Category: Technology

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal on Friday adjourned the hearing in the appeal by Tata Sky against Zee Turner‘s demand for carrying all the channels they have on offer.

The case, which relates also to the technical issue of transponder constraint, has been adjourned till 9 February, as the counsel for Zee Turner contested the contention of Tata Sky that the regulations of Trai did not have a “must carry” provison., but just a “must provide” provision.

The Zee Turner counsel said that there exist two specific Trai-issued documents that could be placed in the court right away, or later, as the court thought fit, which show that Trai regulations carry a “must carry” provision. The court finally fixed 9 February as the date for filing those documents with a note from the Zee counsel.Reading out the affidavit to seek to prove his point, the Tata Sky counsel said that Trai had made four points in the affidavit: first, that it was considering the issue and consultative paper would be issued, without fixing a timeframe for that; secondly, that the affidavit does say that there are capacity constraints on the transponders; thirdly, that DTH is at par with the cable operations, being an addressable system; and finally, that Trai says its regulations did have a “must provide”, but not a “must carry” provision.Tata Sky‘s argument was that since the regulations did not enforce any “must carry” provision, the DTH operator was not bound to carry all the channels provided as package/s by a broadcaster.To this, however, the Zee counsel asserted that there were two earlier documents by Trai that specifically assert a “must carry” provision, and these could be produced in the court.
Part of the dispute between Tata Sky and Zee Turner rests on the fact that the latter has been insisting that the DTH operator carry all its channels and could not “pick and chose” from them.The former had argued that the transponder constraint does not allow them to run each and every channel from a broadcaster they take signals from.

In this context, in the earlier hearing on 2 January, Tdsat had asked Trai to look into the transponder issue as well as other issues. Trai has said today that transponder constraint is a reality.On this, Tata Sky today pleaded that since Trai was considering issuing a consultation paper, and yet, not fixed a date for that, Tdsat may ask Trai to fix a date and issue an interim order to that effect.However, the proceedings took a different turn with the Zee Turner counsel bringing up the issue of Trai documents mandating a “must carry” provision.

MUMBAI: The second wave of FM privatization will see Sun TV and four other private broadcasters launching their FM channels. In preparation for this Sun and the other private broadcasters planning to launch 57 frequencies ordered new transmitters from Broadcast Electronics (BE) in the past month.

These orders are in addition to the BE FM transmitters previously ordered as a result of privatization, which will eventually bring new FM licenses to 90 markets in India.A total of 70 BE transmission systems have been ordered by private FM broadcasters so far, putting BE in the lead according to Technomedia Solutions managing director P.S. Sundaram which represents Broadcast Electronics in India. BE is a turnkey provider of RF and studio systems and provides local, ongoing service for complete transmitter sites.

Of the 57 BE transmitter systems ordered in the past month Sun TV ordered 38 BE FM systems for its Kal Radio Ltd and South Asia Ltd operations. Sri Puran Ltd ordered eight BE transmitter systems, Malar Publications Ltd ordered six, Malayala Manorama ordered four and Purvy Ltd ordered one BE transmitter system.These recent orders are in addition to the nine BE FM systems ordered by Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL) for its Radio Mirchi brand, which broadcast the first private FM signals in April 2006 using BE transmitters. Kal Radio Ltd and South Asia Ltd, part of Sun TV, also set up BE transmitters in three centers and went on-air in Nov 2006. Malar Publications Ltd launched an FM service at Chennai, Hello FM, with a BE transmitter.

‘Privatization of the FM band is going to have a wide-reaching impact on the people of India, and we‘re obviously very honored that so many of these private broadcasters are putting their trust in BE products, said Broadcast Electronics Asia Pacific sales manager Frank Massa.Transmitter models vary from BE‘s ultra-efficient solid state C series to its reliable, cost-effective single-tube T series, with output powers ranging from 3 kW to 10 kW. Every BE transmitter system has an FXi digital FM exciter which is the only exciter with direct-to-channel RF generator for superior RF and audio performance.

MUMBAI: Hathway Cable & Datacom has implemented Oracle 11i E-Business Suit as its ERP applications in order to manage data of different lines of its businesses. The multi-system operate offers services in areas of cable TV, broadband and cable channels.

Covered in the first phase were the purchase, stores and inventory, accounts and finance functions. This went live from 18 January. In the next phase, which will start shortly, the ERP solutions will involve the human resources, marketing and sales functions.

Hathway has engaged the services of Satyam Computer Services for the implementation of this project.

“Our business processes are ready and in line with Oracle‘s integrated solutions which will tightly integrate the various functions, business processes, key stakeholders and employees across the organisation through this ERP solution,” said Hathway Cable & Datacom MD and CEO K Jayaraman.

In April 2006, Hathway decided to implement Oracle Applications 11i E-Business Suite This was to run on HP servers using Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 Advanced Server and Oracle 10g database on the Sun server platform.

“The implementation of this ERP solution is expected to provide better visibility on our transactions and inventory. This will improve our customer delivery performance, reduce inventory and process cycle while bringing down operating costs. The solution is also expected to better cost of compliance and resource utilization through standardized processes, and improve customer service with better controls,” said Jayaraman.

In the past the two companies have collaborated on films including “Omkara” and “I See You”. The deal includes films such as “Namaste London”, “Eklavya – The Royal Guard”, “No Smoking” and “Friends Forever.”.

“With mobile and wireless connectivity in India growing at an impressive 80 per cent CAGR, the opportunity to monetise Bollywood content through mobile properties such as ringtones, wallpapers, songs and video clips is becoming increasingly lucrative,” Eros said in a statement.Eros‘ content will be distributed on Mauj‘s international telecom network. “The Mauj deal is a significant landmark in Eros’ commitment to tap into the new media opportunities presented by digital convergence. The deal enhances Eros’s recent expansion into music publishing as most mobile content is derived from Bollywood musicals. Mauj has created a niche in the mobile space within a short span of time and we are pleased to be working with them to unlock further value in our mobile content,” said Eros International chairman and CEO Kishore Lulla.

Added Mauj chairman and managing director Anupam Mittal, “Eros International is one of the largest content owners in the Bollywood business and has a very strong pipeline of forthcoming films. We were keen to secure the deal to distribute that premium content on mobile platforms in an increasingly competitive environment. Eros’ content combined with Mauj’s technical infrastructure and relationships with mobile networks operators make this an attractive deal for both companies.”

MUMBAI: The Star Group‘s internet portal, indya.com has announced the launch of a digital entertainment store, by which users can download content. Among top shows on the network, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and Koffee With Karan will be made available for download. indya.com is also working with other content providers to bring Indian documentaries, current affairs updates, films and music online.

The service is powered by Direct2Drive, Fox Interactive Media‘s digital retail store, which already offers an array of downloadable film, television and anime content from providers, such as 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate Films, and Starz Entertainment. Users can access the service at http://broadband.indya.com.

Single episodes are now available for free on a trial basis in order to allow users to sample the quality of the content and service. Additional episodes are priced starting from US$0.99 though special discounts are available for bundle purchases. Additionally, indya.com‘s exclusive recap episodes will be available for top serials, chronicling an entire week of events in a 45-minute specially created recap. Recap episodes for shows like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, are available now in the same week as aired on TV, with other shows to be added to the mix in the near future, informs an official release.

It will be available worldwide and is targeted at broadband-enabled South Asian audiences in the U.S., U.K., Canada and South East Asia.

The new service is offered via a “download-to-own” model, in which content is downloaded to the end-user‘s PC. Purchased content is then playable on up to two Windows Media compatible devices, including portable players, allowing consumers to view their content on the go, adds the release.

“This is the first time an Asian internet portal has made this kind of scale of entertainment content available online,” said Star India executive vice president and head, interactive media Ajay Vidyasagar. “We are very pleased to be able to launch the service with a number of Star‘s popular properties and look forward to working with other content providers in order to offer broadband enabled South Asians the world over the best entertainment content for download.”

MUMBAI: Intelsat has announced that Intelsat Ltd., Board of Directors chairman (retired) Conny Kullman, is a 2007 inductee to the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) Satellite Hall of Fame.

SSPI will induct its new Hall of Fame members at an invitational ceremony on 20 February, immediately before the start of the annual SSPI Gala, held on the opening day of the Satellite 2007 Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., informs an official release.”Conny led Intelsat through its privatization and began the challenging task of transforming the company from an intergovernmental organization to a commercial company, positioning Intelsat to become the leading global satellite operator,” said Intelsat CEO Dave McGlade. “His many achievements throughout his career shaped Intelsat and the industry.”

The release adds that Kullman led Intelsat and its global employee base through its privatization, and its metamorphosis into a highly competitive operator. In addition, he was a driving force behind commercial, operational and engineering changes during his tenure as Intelsat‘s chief executive officer from 1998-2005. Under his leadership, Kullman implemented a terrestrial strategy resulting in the development of Intelsat‘s GlobalConnex portfolio suite of services, which now represents approximately $130 million in annual revenues. In addition, Kullman led a $2.5 billion, three year fleet replenishment campaign that increased available capacity in growth markets. In 2003, Kullman was at the helm when Intelsat announced its acquisition of the North American satellites of Loral Space and Communications, providing Intelsat with access to the North American market and completing Intelsat‘s global system.In 2004, Kullman recognized the opportunity to achieve the goals of the Orbit Act while at the same time obtaining premium shareholder returns, by conducting an LBO process which resulted in the acquisition of Intelsat by a consortium of private equity firms at a competitive price. Kullman capped his career in 2005 as chairman of Intelsat, playing a critical role in the completion of Intelsat‘s acquisition of PanAmSat.

BANGALORE: Zapak Digital Entertainment (Zapak) a Reliance ADA Group venture, announced the launch of India’s first full-feature online ‘Multiplayer Chess’.

The Multiplayer Option provides the advantage of playing against your friend who could be anywhere across the world, and also has three difficulty levels; for beginners, advanced players and experts. Zapak.com also launched ‘Multiplayer Speed Chess’, where the player has only ten seconds to make a move.Koneru Humpy, the Reigning World Junior Champion, only 33 ELO points away from being called ‘Super Grandmaster Champion‘ and Tania Sachdeva, the Reigning Asian Junior Girls Champion, unveiled the game and showcased the gameplay.

Speaking about the performance of the portal on this occasion, Zapak COO Rohit Sharma, said, “We have become the fastest growing portal in less than two months from launch reaching 5,00,000 registrations and crossing 5,00,00,000 page views. The performance of the portal has surely exceeded our expectations and we are continuously adding new features on our website so that we exceed our players’ expectations. In fact we have even witnessed registrations from Vishakhapatnam, Siliguri, Jabalpur, Ludhiana, etc besides the Metros and even International Locations.

Computer gaming the world over is dominated by males – almost 85% of the gamers are male, however according to Sharma, Zapak has around 25-30% female subscribers, a swing from the norm, while discussing the current three TVC’s on air which focus on males. The TVCs’ have been created by Marketing Ants, while the Reliance internal team handles the media part. Over the last two months since the launch of the gaming site around Rs.45 million have been spent on the media campaign according to Reliance Entertainment president Rajesh Sawhney.

Currently on offer is a bouquet of 160 plus games on the site with plans to ramp this number up to 500 games by the end of March this year. Zapak also announced an online chess championship for the Zapak Grandmaster starting February 01 this year with a prize purse of Rs.100,000/- for the Grandmaster.

According to Reliance estimates, the global gaming industry is worth around US$45 billion and is expected to grow to US$53 billion (which would make it larger than the Hollywood film industry), while that of the Indian industry is expected to grow to US$424 million by 2010.

MUMBAI: Paramount Pictures has announced the debut of hit movies on the online iTunes Store.

From this month, movie fans will be able to choose from over 100 movies from Paramount Pictures, Paramount Classics, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. Titles from Paramount Vantage will be available later in the year.

The titles and genres includes comedies such as School of Rock and Zoolander, action-thrillers such as A Sum of All Fears and The Italian Job, classics such as Chinatown and Breakfast at Tiffany‘s and science-fiction favorites such as the first six Star Trek movies. These movies are available for purchase and download for $9.99 and can be viewed on a computer or fifth generation iPod.

Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey says, “Paramount is excited to offer hit movies on the iTunes Store. We think iTunes customers are going to love the wide range of titles to choose from, and we look forward to partnering with Apple to make more great Paramount content available in the future.”

Apple CEO Steve Jobs says, “We‘re thrilled to add these hit movies and classic titles from Paramount to the growing iTunes movie library. iTunes is the largest online video store in the world with over 1.3 million movies sold to date.”

MUMBAI: Paving the way to integrated digital cable-ready HDTVs with two-way interactive capability, LG Electronics recently showcased a TV platform in the US.

The LG plasma HDTV has achieved certification status as Ocap-enabled interactive digital television set, including the multi-stream CableCard (M-Card) system, from a recently concluded certification by Cablelabs.

LG‘s 42-inch OpenCable plasma HDTV set (42PC1DN) was honoured with a 2007 CES Innovations Award — features built-in Ocap technology, M-Card capabilities and interactive capabilities, as well as high-definition content and interactive services like Video-on-Demand and Pay-Per-View. The LG 42PC1DN has been honoured as a 2007 CES Innovations
Award recipient.

This retail device can connect directly to a local cable TV system, and receive current advanced interactive cable TV services, as well as be ready for future interactive applications –without the need for a separate digital set-top box (STB). Ultimately, a common US platform for delivering interactive cable applications would be enabled by implementing the OpenCable specification, a process in which LG is an active contributor.

The company adds that it is committed to commercialising retail interactive digital cable-ready TVs and STBs to accelerate the rollout of OpenCable and Ocap across the North American Cable industry. LG says that it has now have advanced devices capable of receiving and displaying advanced cable services such as program guides and video-on-demand (Vod) without requiring separate cable STBs.

In parallel with ongoing inter-industry standardisation efforts, it will continue working with the cable industry to commercialise this platform.

LG‘s close collaboration with Cablelabs and cable TV operators has enabled the company to develop products that run cable services including an interactive programme guide, Vod and other interactive applications and services. “At the same time, LG is continuing to explore additional new features to maintain product leadership and be a market differentiator.

MUMBAI: The cofounders of the Internet telephone service Skype have unveiled the brand name and details of their latest project. This is a new Internet-based television service called Joost.

The Venice Project has revealed its official brand, Joost. Currently available in private beta testing, Joost combines TV and the Internet by offering viewers a TV-like experience enhanced with the choice, control and flexibility of web 2.0.

Joost is looking to fill a gap in the online video entertainment arena. Joost claims to be powered by a secure, efficient, piracy-proof Internet platform that enables premium interactive video experiences while guaranteeing copyright protection for content owners and creators.

Joost CEO Fredrik de Wahl says, “People are looking for increased choice and flexibility in their TV experience, while the entertainment industry needs to retain control over their content. With Joost, we’ve married that consumer desire with the industry’s interests.”

Joost is the first global TV distribution platform, bringing together advertisers, content owners and viewers in an interactive, community-driven environment. Joost can be accessed with a broadband Internet connection and offers broadcast-quality content to viewers for free.

de Wahl says, “We have received positive and constructive feedback from our early beta-testers and are now at a stage where we’re ready to reveal our true brand. The Joost name has global appeal, embodies fun and energy, and will come to define the ’best of TV and the best of the Internet’”.