and DVB have exactly the same performance, their differences, especially in the area of transmission standard, prevent DCII receivers from receiving DVB and DVB receivers from receiving DCII. This table shows the differences between the two systems: DCII DVB Transmission Format QPSK/dual BPSK QPSK Randomization After interleaver using a truncated 2^16 bit polynominal sequence Before Reed-Solomon coding using a truncated 2^13 polynominal sequence Reed-Solomon Coding DCII polynominal DVB polynominal Interleaving Convolutional I=12, J=19 Convolutional I=12, J=17 Convolutional Encoding Length 7 (64-state Viterbi trellis) Length 7 (64-state Viterbi trellis) Puncturing rate 1/3 underlying 1/2 underlying QPSK shape Butterworth pulse shaping Square-root-raised-cosine pulse shaping Multiplex MPEG-2 standard MPEG-2 standard System Information DCII (similar to ATSC with extensions) DVB Audio Dolby Digital (AC3) Musicam (MPEG-1 layer 2) or AC3 Video MPEG-2 standard 4:2:0 (MP@ML) MPEG-2 standard 4:2:0 (MP@ML) What's the deal with the way some pictures are initially displayed on DCII receivers? MPEG video is comprised of compressed video frames, much like a JPEG file. However, these complete pictures (called I-pictures) are sent infrequently. MPEG's ability to compress video so well relies on the similarity between pictures over time, so most of the time, MPEG video is sending the difference between prior and upcoming pictures using B and P-pictures. Obviously, these pictures take a lot less space than I-pictures. The I, B and P-pictures are sent in a specifc order called a Group Of Pictures or GOP. Typically with 60Hz video, there are two GOPs per second with 15 pictures in each GOP using IBBPBBPBBPBBPBB ordering. When a DVB receiver tunes an MPEG video stream for the first time, it will typically wait until an I-picture comes along before displaying video, so when you tune to the channel after a short pause, you get a complete picture. Some DCII channels use long GOPs - perhaps one I-picture every two seconds. As a result, when you first tune some DCII channels, you'll see the picture being built as a mosaic from the B and P-pictures and eventually, the entire picture is built when the next I-picture arrives. DSS - the "other other" MPEG-2 satellite standard used in North Amercia Before the MPEG-2 and DVB standards were ratified, the first all-digital DBS service was launched in the USA - DIRECTV. DIRECTV uses a unique system called DSS, invented in part by Thomson of France. Systems like DCII and DVB both model themselves on the MPEG-2 transport stream model, but DSS really is very different. Today, the DSS system is used for DIRECTV's DBS service in the USA (broadcast from 101, 110 and 119 degrees west), the DIRECTV Latin America service (broadcast on Galaxy 8i at 95 degrees west) and for some DirecPC Internet over satellite channels. DSS supports AC3 audio as an option (most channels use MPEG-1 Level 2) and also supports HDTV. What details are known about DSS? A slight warning - the DSS "standard" is proprietary belonging to DIRECTV. Unlike DVB, documentation on the standard is not available - this information has been put together by talking to people in the industry. If you find errors in this section or have information to add, please contact us. DSS uses QPSK modulation for the satellite downlink, just like DVB, however, it's packets are 127 bytes in length and not 188 bytes. The MPEG-2 specification chose 188 byte packets for compatibility with ATM networks. We don't know the reasoning for DSS using 127 byte packets. DSS uses the same type of error correction and detection algorithms used by DVB (Viterbi and Reed-Solomon), but again there are differences - DSS uses a 6/7 FEC coding for many of it's high-power transponders and has a different puncture rate and randomizer. These differences along with the transport stream packet length make DSS and DVB receivers totally incompatible at this time. How does DSS handle things like the program guide, network tables etc? The DSS system uses a thing called the Master Program Guide (MPG). This stream has all of the information found in the EIT, SDT, NIT, etc. in the DVB system. It tells the IRD what satellite transponders are available and what code rates they have (like DVB's NIT), it tells the IRD which virtual channels exist ("viewer channels") and which PIDs and PID types comprise each channel (rather like the DVB SDT). The single MPG gives all of the PID and transponder assignments for all channels and all transponders, and so the MPG is a "one-stop shop" vs. the DVB approach of many smaller tables. The MPG also has two hours worth of programs and program titles, and then "points" to extension guides for data out to two days in the future. New US DIRECTV IRDs also have a feature called "Advanced Program Guide", which works a little more like the DVB EIT and allows program info out to weeks in the future. What are the technical differences between DSS and DVB transmissions? DSS DVB Transmission Format QPSK QPSK Viterbi Code Rates 1/2, 2/3, 6/7 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8 Multiplex Proprietary - MPEG-2 like (has PIDs) MPEG-2 standard System Information Proprietary DVB Audio Musicam (MPEG-1 layer 2) or AC3 Musicam (MPEG-1 layer 2) or AC3 Video MPEG-2 standard 4:2:0 (MP@ML) MPEG-2 standard 4:2:0 (MP@ML) MPEG-2 Related Links Real World Info The DVB Project homepage - the people responsible for the world standard for digital broadcasting ATSC's homepage - the North American terrestrial MPEG-2 standard Hobbiest Information / Sites Lyngemark Satellite Chart is one of the best sources on the Internet for MPEG-2 channel listings Chris Muriel's MPEG-2 FAQ is very good source of information about MPEG-2 and DVB SatForums has a forum dedicated to MPEG-2/DVB in North America. Registation is required but the forums are free. Highly recommended. John Rainer has written an excellent article about upgrading Nokia 9600 receivers to run DVB98. Mike Frisch's DVBWave.com is a great source of info and DVB FAQs. DVBResource.com has some useful info. DVB Receiver Vendors Smallear supplies many different digital receivers and accesories, especially for Telstar 5 and Ku-band reception Bentley Walker is another supplier of modified d-boxes in the UK Global Communications can provide MPEG-2 receivers in the United States Telsat Communications in New Zealand can supply Nokia, Scientific Atlanta, Hyundai receivers and more Gavilan Communications is probably the only place where you can get a Nokia receiver in North America. Hisat in the UK will ship Nokia receivers to North America and has pretty good prices on the 9600 BNW distributes the Sat Cruiser DSR-101 receiver out of New York state Satworld in Victoria, Australia says they always have Nokia receivers available Sadoun Satellite Sales in Ohio has a wide range of DVB receivers and accesories DVB Receiver Manufacturers RSD Communications in Scotland makes the ODM300 FTA receiver Samsonic has an interesting looking DVB receiver and a wide selection of LNBs Fortec Star from Canada makes a wide range of DVB satellite receivers Echostar DVB receivers are very popular in Europe. Not much use for them in North America though - especially since they can't be subscribed to Dish Network Dream multimedia in Germany make the Dreambox series of Linux based satellite receivers. These receivers have an open API so you can add your own softare! DVB Technical Equipment Manufacturers Acterna makes some pretty fancy looking DVB stream analyzers. Agilent (previously a division of HP) makes DVB and ATSC verification and test equipment Computer Modules makes a set of PCI-bus DVB-ASI cards (DVB Master) along with Windows drivers that have some very interesting applications Technical Information Wouters Kluwer publish the highly recommended Digital Video: An Introduction to MPEG-2 book that you'll want to read if you really want to know how MPEG-2 works. Halhed Enterprises has a very interesting article about the fomat used on the DSS system. Techtronix has a really informative guide to MPEG fundementals. Programmers NTV in St. John's, Newfoundland can get you a PowerVu receiver with a free subscription to NTV! DiSEqC 1.2 Rotor Manufacturers Stab in Italy makes the Rotor Sat series of mounts. Thanks to Alan Terry for the link. |
|
Bronze Member Username: The_messengerPost Number: 94 Registered: Oct-07 | He can't be Nalin, Nalin don't speak Spanish. Warren Ashley Bronze Member Username: Wabash Post Number: 51 Registered: Oct-06 Posted on Monday, December 31, 2007 - 03:22 pm: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Es increible. Veintisietemil "threads" en este forum y el de la mejor informacion y menor basura es Solo Hispanos. Que vivan los latinos! He could be "If I don't know the answer I will find it for you??" |
|
Silver Member Username: Jurj1Post Number: 354 Registered: Jul-06 | I'm the Boss around here, and Johnny Sac can go F*UCK HIMSELF |
|
Silver Member Username: Bjcrisp6478Post Number: 139 Registered: Nov-07 | TEXMAN thinks he is in charge....lmao |
|
Bronze Member Username: TexmanPost Number: 22 Registered: Dec-07 | BLOW ME U MOLE...LMAO |
|
Silver Member Username: Tigger_woods2008 RESOLUTION, I WILL BE NI... Post Number: 329 Registered: Jun-07 | QUOTE OF THE DAY For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary December 31, 2007 Presidential Message for New Year's Day, 2008 As we enter this New Year, we reflect on the past and look forward to a promising year ahead. A future of hope and opportunity begins with a robust economy. Thanks to America's workers and entrepreneurs, our economy grew at a vigorous rate last year. Keeping taxes low and exercising fiscal restraint helped ensure that the number of jobs increased and the deficit once again fell ahead of schedule. The underpinnings of our economy have proven strong, competitive, and resilient enough to overcome the challenges we face. In the coming year, we will continue to encourage growth in the economy so Americans have more money to invest in their businesses, spend on their families, and put aside for the future. In addition to our efforts here at home, the United States continued its work to spread freedom and peace around the world. America is determined to defeat terrorists and extremists, and we will remain on the offensive against the enemies of freedom. In 2008, we will continue to stand beside our partners in the international community to lay a foundation of peace for our children and grandchildren. America is grateful for the service and sacrifice of our Nation's troops and their families. During this hopeful time of year, we remain mindful of the courage and resolve of the fine men and women who protect our country and defend freedom's cause. As we welcome this New Year, we move forward with trust in the power of the American spirit, confidence in our purpose, and faith in a loving God who created us to be free. Laura and I send our best wishes for a happy New Year. May God bless you, may God bless our troops and their families, and may God bless America. GEORGE W. BUSH Psalms 100:1 A Psalm of Thanksgiving. Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Psalms 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Psalms 100:3 Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalms 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalms 100:5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. (NKJV) DEAR LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY, THIS HOUR AND THIS SECOND. LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME YOUR SAINTS CAN GATHER BEFORE YOUR THRONE OF GRACE WITH PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION. LORD, WE PRAY FOR ALL OF YOUR SAINTS NO MATTER WHERE THEY MAY BE OR WHATEVER THIER NEED. LORD, WE PRAY ESPECIALLY FOR GEORGE WALKER BUSH, LAURA BUSH, BARBARA AND JENNA BUSH, THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND ALL MEMMBERS OF GOVERNMENT WHO HOLD YOUR TRUTHS CLOSE TO THIER HEARTS. LORD, WE PRAY FOR YOUR CONTINUED HAND OF GUIDANCE AND PROTECTION IN EACH ONES LIFE. LORD, WE PRAY EACH BELIEVER LOCKS INTO THIER HEART THE FACT THAT YOU ARE GOD AND TOTALLY SOVEREIGN, WE PRAY THEY JUST LET YOU BE YOU AND STOP BOXING IN YOUR EMINENCE. LORD, WE PRAY ALL CHRISTIAN PATRIOTS CHOOSE THE RIGHTER WRONG AND HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW YOU WOULD LIKE THE BETTER GOOD IN AUTHORITY, NOT VOTE BASED ON SINGLE ISSUES, THOUGH TEMPER THEIR THOUGHTS THROUGH THE FILTER OF YOUR WHOLE WORD. LORD, WE PRAY FOR THIS COUNTRY, A LAND FORMED ON THE PRINCIPALS YOU GAVE US. WE PRAY FOR A RETURN TO A TIME WHEN THIS LAND WAS BASED ON GOD, DUTY AND HONOR. LORD, WE PRAY FOR YOUR SOVEREIGN HAND OF PROTECTION AGAINST ALL WHO THREATEN OUR LAND. WE PRAY THAT THE DECEPTIVE LIES OF POLITICAL DESPOTS AND THE MEDIA WILL FALL ON DEAF EARS AND ONLY YOUR TRUTH WILL BE HEARD. LORD, WE PRAY FOR ALL OF THE DEFENDERS OF FREEDOM, WHETHER HOME OR IN FOREIGN LANDS. WE PRAY FOR THEIR SAFETY AND WE PRAY FOR COMFORT FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND WE THANK YOU FOR THEIR STRENGTH AND COURAGE IN STAYING THE COURSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. LORD, WE PRAY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ISRAEL FROM MUSLIM TERRORISTS. LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THE SKILL AND FORTITUDE YOU HAVE GIVEN OUR MILITARY WHICH ENABLES THEM TO TURN EVIL MEN OVER TO YOU FOR ETERNAL JUDGMENT. Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, Jude 1:25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen. "Serve the Lord with gladness." - Psalm 100:2 Delight in divine service is a token of acceptance. Those who serve God with a sad countenance, because they do what is unpleasant to them, are not serving him at all; they bring the form of homage, but the life is absent. Our God requires no slaves to grace his throne; he is the Lord of the empire of love, and would have his servants dressed in the livery of joy. The angels of God serve him with songs, not with groans; a murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in their ranks. That obedience which is not voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord looketh at the heart, and if he seeth that we serve him from force, and not because we love him, he will reject our offering. Service coupled with cheerfulness is heart-service, and therefore true. Take away joyful willingness from the Christian, and you have removed the test of his sincerity. If a man be driven to battle, he is no patriot; but he who marches into the fray with flashing eye and beaming face, singing, "It is sweet for one's country to die," proves himself to be sincere in his patriotism. Cheerfulness is the support of our strength; in the joy of the Lord are we strong. It acts as the remover of difficulties. It is to our service what oil is to the wheels of a railway carriage. Without oil the axle soon grows hot, and accidents occur; and if there be not a holy cheerfulness to oil our wheels, our spirits will be clogged with weariness. The man who is cheerful in his service of God, proves that obedience is his element; he can sing, "Make me to walk in thy commands, 'Tis a delightful road." Reader, let us put this question-do you serve the Lord with gladness? Let us show to the people of the world, who think our religion to be slavery, that it is to us a delight and a joy! Let our gladness proclaim that we serve a good Master. C.H.SPURGEON SOLI DEO GLORIA! |
|
Silver Member Username: RunnerguyPluto Post Number: 1000 Registered: Sep-06 | COOL new site: buckfush.com 2007 Deadliest for US Troops in Iraq By BRADLEY BROOKS -- 1 day ago BAGHDAD (AP) -- The second half of 2007 saw violence drop dramatically in Iraq, but the progress came at a high price: The year was the deadliest for the U.S. military since the 2003 invasion, with 899 troops killed. American commanders and diplomats, however, say the battlefield gains against insurgents such as al-Qaida in Iraq offer only a partial picture of where the country stands as the war moves toward its five-year mark in March. Two critical shifts that boosted U.S.-led forces in 2007 -- a self-imposed cease-fire by a main Shiite militia and a grassroots Sunni revolt against extremists -- could still unravel unless serious unity efforts are made by the Iraqi government. Iran also remains a major wild card. U.S. officials believe the neighboring country has helped quiet Iraq by reducing its flow of suspected aid to Shiite fighters, including materials needed for deadly roadside bombs. But Iran's apparent hands-off policies could come under strain as Shiite factions -- some favoring Iran, others not -- battle for control of Iraq's oil-rich south. The Pentagon, meanwhile, will increasingly look to the uneven Iraqi security forces to carry the load in 2008 as demands for an American exit strategy grow sharper during the U.S. election year. Britain, the main U.S. coalition partner in Iraq, is gradually drawing down its forces and other allies, including Poland and Australia, are contemplating full-scale withdrawals in the coming year. "We're focusing our energy on building on what coalition and Iraqi troopers have accomplished in 2007," Gen. David Petraeus told a group of Western journalists on Saturday. "Success will not, however, be akin to flipping on a light switch. It will emerge slowly and fitfully, with reverses as well as advances, accumulating fewer bad days and gradually more good days." That arc of progress played out in the raw statistics of U.S. and Iraqi casualties. American military deaths peaked in May with 126 troops killed. It was then that the U.S. began ramping up its attacks against insurgent strongholds, leading to increased clashes in Baghdad and other key areas across central Iraq. Seven months on, commanders and analysts say America's aggressive strategy of targeting al-Qaida in Iraq strongholds is paying off: U.S. casualties have dropped sharply. As of Sunday night in Baghdad, 21 deaths were reported in December, one more than in February 2004, which was the lowest monthly total of the war. The 899 deaths in 2007 surpassed the previously highest death toll in 2004, when 850 U.S. soldiers were killed. The total for 2007 could rise slightly; occasionally the military reports new casualties a few days after they occur. The military reported the non-combat related death of a soldier on Sunday. At least 3,902 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the war. Of those, at least 3,175 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. Iraqi civilian deaths have tracked that decline and overall violence across the country is down roughly 60 percent, American commanders say. Since the influx of some 30,000 U.S. troops that began in June, the lessening violence has meant that new problems have emerged. "There certainly are ample challenges out there in the new year. In some respects, the positive developments in the latter half of 2007 also represent the challenges of 2008," U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said during a recent briefing. An example, Crocker said, is how the improving security situation is in part luring back Iraqis who took refugee in neighboring Syria, Jordan and elsewhere. "The return of refugees -- a good thing obviously, but a process is going to have to be carefully managed so that it doesn't sow the seeds of new tension and instability," he said. Along with the increase in American troops, Iraq's lessening violence has been attributed to a self-imposed freeze on activities by the Mahdi Army -- the militia of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Another important change was the quick growth of mostly Sunni anti-al-Qaida in Iraq groups, or "awakening councils," who once fought against U.S. and Iraqi forces but now point their guns toward the insurgents. Of the more than 70,000 fighters in the awakening councils, only 20 percent are expected to be absorbed into the Iraqi security forces. The rest are to receive job training through a joint $300 million program Iraqi and American officials are creating. That program is in its beginning stages and there are few details about how it will be carried out, but analysts say it must succeed or the Sunni fighters who do not join Iraq's military may sell their services to the insurgents. On Saturday, a new audiotape by Osama bin Laden warned Iraqi Sunnis against fighting al-Qaida, saying "the most evil of the traitors are those who trade away their religion for the sake of their mortal life." Keeping the militia of al-Sadr and other powerful Shiite leaders on the sidelines also means keeping Iran to its promise to halt the flow of weapons and training to them, officials say. "How lasting a phenomenon that will be and how Iran will define and play its role in Iraq in 2008 I think is going to be very important to the long-term future of the country," Crocker said. Iraqi civilian deaths also peaked in May with 2,155 killed. That fell to 718 in November and 710 in December. For the year, 18,610 Iraqis were killed. In 2006, the only other full year an AP count has been tallied, 13,813 civilians were killed. Civilian deaths are compiled by the AP from hospital, police and military officials, as well as accounts from reporters and photographers. Insurgent deaths were not included. Other counts differ and some have given higher civilian death tolls. Those numbers paint an increasingly optimistic picture, but James Carafano, a security expert with the Heritage Foundation think-tank in Washington, D.C., warned dangers lurk. "The number of people who have the power to turns things around appears to be dwindling," he said regarding extremists. "But there are still people in Iraq that could string together a week of really bad days." While that might not mean a return to the bloodiest moments of the Iraq war, Carafano said it could seriously rattle the Iraqi government as it tries to bring about some form of political reconciliation in 2008, a key to long-term security. "People have to be really careful about over-promising that this is an irreversible trend -- I think it is a soft trend," he said of the declining violence. Carafano pointed to the problem of integrating the Sunni awakening councils into Iraqi society and keeping the Shiite militias out of the fight. If either of those situations changes, he said, increased bloodshed in the country is likely. Those warnings in mind, Carafano said he thought the "surge" in U.S. troops had to a large extent met one of its important goals: to allow the Iraqi government to focus on questions of governance instead of dealing only with security. He likened the increase in troops to the Marshall Plan that largely rebuilt Europe after World War II and demonstrated U.S. commitment to that continent. "I think the surge made that statement to Iraqis," Carafano said. "Here's America, fighting an unpopular war and things aren't going so well and we turn around and send more troops in. To the good guys and the bad guys is was a reaffirmation that Americans aren't going to walk away from this." The Associated Press News Research Center in New York contributed to this report. Hosted by Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. |
|
Bronze Member Username: BushdamanPost Number: 91 Registered: Nov-07 | what do any of those post have to do with whos in charge around here???????????? |
|
Silver Member Username: Tigger_woods2008 RESOLUTION, I WILL BE NI... Post Number: 330 Registered: Jun-07 | What they are saying is that they are happy to be under the thumb of current dictatorship I guess?? There`s your answer, might just as well change it to Nalins corner or something like that. |
|
Silver Member Username: Dr_dssPost Number: 442 Registered: Sep-07 | 2008 RESOLUTION , I WILL BE NICE, BUT CROSS ME AND YOU WILL BE SORRY,HAPPY NEW YEAR [:-]   |
|
Silver Member Username: CreekSmithtown, New York Post Number: 456 Registered: May-06 | Good question ftakey. I believe that anyone who doesn't know the difference between: where and were; there and their; its and it's; are and our; should NOT be in charge of anything. |
|
Silver Member Username: Jagr1234Post Number: 127 Registered: Nov-07 | we dont need a boss...... |
|
Bronze Member Username: Klondike_kikePost Number: 63 Registered: Dec-07 |  |
|
Silver Member Username: KirankumarKenya Post Number: 561 Registered: Oct-07 | Klondike Kike Bronze Member Username: Klondike_kike Post Number: 63 Registered: Dec-07 we'll let you be in charge here your gun is frightening enough |
Main Forums
Today's Posts- Home Audio Forum
- Home Video Forum
- Home Theater Forum
- Car Audio Forum
- Accessories Forum
- All Forum Topics