Focus: Broadcasting

[Via Satellite 04-13-2015] Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company (AsiaSat) has signed an agreement for the launch of TV5 Monde Style HD, a new lifestyle channel from its long-term customer TV5 Monde on the AsiaSat 5 satellite at 100.5 degrees east. This new thematic channel has already started 24-hour transmissions featuring programs on fashion, luxury and design...

[Via Satellite 04-13-2015] Norsat International, announced the launch of the 5000 Series Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) Low Noise Block (LNBs) Downconverter, a new product family designed for high-end broadcast applications including Digital Broadcast Video (DBV), Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) broadband, military satcom, point-of-sale, and oil and gas. Available in standard and extended frequencies, the 5000...

[Via Satellite 04-07-2015] High Definition (HD) channels are giving pay-TV operators in the Middle East a growing competitive edge in a market largely dominated by Free-to-Air (FTA) broadcasts, according Arab Advisors Group. The research firm identified HD channels as one of the most important factors fueling satellite broadcasting throughout the region. According to Arab Advisor’s...

[Via Satellite 04-06-2015] Imagine Communications has created software enhancements for its SelenioFlex Live and SelenioFlex File solutions to support High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), to meet increased bandwidth requirements for 4K Ultra-HD. SelenioFlex is a software-based transcoding and encoding solution powered by Zenium, the company’s software-defined workflow platform. The SelenioFlex File solution supports SD, HD...

[Via Satellite 04-03-2015] The transition to digital television, increasing growth of mobile services, and the burgeoning connectivity needs of sectors such as energy, banking and mining, are fueling demand for satellite services in Sub-Saharan Africa, which Euroconsult expects will remain healthy for many years to come. The research firm’s newest report, “Prospects for Satellite Communications...

[Via Satellite 04-03-2015] EchoStar Corporation has taken a stake in Kudelski subsidiary SmarDTV, which specializes in advanced Set-Top Boxes (STBs) and conditional access modules. The two companies will conduct joint commercial activities, leveraging SmartDTV’s Nagra, Conax and OpenTV background and EchoStar’s technical expertise to serve the broadcasting and broadband markets. The transaction includes the transfer...

[Via Satellite 04-02-2015] French cruise line Ponant is using VideoFlow technology to broadcast live events to passengers around the world. The cruise line gathers live content at its headquarters in Marseille, France, encodes it with a Sumavision encoder, and then uses satellite to send content to each ship using Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs). VideoFlow...

[Via Satellite 04-02-2015] Pay-TV operator M7 Group has expanded its agreement with Scripps Networks U.K. and EMEA (Europe Middle East and Africa) to deliver SD and HD channels. The company is broadcasting Food Network HD to subscribers in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, The Netherlands and Flanders. The agreement includes the European distribution of Travel Channel...

[Via Satellite 04-01-2015] One month ago Sky Perfect JSAT launched its first two dedicated 4K Ultra-HD channels on its JCSAT 3A and JCSAT 4B satellites. Shinji Takada, president of SKY Perfect JSAT, told Via Satellite that the success of these two channels will guide the decision-making process on whether or not to add more. “We...

[Via Satellite 04-01-2015] BBC Global News announced a long-term agreement with SES to broadcast its international news channel in High Definition (HD) on Astra at 19.2 degrees east. SES will broadcast the Free-to-Air (FTA) channel — an HD version of BBC World News in English — from its Betzdorf, Luxembourg headquarters. “We know from our...