Content Distribution (service delivery platform, cloud video, media processing, CDN, satellite, transmitter, headend, …) News

AsiaSat 8 launch set for 5th of August
Aug 1, 2014 – AsiaSat 8 is scheduled for launch on 5 August from Cape Canaveral. The satellite has 24 Ku-band transponders and a Ka-band payload. The additional capacity will help meet the growing demand for satellite services, including DTH television, in the Asia-Pacific region.
News categories: AsiaSat, Asia, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Satellite

Rwanda completes switch to digital TV
Aug 1, 2014 – Following the latest roll out calendar issued by the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), the final regions of the country were switched over to digital TV on 31st July 2014.
News categories: Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority, Content Distribution, Digital TV, DVB-T2, Rwanda, Set Top Box, Terrestrial

Next DIRECTV satellites to provide capacity for 4K
Jul 31, 2014 – DIRECTV (NASDAQ:DTV) has said, on the company's Q2 2014 earnings conference call, that one of the uses of the additional capacity provided by the launch of two new satellites will be for the transmission of 4K Ultra HD content.
News categories: DIRECTV, Michael D. White, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Satellite, USA

EBU says LTE not a viable alternative to DTT distribution
Jul 31, 2014 – The EBU has released a report that examines the possibility of delivering broadcast content and services over LTE networks. The report concludes that LTE could be a useful complement to broadcast distribution platforms.
News categories: European Broadcasting Union, 5G, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Europe, Mobile, Terrestrial, Worldwide

Vivo begins 4K trial in Brazil
Jul 31, 2014 – Telefónica Vivo has chosen Ericsson's (NASDAQ:ERIC) AVP 4000 Encoder Family to boost its TV viewing experience for consumers in Brazil and Vivo has begun trials to demonstrate the ability to provide a 4K experience in Brazil.
News categories: Ericsson, Vivo, Rafael Sgrott, Ronaldo Dias, Brazil, Content Distribution, Digital TV, IPTV, Semiconductor

MultiChoice Africa extends DTH contract with Eutelsat
Jul 30, 2014 – Eutelsat (Paris: ETL) and MultiChoice Africa have inked an agreement that will ensure the continuing expansion of the DStv pay-TV platform. The contract also further anchors Eutelsat’s sub-Saharan Africa neighbourhood at 36°E.
News categories: Eutelsat, MultiChoice, Nico Meyer, Michel de Rosen, Africa, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Satellite, South Africa

Octoshape and Altech partner for OTT/IPTV in the Middle-East and Africa
Jul 30, 2014 – Octoshape and Altech Multimedia have announced that they have entered into a partnership to offer video contribution and distribution solutions to major broadcasters and operators in the Middle East and Africa.
News categories: Octoshape, Altech Multimedia, Michael Koehn Milland, Paulo Caldeira, Africa, Content Distribution, Digital TV, IPTV, Middle-East, Set Top Box, Streaming

Telsur selects ATEME encoder for iOS streaming
Jul 29, 2014 – ATEME has announced that Telefonica del Sur (Telsur) has selected ATEME's TITAN Live to deliver a new streaming service for iOS devices and enhance video quality for its existing IPTV subscribers.
News categories: ATEME, Telsur, Cristian Raul Carcamo Gomez, Raoul Rivera, Chile, Content Distribution, Digital TV, IPTV, TV Everywhere

NCTC renews contract for HITS National Authorization Service
Jul 28, 2014 – The National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) has renewed tits agreement with Comcast Wholesale for Comcast's HITS National Authorization Service, a headend management system for managing permissions, set-top boxes, and interactive programming guides.
News categories: NCTC, Comcast Wholesale, HITS, Corey McCarthy, Barry Tishgart, Cable TV, CAM, Conditional Access, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Set Top Box, USA