6 February 2004
Tandberg Television, a leading supplier of open solutions for digital broadcasting and broadband, has named Dan Desmet as the new General Manager for the Americas, based in Orlando. The new Director of Sales EMEIA (Europe, Middle East, India and Africa) at the companys UK headquarters in Southampton is Eric Baron, an experienced international Telecoms professional.
The two appointments are seen as a move that will strengthen and expand Tandberg Televisions operations, enabling the company to enhance its capability within key markets, such as telecommunications, broadband, Video on Demand, and cable.
6 February 2004
The Voice of America has announced it will end broadcasts in Bulgarian, Estonian, Czech, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak and Slovenian on 27 February 2004. In addition, programmes in Ukrainian and Armenian are being reduced. VOA Director David Jackson says the move follows cuts by Congress in funding for the services under a Bush administration proposal.
Mr Jackson said VOA must shift its focus to “new audiences and new priorities”. He says he is sad the agency must say good-bye to loyal colleagues, but that he is proud that their professionalism and dedication to freedom and truth have played an important role in spreading democracy.
5 February 2004
BBC Technology announced it will be providing the newly built BBC Broadcast Centre with a crucial software system that will enable most of the centres broadcast equipment to be controlled and monitored remotely. Colledia Control will be at the heart of the BBC Broadcast Centre and will provide seamless control over the entire playout infrastructure from simple, touch-screen interfaces.
The BBC’s Broadcast Centre will house the playout, channel management and creative teams for international channels, BBC channels and other broadcasters. It is at the heart of BBC Broadcast’s vision to lead a major shift in broadcast media management from traditional tape-based formats to digital media.
5 February 2004
Harris Corporation recently completed the fourth in a series of DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) digital radio demonstrations over the medium wave broadcast band for officials at Guang Dong Radio, Zhu Hai, China. Guang Dong Radio runs 80 radio stations, and serves more than 60 million listeners in southern China. An existing Harris DX 10 medium wave AM radio transmitter was converted to DRM for the nine-day digital broadcast demonstration at the Zhu Hai transmission site.
The tests demonstrate the cost effectiveness and ease of conversion to high-quality DRM performance for Harris DX(R) MW radio transmitters. According to Don Spragg, director of high-power radio and programmes for Harris Corporation’s Broadcast Communications Division, Harris’ DX series AM transmitters can be prepared for DRM transmission in an easy, one-hour upgrade session.
Harris has the largest installed base of DRM-ready, AM transmitters with more than 1,000 DX series, solid-state Medium Wave AM radio transmitters installed worldwide. DRM field-testing has been completed on DX transmitters from power levels of 10-kilowatts to 200-kilowatts.
Harris Corporation is a member of the AIB.
5 February 2004
BBC Technology announced The Press Association (PA) as its latest Media Communications customer, joining the growing number of broadcast organisations – including Globecast, BBC News, EBU, Sky, TVNZ and MTV – to use its London Media Gateway. The Press Association will use BBC Technology’s London Media Gateway for ad hoc distribution of its television news and sports footage. PA will also use the service to distribute BBC television news material to broadcasters outside the UK from the day of transmission.
BBC Technology’s London Media Gateway, part of the company’s Media Communications services, is a fully resilient fibre ring in London that enables the London broadcast community to exchange content and access BBC and EBU feeds, as well as to access international gateways and BBC Technology’s teleports at London and Brookmans Park.
