Category: Technology

SINGAPORE: Broadcasters – with their need to transport uncompressed studio-quality video – are the most demanding customers for video, voice and data networks. Broadcasters face an expensive and complicated future with the task of upgrading networks to enable digital terrestrial television, HDTV and Video on Demand (VOD) and upgrading data and telephony to meet today‘s standards, unless they can implement a single network that can meet all of these needs.

NetSight Sweden global director operations Thomas Wahlund threw light on how European broadcasters such as Eurovision and Broadcast Services Danmark have recently implemented unified Next Generation networks to provide video for contribution, distribution, and digital terrestrial television plus audio for radio, internet and even telephony.

“Using Asynchronous Serial Interface (ASI), a very common interface used to transport MPEG compressed video to satellite uplinks, between studios and for distribution in for example CATV networks, PCR jitter has to stay under 500 nanoseconds in order for a correct decoding to be done. Since the format is compressed, if only one of these frames arrives out of spectrum it could make the decoder loose synchronisation and it could take several seconds before the service is restored. In the ad-driven world of broadcasting even a few seconds of black screen is obviously unacceptable,” Wahlund said.

Delivery channels – terrestrial, cable and satellite, need to keep pace with the ever-increasing demands of the content to be streamed, the demands upon spectrum and the constant high and sometimes unreasonable expectations of the viewer.

Each professional uncompressed standard video stream requires 270Mbps, which is more than 50 times the requirement for a cable -TV movie. Due to the demands of video, broadcasters deploy separate networks for voice and data.

Broadcasters are now looking to upgrade their analogue TV networks with digital TV networks. Singapore, Japan, Australia and Taiwan have rolled out Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), and most Asian countries will do so in the coming years. With DTT or DVB-T, digital TV signals are transmitted from terrestrial antennas to digital TV receivers in the households. The benefits of this are lower operational costs, a higher picture quality and the ability to transmit up to four times more TV channels on the same frequency range.

Wahlund further added, “The requirements on video transport will also soon increase, as broadcasters change from SDTV to large – scale deployment of HDTV. As a norm, an HD feed takes up roughly four times the bandwidth of a standard definition feed. Today‘s delivery mechanisms will not be sufficient to handle the increased bandwidth. Broadcasters are now faced with a dilemma of upgrading their data and telephony networks to meet today‘s standards.”

In Europe, several major broadcasters have actively acquired their own networks. The European Broadcast Union (EBU) and Broadcast Service Danmark (BSD), the provider of analog and digital distribution of TV and radio in Denmark, each built its own next generation networks to provide video for contribution and distribution plus audio for radio, internet and even telephony.

“They are now using the networks to connect production studios with film banks, stadiums and other production sites. These optical networks handle a mix of video, audio, data and even telephony without massive over provisioning of bandwidth, delay, jitter and constant (and costly) traffic engineering. Broadcasters have been able to increase the services such as HD and VOD and they have also been able to improve workflow, and substantially save on operating and capital expenses,” Wahlund said.

“They are meeting the challenges of providing new services such as HDTV and digital television by building next generation multi-service fibre networks that can provide these services. They are achieving additional benefits by intelligently using the additional bandwidth these networks to provide state of the art contribution and distribution networks and upgraded data and telephony services. They are also benefiting from reduced operating expenses from a unified management system. This is proving to be a rare win-win proposition for all,” he concluded.

BANGALORE: Syniverse Technologies , a provider of technology services to wireless telecommunications companies worldwide, today announced that it has acquired the telecommunications business of Interactive Technology Holdings Limited (ITHL) for up to US$45 million in cash, including potential earn-out payments of up to US$7 million if certain financial goals are achieved.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, ITHL is a leading provider of value-added services to carriers in the Asia Pacific region. It has approximately 180 employees and nine regional offices including offices in Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan. The acquisition expands Syniverse‘s footprint in the Asia Pacific region, adds a complementary customer base, new products, advanced development capabilities, and in-region customer support.

“The acquisition of ITHL is an important step in Syniverse‘s strategic plan for global expansion and product development,” said Tony Holcombe, President and CEO of Syniverse Technologies. “ITHL provides many new customers, most of whom are GSM operators, and a strong set of advanced products, including prepaid, messaging, video and number portability products that complement Syniverse‘s existing suite of services. Additionally, ITHL expands our presence and provides us with additional development capabilities in the heart of the world‘s most advanced wireless market.”

ITHL chairman & CEO Raymond Cheung says, “The combination of Syniverse and ITHL‘s Telecommunications business represents a strong strategic fit and provides each company with expanded sales and marketing opportunities. The Asian wireless telecommunication carriers have been leaders in the adoption of 3G products, and ITHL has been a leader in 3G
solutions development for many years. With complementary product sets, we will be able to leverage Syniverse‘s scale and global customer base and will have an opportunity to provide these next-generation wireless solutions to other operators around the world.”

Syniverse will maintain ITHL‘s nine existing offices and gain approximately 180 full-time employees. The acquisition will be accounted for as a purchase transaction and is expected to be accretive to earnings in 2006.

MUMBAI: US net portal Lycos is working with the broadband TV platform PermissionTV to offer a variety of video programming to its 25 million visitors. PermissionTV is a system for media companies and content owners to distribute television programming via the Internet.

The two companies will team up to deliver a high quality TV entertainment solution to the nearly 25 million visitors to the Lycos Network of sites.

Lycos will use the PermissionTV platform to offer a variety of video programming to the Lycos audience. Lycos says that the deal reinforces its core strategy to provide consumers with quality video programming and entertainment enhanced with the interactivity of the web, and a platform for creators to showcase and market quality content.

Lycos CEO Alfred Tolle says, “We chose to work with PermissionTV because we considered it to be one of the most powerful broadband TV platforms available today, allowing us to offer high quality video to our end users that is television-centric, while providing our content partners their own customized channels with a completely unique look under the Lycos brand.

“By teaming with PermissionTV, Lycos is uniquely positioned to become a leader in the television internet space.” Lycos plans to leverage the PermissionTV platform to acquire a wide range of on-demand content from episodic television, to independent films and programming, to long-form films, providing a totally unique broadband based video experience.

PermissionTV CEO David Graves says, “The combination of Lycos‘s reach, and PermissionTV‘s advanced technology is an attractive proposition for video programmers who want to attract a large audience in the most compelling way. This platform makes it easy to get up and running, allowing content providers to build an audience for their own brands.”

For sponsors, the enhanced online programming offers exactly what they have been seeking: the targetability of web advertising with content that fit expectations of traditional TV viewers. With the PermissionTV platform, Lycos is able to offer media companies and content owners a new distribution channel with subscription, advertising or VOD (video on demand) packaging options. Advertisers get a robust and cost-effective way of reaching potential buyers, while viewers get a controllable on-demand viewing experience that feels like TV.

Tolle adds, “The era of merging the interactivity of the Web with traditional broadcast television programming is here. Lycos can bring an instant audience, immediate distribution and traffic, and consistently re- engage our users with new content, making this platform particularly attractive to content partners and advertisers alike.”

The first programming kicked off on 9 June 2006 with the launch of Lycos‘ behind- the-scenes video coverage of the soccer World Cup. For the remainder of World Cup, Lycos will give an insider‘s look at World Cup culture, featuring exclusive video from embedded Lycos videographers on the front lines, available only at worldcup.lycos.com and powered by PermissionTV. Additional programming will be launched in the coming weeks, including branded television- and movie- related offerings that lend themselves to mainstream audience demand.

MUMBAI: Online broadcaster MediaZone, has announced a partnership with the All England Lawn Tennis Club to provide live and on-demand broadband video coverage of Wimbledon.

The new service, Wimbledon Live, is available globally at www.wimbledon.org/live, and will include live and on-demand broadband broadcasts of more than 250 matches from up to nine concurrent courts — an unprecedented depth of coverage for this world-class event.

MediaZone CEO Michelle Wu says, “It is an incredible opportunity to serve as the Worldwide Broadband Partner to the Wimbledon Championships and provide the most in-depth tournament coverage available via the internet to date. The Wimbledon Live service we‘ve developed with the Club provides an intimate feel for the atmosphere at Wimbledon 2006 to tennis and sports enthusiasts around the world, allowing them to share the experience at their leisure throughout the championships.”

From the first round through the finals, Wimbledon Live will feature the most comprehensive full match coverage available, as well as three free Radio Wimbledon channels of live commentary and 10 hours of classic archive footage showcasing rallies and matches that have taken place throughout the history of the tournament. To better serve the international community, the entire site will be localized in Chinese and an overview of the subscription will be available in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Japanese.

Wimbledon Live will be integrated with the official Wimbledon website, www.wimbledon.org, which allows viewers to combine video coverage with player information as well as live scoring and statistics from all matches at the championships.

All England Lawn Tennis Club CEO Ian Ritchie says, “We are thrilled by the relationship forged with MediaZone to offer, for the first time in the 120 year history of Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, daily live online coverage of the tournament to tennis fans around the globe.

“Given MediaZone‘s extensive experience successfully broadcasting live sporting events globally via the Internet, we feel they are the ideal partner to distribute the tournament to audiences worldwide.”

A special advance order All Access Pass for Wimbledon Live is available for GBP 9.95 in the UK and $19.95 in the US and the rest of the world prior to the first day of competition.

MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra‘s Dishtv has expressed serious intent to increase its channel offerings on the direct-to-home (DTH) platform. The company has selected Scopus Video Networks, a provider of digital video networking products, to support this expansion.

The technology will help Dishtv pack up 28 channels per transponder, eight more than its current capacity. “We will be implementing this technology within a month. It is a better compression system without sacrificing the quality,” Essel Group director technology Amitabh Kumar tells Indiantelevision.com.

Dishtv has seven transponders on NSS-6, offering a total of 130 channels. “We are building up the capability to offer more channels on our DTH platform,” Kumar says.

Dishtv will use Scopus products to enhance its transponders‘ utilization and expand its already fast growing DTH market share throughout the Indian subcontinent. The decision to tie up with Scopus comes ahead of Tata Sky‘s DTH launch expected in July.

The deal brings to Dishtv‘s headend Scopus‘ full line of products including E-1200 encoders, IRD-2900 decoders, IVG-7100 intelligent video gateway (IVG) platforms and network management system software. Scopus is a Nasdaq-listed company.

Scopus‘ IVG platform will provide advanced video processing capabilities including joint transrating, grooming and bit rate shaping.

India is beginning its transition to digital TV in which the number of digital subscribers is expected to grow ten-fold within the next five years.

Says Kumar commented, “We operate in a complex web of multiple satellites and multiple carriers and the unique capabilities offered by Scopus‘ product line such as the Intelligent Video Gateway will help us optimize operations while minimizing cost and enhancing reliability in our operations. Scopus has also helped Dish TV achieve very high satellite utilization and bring down costs on a per channel basis.”

Scopus VP sales Eitan Koter stated, “We are honoured and delighted to continue doing business with the Essel Group, India‘s leading media conglomerate. This achievement is a testimony to our on-going commitment to our customers‘ success. Scopus is the only vendor that offers a full product portfolio under one roof, enabling us to provide simple solutions to complex requirements such as the ones posed by Dishtv.”

MUMBAI: The telecom sector is attracting investments not only in the global market but also in India. Citigroup Inc. has acquired a 6.3 per cent stake in telecom service provider Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL).

Disclosing this in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Citigroup has said that it now owns 18.61 million shares of VSNL. The The stake was bought through American Depositary Receipts listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

VSNL expects to see volume growth in voice and data business. The company recently bought out the internet assets of 7 Star, a Mumbai-based cable operator. VSNL also acquired for Rs 750 million Direct Internet Ltd and its wholly owned subsidiary Primus Telecommunications India Ltd to strengthen its broadband presence in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) segment.

The phone market is expanding rapidly in India. This has attracted global giants like Vodafone Group which bought a 10 per cent stake in Bharti Tele-Ventures.

SINGAPORE: So what if IPTV is still taking baby steps in India? Come 2015 and India is going to be the third most happening market for IPTV in the Asia Pacific region in terms of the number of households that will have the service, just behind China and Japan, according to projections by Kagan Research.

What‘s more, the total pay-TV revenues forecast are expected to grow from $13.1 billion in 2004 in the Asia Pacific region to an estimated $38.0 billion in 2015. On the other hand, IPTV revenue share will rise from 0.7 per cent in 2004 to 12.9 per cent in 2015. With this, telcos will capture a significant portion of Asia Pacific total pay-TV revenues.

At present, IPTV has been launched or is in the trial stages in the following countries in the Asia Pacific region: China (trial), Hong Kong, India (trial), Indonesia, Japan, Korea (trial), Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore (trial), Taiwan and Thailand (trial). In the countries, where IPTV is on a trial basis, operators are either running a trial in selected markets or lobbying respective regulators to lift their grip on pay TV licensing.

Some of the key considerations when planning a ‘Pay TV Service‘ are: ‘Pay‘ factor – who, how much, subsidies; ‘TV‘ factor- programs, user experience, positioning, potential revenue stream; ‘Service‘ factor- look and feel of service and customer service.

In terms of the content strategy, some of the trends in IPTV that can be followed in Asia are:

• Start with satellite turnaround signals which already have an Asian footprint as these require little inhouse programming expertise.

• Invest in brand-name channels to build critical mass and position as a ‘complementary‘ and not ‘substitute‘ service to traditional PayTV.

• In-house content department and capabilities give operators the edge, e.g. self-programmed channels, marketing, licensing and legal expertise.

• Local content/ self-programming are essential for competing with traditional Pay TV operators.

• PVR/ TiVo has started in Taiwan and Australia on traditional Pay TV platform

SINGAPORE: With more than 150 million Digital TV homes across the world, the debate has fast moved on from ‘whether internet will do to TV, what TV did to radio years back!

The morning session on the changing face of television at Broadcast Asia 2006, brought home the fact that from the first launches of MPEG -2DVB broadcast platforms, the industry is seeing a new wave in TV delivery, which is being driven by intense competition amongst platform operators across the world.

Speaking on the occasion, Tandberg Television Asia Pacific president Graham Cradock said, “Research indicates that by 2010, more than 50 per cent of TV viewing is going to be on -demand basis. Consumers are already reacting favourably and adopting the new technological changes. There are 10 million High-definition (HDTV) subscribers in the US and The desire to watch the recent World Cup Fever has added on to the HDTV households across the globe including countries like Korea and Japan.”

Quoting from a study conducted by Ernst and Young in the US, Cradock added that in this digital decade, it takes very little time for people to adopt to newer technologies. So, it took almost 16 years for mobile to catch on, nine years for the internet, DVDs took six years to bust the video business; but for digital TV, it will probably take just very little time. He added, “Across the world more than ten per cent of the digital TV homes have shifted to on-demand basis. By 2010, we predict more than 50 the per cent of TV viewing is going to be on demand basis.”

The key message here is that the consumer has fast changed in the last five years. The availability of increasingly sophisticated personal media services has created a new generation of digital savvy consumers. With devices such as digital camera and video phones, MP3 players, personal video players and gaming consoles the use of WiFi to connect to the internet, the consumer is becoming a more and more accustomed to living in a world where he or she can access content anywhere.

So, what does this mean for the consumer and for broadcasters? Well, in the on-demand economy, obviously content remains king and consumer the real winner. Television will not offer more customized content supported by technology to go with the new multi media solutions like internet protocol television (IPTV) and high-definition technology. To add on it will be features like personal video recording, digital audio broadcasting (DAB) and conditional access control.

Cradock stressed the fact that there was not much customised content for television, “Television content, will have to be repurposed to suit the delivery platforms. And there is a growing cohabitative relationship between television, the Internet and to some extent mobile too. The challenge in the future is to make them complimentary to each other,” he said.

So, how are broadcasters gearing up to the challenges of Digital TV and the emergence of convergence?

Said Cradock, “The changing face of television is giving sleepless nights to many broadcasters, as the order will question the fundamental parameters of TV viewing. From the commercial perspective, fragmented content will obviously reduce advertising revenue. Also, they have to make sure that consumers have the screens which support the newer technologies. The complex TV world will also bring about legislative issues in the wake of digital switchover, access rights, franchising fees, etc.”

Graham listed out the survival strategy in the changing scenario:

Don‘t get anxious. Instead, get enthusiastic about the changes and adapt to them. Like, New Zealand is already talking about the digital switchover and opening up the bandwidth to cater to interactive television.

In IPTV, see an opportunity for delivery for interactive TV

Fragmentad and customized content will mean a drop in revenues but there is a positive side to it. Look at branded content, which will deliver more return on investment (RoI) for the advertisers.

For advertisers, it will be a win-win situation; at least now they‘ll get to know what works best for them.

Remember, earlier it was content to the consumer, and now it is content for the consumer.