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Category: News Headline

  • Stage set for launch of Thaicom 5, Satmex 6 satellites

    Stage set for launch of Thaicom 5, Satmex 6 satellites

    MUMBAI: It is all systems go for the latest Ariane 5 mission carrying the Satmex 6 and Thaicom 5 satellites.

    Mission control in Kourou, French Guiana, has set the launch window for the Ariane 5 ECA and its two satellites early on Sunday, 28 May from 02:09 am to 02:54 am (Indian Standard Time).

    The rocket was cleared for launch following the successful completion of systems checks, after which Arianespace decided to start the final countdown for its mission.

    With the Thaicom 5 and Satmex 6 satellites on board, the Ariane 5 flight carries a combined payload weight totalling nearly 8,200 kg for its mission to geostationary transfer orbit.

    Thaicom 5 carries a mixed payload of 14 Ku-band transponders and 25 C-band transponders will be located at an orbital position of 78.5 degrees east longitude.

    As the name suggests, Satmex 6 will have Mexico and North America under its footprint.

  • Murdoch’s ‘The Times’ to launch US edition

    Murdoch’s ‘The Times’ to launch US edition

    MUMBAI: Rupert Murdoch’s London-based The Times newspaper announced that it will launch a US edition on 6 June 2006 and will be available to subscribers at $1, in retail outlets across New York and New Jersey.

    The 64-page newspaper will be printed and distributed by the New York Post, also owned by Murdoch’s News Corp. It will however, repackage stories from the British publication and be edited by John Mair, presently the editor of the International edition.

    The US edition will also be printed in a smaller tabloid-style format.
    Commenting on the launch, The Times editor-in-chief Robert Thomson said, “This is a key moment in the development of The Times as an international media brand. We have seen a large increase in our Times Online readership in the US and the appearance of the newspaper on the streets of New York marks the next stage in our print and web expansion.

    “The Times has one of the largest international networks of any newspaper in the world and US readers want and need sophisticated global political and economic coverage.”

    As part of its strategy, the US edition has been timed to coincide with the football World Cup that kicks off on 9 June in Germany, for which it will be giving extensive news coverage.

  • mFormation plans expansion in India

    mFormation plans expansion in India

    BANGALORE: mFormation Technologies Inc, the provider of mobile device management solutions, has announced the opening of its new facility in Bangalore which will also serve as the company’s headquarters.

    It will be one of mFormation’s three main hubs for product development and will provide professional services and support for customers across the globe.

    The Bangalore office has also setup a global Interoperability test centre and enabled device vendors to test their devices against the mFormation product for OMA standards compliance. mFormation is on course to grow the India team to 200 people over the next few years. Moving into the new facility is part of mFormation’s growth strategy to expand it’s human capital to meet growing global customer demands, states an official release.

    mFormation Technologies Inc. CEO Mark Edwards says, “Mobile communication devices and networks are no longer exclusive for simple voice calls. They have grown from e-mailing & gaming to become a full fledged corporate computing device. It’s imperative for mobile operators to adopt cutting edge technology to streamline their data services strategy and secure incremental revenues.”

    mFormation has drawn in a total investment of about $50 million, after closing a Series D round of $24.5 million in April 2006. In the initial series D funding, the company had raised $15.3 million from the same investors. Existing investors Alex Brown Venture Partners, Battery Ventures, Carmel Ventures, Intel Capital and North Bridge Venture Partners participated in this financing, adds the release.

    mFormation Technologies Inc. is a provider of mobile device management software, offering a solution that enables mobile operators to rapidly accelerate their data revenues and reduce support costs. mFormation’s market-leading mFormation Sevice Manager Suite is a comprehensive over-the-air device management software solution in the industry.A modular solution, the suite enables mobile operators to remotely configure settings and new services, diagnose faults, update firmware and software, monitor customer experience and secure device content throughout the subscriber lifecycle.

  • Cinefoundation winners announced

    Cinefoundation winners announced

    CANNES: The Cannes Film Festivals is not only about the big names from cinema. And this is evident from the Cinéfondation that Gilles Jacob and Pierre Viot created in 1998 to promote the discovery of a new generation of filmmakers. An official selection of school films was therefore presented during the Festival. This year, 17 films from Australia, Asia, Europe, North America and South America were selected from the 1100 submitted.

    The Jury presided by Andrei Konchalovsky and composed of Sandrine Bonnaire, Tim Burton, Daniel Brühl, Souleymane Cisse and Zbigniew Preisner awarded prizes to the following films:

    1st Prize:- GE & ZETA – directed by Gustavo Riet, Universidad del Cine, Argentina

    2nd Prize:- MR. SCHWARTZ, MR. HAZEN & MR. HORLOCKER – directed by Stefan Mueller, Fachhochschule Wiesbaden, Germany

    Joint 3rd Prize: – MOTHER, directed by Siân Heder,American Film Institute, USA

    A VÍRUS- directed by Ágnes Kocsis, Színház- és Filmmuvészeti Egyetem, Hungary.

  • Fox TV Studios becomes entertainment studio for HarperCollins

    Fox TV Studios becomes entertainment studio for HarperCollins

    MUMBAI: Fox Television Studios (FtvS) will serve as the entertainment studio for HarperCollins Publishers, developing original content based on its existing library, as well as new HarperCollins titles – initially in the mystery and romance categories.

    Content will be developed and distributed across multiple platforms worldwide, including television, DVD, and digital media including internet, mobile/wireless and emerging applications. The announcement was made by Fox Television Studios president Angela Shapiro-Mathes.

    The first deal resulting from the partnership is for TV series development based on the popular legal suspense novels by international best-selling author Lisa Scottoline, which center around a group of female partners in the fictional, Rosato law firm.

    Scottoline’s first novel in this nine-volume series of thrillers, Legal Tender, was published by HarperCollins in 1997. To date, she has written 13 novels. Scottoline presently has 10 million copies in print in the US and is published in 23 countries.

    Additionally, Fox Television Studios has optioned The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble. Her novel chronicles a year in the life of a group of women who form a book club, only to see their own personal stories, trials and tribulations mirrored in the literary works they discuss.

    “I’m thrilled to be working with HarperCollins in a venture that connects our two worlds in this way. This collaboration gives us unprecedented access to an untapped resource of talented writers – new voices for the TV and digital space. It also allows FtvS to pursue publishing opportunities for the original programming we develop and produce,” said Shapiro-Mathes.

    To facilitate projects and serve as liaison between FtvS and HarperCollins, Fox TV Studios has retained veteran television producer Karen Glass to work out of HarperCollins’ New York City offices. An experienced executive producer, show-runner and development executive, Glass has developed numerous award-winning shows for broadcast, cable and syndication.

    HarperCollins president and CEO Worldwide Jane Friedman said, “This is a unique partnership that offers endless possibilities. We will now have a professional eye to evaluate our incredible publishing lists – both new titles and our unparalleled backlist – to discover books that are worthy of dramatic portrayal. This is another example of HarperCollins’ continuing effort to create additional opportunities for our authors by introducing them to new audiences.”

    Fox Television Studios executive vice president, scripted programming David Madden added, “We are delighted to be working with such a wonderful stable of talented authors. And it’s especially thrilling to get a chance to be in business with Lisa Scottoline. The admirers of her work are worldwide and extremely devoted, and we look forward to developing her ‘Rosato law firm’ novels for screens everywhere, from living rooms to mobile phones and anyplace where thriller fans can watch Lisa’s characters come to life.”

  • ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ becomes number 1 DVD of 2006

    ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ becomes number 1 DVD of 2006

    MUMBAI: Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media’s presentation The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe has become the number one top-selling DVD of 2006, it was announced by Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) president Bob Chapek.

    The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was released on 5 April and has sold over 11 million units in route to claiming this year’s top DVD spot.

    “We are delighted with the tremendous success of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe DVD. This award-winning film is a stellar addition to the celebrated Disney collection and has set the tone for the next chapter in this promising franchise,” commented Bob Chapek.

    Concurrently, with Narnia in the top DVD spot of 2006, BVHE holds five of the top 10 titles so far this year. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Chicken Little, Lady and the Tramp, Flightplan, and Bambi II are all strongly positioned within the top 10 titles of 2006, states an official release.

    “We are very fortunate to have such a strong line up of titles that appeals to every demographic. It is the backbone of what this studio has always been known for,” Chapek added.

    The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is available as a single disc DVD with outstanding bonus features and as a Special 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD.

    The special edition takes viewers on a deeper adventure into the world of Narnia with nearly ten hours of bonus features — including a behind-the-scenes tour with the film’s child stars, director’s diary, ‘cinematic storytellers’ film diaries, multiple audio commentaries, 3-D map, interactive timeline, featurettes on the creatures and much more, informs the official release.

  • Digital Cinema Show 2006 discusses business and tech aspects

    Digital Cinema Show 2006 discusses business and tech aspects

    MUMBAI: Digital Cinema Show 2006, organised by Saicom Trade Fairs & Exhibitions got underway in Mumbai today. The three day trade show is packaged with an exhibition, conferences and film screenings.

    This year’s conference topics range from the Cost effectiveness of digital cinema to Animation for digital cinema. Panel discussions and analyses on topics such as Digital Intermediate Film Production, Releasing digital films through satellites, Creating storage for digital cinema at reasonable cost, Digital films from script to screen, Distribution and Exhibition of digital movies and Digital cinema technology from production to post production also feature the three-day line up.

    The show as well as the conference has exhibits and speakers from around the world and India. The sponsors for this year’s event include JVC and Panasonic of Japan, Quantel and Western Digital of UK, Digital Film Systems of Ireland and AGIV India.

    The exhibitors in the trade show include ADI Media, Mhatre Electronics, Quantel Ltd, Screen World Publication, Yasuka Corporation, The FX Factory, Studio Assist and Western Digital.

  • Qualcomm introduces world’s first universal mobile TV chip

    Qualcomm introduces world’s first universal mobile TV chip

    MUMBAI: Qualcomm Incorporated, a developer and innovator of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and other advanced wireless technologies, today announced its single-chip Universal Broadcast Modem (UBM) solution supporting three of the world’s leading mobile broadcast standards.

    The UBM solution unifies the world’s leading mobile TV standards into a single, cost-effective chip with support for FLO technology, as well as for Digital Video Broadcasting — Handheld (DVB-H) and one-segment Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting — Terrestrial (ISDB-T), creating a common platform that handset manufacturers can leverage to address multiple standards.

    “Mobile TV on handsets is gaining momentum in the wireless industry, even as network operators continue to evaluate the various standards available. Our UBM solution addresses the industry’s need by providing a single universal chip that supports three of the world’s leading standards, enabling mobile handsets to receive real-time content regardless of the broadcast technology selected by operators,” said Qualcomm CDMA Technologies vice president of strategic products Mike Concannon.

    The UBM solution includes support for FLO, which is part of the MediaFLO system, DVB-H, and one-segment implementations of ISDB-T to address the needs of network operators in Europe, Asia, North America and elsewhere for the deployment of mobile broadcast services. The UBM solution offers a high level of integration to deliver a single-chip FLO solution for the North American market that also includes specific enhancements necessary for deployment outside of North America.

    The UBM is designed as a companion to Qualcomm’s Mobile Station Modem (MSM) baseband chipsets, but also can be used with other products. The UBM leverages the processing power of the Enhanced Multimedia and Convergence Platforms, eliminating the need for additional dedicated application processors for more power-efficient devices with smaller form-factors.

    Specific performance features of the UBM solution include:

    Support for the entire UHF bandwidth — 470 to 862 MHz;
    Tunable modes 5, 6, 7 and 8 MHz channel bandwidths;
    Support for single- and multi-frequency networks.
    Designed to be compatible with both CDMA2000 and WCDMA/UMTS devices, the UBM solution is expected to sample in the first quarter of 2007.

  • ‘Fanaa’ no show: Fun Cinemas deny rift with Yash Raj

    ‘Fanaa’ no show: Fun Cinemas deny rift with Yash Raj

    MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra promoted Fun Cinemas (the multiplex brand of Fun Multiplex Pvt Ltd), which along with Inox are the only two cinema chains not screening the Aamir Khan blockbuster Fanaa, has categorically denied any differences with producer Yash Raj Films.

    A statement issued today by E-City Ventures (the corporate brand representing the Essel Group’s out-of-home leisure interests) made the following clarifications:

    a. There exist no differences between The Essel Group or E-City Ventures and Yash Raj Films (the producers and distributors of Fanaa). All such indications prevailing in the entertainment industry are being spread out of malafide intent, through parties that could have vested interests in this matter.

    b. The revenue model of film exhibition works in a way that films with assured commercial success pay for films that do not justify the exhibitor’s overheads. It is therefore necessary for the exhibitor to price both of them in a way that is acceptable to the audience. This assures a longer shelf life for the given film and ultimately benefits the producer and distributor.

    All the points that The Essel Group and E-City Ventures brought to the table while negotiating terms with Yash Raj Films, were motivated by this strong belief.

    c. The Essel Group and E-City Ventures currently have exhibitory control over 70 single screen cinemas and 40 movie multiplexes. The repercussions of the terms negotiated between Fun Cinemas and Yash Raj Films were to affect all these cinemas. It is not that the exhibitors respect the premium value offered by the producer any less – but they care more for the purchasing power of their audience.

    Thus, the fact that both the parties could not agree on common terms, is a pure business deadlock and not a confrontation of any kind.

    The statement concludes by saying that any subsequent releases from India’s most powerful studio would be “negotiated as an independent premise”. This is a significant point because for the remainder of 2006, Yash Raj Films has a virtual lock on all the big Hindi blockbusters that are slated for release. The A-list movies in its kitty include home productions Dhoom 2 and Kabul Express, as well as the year’s other two biggies – Rakesh Roshan’s Krrish and Dharma Productions’ Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna.

  • Sky & BT win ‘near-live’ Premiership rights

    Sky & BT win ‘near-live’ Premiership rights

    MUMBAI: Satellite broadcaster BSkyB and Britain’s BT Group, in a joint bid, have won the rights for the ‘near-live broadcasts of the Barclays Premiership, via a deal with the FA Premier League.

    The three-year deal extends from the 2007-08 to 2009-10 seasons and allows both parties to broadcast 242 games per season. It enables Sky and BT to offer full delayed coverage or extended highlights of all Barclays Premiership matches not broadcast live, after 10 pm on match days.

    BT will offer the near-live games on its BT Vision service to be launched later this year – on a pay-per-view basis. Sky will however, air these matches at no extra charge, as part of its standard sports packages.

    The Premier League awarded the ‘live’ rights for the same period to BSkyB and Irish pay-TV broadcaster Setanta earlier this month.

    Commenting on the same, Sky Sports MD Vic Wakeling said, “These near-live rights, added to the live matches, give Sky Sports unrivalled Premiership coverage.”

    “We can now promise Football First until the end of the decade and new ways of watching games, on demand, through broadband. Sky remains the home of football.”