14 July 2004
The Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) transmitters covering Hilversum, Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam were switched on on 19 July. The public channels Radio 1, Radio 2, 3FM, Radio 4, 747 AM and the Concertzender are now available.
By the end of 2004, 70% of the Dutch population will be able to receive DAB. The service will have the capacity to carry 24 national stations, of which eight will be public and sixteen commercial, and 117 regional and local stations.
14 July 2004
Hong Kong viewers will be able to enjoy digital television broadcasts by 2007 at the latest, after the government gave Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) and Asia Television Limited (ATV) the right to beam programmes to viewers using the technology.
Under terms of the licences, TVB and ATV must begin transmitting digital signals in tandem with their existing analogue service by 2007, the South China Morning Post reports.
The two broadcasters will also be allocated spectrum to launch high-definition TV services, which allow for higher resolution than standard televisions.
TVB and ATV are also required to extend their digital network coverage to 75 percent of Hong Kong by the end of 2008.
If a national standard for digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcasting has not been established on the mainland before the end of 2006, the government said it will let the market decide on the selection of the technical standard.
Both broadcasters have indicated that they will adopt the European DVB-T technical standard for digital broadcasting by 2006 to encourage the introduction of DTT services in the territory.
14 July 2004
ND SatCom, a leading global supplier of satellite-based broadband VSAT, broadcast and military communication network solutions, has been awarded a multi million USD contract to provide the national electric power company in Kazakhstan with a satellite-based communications network to improve its infrastructure. The VSAT network will be financed by a loan from the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development – EBRD.
The turn key solution covers the delivery of more than seventy VSAT stations, a powerful network management system for planning,
controlling and monitoring the overall system as well as various engineering and service packages. A satellite network is ideally suited to provide end to end services with high availability. The complete network, which supports different applications such as voice and data simultaneously, is operated by ND SatComs local partner TNS-Plus, a leading telecommunications operator in Kazakhstan, and will be ready for operation by the end of 2004.
“We strongly believe that the Eastern European Market will continue to grow extensively over the next decade. With our local partner TNS-Plus
we have found a reliable and strategically well positioned partner not only for this but also for future projects in Kazakhstan. Based on our
SkyWAN(R) system using the latest MF-TDMA DAMA technology, the VSAT network allows a very cost effective satellite network solution. Even though SkyWAN(R) offers much higher flexibility, it requires much lower bandwidth capacities compared to other VSAT solutions.”, comments Dr. Karl Classen, CEO ND SatCom AG.
14 July 2004
Ambassador Pascal Fieschi, the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, opened the first multi-ethnic private television station in Kosovo, in the municipality of Strpce/Shterpce, on 12 July. The station, TV Herc, brings together Kosovo Serbs and Kosovo Albanians in a joint editorial team.
“Co-operation between Serbs and Albanians within TV Herc will ensure that all inhabitants of Strpce/Shterpce will have access to information on events relevant to the area that they live in,” Ambassador Fieschi said. “We see this as a further step towards improving mutual relations among neighbours.”
Strpce/Shterpce has made great strides in improving relations between communities which was a factor in the decision to support TV Herc. The OSCE Mission’s support, which has taken the form of training sessions and study visits to other Kosovo television stations, as well as purchasing equipment, will help to consolidate and improve upon this progress.
TV Herc’s 12 staff members (three Kosovo Albanians and nine Kosovo Serbs) will produce local news four times a day and live shows featuring prominent figures from the local and international community. The station will also broadcast Voice of America news in both the Serbian and Albanian languages.
Ambassador Fieschi stressed the importance of a truly multi-ethnic, private media in Kosovo: “The tragic events in March again showed that a lack of communication and inability to speak to each other led to biased reporting that produced hysteria and made matters worse. Objective and unbiased reporting rather than deliberate misinformation can help avoid tensions.”
The OSCE Mission in Kosovo will continue to support the development of independent and professional media in Kosovo. These efforts are aimed at increasing the capacities of media, particularly those of minority groups, which bring communities together and offer a chance for reconciliation.
10 July 2004
In what could well be a first in Arab TV broadcasting, Al Jazeera Channel has finalised a Code of Ethics guided by a transparent Vision and Mission Statement.
The document, which will be made public in the next few days, states unequivocally the satellite channel’s professional beliefs and standards. Foremost is Al Jazeera’s intent to adhere to professional core values, distinguish between what is news and what is opinion and analysis, and monitor its output acknowledging unintended mistakes if and when it occurs and ensuring it does not recur.
Defining Al Jazeera as an “Arab media service
with global orientation”, the Code re-emphasises its motto of “The One and the Other Opinion”. It further asserts the Channel’s position as a “forum for pluralism, seeking the truth while observing the principles of professionalism within an institutional framework”.
The Code of Ethics, as well as the Vision and Mission Statement, were the result of exhaustive meetings held over a period of months by Al Jazeeras Editorial Board and discussions that invited views from all the Channels employees. The firm conviction has always been that any media organisation has to be responsible towards the environment in which, and with which it interacts, and consequently it is imperative that there should be clear and transparent communication.
Waddah Khanfar, Channel Director, said that the Code is one way of putting our vision and mission statement into action. Al Jazeera has always endeavoured to promote public awareness of issues of concern. Khanfar further pointed out that one of the Codes articles stipulates: “Al Jazeera aspires to be a bridge between peoples and cultures to support the right of the individual to acquire knowledge and strengthen the values of tolerance, democracy and respect for liberties and human rights”.
The Code also stresses that professional considerations are sacrosanct, and thus have priority over political and commercial concerns. Consequently, virtues such as honesty, courage, fairness, balance and independence are but few of Al Jazeera’s core professional values.
The announcement of the Code of Ethics coincides with the launch of Al Jazeera World Forums first annual conference to be held in Doha on 12-13 July 2004. The title of the conference, which around 120 Arab and Western journalists are expected to attend, is Changing Media Perceptions: Professionalism & Cultural Diversity.
The AIB is attending the Doha conference and AIB members will receive a briefing about the event.
Al Jazeera is a Platinum Member of the AIB
9 July 2004
Apple’s Safari is a free web browser which is available over various platforms. At first, Safari was only dedicated to iOS or Mac, but now, with greater demand of Safari flowing in, Apple has made it available to other platforms as well.
Safari is most well known for its high speed, reliability, security and extremely simplistic user interface. But with a choice of many other free web browsers in the market such is Firefox, Chrome, etc. why would you choose Safari as your default browser?
In this article we shall discuss the various Pros and Cons of using Safari for Windows and whether you should download it or not.
Pros of using Safari for Windows
- It is a free web browser, which means you do not have to pay anything to download Safari for any platform or operating system.
- It is the fastest web browsing platform available in the market, delivering speeds of 2x over other web browsers.
- Safari supports CSS3 and HTML5.
- Top Sites for Windows, which allows users to view thumbnails of their most visited websites on the top of their browser screen.
- Cover Flow option which allows users to browse through complete spread sheet versions of the sites as they last visited them. This is extremely handy if uses want to pick up from a site where they left off the last time.
- The new feature of Search History in Safari allows users to type a single word to find every single page they have searched which contains that one word. This can be helpful in times when users can not recall the name of the website they last visited and need to go back to search for that particular web page.
- Reader facility allows users to view the entire contents of a site on one single page.
- Tabs on Top feature allows users to browse through their open tabs at the top of the Safari browser. They can even drag and move tabs along the safari page for their convenience.
- Safari for windows is extremely stable and user friendly, having probably one of the most simplistic user interfaces which allows even first time users to access Safari without any issues,.
- Additional safety, security and privacy features allows users to keep their web page history completely hidden from outside prying eyes with just the touch of a button.
- Safari is extremely stylish and elegant as well as convenient.
Cons of using Safari for Windows
- Not all Safari features are available on Windows.
- Safari lacks customization options that are available on many of the other competitor platforms.
- Safari does not provide a lot of updates, and still has a few bugs and fixes which are to be solved.
- Flash does not work well with safari.
- Safari is vulnerable to malware.
- Certain security issues for Windows users of Safari which Mac users of Safari do not face.
After discussing the pros and cons of Safari browser for Windows, it can safely be said that Safari is one of the best browser choices you can have for your convenience.
