Focus: Broadcasting

[Via Satellite 04-14-2014] KVH Industries has agreed to partner with IMG Media to deliver video content of this summer’s FIFA World Cup games to maritime customers. The coverage will be delivered via KVH’s satellite network to customers aboard merchant ships, with the exception of passenger vessels, cruise ships and ferries. This year’s tournament will take...

[Via Satellite 04-14-2014] Reuters’ satellite newsgathering teams (SNG) are using Avanti’s Hylas 2 Ka-band satellite to provide coverage of the Oscar Pistorius trial in South Africa. The coverage will be broadcasted 24/7 and live. The relationship between Reuters and Avanti is supported by Broadcast IP Systems (BIPS), a specialist supplier of Ka-band connectivity, formed in...

[Via Satellite 04-14-2014] NTT Plala, a major Japanese IPTV service provider, has chosen the ViXS XCode 6400 System on Chip (SoC) to power the company’s new Ultra-HD set-top box (STB). Sumitomo Electric Networks developed the STB, which will launch with the ViXS-powered Sumitomo Stream Cruiser Smart-TV ST4100 Series STB. According to ViXS, the XCode 6400...

[Via Satellite 04-11-2014] KVH has hired Candice Pascal as vice president of content acquisition, who will lead the company in managing commercial maritime distribution rights for its entertainment content. Pascal will be the main role in securing and overseeing rights to studio and independent film and TV content delivered over KVH’s IP-MobileCast delivery service. Pascal...

[Via Satellite 04-11-2014] Seeafrika plans to deploy RGB’s TransAct Encoder/Transcoder along with RGB’s TransAct Packager in the delivery of its Over-the-Top (OTT) video services in Europe. Seeafrika intends to deliver 30 broadcast channels to subscribers in the first stages of deployment. Currently, Seeafrika viewers access the service primarily over Android and iOS-based devices. With RGB’s...

[Via Satellite 04-11-2014] Envivio introduced a new G5 family of Intel-based server appliances. The new G5 series supports Ultra-HD resolution and High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), increases compression density, and is expected to decrease operating expenses for service providers. Operators using the Envivio Muse Live encoders on the G5 platform can distribute up to 100...

[Via Satellite 04-10-2014] Spanish satellite operator Hispasat has decided to permanently broadcast a new Free-to-Air (FTA) channel in Ultra-HD, or 4K, across both North and Central America. The decision is part of the company’s goal to bolster its transatlantic coverage. Hispasat has supported an open 4K channel in Europe since September 2013. The new FTA...

[Via Satellite 04-10-2014] AsiaSat signed a contract with Arqiva for C-band capacity on the AsiaSat 5 satellite to broadcast sporting events to the Asia-Pacific region. AsiaSat 5 is Asia’s prime sports content delivery platform, distributing to broadcasters and operators a variety of elite sports such as football, cricket, volleyball and tennis. “Asia is a strategically...

[Via Satellite 04-10-2014] SES has signed multiple Occasional Use (OU) capacity deals with broadcasters to deliver coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The games will take place June 12 through July 13, and SES is estimated to deliver more than 30,000 coverage hours from 450MHz of capacity. SES will rely on the...

[Via Satellite 04-10-2014] SatLink Communications has launched a new second generation Digital Video Broadcasting – Satellite (DVB-S2) platform on Eutelsat’s Hot Bird satellite. The new platform will support Sky Italia, an Italian digital satellite TV platform, and will support the delivery of HD content to cable, satellite and pay-TV markets in Europe. The Hot Bird...