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.
Hungary Breaks 2 Million DTV Subs
68.9% of pay-TV homes in Hungary were receiving digital TV services in September, said regulator NMHH. More than 2.05 million homes were taking cable and IPTV services, of which almost 1.1 million were digital. DTH subscriptions stood at 910,643, while 120,360 homes were receiving the MinDig TV Extra pay-TV service. In total, there were more … Read more
ITU-T Accepts G.fast G.9701 Standard
With the 4k/UHD TV adoption, bandwidth requirements for all streaming solutions will go up. So far Netflix requires a stable 15 Mbps connection to stream 4k to the house. Other providers will have similar requirements until the next generation of video codecs may lower that demand somewhat. With 50 Mbps connections available more or less … Read more
Ivory Coast Bans Analogue TVs
The Ivory Coast has banned analogue TV imports, sales and marketing. The move has come as the country attempts to meet the ITU’s 17th June 2015 deadline to switch from analogue to digital broadcasting.
JCDecaux and Estée Lauder Paint Paris Red
Estée Lauder and JCDecaux worked together on a signage campaign in Paris recently. Passers-by could play a slot machine-style game on interactive screens, installed at three bus shelters in the city, to win lipsticks or vouchers. Over the six-day campaign, 1,500 lipsticks and 5,000 vouchers were dispensed. JCDecaux used 42″ LCD screens, with an after-market … Read more
JCDecaux Brings Digital Network to Edinburgh Centre
JCDecaux has won a tender to act as the media partner for the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. The company will design, install and maintain 436 advertising bus shelters – the city centre’s first digital screen network. As well as this, interactive ‘LiveTouch’ screens will be installed in Princes Street and 60 large-format billboards (static and … Read more
Medion Box Accepts Multiple Streaming Technologies
Medion has launched a new media streaming box in France and Germany. The Medion Life Zoombox is connected to a TV via HDMI and can accept content from other devices via Miracast, WiDi and DLNA. It has no internet connection itself, but can mirror a display from another product. The box is available now for … Read more
Metropolis Visits The Big Smoke With Broadsign
Metropolis Digital Media has chosen to use Broadsign’s cloud-based software platform in a new screen deployment on top of black cabs in London next year. 500 screens (the Evolution 2 TXi Media Pod) will be deployed on taxis in the city. Metropolis claims that the number will double in the first year. The Pod consists … Read more
Minneapolis Convention Centre Chooses Nanolumens
Nanolumens has supplied two large-scale LED displays to the Minneapolis Convention Centre. Both are part of the Nanocurve product line, installed in the new visitor information centre in the Centre’s main corridor. The displays cover a 1.5m x 27.4m area, with a 5mm pixel pitch.
MTS is Ambitious With DTH
Russia’s MTS will launch its own satellite TV platform this year. According to Kommersant, the service will cover 95% of Russia and offer 160 channels, of which 30 will be HD. It will cost RUB1,200 ($25) per year. MTS is aiming at significant growth for the platform, and intends for it to become Russia’s second-largest … Read more
