15 November 2006
Harris Corporation announced that 10 of its NEXIOT servers and eight NewsFlashR networked, high-resolution editors have been installed at Sky Sports’ new broadcast facility in London to provide highlights packages for BSkyB’s interactive sports channel, Sky Sports Active. The new facility will provide the control room capabilities for live sports programmes, including international cricket and UEFA Champions League football coverage.
“We evaluated a number of server manufacturers on the market for this project, and our key driver for choosing the NEXIO servers was the ability Harris had to complete the installation quickly and effectively,” said Darren Long, head of sports operations at BSkyB. “It wasn’t all about cost – time and implementation also were very important factors for this particular project. We needed to be on air to deliver the cricket coverage to our viewers earlier this year, and Harris was able to deliver, install and complete all staff training required within a very short time. To achieve this, we worked very closely with the Harris team to ensure the build went as smoothly as possible.”
The NEXIO production system forms the backbone of the Sky Sports Active facility, which consists of two newly enhanced, continuously operating control rooms. Integral to the production system are the NewsFlash editors, which allow highlight packages to be cut quickly and played to air almost instantly through the NEXIO servers. The combination of the powerful NEXIO tools and NewsFlash editors enables Sky Sports to provide a unique, interactive viewing experience to its subscribers, allowing them to select alternative camera angles, access a wealth of statistics, review match highlights and even choose between live matches and place bets through their set-top boxes. The NEXIO servers enable a fast turnaround of sports production and enhanced interactive opportunities.
“With the NEXIO servers, we found a system that was scalable, flexible and able to deliver on our critical programming requirements,” said Long. “We needed to be able to turn programme material around quickly, seamlessly and instantaneously to the viewer, and we found that the NEXIO server with the integrated NewsFlash editing tool was able to achieve this.”
“The installation at Sky Sports Active’s enhanced control rooms demonstrates that our NEXIO servers are able to achieve fast turnaround of content for sports production applications where timing is critical,” said Dave Dougall, vice president of sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for the Harris Broadcast Communications Division. “At Sky, the production team using the NewsFlash editing software is able to deliver up-to-the-minute programme packages and achieve a very different style of production output.”
NEXIOT is a modular, scalable server system for transmission and news environments that offers integrated application platforms for editing, browsing and media management across a multi-tiered storage hierarchy. As an operation grows, the NEXIOT design allows users to build systems of up to 28.8 terabytes in a single domain in small, low-cost increments.
A high-resolution craft editor, NewsFlashR sets industry standards for speed of editing and turnaround. The key is direct Fibre Channel access to shared NEXIOT storage by all users, without delay or restriction. More important, all seats can begin editing the moment that ingest begins, enabling a true collaborative environment.
15 November 2006
SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company announced that the German commercial broadcasters ProSieben, Sat.1 and N24 will offer the interactive service Blucom as of 2007. The number of broadcasters using the ASTRA service Blucom has now increased to ten.
The interactive Blucom technology supports services like programme announcements, weather information, lottery and sports results or further programme information. Additionally, it enables ways of interaction such as voting, downloads, chats, and advertising, which actively involve the viewer in the ongoing programme. The return channel operates via the mobile phone.
The Blucom offers from ProSiebenSat.1 use the mobile telephone system standards UMTS or GPRS as well as by Bluetooth technology via the set-top box, enabling all TV households in Germany benefit from the service, no matter whether they receive the channels via satellite, cable or terrestrial antenna. The only tool necessary is a browser which can be ordered by a text message (SMS) and has to be downloaded onto the mobile phone.
We are excited about our new Blucom partners because the agreement with the three strong brands ProSieben, Sat.1 and N24 will strengthen the acceptance of Blucom in the market, says Alexander Oudendijk, Chief Commercial Officer of SES ASTRA. Blucom offers a simple, attractive and cost efficient way of communication between broadcasters and their audience in parallel to the programmes. With the award-winning service Blucom, ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG will offer its young target groups an additional attraction.
Dr. Marcus Englert, Member of the Executive Board of the ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG and Managing Director of SevenOne Intermedia, the multimedia company of the ProSiebenSat.1 Group, says: The additional interactive service coming with our TV programmes is an important part of our activities to deepen our relations with the audience and to generate new revenues. The mobile phone becomes an elementary return channel for this interaction. The increasing penetration of households with mobile handhelds of the latest generation broadens the opportunities to reach the customer with mobile services via a further display. Our TV offers accompanied by Blucom create an attractive added value for our audiences.
15 November 2006
SES ASTRA and SES NEW SKIES, two SES GLOBAL companies , announced an agreement to broadcast France 24, the new French channel for international news, on an ASTRA satellite at 19.2° East for Europe and on the NSS-7 satellite at 22° West serving the African continent. Starting on December 7th, more than 21 million European digital households will receive France 24 via ASTRA. The contract has been signed through SES French partner Globecast.
France 24, a subsidiary of the TF1 and France Télévision, will be transmitted free to air 24 hours and seven days a week on two independent channels one in French, one in English.
We are happy to participate in the launch of this new French channel for international news that will profit from our optimized European coverage as well as the great security of our satellites, explains Alexander Oudendijk, Chief Commercial Officer of SES ASTRA. France 24 will also benefit from our Groups synergy with the use of the NSS-7 satellite from our sister company SES NEW SKIES that offers a privileged access to the entire African continent.
15 November 2006
The WorldDAB Forum has voted to change its name to WorldDMB. The decision was announced at the General Assembly of the organisation, which has over 120 member organisations around the world. WorldDMBs President, Quentin Howard, commented, Were recognising that while radio will always be the main focus for many of our members, we also need properly to represent countries and companies who see mobile TV and multimedia as the core proposition. Howard says the organisation had outgrown its old
name, The Steering Board unanimously supported changing the name to
WorldDMB because digital multimedia broadcasting is an inclusive category
which covers radio, television and new media content. The vote of the
membership gives us a powerful mandate to continue to highlight the flexibility, strength and success of the Eureka 147 family of standards.
The initial success of DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) was based on the Eureka 147 project and the digitisation of traditional radio broadcasting. Over the years, the technology has been enhanced with complementary standards developed to facilitate the commercial launch of multimedia and video services. In this way, the standard has rema ined at the forefront of the digital broadcasting arena by incorporating not only radio, but also data (including traffic and safety information), mobile TV (with a choice of DMB and IP based solutions), EPGs (electronic programme guides), music downloads and many other applications. At the General Assembly Quentin Howard noted, In the context of this evolution and diversification, continuing to use the name the WorldDAB Forum risked confusion. Some audiences have sometimes assumed that we only represented digital audio. In addition, it allowed some commentators wrongly to suggest that DAB and DMB are competing
technologies, instead of the truth that they are different layers of the Eureka 147 family of standards. In order to reflect the diversity of its members interests and create a clearer understanding of the flexibility of standards the Forum promotes, a consultation was held on the issue of the name change followed by a vote of the full membership. The result was an overwhelming YES vote in favour of the new name, WorldDMB. The result takes immediate effect.
However, the organisations new name does not affect any of the various acronyms or technology labels already used for the Eureka 147 standards. DAB, for example will still be called DAB and all DAB digital radio receivers will continue to carry the traditional DAB or digital radio logos which are recognised by consumers in different markets across the world. At the General Assembly, members were reminded that this is not the first name change in the history of the organisation. It was launched in 1995 as EuroDAB and changed its name to WorldDAB in 1997 to reflect growing international interest, rollout and membership. This change contributed to the success of the organisation which now has over 120 members from 40 different countries. The name change from WorldDAB to WorldDMB will help promote and advocate the vast array of services available using its Eureka 147 family of standards including the original DAB digital radio which is still the most widespread application of the standard.
WorldDMB President, Quentin Howard, believes the change of name will help the organisation to grow further and to be even more effective. Some of our members are Mobile TV operators and new media companies in Europe and Asia who dont see themselves as audio businesses and in some parts of the world our old name was a barrier to success. But a change of name is a big decision, and Id like to pay special tribute to the many members who have a sole focus on the radio business for backing the change to a more inclusive name. Were united in the task of vigorously promoting the Eureka 147 family standards and thats the challenge for the coming year.
15 November 2006
VT Communications was recently awarded a contract to broadcast a significant number of analogue and digital shortwave programmes for the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
The cornerstone of VT Communications’ ability to deliver this contract is the introduction of new broadcast equipment at its UK transmitting stations to facilitate Deutsche Welles analogue and digital broadcasts.
As the result of VT Communications commitment to providing state-of-the-art solutions for broadcasters, the first step in the re-engineered infrastructure was achieved at Woofferton in mid-October, with a new 250 kW short wave transmitter entering service for the first time. The transmitter was supplied by Riz Transmitters Co, from Zagreb in Croatia, with responsibility for the installation and commissioning shared between Riz and VT Communications’ staff.
Work has already commenced both on site at Woofferton and in Zagreb for two more transmitters, with more to follow, one at Woofferton and one at Skelton. The first pair is scheduled for installation late 2006 through early 2007.
15 November 2006
Al Jazeera International, the English language news and current affairs channel that’s sister channel to Al Jazeera Arabic (celebrating its 10th anniversary this month), launched on Wednesday 15 November at 1200 GMT. The new channel says that it is available in over 80 million cable and satellite households across the globe.
The channel was launched from its headquarters in Doha, with Shiulie Ghosh and Sami Zeidan the first news anchors to appear. The channel will move around the world moving to its broadcast centres strategically placed around the world in Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington DC where presenters Veronica Pedrosa & Teymoor Nabili, Felicity Barr & Stephen Cole, Ghida Fakhry & Dave Marash will present the news respectively. There will be two integrated news hours with input from all four centres.
On day one, the channels news teams are deployed doing stories in over 20 countries around the world in addition to their 60 news bureaux. In the Middle East, Al Jazeera has five correspondents deployed in Israel and the Palestinian territories; unprecedented Africa coverage with feeds from Darfur, Somalia, Harare and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while in Latin America the channels correspondents will report live from Brazil and Venezuela. This reflects the emphasis the channel places on reporting from the South to the North.
Nigel Parsons Managing Director of Al Jazeera English said: “I am absolutely delighted to have launched Al Jazeera English. I firmly believe there is a gap in the market which we will exploit, and that the world needs Al Jazeera in English to bring a new perspective and understanding to world events. I would like to thank everyone involved in the project including all those distributors who are carrying the channel from day one.”
Al Jazeeras English language website, aljazeera.net/english also re-launched at 1200GMT on the same day to reflect the channel’s look and feel and editorial content. It showcases Al Jazeera English’s agenda setting editorial mission and will provide constantly updated coverage of news events from around the world, along with in-depth analysis and background. It will provide RSS feeds, live streams and downloadable clips from the Al Jazeera English channel, as well as interactive discussions and polling. Programme and presenter information as well as weather reports, live business data and sport will also be available via the website.
