ITV

Category: DTH Operator

  • Cellcast launches Sumo.TV in India

    Cellcast launches Sumo.TV in India

    MUMBAI: Cellcast Interactive India has launched Sumo.TV, a pioneering product offering India’s first end-to-end user-generated content (UGC) solution for broadcasters.

    “Sumo.TV invites individuals to share their personal or creative videos that could be featured on prime time television”, said Cellcast Plc, UK, vice president Mahesh Ramachandra. Sumo.TV has already been launched in the UK and China markets.

    “In the UK market we have started a 24-hour channel with the content contributed solely by viewers. This exceeds what even YouTube or MySpace can provide for their communities,” Ramachandra added. All content can be contributed through the newly-launched website, at www.sumo.in, where individuals can view, share and manage their own content.

    Said Cellcast Interactive India CEO Pankaj Thakar, “UGC reflects a fundamental change in audience behavior, especially in the 18-34 age group in India where most of them are spending time online or on mobile creating and sharing their own content. Sumo.TV offers them an outlet to share their content with millions through the power of television.”

    “Importantly, the content contributors can earn revenue whenever their videos are watched or shown on television,” he added. Every time a user’s content is downloaded by another user, shown on television, or streamed on mobile services, he will receive a percentage of received revenues. Effectively, Sumo.TV users are being invited to set up their own mini-channels.

    Sumo.TV, said Thakar, brings together a compelling consumer proposition, offering users new ways of finding that ‘15 minutes’ of fame, new ways of making money from personal content and new ways of expressing themselves and making friends. In the U.K., the Sumo.TV website (www.sumo.tv) alone has an average of 80000 unique visitors per day.

    “India is experiencing a truly dynamic phase in media technology convergence and we, at Cellcast, are delighted to launch the revolutionary product Sumo.TV in the market that will help us derive the benefits over a long period. Cellcast India plans to air the video content on local television and are currently in talks with a number of television channels about the same,” he added.

    All the best videos submitted to the website or via mobile phone are selected by trained staff and broadcast on Sumo.TV channels and programmes. Broadcasters who license Sumo.TV have immediate access to all the components of next-generation UGC programming including original user-generated content, UGC-oriented interactive TV formats, 3D video jukebox, content management system and production tools Video-sharing and community website mobile services. These tools and services allow a broadcaster to create anything from an hour-long weekly television show to an entire UGC-driven 24/7 television channel.

  • MSOs on prowl, Incablenet to support Home Cable in Delhi

    MSOs on prowl, Incablenet to support Home Cable in Delhi

    MUMBAI: Conditional access system (Cas) is forcing multi-system operators (MSOs) to strike alliances as they take up the challenge of expanding their digital subscribers.

    The latest to join hands is Incablenet and Vikki Choudhry’s Home Cable Network. Incablenet will be supplying its feed and digital set-top boxes (STBs) to the subscribers of Home Cable Network in South Delhi.

    “We have entered into a strategic alliance with Incablenet. They will be providing STBs to our subscribers. For those consumers who want to take our advanced boxes which are priced at Rs 2150, we will be providing them our systems. Others will have an option to take the Incablenet STBs,” says Choudhry.

    Incablenet uses a different encryption system and its boxes will not support the feed from Home Cable Network. “We have agreed to share each others fibre and infrastructure as we go ahead,” says Choudhry.

    Incablenet offers subscribers digital STBs at Rs 1500 (plus taxes) while cable TV subscription is free for six months on three bouquet packages. Home Cable, on the other hand, has an outright purchase scheme with the STB priced at Rs 2150. It offers 10 pay channels on a monthly subscription fee of Rs 45 while the 60-channel package is available for Rs 225.

    “Smaller MSOs in the Cas areas will find it difficult to subsidise the boxes and will take support of the bigger ones. Besides, they do not have enough boxes and know that any delay will mean that their subscribers will go away to other available options,” says an analyst who tracks the cable industry.

    Earlier, Wire & Wireless India Ltd (WWIL) had expanded its footprint in Delhi by acquiring a 51 per cent stake in Satellite Channels and signing up with Spectranet and Sanjay Cable Network for supplying digital services.

    In Kolkata, Sristi Broadband takes the feed from Manthan Cable Network. A group of operators of Sristi Cable TV are using the feed from Mathan and Zee’s Indian Cable Net as it could not make arrangements for STBs.

    “Sristi Broadband and a group of operators from Sristi Cable are taking feed from us,” says Manthan director Gurmeet Singh. Manthan has recently introduced a package for the second TV set where subscribers will have to pay Rs 90 a month for 50 pay channels. Manthan’s STB costs Rs 2599.

  • Kasenna announces IPTV services innovation

    MUMBAI: The Indian arm of IPTV firm Kasenna Incorporated – Kasenna India today announced PortalTV 2.0, a suite of integrated products sporting a user interface and a Web services architecture designed to integrate the Internet and television.

    The “dynamic HTML-based smart client enables service providers to brand, control and differentiate their IPTV service experience and offerings,” a company release claims.

    “PortalTV 2.0 is based on open platforms and systems, enabling service providers to reduce their capital and operating expenditures by incorporating the standard server hardware and operating system of their choice – there are no proprietary integrations to work around,” said Kasenna CEO Kumar Shah.

    The PortalTV 2.0 suite comprises Kasenna LivingRoom 2.0 (IPTV middleware), LivingRoom Smart Client 2.0.1 (IPTV STB client), MediaBase 8.2 (the video delivery platform), vFusion 1.3 (video network management system), and content from ViewNow, a Kasenna company. Together, this suite of products – running on any industry-standard server – enables service providers to deliver an end-to-end system for interactive television, the release states.

    “PortalTV 2.0 has delivered to our telco customers the ability to be the first in offering next-generation MPEG-4 high-definition television,” said Hirendra Gupta, Managing Director and VP – Kasenna India and South East Asia.

    In India as well as throughout Asia, the future of IPTV lies in its ability to make programming come alive with interactive features such as gaming, quizzes or voting, or with the ability of users to click anywhere on the screen to buy or receive more information on a product or service. Kasenna is taking a leadership position in helping service providers roll out feature-rich interactive-TV services today, while providing a platform for marketing new services rapidly as they become available.

  • Visiware releases IPTV game channel

    Visiware releases IPTV game channel

    MUMBAI: Visiware has announced the release of its IPTV game channel, a turnkey solution with portals, back office and the Playin’TV catalog of casual games, available on Flash and HTML.

    This channel is fully compatible with Playin’TV triple play game offering, allowing players to continue to play and compete on TV, mobile and Internet.

    More than 25 games are already available, all of them specially made for the big screen experience and remote navigation. Visiware has already provided IPTV networks such as UCC in Kuwait and T-Online in Germany, asserts an official release.

    Visiware chairman Laurant Weill said, “This is a great opportunity for networks to generate new revenues and for Visiware to reach new markets. We will not only provide technology and content but also a 10 years expertise in successfully marketing iTV games.”

    “Agreements with major IPTV partners raises the bar for compelling IPTV games which are missing from most current IPTV offers usually ported from the net, but on the web this is a very different experience and human interface. We are looking forward to deploying on many more markets within the next months,” he added.

    The triple play offer includes specific advantages: cross-platform contests and leaderboards, ranking and offering a game to a friend, adds the release.

  • IDM R&D unveils initiatives to support local, international R&D needs

    IDM R&D unveils initiatives to support local, international R&D needs

    MUMBAI: The Interactive and Digital Media (IDM) Research and Development (R&D) Programme Office has unveiled its comprehensive initiatives to support and develop IDM R&D in Singapore. The move is already garnering local and international industry support.

    The news follows last year’s announcement that the National Research Foundation had allocated SGD $500 million (USD$325 million) over the next five years to fund the development of a strategic IDM research programme. The foundation was to set up a multi-agency IDM R&D Programme Office within the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) to spearhead the growth and development of Singapore’s IDM sector.

    The following four initiatives have been formulated to create an effective IDM eco-system involving all stakeholders including entertainment companies, institutes of higher learning (IHLs) and consumers:

    Drive demand for IDM services: To anchor and jumpstart the demand for IDM services, the IDM R&D Programme Office will seek the proposals of companies interested in developing applications, services and platforms that could generate new business models.

    Grow a network of local and international research organisations to augment the capabilities of the local IDM sector: Under this initiative, the IDM R&D Programme Office will call for research proposals from the world’s top IHLs and Research Institutes (RIs) to address key focus areas and custom-tailor R&D results to the needs of both the local and larger international IDM industries.

    Encourage the generation of innovative ideas and projects for the IDM R&D landscape: An online virtual jam session for idea sharing, i.Jam will be piloted in late January 2007, encouraging consumers to contribute their ideas and explore R&D projects. Ideas with potential for commercialisation will be further supported by the IDM R&D programme office through mentors from the industry or IHLs. With a full-scale launch slated for July 2007, i.Jam is envisioned to be a platform to capture and nurture ideas into viable projects.

    Establish Singapore as an international test-bed for IDM-enabling infrastructure and applications: The funding of innovative applications and services generated by the IDM R&D Programme Office will be administered by MDA, the Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA). This extensive governmental support will help elevate Singapore as a global R&D leader.

    Speaking on the issue , Mica permanent secretary Dr. Tan Chin Nam said, “The economic potential of IDM is tremendous and its impact transformational. Collectively, the implementation of the four initiatives, together with the efforts of the agencies including MDA, EDB, IDA, A*STAR, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Mica, will help position Singapore as a global media city.”

    MDA CEO Christopher Chia added, “Going forward, as we prepare to move into the digital age, MDA will actively engage the community and work closely with our industry partners to ensure that consumers will enjoy more tangible benefits with the roll-out of these initiatives.”

    To provide focus for the R&D initiatives, three R&D directives have been identified:

    – Animation, games and effects – to strengthen investments in technology R&D, tools and platform development, as well as explore new genres.

    – Media intermediary services – to invest in technical capabilities in the organisation, distribution and security of digital media.

    – On-the-move media services – to invest in R&D to identify new ways of reaching and interacting with mobile-connected people who are always on the move.

    IDM R&D executive director programme office Michael Yap said, “We aim to bring together all the stakeholders including IHLs and businesses to build sustainable and vibrant industry sectors around these R&D focus areas. The four initiatives unveiled today provide the IDM R&D Programme Office with the necessary means to do so.”

    The IDM sector is projected to make a significant contribution to the growth of the media industry that aims to realise a value-added contribution of S$10 billion (UDS$ 6.5 billion), up from S$3.8 billion (USD$ 2.5 billion) in 2003, as well as create approximately 10,000 new jobs by 2015.

  • Animax partners Sify for ‘Gaming Challenge 2007’

    Animax partners Sify for ‘Gaming Challenge 2007’

    MUMBAI: Animax, the youth animation channel, in association with Sify Gamedrome, a gaming chain, has announced the first annual “Animax Grand Gaming Challenge 2007”, a gaming tournament to be conducted across 66 cities.

    The event will feature top of the line games like Counter Strike, Fifa, NFS UG2, Defense of The Ancients and Gunz Online and aims to provide a platform to youth, recognizing the need take the passion of gamers to a competitive platform.

    Trophies along with other prizes such as calendars, hiking bags, sippers, posters and DVDs from Animax, while one lucky winner will get a job as an actual game jockey aiding in the development process at Sify Gamedrome.

    Gamers will be able to compete for prizes in several online game categories such as sports, racing, and strategy on-line and first person shooter. Research points to the huge potential of the gaming and animation industry in India. The gaming scenario in India is evolving from a nascent stage to that of a lifestyle hobby.

    Participants can enter the competition by registering at any of the Sify Gamedromes or Sify iways across 66 cities by entering the “password of the day” which will be flashed on air on Animax and can also be accessed on-line or via the short messaging service on 2525. The registration kick off from 10 January 2007, informs an official release.

    Following the preliminary elimination rounds which will end 2 February, the four zonal semi-finals will be conducted in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore beginning 8 February followed by the mega final showdown at the Atria Mall in Mumbai on 28 February.

    Animax country head Sunder Aaron said, “Through the Animax Grand Gaming Challenge, Animax proudly supports a very important and growing activity for the wired generation: gaming. While the core mission of Animax is to entertain youth, we also want to reflect and support the developing interests and passions of India’s Wired Generation. Working with Sify on the AGGC will truly boost the competition as they are the nationwide leader in online gaming.”

    Commenting on the initiative, Sify Ltd. Access Media president Pijush Kanti Das said, “We are delighted to partner with the Animax Grand Gaming Challenge ’07, the largest online gaming tournament across 220 Sify Gamedromes in 66 cities. Our successful association with Animax in the past has encouraged us to back this tournament with aggressive promotional activities across the country. This year, apart from the multiplayer games we have added single player games to the portfolio of the tournament to increase the number of gamers.”

  • Panasonic, Comcast join forces to test interactive digital cable-ready television

    Panasonic, Comcast join forces to test interactive digital cable-ready television

    MUMBAI: Consumer elctronics firm Panasonic and US cable major Comcast have announced that they will begin joint testing on an interactive digital cable-ready high-definition plasma television based on the Open Cable Application Platform (Ocap) specifications that cable operators in the US have begun to deploy.

    The joint test, which will begin later this month, builds on the relationship Panasonic and Comcast announced at the ongoing 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (Ces) in Las Vegas. The companies agreed to jointly develop digital cable set-top boxes and to explore and develop extensions to the Ocap specifications that will enhance and simplify consumers’ home entertainment experiences.

    Integrating OCAP middleware into a digital cable-ready television will let consumers access digital cable features, such as video on demand and electronic programme guides, without a digital set-top box. It also will create new opportunities for the delivery of next generation, two-way interactive digital cable features like voting, e-commerce and gaming with the television.

    Panasonic US CTO Dr. Paul Liao says, “This is a major step in the realisation of Ocap and we are very pleased to be partnering with Comcast, the leading cable operator in the US, to test this exciting product. Panasonic is a market leader in flat panel displays, and this is a logical step for us in terms of giving consumers access to an even wider range of high-definition
    options.”

    Comcast senior VP, technology and policy Mark Coblitz says, “We are pleased to expand our relationship with a leader like Panasonic to develop the next generation of digital cable-ready televisions. The development of Ocap-powered TVs is another example of how Comcast is working with the consumer electronics industry to enhance the consumer viewing experience by making it even easier to enjoy new interactive applications combined with the convenience of integrated digital cable services.”

    Panasonic and Comcast expect testing of the new Ocap-powered TVs to run through 2007, and are targeting initial commercial availability of the first model for early 2008.

    “The integration of Ocap technology into High-Definition Plasma televisions is the future of television. It opens the market for new and exciting interactive applications, including on-screen shopping, game play, voting, and many others that are only now being invented by software developers everywhere” adds Dr. Liao.

  • Second season of ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ‘Lost’ on DVD

    Second season of ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ‘Lost’ on DVD

    MUMBAI: The second season of Desperate Housewives and Lost are out on DVD and are released by Excel Home Videos.

    Excel Home Videos managing director M N Kapasi said, “Keeping in mind the high demand with the first season, we have increased the number of DVDs released this year to cater to the same.”

    Desperate Housewives the series that chronicles the lives of women at Wysteria Lane, has new plots with extra features like unaired story lines, deleted scenes, fashion and culture, juicy bites, directors views among others on the DVD.

    Lost, the drama about the survivors of the Oceanic Flight 815 now discover that they are not alone in the fight with the others.

    The second season reveals new realms of mystery and intrigue.The DVD consists of over two hours of bonus features like the Lost flashbacks, deleted scenes and bloopers amongst others.

  • Iamai to organise digital summit later this month

    Iamai to organise digital summit later this month

    MUMBAI: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is organising the India Digital Summit 2007 on 18 and 19 January 2007 in New Delhi. This will look at the progress the internet and mobile are making.

    The organisation notes that the internet has ushered in a quiet but definite revolution at homes, offices and cyber cafes in India and changed the way we look for content, communicate or undertake commercial transactions. Whether it is through the PC or the ubiquitous mobile device, internet and wireless based technologies are transforming the socio-economic fabric of India in ways that we never thought of before.

    The combination of technologies and devices have for the first time thrown open the possibility of acting as a great leveler making it possible to ‘walk the talk’ on empowerment and inclusiveness. Communications, availability of content and commercial transactions are much more efficient. cost effective and pervasive due to these technologies.

    The speakers at the seminar will include People Group chairman Anupam Mittal, eBay India chairman Avnish Bajaj, On Mobile CEO Arvind Rao, ACL Wireless persident Atanu Mandal and Connecturf MD and CEO Neville Taraporewala.

    The first day looks at the internet. The topics are the driving forces of the Internet in India, how businesses can use it, what the net can offer and the role of the youth in driving net uptake. The second day looks at the mobile in terms of value added services. The speakers will look at what makes a successful mobile marketing company in India. then theer is the issue of forces that are driving adoption beyond metroplolitain cities.

    The panellists will also look at whether the policy environment is right for mobile value added services industry.

  • Warner, LG look to resolve confusion in HD DVD arena with hybrid offerings

    Warner, LG look to resolve confusion in HD DVD arena with hybrid offerings

    MUMBAI: Right now high definition (HD) DVDs have not taken off in the US due to the prevailing system of two incompatible formats.

    One is blu ray which has the backing of Sony and the other is HD DVD which has the backing of Toshiba. Now however there could be some light at the end of the tunnel.

    Warner Bros. media reports state will introduce a high-definition DVD that can hold films and TV shows in rival and incompatible formats. Warner said that it developed the Total HD Disc.

    Warner Bros. will place both formats of movies on a single disc. This though shows that there is no resolution on a single format.

    Meanwhile LG Electronics is planning to market a dual-format DVD player. Other electronics makers are expected to do the same.

    Warner Bros. has also patented a disc that can hold three versions of a film — one in each of the rival high-def formats and a third that can be viewed on standard-definition players. This eliminates the need for the consumer to upgrade his DVD if he/she does not want HD in the first place. Reports add that from a technological standpoint this could be as groundbeaking as when LP records were introduced in the late 1940’s.