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  • INDIAN HOCKEY FEDERATION

    INDIAN HOCKEY FEDERATION

    Unlike last two years where the league had two tiers with five teams each, the third edition of the PHL will have the top seven teams from the last years’s edition battiling for the country’s top Hockey team.The team have been chosen on the basis of their perfomance in last years PHL – namely, Sher-e-Jalandhar, Chandigarh Dynamos,Maratha Warriors, Banglore Lions and Hyderabad Sultans,the top two teams from Tier ||,that is,Orissa Steelers and Chennai Veerans will be playing in the Preimier division.

    The Premier division will have the seven teams play each other twice, in 42 matches, followed by a best of 3 play-off final between the top two teams in the league like last year. The total number of matches in all will be 45 and will span a period of two months.

    This edition of PHL will also see it move to a multi venue format with Chennai to play host for the PHL for the first month, followed by Chandigarh in the second. All matches will under lights as before and be covered LIVE and and exclusive by ESPN STAR Sports.

  • Disney deal: UTV receives first tranche of Rs 692 mn

    Disney deal: UTV receives first tranche of Rs 692 mn

    MUMBAI: UTV Software Communications has received Rs 692 million as the first tranche of payment from The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) Pte Ltd. With this transaction, the strategic investment into UTV from The Walt Disney Company stands executed.

    In July this year, Disney had entered into an agreement to acquire 100 per cent of United Home Entertainment LTD (Hungama TV) at an enterprise valuation of $30.5 million and purchase equity stake of 14.9 per cent of expanded capital in UTV Software Communications LTD, at a consideration of $ 14 million. So, UTV would get a combined $ 44.5 million from the stake sale.

    In pursuance to the deal, UTV has now allotted 34, 00,000 equity shares of Rs 10 each at an issue price of Rs 192.50 per share to Disney. The approval for the same was granted by the members at their annual general meeting held on 24 August, 2006, as per an official release. Disney also announced the allotment of 19, 49,360 warrants to Ronnie Screwvala, founder and promoter of UTV.

  • Liquid propellant strap-on failure primary cause for Insat 4C crash

    Liquid propellant strap-on failure primary cause for Insat 4C crash

    BANGALORE:The Failure Analysis Committee (FAC), constituted for investigating the failure of ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV-F02 mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR) Sriharikota, on 10 July, 2006 has submitted its report.

    The 49 metre tall and 414 tonne GSLV comprises three stages. The first stage consists of a solid propellant motor and four liquid propellant strap-ons. The second stage is also a liquid propellant stage and the third is a cryogenic stage.

    GSLV-F02 launch was the fourth in the series. All the three earlier missions (GSLV-D1, D2 and F01) were completely successful. The mission objective of GSLV-F02 was to place Insat-4C, an operational satellite into Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). About 55 sec into the flight, GSLV-F02 started deviating significantly from its nominal flight path resulting in the vehicle breaking up at 62 sec after lift-off. The debris fell into Bay of Bengal.

    The 15 member FAC chaired by K Narayana, former Director of SDSC SHAR, with the participation of experts from academic and research institutions besides ISRO, has reviewed the performance of GSLV-F02 from lift-off to the end of flight. FAC had detailed deliberations for over 100 hours in several sittings and was assisted by eight specialist sub-committees examining the flight data of vehicle subsystems, manufacturing documents, inspection, calibration and test results, etc. Especially, the details related to the realisation of liquid propulsion stage of GSLV were closely scrutinized. Several tests simulating possible failure modes were also conducted to identify the exact cause.

    FAC has concluded that the performance of all vehicle subsystems, except one strap-on stage was normal until 56.4 sec. The primary cause for the failure was the sudden loss of thrust in one out of the four liquid propellant strap-on stages (S4) immediately after lift-off at 0.2 sec. With only three strap-on stages working, there was significant reduction in the control capability. However the vehicle attitude could be controlled till about 50 sec. At the same time the vehicle reached the transonic regime of flight and the vehicle attitude errors built up to large values, resulting in aerodynamic loads exceeding the design limits thus leading to break up of the vehicle.

    The thrust of the liquid engines used in the strap-on stages is precisely controlled by a set of regulators. Detailed analyses have indicated that in S4 engine the thrust control was not effective. Instead of stabilizing at 5.85 MPa (Mega Pascal) chamber pressure, it reached 7.11 MPa at 2.8 sec. This was much beyond the design limits and the engine failed at 0.2 sec after lift-off, that is 5 sec after its ignition.

    Simulations and analyses of flight data and verification through calibration tests have led to the conclusion that the propellant regulator in the failed engine had much higher discharge coefficient in its closed condition. The reason for this could be an inadvertent error in manufacturing, which escaped the subsequent inspection, and acceptance test procedures. This regulator has functioned satisfactorily in all the previous 50 engines manufactured and tested so far, states an official release.

    The larger flow of propellant led to higher operating pressure in the gas generator (4.7 MPa against design specification of 3.6 MPa). Due to this higher operating pressure of the gas generator, the water flow rate into it got reduced. The combined effect of larger flow of propellants and reduced flow of water led to a very high gas temperature of 1823 K against design specification of 900 K and pressure of 4.7 MPa against the design specification of 3.6 MPa. The very high operating pressure and temperature resulted in the structural failure of the gas generator. The consequent abrupt stopping of the turbo pumps that feed propellants at very high pressures to the engines led to loss of thrust of S4 engine. The water calibration tests conducted simulating the malfunction of the propellant regulator hardware could closely reproduce the flight phenomenon thereby confirming the larger flow area.

    FAC has concluded that the design of GSLV is robust and recommended implementation of strict control on fabrication, inspection and acceptance procedures. Among others, FAC has recommended fabrication processes to be critically reviewed and updated. It has recommended for independent inspection of all critical dimensions of components and subassemblies by in-house agencies. Further, long duration hot test on one out of every 20 engines fabricated has been recommended to ensure that production process is under control. In addition, FAC has recommended strengthening the process of clearance of launch during Automatic Launch Sequence (ALS) phase.

    FAC conclusions and recommendations have been accepted and necessary action has been initiated to implement all of them, the release adds.

  • ‘K’ show rate hikes: Balaji expects 8% rise in turnover

    ‘K’ show rate hikes: Balaji expects 8% rise in turnover

    MUMBAI: Balaji Telefilms Ltd. is targeting a 7-8 per cent growth in turnover to around Rs 3.1 billion this fiscal on the back of a rate hike on four of their popular TV serials and an increase in programming hours.

    The investment in capital expenditure for the year is estimated at Rs 250-300 million. “We are adding two more studios this year. The capex is also towards equipments and sets,” a source in the company says.

    Of the four serials that will come up for an upward rate revision, three are expected from Star India and one from Zee Telefilms. Balaji makes a prime time show, Kasamh Se, for Zee TV.

    The paid up capital for Balaji’s wholly owned subsidary company at Sharjah will be Rs 40 million.

    The company is making a serial for ARY which will go on air by the first week of November. “The serial will air four days a week. If demand for our shows increase, we will invest in ramping up our facility. We don’t expect revenue inflows getting reflected this fiscal,” the source adds. The subsidiary company will produce serials aimed specifically at the Middle East market.

    Commissioned programming in the year is eexpected to increase by 7-8 per cent while exposure in the sponsored category will reduce. Revenue from the southern market is also estimated to reduce from Rs 320 million to Rs 200-250 million. Balaji has an exposure on the Sun Network channels.

    “The average revenue realisation per house will see a further rise this fiscal,” the source says. Balaji’s realisation per hour of commissioned shows rose from Rs 1.7 million to Rs 2.2 million for FY06.

    The company is adopting a cautious approach towards movie production. It will not be releasing any movie this year and is taking the co-production route for the next three films. “We are taking safer bets. There is no pressure on us to take risks. Our bottomline will stand even stronger this year,” the source says.

    Balaji Telefilms saw a robust growth in FY06 with topline increasing 43 per cent to Rs 2.8 billion. Net profit rose 44 per cent to Rs 594 million.

  • Disney unveils character-themed digital cameras ‘Disney Pix’ in the US

    MUMBAI: Disney Consumer Products, the merchandising segment of The Walt Disney Company has launched a new line of Disney Pix digital cameras specifically designed for kids and tweens.

    Available in a variety of styles and character-themed designs for all ages, the new Disney Pix line features digital cameras, camcorders and peripherals that allow young users to shoot, edit, print and share their own digital photographs.

    “Today’s kids expect photography to be digital and see film as antique. They want to see their photos instantly, share them digitally, and modify them in all sorts of creative ways. The Disney Pix line was designed specifically to let this new generation use photos to unleash the power of their imaginations,” said Disney Consumer Products, Global Electronics vice president Chris Heatherly.

    The starting price for the range is $19.99. Disney’s imaging products also come with the Disney Pix software, designed to inspire a child’s creativity and imagination. This proprietary, interactive and easy-to-use editing software suite allows users to customise their photos with Disney characters, stamps, frames and more. A video editing version is also available for digital camcorder products, informs an official release.

    “Until now, digital cameras have been too complicated for kids and have generally been priced out of reach. The Disney Pix line delivers the functionality and creative play that kids are looking for in a variety of stylish designs at affordable price points that parents can say `yes’ to,” adds Heatherly.

    Designed by Disney in partnership with its manufacturer, Digital Blue, the Disney-themed designs include Disney Chrome, High School Musical, Pirates of the Caribbean, Cars, Little Mermaid, Disney Princess and Tinker Bell.

    The new Disney Pix line features eight products including:

    — Disney Pix Micro Digital Camera: An ultra-small camera (6.5″w x 10″h x 2.5″d) for easy, on-the-go pictures — perfect to hang from a backpack or handbag. Features CIF digital resolution, storage capacity of 24 photos, status LCD display, requires 1 AAA battery (not included) and comes with camera strap and Disney Pix software CD-ROM. (SRP $19.99)

    — Disney Pix Click Digital Camera: Loaded with many options, this camera features a 1″ color LCD screen, VGA digital resolution (640 x 480), stores up to 200 photos, a 2X digital zoom, built-in auto flash, TV output (NTSC/PAL compatible), requires 2 AA batteries (not included). The Disney Pix Click comes with a camera strap, Disney Pix(TM) software CD-ROM, USB cord and two interchangeable face plates with stylish character graphics. (SRP $49.99)

    — Disney Pix Max Digital Camera: Fully loaded with high performance options for optimum picture taking, features a three Mega Pixel digital resolution, a 1.5″ color LCD screen that allows users to view their photos enhanced with Disney images utilizing innovative digital custom photo frames available directly on the screen. Also includes a 4X digital zoom, expandable memory card slot, built-in auto flash, TV output (NTSC/PAL compatible), requires 2 AA batteries (not included). The Disney Pix Max comes with a camera strap, Disney Pix(TM) software CD-ROM and a USB cord. (SRP $79.99)

    — Disney Princess Digital Movie Maker: Girls can now star in their very own Disney Princess movie with this new digital camcorder featuring 32MB of built-in memory, 640 x 480 video resolution and a built-in microphone. With easy-to-use Disney Pix software included, girls can edit their own videos and add music, animation, sound effects, titles and credits. The Disney Princess Digital Movie Maker comes with a wrist strap, a docking station, Disney Pix software CD-ROM and a USB cord. (SRP $79.99)

    — Disney Keychain Digital Brag Book: The perfect way to share your photos on the go, this ultra-small digital photo album keychain features a 1.1″ LCD screen and stores up to 50 photos. The Disney Keychain Digital Brag Book comes with a USB cord and requires two AAA batteries (not included). (SRP $29.99)

    The Disney Pix line is available at retailers in the US including Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, Limited Too, Claire’s, Toys ‘R’ Us, KB Toys, Ritz Camera among others, adds the release.

  • Play TV launches ‘Crisscross’ to increase interactive experience

    MUMBAI: The interactive gaming channel Play TV has launched a new daily show Crisscross, in an attempt to maximize viewer’s involvement.

    The show Crisscross will air daily between 2 pm to 3 pm from Monday to Sunday. Crisscross is a revised version of the world-renowned board game crossword. Players can participate no matter where they are, using their mobile phones via sms, informs an official release.
    The anchor of the show will disclose various clues to solve the crossword. There are five across clues and five down clues correct and fastest answers to the clues can make the participant win upto Rs.10000/-
    Play TV MD Amit Goenka said, “Play TV is an interactive channel and Criss Cross is one such property that will maximize viewer involvement. We are optimistic about a wonderful response to this show.”

    Also Read:
    Play TV to launch ‘Quizmaster’ on 9 September

  • Time Broadband achieves Asian landmark in IPTV

    NEW DELHI: The Mumbai-headquartered Time Broadband Services Pvt Ltd might not ring a bell immediately, but this media technology company has achieved an Asian landmark.

    Commissioning of a fully integrated content delivery network over H.264 AVC Revision 10 of MPEG4 format as an end-to-end solution on Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd (MTNL) MPLS core and ADSL 2+ access system is the first of its kind in Asia.

    This hi-tech implementation was first recorded on 4 July 2006 at Cavalier Telecom in the USA by Kasenna, which also happens to be Time Broadband’s technology provider.

    “Considering the few weeks gap, the achievement of having a total integrated solution on an emerging technology is certainly a landmark in Indian broadband domain where more than 100 TV channels are to be delivered via digital multi-cast to PC and TV sets by our technology partners,” said Time Broadband MD and CEO Sujata Dev.

    What this means in layman’s language and where does the
    government-controlled telecom company MTNL fit into the scenario?

    MTNL, providing services in Delhi and Mumbai, has associated with Time Broadband to provide IPTV at affordable rates to the telco’s consumers. The services are slated to be commercially flagged off later this year.

    According to Dev, apart from the telephony and internet services, a MTNL subscriber can also subscribe to TV channels, which can be seen either on the consumer’s PC or television set.

    The charges for subscribing to over 100 channels and internet services are likely to be in the region of Rs 400 per month (exclusive of charges for telephone usage).

    Time Broadband, which in no way is connected to the Times of India group, did a trial simulation of the technology in Mumbai on 14 January 2005, the day on which a nation-wide launch of broadband was held by MTNL and its sibling Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL).

    On 21 November 2005, Time Broadband signed up formally with MTNL for providing the content delivery network (CDN) and do content aggregation for MTNL to enable rich-media content delivery.

    MTNL, set up on 1 April 1986 by the government, has a customer base of approximately 5.92 million as on March 2006. The government presently holds 56.25 per cent stake in the company.

    Time Broadband, where Sujata Dev’s husband Amit works as the chief tech mentor, has been initially funded by promoters and has received $12 million mix of equity and debt from global investors to move into full-scale rollout plan to 600 tri-band customers shortly in Delhi.

    Next stage of integration would cover uni-cast or the interactive on-demand media delivery, which is to be completed shortly.

    “In IPTV domain, a major challenge faced by a operator is the integration of the CDN components like middleware, content protection, video-on-demand services and head-end encoding components with set-top box. We could successfully integrate the whole system in past six months along with inputs from our technology partners,” said Dev.

    A unique aspect of the whole venture involving MTNL is the content protection or guarding against piracy.

    The content protection technology used by Time Broadband for MTNL’s IPTV service is being provided by Verimatrix and is a mix of session-based water marking and clone-detection capabilities.

    “Broadcasters like Star, Sony and Zee have approved the content protection system of Verimatrix as also major studios of Hollywood as a key defense against the vandalism of piracy due to the forensic tracking, which is invisible but un-destructible,” Dev explained.

    The video-marking added to 128 bit PKI as per AES norms would offer threshold level of protection to all content. The achievement of technical solution is one hurdle crossed but the issues of Regulation and availability of volume based H.264 STB with ‘session-based water-marking’ is still a challenge to be overcome before commercial launch, Dev adds.

    However, a major hurdle in rollout of IPTV services in India is the regulatory body Trai’s present ambivalence on the status of such service.

    Telecom Regulatgory Auhtority of India (Trai) is yet to decide whether to classify IPTV as a television service or make it part of telecom.

    Both MTNL and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (the biggest telecom service provider in India in terms of reach) control over 95 per cent of last mile
    connectivity in India.

    The remaining miniscule is with some private players, which are finding themselves handicapped to introduce large scale broadband services in the country in the absence of last mile connectivity.

    Though the set-top box needed to access the MTNL Tri-band service is being imported by Time Broadband for approximately $ 160, in the initial stages the boxes are being subsidised to catch consumers.

    Time Broadband would build and own all the elements of this massive city-wide content delivery network with service delivery platform to operate uni-cast and multi-cast services of rich-media, apart from critical sub-system and peripheral devices.

  • Star Plus to launch ‘Rin Mera Star Superstar’ on 8 September

    MUMBAI: Star Plus’ nationwide talent hunt targeted at the kids segment, Rin Mera Star Superstar, will launch on 8 September at 7:30 pm. The hunt is dedicated to unearthing talent in children aged 5-14.

    The programme promises to offer a national platform for talented children to showcase their potential that will help them win a scholarship of Rs 5,00,000 to pursue the dream of becoming an artist. Rin Mera Star Superstar will be hosted by television actress Shilpa Sakhlani.
    As per an official release, mothers of the kids have an active role to play in defining the kid’s victory or loss in the Maa Sangram round where each mother plead to the judges and audience requesting votes for his/her talented child. Her appeal will then be judged by the audience and can affect the final scores of her child. The mother-child duo with the highest score will move on to the semi-finals level of the Talent Hunt.

    Rin Mera Star Superstar jury panel comprises of Sachin Pilgaonkar and Farida Jalal. Selected from among lakhs of entries across the country, 40 most talented kids will showcase their talent to the world and garner votes along with their mothers to achieve the coveted title!! These kids have been groomed by choreographer Pooja Shetty, singer Qadir Mustafa Khan and actor Alok Ulfat The hunt on air kick starts with actress and super mom Raveena Tandon coming especially to encourage the kids in the first episode followed by many more famous personalities later, the release further adds.
    Show Format
    Produced by Endemol, Rin Mera Star Superstar will be aired every Friday eliminating two out of the four kids in each episode. Two Semi final episodes and a Grand Finale will follow elimination rounds. Each show will open with the host introducing the celebrity guest, judges and contestants for the day to perform. After the performance round, Mothers of two kids who have qualified will plead to judges and viewers to vote for their child. Contestant who gets the highest score will make it to the semi finals.

  • UTStarcom introduces portable WiFi handset F3000

    MUMBAI: UTStarcom, Inc., the IP-based, end-to-end networking solutions and services, has launched its portable WiFi handset – the F3000. The handset is currently being deployed by customers worldwide and can be purchased directly from UTStarcom or through one of the company’s regional distributors.

    “We are seeing massive growth in demand for mobile voice-over-IP devices as the number of public WiFi hotspots and prevalence of wireless routers in people’s homes and offices increases,” says UTStarcom, Inc. VP EMEA Youssef Kassissia.

    “This, combined with the international roaming charges levied by operators, is encouraging consumers to look to wireless VoIP as a cost- effective alternative to traditional mobile telecommunications, both at home and abroad.”

    “The F3000 builds on the success of our award-winning F1000 handset, our first-generation WiFi phone launched last year and the low-cost market leader in WiFi handsets worldwide,” Lu adds. “Much like the F1000, UTStarcom’s F3000 enables consumers the ability to reap the benefits of VoIP service without being tethered to a fixed-line and at a consumer friendly price point.”

    With a designs available in both black and gold, UTStarcom’s F3000 WiFi handset bridges the gap between traditional WiFi phones and today’s state-of-the-art cellular devices, offering consumers a combination of form and functionality. Measuring 85 x 43 x 22mm and weighing approximately 90g, the F3000 features a full-color, 1.8″ (45.7mm) LCD screen, polyphonic ringtones, text messaging capability and talk-time of up to three hours and stand-by time of approximately 75 hour, states an official release.

    The phone supports a range of voice protocols, including SIP, SDP, RTP/RTCP and RFC 2833/inband DTMF, and utilizes ITU codecs G.711 and G.729. It operates at WiFi 802.11b/g 2.4GHz and supports WiFi security WEP64/128 and WPA. The F3000 also supports a variety of user interface languages, including English, French, Spanish and Chinese, and standard PSTN features, such as call waiting and three-way calling, are also available. It is easily configured, supporting auto-provisioning and remote software upgrades, the release adds.

    Additionally, UTStarcom’s F3000 features an Auto-Search capability, enabling users to locate WiFi networks within range and store these profiles for later use. Moreover, the handset can be programmed with three separate SIP accounts, providing both service provider and access point flexibility for the end user.
     

  • Adlabs Films finds Synergy in equity deal

    MUMBAI: The Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG)-backed Adlabs Films is set to formally make a foray into the television business.

    According to capital market sources, Adlabs Films is poised to pick up a sizeable equity stake in Siddharth and Anita Basu’s production house Synergy Communications Pvt Ltd.

    Sources close to the development, however, said that it is still not clear whether the stake being picked up is 51 per cent or higher.
    While Adlabs expressed ignorance of the deal when contacted by Indiantelevision.com, Synergy Communications refused to entertain any query on the issue.

    However, market sources said that a valuation of Synergy Communications has been pegged between Rs 470 million to Rs 500 million.

    The scrip of Adlabs Films Ltd closed on 6 September at Rs 332.10 after opening at Rs 332 on Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). The scrip reached an intra-day high of Rs 337.50, probably riding on the information of its radio division slated to roll-out FM operations in about four to six weeks time.

    It must be reiterated here that Adlabs Films CMD Manmohan Shetty had earlier confirmed to Indiantelevision.com that the company was looking at taking a controlling equity stake in a production house.

    Though Shetty had refused to divulge any names at that time, he had admitted, “All that I can say is that it (the targeted production house) is not a listed company and produces three to four shows with a good balance sheet.”
    Adlabs has been funding a few TV production companies and has chalked out eight projects with various producers who will be making programmes for TV channels.

    Synergy Communications, producers of Kaun Banega Crorepati or KBC (an Indian version of the popular western game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire), is presently working on Jhalak Dikhla Jaa (a local adaption of Dancing With The Stars) for Sony.

    KBC, hosted by Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, first started airing in 2000 on Star Plus and created such a national hysteria that it changed the fortunes of Star India and put it in a leadership position that’s still being maintained.

    Synergy was started by ace quizmaster Basu and his wife after the gentleman became a household name in India by hosting the very popular Quiz Time on Doordarshan in the pre-cable television days.