- Elettronica Industriale, the network operator of Italy’s Mediaset Group, and Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) have signed a 12-year contract for capacity at the HOT BIRD™ video neighborhood.The new contract for one transponder further consolidates a 20-year relationship between the two companies, increasing Mediaset’s HOT BIRD™ resources to five transponders. It will support Italy’s nationwide transition into a fully digital broadcasting environment, particularly addressing Mediaset’s requirement to deliver chann.els to its network of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) transmitters
- Digital connectivity solutions provider Gefen has announced that JB&A, the leading Gefen distributor in the United States, will expand to supply the complete new GefenPRO line of solutions. GefenPRO products offer advanced designs, ultra reliable features and 24/7 customer support for demanding industries such as broadcast, rental/staging and post-production. Rugged rack mountable hardware delivers functionality and features above and beyond products currently available, including greater matrix switching systems, longer distance signal extenders and built-in power supplies that easily switch in and out to improve performance in the field. Current GefenPRO products include a selection of matrix switchers with front-panel routing: 16x16 DVI Matrix; 8x8 DVI DL Matrix; 10x4 DVI DL Matrix; 8x8 DVI DL KVM Matrix; and 16x16 3GSDI Matrix. A new 3G SDI Fiber Optics Extender and two scalers, the DVI to HDSDI Scaler and the HDMI to 3GSDI Scaler, complete the current product lineup.
- The Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA) announces the launch of the SBCA Foundation. The SBCA Foundation will place emphasis on health, welfare and education projects that benefit specific communities and populations where the consumer-based satellite industry has a presence. The amount of money or goods allocated to grants will be based on need and will be implemented in areas where similar efforts are not already underway, so as to reflect the unique purpose and character of the consumer-based satellite industry. Grants will be awarded on a schedule and according to a set of guidelines to be established by the Board of the Foundation and implemented by SBCA staff. Particular emphasis will be given to projects and needs in areas of the U.S. where the satellite industry is a well known and valued service. The SBCA Foundation will rely on feedback from the network of manufacturers, distributors, instillation providers and retailers who all have a part in providing satellite services to the customer. They recognize that these businesses are important in their local communities and understand their needs best. SBCA plans to have an inaugural event in the summer of 2011. More details will be released closer to the event date. The initial Board of Directors are Andrew Reinsdorf of DIRECTV, Jeffery Blum of DISH Network, and Joseph Widoff of SBCA.
Satnews Daily
February 18th, 2011
Of Interest To The SatBroadcasting™ Industry
