MTS opts for hybrid TV

Russia’s MTS has launched a hybrid TV platform.

According to the company, it connects the cable standard-based IPTV MGTS network in Moscow and DVB-C in Russia’s regions, as well as MTS’s satellite TV with online services.

MTS adds that the service gives access to the web through the TV screen and includes an EPG with advanced features, VOD and catch-up.

Initially, the hybrid platform is being made available in Russia’s ten largest cities, and as from the beginning of 2016 will be also be offered in all the regions MTS is present in.

The final stage of the project will see the launch of a hybrid platform for the MTS TV mobile service and OTT portal Stream.

Big challenge for Czech terrestrial TV

The Czech Republic will need transition multiplexes if it is meet its target of switching to DVB-T2 by 2020, according to Marcel Prochazka, director of regulation, Ceske Radiokomunikace (CRa).

In a wide-ranging presentation at the CAEK conference in Prague, he added that the migration to DVB-T2 presents a major threat to the entire TV segment in its current form and there has to be a transitory period for viewers to buy the necessary reception equipment.

Prochazka revealed that terrestrial broadcasting lost 18% of its spectrum when the Czech Republic switched from analogue to digital broadcasting. Mobile operators now use that part of the spectrum for 4G services.

It now faces the prospect of losing a further 30%, with the final decision resting with the EC.

Significantly up to 80% of Czech terrestrial TV viewers would be affected were this to happen, with channels disappearing from both the second and third multiplexes.

Prochazka also said that at present all the main multiplexes in the Czech Republic are full. They carry a total of 21 channels, none of which are in HD, despite 55% of the country’s TV homes having HD sets.

Meanwhile the regional multiplex (8) reaches 57.1% of the population and is being expanded.

Yahoo Smart TV unveiled at CES2014

LAS VEGAS — Today at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) unveiled Yahoo Smart TV.

Yahoo Smart TV is the next evolution of Yahoo’s award-winning Connected TV platform already used in millions of households today. Yahoo Smart TV offers interactive viewing with highly personalized program recommendations from TV, Video on Demand, and Web services, along with complementary content related to the show.

The Yahoo Smart TV platform is available immediately for integration into televisions, media players and set-top devices. Yahoo Smart TV is currently being demonstrated at CES, powered by Sigma Designs and AmLogic reference platforms.