Digital Rapids has released version 3.7 of the Digital Rapids Stream software for the company’s StreamZ, StreamZHD and Flux encoding and live streaming solutions. New features in Stream 3.7 include expanded format support including encoding to the Panasonic AVC-Intra format; 64-bit operating system support; cue point insertion for live streaming with Adobe® Flash® technologies; and enhanced H.264 and MPEG-2 encoding. These new capabilities join numerous additions in the previously-unannounced version 3.6 upgrade released in August, including Dolby® Digital AC-3 audio pass-through and updates to Civolution NexGuard forensic watermarking support. Additional new features in Stream 3.7 include multicast support for Windows Media live streaming, particularly noteworthy in enterprises using the Windows Media format for internal communications applications; insertion of Closed Captions from live or file-based sources during encoding to QuickTime files; new and enhanced video and audio processing plug-ins; encoding improvements for streaming to Apple® devices; enhancements to live transport stream outputs; and a variety of minor additions and refinements.
GlobeCast Americas CEO Lisa Coelho has announced that Emma L. Brackett has been appointed Vice President, WorldTV. Responsible for driving development of the company’s WorldTV DTH satellite and Over-The-Top (OTT) business streams, Brackett will report directly to Coelho. Joining GlobeCast from a position as Director of Content at AT&T U-verse, where she was responsible for more than 100 channels, Brackett is a licensed attorney with a background in content acquisition and packaging, development and deployment of content packages, as well as negotiation of distribution agreements. In her new role at GlobeCast, Brackett will focus on developing the expansion of WorldTV’s international services on multiple platforms — including cable and telco platforms — in North and South America, evolving the company’s overall WorldTV business strategy and advancing the strategic technological roadmap for this business line.
MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd. (“MEASAT”) has an agreement with Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd. (“Viacom 18”) for use of the MEASAT-3a satellite for the international distribution of Viacom 18’s channels across the Asian region. Viacom 18 is a 50/50 joint venture operation in India between Viacom Inc. and the Network 18 Group. The joint venture includes leading brands across television, film and digital media to build one of India’s leading multimedia entertainment powerhouse. The brands include MTV, NICK, VH1, COLORS and Viacom18 Motion Pictures. The MEASAT-3/3a satellites distribute News, Lifestyle, Music, General Entertainment, Sports and Documentary channels across Asia. With a bouquet of SD, HD and 3D channels, MEASAT is the preferred satellite operator for broadcast distribution in the region. “MEASAT is excited to be working with Viacom 18 to distribute its popular international channels via MEASAT-3a” said Yau Chyong Lim, Senior Director, Sales and Marketing, MEASAT. “The addition of Viacom 18’s channels further enhances the assortment of premium channels on MEASAT’s 91.5 degrees East Asia video neighborhood.”
NSR’s Global Direct-to-Home (DTH) Markets, 4th Edition study finds the DTH market continues to drive satellite demand and revenue worldwide amidst a troubling economic climate and increasing competition. DTH services used 950 Ku-Band 36 MHz Transponder Equivalents (TPEs) in 2010. In the same year, DTH platforms delivered almost 16,900 SD, HD, and 3D television channels to nearly 140 million subscribers, and generated over $75 billion in subscription revenues. “Already, Over-the-Top (OTT) Technologies are making the biggest buzz, and DTH players need to consider how these services will integrate into devices. In North America, and Western Europe, OTT services such as Hulu, Netflix, and BBC’s iPlayer are finding their way into the living room,” said Brad Grady, NSR Analyst and Report Author. “By 2020, nearly 1 out of 2 DTH subscribers will have HD subscription packages, and 1 out of 3 subscribers will have a Digital Video Recorder (DVR).” In the developed DTH markets of North America and Western Europe, household growth remains minimal as employment hardships persist and household foreclosure rates remain above market averages for the near-term. In developing markets, TV household growth is slow as they face similar income pressures as developed markets. However given recent returns, DTH platforms across the globe appear to have discovered the right combination of package pricing and offerings to continue growth projections. Report info here.
