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Tag: sd

  • Acme Packet SBCs for IMS Chosen by Two Euro Carriers


    Acme Packet has been selected by two European operators to provide them with IMS-based services.

    Telefonica O2 Germany and Telnor Sweden are to use Acme Packet Net-Net 4000 series session border controllers (SBCs) at access and interconnect borders for IMS services.

    Telefónica O2 Germany will use Acme Packet’s SBCs to provide key IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) functionality at its access and interconnect borders.

    The Net-Net Session Director (SD) enables the company to deploy a secure and interoperable IMS network supporting residential retail and wholesale VoIP services and IP interconnects with other service providers.

    Telenor Sweden, the second-largest service provider in Sweden, will also use SBCs to control the access and IP interconnect borders to its IMS data centers.

    Currently Telenor Sweden offers hosted business unified communications using its IMS service infrastructure.

    Seamus Hourihan, VP marketing and product management, Acme Packet

    Seamus Hourihan, vice president of marketing and product management for Acme Packet, said IMS had passed the hype stage but actual deployments had now arrived.

    He said the majority of current deployments of IMS are in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region but in Latin America and North America is growing.

    "Acme Packet Net-Net SBCs provide critical access and interconnect border functions—securing service elements, maximizing service reach and assuring SLAs—that enable service providers to deliver IMS-based services to business and residential customers," he said.

  • HD Models Taking Over PVR Market


    The personal video recorder (PVR) market is continuing to grow, fueled by high-definition models.

    Global PVR shipments exceeded 25 million in 2008, with HD PVRs making up nearly 75 per cent of the total, according to In-Stat.

    Mike Paxton, In-Stat analyst, said demand for HD units has increased dramatically recently.

    "Over the past 18 months, HD PVR product unit shipments have not only surpassed SD PVR product unit shipments, they now account for nearly three-quarters of all PVR product shipments," he said.

    Research by In-Stat also found:

    • Multi-room or "whole home" PVR service has become available in an increasing number of cities in the US over the last year
    • On a regional basis, growth of PVR products is much stronger in Asia Pacific and Europe, compared to the more mature North American market.
    • Over a quarter of US survey respondents were extremely or very interested in multi-room PVR capability

  • NEC Upconverting Chip Promises Sharper Full HD Image


    NEC Electronics has announced a new chip that reduces blurring when SD images and video are expanded and displayed in 1920 x 1080 resolution HDTVs.

    The µPD9280GM is also capable of supporting one billion colors (30-bits color depths – or "Deep Color"), which enhances color vividness and accuracy of display, according to the company.

    Another feature of the super-resolution ASSP is an increased operating frequency of 150 megahertz (MHz), compared to the previous 108 MHz.

    This enables the advanced processing of image data and boosts images with higher resolution even on full HD television broadcasts.

    The µPD9280GM’s super-resolution technology also enables high-resolution processing with just one frame of image data.

    This reduced processing load eliminates the need for expensive, external high-capacity memory.

    Conventional image-resolution technologies use a multiframe technique to process image data, which require large-capacity external memory – making it expensive and difficult to create hardware capable of real-time processing.

    NEC said the new chip will help to better archive valuable images, data and memories previously recorded with only low-resolution technology in various applications, from security camera and automotive backup camera to medical endoscope.

    Mass production is scheduled to begin in July 2009, starting from 100,000 units per month, and expected to reach approximately 1,000,000 units by 2010.

  • US HDTV Ownership Shoots Up


    A third (33.3%) of US households now have HDTVs, up from 19.3% a year ago, according to a Nielsen survey.

    However, only 28.8% of all US homes received HD programming as of February 2009.

    In January, In-Stat reported that more than 39 million US households have an HDTV set yet 43% – or 17 million – either don’t have or don’t watch HD content.

    The Nielsen findings also showed that the average household has 2.6 sets (2.0 SD sets; 0.5 HD).

    Among homes with HDTVs, the average is 3.0 sets (1.4 HD; 1.6 SD).

    Steve McGowan, Nielsen’s SVP of client research initiatives, said in a blog post the results showed that not since color TV was introduced more than 50 years ago has a new TV technology been so rapidly adopted.

    "And despite the recession, Americans seem willing to continue to spend their hard-earned money on this new technology," he said.

    Other Nielsen findings include:

    • HD penetration was greatest among Asian homes (41.8%) followed by white (34.3%), Hispanic (32.0%) and African-American homes (25.9%)
    • 62.7% of all HD sets in the U.S. were located in common areas
    • More than 75% of all tuning on HD sets happened in living rooms or other common areas
    • A higher percentage of HD sets (30.6%) were attached to video game consoles than were SD sets (19.9%)

  • VholdR Offers First Wearable HD camcorder


    VholdR has unveiled what it describes as the first wearable HD camcorder.

    Weighing just four ounces, the 5 Megapixel ContourHD can record 1280×720 video at 30fps or SD video at 60fps with H.264 codec.

    Designed to snap onto a helmet or goggles – the company’s owners are extreme sports enthusiasts – the anodized aluminum camcorder has a 135-degree wide-angle lens with rotation and dual laser alignment.

    There’s a 2GB microSD card included and it supports MicroSD cards up to 16GB – giving up to 8 hours of HD and 16 hours of SD on a single card.

    The ContourHD, which comes with a removable Lithium-ion battery, starts shipping on May 15th for USD $280.

  • ArcSoft Plug-in Upscales Standard DVDs to HD-Like Quality on the PC


    ArcSoft today announced a plug-in for its universal high-definition multimedia player which it says brings most standard-definition video to near HD quality.

    Called SimHD, ArcSoft’s in-house upscaling technology uses NVIDIA CUDA parallel computing architecture to upscale standard DVD movies to up to 1,920 x 1,080.

    The company says it also sharpens and enhances the picture with vivid colours.

    To use the plug-in a copy of ArcSoft’s TotalMedia Theatre software and a sufficiently powerful CUDA-compatible GPU.

    Michael Steele, general manager of visual consumer solutions at NVIDIA, said the solution was a great way to upgrade an existing collection of DVDs into near-HD quality.

  • Panasonic Takes Blu-ray Portable


    Panasonic has unveiled the first portable Blu-ray player at the CES in Las Vegas.

    The DMP-B15 features an 8.9-inch WSVGA display and along with the ability to play Blu-ray discs it also has access (via Ethernet connection to the Internet) to VIERA CAST.

    Fully Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) compliant it also features an SD card.

    The DMP-B15 offers three hours of playback time through a built-in rechargeable battery.

    It can also be connected to an HDTV using an HDMI connection, which means that it could technically be used as a stand-alone player in the home, or even while on the go.

    The DMP-B15 will be available beginning in May 2009, no details yet on the expected cost.

  • HD Video Download Service Allows Blu-ray Recording


    Japan is to get the world’s first HDTV video download service that allows users to export high-def content from HDDs to Blu-ray Disc.

    Tsutaya online provides video content from a server to compatible digital home appliances and allows the content to be copied on Blu-ray Disc, iVDR-S and memory cards.

    Tsutaya obtained permission to use seven of the technologies that can export content based on MarlinDRM specifications.

    The service, which is to be launched on 19 December, will offer over 400 titles, including movies and TV programs created by US film companies.

    Tsutaya online has gained permission to dub HDTV content from them.

    HDTV video can be exported, without down conversion, to Blu-ray Disc, DVD-R DL (AVCREC) and iVDR-S media.

    AACS will be applied to recording on Blu-ray Disc and DVD-R DL media, while SAFIA will be applied to recording on iVDR-S media.

    Video can also be delivered in a form protected by DTCP-IP to DLNA-compatible devices.

    Tsutaya expects to be able to offer a down-convert service from HD to SD, with the content than able to be recorded on SD memory cards, Memory Stick PRO and EMPR (embedded memory with playback and recording function).

  • 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.