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TheViewer Access Satellite Television service, orVAST, is asatellite television platform inAustralia, providing digitaltelevision andradio services to remote and rural areas, as well as viewers in terrestrial black spots. The service uses theOptus C1 andOptus D3 satellites.[1] It is partly funded by the Australian Government and managed through a joint-venture between Seven West Media and Imparja Television. It is an even more restrictedfree-to-view replacement forOptus Aurora providing channels which have been absent (such as aNetwork Ten affiliate and digital only secondary and HD network channels) on the remote service until now. The platform uses onlyH.264 video encoding and8PSK, which allows for more lower bit rate channels on the limited transponder space that's available. The EPG uses anMHEG-5 guide instead of the usual more compatible DVB EIT.
On 10 January 2010, the Australian Government announced a new satellite service to deliver digital television and radio channels to Australian viewers who reside in remote and rural areas, or who can't obtain adequate television signal in an existing metropolitan or regional terrestrial broadcast area, commonly referred to as being in ablack spot. Initially, the service was only available to viewers in and around Mildura, Victoria, to coincide with Australia's first analog television switch-off.[2] On 15 December 2010, the service was made available to viewers in the existing Remote Central and Eastern Australia and Mt Isa licence areas.[3] In April 2011, the Western VAST service began for Regional and Remote Western Australia viewers.[4]
From December 2013,CRN,NIRS,RPH, and theBBC World Service were transitioned to the new satellite platform over a two-month period from the existing Aurora platform and were the final channels to make the transition. February 2014 was when the last Aurora uplink ended.
Anyone is entitled to access ABC and SBS channels on the VAST service, after completing a successful application, regardless of location within Australia.
Several different groups of people are currently entitled to use the VAST service to receivecommercial stations:
1 – It was previously possible to apply for the Optus Aurora service instead, and then move to VAST before the 6-month period preceding digital switchover in the applicable licence area.
Viewers accessing the service must use a VAST certified satellite televisionset-top box andsmartcard, and go through an application process. The original set-top box is a model provided by the South African owned vendorAltech UEC, which also offers models with recording functions along with the newer offerings from Korean owned vendorHumax and a basic model "SatKing" from Australian owned vendorPhoenix Technology Group.[5] The units with a recording function inhibit forward cuing and skipping to prevent commercials being bypassed. Unlike the Aurora service, VAST only uses Irdeto version two and three (not version one) for DVB encryption key management with each smart card locked to the serial number of the provided set-top box.
VAST is designed to provide the same number of digital television and radio channels available in metropolitan terrestrial areas. A minimum of 17 digital television channels are currently available to eligible viewers. The service also provides a minimum of 39 digital radio channels and a number of niche channels. The channels are sorted into bouquets based on a number of states and territories in Australia. Each VAST certified set-top box is assigned a bouquet suitable for the geographical location the set-top box is registered to.
ABC Television provides digital television channelsABC TV (ABN,ABV,ABQ,ABT,ABS,ABW,ABC Canberra,ABD),ABC HD,ABC Family/Kids,ABC Entertains andABC News from 7 states and territories.[6]SBS Television also providesSBS TV,SBS HD andSBS VICELAND from 7 states and territories, as well asSBS Food,SBS World Movies,NITV andSBS WorldWatch.[7] The channels are assigned the samevirtual channel numbers as terrestrial areas, but are also assigned 3-digit virtual channel numbers for out-of-area or interstate viewers.
Seven West Media,Imparja Television andCentral Digital Television providecommercial digital television channels to VAST viewers in theRemote Central and Eastern Australia license area,[8] which covers all states and territories exceptWestern Australia.Standard-definition digital television channelsSeven Central,7two, Imparja Television,9Go!,10 Central and10 Comedy are each split into two separate feeds based onAustralian Eastern Standard Time andAustralian Eastern Summer Time respectively.High-definition digital television channels7mate,9Gem and10 Drama are also available.
Commercial digital television channels for VAST viewers in theRegional and Remote Western Australia license area are provided bySeven West Media,WIN Television andWest Digital Television.[9] Unlike the Remote Central and Eastern channels, they are all available inWestern Standard Time and are assigned typical regional virtual channel numbers. Standard-definition channelsSeven Regional WA, 7two,WIN'sNine Regional, 9Gem, 9Go!,9Life,10 West, 10 Drama and 10 Comedy are provided as well as high-definition channels 7mate,WIN HD's9HD and10 HD. Home shopping and sport data-casting channelsishop TV,Racing.com andTVSN are also provided by the WA commercial broadcasters.[10]
As well as government and commercial channels, VAST providesIndigenous Community Television (ICTV) for remote communities in Northern Territory and Western Australia, as well as religious channels3ABN International,ADTV,Amazing Facts,Angel TV,Daystar,GOD TV,Hope Channel,SBN International,TBN Inspire,TBN Pacific andVictory Channel.[8]
The Remote Central and Eastern commercial television channels carry minimal local news content due to the size of the licence area. Seven West Media came to an agreement with the Federal Government to provide the VAST Regional News service, a group of 14 channels broadcasting news bulletins and updates from over 40 regional television stations.[8] The stations send their news programs to a playout centre inCanberra, ACT, operated by Seven West Media.[11] A menu placeholder on virtual channel 4 directs viewers to the 401–414 virtual channel range.
Most terrestrialanalog andDAB radio channels from ABC and SBS are provided as audio-only DVB channels.[6][7][12] A number of niche radio channels such asFaith FM, Niche Radio Network,Radio TAB, Aussie Flashbacks,2RPH, Vintage FM andVision Radio Network are also provided, as well as community radio channels from regional Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia are also provided, such as Yolngu Radio, CAAMA Radio, Gumala Radio, Radio Larrakia, 2CUZ FM, RadioNGM, PAKAM Radio, PAW Radio, Radio 5NPY, QRAM Central Radio, TEABBA Radio, TSIMA Radio and Waringarri Radio 6WR.[13]
A number of community radio channels fromCommunity Broadcasting Association of Australia such asCRN,NIRS,RPH, theBBC World Service andHope Christian radio are also provided.
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