Digest - Friday the 8th of April 2016

This week I would like to introduce you to our Service Technician Christophe Bonavia. Christophe joined us in December last year to assist with Altech UEC Service and Support and has proven to be an extremely effective, enthusiastic and popular member of our team.

As usual, we have collated quite a few topical news articles for your perusal.

Happy reading.

Best regards,

John Kimbell

NAS Team Member Bio

Christophe Bonavia

As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be an Engineer. When I was younger I used to pull everything apart and then I started fixing everything. Back in the day I was always repairing somebody’s videorecorder or computer. After high-school I went straight into university to study a Bachelors of Engineering at QUT. Whilst studying I worked for Dick Smith Electronics as a salesperson where I quickly learnt how to deal with customers face to face and over the phone. These skills became invaluable as I progressed through my working career. I then went on to work for TVNZ for 12 months in their operations centre up at Mt Coot-Tha where I monitored all of the tv and radio transmission sites for ABC and SBS around Australia. I fondly remember dealing with quite a few Optus satellite outages during my time with TVNZ and it seems I have come full circle as I now work with VAST and satellite reception coverage at NAS.

I completed my bachelor’s degree whilst working for TVNZ and then went onto work for ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) for 11 years as a Broadcast Technologist where I supported a wide variety of Broadcast Equipment, setup satellite uplinks and microwave links for news gathering and election coverage. My final stop before landing at NAS was back at QUT (It was like groundhog day.) in a contract role for 3 years as a Senior Technician (Electrical and Instrumentation) where I assisted PhD students in Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering with data acquisition and practical setup for full scale testing. I have been with NAS now for just over 3 months as we took on the support/service role for Altech/UEC. It has been both challenging and rewarding. The teams at NAS are like family. The working environment and support that I have had from my fellow colleagues is second to none. I can honestly say that NAS is one of the best employers I have worked for in my career to date and I look forward to the next 30 years.

News Articles

FTA TV

Freeview promises catch up app as streaming eats into live television

"As our appetite for streaming video grows Australians are watching less and less live television each week, according to the latest Australian Multi-Screen Report."

"The death of traditional broadcast television isn't as close as some people would like to think, but the networks are feeling the heat. After years of infighting the Freeview consortium of Australian free-to-air broadcasters has finally promised to deliver a cross-network streaming app to combine all the catch up and live streams from the five major broadcasters."  The complete article can be accessed here.

IoT

The Internet of Things podcast: Episode 48: Realtors ready for the smart home

Our IT Manager Mark Roemermann has often wondered what will happen when smart homes are sold. Do end-users have to hand over an account login? If so, he suggests it's best they do not use their day to day email. Is there a way for "cloud connected" devices to migrate ownership or settings between accounts?

If this topic interests you, I suggest you listen to the podcast here.

NBN RF Overlay

The subject of an NBN RF Overlay has surfaced again.  Again; Greenfield sites have been mentioned as the target.  The how to detail is lacking at this stage.

NBN to offer TV connections through fibre for greenfields - Ditching aerials to come at a cost

"NBN will give developers the opportunity to ditch aerial cables for free-to-air television in their greenfields developments by offering the infrastructure through fibre."

The national network builder today (July 1 2015) revealed it was working on a TV infrastructure offering for new developments, which it is planning to make available in the first quarter of next year (2016).

"NBN chief customer officer John Simon told iTnews the planned TV infrastructure product would allow developers to ditch unsightly aerials in their estates and blocks."

"It would provide the underlying TV infrastructure on top of which RSPs could offer content services."

"Simon said the fees for the service would depend on how and where the infrastructure was provided. The company said it was still working to finalise the proposed fee structure." The complete article can be accessed here.

Fibre TV / RF Light Path

Following on the the above article, I dug a bit deeper and found the NBN's Fiber TV / RF Light Path webpage.  The page advertises 'Fiber TV' as a solution to allow "developers to avoid the need for television rooftop antenna infrastructure or MATV cabling."

A briefing paper is accessible from the site and is also attached here should you be interested.

NBN

The NBN landscape continues to change with multiple technologies utilised in a patchwork delivery.

NBN to deploy fibre-to-the-node within HFC suburbs

"Some streets within HFC-enabled suburbs will end up on fibre-to-the-node, says NBN chief executive Bill Morrow, despite initial intentions to connect every home in the HFC footprint to the high-speed cable networks."

"The NBN will launch its first HFC cable broadband service in June, with 219 regions across the country earmarked for NBN access via HFC under the next phase of the rollout. While HFC cable runs through parts of these suburbs, overlooked homes will not necessarily be connected to the cable network."  The complete article can be accessed here.

New NBN leak reveals secret plans for much cheaper FTTP

"The NBN company has been secretly trialling a new style of Fibre to the Premises infrastructure that would be dramatically cheaper and easier to deploy than its current model, a new set of leaked documents has revealed, in a move that appears to strengthen the case for a return to an all-fibre infrastructure." The complete article can be accessed here.

Leaking NBN Co staff in “rebellion” against MTM, says Husic

"The NBN company’s staff is leaking internal documents because they are in a “rebellion” against the Multi-Technology Mix model which is being foisted against them, Labor MP Ed Husic said yesterday, in a fiery speech which also touched upon the lack of suitability of HFC cable for the NBN network."

"The NBN project has suffered a prolonged spate of damaging leaks over the past few months, with all aspects of the Coalition’s Multi-Technology Mix revamping of the project having controversial details exposed to the Opposition and elements of the media such as Delimiter." The Delimeter article can be accessed here.

Foxtel

Telstra may sell Foxtel stake as pay TV giant struggles

"Speculation is rife that Telstra is about to ditch its 50 per cent shareholding in Foxtel, as the pay TV network faces increased digital competition." The complete article can be accessed here.

The competition is not only digital. As the following article from the Optus website highlights, Optus is muscling in on the PAY TV sporting rights too.

Optus Unveils plans for the English Premier League

"Optus today unveiled plans to expand its football offering with the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In a significant milestone for Australian sports fans, SBS will sub-licence the FIFA World Cup to Optus."

"Optus will transmit live all 64 matches of the 2018 Men’s World Cup, as well as other FIFA events including the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup over a range of TV and internet-enabled devices."

"Optus today also announced plans to deliver an amazing viewing experience for Australian EPL fans, with the 2016/17 season to be broadcast across a range of television, mobile, online, and out-of-home viewing platforms." The complete article can be accessed here.

Fox Sports sign football deal with beIN Sports after losing EPL to Optus

Foxtel parries back at Optus by signing a deal with beIN for Champions League and European Championship Football coverage in Australia.

"THE battle for football viewers on TV has taken another twist, with Qatar-based broadcaster beIN Sports signing a deal for its channels to be offered as part of Foxtel’s sports package."

"Previously available only by a separate subscription, beIN has been actively acquiring content around the world, including the Champions League and European Championships in Australia."

"From May 15 beIN will be included as part of the Foxtel sports package without additional charge, as the pay-TV provider seeks to avoid an exodus of football fans once its EPL rights expire at the end of the season." The complete article can be accessed here.

Foxtel and Netflix could be the best of frenemies

An interesting article in the Brisbane Times suggesting Foxtel is considering launching a small streaming device and offering Netflix content to its customers.

"Foxtel is now considering a radical change to its traditional wall-garden approach by debating whether to put Netflix on its upcoming Apple TV-style "puck" streaming device."

"For Foxtel, there's a whole market of people out there who don't have pay TV and are not Telstra customers. Aggregating Netflix's content and possibly others as well as some of its own would make Foxtel's puck more appealing." The article can be accessed here.

Interesting Technology Articles

Hollywood blockbusters to take control of your television

"Not satisfied with releasing a director's cut, filmmakers want the next generation of High Dynamic Range movies to override your picture settings to preserve their artistic vision."

"Some people are perfectly happy to leave their television on the default factory settings, but if you're fussy about picture quality and you're spending top-dollar then you'll want to dip into the picture settings and tweak them to taste." The complete article can be accessed here.

Virtual Reality vs. Augmented Reality

I have read a few articles recently on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.  Both promise fantastic growth potential and as such should be understood by us all.  I found the following article succinct in its analysis of the differences between the two.

"Augmented reality and virtual reality are inverse reflections of one in another with what each technology seeks to accomplish and deliver for the user. Virtual reality offers a digital recreation of a real life setting, while augmented reality delivers virtual elements as an overlay to the real world." The article can be accessed here.

Foxconn seals $3.5B takeover of Sharp as execs seek to shake off doubts

"Foxconn and Sharp Corp on Saturday formally signed a long-awaited deal that would see the Taiwan firm take control of the Japanese display maker, as executives sought to dispel lingering doubts over whether Sharp can turn around its ebbing fortunes." The article can be accessed here.

Security

Ironic: CCTV systems slide open a backdoor into your biz network

Hacker access and system exploitation have been major concerns of our IT Manager Mark Roemermann for quite some time.  The following article from The Register references recent research that demonstrates major security flaws in many CCTV and Cloud-based Video Systems.  Well worth and read and accessed here.

Home security market expected to see growth in coming years

"A recent report by Security Sales & Integration (SSI) predicts that the global connected home security market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 48.06% between now and the year 2020." The article can be accessed here.

MATV & Development Opportunities

10 contentious developments on the Sunshine Coast

This recent article in the Sunshine Coast Daily lists 10 contentious development issues in the region.  Many of the 'issues' will afford our customers with commercial opportunities. The desire for the Coast to grow economically whilst protecting the 'Coast Lifestyle' will be an interesting balancing act.  The 10 issues are:

  1. Caloundra South
  2. Sunshine Coast Airport expansion
  3. Sekisui House
  4. SunCentral Maroochydore
  5. Bokarina Beach
  6. Palmview
  7. ARIA
  8. Maleny Master Plan
  9. Forest Glen Sand Mine
  10. Valdora Solar farm

 

 The article can be accessed here.

 Aquis Cairns resort to proceed without casino

"A multibillion dollar resort development in far north Queensland is set to go ahead without its proposed flagship casino - for now."

"Aquis, the company behind the $8 billion Aquis resort project north of Cairns, will look to begin construction on a circa $2 billion first stage development as early as 2017 after temporarily putting aside plans for the casino, which would have delayed the project." The article can be accessed here.

Product Release

The team at NAS Australia is proud to announce the release of our new High Gain Low Noise Single Output 10.7 GHz L.O. LNBf.  Our SignalMAX LNBf’s have been renowned throughout the industry for their reliability.  The High Gain Low Noise SATLNBFVAST is engineered to perform with dramatically improved gain and noise figures realised. The product release with detailed specifications can be downloaded here. Contact your NAS sales representative to access trade pricing.

Hot Selling Item

The MAP-1200HD is a 6 source, 6 zone multi room audio system that brings you advanced Generation D technology, is functional, easy-to-install, highly compatible, expandable, and is a user-friendly audio distribution system. Following a few simple installation steps, powered by class D amplifier, it provides up to 50W of power to a maximum of 18 zones which can all be controlled by packaged keypads and IR remote controller.  The Map1200HD can be controlled via android and IOS apps.  The product release with detailed specifications can be downloaded here. Contact your NAS sales representative to access trade pricing.