SelecTV (US TV channel)
| SelecTV | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Launched | 1976 |
| Closed | 1991 |
| Owned by | Starion Entertainment |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Broadcast area | Nationwide (available in select areas) |
SelecTV was an American subscription television service that was formed in 1976, and first began broadcasting in 1978; the service focused entirely on televising movies, and was shut down in 1991. The service originally allowed subscribers to pay only for programs "selected" during the month, with the first several minutes free (the decoder box included a phone hook-up to transmit information back to the billing office); it later switched to a flat fee.
SelecTV was transmitted via scrambled signal from a local UHF television station. A decoder box was required to unscramble the signal in order to view its programming. SelecTV was available in at least three markets: in Milwaukee on WCGV (channel 24, now a MyNetworkTV affiliate), in Los Angeles on KWHY-TV (channel 22, now a MundoMax affiliate), and in Philadelphia on WWSG (channel 57, now CW owned-and-operated station WPSG). On WWSG, the service utilized the gated-pulse scrambling technique for the video – and for the audio using technology that would later be used to enable multichannel television sound, moving the audio to a different subcarrier, freeing the standard audio channel for use as a barker channel (which was used for sales promotions). In 1984, New Jersey-based Wometco Home Theater began offering SelecTV on its affiliated television stations after the network ceased programming; however, the affiliation with SelecTV would not last long, as within a year, WHT ceased operations. This occurred following a massive financial collapse, its own as a result of a majority of their subscribers defecting to cable television services which offered more channels, including pay-TV services like HBO and Showtime.
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