Events

"Telecoms solutions for operators in the audiovisual sector": a subject rarely brought up in Luxembourg, though one which generated considerable interest on Thursday, 18 June at a P&TLuxembourg event organised by ITOne, the Luxembourg ICT Community.

Introduction to the Luxembourg media

Freddy Thyes, multimedia consultant well known in Luxembourg for his intimate knowledge of the medias sector, introduced the first workshop on the subject “Telecoms Solutions for TV Operators”, and set the scene for a highly informative morning. Following a presentation of the general media landscape in Luxembourg, a potted history, and a brief overview of the various local operators, Mr Thyes gave the floor to Jean Paul Zaun, Arte’s Director of Technologies.

How can HD quality be brought from the Arte studio to the client?

Is it possible to use an uncompressed signal? Is it simply a question of cost? By using the solutions provided by TERALINK, Arte can transmit its HD programmes between Strasbourg and Frankfurt using an uncompressed signal and a bandwidth of 1.5 Gb/s. The competitive price of international connections and optimal performance guaranteed by TERALINK were the main reasons why Arte chose this kind of fibre-optic transmission.

Luxe.TV : client satisfaction first and foremost

Luxe.TV was represented by Jean-Baptiste Stock, its Managing Director. His presentation primarily covered the services offered by Luxe.TV and the technology employed to ensure optimal viewer satisfaction. For instance, Luxe.TV uses the P&Tluxembourg satellite installation based at the ‘Cloche d’Or’ business park for broadcasting its programmes via the Eurobird 9 satellite.

Macrovision looks to change its approach to Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services

Macrovision, another world-class operator, was presented by Volkmar Prescher. Leader in EPG for television, Macrovision broadcasts static multimedia programmes linked to TV signals. This technology is incorporated in set-top boxes and is poised for further development: Macrovision now wishes to broadcast these programme guides in a dynamic way via the internet. All subscribers to a TV package will have real-time access to the programmes they are watching. They will be able to individualise, personalise and select programmes for greater interactivity, bringing a complete change of approach. To this end, Macrovision will require a provider of high-speed internet access in Luxembourg and a provider of hosting solutions to store its metadata.

SES Astra: a major player who knows how to draw a crowd

"IP Transit for ASTRA Teleport", the subject raised by Andreas Bollmann, Senior Manager of Ground Systems Engineering (Europe), explained to the guests the convergence issues relating to the internet and media sectors. The workshop participants, 70% of whom were from abroad, learnt that P&Tluxembourg also provides SES Astra with IP Transit services, thanks to TERALINK. Due to satellite transmission of the internet, there is increasing convergence these days between the media and telecoms sectors.

P&TLuxembourg and BCE, a winning combination

To end the gathering, a highly original presentation was given: it was led by both Tun Van Rijswijck, Chief Operating Officer of Broadcasting Center Europe (subsidiary of the RTL Group) and Micaël Weber, TERALINK’s International Sales Manager. This combined offer enables fibre-optic transmission and P&T Luxembourg satellite-broadcasting resources to be pooled, as well as TV content to be managed by BCE, particularly by using its Play-out services. This is a specific offer adapted to the international TV-channel market.

Throughout the morning, the 65 participants from all over Europe (Spain, Holland, England, France, Germany, and Switzerland) exchanged their ideas and visions of the future, and gained an insight into a new form of partnership.