Teletext-DVB subtitle transcoder will make life easier in multi-format world

SysMedia has launched its new teletext-to-DVB subtitle transcoder, the SDR7, which extracts teletext subtitles from an analogue video signal and converts them to the equivalent DVB (digital video) subtitles. SysMedia says the SDR7 is a simple and reliable solution for broadcasters in a world of multiple formats. "It will also assist in the need to comply with ever-tightening legislation in terms of subtitle provision," the company notes.

Free planning for 1.7Mbps standard-definition over DSL with ATEME’s Kyrion

French TV-over-DSL provider Free is about to deliver standard-definition TV channels at 1.7Mbps using the new Kyrion MPEG-4 AVC video encoder from ATEME. The company is introducing the compression system for 18 channels and it is expected that the reduced bandwidth per channel will enable Free to sign up subscribers who previously were unable to receive IPTV due to their distance from a DSLAM.

SeaChange launches flash-only server; claims five times usual life expectancy

SeaChange International unveiled a 100 per cent flash memory based solution for  storing on-demand television last month, with the vendor claiming it will empower  television operators to push their streaming resources to the network edge and deploy centralised content libraries. There are no spinning disks and that should result in increased reliability - especially important for time-shift TV.

Narrowstep powers popular Internet TV channels from Telefonica

Telefonica has been trialling two Internet TV (broadband TV/online TV) channels - Terra TV Spain (www.terra.ES) and Terra TV Peru (www.terra.com.PE) - using Narrowstep's telvOS technology. Terra TV Spain attracted over 300,000 unique viewers in March while Terra TV Peru is said to be converting 10 per cent of its portal visitors to TV viewers.

Optibase MPEG-4 AVC encoders deployed for Indian IPTV

UTStarcom, which provides end-to-end IP-based networking solutions, is integrating Optibase's MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) MGW 5100 IPTV encoding platforms into its RollingStream IPTV solution being deployed at Aksh Optifibre Limited in India. Aksh is an optical fibre manufacturer that has evolved to manage the software, hardware, service set-up and content delivery for the IPTV service launched in Delhi in October 2006. The company has entered into a seven-year agreement with MTNL to provide IPTV services in Delhi and Mumbai.

Rohde & Schwarz  offers new UHF/VHF low-power transmitters

The new Rohde & Schwarz  SLx8000 family of transmitters are optimised for low power digital and analogue TV, covering UHF and VHF frequency ranges and supporting DVB-T, DVB-H and ATSC. They are available in three power ranges: up to 100W for DVB-T/H, 160W for ATSC and 250W for analogue.

EGT invites cable community to “build your dream edge video processor”

Headend and video processing technology vendor, EGT, is inviting cable engineers and technicians to design their dream edge video processor. The company says it is welcoming all design ideas and plans at its online application, ‘Build The Next EGT HEMi Video Processor’.

R&S transmission test platform covers all digital TV standards

Rohde & Schwarz has added video and audio baseband generator for PAL, SECAM and NTSC to its successful R&S SFU universal broadcast test system. This product generates test signals in accordance with important global digital TV standards and another new feature is the R&S ATV-video test signal library. Additional test methods in the automotive field are also now possible with the DAB, DRM and, soon, ISDB-Tsb options.

Catch up on the most read stories from our last newsletter

The most read stories from our last New Video Technology newsletter (published mid-May) were, in order: VBR and statmuxing introduced on VOD and Switched Digital Video; Cisco adds Internet Streaming to Content Delivery System; and TANDBERG Television unveils next-generation universal edge-QAM. Catch up with these and the rest of the top five stories from last time via the links contained here...

Set-top box semiconductor costs will stop falling due to DVR, wireless, etc.

IMS Research estimates that the average semiconductor bill of materials cost (BOM) for set-top boxes dropped 37 per cent from 2004 to 2006, going from $59 to $37. This significant drop was caused primarily by rapidly falling prices for MPEG-2 core decoder chips in preparation for the transition to MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) – both in HD and SD segments. However, the US-based research company is forecasting that due to a number of factors, this trend will change, and from 2007-2011 the overall average cost of a set-top box semiconductor BOM will stay near $41.

Motorola  to acquire Modulus Video after two year ‘courtship’

Motorola, Inc. is set to acquire Modulus Video, one of the pioneers of MPEG-4 AVC encoding. The two companies have been working together closely for two years with Motorola reselling Modulus solutions into IPTV, cable and satellite  operators in what has been a win-win partnership.

ANGA growth reflects buoyant European cable market

ANGA Cable, the Cologne-based but increasingly pan-European cable exhibition, attracted 10,000 trade visitors in May, with 367 companies from 31 countries exhibiting, covering 20,000 square metres of exhibition space. The event has grown dramatically in the last few years: in 2004 there were 6,312 visitors and 215 exhibitors. Attendance in 2006 was 9,404, with 308 exhibitors.

The Third Annual C-COR Global IP Summit, June 28-29, 2007 – Cannes, France

The Power of Personalization: Capitalizing on Personalized Services in a Multi-Screen World

Global Broadband Leaders Kick Off Third Annual C-COR Global IP Summit to Tackle the Future of Personalized Services in a Multi-Screen World

Amino outlines product and growth strategies

Amino Communications, which has shipped one million IPTV set-top boxes, will maintain its focus on pure IPTV devices unless a "gold plated opportunity" presents itself that means the company can no longer ignore the market for hybrid IP/DVB set-top boxes. Read our profile of Amino's current product and growth strategies in this story...

CA and DRM unite for enhanced mobile TV content protection

SafeNet, Inc. and Irdeto have announced a mobile TV content protection partnership that is said to unite Conditional Access and Digital Rights Management (DRM) and therefore “reduce risk and uncertainty for broadcasters and operators”. SafeNet's DRM Fusion Toolkit4TV will be integrated into Irdeto's mobile broadcast CA  solution, supporting - the vendors claim - all networks and protection standards.

ATEME’s MPEG-4 AVC encoders used for Ultra-HD demonstration

ATEME SA’s encoding technology has been selected for use in the first public Ultra HD demonstration with MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) by NHK in Tokyo. NHK has already started testing Ultra HD, which includes a resolution of 7680 x 4320 and is said to deliver a picture up to 16 times clearer than normal HDTV. Super-fast Ultra HD cameras in prototype form can capture data at a rate of 4,000 frames per second.

Brix Networks will offer live video stream monitoring this month

Brix Networks will expand its IPTV service assurance portfolio at the end of June with a product that enables service providers to monitor live video streams. This is part of the company's strategy to provide end-to-end visibility of IP-based video services.

Feature: content protection for VOD and push-VOD

John Moulding reports on two significant developments in VOD content protection: the proliferation of forensic watermarking solutions and Conditional Access with DRM for push-VOD. This feature was first published in the May/June printed edition of New Video Technology magazine.

Envivio points way towards publish once, distribute anywhere

Envivio Inc. is helping to make the concept of 'publish once, distribute anywhere' a reality with its new 4Caster C4 IP-based encoding platform, a solution designed to encode a single channel input into multiple resolutions and bit rates to suit the needs of standard-definition, mobile TV and Internet TV - all simultaneously.

Kudelski group reaping the benefits of mobile/IPTV R&D investments

Andre Kudelski, Chairman and CEO of the Kudelski Group, says the incremental CHF 60 million R&D investments made in mobile TV, IPTV, push VOD, advanced smartcards and Conditional Access Modules (CAMs) from the second half of 2005 has bought immediate returns for the group, which includes Nagravision, Lysis, Quative and now OpenTV. He says the company anticipates revenues of CHF 100 million from these activities this year adding: "Not one of these investments has shown to be a bad one."

Numericable's hybrid VOD highlights Kudelski's expanded digital ecosystem

French cable operator Numericable and Kudelski Group are cooperating on a benchmark deployment that combines IP-based VOD over cable last mile infrastructure using DOCSIS as the video delivery mechanism, and IP-based VOD over DSL to consumers added to the 'cable' network using broadband telephone lines. It also incorporates push-VOD to Digital Video Recorders.

TANDBERG Television promises a new standard for mobile encoding

TANDBERG Television has unveiled its first dedicated mobile TV encoder/transcoder, claiming that the new TANDBERG mPlex offers the best density-to-performance ratio in the market. The new product supports eight channel outputs from a single rack unit but according to Giles Wilson, Senior Vice President, Technology, the real benefit to mobile TV service providers is the premium picture quality heritage TANDBERG is now offering.

SeaChange International preparing to enable UGC-VOD on cable

'White Rabbit' is the internal name SeaChange International has given to its proposed solution for putting user-generated content (UGC) into cable and IPTV VOD systems for delivery to the television as MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 AVC streams. That is an appropriate working name as this is the kind of clever 'trick' that Pay TV operators need to make their services more attractive to the broadband generation.

RRSat opens MCPC platform at 121 degrees West

RRSat has started operating a new Multiple Channels Per Carrier (MCPC) platform on the Galaxy 23 satellite located at 121 degrees West. The new C-Band platform, acquired through a deal with Intelsat, will serve a growing number of broadcasters wishing to enter the North American market by connecting to the leading cable and DTH operators there.

IPTV World Series Awards: profiles of winning solutions

Five companies were rewarded for technology and product marketing excellence at this year's IPTV World Series Awards, which made their debut at the IPTV World Forum conference and exhibition in London at the start of March. The winning products are profiled in the May/June issue of New Video Technology magazine and you can also read those reports here....

VBR and statmuxing introduced on VOD and Switched Digital Video

Imagine Communications has been using The Cable Show (NCTA) in Las Vegas this month to highlight its significant claims for a 50 per cent increase in VOD and Switched Digital Video (SDV) QAM throughput, which is courtesy of the introduction of VBR and statistical multiplexing on these service categories. Traditionally VOD has been a Single Programme Transport Stream (SPTS) service using Constant Bit Rate, so has not benefited from statistical multiplexing gains.

TANDBERG Television unveils next-generation universal edge-QAM

TANDBERG Television (now part of the Ericsson Group) has unveiled next-generation QAM technology that will help cable operators achieve the long-held ambition of routing Video on Demand, broadcast TV, high-speed data and now Switched Digital Video (SDV) services through the same device. This universal edge-QAM approach means QAMs can be allocated flexibly depending on service need.