ITV

Category: DTH Operator

  • WWIL in drive to acquire LMOs

    WWIL in drive to acquire LMOs

    MUMBAI: Wire & Wireless India Ltd (WWIL), the cable outfit of Zee Network, is on a drive to acquire last mile operators. The company is offering to cable operators a valuation of Rs 2,000-3,000 per subscriber. While WWIL will be a 51 per cent partner, the balance 49 per cent will be with the operators.

    “We want to expand the size of our network. We are making proposals to operators with decent size where we become partners with 51 per cent,” says WWIL CEO Jagjit Kohli.

    WWIL has acquired control over 5 Star which operates in Andheri, a western suburb of Mumbai, adds Kolhi. “We have also poached a few operators from Incablenet in Andheri East and others from multi-system operators (MSOs) are going to join us.”

    WWIL, which doesn’t have a presence in South Mumbai, is also targeting operators in that area. The MSO has linked up optic fibre and is keen to start operations in this lucrative part of the Mumbai market. The government has notified south Mumbai as the area where CAS (conditional access system) will kick off on 1 January.

    WWIL is also planning to launch a headend-in-the-sky (HitS) platform and has expressed its intent to broadcasters. “We are going to do HITS. This will provide us a wider footprint and hasten the pace for digitisation in the country,” says Kohli.

    The buzz in the market is that WWIL is booking seven transponders on Thaicom 5 for the HITS operations. When queried on this, Kohli declined to comment.

    The problem with HITS, however, is that broadcasters are reluctant to get into agreement with MSOs for providing their channels due to fear of piracy.

    Even as WWIL sweetens its proposals to rope in last mile operators, it remains to be seen how big the impact will be in the cable TV industry. If migration from rival networks take place, it will set the pace for a fresh bout of price and dirty wars on the ground. As Hathway Cable & Datacom managing director and CEO K Jayaraman had told Indiantelevision.com earlier in an interview: “As far as poaching of operators go, it is an open ground. Cable companies who focus on good service and have capital to create capacity will turn out winners. Competition is not a one-way street.”

  • Alcatel demonstrates Europe’s first live mobile TV in S-band

    Alcatel demonstrates Europe’s first live mobile TV in S-band

    MUMBAI: A few days ago Paris based communications service provider Alcatel successfully demonstrated Europe’s first broadcast of live TV channels on mobile handsets in S-band. It is using the new DVB-SH standard (Satellite services for Handhelds), which is currently being drafted by the DVB Project. To perform this demonstration, Alcatel was assisted by UK broadcasters Sky, ITV and BBC.

    Representatives from European mobile operators, TV broadcasters, industry analyst firms and regulatory bodies attending this demonstration were able to enjoy high quality images displayed on SAGEM myMobileTV handsets. These terminals are using the S-band telecom frequency between 2.17GHz and 2.20GHz, which is adjacent to the 3G/UMTS band. 30MHz of spectrum is currently available all across Europe and in other major regions in the world.

    DVB-SH is a new technology targetting the S-band. DVB-SH is a related standard to DVB-H. With DVB-SH technology, Mobile TV signals can be broadcast from satellites as well as from terrestrial transmitters directly to handhelds. DVB-SH handhelds can be designed in such a way that they become compatible with DVB-H so that both standards can be received in one end-user terminal.

    In addition, Alcatel demonstrated two possible key technical features using the DVB-SH standard. Reception Antenna Diversity, a feature using two antennas inside the same mobile device, enables improvements in the signal quality under difficult conditions. Furthermore, improved Time Interleaving overcomes fading impairment in mobility conditions. The significant quality enhancement was demonstrated by implementing these DVB-SH features.

    Professor Ulrich Reimers, Chairman of the Technical Module of DVB Project said, “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to witness a live Mobile TV demonstration in the S-band even before the new Mobile TV standard has been finally designed. Within the DVB -Project, we have decided to give that standard a new name – DVB-SH – digital video broadcast from satellite for handhelds. DVB-SH is a perfect complement to other standards, such as DVB-H, which is typically using UHF frequencies but is capable of using the L-band. Thus DVB-SH may have a significant impact on the global Mobile TV industry.”

    Alcatel’s mobile broadcast activities president Olivier Coste said, “Quality of service is essential for operators to attract and retain Mobile TV users. Today, we demonstrated that high quality live Mobile TV using the S-band works. This can be up and running commercially very soon. With the additional benefits of universal indoor and countrywide coverage, the fundamentals of our solution are already solid enough to enable operators to profit from sustainable mobile TV market growth thanks to the S-band.”

  • Tata Sky upping subscription rate to Rs 300

    Tata Sky upping subscription rate to Rs 300

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky is increasing the monthly subscription rate of its direct-to-home (DTH) service to Rs 300, sources in the industry say. The revised rate, up from Rs 200, is likely to come into effect from 1 December.

    Tata Sky, however, has decided not to offer “tiered” channel packages at this stage of the DTH market. “Bundling channels and fixing different rates is confusing to the consumers. The mobile telephony market has shown that to everybody in this country. Tata Sky will continue to offer a single package unlike its competitor Dish TV,” sources add.

    When contacted for a comment on the developments,Tata Sky CEO Vikram Kaushik remained noncommital.

    Tata Sky offers 102 channels (including Star, Sony, Zee, Discovery, Cartoon Network, Disney, ESPN Star Sports and National Geographic) and six interactive services (Actve Khabar, Actve Newsroom, Actve Star News, Actve Games, Actve Sports and an on-screen guide).

    Tata Sky had stuck to the introductory offer price of Rs 200 even after Zee Turner’s 32 channels had hopped on to the DTH platform in late September. As the interim pricing of these group of channels (fixed by The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal till the dispute gets resolved) was Rs 75, a rate revision was in the pipeline. But the debate was whether Tata Sky would subsidise the content cost to the subscribers in the wake of CAS (conditional access system) being introduced on 1 January with a la carte choice of channels that would pull down cable TV rates.

    Tata Sky claims to have a subscriber base of 250,000 and says it is on target to achieve one million within a year of operations. The southern region continues to be a weak spot with the Sun group of channels yet to join the platform. Tata Sky has moved the TDSAT, hoping to get a positive verdict which would ensure the supply of the channels from the Sun stable.

    The Tata Sky set-top box (supplied by News Corp owned NDS), hardware and installation cost has been priced at Rs 3,999 (inclusive of taxes) with a full service warranty for one year.

  • Panasonic announces advances in Plasma TV sets in the US

    Panasonic announces advances in Plasma TV sets in the US

    MUMBAI: Electronics firm Panasonic says that its plasma TVs are the first in the US market to feature lead-free Plasma Display Panels. The display panel is the Plasma TV’s glass-sealed image display device, equivalent to a cathode ray tube in a conventional television.

    In addition to the elimination of lead in the panel, Panasonic has made significant advances in enhancing the performance of the phosphors used to render colors on the screen.

    In conventional manufacturing processes for Plasma Display Panels, lead oxide glass is used in the dielectric layer, electrodes, glass sealant and other structural elements. Lead oxide glass was valued for its ability to stabilize production yields and quality. Now, as a result of advances Panasonic has made in material sciences and manufacturing processes, stable production yields can be secured without the use of lead oxide. In this way, the company has been able to eliminate all of the roughly 70 grams (0.15 pounds) of lead used in a 37-inch plasma panel.

    Panasonic US director of environmental affairs David Thompson says, “Panasonic is committed to achieving a sustainable future through the development of environmentally conscious products. Now with this achievement, we believe that Panasonic plasma displays have outpaced our flat panel TV competitors in an important area of environmental performance: the elimination of hazardous heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, mercury — commonly used in backlit LCD TVs and in projection TV lamps.

    “In fact, we estimate that worldwide the elimination of lead from our Panasonic plasma panels will mean a reduction of close to 300 metric tons of lead – the approximate weight of two 747 commercial airliners — that would otherwise have been used in their manufacture each year.”

    Noah Horowitz, a Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), commended Panasonic for being the first in the industry to eliminate lead in its new plasma TVs and for significantly reducing the energy consumed by their new models. “NRDC is very supportive of Panasonic’s longstanding record of consistently delivering some of the most environmentally friendly products in the market.

    “Panasonic’s leadership in this area is noteworthy and we challenge the rest of the TV industry to implement similar improvements to their products” he says.

    Thompson adds, “Panasonic is also making progress on reducing the amount of energy each Plasma TV consumes. There is an inaccurate but persistent myth that Plasma TVs consume much more energy than other types of digital television The truth is that large screen TVs consume more energy than the smaller screened CRT-based TVs they replace. Our research indicates that energy consumption by large-screen Plasma, LCD and DLP TV sets is on average comparable. But as a relatively new technology, compared with LCD, Plasma is capable of becoming considerably more energy-efficient, and Panasonic plans to lead the way to this goal.”

    Panasonic’s advanced phosphor technology is estimated to deliver 60,000 hours of use — more than 25 years at seven hours of viewing a day – before reaching half brightness. Phosphor improvements have also led to the virtual elimination of the burn-in phenomenon in Panasonic Plasma TV. Long-life products translate into lower use of environmental resources for the simple fact that they need to be replaced far less often.

  • Jump Games, Virgin Comics tie-up for worldwide release of mobile games

    Jump Games, Virgin Comics tie-up for worldwide release of mobile games

    MUMBAI: Jump Games, mobile and web games developer and publisher has joined hands with Virgin Comics in an agreement to expand the Virgin Comics Shakti series characters into mobile games. With this association, action and role-playing games based on three Virgin Comics properties – Devi, The Sadhu and Ramayan 3392 AD are slated to launch globally in January, March and April 2007 respectively.

    Jump Games (previously Paradox Studios) CEO Salil Bhargava told Indiantelvision.com that the company had lined up telecom operators across the globe for this worldwide release including DoCoMo in Japan, Horizon in US, Vodafone in Europe. Ofcourse, in India he emphasised that they were in talks with all mobile players including the usual suspects Reliance, BSNL and Idea. The price points will be based on a pay-per download system as per expected rates.

    All these mobile games contain multiple levels of game challenges with varying difficulties. Jump Games has developed the mobile applications and will be responsible for marketing the games worldwide.

    These comics were released across the US and UK four months ago however, the titles have not yet arrived in India, the company is targeting December end for its launch. In addition, the comany is also looking at releasing localised versions of the same across Europe by the end Q1 ’07.

    There is a need to build the comic industry in India by targeting primarily Indian youth (15-25 year olds) which comprises the voice of a new generation, says Virgin Comics CEO Sharad Devarajan.

    Commenting on the new relationship filmmaker and Virgin Comics co-founder Shekhar Kapur said, “Mobile Gaming is predicted to be the fastest growing sector in the entertainment business worldwide, and I am excited by our collaboration with Jump Games. The clearly stated intention of Virgin comics, and indeed my personal ambition has been to showcase Indian talent to bring it to the forefront of international entertainment. I am sure that together we will create some of the most successful mobile gaming platforms in the world.”

    Bhargava said, “Virgin is one of the world’s most powerful youth brands and collaborating with Virgin Comics on this venture has been an excellent experience. Virgin’s larger-than-life characters provide us with a tremendous scope to recreate the magic of a comic book both on 2D as well as 3D gaming platforms. Our games based on the Shakti series are not only suited well for Indian audiences but also have a strong global appeal. Working with Virgin Comics has been a great start for Jump’s vision and focus on emerging as a leader in 2D and 3D Mobile gaming.”

    In addition to Devi which depicts an Indian female superhero created by Shekhar Kapur, Ramayan 3392 AD is a futuristic sci-fi story inspired by the original Ramayan mythology, also created by Kapur along with author Deepak Chopra. The third is The Sadhu, which follows the story of a British soldier who discovers the mystical powers of Indian sadhus. Actor Nicolas Cage has been roped in to play the role of The Sadhu in the feature film. A fourth mobile application based on Deepak Chopra’s recent book Kama Sutra will explore Chopra’s views on the connection between spirituality and sexuality.

  • Nokia’s solution helps telecom operators fight bandwith challenges

    Nokia’s solution helps telecom operators fight bandwith challenges

    MUMBAI: To help mobile operators better manage their data traffic, Nokia is introducing a network solution that lets operators globally control the use of network resources by bandwidth hungry applications such as file sharing and Voice over IP telephony — giving operators the tools to maintain better control over their networks.

    The Nokia Peer-to-peer Traffic Control is the industry’s first integrated solution to allow mobile operators to profitably manage the bandwidth available for peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic, and thus balance the allocation of network resources. The centralised solution is implemented as a software upgrade to the Nokia Flexi Intelligent Service Node (ISN) and will be commercially available during the first half of 2007.

    Nokia VP, marketing and sales Roberto Loiola says, “With the explosion of affordable high-speed mobile data access, operators are now being challenged to make the best possible use of their networks, especially when peer-to-peer applications increase their traffic load and compete with their own services.

    “The Nokia Peer-to-peer Traffic Control solution now gives operators the means to analyse and manage such traffic. It allows them to apply their business models by prioritizing the traffic of preferred services and partners, maximize their return on network investment, and avoid becoming only bit pipes for other content providers.”

    The Nokia Peer-to-peer Traffic Control solution enhances the service, subscriber, and access awareness capabilities of the Nokia Flexi ISN to identify data traffic according to the type of service, for example file sharing, so that operators can treat that traffic in a way that best optimises the use of network resources according to the operators’ business strategy.

    Nokia will be demonstrating the Peer-to-peer Traffic Control solution at Nokia World, the premier mobility event of the year for the press and the Nokia ecosystem of operators and partners. Nokia World takes place in Amsterdam from 2-30 November 2006.

    Nokia recently concluded its 50th commercial Flexi ISN deal, cementing its leadership position in the Intelligent Packet Core market. The Nokia Flexi ISN, introduced in February 2005, is a high-availability, high-capacity connectivity and control element that offers service availability for mobile users independent of the access method.

    It acts as a centralised control point for data services, providing cellular network users with data connectivity. The Nokia Flexi ISN also offers open interfaces to charging, provisioning subscription management systems. In addition to the Nokia Flexi ISN, Nokia has a total of over 120 GPRS packet core references.

  • Over 500 million mobile broadband users by 2010: Strategy Analytics

    Over 500 million mobile broadband users by 2010: Strategy Analytics

    MUMBAI: New alternative technologies will contribute just six percent of the forecast 500 million mobile broadband users globally by 2010, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

    Despite all the hype surrounding alternative technologies like WiMAX, it is iterations of existing technologies which will dominate the mobile broadband arena in the short term, said the research firm.

    Technologies such as mobile WiMAX and UMTS TDD will lead the alternative technology camp, but enhancements to existing technologies, including HSPA and EV-DO Revision A+ will comprise the bulk of the market and are where the money lies in the short-term, asserts an official release.

    Strategy Analytics senior industry analyst Sara Harris said, “We’re not likely to see technologies like mobile WiMAX or indeed, anything else, really take off until the next decade. However, HSPA and EV-DO will be more than acceptable for most users, giving them the speed and flexibility they want to use their fixed Internet applications on the move.”

  • Xbox 360 unveils TV shows and movies on Xbox Live

    Xbox 360 unveils TV shows and movies on Xbox Live

    MUMBAI: On its one-year anniversary Xbox 360, is digitally delivering an initial lineup of TV shows and movies to gamers in the U.S. via Xbox Live, the online games and entertainment network from Microsoft.

    Xbox Live Marketplace will now provide gamers with easy access to hundreds of full-length TV shows for download to own and movies for download to rent from CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment with more content rolled out through Xbox Live Marketplace every week, asserts an official release.

    Expected to be available in 37 countries, Xbox 360 continues to retain record game and accessory attachment rates, according to NPD.

    Xbox 360 is prepared with consoles readily available at retail along with a host of new accessories such as the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel, Xbox Live Vision camera and Xbox 360 HD DVD Player, and games such as Gears of War and Viva Piñata.

    Examples of the download-to-own TV shows and download-to-rent movies available on the network include the following:

    – CSI, CSI: Miami,CSI: New York, NCIS and Star Trek from CBS

    – Chappelle’s Show, Drawn Together and South Park from Comedy Central

    – Pimp My Ride and Punk’d from MTV

    – Avatar: The Last Airbender and SpongeBob SquarePants from Nickelodeon

    – Skyland and Invader Zim from Nicktoons Network

    – Chinatown, Star Trek VII: Generations, Patriot Games, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Sum of All Fears, The Untouchables and We Were Soldiers from Paramount Pictures

    – Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Frisky Dingo, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Sealab 2021 and The Venture Bros. from Turner Broadcasting

    – Some of the fights from Ultimate Fighting Championship

    – Breaking Bonaduce and Hogan Knows Best from VH1

    – Perfect Storm, Poseidon, The Shining, Three Kings and V for Vendetta, as well as The Nine and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip along with the CW show Veronica Mars from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

    Using the family settings feature, parents and individuals can choose the video content that can be played on their family’s Xbox 360. With the availability of this new entertainment content, gamers now can set controls based on movie, TV and video ratings, or they can entirely block explicit and unrated video content for themselves or their children, adds the release.

    Pricing is competitive and will vary based on format, media type and whether the content is a new release movie or a classic feature film. High-definition TV shows will be 240 Microsoft points per episode, and standard-definition TV shows will be 160 Microsoft points per episode.

    New release movies in high definition will be 480 Microsoft points, and standard-definition new release movies will be 320 Microsoft points each. Classic feature films in high definition will be 360 Microsoft points, and standard definition will be 240 Microsoft points. After purchasing a high-definition TV show or movie, gamers can download the standard-definition version at no additional charge.

    Microsoft points can be purchased at retail or via Xbox Live. Gamers can get a 1600 Microsoft points card at retail for $19.99 or 1000 Microsoft points through Xbox Live for $12.50.

  • Sandy Media launches second edition of ‘TAAL’

    Sandy Media launches second edition of ‘TAAL’

    MUMBAI: Sandy Media, publishers of two magazines, Theatre World and SoundSolutions – Asia’s resource magazines on motion picture exhibition, and audio/acoustics technology applications respectively – is launching the second edition of Theatre AV Acoustics and Light (TAAL), to be held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 1 to 3 December 2006.

    TAAL, meaning rhythm, is aimed to be an industry platform for theatre, audio-visual, acoustics, and lighting industries in Asia. It is an initiative conceived and conceptualised in tune with the industry demand for a new platform between the equipment manufacturers and the user communities from across the continent / globe, asserts an official release.

    The national capital is now the focus of global attention for trade and commerce and therefore is a befitting event location for TAAL. In fact, TAAL will now be hosted alternately in south and north India to sustain the national footprint.

    This year the event will be a congregation of prospective cine-mall builders/multiplexes, performance space owners/builders from across Asia, and design professionals, consultants, manufacturers, integrators and people from entertainment industry from across the world, adds the release.

    Commenting on TAAL, AV integration expert Kavy Pradeep said, “The tech sessions are too good, they have thrown up many questions which we are not even aware off. It is good that something like this is happening.”

    TFEAC and CCFEA general secretary Abirami Ramanathan added, “Though the cinema exhibition industry has been witnessing tremendous changes in technology and management, most cinema owners in India are not aware of these changes. A convention and tradeshow such as TAAL would bring about the awareness.”

  • SWAY studio alters history for ‘The Saints are Coming’

    SWAY studio alters history for ‘The Saints are Coming’

    MUMBAI: SWAY Studio, one of North America’s visual effects studios has announced its contribution to the new U2 and Green Day music video titled The Saints are Coming.

    For this production, SWAY has integrated many photo-real CG elements, including Harrier jets, Apache helicopters, Stealth Bombers and tanks into existing news footage from hurricane Katrina. The result is a thought-provoking and emotional video that shows what it might have looked like had the government responded differently to the disaster, asserts an official release.

    Directed by Radical Media’s Chris Milk this video was produced to raise funds for Gulf Coast musicians affected by the hurricane Katrina disaster. The Saints are Coming has been featured on newscasts such as CNN and is currently airing on VH1 and MTV. It can also be viewed online at mtv.com or vh1.com.

    SWAY Studio owner and creative director Mark Glaser said, “This project had a very tight deadline of two and a half weeks from start to finish. This made our work particularly challenging because the CG elements that were integrated into existing news footage needed to have a very high degree of photorealism to be successful.”

    SWAY’s main challenge was to make the Iraqi desert storm aircraft and tanks look like they were actually there in New Orleans for the rescue and mass evacuation. Every shot was scrutinised, worked and reworked to ensure its believability, adds the release.

    “SWAY also added video degradation to the CG elements so that they would match the original footage, which varied substantially from shot to shot,” added Glaser.

    SWAY utilized a variety of off-the-shelf and proprietary hardware and software to compete the project. The most prominently used tools were 3ds Max, V-Ray, Flame, NUKE and After Effects. All of the water effects were done using Real Flow 4.

    All proceeds from the sale of The Saints are Coming will go to Music Rising, an instrument replacement fund for musicians located on the Gulf Coast.