Ultra HD needs strict standards and policing of those standards to prevent what happened in the HD market, where non-HD screens were sold as HD, said Antonio Arcidiacono, Eutelsat director-innovation, during an Ultra HD panel Tuesday at the Satellite 2016 conference in National Harbor, Maryland. There already have been signs of such problems, such as sale of 2K Blu-ray discs as 4K, he said. "If you fool the customers, the market will not grow." While Ultra HD lacks a clear definition, traits beyond just higher definition -- from wider color space and higher frame rates to immersive sound -- when put together, "you get the 'wow' factor," said Peter Siebert, executive director of the DVB Project. He said industry specifications have been worked out cooperatively for the high-resolution areas, and now there's work being done on specifications for high dynamic range, high frame rate and related matters. The market is seeing Ultra HD TVs "somewhat in advance of our ability to deliver content to them," said Steve Richeson, Advantech Wireless senior vice president-global sales and business development. He said "4K seems to be customer pull." But the satellite industry is somewhat dropping the Ultra HD ball, with Netflix having launched service in 4K, said Arcidiacono. Satellite providers need to better promote Ultra HD, though the industry has launched some Ultra HD channels, he said.
In-flight connectivity company executives threw a number of verbal elbows at one another over data capacity and the future of air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity, at a panel Tuesday at Satellite 2016. "Some of the exaggeration is going to come back and bite some of us," said Leo Mondale, Inmarsat president-aviation. Air passengers want the same kind of connectivity they get on the ground, Mondale said, but "I don't know if there's enough [demand] to float the boat of everyone up here [on the panel]." Mondale and Gogo Chief Technology Officer Anand Chari went back and forth with Don Buchman, ViaSat general manager-commercial mobility, on ViaSat's in-flight broadband offering on JetBlue and United. Chari and Mondale called it "a marketing stunt." "It's not a claim -- just buy a ticket on JetBlue," Buchman said. Chari said that alongside Gogo's efforts on the launch of its 2Ku satellite connectivity service (see 1508240040), it's also working on its next-generation ATG, which includes its interest in the air-to-ground mobile broadband spectrum it asked the FCC to auction (see 1503100047). Financially, ATG becomes viable compared to satellite in-flight connectivity if there is adequate spectrum -- which Gogo doesn't currently have, Chari said. Cost of spectrum "is what swings this thing from reasonable to unreasonable," said David Bruner, Panasonic Aviation vice president-global communications services.
Gogo is partnering with Intelsat to "leverage the first shared [geosynchronous/low Earth orbit] satellite network for in-flight connectivity," Gogo said in a news release Monday. Gogo will expand its use of Intelsat's network in 2016 by buying additional Ku-band capacity, it said. Gogo said Intelsat network infrastructure will "initially include use of traditional wide beam services and the ... high throughput satellite" Intelsat EpicNG platform, which is expected to become operational this year.
A Texas attorney plans to file a motion for a rehearing en banc of his appeal of the summary judgment dismissal of his lawsuit targeting Dish Network (see 1603030026), he told us. In an email Thursday, Larry Polsky, who also is the plaintiff in the suit, said the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling -- which called his appeal frivolous -- didn't use any summary judgment criteria and never commented on five specific arguments made for reversal. "The Fifth Circuit knows that this cause of action will cost Dish hundreds of millions of dollars in a class action so they have not commented on the specific facts and arguments of my case," he said.
Gogo wants special temporary authority (STA) to allow up to 200 earth station aboard aircraft (ESAA) terminals to communicate with satellites Intelsat 18 and Yamal 401, it said in an FCC International Bureau filing Thursday. Gogo said it needs the STA to meet customer demand for in-flight connectivity in the South Pacific and over Russia while its application to modify to ESAA is pending before the FCC. Neither satellite will be used in U.S. airspace, Gogo said.
A coalition of 13 satellite industry organizations urged presidential candidates to ensure that U.S. leadership in space continues. They asked that America “maintain and expand internationally harmonized spectrum access for space.” In what the groups called an unprecedented collaboration by the industry organizations, their four-page action plan said that “given the significant infrastructure development and investment [the U.S. has made] it is critical to have predictable and stable regulatory access to spectrum." They also backed a long-term budget plan since they said erratic federal government budgeting has led to “cost and schedule inefficiencies.” Representatives of three of the groups discussed the plan Friday at the National Press Club: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Executive Director Sandra Magnus, Space Foundation CEO Elliot Pulham and Commercial Spaceflight Federation President Eric Stallmer. The plan from those groups, the Satellite Industry Association and others said U.S. space leadership is at risk. Among recommendations are reducing barriers to international trade and expanding internationally harmonized spectrum access for space.
DirecTV and the FTC are at loggerheads over the agency's requests for consumer complaints documents as part of its 2015 lawsuit alleging DirecTV wasn't properly communicating early cancellation fee terms to subscribers (see 1503110042). In a letter brief filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, the FTC -- which is seeking a court order compelling DirecTV to produce the documents -- said consumer complaint evidence "has direct bearing on DirecTV's misconduct" and its burden arguments "are even less persuasive in light of DirecTV's refusal to accept numerous FTC proposals to reasonably limit the company's burden in responding." DirecTV said the commission is seeking literally billions of records by requesting every communication between DirecTV and its customers: "The task of gathering, reviewing and redacting these communications ... would be oppressive." It also said it offered to provide "a relevant set" of its Office of the President complaint files and all notes from its Rio Main Bank customer service notes system relating to those complaints. "These complaints are representative of the type of complaints all consumers raise with the company," DirecTV said, saying the FTC's motion should be denied.
As part of SES subsidiary SES Astra Services Europe's takeover of RR Media, the two companies need FCC International Bureau approval of transfer of RR Media's earth station licenses to SES, they said in an IB application Wednesday. The two said RR Media's Hawley, Pennsylvania, teleport will continue to be used just for non-common carrier video and radio distribution services after the acquisition, and won't interconnect with a public switched telephone network. They also said the planned acquisition "will enhance SES’s ability to provide high quality content management and distribution services to a wide range of broadcasters, cable networks, and direct broadcast satellite operators." No timeframe was given on when they expect to close on the transfer of control.
Calling the plaintiff's claims "contrary to common sense and good faith ... not supported by record evidence and ... frivolous," the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a U.S. District Court in Houston summary judgment in August tossing out a consumer complaint against Dish Network. Texas attorney/plaintiff Larry Polsky sued Dish in 2014, alleging violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. In its ruling Tuesday, the 5th Circuit called the Houston court's analogy "apt" when it said Polsky's lawsuit -- in which he claimed damages because Dish didn't actually monitor his Internet usage in off-peak hours in his service plan, which limited him to 15 Gb per month during off-peak times -- was akin to suing a fast-food restaurant for selling one customer a large fountain drink but then not ensuring other customers don't buy medium cups and get free refills. The 5th Circuit also said Wednesday it agreed with the lower court's logic in rejecting Polsky's Hopper-related claims and claims for relief under Texas Business and Commercial Code. Polsky didn't comment Thursday.
Dish Network's Sling added over-the-top millennial-targeted digital news service Newsy to its $20 monthly Best of Live TV package, channel owner E.W. Scripps said in a Wednesday news release. It said the programmer's live stream will be available to Sling subscribers "in the coming months." Newsy in January said it was starting a Washington bureau (see 1601280046).