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[BSCTE: Motorola Mobility showcases end-to-end connected home solutions

Michelle Clancy | 19-10-2012 ][/B]

Motorola Mobility is demonstrating how its cloud, network and home solutions are contributing to the evolution of TV, at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. These technologies are part of Motorola's end-to-end platform for the connected home, covering how content is delivered, managed, secured and experienced across the entire range of consumer devices.

"Motorola is evolving the TV experience by innovating and integrating our technology from end to end," said Marwan Fawaz, executive vice president at Motorola Mobility. "At SCTE, we're showcasing solutions that address the key hurdles to widespread multi-screen adoption. We're delivering these solutions to service providers, which stand in the best position to make the multi-screen, connected lifestyle a reality...today."

Ever-evolving high-bandwidth activities â€" such as streaming HD, DVR and on-demand video on multiple devices â€" are creating a host of bandwidth management challenges. At this year's SCTE, Motorola is demonstrating its portfolio of ABR transcoding, bandwidth optimization and service technologies aimed at service providers' need to deliver the highest-quality video to consumers, quickly and cost-effectively.

As previously reported, Motorola is introducing the world's first multi-gigapixel (3Gp) transcoder, and also the first successful deployment of DOCSIS Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (SCDMA) technology, with Cablevision Mexico.

Motorola also is demonstrating how new high-efficiency encoding (HEVC) maintains video quality while reducing bandwidth by 50%. Motorola also is demonstrating the potential of the new 4K ultra-high-definition HEVC encoding format.

Meanwhile, Motorola's network DVR (nDVR) technology offers true entertainment everywhereâ€"by migrating DVR functionality into the network cloud to deliver content to consumers anytime, anyplace and on any screen.

Motorola is also announcing that it has successfully completed a number of deployments and field trials of its high-density, CCAP-compatible Universal Edge QAM (UEQAM), the APEX3000, which bridges the gap for the migration to IP video.

And finally, Motorola is announcing the T-Metro 8000 high-density and MPLS service aggregation platform in partnership with Telco Systems. The T-Metro 8000 addresses customer cloud connectivity challenges through a highly resilient, high-density cloud gateway and aggregator platform. Its modular design optimizes carrier resources and enables carriers to offer more competitive cloud-based services, business Ethernet and mobile backhaul to the edge, Motorola said.

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SCTE: Huawei shows off cable portfolio, including 100G/400G core transport

Michelle Clancy | 19-10-2012

Chinese infrastructure powerhouse Huawei is showcasing a range of solutions tailored for Cable MSOs at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo, taking place 17-19 October in Orlando, including its 100G/400G core optical transport products and its new EPoC/DPoE portfolio.

To the latter point, Huawei will be showing off a prototype demo of the EPoC, as well as the company's end-to-end DPoE network solutions that share the same foundation as the EPoC platform.

Also on view is the NE40E+ATN backhaul hardware, which features reduced power, high density and 10GigE to 100GigE interfaces for both backhaul and commercial deployments supporting extensive OAM for SLA guarantees.

It also has a live demo for its RCS platform for unifying phone, wireless and television set-top boxes (STBs) on a single platform inside the home.

For commercial applications, the company's SMB voice solution provides applications like Centrex, video conferencing and convergent communications, specifically for MSO operations.

In terms of green energy, Huawei's rectifiers offer the highest levels of efficiencies and densities coupled with the lowest noise levelsâ€"critical elements for today's tight data center space.

"Huawei has a deep and strong ecosystem of globally-leading technology solutions to help provide cost-effective upgradeable end-to-end solutions to the MSO market," said Ron Pitcock, GM of Huawei's MSO business organization. "Additionally, Huawei's solutions are created with network operations in mind, enabling performance-tracking and SLA guarantees, which are critical for competitive success in the commercial segments for an MSO operator."

As part of the focus on Digital Video 2.0, Huawei will feature its Cable Experience Lab project, an ongoing multi-vendor project aimed at business model innovation. The current work includes a reference architecture designed to fully integrate the home network with the service-enabler "cloud" and to treat all people, devices, and personas within the household under the same service umbrella.

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SCTE: ATCi adds cable MSOs as satellite customers

Michelle Clancy | 19-10-2012

Satellite operator Antenna Technology Communications Inc. (ATCi), a provider of commercial satellite communications services, has announced continuing traction in the North American market with the addition of major U.S. cable MSOs to its roster of clients.

The operators, not publicly named, have implemented Simulsat-5b retrofit kits in several sites across the United States, the company said. The Simulsat-5b system was specifically designed to economically improve upon the longstanding full-arc flexibility of multibeam antennas present in the original Simulsat-5. Simulsat-5 transitions seamlessly to the improved Simulsat-5b, which was designed from the ground up using the latest composite fabrication, computer simulation and solid modeling technologies, ATCi said.

"In today's demanding digital satellite environment, ATCi's Simulsat-5b system represents a significant step forward in multibeam satellite technology, which provides the margin satellite users need to keep their services up and online," said ATCi CEO Gary Hatch. "With the advent of MPEG-4/DVBS2 modulation, upgrading our older Simulsat customers' systems to the latest high-tolerance design is critical for them to maintain the highest quality digital reception."

He added, "The update is extremely quick and cost-effective in that our customers keep their original mount and simply update with a new reflector and feedbox during their standard maintenance window."

ATCi is displaying Simulsat-5b along with its other communication solutions and systems at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo, taking place 17-19 October in Orlando.

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BBC complains of signal jamming in Middle East and Europe

Editor | 19-10-2012

Only days after Eutelsat reacted to signal jamming by halting Iranian broadcasts on its craft, the BBC has revealed that it is experiencing interference to transmissions in Europe and the Middle East.

Describing the actions by parties as yet unnamed as“deliberate” and “intermittent”, the corporation say that it and a number of other broadcasters,have experienced interference that has impacted services including the BBC World News and BBC Arabic television channels and BBC World Service radio services in English and Arabic.

In a statement, the BBC said: “Deliberate interference such as the jamming of transmissions is a blatant violation of international regulations concerning the use of satellites and we strongly condemn any practice designed to disrupt audiences’ free access to news and information.”

For its part, Eutelsat made an appeal on 3 October to international regulatory authorities to urgently intervene to put an end to repeated jamming of satellite signals by Iran following what it called deliberate interference to international networks, including BBC Persian, the Voice of America's Persian service and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Radio Farda, that broadcast via Eutelsat satellites.

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Movistar TV Peru welcomes BBC HD

Iñaki Ferreras | 19-10-2012

BBC Worldwide has launched in Peru with Movistar TV, the pay-TV service of Telefónica with a programming line-up including drama, science fiction, concerts, travel & adventure and documentary.

The corporation says that its offering will be based and conceptualised 'for a unique experience in HD on the market more innovative formats and supported BBC brand. The service is available to subscribers of Block Plus HD and HD + Film Movistar.

Explained Said Guillermo Sierra, SVP and general manager of BBC Worldwide Channels Latin America and US Hispanic: “We are pleased to introduce our BBC HD channel with Movistar in Peru, while maintaining our commitment to offer the public the best programming BBC, 100% high definition and with the recognised seal of quality that characterises us.”

For his part, Luis Acuña, Movistar Homes Commercial Manager, noted: “In Movistar TV we constantly innovate and offer the best programming to our customers throughout Peru. So BBC HD have in our offer HD content allows our customers to enjoy the wide range of content offered by BBC as drama, science fiction, travel and adventure.”

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Disney Movies come to Zon on demand

Iñaki Ferreras | 19-10-2012

Portuguese pay-TV operator Zon is to launch a new monthly subscription service, Disney Movies on Demand.

Available from November, the service will bring together a selection of hit films from Disney and Pixar titles that includes animation and real-image as "Ratatouille," "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," "A History of Charm" or "Cinderella."

The subscription offering’s content will be renewed regularly throughout the month.

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Spain’s Supreme Court to decide if DTT licences are legal

Iñaki Ferreras | 19-10-2012

Spain’s Supreme Court is expected to decide in November on the legality of the method used by the Government to grant digital terrestrial television (DTT) licences to existing channels.

There has been an appeal against the decision of Council of Ministers of 16 July 2010 to license these channels, specifically the authorisation of up to four channels without going through the public bidding process. Licences were granted to Antena 3, Gestevisión Telecinco, Sogecable, Veo TV, NET TV and laSexta.

In 2009, the applicant complained that no new licenses had been awarded through a public tender, as established in the Private Television Act of 1988.

Until then "all traditional channels" were awarded by public tender and "transparent criteria," said Ignacio Sanchez, spokesman for the applicant who also dismissed the “subgéneris criteria" used by the Administration to grant the DTT licences.

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Two-thirds of pay-TV subs have access to multiscreen services

Joseph O'Halloran | 19-10-2012

Western European multiscreen operator-provided growth has led to an 80% increase in coverage and given 66% of pay-TV subscribers in the region access to these services.

These findings, at the heart of new research by Parks Associates, clearly show just how multiscreen in in the mainstream and compared with only 36% access in mid-2011.The analyst adds that with service providers poised to deploy over 20 million high-end, feature-rich residential gateways in Western Europe this year, multiscreen services may soon be offered in conjunction with other advanced features such as VoIP, advanced home network monitoring, and media sharing.

"The competition from over the top (OTT) services, growth in broadband penetration, and consumer adoption of connected devices all drove the rapid deployment of multiscreen services, and now operators are looking to shift focus from customer retention to monetisation," said Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates.

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SMIT Relocate to Hong Kong

Editor | 19-10-2012

As part of its global expansion ambitions, digital content delivery and over-the-top (OTT) security firm SMIT has relocated its global headquarters from Shenzhen, China to Hong Kong, effective immediately.

The company says that it made its move “after careful deliberation” and that a transition, effective immediately, from the Chinese mainland to what it calls one of the world’s most important financial, trading and media centres would serve as an important link between the company’s operations in China and the world markets. While continuing to serve traditional client base in Europe, SMIT is also boosting its presence to serve new clients in the Far East and other emerging markets.

The office in Hong Kong will focus on strategy, governance, new business origination and strategic alliance, international marketing and sales execution, corporate finance and treasury, and content delivery security-sensitive research and development activities. Furthermore SMIT says that given Hong Kong has an international legal frame work for intellectual property protection and cross-border commerce, the move will give its conditional access and other overseas partners “confidence” on protection of their IP.

"As SMIT Corporation grows in the global conditional access module (CAM) and digital content delivery markets in Europe, China and emerging markets such as India and South America, we selected Hong Kong as the optimum location for our new global headquarters," explained SMIT President Shuai Hongyu. "We are all very excited about the relocation and the Company looks forward to strengthening client relationships, raising our market presence, and enhancing corporate governance."

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New free VOD service in Germany

Jörn Krieger | 19-10-2012

German media entrepreneurs Patrick Hörl and Jan Mojto want to set up a video-on-demand (VOD) platform with classic movies from Germany and Austria.

Viewers will be able to watch the films free-of-charge with the offering to be financed through advertising.

Bavarian media authority BLM granted the service dubbed CineCom a licence valid for eight years at its latest assembly in Munich. The line-up will comprise comedies, music films, dramas, romantic movies and crime thrillers from the 1930's and following years.

CineDom is still in preparation and currently only available in a preliminary version on Deutsche Telekom's IPTV platform Entertain and on the open internet at

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www.cinedom.tv.

In the next weeks, the service will be developed into a full-fledged VOD portal and then also become available on connected TV sets, for example from Samsung and Philips, and on mobile devices.

CineDom is operated by Munich-based media company Autentic in which Hörl (50%) and Mojto's movie company Beta Film (40%) are the main shareholders with 5% each owned by investors Moritz Freiherr von Kruedener and Herbert Schroder. Autentic operates thematic TV channels in Germany and international markets and acts as a rights dealer specialised in documentaries.

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Large TV adoption sees digital film sales quadruple

Joseph O'Halloran | 19-10-2012

New research from Mintel has revealed that as household TV screens continue to increase in size, so do the sales and rentals of digital movies.

Indeed the research found that digital downloads, subscription streaming, and video-on-demand (VOD) sales of movies are expected to have increased tenfold in the 10-year period 2007-17. Over 2007-12, sales are likely to have more than quadrupled from $1.3 billion to $5.5 billion.iTunes was found to be the clear leader in digital movie sales, with three-fifths of respondents who purchased a digital-store movie in the past 30 days doing so through Apple's service who boasted more than twice the share than Amazon (25%) and three times as many as any other competitor.

Despite the boost in electronic distribution direct to home, Mintel found that traditional DVD rentals are still the most popular way to rent movies, with almost a third (32%) of online consumers renting individual discs via this method in the past 30 days. However, driven by the ever popular Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and pay-TV online video services such as pay-per-view or VOD, digital distribution is not far behind: a quarter of respondents say they have used online streaming in the past 30 days and 22% have used a pay-TV method.

"We live in a time of instant gratification and the idea of waiting for a movie to arrive in the mail or actually driving to a store to get one is an idea of the past," commented Billy Hulkower, senior technology analyst at Mintel. "Increased acceptance of all intangible media, including music, photos, books and games is a driver with consumers increasingly acclimated to the immediacy of all digital formats."

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Rick en Ron onderuit tegenover Ik Hou Van Holland


Do, Rick en Ron Bra$$$teder verliezen kijkers met hun tv-show Van je vrienden moet je ‘t hebben op SBS 6. De titel stond zaterdag voor het eerst tegenover Ik Hou Van Holland en ging van 621.000 naar 483.000 kijkers. Dat blijkt uit cijfers van Stichting KijkOnderzoek. Hoewel de hypnoseshow met Rick en Ron al om 20.00 uur aftrapte, stond ze voor de laatste veertig minuten recht tegenover de RTL 4-hit met Linda de Mol. De tv-ster werd met 2,4 miljoen kijkers de grote winnaar op zaterdag.

Ik Hou Van Holland begon haar tiende seizoen beter dan haar vorige seizoen. De start van serie negen begon in februari met 2,3 miljoen kijkers. Toen was de Nederland 1-show Nick tegen Simon de klos. Die zakte door de concurrentie in één keer in van 1,8 naar 1,1 miljoen kijkers.

Het verlies is bij Van je vrienden moet je ‘t hebben minder groot, maar nog steeds aanzienlijk. Ten opzichte van vorige week is ruim 22 procent van de kijkers afgehaakt. Bovendien zakt ze van de 17e naar de 22ste plaats in de dagelijkse kijkcijfer top 25.

Het sketchprogramma Komt Een Man Bij De Dokter, dat na de hypnoseshow te zien was, ging van 464.000 naar 412.000 kijkers. Daarna ging Beau van Erven Dorens‘ Show Me The Money van 464.000 naar 551.000 kijkers.

Ook Junior MasterChef, dat in de vooravond van SBS 6 te zien is, won ten opzichte van de première een week geleden. De kookshow noteerde 346.000 kijkers, waar dat er vorige week nog 275.000 waren.

Nederland 1 ziet kijkers verliezen na de door 1,1 miljoen mensen bekeken finale van Strictly Come Dancing vorige week. De theatershow Hoogseizoen van Lenette van Dongen was goed voor 719.000 kijkers.

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Ultra High Definition â€" afgekort Ultra HD - wordt in de winkel officieel de opvolgende techniek van Full HD. Dat heeft de Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) besloten.

Om het een televisie een Ultra HD televisie te mogen noemen, moet het over minimaal één digitale 4K-ingang beschikken. Ook moet de televisie minimaal een beeldresolutie van 3840 x 2160 hebben en een beeldverhouding van minimaal 16:9 kunnen weergeven. De nieuwe naam is unaniem gekozen door een speciale 4K-werkgroep die het CEA begin dit jaar in het leven riep.
Voorlichting Ultra HD kan starten
Nu de nieuwe verkoopstandaard is vastgesteld, kan de voorlichting aan consumenten en winkeliers over Ultra HD beginnen. Of er veel consumenten in deze voorlichting geïnteresseerd zijn, blijft een grote vraag. Het aanbod van Ultra HD-televisies is op dit moment nog zeer klein. Daarnaast hangt aan de Ultra HD-televisie een stevig prijskaartje, dat wel tot 25.000 euro kan oplopen.

Meer keuze Ultra HD
De hoge prijs komt mede doordat het aantal modellen Ultra HD-televisies dat wereldwijd te verkrijgen is nog zeer klein is. Nu de nieuwe standaard is vastgesteld, is de verwachting dat meer tv-fabrikanten Ultra HD-televisies op de markt gaan brengen. Door de grotere concurrentie kan hierdoor de aanschafprijs van een Ultra HD-televisie dalen. Toch zeggen analisten dat de markt voor de nieuwe televisie zeer klein blijft. Het verwachte marktaandeel voor de Ultra HD-televisie wordt tot 2017 nog onder de één procent.

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Spaanse TVE uit de lucht doordat Iran BBC Arabic wil storen

Televisie kijkers ondervinden ook dit weekeinde grootschalige storingen in de ontvangst van de Spaanse zenders van RTVE. Oorzaak is dat Iran de zenders van BBC Arabic probeert te storen.

Nadat Eutelsat de Iraanse publieke zenders van de satelliet moest halen op last van Europese autoriteiten, begon het storen, het zogeheten jammen, in extreme vorm. Het doet denken aan tijden uit DDR republiek waarbij men toen expres uitzond op frequenties van West-Duitse zenders om ontvangst van zenders uit het 'vrije westen' onmogelijk te maken.


Acties Iran steeds problematischer
Totaal TV berichtte eerder al over de ontstane problemen die onder meer Disney Channel en Eurosport troffen en Deutsche Welle zelfs wederom noopte om naar een Astra satelliet uit te wijken. Alle programma's van de Spaanse publieke omroep RTVE zijn nu ook zwaar getroffen. Het gaat om TVE Internacional, Canal 24 Horas, Radio Exterior, Radio Nacional 1, Radio Clásica, RNE Radio 3, Radio 4 Catalunya en Radio 5 Todo Noticias.


TVE niet doelwit, wel de BBC
Het feit dat Iran uit alle macht probeert om de transponder met onder meer BBC Arabic (TV) en BBC Persian (radio) onder meer te storen, om zo ontvangst in eigen land onmogelijk te maken, treft daarmee ook iedere kijker die in Europa, dus ook via Telenet, UPC, Ziggo enzovoorts, de Spaanse zender(s) bekijkt of beluistert. De storingen zijn onregelmatig en worden door zogeheten Satellite Jamming veroorzaakt.. Ironisch genoeg wordt op dezelfde transponder ook het betaalpakket met sexzenders van Satisfaction tv hiermee gestoord.

Geschreven door: Jan-Hein Visser

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Nieuw wereldrecord Star Trek


De sciencefiction tv-serie Star Trek was voor in 1966 voor het eerst op televisie. Nu 46 jaar later weet de populaire serie nog fans warm te krijgen en hierdoor een nieuw wereldrecord te vestigen.

Het Star Trek-universum bestaat inmiddels uit elf speelfilms, vijf tv-series en tientallen computerspellen. Het heeft van jong tot oud wereldwijd miljoenen fans. Deze fans hebben voor Star Trek nu een nieuw wereldrecord gevestigd.
Verklede Star Trek-fans
In London verzamelden zich namelijk 1083 verklede Star Trek-fans â€" ook wel Trekkies genoemd â€" tijdens een mondiaal groot Star Trek evenement. Hiermee werd het wereldrecord dat in augustus in Las Vegas in de boeken werd gezet, verbroken. In Las Vegas waren 1040 Trekkies aanwezig.

Trouwen in Star Trek stijl
Op het drie dagen durend evenement kwamen meer dan 17.000 bezoekers af. Hoogtepunt was een officieel huwelijk van een Zweeds liefdesstel dat geheel in de Star Trek Klingonstijl trouwde.