4 November 2004
Sony Professional Solutions and tv productioncenter zürich (tpc), Switzerlands largest TV production company and a member of the SRG SSR idée Suisse (Swiss Broadcasting Corporation) group, are entering into a strategic partnership in the area of high definition TV.
The two companies plan to jointly launch the HDTV format in Switzerland and drive forward its development as a top priority. As an initial step, tpc has ordered an HD outside broadcast van for 12 to 24 cameras from Sony. This van will be used for the first time at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin. After this event, tpc will be aiming to continuously increase the number of programmes recorded in high definition format, including those which fall under the headings of sport and culture.
According to a study recently conducted by British market research institute, The Business Advantage Group, high definition TV (HDTV) is the next big thing for Europe. This also applies to Switzerland where HDTV productions are already made on a monthly basis. To date, these have mostly been commissioned by Japanese or American TV stations and produced using foreign outside broadcast vans. tpc now wants to kit itself out as the first Swiss TV production company for HDTV.
In order to be best equipped for high definition TV, tpc, Schweizer Fernsehens own production company has decided to enter into a long-term strategic partnership with Sony Professional Solutions. As the largest Swiss TV production company, tpc wants to retain the technical leading edge at all times. To ensure that this is the case, Sony will become the main supplier for HDTV equipment with immediate effect. As part of this joint venture, Sony will provide tpc with HD equipment such as cameras, monitors, recording equipment and HD screen mixers.
4 November 2004
Harris Corporation announced on 3 November that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Encoda Systems Holdings, Inc. Encoda is the leading global supplier of end-to-end broadcast enterprise software and services solutions including traffic and billing systems, program scheduling, master control play-to-air automation, and digital asset management. The company serves more than 600 customers in 34 countries and had revenue for the 12 months ended June 30, 2004, of $124 million. Encoda had previously been owned by an investment group that included Thomas H. Lee Partners, Blackstone Capital Partners, Spire Capital Partners, and Evercore Capital Partners, among others.
Harris Corporation is an international communications technology company focused on providing assured communications(tm) products, systems and services for government and commercial customers. The company’s operating divisions serve markets for government communications, tactical radio, broadcast, and microwave systems. Harris provides systems and service to customers in more than 150 countries.
3 November 2004
PanAmSat Corporation announced on 3 November that it had signed a transponder agreement with NFL Network to host the channel’s High-Definition transmissions of National Football League games and football-related programming.
Placed into service in January 2004, Galaxy 13 is home to the industry’s first, largest and most powerful high-definition (HD) neighborhood. It is the HDTV home to some of the biggest names in cable television including: HBO HD, Cinemax HD, Encore HD, Fox Sports Net HD, HDNet, HDNet Movies, STARZ! HD, TNT HD and Wealth TV.
“PanAmSat is America’s number one provider of HD content for cable television,” said Mike Antonovich, executive vice president of global sales and marketing for PanAmSat. “We are pleased to help the NFL Network and our many other HD customers build the “must have” satellite locations for high-def cable programming. PanAmSat serves more HD programmers than any other provider, proving the value and reliability of America’s best satellite operator.”
Under the terms of the agreement, NFL Network will use the power of Galaxy 13 to support both its HD and standard definition programming.
“Galaxy 13 is the premier platform for High Definition. We’re confident that the addition of our NFL NETWORK HD programming will help to keep it that way for years to come,” said Peter Brickman, the NFL’s senior director for operations and technology. “PanAmSat’s legacy of excellent customer service, its reliable global fleet and quick response to any issues made this decision an easy one for us.”
The NFL has long been a global user of PanAmSat capacity for international distribution of programming and backhauling of NFL Europe games, as well as the backhaul feeds of games for their NFL SUNDAY TICKET service on DIRECTV.
1 November 2004
Arabic-language satellite news channel Al Jazeera is pressing ahead with plans for the launch of its English-language service in 2005, said Nigel Parsons, the Managing Director of Al Jazeera International.
Speaking in Hong Kong at Asia Pacific pay-TV industry meeting, the annual CASBAA Convention, Mr Parsons said the English-language network will operate from regional studios and newsrooms in Washington and London, plus a yet to be determined Asia Pacific hub, as well as its headquarters in Doha, Qatar.
The target audience for Al Jazeera’s English-language service is global, said Mr Parsons. “Not just Muslims who don’t speak Arabic. The brief is emphatically not to do an English translation of our Arabic channel. It will have international appeal and aims to fill gaps in existing output. I think we might have a ready audience there, but it is not going to be an anti-western or anti-American channel. Absolutely not.”
Apart from its core news output, in addition to hosting talk shows and a wide range of current affairs programming, Al Jazeera’s English-language channel will place considerable emphasis on events in the developing world and human interest stories.
Within the next few weeks Al Jazeera intends to announce whether its Asia Pacific hub will be stationed in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. “We expect to create more than 300 new jobs worldwide for the network,” said Mr Parsons.
Besides its Arabic-language and English-language news channels, the Qatar-based network is already broadcasting an Arabic-language sports channel under the Al Jazeera banner and intends to launch a children’s channel and a documentary channel during 2005.
1 November 2004
As the UKs First Battalion The Black Watch deploy further north in Iraq theyll be doing it with BFBS Radio for company. Along with their Warriors, Scimitars and armoured Snatch vehicles, the Black Watch are taking a BFBS satellite receiver, transmitter and generators in their convoy so soldiers can keep in touch with news from home while theyre deployed on Op Bracken.
Weve known for some time that a deployment was possible, says the BFBS Station Manager in Iraq, Damian Watson, but the issue is that although BFBS broadcasts in central Baghdad, as well as the south-east of Iraq, the Black Watch deployment is outside our transmitter range. Its not a huge problem though, as our engineers, Jim Hardie and Victor Hepburn, have been able to rig up a deployable system that means the guys will be able to hear BFBS Radio throughout their new area of operations.
In fact, the BFBS team at Shaibah Logistics Base in southern Iraq had the system ready before the Black Watch officially requested it. Lets just say we had an inkling, says Damian. When the quartermaster came round to enquire about it, we were able to show him the size of the kit and answer any logistical questions he had. We have an excellent relationship with all the units in theatre and its our job to help out.
Black Watch Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel James Cowan, is delighted to have access to BFBS Radio on Op Bracken. Its important that my soldiers keep in touch with home, says the CO. BFBS is an integral part of life for soldiers overseas and a quick message from family or friends on the radio can be a tremendous morale boost.
BFBS Radio is part of UK Forces charity the Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC), providing TV, Radio, Cinemas, SSVC audio-visual shops and CSE live entertainment to British troops throughout the world
