DirecTV Boosts UltraHD
A DirecTV satellite has been launched that will deliver UltraHD programming across the USA. DirecTV 14 will begin operation in Q2’15, using the Reverse Band Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) spectrum.
DirecTV’s VoD Service is a Samsung-Exclusive
An UltraHD VoD service has been launched by DirecTV in the USA. The service includes new film releases and documentaries, including Forrest Gump, Star Trek (2009) and Amistad. Customers require a DirecTV Genie HD DVR and a 2014 Samsung UltraHD TV. Content costs between $4 and $16 per item to rent.
Dish Subscribers Dip in Q3
Dish Network of the US said its pay-TV subscribers fell by about 12,000 in Q3. The company reported a rise in churn rate, to 1.67% (versus 1.66% last year) and ended the period with just over 14.04 million pay-TV customers. Gross new pay-TV customers totalled about 691,000, compared to 734,000 in Q3’13.
DTT Hits Three Year Delay in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan will not introduce DTT services next year, as originally planned. Instead the roll-out has been postponed until 2018, due to technical issues, according to local media.
DTVL Deploys HbbTV 2.0 Test Suite
Digital TV Labs in the UK has announced an HbbTV 2.0 Test Suite – which it claims is the world’s first. The Suite will be developed to support Digital UK’s next-generation Freeview service. Manufacturers of interactive digital TVs and set-top boxes can use it to ensure conformance with the HbbTV 2.0 technical requirements.
EBU Issues Frequency Reports
The EBU has issued two new reports. The first deals with DVB-T2 frequency and network planning (http://tinyurl.com/p5hjbbe), while the second is concerned with Single Frequency Networks (http://tinyurl.com/oaymv77).
EE TV Now Live
The EE TV service (Display Monitor Vol 21 No 40) is now live in the UK. The set-top box costs £250 ($400), but is free to new and existing mobile customers if they subscribe to a £10 ($15.90) (monthly) broadband plan.
Eircom Passes TV Target
Ireland’s Eircom has grown its eVision TV service by an additional 7,000 households. The service has now passed 28,000 customers, after its launch one year ago. Eircom had set a target of 24,000 customers in June.
Forrest Expands Scottish Portfolio
Forrest Media will add two new digital sites to its portfolio early next year. The ‘Cityscreen Glasgow Southern Gateway’ and ‘Cityscreen Edinburgh Eastern Gateway’ will both measure about 50m². We expect the company to release more information close to the time of installation.
Fransat Commits to MPEG-4
Fransat, the free-to-air French platform, will move all of its broadcasts to MPEG-4 by 2016. Any customers still using an SD receiver by this point will need to change to an HD- (and MPEG-4) capable unit.
French Broadcasters Raise Spectrum Concerns
The CEOs of French broadcasters TF1, Lagardere Active, NextRadioTV and NRJ have expressed their concerns about a repurposing of the 700MHz spectrum from DTT to mobile broadband. In a letter to Prime Minister Manuel Valls, they said that cutting multiplexes in France from six to five would inhibit ‘necessary evolutions, notably the passage of all … Read more
High-End STB Shipments to Rise Quickly to 2020
Worldwide UltraHD-capable set-top box shipments will reach 48 million by 2020, says ABI Research. HEVC STB shipments will climb even higher, to 88 million units. Only about 60,000 STBs with both features will be shipped in 2014.
