ITV

Category: Technology

  • Brahma Kumaris’ Godlywood Studios installs Harman Studer Vista mixing console

    Brahma Kumaris’ Godlywood Studios installs Harman Studer Vista mixing console

    NEW DELHI: Godlywood Studios – set up by Brahma Kumaris, World Renewal Spiritual Trust at Mount Abu – has installed a Harman Studer Vista 1 mixing console to serve at the heart of its audio system.

    The new Studio is situated in its Shantivan Complex at its International Headquarters at Abu Road, Rajasthan.

    This highly advanced electronic media studio creates television programmes and films dedicated to spreading spiritual knowledge and Raja Yoga meditation and is intended to create and air various spiritually oriented TV programmes and films.

    It was conceived and initiated by Brahma Kumari Organisation managing trustee BK Ramesh Shah. Following Shah‘s vision to create a world-class studio with all functional infrastructure facilities under one roof, the implementation of this project was handed over to BK Harilal (Haridas Bhanushali) and the team executed this project in a short span of one year.

    Determined to create a modern facility with world-class tools and equipment, Godlywood studios enlisted a technical committee comprised of BK Shiva, Shashi Mekal and Gerard Goveia of Broadcast Media Equipments Pvt Ltd (BMEPL) along with Harman Professional India Recording & Broadcast Sales Manager Ashish Barje. The team selected Harman‘s Studer Vista 1 mixing console to serve at the heart of the studio, marking the first installation of a Studer Vista 1 in India.

    “The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organisation [BKWSO] chose the Studer Vista 1 as the perfect fit for Godlywood studios because the primary requirement was that of a compact solution without compromise on system performance, DSP capability or reliability. The Studer Vista 1 enables us to have the control surface, I/O system, DSP and power supplies all contained within one very small footprint console,” said Godlywood Studios Technical Head Shashi Mekal.

    The BKWSO was also impressed with the Vista 1 for its user-friendly, easy-to-learn interface and unique functionality with its Vistonics user interface and 40 on-screen rotary knobs. Using Studer‘s unique Virtual Surround Panning, the operator can take mono sources and create a realistic sound field for a film quickly and easily.

    The system integration for the project was performed by TASS Services of Mumbai. AVF Distributors, the authorised dealer for Harman‘s broadcast range, supplied the console to Godlywood.

    Commenting on a successful installation, Gerard Goveia, Director, TASS Services, Mumbai, said, “The Studer Vista 1 perfectly fit the bill given the specifications by BKWSO, as well as the budget for the studio‘s setup. The Vista 1 sits at the heart of the studio, providing complete control and ease of operation to the technical users.”

    In addition to the Studer Vista 1, Godlywood Studios deployed a full array of Harman technologies in the space, including three JBL 3730 ScreenArray cinema loudspeakers, one JBL 4642A subwoofer and eight JBL 8320 compact cinema surround loudspeakers. The system is powered with five Crown DSi 1000 and two DSi 4000 amplifiers.

    Godlywood Studios also features an audio dubbing studio equipped with AKG C414 microphones and dbx processors, as well as an HD multicam shooting floor that has JBL LSR4326 studio monitors.

    Elaborating on Harman‘s legendary expertise in broadcast solutions across the world, Harman Professional India Operations senior director David McKinney said, “The Studer Vista 1 has proven to be the ideal console for this prestigious installation at Godlywood Studios. The internal 5.1-to-stereo down mix function allows for simultaneous live productions in both formats; this saves a lot of time for the engineers having to redo the mix. Being a successful installation of Studer Vista 1 in India, we are extremely proud of the installation and the team involved has done a commendable job in the project.”

    The Brahma Kumaris organisation is spread over 138 countries with 8,500 centres.

  • IndiaCast assigns digital content management duties to Tangerine Digital

    IndiaCast assigns digital content management duties to Tangerine Digital

    MUMBAI: IndiaCast Media Distribution, the JV of TV18 and Viacom18 has appointed digital content management agency Tangerine Digital to manage the digital content of their flagship channels on digital platforms.

    IndiaCast is mandated to drive domestic and international channel distribution, placement services and content syndication for TV18, Viacom18, A&E Networks, TV18 and the Eenadu group. Tangerine will be responsible for curating and packaging all Video on Demand (VOD) content in order to aid discovery for IndiaCast while at the same time, ensuring stringent turnaround time for publishing of episodic videos.

    To take the relationship forward, Tangerine will bring its experience in content management and metadata services for the broadcast industry. They will not only assist IndiaCast in its endeavour to increase operational efficiencies to consolidate their distribution functions of both media houses but also support the distribution venture reach newer markets. Tangerine will capture, curate and publish episodic videos of six channels (including Colors TV) within 45 minutes of its premier on-air telecast in India. Italso will create individual episodic videos of shows like ‘Balika Vadhu‘ and ‘Uttaran‘ etc of Colors in addition to regional content from five of ETV‘s bouquet of channels.

    IndiaCast Group CEO Anuj Gandhi said, “Tangerine has been a very strong partner in growing our digital footprint. The team has

     

    always delivered successfully to our tight and aggressive schedules and has a rapid and effective response mechanism to meet dynamics of the digital environment. We are pleased to work with Tangerine and look forward to a long term fruitful association.

     

    Tangerine Digital CEO Kesavan Kanchi Kandadai said, “The media distribution industry is currently witnessing a phenomenal revolution in the way media content is circulated and consumed. Increased bandwidth and easy access of Internet through tablets and smartphones is fueling exponential growth of online video consumption, in turn unlocking new channels in the way content is created, distributed and monetised. We at Tangerine are entirely focused on this evolving digital environment and will continue to pioneer new and creative ways to engage, entertain and inform audiences. We believe we have the capabilities and the focused strategic approach and expertise to add value to the brand IndiaCast.”

    Tangerine Digital offers integrated services across content creation and management including sports content, repurposing videos for VoD platforms and creating theme based text and video content across e-commerce, web, mobile and social media platforms. Additionally, Tangerine also creates metadata for video and images and moderates user generated content to protect and de-risk the brands on the digital platforms and manages the YouTube channel of the client.
  • BBC Worldwide Labs to mentor six digital startups this year

    BBC Worldwide Labs to mentor six digital startups this year

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide Labs has announced the finalists for the second Labs programme which kicks off next month in London.

    The six digital media start-ups are: Animal Vegetable Mineral, Oddizzi, Future Ad Labs, Social Spree, Peekabu Studios and The Backscratchers.

    The selected start-ups are all at the point of commercialisation where BBC Worldwide Labs can play an important role in their further development and growth. The companies represent an array of emerging trends from the digital arena including: 3D gaming, animation, play captchas, gesture tracking, social media measurement tools and education.

    Following in the footsteps of the first group of companies, the class of the year will be offered the opportunity to work within BBC Worldwide‘s London head quarters with support from teams across legal, sales and marketing, business development and technology, as well as access to mentors from within BBC Worldwide and the BBC and external mentors from companies such as Wayra, Facebook, General Assembly and Google. The programme will also include a number of bespoke networking sessions, development sessions and mentoring all focused on supporting the scaling up of the businesses and the possibility of securing commercial partnership either within BBC Worldwide or with other partners.

  • Google to use balloons to spread internet reach

    Google to use balloons to spread internet reach

    MUMBAI: Google has come up with an innovative way to spread the reach of the internet to a billion or more new people, including small villages and cities outside of major urban areas in south east Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

    To achieve this purpose the company will use special balloons to broadcast the wireless connection.

    A report in The Wall Street Journal states that the aim is to use a combination of CPUs and Android phones to connect a much larger wireless network, utilising airwaves primarily used for television broadcasts.

    The networks also could be used to improve internet speeds in urban centers. Google plans to team up with local telecom companies and equipment providers in the emerging markets to develop the networks, as well as create business models to support them, these people said. It is unclear whether Google already has lined up such deals or alliances the report adds.

  • Trai’s tariff order gets a mixed response from leading MSOs and DTH service providers

    Trai’s tariff order gets a mixed response from leading MSOs and DTH service providers

    MUMBAI: Cable TV and DTH industry executives have given a mixed response to the standard tariff package order which they can charge subscribers for set top boxes (STBs) and consumer premise equipment (CPE) that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) announced late last evening. Called The Telecommunication (Broadcasting & Cable) Services Fifth – The Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems Tariff Order 2013 and The Telecommunication (Broadcasting & Cable) Sixth -The Direct to Home Services Tariff Order 2013, respectively, they seek to offer another option for buying STBs to TV viewers in India.

    Leading Indian MSO DEN Networks COO M.G. Azhar was reasonably happy about the orders being release. Says he: “It is good news. Under the new order, the government has standardised a payback period of three years for the STB/CPEs.”

    He, however, confessed that he does not know how much of an impact it would have on consumer offtake. “Our experience shows that we have not had too many subscribers opting for the basic STBs which we have been offering to them in the past with similar packages,” he reveals. “We used to take Rs 600 or so when a consumer signed on for DEN‘s DAS services and then adjust the cost of the STB through the subscription fees we levied every month. Normally, we have been seeing more offtake coming for the better STBs.”

    Some like Tata Sky MD and CEO Harit Nagpal said it was too early to respond to the media about the Trai tariff orders. “We are responding to the Trai on this directly,” he explained. “We are seeing how quickly we can implement it.”

    Videocon d2H CEO Anil Khera admitted that he was not so sure if the orders would be acceptable to all. But he added that his company was trying to understand what its impact would be on the DTH sector. “We are currently studying the order and seeking legal advice as well, we are still trying to understand the logistical issues,” stated Khera.

    Indusind Media & Communications Ltd MD Ravi Manshukhani, was pretty non-committal about the Trai‘s new orders. “Whatever they have put out is absolutely fair, we just hope that we are able to implement whatever is required from our end with support from the government,” he stated.

    But he also highlighted that the operator should have the right to quote his price for the STBs he is giving his customers. He cautioned: “See the government is playing its part in creating guidelines for the sector, but they do not know what is actually happening on the ground. We have not yet matured as a market to provide what Trai wants. Right now we all are in the process of digitising the country as per the demands of Trai and ministry of information and broadcasting, so we are providing the boxes at whatever prices we can. If there are more rules and regulations like this then it is only going to make things painful.”

    So the verdict of the industry on the new Trai tariff orders seems rather unclear. Let‘s wait and watch, and see how they react to it over the next few days.

    Also read:

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

    TRAI acts tough about DAS; moves court against cable TV ops

    Trai issues draft tariff package for STBs/CPEs for DTH and cable TV ops

  • TRAI acts tough about DAS; moves court against cable TV ops

    TRAI acts tough about DAS; moves court against cable TV ops

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is flexing its muscles. The telco regulator has taken about a dozen cable operators to a Delhi court for not providing details of subscribers of set-top boxes (STBs) to multi-system operators (MSO) which is necessary to ensure accountability in digitisation of cable TV services.

    The regulator has filed a complaint before chief metropolitan magistrate Vidya Prakash, saying that cable TV operators have not been complying with its regulations relating the government mandated digital addressable system (DAS). Under this, cable ops are supposed to attach a set top box to TV sets of their subscribers. And they have to provide customer details along with their choice of services, choice of channels and bouquets. But they have not been forwarding these to the MSO, the TV signals of which they are delivering to their subscribers. TRAI had ordered this to be the norm to ensure transparency and acccountability.

    The regulator had in May 2012 issued its standards of quality of services (Qos) which provides for connection, disconnection, transfer, shifting of the cable TV services, procedure for handling subscribers complaints and redressal, for obtaining/ supplying STBs, changing the position of channels, payment of bills and responsibilities of cable operators and MSOs for ensuring quality of service at the subscriber level.

    According to the QoS, cable ops had to mandatorily provide consumer information. But when it was getting updates about the spread of digitisation in phase I in the four metros, it discovered that some linked cable ops were shying away from providing relevant consumer details like total number of STBs seeded and operationalised, their choice of channels, bouquets and about subscribers. The TRAI also disclosed that the cable ops have failed to comply with its notices.

    Small cable ops have been having run-ins with the TRAI from time to time, fearing future survival in a scenario where the MSO ends up building a direct relationship with their subscribers.

  • 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.

  • Rajasthan Royals launches a limited-edition Tablet

    Rajasthan Royals launches a limited-edition Tablet

    MUMBAI: Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals which has been in the news mostly for the wrong reasons has announced a new partnership with Mumbai based ICE X Electronics, a manufacturer of tablet computers, smart-phones, and other Android devices. This first-of-its-kind association between the IPL franchise and electronics manufacturer, will see a Royals line of limited-edition smart devices.

    As a first product, the club announced the launch of the limited Royal Edition of ICE Xtreme Pro, a high-end dual core 3G calling tablet.

    The franchise says that this launch has made it the first sports team in the world to introduce its very own range of branded smart devices and adds to the exciting inventory of merchandise the team offers fans. The Royals will be launching many more co-branded smart devices with its new official handset partner ICE X in the future, and these devices will focus on the latest technology.

    The newly launched ICE Xtreme Pro tablet has content and a RR App that will help cricketing fans to follow the sport and the club on the go. The sleek dual sim calling tablet is equipped with a dual core processor, 1GB Ram and supports 3G data and calling. It also comes with HD display and 8 GB storage, besides Bluetooth, GPS and dual camera. The tablet runs on latest Android Jelly Bean operating System and comes in an amazing limited edition packing, which fans would like to keep for years. As a part of the Royal Fan experience, the customers would also get one year doorstep service warranty. In keeping with its policy to provide products to its fans at extremely affordable prices, the high end limited edition tablet would be available at a price point of around Rs.10,000.

    The tablet will be sold through the Rajasthan Royals‘ official website and exclusive pre-booking will be accepted through online sales partner Snapdeal and retail sales partner Big Bazaar.

    Rajasthan Royals CEO Raghu Iyer said, “We are glad to partner with ICE X Electronics and launch a limited-edition branded tablet for fans. Rajasthan Royals has always endeavoured to take advantage of the best in technology to offer one-of-a-kind products and services. The launch has made us the first team to have our own line of devices. We are confident that our fans will love the new product.”

    ICE X Electronics MD Ravi Jakhar said, “ICE X Electronics is proud to partner Rajasthan Royals in this unique endeavour. The tablet has been designed keeping the RR fans in mind and they will find tablet to be as stable as Dravid, as dynamic as Watson, fast as Tait, and solid performer like the entire RR team.”

    The association has been serviced through sports marketing agency Total Sports Asia and speaking on the partnership, VP sales and business development Vipin Nair said, “We are proud to have enabled the first in its line of sports branded technology products in India, through the partnership between Rajasthan Royals and ICE X.”

    The franchise adds that it pioneered the use of technology in the IPL, and taken advantage of it to offer the team and its fans innovative services and products. In 2009, it became the first IPL team to bring a technology partner on board, which enabled greater efficiency on and off the field and ensured technological superiority over other competing franchises. It recently launched an exclusive mobile application that gives fans access to live matches, scores, players‘ lists, and the most recent news.

    The team also announced the launch of RR TV, a new media asset that offers enthusiasts a compilation of up-to-the-minute content related to the team and its activities across all media platforms worldwide.

  • BBC closes Digital Media Initiative

    BBC closes Digital Media Initiative

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC has announced that it is to close its Digital Media Initiative (DMI).

    Beginning in 2008, DMI set out to move the BBC‘s production and archive operations to a fully integrated, digital way of working. The decision to close DMI follows an operational review of the project which was launched in October 2012. The report found that DMI was not going to deliver on its stated objectives and as a result BBC DG Tony Hall, took the decision to close it with the agreement of the BBC Trust. The total cost of DMI to the BBC will be ?98.4 million.

    Following the decision to close the project, the BBC Trust has launched an independent review to establish what went wrong and why.

    Hall said, “The DMI project has wasted a huge amount of License Fee payers‘ money and I saw no reason to allow that to continue which is why I have closed it. I have serious concerns about how we managed this project and the review that has been set up is designed to find out what went wrong and what lessons can be learned. Ambitious technology projects like this always carry a risk of failure, it does not mean we should not attempt them but we have a responsibility to keep them under much greater control than we did here.”

    The DMI set out to create new digital production tools and link them with a central, digital archive that would allow BBC staff to access a seamless digital chain throughout the production process, from camera to archive. The BBC has worked digitally for some time, DMI aimed to bring those processes together so that everything could be accessed from the same system and stored on a computer.

    The individual components of DMI were: new production tools that could be used to create content digitally on a desktop; a store to house the newly created digital content; a database to search BBC archives and a place to store production reports digitally.

  • Kolkata MSOs asked not to switch off any TV channel till panchayat polls are over

    Kolkata MSOs asked not to switch off any TV channel till panchayat polls are over

    NEW DELHI: The West Bengal government has directed multi-system operators to maintain status quo with regard to charges relating to digital access system (DAS) till the upcoming panchayat elections in the state, which should come to an end by 15 July.

    The state municipal affairs and urban development minister Firhad Hakkim directed MSOs not to switch off any channel during this period, without consulting the cable operators.

    The minister said this during a meeting yesterday evening with a delegation of the cable operators sangram committe and chief executive officer Soumen Roy Chowdhary and Surendra Agarwal of Indian Cable Net Company Ltd, a unit of Siti Cable.

    Ratan Jaiswal who represents the sangram committee of the LCOs told indiantelevision.com that this follows an agitation against the MSOs for failing to set proper rates and bouquets for the consumer.

    He said the MSOs were charging Rs 70 apart from service tax and other charges amounting to another Rs 20 for every set top box installed, which the LCOs feel is illegal as there is no provision by the telecom regulatory authority of India in this connection. In any case, such a charge can only be levied on the consumer.

    Even though the revenue share between the LCO s and MSOs is not clear and the packages being offered to the consumers are vague with no agreements having been signed, the LCOs say that Siti Cable and Indian Cable Network Company Ltd have sought help from the police which has imposed Section 144 for restricting entry of LCOs.

    While the number of digital STBs installed at present is around 90 per cent in Kolkata, less than forty per cent of agreements relating to billing etc have been signed.