WQTV 68 StarCase Service ID (1981)

[RadioRick1460]

I remember from a Boston hotel room the non-subscrber's audio being the Boston NOAA weather station, with periodic interruptions. The interruptions opened with carousel music and a lady, sometimes a man, saying "Do not worry, your picture is right. We are intentionally distorting..." The interruptions were ads for StarCase. It would be fun to catch this again.

[flycar817]

@RadioRick1460 I remember that too! Especially the weather reports over and over again while I watched scrambled porn. (I was about 13 at the time.)

[sjdomenica]

I had star case installed in 1979, Boston area

[wx4newengland]

@sjdomenica I Have a question about star case, did you still have to use an antenna for this service? I am wondering because when I had over the air tv ch 68 signal was horrible.

[sjdomenica]

@wx4newengland Yes they installed a 3 foot antenna on the roof of the house i was living in and also i had the converter box inside...The reception was incredible..I believe that was the one thing i noticed was the reception.It was something like today's cable.I was living in Norwood, Ma at the time.

[SellawEvets]

I watched WQTV in the 80s when they were trying to fit in with WSBK 38, WLVI 56and WXNE 25 (now WFXT) with reruns and network shows that Channels 4, 5 and 7 didn't want to air. They used to show Elvira's Movie Macabre Saturday nights and I'd rush home after work (the local Star Market) to watch it! I miss the way TV was back then.

[LemonSubscriptionTV]

This is cool,like the early 80s synth fanfare.trying to watch this in slow mo,so I can see the images on each star.The star at 3 seconds looks like A Ninja Turtle,and the star at the end looks like A popcorn machine.I think thats Bogart at 2 seconds.

[Cinemax1980]

I like the fanfare music for this promo,looks like A cool subscription channel.We had A similar service called Preview.

[OPENARMS1981]

In case anyone's interested they have A promo for Star on Retro Junk.Just type in Star Movie Channel

[OPENARMS1981]

I like how it says Subscription Only.Everybody in their brother,built A pirate box,to receive Subscription tv free.

[spongeworthyvideo]

Love this old Starcase clip. Wish there was more. Some one posted a Star TV clip from San Francisco's KTSF. It's the same Star TV ad that ran in Boston after Starcase became Star TV.

[PreviewSubsciption2]

So they hAD Star Tv in San Francisco,interesting.I thought it was only in Boston.

[spongeworthyvideo]

Yes..i did too until I found the Star TV clip. Same music and logo. I'm glad folks are posting more of these videos.

[PreviewSubsciption2]

Yeah,you know we had Preview in Cleveland,and I found out that it was also in Boston.I guess many of these channels were offered in various markets/cities.

[PreviewSubscription]

I read that later,they changed Their name to star,is that true?

[spongeworthyvideo]

Yes, it started in Boston as BEST (the intro was posted here at one point but has been removed :-( Then they became Starcase...then Star TV.

[skiggley]

Broadcast Entertainment Subscription Television - January 1979 to Summer 1979, StarCase (Universal Subscription Television) Summer 1979 until early Winter 1981, STAR TV, Winter 1981 until February, 1983 in which STAR goes out of business. STAR subscribers are provided with Preview programming from February 1983 until decoder boxes are switched over to Channel 27 in which by May, loops of Preview advertising is repeated during encoded time until WQTV ceases STV programming and becomes just TV.

[PreviewSubscription]

Thanks Again for the info Skiggley.

[PreviewStarcaseOnTv]

I love that low pitch synthesizer noise at 0:06,when the stars merge,cool.

[skiggley]

That's not a synthesizer. That is video noise in the audio due to the decoding of the program audio used in those days. Chances are this is from a tape using a pirate decoder.

[VaultMasterDBT]

I believe that is a synth sound of some sort, and no, this did not come from a VHS or beta tape that recorded WQTV off a pirating device. It came from a Scanimate demo reel, in which most of its content came straight from the studios that produced these pieces.

[skiggley]

Does the Scanimate demo have the full intro? I noticed the beginning is missing as a single star expanded from the center of the screen before splitting off in 3s and rotating as shown. I have audio to the original on a cassette and it would be nice to dub it over to simulate the real deal. I got to get me the Scanimate DVD

[skiggley]

Where can I get the Scanimate DVD? I want to buy one.

[OpenArmsRoxxAgain]

Synthesizer or not,that is A cool logo,with cool music!

[skiggley]

At this time WQTV Channel 68 in Boston Massachusetts begins broadcasting in the encoded or "scrambled" mode. You will now need to be a subscriber to "Starcase" and have a decoder attached to your television set.

[skiggley]

I've been looking for this FOR YEARS!! I built my first "68 decoder" as a teen and watched a lot of StarCase/Private Screenings until their last day!! Good ol' WQTV!!

I still have my home-brew decoder to this day. Mine worked straight from UHF Channel 68! I did not have to put the TV onto channel 3 and I used the audio output to extract the sync signal needed to decode the video...and I fed the audio right back to the TV speaker - It was truly the "HOT" set-up!

[SweetLemon2008]

This is cool.Nice to see Starcase Graphics.I would love to see more of these.I heard of this channel,but never had it.

[hothogalex]

Wow..thanks for the post. The sounds is a bit different then I remember...but it's sure great to see the Starcase jingle again! Any clips of the StarCase hostess, Diane Francis?

[VaultMasterDBT]

No Diane Francis anywhere, sorry.

[hothogalex]

Ok..thanks for the quick reply..and thanks again for the StarCase graphics!

[sjdomenica]

@hothogalex Yes it was Diane Francis,,,

[spongeworthyvideo]

@sjdomenica Yes...Diane Francis was the Starcase Hostess who in the early days would introduce each film. She rocked!

[OpenArms80]

I like how it says subscription only,I know people probably received it illegally,just like ONTV.

[OpenArms80]

Anymore Starcase,please post it!

[OpenArms80]

Dude you rule,I've been looking for Starcase graphics!