Visitors to the Eutelsat stand will be able to see the expansion of the Group’s portfolio of services and partnerships to deliver competitive tools for TV channels, news agencies, service providers, telecom operators and ISPs.
KA-SAT – the next steps
Three months after the KA-SAT High Throughput Satellite went live, Eutelsat continues to unlock the potential of this powerful IP platform designed to serve users across Europe, North Africa and large parts of the Middle East. Further products are ready for launch on KA-SAT to join the new-generation Tooway™ broadband service, which has been rolling out since May and will be shown live on the Eutelsat stand.
‘NewsSpotter’: KA-SAT shifts the borders for SNG ‘scene to screen’ services
Using KA-SAT, satellite newsgathering is set to achieve new levels of efficiency and flexibility with an IP-based service called ‘NewsSpotter’, that will be unveiled at IBC with a live daily demonstration. As a complement to traditional SNG services in C- and Ku-bands, ‘NewsSpotter’ will enable broadcasters and news agencies to deliver more from the field at low cost, further diversifying live news reporting. The ‘NewsSpotter’ service will use extremely light and compact Ka-band terminals. The fully motorized and auto-aligning equipment will be transportable in a suitcase or installed on very small vehicles. Delivering up to 20 Mbps on the uplink, ample for SNG, and up to 50 Mbps on the downlink, it will enable a number of SD or HD feeds to be routed in parallel to multiple IP addresses. From the end of 2011, users will be able to reserve bandwidth online with immediate booking applications or on a pre-planned basis for a guaranteed reservation. An SNG vehicle equipped to show the benefits of ‘NewsSpotter’ will be located in front of hall 1 area OE 112.
VoD via Satellite comes of age
In advance of the upcoming launch of satellite-delivered VoD, Eutelsat will showcase new solutions at IBC designed to complement the linear offer of channels broadcast in the FRANSAT platform. FRANSAT broadcasts DTT channels via the ATLANTIC BIRD™ 3 satellite to homes in France located beyond range of terrestrial DTT reception.
- SelecTV, a subsidiary of TV Num, will showcase the decoder for a satellite push VoD solution which will be launched later this year to broadcast content to user hard disks equipped with 500 GB of storage capacity. SelecTV will have two complementary offers, “Selection”, a subscription on-demand service with a choice of series, documentaries, family, music and youth programming and “La Séance”, a transactional VoD service offering films four months after cinema release. A demonstration will also be running on the Logiways stand at IBC: C40d, Hall 2)
- A display on Eutelsat’s stand will show a pilot of satellite distribution of the ARTE +7 service. The demonstration will enable Arte programmes to be delivered via satellite to a user hard disk connected to a satellite set-top-box produced by Aston
- Access to ARTE +7 will be shown using push VOD software developed by Quadrille that specialises in VOD networks, and installed in the set-top-box and at the FRANSAT uplink platform at Eutelsat’s teleport near Paris
Live: Europe’s first interactive HbbTV service for cable and satellite networks
Eutelsat is also taking its KabelKiosk cable platform into a new interactive phase with HbbTV-based services which are scheduled to launch in the coming weeks. Services available in the new KabelKiosk interaktiv offer will include VoD, catch-up TV, access to news databases and local information. VoD services will be based on a platform operated by industry-expert Rovi that specialises in delivering premium entertainment. Individual channels delivered by KabelKiosk will also be able to use KabelKiosk interaktiv for catch-up TV, VoD, EPG services and red button applications for multiple value added services. Users will benefit from this portfolio of interactive solutions via an STB or a connected TV. A full working prototype system will be displayed live at IBC using an HbbTV STB. HbbTV services via satellite from Arte and France Télévisions will also be demonstrated through the FRANSAT platform on the new Samsung (UE46D8000) connected TV with integrated satellite tuner.
Ka-Band and the Future of Television
In partnership with the World Teleport Association (2), Eutelsat is hosting during IBC an industry dialogue on Ka-band and the Future of Television. Moderated by Louis Zacharilla, Director of Development at the WTA, the roundtable will be on September 10 at 4:30 p.m. on the Eutelsat stand. Speakers will include:
- Paul Scardino, VP Sales & Marketing, Globecomm
- Stefan Jucken, Director Strategic Business Development, ViaSat
- Jean-Francois Fremaux, Director of Business Development, Multimedia Department, Eutelsat
- Jean-Pierre De Muyt, VP Business Development, Newtec
Ku and TV: an expanding universe
Eutelsat will also provide updates at IBC on its investment program, which will see the launch of additional Ku-band capacity to feed an expanding TV universe. The ATLANTIC BIRD™ 7 and W3C satellites are both planned for launch in the coming weeks. ATLANTIC BIRD™ 7 will virtually double resources at the 7 degrees West neighborhood which addresses digital broadcasting markets in North Africa and the Middle East. From its future home at 16 degrees East, W3C will partner broadcasters delivering digital entertainment services to homes in Central Europe and Indian Ocean islands and open a new mission for data and Internet services over Africa.
