8 July 2004
The BBC has announced that, subject to contract, Siemens Business Services has been selected as the Single Preferred Bidder for a new Technology Framework Contract (TFC) for the Corporation, and as the new owner of BBC Technology. This announcement follows a rigorous EU Procurement Process and approval by the BBCs Executive Board. The sale is subject to the approval of the BBC Governors, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and clearance by the European Commission under the terms of the EC Merger Regulation. Subject to the necessary approvals, the contract is for 10 years and is worth up to £2bn.
Subject to the necessary approvals, the deal will complete by Autumn 2004 once final contract negotiations are complete.
8 July 2004
Harris Corporation announced that CTV, the Taiwan television broadcast network, has purchased 16 of Harris Broadcast Communications Division’s NetVX(TM) High-speed Network Systems and upgrades for Harris’ FlexiCoder(R) Encoding System. The equipment will be installed during the second phase of the network’s digital rollout for the distribution of its TV services.
At CTV, the NetVX system will receive feeds from either the Chung Hwa telecom network via fiber or CTV’s digital microwave system to drive the DVB-T transmitters at the network’s remote sites. At regional sites that provide localized encoding, the NetVX system will be equipped with a SD encoder that will encode audio and video from the local station to MPEG-2 and multiplex that signal into the final multiplex.
With its ability to establish links with all packet-based (ATM, IP, and
microwave) services and receive satellite signals for news sendback and local news drop and insert, the NetVX system enables broadcasters to efficiently and cost-effectively move media (analog or digital video, audio and data) between physically disparate locations simultaneously. This capability will help CTV to integrate the monitoring and control of the DVB-T transmission and transmitters via IP over ATM or IP over MPEG.
At NAB2004, Harris featured a major enhancement for the NetVX system, a Gigabit Ethernet interface with the extended capability for transporting video over IP networks. The Gigabit interface is capable of high-speed file transfer and transport of 64 real-time, bi-directional streams for video services. It also features Forward Error Correction, which automatically corrects for packet loss often found in networks.
8 July 2004
Germanys international broadcaster Deutsche Welle started transmitting its English Service on DRM to Europe on 6 July with a prime-time evening broadcast hosted by Mark Caldwell. The broadcasts can be heard every Tuesday evening, on 6140 KHz, 7125 KHz, 16.00 – 19.00 UTC.
With the new digital technology, radio stations will retain the same national and international reach as with their conventional AM short and medium wave broadcasts, but listeners will benefit from near-FM quality sound and additional data services. The new digital system DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) will take the crackle, interference and hiss out of international broadcasting so it can compete for listeners on equal terms with domestic services.
DW’s Director of Marketing and Engineering, Peter Senger, heads the 25-nation DRM consortium spearheading the introduction of the new technology. He said there is now “no alternative to digital broadcasting” and the DRM standard offered “a bit rate that could supply near FM quality”. DRM would also be cheaper that conventional AM, saving between 40% and 60% in transmitter costs.
DRM can also be used to transmit text messages and pictures, and it can also pack several radio channels into the same frequency, offering the listener a far greater choice of programmes.
6 July 2004
Australians are eager to experience digital radio, with new research showing 68 per cent of all respondents, and 80 per cent of those aged 20-24, would be quite or very interested in buying a digital radio if the service was available in their area. The new research supports the industrys position that there is a strong potential consumer market for digital radio in Australia, and adds weight to the argument that the Government should clear the way for its introduction, Joan Warner, chief executive officer of industry body Commercial Radio Australia said on 5 July. Australians are saying they want digital radio and would be prepared to invest in new radio sets to access new features and enhance their listening experience.
The research, conducted by Colmar Brunton Media Solutions, found there was good consumer interest in digital radio across all age groups, with 68 per cent of all respondents saying they would be interested in buying a digital radio if the service was available. Awareness of digital radio was a key to driving purchase interest, with 81 per cent of those who said they knew a little about digital radio interested in buying one, and 86 per cent of those who said they knew quite a lot showing interest. Research firm Colmar Brunton conducted the attitudes survey among 1500 participants in Sydney in May as part of its online Omnibus study. The research showed that about half of respondents were aware of digital radio, with 66 per cent of males and 43 per cent of females saying they had heard about it.
CD-quality sound with no interference was nominated as the most attractive feature of digital radio (nominated by 75 per cent of respondents). The reliability of the digital signal, which does not require retuning, was second on 71 per cent. The ability to select all stations by name from a menu (no need to select AM/FM or frequency) achieved a 45% rating, and having a screen to display scrolling text such as news and song titles scored 42%. Enhanced sound quality was the single most important feature for all people, but particularly those who said they were predominantly AM radio listeners, Ms Warner said. Among respondents aged 35-39 and 50-65, menu station selection was a significant positive feature. Those aged 20-24 were most interested in having an information screen, and those aged 18-24 said having a rewind function was an important feature.
Broadcasters are conducting digital radio trials in Sydney and are in discussion with the Federal Government over a policy and timeframe for its introduction. The industry views digital broadcasting as critical to its future and has committed to investing an estimated $400 million in building a national digital network in return for no-cost and priority access to digital spectrum for existing in-band broadcasters. The first consumer research panels have also been formed to gain feedback from a wide range of listeners, and leading advertising agencies have been invited to take part in an advertising advisory panel.
6 July 2004
UK-based independent broadcast systems integrator and manufacturer TSL (Television Systems Ltd)is supplying a comprehensive UMD and Tally System to Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera. The contract is being handled by Thomson Broadcast Systems.
Having gained recognition over recent years for its unique and comprehensive coverage of key global events, Al Jazeera is currently in the process of expanding its line-up. As part of that expansion, it is launching a second international channel and it is for this new service that the TSL equipment is being deployed.
The equipment supplied includes two System Controller versions the UMD-SC-11 and the UMD-SC-21. These are supplied with the TSL Winsoft configuration program, designed to run on a PC, though it is not necessary to have the configuring PC permanently connected to the System Controllers. All operational configurations such as the router assignments, mnemonics and tally routing/mapping are set up using Winsoft. All parameters are automatically saved in a non-volatile memory and may also be saved to disc. Mnemonic lists and tally pin patches can be set in WinSoft to provide simple drag-and-drop for the updating and mapping for all displays whether assigned as router-associated or fixed displays.
The systems will also comprise 67 UMD-D8C dynamic displays; these are eight-character tri-colour dot matrix units with integral dual tally indicators. A UMD-PSU-22 2RU power supply unit completes the order to provide additional redundancy. TSL UMD and Tally systems can also be used with all popular multiviewers alongside conventional static and dynamic displays.
