23 May 2006
Leading executives of two France Telecom subsidiaries, GlobeCast and Orange, have been selected to deliver keynote addresses at GLOBALCOMM 2006. On Monday, June 5 at 4:45PM, Sanjiv Ahuja, CEO of Orange, will speak on the evolution of mobile devices as vehicles for entertainment programming; and on Tuesday, June 6, at 4:45PM, Christian Pinon, Global Chairman and CEO, GlobeCast, will address the changing economics of channel delivery in an IPTV environment.
,p>The selection of these two leading executives from France Telecom is indicative of the central role the company plays in the global communications marketplace as well as the expert resources it possesses across a range of broadcast technology spectrums. Orange (www.orange.com) is one of the worlds leading wireless communications companies. GlobeCast (www.globecast.com) is a global content management and distribution company for professional broadcast.
Sanjiv Ahuja will discuss the growing role of mobile TV as television expands the way people see their mobile and as a range of new entertainment services show consumers how these devices can do more than just talk. Referencing successful TV rollouts in Europe, Ahuja will highlight the critical aspects of the customer experience and how the lessons learned today point the way to the next generation of mobile TV.
Ahuja joined Orange in April 2003 as chief operating officer, and was appointed CEO in March 2004. His earlier experience includes Telcordia Technologie, IBM and Comstellar Technologies where he held a variety of executive posts. He has a degree in electrical engineering from Delhi University, India, and a Masters degree in computer science from Columbia University in New York.
Christian Pinon will speak to the changing economics of launching television channels to feed content hungry platforms in an IP file-based delivery environment. He will also share his vision on the future of video content management and impart valuable insight derived from GlobeCasts experience as a leading provider of IPTV aggregation and contribution services in America, and in Europe for France Telecoms MaLigne TV and Orange Platforms. Pinons comments will further explore the growing importance of content and technology in reating differentiated viewing experiences.
Pinon became Chief Executive Officer of GlobeCast on January 1, 2000 and was subsequently appointed Chairman and CEO. Previously, he also held positions at the Alcatel Group and at France Telecom. He is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique de Paris and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications de Paris.
23 May 2006
SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company, has concluded a new contract with the German Anixe GmbH & Co KG for the transmission of its HDTV channel. The programme ANIXE HD starts to broadcast today in high resolution and unencrypted from the main orbital position 19.2° East.
We are pleased that an innovative enterprise such as Anixe has chosen SES ASTRA and our satellites for its HD transmissions, said Alexander Oudendijk, Chief Commercial Officer of SES ASTRA. The new HDTV channel broadens our portfolio and will contribute to satisfy the rising demand for HD content.
The new contract with SES ASTRA allows us to expand our offer and business into the growing sector of HDTV, said Emanuel Lapidakis, Managing Director of ANIXE HD. Our high quality standards are reflected in our programme as well as in our business relationship with SES ASTRA.
23 May 2006
In a ceremony recognizing the contribution of the Czech Republic to the ongoing operations of RFE/RL, Inc., Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda presented a check for nearly 1.2 million dollars to the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), to augment the costs of relocating the RFE/RL broadcast center outside the city center of Prague.
“It is our moral and political duty to support Radio Free Europe,” Svoboda said. RFE/RL “has played an irreplaceable role in the life of my country, by transmitting the values of democracy, human rights and good governance. This is a small contribution that represents a permanent commitment, a political commitment of my country to support RFE/RL, because the fight for democracy is a never ending story.” The foreign minister noted in his remarks that hosting RFE/RL is one way the Czech Republic is supporting the war against terrorism, and promoting democracy and democratic values in the world.
BBG Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson, along with BBG Governor Steven Simmons, accepted the contribution on behalf of the United States and RFE/RL. Both Tomlinson and Simmons paid tribute to the Czech government for its support of the radios. “In this ceremony today, we have a new generation of leaders to whom we are going to pay tribute in saving Radio Free Europe,” Tomlinson said, “and Mister Minister, you’re at the top of the list.” Tomlinson stressed the importance of RFE/RL’s role in promoting freedom and democracy, saying “Today, let’s pause to celebrate what these radios are really about: casting the light of truth where there’s darkness; reporting the stories of truth to closed societies; providing information so that people in authoritarian societies can make up their own minds and act accordingly.” Simmons noted that “this is a great day for RFE/RL, but it is also a great day for Czech-U.S. relations and symbolic of the commitment both of our countries have to our mission.”
Undersecretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, representing the U.S. Secretary of State, pointed out the value of the relationship between RFE/RL and the Czech Republic, calling it “a unique and invaluable contribution to promoting liberty and freedom of speech around the globe. Since the collapse of communism in Eastern and Central Europe nearly 17 years ago, the relationship between the U.S. and Czech Republic has really undergone a very dramatic evolution to one of alliance and economic partnership.”
RFE/RL’s relocation will improve security of the station and its surroundings, according to Simmons. Construction of the new building will begin later this year. “With the Bush Administration and Congress and the cooperation of the Czech government, we have gained a new facility that will allow us to call Prague our home for years to come,” Simmons said.
16 May 2006
In May and June 2006, the Broadcast Integration Roadshow will be traveling to 16 European cities with a total of 26 presentations. These presentations will be focusing on the integration of broadcasting solutions for TV and post production.
They will comprise Partner Days, i.e. presentations for partners and system integrators of Apple and NorCom, and Tech Forums targeted at TV and radio broadcasters as well as media companies.
With NorCom Apple News Production System, NorCom Information Technology AG is the worlds first company to offer an all-in Apple-based TV and media production solution from the ingest to the playout phase together with archiving including video, audio, graphics and automation.
The NorCom Apple Content Production System is an end-to-end solution for TV and radio broadcasters, agencies and post-production specialists. Now everyone from graphic designers to journalists involved in the production of multimedia content, such as news and sports coverage, can benefit from a single integrated user interface.
The NorCom Apple Content Production System offers a homogenous solution for the MAC OS but can also be deployed in hybrid environments. As a result, the NorCom Apple Content Production System constitutes a cost-optimized solution with a price of around 60% below comparable alternatives.
Early registration is advised on account of limited capacity. This can be done at NorComs website at www.norcom.de, where further information is also available.
15 May 2006
RadioScape has used its world-class RF and software expertise to create the first, software-controlled, single chip RF front end that can handle six frequency bands — Band III and L-Band for Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), medium wave, long wave and short wave for AM and Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), and Band II for FM. The RF chip combines with a standard DSP chip that runs RadioScapes baseband digital radio software and also controls the RF IC to form a two chip solution, which dramatically reduces the power consumption and size of modules compared with current generation solutions.
This new RF IC is a breakthrough technology for RadioScape that will revolutionise multi-standard, multi-band digital radio, said John Hall, RadioScapes CEO. There is nothing like it in the market and is the result of a major initiative that we started over two years ago to create a technology platform for our next generation consumer radios. The objective was to create a highly flexible RF device that would complement our software-defined radio approach, timed to coincide with the emerging DRM market, and we have done that.
Until now, the only way to create a comparable multi-band digital radio was to create independent RF front ends for each of the different frequency bands each consuming power and adding to the bulk of the product. Our unique partitioning of the radio system allows us maximum re-use of the digital components by loading only the appropriate baseband stack into the DSP as and when required. explained Dave Hawkins, VP of Business Development at RadioScape. We have used the same approach in our RF IC, which reuses internal functionality to best suit the frequency band and standard required at the time. Dynamic configuration of the RF path on the RF IC is controlled by the DSP using software algorithms to ensure the optimisation of both performance and power consumption. The result is a multi-frequency RF device that requires less than half the power used by the equivalent circuits in our current generation of multi-standard modules.
Available only in a RadioScape module offering, the RF IC will be used to create a new range of modules that maintain the size and pin configurations of existing modules to enable manufacturers to quickly take advantage of this latest RadioScape innovation and benefit from the lower power consumption that it offers. RadioScapes RS200 family provide highly optimised DAB and FM reception whilst the RS500 family provides additional features and functionality, such as fully integrated Digital Radio Mondiale and AM reception, in addition to DAB and FM. Full details of the new RF IC-enhanced modules will be available shortly along with samples in June.
This is the first time that a single, front end RF chip has been implemented to handle these six, very different, frequency bands. While this chip uses both zero-IF and super-heterodyne methods to achieve the stringent requirements of the variety of standards and frequencies, RadioScapes pioneering software-controlled approach enables a significant part of the implementation to use common circuitry. A major benefit of this challenging approach is the dramatic reduction of the external component count by over 150 items relative to equivalent designs which implement these standards. The high level of integration of the chip enables the board real estate for the front end RF to be reduced from 30 sq cms (covering both sides of the board) to only 9 sq cms on a single-sided board design for all standards and even smaller if a subset of standards and frequency bands is required.
15 May 2006
Al Arabiya has created another first in pan-Arab news broadcasting by taking the Special Award for its Closer to the Truth TV commercial at the inaugural Djerba Television Festival in Tunisia. This new industry award reconfirms Al Arabiyas increasing recognition as the leading news channel for millions of viewers across the Arab world and beyond.
The jury, chaired by Jean Claude Boulos, former World President of the International Advertising Association (IAA) and General Manager of Al Sumaria TV, awarded Al Arabiya the recognition based on its compelling advertising that powerfully communicates the importance of accurate, balanced and professional investigative reporting.
The winning TV commercial takes the viewer into a Hollywood-style Middle East war zone, which proves to be nothing more than a façade for the real story that reveals the suffering of a mother and her dead child. The message to viewers is that the truth is dramatic enough and needs no manipulation. Sponsored by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Tunisian Ministry of Tourism, the Djerba Television Festival was established in order to further television production in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
The award is the latest industry accolade for Al Arabiya. At the Fourth Arab Media Festival in Beirut last month, Tahar Barakeh and Najwa Kassem received the awards for best male and female presenters respectively, while Al Arabiyas website, alarabiya.net took the accolade of Best Website of an Arab News Channel. In February, the same commercial ensured that Al Arabiya won the Media Advertisers Cristal at the MENA Cristal Awards ceremony in Casablanca.
