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Issue: May 09, 2008
Top Stories
LG, Samsung Agree to Develop, Promote US Mobile TV Standard
Two of the major competitors for a U.S. broadcast mobile TV service have teamed up to propose a jointly developed standard.
LG Electronics and Samsung announced the agreement in advance of the first field tests for the ATSC M/H mobile TV standard, expected to be delivered to the Advanced Television Systems Committee on Thursday. The results, derived from the “Independent Demonstration of Viability” (IDOV) tests conducted earlier this year, will help the ATSC determine the final standard. It hopes to roll out an M/H mobile TV standard in time for the analog full-power shutoff in February 2009.
The tests were conducted by the Open Mobile Video Coalition, a consortium of broadcasters and manufacturers promoting a mobile TV standard for U.S. broadcasters.
The agreement, signed in Seoul, South Korea, home to the two consumer electronics giants, called for the two companies to cooperate in order to assure rapid adoption by the ATSC. The companies said that the technology for the jointly proposed system will reflect the findings of the IDOV. LG has teamed up with Harris Corp. to develop a standard it calls MPH; Samsung has partnered with Rohde & Schwarz on its own standard, A-VSB. The OMVC included a third standard proposal from Micronas and Thomson in the IDOV.
“LG and Samsung are already world-class in digital TV and mobile communications,” said LG President and Chief Technology Officer Woo Paik. “Through this collaboration, we also have an opportunity to lead the North American mobile TV market.”
ATSC President Mark Richer said that the organization’s final decision will weigh heavily on what its specialist group determines is the best technology, regardless of proposal.
“Samsung and LG have not announced their joint technical strategy for the ATSC standard, they just announced that they have one,” Richer said. “I think [LG and Samsung’s] decisions will be based on the IDOV report and the conversations with our specialist group.”
DTV Test Market Raises Hopes, Questions
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, joined by broadcasters and officials from his home state of North Carolina, triumphantly announced the nation’s first DTV pilot program Thursday. Most broadcasters in the coastal town of Wilmington will shut off their analog signals for good on Labor Day, Sept. 8, to spot and solve kinks in the digital transition, they said.
Martin rated the move with another North Carolina first, the Wright brothers famed airplane flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903. But Democratic Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein quickly countered the euphoria, praising Wilmington (DMA No. 135) for taking such a key step in the “uncoordinated DTV transition process,” and urging the commission to launch the same kind of efforts elsewhere in the country.
“Such a level of coordination is truly unprecedented,’ Adelstein said. “I hope it will give the commission a wakeup call about how daunting the task is that lies before us. ... We must address the different question of whether we have similar comprehensive plan for the rest of America. Do we have a coordinated plan?”
The enthusiasm and advanced digital buildout of Wilmington broadcasters, along with the area’s low reliance on over-the-air TV (about 7.5 percent) make it a good place to try a transition, broadcasters and officials noted. The FCC will have staff on hand essentially nonstop through the big day, and Martin touted planned outreach efforts to civic groups and participation in a list of the kind of local events (state fair, blueberry festival) that someone running for office mind find himself at.
“If you don’t know that the transition’s coming in Wilmington, you won’t be breathing,” said Jim Goodmon, president of digital pioneer Capitol Broadcasting Co., which owns WILM (Ch. 10), a low-power CBS affiliate in Wilmington.
That’s exactly the kind of extra effort that caused Adelstein to warn against drawing false conclusions about other markets. Will the FCC send staff to blueberry festivals and strawberry festivals in other areas, he asked?
“Will we gain a false sense of complacency?” Adelstein asked. “Ad hoc efforts are not a substitute for a thoughtful coordinated plan. Every community in America deserves nothing less than what we will put into Wilmington.”
The idea for the test market came from Commissioner Michael Copps, who picked it up from the United Kingdom, where the DTV transition is happening market by market, and station by station within each market.
Martin said the FCC approached many broadcasters but found fewer than 10 markets where all the broadcasters had their digital signals at full power and ready to go. Martin said additional pilot programs were possible.
NAB issued a statement praising the development, but with several concerns.
“How will the government ensure retailer coordination so that enough coupon-certified converter boxes will be available given the increased demand of the early shut-off date?” NAB asked. “How will the government prioritize converter box coupon application requests originating from the Wilmington DMA, given the current national backlog of coupon requests?”
The experiment won’t end all analog signals in Wilmington. The public TV station has no independent content outside of its state network, so messages warning of the Sept. 8 shutoff would have gone all over the state and caused possible confusion, said a UNC TV spokesman. The station will also remain the key analog TV source for emergency information in the area.
One low-power station, a MyNetworkTV affiliate, operates only in analog and will not participate in the experiment. Also, viewers with good antennas may still be able to receive signals from neighboring markets.
Broadcasters and commission staff also discussed the possibility of leaving the analog channel on with only a message informing people of the transition and directing them to instructions on how to receive DTV.
Andy Combs, general manager of ABC affiliate WWAY, said local broadcasters were approached by the North Carolina Broadcasters Association.
“My immediate response was no, just like everybody else,” he said.
Combs’ main initial fear was losing satellite viewers. But Dish and DirecTV agreed to get digital receivers in place to handle the signals. Martin also said positive feedback, but not commitments, had been received from local cable providers.
Once that concern was addressed, Combs said, the positives outweighed the negatives. If there is a problem, he noted, Wilmington will have the full attention of the FCC. Plus, there is significant cost savings in shutting down the analog transmitters.
It will be busy summer for local engineers; the market is also slated to complete its 2 GHz digital transition for BAS gear in August.
He said the phone has already been ringing with people concerned about emergency alerts during hurricane season. But the public broadcaster will remain in analog and battery-operated DTVs are available for as little as $200, Combs noted. And, the public will have to face the same question in fall 2009 in any case.
“We are going to be prepared as a market, much better than the rest of the country,” he said.
Orlando Stations to Test Analog Shutoff
About the same time that the FCC announced its trial analog shutoff experiment in the Wilmington, N.C. market, an alliance of 11 Orlando, Fla. stations announced that they too will do their own analog shutoff test this summer.
Starting in June and lasting through the end of the year, 11 participating stations will be involved in three separate tests. The first one is scheduled for June 25, 2008 at 7:59 p.m.; each test will last approximately one minute and all broadcast stations will participate simultaneously. The tests will be promoted on air prior to the test, and during each test, and, in the tradition of emergency alert system tests, the stations will first alert viewers and explain the test. The screens will then go dark for several seconds, as each station simulates the termination of the analog broadcast by removing the video signal that feeds the analog transmitter.
Viewers watching the signal on each station’s digital broadcasts and on cable and satellite systems, will be notified onscreen that they have successfully passed the test. At the test’s conclusion, viewers who were greeted with a blank screen will be notified that they need to take corrective action and try again during the next scheduled test. In addition, during the tests, each station will provide information to help viewers who need to take corrective action and resources for additional DTV transition assistance.
Stations participating in the tests include:
- WESH-TV, Channel 2 (Hearst-Argyle Television)
- WKMG-TV, Channel 6 (Post Newsweek)
- WFTV-TV, Channel 9 (Cox Enterprises)
- WCEU-TV, Channel 15 (Daytona Beach Community College District)
- WKCF-TV, Channel 18 (Hearst-Argyle Television)
- WMFE-TV, Channel 24 (Community Communications, Inc.)
- WVEN-TV, Channel 26, Entravision Communications Corp.)
- WRDQ-TV, Channel 27 (Cox Enterprises)
- WOTF-TV, Channel 43 (Univision)
- WTGL-TV, Channel 45 (Good Life Broadcasting)
- WBCC-TV, Channel 68 (Brevard Community College)
Richard Mann, consortium spokesperson and chief engineer with WESH/WKCF-TV, said the test will provide members with the information needed to assess the potential success of the February 2009 scheduled shutoff.
“One of the biggest questions viewers have is ‘will this affect me?’” Mann said. “This test will answer that. To the best of our knowledge, the market-wide test we’re proposing has not been utilized or attempted by any other alliance of broadcasters in the country.”
Court Denies CBA Petition on Analog Pass-Through
A D.C. district court this week denied a petition from low power broadcasters to block the sale of DTV converter boxes without analog pass-through.
The move effectively ends the Community Broadcasters Association’s efforts go through the courts to force the FCC to comply with the All Channel Receiver Act, which the association said requires all DTV converter boxes on the market to offer analog pass-through that would allow viewers to continue to receive broadcasts from low power and Class A broadcaster after the Feb. 17, 2009 high-power analog shut-off. The lawsuit was filed in late March. While high-power broadcasters will be required to cease analog broadcasters after Feb. 17, 2009, low power broadcasters do not have a deadline to cutover to digital only.
The court’s decision was swift and succinct, denying CBA’s petition without comment. According to CBA Executive Director Amy Brown, the court effectively told the association that it had not exhausted all its efforts
“They didn’t believe there was enough merit for us to take it to the courts,” Brown said. “We still had room to wiggle with the FCC and there was not reason enough for them to make a declaratory ruling.”
Brown said the association will not appeal but will rather concentrate its efforts on forcing the FCC’s hand to comply with the act.
“We need the FCC to act on our petition,” Brown said, adding that “we believe they were waiting for the court ruling.”
In a statement, the CBA noted that in a conference call between state broadcaster associations and the NAB DTV transition task force this week, the NAB acknowledged that currently, no converter boxes that pass through analog signals are available in retail stores. Brown speculated that it was because the boxes “weren’t recognized as needed until after the program was launched.”
In response to the CBA’s statement, an NAB spokeswoman said, “It is our understanding that there are few analog pass-through converter boxes currently available for purchase at brick-and-mortar retailers.”
Brown accused the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the government organization in charge of the DTV converter box program, of ignoring the needs of the low power TV community.
“The NTIA went about it the wrong way,” Brown said. “They implemented their own rules and ignored a whole community that will continue to be analog.”
In addition to concentrating its lobbying efforts on the FCC, Brown said that the association would also urge more funding for low power and Class A broadcasters to transition to digital, asking Congress to increase the number of such stations eligible for funds.
“We’re asking for $150,000 for low power and Class A stations to help them offset their purchase of transmission equipment only,” she said. “We figure $150,000 will get them to transition to digital quickly.”
Despite the petition dismissal, Brown feels that the CBA’s efforts weren’t all for naught, noting that when the original petition was filed in March, only five boxes approved by the FCC had analog pass-through; now there are 14. CBA President Ron Bruno told Congress this week that the NTIA has certified 82 boxes.
“We feel victorious that we made our industry visible in the eyes of Washington,” she said. “We made our industry more aware of the need for pass-through boxes. We hope the FCC agrees with us and mandates that all boxes feature analog pass-through. These are our hopes.”
In a statement, the Consumer Electronics Association, which has vehemently opposed CBA’s efforts, said that the transition to DTV is “on track and is working,” but accused the CBA of trying to stifle progress.
“Every industry and government entity with an interest in DTV is engaged in tireless education efforts, with the notable exception of CBA, which instead devotes its considerable energy to lawsuits, attacks on hard working government employees, and self-serving public relations campaigns,” the spokesman said. “For the small number of Americans who receive television signals from low power stations that refuse to migrate to DTV, the CBA and its member companies have a duty to educate them about their myriad options (including 14 NTIA-certified converter boxes with pass-through capability) to continue watching free, over-the-air television. Now that all three branches of government have rejected CBA’s transparent and self-serving campaign, perhaps CBA will join the hundreds of organizations and thousands of Americans working to ensure the successful transition to DTV.”
FCC/Regulatory
Cablers Seek More Dual-Carriage Exemptions
Operators of small (less than 552 MHz) cable systems have convinced the FCC they should be exempt from the commission’s September 2007 order for dual digital-analog carriage of local broadcasters.
But the exemption may not be enough, say some cable companies, and it should be broadened to include systems that have very few subscribers or homes passed, regardless of the system bandwidth.
Charter Communications, the nation’s third-largest cabler with some 5.7 million subscribers, reminded the FCC that it has justified relief in other matters for systems with fewer than 5,000 subs. Charter said dual carriage on all its systems with more than 552 MHz but fewer than 3,000 subscribers will top $5.8 million.
Mediacom, the nation’s eight-largest MSO, with 1.5 million subscribers, called for an exemption for its 45 systems with fewer than 500 subs (averaging just 96 subs) and fewer than 2,500 homes passed.
In a May 2 FCC filing, Mediacom cited its expected costs for compliance. The digital transition itself means the systems need demodulators at $2,400 per channel per system. For one system in Illinois with 15 local broadcasters and just 10 subscribers, that’s $36,000, or $3,600 per sub, to receive digital signals and convert them to analog.
The dual-carriage requirement would add still more burdens—namely an 8-VSB processor, at $1,600 or more per channel, the company said.
These small systems offer very low-cost service—as little as $11.35 per month for its most limited packages, the company said.
“Absent an appropriate exemption, the most apparent destiny for systems like these is for them to be shut down,” Mediacom told the FCC.
Charter cites as an example one of its Chicago-area systems with 2,117 basic subs, 1,238 digital subs and 15 local broadcasters—14 carried only in analog and one in both digital and analog. For each of the 14 stations to be added in digital, the company will need an 8-VSB processor ($2,400), a digital mux ($1,892), a QAM modulator ($440) and, in each of about 20 percent of the cases, a digital receive antenna ($3,000). In all, the company pegs simulcasting costs at $77,000 for the small system.
“The high capital investment cost per customer of digital simulcasting to small consumer groups disproportionately harms rural customers who would be better served by investment in increased broadband deployment and speeds nationwide, even in our smallest communities,” Charter told the FCC May 6.
The company’s filings don’t mention HD carriage of the local stations, which is also required for those local stations that broadcast in HD.
NAB reminded the commission not to forget about the viewers.
“As it considers such requests, the commission should particularly focus on the needs of consumers, many of whom have invested in new television sets with the expectation of watching high-definition (HD) content, including the HD signals of local broadcast stations,” NAB said in a filing.
NAB Asks President Bush to Step up to the DTV Plate
NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr sent a letter to President George W. Bush this week appealing to the powers that be to compliment broadcasters efforts and take on a more active and visible role in getting the word out about the digital transition. Rehr compared it to that of the effort for the Year 2000 (Y2K) changeover.
“The DTV transition will fundamentally change the way the American people get news about their communities, emergency situations and entertainment. We want to enlist the help of the federal government and the Administration to ensure that happens as seamlessly as possible,” Rehr said in the letter.
Rehr said so far about 80 percent of consumers are aware of the transition that will occur on Feb. 17, 2009, however many people are still learning about the options to receive a digital signal. To compliment NAB’s campaign that includes on-air, online and grassroots initiatives, Rehr is asking President Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney to participate in a DTV educational TV spot, include a link to DTV information on every government Web site, display DTV transition posters in all U.S Postal Service offices, include DTV transition flyers in government checks and in all government payroll statements, and produce a DTV transition postage stamp authorized by the U.S. Postal Service.
Rehr said the combined efforts would make it as successful as Y2K, a bug that was a potential time bomb for all major computer applications. Information technology companies around the world spent billions of dollars to fix the problem and inform the public. As a result of this joint effort, no major problems were reported.
“We will need a similar effort of such scale for the DTV transition to succeed,” Rehr said.
NAB to FCC: Don’t Retreat on Ownership
The National Association of Broadcasters opposes those who wish to overturn the FCC’s rule easing cross-ownership restrictions.
In a 32-page filing submitted to the commission, the trade group said the reform that passed in December is modest and makes no changes to the TV duopoly and local radio ownership rules.
NAB was responding to a petition to deny filed by Common Cause, a public interest group, seeking to restore the cross-ownership ban. The rule since 1975 has prohibited one entity from owning both a daily newspaper and either a TV or radio station in the same market.
“Claims in the petition that the ‘exceptions’ could ‘swallow’ the revised rule and somehow harm the public interest are unmeritorious,” the NAB argued. “Under the revised rules, applicants will in fact have a high hurdle to gain approval for proposed newspaper/broadcast combinations (especially newspaper/television combinations) outside the top 20 Designated Market Areas,” it wrote.
There also is no justification to roll back radio ownership limits, argued NAB. “Due to the growing numbers of audio outlets, increasing audience fragmentation and increased competition for advertising, there clearly are no competition-related bases for rolling back the current levels of local radio ownership,” it wrote.
(Radio World)
State of Missouri Plans Next-Gen EAS
SpectraRep won a contract from the state of Missouri to deploy a statewide emergency alert system, an upgrade to that state’s EAS and Alert Missouri programs.
The company is part of BIA Financial Network, based in Chantilly, Va.; it markets technologies for the broadcast delivery of data over various media channels.
SpectraRep was hired to deploy its AlertManager system to provide public alert and warning capabilities for managing and issuing AMBER Alerts. Another goal is to communicate homeland security and all hazards warnings and instructions for certain populations and locations. A state Web site reports the value of the contract at around $220,000, not including ongoing service support; a state contracting official said the total value of the contract is around $438,000. SpectraRep was the only bidder.
AlertManager is an emergency notification capability based on the Common Alerting Protocol, or CAP.
Benefits of the system include enhanced security, improved warning system coordination and simplified operational procedures without disruption to existing EAS facilities or programs, according to the supplier.
It quoted Don Hicks, president of the state broadcasters’ association, saying the state wants to overcome limitations in its current method of distributing AMBER alerts.
The AlertManager Alert Server Core and Command Center interface will allow authorities to enable EAS messages, along with audio and other multimedia such as video, maps, digital photos and documents, SpectraRep stated.
“The AlertManager deployment will connect 56 broadcast locations to the Missouri State Highway Patrol as the AMBER Alert origination point.”
The system is described as a state network for the dissemination of digital CAP-based public alert and warnings direct to radio, television and cable sites.
According to SpectraRep: “The system is built as a network-centric capability for government agencies, and provides secure multipath transmission via satellite, DTV data broadcast and VPN networks. For broadcast EAS at television stations and cable head-ends, the system allows officials to generate text-crawls and audio broadcasts of messages in real-time to warn the general public. The system also provides a foundation for interoperability with other alerting systems, enabling authorities to deliver complete, consistent and coordinated warning messages to the public.”
(Radio World)
Business
Harris Ponders Sale
Harris Corp., a 113-year old company with extensive roots in defense, telecommunications and the broadcast industry, is considering selling the company, according to the Wall Street Journal.
According to sources familiar with the process, the Melbourne-Fla.-based company, which has a market capitalization of $7.3 billion, is only in the exploratory stages and that the company could still decide not to sell. Potential suitors listed in the Journal article include Raytheon, BAE Systems and Northrup Grumman.
The article speculates that the company thinks its growth potential in the defense industry is “less attractive” than anytime since Sept. 11, 2001. Harris has about 16,000 employees and reported $5.1 billion in revenues and net income of $410 million over the last 12 months, ending March 28, 2008.
The Broadcast Communications segment of Harris Corp. posted revenue of $159 million in the third quarter of its 2008 fiscal year (ending March 28), an increase of 14 percent compared to the prior-year quarter.
Emmis Exits TV Business
Emmis Communications Corp. is selling off its last TV station, Fox affiliate WVUE in New Orleans. The company said it has agreed to sell the station to Louisiana Media Co., principally owned by Tom Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints.
The purchase price is $41 million, with after-tax proceeds expected to be approximately $35.5 million. In addition, Emmis retains net working capital, which is expected to be approximately $4 million.
The sale of WVUE completes the divestiture of Emmis’ television assets. Since announcing its intent to exit the television business in May 2005, Emmis has sold all of its 16 television stations, resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $1.24 billion.
“Our results from selling these stations have delivered substantial value to our shareholders and positioned us to focus on our core radio and publishing operations,” said Jeff Smulyan, Emmis Chairman and CEO.
Emmis purchased WVUE-TV along with three other Fox affiliates (KHON-TV in Honolulu; WALA-TV in Mobile, Ala.; and WLUK-TV in Green Bay, Wis.) in July of 1998 from SF Broadcasting.
The agreement is subject to customary conditions, including FCC approval. Emmis expects to close the transaction in the second half of the calendar year.
The Indianapolis-based company owns 21 FM and 2 AM domestic radio stations along with a radio network, international radio stations and regional and specialty magazines.
Lin Makes Gains
Lin TV earned $0.9 million in the first quarter of 2008 from continuing operations, an improvement from losing $1.6 million in the first quarter of 2007.
Revenues bumped up 1 percent to $93.1 million, compared to $91.8 million for the same period in 2007, despite a 3 percent drop in local and national nonpolitical advertising.
The increase was primarily due to higher political advertising and the near-doubling of digital revenues, including retransmission fees, to $4.9 million. The company also paid less interest as it paid off $22 million in debt.
“We attribute this growth to the successful execution of our digital strategy and new business development efforts, as well as political revenues generated by our leading news stations,” President and CEO Vincent L. Sadusky said in a statement. “Looking ahead, we continue to focus on the fundamentals of our business, including expense management and further maximizing our digital opportunities during a difficult economic environment.”
Retransmission consent fees grew 119 percent over the first quarter of 2007 as Lin reached new retransmission consent agreements for both its analog and HDTV channels with five companies, including Cable One, Cequel III Programming (Suddenlink Communications) and Dish Network. In March, Lin turned up the heat on cable operators, launching a partnership with Dish that offers incentives for consumers to switch to Dish if Lin stations are removed from a local cable system in any of its 17 markets.
Internet advertising and other interactive revenues increased 71 percent over the year-ago period for the first quarter of 2008 compared to the same quarter last year. Total page views for the Company’s Web sites were 163.2 million in the first quarter of 2008, a 39 percent jump over 2007. Time spent on the company’s Web sites doubled to an average of nearly 10 minutes per visit, with more than 10 million video impressions in the quarter.
Lin attributed the growth to new services including continuous breaking news and rich-media content. The company launched political Web sites in each of its 17 markets ahead of Super Tuesday (Feb. 5).
Lin said it expects that second quarter net revenues to increase in the range of 1 percent to 3 percent (or $1.4 million to $3.4 million), compared to reported net revenues of $101.8 million for the second quarter of 2007. All of this expected increase is attributable to projected political and digital revenue growth, the company said.
Cablevision Buys Sundance Channel Despite $104M Derivative Loss
Cablevision subsidiary Rainbow Media Holdings has entered into an agreement to acquire Sundance Channel from General Electric, CBS Corp., and entities controlled by Robert Redford, Cablevision announced.
The next day, Cablevision announced a $104.9 million loss from its derivative investments, the financial instruments based on market movements of various assets.
Sundance Channel, launched in 1996, reaches nearly 30 million subscribers. Rainbow already runs the AMC, IFC and WE tv cable channels.
The deal, subject to conditions and approvals, will be worth $496 million.
Cablevision, which serves 3 million cable customers in the New York area and operates Madison Square Garden and YES, saw consolidated net revenue rise 10.1 percent over the first quarter of last year, to $1.721 billion. But the company still lost $31.6 million (11 cents per share) in the quarter, $5 million more than the first quarter of 2007, thanks to the derivative loss and increases in some operating costs, namely marketing efforts related to the Rainbow Media cable properties.
Cable television net revenue grew 10.5 percent as the company added 197,000 revenue generating units. Basic video subscribers were up 2,000 from December 2007 and down 14,000 (0.4 percent) from a year ago. Television revenue per subscriber hit $129.56, up 3.6 percent from the last quarter and up 10.8 percent ($12.61) from the first quarter of 2007
“Cablevision had a very solid start to 2008 ... fueled largely by continuing growth in the company’s core cable business,” Cablevision President and CEO James L. Dolan said in a statement. “For the first quarter, we added customers across all of our consumer services, including basic video, and became the first cable company to achieve a 50 percent penetration rate for high speed Internet. These results extended Cablevision’s industry-leading penetration rates for yet another quarter while Rainbow and MSG generated strong revenue growth of their own.”
The company is expected to face additional competition in its New York base now that Verizon has reached a key deal with the city to enter that video market.
The company has also launched an effort to acquire the Newsday newspaper, although News Corp.—which already owns the New York Post and Dow Jones Inc.—has entered that competition as well.
Network Electronics/VPG Opens Design Center
Network Electronics and its subsidiary, Video Products Group, have announced the opening of a new design center in Chicago. The new office will initially focus on developing enhancements to the VPG Ventura product line, as well as provide engineering resources to integrate compatibility among Network Electronics and VPG technologies.
Network Electronics acquired VPG of Oxnard, Calif. in early 2008, to enhance its portfolio of video transport, routing and signal processing product lines. The Ventura line targets telco and broadcast markets with advanced products to facilitate the compression, transmission and economical transport of HD signals.
The new center will be directed by Engineering Manager Raphael Rousseau, who will report to Andrew Osmond, Network/VPG chief technology officer.
Products
Avid Announces New Storage Array
Avid Technology Inc. has announced the development of new high performance storage disk arrays. The Avid VideoRAID ST and VideoRAID SR systems provide enhanced data security and feature rebuilding of drive data in the background in the event of a drive failure.
“This is just another example of how Avid continues to drive high-quality products to market that offer great performance and value to our customers,” said Kirk Arnold, Avid Video executive vice president and general manager. “By offering real-time parity with these new solutions, Avid is able to help eliminate the headaches and loss of valuable hours and money associated with downtime. This news, coupled with the new editing lineup we announced last month, is just another example of how Avid is continuing to innovate and deliver on its New Thinking.”
The systems feature 3-year warranties on drive mechanisms and enclosures, and allow real-time play-out of up to two uncompressed HD streams from as few as eight drives. The new arrays are available in a five drive tower configuration (ST) or as a 16 drive rack mount system (SR).
Omnibus Automation Controls Snell & Wilcox Kahuna
Snell and Wilcox has announced that its Kahuna production switcher can now be controlled by Omnibus Columbus automation. The combination allows broadcasters to automate delivery of news programming from a variety of formats and sources.
“The Kahuna/Columbus integration reflects our ongoing commitment to give customers access to the latest and most state-of-the-art devices that complement our automation and control functionality,” said John Cunningham, executive vice president of development and services at OmniBus. “Kahuna is a powerful addition to the portfolio of devices that an operator can control on the Columbus system, and it provides unprecedented functionality for integrating SD sources into HD news productions.”
Columbus automation is directed by a newsroom computer system and drives off-air events through the Kahuna switcher. The Kahuna features simultaneous SD and HD operations, allowing a seamless integration of both sources into news programming without the need for outboard conversion. The automation software allows users to access the Kahuna’s 3D video effects and to enable audio and video transitions.
Deals & Deployments
Game Creek Orders QuStream Routing Gear
Hudson, N.H.-based outdoor broadcaster, Game Creek Video, is expanding the company’s routing capability with a new QuStream Cheetah routing system. The unit consists of a 384x720 HD frame, power supplies and frame controller, along with a 144x144 HD switching matrix, a Cheetah Distributed Routing System, conversion equipment, video and audio synchronization equipment and associated control gear.
“This order continues our expanding investment into new HD Mobile Production Units,” said Paul Bonar, Game Creek Video vice president of engineering. “We made a very careful evaluation of routers many years ago and perform new evaluations each time we start a new project. QuStream products like the Cheetah video and DRS audio routing systems continue to top the list for us. Add to that the FortelDTV conversion products, customer support and superb sales staff and you’ll understand why we have QuStream products in over 90 percent of our total fleet.”
Game Creek Video operates a number of mobile video production trucks for clients including ABC, CBS, ESPN, FOX, HBO and NBC.
Genesis Networks Partners with SmartJog for Broadcast Video Delivery
Genesis Networks, a provider of global transmission services of high-quality video transport, is teaming up with SmartJog to provide a service to deliver live feeds, as well as pre-recorded content, over fiber.
SmartJog is a subsidiary of TDF, a Paris-based operator and provider of audiovisual, new media and broadband services to radio, TV and telcos based in Paris. SmartJog has offices in Paris and Los Angeles and specializes in the secure delivery of media assets, including 2K trailers, TV spots, EPKs, dubbing elements, broadcast programming, DI, VFX elements and digital dailies. Its international network comprises more than 500 access points in 56 countries. Genesis, which maintains a network operations center in New York City, operates an IP-based fiber and satellite video network with more than 160 locations worldwide.
Company officials say the joint operation will provide a single, high-quality source from which customers will be able to access all of the live and recorded content needed to produce and deliver a wide variety of TV programming. The combined networks will provide built-in redundancy.
“In working with Genesis Networks, we’ve realized that we have many mutual customers that could benefit from a shared resource delivering all video assets necessary for programming,” said Julien Seligmann, CEO of SmartJog. “Genesis Networks’ reputation for high performance and reliability makes them our ideal partner to offer a packaged delivery solution for live and non-live content.”
“This solution reflects the natural synergy of the Genesis Networks and SmartJog service offerings,” said Xavier DeVynck, vice president, EMEA, Genesis Networks. “SmartJog is well-known for its global distribution network for fast, reliable data transmission, which provides an excellent complement to our broadcast transmission capabilities. Together, we can offer our mutual customers a cost-effective, streamlined workflow for high-quality live and archival news and sports production, as well as a wide range of entertainment content.”
Intelsat Powers Pangea Day for Worldwide Live Broadcast
Intelsat is supplying satellite capacity to for the distribution content on Pangea Day, the global film event May 10 that aims to bring the world together and promote understanding and compassion through film.
Pangea Day will include short films, inspirational talks and musical performances and will be coordinated live from six locations—Cairo, Kigali (Rwanda), London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro—and broadcast in seven languages. The content will then be transmitted to thousands of movie theatres and registered “Friends of Pangea Day” watch parties in more than 100 countries.
Intelsat will collect and transport program feeds from three venues to the production center in Los Angeles. The live content will then be delivered to Intelsat’s teleports in Napa, Calif., Fuchstadt, Germany and Ellenwood, Ga., for distribution through Intelsat’s video neighborhoods serving North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, East Asia and Asia-Pacific.
The event will feature 24 short films selected from an international competition along with talks from CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Queen Noor of Jordan and others. Live music will include performances by Bob Geldof, The Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart and Iranian rock band Hypernova.
“The complexities of producing a global event such as Pangea Day are significantly reduced when all of the required contribution and distribution connections are available from a single, integrated source,” said Michael Olmstead, executive producer of Pangea Day. “We thank Intelsat for its technical and capacity contributions to our event.”
“Globalization of live content will transform what audiences view and how programming is distributed in a world of multimedia, on-demand needs,” said Ron Rosenthal, Intelsat’s regional vice president for Broadcast Services. “Producers of global events continue to seek out Intelsat because of our infrastructure, which enables seamless, reliable content transmissions from and to every continent and makes such live broadcasts successful.”
CBS Taps Bexel, Stratos to Deliver Masters HD Coverage
Last month, CBS contracted with broadcast equipment supplier Bexel to use video conversion transport gear from Stratos Optical to deliver the network’s HD coverage of the PGA Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga.
Specifically, Bexel supplied Stratos’ VMCR-CWDM 1RU Media conversion and transport system to transport 32 HD signals (24 HD feeds from the CBS production compound to the press room and 8 HD feeds back from the press room) via two fiber strands.
“This product allowed us to move multiple HD signals bidirectionally on a single fiber leaving the unused fiber for other requirements,” said Scott Nardelli, director of Bexel Broadcast Fiber Solutions. “Stratos has consistently developed well thought-out, robust solutions that are highly reliable in broadcast center and OB operations.
To extend distance, reduce fiber count and cost and simplify the use of coarse wave length division multiplexing (CWDM), Stratos recently developed the CWDM Multiplexed HD video transport system by packaging standalone coax to fiber optical media conversion products into a turnkey 16 channel CWDM single fiber transport solution.
“While the product is available in standard configurations, the modular media converters allow for simple reconfiguration to vary the channel count running in each direction, a real plus in hard-to-predict field situations,” said Dennis Gudgel, video product manager at Stratos Optical.
Stratos Optical is a division of Emerson Network Power Connectivity Solutions.
KETV in Omaha Launches ‘Beat the Traffic’ Service
Omaha’s KETV has added Beat the Traffic technology to its NewsWatch 7 Traffic To Go feature. The system allows commuters and travelers passing through the region to spot delays and other potential trouble spots with the use of 3D traffic maps which display road conditions, traffic speeds and travel times.
KETV features “Beat the Traffic” throughout the morning hours in its “First News Traffic To Go” updates and it is available anytime at the station’s Web site.
“Traffic has always been an important concern for our NewsWatch 7 audience and we are excited to be at the forefront of traffic reporting data and technology, said Rose Ann Shannon, KETV news director. “The Beat the Traffic system allows KETV’s Traffic To Go reporter to produce dynamic, high-impact traffic updates. Its unique graphical presentation and ease of use for our traffic team has allowed KETV to take traffic reporting in Omaha to the next level.”
According to the Texas Transportation Institute, drivers in the Omaha area wasted more than five million gallons of gasoline and lost more than 9 million hours due to congested rush hour traffic in 2007. The “Beat the Traffic” system will allow drivers there to better plan their trips and help avoid such loses, the company said.
Technology
Samsung Snags First tru2way License
Samsung electronics has reached agreement with CableLabs for a streamlined license for its retail products to interface to two-way interactive cable networks using the industry consortium’s tru2way technology.
The products could be deployed in Comcast systems this year.
Samsung is the first consumer electronics company to sign such a license agreement.
The tru2way Host Device License Agreement allows self-certification of retail devices and other rights.
tru2way is a national platform that enables interactive cable services to be delivered to two-way plog-and-play TVs, set-top boxes and other devices. The platform aims to provide a national footprint to enable creators of new interactive services to be able to deploy them on cable systems in nearly every market.
“Comcast is committed to rolling out tru2way-enabled set-top boxes later this year, and Samsung’s rollout of retail tru2way-enabled devices demonstrated that the tru2way technology is the best solution for both retail and leased set-top boxes,” said Comcast President and CEO Brian Roberts. “We look forward to working with Samsung on this and other innovations that will continue to enhance the customer experience.”
Cable Labs also said modems and headend gear using the DOCSIS 3.0 had met its specifications for the first time. The DOCSIS 3.0 specs enable downstream data rates of 160 Mbps or higher and upstream data rates of 120 Mbps or higher.
CableLabs awarded certification status for Data over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) 3.0 cable modems to Ambit, Arris, Cisco, Motorola (for two modems) and SMC.
This represents the first certification of DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems. CableLabs also awarded “full” qualification status for Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTS) to Casa Systems for two devices. This is the first qualification of a DOCSIS 3.0 CMTS representing “full” or complete compliance with all requirements of the DOCSIS 3.0 specification for headends. Motorola received bronze qualification for its CMTS.
“We have now achieved successful certification testing for a system of very high-speed cable data products,” said Roberts. “This is a great accomplishment, ensuring that cable customers will continue to have access to the fastest Internet service available, along with access to more advanced service offerings,” he added.
The three-tiered program for CMTS qualification — bronze, silver and full — progressively scales compliance with some of the more long term DOCSIS 3.0 CMTS requirements. DOCSIS 3.0 modem testing allows only one level of certification.
Programming
NBC to Launch 24-Hour News Channel in New York
NBC Universal announced this week that it plans to start a 24-hour local news channel in New York City in November.
In announcing the move, the network also said that it would “de-emphasize the identity of the NBC network’s flagship station, WNBC, Channel 4 in New York, rechristening it a ‘content center,’ and making it one part of a larger local media effort,” according to the New York Times.
The network also plans to rebuild the WNBC newsroom with the intent of melding its broadcast content with the Web and out of home viewing destinations such as local gas stations and the taxis. Local cable operators Time Warner, Cablevision and Comcast have agreed to carry the channel on their digital tiers.
Depending on the success of the launch, an NBC official told the Times that it could expand the news channel initiative in other cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. The official said that it doesn’t plan on any layoffs related to the launch but that employees will need to be “retrained.”
The channel will compete against another New York City 24 hour news service, NY1, which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary.
Industry Events
ATSC Celebrates 25th Anniversary
The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) combined its regular annual meeting with a 25th anniversary celebration in Arlington Va., this week, with events spanning three days.
A special commemorative program on May 8 began with a keynote address by former FCC Chairman, Richard Wiley, in which he praised the work of the organization in bringing digital and high-definition television to American viewers.
“The undeniable reality of the U.S. digital television experience is that we did it right,” said Wiley. “ATSC standards were not dictated from on-high by government bureaucrats. All segments (of the industry) were allowed to participate and we all benefited.”
The day’s activities featured panel discussions that highlighted milestones along the 25-year path to U.S. high-definition television, a look at the current situation with regard to acceptance of digital television by the public and the state of preparedness of broadcasters, cable operators and others in being ready for the cessation of analog television broadcasting next February.
Panelist Jim Goodman, president and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Co. observed that as a boy he was on hand with his grandfather in 1956 to witness the first sign-on of Raleigh/Durham’s WRAL-TV.
“I’ll be there for the [WRAL-TV analog] turnoff,” said Goodman. “However, I haven’t decided if I’ll be the one to turn it off.”
David Donovan, MSTV president, was on hand to offer his congratulations.
“The ATSC’s success is due to all of you in this room who worked tirelessly to update and improve the system,” Donovan said. “American consumers are truly beginning to understand this technology and to reap its benefits.”
Donovan noted that through its work, the ATSC has provided a more efficient use of broadcast spectrum and that more than 100 MHz of spectrum will have been reclaimed in the nation’s conversion to DTV transmission.
Anniversary program activities also included a presentation of awards and recognition of individuals and organizations involved in the advancement of U.S. television.
IEEE Issues Call for Papers for Fall Broadcast Symposium
The IEEE Broadcast Technology Society has issued a call for papers to be presented at its 58th annual broadcast symposium, scheduled this year for Oct. 15-17 in Alexandria, Va.
The organization is seeking papers in the following areas:
- Technical issues associated with the termination of analog television broadcasting
- Repurposing of analog transmission transmitters
- Digital radio and television systems
- Streaming, IPTV, VOIP, VOD, mobile TV wireless multimedia
- Wireless broadband networks
- Transmission, propagation, reception, re-distribution of broadcast signals
Abstracts should be limited to 500 words and are to be sent to the organization’s e-mail address, bts@ieee.org. They are due by May 23. The deadline for submission of full papers is August 29.
Panavision Offers Web Seminar on Digital Imaging Technology
A seven-part series designed to aid in “Demystifying Digital Camera Specifications” is now available on the Panavision Web site, Web site. The symposium is presented by John Galt, Panavision’s senior vice president of Advanced Digital Imaging and Larry Thorpe, national marketing manager for Canon’s Broadcast & Communication Division. It is designed for both professionals and students, and addresses the need for a valid method for assessing quality of digital and film images.
Galt and Thorpe explore in detail such topics as MTF (modulation transfer function), Nyquest theory, optical prefiltering and imager sampling lattice.
“With programs like ‘Demystifying Digital Camera Specifications,’ Panavision is trying to educate both our customers as well as raise the level of industry discussion about emerging technologies to focus on the science of what we do,” said Bob Beitcher, Panavision’s president and CEO. “I think that most everyone expects to benefit from a good look-and-listen at this stimulating presentation from two true experts.”
The series, in addition to being offered on Panavision’s Web site, is also being made available through other trade and media Internet sites and will also soon be available in transcript format with embedded slides.
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