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Waiting for HD syndication on your local affiliates? CBS, Warner and Ascent Media can fix that
We've seen your complaints about many of the syndicated shows that have switched to HDTV broadcasts lately, wondering why they don't show up like that in your area. The fact is, many local affiliates can't / haven't spent the cash on equipment capable of handling all the syndicated programming out there in HD, but Ascent Media, Warner Bros. and CBS are creating a joint venture to fix that, ensuring their hard work creating all that HD (& HD ads, lets not forget) doesn't go to waste. We spoke to Senior VP of Ascent Media Rich Fickle and he broke down the plan where the joint venture will pay for and distribute the equipment to more than 800 affiliates (Which ones? Expect major network affiliates, top 100 markets and many others with a list out before the service launches) that will allow them to receive one MPEG-4 HDTV formatted copy via satellite -- instead of the dual SD and HD feeds distributed currently -- that can then be downconverted for SD broadcasts at their location as well as broadcast the way they were meant to be seen. The equipment will start shipping out in the coming months but it's likely the service will launch around the beginning of the fourth quarter of this year. Who's ready for some remastered Star Trek: TOS, Jeopardy & Seinfeld?
Ascent Media, Akamai & Sofatronic delivering end-to-end BD-Live solution
There's a lot to making a BD-Live enhanced movie go (just ask the people behind Iron Man), so Ascent Media's coordinating a three pronged approach to get connected discs out and working amongst the people. Sofatronic's Kaleidoscope tech is the backbone for developing interactive Blu-ray tech, while Akamai's network makes sure servers don't melt on day 1, and Ascent Media's Blink Digital group provides creative services to find implementations that appeal to viewers. Sounds great in theory, show us something we haven't seen before and make it work smoothly, then we'll be impressed.
WWE gets in deeper with Ascent Media on HD production facility
Early last month, we heard that WWE was cutting a $20 million check in order to convert its production facilities at its Stamford, Connecticut headquarters to HD. Now, the outfit is announcing an extended partnership with Ascent Media, which enables WWE to use Ascent's Harbor Plaza facility "for the creation of wraparound elements" used in its programming packages. Additionally, Ascent is promising to provide "new HD-capable fiber optic links between the new studio space and the existing WWE studio in Harbor Plaza, and to the WWE technical facility elsewhere in Stamford." More fiber in the Northeast -- what else is new, eh?
