Japan Digital TV News

Blu-ray sales accelerate to record levels in Japan
Dec 9, 2008 – Latest GfK Retail and Technology Japan figures have revealed that in the first week of November 2008, Blu-ray Disc Recorders have surpassed a 50% market share for DVD Recorders in unit terms.
News categories: GfK, Blu-ray, Digital TV, DVD, Japan, Market Research, Optical Disc Recorder

Over 3 Million IPTV Subscribers in Japan by 2012
Dec 4, 2008 – In a new report titled Japan IPTV Market Outlook, ROA Group projects that the number of IPTV subscribers in Japan will exceed 3 million by 2012, which is approximately 10% of FTTH subscribers, and the penetration rate of IPTV is expected to be 6%.
News categories: ROA Group, Digital TV, Fibre, IPTV, Japan, Market Research, Set Top Box, Subscribers

J:COM PVR (HDR Plus) Service Set to Launch Mid-December
Dec 3, 2008 – Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM; JASDAQ:4817) has announced that J:COM will start offering a new HDR Plus service, delivered via an advanced STB (Set-Top Box), across all service areas on December 17th.
News categories: Jupiter Telecommunications, Cable TV, Digital TV, DVR, Japan, Set Top Box

Japan - Digital TV transition behind pace
Dec 2, 2008 – The number of Japanese households that have converted from analogue to digital terrestrial TV reception stands at 23.5 million, or 2.5 million short of the government's target for September of 26 million.
News categories: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Dpa, Digital TV, ISDB-T, Japan, Market Research, Terrestrial

UK leading internationally as a digitally advanced nation
Nov 20, 2008 – UK consumers are embracing new digital TV services, such as High Definition TV and Digital Video Recorders, alongside many other leading economies across the world, new Ofcom research reveals.
News categories: Ofcom, Cable TV, Canada, Digital TV, DVR, France, Germany, IPTV, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Market Research, Mobile, Netherlands, Poland, Regulation, Satellite, Spain, Streaming, Sweden, Terrestrial, UK, USA

KDDI Develops Technology to Follow Up Missed Part of TV Program
Nov 14, 2008 – KDDI R&D Laboratories has developed the 'network-based follow-up replay application,' a technology that allows viewers to watch a TV program from the beginning even when they start viewing it from the middle.
News categories: KDDI R&D Labs, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Japan, Middleware, Mobile

Softbank Mobile backs ISDB-Tmm over MediaFLO for mobile TV
Nov 7, 2008 – Softbank Mobile has decided to use the ISDB-Tmm protocol for its mobile TV. Originally, Softbank backed MediaFlo along with KDDI.
News categories: Softbank Mobile, Digital TV, Japan, Mobile, Smart TV

Liberty Global Reports Third Quarter 2008 Results
Nov 5, 2008 – Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) has announced financial and operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2008. Digital video, including both cable and DTH, remained the strongest product with 363,000 additions.
News categories: Liberty Global, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cable TV, Chile, Czech Republic, DVR, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, MMDS, Netherlands, Poland, Puerto Rico, Results, Romania, Satellite, Slovakia, Slovenia, Subscribers, Switzerland

One-seg tuner launched for iPhone in Japan
Oct 30, 2008 – Softbank BB and Softbank Mobile have announced a One-Seg digital TV tuner and battery booster for Apple's iPhone. The tuner is a separate device connected to the phone via Wi-Fi.
News categories: Softbank, Digital TV, Japan, Mobile