Globecast, WinMedia Partner With Turnkey Solution for Satellite TV November 6^th 2014 - 11:32 AM

WinMedia, vendor of content management software for broadcasters, and Orange’s media services company Globecast, have agreed to integrate and distribute each other’s technologies. The tools to prepare, plan and playout the content encompassed in WinMedia solutions have been combined with Globecast’s satellite delivery platform. Six leading TV chann…

Smart TVs as set top box replacements transfer capex to consumers November 3^rd 2014 - 04:21 PM

Amid all the talk of set top box (STB) virtualization an important underlying question is how much functionality is moved to the cloud and what is retained on the customer premises. This is important because it will play a major part in shaping the economics of STB virtualization, depending on…

Broadcasters Need New Skills For Negotiating SLAs Over IP October 31^st 2014 - 02:36 PM

Broadcasters are increasingly migrating to IP based data networks for video distribution to cut costs and reach new audiences, but some are then finding it difficult to negotiate rigorous SLAs (Service Level Agreements) that underpin performance, robustness and availability. Part of the problem is that Telcos and others providing the…

Industry Reacts To HEVC License Fees October 31^st 2014 - 10:22 AM

When the MPEG LA licensing organization, released its final Patent Portfolio License fee structure for High Efficiency Video Coding (“HEVC License”) for using the technology behind the latest generation compression scheme, many in the industry were quite prepared and are now saying all is well…. although it took longer than many ha…

Cloud-based Playout – Meeting the Changing needs of the Industry October 30^th 2014 - 01:57 PM

The broadcast industry is characterised by a desire to increase efficiencies while remaining as cost-effective as possible. This is especially important considering the prevalence of the multi-platform content delivery environment. Here, the two most crucial drivers for broadcasters and content owners are quality and cost-effectiveness. Broadcasters are striving to balance…

HBO and CBS’s Move to Internet Subscriptions Spawns Fear of “Fragmentation” in Online Video Market October 27^th 2014 - 07:30 PM

Is today’s cable subscription model about to break? Will cable companies find cord cutters destroying their lucrative model—the one where you pay for 100 channels and watch only 10? The company Piksel says yes—maybe, but the giant content holders have to be careful.

Are You Ready for Spectrum Repacking? October 24^th 2014 - 09:59 AM

The broadcast television industry is facing yet another major transition: the reverse auction of television channel assignments followed by the repacking of spectrum in the 600MHz band to make room for mobile wireless services.

Mobile tops CDN Summit October 22^nd 2014 - 05:16 PM

The needs of mobile operators have leapt up the CDN (Content Delivery Network) agenda, reflecting the fast growing consumption of high bandwidth content on the move, chiefly video. As a result MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) had top billing at the recent CDN World Summit in London and not just as…

How Satellites Will Fuel the Next Wave of Journalism October 22^nd 2014 - 04:56 PM

In recent years, major events such as the Arab Spring and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake have brought the role of citizen journalists into global prominence. As mainstream news outlets adapt to this emerging trend, professional journalists and average citizens alike can explore the use of satellite technology as a key…

OTT broadcast passes tipping point as HBO and CBS leap aboard the waggon October 21^st 2014 - 12:12 PM

The tipping point for OTT broadcast services was surely passed when on successive days HBO and CBS announced they were cutting their own cords with announcements of online-only subscription services. Analysts such as UK based Rethink Technologies are right to assert that these moves will start the dominoes falling not…