Grass Valley Group Completes Massive Digital Video Router Project At EchoStar

—Digital Broadcaster Deploys Series 7000 Systems for DISH Network; Nearly 1.2 Million Crosspoints Boost Routing Capacity By More Than 2.5 Times—

NEVADA CITY, Calif., Dec. 8, 1999 — The Grass Valley Group has delivered a 1024x1024 and a 1024x128 Grass Valley™ Series 7000 system at the operations center of EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH;DISHP) that will boost the broadcaster's routing capacity by more than two and one-half times. EchoStar provides satellite television equipment and programming to more than 3 million US customers through its DISH Network™.

The Grass Valley Group partnered with IMMAD/ECVS, a leading systems integrator, to complete the EchoStar project.

"Our customers expect innovative programming choices and the highest-quality service delivery," said Brent Gale, EchoStar vice president of engineering. "Our new Grass Valley routing system gives us the flexibility and reliability we need to meet those expectations."

The delivery of the Series 7000 routers, which offer nearly 1.2 million crosspoints, coincides with EchoStar's launch of two new satellites designed to boost its direct-broadcast service (DBS) capacity by 300 channels. From its operations center in Cheyenne, Wyo., EchoStar is using the new routers to support the expanded set of DBS services delivered through its DISH Network.

"Whatever the medium, our core focus is helping customers leverage their digital assets as comprehensively and as efficiently as possible," said Tim Thorsteinson, president and chief operating officer of the Grass Valley Group. "The EchoStar project is an awesome achievement and bespeaks a terrific working relationship that we enjoy with the company."

The two 7000 Series systems join three other 256x256 Grass Valley routers in the EchoStar operations center, all of which are networked via Grass Valley Series 7000 network control systems. EchoStar also relies on 18 Profile^® digital video servers linked by a Fibre Channel network and a variety of signal-management modules to support its DBS programming. Those modules include the new Grass Valley M9107 which offers cost-effective analog-to-digital signal conversion and muxing of analog output from satellite receivers to serial digital video with embedded AES audio.

About the Companies

EchoStar Communications Corp. includes three interrelated business units:

• DISH Network is EchoStar's state-of-the-art DBS system that offers customers over 300 channels of digital video and CD-quality audio programming, fully MPEG-2/DVB compliant hardware, and installation.
• EchoStar Technologies Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes DBS set-top boxes, antennas and other digital equipment for DISH Network and various international customers that include ExpressVu Canada and Telefonica's Vía Digital system in Spain. ETC also provides uplink-center design, construction oversight and project-integration services for customers internationally.
• Satellite Services provides the delivery of video, audio, and data services to business television customers and other satellite users. These services include satellite uplink, satellite transponder space-usage, and other services. Satellite Services also administers SKY VISTA, a direct broadcast satellite service offering up to 27 channels of popular digital satellite television programming to viewers in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories in the Caribbean.

DISH Network currently serves over 2.1 million customers. DISH Network is a trademark of EchoStar Communications Corporation. DISH Network is located on the Internet at: www.dishnetwork.com.

The Grass Valley Group is a privately held digital broadcast and video equipment company at the forefront of the transition to digital transmission and video content production and has more than $2 billion of equipment installed worldwide. Whether it's distributing video over the air, through digital broadcast facilities and across standard data networks, or providing the industry's best video storage and production products, the Grass Valley Group has the digital solution. Its product lines include the Emmy^® award-winning Profile digital video server family and the Grass Valley router, switcher, and modular product lines.

For the latest Grass Valley Group product information, see www.grassvalleygroup.com.

For more information about IMMAD/ECVS, see www.immad.com.

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Grass Valley Group and Profile are registered trademarks and Grass Valley is a trademark of Grass Valley Group Inc. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective companies.