16 September 2004
Nordic Satellite AB and Euro 1080 have signed an agreement to broadcast the HDTV channel HD1 via Sirius to the Nordic and Baltic regions. HD1 is the first European HD channel offering a mix of music, sports, lifestyle, wildlife and soon also fiction. Broadcasts on SIRIUS will begin in October 2004. To receive HD1, viewers need a separate satellite receiver and subscription (as well as a satellite dish aimed at SIRIUS). The receiver costs about SEK 5,000. Viewers will also pay a one-time fee of about SEK 2,000 for a subscription through 2010.
HDTV is the TV format of tomorrow and we want to be among the first to offer people this possibility. That’s why we support industry efforts to find solutions for distribution, compression, and coding that will allow HDTV to rapidly become affordable in a wide market. SES ASTRA has taken the initiative to formulate common specifications for HDTV receiving equipment in Europe. NSAB-SIRIUS is helping to accomplish this in the Nordic countries, says Benny Norling, General Manager, Broadcasting Services at Nordic Satellite AB (NSAB-SIRIUS).
We are very excited about distributing the HD1 HDTV channel on SIRIUS, says Gabriel Fehervari, CEO of Euro 1080. Weve seen interest grow ever since we started transmission this year on the ASTRA satellite. Now that we have a perfect footprint for the Nordic market, we will extend our reach to this region where we see a potential growth for HDTV services due to the high penetration of home theatre systems.
Satellite is currently the best distribution form for HDTV, which requires up to four times more bandwidth than a digital TV channel. The terrestrial network is not built for HDTV and does not have enough bandwidth today for several HDTV channels, though in Finland HD1 is available in one cable network.
Nordic Satellite AB is jointly owned by the Swedisch Space Corporation and SES-Global. NSAB owns and operates the satellites in the SIRIUS system.
13 September 2004
CNBC Europe, the pan-European business and financial TV channel is introducing a number of new ‘live’ data options as part of its new on-air look, which launches on 13th September 2004. The channel believes that its new proprietary graphics system includes ground-breaking options, which, when applied to breaking news stories, will set the channel apart in terms of reporting on the European business and financial markets.
The channel has introduced significantly increased functionality to its signature ‘hotboards’ which illustrate live financial data as it breaks in the European markets. Central to this is a monitoring system which indicates whether an indices or a stock is trading at a ‘day high’ or ‘day low’, which can then be broadcast in real-time via the on-screen graphics. The audience sees this as a flashing symbol alongside the price point. The system also tracks the ‘price range’ a stock has traded at across the day, which is shown as a scale on a graph.
Jeremy Pink, director of news and programming, CNBC Europe says: “Our graphics capability now allows millions of options in terms of how we can present financial information. Financial data is at the heart of the channel and we have created a formula which adds a greater depth of information than we have had before. Each time we have a ‘day high’ or ‘day low’ it becomes a ‘news event’ for our journalists who can then give the viewer the context of the story, on air, in real time. By creating a flashing animation for these elements, we’re providing a visual cue for the viewer, alerting them to a potential story and information that they may act on.”
The new data boards are being introduced as the channel launches its new on-air look, which includes a new studio set using silver and platinum colours to reflect its exclusive and high value audience of business and financial professionals. Its video wall, which is one of the channel’s most recognized features, is being upgraded to take the new graphics. Each of the channel’s programmes will have new branding and identities, using colours reflecting the time of day of the broadcast, with early morning shows being represented by vibrant orange and yellow and evening shows in blue and purple.
13 September 2004
Quantels Paintbox revolutionised broadcast video design when it was first introduced in 1982 and, for over twenty years, set the standard for all other systems to match. Now, as a result of overwhelming demand from the close-to-air design community, Paintbox is back.
Boasting dedicated, rack-mounted Quantel hardware, Paintbox will allow designers to produce better graphics at greater speed than ever before. The true key to Paintbox’s ability, and its lasting reputation, lies in its supremely ergonomic interface that designers find genuinely intuitive. Featuring a UI developed and refined during two decades at the forefront of broadcast graphics, tools are exactly where they’re needed – not hidden behind layers of drop down menus – while a pen, tablet and hand unit interface allows for rapid, two-handed operation. This all means that designers can work the way they want to, instinctively, not simply the way a manufacturer tells them.
Paintbox is available in three versions, all of which feature the same award-winning UI and toolsets: Paintbox itself the SD workhorse; Paintbox gQ featuring additional Quantel hardware for full-on HD; QPaintbox software-only release, ideal for assist stations.
13 September 2004
Software Generation Ltd (SGL), a leadingprovider of video storage management software, and Autocue, a chief supplier of integrated broadcast and newsroom systems, have announced their partnership.
The SGL and Autocue collaboration will see the integration of SGL FlashNet, the company’s leading software storage solution, which provides the link between video stored as files on video servers, editing systems, and the long term archive library, and Autocue’s QNews and QMedia solutions. From the Autocue application interface users will be able to send and retrieve material directly to and from the library. The solution is already being used by a major news channel on the US East Coast.
9 September 2004
TANDBERG Television has secured a major contract to manage the turnkey deployment of The ABC National Digital ENG Network. The system will be supplied, integrated and commissioned by TANDBERG Televisions local engineering teams.
On completion, Australias national free to air broadcaster will have one of the most advanced digital electronic news gathering (DENG) systems in the world. The system, which includes TANDBERG Televisions award-winning Maximum Ratio Combining FFT diversity receiver technology, Voyager mobile DENG systems and CT2011 wireless camera systems, will be used for live news and event coverage across Australia.
The ABC has television coverage in metropolitan and regional Australia and has studios in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Canberra and Darwin. The network creates and delivers thousands of hours of locally produced programming, a lot of which is filmed out in the field for live news, event or sports reporting. The ABC is currently using analogue microwave technology for ENG. However, changes to Australias ENG spectrum plan will reduce the available bandwidth for broadcasters in the 2.5GHz band from February 2005.
Australian broadcasters are therefore turning to digital ENG, not only to compensate for their reduced frequency bandwidth, but also to enable them to use a more sophisticated, reliable and flexible news gathering system that will enhance their local programming and extend their news gathering reach.
9 September 2004
Al Jazeera Channel has issued a media release expressing its outrage at the decision taken on 4 September by the Iraqi interim government to extend the closure of its bureau in Baghdad. This decision runs contrary to pledges made by the Iraqi authorities to pursue a policy of openness and to safeguard freedoms of the press and expression.
In the release, Al Jazeera re-emphasises its commitment to continue to cover Iraq in accordance with its editorial policy and professional values enshrined in its Code of Ethics, as it believes this important primarily to the Iraqi people, as well as the Arab and international communities at large.
