NEWSLETTERS

HD Suisse launches on HOT BIRD™ 8

Switzerland’s SRG SSR idée suisse has launched HD suisse, a 24-hour channel broadcasting films, concerts, operas, documentaries, series and children’s programmes in Switzerland’s four national languages. Priority is given to HD coverage of live events, led by sport, with upcoming highlights to include live coverage of the UEFA EURO 2008™ from June this year.

Broadcast in SRG SSR’s digital platform on Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ 8 satellite, HD suisse is available Direct-to-Home or by cable. Viewers need an HDTV receiver and an HD Ready display to watch the channel. For copyright reasons, the satellite signal is encrypted in Viaccess, with reception restricted to Switzerland. Satellite homes and cable distributors decode the channel with the same SRG SSR smartcard used to receive the other Swiss channels already broadcasting from the HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood.

HD suisse broadcasts in-house and co-productions from SRG SSR’s four broadcasters, TSR, SF, TSI and TvR, with international HD content completing the mix. The channel gives Switzerland’s public broadcaster a showcase for premium content, and a platform to prepare for production of all programmes in HD. From 2012, SRG SSR plans to broadcast all seven national channels in HD.

For more information: www.srgssrideesuisse.ch
Photo © SF/Philip Schaub

Urban music channel MTV Base France chooses HOT BIRD™ for France

MTV Base France, the French version of urban music channel MTV Base, launched on December 21 on HOT BIRD™ 8. The new music channel joins five other MTV channels broadcasting to the French market - MTV France, MTV Pulse France, MTV Idol, Game One and VH1 Europe A.

Focused on all types of urban music, from French and international music scenes, MTV Base France features Rap and Hip-Hop, R&B and Soul. MTV already broadcasts its flagship channels from Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood including music and entertainment brands such as MTV Europe, MTV France, MTV Portugal, MTV Polska, MTV Pulse, MTV Idol, Nickelodeon Europe, Game One and VH1 Europe A.

For more information: www.mtv.co.uk/channel/mtvbase

Sarafan TV reaches new audiences with RRsat and HOT BIRD™ 6

Russian channel Sarafan TV for the Russian-speaking tourist community, has chosen RRsat’s Global Network and HOT BIRD™ 6 to broadcast its premier channel to Europe. With themes including news, entertainment, children’s programmes, and sport, Sarafan TV targets a travelling Russian-speaking audience and is principally available in hotels around Europe.

RRsat Global Network provides Sarafan TV with an advanced fibre connection from Moscow to the RRsat network in Reem, Israel, from where the channel is broadcast over Europe via the powerful pan-European footprint supplied by HOT BIRD™ 6. RRsat Global Communications Network provides global content management and distribution services for TV and radio broadcasters.

Where to find Sarafan TV:
HOT BIRD™ 6: 13° East
Frequency: 11.013 GHz
Polarisation: Horizontal

For more information: www.sarafan.tv, www.rrsat.com

Melody Zen boosts EUROBIRD™ 9 with new HDTV content

Melody Zen, a new concept in well-being television has chosen Eutelsat’s EUROBIRD™ 9 satellite to deliver its signal across Europe in Full HD as well as standard definition in 16/9 format. The channel is uplinked by Eutelsat from its teleport in Rambouillet, near Paris. Broadcasting 24 hours a day, Melody Zen's programming is a combination of landscapes, zen music, sound of nature and relaxation methods, with water as a key element. The video signal is accompanied by three audio channels: MelodyZen 100% pure natural sounds, MelodyZen Music and MelodyZen Well-being.

Melody Zen's launch on EUROBIRD™ 9 boosts the rapid take-up of channels broadcasting from Eutelsat's newest video neighbourhood. From its location at 9 degrees East the close proximity of EUROBIRD™ 9 to Eutelsat's HOT BIRD™ satellites at 13 degrees East also opens opportunities for reception from both neighbourhoods with off-the-shelf dual-feed domestic dishes.

Where to find Melody Zen
EUROBIRD™ 9: 9° East
Frequency: 11.957 GHz
Polarisation: Vertical

For more information: www.melodyzen.tv

Radio Nostalgie chooses W3A to boost radio distribution in Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon

The music radio channel Radio Nostalgie has chosen W3A at 7 degrees East to extend its reach in rural areas across Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon. As part of a programme to distribute country-specific versions of Radio Nostalgie in Africa, the company is using W3A for domestic distribution in both countries.

Radio Nostalgie Côte d’Ivoire started uplinking from Abidjan, to W3A in November. The signal is feeding radio transmitters for terrestrial redistribution. At the end of 2007, Radio Nostalgie Cameroon started uplinking from Douala, Cameroon’s largest city, to feed radio transmitters. The station plans to extend coverage to other countries in Africa in 2008.

For more information: www.nostalgie.ci, http://www.cameroun-plus.com

Surfing at 320 km per hour

Since December 2007, passengers on TGV routes travelling east of Paris (TGV Est) can access multimedia services and the Internet on their PCs, using an on-board Wi-Fi network connected to the external Internet via satellite. This new service, uniting the skills of Eutelsat, Orange, Cap Gemini and Alstom, is being commercially tested by the SNCF. With direct access to the Internet, as well as to content hosted in on-board servers also refreshed by satellite, passengers can manage e-mails, consult news or current events, surf the Web, play games, track their itinerary and watch news programmes.

Eutelsat’s ATLANTIC BIRD™ 2 satellite at 8 degrees West was selected by the SNCF. Its strong European coverage, high power and elevation angle makes it particularly well-adapted for the TGV Est's area of circulation, which includes France, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. Eutelsat has created a new antenna for the service in collaboration with TES in Italy. The omnidirectional antenna installed on each train is small enough to comply with the rail environment, sufficiently high-powered and efficient to ensure data transmission at 320 km/h, and capable of functioning in a rugged environment characterised by vibration, acceleration and extreme temperatures.

The service is being commercially tested on a free of charge basis by the SNCF on four TGV Est trains with a view to equipping all 52 TGV Est trains and ultimately the SNCF’s fleet of over 400 TGVs.

For more information: www.sncf.com

Telma increases capacity on W3A for digital infrastructure in Madagascar

Telma, Madagascar’s principal telecommunications operator has increased its capacity on W3A to extend corporate and rural communications throughout the country.

The project is part of a national programme to build digital communications in Madagascar. 200 VSATs were initially to be installed across the territory to improve communications opportunities for small businesses in remote areas by enabling rural telephony services and Internet access. With the success of the project, 600 VSATs are now to be installed across the country, enabling businesses and communities to benefit from a reliable data communications infrastructure, providing services including fixed and mobile telephony, Internet access, Voice over IP, videoconferencing, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and data broadcasting.

For more information: www.telma.mg