|Single by U2|
|from the album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb|
|Released||8 November 2004|
|U2 singles chronology|
"Vertigo" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the opening track on their eleventh studio album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004). It was released to radio as the album's lead single on 24 September 2004, and upon release, it received extensive airplay. The song was an international success, bolstered by its usage in a television advertisement featuring the band for Apple's iPod digital music player. The song lent its name to the band's 2005-2006 Vertigo Tour.
In the United States, "Vertigo" peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Alternative Songs chart. It topped the singles charts in Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom while reaching the top 10 in Australia, Austria, Belgium (Wallonia), Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. "Vertigo" won three Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Best Rock Song, and Best Short Form Music Video at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in 2005.
"Vertigo" originated from a demo that guitarist the Edge composed at his home in Malibu on a "very simple Pro-Tools rig". Playing along to drum loops that drummer Larry Mullen Jr. had recorded for him, the Edge created the guitar riff among others while "exploring rock 'n' roll guitar" and "what that means in the twenty-first century". Inspiration for the riff came within 20 minutes of the Edge first plugging into a 1957 Fender Deluxe amplifier, which was acquired for him by his technician Dallas Schoo after he requested a small amplifier he could use to record demos at his home studio. The Edge gave the demo a working title of "Full Metal Jacket". When lead singer Bono heard it, he was very enthused, describing it as: "the mother of all rock 'n' roll tunes. I don't know where it came from but it's a remarkable guitar thing. You want to hear it - it's a reason to make a record. The song is that good!" Believing that their pending record would have a punk rock energy and be very collaborative between the band members, U2 hired Chris Thomas to produce it; the Edge said that he worked well with bands and had produced several records that were favourites among U2, including early Roxy Music albums and the Sex Pistols's Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. U2 began working with Thomas on the album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb in February 2003. During the sessions, U2 experimented with different melodies and rhythm ideas for "Full Metal Jacket". Bono's original set of lyrics was inspired by Leonard Peltier, a Native American rights activist who was controversially convicted of killing two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents. Bono did not believe Peltier deserved to be imprisoned, and he took a "new-journalism approach" to writing the lyrics. The song was subsequently retitled "Native Son", and after extensive experimentation on it, the band recorded and mixed a version of the song to completion with Thomas. The group were so excited by the song, they sent it to Interscope Records, which was equally excited by it. However, Bono called the decision a mistake and said the song ultimately "wasn't as good as [they] thought".
After working for nine months with Thomas, U2 had recorded an album's worth of material, but they were dissatisfied with the quality of it and decided to delay the release. As a result, they hired producer Steve Lillywhite to replace Thomas in January 2004. Lillywhite urged the band to record in the larger space at Hanover Quay Studio to encourage better performances. While Bono was away for the week, the band re-recorded the backing track for "Native Son". When Bono returned, Lillywhite asked him to record a guide vocal, but 30 seconds into a take, Bono stopped, as he became uncomfortable with the thought of singing the lyrics to a large crowd in a live setting. He said: "The lyrics were about something I care deeply about, but the song didn't vibrate. It didn't change the room temperature." The song subsequently was deconstructed and the lyrics were changed around, with various iterations of the song being called "Shark Soup" and "Viva la Ramone". At one point, Bono wrote a completely new set of lyrics in Spanish, remnants of which would survive in the completed version of the song. Eventually, the song transformed into "Vertigo", but the group were still considering several possible variations of the chorus. At the suggestion of some outsiders, the band chose the "Hello, hello" version. Lillywhite also double tracked Bono's vocals in the chorus to give them more impact. The Edge said the vocal melody in the final version of the song differed from his original demo, but that otherwise most of the musical ideas from the demo were present in the completed song.
The Edge achieved the guitar tones on the song using four pieces of equipment: a 1966 Fender Telecaster guitar, a Line 6 DM4 Distortion Modeler effects pedal, a Korg SDD-3000 digital delay pedal, and the Fender Deluxe amplifier. The distortion pedal is used for the raw sound of the main power chord riff, while the delay pedal is used for the clean, ambient accent notes in the song's instrumental break.
At the beginning of the song, Bono counts off in Spanish "Unos, dos, tres, catorce!" In English, this translates to "some, two, three, fourteen!" When asked about this oddity in an interview for Rolling Stone, Bono replied "there may have been some alcohol involved". Some sources have suggested that as the first words spoken on the album, the lyrical choice was a deliberate nod to Exodus 3:14 (the first Testament (Old) of the Christian Bible, second book, third chapter, fourteenth verse), whereby after Moses asks God's name, God responds "I Am that I Am". This theory is supported by the fact the final track on the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb album is titled "Yahweh", another name for the Abrahamic god. The count off was parodied by novelty singer Richard Cheese on his version of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" on his 2005 album Aperitif for Destruction.
A Spanish reply of "¡Hola!" is also heard behind the "Hello, hello" of the refrain, as well as "¿Dónde está?" ("Where is it?" or "Where are you?" depending upon if this is intended as a question to the location of Vertigo or Bono himself) after the line "I'm at a place called Vertigo". The "Hello, hello" line itself is reminiscent of similar lyrics in the song "Stories for Boys" from U2's debut album Boy; in Vertigo Tour concerts, the band frequently included a section of the latter song in their performances of "Vertigo." These concerts have also sometimes featured "Vertigo" played twice, once early in the show and again as a final encore; this also looks back to U2's early days, when they did not have enough songs to fill out an entire performance and had to repeat some at the end.
U2 performed "Vertigo" in a television commercial for the Apple iPod as part of a cross-marketing plan to promote both the album and Apple's music products (especially the U2 Special Edition iPod and the iTunes Music Store's exclusive digital box set for U2, The Complete U2).
Upon release, "Vertigo" debuted at number 18 on Billboards Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the following weeks, the track jumped to number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, moved from number 27 to number three on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and from number 35 to number nine on the Adult Top 40. It also debuted at number one on the Hot Digital Tracks chart and, after falling to number 4, returned to the top position. The track later moved into the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 31. It spent 20 weeks on the chart. At the time of the song's release, Billboard did not count digital downloads as part of a single's overall sales. "Vertigo" recorded strong digital sales, and had these been incorporated into physical sales and airplay, would have seen a much stronger placing on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In the United Kingdom, the song moved from BBC Radio 1's B-list in the first week of its airplay release to the A-list in the second week. The song was released commercially on 15 November, and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, and remained there for one week. In total, it spent nine weeks in the top 40.
In Brazil, the single went gold with more than 50,000 downloads.
The digital single holds a Gold status in the United States.
The video for the song features U2 performing in a featureless desert as black jet streams emit from behind each band member; on the ground is a huge white bulls-eye symbol used as a motif for the album graphics. The circular platform that the band performs on constantly elevates up and down in a spiral pattern, as the wind blows in the band's face. It was directed by the team of Alex & Martin. It was recorded in Punta Del Fangar (Ebro Delta) in Spain, and won Grammy Awards for Best Short Form Music Video in 2005.
|1.||"Vertigo" (Jacknife Lee 12")||5:36|
|2.||"Vertigo" (Jacknife Lee 7")||3:08|
|3.||"Vertigo" (Jacknife Lee 10")||4:13|
|4.||"Vertigo" (Jacknife Lee 12" instrumental)||5:36|
|1.||"Vertigo" (Redanka Power mix)||7:32|
|2.||"Vertigo" (Trent Reznor remix)||3:38|
|2.||"Are You Gonna Wait Forever?"||3:48|
|2.||"Vertigo" (Jacknife Lee 10")||4:13|
|2.||"Are You Gonna Wait Forever?"||3:48|
|3.||"Vertigo" (Jacknife Lee 10")||4:13|
|5.||"Vertigo" (Live at HQ video)||3:11|
|1.||"Vertigo" (HQ video)||3:11|
|2.||"Vertigo" (Audio with photo gallery)|
|3.||"Are You Gonna Wait Forever?" (Audio only)|
|4.||"Vertigo" (Jacknife Lee 10" - Lisbon video)|
Rising star Nathaniel Willemse is set to launch his debut single "Vertigo" in January 2008 ... Nathaniel made "Vertigo" his own when he performed his laid-back soul version of the U2 hit on Australian Idol 2006,


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Racist graffiti was found Saturday morning on the grounds of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda.
According to school principal Robert Dodd, the n-word and a drawing of a noose were found spray painted on the campus. Police are investigating.
This is not the first occurrence of racist graffiti at the Bethesda school. A similar occurrence happened in February.
Police are investigating a hateful and disgusting racist act that occurred at Whitman High School last night. Completely unacceptable and yet another reminder of how far we have to go to be a truly accepting and inclusive community. pic.twitter.com/dQ7rAyyy0a
— Councilmember Andrew Friedson (@Andrew_Friedson) June 13, 2020

domain: news


Column | Jul 13, 2012 | 9:35 AM
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Story | Mar 14, 2012 | 1:06 PMSo President Obama is busy these days with British Prime Minister David Cameron discussing things political leaders need to discuss. It’s when they chill (especially when they eat) that we pay attention. So it was good to see Barack and David chomping on hot dogs at an NCAA March Madness game Tuesday night.
Story | Jan 11, 2013 | 4:30 PM
Story | Mar 1, 2011 | 9:32 PM
2.5 stars (out of 4) Lupe Fiasco’s struggles to make his third studio album, “L.A.S.E.R.S.” (1st & 15th/Atlantic), didn’t end with its release. Instead, he has turned the album into a document about its difficult birth, and it...
Story | Mar 7, 2011 | 4:34 PM
Chef Art Smith (right) and Jesus Salguerio (left) at their wedding reception in Smith's Art and Soul restaurant in Washington DC on August 21, 2010. (Photo by Moshe Zusman Photography) Chicago chefs Art Smith and Rick Bayless are giving back to charity...


As long as we have to put up with seemingly endless hours of darkness this time of year, we might as well put them to good use in contemplation of the wonders of the visible heavens. This winter has a lot to offer even novice skywatchers, including the total lunar eclipse expected the very night of the Solstice. And based on the “standard” 11-year sunspot cycle, activity is supposed to start building up soon to a new peak in 2012, so this may turn out to be a decent winter to catch the aurora borealis – especially as we get closer to the Vernal Equinox, when solar storms tend to become more frequent.
A great way to introduce youngsters to the joys of stargazing is to take them to a planetarium show, and the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum (MHCM) in Poughkeepsie stays open late – until 8 p.m. – on the third Saturday of each month, so that families can come and learn a bit about the night sky within the cozy confines of its amazing inflatable Starlab. What’s so extraordinary about this resource is that it’s collapsible and portable; in fact, it was on one of its many rounds to school districts in the region that I was privileged to make Starlab’s acquaintance.
A little over ten feet in height and 16 feet in diameter, from the outside it’s a bit reminiscent of Rover, the scary giant rubber balloon that pursued and suffocated people who tried to escape from the Village in the ‘60s TV series The Prisoner. But unless you’re seriously claustrophobic, there’s nothing macabre about a visit to this room-within-a-room, its dome held aloft and the air inside refreshed by a powerful intake fan. You crawl in through the igloo-style entry tunnel, sit or lie on the floor and gaze up at the ceiling, where a sophisticated, compact projection system illustrates the astronomy program chosen for the month, narrated by a live educator who will also take questions from the audience.
MHCM’s Starlab program scheduled for this Saturday will emphasize some of the most familiar constellations that offer prime viewing in winter, like Orion and Taurus; explain what the Solstice is, exactly; and address questions like why Polaris, the North Star, never seems to move.
The sky show begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 18 and costs only $4, in addition to the usual $6.50 Museum admission fee. As Starlab only accommodates to 27 people at a time, advance reservations are prudent; phone (845) 471-0589. The next planetarium program will be offered on Saturday, January 15, also at 6 p.m.
Also coming up in the next few weeks at MHCM are a couple of hands-on crafts workshop programs for the little ones: Next Wednesday, December 22 from 4 to 6 p.m., elf-wannabes can visit “Santa’s Workshop” and have hot cocoa and cookies while decorating a toy for holiday fun. Holiday photo ops are guaranteed. This workshop incurs a fee of $8 per child and $4 per adult for Museum members, $10 per child and $5 per adult for non-members, which in this case includes museum admission. The workshop on the following Wednesday, December 29 at 11 a.m. is called “Light up the Winter” and has more of a multicultural theme. Kids can celebrate the winter season with crafts from all over the globe, creating a clay menorah for Hanukkah, a colorful design for Diwali and more. The workshop fee is $4 per child in addition to the cost of museum admission.
Another way to keep the wee ‘uns occupied during the long school break is to go see the Puppet People’s production of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at MHCM, sponsored by M & T Bank. There will be two performances, beginning at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, December 28. Combined show and museum admission is $10 per person.
Finally, the Museum is taking an innovative approach to what is normally the season’s most kid-unfriendly holiday: New Year’s Eve. Want to wear out your hyperactive brood in time for the babysitter to tuck them in well in advance of the actual turning of the year? Show up at MHCM between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday, December 31. As they count down to the stroke of 12 – noon, not midnight – children will get to pop in the New Year using that most irresistible of unintended toys: bubble wrap! Families can enjoy music, arts and crafts and snacks, including an edible New Year’s hat and yummy non-alcoholic punch. Admission to the Children’s New Year’s Eve Party is $10 per person for members, $15 for non-members.
Space is limited for all these special events, so prepaid reservations are required. Call the Museum at (845) 471-0589 to purchase tickets in advance, or visit www.mhcm.org/new/pages/PDF/EventListing.pdf for more information. The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum is situated at 75 North Water Street, just north of Waryas Park on the Poughkeepsie waterfront.


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Our machine is not a water filter. Your water filter doesn’t have healing benefits.
- 34 year old privately held company.
- OEM (original equipment manufacturer)
- Top industry leader
- Notable endorsements and recognition.
- “A” Rated member of the better business bureau.
- Offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Honolulu, Canada, and Mexico. Coming to Philippines.
ISO – no ioners have that seal.
It is not a water filter. A water filter doesn’t kill bacteria.
Just like auto’s lots of brands on the market. Nothing like the SD501. Some companies even make more than one look alike. Ours is the only one endorsed by the Japanese.
Flagship Product Leveluk SD501
Makes 5 types of water
- Kangen (3different waters), Clean Water, Beauty Water, Strong Kangen Water and Strong Acidic Water.
- Approved as a medical device by Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare.
- 7 Platinum coated Titanium plates (over 1,000)
- Industries best automatic self cleaning system.
- Created medically approved Kangen grade Water.
- 15-20 years product life expectancy. They know there are machines out there that long.
Kangen Water Properties
- Anti Oxidation
- Micro Clustering
Oxidation = The rusting Process. The cut apple turns browns. When that happens inside us it causes sickness and aging. Oxidation wreaks havoc in your DNA system. Again the apple or banana can tell you that.
Our water filters it, charges it, and splits it. Technology makes it the highest anti oxidant you can find.
Anti Oxidation – Anti inflammatory & Anti aging – water gets to cells and cleans them. That happens when tap water is run through our machine.
Alkaline = Health in body
Acid = Sickness in body
When a child is born they are alkaline because the mom’s fluid is alkaline.
When you die you are acid.
If you drink to much wine you can drink a little alkaline water when you go to bed and no hangover.
A check done on cancer patients found that 100% of them were acidic. Dr Otto H
If you have a fever you are going to do something about it. Same with your body. If you acidic your going to do something about it. You have to balance the acid in your foods with alkaline water.
Dr Huromi Shimya invented the colon opsy. He can tell your age and what you eat by looking at your colon. He will tell you to drink Kangen Water.
Science fact not fiction
Removing acidic waste is more effective than diet and exercise.
You’re not sick you’re thirsty. Don’t treat thirst with medications.
Pharmacia’s companies are rich. Even in a bad market they never lose.
All disease comes from the same root cause: to much acidity.
Without enough water your body goes acidic… goes into fat storing.
In Japan when someone gets a headache they wonder where it came from. Here they say where is the Motrin. A pill for every ill country we are.
Japanese longest living people in the world. Women first then men.
United States is # 38. We are below Cuba where they shoot people.
Water isn’t just water.
Wine isn’t just wine.
Gasoline isn’t just gas.
Dasani is a product of coke.
Aqufina is a product of Pepsi.
It will take you 32 cups of kangen water to put your body back after drinking 1 cup of soda.
Micro cluster splits the water and it becomes tiny.
11.5 water emulsifies breaks down the stuff on our fruits and veggies that cause oxidation.
9.5 comes out anti oxidant, anti inflammatory, very alkaline and micro cluster. Bad stuff comes out the other hose.
73 cents a day is what the SD501 would cost you even if it only lasted 15 years. Question is are you already spending more than that on your water.
Side effects of alkaline water are: head rush, detoxify, and sleep better. It hydrates your brain which produces melatonin and that helps you sleep better. Energy the next day.
Beauty water is 5.5 ph. Your skin is 5.5. Go to Macy’s or anywhere and ask them for some toner and what is in it. They will tell you 5.5 water.
Also check out enagic.com

domain: health


Ford F-150 Super Snake Sport Is A 770HP Toy Hauler Strip Beast That Will See Production
Say the name Shelby, and you automatically think of hopped-up Mustangs like Ford's own 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500. Shelby American is the company founded by the late Carroll Shelby, and it also hops up Ford cars and trucks. The truck seen here is the Shelby F-150 Super Snake Sport, the latest Shelby American vehicle.
The slick-looking truck was initially an R&D exercise, but it is going into production. Shelby American president Gary Patterson says that the response to the R&D truck from dealers, enthusiasts, and the media was strong enough that the Shelby F-150 Super Snake Sport will start production in Q1 2020.
It will be a limited edition model with only 250 made, and it will cost more than Ford's Shelby GT500 by a long shot. A naturally aspirated 5.0-liter Super Snake truck will start at $86,085. For the money, all that truck gives is more style than a base Ford F-150 with custom Shelby body panels, including front and rear fascias, stripes, wheels, and plenty of Shelby badges. It also gets a very cool rear bed cover. All that style and a stock Ford 5.0-liter V8 won't sit well with some enthusiasts.
For those wanting show and go, Shelby American has a version of the truck that looks the same on the outside, but bolts a big supercharger to the 5.0-liter V8 engine to give the truck 770 horsepower and the ability to sprint to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. That is crazy fast for a full-size pickup, but the price for the supercharged version is a wallet crushing $93,385. Since the trucks are limited edition, it would be a safe assumption that dealers will mark the price up well over MSRP.


The US is undoubtedly the biggest terrorist state in the world because of its long history of aggression against weaker states, double dealings, deceits and injustices.
Its hands are drenched in blood of millions of people. Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya are its victims in the new millennium.
Notwithstanding the long list of cardinal sins the US has committed against many countries, Pakistan under Gen Musharraf cannot be absolved of its sins.
It readily agreed to become a coalition partner of an unholy war on terror which was waged by the US with ill intentions to achieve its strategic and economic objectives.
Pakistan cannot be excused of betraying its friendly Muslim neighbor and providing full assistance to the US led forces to bring down the Taliban regime in Kabul. The four airbases provided to the US air force were used to drop tons of bombs which destroyed the country and killed tens of thousands of Afghans.
Musharraf betrayed his own people as well by waging a war against tribesmen in FATA at the behest of USA, which had given him false promises that it would help in making Pakistan prosperous. He became party to illegal detentions and handing over so-called terrorists to USA for dollars.
The latter herded the detainees to horrific Bagram airbase and Gitmo Bay prisons. Detainees found innocent on release narrated soul searing tales of torture.
The US, in whom Musharraf had put his full faith, had its own agenda against Pakistan. After occupying Afghanistan, in concert with its real strategic partners, it unfolded its devious plan to destabilize Pakistan from within.
From mid 2008 onwards, the tone and tenor of USA took a dramatic turn and it started exerting excessive pressure on Pakistan to do more.
Government controlled US media and think tanks also became scathing and attacked institutions as well as nuclear program viciously. Themes of extremist threat and alignment of Army-ISI with Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda were played up with full force to put Pakistan on the defensive.
Insecurity of nuclear arsenal was dramatized so as to prepare grounds for UN intervention or taking over the nukes by USA. Stories were published that the US Special Forces had made several contingency plans to take away or destroy the nukes to prevent extremists stealing the nukes.
Balkanization of Pakistan was yet another favorite theme of Pakistan’s detractors. The US became more aggressive because of the subservience of NRO cleansed ruling regime which assumed power in March 2008 duly facilitated by USA. The elected government pursued Musharraf’s policy of appeasement.
Pakistan’s western border started bubbling soon after Barack Hussain Obama took over power in January 2009. Series of steps were initiated by Washington in quick succession which went against the interest of Pakistan. These included:-
- Framing of Pakistan specific Af-Pak policy and induction of additional 50,000 US troops in Afghanistan.
- Excessive use of CIA operated drones in FATA (300 strikes).
- Intensification of propaganda war against Pakistan’s nuclear program, Army and ISI, directly accusing that Army and ISI were linked with al-Qaeda and Afghan Taliban.
- Giving full support to Indian stance after Mumbai attacks and pressuring Pakistan.
- Acceleration of suicide, bomb and group attacks in 2009-10.
- Exerting full pressure on Pakistan to consider India as its friend and to shift all its troops from eastern to western border, ignoring that India had spent $50 billion in the last ten years to further modernize its defence forces and twice deployed all its military might along Pakistan’s border (2002 and 2009).
- Refusing to extend civilian nuclear facility to Pakistan similar to the one given to India.
- Making India a key player in Afghanistan.
- Forcing Pakistan to grant land access to India to trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian States and also to give Most Favored Nation status to India.
- Putting pressure on Pakistan to scrap Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline deal and failing to help in overcoming Pakistan’s acute energy crisis.
- Covertly inducting Blackwater elements in Pakistan to foment terrorism in urban areas and establishing huge CIA network in Pakistan.
- The US Marines undertaking a raid in Angoor Adda in South Waziristan in September 2009.
- NATO helicopters attacking security posts in North and South Waziristan in 2009 and in Kurram Agency in September 2010.
- Helicopter assault in Abbottabad on 2 May 2011.
- Threatening to attack Pakistan.
Existence of CIA network in Pakistan came to light after the arrest of Raymond Davis in January 2011. The farce of alliance between Pakistan and USA was torn to pieces after the US stabbed Pakistan in the back on 2 May.
After that excruciating incident, Pakistan should have treated western border as hostile and no amount of explanation offered by deceitful US leaders should have misled us into believing that it would not stab again.
Threatening and scathing statements hurled by US military and civilian leaders in the aftermath of militant attacks in Kabul in September and cessation of release of $800 millions for the Army was another wake up call for us.
But we again got duped by Hillary Clinton’s assurances and got relaxed under misconceived hope that the US badly needed Pakistan’s support in its exit plan and would not repeat Abbottabad like attack again.
We neither pressed for framing of terms of engagement in war on terror, nor told the US in clear words that its chief adversary was al-Qaeda and not Taliban; and that Pakistan had committed to assist the US in emasculating al-Qaeda and not Taliban.
As a consequence, we paid little attention to the decisions taken by the joint sessions of the parliament in May and October and as such were not prepared to give a befitting reply to NATO’s aggression in Mohmand Agency, which took place on the night of 26 November 2011 in the form of a brutal and unprovoked NATO helicopters attack on two Pakistani border posts.
The intruding helicopters kept pounding the check posts for three hours and didn’t stop till the posts were completely razed to ground and all its inmates perished. 26 soldiers including one Major and a Captain lost their lives while 13 were seriously injured.
Not a single one remained unscathed. It was a deliberate act to discredit Pak Army and also to distract the attention from memo saga.
However, unlike muted response of our leaders after 2 May, this time their response was more timely and assertive.
Apart from promptly registering strong protest with US Ambassador in Islamabad and Foreign office in Washington, Defence Committee was summoned by the PM on 27th and it was decided to cease NATO’s supplies and not to participate in Bonn Conference scheduled on 5-6 December, ordered vacation of Shamsi airbase within 15 days, cancelled scheduled visits of military delegations to Washington.
Joint session of the parliament has been called to work out future course of action. Balochistan Ministry has banned entry of NATO containers in the province while ANP leader Asfandyar Wali has condemned the brutal attack.
Tribesmen have expressed their desire to avenge the deaths of Pak soldiers. The nation as a whole is in rage and has condemned the cowardly action in severest terms. Call for severing relations with USA is getting louder.
Not only we should carry out radical re-alignment of our foreign policy which should be in the interest of Pakistan and not of USA, time has come to disassociate ourselves from war on terror and to treat western border hostile. Pakistan should reduce and possibly terminate its dependence on USA.
As a first step, Kerry Lugar Aid Bill and other forms of assistance from USA should be discontinued forthwith since foreign aid fills the pockets of the rulers and elite class only. Undesirable American-run NGOs and other outfits involved in shady activities to be deported. Any future intrusion by NATO must be confronted with full force.
Kabul should be given severe warning to refrain from allowing its soil for cross border ground and air raids or else face the consequences. Afghan Trade agreement and grant of MFN status to India should be reconsidered. Baseless allegations made against Pakistan must be countered with full force and the real faces of our so-called allies exposed.
Our diplomats serving abroad and Pakistanis living in western countries must play their role in this regard. Mohmand attack must be drummed up to gain sympathies of the world and to put USA on the defensive.
Pakistan should sign strategic partnership with China, Iran and possibly Russia and make efforts to become a full-fledged member of SCO.
Asif Haroon is a retired Brig and a defence analyst. Email: [email protected]
Brig Asif Haroon Raja an Member Board of Advisors Opinion Maker is Staff College and Armed Forces WarCoursequalified, holds MSc war studies degree; a second generation officer, he fought epic battle of Hilli in northwest East Bengal during 1971 war, in which Maj M. Akram received Nishan-e-Haider posthumously.
He served as Directing Staff Command & Staff College, Defence Attaché Egypt and Sudan and Dean of Corps of Military Attaches in Cairo. He commanded the heaviest brigade in Kashmir. He is lingual and speaks English, Pashto and Punjabi fluently.
He is author of books titled ‘Battle of Hilli’, ‘1948, 1965 & 1971 Kashmir Battles and Freedom Struggle’, ‘Muhammad bin Qasim to Gen Musharraf’, Roots of 1971 Tragedy’; has written number of motivational pamphlets. Draft of his next book ‘Tangled Knot of Kashmir’ is ready.
He is a defence analyst and columnist and writes articles on security, defence and political matters for numerous international/national publications.


There are the interests of big money and there are the interests of informed citizens. Chris Rodriguez writes for big money. Of course he doesn’t say so; that would be too obvious. His latest rant is about Shari Malloy and the petition for clean campaigns.
The clean campaigns petition is about publicly funded elections. A candidate can voluntarily choose to use public funding, and if so, cannot use money from other sources, like big oil. Voters would be able to tell the difference because there will be a statement beneath the candidate’s name on the ballot stating that he or she used public funding, and chose not to accept corporate contributions. The idea is to diminish the impact of corporations in state elections.
Just a few days ago Chris attacked Sarah Levison and the fair campaign practices act. Is there a pattern here?
Longmont is a swing city, in a swing congressional district, in a swing state; thus the attention from rich and powerful businesses. Elections are one way the people can have a voice. A transparent election process and clear, non-emotional messages make for good decision-making by the people. That is the purpose of the Longmont Fair Campaign Practices Act. It is also the purpose of the publicly funded elections. We need to support both ideas. The members of the city council who do not support the Longmont Fair Campaign Practices Act are not serving in the interests of the people. Only those who are serving the interest of the rich and powerful are against these two ideas.


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LAST UPDATED : Oct 06, 2017, 03:59 PM IST
- Surgery by Indian-origin doctor to broadcast live on UK TV
A surgical procedure performed by an Indian-origin doctor will be broadcast live on a TV channel in the UK for the first time, to highlight the positive impact of research on cancer treatment. The surgery will be performed by Dr Sunil Dolwani , at the Cardiff and Vale University hospital.


text: Pharmacogenomics may play an important role in treatment and more specifically prevention of stroke in the future. The way that I see that this playing a role is helping us pick the best medication choices for each patient. And I see this in a few different areas. One, if we give people blood thinners, it seems that there are some people that respond better to aspirin than others. Some people respond better to clopidogrel than others. And the same thing goes with aspirin and extended release dipyridamole. We also see this with blood pressure medications that some people just respond to certain types of blood pressure medications better and so with pharmacogenomics would, I could envision down the line is being able to assess what medications you’re going to respond to best by what your genetics say. You won’t be able to recognize that certain genetic or certain gene types, genetic profiles make you a better candidate for this type of medication and these types of medications. And so we can say, look, you know, for you specifically your body, your genes, you do better on aspirin and hydrochlorothiazide. And this person does better on these medications. And I do think that’s coming down the line at some point.

domain: medical


text:
Kdenlive's menu bar doesn't really respect established user interface guidelines. Instead of documenting the current layout, this section will soon link to some change proposals.
Copy, Paste etc.
A total of 8 different docking panels provide access to many of the editing tools in Kdenlive. They may be docked, tabbed, floated, or hidden in any conceivable configuration.
Transition allows editing the transitions between two clips on the timeline. Several types are available.
Custom effects are described below.
Capture monitor allows you to directly capture video from a number of sources:
The bottom panel in the window holds the timeline. The timeline gives you a visual representation of your project, and shows when clips start, when they end, and in the case of overlapping clips, which one is actually being used. The timeline can contain multiple audio and video tracks, where you can add sound and video clips respectively and other fancy stuffs (transitions, titles, ...)
A status bar is located at the bottom of the timeline. This bar provides information about your project and also holds some useful icons.
You can use it to select the update or razor tool, zoom the timeline, toggle on/off the thumbnails for video and audio, and decide to show or not markers and snappoints. It also displays the timeline time of your cursor.
(This older image is missing the spacer tool, but there is a rendering glitch on my Kdenlive build which clips the status bar, so I went with this image)

domain: design


text:
Do underground attractions fascinate you?
This post and page contain affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.
While every country has its fair share of them, many tourists are completely unaware of these attractions that are often hidden away in plain sight.
Here are 9 cool underground attractions in Ireland that you may not have known about and how you can see them.
- Book the best tours and guides on Tripadvisor, Viator or GetYourGuide
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- Rent a comfortable car via Discovercars
- Find the best accommodation on Booking.com or Trivago
1. The Aillwee Cave Experience
The caves, cut into the side of a mountain, consist of over a kilometer (0.62 miles) of passageways that also include an underground river and a waterfall, as well as large stalactites and stalagmites.
There is evidence that bears – now extinct in Ireland – made their home in these dark caverns of the earth.
Bear fossils have been found in the Ailwee Cave as well as in other caves around Ireland.
The cave was discovered in 1944 by a local farmer, whose dog happened to enter the cave while following a rabbit.
The farmer did not explore the cave. Nor did he tell anyone about it until 1973, when cavers in the area asked about it.
It was officially explored and opened up to visitors in 1976 when the bones of two brown bears were found there.
Today, the Ailwee Cave is considered Ireland’s premier show cave.
A 30-minute guided tour of the cave will allow you to see the cave in all its glory, including its beautiful waterfall.
Prices for the Ailwee Burren Experience, which includes a guided cave tour, a visit to the Birds of Prey Centre, a self-guided biodiversity walk and the opportunity to sample cheese and fudge in the farm shop, can be found on the website.
2. The Doolin Cave
The Doolin Cave, also located in the Burren, contains one of the world’s longest known free-hanging stalactites at a reported 7.3 meters (24 feet) in length.
The other two are located in caves in Mexico and in Lebanon.
The stalactite at Doolin Cave was formed from a single drop of water over the span of thousands of years.
It was first discovered in 1952 by members of an English caving club who were visiting the area.
In 2016, the cave was opened as a tourist attraction.
A nearby nature trail takes visitors to the original cave entrance. Along the way, you will see a variety of farm animals, including rare breeds of cattle, pygmy goats, and Jacob sheep.
You’ll also get magnificent views of the surrounding Doolin and Burren landscape, as well as the ruins of Ballinalacken Castle, a tower house built in the 15th or early 16th centuries.
The caves are open daily from February through October from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and also from November through January from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission is €17.50 for adults, €15 for seniors and students, and €8.50 for children. See information on opening/tour times on the Doolin Caves website.
Stay in a B&B in County Clare
3. The Marble Arch Caves
Considered one of Europe’s finest show caves, the Marble Arch Caves near Florencecourt consists of a series of natural limestone caves that were formed from three rivers draining off the nearby slopes of the Cuilcagh Mountain.
On a tour of the caves, you’ll not only see the amazing subterranean rivers, winding passages, and lofty chambers that are part of this 7-mile (11.5 km) cave system, you’ll also learn about the early explorers in 1895 who dared go into the darkness.
The caves are part of an amazing UNESCO global geopark that was formed millions of years ago and has resulted in a natural environment that is rich with valleys, lakes, and drumlins.
The uplands portion of the geopark includes a forest, blanket bog, and a karst landscape that formed the caves.
Sixty-minute guided tours of the caves are scheduled throughout the day.
Tours begin at the visitor center. Admission to the various tours at the Marble Arch Caves can be found here.
Be sure to arrive 30 minutes prior to the tour start time. They must be booked online beforehand.
4. Crag Cave
Crag Cave, located in County Kerry, is the 10th longest cave on the island of Ireland.
The existence of the ancient fossil cave system was known as far back as 1859 but it was not formally discovered by cave explorers until 1983.
The entire cave system, which includes a maze of carved tunnels and chambers, as well as stalactites and stalagmites runs under the town of Castleisland.
It was opened up as a show cave in the late 1980s by Donal and Margaret Geaney on whose land the cave was first discovered.
Guided tours last for about half an hour and include an exploration of the cave’s many chambers, including the Cathedral and the Crystal Gallery.
Self-guided tours are €15 for adults, €12 for seniors and students, and €6 for children ages 4-16. Family tickets range from €35 to €45.
By clicking on the Amazon link below, I may earn a small commission from the Amazon Associates Program. However, you will not incur any additional costs by doing so.
Many of its features are named after locations or characters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, Middle Earth.
5. The Arigna Mining Experience
Quiet country roads, rolling pastures, and bogland are familiar scenes in Co. Roscommon, but did you know that there was once a thriving mining community there?
Accompany an ex-miner on a 45-minute tour in The Arigna Mining Experience, which will give you an insight into a miner’s life.
The tour also recounts 400 years of mining history in the area.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, the mine provided a much-needed income for local men, who would have otherwise emigrated to England or America.
Experience the dripping water, the intense darkness, and the cramped areas that the miners worked in, conditions that lasted well into the middle of the 20th century, and then come away amazed by the work that these hardy men endured under the most difficult of circumstances.
In addition to the mining tour, be sure to stop by the visitor center.
You’ll be equally impressed by the magnificent views of the area’s deep valleys and lakes, including Lough Allen and The Iron Mountain.
Tickets are €13 for adults, €11 for students (18+) and seniors, and €7 for children (5-18). Family rates are between €30 and €50. They must be booked online.
6. The Mitchelstown Caves Experience
These caves, while located in County Tipperary take their name not from the town of Mitchelstown in County Cork but from the owner of the old Kingston Estate, which was owned by Lord Kingsborough, who had his seat at Mitchelstown Castle.
The attraction, developed in 1972, is known as Ireland’s first show cave and is one of the largest and most complex in the country.
It was accidentally discovered by a local farmer in 1833 and was subsequently explored and mapped in 1834.
The subterranean world of the Mitchelstown Caves never fails to impress given their sheer scale and depth.
They are best known for having Europe’s finest underground columns called the “Tower of Babel,” which is 9 meters (29 feet) high.
On a guided tour, you’ll see massive caverns surrounded by stalactites, stalagmites, and other huge calcite pillars.
The largest cavern within the Mitchelstown Caves is called “Tir na nÓg” and is used to host musical events.
The views outside are equally impressive, with glimpses of the Cork and Tipperary countryside and the Galtee Mountain range, the highest in Ireland.
Admission to the caves is €10 for adults, €5 for children up to age 14, and €24 for a family of 4.
7. The Maghera Sea Caves
With over 20 caves, eight arches, and five tunnels, the Maghera Sea Caves in County Donegal are just waiting to be explored.
The best way to see them is during low tide on a kayak or other type of small craft.
There is much folklore associated with these caves, which are located about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) from the popular Assaranca Waterfall.
One story tells of a massacre involving Cromwellian soldiers who forced the local people to hide in the caves, while another tells the story of a single male survivor of the massacre who crawls into the dark cave with his dog seeking freedom but never makes it out alive.
The dog emerges hairless in Glencolumcille, many miles away.
The caves are a 5-minute drive past the chapel in the town of Ardara. Simply look for the sign for Maghera Beach.
8. Bruce’s Cave
Located beneath the East Lighthouse on Rathlin Island off the coast of County Antrim, Bruce’s Cave has an equal amount of folklore associated with it.
The 60-meter-high (196 feet) cliffs that exist here are home to thousands of seabirds, making this a popular attraction.
The cave itself can only be accessed by boat and only when the waters are calm.
There are actually four caves in Ireland and Scotland that are known as “Bruce’s Cave.”
They are named after King Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots from 1306 to 1329, who sought to regain Scotland’s place as an independent country.
This cave on Rathlin Island is said to be the one where Robert the Bruce met the spider after being defeated at the Battle of Strathfillan.
The story goes that while waiting out the winter of 1306, Robert watched a spider on the cave wall trying to spin its web.
All fantastical legends aside, historians say that Bruce would have been familiar with the cave during his stay at Bruce Castle, more commonly known today as Rathlin Castle.
You can get to Rathlin Island by ferry from Ballycastle in Co. Antrim.
9. St. Michan’s Mummies
A vault underneath St. Michan’s Church in Dublin, the foundation of which was built in 1095, is where you will find another one of Ireland’s underground treasures.
The church, which still has its original organ believed to have been used by Handel himself, is home to five crypts containing the mummified corpses of prominent Dubliners, many of them dating from the 17th through the 19th centuries.
While you’ll find some caskets in the small nooks of the basement walls, there are four prominent mummies that draw the most attention.
“The Crusader” is the most widely known of the mummies and is believed to be 800 years old.
Researchers say this six-and-a-half-foot soldier fought in The Crusades and after he died, his legs were broken and tucked under his body so that he could fit into the small coffin.
The crypt also holds the coffins of the Sheare Brothers who were drawn and quartered by the British for their part in the Rising of 1798, in addition to several Earls of Kildare.
Apparently, it is also the site of the remains of Robert Emmet, the Irish rebel killed by the British in 1803.
In February 2019, the crypt was broken into and desecrated.
The head of the Crusader was stolen but was later recovered. A nun’s body was also decapitated, and another mummy was turned over.
Some of the body parts have since been sent to the National Museum of Ireland for safekeeping because they sustained water damage.
It is best to call the church ahead of time to make sure that tours are being offered at this time. The phone number is +353-1-872-4154 or you can email [email protected].
Have you visited any of the above underground attractions on the island of Ireland? Let me know in the comments below.

domain: geography


text:
Inside Mosquito’s treasures, in a privileged place, are our jewels with pearls. A bright, distinctive, and daring catalog. All our pieces are carefully handmade in Spain.
ORIGINAL PEARL JEWELRY
Cultured river pearls, with polished finishes or baroque shapes in different sizes. Varieties and different shapes with a single result, the purity, and brilliance of one of the main elements of jewelry. The natural and the classics are always ahead, that is our flag.
WHY BUY JEWELRY WITH NATURAL PEARLS?
We design different pieces, for different styles and occasions of use. From anklets to exclusive hair accessories. We reinvent the classic pearl jewelry.


text:
Easyjet will operate flights to Seville from Edinburgh with effect from the end of March
It’s good news for many Scots that they will be able to fly direct to Seville from 26th March. Until then, anyone wishing to visit the Andalusian city will still have to fly from Edinburgh to Malaga and catch a train from Malaga station to Seville. The flights will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays and the flight times are ideal for those wanting a 3 night break away, with an early flight from Edinburgh on Mondays (0600) and a late return from Seville on Thursdays (2035).
I’m actually visiting Seville myself in early March, so I’ll write in more detail about the city after that visit. We’ll be flying with Ryanair from East Midlands, but the good news for customers in the south west of England is that Easyjet will also be flying twice weekly to Seville from Bristol, starting early June. In addition to serving the city of Seville itself, these new flights open up all sorts of possibilities for people wanting to visit other Andalusian cities such as Cordoba and Cadiz.
I’ve written about Cordoba in other blogs and it really is a city which merits a visit. I would recommend that any visitor to southern Spain makes a point of visiting Cordoba, if only to see the Mezquita, the famous mosque with its mesmerising architecture. The red and white columns, arches and stunning ceilings have to be seen to be believed. The ornately decorated Catholic cathedral which was built quite literally right in the heart of the mosque contrasts greatly with the elegant simplicity of the Moorish architecture. Cordoba features in an exciting multi-centre holiday offered by Cities Direct in 2018 – Madrid, Cordoba and Ronda.
Seville also makes an ideal starting point for a visit to Cadiz. There is plenty to interest the visitor to Cadiz. Standing on a spit of land jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, Cadiz has experienced a turbulent history. It was founded by the Phoenicians as a small trading post and subsequently taken over by the Carthaginians, the Romans and the Moors. The old walled town is densely packed with medieval churches, Arabic forts, watchtowers and palaces. The tower of the elegant Catedral de Cadiz provides wonderful views of the city and the Teatro Romano is well worth a visit for anyone interested in history (note that the theatre is currently undergoing some renovation works which are due for completion in 2020).
Cadiz features in Cities Direct’s Cadiz, Seville and Granada multi-centre holiday but with the additional new flights to Seville there are now so many additional possibilities for twin and multi-centre breaks to Andalucia – a very exciting prospect!


Images are used in web pages to make them look more interactive and appealing. We must have surely noticed a thing about images. When you click on an image and drag it, there is a semi-transparent image that follows the mouse till you hold it down. This is called the ghost image.
There is a solution to everything in CSS. So, is there a way to prevent the user from seeing this ghost image, not for security purposes but for the interacrive experience?


Media Excel in the news
Jay Geanken talks about Mediaexcel's place in the echosystem, chasing down latency and the roadmap for OTT.
HERO Live, File, Event, Encoder and Decoder
Media Excel, a leading provider of multiscreen encoding solutions, and VUALTO, a prominent solution provider for video delivery & orchestration, expand their strategic partnership to include sales and support services for Media Excel's products in VUALTO's regions of operation.
The two companies have been collaborating closely for over 10 years already, as Media Excel's HERO Live and VOD encoding/transcoding product portfolio is tightly integrated within VUALTO's orchestration, video delivery and monitoring solution (VUALTO CONTROL HUB). The integration spans across all combinations of form factors (on premise, virtual and cloud) and video workflows (Live, VOD, Live2VOD, VOD2Live). Together the two companies have delivered several high-profile projects across EMEA, such European Parliament, Bowtie TV, VRT and many more.How the encoding/transcoding platform impacts the performance and value of ad-supported services.
Content creation has never been as in demand as it is today. Both professional and user-generated content has increased exponentially over the past years. This puts a lot of stress on media encoding and transcoding platforms. Add the upcoming 4K and even 8K to the mix and you need a platform that can scale with these variables. Azure Cloud compute offers a flexible way to grow with your needs. Microsoft offers various tools and products to fully support on-premises, hybrid, or native cloud workloads. Azure Stack offers support to a hybrid scenario for your computing needs and Azure ARC helps you to manage hybrid setups.
Media Excel is an encoding and transcoding vendor offering physical appliance and software-based encoding solutions. Media Excel has been partnering with Microsoft for many years and engaging in Azure media customer projects. They are also listed as recommended and tested contribution encoder for Azure Media Services for fMP4. There has also work done by both Media Excel and Microsoft to integrate SCTE-35 timed metadata from Media Excel encoder to an Azure Media Services Origin supporting Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) workflows.
How the encoding/transcoding platform impacts the performance and value of ad-supported services
Multiscreen video content and service monetization models revolve around two main pillars: subscriptions and advertisements. Subscription-based services may range from short-term/pay-per-view to longer-term monthly/ annual commitment for the viewer. Ad-supported services may range from a spray-and-pray, mass targeting to a razorthin, personalized approach. Those monetization models are widely used today across live/linear as well as VOD services and offerings.
Additionally, several operators (most prominently Hulu and CBS All Access in the U.S.) now employ a hybrid “subscription with limited adverts” monetization model in order to better position their offerings across the consumer segments and maximize their revenue potential. This also improves ad targeting opportunities, as the viewer profile is better known/ tracked through the user’s subscription account.
Before pay TV operators and content providers can harvest the full monetization potential of ad-supported services, they need to put in place a complex ecosystem, from acquisition to signaling to targeting to tracking. An essential component of this value chain is multiscreen encoding/transcoding, and that is the focus of this article.
Managing 180 terabyte archive and 40 terabyte current media, that's what Michel Visser and his colleague Roald Koger from Omrop Fryslân do all day long. The right media must be available in the right place for the right people, in the right format.
Michel Visser, media manager at Omrop Fryslân, "Of course, we are talking with other regional broadcasters about how they tackle certain challenges. However, it seems to me that we at Omrop Fryslân are quite at the forefront. We are always interested in new solutions and are open to new techniques. When Heynen approached us with this high end video encoder, they immediately had our undivided attention!"
"The trick is to work with equipment that is smarter than Roald and I put together. Then it's all pretty orderly", Michel laughs.
Net Insight today announces a 3 seconds end-to-end latency, one-click streaming workflow inclusive of transcoding together with Media Excel and Microsoft Azure.
Media Excel’s HERO Cloud is a proven virtual transcoding software solution that has found the sweet spot between quality and performance. Powered by Azure, integrated with Sye Streaming Service, HERO Cloud seamlessly spins up a transcoding service based on Sye’s customer demand. HERO Cloud, together with Sye Connect and Sye Streaming Service, enables a full end-to-end, one-click service ready to ingest, transcode and stream content from any location to viewers across the globe, all under 3 seconds.
“We are very pleased to see two of our partners combining their
services, and taking advantage of Microsoft Azure, Azure Stack and Azure
Kubernetes Services to offer a best-of-breed solution addressing the
live streaming market,” says Sudheer Sirivara, General Manager, Azure
Media & AI Platform at Microsoft.
At IBC 2018, Red Bee Media will be demonstrating how, in a unique way, can bring together the drama of live events, our broadcast grade MCR for remote production and our managed OTT platform with high quality 4K video encoding in an agile and efficient managed service.
“The 4K4 Charity event give us a unique opportunity to show how we can capture live 4K video in the field, then encode and deliver it to audiences via our state-of-the-art managed OTT services, in an efficient and streamlined way” says Kris Langbridge, Head of Transformation and Distribution, Red Bee Media.
“The HERO 4K OTT encoder product line enables operators to deploy services across different workflows (Live, VoD, Live2VoD, VoD2Live) and form factors (appliance, virtual, cloud). Media Excel has always advocated best-of-breed architectures; Red Bee Media’s end-to-end architecture embodies exactly that and delivers quality, reliability and flexibility in a modular and cost-effective value proposition.”, says Nikos Kyriopoulos, VP of Business Development, Media Excel.
Multichoice delivers media and entertainment services to 49 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa. Its DStv offering provides Live and VoD services to over 12 million subscribers.
MultiChoice Connected Video CTO Muhammad Khan summarizing the experience said:
“This was the first UHD live stream in Africa, and doing this at 50 frames per second utilizing a new codec was a big win for us and sets us up well for future tests and the eventual deployment of UHD as a new standard for streaming.”
Microsoft’s Account Executive for Media, Alkis Flemetakis:
“In online content delivery, user experience is everything. Microsoft Azure Media Services with a built in Content Delivery Network (CDN) provides an enterprise grade inherently fast, scalable, and economical solution to deliver content to users globally, whether you’re developing or managing websites or mobile apps, or encoding and distributing streaming media, gaming software, firmware updates, or IoT endpoints.”
LG U+ became the first telecom operator in South Korea to introduce a real-time omni-view experience to its valued subscribers for Professional Baseball League matches. The new service offers real-time video from different angles―home base, first base, third base and the outfield―to show users players' movements which are not available on a typical TV coverage. Users can watch all videos simultaneously with their smartphones or mirror the high-quality feed to their big-screen TVs. Targeting over 2 million subscribers, LG U+ is able to leverage Media Excel's expertise with HEVC encoding and high profile services worldwide in order to deliver pristine video quality and quality of experience.
During the kickoff last weekend, the service was utilized by over 100,000 concurrent subscribers who consumed over 3.6 GBs of data per user for the entire game. LG U+ 4.5G/LTE network is able to sustain such data traffic due to HEVC compression efficiency delivered by Media Excel HERO encoders. The launch of the service came a month after the firm rolled out a new flat-rate subscription option with unlimited data and uncompromised speed for 88,000 Korean won ($82) per month, providing a catalytic monetization opportunity for the new service.
A video demonstration for the features of the new service is available here: https://youtu.be/dBVMKm8lfB0 (in Korean language).
With the heightened publicity for Cloud-based services, operators worldwide are re-evaluating their end-to-end architecture and associated cost structure looking for efficiencies, opportunities and competitive edges. Turnkey appliances, COTS-based virtualization (private Cloud) and 3rd-party commercial-Cloud based SaaS are the three form-factors that are being considered. [Hereon, we will use turnkey, virtual and cloud to refer to the three form factors.] As encoding/transcoding extends to over 80% of the processing power requirements of the entire multiscreen video delivery value chain, inevitably the focus is put on multiscreen encoders/transcoders.
This white paper introduces a framework to guide the stakeholders in identifying the most appropriate encoding/transcoding form factor for their particular operations. A multitude of dimensions are presented and analyzed here—each operator expected to weigh each dimension based on its own priorities and decide accordingly.
Media Excel, leader in multiscreen encoding/transcoding solutions, has joined forces with Unified Streaming, a leading provider of cross-platform video streaming technologies, to offer customers a next-generation solution for content delivery based on timed metadata. The collaboration substantially enhances the user experience by enabling frame-accurate interactivity and added-value services for Live, VoD and DVR workflows.
Timed Metadata can be used to distribute events from encoders (or upstream) to origins and eventually, players. Examples include ID3 tags for program information, DASH events (emsg) and ad signaling tags (SCTE-35) for dynamic ad insertion.[...]
“Given the track record in innovation for both companies, and our mutual success in high profile sports, music and 24x7 streaming services, we are pleased to enable solutions that are fully in-line with current and future customer and consumer demand”, says Simon Westbroek, VP Global Sales at Unified Streaming. "Building on our existing collaboration with Unified Streaming for the delivery of hybrid HEVC/AVC workflows, we are excited to further enhance the monetization options for our customers and the user experience for their audience with the introduction of this new set of features", says Nikos Kyriopoulos, Product Director of Media Excel.
Fiber-optics telecommunications company Deutsche Glasfaser is expanding its IPTV service offerings across Germany, with a particular focus on ensuring rural areas have access to best in class fiber-to-the-home (FttH) services. The company has chosen to include Media Excel encoders as an integral part of achieving these expansion plans. [...]
“HERO offers unique features that we knew could be of benefit to Deutsche Glasfaser in their expansion plans,” says Lorna Garrett, Commercial Director at Garland. “One benefit is the ability to convert in real-time from DVBSubs to ISMT providing text-based player-switchable subtitles. Users can take advantage of an upgrade path to HEVC and SMPTE-2022 support. HERO’s powerful management and redundancy systems, provides flexibility, density and high-quality transcoding.”
“We’re very pleased with the options the Media Excel encoders provide and the support we received from Garland,” says Niels Jonkman, Business Manager at Deutsche Glasfaser. “Ultimately, this is about continuing to provide our customers with the best service, including quality and choice, that we can. We are pleased that we are able to maintain the high standard we have set.”
Media Excel’s product line has been developed in line with the needs of Simplestream’s customers and their own white label live, on demand and catch-up offering. Earlier this year, Garland supplied Simplestream with Media Excel HERO 1RU platforms with the HERO Management System running in the cloud. Each HERO is running five services that are encoded in adaptive bitrates and in multiple formats.
In turn, Simplestream was able to assist urban music and entertainment company, Trace, in building its new subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), live TV and radio offering called TracePlay. In less than 12 week, Simplestream had completed the project, which includes content ingest, transcoding and service management.
Trace, based in Paris, offers direct and live access to 10 music and sports TV channels, 31 FM and digital urban music radio stations, and a selection of urban TV series, films and documentaries. Its audience spawns across 80 countries — from Africa to Europe, the United States, the Caribbean and Indian Ocean — and is scheduled to expand to 200 countries.
“We saw many advantages to this encoding platform,” says Lorna Garrett, Commercial Director at Garland. “Not only does it offer a wide set of features, but it is an excellent means to future proof through the use of HEVC encoding and 4K/UHD.”
“TracePlay is a great example of a truly global offering: it is multi-device, multi-lingual and it appeals to a huge audience in more than 200 countries,” says Dan Finch, Chief Commercial Officer of Simplestream. “By working together with Garland, Media Excel and our customer on such a highly complex project, we were able to provide the needed solution fast, as well as the support needed. In turn, we all were able to grow our offerings and our expertise.”
The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) is the leading agency for management, funding and conduct of research in Turkey. TUBITAK BILGEM was commissioned to modernize Turkey’s Digital Record, Achieve and Analysis System (SKAAS) for RTUK. The goal of the SKAAS-III Project is to receive DVB-compliant digital broadcast transport streams from operators across Turkey and analyze them in both real-time and off-line workflows. Enisa Group is Media Excel’s local partner that has closely collaborated with TUBITAK’s team on this project.
With a diverse range of inputs (SD, HD, UHD and radio) and extremely high-reliability expectations (over 5 nines), TUBITAK has been looking for a versatile, yet proven solution to accommodate their project requirements. In fact, due to the volume of services (over 700 channels), a dense and centrally managed platform was necessary.
After an extensive search throughout various competitive offerings, Media Excel’s HERO LIVE platform—provided through Enisa Group—proved to be the best-fitting solution.
“We have been extremely pleased with Media Excel’s HERO platform for achieving high quality and reliable transcoding, streaming and real-time recording at an incredible density per transcoder. It has been wonderful to work with such responsive, professional teams as the Media Excel and Enisa Group.” said Mr. Erol Kahraman, Project Manager of TUBITAK.
Media Excel, a leading supplier of software solutions for real time multiscreen video delivery, today announced support for VP9/DASH publishing of live streams to YouTube within the HERO™ Encoder product line. Media Excel HERO is the first carrier-grade product to enable support for WebM live encoding and publishing for YouTube, enabling broadcasters and content providers to deliver pristine-quality linear video in a reliable way to the industry’s largest online platform.
"Google and WebM are committed to open standards for video compression. As the most recent WebM open video standard, VP9 allows higher quality streaming at lower bit rates,” said Matt Frost, Head of Partnerships and Strategy at Google Chrome Media. “We are pleased with the adoption of VP9 by Media Excel, as it will allow higher quality live streaming on the web to over two billion VP9-enabled endpoints."
Running throughout BVE, the live-demo will reveal how the Simplestream Media Manager platform has been adopted by leading entertainment broadcasters including QVC, Box Plus Network, Scripps, Turner and Discovery Networks to deliver streamlined simulcasting, real-time editing and live-to-VOD publishing of multiple channels, to any platform and device within a single unified workflow. The Media Manager solution, which delivers an industry-leading live-to-VOD turnaround time of less than a minute, helps providers deliver more of the content consumers want, faster and across any device. Media Manager now uniquely provides a one-stop shop for broadcasters to provide catch-up services across platforms such as BT TV, Freesat, Freeview, Virgin, in addition to mobiles, tablets, Amazon Fire, AppleTV, SmartTV’s and other connected devices.
Dan Finch, Commercial Director for Simplestream commented: “By removing cost and time barriers, Simplestream’s Media Manager helps media owners and content creators of any size deliver premium live-streaming, catch-up and automated live-to-VOD services. Using Media Excel from Garland Partners as our preferred encoder manufacturer and supplier, we are able to extend these benefits further, ensuring the highest quality performance for multi-channel and multi-territory content delivery.”
Nikos Kyriopoulos, Product Director at Media Excel commented: “Our robust encoding and transcoding solutions are designed to ensure the highest quality with the greatest efficiency in content delivery for Simplestream’s OTT and broadcast customers. BVE provides an ideal opportunity for providers to see first-hand how our HERO transcoders can help them deliver premium television content online through a scalable and future-proofed delivery model.”
Turksat, Turkey’s leading communications satellite operator, has selected Media Excel’s 4K Ultra HD HEVC Encoder to help deliver the country’s first 4K live broadcasting channel. Based in Ankara, the new Turksat 4K Ultra TV Channel will use the Media Excel Hero 4K, deployed by LG Electronics (LGE), to enhance the quality of experience for viewers across the region.
“Media Excel leads the field in Ultra HD, from our perspective. While there are many encoder vendors in the marketplace, we placed our confidence in Media Excel as its product was clearly 4K-ready,” said Husamettin Demirel, the Teleport and TV Broadcasting Director, Turksat. “We are delighted with the results of our 4K trials with Media Excel and LGE, and subsequent broadcasts to our viewers have demonstrated the highest level of video quality along with the reliability of a broadcast-level service.”
Communications infrastructure company Arqiva has selected Media Excel’s HERO encoders, through Garland Partners, to support its IP streaming solution.
Forming part of the Arqiva IP streaming solution, the Media Excel HERO encoders provide high-quality encoding and transcoding with superior density, and management features. The Media Excel HERO encoders will encode a variety of TV sources and output them as Microsoft Smooth Streaming video, while embedding time-sensitive data into all output streams. The data can then be used downstream on the player side, to reference the streams against an EPG or Live to VoD workflow, via unified streaming services. Media Excel also helped Arqiva to develop customer interfaces (APIs) to ease the integration of the encoder with the different elements of the IP streaming solution.
Achieving the best possible picture quality on SmartTVs whilst managing the huge variance in Internet data rates is challenging. It is even a greater challenge to add support for internet-based accessibility of services such as subtitles. This is where the novel features and applications of HbbTV 2.0 provide solutions. IRT shows the potential of these new technologies and presents first HbbTV 2.0 showcases at IFA 2015 in Berlin at the ARD booth “Digitale Welt“ in hall 2.2, and at IBC 2015 in Amsterdam at IRT’s booth 10.F51 in hall 10.
It combines live streaming using MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) and subtitles based on the EBU-TT-D specification.
TVPlayer Plus will launch this month from TVPlayer, an OTT live streaming provider for broadcast TV channels. At the core of the live-streaming and catch-up-TV service is Media Excel’s HERO platform provided by Garland.
It offers viewers an additional 25 channels (offering over 80 in total) from broadcasters including UKTV, Discovery Networks, A+E Networks UK, Turner Broadcasting, National Geographic Channel Europe, and Sony Pictures Television Networks. “TVPlayer has seen significant success to date, with over half a million people now watching TV over-the-top each week on our service,” said Adam Smith, founder and CEO of TVPlayer. “Similar to what Netflix has done for movies and Spotify for music, TVPlayer Plus aims to offer a simplified viewing experience of traditional and premium television content — one that works with the devices people already have.”. TVPlayer selected the HERO encoding platform from Media Excel to power its TVPlayer and TVPlayer Plus service. The HERO DS9 is a 1RU, eight x HD-SDI channel, adaptive bitrate, multi-format encoder.
MediaMelon, the smart streaming company, and Media Excel, a leading supplier of OTT multiscreen transcoding solutions, today announced product integration designed to improve streaming video quality and bandwidth efficiency. Service providers deploying Media Excel HERO encoders with MediaMelon QBR streaming optimization technology can reduce bitrates by 35%, paving the way to 4K delivery. Additional benefits include consistent video quality, elimination of video artifacts and reduced storage at origin servers.
“Media Excel is known in the industry for three aspects: video quality, service reliability and ecosystem-wide flexibility. MediaMelon QBR technology fits perfectly into this framework, as it delivers significant improvements in streaming video quality while ensuring service reliability at reduced bandwidth for both live and VoD workflows. Those are always top concerns for pay TV service providers and operators worldwide. We are seeing the ability to stream content in HD and 4K with current networks when the two products are used together, without adding any complexity in deployment or ongoing management,” said Nikos Kyriopoulos, Product Director at Media Excel.
“Media Excel is at the forefront of transcoding technology for both real-time and on-demand video streaming for Fortune 500 companies,” said Kumar Subramanian, MediaMelon CEO. “Powering their video services with MediaMelon QBR technology, streaming companies using Media Excel solutions can now seamlessly achieve better streaming quality, reduce network and storage utilization, and improve video streaming economics.”
For the past 15 years, Media Excel has powered the most high-profile video encoding and transcoding deployments worldwide for Fortune 500 operators; from mission-critical U.S. Department of Defense operations to Verizon’s Super Bowl and from LGU+ Google TV to AT&T U-verse’s 300-channel 24x7 services. While most legacy architectures struggle to provide 3 nines of uptime (10 minutes downtime per week), Media Excel’s architecture’s highly-available characteristics have proven delivery of 5 nines of uptime in an N+1 configuration (5 minutes downtime per year), and 7 nines of uptime in an 1+1 configuration (3 seconds downtime per year).
Based on the experience and feedback accumulated, we can solidly present 4 key aspects that operators need to evaluate for a live video encoding solution with highly available services.
NTT Electronics, a leading supplier of codec solutions, today announced that our most robust and reliable 4K contribution codec solution will be on display at the Media Excel, a leading supplier of OTT multiscreen transcoding solutions based in Texas, USA and a long standing technology partner of NEL, at IBC (International Broadcasting Convention) this year.
This joint display of an end-to-end 4K/UHD live workflow solution is designed to show how ultra-high quality contribution feeds can be produced and utilized not only by 4K live distribution but also by an OTT multiscreen distribution chain in real time, catering for 4K/UHD smart TVs down to QVGA resolution for mobile phones from a single source.
“We are very excited to be able to announce our partnership with Media Excel.” said Hisashi Kasahara, General Manager of the Digital Video & Systems Business Group of NTT Electronics. “Media Excel has a great reputation in the OTT industry and is known for their commitment to quality and reliability, values we share with great interest. I'm confident that the proposed solution will benefit not only the OTT industry but also broadcasters and IPTV operators who wish to maximize the opportunity to monetize their valuable content.”
Please do not take our word for it, see for yourself at Media Excel's stand at Hall 14.D27 as well as NEL's own booth at Hall 2.C50.
The French Tennis Federation and France Télévisions are joining with Orange to inaugurate 4G multicast, the best of 4G technology, for Roland Garros 2014
4G networks will optimise multi-media, high definition content broadcasts on mobile. Broadcasting content using 4G multicast technology makes it possible to offer the perfect video experience to all customers, even at crowded venues like Roland Garros.
Orange is making its technology available to the French Tennis Federation and France Télévisions for this full scale test, which will be a first in France. Throughout the tournament, visitors to the France Télévisions Innovation Stand, located at the RG Lab, will be able to enjoy top quality delayed coverage of Roland Garros by France Télévisions on compatible smartphones and tablets, thanks to 4G multicast technology and the network deployed by Orange for the occasion.
This test, to be carried out during the fortnight of the tournament with the technical assistance of Alcatel-Lucent, Expway, Media Excel, Qualcomm Technologies Inc. and Sequans, will make Orange the first to demonstrate that the technology works and is relevant.
Media Excel will introduce its real-time HEVC (H.265) encoder and transcoder at NAB in Las Vegas, April 7 - 10, 2014. Demonstration highlights in Media Excel booth SU7824 include:
● Real-time HEVC encoder, decoder and transcoder, powered by HERO product lines (1RU)
● 4K/UHDTV HEVC encoding/transcoding solutions
● Real-time HEVC contribution encoder and decoder
● HERO VS (Virtualized Software) in the cloud for Live and VOD
● Integrations with leading industry partners (DRM, Ad-insertion, MPEG-DASH, LTE/eMBMS)
● Advanced features - native playout support (playlist, clipcasting) and enhanced preprocessing
● Fault-tolerant management system for 24x7 operations achieving five 9s proven reliability
"Vidmind has partnered with Media Excel to deliver time-and-place shifting of linear TV channels as part of its turnkey hybrid OTT/DTT solution. Virtual operators can now utilize existing free-to air content and offer it to their audience to view at any time and across multiple connected devices - as part of a Prime TV experience.
The solution transforms live DVB-T TV to linear OTT TV, with the permission of the content owners, and makes it available on a multitude of connected devices in real time as well as at different time through the Catch-Up service. The solution is deployed at the operator's head-end or the Cloud and combines Vidmind's platform flexibility and control with Media Excel's HERO superior video quality and versatility.
HERO HEVC Live Encoder delivers bitrates 50 percent lower than AVC, while maintaining exceptional video quality.
"Media Excel’s HEVC Live encoder and MPEG-DASH delivery solution further enhances the commercial potential of LTE Broadcast for wireless operators,” said Raj Talluri, senior vice president of product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. ”Coupled with Qualcomm Technologies’ leadership and advancements in eMBMS middleware, operators today have a technologically-proven and commercially-promising end-to-end LTE Broadcast workflow to satisfy the increasing consumer demand.”
Media Excel (stand 14.150) will demonstrate the company's HERO multiscreen transcoding platform at IBC 2013, held at the RAI in Amsterdam, September 13-17. Media Excel's scalable transcoding solutions power more than 100 million OTT/multiscreen subscribers worldwide. A newly added benefit of the HERO platform to operators is its enhanced ad-insertion capabilities.
Media Excel will also demonstrate:
● Future-proof solutions, with 4K/UHD encoding/transcoding in HEVC/H.265
● 4G/LTE broadcast, with HERO’s proven leadership in MPEG-DASH and eMBMS
● Centrally controlled scalability, where Live and VoD workflows are seamlessly managed across datacenter and cloud locations
● HContribution solutions, with high quality & low-latency encoding for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint distribution over IP and ASI networks, for newsgathering, content aggregation, teleport services, regional distribution, and more.
Media Excel has been chosen by QuickPlay Media as a video transcoding solution partner for its global multiscreen services. Hundreds of channels will be transcoded on the HERO 5000 series platform for the first phase of their partnership. Using Media Excel solutions, QuickPlay will provide turnkey MPEG-DASH and HEVC-centric solutions to their customers. This creates additional value and shortens time to market for multiscreen, OTT, and other IP-connected video services.
"As a managed service provider, QuickPlay works with a number of market leading technologies in order to deliver the best end-to-end solution for our clients," said Wayne Purboo, CEO of QuickPlay Media. "We selected Media Excel for its exceptional video quality, its ease of deployment, and extensive feature set, combined with their partnership approach."
Media Excel will be highlighting its multiscreen MPEG-4 AVC encoding and transcoding solutions during BroadcastAsia2013 at stand 5K2-01 at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore from June 18-21. The company will also present its new low-latency HERO contribution encoding platform specifically designed for point-to-point delivery over IP and ASI networks. The well-established HERO product line addresses the need to deliver the highest picture quality over limited-bandwidth networks across all screens, with live and VoD adaptive delivery over HLS, Smooth, Flash, and MPEG-DASH to consumer devices.
Worldwide deployments of the HERO platform have given Media Excel an expanded presence in the Asia-Pacific region with recent wins at the three largest telcos in South Korea—SK Telecom, Korea Telecom, and LGU+. Media Excel's HERO platform was selected by all three to power each company's large-scale multiscreen transcoding projects. These deployments in Asia-Pacific join Australia's Telstra, which has been using Media Excel solutions for high-quality mobile video distribution to 10.5 million mobile subscribers, including 8.2 million 3G subscribers.
Media Excel announced the release of its HERO Contribution Encoder (HERO 5000E) and Decoder (HERO 5000D). This extends the product line of the company's leading edge HERO 5000 Series and is aimed specifically for point-to-point transmission of audio and video over ASI and IP networks by broadcasters and cable companies.
HERO 5000E is a new field-upgradeable encoder platform that can deliver up to two independent channels in MPEG-2 or MPEG-4/AVC (H.264) from SD to HD and in 4:2:0 and 4:2:2. HERO 5000E relies on a fully redundant 1RU chassis and Media Excel’s state-of-the-art video processing technologies to deliver highly available services for mission-critical, low-delay applications.
Media Excel today announced that its HERO video transcoder solutions have received Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) certification—a U.S. government designation that guarantees interoperability of fielded systems, and ensures products comply with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) standards for encoding Full Motion Video (FMV) for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) applications.
Multiple ISR and UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) HD streams with embedded MISM/KLV metadata are ingested by HERO for dissemination to the entire spectrum of analysis and monitoring devices utilized by DoD sites and personnel. In parallel, HERO produces multiple adaptive delivery bouquets to accommodate delivery across any wired/wireless network and to all players (iOS, Android, PC/Notebook, TVs, etc.).
Media Excel today announced a deal for supporting the entire transcoding infrastructure of Dogan TV's new OTT platform, netD. Dogan TV is part of the largest media corporation in Turkey and owns leading Turkish TV channels Kanal-D, CNN-Turk, and Dream TV. Leading entertainment channel Kanal D introduced many new format television programs including various television series, foreign movies, talk shows, game shows, children’s, women’s, sports, health, news, and magazine programs. Kanal D is positioned at the top in the sector due to its successful serials, educational and entertaining children’s shows, ethical news programs, and talk shows presented by the most popular television stars. Kanal D has also earned a great success as a content provider to different areas. After the success of the Turkish serials, first in the Middle Asia, and later on in the Middle East, Kanal D has expanded to new territories such as the Balkans and the Far East and has played an important role in the popularity of the Turkish Serials in the world. With HERO, Dogan TV is delivering both live and thousands of hours of VOD content that has been previously broadcast on Kanal D since the 1990’s, along with premium content from studios as free-to-air or premium service over its own OTT platform—netD (www.netd.com)—to PC, tablets, and smartphones. Media Excel’s HERO product transcodes its video assets and packages them in HLS and Google/Widevine-compatible formats to reach the maximum number of devices while keeping the operational complexity and overhead at a minimum
"At Dogan TV we are constantly looking for ways to monetize our content by enhancing the overall user experience across all screens," said Hasan Kiragi, Director of Broadcast Operations at Dogan TV Holding. "We chose Media Excel’s HERO transcoding solution after an extensive evaluation of encoder offerings. Media Excel delivered a high-quality, full-featured solution for transcoding and packaging for a wide range of adaptive delivery technologies types, including MPEG-DASH which we are ready to implement in the near future. Their dense and flexible solution fits perfectly with our objective to seamlessly deliver protected live and VOD content across all connected devices.”
Media Excel today announced it will demonstrate its H.265 High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) encoder at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas, Nev. from April 8-11. Media Excel's HEVC encoder—designed for broadcasters, telecoms, and content aggregators, and powered by Intel® processors—will allow users to maintain the same quality as H.264 AVC encoding, while achieving 50 percent lower bitrates.
"With Intel-processor based H.265 HEVC encoding, Media Excel has changed the way that organizations will have to think about bandwidth allocation, costs, and how they can service their customers," said Bill Rollender, Director of Product Marketing Communications and Storage Infrastructure Group of Intel. "With the ability to save on bandwidth costs, provide more video, or both, the landscape of multi-screen video delivery and consumption will quickly change, all to the benefit of today's media-hungry consumers."
Vidmind, a pioneering End-to-end Cloud TV technology provider for operators, broadcasters and retailers, announced today its partnership with Media Excel, an innovator of adaptive bitrate, multi-device transcoding for multiscreen video delivery. The joint transcoding management component, Vidmind SnowCannon, is in field trials by a number of operators, including a leading East European household brand - a newcomer to the lucrative TV market place. Vidmind’s 1st ever fully managed Cloud TV service will bring a comprehensive home entertainment experience, including live HD-TV, VoD, catch up TV, social features and a TV app market, to the brand’s multimillion customer base.
Media Excel was chosen by Vidmind not only because of its powerful transcoding solution which produces superior quality video in multiple formats but also because of the adaptability of the Media Excel platform. Media Excel’s HERO product can be operated as a local service or on a Cloud service. This allows Vidmind to run the encoding process at the customer’s headend but manage all services through the Cloud.
At TV Connect 2013, the international trade show for broadcasters, telcos, content providers, and over-the-top (OTT) players, Media Excel — the worldwide innovator of adaptive bitrate, multi-device transcoding for multiscreen video delivery — will show how organization with video assets in multiple locations, that want to utilize the cost benefits of Cloud services, and that need to effectively monetize their assets for distribution to iPads, tablets, and other mobile devices will be able to efficiently manage transcoding functions from one central web-based control platform.
With adaptive bitrate streaming protocols—such as HLS, Smooth, and MPEG-DASH — combined with cloud transcoding and centralized management with a detailed API, Media Excel leverages its more than 12 years of transcoding expertise to bring practical solutions to meet organizations' operational and business goals.
Verizon Wireless utilizes Media Excel HERO to showcase MPEG-DASH over LTE broadcast at CES 2013. LTE Broadcast is based on evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) standards, the technology allows for a very efficient use of LTE spectrum and network, delivering the highest quality, always-on video for everyone without buffering.
LTE Broadcast could allow students on satellite campuses to see a lecture from a star professor, transforming higher education and making it available to more people. Sports leagues could provide additional or exclusive content to their fans who attend live events, enriching their experience at the venue. Municipal governments could reach all their citizens in a specific geographic area with messages important to them.
Media Excel sweeps the South Korean Telco industry by winning the large-scale multiscreen transcoding projects of the three largest Telcos in South Korea. Combined, SK Telecom, Korea Telecom, and LGU+ serve more than 20 million paid subscribers, compared to more than 18 million paid subscribers for Media Excel’s US customers.
The three Korean operators utilize Media Excel’s HERO platform to prepare, package and deliver more than 120 HD live channels over wired and 4G/LTE-wireless networks to all connected devices, ranging from smartphones and tablets to PCs and connected TVs.
Over the last nine months, SK Telecom, Korea Telecom and LGU+ individually performed extensive evaluation tests comparing solutions from all major encoding vendors. Each chose Media Excel’s HERO multi-screen encoding solution based on its reliability, scalability and extensive feature set.
Throughout the past few years, the advancements in multiscreen video delivery have trained consumers to expect a unified experience across all their screens. Features such as content mobility, service availability, instant gratification and even interactivity are becoming more and more prominent in the streaming video arena.
However, as HD and multiscreen content becomes more pervasive, service providers and operators are even more challenged by constantly trying to balance between the bandwidth-demanding video streams and their promising revenue streams. Even though those two types of streams are quite different, they continue to be closely tied together as both represent the number one priority for most operators.
BuyDRM, a pioneer in DRM technologies for pay-media operators, announced today that the company has partnered with Media Excel to launch a PlayReady integrated content encoding and encryption platform, the HERO nS multi-screen transcoder which supports the KeyOS Key Management API for content encryption.
Media Excel customers can now benefit from having one automated content transcoding workflow where Microsoft’s PlayReady DRM is an integrated component of the process. Prior to transcoding, the HERO nS securely acquires content encryption keys from the KeyOS Key Management API. Once content is prepared via the HERO nS it is then published to a CDN or hosting environment where users can view it. KeyOS provides the license key clearinghouse to enable each viewer to securely consume the content using the rights provided by the content owner through the KeyOS Licensing API.
Media Excel today announced general availability of its latest transcoder, encoder solution, the HERO nS appliance. HERO nS was first showcased at NAB; since then key customers and partners of Media Excel have been extensively testing the HERO nS with great enthusiasm.
Patrick Mechali, Business Development EMEA, Media Excel, commented, "The multi-purpose aspect of the HERO nS of accommodating both Live and File multi-screen transcoding in one unified appliance, along with its modularity and scalability is attracting great attention from SIs and regional partners".
Advantech continues its recent spree of DSP product announcements with the introduction of its latest generation DSP blade in ATCA form factor based on Texas Instruments Incorporated’s (TI’s) TMS320C66x digital signal processor (DSP) generation. Advantech’s ATCA node blade, DSPA-8901E with its twenty onboard TMS320C6678 DSPs running at 1.25 GHz core frequency provides 160 cores of processing power to reach the higher levels of performance density needed to build the highest capacity media gateways in the network. The blade significantly reduces overall system cost and frees up valuable slots in gateway elements for additional subscriber capacity and throughput.
"We are excited to see products such as Advantech’s DSPA-8901E blade entering the market," said Nikos Kyriopoulos, Product Director at Media Excel. "The new Advantech blade gives us the DSP density and performance we need to future-proof our product portfolio. Over the next 6-24 months we are launching some truly innovative products. Advantech’s experience in NEBS-compliant ATCA form factors and their ongoing success in service provider and telecom markets aligns with our commitment to supply high-quality, carrier-grade transcoding solutions to those same markets."
Media Excel, the leading provider of live and file based encoding and adaptive bitrate transcoding for Mobile TV, Web TV and IPTV, today announced its impressive company and financial achievements for 2010. Media Excel achieved record revenue and continued a three-year trend of 70% annual revenue growth while remaining profitable. "Our commitment and unique embedded DSP software approach for high-quality, high-capacity transcoding solutions has resulted in a series of key new wins, as well as substantial recurring revenue from current customers." said Media Excel’s President, Jongil Kim. Media Excel has sales and support teams in the United States, Asia and Europe, and will expand its presence in each market through direct sales and key channel partners. The company grew its internal team by 35% last year and will continue to hire engineers and senior level executives.
Media Excel today announced that it is expanding its HERA 4000 product line by offering the most advanced suite of WebTV technologies designed for Operators, Web Portals and Media Content owners that plan to broadcast "Over the Top" live TV or Video on Demand content to multiple TV, PC, notebook and tablet devices through multiple networks. Nikos Kyriopoulos, Product Director at Media Excel said, "We are responding to our customer requirements for an integrated video solution that addresses the needs of Mobile TV and WebTV markets for multiple screens and networks, all out of one appliance. We expect the launch of new smartphones and tablet products to accelerate the need for "Over The Top: and Mobile video services as an integrated offering. Media Excel customers can effectively accommodate multiple delivery mechanisms with the maximum encoding density and without the need for an additional relay/proxy appliance."
Media Excel today announced that it is expanding its longstanding relationship with Texas Instruments (TI) and collaborating on a number of initiatives designed to bring high-density, scalable video over IP compression solution for network-based transcoding to market. The collaboration will build on TI’s expanding portfolio of next-generation multicore DSPs and Media Excel’s expertise for designing high-density, high quality video compression solutions based on TI’s DaVinci chipset. With its forthcoming new line of low power, high density solutions Media Excel will continue to target the growing MobileTV, WebTV and IPTV markets and address the expanding needs of telcos, wireless operators and cable and satellite operators in their pursuit to offer cost-effective network video solutions for multiple screens while reducing energy consumption.
Media Excel Inc., the world’s leading provider of next-generation transcoding solutions for MobileTV, WebTV & IPTV, today introduced general availability of iPhone live streaming support for its award-winning HERA 4000 encoder/transcoder product line. This powerful enhancement is released after a round of successful trials with select mobile operators around the world and enables seamless, high quality live video delivery to the iPhone via a streaming server (RTSP) or through a web server (HTTP).
Media Excel Inc., the world’s only provider of next-generation transcoding solutions for MobileTV, WebTV & IPTV, announced today that its Hera 4000™ Mobile TV solutions have been selected by YouSee for its 3G Mobile TV technology refresh.
Media Excel Inc., the world’s only provider of next-generation transcoding solutions for MobileTV, WebTV & IPTV, introduced today the Hera EMSTM Mobile TV solution designed for the needs of Emerging Market mobile TV operators.
Media Excel, a leading provider of advanced real-time video encoding and transcoding solutions, will demonstrate the industry's first compression product that can stream two real-time, simultaneous HD streams in a single product at HD World.
MobiTV has integrated Media Excel's encoding and transcodoing solutions into their end-to-end headend management network service platform.
MTV Networks is currently using HERA platform domestically, with plans to extend its use globally, for digital media transcoding of video content for any device over any network.
Proven interoperability will bring greater flexibility and expand choices for DVB-H Mobile TV service providers
Media Excel developed in-house embedded software and DSP hardware components, resulting in a highly scalable system that provides multi-codec broadcast-level video quality, an order of magnitude performance improvement, simplified pricing structure, plus unmatched flexibility to meet individual customer needs.