Arqiva announces launch of France 24 HD in the UK

Arqiva announces launch of France 24 HD in the UK

3 September 2018

Arqiva, the international satellite and media services provider, has today announced an upgrade of its five-year contract with France 24 to incorporate the launch of a new high definition (HD) channel in the UK.

France 24, an international rolling news channel broadcast in French, English, Arabic and Spanish to 355 million households around the world, has been available to UK audiences in standard definition (SD) in the UK since 2012. The announcement means that UK customers of Sky and Freesat can access its breaking news coverage in HD with immediate effect.

Arqiva will provide its satellite services to deliver the France 24 service to Sky and Freesat through its media facility in Paris. Using state-of-the-art encoding, Arqiva is also helping France 24 optimise the use of satellite capacity for HD delivery.

Alex Pannell, Managing Director, Satellite & Media at Arqiva, said: “The most satisfying wins are undoubtedly those that result from a long-standing, successful relationship with a partner – we are delighted that we can help France 24 with the next phase of its growth.

“Arqiva prides itself on delivering high quality services that are flexible to the specific needs of our customers, and as France 24 reaches more and more audiences in the coming years, we look forward to evolving our proposition with them.”

David Couret, Director of Technical Distributions at France 24 added:“The launch of France 24 HD represents an important step in our journey to bring instant, high quality news and events coverage to UK viewers, and it is crucial to have a trusted partner like Arqiva working alongside us on this project.

“Arqiva helped us launch our first UK SD channel back in 2012, and its reliable service and technical expertise has been critical in helping us to grow in this essential market.”

AIB condemns Myanmar jailing of Reuters reporters

AIB condemns Myanmar jailing of Reuters reporters

3 September 2018

Journalists jailed for seven years for reporting on Rohingya mass killing

The Association for International Broadcasting is deeply troubled by the jailing of two Myanmar journalists for allegedly contravening the country’s Official Secrets Act.

Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were found guilty by a district judge in Yangon and sentenced to seven years in jail. The reporters were arrested on 12 December 2017 while investigating the killings of ten Rohingya men and boys, and other abuses involving soldiers and police, in the Rakhine State village of Inn Din.

The reporters were found guilty of receiving classified documents in what a police witness at their trial admitted was a sting operation designed to block or punish them for reporting on a mass killing of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine, a clear case of entrapment. This follows the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar report published on 27 August that said Myanmar’s top military generals, including Commander-in-Chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing, must be investigated and prosecuted for genocide in the north of Rakhine State, as well as for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan States,

“The Association for International Broadcasting deplores the jailing of the two Reuters reporters in Myanmar,” said Simon Spanswick, AIB Chief Executive. “Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were working for a major international news agency carrying out a legitimate investigation into killings in the country. This is a clear case of responsible journalism being silenced by the authorities who fear the uncovering of truths that could harm their legitimacy. This Association joins with other organisations and the diplomatic community in Myanmar in condemning these verdicts and their negative impact on journalism and freedom of expression in the country. We call on the authorities to overturn these sentences at the earliest opportunity and demonstrate to the world community that the country respects journalistic freedom.”

According to Reuters, US ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel said the “deeply troubling” verdict could undermine the confidence the Myanmar people had in the justice system.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar Knut Ostby said he was “disappointed”.

“Unbelievable! More and more, responsible journalism is found to be a crime in Myanmar!” Yanghee Lee, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said on Twitter.

British ambassador Dan Chugg, speaking on behalf of EU members, said the verdict had “dealt a hammer blow for the rule of law”.

The AIB is lodging complaints with the Myanmar Ambassador in London and in Washington DC.

Picture credit | Reuters journalist Wa Lone departs Insein court after his verdict announcement in Yangon, Myanmar, September 3, 2018. (REUTERS)

Download the AIB press release here.

13-17 September SatADSl is waiting for you at IBC Amsterdam

13-17 September SatADSl is waiting for you at IBC Amsterdam

30 August 2018

The International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) will be held in Amsterdam from Thursday 13 to Monday 17 September 2018. SatADSL will be present at the major event of the year for the broadcast and video technology industry. 1,700 exhibitors and 57,000 attendees are expected.

Amsterdam hosts IBC each September, attracting attendees and exhibitors from 170 countries.  Just like the NAB Show in Las Vegas, IBC brings industry leaders in broadcasting, telecommunications, media, and entertainment together in fifteen halls.

This year’s event focuses on how companies are preparing for the future, with particular attention to speed and agility – the two key elements in every forward-thinking strategy. A prestigious line-up of some 400 speakers has been assembled to explore the theme of “Shaping The Future Together”.

SatADSL will take part in this event for the second time. If you are a satellite operator or an Internet service provider, we will be happy to meet you at stand “5.C31” in Hall 5. Michel Dothey, our Chief Commercial Officer, Fulvio Sansone, our Chief Technology Officer, and Caroline De Vos, our Chief Operations Officer, will showcase the SatADSL services: satellite IP connectivity, business solutions and specific business-oriented solutions. They will also show you what makes SatADSL different from the competition: the unique Cloud-Services Delivery Platform (C-SDP). Finally, they will present the new PaaS offer (Platform as a Service), opening the SatADSL C-SDP to every satellite, hub or IP service operator and bringing an additional level of added value to our current services.

To welcome you in the best conditions, we invite you to contact us today at caroline.devos@satadsl.net or +32 2 351 33 74 to arrange a meeting at our stand. You can also contact Michel Dothey at +32 495 53 06 12.

For more information about IBC: https://show.ibc.org.

 

 

Encompass to acquire Babcock Media Services

Encompass to acquire Babcock Media Services

29 August 2018

Encompass Digital Media has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Babcock International Group’s (Babcock’s) Media Services business. This deal expands Encompass’ scale in EMEA and extends the company’s combined channel play-out, transmission and digital products portfolio while adding international radio distribution to its suite of services.

“Acquiring Babcock’s Media Services business increases our presence in the EMEA region, expands our video services offering, specifically in the live streaming sports arena, and bolsters our collective relationships with some of the most important media companies and public service broadcasters around the world,” explains Chris Walters, Encompass CEO. “We are thrilled to be adding a large number of highly regarded industry professionals to the Encompass team.”

The amount of technical complexity required to generate and deliver content to viewers continues to grow exponentially, and the acquisition of Babcock’s Media Services business represents a continued push to offer end-to-end, highly reliable and scalable services to media companies. With combined resources, Encompass will offer enhanced solutions to capture, process and deliver video content from any source, in any format, to any destination in the most efficient manner possible.

“I am delighted that Babcock’s Media Services business is becoming a part of one of the leading global providers of managed video services. The combination of Encompass’ significant international presence and prestigious customer base, together with Babcock’s growing capabilities in the rapidly expanding live streaming market and our market-leading position serving many of the world’s leading international radio broadcasters, will further cement Encompass’ global reputation as THE provider of choice,” states Nick Thompson, Managing Director of Babcock’s Media Services business.

Encompass has existing facilities in the UK, US, Singapore, Argentina, Latvia and India; this acquisition will grow its operations in the UK and Singapore and add operations in Oman and Ascension Island.

The daring Red Bull Air Race ups the excitement with AR from Vizrt

The daring Red Bull Air Race ups the excitement with AR from Vizrt

28 August 2018

 

The Red Bull Air Race uses the Ghost Plane and more graphic tools to add a new level of storytelling to the World Championship of air racing.

Take a combination of speed, the most agile raceplanes, a unique aerial track and some of the most stunning locations in the globe, and you have the Red Bull Air Race. Created by RedBull in 2003, the Red Bull World Championship has the best pilots in the world compete to fly flawlessly through the racetrack, passing giant air-filled gates with precision while trying to set the best time. The pilot finishing the track in the fastest time takes the race victory. Tens of thousands of fans gather around the world to watch this exciting motorsport competition live, while even more fans tune in to the live video production that is enhanced with augmented reality (AR).

A race at this scale can be tricky to watch from the ground. Fans want to know how fast the pilots are going, if they pass the gates correctly, and how did their competition do?

“The Red Bull Air Race is a sport which is hard to understand if you just watch it, because you don’t see the difference between two pilots,” says Stefan Koch, TV Director at Red Bull Air Race “The key is to attach people to the story.”

 

Engaging the audience

Red Bull Air Race, together with the production company netventure, have taken innovative approaches to grab the viewer’s’ attention and explain the air racing action. For the fans in the stands, several big video walls are in place. These video walls show race data visualized by netventure using Vizrt graphics tools that allow to share the excitement in real-time.

The real-time graphics are controlled with Viz Trio, which gives an operator full control of which pilot’s stats to share and when. The graphics and the tools to manage them play an instrumental part in creating an exciting story for both the live audience onsite and viewers on TVs and mobile platforms.

The ghost plane

The second innovation created by Red Bull Air Race and the support from netventure is the Ghost Plane. The ghost plane allows a visual head-to-head comparison between two pilots.

“They (Red Bull Air Race) wanted to add some more excitement during the competition since you cannot have two airplanes in the race track at the same time, says Antonio Bleile, Virtual Graphics Developer at netventure. “They wanted a tool to visualize competitors against the actual flying pilot.”

A real raceplane overlaid with an AR plane is the perfect solution for the audience to see in real-time who is winning. Accuracy is the key for a feature like this to work properly. netventure developed a plugin for Viz Engine to read flight data from the cockpit and apply it to the AR plane. Viz Engine has an open architecture allowing users to develop their own plugins to work specifically for their storytelling needs.

 

Capturing every emotion

Red Bull Air Race also wants to share the emotions of the pilots with the viewers. This is different to most other races however, because once the pilot crosses the finish line, they can’t relax, they need to remain focused and land their planes. Cameras have been installed inside the cockpit of each raceplane to capture every cheer or disappointment of the pilots. In addition, the pilots are interviewed on the ground as soon as they get out their planes. These interviews are recorded and ready to be broadcast live, with the help of a Vizrt partner EVS. The input from the recording is edited with Vizrt graphics by netventure and shared live on the video walls and broadcast live through Red Bull Air Race

“Emotion is part of successful sports event. Combining Vizrt’s graphics with the adrenaline rush of the planes racing at high-speed through the track, the Red Bull Air Race is one of the most exciting new sports today,” said Yan Heydlauf at Vizrt.

 

SatADSL: 7 Years of Business, 7 Years of Growth

SatADSL: 7 Years of Business, 7 Years of Growth

28 August 2018

More and more communities are choosing the SatADSL hotspot solution—and for good reason: it is easy to implement and to use, comes at an affordable price, and can even be cost-effective.SatADSL celebrates its 7 years of business with its head in the stars – the company’s story is one of success! Let’s return to earth and talk about the reasons behind this success with Thierry Eltges, co-founder and CEO of SatADSL.

What was the context that led to the creation of SatADSL?

Thierry Eltges: SatADSL was created 7 years ago. After working as an engineer at the European Space Agency (ESA), I started my consultancy company in the early 2000s ‒ Sea & Space Exploration. Several people, all working at SatADSL now, joined me in this adventure: Caroline De Vos, Fulvio Sansone, and Maïte Aguirre. For 10 years, we worked for ESA and industrial companies such as Newtec or satellite telecommunications operators such as SES. Sea & Space Exploration, still active today, is very business-oriented and specializes in market research for launching new products and services. After a study for ESA, we decided to start SatADSL.

What was this study about?

Thierry Eltges: It focused on the African VSAT market and the technological potential of the low-cost terminals developed by the Belgian company Newtec, one of SatADSL’s current partners. For almost a year, we traveled extensively throughout Africa to understand the real needs of local businesses. We noticed that, at that time, only very large, expensive telecommunications systems existed, resulting in a very high communications cost. There was a real demand for a reliable, low-cost system and our market study showed it was possible.

So you went from theory to action…

Thierry Eltges: Yes, we were determined to prove that our market plan was realistic and achievable. We launched SatADSL in 2011 and started looking for a private investor. Two years later, SPDG, the holding company of the D’Ieteren family, became a partner. They launched a capital increase of EUR 1 million and SatADSL became a limited company. Today, SPDG owns about one-third of the company. The other shareholders include SatADSL employees.

How has the company developed since then?

Thierry Eltges: We started out with 4 in 2011. In the following years, we hired more and more people and today we have 17 full-time employees. Since the beginning in 2011, our business grew very fast and has continued to do so exponentially. Initially, we were only reselling the services of other operators such as SES. But already during the first year, we realized that these services were not suitable for the African market. We wanted to offer complete solutions and customized services for end-user customers. That is why we created our own service offering and even developed our own service platform: the Cloud-based Service Delivery platform (C-SDP). This platform meets the need for monitoring and control of our customers. It also allows for preventive maintenance, which means our customers can check the quality of their connections in real-time (speed, interruptions, etc).

Which technological developments can we expect?

Thierry Eltges: In 2012, we started to buy bandwidth for our service platform in Brussels. This allowed us to manage customer traffic directly and to create our own service profiles: dedicated services, shared services with limited contention (cheaper than dedicated services), multicast services for radios, VNO services for customers who want to share capacity between multiple sites, etc. We can now offer customers complete solutions, even in professional niche markets. Our customers need more than just a connection. Just to name one example, we have a solution for hotspot services. This allows our customers to offer end-users ‒ typically nearby villagers ‒ WiFi access: they can connect via their laptop or mobile phone to the Internet from anywhere within a range of 300 meters of the customer’s hotspot.

So you had to develop software and obtain a high amount of IT expertise…

Thierry Eltges: … Exactly! Especially to distribute the bandwidth more effectively between the various users. Today, we can offer more complex solutions, like networks for tactical military communications. In addition, we have opened our serivce platform C-SDP to every satellite, teleport or service operator. We are very proud of this platform, it is unique on the market and we just filed a patent application.

In your opinion, how does the SatADSL team contribute to the company’s success?

Thierry Eltges: We are a really close-knit team with multiple skills: engineers in very specialized fields, software developers, and administrative, sales and operational support teams. We are particularly recognized for the quality of our technical support. Unlike most companies, we do not limit ourselves to reactively helping customers when they have problems, but we proactively offer solutions to their specific needs. Another important feature of this team is its flexibility: we believe nothing is impossible and we always provide satisfying solutions to our customers. This “modus operandi” made it possible to develop a service platform that is as flexible and complete as the C-SDP.