Broadcast News Archive for December, 2003
19/12/2003 APTN launch fibre network linking Europe with the US
Associated Press Television News (APTN) are to launch the first fibre network to link mainland European cities with the US. The service - which has been named 'APTN Connect' - will go live on Januar

19/12/2003 BBC predict rosy future for digital TV
New BBC channels have had a "bumper year" and digital television is on track to reach 50% take-up by the New Year, according to the BBC. The statement claims that digital television is growing at br

19/12/2003 DVS and Ascent Media enhance HD-digital-intermediate workflow
DVS Digital Video and Ascent Media Group have announced the development of a method for enhancing HD-digital-intermediate (DI) workflow. The newly installed uncompressed HDStation2U units from DVS p

19/12/2003 Eyeheight announce 'impact' channel ident system
A new ultra-compact, ultra-low-cost logo generator, Eyeheight's 'impact' enables television channel branding idents to be created rapidly, reliably and cost-efficiently. Designed for use in 525 and 6

19/12/2003 New codes process for independent producers announced by Ofcom
Ofcom, the UK’s new communications regulator, has published new guidance that broadcasters will need to comply with when they commission programmes from independent producers. It follows a recommenda

19/12/2003 New survey backs BBC Scotland News output
A six-month review of news and current affairs programmes – one of the biggest undertaken into news broadcasting in Scotland - has revealed high satisfaction with BBC Scotland's existing output. The

19/12/2003 Puttnam presents NFM with Skillset approval
Skillset patron Lord Puttnam recently attended the first birthday of regional funding body Northern Film & Media and awarded NFM with the status of Skillset Approved Regional Partner. Lord Puttnam sa

19/12/2003 The Pixel Farm release PFTrack V1.5
The Pixel Farm have announced the release of PFTrack 1.5, a major release of the company's advanced tracking environment. With over 250 new features, optimisations and UI enhancements, this release

18/12/2003 Bond producer honoured by University of Bradford
James Bond film producer and screenwriter Michael Wilson was among leading figures from the worlds of arts, fundraising and film to receive Honorary Graduates from the University of Bradford recently.

18/12/2003 Digital Projection announce new projection system
Digital Projection International (DPI), an Emmy Award-winning manufacturer of high-performance projection systems, have announced the launch of Lightning 35HD, a third-generation Lightning series proj

18/12/2003 Discreet announce significant 3ds max take-up
Discreet have significantly increased their share in the 3D animation tools market this year, with expansion in both core and emerging markets. Having exceeded 200,000 license sales of its 3ds max so

18/12/2003 InPhase awarded NTA contract
InPhase Technologies have been awarded a contract by the US National Technology Alliance (NTA) to develop system electronics, data formats, and electronic and logical interfaces for its InPhase Tapest

18/12/2003 LPC post 'A Japanese Christmas Cracker' for Challenge TV
LPC have collaborated with production company One More Production to postproduce 'A Japanese Christmas Cracker', a series of 14 six-hour evenings for Flextech’s Challenge TV. The programmes include

18/12/2003 Pepper complete ‘Auf Wiedersehen Pet’ fourth series
Pepper recently completed the grade, conform and online on the fourth series of ‘Auf Weidersehen Pet’, the much loved tale of the nation’s favourite ‘brickies’. The original cast of Timothy Spall, T

18/12/2003 PMC complete Vienna studio upgrade
Gosh! Studios in Vienna have upgraded their Studio A monitoring by installing PMC BB5 monitors and Bryston 7B monobloc amplification, supplied by PMC's Austrian distributor AviTech. PMC were selected

18/12/2003 Rushes create '15 Storey' high profile titles
Rushes Postproduction 3D Department have been asked to create the title sequence for the next series of '15 Storeys High' for the BBC. The Director, Mark Nunnely, asked for a sequence that would recr

17/12/2003 APT WorldNet Skylink used for 'Lord Of The Rings' finale
With the launch of the third and final film in the 'Lord of the Rings' series, Belfast-based codec manufacturer APT have revealed the part they played in the movie’s production. APT’s new 5.1 TCP/IP

17/12/2003 Crime cracking TNT help fight global piracy
Eagle-eyed express delivery giant TNT will be on the alert during the festive season to ensure that Hollywood blockbuster 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is the only from of pirate film appearing on Britai

17/12/2003 Granada agree enterprising deal with Xytech
Xytech Systems Corporation, a leading provider of workflow and media asset management software, have announced the sale of a major Enterprise software system to Granada Media’s 3sixtymedia production

17/12/2003 Irish government announce licence fee increase
The Irish government have given approval for an increased TV licence fee, to now be 150 euro. Minister Dermot Ahern stated: “RTÉ will be able to seek annual increases up to the level of the Consumer

17/12/2003 Kuwait Television purchase multiple Leitch editing systems
Kuwait Television recently purchased several Leitch VelocityQ multi-stream non-linear editing systems for their news department, as well as the Velocity dual-stream non-linear editing system. Kuwait

17/12/2003 Pepper entertain 'The Young Visiters'
Pepper have recently completed the grade on a live action adaptation of Daisy Ashford's 'The Young Visiters'. Written by nine-year-old Daisy Ashford, The Young Visiters was published in 1919 in its

17/12/2003 The Mill dominates UK's best TV ads
Campaign’s ‘Book of Lists’ and The Gunn Report 2003 have confirmed that The Mill took the biggest share of postproduction work on the UK’s most celebrated TV commercials. Campaign's year round-up sh

17/12/2003 TypeMaker create dedicated colour management division
TypeMaker have announced the introduction of a dedicated colour management division, Colour Confidence. The Colour Confidence branding is intended to provide a clearer identification of the nature o

16/12/2003 BBC announce freelancing ban
The BBC have announced changes to the guidelines covering the circumstances in which BBC journalists, presenters and freelancers can write regular columns for newspapers and magazines. The changes me