Category: Technology

MUMBAI: IBC, the annual event for professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of entertainment and news content worldwide has announced that the International Honour for Excellence, the highest honour it bestows, will this year be presented to NHK Science and Technology Research Laboratories (STRL).

Japanese public service broadcaster NHK has been foremost in developing new techniques and technology for broadcasting since its formation in 1930. IBC takes place in September in Amsterdam.

The IBC International Honour for Excellence is presented each year to an outstanding individual or organisation who has fostered or contributed to the relationship between technology and creativity in the broadcast, movie or media industries.

In 2011 the award went to Sir David Attenborough; previous recipients have included Director James Cameron, Aardman Animation, Manolo Romero, Managing Director, Olympic Broadcasting Services and the BBC Natural History Unit.

Having recently celebrated its 80th anniversary, NHK Science and Technology Research Laboratories has been at the forefront of research in broadcasting technology, working on both practical solutions to current issues and visionary future technologies which transform the way professionals create content and audiences enjoy it.

NHK STRL pioneered high definition television as we know it today, including the development of plasma displays. It has recently been awarded an IEEE Milestone Award for the world‘s first direct to home satellite broadcast service in 1984.

Among its many current strands of research is Super Hi-Vision, its implementation of high resolution broadcasting which offers a screen resolution 16 times greater than today‘s HD, together with 22.2 channel immersive surround sound. NHK STRL engineers are working on the complete chain, from high resolution high speed CMOS cameras through recording and transmission equipment to screens and projection displays.

It is also addressing the second screen, helping a consortium of broadcasters launch an experimental service, Hybridcast, which synchronises content on a tablet with the programme on television.

MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC is pushing 3D in a bigger way. This summer, BBC One‘s ‘ ‘Planet Dinosaur‘ and ‘Last Night of the Proms‘ will be broadcast for the first time in 3D on the BBC‘s HD Channel. These two events join select coverage of Wimbledon and the Olympics in a Summer of 3D, part of the BBC‘s two-year trial experimenting with 3D production and distribution.

Planet Dinosaur 3D, scheduled to broadcast in August 2012 and adapted from the BBC One series, will recreate the lost world of the dinosaurs in a stereoscopic production. ‘Planet Dinosaur 3D‘ will take viewers on a journey into a lost world: from the iconic Spinosaurus, the largest predator ever to walk the Earth, to Microraptor and the advent of flying dinosaurs in China, this programme charts the rise and fall of the ‘ultimate killers‘.

The UK pubcaster adds that this is one of the most ambitious animated programmes ever attempted for broadcast TV in 3D. Viewers will experience the work of a specialist team of stereographers who have hand-crafted individual frames and sequences to ensure that the 3D experience has maximum impact, while leaving the audience fully engaged in the factual story.

Later on 8 September 2012, the BBC will also broadcast the ‘Last Night of the Proms‘ – the traditional finale to two months of the finest music-making at the Royal Albert Hall – in 3D for the first time. Eight specialist cameras will give audiences at home the best seats in the house and provide an immersive experience. With key camera positions in front of the conductor, and a remote camera within the orchestra that rotates to 180 degrees and can pan and tilt, audiences will feel that they are actually in the orchestra, with a 3D view of every individual instrument.

With Wimbledon in its second week, selected coverage of the 2012 Ladies‘ and Men‘s Singles finals will be shown in 3D this weekend, building on the broadcast of the finals in 3D last year. Key cameras will be positioned courtside, capturing viewpoints normally only experienced by the players themselves. Placing audiences in the heart of the action, the cameras will deliver the full excitement of a tennis ball speeding towards them.

Continuing the summer of sport, selected live coverage of the Olympics will be brought to homes across the UK, including the opening and closing ceremonies, the Men‘s 100m final, and a highlights package at the end of day.

BBC 3D head Kim Shillinglaw said, “Our recent announcement around Wimbledon and the London 2012 Olympics will provide a test-bed for what works around major sporting events, but we were keen to build our experience across a selection of genres. Bringing Planet Dinosaur and The Last Night of the Proms to audiences enable us to test the technology across various genres and establish where 3D really enhances the viewers‘ experience.”

The free-to-air broadcast of these events in 3D will be available to anyone who has access to a 3D TV set and to the BBC HD Channel, regardless of which digital TV provider they use.

MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has decided to amend the Cable Television Network Rule, 1995 making it mandatory for cable operators and multi-system operators (MSOs) to furnish accurate and timely information failing which the licences would be revoked.

The decision comes in the backdrop of inconsistencies in data provided by the service providers regarding inventory position of STB and its deployment in the four metros that are to digitise in the first phase – Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

“While assessing the preparedness of DAS in four metros, the Ministry has come across numerous inconsistencies of data provided by the service providers, particularly MSOs, in regard to inventory position of STB and its deployment,” the I&B Ministry said in a statement.

“In view of this, the Ministry has decided to amend the Cable Television Network Rule, 1995 (Cable Rules) making it obligatory for every cable operator and Multi-system Operator (MSO) to provide correct and timely information to the Ministry as and when it is sought for.”

According to MIB, the timely availability of accurate data with regard to the seeding of STBs by service providers is critical for digital switch over within the timeframe as well as for taking mid-course corrections if necessary.

In the Cable Television Network Rule, 1995(Second Amendment) Rule, 2012, a new rule, namely, rule 10A Obligation to furnish information, has been inserted making it mandatory for MSOs and cable operators to provide information as and when it is sought for by the Central Government or State Government or authorised officer or any agency of the Central Government.

The obligation to furnish information under the amended rule 10 A has been incorporated as one of the terms and conditions of registration of cable operator under Rule 5 A and MSOs under rule 11 D.

As per sub-section (7) of section 4 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, the Central Government may suspend or revoke the registration of cable operators or MSOs if they violate one or more of the terms and conditions of registration.

Incorporation of rule 10 A as one of the terms and conditions of registration of cable operators and MSOs will empower the Central Government to cancel or suspend the registration of cable operators or MSO if the information sought for by it is not provided by them. This will ensure correct and timely submission of information by cable operators and MSOs, the Ministry added.

MUMBAI: YouView, Britain‘s new set top box offering subscription-free digital TV and catch-up, has launched earlier this week.

Backed by some of Britain’s biggest names in TV and broadband – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Arqiva, BT and TalkTalk – YouView brings a fully integrated service to homes across the country via a broadband internet connection, television aerial and a YouView set top box.

The service will offer more than 100 digital TV and radio channels, seven day catch-up and on demand programmes from the content libraries of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – all delivered to the viewer’s main TV.

Featuring an innovative electronic programme guide (EPG) that allows users to scroll back seven days to catch-up on programmes they’ve missed, the YouView service is aimed at the 13-15 million British households without a pay-TV deal.

YouView will be available in two ways: from retailers, with no further TV subscription, or from an ISP as part of a phone and broadband package. Retail partners already signed up include John Lewis, Currys, Comet, Argos, Amazon, Richer Sounds and the Euronics group.

BT and TalkTalk will announce their packages soon and from launch they will offer additional content and services to customers accessing YouView via their broadband networks.

The company asserted that it had expressions of interest from over 300 potential content partners, which will allow YouView to have a range of quality content available from content partners including Sky’s Now TV and STV.

YouView chairman Lord Sugar stated, “It’s with great pleasure that we announce that YouView will be available from major retailers later this month. Our intention with this simple–to-use box is to provide extraordinary TV for everyone, with on-demand services combined with TV channels with an opportunity to search back an entire week to catch what they’ve missed. It’s a whole new way of experiencing TV.”

YouView CEO Richard Halton added, “Today, YouView is being enjoyed in over 2,000 homes and the feedback from the trial is very encouraging. It confirms that YouView is easy to set up and use and different to what has gone before. In many ways we’ve only just begun, YouView is set to evolve quickly and we look forward to working with new content partners and developing more functionality as boxes roll out into UK homes.”

MUMBAI: Yahoo! India, the premier digital media company, has launched a dedicated destination for the London Olympics 2012 on Yahoo! News.

The Olympics page will have four sections which include photos, calendar, news, and memorable moments.

To deliver original and superior digital content experience to its audience Yahoo! has brought together panel of experts comprising of Gold Medal Olympians Dan O‘Brien (Track and Field), Summer Sanders (Olympics), Shannon Miller (Gymnastics) and sports writers from Yahoo!’s editorial team.

Currently, Yahoo! Olympics site is building-up to this year’s game with dedicated coverage of the entire action, countdown to the game, detail schedule for each day, and Memorable Moments editorial series.

During the games the destination will also provide up-to-date photo galleries from London, as well as multiple original video broadcasts showcasing the day’s events and scenes in London, expert analysis, and breaking stories. The Memorable Moments initiative is created to celebrate the most iconic moments from the history of the modern Summer Games.

NEW DELHI: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is to launch video on demand for its mobile phone subscribers in a month’s time.

This was announced by BSNL chairman & managing director Rakesh K Upadhyay while inaugurating VAS ASIA 2012, the 12th International Conference and Exhibition organised by Bharat Exhibitions.

During his address, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) executive director (Wireless Service) A. K. Bhargava said the story of the value added service on the mobile phone is just the beginning. All products on the mobile phone are for the masses, there is a requirement of creative innovation which should be cost effective and for masses, he added.

“The MVAS industry is expected to create a business opportunity worth around Rs 480 billion by the year 2015. This in itself is a clear indication of the future of VAS services in India. No doubt this has created a new excitement for all those who are in this space and for those who are entering,” said Bharat Exhibitions MD Shashi Dharan.

The emergence of the mobile phone as the single device for a host of services has changed the paradigm in the communication and entertainment industries with several discreet devices being displaced in favour of a single device, said Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) director general Rajan S. Mathews. He drew attention to some emerging problems in the telecommunication area where customer charges needed to be as low as possible for the mass communication device to be affordable to the last man.

“The exploding cost of regulation is a critical issue. The increasing introduction of regulatory issues into what is actually market driven service is affecting the growth of this sector, “said Mathews.

In his keynote address, Velti CEO Alex Moukas said: “Mobile internet users are expected to surpass the desktop Internet users 2014. The disparity in the time spent on mobile (10 per cent) and the advertisement spend (1per cent) would also rebalance soon, thereby boosting revenue from the mobile VAS for the operators. With advertising revenue rising by at least three times in two years from now this sector will also bridge the social media and location based marketing with personalization that was not possible till now.” He added that explosive mobile Internet adoption will surpass the desk top users.

“India’s Internet users penetration will rise to 35 per cent by 2015 and more than three quarters will choose mobile phone access,” said Mr. Sukesh Jain, head VAS & Content, Bharti Airtel.

The total Internet access capability by 2015 is expected to rise from 100 million to 450 million, of which 41 per cent will be using mobile only and another 38 per cent both cell phone and PC. Data service on the mobile is expected to broaden and deepen customer experience with the cell phone with the consequent improvement in the operator revenues. Revenue contribution from current VAS service is expected to come down as revenues from data increase as a percentage of total revenue.

It was noted that the slow growth of the smart phone base until recently had been holding back the prospect of huge revenues from mobile VAS. In the first quarter of this year, smart phones constituted only 2.7 million out of 50 million new devices sold, and the total smart phone base in the country is around 27 million, while the total subscribers base have crossed 950 million. The population that needs to be addressed is the regional language speakers who are the large majority compared to only 7 per cent knowing English speaking population.

“Mobile VAS has huge revenue potentials, the global average share of MVAS revenue is leading user countries is pegged at approximately 23 per cent ,” said Mr. Chandan Ghosh, Head -Global Wholesale & Carrier Business , Aircel Limited. The drive to increase average revenue per user and gain customer loyalty in a highly competitive market has led operators to liven up their mobile portfolios. Operators are looking at various means to use MVAS as a growth driver and key differentiator. According to him the industry falling prices of handsets and increasing competition was forcing manufacturers to shift focus to services. For operators falling voice revenues, increasing competition and heavy investments in 3G have made them to turn to VAS to secure their business.

New opportunities were emerging for banks, educational institutions and health care providers to use value added services over their mobile. This could be the game that operators would have to address to improve their revenues. The broad categories for successful monetization of MVAS were in M-education, M-commerce, M-Health and M-Infotainment. “The end game is not about generating new revenues. It’s about delivering compelling customer experience in order to extract new value from existing customers”, Ghosh added.

“The opportunity for the technology players to play a critical role in the further expansion of the Indian VAS Market has become more crucial now”, said DONJIN Communication Technology Co. Ltd. CEO John He.

MUMBAI: Yahoo! India, the premier digital media company, has launched a dedicated destination for the London Olympics 2012 on Yahoo! News.

The Olympics page will have four sections which include photos, calendar, news, and memorable moments.

To deliver original and superior digital content experience to its audience Yahoo! has brought together panel of experts comprising of Gold Medal Olympians Dan O‘Brien (Track and Field), Summer Sanders (Olympics), Shannon Miller (Gymnastics) and sports writers from Yahoo!’s editorial team.

Currently, Yahoo! Olympics site is building-up to this year’s game with dedicated coverage of the entire action, countdown to the game, detail schedule for each day, and Memorable Moments editorial series.

During the games the destination will also provide up-to-date photo galleries from London, as well as multiple original video broadcasts showcasing the day’s events and scenes in London, expert analysis, and breaking stories. The Memorable Moments initiative is created to celebrate the most iconic moments from the history of the modern Summer Games.

NEW DELHI: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is to launch video on demand for its mobile phone subscribers in a month’s time.

This was announced by BSNL chairman & managing director Rakesh K Upadhyay while inaugurating VAS ASIA 2012, the 12th International Conference and Exhibition organised by Bharat Exhibitions.

During his address, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) executive director (Wireless Service) A. K. Bhargava said the story of the value added service on the mobile phone is just the beginning. All products on the mobile phone are for the masses, there is a requirement of creative innovation which should be cost effective and for masses, he added.

“The MVAS industry is expected to create a business opportunity worth around Rs 480 billion by the year 2015. This in itself is a clear indication of the future of VAS services in India. No doubt this has created a new excitement for all those who are in this space and for those who are entering,” said Bharat Exhibitions MD Shashi Dharan.

The emergence of the mobile phone as the single device for a host of services has changed the paradigm in the communication and entertainment industries with several discreet devices being displaced in favour of a single device, said Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) director general Rajan S. Mathews. He drew attention to some emerging problems in the telecommunication area where customer charges needed to be as low as possible for the mass communication device to be affordable to the last man.

“The exploding cost of regulation is a critical issue. The increasing introduction of regulatory issues into what is actually market driven service is affecting the growth of this sector, “said Mathews.

In his keynote address, Velti CEO Alex Moukas said: “Mobile internet users are expected to surpass the desktop Internet users 2014. The disparity in the time spent on mobile (10 per cent) and the advertisement spend (1per cent) would also rebalance soon, thereby boosting revenue from the mobile VAS for the operators. With advertising revenue rising by at least three times in two years from now this sector will also bridge the social media and location based marketing with personalization that was not possible till now.” He added that explosive mobile Internet adoption will surpass the desk top users.

“India’s Internet users penetration will rise to 35 per cent by 2015 and more than three quarters will choose mobile phone access,” said Mr. Sukesh Jain, head VAS & Content, Bharti Airtel.

The total Internet access capability by 2015 is expected to rise from 100 million to 450 million, of which 41 per cent will be using mobile only and another 38 per cent both cell phone and PC. Data service on the mobile is expected to broaden and deepen customer experience with the cell phone with the consequent improvement in the operator revenues. Revenue contribution from current VAS service is expected to come down as revenues from data increase as a percentage of total revenue.

It was noted that the slow growth of the smart phone base until recently had been holding back the prospect of huge revenues from mobile VAS. In the first quarter of this year, smart phones constituted only 2.7 million out of 50 million new devices sold, and the total smart phone base in the country is around 27 million, while the total subscribers base have crossed 950 million. The population that needs to be addressed is the regional language speakers who are the large majority compared to only 7 per cent knowing English speaking population.

“Mobile VAS has huge revenue potentials, the global average share of MVAS revenue is leading user countries is pegged at approximately 23 per cent ,” said Mr. Chandan Ghosh, Head -Global Wholesale & Carrier Business , Aircel Limited. The drive to increase average revenue per user and gain customer loyalty in a highly competitive market has led operators to liven up their mobile portfolios. Operators are looking at various means to use MVAS as a growth driver and key differentiator. According to him the industry falling prices of handsets and increasing competition was forcing manufacturers to shift focus to services. For operators falling voice revenues, increasing competition and heavy investments in 3G have made them to turn to VAS to secure their business.

New opportunities were emerging for banks, educational institutions and health care providers to use value added services over their mobile. This could be the game that operators would have to address to improve their revenues. The broad categories for successful monetization of MVAS were in M-education, M-commerce, M-Health and M-Infotainment. “The end game is not about generating new revenues. It’s about delivering compelling customer experience in order to extract new value from existing customers”, Ghosh added.

“The opportunity for the technology players to play a critical role in the further expansion of the Indian VAS Market has become more crucial now”, said DONJIN Communication Technology Co. Ltd. CEO John He.

MUMBAI: Close on the heels of entering into a distribution deal with Yash Raj Films, Novex Communications has become the exclusive distribution of cable TV rights of Shemaroo Entertainment‘s film and programme library.

Earlier, Novex was the licensee of Shemaroo’s film content since 2008.

Shemaroo’s library consists of more than 1000 titles spanning new and classic films besides titles in various other regional languages like Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Bengali. Besides Shemaroo, it also has rights to distribute 53 films from the Yash Raj stable.

Meanwhile, Novex has warned multi-system operators (MSOs) and local cable operators (LCOs) against unauthorised use of the libraries of the two companies.

“It is observed that many MSOs and cable operators are violating the copyright Act by unauthorised use of content of these films and programmes on their cable network rampantly. This is considered direct infringement of Cable TV copyrights of these two libraries,” Novex‘s founder-promoter Ketan Kanakia said.

The company has warned cable operators to stop using the two movie libraries illegally failing which it will take legal action against guilty operators.

“Novex is in process of taking legal action under the Act against those MSO’s and cable operators who are using the content recklessly without authorisation. They are advised to desist from unauthorised use of movie content of these libraries,” Kanakia added.

MUMBAI: Eutelsat Communications has announced major improvements to its Tooway satellite service with the aim to enhance the speed and affordability of consumer satellite broadband across Europe and the Mediterranean Basin.

Offering higher bitrates, increased consumption profiles and lower entry costs, the latest generation of Tooway broadband services is now available and is being commercialised by distributors integrating the new offers into their service portfolio.

The Tooway portfolio of services delivered via Eutelsat’s KA-SAT High Throughput Satellite now offers download speeds of up to 18 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 6Mbps, with consumption profiles of up to 50 Gigabytes per month, the company stated.
 
This move towards a faster, higher volume service has been facilitated by an upgrade of the digital modulation scheme of the KA-SAT infrastructure, from 8PSK2 to 16APSK, generating a significant increase in the system’s total throughput.

In order to lower entry costs, Eutelsat’s broadband affiliate, Skylogic, is also rolling out an attractive hardware rental programme in certain countries to enable distributors to opt to rent user equipment to new customers.

“Today‘s announcement shows our commitment to further enhancing the performance of the Tooway service which is fundamentally about connecting people – both those in areas unserved and underserved by ADSL,” said Eutelsat CEO Michel de Rosen.
 
The update last month of the EU‘s Digital Scorecard shows that as many as 10 million homes in the EU27 are still not broadband-equipped. This means there is still work to be done to meet the objectives of the Digital Agenda in Europe and at a broader level across the full KA-SAT footprint.

“We believe that the enhanced Tooway service and the improved user equipment programme will forward the move to satellite broadband for those still struggling with mediocre Internet access, depriving them of the social and economic benefits of broadband,” added Rosen.