Neuf Telecom Make Bundling Easy

We're extending the amount of video we bring to you that demo's services providers advertising from around the world. This piece of video from Neuf Telecom is an example of the advertising they are using to sell their bundled services, including Pay TV, to consumers.

The premise of the piece is that choosing the right package can be confusing and impossible to understand, but with Neuf Telecom, its simple to have ADSL at up to 20 Mbits, Unlimited Calls to fixed line telephones and access to 150 channels of digital TV all for 29.90 Euros per month.

TV3, Catalonia’s Television – Interactive SMS

With this application the viewer can control when and how to read the messages that appear on the screen. Using the red button, the user can activate a menu where they will be able to choose how to see the SMS. They can choose to either place the messages at the top of the screen, at the bottom, or alternatively they can make use of the entire screen to display their messages, allowing them to see numerous messages at one time.

This application also allows users with an MHP decoder to read messages that will not appear on their favourite TV shows due to time constraints.

Taking Television to the Next Level - The Combination of HD and IPTV

Early adopters are showing considerable interest in High Definition Television (HDTV), argely because of the dramatic increase in picture quality which supports these consumers’ demand for ever larger screen sizes. In order to appeal to the wider consumer audience, many of whom will not be persuaded by screen size arguments, HDTV will need to demonstrate considerable additional value over that of the standard definition
incumbent.

Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) offers a foundation for the delivery of such incremental value. IPTV provides the capability to offer truly tailored television services in either a lone viewer or community viewer based environment. The additional resolution afforded by HDTV, enables the compelling visual presentation of the information and controls which will form a vital part in

Tilgin integrates Northport middleware into IPTV set-top boxes

Tilgin, a Swedish manufacturer of customer premises equipment for triple play solutions, and IPTV middleware developer Northport have cooperated on the integration of Northport’s Modulation middleware in Tilgin’s IPTV set-top box program.

The cooperation furthers the push towards certification of Tilgin’s set-top boxes in the Base Box Environment, a standardised environment of TV-based services set up by the Swedish Open Net Broadband-TV working group. The cooperation also means that Tilgin and Northport can work together with vertical net communication operators.

“We are very pleased with the Northport cooperation and integration with our IPTV set-top boxes,” said Ola Berglund, CEO of Tilgin. “Middleware is a very important component in today’s IPTV solutions. Together we offer a very strong solution for open network broadband solutions in Sweden.”

Envivio licenses Microsoft VC-1 Encoder to support its Convergence Generation headend solution

Envivio has licensed Microsoft’s new VC-1 Encoder in order to support Windows Media Video (VC-1) within the Envivio Convergence Generation headend solution.

The solution features the Envivio 4Caster C4 multichannel IP encoder for IPTV and Internet TV applications. The C4 video encoder can be configured to simultaneously encode multiple resolutions supplying a multiscreen solution, suitable for operators wishing to expand their IP-based digital video services.

“VC-1 is one of the most widely used encoding formats in the Internet streaming industry,” commented Julien Signès, President and CEO of Envivio. “The important work we are doing now is strategic for our product line and customers.

“The image quality offered through our new Microsoft VC-1 Encoder technology provides an unparalleled experience for consumers watching video on TVs, PCs and mobile phones,” added Tim Harader, Senior Business Development Manager for Core Media Processing Technologies at Microsoft. “By working closely with Envivio, we are further extending VC-1’s reach by offering very high quality video encoding for IPTV, Internet TV and mobile TV operators.”

Verimatrix announces VCAS content security solution for cable IPTV platforms

Verimatrix has announced that it has developed a new version of its Video Content Authority System (VCAS) which is designed for cable IPTV platforms.

The company has integrated its VCAS solution into GoBackTV’s Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) Bypass solution, which converts an existing cable system into an asymmetric IP network suitable for IPTV services. The solution is compatible with both the US DOCSIS and EuroDOCSIS standards.

“We saw a gap in the market for an alternative solution designed for operators that want to ‘turbocharge’ their digital cable video services without expensive infrastructure costs,” said Steve Oetegenn, chief sales and marketing officer for Verimatrix. “GoBackTV is an ideal partner for us to deliver the only solution in the market that enables CMTS Bypass and integrates content security for the cable market.”

Korea Telecom selects ATEME H.264 encoding technology for MegaTV service

French provider of video compression solutions, has announced that its ATEME H.264 encoding technology has been selected by Korea Telecom (KT) for its new MegaTV fibre-to-the-home IPTV service.

Korea Telecom has purchased a “significant” number of ATEME H.264 File Encoder licences, and will reportedly use ATEME technology exclusively to process all the movies available on MegaTV. Upon nationwide roll-out, expected imminently, the service will provide over 2,000 hours of content per month. Tens of thousands of on-demand titles will be available as well as 28 interactive services, including education, finance and instant messaging. MegaTV subscribers will also have access to converged voice and data services

“We are very happy to select ATEME technology for our new MegaTV service,” said Young-Hyun Kim, Assistant Vice President of KT’s Media business unit. “Through this licence contract, KT will be able to supply the best-quality video to every home and lead in IPTV as well as the VoD market… This is a wonderful opportunity for KT to take a worldwide leadership role in converged services among telecommunication companies.”

Deutsche Telekom enters bid to build high-speed broadband network in Australia

German telco Deutsche Telekom (DT) has entered an unexpected bid for a tender being held in Autralia to build a high-speed network.

DT is seeking partners for the venture, with its subsidiary DT Asia stating that: “In terms of the investment required, DT Asia is confident that appropriate financial partners are available to support such a strategic infrastructure opportunity. DT Asia has a preference for Public Private Funding with an appropriate commercial return.”

If successful, the venture could precede the roll-out of IPTV services across the new network, as it has recently demonstrated a firm level of commitment to the technology in its native Germany by announcing plans to gain an extra 100,000 to 200,000 customers by year-end.

Due to Australia’s sparse population in large parts of the country, DT is also reportedly asking for “targeted subsidies…. to reach the desired coverage that would otherwise not fit within ‘normal’ economic models for the wholesale broadband operator.”

Other entrants in the tender at present are Australian telco Telstra and the G9 consortium, which includes the telcos Optus, AAPT, Soul and TransAct, all of which already operate in Australia.

VOLNÝ chooses Verimatrix VCAS to secure new IPTV service

VCAS is designed for use in two-way and hybrid networks and was successfully integrated with VOLNÝ’s other system components, including middleware from Itonis and set-top boxes from Motorola Kreatel. VOLNÝ TV is currently available in Prague and Brno, and coverage expansion is planned for the coming months.

“It is of paramount importance that our personalised television model is totally secure,” said Michaela Hajna, spokeswoman for VOLNÝ. “Verimatrix delivered a solution which not only added to the overall value of our network, but was cost-effective and quick to implement. An added benefit is that Verimatrix’s solutions allow us to easily scale up our systems as uptake of our network grows.”

AT&T breaks 100,000 customers barrier for U-verse IPTV service

September 6, 2007 – AT&T has broken the 100,000 customers barrier for its U-verse IPTV service in the US, and has also announced that it will roll out new features and content from the end of this month.

The operator plans to begin offering new features such as AT&T U-bar, which delivers Internet-like content to the TV screen such as customised weather, stock, traffic and sports information, and YELLOWPAGES.COM TV, a new way to search for local businesses and other information. AT&T will also launch AT&T Yahoo! Games for the service, which will bring games including Sudoku, Solitaire, JT’s Blocks, Mah-Jongg Tiles and Chess to the TV screen.

New content will be made available in coming months including new high definition (HD) channels, including Lifetime Movie Network HD, History Channel HD, Animal Planet HD, TBS HD and Versus/The Golf Channel HD.

“We’ve reached today’s milestone less than a year after we started scaling this service into multiple markets,” said Randall Stephenson, Chairman and CEO of AT&T. “Today, we offer U-verse across nine states, and we’ve added new features that you can’t currently get with any other provider. We look forward to continuing our U-verse growth in the months and years ahead.”

Magnet adds 10 new Sky channels to IPTV service

September 6, 2007 – Magnet Entertainment, an Irish provider of IPTV services, has signed a deal with Sky to add 10 new Sky channels to its service, bringing the total to 105.

The new channels include Sky News, Sky One, Sky Two, Sky Three, Sky Travel, Sky Travel +1, Sky Travel Extra, Sky Travel Shop, Sky Sports News and Sky Arts. At present 50,000 homes in Dublin, Meath and Laois are within Magnet’s fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) footprint, however no figures are currently available for subscriber numbers.

“Sky channels are among the most popular TV channels in Ireland today – we have listened and responded to our customers feedback and are very pleased to add 10 new Sky channels to our growing TV channel line-up,” commented Vern Kennedy, chief executive of Magnet. “Magnet Entertainment can guarantee that our customers will be benefiting from even more great content in the future.”

Magnet’s triple-play package, comprising voice, Internet and TV, start from €54 per month.