TORONTO—Rogers Communications has signed a 10-year agreement with Comcast to bring the latest Xfinity products and technology to Canadians. 

As part of the agreement, Rogers will be deploying a new streaming device powered by Comcast’s Entertainment OS operating system for streaming devices and smart TVs as well as new connectivity technologies and an expanded suite of home security products and features that have been developed by Comcast and Xfinity.

The agreement builds on an existing tech partnership between Rogers and Comcast, which was already supplying pay TV and broadband technologies to Rogers. The new agreement would further expand the use of Comcast’s devices and technologies, which are already used on Comcast's systems and are licensed to other operators like Cox Communications.  

“Our partnership with Comcast builds on our legacy of bringing Canadians the best networks, entertainment and services in the world,” said Tony Staffieri, president and CEO, Rogers Communications. “Canadians want to be connected to the best entertainment, anywhere, without interruption and we’re proud to partner with Comcast to make this a reality.”

As part of this agreement, the latest broadband, smart home and connectivity products available to Xfinity customers will be coming to Canada through Rogers starting later this year. 

"As a world leader in converged experiences inside and outside the home, this platform will make it easy and simple for Rogers’ customers to connect to what they love with a seamless experience, whether on the big screen in their home or their smartphone on the go,” added Staffieri. 

"Building on our nearly decade-long partnership with Rogers, we’re thrilled to deliver the next-generation of our incredible entertainment and connectivity products, like Entertainment OS and the latest gateways, to millions of customers across Canada,” said Dave Watson, chief executive officer of connectivity and platforms, Comcast. “Now, with the addition of these new products and services, even more customers in North America will be able to take advantage of Comcast and Xfinity’s innovative technologies.”

In announcing the agreement to supply a new device powered by Entertainment OS, the companies noted that the average Canadian subscribes to nearly twice as many streaming apps than five years ago and broadband data usage at Rogers has grown 200% in the same period. 

New research commissioned by Rogers also found that the majority of Canadians (55%) say the number of streaming apps is overwhelming. About half (50%) say searching for this content is time-consuming and admit they sometimes can’t find the show or sporting event they want to watch. The study also found accessing all streaming apps on one platform is the most appealing TV feature.

The new devices would help address those issues, simplifying the access to apps and content, the companies said. The new Entertainment OS powered platform will bring live sports, entertainment and news, on-demand, and streaming apps into one, simple view so customers spend more time watching and less time searching with the award-winning voice remote and integrated interface. 

In addition, Comcast will be supplying technologies based on its 10G Internet efforts. Through this agreement, Rogers will offer its customers the latest gateways developed by Comcast, enabling them to experience 10G technologies, like multi-gigabit speeds, ultra-low lag and even better reliability. 

Rogers will also be the first internet provider in Canada to offer a product designed to maintain connectivity when a storm hits, trees are down, or a customer experiences a local outage. Dubbed Storm-Ready WiFi to Xfinity customers in the U.S., the device is equipped with cellular backup and a rechargeable battery to keep customers up and running for hours. When the power goes out, the customer’s network automatically transitions to cellular back-up so they can continue to use of the Internet. The device also doubles as a WiFi extender to deliver a strong WiFi signal to those hard-to-reach corners of the home. 

Building on the existing Self Protect service available to Rogers’ customers, Rogers will soon launch new home security hardware, including sensors, to complement the existing options of cameras and doorbells, with the added benefit of on-demand emergency dispatch at the touch of button. 

Commercial details will be announced as products and services are made available, starting later this year, the two operators said. 

TORONTO—Recent advancements in lighting technology have changed the production world for the better—but it’s not just because of the convenience, efficiency and control afforded by LED. As with every great idea, LED technology requires implementation that adapts the breakthrough for use as a day-to-day tool.

One recent assignment that brought this home to me was when I had the opportunity to design the lighting for a brand-new state-of-the-art television studio for Rogers Communications in Toronto. 

From the Ground Up
The studio was designed from the ground up to house a range of sports coverage led by the venerable “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcasts. The design of the facility needed to be flexible for a range of applications so that the latest lighting and camera tools could combine with visual reality set extensions, augmented reality and 3D capabilities, resulting in dynamic, immersive content and a great viewing experience.

Of course, there’s a ton of brand-new lighting technology involved, along with numerous video walls, and there’s LED lighting in the desks and in the walls. “The Cove” is a 50-foot floor-to-ceiling LED wall, one of a number of video walls used for a wide array of applications—stats, players, sponsorship, etc. With 13 cameras working at times, I needed dependable LED lighting for the sets and talent. ARRI lighting tools played a crucial role, especially the ARRI L-Series and SkyPanel instruments. 

There’s a kind of magic, happy spot between lighting, video and internal LED lights where the cameras like to be. You need to find the “sweet spot,” and my lights can’t be a hindrance to that. 

That’s what’s great about ARRI lighting—I can set it to 4700 degrees Kelvin, and with a little bit of plus green or minus green, I can find that magical combination—the lights can be dependably matched to exactly where we need to be.

The Color of Sports
Color is especially important when dealing with dozens of big-money sports teams that very carefully manage their branding. The studio includes a lighting board with presets that can light the sets with any one of 60-plus colors that represent one of 30-some hockey teams or 30 professional baseball teams. That effect can be adjusted with LED accentuation that backlights the talent from the in-set sources. Rather than a single look that remains steady for the duration of the show, different looks can be drawn up for different shows—or even within the same show. 

Environmental stewardship is important to Rogers. Replacing a fixture with something that uses 60% less electricity and produces 60% less heat that must be cooled down later translates to a massive amount of savings. It’s also nice for the talent to feel more comfortable. It’s a win-win. 

ARRI’s long experience and deep understanding of real-world concerns make their LED fixtures superior—dependable, versatile, easy to use. I put ARRI lighting into studios, because if I have the option, that’s what I rent. I want to give the client what I would want because I never want them to have to call me about a problem.

I feel comfortable knowing the weight of the ARRI team is behind me—the product is just built right. I’ve always loved what ARRI lighting products show the camera: We all see the beautiful richness that comes from the SkyPanel—whether it’s crisp daylight or warm tungsten—and there’s no compromise. l

Lighting director James Downey has worked on lighting design and implementation of more than two dozen studios for Rogers Communications and on such productions as the Super Bowl, the Genie and Gemini Awards, and the William and Kate Royal Wedding. He can be reached by email at fullertonproductions@me.com.

For more information visit www.arri.com.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Canadian technology and media company Rogers Communications has chosen Harmonic to power its next-generation multi-gigabit broadband services using Harmonic’s CableOS cloud-native converged core platform.

"At Rogers, it is our top priority to deliver the latest cutting-edge technology and reliable broadband experiences to our customers," said Luciano Ramos, senior vice president of development and core engineering at Rogers. 

"We're proud to be working with Harmonic to bring leading DAA [distributed access architecture] and virtualized solutions for our cable and converged FTTH [fiber to the home] services. Deploying a cloud-native virtualized access platform with a clear path to DOCSIS 4.0 allows us to seamlessly evolve our network, while continuing to bring the best of connectivity to our customers," Ramos continued. 

The company is deploying Harmonic’s CableOS platform in a distributed access network with virtualized cable modem termination system [CMTS] software and the Ripple Remote-PHY (R-PHY) node.

The CableOS Platform is future-ready to support converged cable and FTTH, DOCSIS 4.0 technology and other advanced services, including edge cloud, Harmonic said.

Rogers is using this technology to converge its data, voice and video services in the IP domain, which will bring several benefits, including faster speed, higher availability for its customers and a reduction in space, power and cooling costs to support its growing network, it said.

More information is available on the Harmonic website. 

TORONTO, NEW YORK & LONDON—If you wondered what a slam dunk would look like in 4K, you won’t have to wait long to find out. On Thursday, Jan. 14, the National Basketball Association, Rogers Communications and BT Sport will broadcast the first live NBA game in 4K, a matchup between the Toronto Raptors and the Orlando Magic in London. Raptor fans will get a second chance to see their team in 4K, when Canadian sports broadcaster TSN delivers a 4K broadcast of the Raptors host the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, Jan. 20.

The NBA previously tested a 4K broadcast during a regular season game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 23, 2014.

In 2015, Rogers rolled out the NextBox 4K set top box to handle 4K broadcasting with HDR and announced it would broadcast more than 100 live sporting events in 4K; this includes all Toronto Blue Jays games for the 2016 season and marquee NHL games.

TSN has announced that after its broadcast on Jan. 20 it will feature a slate of 4K broadcasts that will include games for the Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. A full schedule of the upcoming 4K broadcasts can be found here, with more set to be announced in the coming months.

Rogers broadcast of the Raptors vs. Magic on Jan. 14 will air at 3 p.m. EST on NextBox channel 999. TSN’s broadcast on Jan. 20 of the Raptors vs. Celtics will air at 7:30 p.m. EST.