Evaluation of cross-layer reliability mechanisms for satellite digital multimedia broadcast

This paper presents a study of some reliability mechanisms which may be put at work in the context of Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (SDMB) to mobile devices such as handheld phones. These mechanisms include error correcting codes, interleaving at the physical layer, erasure codes at intermediate layers and error concealment on the video decoder. The evaluation is made on a realistic satellite channel and takes into account practical constraints such as the maximum zapping time and the user mobility at several speeds. The evaluation is done by simulating different scenarii with complete protocol stacks. The simulations indicate that, under the assumptions taken here, the scenario using highly compressed video protected by erasure codes at intermediate layers seems to be the best solution on this kind of channel

Broadcasting the 2006 World Cup: The Right of Arab Fans versus ART Exclusivity

The 2006 World Cup found itself at the center of Arab countries’ attention. In the past fans enjoyed free access to the televised World Cup on public channels that maintain publicservice obligations.3 However, Arab Radio & Television (ART), a commercial broadcaster, bought the telecast rights to the World Cup matches in Arab countries. As a result of this deal, fans in Arab countries were not able to conveniently watch the World Cup broadcast. Further, the legal significance of the ART exclusive rights deal is not yet fully appreciated in Arab countries

Cable Television, New Technologies and the First Amendment After Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. F.C.C.

From the moment it emerged as an independently viable communications medium, the cable television industry has been forced to operate within the shadow of regulatory oversight. With passage of the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992,\u27 and judicial endorsement of much of that legislation in Turner BroadcastingSystem, Inc. v. F.C.C., cable\u27s future rests squarely in the hands of the federal government. Congress, with some help from the Supreme Court, has made it clear that any blueprints for the future of the nation\u27s communications infrastructure will have to pass through Washington. This article is divided into four parts. Part I explains the Turner decision and its major holdings. Part II looks at an important macro-level aspect of the decision-the Court\u27s search for a regulatory model for cable television. Parts III and IV focus more on the micro-level consequences of the Court\u27s decision

HDTV and DRM: A Need of Further Regulation?

In Germany, the TV broadcasting of the Winter Olympics 2010 marked the official start of high definition television (HDTV). However, the transition from standard to high definition television has been significantly hampered by inconsistent change management. While the large international movie and TV-series producers aim for increased (end-to-end) intellectual property rights protection on the one hand, the satellite and cable-TV network operators in coalition with the private commercial TV-broadcasters strive for advanced business models with increasingly differentiated pricing models on the other hand. The resulting technological requirements lead to rapid changes in technology, which in turn affects consumers and equipment manufacturers We analyze especially the related advancement of the systems and interface standards for encryption and copyright protection which are of central importance in this context, namely the so-called Common Interface (CI) and its enhancement to CI Plus as well as the HD+ satellite platform in order to identify critical issues for media regulators and competition authorities. Our analysis supposes that the German regulatory institutions' capabilities to deal with the issue of regulation against the background of efficient innovation management in a timely manner should be improved. This might also be an opportunity at the level of the European Community to set framework conditions based on principles similar to network neutrality to overcome the current deadlock in Germany and encourage regulatory reform. Especially consumer rights could be protected more effectively in a future regulatory framework for digital content distribution and in order to avoid a tragedy of the anti-commons being an impediment for the rapid transition to HDTV. Overall, our recommendations aim to contribute to achieve the goals of swift digitalization and transition to HDTV. --HDTV,Innovation Management,Tragedy of the Anti-Commons

Foreign Satellite Viewing Cards and English Premier League Football: Implications of Recent Judgments for the Consumer

This article examines the impact of the outcome of a number of recently concluded judicial proceedings in the English courts and at the Court of Justice of the European Union on the use by consumers of foreign satellite television viewing cards. The article observes that while much focus has been placed on the effect of the outcome of the relevant cases on publicans and other commercial entities, not much attention has been placed on potentially serious implications that the cases have for private consumers. The article highlights difficulties with the interpretation adopted in respect of section 297(1) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. In particular the article highlights the dichotomy that while use of a viewing card issued by a satellite television provider based or pursuing economic activities in the European Union is legal, using a similar card issued by an entity based outside the EU could potentially be a criminal act. The article also discusses the impact on consumers of the decision of the courts on the civil law elements relating to copyright infringement and provides a careful analysis of salient elements of the proceedings in both the Court of Justice and the English courts

The protection of sports events in the EU: Property, intellectual property, unfair competition and special forms of protection

This article analyses some of the legal tools available to organisers of sporting events under EU law and the law of EU Member States. The focus is on remedies based on property rights and contracts, as well as on intellectual property, unfair competition rules and so called “special” forms of protection. As it is well known, in fact, following the ECJ ruling in Premier League v. QC Leisure, sporting events as such do not qualify as works under EU copyright law. Nevertheless, the article shows that remedies based on both traditional and new forms of property, IP and cognate rights can still offer adequate protection to sports organisers. First, many sports events take place in dedicated venues on which sports organisers can claim exclusive use rights and thereupon develop conditional access agreements (i.e. “house right”). Second, the recording and broadcast of sporting events may give rise to a variety of intellectual property rights, especially in the field of copyright and related rights. Third, unfair competition rules, and in particular misappropriation doctrines, have been invoked to protect sporting activities from unauthorised copying. Fourth, special forms of protection have recently been devised at the national level in order to offer an additional layer of rights protecting sports organisers. The article argues that even in the absence of a dedicated EU harmonised right tailored to sports events, the current legal framework is well equipped to offer protection to the investments that the sport industry is making in this sector. The article also argues that national initiatives in the field have so far proven of little practical relevance and, as a matter of fact, have the potential to clash with the general EU legal framework. There is only one area that escapes this rule: a right to use sporting events data to organise betting activities, or in other words, a right to consent to bets. The article concludes that if such a right is to be recognised, it is not the field of intellectual property, nor even property in general, the most appropriate area of law at which to look

The Industry and the Unions: An Overview

[Excerpt] This overview chapter provides a framework for the chapters that follow by broadly describing the arts, entertainment, and electronic media (AEEM) industry and the problems confronting it. The overview is presented in four sections focused on: first, the economic structure of the industry; second, unions and bargaining structure; third, the impact of technological changes; and fourth, historical responses on the part of unions and the labor relations system to technological change

History of communication in Malaysia (1940-2008)

The Second World War was, in some ways, one of the lowest points in Malaysia's history. Japanese forces landed on the northeast border of Malaya on 8 December 194 1 and, in one month, succeeded in establishing their control of both Peninsula Malaya and Sabah and Sarawak. On 15 March 1942, Singapore surrendered. Singapore was renamed Shonan and became the centre of a regional administrative headquarters that incorporated the Straits Settlements, and the Federated Malay States and Sumatra. Much like the British who had installed residents in the Malay ruling houses fifty years earlier, the Japanese appointed local governors to each state. The only difference was that this time, it was the Sultans who were placed in the positions of advisors. The Unfederated Malay States, Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu found themselves back under the sovereignty of Thailand in 1942, when Thailand declared war on Britain and the USA. Most large scale economic activities grounded to a halt during the period of the War. The production of tin which was already falling before the War stopped almost completely. People turned their occupation away from the cultivation of commercial crops, concentrating instead on planting rice and vegetables to ensure they did not go hungry. [1