European Mobile Broadcasting Council (EMBC) - Opening meeting: 11 July 2006, Brussels, Belgium
June 23, 2006 - European industry is setting up the European Mobile Broadcasting Council (EMBC) in order to develop a common vision for the development and implementation of mobile broadcasting in the EU. This initiative is a response to Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding's call in Hannover on 8 March 2006 to develop recommendations for the introduction of mobile broadcasting in Europe. Participation in EMBC is open to any stakeholder, who has an interest in introducing mobile broadcasting successfully to the EU.

DSL Global Surges past the 150 million subscriber mark
June 23, 2006 - Worldwide DSL subscriptions surged past the 150 million mark in the twelve months to 31 March 2006, according to the latest data produced for the international DSL Forum by industry analyst Point Topic. This growth of 39% in the year means that more than 43 million business and residential users selected DSL (digital subscriber line) for broadband access, with 11.5 million new subscribers signing up to DSL in the first quarter of 2006.
At the end of the first quarter of 2006, there were 22 countries with more than one million DSL subscribers – seven nations reached the figure in the twelve months to 31 March 2006.

Countries with more than one million DSL subscribers (31 March 2006) Ranking Country Total DSL | Ranking Country Total DSL Q1 2006 | Q1 2006 1 China 29,357,000 | 12 Brazil 3,323,900 2 USA 22,224,006 | 13 Netherlands 2,587,000 3 Japan 14,571,000 | 14 Australia 2,494,000 4 Germany 11,100,000 | 15 Turkey 1,843,852 5 France 10,214,000 | 16 Mexico 1,831,500 6 UK 7,921,500 | 17 Poland 1,429,429 7 Italy 7,024,300 | 18 Sweden 1,382,500 8 South Korea 6,422,406 | 19 Belgium 1,344,252 9 Spain 4,294,800 | 20 Switzerland 1,189,000 10 Taiwan 3,762,000 | 21 Finland 1,091,400 11 Canada 3,479,265 | 22 India 1,088,935

Brazil adopts Japan's digital broadcast tech format
June 23, 2006 (Mainichi) - Brazil on Thursday decided to adopt Japan's technological format for terrestrial digital television broadcasts.

1m Koreans tune into mobile digital TV
June 23, 2006 (PC Advisor) - One million mobile terrestrial digital-TV receivers were purchased in South Korea in the first six months or so after the service was launched, according to government figures.

Cable CTOs Say OCAP Set-Tops Are Coming
June 23, 2006 (Cable Digital News) - Nearly five years after CableLabs wrote the first technical specifications for digital cable set-top boxes and TV sets that would enable them to run on any cable system, the cable industry is finally ready to start pushing that gear.

Taiwan's MediaTek wins digital TV chip orders from Japan, South Korea - report
June 23, 2006 (AFX) - MediaTek Inc has secured contracts to supply digital television chips to clients in Japan and South Korea, the Commercial Times reported, citing unnamed sources.

ST moving set-top box chip to 65nm
June 23, 2006 (EETimes) - After a sluggish 2005 that marked a dip in its once-dominant share of the set-top market, STMicroelectronics is back to "kicking (the competition's) butt," according to Christos Lagomichos, vice president, general manager of ST's Home Entertainment Group.

ACCESS' NetFront™ Living Connect Middleware for DLNA-Friendly Equipment Supports Sigma Designs' SMP8634 Secure Media Processor Chipset
June 22, 2006 - ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of mobile content delivery and Internet access technologies, and Sigma Designs, Inc. (Nasdaq: SIGM), a leader in digital media processors for consumer appliances, announced that ACCESS' NetFront™ Living Connect middleware for DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) -friendly equipment supports Sigma Designs' SMP8634 secure media processor chipset.
ACCESS' NetFront Living Connect is a middleware product for ACCESS' DLNA equipment. With a specialized design exclusively for embedded equipment, NetFront Living Connect can be mounted even in environments with limited memory resources. Its high portability, which allows it to function with any OS or CPU, means it can be smoothly embedded into a wide range of equipment. Sigma Designs' SMP8634 media processor is a chipset for advanced-function IPTV set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, network DVD players and HDTV. Its Codec is compatible with high-definition MPEG-4 (H.264), WMV9/VC-1, MPEG-4, and MPEG-2 decoding. In the digital rights management (DRM) area, it supports DTCP-IP and Windows DRM. In the future, ACCESS plans to commercialize a NetFront Living Connect software development kit (SDK) to support faster development times and lower development costs for makers of equipment using Sigma Designs' SMP8634 secure media processor.

Tatung Strengthens its High Definition Set Top Boxes Product Portfolio with Oregan’s Media Browser
June 22, 2006 - Tatung Co., a leading Taiwanese STB manufacturer, is rolling out its advanced range of Internet-connected Customer Premises Equipment for the telco, cable and satellite consumer services markets. The Internet browsing and video streaming features of its 2000 series IPTV set top boxes will be powered by the embedded browser solution from Oregan Networks – a UK-based software company that specializes in non-PC entertainment devices.
The 2000 series will include a variety of multi-featured appliances, ranging from High Definition IPTV STBs, hybrid IP + DVB STBs - to high end PVR units. Initially, the STB 2000 range will include a DVB-T tuner, with plans for subsequent offering of devices with ATSC tuners, as well as DVB-C or DVB-S2 capabilities. Owing to Tatung’s manufacturing economies of scale and sophisticated design practices, the price point for the new STBs is highly competitive.

CANALDIGITAAL Deploys NDS MediaHighway Middleware in Belgium
June 22, 2006 - NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced that CANALDIGITAAL, the largest and fastest growing provider of digital TV in the Netherlands, has selected NDS MediaHighway to be integrated into its new STBs which will be deployed in Flanders, northern Belgium.
CANALDIGITAAL will begin distributing new STBs incorporating MediaHighway in Flanders in the coming weeks, giving subscribers access to ‘TV Vlaanderen’, the company’s new digital TV platform that caters specifically to Flemish viewers. NDS’s MediaHighway solution will also provide CANALDIGITAAL with the ability to operate multiple TV bouquets moving forward through its scanning technology, which provides viewers with customized EPGs that display channel listings for content which the viewer has subscribed to. The deployment complements CANALDIGITAAL’s existing STB platform in the Netherlands, which also employs MediaHighway middleware.

Euro1080 Uses Modulus Video MPEG-4 AVC Encoders to Kick Off World Cup Coverage
June 22, 2006 - Modulus Video, Inc., an emerging leader in the market for MPEG-4 AVC video compression systems, announced today that its ME6000 High Definition MPEG-4/AVC video encoder had been purchased by Euro1080, Europe’s first HDTV media company. The system has been installed at Euro1080’s broadcast operations headquarters in Belgium, to support a wide range of HD programming, including coverage of the FIFA World Cup tournament on its channel HD2.
The Modulus Video ME6000 is a real-time, High Definition MPEG-4 AVC video encoder that utilizes the industry’s highest levels of processing power to deliver the maximum benefits of the AVC toolkit. The ME6000 delivers full resolution HD for the most demanding IPTV, satellite, and broadcast applications. Leveraging H.264 technology from LSI Logic, the ME6000 offers comprehensive support for the most advanced AVC tools, plus exclusive features such as capped variable bit rate (VBR) mode, ensures delivery of high-quality HD at the lowest possible bit rates.

Sanmina-SCI Delivers 35 Millionth Set-Top Box Unit to EchoStar Communications Corporation
June 22, 2006 - Sanmina-SCI Corporation, a leading global electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company, today announced it has delivered the 35 millionth set-top box unit to EchoStar Technologies Corporation, a subsidiary of EchoStar Communications Corporation, a licensee of direct broadcast satellite (DBS) television products and services. This milestone has been reached after more than a decade of mutual development and collaboration.
The significant milestone was marked by a ceremony held at Sanmina-SCI’s manufacturing operation in Guadalajara, Mexico, earlier today. EchoStar executives joined Sanmina-SCI executives and employees to celebrate. A 35 millionth commemorative unit was presented to EchoStar to acknowledge the event and milestone.

Antina launches Argentina's first digital TV service [Sp]
June 22, 2006 (Medios Latinos) - A new digital tv broadcaster is to launch in Argentina transmitting to the metropolitan area of the capital city and the Greater Buenos Aires region.

Infineon launches single chip TV Tuner IC with integrated RF and IF functions that offers lower power consumption, half the footprint area with a superior cost position
June 22, 2006 - Infineon Technologies AG, a leading supplier of TV tuner ICs, introduced today an economic, low power tuner IC, Taifun TUA6039. The TUA6039 integrates the complete RF (Radio Frequency) and IF (Intermediate Frequency) functions on a single chip, leading the evolution of smaller and more cost effective digital TV tuner ICs without compromise to performance.
The TUA6039 has only half the footprint area of the conventional RF + IF tuner solution. The highly integrated IC provides a reliable solution for tuner, set-top box and TV manufacturers, offering a 50 percent reduction in board space and power consumption compared to previous generation. This makes the TUA6039 an ideal upgrade path for customers that are currently using Infineon`s two-chip solution, consisting of TUA6034 (RF multimedia tuner) and TDA6192 (IF amplifier).

HDMI 1.3 Doubles Bandwidth, Delivers Billions of Color for HDTVs
June 22, 2006 - The seven HDMI Founder companies (Hitachi, Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic), Royal Philips Electronics, Silicon Image, Inc., Sony Corp., Thomson, Inc. and Toshiba Corp.) today released a major enhancement of the High-Definition Multimedia Interface™ (HDMI™) specification, the de facto standard digital interface for high definition consumer electronics. HDMI 1.3 will enable the next generation of HDTVs, PCs and DVD players to transmit and display content in billions of colors with unprecedented vividness and accuracy.
The HDMI 1.3 specification more than doubles HDMI’s bandwidth and adds support for Deep Color technology, a broader color space, new digital audio formats, automatic audio/video synching capability (“lip sync”), and an optional smaller connector for use with personal photo and video devices. The update reflects the determination of the HDMI founders to ensure HDMI continues evolving ahead of future consumer demands.
The update arrives at a time of strong momentum for the HDMI standard. HDMI Licensing, LLC today announced that more than 400 makers of consumer electronics and PC products worldwide have adopted HDMI. Market researcher In-Stat expects 60 million devices featuring HDMI to ship in 2006.

Amino adds Austrian national Telco to customer list
June 22, 2006 - Amino, leading IPTV set-top box supplier, today announced that it has added yet another national Telco to its list of customers. Telekom Austria, the country's leading telecommunications operator has ordered additional supplies of the AmiNET110 to meet customer demand for its aonDigital TV service.
The IPTV package was rolled out to subscribers in March 2006, following a customer-friendly soft launch in December 2005 and offers a flexible range of broadcast and video on-demand (VOD) channels to Austrian homes with DSL connectivity.

Anevia Launches the First “All-in-One” MPEG-4/H.264 VOD Server Featuring Trick Play and Time Shifting
June 22, 2006 – Anevia, a next generation IPTV and VOD servers provider for telecom operators, broadcasters and integrators, today announced a breakthrough in MPEG-4 Video on Demand (VOD) solutions, with its new full featured MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 VOD server.
Based on the live-indexing technology, the new Trick Play MPEG-4 function makes the Toucan 100 and Toucan 500 the first full featured MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 VOD servers to be deployed in the IPTV world. Thanks to Trick Play and Time Shifting, the end users will be able to fast rewind and fast forward, to enjoy Program Pause and Instant Replay in MPEG-4 video or live TV programs.

The Bridge Networks, MECA (Indonesia) MiTV (Malaysia), Nokia, and Intel jointly spearhead DVB-H Asia Pacific Alliance (DAPA) for Mobile TV
June 21, 2006 - The Bridge Networks, MECA (Indonesia), MiTV (Malaysia), Nokia, and Intel announced the formation of DVB-H Asia Pacific Alliance (DAPA) - a mobile TV special interest group.
Formed by potential DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting, Handheld) key industry players in the Asia Pacific region and with sponsorship from Harris Broadcast and Radio Frequency Systems, DAPA aims to establish a DVB-H regional forum to promote the sharing of best practices and to keep member companies appraised of new business and technological developments in mobile television.
The group will also support regulatory preparation and discussion to facilitate the adoption of DVB-H as the standard for Mobile TV in the Asia Pacific region.

FCC Proposes Rules for New Broadcasting Satellite Service (NPRM)
June 21, 2006 - Today, the Commission adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking comment on licensing and service rules for satellites authorized to provide service to the United States in the 17/24 GHz Broadcasting Satellite Service (BSS). The 17/24 GHz BSS satellites will downlink domestically in the 17.3-17.7 GHz frequency band and uplink in the 24.75-25.25 GHz frequency band. The 17/24 GHz BSS service holds the potential of bringing a new generation of innovative satellite services to American consumers – providing a mix of video, audio, data and multimedia services to residential and business subscribers.
The NPRM seeks comment on proposals related to operations in the 17/24 GHz BSS band, including: (1) the appropriate method for processing applications; (2) license terms, replacement satellites, access to the U.S. market from non-U.S. satellites, and milestone requirements; (3) pubic service obligations, geographic service and emergency alert system (EAS) requirements; (4) use of spectrum allocated internationally, but not domestically, by receiving earth stations located outside the United States; (5) orbital spacing and antenna performance standards; (6) inter- and intra-service sharing; and (7) other technical requirements, such as reverse band operations.

Time Broadband Service of India Selects Verimatrix for First Deployment of VIDEOMARK Forensic Watermarking in Asia on MTNL TRI-BAND Network
June 21, 2006 - Verimatrix, developer of the most widely deployed IPTV content protection system with tier one operators, today announced at CommunicAsia 2006 that its Verimatrix Content Authority System (VCAS) and patent-pending VideoMark™ user-specific forensic watermarking will be deployed on the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) Delhi network. Time Broadband Service of India is providing the content delivery network as the first broadband content partner for state-owned incumbent MTNL’s IPTV service, which is the first commercial video-tier rich-media service in India.
MTNL’s IPTV service, called "TRI-BAND", will be launched initially in New Delhi and then in Mumbai, targeting 200,000 broadband subscribers in the first year, and will ultimately be offered to its 3.9 million subscribers. Time Broadband is working with HP as the systems integrator for the IPTV deployments, and includes Optibase Encoders with Kasenna middleware and Amino’s H.264 compliant STBs. Time Broadband is also implementing Verimatrix’s clone detection technology, which was designed to protect revenue for the service provider by detecting cloned STBs on the network. Furthermore, VideoMark has been integrated with the STB to be deployed shortly, for an additional layer of content protection.

Europe leads the world in the interactive TV trial
June 21, 2006 (Indian Television) - While some parts of the world are still trying to understand what interactive TV means, and some other markets are still in its infancy as in the Asia Pacific region; it looks like Europe will set the rules of the new game. With more than 380 interactive services on air in 2006, Europe clearly leads the way.

Ericsson's Mobile TV solution selected by Celcom
June 21, 2006 - In an effort to further enhance its 3G services offerings, Celcom (Malaysia) Berhad has awarded Ericsson a contract to provide Ericsson Mobile TV and Video solutions. Ericsson will supply and integrate Ericsson's convergent streaming solution, which will provide Celcom with a single platform for packet and circuit switched mobile TV.
The channel selector will allow the mobile phone to be easily used as an interactive remote control for quick surfing between channels by just pushing the numbers on the key pad. It functions in a manner similar to a traditional television remote control, providing the users with a TV-like experience - selecting between a range of TV programs on their mobile.

Majority of Australian broadcasters choose Irdeto as their preferred content security provider
June 21, 2006 - Irdeto, the proven expert in content security for digital TV, IPTV and mobile, and a subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers, announced today that three new clients, NBN TV, SelecTV, and UBI World TV have chosen the Irdeto Digital TV solution to secure their satellite TV programs for audiences in Australia and the region, making Irdeto the most widely deployed content security platform in Australia.
Irdeto has provided comprehensive content protection solutions to broadcasters in Australia for more than 10 years. The company delivered the world’s first DVB solution to Austar in 1995 and is now working with over 300 customers globally.

More Than Half a Billion Mobile TV Subscribers by 2011
June 21, 2006 - In 2011, mobile TV services will have some 514 million subscribers worldwide, up from only 6.4 million at the end of 2005, a new ABI Research study has found.
The fledgling market for mobile television is beginning to build significant momentum, according to the report, "Broadcast and Unicast Mobile TV Services," and advertising-supported broadcast services are expected to propel additional growth over the next few years.
South Korea and Japan are the early adopters, but European and North American markets are not far behind, with three contenders planning to introduce mobile video broadcast services in the United States over the next 12 to 18 months. MediaFLO (Qualcomm) plans to be first off the mark, having announced its intention to launch services in the fourth quarter of 2006; Hiwire (Aloha Partners) and Modeo (Crown Castle) will follow suit in 2007.

Mobile TV Broadcast Subscribers to Leap to 100 Million by 2010
June 21, 2006 - By the end of 2010, mobile TV broadcast subscribers worldwide will reach 102 million, a giant leap from 3.4 million in 2006, reports In-Stat. Recognizing that using cellular networks to deliver content that millions want to watch simultaneously requires much greater bandwidth than is currently available, carriers are turning to mobile TV broadcast networks, which have a much lower cost per bit for video delivery, the high-tech market research firm says.
Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
• There are positives and negatives to each standard, but each has a vendor eco-system behind it to enable deployment today.
• 2005 was the year of the first deployments, with ongoing trials in many parts of the world.
• Mobile carriers, mobile TV network operators, and content providers will soon be testing business models to determine what mobile phone subscribers are willing to pay to watch and what advertisers are willing to pay to reach them.

Broadbus and TANDBERG Television Enable Video-On-Demand In More Than 30 Markets Worldwide
June 21, 2006 – Broadbus Technologies, Inc., the leading provider of technology solutions for Television on Demand (TOD®), and TANDBERG Television today announced that their integrated solution for video-on-demand and advanced on-demand services has been successfully deployed in more than 30 markets worldwide. The combined solution is made possible by the open architecture of the TANDBERG Television OpenStream® Digital Services Platform and Broadbus B-1™ Video Server.
Operators of all sizes have turned to Broadbus and TANDBERG Television to launch on-demand services, including Adelphia, Charter Communications, Comcast, Rogers Cable, Time Warner Cable and others.

Motorola’s OCAP® Solutions to be Trialed in Select Cox Communications markets
June 21, 2006 - Motorola, Inc. today announced that Cox Communications and will begin evaluation of Motorola’s open cable applications platform (OCAP®) middleware solution. The announcement was made at the 2006 SCTE Cable-Tec Expo (Colorado Convention Center, Denver, 21-23 June) where Motorola is exhibiting its OCAP solutions at Stand #176.
Using standard OCAP 1.0 and OCAP-DVR specifications, Motorola’s solution further allows operators to tap into the robust networking capabilities of the Motorola Follow Me TV platform. This will enable developers to take advantage of features such as linking set-tops and mobile devices and the sharing of tuners and storage across a home network – right from within their own custom OCAP applications.

Streaming21 and Zentek Joint Showcase iTV Solutions at BroadcastAsia 2006
June 21, 2006 - Streaming21, the world's leader in broadcast-quality streaming solutions, and Zentek Technology Singapore Pte Ltd., the world's leader in digital communications, will showcase its real-world successes of residential iTV (Interactive TV) & KOD (Karaoke On Demand) services at BroadcastAsia 2006 (June 20-23) in Singapore.
This exciting live-demo with intelligent "personalization" & "interactive" features will illustrate how telcos and broadband service providers can explore new revenue streams by offering differentiated & compelling home entertainment services to attract more subscribers. The KOD live demo is also a warm-up activity for a commercial service launch of a leading broadband service provider in Singapore

France - Proposed law to allow for introduction of HDTV and DVB-H services
June 21, 2006 (DigiTAG) - The Government has made a proposal to modify the broadcasting law of 30 September 1986. The modifications to the existing law would allow for the introduction of new television services such as HDTV and DVB-H, currently not possible.

Japan - Internet TV broadcaster claims 10 millionth viewer
June 21, 2006 (Daily Yomiuri) - More than 10 million people have signed up for Usen Corp.'s Gyao Net TV service since it started broadcasting in April 2005. Yet despite the numbers putting the free service ahead of competitors such as Yahoo, the nation's largest cable broadcaster's service is still deep in the red.

Oregan Networks extends Skype functionalities to the television
June 20, 2006 - Oregan Networks, a software provider that licenses its embedded solutions to consumer electronic brands, today announced availability of a new feature for delivery of Skype message alerts and caller ID to TV-centric devices, aiming to further enrich the end consumer's experience and interactivity. Oregan Media Browser, the embedded softwarvergence carriers and Cone product of the company, enables 'ubiquitous' Internet and IPTV services and is based on the established open standards for web content authoring and distribution.
The new feature enables a scenario, where consumers can be notified of Skype messages and calls whilst watching digital broadcast or IP television, with options to dismiss or respond without leaving the sofa.

Major growth expected in MENA pay TV sector
June 20, 2006 - The pay TV market in the Middle East and North Africa will grow by 47% over the next five years, according to new research published today. The third edition of Informa Telecoms & Media's Middle East and North Africa TV report shows that the region's 5.3 million pay TV subscribers at end-2005 will grow to 7.7 million in 2011. Much of the growth will come from Israel and Turkey, who will account for 5.5 million pay homes between them at end-2011.
Informa also discovered that, of the region's 53.8 million TV homes, 30.7 million have a multichannel TV service - giving a 57.1% penetration rate. By 2011, that number will exceed 40 million, giving 65.2% penetration.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to Deliver First Blu-ray Titles to Retail Today
June 20, 2006 - Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) launches the first slate of Blu-ray Disc (BD) titles today. The delivery of the first seven BD titles, timed to coincide with the first commercially available BD player from Samsung Electronics and BD compatible VAIO PC from Sony, marks the beginning of a new era in home entertainment that will forever change the way consumers look at, listen to and play movies, music and games.

RoverTv introduces first hard-drive-free, pocket size media recorder and player that records directly from TV
June 20, 2006 - Doghouse Electronics has unveiled the first-of-a-kind RoverTv, a super smart, super skinny portable media recorder and player that records directly from TV without a computer.
Available in the 3.5-inch “Big Screen” ($299.00) and the 4-inch “wide-screen” ($349.00), RoverTv also offers another industry first-it’s the first of its size portable media recorder and player that fills the surface of the device with screen rather than controls. RoverTv’s unique design places the controls on the outer edge, maximizing display size. RoverTv allows consumers to record directly from TV, DVD, CD, FM or computer and accommodates MP3, MP4, WAV files and more. RoverTv supports TiVo To Go™ for viewing content recorded to TiVo™ and can download content from iTunes™, BurnLounge and other electronic media providers. RoverTv is equipped to store JPEG/BMP/GIF photos, videos and presentations.

Chile - GTD plans digital TV launch for Sep
June 20, 2006 (BNAmericas) - Chilean telecoms operator GTD Manquehue plans to launch its digital TV service in September in the Metropolitan Region that includes capital Santiago, local press quoted GTD president Juan Manuel Casanueva as saying.

Spain - More than 3 million homes and 9 million people receive DTT channels [Sp]
June 20, 2006 - The latest data, based on the conversion to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) of collective antennas and the number of viewing homes, shows that the relaunch of DTT in Spain has been a success, thanks to the active participation of the different players in the sector.
According to the data, up to May 31st 2006 a total of 1.75 million DTT decoders had been sold. In addition, more than 1.3 million cable subscribers and more than 253,000 Imagenio customers have access to the DTT channels.

ONSE Telecom Selects Vidiator's Mobile Video
June 20, 2006 - Vidiator® a leading provider of mobile multimedia solutions, today announced that it has been selected by Korea's ONSE Telecom to provide its mobile video ASP platform for ONSE's mobile content portal, So1, with mobile video content services. The ASP platform is based on Vidiator's Xenon™ product suite and will include VOD (video on demand), live streaming of audio and video, video and audio ringtones, and wallpapers. The service is expected to launch in July 2006
So1 is the first open-based mobile Internet service portal in Korea. The service is independent from all Korean mobile operators so that any user of any mobile operator can receive the service. Additionally, as a global publisher and distributor of mobile multimedia entertainment products with exclusive distribution rights to several worldwide brands, Vidiator will also be supplying ONSE Telecom with premium mobile content.

Guangdong Mobile TV Media selects Irdeto to secure mobile TV services during T-DMB trial
June 20, 2006 - Irdeto, the proven expert in content security for digital TV, IPTV and mobile, announced today that its Irdeto Mobile Broadcast security solution has been selected to protect the pioneering T-DMB trials of Guangdong Mobile TV Media. This agreement marks the first deployment of a content protection solution for a T-DMB-based mobile TV network in Asia, and is a milestone in the development of China's mobile TV industry. The service will be secured against unauthorized access by the Irdeto Mobile Broadcast CA solution, the world's first solution for mobile TV content protection.
Guangdong Province, one of the fastest developing provinces in China's mobile market, currently has 55 million registered mobile subscribers, ranking first among provinces in China and covering one sixth of the country's total mobile population. Guangdong Mobile TV Media is among the first operators to be granted a trial T-DMB operation license by SARFT, China's broadcasting ministry.
The initial roll-out will target the Pearl River Delta area with 8 transmission sites. Guangdong Mobile TV Media will broadcast video and audio channels to mobile handsets from leading manufacturers like Samsung. Guangdong Mobile TV Media plans to cover the whole province of Guangdong by end of 2007. The company will support Chinese-branded mobile handsets, and other devices, such as in-car-devices, laptops, USB tuners and portable media players to facilitate growth in the Chinese media entertainment device industry.

UTStarcom and Kapsch CarrierCom Partner to Bring IPTV to Central and Eastern Europe
June 20, 2006 - UTStarcom, Inc. and Kapsch CarrierCom AG today announced a partnership to provide next-generation broadband technology to serve the rising demand for IPTV in Central and Eastern Europe. The companies will debut the new offering at the first IPTV World Forum Eastern Europe, being staged later this week in Budapest, Hungary.
Through Kapsch CarrierCom, UTStarcom, a global leader in IP-based, end-to-end networking solutions and services - will supply its portfolio of broadband solutions, which will enable operators and internet service providers to bring IPTV, and other next-generation services to consumers across the region.

Visioneering Releases Four New IPTV Set-top Boxes
June 20, 2006 (Yahoo! Finance) - Visioneering Corporation, a leading developer and supplier of digital media technologies announced today the availability of the Sonata IPTV™ set-top box (STB) product line that includes four models (Sonata 100, Sonata 120, Sonata 200 and Sonata 200W) for unmatched standard definition or high definition Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) for digital home applications.

India to hit top IPTV slot in Asia Pacific by 2015: Kagan Research
June 20, 2006 (Indian Television) - So what if IPTV is still taking baby steps in India? Come 2015 and India is going to be the third most happening market for IPTV in the Asia Pacific region in terms of the number of households that will have the service, just behind China and Japan, according to projections by Kagan Research.

Romania - TV networks must become digital by 2012
June 20, 2006 (Bucharest Daily News) - Romania will benefit from two national digital terrestrial radio networks and eight digital terrestrial television networks, according to the digital broadcasting plan established at the Regional Radiocommunication Conference held in Geneva between May 15 and June 16.

Shanghai to launch citywide IPTV services in September
June 20, 2006 (Shanghai Daily) - Shanghai will launch citywide broadband-based TV services in September for the first time as more partners have been roped in and Internet access speed has improved, Shanghai Media Group said yesterday.

Shanghai Media Group Joins with Baidu to Promote IPTV
June 20, 2006 (CRI) - NASDAQ listed Baidu.com Inc. (BIDU), the leading Chinese language online search engine operator, formed a strategic cooperation with BesTV, an IPTV operator under Shanghai Media Group (SMG), Baidu announced Monday.

Motorola Extends MediaCipher® Content Security System to Support IP Video
June 20, 2006 - Motorola, Inc. today announced that the widely-deployed Motorola MediaCipher® Content Security System can be extended to protect IP-based video delivered over a DOCSIS®-based network. The Motorola MediaCipher IP Content Security System offers cable service providers a seamless migration path to IP video delivery while maintaining the same level of uncompromised content protection they have come to expect from the Motorola security solutions already deployed in their networks.
As cable customer demand grows for new, broadband connected devices in and around the home, having a secure framework for handling all forms of digital content becomes increasingly important. Motorola MediaCipher IP uses a common infrastructure with Motorola's traditional cable security system, so digital set-tops on a conventional network, IP-set-tops on a “switched” video network, and IP devices on a DOCSIS®-based network can all be managed through a single control platform.
Additionally, Motorola MediaCipher IP technology is compatible with the well-established open software interfaces that are currently deployed in electronic program guides, video-on-demand (VOD) solutions, and interactive applications. This means that service providers can offer a common navigation for both traditional cable programming and newer, IP-based content as the new IP network architecture and services are introduced.

SageTV Releases Wireless Media Extender
June 20, 2006 - SageTV, LLC, today released a wireless media extender that allows any TV in the home to utilize the capabilities of the SageTV Media Center without the need to run wired networking to each TV. This fanless, noiseless, half-sized set-top unit combines with the SageTV Media Center software to provide an affordable whole-home PVR, music and photo distribution system with no monthly subscription fees, additional PVR boxes or expensive PC upgrades. An optional SageTV Placeshifter license also enables users to access their entire digital media library on any PC away from home.

Get set for digital with Cabot Mercator MHEG-5 1.06 compliant plug-in
June 19, 2006 - UK digital TV software company Cabot Communications has successfully completed MHEG-5 1.06 testing for its Mercator MHEG5 Plug-in and Aurora DVB Middleware solution in readiness for the standard becoming an essential requirement for Digital TV equipment featuring the 'digital tick' logo, from September 1st 2006.

Packet Vision to launch addressable IPTV advertising delivery platform at IBC2006
June 19, 2006 - Packet Vision, the addressable IPTV advertising specialist, has announced that it will commercially launch its new TV advertising delivery platform at the IBC2006 exhibition in Amsterdam, September 8-12 (stand 4.369).
The platform has been designed to enable both ‘push’ and ‘pull’ advertising: enabling ads to be highly personalized to match viewer demographics – even down to individual household level – and allowing subsequent viewer interaction that is much more sophisticated than is currently possible.

Triple T Broadband selects Alcatel's IP/MPLS core and WDM optical infrastructure for its triple play services in Thailand
June 19, 2006 - Alcatel today announced that Triple T Broadband and Jasmine Telecom Systems PCL have selected Alcatel for its core IP/MPLS Routing and WDM infrastructure to roll out triple play services by the end of this year.
Triple T Broadband, a wholly owned telecom subsidiary of TT&T Public Company Limited, and Jasmine Telecom Systems PCL, the project system integrator, awarded Alcatel a multi million Euro contract to build the first phase of its next-generation network nationwide including Bangkok and its metropolitan area.
Triple T Broadband is the first private telecom company in Thailand, to deploy a countrywide core IP/MPLS and WDM infrastructure. With the type-3 license and 300,000 phone numbers granted from Thailand's National Telecommunications Committee in February 2006, Triple T Broadband plans to provide DSL-based high-speed Internet services as part of its triple play offering nationwide. Of the total, 100,000 phone numbers will for private companies, state enterprises and condominium residents in Bangkok and the metropolitan area. The rest will be for the provinces.

AT&T TV Service Set to Debut in July
June 19, 2006 (BetaNews) - AT&T will begin its expansion into television, with the "Homezone" service expected to launch in July. The offering will combine EchoStar's DISH Network service with the capability to download movies and videos from the Internet, sources told the Wall Street Journal on Monday.

Imagine Communications Unveils its Quality On Demand Gateway
June 19, 2006 – Imagine Communications, Inc., a new digital video technology company, today unveiled details of its initial PersonalizedTV™ platform solution, the Quality On Demand Gateway (QOD™ Gateway). The QOD Gateway system is the underlying infrastructure of Imagine’s breakthrough technology, designed to cost-effectively enable tremendous bandwidth improvements, enhanced video quality, and customized service offerings such as targeted ads and personalized audio.
The QOD Gateway incorporates a novel, third-generation method of statistical multiplexing for standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) VOD content that supercharges VOD expansion with much greater streaming capacity and enhanced video quality. With the QOD Gateway, up to 15 Variable Bit Rate (VBR) VOD streams can share the same 256 QAM channel with equivalent quality relative to today’s maximum of 10 Constant Bit Rate (CBR) VOD streams. Similarly, 3 HD-VOD VBR streams can occupy a 256 QAM channel vs. today's maximum of 2 HD-VOD CBR streams.

BitBand, Orca Interactive and DigiEyeZ to power ComX IPTV Services
June 19, 2006 – IPTV technology leaders Orca Interactive, BitBand and Danish system integrator DigiEyeZ announce that ComX, a Danish broadband services provider, has selected the three companies to launch IPTV services in Denmark. The services, planned for expansion across Denmark, will initially include live Digital TV channels and Video On Demand (VOD), allowing subscribers to enjoy high quality entertainment packages in the comfort of their own homes.
ComX will implement Orca's RiGHTv™ middleware, IPTV applications and Subscriber User Interface (SUI) SDK, coupled with BitBand's Maestro™ Content Distribution and Management suite and Vision VOD servers.
The deployment, led by DigiEyeZ, will provide subscribers with a higher level of service and viewing experience while enabling smooth distributed growth. DigiEyeZ will execute the development and customization of the SUI (Subscriber User Interface) using Orca’s SUI SDK that allows them to differentiate ComX’s IPTV offerings by adding applications, modifying the solution’s look and feel.

Philips, NextVision and Sky Brazil deliver hybrid satellite TV and IP video-on-demand
June 19, 2006 - Royal Philips Electronics today announced that its Nexperia STB810 set-top box (STB) semiconductor solution, in combination with software from NextVision, has been selected to power Sky Brazil’s first offering of dual digital broadcast/Internet protocol (IP) TV services. By delivering both satellite television and IP video-on-demand in a highly integrated hybrid design, Sky Brazil will be able to offer consumers a simple, unified experience through a single set-top box. With more than 970,000 subscribers, Sky Brazil is the number one provider of satellite television in Brazil.
NextVision’s Regina software platform is written in the highly portable .NET framework for greater flexibility, with rapid, easy customization and branding by service providers. Other key advantages of the NextVision Regina platform include: both a TV and a PC interface; a Web browser interface for establishing customer accounts and user authentication; subscriber-level transaction capturing; support for streaming or downloadable video-on-demand; IP based content protection with encryption to eliminate the need for Conditional Access systems; and full DVR functionality.

Pace Micro and Universal Electronics Join Forces to Demonstrate Networked Home Technology
June 19, 2006 - Pace Micro Technology and Universal Electronics (UEI), today announced their joint development relationship to demonstrate an innovative networked home solution at the upcoming SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Denver, Colorado June 21-23. Pace, a leading digital set-top box provider specializing in the development of emerging technologies across all television platforms is working closely with UEI, a leading developer of digital media access and wireless control solutions, to deliver a revolutionary way to manage and enjoy stored digital media content.
The joint solution will combine Pace’s set-top box product family with UEI’s MyChannel™ Universal Plug-n-Play (UPnP) compliant software, allowing consumers to access and share media content, including broadcast, Internet, and PC-based media files, through their set-top box. MyChannel effectively bridges the divide between PC-based and set-top-box based entertainment that currently exists in consumers’ homes. Digital cable subscribers who have a Pace set-top box deployed in their homes will be able to enjoy music, digital pictures, and movies on any of their connected devices in the home. As a result of this powerful solution, the Pace set-top box becomes the true hub of entertainment in the connected home.
At SCTE, Pace will demonstrate this solution using its flagship Tahoe Dual Tuner HD DVR set-top box. The Networked Home platform gives operators one of the most technologically advanced and consumer-friendly media control and distribution platforms to offer consumers embracing the digital lifestyle. The extensive features of this new platform enable operators to offer new revenue-generating services ranging from paid music channels to media storage — all centrally accessed and controlled from the Tahoe HD-DVR set-top box.

Pace Unveils Miami DC757 HD Product
June 19, 2006 - Pace Micro Technology, a leading digital set-top box provider specializing in the development of emerging technologies across all television platforms, today announced its latest all-digital set-top box – the Miami DC757 HD, which will be demonstrated at the upcoming Society of Cable Television Engineers (SCTE) Cable-Tec Expo in Denver, June 21-23, at Exhibit #1372. This cost-effective, all-digital high definition (HD) box uses the latest generation integrated silicon, supports legacy applications, DSG (DOCSIS® 2.0 Set-Top Gateway), CableCARD™ for conditional access, and the latest in EPG and VOD applications. The Miami box has extensive connectivity options – including HDMI, RF and everything in between to provide secure, high-performance digital audio and video links.
Miami also supports 1394 5C protected interface, boasts best-in-class processing speed and memory capacity and comprehensive connectivity options for easy installation into even the most complex home theatre systems. Pace expects to present Miami to CableLabs® for certification during the fourth quarter of this year.

Korea - T-DMB Users Top One Million Mark
June 19, 2006 (Korea Times) - The number of free mobile broadcasting users topped the 1 million mark last week, seven months after the debut of terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) last December.

Chile - CTC calls for regional digital TV standard
June 19, 2006 (BNamericas) - Chilean authorities should consider adopting the same digital TV standard as other Latin American countries to boost economies of scale when importing TVs, Gustavo Pérez, television manager at Chilean incumbent operator Telefónica CTC Chile told BNamericas.

Trident's HiDTV™ Powers Haier's New ATSC LCD TVs
June 19, 2006 - Trident Microsystems, Inc., a worldwide leader in the development of advanced digital TV technology for the consumer digital video marketplace, today announced that Haier, China's leading consumer electronics brand, has chosen Trident's HiDTV™ and SVP™ EX ten-bit video processor featuring the Digital Cinema Reality Engine (DCRe™) to power its new family of ATSC LCD TVs for North America. The first models, the 26-inch HLH26ATBB and 32-inch HLH32ATBB, are now available and will soon be followed by two additional 42-inch models, 42EP25BAT and 42HP25BAT.
The HiDTV™ + SVP™ EX combination features advanced high-definition MPEG2 decoding, system processing and video processing features to deliver exceptional video fidelity and system functionality including:
• 180MHz, 32-bit, MIPS processors to handle the most demanding system and application software.
• HD-level MPEG2 video decoding engine.
• Up to twelve-bit display control to support the most sophisticated flat-panel displays.
• Ten-bit, dual-channel scaler to ensure crisp images regardless of the display resolution.
• Ten-bit, dual-channel color processor with blue-stretch, green-stretch, skin-color correction and white-balance control to offer vivid, bright colors previously available only in the most sophisticated internally-developed designs of consumer electronics OEMs.
• Advanced, content-adaptive 3D noise reduction to dramatically reduce the popping and crackling that is especially prevalent on today's LCD TVs.
• Enhanced horizontal and vertical sharpness controls that set a new level in sharpness for advanced TVs.
• Full-screen, 16-bit, bit-mapped OSD powered by a high-performance 2D-graphics accelerator to enable beautiful, intuitive, windows-based user interfaces that enhance the functionality of advanced TVs.

Amino Selected by ADC For First IPTV Service in Thailand
June 19, 2006 - Amino, leading IPTV set-top box supplier, today confirms that it was selected by Siemens for the first IPTV deployment in Thailand. The deployment for ADC (Advanced Datanetwork Communication Co. Ltd) has been rolled out to a substantial number of homes in Thailand for several months adding on-demand and broadcast television channels to the company's existing broadband service offering. Over the last months, ADC has witnessed the proven reliability and high quality of the AmiNET set-top boxes.
With this IPTV roll-out, ADC is poised to take a leading position within the burgeoning Thai broadband market which has received strong infrastructure investment and support from the Thai government.

Nokia & TeliaSonera Sweden trial broadcast mobile TV using DVB-H technology and Nokia N92 mobile TV devices
June 19, 2006 - Today, during the annual Nokia Connection event in Singapore, Nokia announces a new contract with TeliaSonera Sweden for a complete DVB-H trial system, including Nokia Mobile Broadcast System 3.0 and Nokia N92 mobile TV devices, underpinned by Nokia's hosting and systems integration know-how.
The system is currently being installed at the Nokia facility in Kista, Stockholm, supported by Nokia's consulting and integration services. The system will be hosted and managed by the Nokia team, to allow TeliaSonera Sweden to offer the full benefits of mobile television. The system will be in extensive use in Gothenburg and Stockholm from early August until year-end. TeliaSonera marks a new customer for Nokia Mobility Hosting.

UK - Digital terrestrial TV set to overtake satellite TV in 2006
June 19, 2006 - The IPA’s Trends in TV report, published today, reveals that digital terrestrial TV reception continues to rise dramatically and is set to overtake satellite TV as the main form of television within UK households during 2006.
Digital terrestrial recorded an 8.3% year-on-year increase in market share, and now serves 27.3% of all UK households, standing just behind satellites 31.5% coverage, which recorded a 2% year-on-year increase in share. If digital terrestrial continues to increase its market share by 2% per quarter, as seen in 2005, it will surpass digital satellite as the UK’s most popular television platform by Q4 2006.

Netflix thinks inside the box
June 18, 2006 (Variety) - Netflix VP of original programming Eric Besner revealed on Friday some of the online rental service's thinking on the movie download bizbiz, saying Netflix is planning to introduce a proprietary set-top box with an Internet connection that can download movies overnight.

South Africa - The future of TV may well be in a box
June 18, 2006 (Business Report) - The SABC could finally have a cure for unpaid television licence fees if the digital television migration committee, which also includes the department of communications (DOC), decides to introduce set-top boxes that would require users to insert smart cards to access digital television.