New web site backs up ND Sat Com expansion

Following its recent international expansion in the United States, China and the Middle East, AIB member ND SatCom AG, a leading global supplier of satellite based broadband VSAT, broadcast and military has a re-designed and newly structured website at www.ndsatcom.com.

“A substantial amount of functionality and relevant content has been put together in order to increase the internet’s and extranet’s utility to our customers online. We plan to provide a constant stream of current information to ensure that this web site becomes an important online resource in the field of satellite based communication solutions”, says Dr. Karl Classen, CEO of ND SatCom. explaining the concept behind the new site.

ND SatCom’s customers can directly access information that is specific to their needs by easily navigating into the crucial areas of content such as products, solutions and services.

Historic Ruling Outlaws Pay-TV Piracy

The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) announces that the High Court in Hong Kong has entered judgment in favour of the plaintiffs in civil actions against the five remaining defendants for importing and trading in unauthorized satellite TV signal decoding equipment.

In his ruling, the Judge granted an injunction prohibiting the defendants from trading in unauthorised “smart cards” and associated apparatus stating that such use was “offensive and must be stopped”.

In the Judgment the Court held that the defendants had breached Hong Kong’s copyright law and had no licence to deal in the plaintiffs’ broadcasts. The defendants were found to have been “importing, possessing and supplying apparatus obtained in territories outside Hong Kong designed to infringe the plaintiffs’ copyright”.

“With this action we have won an historic decision which unequivocally signals that our industry is tackling piracy which is costing our businesses hundreds of millions of US dollars each year,” said Mr Twiston Davies. “This was our first action in Hong Kong and new actions will soon be underway in other markets such as the Philippines and Thailand. This is vital work.”

The plaintiffs named in the actions are STAR, CNN, Turner Entertainment Networks Asia, ESPN STAR Sports, Discovery Networks Asia and NGC Network Asia.

DW wins prizes

DW-Radio has won two silver medals and a bronze in the ‘Environment’, ‘National and International Affairs’ and ‘Science and Technology’ categories of the New York Festivals radio programming competition.

The Silver Medal in the ‘Environment’ category was awarded to the English Service for a feature series: “Indigenous Peoples: Partners in Conservation”, presenting projects on all continents of the world aimed at helping indigenous peoples to protect their traditional lifestyles and the bio-diversity of their environments. The series was made in cooperation with the Worldwide Fund for Nature, WWF

DW’s International Co-productions Department was awarded a silver medal by the United Nations for “Living with the Past: Ruanda in Search of Reconciliation and Justice“.

The bronze medal in the ‘Science and Technology’ category was awarded to Deutsche Welle’s English Service for a feature series: “Green Development: The Path to a Sustainable Future”. The series presents projects supported by Germany’s Society for Technical Co-operation, the GTZ, to provide developing countries with innovative technical solutions to environmental problems.

BBC Broadcast backs up Five

The UK’s commercial TV channel Five has agreed a two year deal with BBC Broadcast to provide a ‘second-line’ playout and channel management disaster recovery service. BBC Broadcast will play a vital role in Five’s disaster recovery providing longer term channel playout services for both main and regional feeds across all broadcasting platforms.

Initially, provision of the service will be from BBC Broadcast’s current base at Television Centre but will operate from its new, purpose-built, digital Broadcast Centre in the new Media Village at White City, West London, when it opens later this year. The Broadcast Centre is highly resilient and served by two power stations, and also has the capability to manage activities remotely, storing content on multiple back-up servers.

“BBC Broadcast is able to meet the needs of all broadcasters and the deal with Five reflects their confidence in our ability to provide a highly reliable disaster recovery service for their complex channel, reacting quickly to schedule changes, related advertisement issues and encompassing regional and live feeds,” said John Pink, director of marketing, sales and client services, BBC Broadcast.

Zaretsky takes on Noth America

Solid State Logic, the world’s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles for broadcast, post, music and film facilities, has announced that Steve Zaretsky has been named Vice President Broadcast, U.S. and Canada. He will be responsible for serving all of SSL’s broadcast customers within these regions. Since joining SSL last year, Zaretsky’s performance in leading the East Coast Broadcast Division of SSL has been a great success. His increased new role will allow Zaretsky to focus on the growing number of facilities turning to SSL for digital broadcast audio consoles.

BBC: another Latin America move

The BBC’s Latin American radio and online service, BBC Mundo, has entered a rebroadcasting agreement with Chile’s longest running radio station, Radio Chilena.

ChilenaSoloNoticias is Chile’s only broadcaster with an exclusively information-led format. Specializing in mainly news and sports, it broadcasts through its 19 stations and partner stations to the whole country on AM, FM and via satellite.

James Painter, Head of BBC Latin American Service, welcomes this satellite rebroadcasting agreement with Radio Chilena: “It will help further extend our presence in Chile, offering our valued Chilean audiences extensive news coverage and programmes instilled with the impartiality that characterizes the BBC. We are also very happy that the agreement extends to the digital media and includes an exchange of hyperlinks and content between bbcmundo.com and radiochilena.cl.”