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Category: News Headline

  • Qualcomm single-chip solution doubles talk time

    Qualcomm single-chip solution doubles talk time

    MUMBAI: Qualcomm Incorporated, a leading developer and innovator of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and other advanced wireless technologies, has introduced the QSC1100 single-chip solution.

    The QSC1100 solution doubles talk time compared to currently available CDMA2000 handsets, in addition to supporting features such as downloadable polyphonic ringtones and color displays.

    The QSC1100 is designed to enable CDMA2000 handsets that break new industry price barriers for emerging markets worldwide, according to an official release.

    Addressing the dramatic subscriber growth anticipated in emerging markets around the world, the QSC1100 solution features multiple technologies to dramatically improve network capacity by up to 100 percent.

    “The QSC1100 enables our handset manufacturing partners to further extend their offerings in emerging markets by introducing compelling, attractive devices at new price points,” said Qualcomm CDMA Technologies president Dr. Sanjay K Jha. “Working with all levels of the wireless ecosystem, Qualcomm is able to meet a common goal of accelerating time to market for a wide variety of new handsets with differentiated features and superior user experiences.”

    The release adds that the QSC1100 solution’s integration of baseband modem, RF transceiver, power management and system memory into a single chip reduces the number of discrete components required, reduces bill-of-materials costs and delivers board-area savings of more than 50 percent. Manufacturers can now offer smaller and sleeker designs at significantly lower price points and benefit from reduced development time for quicker time to market. The QSC1100 solution offers a wide range of features to deliver a superior user experience, including:

    · Voice/SMS and support for downloadable polyphonic ringtones and wallpapers

    · Up to twice the talk time of CDMA2000 handsets in the market today

    · 65nm process technology for enhanced performance and cost effectiveness

    · Multiple frequency operation, including 450MHz, 800MHz, 1900MHz and 2100MHz

    · Multiple technologies that allow network operators to prioritize voice capacity or improve network capacity by up to 60 percent, or double the capacity within the same spectrum with the additional implementation of four-way receive diversity at the base station:

    – Fourth Generation Vocoder: a core voice codec suite giving network operators the flexibility to prioritize voice quality or network capacity

    – Qualcomm Linear Interference Cancellation: including pilot and traffic interference cancellation

    · Support for color displays and speakerphone

    The QSC1100 solution is expected to sample by the second half of 2007. For more information about Qualcomm ’s’ single-chip products, visit www.cdmatech.com/singlechip.

  • GBN to fund Rs 708 million for Hindi news expansion and repayment of debt

    GBN to fund Rs 708 million for Hindi news expansion and repayment of debt

    MUMBAI: Global Broadcast News Ltd (GBN) will use a major part of the proceeds of its proposed Rs 1.05 billion initial public offering (IPO) for funding expansion into the Hindi news genre and repaying debt.

    The company plans to pump in Rs 458.50 million in the Hindi news genre while Rs 250 million will be towards loan repayment. GBN, a TV18 Group company, manages English news channel CNN-IBN and Hindi channel IBN7.

    On 25 July, GBN had entered into a share subscription cum shareholders agreement with the members of the Gupta family, BK Fincap Private Limited and Jagran TV Private Limited to subscribe to 76,485 equity shares, or 49 per cent, of the issued capital of BK Fincap for a total consideration of Rs 680 million. BK Fincap is the holding company of Jagran TV Limited which owns and operates the Hindi language news channel, Channel 7.

    Out of the total consideration of Rs 680 million, GBN has already paid Rs 336.5 million. GBN is also under a contractual obligation to infuse Rs 115 million in BK Fincap before 31 December, 2006. So GBN will have to make a balance investment of Rs 458.50 million. “We propose to fund the entire expenses for the project through equity, which will be utilised from the net proceeds (0f the IPO),” the company said in its draft red herring prospectus filed with the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

  • Star News-A C Nielsen survey says 63% in Gujarat want ‘Fanna’

    Star News-A C Nielsen survey says 63% in Gujarat want ‘Fanna’

    MUMBAI: As Fanaa is all set to release tomorrow across the nation expect in the state of Gujarat, where the film exhibitors are hesitating to screen it till he tenders an apology for his recent anti-Narmada project statements.

    Admits all this Star News in collaboration with A C Nielsen conducted a survey in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat to ascertain the common man’s views on the issue. The findings indicate that 63 per cent of people in Gujarat want to watch the film and also prefers Aamir as a reel life hero as against a real life hero.

    But away from the hum drum of the politics of ‘water’, what does the ‘aam junta’ in Gujarat really want? The survey indicated some findings:

    * 63 per cent of people in Gujarat want to watch the film and only 33 per cent said they would not, 4 per cent said don’t know

    * 52 per cent of the people do not agree with the BJP’s appeal to boycott the film, 40 per cent subscribe to BJP’s statements, 8 per cent were undecided

    * 55 per cent of the respondents feel that Aamir’s statements on Narmada were inappropriate, 32 per cent felt it was appropriate, 13 per cent are undecided

    * 40 per cent of the people said that they do not want the Bollywood star to act like the Rang De Basanti hero in real life, 36 per cent vouch for him and 24 per cent were undecided

  • BBC announces programming strategy around 9/11 anniversary

    BBC announces programming strategy around 9/11 anniversary

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC has announced that it will mark the fifth anniversary of 9/11 by special reports and programming.

    9/11 – The Twin Towers airs next month on BBC One. It tells the 11 September 2001 story through the testimonies of survivors, victims’ families, emergency workers and city officials. Stanley Praimnath, a banking executive, recalls how he saw a plane heading towards his office window. Amazingly, he survived, but Melanie de Vere, a 30-year-old British publishing executive helping to host a conference in the Windows on the World suite of the North Tower, was not so fortunate.

    A Path to 9/11 will be aired on 12 and 13 September on BBC Two, starring actor Harvey Keitel, traces the origins of the 9/11 attacks, drawing on the findings of the 9/11 Commission Report. On 9/11 itself, BBC News bulletins and BBC News 24 will feature live reports from Ground Zero in New York, with packages from Jeremy Cooke.

    BBC World will co-present from New York with Katty Kay. Peter Marshall will be reporting for BBC Four’s The World and BBC Radio Five Live’s The Mayo Show will be in Manhattan with reports from Peter Allen in Kabul.

    Other BBC Radio News outlets will feature live reports from the British Memorial Garden in New York.

    On the BBC News website, Stephen Evans – who was in New York on the day in 2001 – will give an overview on how the city has changed since then, how the upstate town of Warwick has coped, what US Muslims feel about the attacks today, and the health effects on those who cleared the dust from the city.

    The site will feature reports on how the rest of the world has changed since the attacks and Peter Taylor will be analysing the current state of play in the ‘war on terror’ and his series on Al-Qaeda will be shown in September on BBC TWO.

    There will also be graphics showing the collapse of the Twin Towers and a guide to the four hijackings that took place on 9/11. BBC World Service has three shows – Have Your Say, a two-hour co-production with WBUR, Boston (9 September); A Very American Witch Hunt: 9/11 Stories presented by Michael Buchanan (8 September); and Assignment with Stephen Evans.

    In addition, BBC World Service is sending extra correspondents to the US including Rob Watson, Defence and Security correspondent, who will be in Washington to report on the ‘war on terror’.

  • Brand-comm ‘webinar’: Consumer insight best tool

    Brand-comm ‘webinar’: Consumer insight best tool

    MUMBAI: Consumer trends on the web were discussed at Brand-comm’s web seminar BrandWidth Online 2006.

    The seminar was addressed by Titan Industries managing director Bhaskar Bhat, McCann Erickson president Santosh Desai and Brand-comm CEO Ramanujam Sridhar.

    The seminar drove home the thought that consumer insight is the greatest tool, after all for marketers who want to keep pace in the changing market scenario.

    Some interesting questions to the panelists were on the movement behind the traditional Indian woman rising above her passivity, on consumer insights providing the way-forward for marketers and the role of technology in the consumer decision process. The panelists discussed the ‘More-Mania’ and the key drivers of consumer behavior in India.

    The seminar had 78 participants who logged in from different parts of the country.

  • Isro renews MOU with Andhra Pradesh on Sat-Com applications

    Isro renews MOU with Andhra Pradesh on Sat-Com applications

    BANGALORE: Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and the Government of Andhra Pradesh have renewed their July-2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the application of satellite based communication. A Bhaskaranarayana, director, Satellite Communication Programme of Isro and T V Parthasarathi, director, IT and Communication Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, signed the renewal of MOU in Hyderabad.

    Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr Y S Rajashekara Reddy and chairman, Isro Dr G Madhavan Nair were present during the signing ceremony.

    Under the renewed MOU, which also includes new applications, Andhra Pradesh will use Insat capacity for satellite based communication in the areas of distance education, telemedicine, agricultural extension, self-help groups, etc. While Isro provides the transponder capacity on board its Insat and the technical support, Andhra Pradesh Government operates the satellite communication network for these applications, states an official release.

    Soon after the signing of the original MOU in July 2000, experimental transmissions had started in November 2000 from Isro’s Master Control Facility at Hassan and subsequently, in April 2002, a satellite Hub station was established at Dr B R Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad. Following this, a satellite based “Andhra Pradesh Net” was set up in March 2003. At present, a full-fledged Mana-TV is operational with a state-of-the-art studio. Mana-TV has over 2,000 terminals and has 5 television channels and one data channel catering to the requirements of educational institutions like schools and colleges (including engineering colleges). It is used for both formal and non-formal educational training.

    Mana TV is now being upgraded to include more interactive terminals as part of Edusat. In the recent years, under the Edusat programme, an exclusive network has been established connecting top fifty technical institutions/engineering colleges in India under Indo-US cooperation for transmitting lectures by invited US experts delivered from Amrita Viswa Vidyapeetam, Coimbatore. Four of these colleges are located in Andhra Pradesh, the release adds.

    In the field of telemedicine, the first pilot project was started in Andhra Pradesh in 2000 connecting Apollo Hospitals at Chennai and Aragonda village and Isro’s hospital at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota, in Nellore District. The telemedicine network will now be extended to eight more hospitals.

    Andhra Pradesh is also one of the foremost in the utilisation of remote sensing technology for management of land and water resources and disaster management. For example, remote sensing technology is used for watershed management in drought prone districts of Adilabad, Ananthapur, Kurnool, Mahaboobnagar, Nizamabad and Ranga Reddy. Management plans for major irrigation projects like Srirama Sagara and Nagarjuna Sagara have been planned using remote sensing data. More than 35,000 bore wells have been drilled using remote sensing data with better than 90 percent success rate.

    As part of M S Swaminathan Research Foundation Network, a Village Resource Centre (VRC) has been set up at Adakkal, Moosapet with an Expert Centre located at International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). Another 16 locations have been identified for setting up of VRCs to connect the Expert Centre through Byraju Foundation.

    Thus, Andhra Pradesh has been extensively using Isro satellites for societal applications and today’s renewal of MOU reiterates its commitment to extend these applications with Isro’s help.

  • BVITV inks multiple deals at Los Angeles Screenings

    BVITV inks multiple deals at Los Angeles Screenings

    MUMBAI: Buena Vista International Television (BVITV) has concluded multiple deals at the Los Angeles screenings. The first one was inked between BVITV Japan and Jupiter Entertainment, which is the provider of the Movie Plus channel, for distribution of visual entertainment consisting mainly of live action and animated movies.

    The closure of this contract guarantees the provision of hit releases as Six Days, Seven Nights, Snake Eyes and The Crimson Tide. It also means that popular Disney animated productions like The Nightmare Before Christmas will be available for view over the Movie Plus channel.

    BVITV Japan has also inked a new agreement with Pay-Per-View Japan, Inc. for distribution of visual entertainment consisting mainly of cinema-release movies and TV series.

    With this deal, movies such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Cinderella Man and Flight Plan will be availabe for Pay-Per-View Japan.

    It also means that the successful TV series Lost, along with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest will be available for view over the Pay-Per-View Japan platform.

    BVITV has also announced multi-genre deals with Pop TV to bring a range of new and returning series, features and TV movies to viewers across Slovenia.

    This was announced by BVITV EMEA executive vice president and managing director Tom Toumazis and Pro Plus general manager Marijan Jurenec.

    With these agreements, Pop TV has licensed the second series of Lost and Desperate Housewives as well as Grey’s Anatomy, the drama Criminal Minds and the family comedy According to Jim.

    Pop TV has also picked up the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical. A contemporary “break into song” production, the comedic movie tells the story of two teens who must learn to believe in themselves despite the polarization of high school cliques. The US premiere of High School Musical delivered the highest ever household ratings for Disney Channel original programming.

    Pop TV’s selected first run features include M Night Shyamalan’s movies Signs and The Village. Other features include the classic movies Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere and Con Air.

    In a separate agreement introduced by BVITV, Pop TV has licensed a selection of action-packed Jetix Europe programming. Younger viewers will be able to enjoy a selection of popular series including W.I.T.C.H. and Power Rangers: Dino Thunder.

    Toumazis said, “Following the continued success of our programming on Pop TV, including Lost and Desperate Housewives, we are delighted to be working with the channel to bring this broad selection of new, schedule-driving entertainment to its viewers.”

  • Zee Kannada explores animation genre

    Zee Kannada explores animation genre

    MUMBAI: Zee Kannada, the Kannada entertainment channel from Zee Network, is looking at the animation genre to beef up weekends.

    To start with, the channel will telecast an animation film Siddhi Vinayaka on 27 August.

    “We chose to telecast this particular movie because of the auspicious occasion, Ganesh Chaturthi. We have the intention to explore this genre aggressively,” says Zee Kannada business head Venkat Giridhar.

    Siddhi Vinayaka, with a duration of one hour, is slotted for 10 am. The film is a co-production between Zee Kannada and the Bangalore-based animation firm Media Tech. According to Giridhar, the channel will promote the film through a print campaign.

  • MySpace.com founder Greenspan launches company to invest in Chinese internet properties

    MySpace.com founder Greenspan launches company to invest in Chinese internet properties

    MUMBAI: MySpace.com founder Brad Greenspan has announced that he has launched and provided initial funding for BroadWebAsia (BWA), a new company that partners with and powers social networking, entertainment and Internet search properties across Asia.

    BWA has already signed agreements to invest in and partner with more than 20 rapidly growing Chinese Internet companies. Combined, these companies have more than 20 million unique visitors and approximately one billion page views per month, with tremendous opportunity for growth, informs an official release.

    “The launch of BroadWebAsia will allow me to implement my proven US internet strategy in China, where there are more than 120 million Internet users, making the country second only to the US in terms of online users,” said Greenspan. “With less than 10 percent of the Chinese population online, there is vast potential for growth. By partnering with early leaders and working with local management, we will dramatically increase traffic and revenue potential for our emerging online Chinese partners.”

    BWA’s first portfolio company, BBMAO.com, is the first meta-search engine focused on China. BBMAO was just named one of the 100 “most promising companies in all of Asia” by Red Herring Asia magazine. Greenspan helped the founders of BBMAO strategize and launch the Web site more than nine months ago. Today, BBMAO has over 70,000 unique users a day and is continuing to grow quickly while rolling out new features.

    BWA is also seeking to raise up to $50 million dollars for other acquisitions, investments and transactions in the Chinese internet marketplace. Greenspan serves as BWA’s chairman of the board, the release adds.

    Greenspan previously served as founder, CEO, and chairman of eUniverse (later renamed Intermix Media), where he led the creation and launch of MySpace in August 2003. eUniverse owned 100 per cent of MySpace — and Greenspan through his ownership of eUniverse — owned approximately 30 per cent of MySpace, effectively making him the largest historical
    individual shareholder of MySpace. At MySpace’s inception and launch, Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson were eUniverse employees that managed MySpace under the direction of Greenspan.

  • Trai poised to finish CAS-related work; price fixing of pay & FTA channels next on the agenda

    Trai poised to finish CAS-related work; price fixing of pay & FTA channels next on the agenda

    NEW DELHI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is close to fixing prices of pay and free to air (FTA) channels, which will complete part of the formalities for rollout of addressability from 1 January 2007.

    According to sources in the regulatory body, which oversees the broadcast and telecom sectors, over the next few days more directives are likely to come on pricing of channels in a conditional access system (CAS) regime.

    The sources said that most major bouquets and TV channels have submitted a formula for pricing of channels for a regime when pay channels will have to go through a set top box on a mandatory basis.

    “Networks like Star and bouquets like Zee Turner and (Discovery-Sony) One Alliance are there with prices of individual channels,” a Trai source said when asked whether a la carte prices of TV channels have been submitted to the regulator or not.

    CAS is scheduled to be rolled out in the south zones of Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai from midnight of 31 December 2006, as per a Delhi court-mandated understanding that the government has reached with the broadcast industry.

    Trai sources said that over the weekend the regulator is first likely to fix the price of free to air channels, which will form the basic tier in a CAS regime, and then follow it up with pricing of pay channels.

    Trai had asked various pay TV channels to submit a la carte prices instead of bouquet pricing, which was being pushed vigorously initially by a section of broadcasters.

    The regulator had also clarified that if the pricing of a pay TV channel in a bouquet seems unreasonable or on the higher side compared to other siblings, it will then fix a price, which will be valid for a year.

    What is not clear at the moment is whether Trai will okay individual prices of pay TV channels in a bouquet or go in for genre-wise pricing like bunching all movie channels across the spectrum, for example, and then fixing their individual prices.

    It is also expected that the price of FTA channels in the basic tier is
    likely to be more than what was fixed three years back at Rs. 72 (exclusive of taxes).

    This time round, cable operators have petitioned to Trai that the basic tier should be priced around Rs. 150 keeping in view the general inflation and increase in other sundry costs like usage of electricity poles in various cities. These charges are given to local power companies as cable ops use electricity poles to string their own cable.

    According to the sources in the regulatory body, the whole CAS-related work will have to be finished before month-end.

    Over the past few days Trai has come out with directives on quality of service for cable operators and multi-system operators and revenue share formula amongst various industry stakeholders.