Category: Technology

MUMBAI: Jump Games, Reliance Entertainment Digital‘s mobile and web games developer and publisher, is launching the official mobile game of ICC T20 World Cup 2012.

Through the game, one can own his favorite team and experience the “thrill” and “excitement” of playing the ICC T20 World Cup 2012 right on his mobile handsets. In an attempt to create a close replica of the real world cup, the matches in the game are also scheduled according to the ICC schedule for the World Cup in Sri Lanka.

Jump Games business head India Chaitanya Prabhu said, “Cricket is a religion in India and it is also the most popular game for Indians on their mobiles. With this game we wanted to extend the experience of the ICC T20 World Cup 2012 to the mobile phone. We wanted to add to the enjoyment around the ICC T20 World Cup 2012 and hence decided to launch the contest. I am sure that casual gamers will enjoy playing the official mobile game of the ICC T20 World Cup 2012.”

The game is available on leading platforms like Android, iOS, Blackberry and Symbian. Java based version of the game is also available for feature phones. The game can be downloaded from the app stores of various platforms as well via various leading telecom operators like Airtel, Idea, Vodafone, Docomo and Reliance.

Additonally, Jump Games is also hosting a contest and cricket enthusiast can get a chance to win tickets to the ICC T20 World Cup 2012 via online contest.

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has directed that consumers will have to be given intimation prior to start of every “blackout” day with regard to concessional voice calls or SMS offered to them by telecom service providers.

Trai said the date/occasion of the “blackout” day will also have to be intimated, as part of a direction prescribing additional measures with a view to enhance transparency in the matter of charging on “blackout” days.

The term “blackout” days refers to the days on which the service providers do not allow free or concessional voice calls/ SMS offered by them under any plan/ package. Certain guidelines are already in place as per which the number of blackout days shall not exceed five in a calendar year and no alteration in any such date is allowed after the package is subscribed to by the consumer.

List of blackout days applicable for the calendar year will be displayed on the website of service providers, before start of every calendar year and shall be published, service area wise, along with the tariff plans of the service provider, every six months.

The charges for calls or SMSs on ‘blackout‘ days will not exceed the rate in the tariff plan in which the consumer is enrolled.

MUMBAI: Former Financial Times CTO and CIO Michael Fleshman has taken up a new role within BBC Worldwide’s Consumer Digital business, overseen by MD and EVP of Digital, Daniel Heaf.

Fleshman is tasked with developing the technology needed to drive a further step change in BBC Worldwide’s digital revenue. He’ll take responsibility for the technology delivering all BBC Worldwide’s commercial digital businesses including Global iPlayer, TopGear.com and BBCShop.com.

His appointment further indicates BBC Worldwide’s commitment to becoming a leader within the digital sphere and building its reputation and presence within international markets.

Fleshman is based in the UK and will work with teams in the UK, New York, Singapore and Oakland, who together will execute BBC Worldwide’s Consumer Digital strategy to delivery digital experiences to all consumers across multiple devices and across multiple brands

Heaf said, �Our digital business is growing fast and now represents 12.8 per cent of revenue to the business, up from 8.1 per cent during 2010/2011. While this is a fantastic achievement, we recognise there is much more to do. Michael is a highly respected and experienced technology professional with success in building global digital businesses at scale. I’m delighted to have him on board to support our
ambitions.�

Fleshman said, �I have always had a great respect for the BBC Worldwide brand and am a great believer in its potential in the digital space. I am extremely excited that they have allowed me to play a part in building the business at this pivotal time for digital and look forward to working with Daniel and the team to execute our strategy.�

Fleshman joins BBC Worldwide with over 20 years of experience in technology and product development across media, publishing and telecommunications. Prior to his appointment, Fleshman was CTO and CIO for the Financial Times, responsible for the technology strategy, architecture, development, and programme and portfolio management. He also oversaw technology operations and corporate IT systems for online, print and corporate technology functions, and had started work on unifying the historically separate �IT’ and �online’ functions at the FT. Fleshman also held similar roles at Nickelodeon Online/MTV Networks and AOL France.

MUMBAI: Harris Broadcast Communications has launched the Versio solution that it says alters the course of channel-in-a-box design for broadcasters, delivering an all-in-one solution to help customers rapidly launch, expand and sustain their on-air channels and services – while strengthening revenue growth and protection.

The Harris Versio solution combines baseband video, channel branding and automated workflow capabilities in an easy-to-deploy, software-based, single-rack-unit (RU) solution.

Versio significantly reduces the cost and time to launch broadcast, cable and other TV channels and services while offering simple integration with production, traffic and billing, scheduling, asset management, content playout and master control functions – taking full advantage of existing facility workflows for maximum return on investment.

The initial release compresses multiple single-channel workflows into the 1RU platform, incorporating Harris video server, channel branding and graphics, and optional on-board automation components. Flexible software-based configurations range from single-channel launches – independently or within an existing system – to multi-channel distribution, expansion and disaster recovery systems. Broadcasters will quickly accelerate channel launch times – reducing months of preparation to weeks or days by slashing resources required for traditional channel launches.

Harris Broadcast Communications president Harris Morris said, “Channel-in-a-box solutions to date are built around the comfort zones of each vendor. This is also true of Harris, but the difference is that Harris has the broadest industry experience when it comes to workflows and operational scenarios. We understand the core costs and investment it takes to deliver channels with reliability and at premium quality. This knowledge and expertise allows us to evolve the channel-in-a-box concept beyond current offerings and bring a more relevant solution to market.”

Versio customers can leverage Harris’ considerable experience in digital asset management, traffic and billing to help manage overall channel costs – and increase revenue — when adding the solution to an existing workflow. This includes the ability to sell and schedule new commercial spots in close proximity to “air time” for maximum flexibility.

Versio users also have the ability to use which features they need – with the flexibility to change their minds and turn options on and off as needed. Existing Harris automation and/or storage customers can use their native systems, for example, rather than being forced to use these features as integrated within the Harris Versio platform.

In addition, Harris’ rich experience in channel branding and production graphics maximises visual quality while addressing the operational complexities of delivering a unique on-air look. Meanwhile, Harris’ extensive codec support and networking expertise drastically improves on-air reliability though increased uptime and fewer operational errors.

MUMBAI: The government and the broadcasters have got together to launch a major campaign pushing digitisation in the four metros, making television viewers realise that they will have to make the switch from analogue cable to digital before the 1 November deadline.

Television sets across the country will go blank for two minutes thrice every evening for three days beginning Friday.

All TV channels under the Indian Broadcasting Foundation’s (IBF) umbrella will beam Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry’s 30 second ad at the beginning of the two-minute period when broadcast of all programming will be suspended. The ads will be broadcast at 7:58 pm, 8:58 pm and 9:58 pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 
 
The move comes in the wake of a sluggish demand for digital set-top boxes (STBs) even as the deadline is just 45 days away. Cable television services from 1 November will mandatorily shift to digital technology through STBs in the four metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata.
According to Discovery South Asia senior VP, GM Rahul Johri, the aim of the ad is to spread the message that television viewers have to buy a STB or else their television will go blank from 1 November.

Even though shift to digitisation is happening in the four metros, the message is being broadcast across the country as it is not possible for broadcasters to restrict such a message to just the four metros.
 
The initiative is that of the I&B ministry in association with the IBF and News Broadcasters Association (NBA). This suggests shows that the digitisation deadline has been taken seriously this time and the government is pushing for it.

The government had recently cancelled registration of two multi-system operators (MSOs) from Delhi for not providing information on their preparedness for switching to digital delivery.

The shift to digital delivery was to happen from 1 July 2012 but had to be postponed to 1 November due to lack of preparedness of cable TV networks.
 

MUMBAI: eBay, an e-commerce marketplace, has announced a new look for the brand. The announcement was made by eBay president Devin Wenig.

According to the company, the refreshed logo reflects the global online marketplace eBay is today and symbolises a dynamic future.

Wenig said, “Our refreshed logo is rooted in our proud history and reflects a dynamic future. Its eBay today: a global online marketplace that offers a cleaner, more contemporary and consistent experience, with innovation that makes buying and selling easier and more enjoyable.” 
 
The brand will retain core elements of its logo, including the color palette. “Our vibrant eBay colors and touching letters represent our connected and diverse eBay community,” he added.

He said that today, most items sold on eBay are new, listed at a fixed “Buy It Now!” price. Their most successful sellers ship most items free, offer returns and deliver consistently great customer service. “Shop eBay today and you‘ll discover more visual search, making browsing for what you want simpler and more enjoyable. It‘s easier than ever to compare new and previously owned items, helping you decide the best value for you. This is the new eBay,” he said. 
 
The company is also creating new ways to sell and buy. eBay will become more personalised, tailored to the way consumer wants to shop. It will be local and global, giving buyers and sellers “incredible” choice and opportunity.

The new look will begin to appear across eBay sites and channels next quarter.

NEW DELHI: The government has liberalised the broadcast sector ahead of India‘s shift to digital carriage of television channels, raising foreign direct investment (FDI) ceiling to 74 per cent from 49 per cent in direct-to home (DTH) and multi-system operators (MSOs).

The government has also lifted the cap on FDI limit to 74 per cent in teleports and hubs set up for uplinking of television channels. It has, however, left untouched FM radio and TV news channels where the cap is at 26 per cent. The FDI limit in case of Headend-In-The Sky (HITS) is 74 per cent.

These decisions were taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), just ahead of the 31 October 2012 deadline for change over to digital delivery of television channels in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata.
 
 
Multi-system cable network operators and the DTH sector will find the capital raising climate improve drastically at a time when they require huge doses of capital to fund their digital growth. Cable and DTH companies will require an investment of aound Rs 250 billion to fund digitisation in the country.

“The recent decision on FDI will help fund the digitisation process in India. It will also fuel broadband investments and cable companies can look at it as a good growth engine,” says Den Networks chief operating officer M G Azhar.

In the DTH sector, News Corp can look at upping its stake in Tata Sky, the joint venture company where Tata Sons is the majority partner.

Broadcasting sector to be treated at par with Telecom

The CCEA also decided to rationalise the methodology of calculation of foreign direct investment and the methodology, as applicable to the telecom sector, would also be made applicable across the lnformation and Broadcasting sector. For companies operating in the broadcasting sector, however, the foreign investment (FI) limits for different activities include different components.

Accordingly, as in the case of the telecommunications sector, the foreign investment limit in companies engaged in various activities of the I&B sector shall include, in addition to FDI, investment by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), Non Resident Indians (NRIs), Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs), American Depository Receipts (ADRs), Global Depository Receipts (GDRs) and convertible preference shares held by foreign entities.
 
 
Uniformity in carriage services for Broadcasting, Telecom

Since it is possible to provide broadcasting `carriage services” using either telecommunication networks or broadcasting networks, uniformity has been proposed in respect of companies providing carriage services (except cable services). For the same reason, uniformity is necessary in the method of calculation of direct foreign investment, in
companies operating in the telecom and broadcasting sectors.

No changes in other sectors of broadcasting

However, the government decided not to change the present limit for head-end-in-the sky broadcasting service of 74 per cent foreign investment.

It also said the limit of 49 per cent under the automatic route will continue for cable networks or MSOs not undertaking up-gradation of networks towards digitisation and addressability.

Similarly, there will be no change in the existing limit for uplinking ‘News & Current Affairs’ TV channels / FM Radio or Non-‘News & Current Affairs’ TV Channels / Down-linking of TV Channels. The existing limit is 26 per cent foreign investment under the government approval route.

FDI fixed for Mobile TV

Similarly, it was decided that FDI in mobile television, for which there was no specific dispensation, will be permitted up to 74 per cent.

FDI up to 49 per cent in all these services will be under the automatic route and for stakes beyond that, approval of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) will be required.

Enhanced access to foreign investment is expected to expand the reach of broadcasting services, thereby improving accessibility of these services, and bring in international best practices. The proposal will make the foreign investment policy for the broadcasting sector consistent with that of the telecom sector, because of the convergence of technologies involved in these two sectors, and thereby bring in greater investments into quality infrastructure for the broadcasting carriage services.

The changes are in keeping with recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

Acceptance of long-standing demand

This is in acceptance of a long-standing demand by stakeholders and even the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and Parliamentary Committees which saw no reason for discrimination between broadcasting and telecom sectors in the age of convergence.

Foreign investment in companies engaged in these services will be subject to sectoral and security conditionalities and guidelines, as may be specified from time to time, by the concerned Ministries.

Trai had earlier recommended different foreign investment limits for companies engaged in providing `carriage` and `content` services. It had also stressed the need for a holistic review of the extant Foreign Investment limits for companies operating in different segments of the broadcasting sector, in order to bring about consistency in the policy, as also to promote a level playing field between competing technologies, in view of the convergence of technologies across the telecommunication and broadcasting sectors.

Mumbai: The cabinet on Friday cleared foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 74 per cent in broadcast and carriage services including uplinking teleports, mobile TV and head-end in the sky.
 
FDI up to 49 per cent will be under the automatic route and for stake above 49 per cent and up to 74 per cent, FIPB approval would be required.

MUMBAI: Apple has announced the launch of iPhone5, which according to the company is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, redesigned to feature a new 4-inch Retina display. It has an Apple-designed A6 chip for fast performance and “ultrafast” wireless technology.

It comes with iOS 6, an advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features including the all new Maps app with Apple-designed cartography and turn-by-turn navigation, Facebook integration, Passbook organisation, and even more Siri features and languages.

iPhone 5 will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model. It will be available from the Apple Online Store, Apple’s retail stores, and through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and select Apple Authorised Resellers.

iPhone 5 will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK on Friday, September 21, and customers can pre-order their iPhone 5 beginning 14 September.
Apple SVP – Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller said, “iPhone 5 is the most beautiful consumer device that we’ve ever created. We’ve packed an amazing amount of innovation and advanced technology into a thin and light, jewel-like device with a stunning 4-inch Retina display, blazing fast A6 chip, ultrafast wireless, even longer battery life; and we think customers are going to love it.”

iPhone has a 7.6 mm anodised aluminum body that is 18 per cent thinner and 20 per cent lighter than iPhone 4S. The new 4-inch Retina display delivers more pixels than iPhone 4S. It supports ultrafast wireless standards including LTE and DC-HSDPA. It features dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi support for a wireless experience up to 150 Mbps.

The A6 chip was designed by Apple to maximise performance and power efficiency to support all the incredible new features in iPhone 5, including the new 4-inch Retina display—all while delivering even better battery life.

The 8 megapixel iSight camera redesigned with “incredible” optical performance, yet it’s 25 per cent smaller than the camera in iPhone 4S.

The new camera features a sapphire crystal lens cover that is thinner and more durable than standard glass with the ability to provide crystal clear images. The new panorama feature lets capture images of up to 28 megapixels by moving the camera across a scene in one smooth motion.

New video features include improved stabilisation, video face detection for up to 10 faces and the ability to take still photos as you record. A new FaceTime HD front facing camera makes FaceTime calls incredibly clear and can also be used for self portraits and recording 720p HD video. iPhone 5 also allows users to share photos with friends and family using iCloud’s Shared Photo Streams.

It features the new Lightning connector that is smaller, smarter and more durable than the previous connector. The all-digital Lightning connector features an adaptive interface that uses only the signals that each accessory requires, and it’s reversible so one can instantly connect to his/her accessories.

iPhone 5 introduces new enhanced audio features including a new beam-forming, directional microphone system for higher quality sound, while background noise fades away with new noise canceling technology. It includes support for cellular wideband audio for crisper word clarity and more natural sounding speech.

Wideband audio will be supported by over 20 carriers worldwide at launch. iPhone 5 comes with the new Apple EarPods featuring a breakthrough design for a more natural fit and increased durability, and an incredible acoustic quality typically reserved for higher-end earphones.

iPhone 5 will roll out worldwide to 22 more countries on 28 September, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

MUMBAI: Global media and entertainment chief executive officers are optimistic about the digital future and expect digital revenue will be a rapidly increasing percentage of overall revenue for companies, according to Ernst & Young’s latest CEO study Opportunity and optimism: How CEOs are embracing digital growth.

The report reveals that approximately half of all CEOs surveyed believe digital will increase their overall revenues and margins by at least 10 per cent within the next three years.

The report is the result of surveys conducted with 34 CEOs from global media and entertainment companies with combined annual revenues exceeding $300 billion. The companies have a broad geographic span and encompass a wide variety of media and entertainment subsectors, including filmed entertainment, television, music, electronic games, entertainment services, cable networks and channels, cable and satellite operators, internet and interactive media, advertising, publishing and conglomerates.

According to 79 per cent CEOs, the technology that is driving this double-digit growth in digital is Tablet.

Ernst & Young global media and entertainment leader John Nendick said, “CEOs are undeterred about the role digital will play in their futures. There is a heightened optimism from a few years ago when industry leaders were more tentative about the potential of digital. All of the CEOs we spoke with understand that digital is probably the single most important factor – impacting their ability to grow both revenues and margins.”

Mobile devices to be the biggest driver of growth in content consumption, the report said.

The report also addresses the impact of “digital ecosystems” through which consumers view and share content on a multitude of interconnected devices. Ecosystems are accelerating the ability for consumers to discover, choose and enjoy media, with media and entertainment companies bundling and marketing their products and services specifically for these individual digital ecosystems.

“The integration of media content, devices and networks creates self-sustaining digital ecosystems. The more users interact with content, the easier it is to learn about their habits and for content, advertising, and services within these ecosystems to evolve and grow,” Ernst & Young LLP senior partner global media and entertainment advisory services Howard Bass added.

All the CEOs believed that mobile devices (including tablets) are the key to spurring demand for content. They are especially bullish about emerging markets, where growing mobile device availability coupled with an improving wireless broadband infrastructure are creating significant opportunities for media companies to grow.

When queried about the greatest challenges facing the media and entertainment industry during the next three years, CEOs agreed that global economic uncertainty and an inability to persuade consumers to pay fair value for digital content were the top two concerns. Also on the CEOs’ list was the elimination of intermediaries between their companies and the end-user, resulting in increased direct business-to-consumer relationships; structural and regulatory ambiguity; and reduction and/or reallocation of marketing budgets.

The report also revealed that 84 per cent of CEOs believe the role of social networking for their company is to connect with customers; building audiences and brands are secondary. 76 per cent of CEOs said the objective of an “app” is to be part of a bundle of new or enhanced content and services. Also, the top priority for CEOs remains the evolution of digital and online distribution (56 per cent), followed by creatively differentiating content (44 per cent).

“Social and interactive media companies are best positioned among all media and entertainment companies to thrive in the future, according to 59 per cent of CEOs,” the report stated.