16/10/2009 - Telairity Intoduces Hot-Switchable HD/SD H.264 Encoder

The BE8500, a H.264/AVC video encoder capable of hot-switching between a high-definition or standard-definition video source, was introduced by Telairity at HD World.

The 1-RU BE8500 works either as a full-featured HD encoder or as an SD/SDI encoder. It auto-senses whether the video source is SD or HD, and enables users to switch live between the two video formats without powering down. Switch-over conversion is virtually instantaneous, enabling a smooth transition for live or live on tape programming.

29/07/2009 - Sky Picks Pace STB to Roll-out HD Content in Germany and Austria

PayTV operator Sky has selected Pace's HD technology for its set-top box deployments in Germany and Austria, which will begin rolling out in August.
Pace has been a set-top box technology partner of Sky, formerly Premiere, for a number of years.

04/06/2009 - Growth in HDTVs Driving Demand for HD STBs

Shipments of set-top boxes are expected to peak this year, at least in mature markets, and then commence a gradual decline.
However the rolling series of analog TV shutoffs in countries around the world, combined with the strong uptake of HDTV sets, mean that HD STBs will form a growing fraction of the total market, according to ABI Research.

20/03/2009 - 1080p Processing Added to Elgato H.264 Dongle

Elgato has launched a successor to its Turbo.264 USB video conversion dongle with the addition of 1080p compatibility.
Called the Elgato Turbo.264 HD, the upgraded - and much faster - device converts videos into the H.264 format from camcorders and digital cameras.

20/03/2009 - Envivio Selected For Türk Telekom's New IPTV Service

Envivio has announced that its Convergence Series video headend has been selected for Türk Telekom's IPTV project in Turkey.
The IP video convergence provider said Türk Telekom will use its 4Caster C4 SD and 4Caster HD30 HD MPEG-4 AVC encoders and the 4Manager NMS, to deliver standard and high definition channels for its new IPTV service.

05/03/2009 - TI Unveils Video Processor Aimed at Removing Format Concerns

Texas Instruments has launched a new video processor specifically aimed at removing video designers' concerns about video format support, network bandwidth or system storage capacity limitations.
Called the TMS320DM365 DaVinci, the processor includes production-qualified H.264, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, MJPEG and VC1 codecs.

05/12/2008 - NXP Chip Brings High-end HDTV Quality Into Mainstream

NXP has launched a new global single-chip LCD TV platform that it claims will give mid-range TVs an HD viewing experience previously only available on higher end sets.
Founded by Philips, the semiconductor company believes its new platform will allow manufacturers and content providers to bring a broad range of Internet and digital video content to a significantly wider audience.

25/09/2008 - AT&T To Boost HD Line-up With MPEG-4

AT&T is to continue growing its high-definition channel line-up in the US with the help of increasingly efficient MPEG-4 compression.
The efficiency gains will allow the telco to support more simultaneous IPTV streams, upping the live HD streams to three and the recorded HD streams to four in 2009.

23/09/2008 - Canon Rises To Nikon's HD DSLR Challenge

It has been described by Vincent Laforet, one of the world’s top professional photographers, as having the “potential to change our industry”.
The soon-to-be-launched Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR can record full 1080p video clips at 30 frames-per-second.

19/09/2008 - VOD Will Reach Blu-ray Quality - And Beyond

The Blu-ray Disc Association doesn’t take kindly to satellite and cable providers claiming their products deliver high definition picture and sound “equal” to that delivered by Blu-ray Disc.
hdtv.biz-news.com spoke to video compression provider ATEME about its plans to deliver video of Blu-ray quality and beyond

26/08/2008 - DISH Network first to offer all HD 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.

31/07/2008 - DISH first to broadcast live Blu-ray quality video

Subscribers to America’s DISH Network who have its MPEG-4 HD DVR boxes are to be offered full 1080p (1920x1080 progressive) resolution wherever content is available.
Starting on August 1 with a Video On Demand option for the movie I Am Legend, the new high resolution programming will supercede the 1080i (interlaced) or 720p which until now was usual HD fare for DISH and other services.

03/06/2008 - Starz Entertainment becomes latest cable network to adopt MPEG-4

The move towards the new compression standard continues as Starz Entertainment invests in a four-channel, HD MPEG-4/AVC encoding system from cable-equipment manufacturer Motorola.
The premium programmer has become the latest cable network to adopt MPEG-4 compression to conserve satellite bandwidth as it expands its HD offerings.
The new transmission system includes DVB-S2 satellite modulation gear, which can increase a satellite transponder’s output by up to 50 per cent.
Starz said upcoming HD channel Encore HD will also be launched using MPEG-4.