High Above

Frequently it is suggested that the "golden age" of television was during the period 1950-1960. But if this was the authentic golden age, then it was an age of black and white, somewhat limited creativity, poor reception, lack of competition (except in the United States) and - by and large - public service broadcasting. Luxembourg-based SES Astra appeared on the scene at exactly this time. Astra was instrumental in the dramatic developments in television that we have witnessed since then. Without multi-channel analogue TV, the mass-market penetration of television sets and general economic prosperity we would not have the necessary base ingredients to make the great leap forward into digital, into HDTV, 3D-television, and the prospects of Ultra High Definition now in sight. High Above tells the story of the birth of a whole array of new industries and the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs. It also tells the background story of Astra, and how some extremely brave pioneers managed to overcome technical, political and commercial obstacles and in the process become the worlds leading satellite operator. von Forrester, Chris;