ITV

Category: Hardware

  • Cisco increases its reach to 100 million digital TV homes in Asia Pacific

    Cisco increases its reach to 100 million digital TV homes in Asia Pacific

    MUMBAI:  In the rapidly-growing digital television industry in Asia Pacific, Cisco, a provider of conditional access (CA) and digital rights management (DRM) solutions, has secured content that is delivered to more than 100 million digital homes in the region.

    Using an industry-estimated average of 3.3 people per household, Cisco’s VideoGuard conditional access and digital rights management technology now provides the critical protection of premium content to over 340 million viewers.

    Cisco has also developed a research and development (R&D) center in Bengaluru that is dedicated to the development of video technology. According to the MPA report of May 2013, the company currently enjoys the largest market share of the estimated 257 million digital TV homes in Asia Pacific.

    Service Provider Video Software Solutions vice president sales, Asia Pacific Sue Taylor said, “Achieving the milestone of over 100 million digital homes in this region is a testament to our commitment to Asia Pacific over the past 20 years, and our partnerships with some of the most successful cable TV and DTH satellite platforms in the region. This industry in Asia Pacific is one of the fastest growing and most dynamic in the world. We look forward to serving million more households that can benefit from Cisco’s enhanced TV-viewing experiences, as the demand for advanced services and applications surges.”

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      Cisco® VideoGuard conditional access and digital rights management solutions make Cisco the leading CA provider in Asia Pacific with a market share of 31 per cent (Source: Screen Digest Report 2013 and Cisco’s internal subscriber data).
     

      Cisco is a trusted pay-TV technology partner for over 150 Pay-TV operators as well as media and entertainment companies worldwide, including leading Direct-to-home (DTH) and cable operator customers in Asia Pacific like Airtel Digital TV, Astro, Foxtel, Hathway, Oriental Cable Network, Sichuan Cable TV, Tata Sky and DEN Networks.

    Cisco recently announced the key milestone of over 30 million digital TV homes in India with an estimated 150 million viewers.

  • Video’s the way forward for Cisco

    Video’s the way forward for Cisco

     

    MUMBAI: With the ever increasing demand for video services, Cisco is among a clutch of companies that views video as the next big thing.

    Cisco TV coupled with Cisco STBs, caters to over 300 million homes globally and over 30 million households in India. The Cisco Videoscape Unity platform fulfils the demand for video on multiple screens, empowering service providers and media companies to create and connect new synchronised, personalised and intuitive multi-screen experiences at great speeds.
    Video is the next big thing for us: we see the way video will be personalised, consumed and delivered to be very dynamic believes Arora

    Says Cisco India & SAARC service provider – regional sales manager Sandeep Arora: “For Cisco, network is the platform for business enablement. Video is the next big thing for us: we see the way video will be personalised, consumed and delivered to be very dynamic.”

    “There are multiple ways by which we are driving digitisation in India and helping our partners in what we call as a glass to glass strategy, so if you see our technology platforms, we serve from the IRDs – which is a picture coming from the lens of the camera to the glass of the TV screen,” adds Arora.

    Cisco Videoscape Unity brings expertise in building comprehensive carrier-class cloud products and a flair for designing award-winning user experiences that implement each provider’s unique brand and vision. Cisco then engineers this vision into a coherent and deployable multi-screen product.

    “So while we are enabling technology platforms, we are also enabling business platforms, and since it’s a very capex (capital expenditure) driven industry, we are also using our financial arm – Cisco Capital – to drive that high capex worth of business going forward. So in the end, we are just focusing on providing the right value for the end consumer by using the Cisco technology and to be a part of the immersive experience,” says Arora.

    Six to seven years ago, Cisco acquired Scientific Atlanta – its largest acquisition till date – and over the years, it has been acquiring multiple companies to enhance its network capabilities and platform technologies. “So be it content aggregation, content creation or content distribution, all of this need to come together and we need to drive this experience,” says Arora.
    About digitisation, Arora says there have been many anxious moments during phase I and phase II. “There is a technical digitisation that has happened – with the seeding of STBs in homes – but the business digitisation is still evolving – where the revenue is pumped in – and what we are looking at is it kicking in and that’s where the business model starts functioning,” he explains.

    A behavioural change is also taking place, according to him, which is necessary for the success of both technical and business digitisation. “So with phase III and IV of digitisation approaching soon, we are moving to the bottom of the pyramid, and each phase will have its unique set of requirements and challenges, the fragmentation will also increase as digitisation penetrates further. The audience being addressed is very different, so we need to keep thinking how to redefine ourselves as we move forward,” he points out.
    While others may aspire to offer either quick and powerful cloud-based services or customer-specific experiences, Cisco Videoscape Unity is unique in that it offers both.

  • Comigo Duo Box galvanizes the TV market

     

    MUMBAI: Comigo, the creator of a comprehensive multi-screen TV platform, has announced the launch of a new generation of smart set-top-box, named Comigo Duo. Featuring the Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 operating system and a strong dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor, the set-top-box will provide new social and interactive features and capabilities for the TV viewer. Comigo Duo set-top-box is 3G / LTE enabled, ensuring that viewers can take advantage of the latest wireless communications service available.

     

    With a finger on the viewers‘ pulse for social and communications needs, Comigo Duo supports video conferencing (Skype), enabling the viewer to invite friends and family for a chat while watching their favourite programme. Keeping up with developments in mobile technology, Comigo will roll out new services that take advantage of the latest innovative solutions.

    With the Comigo Duo solution, consumers can also perform common home computing tasks, such as emailing, chatting, browsing, gaming and even document viewing and editing. Comigo attempts to bridge the gap between the complex user experience provided by personal computers and the intuitive user experience of a smart device in one handy package.

     

    “Today‘s consumer is more demanding than ever before – they want to interact and communicate with their friends and family,” said Comigo founder and CEO Dov Moran. “We have been working to overhaul the TV experience with our comprehensive multi-screen TV platform – our solutions portfolio has continued to expand to address the rapidly evolution of consumers‘ expectations.”

  • HISPASAT joins hands with Thomson Video Networks

    MUMBAI: Thomson Video Networks has announced that HISPASAT has launched a trial demonstration of Ultra HD content delivery using the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) compression capabilities of the ViBE™ VS7000 multi-screen encoding platform. HISPASAT, a leading satellite transmission operator with a strong presence in Europe and South America, is deploying the VS7000 to deliver HEVC-encoded Ultra HD content to air via its HISPASAT 1E satellite platform. At IBC 2013 this month, HISPASAT will demonstrate live Ultra HD video streams using the Thomson Video Networks technology.  

    “This demonstration plays an important role in our plans to promote the deployment of the most cutting-edge compression and delivery formats – giving our customers the ability to offer their viewers the absolute highest-quality viewing experience,” said HISPASAT chief commercial officer Ignacio Sanchis. “With the Thomson Video Networks technology, we are hoping to create awareness within our customer base and deliver live Ultra HD streams that can be used in many different ways, such as demonstrating interoperability among manufacturers of TV sets and set-top boxes.” 

     

    Thomson Video Networks has been participating in a proof-of-concept trial with HISPASAT that ends this summer to demonstrate how its technologies can form an ecosystem to drive future commercial Ultra HD service offerings based on HEVC compression. The ViBE VS7000 will provide 4K file transcoding in HEVC, and Thomson Video Networks’ Sapphire transport stream server will play out the Ultra HD HEVC-encoded content. The open-source GPAC or VLC HEVC-enabled media players will decode the HEVC content for display on TV sets.

    This trial demonstration is also one of the first steps in the H2B2VS and UltraHD4U Eureka research projects where partners set up a satellite 4K HEVC transmission, paving the way for HEVC-based broadband and broadcast services.

     

    “By adding our own implementation of the new HEVC compression standard to the ViBE VS7000, Thomson Video Networks is paving the way for HD and Ultra HD content on any kind of device and any kind of network. HISPASAT is providing an important service to the media industry by proving that the technology exists today through the ViBE VS7000, and that it can be harnessed to encode 4K content in HEVC for actual Ultra HD delivery,” said Thomson Video Networks president Christophe Delahousse.

     

    In addition to this HEVC trial demonstration, Thomson Video Networks and HISPASAT have signed a wider cooperation agreement to jointly promote Ultra HD TV. As part of this agreement, Thomson Video Networks will be a partner to the HISPASAT 4K channel, which will be launched at IBC this year.

  • Exset introduces DMS for the cable operators of Uttarakhand

    MUMBAI: Netherland-based Exset has announced the availability of its award winning Digital Monetisation Solution (DMS) for the Television Cable Operators of Uttarakhand. 

     

    DMS is a revolutionary all-encompassing service which includes technology at the core, surrounded by localised applications, supported by business alliances delivering the objectives on the TV screens via a low cost Set Top Box (STB). One advantage via DMS – an operator asset has the potential to give the largest thrust to governance in the coming decade. 

    The Uttarkhand initiative announcement was made at the Press Conference at Dehradun recently. During the Conference, various models which could be adopted by the Cable Operators during the digitization process across Uttarakhand were also shared. 

     

    “Keeping in view the digitisation of the Cable Television in this country, we have introduced a unique proposition for the cable operators which will enable them to meet the challenges of digitisation, and also result in positive impact on their revenue stream,” said Exset BV MD and CEO Alex Borland.   

     

    “With adoption of DMS, the local cable operators of Uttarakhand will not only witness an increase in their revenues, but will also enable them to further enhance the end customer experience. This way they will be able to retain and satisfy their customers also,” said Exset BV director-business development for strategic markets Hema Suri. 

     

    Till recently, the Cable Operators across India were depended on monthly subscription fee for their revenue, which is bound to change with the digitization of television cable industry across the Country. “Once implemented, DMS would enhance the revenue stream for the local cable operators will enhance once they offer more value added services to the end customers. Exset’s solution will enable them to do so by connecting them to the flow of information,” said Exset BV regional director south Asia Pradeep Acharya. 

     

    Exset technology has already been adopted by RMEC in Cambodia, Lybid in Ukraine, Koffee Media and is used by one of the world’s largest DTH operators based in Russia.

  • Radiation norms non-compliant mobiles can no longer be sold in India

    NEW DELHI: The government, which had introduced stringent mobile radiation norms from 1 September last year, has now said in new norms that non-complaint phone makers will not be permitted to operate in India.

     

    Companies manufacturing or importing mobile phones for sale in India will have to ensure that the handsets are compliant with new norms. In the EMF (Electromagnetic Frequency) Radiation Standards issued last year, mobiles to be manufactured from 1 September 2012 were to have one tenth of the radiation levels compared to the then mobiles.

    The government had also said at that time that the mobile handsets with existing designs which were compliant with 2.0 W/kg averaged over 10 gram of human tissue would continue to co-exist up to 31 August 2013. Thereafter, only the mobile handsets with revised SAR value of 1.6 W/kg would be permitted to be manufactured or imported in India.

     

    It is expected that this may also help in curbing illegal imports and help Indian manufacturers such as Micromax, Karbonn, Lava and Spice to avoid pricing pressure in the market since they will not compete with lesser known rivals.

     

    Under the new rule put in place by the Communication and Information Technology Ministry, the exposure of radiation emitted from a mobile phone over a gram of human tissue should not be more than 1.6 watt if a consumer uses it for six minutes.

     

    All companies will have to display radiation emitted from mobile phones on the handset in terms of SAR (specific absorption rate) unit. According to a Department of Telecom official, no fresh stock of non-compliant mobile phones will be allowed to be sold from 1 September.

     

    Bureau of India Standards is also working on certain norms which are expected to provide clause for seizure of non-compliant handsets, the official said. These guidelines made India one of the select few countries in the world to have stringent, established in the interest of public health, for mobile towers and mobile handsets. Indian standards are now 10 times more stringent than more than 90 per cent countries in the world.

     

    Furthermore, the Manufacturer‘s mobile handset booklet will contain safety precautions. All cell phone handsets sold in the market in India will comply with relevant standards and shall be available in hands free mode.

     

    A scientific study in India-specific context is being undertaken jointly by the Department of Telecom and Department of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Indian Council for Medical Research, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and the Science & Technology Ministry to derive norms based on credible scientific evidence taking into account diversity of Indian social context.

     

    While guidelines for consumers on mobile handset usage have been issued and placed on the DoT Web site (http://www.gov.dot.in), they include keeping distance – Holding the cell phone away from the body to the extent possible; using a headset (wired or Bluetooth) to keep the handset away from and not pressing against the head, and limiting the length of mobile calls and using text.

     

    Radio Frequency (RF) energy is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source – being very close increases energy absorption much more. Other precautions include putting the cell phone on speaker mode and not carry a mobile phone that is close to the chest or pants pocket. When a mobile phone is switched-on, it automatically transmits at high power every one or two minutes to check (poll) the network.

  • Hathway awards contract to Technicolor to enhance its digital cable offering

    Hathway awards contract to Technicolor to enhance its digital cable offering

    MUMBAI: Hathway Cable & Datacom has awarded two contracts to Technicolor for MediaAccess gateways and MediaPlay set-top boxes. The solution is set to enhance Hathway‘s digital cable offering by enabling the delivery of HD video content and ultra-high speed broadband services to end users.

    MediaAccess TCM471 features multiple channels aggregation (channel bonding) to maximise the performance over newly deployed cable infrastructure on DOCSIS 3.0, while remaining backward compatible with older networks. With the help of its innovative tuner management, it combines efficiently video over cable, video over IP and high-speed broadband services.

    MediaPlay DCI804 is a high-end DVR decoder delivering HD MPEG-4 video. Hathway leverages Technicolor‘s field-proven maturity with this platform to deliver robust HD video, DVR and Time-shifting services to its consumers.

    Technicolor president of connected home Michel Rahier said, “The new partnership with Hathway is a key milestone for Technicolor in the APAC region and contributes to reinforce our positions on this fast growing market.”

    “We are excited about this partnership with Technicolor, a worldwide leader in gateways and set-top boxes. Hathway firmly believes in bringing the best of technology and quality to its customers. With Technicolor‘s products, we believe that we will be able to take digitisation of our networks to the next stage and deliver more value to our customers in India,” said Hathway Cable & Datacom MD & CEO Jagdish Kumar.

  • Trai issues Tariff Orders for STBs/CPEs for DTH and cable TV operators

    Trai issues Tariff Orders for STBs/CPEs for DTH and cable TV operators

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) late last evening issued two tariff orders prescribing standard tariff package for set top boxes (STBs) for digital addressable cable TV systems (DAS) and Consumer Premises Equipments (CPEs) for Direct to Home (DTH) services. The prime objective of these tariff orders, TRAI says, is to ensure effective commercial interoperability.

    The said tariff orders have been devised to make available STBs / CPEs at a reasonable price and, lucid and easy to understand, terms and conditions as well as to take care of the interests of the service providers. This would also promote healthy competition amongst the operators which would ultimately benefit all the stakeholders of the sector, including the consumers.The standard tariff packages for STB/CPE on rental basis are to be offered mandatorily by DTH and cable TV operators.

    As per the two tariff orders issued and notified on 27 May, cable TV operators and DTH service providers will be in a position to provide four options to consumers with differing rental and security deposit plans. DAS service providers can provide the STBs at a monthly rent of Rs 55.66 or Rs 50.66 (excluding taxes) if the security deposit is Rs 400 and Rs 800 respecitvely. For DTH service providers, the monthly rent for the CPE has been mandated at Rs 71.75 and Rs 65.50 if the security deposit is Rs 500 and Rs 1000 respectively.

    The entire security deposit will be refunded to subscribers at the end of three years and the STB or CPE will belong to the customer. Should the customer choose to clip the service earlier under these options, he will still get the entire STB security depost refunded.

    The tariff orders have also given options where the security depost is adjustable against the monthly rent. Thus DAS service providers can offer the STBs at a monthly adjustable rent of Rs 46.80 or Rs 32.93 if the security deposit is Rs 400 and Rs 800 respectively. And DTH service providers can provide STBs at a monthly adjustable rent of Rs 60.66 and Rs 43.32 if the security deposit is Rs 500 and Rs 1000. Under these options, should the customer choose to exit the DTH or CAS service, he will be entitled to a refund depending on the month he is discontinuing the service.

    For instance, if he moves out in month twelfth of year one of the Rs 500 adjustable security deposit plan for DTH, he will be entitled to get a refund of Rs 370.18. If the exit takes place in month 24 the refund amount has been drawn up to be Rs 192.05.The TRAI has similarly drawn up tables which clearly spell out how much the refund would be. The two orders which clearly explain this are called The Telecommunication (Broadcasting & Cable) Services Sixth – (The Direct to Home Services) Tariff order 2013 and The Telecommunication (Broadcasting & Cable)Fifth – (Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems) Tariff Order 2013 TARIFF ORDER, 2013 and have been made available on the TRAI web site trai.gov.in.

    To see the standard tariff plan for DTH Click Here

    To see the standard tariff plan for DAS Click Here

    The charges which have been mandated by TRAI include the installation fee, activation fee, smart card viewing charges, and repair and maintenance for three years.

    The regulator has said that, while these packages are mandatory, service providers can also make other offers to subscribers.It has also stated that these specific packages are prescribed for “plain vanilla STBs/CPEs” and not for the exotic ones with recorders and HD and 3D STBs.

    The Standard Tariff Package for Cable TV operators has been worked out on the basis of the following facts and figures as provided by the Industry stakeholders/ Associations:-

    a) The total cost of STB has been taken as Rs 1750.

    b) Life span of STB has been taken as three years.

    c) The residual value has been taken as nil.

    d) Rental per month is based on cost of STB on Equated Monthly Installment (EMI) Basis @15 per cent per annum (@1.25 per cent per month) for a period of 36 months.

    The Standard Tariff Package for DTH operators has been worked out on the basis of the following facts and figures as provided by Industry stakeholders/ Associations;

    a) The total cost of CPE has been taken as Rs 2250.

    b) Life span of CPE has been taken as three years.

    c) The residual value has been taken as nil.

    d) Rental per month is based on cost of CPE on Equated Monthly Installment (EMI) Basis @15 per cent per annum (@1.25 per cent per month) for a period of 36 months.

    In case of un-installation/discontinuance of service before the last day of the month, balance security deposit shown as refundable at the end of that month will be refunded on return of Customer Premises Equipment.

    No installation charges or re-installation charges (except in case of shifting of connection) or activation charges or smartcard/ viewing card charges is to be levied by the DTH operator/or DAS service provider on the subscriber.

  • ‘Our aim is to see that India is a top 5 market for us in 2 years’ : Sony chairman, CEO and president Sir Howard

    ‘Our aim is to see that India is a top 5 market for us in 2 years’ : Sony chairman, CEO and president Sir Howard

     

    Sony Corporation expects India to be among its top five markets by sales in the next two years.

     

    Betting big on 3D, Sony chairman, CEO and president Sir Howard Stringer is targeting 30 per cent of its India sales to come from 3D products by 2012.

     

    The first non-Japanese head of Sony feels that the company needs to improve its broadcasting business in India and build synergies across all its verticals.

     

    Stringer was in Mumbai to inaugurate Sony Media Technology Centre (SMTC) in association with Whistling Woods International (WWI), Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto unravels Stringer‘s plans in India.

     

    Excerpts:

    India only forms three per cent of Sony‘s global sales of around $88 billion. How do you explain this, given the large consumer base here?
    While this is true, our aim is to see that India is a top five market for us in the next two years. Year on year we have experienced a 50 per cent growth in turnover. Our commitment is to establish a strong brand here.

     

    We were not quick to come here with all the facets of our business. Twelve years back, India was not a focus market for us. You have to remember that our television sets have premium margins; they are expensive.

     

    Now as India‘s economy has grown, Indian consumers are getting aspirational for our products. You can only be as big as the market is. We expect solid growth in the coming four years.

    Is it fair to say then that India has become very important for Sony?
    Yes! When it comes to entertainment, we love India. We are trying to cash in on our success. We are the No. 1 consumer electronics brand here.

     

    On the television front, we do the IPL. Our film studio has had great success here. Everything that we do works here. The size of the Indian film industry is why India is so important. We have a good relationship here.

     

    A few years back, we started building infrastructure for 3D; digital cinema has helped us grow here and in other markets. Being in this industry is like no other. This is a wonderful business to be in.

    Are you confident that 3D will penetrate here?
    Yes! India will adopt 3D faster due to the size and scale of the film industry. People said that I should not tie my career in with 3D. However, I have never doubted this medium. 3D is not about special effects; it is about capturing the reality around us.

     

    Avatar focused a lot on special effects and the story was secondary. That is why I think that it lost the Best Picture Oscar.

     

    However now what you are seeing is that the technology is being integrated with the storyline. On television, it will be a feature but not everything needs to be in 3D. For instance, you would not want to see Gadaffi in 3D. We have a channel 3D Net. Sony Pictures Imageworks made Alice In Wonderland. 3D is an art form. Sony is home to engineers and film directors working on this technology.

    From a revenue standpoint, what difference is 3D making to Sony?
    It is becoming an important avenue with home video sales declining. You can charge a premium on tickets. Of course, there are films that are not good and so 3D will not work there. However if the product is good, then it offers a premium.

    What content is coming from Sony in 3D?
    The Smurfs is coming in 3D. Spiderman 4 is currently being shot. We are present across the spectrum of 3D. Last year, Hollywood made 40 films in 3D. By 2013, you will see 120 films using this technology. 3D is actually growing faster than HD.
    ‘We were not quick to come to India with all the facets of our business. Now as India‘s economy has grown, Indian consumers are getting aspirational for our products. You can only be as big as the market is. We expect solid growth in the coming four years‘

    What is the size of the 3D market?
    In India, we have a 60 per cent share of 3D related products. Sony‘s target is that 30 per cent of India sales will come from 3D products by 2012.

     

    We launched 3D LCDs last year in India. More 3D capable products will be launched by us, one after the other.

     

    Globally, we are targeting sales of more than $12 billion for the current fiscal from 3D products. This includes consumer and professional products and games.

    There has been criticism that the 3D experience at home is not good. Your views?
    I do not agree. With high quality glasses, 3D becomes a riveting experience. We haven‘t had complaints about our products. The problem, though, is there is a lack of awareness about 3D.

     

    I have seen stores abroad where 3D TV sets are on display, but the glasses are not offered. So the picture is fuzzy and unclear. We test our 3D by seeing how many consumers can view it at a time. 3D is not a fad. At the moment you cannot view 3D glassless, but it will come in at some point in time.

    How did the collaboration with Whistling Woods International come about?
    Through the new initiative, we can learn from each other. This was not a hard choice. We have been impressed by their staff and use of technology.

     

    Whistling Woods International is a mirror of the American Film Institute (AFI), of which I am the chairman. We have a film studio and Whistling Woods International is a great school. We want to create a new world of Indian filmmaking.

     

    The Sony Media Technology Centre (SMTC) is the result of an on-going conversation. It is one of just three facilities we have globally. The others are in Hollywood and in the UK.

     

    The facility will provide a forum for us to offer our latest high definition and 3D technologies. We will be able to share Sony‘s expertise in 3D content creation with aspiring filmmakers and industry professionals. We aim to enhance and develop India‘s entertainment industry by popularising HD and 3D content creation.

    SMTC continues an effort started a year back with the opening of the first Sony 3D Technology Centre in Los Angeles where over a 1000 industry professionals have visited and trained to date.

     

    What is the investment being made here?
    We are investing $4.5 million in this centre. Sony has installed HD and 3D content creation and digital cinema projection equipment in Whistling Woods International. Sony will also provide its knowhow in HD content creation from acquisition to post -production of content. The 3D market will grow and we know that creation of high quality 3D content is essential to this growth.

     

    As a filmmaker ,you have to know what you are doing all the time. That is because your work is out there for everybody to see. India produces more films than any country. Your films are seen in 80-90 countries globally. As you migrate towards the latest technologies and go digital, the Indian film industry will be able to go global. Digital allows you to be both national and international.

    As a filmmaker ,you have to know what you are doing all the time. That is because your work is out there for everybody to see. India produces more films than any country. Your films are seen in 80-90 countries globally. As you migrate towards the latest technologies and go digital, the Indian film industry will be able to go global. Digital allows you to be both national and international.

    SMTC continues an effort started a year back with the opening ofustry professionals have visited and trained to date.

    What is the investment being made here?
    We are investing $4.5 million in this centre. Sony has installed HD and 3D content creation and digital cinema projection equipment in Whistling Woods International. Sony will also provide its knowhow in HD content creation from acquisition to post -production of content. The 3D market will grow and we know that creation of high quality 3D content is essential to this growth.

     

    As a filmmaker ,you have to know what you are doing all the time. That is because your work is out there for everybody to see. India produces more films than any country. Your films are seen in 80-90 countries globally. As you migrate towards the latest technologies and go digital, the Indian film industry will be able to go global. Digital allows you to be both national and international.
  • ‘India and China are our key markets in Asia’ : Dolby Laboratories senior director, broadcast Jason Power

    ‘India and China are our key markets in Asia’ : Dolby Laboratories senior director, broadcast Jason Power

     

    Driven by the rapid development in digital and mobile technologies, sound company Dolby is expanding its market base from cinema to the broadcasting sector.

     

    Dolby is pushing Dolby Digital Plus, an enhanced version of the Dolby Digital system, which allows broadcast operators to deliver surround sound. But Dolby also works with the entire value chain to ensure a better consumer experience.

     

    As the Indian broadcasting sector digitises, Dolby sees a big opportunity. It has stitched deals with three DTH operators and is in talks with the cable TV operators. It wants to work with content providers to boost the quality of their sound.

     

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto, Dolby Laboratories senior director, broadcast Jason Power talks about the company’s growth across all media platforms and its India plans.

     

    Excerpts:

    What strategy has Dolby followed in the past few years to enhance the consumer’s entertainment experience?
    Our focus lies in all those things which are going digital and High Definition (HD). This is where we see a big opportunity as we create technologies that enable entertainment to be replayed at its best. While people know us for doing this best for cinema over the past 10 years, we have also been focusing on the broadcast sector and other areas where digital entertainment has been happening.

    Dolby has been closely linked to the transition to high definition around the world. Dolby has been there to make sure that the audio complements the HD picture.

     

    Now HD content is moving to digital devices such as the mobile phone. We ensure that content is replayed at its pristine best, regardless of the platform which includes online delivery.

    What new products have you added to your portfolio recently?
    The most exciting product for broadcasting is Dolby Digital Plus. Dolby Digital has been synonymous with HDTV. Dolby Digital Plus is the new generation of that technology and an ideal combination for new HD television services. It is being used in Europe and the US.

     

    In India, it is currently being used by three direct-to-home (DTH) operators – Airtel digital TV, Tata Sky and Sun Direct. Using our technology, they can now offer 7.1 channels of surround sound.

    How is Dolby Digital Plus an improvement?
    It allows surround sound to be added at attractive data rates. It minimises the data rate that broadcasters need to use for transmitting audio. There is a 40 per cent saving over the previous technology. Most importantly, it allows for future innovation. The Blu Ray disc, for example, has features for 7.1 channel audio, for interactivity in the audio. We can offer these same benefits to broadcasters. It can keep DTH competitive.

    What kind of product research does Dolby do to make sure that clients and consumers are satisfied?
    Satisfying consumers is what we are about. We believe that to be successful, we have to make a difference to the entertainment experience.

     

    To make the technology a difference, we want to help the industry create a surround sound. We work with content makers to help produce in surround sound. We work with broadcasters to help them handle that surround sound in their station. We also work with operators to help them transmit that surround sound.

     

    We work with set-top box (STB) vendors to help them input our technology. We also work with home cinema manufacturers. We do educational drives and training to help operators understand our technology better and see how people hook up systems better. We are present across the value chain.

    What have the learnings been from working with so many parties?
    In the broadcast business where we have over 1000 channels using our technology, we find the eco system complex. Many parties are involved in the chain. There is production, broadcasters, equipment vendors, STBs, chip suppliers and middleware. There are all these layers. You have to support all these players if you want to give the consumer at home a better experience.

     

    A key part of our success is our engagement with all the parties all the way through the value chain. We have not just tried to flog the technology in one small piece. We have engaged with the whole industry to help make surround sound a reality for them. We have nurtured and catalysed the process happening in the industry. This has been essential to our success in the broadcast business.
    ‘For us, the Indian market will be content driven. China, on the other hand, will be more manufacturing centric‘

    Which are your top three markets in Asia?
    You have to split it between the consumer audience and manufacturing. Clearly, there are TV manufacturers in Korea. But in terms of consumption and getting content on the air in our technology, India and China are key. They have large populations going through an exciting digital transition. DTH is exploding in India. The HD transition is just happening. Digital cable transition will happen in the coming years. This is why we are excited about India.

    Earlier Dolby was known for its work in cinema. When did you shift the focus to broadcast and mobile entertainment and how has it benefited you?
    We remain focussed and invest heavily on cinema. We innovate in terms of audio formats for cinema. We are involved in 3D for cinema.

    But we have steadily grown other businesses as digitisation has spread globally. Broadcast and PC is our second largest biggest segment.

    How important will the role of sound be in a digital Indian television landscape?
    What is interesting is that India has a passion for entertainment. Consumers are hungry for changing the quality of their entertainment experience; we can provide that change.

     

     

    HD is about video and audio. Both are equally important – or it is incomplete. We think that for HD to make a difference and a valuable proposition, it needs to be more than just a pretty picture on the wall. We can turn it into an immersive experience where the consumers feel that they are in there.

     

     

    We want to put your right in the middle of a cricket match, right in the middle of a rainforest or in the middle of your favourite drama, for instance. Picture gives you detail and something to watch for, but it is the sound that makes it real for you.

    What other products do you offer for the broadcast sector?
    The other product is Dolby Volume. It is a different challenge. It deals with the issue of volume inconsistencies across TV services. It can even be used in TV sets to level out sound differences.

    How big a challenge is it to market your products to television platforms and services in India and abroad?
    Our technology is used in over 50 per cent of TV sets shipped around the world. It is a challenge to market but we have invested in this area; we have improved the relevance of our technology. Our USP is about providing a richer, more immersive experience through surround sound for digital entertainment.

    What is the value add that the DTH players will get by partnering with Dolby?
    We are helping the three Indian DTH companies adopt our technology. They have included our technology in their STBs so that they can transmit on surround sound. We work upstream with broadcasters to help them provide a selection of surround sound content to feed on HD services. NGC, Discovery, ESPN are some channels that are making use of our surround sound technology. Our focus now is to work with local channels to help produce content in surround sound.

    Have you set any targets in terms of the amount of business you expect to see from India?
    We want our technology to be adopted by all the six DTH operators. We are also excited about digitisation of cable. We can help incentivise consumers to switch over to digital cable.
    To what extent did the economic downturn affect business?
    We have seen growth globally in the broadcast business. Our touch rate to digital television has doubled in the past two years. We have met our forecasts.

     

     

    We have benefited from the macro effect of HDTV rolling around the world. This insulated us from the downturn.

    Could you give me an example of how Dolby worked with a broadcaster to make the HD transition?
    We have worked with the DTH operators here. With Airtel we have worked not just in terms of enabling our technology in their transmission through STBs, but also to help them publicise this to the consumer and explain the difference.

     

    In the UK Sky was the first significant sized HDTV operator in Europe; so we worked with them on content. Cricket production was the first place we got involved in; we helped them work on mixing surround sound to their cricket coverage with minimal additional effort.
    In terms of sound, don’t movies and sport benefit the most?
    They do. However there are other genres like audience shows, live entertainment shows and talent shows that can also get a boost. They can be really immersive. I have seen people bend our format to all kinds of content.
    How big is your R&D effort?
    Our investment is sizeable. We have state of the art research going on in audio and imaging. We contributed some of the fundamental IP into MPEG 4 video encoding; we have some technology around high dynamic range imaging. We recently announced a product targeted at very high end post production facilities.
    Are you looking at setting up an R&D hub in India?
    That is something we would be open to. We have decentralised our research to use local talent. Five years back, we used to do most of our search in the west coast of the US. Now we have eight research locations dotted around the world. We are familiar with talent coming from here.
    How are you tackling China?
    We have been present there for a long time; our technology is a standard part of HD television there. We have 11 channels using our technology. As the digital TV transition is taking place, it is also an exciting market for us. We license our technology for STB manufactures. We partner with government agencies like Cesi. We help their members have access to our technology for the Chinese and global market.

    How are India and China different as markets?
    In India, it will be content driven for us; it is about making sure that there is local content using our technology.

     

    China, on the other hand, will be more manufacturing centric. It will be about enabling their manufacturers compete on a worldwide stage; we will give them audio features that the global market demands.
    On the cinema front, you have done work in stereoscopic 3D. Have exhibitors in India and overseas supported you in this, given the added investments they have had to make?
    Exhibitors are happy that they are able to command a premium price for 3D exhibition. It has helped them fund the investment in digital cinema exhibition.

     

    Some chains in India use us. According to our feedback, we provide the sharpest and clearest picture. Our glasses are reusable. It is not a wear once and throw away model. Theatres that are very quality conscious tend to like us more.

    How do you see 3D TV progressing?
    We are excited about the potential for 3D in broadcast. We see moves by major TV manufacturers to promote 3D TV sets. The interesting thing is that making a flat panel TV to a 3D one requires little cost. They can offer this additional benefit without there being a big impact on their cost.

     

    We see big forecasts of 3D TV shipments coming from broadcasters to transmit in 3D. We have published an open specification that broadcasters can use. We have exciting ideas about what we can offer in the future.
    In developing solutions for new media like mobile, you work with several partners like Nokia and LG. How has this experience been?
    We work with LG across different fields. With Nokia it is with the mobile phone and is a newer relationship. We work with them not just as an entertainment device but as an entertainment library device. You can have movie content on the phone and enjoy it with your headphones; you could also connect the phone to a home cinema system and enjoy the content in HD, Dolby surround System. We help these companies establish a completely new value proposition.

     

     

    We also work with companies like Netflix and AT&T to help their content get decoded in our formats. Then they can deliver this content through whatever pipes they choose in the best possible audio.

     

    What are the challenges in developing solutions for new media?
    We have partnered closely with the industry to make sure that technology is there in the form that they need it in. There are specific chips that are used in mobile phones. We also work with the chosen chip set vendors of handset manufacturers to make it easier for them to have our technologies available on a chip.
     
    The other part is creating technology to improve the headphone listening experience. When a consumer hits the Dolby button on the mobile phone, the whole experience should come alive. That is our goal. The challenge was creating a complex technology which you then make available in a form that works so that it is practical to implement on the mobile phone.
    What work does Dolby do in gaming?
    Our technology is included in Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo among other manufacturers. We work with game developers to see how best to include our technology. We also have a new technology called Dolby Axon. It is a voice communications application that helps interactive gamplay.
    What are the challenges in developing solutions for new media?
    We have partnered closely with the industry to make sure that technology is there in the form that they need it in. There are specific chips that are used in mobile phones. We also work with the chosen chip set vendors of handset manufacturers to make it easier for them to have our technologies available on a chip.

    The other part is creating technology to improve the headphone listening experience. When a consumer hits the Dolby button on the mobile phone, the whole experience should come alive. That is our goal. The challenge was creating a complex technology which you then make available in a form that works so that it is practical to implement on the mobile phone.
    What work does Dolby do in gaming?
    Our technology is included in Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo among other manufacturers. We work with game developers to see how best to include our technology. We also have a new technology called Dolby Axon. It is a voice communications application that helps interactive gamplay.