[Satellite TODAY Insider 10-22-10] Broadcast content management and global distribution services provider RRsat Global Communications Network entered into an agreement with Sm2 Sports Media Solutions and its Canadian teleport partner, TV2GO, to deliver live HD sporting events around the globe in MPEG-4, RRsat announced Oct. 21.
    RRsat said the reduction in megahertz and reduced latency period make HD MPEG-4 broadcast particularly attractive for live sporting events with a global demand for viewership. RRsat’s broadcasts will include the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the entire 2010 NFL season.
    “Using MPEG-4 to broadcast HD content via satellites is more cost-effective than the standard 18 megahertz transmission and yet delivers very high-quality HD resolution. There are few companies with teleport specialists worldwide capable of supporting this, which is why RRsat is such a valuable partner in making MPEG-4 transmission a reality,” Sm2 Sports Media Solutions Owner Susanna Mandel-Mantello said in a statement.
    For North American broadcast networks, the transition from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 has been hindered by a lagging consumer economy and infrastructure cost-cutting measures. But RRSat Deputy Vice President of Sales Shlomi Izkovitz told Satellite TODAY Insider that the switchover pace has accelerated globally and hinted that the company was developing a deal that would accelerate MPEG-4’s potential in a major broadcast market.
    “The MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 transition is now happening globally and at a much faster rate, as satellite and fiber work more efficiently to move content from one region to another,” said Izkovitz. “For example, this makes it possible to deliver live concerts happening in the United States to audiences in Europe and Asia at much higher quality rates, and vice versa. Now, we can deliver content from NHK in Japan at rates of 6 megabits per second, which is a solid improvement over what was possible even a year ago.”

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