Content owners can now use Singapore to localise their digital content and re-distribute it worldwide. This is a result of the joint government-industry collaboration in the form of the Cross Continent Digital Content Transmission or CCTx.
Asian D-Cinema Summit 2005, Singapore,15 June 2005 | For Immediate Release
Commercial Services a Reality Through Government - Industry Collaboration
Content owners can now use Singapore to localise their digital content and re-distribute it worldwide. This is a result of the joint government-industry collaboration in the form of the Cross Continent Digital Content Transmission or CCTx. Today, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore revealed this significant milestone at this year's Asian D-Cinema Summit, held in conjunction with the Infocomm Media Business Exchange.
CCTx is a pilot driven by government and industry players to develop a viable business model for digital delivery across continents from the United States to Asia. The earlier test of transmitting 3 movie trailers already established a secure, reliable and cost-effective digital delivery work flow from the United States to Singapore.
At today's Asian D-Cinema Summit, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and Singapore infocomm & Technologies Federation Digital Media Chapter or SiTF DMC together with industry players updated on the progress of CCTx. In addition to distribution, the CCTx latest results demonstrated Singapore's ability to receive digital content from the United States, process it in Singapore and re-distribute it to other markets such as the United States and Thailand.
"CCTx offers a secure and reliable working model for digital content delivery. Singapore, as a digital exchange, is able to offer the necessary services and capabilities to receive content from anywhere in the world, process and package it and deliver it across continents, globally. The Singapore government and industry players are proud to collaborate and act as a catalyst in the digital cinema space," said Mr Thomas Lim, Director for Games and Entertainment, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore.
The cross continent digital delivery successfully deployed by the CCTx project witnessed the distribution of an 11-minute test movie called the "Standard Evaluation Material" (StEM) file produced by The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI). Transmitted from GlobeCast in Culver City, California to 1-Net, a data exchange in Singapore, the original StEM narration was localised with Chinese subtitles and Mandarin voiceover. The process was made possible by local industry partners, Mega Films and post-production company, VHQ.
The localised content was then re-distributed digitally to the United States and Thailand via satellite through GlobeCast. In Bangkok, Thailand, GlobeCast worked with Asia.Net to deliver the localised StEM to SFX Cinema at Central Plaza, a cinema chain of SF Cinema City cinema. The localised StEM was also transmitted directly via fiber by Starhub to two a cinema halls in Singapore at, Eng Wah Suntec and Cathay Cineplex Orchard.The 170GB StEM file with a total duration of 12 minutes was successfully screened. This display of a multi-distribution network establishes Singapore's capabilities as a global distribution hub for digital content.
Following the progress from the initial phase of the CCTx, the transmission to a regional city signals another step closer for Singapore in the distribution of digital movies. "The digital retransmission of the localised StEM to the studios and the region by the CCTx project members allows the industry to identify and resolve process and business issues critical to commercial adoption of a worldwide digital distribution system for digital movies," said Mr Mock Pak Lum, Chairman of SiTF DMC.
"ETC-USC is committed to helping establish a digital cinema system that can thrive worldwide," said Charles S. Swartz, CEO/Executive Director of the Entertainment Technology Center at USC (ETC-USC). "The CCTx members' repackaging and re-transmission of StEM back to the States will take the industry one step closer to that goal."
The CCTx also engages the latest commercially available digital technologies in the market, the MPEG 2 - MXF format. Moving forward, it will embrace the DCI recommended standard, the universal JPEG2000 platform, once it's commercially available.
In strengthening Singapore's position as a Digital Exchange, international digital media players are already partnering with local companies to tap on the Digital Exchange business proposition. Technicolor Network Services is already partnering with SingTel to ride on Singapore's infrastructure to digitally distribute content to the rest of Asia. As part of the commercial offerings, the set-up of a local digital cinema encoding facility by Mega Media, also paves the way for Singapore to offer content owners and advertisers cost-effective solution for processing and management of content.
"The processing of the digital content, particularly in the area of localisation, furthers positions Singapore's another step closer in becoming a Digital Cinema Exchange aspirations," said Mr Thomas Lim, Director for Games and Entertainment, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. The IDA's Digital Cinema initiative isefforts are part of the its Digital Exchange (DX) programme to position Singapore as the global distribution hub and trading centre for the processing, management and distribution of digital content such as, movies for studios and content conglomerates. The DX initiative programme aims to extend Singapore's hub status into the digital realm to distribute, processing and management of content through Singapore to the Asian markets.
Singapore as Ideal Location for Processing, Management and Distribution of Digital Content
Singapore is well-placed as the regional digital distribution hub for content leveraging on its cutting-edge infocomms infrastructure, well-established status as a business hub, competitive regulatory policies, strong IP rights protection and ready availability of skilled manpower.
Singapore already has over 1 million square feet of advanced data centre space. It is one of the most connected cities in Asia with more than 16 Gbps of extensive and direct Internet connectivity to over 20 countries. This comprises 6 Gbps to the United States and over 8 Gbps to Asian cities such as Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam. In addition, Singapore's direct Internet connectivity to major ASEAN countries is at least 100 Mbps per country. Singapore's network infrastructure is also particularly well-suited for digital delivery of data.
Singapore is ranked first in the World for Networked Readiness Index 2004 - 2005 in World Economic Forum's latest Global Information Technology Report. In January 2005, Singapore was ranked as one of the Top Seven Intelligent Communities in the World by Intelligent Communities Forum (ICF) for its Digital Exchange vision, excellent infocomm infrastructure and global connectivity.
ISSUED BY CORPORATE & MARKETING COMMUNICATION DIVISION
INFOCOMM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE
Related Resource:
About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is committed to growing Singapore into a dynamic global infocomm hub. IDA uses an integrated approach to developing infocommunications in Singapore. This involves nurturing a competitive telecoms market as well as a conducive business environment with programmes and schemes for both local and international companies. For more information, visit https://www.imda.gov.sg/
For Singapore contact:
HO Hwei Ling (Ms)
Assistant Director
Corporate & Marketing Communication
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
DID: +65-6211-1996
Fax : +65-6211-2227
Email: ho_hwei_ling@imda.gov.sg
Jesmin TAN (Ms)
Manager
Corporate & Marketing Communication
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
DID: +65-6211-0917
Fax : +65 6211-2227
Email: jesmin_tan@imda.gov.sg
.webp)