EMEA News

Arqiva has signed a new contract with Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) for additional satellite capacity to meet growing demand for its Occasional Use satellite services.

In this agreement with Eutelsat, Arqiva has taken up 36MHz of capacity on EUTELSAT 7A. This provides Arqiva with excellent overall coverage of Europe and specific coverage of the Middle East, Turkey and Russia. This new contract for one transponder further consolidates a longstanding partnership between the two companies.

Barrie Woolston, Commercial Sales Director at Arqiva, said, “As our Occasional Use business continues to grow we regularly review our satellite coverage and capacity to ensure we are best meeting the needs of our customers. Taking additional capacity on EUTELSAT 7A significantly reinforces our occasional use capability, enabling us to offer customers better coverage, more capacity and access to a thriving antenna community via the already popular EUTELSAT 7A satellite.”

Jean-François Leprince-Ringuet, Chief Commercial Officer at Eutelsat, added, “Arqiva represents a hallmark for quality when customers require high levels of service to provide TV coverage of leading sports and breaking news events. This new long-term agreement consolidates a longstanding partnership between our two companies and further strengthens EUTELSAT 7A for professional video services across Europe and the Middle East.”

Visit http://www.arqiva.com and http://www.eutelsat.com

Eutelsat Communications, (Euronext Paris: ETL) has announced a distribution agreement between its Skylogic subsidiary and RG Networks, enabling RG Networks to benefit from Eutelsat’s KA-SAT High Throughput Satellite and advanced user equipment to deliver broadband to businesses and consumers across Hungary. RG Networks, a subsidiary of the Hungarian IT specialist RG Hungary, launched services via KA-SAT in Hungary at the beginning of this month under the ‘vanNET’ brand.

RG Networks’ set ambition is to respond to the Hungarian government’s commitment to provide fast Internet for all citizens by end 2013, in line with the European Union Directive. RG Networks is committed by this time to connecting more than 2,000 users with satellite broadband via KA-SAT, delivering download speed up to 10Mbps and upload speeds up to 4 Mbps.

Szabolcs Lengvarszky, COO of RG Networks, commented, “With this new agreement we now have the key to immediate access to the highest quality satellite broadband service for homes and businesses in Hungary. With KA-SAT, we are positioned to provide nationwide coverage and can accelerate the pace of broadband roll-out.”

“Our KA-SAT satellite and new-generation user equipment are the ideal broadband service for Hungarian customers, particularly in more rural and difficult to reach areas of the country. We are delighted to work with RG Networks to help Hungary achieve the target of broadband for all,” said Achille De Tommaso, CEO of Skylogic.

Visit http://www.eutelsat.com

Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), an international communications and information technology company, has received an order from Jordan Radio and Television (JRTV), the state broadcaster in Jordan, for a complete digital file-based news production, archive and continuity playout solution.

Based out of the broadcaster’s headquarters in Amman, this new facility is expected to roll out three new channels in late 2012. The complete high-definition, file-based solution will support JRTV’s current advanced media workflows and enable future upgrades to support high-bandwidth HDTV operations.

“This Harris system will replace an aging analogue transmission and tape-based news infrastructure that has been in place for more than 26 years,” said Ramadan Al Rawashdeh, director general of Jordan Radio and Television Corporation. “The new infrastructure will enable us to launch three new HD channels — with a capability to increase to five channels as requirements demand — that serve the needs of our Arabic-speaking and multi-lingual viewers in Jordan and beyond.”

The integrated Harris solution includes Invenio media asset management, ADC playout automation and NEXIO servers to streamline content ingest, management and restoration from storage. JRTV will incorporate the Harris NewsForce solution to enhance program turnaround time in news production. A Harris Platinum router will manage facility-wide signal distribution, and Harris master control and high-definition channel branding systems will enhance the on-air look across all three channels.

The Harris solution at JRTV will be supplied directly by Harris with the support of local Jordanian dealer May Electrical Engineering.

Visit http://www.harris.com

The BBC Trust has published preliminary details of its funding contribution for the rollout of local digital television across the UK.

As part of the current licence fee settlement the BBC agreed to help with the Government’s aim of establishing a local TV network by making up to £25 million available for the successful bidder to build the network.

The draft document sets out the BBC’s initial approach to this funding commitment and the criteria that any potential bidder will need to meet to secure the contribution.

Separately, Ofcom is currently consulting on the licensing arrangements for local TV and will consider bids from applicants later this year. This publication should enable potential bidders to shape their consultation responses and develop their business plans. However, the Trust’s approach to funding is not within the scope of Ofcom’s consultation.

Visit http://www.bbc.co.uk and http://www.ofcom.org.uk

Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT) has announced that Swiss IPTV wholesaler Netstream is hosting a new IPTV headend platform based on Harmonic’s portfolio of encoding and transcoding products. Swiss distributor Adrenio installed Harmonic Electra 8000 universal SD/HD MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC encoders, ProStream 1000 stream processors with ACE transcoders, and the NMX digital service manager, enabling Netstream to offer competitive IPTV services to major Swiss telcos.

“We chose Harmonic’s encoding products because they deliver the highest picture quality on the market,” said Alexis Caceda, CEO, Netstream. “We needed a solution to expand our IPTV headend offering, and the Harmonic systems gave us high-density encoding solutions combined with amazing picture quality, allowing us to offer a complete IPTV package that is now being used by one of the largest mobile and fixed line providers in Switzerland.”

The 1-RU Electra 8000 encoders deployed by Netstream significantly enhance bandwidth efficiency while delivering broadcast-quality video streams. Additionally, the encoders offer a rich feature set that eases operational requirements such as density and power efficiency, and will allow Netstream to launch additional value-added video services in the future.

Harmonic’s highly scalable ProStream 1000 with ACE transcoder provides processing and delivery of HD, SD, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 AVC video and audio, and is being utilized by Netstream’s IPTV headend to output SD and HD MPEG-4 AVC. The system supports up to 60 SD or 20 HD services per 1-RU with a power-efficient design that only requires 10 watts per HD channel and less than five watts per SD channel, saving energy and reducing operating expenses.

Netstream manages its IPTV headend through Harmonic’s NMX video network management solution. Possessing an advanced, feature-rich interface, NMX enables Netstream to manage channel lifecycles and set encoding or statistical multiplexing parameters manually or via automation server.

“Netstream was looking to the future with the design of their headend platform for providing advanced IPTV services in the Swiss market,” said Michael Salomon, area sales manager at Harmonic. “The Electra 8000 and ProStream 1000 with ACE are helping to build that future by providing a highly scalable solution that delivers the best video quality.”

Visit http://www.harmonicinc.com

Iraq has deployed several Multimedia Exchange Network over Satellite (MENOS) TV interactive terminals from leading satellite communications company Newtec.

The terminals will operate within the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) exchange network. By deploying the technology, broadcasters within Iraq will now have access to their own IP-based and fully automated secure Virtual Network (VN) for contribution and exchange of TV content. 

Using a VN provides the same services and benefits as owning a dedicated physical network, but one where it is provided as ‘hosted service’ without having to deploy and operate the complete system. Through the VN, MENOS service providers can partition their capacity and allocate such partitions per group of users. Dedicated Service Level Agreements (SLA) are also provided tailored to the users’ specific needs.

Newtec installed the first MENOS multimedia network at ASBU’s facility in Algiers in 2008. The award-winning platform supports multiple simultaneous managed exchange services for use by broadcasting organisations throughout the Middle East and the North African region. Many of the video and audio services have been developed to meet the exacting needs of the broadcasting industry, and now Iraq has its own private network via this platform.

Serge Van Herck, CEO of Newtec said, “MENOS has native IP at its core and is a revolutionary technology for exchanging media content. We are pleased that we can lend our satellite expertise to assist Iraq with the deployment of its own virtual network. We are proud to be part of the development of Iraq’s television infrastructure.”

Slaheddine Maaoui, ASBU Director General, said, “We are eager to improve the ability of broadcasters and to give them access to a number of life-line services to contribute content from anywhere in the country. We believe this to be an important way of encouraging a robust media to thrive, resulting in strong regeneration in Iraq. We are sure that this virtual network will vastly improve the capabilities for broadcasters inside Iraq.”

Visit http://www.newtec.eu and http://www.asbu.net

Editec, UK and Ireland’s Ultra Motion specialist and sole distributor of I-Movix products, has announced at the BVE2012 Expo they have ordered the new X10, the new continuously-streaming ultra-slow motion system developed by I-MOVIX. The brand-new X10 system is the industry’s first live ultra motion solution to deliver real-time continuous extreme slow motion in full HD at a groundbreaking 300 fps (or 600 fps in 720p).

Steve Cotterill, MD of Editec said “We are pleased to be a part of the continuing I-Movix success story. Full integration of the X10 camera with the now industry standard EVS server is certainly going to put this hi-mo camera well ahead of any competition.”

Developed in partnership with EVS, the X10 system is used with an EVS XT3 production server under LSM control, well exceeding the performance ceiling of existing continuously recording super-slow motion systems (restricted to three times slower than real time, or 75 fps), to give 10 times slower than real time.

The X10 system is a full broadcast-integrated solution, and includes the latest generation high-speed HD camera, a camera control unit, and an operational control panel. X10 is used with the industry standard EVS XT3 production server under LSM control. Thanks to its typical EVS LSM workflow, the X10 solution delivers an unprecedented level of convenience and creativity in ultra slow motion action.

Visit http://www.editecuk.com and http://www.i-movix.com

Sencore has announced that it has appointed Netherlands-based distributor Media Choice Broadcast Solutions to resell the company’s full line of signal quality, transmission, and video delivery solutions to customers in the Benelux and DACH regions.

“Media Choice Broadcast Solutions has a strong presence in the cable, satellite, and broadcast industries, and its extensive network of customer relationships will help us take the Sencore product line to new levels in the Benelux and DACH regions,” said Tony Oehlerking, general manager of international business development at Sencore. “Sencore products — coupled with excellent support and service from Media Choice Broadcast Solutions — are an ideal combination for broadcasters throughout these countries as they look to make a seamless transition to all-digital delivery while maximizing bandwidth and existing infrastructure.”

Visit http://www.sencore.com

Entone, Inc., a leading provider of Hybrid TV and Connected Home solutions, has announced that Sunrise Communications, the largest private telecom provider in Switzerland, has selected Entone as its set-top box partner for the deployment of advanced IPTV services.

“To position us for growth, we need reliable, quality products that can enable us to continue to deliver differentiating services,” said Thomas Leber, Senior Manager, Wireline at Sunrise. “Entone’s strong commitment to product support was a key factor in our decision to deploy the Amulet. Amulet also easily integrates with our eco-system partners, allowing us to rapidly deploy IPTV services across our expanding footprint. Partnering with Entone will help us take advantage of the additional revenue stream opportunities while providing our subscribers added benefits and viewing flexibility.”

Entone connected home products have powered the deployment of IPTV and Hybrid TV services to hundreds of global operators. The company has seen strong growth in Europe where the adoption of Hybrid TV is catalysing much of the industry’s innovations. With its FusionTV infrastructure-as-a-service offering, Entone has started to support similar Hybrid TV services in the U.S. where operators are starting to bundle TV services with consumers’ broadband TV subscriptions.

“As a market leader in IPTV, Entone’s focus has always been to provide a reliable and future-proof platform for delivering integrated IPTV services that enhances the user experience,” said Bart Vanderostyne, Director of EMEA Sales and Operations at Entone. “Opportunities in the TV market are rapidly changing with over-the-top content and new IP-based applications. We are pleased to be working with a visionary operator such as Sunrise to meet those market realities as they rollout innovative IPTV services.”

Visit http://www.entone.com

Pilat Media Global plc [AIM: PGB], the leading supplier of business management software to the media industry, has announced that BBC World Service has implemented a new Distribution Management Module for its installation of the Pilat Media Integrated Broadcast Management System (IBMS). In operation since Nov 2011, the new module enables the scheduling and distribution of radio programs to be performed more efficiently over the network’s multiple delivery platforms.

BBC World Service serves approximately 1,500 outlets carrying 250 distributed streams, each derived from 45 individual program streams, each the equivalent of a distinct radio station. In 2005, BBC World Service chose IBMS to manage the complex task of scheduling the multiple individual program streams, taking into account such factors as shared content, variations according to regional factors, time zone differences, and delivery methods.

The latest phase of BBC World Service’s IBMS installation, the Distribution Management Module adds highly sophisticated bandwidth management capabilities for the efficient use of the World Service distribution network. Distribution management becomes particularly crucial when late changes need to be made to a schedule and planners need to understand and control how the signal is routed from studio to listener while seeing the effect any change may have on other programming sharing the available bandwidth.

The IBMS Distribution Management Module also provides the means to understand the effect of introducing new programming content and extending or reducing coverage in a rapid manner to cater for events — either planned or unplanned — that require a realignment of distribution. For example, the African Cup of Nations, for which the BBC has broadcast rights in Africa, requires the ability to plan complex variations to the normal schedule in advance and allow windows for last-minute changes.

“For several years, IBMS has been a fundamental part of our operation. The scheduling system plays an essential role in the World Service’s ability to manage a very large programming matrix with limited scheduling staff resources,” said Nigel Fry, head of distribution BBC Global News. “And now, with the implementation of the Distribution Management Module, we are gaining a better understanding of how our programming can be more efficiently extended to all distribution outlets.”

“Since its inception in 1932, BBC World Service has been one of the great pillars of the global broadcasting landscape. Our ongoing partnership with BBC World Service is a sterling example of IBMS’s ability to streamline management of even the most complex media operations, and a powerful testament to our two organizations working together to bring our customers the best possible broadcast experience,” said Avi Engel, CEO of Pilat Media.

Visit http://bbcworldservice.com and http://www.pilatmedia.com