20 March 2007
On the occasion of the contract signature on the ARABSAT stand today at the CabSat show in Dubai, Mr. Jean STOCK, Executive Chairman of LUXE.TV, and Mr. Khalid BALKHEYOUR, Chief Executive Officer and President of ARABSAT (Arab Satellite Communications Organization), announced the official launch of “LUXE.TV HD”, the very first High Definition TV channel to be broadcasted over the Middle-East & North-Africa region. The channel is broadcasted on Badr-4, Arabsat’s newest satellite at its 26°E Direct-to-Home “Hot-Spot”.
LUXE.TV is the new — and first — international network exclusively dedicated to the luxury world in its entire scope. With 100% original premium content, LUXE.TV opens the doors to a disruptive concept in digital television. Fully produced in High Definition, and broadcast both in High and Standard Definition, LUXE.TV provides high-end coverage of the fascinating diversity of the world of luxury by covering 6 main areas of the luxury lifestyle: Real Estate & Home Design, Sports & Leisure, Hotels & Gastronomy, Beauty & Fashion, Cars & Yachting, and Jewelry & Watches. Viewers are taken on a journey to discover all aspects of the world of luxury in the comfort of their homes with the very best of viewing technology. All content production is being shot in HD in the world’s top 20 luxury capital cities. Available in French, English and German, throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, via 5 satellites, LUXE.TV has an immediate direct access to 250+ million viewers worldwide.”
“The LUXE.TV team is delighted to be the first channel to provide the 130 million Middle East and North Africa viewers of Arabsat BADR-4 with the amazing beauty and comfort of High Definition pictures. We believe that the parallel broadcast of LUXE.TV in Standard Definition [“SD”] is an excellent tool to actively promote the new HD standard. It was very important for LUXE.TV to be broadcasted in the Middle-East where amateurs appreciating the luxury lifestyle are so many”, commented Jean STOCK, Executive Chairman of LUXE.TV.
Mr. Khalid BALKHEYOUR, Arabsat President & CEO, warmly welcomed the launch of the LUXE.TV set of programs, both in High Definition and Standard Definition, as part of the Arabsat rapidly expanding offering of channels and technologies, wishing them every success.
“We are very proud to have been selected for broadcasting LUXE.TV in High Definition over the whole Arab world via BADR-4, our brand new state-of-the-art satellite launched as recently as end of last year, and we feel truly honored by their trust in our system and confidence in the extensive penetration of Arabsat’s constellation of BADR satellites at our 26° East primary fast growing DTH neighborhood, the region’s preferred “Hot Spot” for Direct-to-Home broadcasting”, he declared.
The arrival of LUXE.TV’s High Definition channel constitutes a critical milestone in achieving Arabsat’s strategy of introducing and widely spreading– the very latest TV technology across the entire MENA region, thus delivering on our strong commitment to help our customers succeed and steadily support their growth throughout the region as well as constantly stay at the forefront of high-end technological developments. We’re convinced that the dual-broadcast approach of both SD and HD signals is definitely the way forward to rapidly motivate the region’s viewers for switching over onto the stunning crispy picture quality and enjoyment of HD” he added. “We are very impressed with LUXE.TV’s technical investments, as well as by their ambitious strategy to broadcast in three different languages over two technical formats he concluded.
20 March 2007
Scopus Video Networks Ltd., a provider of digital video networking products, announced today that RRSat Global Communications Network Ltd. has selected Scopus IP-based solutions for new Video-over-IP projects.
RRSat is deploying Scopus’ solutions for a number of applications including:
Video over IP Contribution and Distribution (C&D) delivery between their Points of Presence (POPs) and teleports, contribution from studios to their teleport for satellite distribution and satellite turnaround. In 2006, RRSat has deployed close to $900K worth of Scopus gear.
Scopus’ IP-based systems used for the IP contribution and distribution applications include Encoders, IRD-2900 Integrated Receiver Decoders and IVG-7100 Intelligent Video Gateways. The systems are managed by Scopus’
Network Management System (NMS).
RRSat CTO Ziv Mor commented, “The fast growth of our Global Network combining Satellites and fiber delivery platforms requires highly reliable and promptly deployed equipment. Scopus’ IP-based platforms enhance our ability to quickly address market needs and offer cost-effective and innovative technology solutions to a wide variety of clients. Our working relationship with Scopus is excellent, both in regards to the technology and the service they provide us.”
“We are proud to work with RRSat, which is a leading and fast growing end-to-end service provider for TV and Radio channels. 2006 was a banner year for our relationship,” said Ms. Elya Presman, Scopus AVP Sales EMEA.
“As a sophisticated customer, RRSat wants both performance and technology in one package. Their teaming with Scopus reinforces our position in the market and shows the growth capabilities offered by our technology platforms and comprehensive systems.”
20 March 2007
Al Jazeera will host its 3rd Annual Forum Media and the Middle East: Going Beyond the Headlines at the Sheraton Doha and Convention Resort from March 31- April 2, 2007 in Qatar.
By virtue of its proximity to the main hotspots in the Middle East, Al Jazeera will bring together international media leaders, journalists, authors and scholars to discuss and debate critical issues facing the profession in covering the Middle East and the developing world.
In recent years, the coverage of the Middle East by local and international media has raised many tough questions about the role of media as it takes an increasingly political role on the world stage. Sessions in this years Forum will explore the growing influence of politics on media and vice versa, media credibility in times of conflict, the role of media in building bridges or walls, and case studies from the Middle East and Africa on the practical aspects of deep reporting.
The AIB will attend this event and report to its members afterwards.
20 March 2007
Arqivas high-definition OB trucks capture all the action of the Carling Cup final
Sky Sports broadcasts first domestic final of the 2006/7 season in HD
As part of the three-year contract with Sky Sports announced last year, Arqivas state-of-the-art HD outside broadcasts trucks played a crucial role in the dramatic 2007 Carling Cup final, enabling Sky Sports HD viewers to watch all the action in full, high definition.
The match was the first football final in the UK to be broadcast in HD, since the launch of Skys service in May 2006.
Both of Arqivas new HD OB trucks, built to specification by Sony, were at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to capture all the thrills and spills from the first major English football final of the 2006/7 season.
The trucks are equipped with 20 HDC-1500 HD cameras, two HDC-3300 HD Super-Motion cameras, four HDCAM HDW-D2000/20 VTRs, one HDCAM SR SRW-5500 VTR and a MVS-8000A Multi-Format Switcher.
Mick Bass, Managing Director of Arqiva Outside Broadcasts, commented: Were delighted that Arqivas OB facilities were there to capture the drama and excitement of the game in HD. The exceptional picture quality HD offers enables Sky Sports HD viewers to have an even better experience which proves especially memorable in important games such as the Carling Cup Final and this match proved to be a fantastic showpiece for HD.
14 March 2007
Pharos will be exhibiting on Booth SU8905 (South Hall, Upper), UK Pavilion, NAB 2007, Las Vegas Convention Center, Nevada, April 16-19
Pharos Communications will demonstrate the latest additions to its Mediator broadcast workflow management system at NAB2007 in Las Vegas. Offering massive benefits over tape-based working routines, Pharos Mediator is an easily-understood and easily-implemented system enabling broadcasters to operate more efficiently and productively.
“Mediator is a modular system which can be tailored to a broadcaster’s exact requirements and then upscaled in line with a fast-evolving market,” comments Pharos Mediator product manager Jason King. “Ingest, quality-control, editing, compliance, on-line storage, archiving and transcoding are all handled by a single system. Mediator’s web-based user interface is inherently easy to operate, giving all the information required for each process, from programme acquisition to playout. On successful completion of each task the material is automatically delivered to the next operator in the right format. In this way, content is forwarded for transmission at the right time with alerts being raised to inform supervisors of any items missing from the playlist before they are required on-air”.
“Mediator eliminates the engineering issues that distract creative staff in traditional broadcast workflow environments,” adds Pharos’ Technical Director Spencer Rodd. “Based on standard IT platforms and networked digital storage with a high level of integral redundancy, it is easy to monitor and maintain. All source material is converted into a digital file on first arrival using Mediator’s comprehensive suite of ingest tools. This removes the problem of lost tapes and immediately makes the resultant files available to every user, effectively sharing material which previously could only be accessed by the tape holder. File-based operation also reduces the cost of running and maintaining the system.”
8 March 2007
Harris Corporation has strengthened its leadership position in the Middle East region with an order in Lebanon from leading pan-Arab satellite broadcasting network, Orbit, for a range of products from the Harris SD/HD-compliant portfolio. Products purchased include the Harris IconMaster modular master control and branding solution, IconLogo channel branding solution, Inscriber RTX custom broadcast graphics systems, Integrator router and a range of solutions for infrastructure support. Orbit Satellite Television and Radio Network is the worlds first fully digital, multi-channel, multilingual, pay television service. With digital technology able to support a total of 45 television and 21 radio channels, Orbit provides premier programming including movies, live sporting events and up-to-the-minute news from around the world.
As a pan-Arab satellite broadcaster, Orbit is received in most countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The company also offers a select bouquet of Arabic-language services in Europe with plans to expand this service into Asia and North America.
