Business News Holding

Tag: pay-tv

  • DISH Network first to offer all HD programming in MPEG-4

    Competition among US TV providers continues apace as satellite networks’ claims to be first to offer all programming in MPEG-4

    Dish Network is claiming a pay-TV industry first with its announcement that it is to transmit all standard and HDTV programming in the MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding Standard.

    Always keen to stress any competitive advantage over its rivals, the satellite provider asserts this is just the latest in a series of market-leading offerings.

    Recent announcements have included its latest HDTV expansion; the launch of TurboHD, the only 100 per cent HD service; the availability of movies in Blu-ray Disc quality 1080p resolution and the commitment to offer up to 150 national HD channels by the end of the year.

    DISH officials said that new customers in 21 designated markets in the eastern half of the country who sign up for any Dish Network HD package will be the first in the nation to receive the advanced delivery system on all televisions connected to Dish Network service.

    This includes all SD and HD programming broadcast in MPEG-4 via Dish Network’s MPEG-4 HD and HD DVR receivers.

    To maximize the benefits of MPEG-4 TV, new customers can sign up for Dish Network’s recently introduced TurboHD, the only packages in the industry featuring 100 per cent HD, MPEG-4 programming, starting at US$24.99 per month.

    TurboHD is available in three separate tiers and comprises special “turbo-charged” features and benefits that include what the company says is the highest quality HD available including 1080p where applicable, and the most-watched HD channels that may be viewed on any TV—analog, digital or high definition.

    Current Dish Network customers can get a “turbo-charged” HD package from US$10 more per month.

  • HDTV-enabled receivers boost Pace's STB shipments

    “HD is the flavour for just about everyone…there is a big trend upwards towards HDTV”

    Pace CEO Neil Gaydon


    UK set-top box specialist Pace saw box shipments rise 55 per cent in the first half of this year with HDTV-enabled receivers with built-in hard drives fuelling the growth.

    Volumes rose from 1.8 million in the half-year to December 1 2007 to 2.8 million units to June 30. The additional shipments helped push revenues forward 22 per cent to £231m (£190m to Dec 1 2007).

    They also signalled a reversal of fortune at its French operation, which in the half-year moved from an anticipated loss, to profit of £2.1m.

    Despite the inevitable squeezes on factory-gate prices Pace’s operating margins were up marginally from 20.7 to 21 per cent.

    The performance helped profits (before tax and exceptionals) rise from £10.6m (half-year to Dec 1 2007) to £11.2m this year.

    The company says it is now working with 17 of the world’s top 25 pay-TV operators, and reported a CAGR of its HD-PVR shipments up 49%.

    Pace CEO Neil Gaydon said the company had made strong progress in the first half, building on the performance momentum it has created over the last three years.

    “We launched ten new high definition products with customers around the world and improved the overall performance across the group,” he said.

    “The business is in good shape to capitalise on growth in our core set-top box business, new markets and new technologies as the world embraces the wide range of digital TV solutions.”

  • HDTV to follow lead of smartphone

    In the same way that mobiles will all soon be “smartphones”, HDTV will simply become “TV”

    BY 2015 nobody will refer to “high definition” TV because HD will be the standard form of free television everywhere.
    But the HD broadcast offering in Europe will largely remain patchy during the intervening transition period, according to a report by Screen Digest.
    The study says HDTV will mainly develop as a pay TV product in Europe over the next five years – and mostly as a satellite product.

    A major factor for this is the lack of HD on free-to-air platforms, with only Sweden having already launched HD on free DTT and only France and the UK likely to follow in the short-mid-term.

    The report says that despite its name, Freesat HD has a disappointing HD line-up and is not likely to make a strong market impact in the UK.
    Other barriers to HDTV uptake are a lack of local HD channels in many countries, with pay TV operators relying mostly on US HD channels supply so far.
    The study concludes that a number of European pay TV operators “lack of ambition” when it comes to HDTV.

    In the report, HDTV 2008: Global Uptake, Strategies and Business Models, three critical success factors that will support the successful migration to HDTV are identified:
    – penetration of HD-ready displays
    – supply of HD content and HD channels
    – the availability of HD broadcast on a variety of television platforms.

    The report shows that all these are now cleared for a sustainable migration to HD in the long term.
    But it adds: “In the next five years, HDTV will mainly develop as a pay TV product in Europe, and mostly a satellite product.
    “However after analogue switch-offs are completed between 2010 and 2012, and digital free-to-air platforms are upgraded to more advanced technologies, they will end-up with more bandwidth capacity and become more widely accessible.”

    This, says the report, will kick-start the next phase of HDTV migration as HD becomes the mainstream and ultimately, the standard form of free television around the middle of next decade.

    There is a clear connection between the depth of the HD offerings and the take up of HD by subscribers, according to the study.
    It says that HD has not been pushed hard enough yet by many of Europe’s pay TV operators despite being used heavily as a marketing tool.
    The problem is that this isn’t followed through with the delivery of HD channels.
    Premiere in Germany still only offers two HD channels and its HD uptake is sluggish.
    By contrast BSkyB has now 17 HD channels covering all genres, and on the back of this has signed up almost 500,000 subscribers in less than two years – the fastest take-up of any new BSkyB product.
    The report says that in European pay TV markets that show signs of maturity, operators can use HD to drive ARPU, increase loyalty and reduce churn rates.
    HDTV can also drive pay TV acquisition, as new owners of HD-ready sets are frustrated by the lack of free HD sources.
    “Pay TV operators should therefore seize this window of opportunity before free TV eventually accommodates more HD,” says the report.

    The report also says that small and medium sized pay-TV operators might benefit from reduced costs of transmission and release bigger capacity by migrating their subscribers to MPEG4 at an early stage.

    Click here to view the report summary and its key findings

  • Study says 2008 will be the year of HDTV in Asia


    Seventy-five per cent of pay TV operators in Asia have, or expect to have, HDTV programming by the end of 2008.
    But the lack of substantial HDTV content – both local and international – is seen as being the most important roadblock for developing the HDTV sector in the region.
    These are among of the findings of a survey carried out for MEASAT Satellite Systems by Euroconsult into the development of high definition television in the Asia-Pacific region.
    The study, which was conducted during May, polled the rationale, benefits, challenges and expectations of HDTV amongst the regions’ leading pay TV
    operators.
    A total of 25 operators in 15 markets, collectively serving more than 24 million subscribers, were interviewed.
    It showed operators as generally bullish on the outlook for HDTV, with a majority expecting it to increase ARPU or profits on its own.
    HDTV, which most saw as “here to stay” and destined to become a “must have” offering, had been identified as a key strategic priority for their business.
    The study indicated that the rollout of HDTV is being spearheaded by newer pay TV platforms looking to differentiate their offerings from existing platforms.
    More established platforms were taking a slower approach to implementing HDTV.
    Interviews conducted suggested that HDTV was seen as not particularly easy or difficult to introduce.
    The lack of substantial HDTV content – both local and international – was viewed consistently as the most important roadblock for developing the HDTV sector in the region.
    Paul Brown-Kenyon, chief operating officer of MEASAT, said the results of the study were very interesting.
    “The insights will help us determine how best we can support our customers and partners in the development of this important segment,” he said
    Pacome Revillon, managing director of Euroconsult, said the study provided clear evidence of faster development of HD offerings in Asia than previously expected.
    “Opportunity for growth and increasing competitive pressure are the primary factors driving pay-TV broadcasters to develop an HD offer,” he said.