ITV

Category: Distribution

  • How 4K video bearer networks will pan out: Huawei’s view

    How 4K video bearer networks will pan out: Huawei’s view

    NEW DELHI: Video services will account for as much as 80 per cent of network traffic in the future, and 4K video, as a leading factor in the development of video services, has already become the strategic high ground on which telecom operators and online OTT video content platforms are striving to attract customers and obtain competitive advantage.

    In a white paper called The Experience-driven 4K Bearer Network released at its 2016 Global Analysts Summit in Shenzhen, Huawei said many mainstream telecom operations and OTT content providers around the world have already released 4K service strategic plans.

    Compared with traditional video services, 4K video services require higher bandwidth, lower latency, and reduced packet loss rates. With the rapid growth of 4K video traffic, however, the expansion of telecom operators’ networks is unable to meet fast growing bandwidth requirements, and the dilemma between providing a good video experience and ensuring return on network investment is becoming more distinct. The question of how to build a video service bearer network that can monitor user experience, allow service fault identification and demarcation, guarantee service quality, and benefit all parties is now of critical importance for the development of 4K services.

    The white paper focuses on two issues that have drawn considerable attention from telecommunications operators: how to ensure a good user experience for 4K video and how to bear the service. The paper presents an end-to-end target network architecture and evolution solutions for various deployment scenarios. As the industry’s first technical document to systematically set forth 4K bearer network solutions, the white paper should be of interest to telecom operators considering deployment of online 4K services  as well as establishment of  a positive business cycle in the 4K industry.

    The White Paper is claimed to be the first to systematically introduce the User, Unified, Ubiquitous-Mean Opinion Score for Video (U-vMOS) benchmark, which objectively quantifies end-user experience. It offers a guide to build an end-to-end best-experience 4K bearer networks architecture helping operators to simplify network layers, deploy gigabit access efficiently, and improve capabilities in intelligent acceleration, network perception, as well as big data analytics. Based on this proposal, operators can effectively solve problems in commercial applications of 4K videos, such as long loading time, pixelation, stalling, and even difficulties in locating reported faults.

    Creating a best-experience 4K bearer network can alleviate user experience degradation, as well as difficulties in service fault identification and demarcation. Telecom operators can provide 4K video themselves, gaining a competitive edge by their ability to offer differentiated services, or they can work together with OTT video content providers, providing them with a video distribution network that features BoD, quantifiable user experience, and manageable quality. End-users will enjoy not only top-quality 4K video, but also smooth online playback and carrier-class troubleshooting service.

    As an advocate for experience-centric network construction, Huawei says that it has actively invested in 4K UHD video bearer networks and carried out joint innovation with industry-leading operators to create 4K bearer network solutions that provide the best user experience. Huawei has also supported operators in successfully providing 4K video services and increasing the value of their fixed broadband networks. At present, Huawei’s best-experience 4K bearer network is already widely used at China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and British Telecom.

     

  • How 4K video bearer networks will pan out: Huawei’s view

    How 4K video bearer networks will pan out: Huawei’s view

    NEW DELHI: Video services will account for as much as 80 per cent of network traffic in the future, and 4K video, as a leading factor in the development of video services, has already become the strategic high ground on which telecom operators and online OTT video content platforms are striving to attract customers and obtain competitive advantage.

    In a white paper called The Experience-driven 4K Bearer Network released at its 2016 Global Analysts Summit in Shenzhen, Huawei said many mainstream telecom operations and OTT content providers around the world have already released 4K service strategic plans.

    Compared with traditional video services, 4K video services require higher bandwidth, lower latency, and reduced packet loss rates. With the rapid growth of 4K video traffic, however, the expansion of telecom operators’ networks is unable to meet fast growing bandwidth requirements, and the dilemma between providing a good video experience and ensuring return on network investment is becoming more distinct. The question of how to build a video service bearer network that can monitor user experience, allow service fault identification and demarcation, guarantee service quality, and benefit all parties is now of critical importance for the development of 4K services.

    The white paper focuses on two issues that have drawn considerable attention from telecommunications operators: how to ensure a good user experience for 4K video and how to bear the service. The paper presents an end-to-end target network architecture and evolution solutions for various deployment scenarios. As the industry’s first technical document to systematically set forth 4K bearer network solutions, the white paper should be of interest to telecom operators considering deployment of online 4K services  as well as establishment of  a positive business cycle in the 4K industry.

    The White Paper is claimed to be the first to systematically introduce the User, Unified, Ubiquitous-Mean Opinion Score for Video (U-vMOS) benchmark, which objectively quantifies end-user experience. It offers a guide to build an end-to-end best-experience 4K bearer networks architecture helping operators to simplify network layers, deploy gigabit access efficiently, and improve capabilities in intelligent acceleration, network perception, as well as big data analytics. Based on this proposal, operators can effectively solve problems in commercial applications of 4K videos, such as long loading time, pixelation, stalling, and even difficulties in locating reported faults.

    Creating a best-experience 4K bearer network can alleviate user experience degradation, as well as difficulties in service fault identification and demarcation. Telecom operators can provide 4K video themselves, gaining a competitive edge by their ability to offer differentiated services, or they can work together with OTT video content providers, providing them with a video distribution network that features BoD, quantifiable user experience, and manageable quality. End-users will enjoy not only top-quality 4K video, but also smooth online playback and carrier-class troubleshooting service.

    As an advocate for experience-centric network construction, Huawei says that it has actively invested in 4K UHD video bearer networks and carried out joint innovation with industry-leading operators to create 4K bearer network solutions that provide the best user experience. Huawei has also supported operators in successfully providing 4K video services and increasing the value of their fixed broadband networks. At present, Huawei’s best-experience 4K bearer network is already widely used at China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and British Telecom.

     

  • Masstech to spotlight latest innovations for advanced workflows, media asset management and newsrooms at IBC2015

    Masstech to spotlight latest innovations for advanced workflows, media asset management and newsrooms at IBC2015

    MUMBAI: Masstech — the trusted provider of innovative, advanced workflow and media asset management solutions — will showcase the company’s latest software offerings and enhancements at the IBC2015 Conference and Exhibition, taking place September 11-15 in Amsterdam.

     

    Masstech will co-exhibit in the stand of partner MOG Technologies, number 7.K28. The two companies have worked closely together to integrate MOG’s mxfSPEEDRAIL ingest systems with Masstech’s media management solutions, enabling efficient, cohesive, automated workflows from production and ingest to archive and distribution.

     

    Through a combination of technology demonstrations and insightful one-on-one discussions with Masstech experts, attendees can learn how Masstech’s solutions and expertise enable media organizations to efficiently and easily manage their valuable digital media content and all of its related information throughout its lifecycle.

     

    Masstech media asset management solutions will also be featured in the Disk Archive Corporation stand (number 8.B38f), working in conjunction with the ALTO-II secure, high-performance, disk-based media archive.

     

    Masstech’s latest solutions address the evolving challenges of media management, from exponentially growing volumes of content, to increasing collaboration, to the expanding processing and storage requirements of higher-resolution formats such as 4K Ultra HD. Built on the latest generation of the powerful and flexible MassStore software engine, Masstech solutions bring tangible operational and business benefits to applications including:

     

    * Advanced Workflows — Unparalleled third-party integrations seamlessly streamline even the most complex environments spanning disparate vendors, products and versions. Direct integration interfaces with popular production, automation, playout, storage and distribution systems eliminate workflow barriers to maximize efficiency and simplify operations.

     

    * Media Asset Management — With an intuitive new HTML5 user interface, rich support for unstructured metadata, search engine enhancements, embedded player and more, the latest version of MassStore makes it faster and easier than ever before for media organizations of any size to store, find, reuse, move and manage their valuable content and all of its related information.

     

    * Newsrooms — Masstech enables effortless archiving and sharing directly within journalists’ familiar newsroom system interface, eliminating workflow barriers to let them focus on producing content-rich stories in less time. Already deployed in newsrooms spanning 10 station groups that cover the U.S. from coast to coast, significant recent orders are continuing the solution’s rapidly expanding adoption.

     

    * Archive — Masstech’s scalable content storage management delivers unmatched ROI with no storage capacity-based fees. Intelligent tiered storage management is ideal for the larger file sizes involved in 4K workflows, and Masstech supports a broad range of online, nearline and deep storage options, from disk drive based storage to Sony Optical Disc Archive and LTO data tape libraries.

     

    “Our solutions have always excelled at addressing complex workflow challenges and simplifying media operations, and the need for media organizations to streamline their file-based workflows is greater than ever,” said Joe French, President and CEO of Masstech. “Today’s media environments, built up over time, are often a complicated mix of poorly-coupled products from different vendors. Evolving business and operational requirements such as increased multi-site collaboration and the integration of 4K processes with existing HD pipelines threaten to further compound this situation. We’re excited to show IBC attendees how we can solve these challenges while reducing complexity and making their lives easier.”

     

    Leading media companies worldwide depend on Masstech to deliver superior user experiences, exceptional ROI and frictionless media asset management workflows that enable them to maximize their efficiency, monetize their content across multiple platforms, create better productions, enhance their competitive position, and save time and money.

  • Quantel acquires Snell to create new force in media technology

    Quantel acquires Snell to create new force in media technology

     

    Quantel, the market leading innovator in news and sports production systems and high quality post, today announced that it has acquired Snell. Snell is a world leader in broadcast and media technology providing a comprehensive range of solutions for Live TV production and the creation, management and distribution of content for TV everywhere – on tablets, mobiles and web. The acquisition enables the combined business to offer customers a complete product range to create, version and deliver high quality content efficiently across multiple platforms.

     

    “This acquisition brings two great companies together to create a major new force in the global broadcast and media technology market. This will enable us to better serve Quantel and Snell customers around the globe,” said Ray Cross, Executive Chairman and CEO, Quantel. “Our product ranges are entirely complementary so the excellent Snell and Quantel brands and product ranges will continue. We’ll be able to combine the best in class talent and technologies from Quantel and Snell to bring exciting new products and solutions to market to help our customers transform their businesses. More local offices across the world will enable us to build closer relationships with our customers and to offer even better support.”

     

    “Paul Martin, Managing Director of the Snell TV Everywhere division and Robert Rowe, Managing Director of the Snell Live TV division will join the Quantel board to make sure it is business as usual for Snell customers,” continued Cross. Tim Banks, Snell Sales Director and Peter Fredericks, Snell Finance Director are also taking leading roles in the new combined organisation. “I’m really delighted that the Snell and Quantel businesses have come together to increase the scale and scope for both,” said Simon Derry, outgoing CEO at Snell. “Under Ray’s leadership the combined business will be able to write a new and exciting chapter moving forwards. I look forward to supporting Ray during the important period of transition.”

     

    “We will be creating a new world class facility at the company headquarters in Newbury to produce the complete Quantel and Snell product range and we look forward to the new ideas generated when the two R&D teams start to interact,” said Cross.

     

    The new business has the scale, talent and IP to achieve even greater success in the competitive global media technology market. With offices in 16 locations all around the globe and with combined revenues of more than $170m, Quantel and Snell is the new force in the broadcast and media technology market.

  • Tech companies come together for better business practice

    Tech companies come together for better business practice

    MUMBAI: At a time when life has become dependent on technological equipments, it’s necessary to have a system that makes the movement on the tech industry smooth. That seemed to be on the minds of even the tech distribution companies because of which they came together to form The Technology Distribution Association of India (TDAI).

     

    The launch of the Association that was announced today has been done with in an aim to revolutionise the Indian technology-distribution industry. The Association’s motto is: “we can only build when we know how to sustain”. A first of its kind non- profit organisation in Asia Pacific & India, TDAI’s objective is to build a transparent and organised distribution services sector in India through risk mitigated best practices. While maintaining a strategic and healthy channel through good governance and appropriate compliance standards, from the manufacturer to the end user, TDAI will support the industry’s development and expansion while ensuring business hygiene.

     

    In the last two decades, India has seen tremendous strides in the use and adoption of Information Technology products both in the consumer as well as the commercial space. While the technology vendors have played a pre-eminent role in introducing the Indian customer to the immense benefits of their products and solutions, the widespread use of IT products and processes can, in a large measure, be attributed to the contribution of a huge distribution channel, which has facilitated easy availability through their reach, presence and financial commitment.

     

    The success of the distribution channel is equally accredited to all the stake holders in the supply chain: Vendors, Distributors and Dealers of IT products, services and solutions. With an aim to drive the industry’s next level of evolution through constructive dialogues amongst all stake holders, the leading Indian technology distributors have founded TDAI.

     

    The current members of TDAI collectively contribute nearly Rs 50,000 Crores (~ US$ 8 Billion) annually towards the total IT industry business in the country.

     

    TDAI will provide all industry stake holders a common ground for deliberating on regulatory issues that impact them, with a view to take those up with relevant authorities for resolution. It will act as a platform through which they could contribute inputs and information that would help shape the industry. TDAI will facilitate interaction with various Dealer Associations on common issues faced by the distribution eco-system as also a forum for discussion with Vendors on taking the channel business to its next stage of development. The initiatives of this Association will pave the way for fostering trust and goodwill amongst all stakeholders of the community.

     

    The current members of TDAI include: Avnet Technology Solutions, Compuage Infocom Limited, Inflow Technologies Private Limited, Ingram Micro India Limited, Iris Computers Limited, Neoteric Infomatique Limited, Rashi Peripherals Private Limited, Redington India Limited, Savex Computers Limited and Supertron Electronics Limited.

  • Govt. to earn over Rs 61,600 crore from 2G Spectrum Auction

    Govt. to earn over Rs 61,600 crore from 2G Spectrum Auction

    NEW DELHI: The government is expected to earn about Rs 61,162 crore from the 2G spectrum auction that ended after 68 rounds of bidding over 10 days.

     

    Major telecom companies Airtel and Vodafone have bagged spectrum in the crucial 900 MHz band in important markets like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

     

    The government’s total revenue from the auction (which is provisional) is much higher than its initial estimate of about Rs 41,000 crore. The licences will be valid for a period of 20 years. The companies need to pay only a quarter to a third of the winning auction price upfront and the remainder by 2026.

     

    Telecom Secretary M F Farooqui said the government will get at least an estimated Rs 18,200 crore this fiscal, much higher than budget estimate of Rs 11,300 crore.

     

    With the government facing a huge budget deficit target for the current fiscal year ending in March amid a shortfall in tax collections and revenue receipts from divestment of stake in state companies, Finance Minister P Chidambaram will welcome the higher-than-expected revenues from the spectrum auction.

     

    Eight companies, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, and Reliance Industries, had applied to bid in the auction of 900 megahertz and 1800 megahertz band airwaves. The 900 megahertz band was auctioned only in three cities – Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

     

    The stakes were especially high for Vodafone and Bharti which use 900 Mhz. They had to join the auction after the Supreme Court refused to extend their licences, which expire in November 2014. Idea too won spectrum in the 900 MHz band in Delhi.

     

    The Mukesh Ambani-backed Reliance Jio bagged 1800 MHz band in 14 circles out of the 22 on offer. This will help the company to not only offer data but also voice services in these regions. Reliance Jio had earlier won the rights to offer 4G broadband services across the country.

     

    In the 1800 MHz band, Airtel won in 15 circles, Vodafone in 10 and Idea in 11.

     

    Bidding for the 900 MHz band in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata was very aggressive, with Vodafone and Bharti Airtel forced to protect their turf. In Delhi, the winning bid was Rs 741 crore as against the reserve price of Rs 360 crore; in Mumbai, the winning bid was Rs 563 crore, while the reserve price was Rs 328 crore, and in Kolkata, the winning bid was Rs 195 crore vs a reserve price of Rs 125 crore.

     

    Bids for the 900 Mhz band run into higher sums as it is considered better quality spectrum which requires lower investment for telecom companies to set up infrastructure. In comparison, the 1800 Mhz band requires higher capital expenditure.

     

    The 2G spectrum had to be auctioned afresh after the Supreme Court ordered in 2012 the cancellation of 122 licences issued in 2008 by then Telecom Minister A Raja. The Supreme Court held that the process used by him to allot licences was “illegal” and ordered a new auction. Auctions in November 2012 and March 2013 flopped as most bidders stayed away from the sales, complaining that the floor bid prices were too high.

     

    The eight bidders applied to participate in the current auction after the government sharply cut auction reserve prices.

  • India’s Doordarshan selects Harris Broadcast for nationwide digital transition

    India’s Doordarshan selects Harris Broadcast for nationwide digital transition

    NEW DELHI: Harris Broadcast, a market share leader of content management and network infrastructure solutions serving the global broadcast, communication service provider, government and enterprise markets, today announced it has been selected by national broadcaster Doordarshan to deploy a new DVB-T2 transmission infrastructure across the country.

     

    The government of India is pushing ahead with plans to complete the move from analogue to digital television transmission by 2017. As the leading public service broadcaster in India, Doordarshan has an obligation to cover the whole country and to reflect the diversity of Indian society, including content in the more than 40 languages. At the same time, it is promoting a boost in quality and viewer engagement by rolling out high definition channels, as well as delivering its multi-lingual content across multiple platforms including mobile devices in the future.

     

    “This is not only a large-scale project for Doordarshan, but it is also one of the most high profile and important projects the broadcaster has undertaken,” said Joe Khodeir, senior vice president Asia at Harris Broadcast. “Our DVB-T2 solution maximises spectrum capacity, allowing Doordarshan to roll out multiple channels serving different communities as well as offer multiple HD channels. For a project of this scope and significance, Doordarshan looked for a partner with a strong local service commitment and presence along with best-in-class technologies that delivered the lowest lifecycle costs.  Our Maxiva™ ULX architecture provides the best power efficiency in the market, which was a critical consideration for Doordarshan when energy consumption is such a large part of the operating cost.”

     

    The first of two transmission contracts awarded to Harris Broadcast adds HD channels to digital multiplexes in four major metropolitan areas. Each facility will be served with a new 6kW Harris Broadcast Maxiva ULX DVB-T2 transmitter. The second contract is for 19 Maxiva ULX transmitters, which will be used to roll out digital transmission to the regions of India. In the first instance, these will carry standard definition channels in their multiplexes, but the flexibility of the transmitter and infrastructure design allows for an easy upgrade to HD when the time comes.

     

    The Maxiva ULX is a liquid-cooled, solid-state transmitter built on a modular architecture for maximum flexibility in inputs, transmission standards and power outputs. By incorporating Harris Broadcast PowerSmart® technology, the Maxiva ULX uses the minimum energy for the radiated power, produces less heat and occupies the smallest footprint in the industry. Together, this provides simplified installation, easier maintenance and reduced total cost of ownership over the lifetime of the transmitter.