Re: TV Guide Channel in Mexico
Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 11:50 am
Interesting, thank you for this information! I'm just going to add a bit about what I've found out in the past few days.MZSLV wrote:Hmm, looks interesting when you are looking if Prevue was only on America, it's obvious most of channels has its international versions, lemme tell this for you know this.
TV Guide has introduced in January 1995 as "Prevue Latino", for example in my experience here in Mexico they used the blue Scrolling grid at 1996 through Channel 2 from Megacable Los Mochis. It was wonderful and a bit creepy because when each Preview ends the video turns black and waiting for the next one. Those idents were playing at :00 and :30 of every hour, and static logos for :15 and :45 of every hour.
Are you saying that it looked exactly like those videos, or that it looked like those videos and scrolled also?MZSLV wrote:They never showed "Prevue Tonight" "Family Vue" etc. I guess those blocks was for the original american version. But were introducing local advertisings.
In 1997, Prevue Latino has changed its blue scrolling for this one similar to Prevue Junior as you saw these videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYLZuIA5asQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9heFAKlcB5I
(They are from Chile, in 1998)
Right - United Video did not have a satellite feed for versions of the Prevue Channel that were not in English, so instead a LaserDisc system was used. Every month, a new Laserdisc was sent to the cable headend, and the machine had to be rebooted. The unfortunate result was that these locations had the same previews for an entire month, meaning that towards the end of the month everything started to get VERY repetitive.MZSLV wrote:Before getting new previews of the month, Prevue Latino crashed every month and display an error.
This Laserdisc system originated with Sneak Prevue, but was re-used for the Prevue Channel when Prevue International was launched. Those who have looked into the Prevue software for Amiga may have noticed a comment in the startup script saying "run ESQ, PGL, or LG w/ select code". The copy of the disc we have only has ESQ, which in fact stands for "esquire" as a sort of inside joke between the developers, while some copies, like the international versions, use LG, or Laserdisc Guide. I have a picture of one of these Laserdiscs somewhere, but I can't find it at the moment.
Sorry, what do you mean by platinum grill exactly?MZSLV wrote:I know Prevue has changed to TV Guide channel (May 1999), and kept its Prevue jr interface until were replaced by the platinum grill during mid 2000.
Really? That's very very interesting/odd. Do you have video of this?MZSLV wrote:In my city when Megacable Los Mochis has started the Digital Service in 2007, the platinum grill has finally arrived, but weeks later TV Guide were crashed fatally and to cover the error, they brought back the Prevue jr look, just took less than few days.
