The world's most influential media, entertainment & technology show
13 - 17 September 2019
RAI Amsterdam
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London headquartered OneWeb is suffering an unwanted blow to its already complex plans to place a mega-constellation of an initial 650 satellites into orbit around the planet.
It is in the middle of recruiting 150 new high-tech jobs to serve its Global Operations Centre (at former BBC premises on Wood Lane, White City) but Russia was reported to say it will not permit OneWeb’s satellites to beam their signals to and from Russia. In July OneWeb started assembling its satellites at a purpose-built factory in Florida, at Exploration Park which is located just outside the gates of the Kennedy Space Centre. The factory is a joint venture between OneWeb and Airbus Space & Defence.
OneWeb had applied to the Russian State Commission for Radio Frequencies to approve the use of OneWeb’s signals.
In May Russia’s President Putin signed a Bill which obliges all Russian web-traffic had to pass through points controlled by the government. Russia-based internet businesses have until 1 November to comply with the new rules.
OneWeb’s commercial director for Russia (Mikhail Kaigorodov) later said that the ‘ban’ was a non-story and stressed that OneWeb’s joint-venture partner in Russia had itself withdrawn its application so that it could re-apply under the new rules.
There is a significant demand within Russia from unconnected rural and isolated homes and villages. Research outfit GfK says that a quarter of Russians do not have internet access. If there are problems it could easily mean that the country’s authorities remain keen to continue tightening their control of internet access, said Prof Christopher Newman at Northumbria University, speaking to the BBC. “[Satellite internet] presents an existential strategic threat to their trying to limit internet activity within their boundaries.”
“[Satellite internet] presents an existential strategic threat to their trying to limit internet activity within their boundaries.” Prof Christopher Newman, Northumbria University
OneWeb, whether over Russia or anywhere else, needs its sophisticated ground antennas to speedily track the overhead satellites and feed signals up to the orbiting craft, and send the signals onto their destinations. OneWeb’s land-based gateways will communicate with the satellites and connect traffic into the Internet. The satellites themselves will appear over the horizon, collect/send signals, and then automatically hand over any connection in place to the ‘follow-on’ satellite quite seamlessly. At least one OneWeb craft will always be visible to the ground antenna.
Looking to the skies
OneWeb says it is creating business solutions for broadband, government and cellular backhaul. Its high-speed, low latency, network will offer game-changing Mobility solutions to industries that rely on global connectivity, such as aviation, maritime, automotive, trains and more.
Indeed, it is the ‘aviation’ aspect that might impact OneWeb, given the fast-growing demand for in-flight connectivity and entertainment. Non-Russian aircraft that fly into and out of Moscow, or which overfly Russia, will potentially lose their broadband signals if any sort of ban stays in place.
OneWeb already has six test satellites in orbit which launched in February as its first steps in providing connectivity for the planet. Somewhat coincidentally it was a Russian rocket that launched the debut craft. Moreover, it is mostly Russian rockets that are contracted to launch the bulk of the initial 600+ satellites starting this coming December at a rate of about 30-36 satellites per launch.
Indeed, it is the value in ‘hard cash’ dollars for the launches that may provide some leverage for OneWeb with Russia’s space ministry (Roscosmos) leaning on its fellow ministries to reverse the “no rights” ruling.
UK disputes
However, not helping matters is that media relations between the UK and Russia are already at a low ebb. An Ofcom £200,000 fine in July on RT (the former Russia Today) TV channel resulted in an immediate response from Russia’s Foreign Ministry that Russia-based UK television services from the BBC. In a statement on social media, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it will “remind British media working in Russia that they should be ready to face the consequences” following the actions from Ofcom in London. In July a UK Government-backed conference on media freedoms in London banned RT and sister broadcaster Sputnik from accreditation to the Amal Clooney-chaired event.
In essence, if Russia continues any sort of belligerence towards OneWeb then it simply means that founder Greg Wyler’s satellites will have to overfly Russia and ignore the market. It is not yet clear whether Russia’s neighbouring nations (not least massive Kazakhstan) and China as well as the assorted other ’Stans (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgzstan and Tajikistan) to the South and whether they are inclined to approve or deny OneWeb’s plans.
“No matter if you’re in a car or you’re walking or you’re in a plane, from the point of view of our satellites, you’re essentially standing still” Adrian Steckel, OneWeb
The OneWeb satellites are formally Low Earth orbiting and will circle the planet at about 1200 kms (750 miles) above the ground, travelling at extremely high speed. Each satellite of the constellation will circle the Earth in about 2 hours.
“No matter if you’re in a car or you’re walking or you’re in a plane, from the point of view of our satellites, you’re essentially standing still,” Adrian Steckel, OneWeb’s CEO, told journalists. “And it’s handing off your signal from one satellite to another.” Steckel sees schools and community centres being key to usage patterns as well as local government centres in remote areas, where laying fibre is simply too expensive or just not viable.
OneWeb is domiciled in London because of its early history. Its operating frequencies were granted by the island of Jersey and called WorldVu Satellites Ltd which remains the formal name for OneWeb. However, while its Global Operations Centre is based in London, its day-to-day administration and management is based in Arlington, near Washington DC.
Greg Wyler, the founder of OneWeb is a serial entrepreneur, and in 2007 was the founder of O3b (standing for the ‘Other 3 billion’) which in 2016 was acquired and is now wholly owned by SES of Luxembourg. O3b has 20 satellites in orbit and is doing extremely well with significant contracts with – amongst other businesses – the lucrative holiday cruise-ship market.
Wyler has won huge backing from Japan’s media conglomerate SoftBank, as well as Intelsat, Coca Cola, India’s Bharti, Qualcomm, Airbus, Virgin and others. Wyler’s ambitions have also expanded, and he has asked for FCC permission to launch an eventual total of around 12,000 satellites. But not working over Russia – yet.
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has unveiled its 2019 award winners to be honoured at its Gala Awards in October.
The awards recognise industry leaders and innovators who are defining the future of storytelling.
SMPTE 2019 will take place at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites in downtown Los Angeles between 21-24 October, will be co-chaired by SMPTE vice president of education Sara J. Kudrle and Fox vice president of engineering and development Thomas Edwards.
Dolby Laboratories vice president of technology in the office of the chief technology officer and SMPTE president Patrick Griffis said: “The SMPTE Awards Gala is a significant annual event because it recognises industry leaders of the past, present, and future.
“Every person who will be honoured at the gala has in some way made a substantial contribution to the ongoing advancement of media and entertainment technology. It’s always exciting to share the room with such a remarkable and accomplished group of individuals.”
Honorary Membership is the Society’s highest accolade and recognises individuals who have performed distinguished service in the advancement of engineering in motion pictures, television, or the allied arts and sciences.
This year, SMPTE will bestow two such honours. The Society will recognise Paul Kellar for being the leading inventor of a wide range of technologies and products in the areas of digital video processing, digital image storage, electronic graphics creation, still-image storage and processing, and image manipulation. SMPTE also will recognise Roderick Snell for his contributions and leadership, with more than 40 years as an author, broadcast engineer, and international consultant.
The Progress Medal is the most prestigious SMPTE award, and it recognises outstanding technical contributions to the progress of the engineering phases of the motion-picture, television, or motion-imaging industries. SMPTE will present the 2019 Progress Medal to Cristina Gomila Torres for her leadership and ongoing contributions to the motion-picture and media industry.
The Camera Origination and Imaging Medal recognises significant technical achievements related to inventions or advances in imaging technology, including sensors, imaging processing electronics, and the overall embodiment and application of image-capture devices. Paul K. Weimer (1914–2005) will be recognised for his career, which spanned modern electronic imaging and sensor development.
The David Sarnoff Medal, sponsored by SRI International, recognises outstanding contributions to the development of new techniques or equipment that have improved the engineering phases of television technology, including large-venue presentations. The award will be presented to Michelle Munson for the co-invention and development of the Fast and Secure Protocol (FASP) technology for media acceleration, which has greatly affected the distribution and transmission of digital media through high-speed file transfer.
The Excellence in Education Medal, sponsored by William C. Miller and Ellen Sontag-Miller, recognises outstanding contributions to new or unique educational programs that teach the technologies of motion pictures, television, or other imaging sciences, including emerging media technology. Elizabeth Daley will receive the award in recognition of her three decades of pioneering leadership as dean of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.
The Digital Processing Medal recognises significant technical achievements related to the development of digital processing of content for cinema, television, games, or other related media. Gary J. Sullivan will receive the award in recognition of his innovation and industry leadership in image and video compression.
The James A. Lindner Archival Technology Medal, sponsored by James A. Lindner, recognises significant technical advancements or contributions related to the invention or development of technology, techniques, workflows, or infrastructure for the long-term storage, archive, or preservation of media content essence. The 2019 award will be presented to Ralph Sargent in recognition of his more than four decades of contributions to the preservation of motion pictures.
The Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal, sponsored by Warner Bros., recognises outstanding contributions in the design and development of new and improved methods and/or apparatus for motion-picture sound, at any step in the process. The award will be presented to Walter Murch in recognition of the meticulous level of research and development that he brings to the science of human perception, enabling his art to take full experiential advantage of new technology.
The Workflow Systems Medal, sponsored by Leon D. Silverman, recognises outstanding contributions related to the development and integration of workflows, such as integrated processes, end-to-end systems, or industry ecosystem innovations that enhance creativity, collaboration, and efficiency, or novel approaches to the production, postproduction, or distribution process. The award will be presented to Anne Aaron in recognition of her leadership, research, and pioneering work in the field of cloud-based video coding for streaming.
The Journal Award is presented to the author of the most outstanding paper originally published in the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal during the preceding calendar year. This year’s award will be presented to Elizabeth Pieri and Jaclyn Pytlarz for their article “Hitting the Mark — A New Color Difference Metric for HDR and WCG Imagery,” published in the April 2018 issue of the Journal.
The Journal Certificate of Merit will be presented to Kenichiro Masaoka, Kazuyuki Arai, and Yoshiro Takiguchi for their article “Realtime Measurement of Ultrahigh-Definition Camera Modulation Transfer Function,” published in the November/December 2018 issue of the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal.
The Presidential Proclamation recognises individuals of established and outstanding status and reputation in the motion-picture, television, and motion-imaging industries worldwide. Peter A. Dare will receive the award in recognition of his longtime dedication to the Society and more than 40 years of service to the standards community.
The Excellence in Standards Award recognises individuals or companies that have been actively involved in advancing the Society’s standards, activities, and processes. Paul Gardiner will receive this award in recognition of his long and outstanding service to the standards community. He has used his broad knowledge of technology, procedures, and global activities along with his pragmatic, common-sense approach to problem-solving to help foster the Society’s outstanding reputation among standards bodies.
The Citation for Outstanding Service to the Society, which recognises individuals for dedicated service for the betterment of the Society over a sustained period, will be conferred upon five SMPTE members:
The Student Paper Award recognises the outstanding paper prepared and submitted by a Student Member. The 2019 award will be presented to Oscar Eduardo Estrada Torrejon and Nicholas Peretti, students at Rochester Institute of Technology, for their paper “Rotoscope Automation with Deep Learning,” which will be published in the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal.
The Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship is designed to assist students in furthering their undergraduate or graduate studies in motion pictures and television, with an emphasis on technology. The 2019 scholarship will be awarded to SMPTE Student Member Adam C. Burke, who attends Rochester Institute of Technology.
Fifteen new SMPTE Fellows will also be recognised during the Annual Awards Gala.
This honour is conferred on individuals who have, through their proficiency and contributions to the motion-picture, television, or related industries, attained an outstanding rank among engineers or executives in media and entertainment.
The new SMPTE Fellows are:
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