NHK World goes HD on BSkyB with Globecast
May 9, 2011
By Chris Forrester
NHK Worlds HDTV feed has launched on the BSkyB and Freesat platforms over the UK. GlobeCast is providing re-encoding, uplink, and capacity on Eutelsat’s Eurobird 1 satellite, bringing the channel to a new community of over 10 million Sky subscribers, and over a million Freesat viewers.
Available on BSkyB EPG channel 507, NHK World HD is a 24/7 English language channel produced by Japan International Broadcasting and NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, fed live from Tokyo.
The NHK World HD feed is downlinked in France at GlobeCast’s Bercenay and Sainte Assise teleports, and sent via fibre on GlobeCast’s Backbone Network (GCBN) to the London operations centre, where the video is re-encoded and AC3 audio is added. The channel is then uplinked to the Eurobird 1 satellite for the Sky platform.
“The live video coverage of the earthquake and tsunami which hit Eastern Japan on March 11 displayed the power of HD television extensively,” said Hatsuhisa Takashima, president and CEO of JIB. “Now we are able to make this state of the art technology and powerful English language news coverage available to the television viewers in the U.K. through our partnership between GlobeCast and JIB. I am sure that NHK World HD will bring evidence of Japan’s recovery from this history-making natural disaster in the months and years ahead to the eyes of British people. Their compassion and generous assistance extended to the victims and has been greatly appreciated by the Japanese people.”