James Tongg installs an AlphaStar satellite dish.
By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin

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Why? Because finally there's a satellite hovering in the right part of space - a TelStar 402R satellite somewhere above New Orleans - that can reach Hawaii and give many isle residents the clearest picture, reception and sound this side of "laser disc land."

AlphaStar, the first satellite operation to serve all 50 states, this summer opened shop on Maui with its 36-inch dish system. Chock's on Oahu last week began installing the 36-incher for $999, "normal" labor included. The system includes the dish, a VCR-sized set-top integrated receiver decoder with point and click menus, and a remote control.

But before you plop down a grand, remember: unlike cable programming, satellite signals travel through space. That means the dish must face its satellite and have an unobstructed path to a particular azimuth. In this case that's 88-degrees and 12-degrees elevation.

The AlphaStar customer has access to 101 video channels - expected to grow to 200 by next year, including 30 DMX music channels - starting at $39.99 a month. Also in AlphStar's monthly package are ESPN, ESPN2, Cartoon Network, three Showtimes, two Disney channels, History Channel, Sci-Fi Channel, four CNN channels, Arts & Entertainment, CNBC, TNT, TBN, MTV, the Travel Channel, Nickelodeon, Nick at Night, the Weather Channel, USA, C-Span, the Discovery Channel, the Court channel, Lifetime, the Family Channel and lots more.

But the only way to get Hawaii's versions of ABC (KITV), CBS (KGMB), NBC (KHNL), Fox (KHON) and PBS (KHET) is to use a traditional rooftop antenna or keep basic cable service.

There's some risk involved in purchasing satellite-television receiving equipment at a time when the market for it is relatively unproven. But TV signal alternatives can only get better, since the take-it-or-leave-it empire of the cable monopoly is falling.