1 March 2011
Alhurra Televisions broadcasts of
the historic events in Libya have been jammed on the Nilesat satellite
system since Feb. 23. The Nilesat system, one of the most popular
satellite systems in the region, also carries Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya.
The radio signals on Nilesat of Radio Sawa (in Arabic), Radio Farda (in
Persian), Radio Free Iraq (in Arabic) and Voice of America (in Kurdish)
have also faced intermittent interference in Nilesat.
The right to freedom of information is universal and essential amidst the tumultuous events in the region, said Walter Isaacson, chair of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees all U.S.
international broadcasting including Alhurra TV, VOA and RFE. Efforts,
including satellite jamming, to prevent people in the Middle East and
North Africa from getting much-needed accurate news and information are
abhorrent.”
Al Jazeera and Deutsche Welle have reported similar deliberate, harmful
interferences with satellite transmissions.
The jamming of the satellite system comes at the height of U.S.
international broadcastings extensive coverage of the uprising and
violence in Libya. Alhurra has provided live, continuous coverage since protests began Feb. 16. Surge broadcasting has included first person
accounts from Tripoli, Benghazi, Tubruk and Misratah. Alhurra is also
soliciting feedback from viewers in Libya and asking them to call in and
report what they are witnessing, as well as sending video and still
images through Facebook and YouTube. Alhurras correspondents in
Benghazi are interviewing protesters who say they are demonstrating
because they want Libya to be a free country and their children to live
in a democracy. Alhurra is also providing viewers with the American
perspective through talk shows and analysis from American experts on
Libya and the Middle East.
The coverage of Libya follows Alhurras in-depth reporting from Egypt, where surveys showed that 25 percent of Egyptian adults were tuning into Alhurra for the latest news on the demonstrations in Tahrir Square and across Egypt.
Intermittent but sustained interference to Alhurra Television meant viewers first lost images and then their screens went black between Feb. 23 and 27. Radio channels continued to be jammed on Nilesat as of Feb.28. Jamming this month has also affected TV and radio broadcasts to Iran for VOAs Persian News Network and Radio Farda.
28 February 2011
The Association for International Broadcasting, the industry association for international TV, radio, mobile and online broadcasting, strongly condemns the closure of the Cairo bureau of Al Jazeera Network and the withdrawal of accreditation to Al Jazeera correspondents in Egypt.
See the full story in AIB news – click on the menu on the right
28 February 2011
The ABC is seeking expressions of interest from media practitioners across the Pacific for the 2011 ABC International Pacific Fellowship Award.
The Award Fellow will spend four months at the ABC in Australia on a professional development program focused on enhancing their content making skills across a range of media platforms and maximising audience engagement.
The Fellow will be assigned a senior ABC Mentor for the duration of their program. This Mentor will be responsible for ensuring the Fellow receives appropriate opportunities to develop their skills against an agreed professional development plan.
The Award Fellow will receive full funding support from the ABC.
Expressions of interest are sought from Pacific Islanders with at least five years experience as a content maker in the region.
For further information, contact Tanya Scott on +61 (0)3 9524 2747 or email internationalprojects@abc.net.au
28 February 2011
Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK) and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. on Tuesday reported successful testing of international transmission of Super Hi-Vision video over the regular shared network, Asia Pulse reported.
Super Hi-Vision is a next-generation video format with a pixel resolution 16 times that of today’s high-definition television.
The goal is to begin test-broadcasting in Super Hi-Vision around 2020. Initially, the format would be used for public viewing on giant screens of sports events.
The Super Hi-Vision technology has already been developed to the point where signals can be transmitted internationally over leased lines and via satellite. Being able to use the shared network will significantly lower communications costs.
For the test, the Super Hi-Vision video was compressed to reduce the volume of data, then transmitted via the shared network of high-speed fibre used by such entities as universities and research institutions.
The signals originated from NHK’s Science & Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo, travelled via Britain to the BBC in London, and came back to an NTT centre in Tokyo. The total distance travelled came to roughly 80,000km, with a time lag of only 0.3 second or so. In comparison, Super Hi-Vision transmission via satellite over the same distance has a time lag of around 1.2 seconds. (Source: ABU)
28 February 2011
Thirteen broadcasters from around the world have indicated interest joining Eurovision TV Lab, including Japan’s NHK, Korea’s KBS, Germany’s ZDF and Britain’s BBC. The project is part of the Eurovision TV Lab Week in September.
The Eurovision TV Lab is a showcase for new innovative programme formats created by public broadcaster NPO/Nederland 3 where it has already been run successfully twice. The EBU supports the new initiative to extend the project to the rest of the world.
Roek Lips, NPOs channel manager and creator of the TV Lab in the Netherlands, says, This first-of-its-kind project will link younger audiences to new public service television formats. He adds, Broadcasters have opened themselves up to innovation and that is a brave thing to do.
Public broadcasters joining the Eurovision TV Lab will contribute at least one pilot programme to a pool, as part of the Eurovision TV Lab Week for one week in September. Whether current events, drama, music or chat, all these shows will be broadcast on TV for the very first time to see whether the new programmes are a hit or not. Each broadcaster will use the same technology to involve the viewers. Social media tools and applications will measure how the pilots work with the audience.
28 February 2011
RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd., a leading provider of comprehensive content management and global distribution services to the television and radio broadcasting industries, announced today that it is providing uplink, playout and connectivity services for fashiontv H3, the 3D programming on the Fashion TV Paris High Definition channel.
Beginning February 18, 2011, for the duration of one week, fashiontv H3D began daily 3D broadcasts between 2pm and 11pm (local Paris, New York and Hong Kong time) in 10 minute programs, in order to collect feedback from viewers and operators. As a result of the positive feedback, FTV has doubled the shows broadcast as part of the FTV HD programming played out and distributed by RRsat on its DTH platforms on the Intelsat-805 satellite over North, Central and South America, on the EUROBIRD-9A satellite to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and on the Asiasat-5 satellite to Asia and Australia.
Michel Adam, President and CEO of Fashion TV said, “FTV is among the pioneers in delivering high quality 3D programming over DTH networks. Based on the feedback we are receiving from our viewers we expect to launch fashiontv H3D, a 24-hour 3D channel over DTH, during the summer of 2011 to a myriad of satellite, cable, IP and mobile platforms all over the world. Fashion never looked better and we appreciate RRsats ability to get us launched with quality programming, meeting a very tight schedule.
We are proud to be responsible for the technological side of launching fashiontv H3D on RRsats Intelsat-805, EUROBIRD-9A and Asiasat-5 DTH platforms, commented Ziv Mor, CTO and VP Business Development of RRsat. Following RRsats delivery over terrestrial fiber of a live 3D interactive event between Tel Aviv and London together with BT, and our subsequent real-time delivery by satellite of 3D sports events over Europe, this effort is another testament to our ability to play out and deliver 3D content in multiple languages, over multiple satellites integrated within an HD platform. We look forward to broadcasting our first 24 hour 3D channel in 2011.
