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Tag: content-providers

  • HD Video on Demand key to subscriber growth

    Move towards ever better quality of VOD content will be central to operators acquiring new subscribers

    As competition for video services continues to grow in Europe operators will offer high definition VOD as a means of standing out from the crowd.

    That’s acccording to a report from analysts ABI Research, which says the move from near-VOD to true VOD dramatically increases buy rates.

    It believes the next step will be to differentiate even further with HD VOD and greater content choice.
    The report says VOD is rapidly becoming a “must-have” feature, leading it to categorise the growth of subscriber levels in the contexts of programming and functionality.

    After remaining fairly dormant since its inception in the early 2000s, ABI Research believes this will change largely because the evolution of video consumption has prepped consumer interest for VOD services.

    This, combined with the arrival of IPTV operators that offered true VOD from the start, has raised the bar of VOD services.
    Paul Lee, ABI Research analyst, said the number of concurrent VOD streams will increase markedly over the next five years.

    “The Asia-Pacific region is poised to experience high levels of growth: from 1.66 million VOD streams in 2007 to almost 21 million in 2013,” he said.
    “And in total, the global trend toward increased usage of VOD streams will multiply tenfold throughout the years 2007 to 2013, with a compound annual growth rate of nearly 45 per cent.”

    Several companies set up their VOD offerings over the past few years with the intention of boosting future subscriber numbers.

    Cisco acquired Arroyo for its VOD solutions in August 2006, obtaining customers such as Comcast, Time Warner, and Charter.

    While Concurrent has offered one of the most successful VOD platforms for the cable industry – illustrated in 1Q 2008 when the company shipped 50,000 VOD streams, with customers including BrightHouse and Time Warner.

    “Western Europe will see the strongest surge in VOD users with the largest subscriber base and a slightly higher ARPU than North America, thereby making it the eventual leader in the market,” said Lee.

    The ABI Research report, Video on Demand and Ad Insertion Markets, provides an overview of the growth in VOD subscribers, VOD program downloads, VOD servers, and VOD-enabled CPE for CATV, DBS, DTT, and telco TV services.

  • New Zealand warms to HDTV

    Sports mad Kiwis quick to sign up for new Freeview HD service

    Just three months after going live in New Zealand, the free-to-air digital television and radio service Freeview has reported an impressive response to its new high def offering.

    Since its launch in April, 7,594 HD enabled homes have taken the Freeview HD service
    Steve Browning, Freeview’s general manager, admitted that he hadn’t expected uptake to be “quite this fast”.

    He said plans were already in place to produce a Freeview PVR.
    “And with the recent launch of Sony BRAVIA V and W series digital TVs with Freeview HD built in we are seeing the different options available to access free digital TV growing,” he said.

    In general terms, a total of 123,903 receivers had been sold by the end of June, which roughly equates to 8 per cent of New Zealand homes having access to the service.

    Freeview are fully expecting adoption to increase further when the Olympics kick off, with the service offering “24/7 coverage” in HD.

  • HD coverage lures anglers

    Soaring ratings for high definition fishing programmes leads Outdoor Channel to add to schedule

    To those not converted to fishing, just the prospect of watching the sport on TV – let alone in high def – would be enough to have them rushing for the remote control.

    Yet for converts – and there are millions out there – fishing programmes in HD are a huge draw.
    The Outdoor Channel, which claims to be America’s leader in outdoor TV, has announced that ratings for the network’s Friday night fishing block increased 77 per cent over the first half of 2008.

    The bulk of programming found in this segment is shot and aired in high-def.
    It includes shows such as Ultimate Match Fishing, Legends of Rod and Reel and In-Fisherman Television.

    Spurred on by its angling success, the channel will be adding in The Catch: Costa Rica and Fly Fishing the World – both captured in high definition – in Q3.

  • Sony adds HD downloads to PS3

    High Definition choice on game consoles boosted as Sony launches an HD movie download service for the Play Station 3 in the US

    Sony has signed up the major studios, including Fox, Disney and Warner, to offer HD movies on its US download service.
    The downloads can be transferred from the console to the Play Station Portable handheld device.

    This latest development follows Microsoft’s announcement that it will add a NetFlix movie streaming service to its XBox 360 video game console.

    While the NetFlix service will not include high-def movies, Microsoft does offer HD TV shows and movies on its XBox Live (link to other story) service.

    The rivalry between the console makers is good news for consumers.

    Microsoft has said it will triple the storage capacity of the Xbox 360 and sell the consoles with 60-gigabytes of storage starting in early August in the US and Canada.

    Meanwhile Sony is to introduce an 80GB Play Station 3 for US$399 in September.

    Jack Tretton, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, said the new 80Gb console was “perfectly suited for high-definition downloads of games, movies and more”.

    However, the new movie download service does not permit viewers to purchase HD programmes.
    PS3 owners can rent movies in HD, but they can only purchase them in standard-def.

    The HD-rental only policy is understood to have been the decision of the Hollywood studios, perhaps fuelled by the concern that PS3 owners could illegally copy and sell the high-def movies.

  • Blu-ray disc prices could fall in line with DVD

    Warner Brothers is to reduce cost of Blu-ray movies in a development that could see discs being sold for the same price as DVDs

    Warner Home Video is to launch aggressive pricing initiatives for the fourth quarter of 2008, including its most comprehensive Blu-ray Disc promotion yet.

    From September and continuing into the first-quarter of 2009, Warner will offer a Blu-ray point-of-sale rebate programme in which retailers will be able to order participating catalogue titles for around US$11.

    Among the featured titles are The Fugitive, Enter the Dragon, Clockwork Orange, The Shining, The Aviator, Road Warrior and Swordfish.

    The strategy could result in Blu-ray discs at retail being on a par with current DVD prices.

    Even including a retail mark-up, the price paid by consumers should be significantly less than the titles’ current average of US$20 to US$25 retail price at outlets such as Amazon.com and Best Buy.

    The scheme will work by allowing retailers to buy the titles at their present pricing but obtain rebate money back upon the sale of each unit, reducing the cost to around US$11 for retailers.

  • Sky's HDTV sports coverage set to get boost

    The addition of Eurosport’s HD channel to Sky HD would mean major sporting events such as the Tour de France and Olympics broadcast in high def

    Eurosport could be returning to UK screens after a three year gap if negotiations currently being held with Sky are succesful.
    The sports network is expected to add its HD channel to the Sky HD platform within the next few days.

    It is understood to be currently testing at 28 degrees East alongside Eurosport News.
    A Eurosport spokesman said: “We’ve been negotiating with Sky and are very keen to launch our service in the UK.”

    Speaking to Broadband TV News he said that the cross promotion on Eurosport’s standard definition channels had encouraged a number of viewer enquiries.

    The channel is expected to be made available to subscribers to Sky’s HD Mix.
    Eurosport launched its high definition service on May 25, 2008 and is currently broadcasting live HD coverage of the Tour de France.

    The channel has picked up significant carriage in France, Poland, Israel, the Benelux and Scandinavia.
    After the channel’s original launch it was replaced by Eurosport 2, which was launched in 2005.
    This channel included some Eurosport News programming, but continued as a standalone operation in other markets.

    Speaking before the launch of Eurosport’s HD service in May, Laurent-Eric Le Lay, the network’s group chairman, said he wanted to provide as much high def coverage as possible.
    As well as this year’s French Open-Roland Garros tennis Grand Slam the channel’s HD offerings include the Tour de France and the Beijing Olympics.
    “Sport, especially live is spectacular in high definition; it transforms the viewing experience for sports fans,” he said.

  • Competition spurs Cablevision to boost HD channels

    Cablevision Systems Corp will give customers another 15 free high definition channels as it faces stiffer competition from satellite TV providers and Verizon Communications Inc.

    New York-based cable operator Cablevision is to add mainstream HD channels including Discovery, Viacom Inc’s Nickelodeon, FX, FOX News, AMC and The Weather Channel to its line-up in an increasingly competitive market.
    The addition of 15 more channels brings its HD offering up to 60 channels.

    Cablevision says that more than 1.1 million of its digital cable subscribers have at least one high-definition TV and HD-enabled set-top box.

    This latest expansion of HD programming by the company, which has more than 3 million subscribers, is in response to competition from satellite rivals DIRECTV Group and DISH Network Corp, as well as a growing threat from Verizon’s expanding FiOS TV service.

    Industry analysts contend that the satellite TV providers have an “HD advantage” because customers think they offer more and better quality HD services than cable.

    DIRECTV has said it will have capacity for more than 150 HD channels by the end of this year and currently has 95. DISH has around 80 HD channels.

    Verizon, which is in a fierce battle for TV subscribers with Cablevision in New York’s Long Island, currently offers 30 HD channels on its FiOS TV service and said it would add another 30 in the next couple of months.
    The phone company said it would also have capacity for 150 HD channels by year-end.

    Cablevision said in June 2007 it would have the capacity to carry more than 500 HD channels by the end of 2007, but this has not translated to an equivalent amount of HD television programming.

  • iPhone software is bold attempt to turn smartphones into PCs

    Free applications like vSNAX Videos make up 25% of the App Store’s offerings


    The opening of Apple’s online App Store to coincide with the launch of the new iPhone could herald seismic changes in the mobile phone market.
    At least that’s what Steve Jobs, the Apple founder, is hoping.

    He sees the online applications store as an attempt to do for mobile applications like games, reference guides and other software what Apple’s iTunes Store has done for music.

    If successful, it could fuel the transformation of mobile phones into something closer to personal computers – which many software developers and analysts believe Apple, with its talent for distributing applications coupled with the sophisticated capabilities of the iPhone, is well placed to do.

    While rivals may bristle at his comments, Jobs is clear about his goal.
    “There’s been nothing on a mobile phone a fraction as good as what’s on PCs,” he told The Wall Street Journal, as he explained how the iPhone represented a rare launch of a new computing platform.

    So what exactly does the App Store offer?
    Initially it will feature more than 500 applications, ranging from educational programmes, mobile commerce and business productivity tools to games (estimated to be about a third of the first-wave apps including Sega Corp’s Super Monkey Ball).

    While around 90 per cent of the premium apps are priced at US$9.99 or less, 25 per cent of the first 500 apps are free.
    Among them is vSNAX Videos, which promises to deliver mobile video clips to iPhone and iPod touch users from more than 20 premium media partners including AccuWeather.com, Ford Models, Ripe TV, and MTV Networks’ VH1, Spike and GameTrailers.

    Refreshed throughout the day it will offer the latest celebrity gossip, TV show highlights, breaking news, national weather forecasts, fashion and comedy clips.

    Jim Morris, chief product officer of Rhythm NewMedia, which developed vSNAX Videos, said the iPhone allows for “significant improvement” in the way customers experience and consume videos on their mobile devices.
    “vSNAX Videos brings mobile viewing to an entirely new level by using the iPhone’s groundbreaking Multi-Touch user interface so, for the first time, iPhone owners are able to continue to watch their video clip while simultaneously swiping through thumbnails to pick their next selection,” he said.

    vSNAX Videos will be available exclusively in the US and can be downloaded for free from Apple’s App Store.

  • Video, music and celebrity gossip on new app for iPhone

    Free vSNAX Videos application offers the latest from MTV Networks and more to iPhone and iPod Touch

    Rhythm NewMedia, a leader in mobile video, has announced the availability of the free vSNAX Videos native iPhone application on the Apple App Store.

    vSNAX Videos promises to deliver mobile video clips to iPhone and iPod touch users from more than 20 premium media partners including AccuWeather.com, Ford Models, Ripe TV, and MTV Networks’ VH1, Spike and GameTrailers.

    Refreshed throughout the day it will offer the latest celebrity gossip, TV show highlights, breaking news, national weather forecasts, fashion and comedy clips.

    Jim Morris, chief product officer of Rhythm NewMedia, which developed vSNAX Videos, said the iPhone allows for “significant improvement” in the way customers experience and consume videos on their mobile devices.

    “We’re excited to launch vSNAX Videos and fully expect users to continue to devour more and more snack size video clips on their iPhones,” he said.
    “vSNAX Videos brings mobile viewing to an entirely new level by using the iPhone’s groundbreaking Multi-Touch user interface so, for the first time, iPhone owners are able to continue to watch their video clip while simultaneously swiping through thumbnails to pick their next selection,” he said.

    vSNAX Videos will be available exclusively in the US and can be downloaded for free from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch.

    Alice Kim, senior vice president, Digital Distribution and Partner Relations, MTV Networks, said: “With vSNAX, we’re expanding the industry-leading reach of our mobile video portfolio, serving up content to the consumer that is both engaging and free, on two industry changing devices.”

  • Soaps at the fore of switch to HD

    British soaps lead the changeover to high definition – Emmerdale makes the transition

    Emmerdale has become the British network ITV’s first soap production to be recorded in high def.
    It joins Channel 4’s Hollyoaks and the BBC’s Doctors, while the long-running Coronation Street is expected to make the change from SD shortly.

    ITV Productions spent half a million pounds on new studio cameras and lenses for Emmerdale’s leap to HD, investing in eight Ikegami HDK-79EXIII HD cameras with Canon HD lenses.

    It was reported that stars of the soap were concerned about the show’s transition, worried that the new HD video would draw attention to facial wrinkles.
    Lucy Pargeter – Chastity Dingle on the soap – said: “We all held our breath because we’d heard all the horror stories. However, it was fine – if you don’t look too closely.”

    A number of different HD cameras and lenses were tested over a six-month period from June 2007. Different technologies from manufacturers were mixed and matched and trials were done using on-screen talent and the Emmerdale sets.