[Satellite Today 03-24-09] EchoStar Satellite Services has launched an IP-Prime conversion program designed to provide continued delivery of U.S. video transport services for telco IP headend facilities, EchoStar announced March 23.
    EchoStar’s conversion program will provide customers with its ViP-TV transport service, replacement IDC satellite receivers and installation, including compatible Low Noise Block down converters , a satellite dish re-point, cabling and connectors.
    The EchoStar offering follows an SES announcement that it would discontinue its IP-Prime services starting in August. EchoStar confirmed that its service uses an MPEG-4 encoded IP stream of about 250 channels from the SES-operated AMC-16 satellite located at 85 degrees West.