Advanced Television

Articles

BBC to lose funding in digital future?

Funding received by the BBC via the licence fee could soon be diminished following possible reforms ordered by media regulator Ofcom. One option under review could lead to the licence fee being sliced up so that money could be channeled to other organisations to spend on “public service” web and television ventures. Though the BBC […]

December 20, 2007

Vivendi in Canal Plus for long haul

The chief executive of Vivendi has dismissed renewed talk on that his group may sell pay-TV unit Canal Plus. The statement followed speculation that the French media giant might exit Canal Plus in order to buy telecom operator Neuf Cegetel and so avoid possible competition issues. Vivendi has a 56 per cent stake in mobile […]

December 20, 2007

Pace acquires Philips STB unit

Philips Electronics has reached an agreement in principle to sell its Set-Top Boxes (STB) and Connectivity Solutions (CS) businesses to UK-based technology provider Pace Micro Technology. Philips will sell the businesses to Pace in exchange for 70 million Pace shares. Philips will retain 22.5 per cent of the enlarged share capital of Pace. The deal […]

December 20, 2007

Scott to Digital UK

Former Channel 4 managing director David Scott has been appointed chief executive of analogue TV switchover body Digital UK. Scott will take up the post, which puts him in overall charge of the switchover programme, when current director Ford Ennals leaves in February 2008. Scott was a member of the original management team which launched […]

December 20, 2007

Oz digital switch by 2013

Australia's Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy minister Stephen Conroy has ordered that free-to-air television be broadcast only in a digital signal in all major cities by 2009 with a final switch-over across the nation by 2013. The Howard government before the 2004 election had proposed a date of 2008 for the switch Conroy said moving […]

December 20, 2007

FCC rules on video programming diversity

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted rules to promote video programming diversity by ensuring new video programmers can enter and compete in the video market. An Order adopted by the Commission sets the number of subscribers a cable operator may serve at 30 per cent nationwide. In a further notice also adopted, the Commission […]

December 20, 2007

BT Vision and emuse IPTV Tasman browser

BT Vision, the next-generation digital-TV service, now features a new viewer magazine banded 'On Vision'. Designed by BT Vision, and produced and hosted by emuse, it runs in the Microsoft Mediaroom Tasman TV browser for BT Vision customers to view on screen. On Vision keeps viewers informed about the quality programming they can expect in […]

December 19, 2007

SK Telecom Internet-TV service

SK Telecom, South Korea’s top mobile carrier, is planning to launch a video-on-demand TV service that can be used through any Internet operator. SK Telecom will intends to launch the service with Samsung Electronics providing set-top boxes. Detailed schedules for its launch are not yet known.

December 19, 2007

Ericsson successful MBMS tests

Ericsson has successfully performed interoperability tests for its Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) solution with the leading chipset vendors. The move sets the stage for the widespread adoption of MBMS and the availability of MBMS terminals. MBMS is a flexible solution that allows operators to broadcast different forms of content in different parts of the […]

December 19, 2007

Ofcom pay TV concerns

Ofcom has raised possible concerns over competition within the UK pay TV sector. The concerns are raised in a consultation document investigating the pay TV market. Ofcom launched an investigation into the pay TV industry in March, following a submission from a group including Virgin Media. The submission came after Virgin lost access to some […]

December 19, 2007