Here’s another batch of briefs from this week’s NAB show in Las Vegas. See our first news roundup here.
-Arris said HBO has picked its DSR-7400 series transcoder satellite receiver to optimize the premium programmer’s current MPEG-2/4 distribution platforms and to prepare to a future move to HEVC/H.265, a codec that is 50% more bandwidth efficient than MPEG-4/H.264. Arris said the DSR-7400 also supports Ultra HD and High Dynamic Range (HDR).
Arris also posted a blog announcing that Vubiquity is tapping its SecureMedia system to pre-encrypt its video portfolio, including films and TV shows that partners are offering via electronic sell-through services. Arris said the security is extended to a wide range of platforms, including iOS and Android mobile devices, Web browsers, game consoles, smart TVs, set-tops, streaming media players and connected Blu-ray Disc players.
-Kaltura and Encompass Digital have teamed on a managed OTT-TV platform that combines Encompass’ media content acquisition, processing and distribution services with Kaltura’s multi-screen OTT service management, monetization and engagement capabilities. See this story in B&C for more.
-AccuWeather has debuted StormDirector+, a new, customizable weather system for broadcasters. B&C has more on that here.
.
-NeuLion has introduced a new real-time OTT analytics dashboard that counts Univision and Big Ten Network among its early takers. NeuLion said the dashboard, now part of its Digital Platform, monitors the viewer's quality of experience while giving content rights holders access to business metrics showing instant feedback on the health and growth of their over-the-top and TV Everywhere offerings. NeuLion said live and VOD monitoring is updated every 30 seconds, with views broken down by device, bitrates and location, and that the dashboard integrates “heatmaps” that tracks global view of streaming performance.
NeuLion also announced that its Digital Platform and Encoder have been certified to enable Nielsen measurement on the ratings king’s Digital in TV Ratings product.
-Microsoft said it has extended Video Pulse, its new digital content rating tool, to all Pulse users. Microsoft said Video Pulse is being offered in an “open preview,” noting that it is compliable with any MP4 video encoded through services like Azure Media Services, and videos hosted on Vimeo and YouTube. CNN, MSNBC and Fox News are among Pulse’s users. Video Pulse supports elements such as real-time voting and “sentiment tracking” of audiences. B&C has more.
-The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) said it has designed and deployed an HTML5 conformance suite for embedded devices based on the W3C's "Test the Web Forward" project. Because TVs, set-top boxes, and mobile devices are the products most likely to be certified to the DLNA HTML5 Guidelines, DLNA said it has made changes to allow use of the test suite on these device types.
-Globo, the largest broadcaster in Latin America, has tapped Imagine Communications with infrastructure components required to equip an outside broadcast (OB) truck for Ultra High Definition (UHD) production. The hybrid SDI-IP installation will provide Globo with the required technology to deliver video signal in UHD resolution from the Rio Olympic Games, set for Aug. 5-21.
-SES said it has entered the first phase of content delivery network development at Rutgers University’s School of Engineering to demonstrate and measure the effectiveness of SES’s CDN overlay solution targeted at the growing demand for OTT video.
