Category: Technology

MUMBAI: Japanese consumer electronics brand Akai has announced the launch of its new range of LEDs and LCD televisions in India.

The company has launched two new models of LED TVs and one new model for LCD TV. The range includes India‘s first 29 inch ultra slim LED with only 9 mm narrow bezel (model LED29E12) whose initial response has been extremely encouraging.

Akai India is targeting a growth of 50 per cent in the next quarter with its diverse range of LEDs, High Definition LCDs and CRT televisions.

Akai India MD Pranay Dhabhai said, “With our new range of affordably priced and technologically superior LEDs and LCD TVs, we hope to make a strong value proposition to the buyer in the Indian hinterland across smaller towns and villages.We are targeting a growth of 50 percent in the festive season and our innovative launches coupled with festive offers and discounts will further help us achieve these figures”.

Akai stated that its new 29-inch LED TV 29E12 has a narrow bezel of only 9 mm, possibly the narrowest amongst the available LEDs in India. There is a Blu-ray USB feature that allows the user to enjoy playback of full HD movies straight on the LED TV through the provided two USB slots. Besides, full HD format, these USB slots have capability of playing all other popular movie, picture and music formats.

Other key features include natura light technology with dynamic back light, brushed finish, 3D dynamic noise reduction, 3D comb filter and dynamic skin correction. The model with 236 channels also allows one to pack in sports, movies and games with a backlit picture, amplified and enhanced surround sound, and the convenience of sleep timer and picture freeze. It also supports USB 2.0 for both movies and still photos.

Akai 40-inch Full HD LED Television model Takashi 40 comes with narrow bezel of 12 mm and displays super-high resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Akai Takashi 40 LED has 3 HDMI slots which allows the user to stream high definition content from Blu-ray players, laptops, camera and other devices. It has special features like dynamic skin correction, natura light technology, 3D comb filter, 3D noise reduction. Like the 29 inch LED, Takashi 40 is also equipped with Blu ray USB feature which has capability of playing all popular Full HD movies, picture and music formats. The model is available across India at leading retail outlets.

Akai 15-inch LCD TV model Cutie comes with a USB Blu-ray player which allows playing all popular Full HD movies, indeed a first-of-its-kind for the size and segment of LCD. Also, Cutie has digital photo frame feature which allows one to store numerous pictures in USB and use the product as a photo frame. The high definition television comes with dynamic contrast of 100000:1 and a strong sound of 200W PMPO stereo.

MUMBAI: Chinese Pay-Per-View (PPV) and Video On Demand (VoD) platform, You On Demand Holdings, has signed a carriage agreement with cable operator Hubei Chutian Radio and Television Information Network Company.

Hubei has 1.7 million subscribers in the cities of Wuhan, Yichang, Xiantao, Xianmen and Qianiiang. They will now have access to both You On Demand‘s Transactional Video On Demand (TVoD) and Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) packages. With the addition of Hubei Cable, You On Demand is now available in 7.2 million homes.

You On Demand chairman, CEO Shane McMahon said, “We are thrilled to have Hubei Cable join the roster of cable operators in China that are partnering with You On Demand. We look forward to providing their customers with the best in home entertainment.”

You On Demand currently has content deals in place with Hollywood studios including Warner Bros., Disney and Paramount Pictures.

MUMBAI: Movie on demand service BigFlix has launched an app on Windows Phone, allowing users to access over 1000 movies.

The company has a catalogue of multi-lingual Indian movies and also hand-picked Indian films – within 15 days of its theatrical release. Films like ‘Jism 2‘, ‘Bodyguard‘ and ‘Fashion‘ can be watched at the user’s convenience – anywhere, anytime.

The BigFlix app can be downloaded free of cost by Windows Phone users by going to the Windows Marketplace and a simple clicking on the app.

Users can subscribe to watch full movies and the same logins would also work on PCs and laptops, Tablets and other smartphones.

“This is the first Indian video-on-demand app available on Windows Phone, featuring movies across languages Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and others in DVD like quality. With the launch of the new range of mobile devices – powered by Windows Phone, Microsoft is aiming to strengthen its position in the global smartphone market,” BigFlix said.

In the last year, mobile devices running on Windows Phone 7.5 have grown among smartphone users in India. The OS has been built to let users enjoy a multimedia experience on mobile devices, which is leveraged by apps like BigFlix.

BigFlix business head Shreyash Sigtia said, “Microsoft has set technical specifications for all their devices, which lend themselves well to high-quality content on all the smartphones powered by Windows Phone. With the mobile platform becoming popular with high-end smartphones users globally, BigFlix aims to fulfill the need gap of Indian movies on Windows Phone. I am sure that the BigFlix app will be able to achieve the same success it has witnessed on iOS and Android on the Windows Phone platform too.”

Microsoft India director – Windows Phone Business Group Vineet Durani said, “All of us love our daily dose of movies and Bollywood and BigFlix gives you yet another compelling reason to stay glued to your Windows Phone. With no ads and no breaks between you and the latest film; watching films via BigFlix is pure pleasure.”

Microsoft adds that Windows Marketplace has been growing with more than 100,000 apps in less than a year since the launch of the Windows Phone 7.5 in India.

MUMBAI: Leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel entered into an agreement with Microsoft to deliver the technology company‘s cloud-based Office 365 business productivity solutions to small and medium businesses through its cloud platform.

Under the agreement, Airtel will be able to power SMBs with access to Microsoft Office 365, addressing their connectivity and productivity requirements while allowing them to focus on their core business activities.

Office 365, along with Airtel‘s DSL and Internet Leased Ports/Lines (ILP) services, will empower SMBs with the option to create a public facing website with their own domain name, access to the latest releases from Office 365, state-of-the art anti-virus & anti-spam solutions and most importantly, anytime, anywhere access to documents and emails with best experience delivered on smartphones using Airtel‘s network.

Announcing the partnership, Bharti Airtel CEO – India & South Asia Sanjay Kapoor said, “We are delighted to partner with Microsoft to address the growing ICT needs of the SMB segment. The partnership will allow us to become a virtual CIO for our SMB customers. According to industry estimates, there is a growing affinity towards technology adoption in this segment and their IT spending is surging at a rate of 15 per cent per year.”

SMB segment has shown a high adoption of Cloud computing especially SaaS – which contributes more than 50 per cent to the overall cloud market. “With our superior network experience and Microsoft‘s dependable technology suite we will be able to offer cost effective and secure cloud services in a high growth SaaS market,” Kapoor said.

Commenting on the occasion, Microsoft India Chairman Bhaskar Pramanik said, “We are pleased that Bharti Airtel will offer our world-class cloud productivity solution to SMBs in India. Agility, focus and cost are the key reasons why businesses are moving to a cloud and hence Microsoft‘s partnership will allow Bharti Airtel‘s customers to continue to stay ahead of the curve through solutions that truly fit their needs. The agreement will enable SMBs to take advantage of a secure cloud computing environment at an opex model based pricing.”

MUMBAI: DigiVive, which runs mobile TV platform nexGTv, has expanded its bouquet by partnering with Times Television Network to live stream Times Now and ET Now.

Under this partnership, nexGTv users will also enjoy select content of Zoom channel by use of the replay TV feature of nexGTv.

At present, nexGTv users have access to range of over 100 channels with features like – replay TV, EPG guide, on screen controls, option of deleting and listing the channels as per their choice and much more.

DigiVive SVP Operations Rohit Sawhney said, “We are glad to partner with Times Television Network for live streaming of – Times Now and ET Now along with select content from Zoom TV. With increasing customer base, our endeavor is to enrich our content options so as to offer the best quality of TV service on the move.”

Times Television Network Head – Digital & Syndication Ayesha Surty said, “This partnership with nexGTv which provides live streaming and VOD of our channels will help us offer further value to our consumers who can now access our content on the move.”

MUMBAI: YouTube, the world‘s leading video community, has partnered with digital specialists Rightster and international sports media rights agency MP & Silva, to bring the best of international football content to YouTube.

This partnership creates a new football channel on YouTube, Love Football, which will include highlights from Italy‘s Serie A, France‘s Ligue 1, US Major League Soccer, Brazil‘s Serie A and the Championship, FA Cup and Capital One Cup from England.

YouTube audiences can now access some of the best footballing action from around the world. In addition, Love Football offers fans the ability to subscribe to content on YouTube from their favourite leagues. Clips of interviews with players and managers, documentaries and behind-the-scenes footage are also part of the channel offer.

YouTube EMEA Senior Director, Sports Stephen Nuttall says, “We‘re delighted to be able to offer content from Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1 and other international leagues to YouTube‘s passionate football community around the world.

“Our ambition is to establish YouTube as a destination for goals and highlights and this deal adds another top league to YouTube‘s football offer.”

MP & Silva Group CEO Andrea Radrizzani said, “Launching Love Football on YouTube is an extremely exciting project for us. In addition to highlights clips our new channel gives us the ability to stream live sports content. We can now for the first time engage directly with consumers and football fans on a global scale.”

Rightster Founder and CEO Charlie Muirhead said, “We‘re delighted to be supporting MP & Silva with the exciting launch of the LoveFootball Channels on YouTube. The YouTube platform now has many amazing new features that sports fans will love. Rightster‘s audience development team in London and New York have already been busy working to alert fans and build the loyal and passionate subscriber base these channels deserve.

“For the first time, Rightster provides MP & Silva with centralised visibility and control of all its sports rights, including complex geographic restrictions and release windows, across both YouTube and all other platforms and publishers – allowing them to do the best possible job for each League.”

MUMBAI: Sony Music has launched an application for ‘Coke Studio-2‘.

The app hosts current Coke Studio season 2 episodes, audio, artiste profiles and twitter feeds.

It is available on android phones on the PlayStore and will soon be available on the iOS platform across the globe. It is also embedded with social media allowing users to share what they are listening to on Facebook and Twitter.

Sony Music Entertainment India marketing director Sanujeet Bhujabal said, “We have received overwhelming response from our customers on the Coke Studio albums so far. The first season surpassed expectations while this season is already notching some great numbers with 10000 CD‘s sold over a period of five months and over 10 Million downloads. This has in fact got us to launch an app for music lovers to experience the music on the go and share the music on social feeds on a touch of a button. Currently we are featuring the 4 episodes while the rest of the episodes will be added soon.”

The Coke Studio App brings these iconic and diverse music styles into one compact application which allows users to access performances at their convenience, the company said.

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has softened its stance on the gap between advertisement breaks during television programmes.

The regulator has proposed to delete the clause that required the gap between the end of one advertisement session and the commencement of next advertisement session to be not less than 15 minutes. In the case of broadcast of a film or a movie, the time gap between ad breaks was 30 minutes.

Now, television channels can decide on their own the advertisement breaks they wish to take during programmes.

TRAI has proposed this in a draft amendment to the regulation titled The Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) Regulations, 2012. The regulations were notified on May 14, 2012.

Trai has proposed amendments to the regulation despite a stay by the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT on a plea by broadcasters.

Trai also stated that it will issue orders to ensure compliance of the provisions of the regulations.

Trai has also made it mandatory for broadcasters to submit the details of advertisements carried on its channel within 15 days from the end of a calendar quarter in a specified format. The first such report will have to be furnished to Trai for the quarter ending 31 December 2012, by 15 January 2013.

The authority contended that the need for regulation aroused from the fact that the duration of advertisements carried during the programmes in the TV channels is closely related to the quality of viewing experience of the consumers.

The quality of viewing experience of the consumers is akin to the quality of service provided by the service providers to the consumers, Trai said.

The advertisement regulations have been fiercely opposed by the broadcasters arguing Trai has no authority to issue such orders particularly since the issue is already covered in the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994.

The broadcasters contend that the Indian broadcasters‘ heavy reliance on advertising revenues is due to the “non-addressable nature of the cable TV networks,” and “gross under declaration of the subscriber base”. They also favoured self-regulation rather than the Trai forcing it on the broadcasters particularly at a time when content costs are going up.

Contesting Trai‘s premise that such a regulation is needed since the country is moving towards a digitised environment, the broadcasters say that regulation should happen after cable digitisation becomes fully addressable wherein income arising out of subscription revenue sees a significant rise.

Also Read:

Broadcasters get breathing space as Tdsat stays Trai‘s ad cap rule

MSOs divided on Trai‘s ad regulation policy

Broadcasters set to challenge Trai regulation on ads

TV networks flay Trai for ad regulation

Trai caps TV ad breaks at 12 minutes per hour

Trai‘s ad review policy to hurt biz models of sportscasters

News channels ask Trai to sort out carriage before capping ad time

MUMBAI: Games2Win, an online games company, has launched Apollo 11: Mission to the Moon, an interactive and engaging online game that recreates the historic mission of Neil Armstrong to the moon.

Armstrong, the first man to land on the moon in July 1969, died on 25 August 2012 at the age of 82 due to complications from blocked coronary arteries.

Games2Win has dedicated the game to the memory of Armstrong who piloted this historic journey.

The game play recreates the first manned mission to land on the moon and the four critical stages that made Apollo 11 a successful mission. First, the player must launch the Apollo 11 rocket; then orbit the spacecraft around the Earth while traveling towards the Moon; next, the player must land the lunar module on the moon‘s surface; and finally the player has re-enter Earth, ending the journey safely in the ocean.

Games2win CEO and co-founder Alok Kejriwal said, “Neil Armstrong inspired millions of people all over the world by fulfilling a global dream. Creating an online game in his honor allows the younger generation to interactively experience his heroic journey and appreciate the humongous challenges he faced way back in 1969. By playing the game, one can truly appreciate what Neil Armstrong achieved!”

Additionally embedded in the game, consumers can click on a link to receive a paper model rocket design of the Apollo 11 mission that can be downloaded, printed, cut and built into a real-life memento. High resolution images and a YouTube walk through the game are available on this page.

MUMBAI: Vdopia, a digital advertising and video monetisation player, has appointed Preetesh Chouhan as its VP and sales head for Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

His last stint was at Sify Technologies as national head – ad sales.

At Vdopia, he aims at establishing its footprints in South East Asia and drive the overall growth through organic and inorganic actions.

Vdopia co-founder and business head Srikant Kalkani said, “We are glad to have Mr. Preetesh Chouhan on board. Vdopia foresees immense growth of its ad network across the APAC market with his joining. With tremendously growing Digital advertising space, Vdopia aims at delivering the best of industry products with a team of experts who can streamline the digital video advertising strategies for our customers and help them capitalise the growth.”

Chouhan added, “Mobile video advertising is still at a very nascent stage, and with the growing penetration of mobile devices and data usage, the growth opportunities are immense. Markets such as India, SEA and Middle East are set for an aggressive growth from both ‘online‘ and ‘mobile‘ platforms. Vdopia has been rightly placed as a key market leader and initiator in this field and can very easily lead the growth path through its product and market strategies. We‘re looking to hit the market with very key strategic and niche products and create a long and profitable value chain for ourselves.”

Chouhan brings in around 15 years of experience in consumer internet and digital media businesses. Prior to joining Sify, he had also worked with AOL LLC, AOL Time Warner, Indya.com and Indiainfo.com.