Fransat, the new French DTH platformfor distribution of digital terrestrial channels, will announce full launchdetails at a June 24 press conference.

The service will offer a fullbouquet of all the so-called TNT channels as a free-to-view service on theEutelsat Atlantic Bird 3 satellite. The channels will start broadcasting on June 19.

John Archer looks at two new devices that let you watch your own Sky, Freeview or cable box no matter where in the world you might be

Ever found yourself in a far-flung hotel room at the end of a tiring day, only to find that there’s absolutely nothing on the telly? Where all the channels are either in a foreign language, or else the televisual equivalent of watching paint dry?

Oh, if only you could somehow beam the pictures from your own beloved Sky / Freeview or cable box back in Blighty and into your laptop…. Well, you know what? Now you can. And what’s more, you can even control your distant receiver, right down to changing channels and even watching recordings. Making this seemingly impossible dream a reality are not one but two different ‘TV anywhere’ devices: Sony’s Location Free LF-PK1, and the SlingMedia Slingbox. With a stay in a cheap hotel in Germany looming, it seemed the time was right to give both systems a try…

Julian Clover looks at ambitious plans to bring US style digital satellite services to Europe 

For the past few years US motorists have been able to enjoy packages of digital satellite radio (DARS) delivered direct to their cars. XM Radio and Sirius are charging customers around $12 a month for a package of close to 200 channels. Closer to home, European interest is growing from three operators that are looking to combine digital audio with telemetry services that report back any faults direct to the manufacturer as well as informing the motorists of any roadblocks ahead. Worldspace, Ondas Media and Europa-Max are all looking to launch services in the next three years with Worldspace confident of being on the air this winter.