Advanced Television

Articles

Games piracy rife around the globe

Italy, China, Spain and Brazil are leading havens for online game piracy according to a “Special 301” report filed with the US Trade Representative (USTR) by the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA). The IIPA, of which the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is a member, proposed that 33 of these countries be placed on USTR’s list […]

February 16, 2011

Rovi and Delivery Agent launch shoppable EPGs

Rovi and Delivery Agent, a specialist in multi-channel commerce for sports and entertainment, have jointly announced contextual commerce capability within Rovi electronic programme guides (EPGs) for television programming. With this capability, consumers will be able to buy products and services directly from their television programme guides using their remote controls. Similar commerce capabilities are also […]

February 16, 2011

Gemtek licenses Discretix with Microsoft PlayReady

Discretix, provider of field-proven content protection and embedded security solutions, has confirmed that Gemtek Technology has licensed its Multi-Scheme DRM Client with Microsoft PlayReady support for Android based pocket-size smart TV box. Approved by all major Hollywood studios and the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (Ultraviolet), Microsoft PlayReady addresses the significant transformation that has affected both […]

February 16, 2011

‘Techtonic Forces’ drive European Cable

In a reference to the tectonic plates that created the Alpine peaks towering above Cable Congress’s Lucerne venue, Manuel Kohnstamm, Cable Europe President, told delegates that organisers had coined the phrase ‘Techtonic Forces’ to describe the 2011 event, because “we want the world to know that cable is pushing the communications industry to new peaks […]

February 15, 2011Nick Snow@Cable Congress

Embracing OTT and a plea to regulators

The Plenary session at Cable Congress is always a good place to judge the current ‘group think’ of the European cable sector. For a few years now, the big question has been about the ‘opportunity’ and/or ‘threat’ of OTT services and this year’s Plenary again updated us on the latest take. In recent years, OTT […]

February 15, 2011Nick Snow@Cable Congress

Strong growth for European Cable

Figures released by trade body Cable Europe, as the European cable industry convenes for the Cable Congress, show that the sector’s ongoing investments in next-generation Internet access and digital television keeps paying off. With product innovations following one after the other, the industry announced strong 2010 year-end numbers. Manuel Kohnstamm, President, Cable Europe, reported that […]

February 15, 2011Nick Snow@Cable Congress

4m users to SPB’s free iPhone channels

SPB Software used the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to unveil its latest iPhone and Blackberry applications, its SPB TV 3.0 software, which Vassily Philippov, SPB’s COO, says has already enjoyed 4m downloads to its TV streaming and VOD versions. SPB’s existing product has found firm demand in Germany, Russia, China, India, Turkey and the […]

February 15, 2011By Chris Forrester

woomi takes blinkx OTT

Video search engine blinkx is teaming up with woomi, the new Connected TV destination from cloud-based video distribution platform  Miniweb Technologies. The deal gives audiences worldwide access to blinkx’s index of over 35 million hours of online video through the woomi service. woomi enables device manufacturers to enhance their products with a feature-rich connected TV […]

February 15, 2011

NDS seeks $1.05bn boost

Digital pay-TV technology specialist NDS – owned by Permira Funds and News Corp – is seeking $1.05 billion in loans to refinance debt, reports Bloomberg, citing a person with knowledge of the transaction. A lender meeting is to take place on February 17th, at 10 am in New York, to discuss the financing, according to […]

February 15, 2011

EU plans fast broadband meeting with CEOs

Heads of telecommunications and Internet companies will gather in Brussels in March and July to discuss plans to provide all European Union citizens with fast broadband by 2020, a spokesman for EU Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes has stated. “I can confirm that Kroes has invited CEOs from the companies in the telecoms networks, telecoms […]

February 15, 2011