3 June 2006
VT Communications continues to push the boundaries of digital radio broadcasting by launching its dual-channel Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) transmission service from Crystal Palace in South East London into Greater London. Partnering with Deutsche Welle and UBC Classic Gold VT Communications can now provide two discrete broadcast services over a single 20KHz transmission band centred at 25.7 MHz. This is the first time the double channel mode of DRM has been used for extensive field trials and further enhances VT Communications digital offering.
The 26 MHz band is designated as an international broadcast band, but is underused and could also be used to provide local FM type coverage. Demand for both FM (88-108 MHz) and DAB (band III) spectrum in the UK is very high, and DRM could offer broadcasters access to additional spectrum in addition revitalising existing MF and LF frequencies with enhanced audio quality.
The ability of the 26 MHz band to provide local and digital radio coverage adds to VT Communications existing regional and international DRM capability. In 1999 VT Communications started regular ITU compliant DRM tests from the Rampisham transmitter site in Dorset UK, to Europe. In 2003 a new high power MF transmitter was added to the portfolio, which now transmits the BBC World Service in digital quality to the Benelux countries. In March 2006, VT Communications announced a significant investment in a new high power HF transmitter at its Woofferton (Shropshire, UK) transmitter site. This will be operational by mid 2006.
VT Communications are also investing in a new broadcast centre designed to distribute audio in a totally digital format from studio to listener, including distribution of DRM. This will eliminate audio degradation caused by repeated conversion between analogue and digital, a surprisingly common problem with digital transmissions. The broadcast centre will also be able to format & distribute audio via a number of different routes, including archiving, podcasting, content repurposing and audio on demand. The 26 MHz service in London will showcase the broadcast centre technology, as data channels, Electronic programme guides (EPG) and a 3rd audio service are all scheduled for test during the course of 2006.
VT Communications ongoing investment in DRM 26MHz and HF capability is part of our new Global Media Network says Bryan Coombes, General Manager Broadcast at VT Communications. This underlines our commitment to provide a digital service to satisfy all of our customers broadcasting requirements, from local through to truly international coverage.
3 June 2006
Harris Corporation has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Aastra Digital Video, a business unit of Aastra Technologies Limited. Aastra Digital Video develops and markets video networking, encoding, decoding, and multiplexing technologies used by television broadcasters, telecommunications providers and satellite networks. The heart of their product portfolio is the VideoRunner multi-service video networking system. They have been a supplier to Harris of video networking products for the past eight years, sold under the Flexicoder and NetVX brand names.
Aastra Digital Video is based in Bridgewater, NJ, with approximately 35 employees. Aastra’s customers also include Turner Broadcasting, the National Football League, DIRECTV, Bell Canada, and the Canadian Television Network (CTV). Revenue for the 12 months ended December 31, 2005, was approximately $18 million with EBITDA of $5.7 million, which does not include certain corporate allocations. Harris will acquire the assets of Aastra Digital Video for approximately $35 million in cash, subject to customary closing conditions, and the transaction is expected to be accretive to Harris fiscal year 2007 earnings per share, excluding acquisition-related charges.
“This acquisition adds to our Total Content Delivery solutions for the broadcast industry and will enable Harris to offer networking products that transport media content over a variety of broadcast, cable, satellite, and telco networks, including those supporting new services such as IPTV and Mobile TV,” said Tim Thorsteinson, president of Harris Broadcast Communications Division. “Harris has had an excellent relationship with Aastra for many years, and we believe this acquisition will broaden our engineering resources to address rapidly emerging markets and new services that require expertise in areas such as the distribution and delivery of MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 program streams. This acquisition is a good technology match that creates significant value for our customers.”
3 June 2006
Pharos Communications announces a new addition to its Reading-headquarters staff with the appointment of David Barnes as Director of Sales and John Walmsley in Presales Support.
“David Barnes and John Walmsley join us as we introduce the Mediator family of broadcast workflow management systems,” comments Pharos Commercial Director Roger Heath. “These are far more operator-friendly than any comparable system hitherto introduced to the market. Pharos has evolved an extremely efficient method of analysing the minute-by-minute operational activity within playout centres and broadcast networks. We are using that knowledge to create an evolving range of task-specific user interfaces which are far easier for operators to work with than the GUIs found in traditional MAM systems. David and John will help us roll out that message to the broadcast community.”
A Chartered Engineer with a B.Sc. (Honours) degree in Engineering Technology, David Barnes began his career in 1981 as an electronics engineer at Racal-Carlton. He progressed to IBM in 1984, working in senior engineering and project management roles. Then followed six years in sales management for subcontract manufacturing with ADFlex and World Circuit Technology before joining Tandberg Television in July 2000, initially as Senior Account Manager and, from 2004, as Sales Manager. He reports to Commercial Director Roger Heath.
John Walmsley spent six years in BBC Television OB operations before becoming a broadcast engineer with Dhofar Region Television, Oman, in 1975. From 1976 to 1978 he worked as a project engineer at Link Electronics, moving to Ampex in 1978 and later Sony Broadcast. He progressed to Quantel as Principal Engineer, Systems Sales, and subsequently to Tektronix, Drake Automation and Omnibus Systems. He joins Pharos from Television Systems Ltd and reports to Director of Sales David Barnes.
Based in Reading, England, Pharos Communications (www.pharos-comms.com) is focused on software architecture for broadcast process management. Since its formation in 1997, the company has developed a wide range of systems for automating the flow of material through broadcast facilities including playout presentation, media asset management, archiving, and facility management.
See Pharos on Stand F74 at Broadcast Live, Earls Court 2, London, June 20-22
23 May 2006
Luxembourgs national broadcaster, RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg, has selected a Quantel sQ integrated production system for all its news and magazine programme production needs.
RTL chose the Quantel system after extensive evaluation of all the available systems on the market. The new system is in fact replacing a first-generation Quantel production system which RTL installed nearly ten years ago one of the very first server-based news systems to go into operation anywhere in the world. The competition was stiff this time round, but were happy to be working with Quantel again, said Jacques van Luijk, RTLs production manager.
Quantel knows how to build reliable servers, and the sQ editing interfaces are very accessible and easy to use especially important for our journalists, who we will be soft-starting into pre-editing then editing with voice-over directly on the system, van Luijk continued. Another key factor in Quantels favour is the transparent workflow it gives us a seamless progression from ingest to newsroom to editing and playout. Its a small market in Luxembourg so we have to use our equipment to its fullest potential the Quantel workflow makes this feasible.
The new sQ system will be used to produce a full two hours of news and magazine programming every day. It will also act as the playout server for all the commercials that will be broadcast within the programmes; SGT automation will upload these into the sQ system from archive and automatically place them in the running order.
Installation is scheduled for July, and RTL is planning to go on air with the new system in September 2006. It is configured around two sQ servers with a total of over 400 hours of dual broadcast and browse storage, 27 sQ View, sQ Cut and sQ Edit desktop editing applications for journalists and producers and six sQ Edit Plus craft editors. The system will be fully integrated with RTLs Norcom newsroom computer system via MOS, all running under SGT automation.
23 May 2006
Harris Corporation today announced that it has received an important order for its Inscriber® RTX system from Arab Radio and Television Network (ART), located at Jordan Media City Co. (JMC) in Amman, Jordan. The initial Inscriber® RTX installation will provide the on-air brand design and graphics capabilities for three of ARTs television channels.
We have been working with Harris for a number of years in fact, our whole transmission centre is played to air from the Leitch NEXIO servers. It seemed appropriate to add the Inscriber® RTX, as this product interfaces perfectly to the servers and offers a complete workflow solution, said Hassan Merei, director of engineering at ART Network. Key to our decision to purchase the Inscriber® RTX was the ability to design a bespoke system with a price/performance that met our exacting graphics needs. We are expecting to roll out the Inscriber® RTX across a number of other channels before the summer.
Inscriber® RTX puts full creative control in the hands of broadcasters, allowing them to create a purely custom broadcast solution. A powerful development tool, Inscriber® RTX enables users to create eye-pleasing layouts consisting of advanced design elements and data from multiple sources, using common programming languages.
ART is one of Harris key customers in the Middle East, and we are delighted that the company has taken delivery of our Inscriber® RTX to provide the on-air graphics and branding for three of its channels, said Dave Dougall, vice president of sales, Europe, Africa and Middle East, for the Harris Broadcast Communications Division. The Inscriber® RTX has a substantial following worldwide, and there has been a huge surge in interest for this product in the Middle East. We are excited about the prospect of adding to this initial ART order over the coming months.
ART originates 28 channels of sports, movies, series, music, and childrens educational and social programming, and also retransmits about 50 pass-through channels, which allows for local commercials and interstitial to be added prior to transmission.
23 May 2006
Early this morning, in an exclusive radio broadcast from Dharmsala, India, the Voice of America aired the first live debate in Tibet’s history between two candidates vying for the position of prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). Dharmsala is the seat of the CTA, as well as the residence of its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
During the debate, the candidates-Samdhong Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin and Juchen Thupten Namgyal -discussed methods of dealing with China, which has occupied Tibet since 1949. Both candidates voiced their support for the Dalai Lama’s “Middle Way Approach,” which seeks genuine autonomy, but not independence, for Tibet. Samdhong Rinpoche Tenzin said, “There is no need to change this policy in the future.”
The exiled government’s election, which is scheduled for June 3, 2006, will be only the second direct election ever held among Tibetans. The first was in 2001, and prime ministers are limited to five-year terms. Due to the CTA’s government-in-exile status, only members of the Tibetan diaspora may vote. They are estimated to number over 111,000, with the vast majority residing in India. Approximately one-third cast their votes in the March 18, 2006 primary, in which incumbent Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche Tenzin secured 82.6 percent of the vote, while former appointed Prime Minister Namgyal received 6.96 percent.
The debate was broadcast live in Tibetan from 12 noon – 2 p.m. local time on shortwave and FM frequencies in Tibet, India, and Nepal, and on VOA Tibetan’s live Internet stream. Tenzin Tsundu, a young Tibetan activist, described the debate as “very informative, educational, and useful to Tibetan people.” Candidate Namgyal said: “It is quite clear that we are in a very critical period in our history.”
VOA’s Tibetan Service broadcasts a one-hour television news show every week and four hours of radio programming per day. In addition to news, show topics include health, culture, language, music, literature, and youth issues.
