Category: Technology

MUMBAI: UK pay TV service provider Sky‘s internet-delivered television service, Now TV, has been launched on YouView set top boxes,Now TV is available on computers, iPhones, iPads and Android devices. The service provides Internet-delivered access to Sky Movies content. Customers who have already registered for Now TV can access the service through YouView.

An app for Now TV is available on the homepage of YouView. YouView customers are being offered a free 30-day trial of Now TV movies streaming.

MUMBAI: NDS, now part of Cisco, and Canal Digital, the leading DTH pay-TV provider in the Nordics, have collaborated to launch a next-generation cloud TV platform as a hosted, managed service.

Enabling both satellite and Over-the-Top (OTT) service delivery, the new platform will allow Canal Digital subscribers to access content anytime, anywhere and on multiple devices – whether in the home or on the go.

The premise for the new service is to provide an immersive TV experience that is personalised to the individual, the two companies said in a joint statement.

As an end-to-end hybrid infrastructure, delivered, hosted and managed for Canal Digital by NDS, the new platform will provide a scalable and flexible service that will allow for additional innovative features to be deployed quickly and easily after launch.

NDS Snowflake, the user experience framework, will provide the basis for the User Interface to be implemented across all devices as part of the Canal Digital service.

Powered by a hosted NDS Unified Headend, which will reside outside of the Canal Digital network, the subscriber’s home will be connected through a multimedia gateway that distributes content and metadata-based services around the home over IP to complement satellite delivered programming.

To enable advanced functionality throughout the home, the gateway and multi-tuner hybrid zapper boxes will be powered by NDS’ MediaHighway middleware, utilising Jungo Panorama remote management technology to reduce support costs and improve the subscriber experience.

Canal Digital CEO Patrik Hofbauer said, “Our new platform will provide what can only be described as a new generation of TV entertainment for our subscribers. With NDS, we are investing in our future to provide the ultimate user experience and the best possible infrastructure to support the growth of our business.”

Cisco SVP & GM, service provider video technology group Jesper Andersen said, “In providing a wholly managed service for Canal Digital we are combining our experience and technical capability to extend our role as solutions provider further than ever before. But more significantly, the approach taken by Canal Digital shows market innovation and progression to hosted and cloud-based technologies that will enable future-proofed platforms, optimised resources and scalability.”

MUMBAI: While mobile companies spend a lot of time on product innovation and brainstorming on new ideas, they should look at innovating on the service front as well to build entertainment consumption on the mobile.

The interface is equally important. This was one of the points made at the Mobile Innovation Conference organised by the Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

The session was ‘Refreshing mEntertainemt – Five Steps to be taken’. The speakers were Hungama Digital Media Entertainment COO Albert Almeida, Idea Cellular senior VP, head Vas, mobile commerce and long distance Narayanan SP, Mauj Mobile CEO Badri Sanjeevi and Vuclip VP, BD, MD India, Middle East Salman Hussain.

Almeida made the point about innovation being important in both products and services. “Pricing is an innovation. Different models can co-exist. Promotional channels can also be innovative. It is interesting that while the mobile is a personalised device the services are not personalised. It is important that the stakeholders understand consumers better,” he said.

Music, video and gaming will continue to drive entertainment on the mobile, he added.

Almedida touched on the point of government regulation saying that the industry hasn’t been responsible and mature enough to self regulate. “In television we told the government that we would put a mechanism in place to self regulate content. In mobile too we need to adopt best practices that are in the best interests of the consumer.”

Narayan noted that there is interest in launching app stores by different parties including operators. “Our aim is to address a broad spectrum of consumers. App stores of OEMs will co-exist with app stores of mobile operators,” he remarked.

According to Narayan, commercial models will evolve. Things are easier if there is pull based content. If content is uniquely available, then consumers will pay. While costs are growing for unique content, they are also coming down for non unique content.

The issue of revenue sharing was also discussed at the session. While controlling cost is an issue, revenue is a bigger factor. Revenue will grow if a company is able to manage a high level of consumer engagement. Companies have to see what will grow their business in the long term.

Hussain said that it is important to keep in mind the consumer’s criteria in choosing a service and product. That criteria could rest on many things including what is cheapest. Video consumption on Vuclip used to be search based. Now it is increasingly based on sharing. So videos of Bindra, Nehwal winning Olympic medals get heavy traffic, he added.

MUMBAI: Pioneer, which specialises in car audio and home theater entertainment products, has entered into the home entertainment segment in India.

The company has launched its LX series of audio video (AV) receivers and home theatre packages in addition to its regular AV receivers, home theatre in box and Blu Ray and DVD players.

The company says that its USP is superior technology and sound quality.

The LX series of AV receivers have DSB file playback, Android compatibility over MHL and Pioneer control application for Android based devices and ipod Touch, ipad and iphone. The regular AV receivers have been upgraded with a new lineup and have Pioneer proprietary technologies like Precision Quartz Locking System, control application for smartphones which substitutes the need for a remote control. The aim is to cater to the tech savvy consumer.

The company has introduced two home theatre packages that offer connectivity features. The packages are HTP-822ES and HTPRS32. The former offers connectivity options and applications like Airjam, control application for smartphones and tablets.

Pioneer India Electronics India GM Shingo Ikeuchi said, “During the test marketing phase last year we discovered that Indians appreciate high quality of sound. The aim is to be the perfect partner for home entertainment. It is fascinating to see the speed at which the Indian consumer adopts new technologies. Our endeavour is match up to their ever evolving needs.”

He added that Airjam a proprietary Pioneer technology allows the user to create, edit and play common playlists with different phones at the same time. There is no need for messy cabling or multiple inputs. This feature is available with some models and is compatible with touch based devices on iOS and the Android platform.

Pioneer India Electronics manager marketing, product planning Gaurav Kulshreshtha said that the aim is to address every kind of consumer from the mass to the premium. “We meet high end audio solution requirements with our LX series audio video receivers as well as entry level consumer needs with home theatre in a box. Right now we are focussing on South and West India. We have 50 direct dealers which is important as we have to give personalised service,” he added.

MUMBAI: Asian satellite operator Asiasat has announced that Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) has signed a contract to broadcast two free-to-air satellite channels, ‘Dubai TV’ and ‘Dubai Sports’, throughout the Asia-Pacific region on Asiasat 5.

Dubai TV, the state TV channel of the Emirate of Dubai, broadcasts events and activities taking place in Dubai and in the UAE along with local news, financial programmes and Arabic family dramas to a wide global audience.

Dubai Sports Channel, on the other hand, is dedicated to featuring major tournaments such as the Dubai World Cup, Dubai Open Tennis, World Powerboat Championship, the UAE Football League and other important world sporting events and sports documentaries.

Dubai Media MD His Excellency Mr. Ahmad Al Shaikh said, “Asiasat 5 is well known as the leading distribution platform for Middle Eastern programming, as it offers the greatest choice of Arabic content for Arab communities in Asia and Australasia. We are excited to join AsiaSat 5 to further expand our viewership and international reach through its unprecedented coverage across a vast area from Turkey and Egypt in the west to Australia and New Zealand in the east allowing instantaneous access to pay TV platforms, terrestrial networks, hotel networks, embassies and individual homes across Asia.”

The premium Arabic Channels Dubai TV and Dubai Sports are now available on AsiaSat 5 in C-band with the following reception parameters: Orbital Location : 100.5 degrees East; Transponder : C1V; Frequency : 3660 MHz; Polarisation : Vertical; Modulation : QPSK; Symbol Rate : 27.5 Msym/sec; and FEC : 3/4.

Asiasat president, CEO William Wade said, “With the addition of Dubai TV and Dubai Sports channels to our existing impressive bouquet of over 40 Middle Eastern TV and radio programmes on AsiaSat 5, we expand our commitment to providing the best and most comprehensive Middle Eastern entertainment to the Arabic-speaking communities across the Asia-Pacific region”.

MUMBAI: UK pay TV service provider Sky has won its appeal against UK media watchdog Ofcom‘s decision to force the company to reduce the amount it charges companies like BT and Virgin Media for carrying Sky Sports channels.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal (Cat) heard the case. In the judgment, Justice Barling said: “The tribunal has concluded that Ofcom‘s core competition concern is unfounded. That concern is based on the finding to which we have referred, namely that Sky has deliberately withheld from other retailers wholesale supply of its premium channels, preferring to be entirely absent from those retailers‘ platforms rather than to give them wholesale access, and that in doing so Sky has been acting on strategic incentives unrelated to normal commercial considerations of revenue/profit maximisation.”

The tribunal came to the view that Ofcom has, to a significant extent, misinterpreted the evidence of these negotiations, which does not support its conclusion. “We have found a significant number of Ofcom‘s pivotal findings of fact in the statement to be inconsistent with the evidence,” it stated.

The Cat was deciding on the various appeals of Ofcom’s decision to impose a Wholesale Must Offer
obligation in respect of Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2.

BSkyB said in a statement: “We welcome the Cat‘s confirmation that Ofcom’s competition concerns in relation to the wholesale supply of Sky Sports are unfounded and that, contrary to Ofcom’s analysis, the evidence shows that Sky has engaged constructively with other distributors over the supply of its premium channels. This finding supports the argument that Sky has been making consistently over the last five years.

We also welcome the Cat’s conclusion that the existing commercial terms of supply, particularly in relation to Sky’s wholesale rate card, do not obstruct fair and effective competition in the retailing of Sky Sports across platforms.”

The ruling is a setback for Ofcom. The Cat ruling contradicts Ofcom work dating back to 2007 relating to BSkyB‘s power in the UK pay-TV market.

Earlier Ofcom and the Competition Commission had decided that the pay TV market was not serving consumers, ordering Sky to wholesale its premium sports channels to arch rivals Virgin Media and BT, and giving Ofcom the power to set the wholesale price. Sky appealed a 2010 Ofcom pricing decision. The Cat disagreed with this.

MUMBAI: Following the launch of live-streaming that allows viewers to watch its content live, whenever and wherever, US kids broadcaster Cartoon Network has added an app for iOS that will allow kids to watch television and play games simultaneously.

CN 2.0, a new version of the Cartoon Network app, is now available on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, bringing a feature to the mobile marketplace.

The new app includes features and content from the original video app, plus exclusive games and collectibles. Engaging the power of the iPad, the revolutionary user interface allows fans to watch videos and play games simultaneously, or swap seamlessly between the two just by rotating the device.

The iPhone and iPod touch versions include all the same content and also allows users to watch and play in the same app, although not simultaneously. The new Cartoon Network app will continue to be free to download.

Turner‘s Animation, Young Adults and Kids Media division president, COO Stuart Snyder said, “In continuing our efforts to make sure our viewers are enjoying Cartoon Network content, whenever and wherever, it is always our goal to make their experience unique and exciting. CN 2.0 is an innovative and fun new enhancement to the Cartoon Network app that is like no other in the marketplace.”

Cartoon Network VP digital Chris Waldron said, “The viewing habits of kids are changing every day and they are using mobile devices and tablets more than ever. We know they love our shows and games and have observed them participating in both simultaneously, yet on different platforms. It just made sense to bring all that together into an experience they can‘t find anywhere else but at Cartoon Network.”

Along with the network‘s shows on the go, including ‘Adventure Time‘ and ‘Ben 10‘, Cartoon Network 2.0 will include new games available only on the app, such as Adventure Time‘s “Adventure Masters” and Ben 10‘s “Null Void: Escape Velocity.”

Games and video are further integrated in the DNA Lab, a feature that lets users build virtual collector cards from resources they earn by watching episodes and playing games in the app. Cartoon Network 2.0 also includes show clips and gives fans access to the Cartoon Network programming schedule.

Cartoon Network Digital oversees the management and production of content for the channel‘s official site, CartoonNetwork.com.

MUMBAI: World Sport Group (WSG), which produces, distributes and supplies sports programming in Asia, have appointed Masstech to provide digital archiving for all their media content.

Masstech, which provides streamlined media asset management (MAM) solutions, penetrates the sports content arena with these new global installations.

Masstech will implement the Emerald v7.5LE solution at World Sport Group’s Singapore facility. Emerald will archive more than 10 years of Asian football and golf footage, and magazine shows, which is conservatively estimated at more than 10,000 hours of programming.

The company features almost 600 sport event days and more than 5000 hours of sports programming annually, across more than 30 countries in the region. Its television division manages the live on-ground production of some of the region’s top sporting events and ratings leaders including the AFC Asian Cup, AFC Champions League, 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil – Asian Qualifying Rounds, Fifa Club World Cup, Barclays Singapore Open and Emirates Australian Open – for its global network of broadcast, broadband and mobile partners.

The Emerald v7.5LE solution is an upgrade of a digital linear tape (DLT) based solution. Content that comes in via tape or satellite is ingested into XSAN via FCP/MR in Apple ProRes 422. The ingested clip will remain in XSAN for edits. Once the edits are completed and no more repurposing is required for the clips, they will be purged and archived by Emerald. The production department can search for content, preview a proxy and restore or partial file restore back to XSAN.

WSG head of digital media James Leow said, “With Emerald we can achieve so much more. Masstech’s Emerald provides cost-effective digital archiving and automates content archiving from our FCP editing systems as well as central storage. LTO technology enables us to archive more content with less media. This upgrade allows us to store our sports content cost-effectively as we continue to produce thousands of hours of sports programming.”

Having built-in features offering mini mam capabilities for LTO tape archiving, high quality speed (HQS) transcoding and content management on one common platform. Supporting up to two LTO-5 tape drives with any size robotic tape library from a wide range of manufacturers like Spectra, and IBM and others. In addition Emerald has fee-free unlimited disk and tape storage with an unlimited number of offline externalized LTO cartridges, effectively providing an infinite archive capacity. And as World Sport Group’s storage requirements grow, Emerald can be easily upgraded to Masstech’s Topaz system for multi-server scalability and streamlined mam.

MUMBAI: Pune-based 2D animation production company SideFX Entertainment has raised an undisclosed sum from US-based Das Star Ventures. Candle Acendo were the exclusive financial advisors to the transaction.

While the investment amount was not revealed by SideFX or Das Star Ventures, the figure floating around is Rs 55 million.

With this new investment backing, SideFX plans to augment its hi-tech, 2D animation production capacity, targeting lucrative markets worldwide for animated TV and Film content.

SideFX Entertainment Founder and CEO Amit Rathor said, “We are delighted to receive investments from Das Star Ventures. With our world-class competency and expertise in the 2D animation category, the investment from Das Star Ventures will further strengthen our global footprint and provide top-notch service to the client.”

He added, “This transaction is unique for it being the only VC investment in the organized 2D animation sector in recent years.

Das Star Ventures Founder and CEO Durga Das said, “We at Das Star Ventures are very specific in selecting our portfolio companies, partnering only with those who show the highest standards of excellence and potential. SideFX is without a doubt among our most promising ventures. We are very excited to work with such talented people in the exploding 2D animation industry.”

MUMBAI: Nirvana Digital, creator and distributor of audio and video content across Internet and mobile platforms, has launched a “YouTube Content Creators Network” that will start the creation of original content as well as the distribution of produced video content from the Indian market across YouTube channels.

Nirvana Digital’s new YouTube Content Creators Network aims to provide an opportunity to content creators in India, ranging from individuals to large organisations. The network will enable them to upload content for immediate distribution, monetisation and direction of traffic.

Nirvana Digital Founder Pinakin Thakkar said, “The digital platform is large enough globally for video creators to still have their fame and recognition, and we are here to help creators and content owners push content to a global audience while earning immediate revenue from their videos.”

As the demand for quality digital content grows across the world, Nirvana Digital is keen to create brands out of video creators in India, monetise them and drive traffic to them from its existing network.

The model brings together different individuals, gives them support and infrastructure to collaborate and build audiences around their content across various distribution channels.

Nirvana Digital claims to have its own specialised web video studio at Peddar road in South Mumbai apart from a dedicated team who to help with the technical aspect of encoding, uploading and promoting videos, as well as animators for videos that may benefit with CGI.

The company has exclusive rights to films including Hyderabad Blues and Hyderabad Blues 2 and over 300 animated children’s education clips making the total number of videos it distributes to exceed 20,000 and total number of audio titles to exceed 10,000.