16 September 2004
GlobeCast, a global satellite services supplier, PanAmSat, a global satellite operator, and Scientific Atlanta, a supplier of content distribution systems, have joined forces to offer a turnkey high-definition television (HDTV) satellite distribution platform on the Galaxy 13 North American spacecraft. By integrating the end-to-end resources necessary to enable quality HDTV transmission, the service will allow programmers to beam HDTV signals via satellite to cable and broadcast affiliates for live or pre-scheduled events such as sports, concerts, or PPV, as well as full-time HDTV channels.
GlobeCast will manage end-to-end HDTV transmissions and connect customers from its digital media teleport in Los Angeles, using Scientific-Atlanta®s state-of-the-art PowerVu® HD encoding and digital content distribution system and PanAmSats Galaxy 13 satellite.
Established cable networks and start-up channels can tap this sophisticated HDTV program delivery platform as well as a variety of associated GlobeCast services including master control, playout, ad and live feed insertion, remote video production, studio, and post production services. The service is ideal for delivery of live or pre-scheduled HD events on a part-time or occasional basis.
PanAmSats Galaxy 13 satellite will support the Globecast HD platform, offering ubiquitous C-band coverage over the United States. Specially designed to support HD transmissions, Galaxy 13 has double the power of its predecessor. Located at 127 degrees west longitude in the U.S. cable arc, Galaxy 13 is part of PanAmSats Power of Five antenna program, which provides qualified cable operators with simultaneous access to five Galaxy neighborhood satellites. It is also one of the industrys most advanced satellites and the nations strongest HDTV cable neighborhood. Its roster of HD programmers includes Cinemax HD, HBO HD, Encore HD, Fox Sports HD, NFL HD, STARZ! HD, TNT HD, HDNet, HDNet Movies and WealthTV.
HD programmers, Hollywood studios, and production facilities can easily feed HD signals to the platform via GlobeCasts HD-ready local access ports at key video exchange hubs in Los Angeles. Programmers in New York or Miami can seamlessly access the platform by entering GlobeCasts virtual teleport network through points-of-presence in those cities. GlobeCasts teleport offers full domestic arc and international satellite reception and uplinking, as well as the ability to connect to the HD platform from Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa via the companys global fiber ring and five-continent teleport network.
The platforms HD offerings include:
HD teleport services downlink, uplink and turnaround
Satellite space segment
PowerVu HD encoding 1080i, 720p, 480i/p and MPEG or Dolby AC3/4/5.1 audio
MPEG-2/DVB transmission
Conditional access
Additional transmission and content management services available include:
Record, store and playout services
Remote video production for live events
GlobeCast Studios and post production
HD – SD conversions
Transmission: rate changing, muxing, de-muxing, “cherrypicking”
Professional HDTV satellite receiver equipment optimized for the platform is available through Scientific Atlanta.
www.PanAmSat.com
www.scientificatlanta.com
www.globecast.com
16 September 2004
SES ASTRA and ORF announced at the International Broadcasting Convention IBC 2004 in Amsterdam the signing of a long-term agreement on the use of additional ASTRA transponder capacity by Austria’s leading public broadcaster.
ORF will start utilizing the additional transmission capacity on ASTRA’s orbital position of 19.2° East in 2004. At the same time, the existing contracts between ORF and SES ASTRA have been extended. The agreement further consolidates a mutually beneficial partnership that has been in place for many years.
Andreas Gall, Technical Director of ORF, commented: “With the extension of our transponder capacity we have, on the one hand, laid the foundation for providing our TV viewers and radio audiences with best-quality programs and improvements to current services for years to come. Furthermore, with these new transmission capacites we can extend our role as a service provider for other TV, radio and data suppliers. With our existing know-how we can provide a full service offer for these clients – from the encryption and the up-linking to the transmission itself.”
Ferdinand Kayser, President and CEO of SES ASTRA, stated: “We are very pleased about this extension of our cooperation with such a renowned public broadcasting company as ORF. The expanded product range offered by our longstanding partner will further enhance the programming choice available from Europe’s most popular orbital position of 19.2°East.”
Also at IBC 2004, SES ASTRA and Clear Television Network from the Netherlands announced a contract for the digital free-to-air satellite distribution of Clear TV, a new Dutch TV channel across Europe. The channel, which primarily serves viewers interested in other cultures, will start on 15 September via the ASTRA Satellite System at 19.2° East. All programmes will be broadcast in the original languages and subtitled in Dutch.
“We believe that the amount of interesting and entertaining programs from other countries and cultures broadcast via the existing Dutch TV networks is rather limited”, says Vanessa Somers, general manager of Clear TV. From 15 September onwards, Clear TV will therefore broadcast free-to-air via ASTRA a broad mix of entertaining and interesting programmes from a variety of countries from all over the world. Somers says: “Clear TV will feature multiple genres: films, series, game shows and lots of sport. We focus on non-mainstream sports, which are currently offered only limited airtime on Dutch television. This means not only sports such as martial arts and water sports, but also squash, rugby and basketball.
Broadcasting free-to-air via ASTRA at 19.2 degrees East, Clear TV can be received by 10,4 million digital DTH homes throughout Europe, of which circa 500.000 are in the Netherlands.
16 September 2004
Nordic Satellite AB and Euro 1080 have signed an agreement to broadcast the HDTV channel HD1 via Sirius to the Nordic and Baltic regions. HD1 is the first European HD channel offering a mix of music, sports, lifestyle, wildlife and soon also fiction. Broadcasts on SIRIUS will begin in October 2004. To receive HD1, viewers need a separate satellite receiver and subscription (as well as a satellite dish aimed at SIRIUS). The receiver costs about SEK 5,000. Viewers will also pay a one-time fee of about SEK 2,000 for a subscription through 2010.
HDTV is the TV format of tomorrow and we want to be among the first to offer people this possibility. That’s why we support industry efforts to find solutions for distribution, compression, and coding that will allow HDTV to rapidly become affordable in a wide market. SES ASTRA has taken the initiative to formulate common specifications for HDTV receiving equipment in Europe. NSAB-SIRIUS is helping to accomplish this in the Nordic countries, says Benny Norling, General Manager, Broadcasting Services at Nordic Satellite AB (NSAB-SIRIUS).
We are very excited about distributing the HD1 HDTV channel on SIRIUS, says Gabriel Fehervari, CEO of Euro 1080. Weve seen interest grow ever since we started transmission this year on the ASTRA satellite. Now that we have a perfect footprint for the Nordic market, we will extend our reach to this region where we see a potential growth for HDTV services due to the high penetration of home theatre systems.
Satellite is currently the best distribution form for HDTV, which requires up to four times more bandwidth than a digital TV channel. The terrestrial network is not built for HDTV and does not have enough bandwidth today for several HDTV channels, though in Finland HD1 is available in one cable network.
Nordic Satellite AB is jointly owned by the Swedisch Space Corporation and SES-Global. NSAB owns and operates the satellites in the SIRIUS system.
16 September 2004
Harris Corporation’s Broadcast Communications Division has won a coveted BIRTV Grand Award at the recent BIRTV2004 convention in Beijing, China. Harris was presented with the Grand Award in the transmission category for its new Atlas Analogue UHF solid-state transmitter range.
The award was presented at the opening session of the BIRTV conference on August 24, 2004. Dale Mowry, vice president and general manager of Harris Television Broadcast Systems, accepted the award from Mr. Haitao Zhang, Vice Minister of The State Administration of Radio, Film & Television (SARFT).
“The new Atlas transmitter has been designed to incorporate the latest technology in analog television transmission, while presenting broadcasters worldwide with a clear upgrade path to digital and the capability to accommodate any digital standard in the future,” said Mowry. “Harris feels privileged to accept this internationally renowned and highly prestigious industry award.”
The Atlas Series of UHF transmitters is a range of analog and DVB-T solid-state models that share many of the unique features and field-proven benefits that have made Harris transmitters the industry standard. The BIRTV Grand Award-winning Atlas Analogue transmitters, available in models from 2.5kW to 30kW, feature the industry-leading DTV-660 analog/digital exciter to enable a clear digital upgrade path.
13 September 2004
Quantels Paintbox revolutionised broadcast video design when it was first introduced in 1982 and, for over twenty years, set the standard for all other systems to match. Now, as a result of overwhelming demand from the close-to-air design community, Paintbox is back.
Boasting dedicated, rack-mounted Quantel hardware, Paintbox will allow designers to produce better graphics at greater speed than ever before. The true key to Paintbox’s ability, and its lasting reputation, lies in its supremely ergonomic interface that designers find genuinely intuitive. Featuring a UI developed and refined during two decades at the forefront of broadcast graphics, tools are exactly where they’re needed – not hidden behind layers of drop down menus – while a pen, tablet and hand unit interface allows for rapid, two-handed operation. This all means that designers can work the way they want to, instinctively, not simply the way a manufacturer tells them.
Paintbox is available in three versions, all of which feature the same award-winning UI and toolsets: Paintbox itself the SD workhorse; Paintbox gQ featuring additional Quantel hardware for full-on HD; QPaintbox software-only release, ideal for assist stations.
