22 January 2007
SES ASTRA, an SES company, has announced that it has signed a new long-term contract with the French Pay-TV operator CANAL+ Group for the satellite transmission of its programme bouquet for the French market from ASTRA`s prime orbital position 19.2° East. Based on this new contract, SES ASTRA will transmit the full programming line up of CANAL+ Group from a single orbital position. CANAL+ Group has recently merged its pay-TV operations in France with that of TPS.
In the agreement, CANAL+ Group takes several ASTRA transponders in addition to those currently contracted from SES ASTRA. The agreement therefore provides the satellite capacity which is necessary to consolidate the complete newly merged CANALSAT bouquet on a single orbital position. It will allow CANAL+ Group to broadcast and develop its complete High Definition (HD) satellite bouquet and will also provide further room for growth for Standard Definition (SD) services. Furthermore, the agreement provides and foresees a framework for the long-term growth requirements of CANAL+ Group.
With this contract, we significantly enhance our position in the French market and further strengthen our relationship with CANAL+ as one of our most important European customers, says Ferdinand Kayser, President and CEO of SES ASTRA. SES ASTRA and CANAL+ have developed a strong partnership over the past ten years, and we look forward to continuing to provide satellite services of the highest quality and reliability to the merged bouquet. Broadcasting the new offer from one orbital position is undoubtedly the best solution for CANAL+ and its subscribers and viewers. SES ASTRA once again demonstrates its strengths and shows that it is the satellite provider of choice for important blue chip customers.
18 January 2007
Teletrax, the global broadcast intelligence company, has extended its contract with the ABC Television Network to monitor usage of promotional content by all of ABC’s affiliates, it was announced today at NATPE 2007, the annual conference of the National Association of Television Program Executives.
A subsidiary of Medialink Worldwide Incorporated (Nasdaq: MDLK), Teletrax offers the first and only digital video monitoring and content tracking service that provides vital television intelligence on a global scale to video providers such as entertainment studios, news organizations, sports leagues, TV syndicators, and the advertising industry. Teletrax is a joint venture between Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG) and Medialink.
ABC Television Network (ABC), a unit of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is the first Teletrax client to contract to receive broadcast tracking and analysis across the 210 markets in the U.S. ABC Affiliate Marketing utilizes Teletrax to electronically track the broadcast of its on-air television show promotions.
With a number of new and existing clients seeking added depth to their video monitoring and analysis, Teletrax is completing the next phase of its growth with the expansion of its network to track television broadcasts in all 210 U.S. markets, from the nations largest market, New York, through the smallest measured television market, Glendive, Montana. Through this expanded network, Teletrax is able to provide video content owners with the ability to track and monitor short- and long-form programming and airings of TV promotions and advertising spots throughout all markets in the United States and the larger markets in Canada, ensuring the proper utilization of content and protection of assets.
The expansion of our network to include all U.S. markets is a significant milestone for Teletrax, making us the only global broadcast verification company to offer full nationwide coverage, said Andy Nobbs, president of Teletrax. Our ability to expand the network so widely is testament to our increasing momentum in the market, and further establishes us as the industry standard in the monitoring and reporting of broadcast content. We will be able to offer clients enhanced tracking and analysis capabilities, providing valuable media intelligence that contributes to significant growth in overall return-on-investment.
Launched in 2002 as a service developed by a joint venture between Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG) and Medialink, with an underlying technology that is patent protected both by Philips and Digimarc Corp. (Nasdaq: DMRC), Teletraxs technology embeds an imperceptible and indelible digital watermark into video whenever it is edited, transmitted, broadcast or duplicated.
A global network of decoders, or detectors, then captures all occurrences of the embedded video being transmitted via satellite, cable or terrestrially and generates tracking reports for the content owners. Reports of individual broadcast airings are delivered online in near real-time to each clients custom-designed portal or in data file transfers. Each clients broadcast activity is updated dynamically, 24 hours a day, enabling clients to respond immediately to reported results such as changes in end-user preferences or detections of unauthorized use.
Teletrax provides vital broadcast television intelligence to video content providers such as entertainment companies, news organizations, TV syndicators, and the advertising industry. The company currently maintains a proprietary network of detectors that monitors the television broadcasts of 1,300 channels from more than 50 nations, and will be delivering full market coverage in the United States, representing more than 90% of all U.S. television households. Its international network covers television stations across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, South and Central America, and Canada.
Entertainment, news and media organizations both within and outside of the United States that also have contracted to use Teletrax for the tracking of news video, advertising or promotional content include ABC Television Network, BBC, Buena Vista Television, Fox Broadcasting Company, NBC News Channel, The NBC Agency, NBC Universal Domestic Television, Reuters Television, Tribune Entertainment, United Nations, A1GP, ITN Networks, Euro RSCG 4D DRTV and Medialink. A number of other companies are also in active trials with the Teletrax service.
17 January 2007
Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, will now feature expanded Material Exchange Format (MXF) support in products from its Broadcast Communications Division via a software development kit from the leader in MXF interchange, MOG Solutions. Harris has purchased a group license for the MOG Solutions MXFComponentSuite, which will enable many Harris products to have faster MXF compatibility through unified and optimized workflows. The first Harris product line to incorporate the MOG MXFComponentSuite technology is the family of NEXIO high-definition/standard-definition (HD/SD) video servers.
The MXFComponentSuite is a set of MXF-enabled components that abstract the application layer from the details and complexity of the MXF format using simple application programming interfaces. Enabling high-performance transfers of pictures, audio, metadata and the like across a file-based system, this MXF interchange toolkit will minimize file inconsistencies and provide Harris® NEXIO server users with a reliable and simple means of handling both SD and HD MXF files.
“The NEXIO platform is one of the leading servers on the market today, and we are delighted to work with Harris to implement our software development kit to enhance the MXF interchange capabilities of their expansive, worldwide server client base,” said Vitor Teixeira, vice president of product development and sales, MOG Solutions. “Our MXFComponentSuite combines the best technologies and standards of broadcasting and IT worlds in one unit.”
“This MXF interchange toolkit will provide our NEXIO customers with a ‘media wrapper’ that improves workflow by enabling our servers to better interface with third-party equipment,” said Tim Thorsteinson, president of the Harris Broadcast Communications Division. “Working with MOG Solutions allows us to draw on their skills as leaders in developing MXF-compliant technologies, and enables us to focus on our core competencies the development of enterprise-class, server-based shared storage solutions.”
NEXIO is a scalable, interoperable server foundation. It is a highly integrated family of products that employs open standards to greatly accelerate time-to-air and dramatically reduce the costs associated with content acquisition, production, distribution and media management today and for the long term. As a replacement for videotape recorders, NEXIO servers provide real-time I/O, network interfaces, ingest, playout and FTP capabilities all within a single chassis. The newest sub-brand in the family is NEXIO XS, a line of HD/SD transmission servers featuring integrated, software-based codec technology and software-driven up-, down- and cross-conversion to provide the ultimate in reliability, scalability and format flexibility.
17 January 2007
Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, has announced an agreement to provide its premier broadcast traffic application software, OSi-Traffic to The Media Group (TMG) (formerly known as Turner Media Group) and its programming division, The Networks Group. TMG provides unique content services to broadcast, cable, satellite and interactive television, and becomes the latest in a growing number of non-broadcast customers for OSi sales, traffic and research software solutions.
OSi-Traffic is user-friendly software with real-time functionality that wasnt possible with our previous system, said Lori Miller, TMGs director of Operations. Now, we have a streamlined, centralized system that helps us manage inventory, view client information and receive up-to-the-minute reports. It significantly reduces our cost and labor time and provides us with unique sales opportunities.
TMG cited the ease of use of OSi-Traffic application software, consolidated traffic management and reporting capabilities as the main reasons for its selection. Its Windows®-based, SQL database-driven technology and its proven reputation were also factors in TMGs decision to switch its multiple targeted transactional television network channels to OSi-Traffic. With its single database, single executable and single server platform, TMG receives a streamlined, synchronized view of information that reduces data entry and saves time.
The ability of OSi-Traffic to host secondary events helps TMG deploy customizable graphic overlays called triggers that take the viewer to an on-screen, web-like environment where they can access more information and ultimately transact with the product they are watching.
Our clients are innovative, industry leaders, said Tim Thorsteinson, president of the Harris Broadcast Communications Division. Our main focus is to ensure that these leaders operate with enhanced efficiency, and increased revenue within a cost-effective business environment.
For product inquiries, please contact Mike Sutton at 816-434-4003.
17 January 2007
Stand G2-34, CABSAT 2007, Dubai International Convention and
Exhibition Centre, March 6-8
Pharos will be demonstrating its powerful Mediator broadcast
workflow management system at CABSAT 2007. Implementing the
latest advances in file-based broadcast workflow, Mediator enables
fully tapeless operation from ingest to transmission dependably and
efficiently.
“File-based broadcasting is the natural path for any business wanting
to establish itself in today’s highly-competitive multi-channel world,” comments Pharos Communications’ Commercial Director Roger
Heath. “Mediator has been delivered to several of the world’s leading
broadcast service providers. The enterprise solution can be configured to match the exact business requirements of any broadcast station or network. It allows operators to concentrate on programme processing and playout rather than getting distracted by a vast array of disparate hardware.”
Mediator can be structured to accommodate a few individual
operators or respond rapidly to simultaneous access from thousands
of users. Integral web-based user interfaces permit ingest, quality- control/compliance and browsing/reviewing stations to be located anywhere onsite, offsite or offshore. The system offers the precise functionality required to control every aspect of an end-to-end
broadcast operation. Tape-library shelf management, logging tools,
ingest, quality assessment, automatic storage and transfer facilities
are all incorporated. Standard functions such as library-search and
browsing are integral. Transcoding as well as re-wrapping can be added, allowing the passage of material between equipment with different file structures.
17 January 2007
Chattanooga based WRCB has recently installed a Quantel Newsbox system to deliver its daily news production. WRCB Channel 3 is an NBC affiliate serving Southeastern Tennessee, Northwestern Georgia, Northeastern Alabama, and Southwestern North Carolina.
WRCB was In the Mood for a new production system so veteran Production Manager Doug Loveridge set off on a fact-finding mission to NAB 06 in Las Vegas. Doug met with several vendors at the show, and was particularly impressed with the Quantel Newsbox. A couple of weeks later, the WRCB project team comprising journalists, reporters, editors and producers visited KWTX in Waco, TX, who installed a Quantel sQ news system in 2005. I went to NAB in April and we went live on 13th November so it was a super-fast project, says Loveridge.
One of the reasons we went with Quantel is that we purchased a Picturebox 12 years ago and it is still in daily use; you dont get much better ROI than that! We have had very few problems with it, but when weve needed support it was excellent and it has meant that in those 12 years we have never been off-air.
The WRCB news system comprises 8 sQ Cut journalist workstations, two sQ Edit seats for craft editors and an eQ multi-resolution editing, visual effects and color correction system which produces promos. The existing Picturebox will also continue in service alongside the Newsbox still producing that old black magic. This is a great set-up as everyone can be working on the same piece of video; the journalist is putting the story together, the producer can do a quick V/O and the editor can make a trail for the nightly news all at the same time, Loveridge added.
The Newsbox takes care of all the news programming for WRCB from the Sunrise to the Moonlight Serenade; namely the Channel 3 Eyewitness News from 5am – 7am, the Live at Five show the 5:30 news and Eyewitness News programmes at 6pm and 11pm – a total of over 4 ½ hours of news programming per day.
With local news speed to air is key – we are making news on the fly. While the news is happening we can send a photographer to the scene, ingest the footage into the Newsbox and air the story while it is actually happening – that is a beautiful thing, says Loveridge.
Archiving is also made easy. As Loveridge explains, Typically murder cases can take months to come to court and we can get the original story back real quick as we dont have to dub it to tape. This is a much simpler workflow but also as space is money we have been able to free up a lot of room at the station as we dont need a tape store.
The fact that the Newsbox came with 5 years QCare was very important to us, concludes Loveridge. Dave Black and the Quantel team really took care of us. They were very responsive and made us feel that we really mattered to them. Quantel engineers were here throughout the installation and the go live. We didnt need to call on them at go live as everything went like a dream, but it was great to have them there, and its great to know they will fully support us in the future too.
