The Asian DTH Market Gears Up for Netflix Competition

The television broadcast industry has undergone several rounds of radical transformation over the past few decades. Free-to-air transmissions gave way to paid cable alternatives which, in turn, had to make room for Direct-To-Home (DTH) satellite services. CRTs vanished, replaced by larger flat panel screens. The venerable standard-definition resolution standard was superseded by a new high-definition standard, which was itself superseded by a still newer ultra-high-definition standard. Traditional analog broadcast technology was everywhere replaced by computer-age digital technology. And then, of course, there was deregulation, the advent of the smart phone and tablet, and the rise of the Internet, which between them changed everything again.

The Over the Top Netflix Phenomenon: 

One of the most remarkable successes of the new age of broadcasting is Over the top (OTT) video on demand (VOD) transmission across the Internet. OTT transmission has spawned a whole new generation of “cable cutters,” who spurn traditional broadcast television with its rigid schedules and fixed choices, in favor of free or low-cost subscription services, with a virtually unlimited range of content available anytime on any connected device, be it a smart phone, a tablet, a notebook, a computer monitor, or a big-screen smart TV. Two of the most popular new OTT providers are Netflix and Hulu. Although these and other OTT companies like Amazon and You Tube have significantly disrupted Western markets, Asian DTH service providers claim to remain unperturbed, because, according to them, OTT can’t beat DTH in the foreseeable future.

Skinny Bundles & Better Transmission Quality: 

The main attractions of OTT services like Netflix and Hulu are personalization and binge watching. While these attributes can’t be brought to standard broadcast services, whether provided over air, cable or DTH, broadcasters are ditching their overwhelming and confusing 400-channel lineups to go with linear bundles. These bundles provide users with less to choose from, which  is a better strategy to promote longer “view” times. Many Asian markets are going with streamlined packages that cover news, preschool children’s programming, premium factual content and lifestyle.

Just as broadcasters are transmitting less and becoming more quality conscious, fleet operators are also looking into ways to enhance the viewer experience, fully capitalizing on HD and, in some cases, 4K device proliferation.

Telairity Helps the DTH Sector Excel: 

Telairity has always lived up to its promise of providing the best SD and HD encoders in the industry. It provides key DTH components like:

• High-compression Encoders so HD transmissions won’t overload broadcast capacity.
• Professional Decoders to decompress, descramble and reformat signals.
• Premium modulators that generate L-Band and IF-Band satellite signals fully compliant with the DVB-S/S2, DSNG standards.

If you want to learn more about Telairity’s capabilities, please contact us.

Live Remote Broadcasts from Disaster Areas

In the event of a serious storm or unexpected disaster, the best way to get information is still from live television broadcasts.  While slowly developing weather events, like hurricanes and blizzards, can be forecast and tracked in advance, other events, like tornados and earthquakes, often occur suddenly with little if any advance warning.  In both cases, it is important that the public see what is going on, where the damage is, and even if evacuation is needed.  Live remote broadcasts from these locations can supply the this information to a broad audience in real time.

Reporters do not hesitate to go on scene to investigate breaking news where and when it is unfolding, in order to share that information with the general public.  Everyone has seen the TV shot of a reporter battling the wind or snow while doing a live report, but little attention is paid to the technology needed to make this broadcast happen.

At Telairity, we design and manufacture video processing solutions expressly designed to withstand the rigors of live field news reporting. Telairity has been an industry leader in this area for years with our BC8110 28V DC encoder for aircraft, and our BE8110, BE8500, and new Nexgen BE8600 encoders for ground vehicles.  With reliability features like dual power supplies, usability features like “instant on,” and encoding capabilities that include both high bitrate 4:2:2 10-bit mode for capturing the best possible images for archiving and editing, and low bitrate 4:2:0 8-bit mode for backhaul over crowded urban airways or direct-to-viewer distribution, Telairity contribution encoders have been durable, responsive workhorses for all types of ENG (electronic news gathering) vehicles since their introduction in 2008.

For more information on the products Telairity offers that can meet the demands of live remote broadcasts from difficult situations and locations, please contact us.

Telairity Dives Deep into 4K Technology – Part 1

The world of resolutions is multifaceted, and confusing, to say the least! Just when we thought
that so-called “Full HD” resolution (or “2K”) was the absolute cutting edge, “Ultra-High
Definition” (UHD or “4K”) made an appearance and changed the equation. Actually UHD/4K
technology has been in the news since 2010, but 2015 saw a steep drop in the prices of
devices supporting UHD and, judging by the latest adoption figures, the market has warmed
considerably to the new resolution standard.

What is 4K Technology?

In the old analog world of CRT display screens, screens were measured by the number of scan
linesthey supported. A standard SD screen had either 480 or 540 visible scan lines(depending
on which standard, NTSC or PAL, was used in your region). The shift to HD, with its much
higher resolutions, precipitated a shift in the underlying technology, from analog to digital.

In the new digital world of TV technology, display screens are no longer measured by the
number of scan lines they support, but rather by the number of pixels they display. Digitally
speaking, the highest resolution SD screens are now pixel arrays 720 wide x 480 or 540 high.
Full HD screens are pixel arrays 1920 wide x 1080 high. Rounded off, HD resolution is about
2000 x 1000, which gets shortened to “2K” in digital-speak. UHD or 4K simply doubles each of
these HD (2K) dimensions, to about 4000 x 2000 (or, more precisely, to exactly 3840 x 2160).
In round numbers, then, HD is about 2 million pixels/screen, while UHD is about 8 million
pixels/screen, or 4X the resolution of HD.

Pixels Not the Only Issue

It is easy to get confused here, because pixel number is only one aspect of the technology
used to manufacture displays. Another critical aspect is the technology used to render pixels
(whatever their number). This is where you encounter terms like LCD (Liquid Crystal Display),
LED (Light Emitting Diode), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), etc. Rendering technology
controls the maximum darkness and lightness of a screen (its contrast ratio), as well as how
bright and vivid colors appear. Yet another issue has to do with screen shape (curved or flat),
and the effect this has on the viewing experience.

Obviously, if you change multiple aspects of a display at once, the impact of a new display can
be far greater than the impact that would be produced by any one change in isolation. No
doubt, shifting from a flat LCD HD display to a curved OLED UHD display will dramatically
transform one’s viewing experience. But what part of this transformation is specifically
contributed by the change in pixel count, i.e., the shift from HD to UHD? And what by the
other new technologies for displays now coming into commercial use? We will continue this
discussion in the next part of this series.

Telairity has made a name for itself as one of the industry’s leading providers of video encoding solutions. Please write in to us at sales@telairity.com to learn more about our products and to collaborate with our team.

Interactive Trends in TV Broadcasting

With all the recent advancements in technology, it’s an exciting time to be working in television. One of the newest trends is using Internet TV to engage audiences by making the viewing experience more interactive, using technologies like graphical analysis, animation and virtual reality broadcasting. This is particularly true in the sports broadcasting arena, where new interactive ideas seem to appear daily.

One new product unveiled at the 2015 NAB Show was LaunchPad, from Reality Check Systems in partnership with Vizrt. LaunchPad is an interactive touchscreen, which provides real-time predictive analysis, social media integration, and new enhancements to the tablet controller. This technology works with Vizrt’s Viz Libero 3D sports analysis, which allows soccer presenters to engage fans with real-time, illustrative replays, custom graphics, and more.

Another new technology designed to bring audiences a different viewing experience is NextVR, which provides broadcast virtual reality technology. Even the most avid sports fans aren’t always able to attend live games, and few among those that do attend are able to get premium floor seats. Via virtual reality technology, however, fans anywhere can experience live events from the best seats. Though NextVR is currently only available through the Samsung Gear VR virtual reality headset connected to the Samsung Note 4, VR technology seems destined for general cross-platform availability. NextVR has already been tested by the NHL and NBA for use in live sporting events and the NFL may use the technology to help quarterbacks study opposing defenses in a realistic environment.

At Telairity we will continue to monitor advancements in interactive and other technologies. To learn more about how we can help with your broadcast, visit our website. We also post more TV and broadcasting news on our Twitter and LinkedIn.