NAB Perspective: Intelsat’s Jackson Says There’s an App for That

Intelsat’s NAB Show was highlighted by an introduction that featured the two most popular words in the English language: it’s free. In an effort to better meet clients’ needs, the company rolled out an app for the iPhone, and, next week, it will be available for the iPad.

“It shows the satellites, their footprints, and geolocates the user to show them what is nearby in terms of teleport services and offices,” explains Tim Jackson, VP of Media Product Management. “And when the user downloads, it puts all of our maps and data on the phone.”

That means clients will save time because they won’t have to engage in a mobile Web session to pull down maps. And the need to carry around a book with the information will no longer be necessary.

Beyond the new app, Jackson says, the big buzz from clients is managed video services and distribution of regional sports networks beyond their typical geographical footprint.

“You can’t always assume a Yankees fan is going to be living in New York,” he points out. “Displaced fans are a reason a lot more regional networks are getting satellite distribution.”

As for managed video services, clients increasingly want Intelsat to fully manage their contribution and distribution needs, whether via fiber, satellite, or teleport services.

The 3D hype machine may have subsided a bit, but Jackson says Intelsat is ready when it picks up again. “From a satellite-bandwidth perspective, 3D looks just like an HD channel and its HD resource. So side-by-side 3D can be easily accommodated.”

And Intelsat continues to make investments in fiber and fiber partnerships. “We have demands from clients that are beyond what we can do over satellite, like JPEG2000, a format that is becoming prevalent,” he adds. “But we are still seeing gains in satellite encoding and compression efficiencies.”

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