Category: Technology

MUMBAI: Shin Broadband Internet in Thailand has awarded a contract for a next generation Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) push video on demand service in Asia to International Datacasting Corporation to provide IDC‘s Datacast XD Content Management and Distribution software.

The contract calls for the initial roll-out phase of the system with options for expansion as the service reaches full deployment.Shin Broadband Internet pushes High Definition (HD) movies over the Shin Satellite Ipstar system across Asia to low cost consumer Set-Top-Boxes (STBs) located in user‘s homes. IDC‘s Datacast XD software will be used to manage the delivery of this content on this network.IDC is also responsible for the project management and system integration of the project which also utilizes Irdeto encryption for content security inside the STBs which are manufactured by Homecast of Korea.

Ipstar is a new satellite network that provides business and residential Internet service throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The total number of satellite user terminals provided by Shin Satellite is currently over 70,000 and growing.The new PUSH-VOD service uses excess Ipstar satellite bandwidth when available to push HDTV movies onto the local hard disk drive of the Homecast STB, storing digitized movies for later use. The new PUSH-VOD subscription service ensures that users receive new movies daily and operation of the STB is similar to the way a consumer plays back movies from a PVR/DVR at any time.The STB utilizes the most modern MPEG AVC/ H.264 video compression technology available to provide the highest quality video possible along with multi-channel sound. The STB inside of the customer‘s house is connected to the TV and to the Shin‘s Ipstar terminal.

Ron Clifton the President and CEO of International Datacasting Corporation said “Shin Satellite is one of the most advanced service providers in Asia and we are delighted that they selected our technology and recognized our skills and experience in integrating IPTV systems of this type.Our Datacast XD technology was originally developed to meet the needs of satellite, cable and IPTV customers for a broad range of multimedia file transfer and streaming applications. The inclusion of Datacast XD in a consumer set-top-box has opened new doors for this product line in a rapidly growing market and hopefully this opportunity will be the first of many such consumer applications.”Teerayuth Boonchote, Vice President of Ipstar, said that “Shin Satellite and our sister company Shin Broadband Internet are excited by the potential of this new service offering to our Ipstar customers which we will initially roll-out in Thailand. A success in Thailand means we‘ll expand the service throught our Asian footprint. IDC was chosen because they have demonstrated commitment and performance in terms of their proven Datacast XD content delivery technology which is easily integrated into set-top-boxes and because they have an excellent history of successful systems integration projects.”

MUMBAI: The Gotham Group, a management firm representing animation and family entertainment talent and content, has teamed up with Yahoo! Studios for a strategic relationship to produce and distribute original animated content on the Internet.

According to an official release, veteran in the entertainment industry Jon Vein initiated the deal and negotiated the agreement on behalf of The Gotham Group, which will draw upon the company‘s base of pre-existing animated shorts as well as from original new content.

“Gotham is committed to finding innovative ways to distribute our artists‘ creative work and today‘s agreement with Yahoo! furthers that business strategy to mutual benefit,” said Gotham Group CEO and founder Ellen Goldsmith-Vein. “We pride ourselves on finding new revenue streams for our content creators and Yahoo! provides a fresh and exciting opportunity for the world to interact with the great talent we represent.”

“We are always looking for opportunities to make dynamic and entertaining content available on Yahoo!,” said Yahoo! Studios general manager Drew Buckley. “We are thrilled to work with Gotham to create and program compelling animated content for our users.” Yahoo! Studios focuses on the development and production of event-based, original and user-generated content across the Yahoo! Media Group properties, including Yahoo! Entertainment and Yahoo! TV.

MUMBAI: The Indian Space Research Organisation‘s (Isro) Insat-4B satellite is scheduled to be launched from Kourou in French Guiana in the first week of March.

This was confirmed by Isro chief G Madhavan Nair on Monday. Speaking in Thiruvananthapuram in the southern state of Kerala, Nair was quoted in media reports as saying: “Final tests are being conducted on the satellite and it will be moved to French Guiana by the end of this month.”The Insat-4B, the second satellite in the Insat-4 series, will be carrying 12 KU band and as many C band transponders for communication and broadcasting services.

One likely customer for the KU band transponders is Kalanithi Maran‘s Sun Group, which had booked space last year on the failed Insat-4C for its DTH venture Sun Direct.Sun TV had booked six transponders for DTH and one for DSNG (digital satellite news gathering) on the Insat-4C.

Speaking to Indiantelevision last August after the failure of the Insat-4C launch mission, Isro contract management and legal services director SB Iyer had said: “We have the flexibility to accommodate Sun. If there is an early requirement, we can give them space on an Indian or foreign satellite.” Current indications are that Insat-4B, which was originally meant for Doordarshan‘s DTH service DD Direct Plus will likely be used to accommodate Sun as well.When asked about it today, Iyer was noncommital though, stating, “We are still deciding we will be accommodating one or two DTH providers.”

MUMBAI: Eros International and Intel Corporation have announced the debut of Eros‘s latest Bollywood service on Intel Viiv technology-based PCs.

Accelerating the on-demand, broadband-delivered Bollywood content to PCs connected to TVs, the companies announced plans for the pre-DVD online premiere of the Arjun Rampal starrer I See You, within weeks of its global theatrical release. The film released on 29 December 2006.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Eros and Intel demonstrated the new service, which delivers access to Bollywood entertainment, including high-definition movies, music videos, day and date premieres, evergreen blockbusters and timeless classics, from the web to Intel Viiv technology-based PCs for viewing and enjoyment on large screen TVs. The Eros service will offer rental, subscription, download to own at launch and even download to burn models in the future, informs an official release.

“Our effort with Intel will give us the opportunity to serve an even broader audience worldwide, enter new markets and gain new revenue streams, while exploring and embracing a variety of exciting new digital distribution technologies, such as Intel Viiv technology. We are a content company that believes in empowering consumers so they can watch what they want, when they want, how they want,” said Eros chairman and CEO Kishore Lulla.

According to an official release, the first day will focus on Internet and will address issues such as “What will drive the growth of Internet in India?, How to leverage Internet to E-nable businesses?, Is youth the driving force behind Internet?”

Meanwhile, day two will throw light on topics related to “Mobile Value Added Services (VAS) such as What makes a successful mobile marketing company in India?, How can mobile VAS be source of critical Information and Interactivity?, Will mobile payments change the rules of transaction?, Is the policy environment right for MVAS Industry?”

Commenting on the need for a Digital Summit president Dr.Subho Ray said, “The Summit this year will focus on two distinct areas: internet and related issues of current and future policies, communications tools and commerce; and mobile devices and connected issues of mobile value added services over two days”.

Much like last year, the Summit in 2007 would also have an array of speakers including:

– People Group chairman Anupam Mittal
– eBay India chairman Avnish Bajaj
– Info Edge Ltd founder and CEO Sanjeev Bikhchandani
– Makemytrip.com founder and CEO Deep Kalra
– Google India head sales & operations Sundarraman Kalyanraman
– Ministry of Communications and IT Joint Secretary Pankaj Agrawala
– Connecturf managing director & CEO Neville Taraporewala,
– Mouthshut.com founder Faisal Farooqui,
– MSN and Windows Media Live CEO Jaspreet Bindra,
– Zapak Digital Entertainment COO Rohit Sharma
– Pinstorm Technologies founder and CEO Mahesh Murthy
– Malayala Manorama COO Mariam Mathew

MUMBAI: The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) has rolled out a new two-tier license framework for Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) that aims to further facilitate the growth of IPTV services in Singapore, to tangible benefits for the industry and consumers.

“We took into consideration the developments in technology in a rapidly evolving media landscape and local industry feedback when factoring flexibility in this license framework to address the needs of niche IPTV players vis-?-vis mass market IPTV players while ensuring that consumer interests are not compromised,” explained MDA director media policy Ling Pek Ling.

“This will enable the entry of more industry players looking to provide a wide range of IPTV services to consumers including those who are currently not served or not well served by existing broadcasters. At the same time, consumers can look forward to richer and diversified content.”

In line with the new license framework, MDA has issued SingNet Pet Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications Limited, a Nationwide subscription TV service license to roll out commercial IPTV services.

According to an official release, the tiered IPTV license framework offers service providers two types of licenses:

– Nationwide subscription TV License: Players providing services that have wide reach (over 100,000 subscribers) and impact. They will be awarded a Nationwide License, similar to that for a mass market pay TV operator.

– Niche Subscription TV License: This facilitates the entry of new niche players offering IPTV services which have limited reach (100,000 subscribers or less) and impact. The licensee would be subject to a lighter license framework. For example, niche licensees will not be required to carry the local free-to-air channels.

Where the subscriber base exceeds 100,000 subscribers, the following secondary criteria will be used to determine if the operator can still qualify as a Niche player to allow those targeting niche market segments like the expatriate community and hotels to grow their business and improve their business case:

– Location: whether the service is offered chiefly to specific non-residential locations in Singapore.

– Language: whether there is a high percentage of foreign language content.

– Reach and impact of the channels.

MUMBAI: Although at a nascent stage, the Chinese telematics and infotainment markets is likely to witness considerable growth and development over the forecast period. Factors expected to contribute to this include the continued growth in demand as well as production of passenger cars, increasing disposable incomes, growing acknowledgement of the benefits of telematics and infotainment, as well as the upcoming Olympic Games in 2008 and the 2010 World Trade Exhibition.

Additionally, newer telelematics and infotainment systems are becoming more affordable and many car companies are also planning to incorporate navigation system as a standard offering, thus boosting their overall uptake.New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, the Strategic Analysis of the Chinese Telematics and Infotainment Markets reveals that revenues in this market totaled 422.3 million in 2005 and can reach 3896.9 million in 2012.‘Among the market segments, the Chinese productivity market, the roadside assistance market, and the rear seat entertainment market are yet in their introductory stages,‘ notes Frost & Sullivan research analyst Angielina Tay. ‘In comparison, the navigation market is in its growth stage and holds significant promise, especially considering China‘s high vehicle occupancy rate, ‘maintains Tay. 

The Chinese vehicle occupancy rate was greater than three million in 2005 and this ensures huge potential for navigation systems (both the portable and personal navigation device). Navigation is likely to become a daily requirement for people, regardless of whether they are driving or not, because a navigation system does not just simply help them to get from point A to B, but also provides them with other value-added services, such as providing points of interest (POI). This driver is likely to have a high impact on the market throughout the forecast period.Notwithstanding the promise, Chinese consumers still lack sufficient knowledge of telematics and infotainment system functions. Besides, there are too many varieties available for the consumers at present, and this coupled with unpleasant experiences such as low-quality products and lack of after sales service are likely to hurt customer confidence in this developing market.

‘The non-availability of all functions in a single system is an added barrier to penetration, much like the current high prices of telematics and infotainment systems,‘ says Tay. ‘For example, the average price for an original equipment (OE) navigation system was about $1,463.4 in 2005 which is relatively high compared to the North American and Japanese markets.‘ 

MUMBAI: Tandberg Television has provided an interactive television experience for entertainment fans via polls, trivia, winner predictions, fashion critiques and backstage video feeds during the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards on 15 January on NBC.

The Tandberg Television interactive application created for NBC‘s 2007 Golden Globe Awards provided viewers with the ability to vote in a variety of film and television polls and answer trivia questions., informs an official release.

“We are pleased to be working with Tandberg Television again to give our viewers an enhanced digital entertainment experience that adds an exciting element to our live programming,” said NBC Digital Entertainment and New Media executive vice president Vivi Zigler. “NBC.com has been aggressively exploring interactive features for our programming and this is another great example.”

During the broadcast of this year‘s Golden Globe awards, viewers could provide winner predictions, fashion critiques by logging on to http://www.nbc.com/Golden_Globes_2007 at NBC.com. and earn points for their participation or even compare responses to those of other players. Additionally, NBC gave away $5000 to a randomly selected winner from all registered users, adds the release.

As part of the interactive experience, fans could rate the speeches and learn facts about their favourite actors, TV shows and movies, as well as have exclusive access to live backstage video feed and a real-time blog written by a behind-the-scenes NBC producer. “The interactive television (iTV) application we developed for this year‘s Golden Globes broadcast demonstrates the direction that the television industry is heading,” said, Tandberg Television senior vice president, programmer sales Joe Franzetta. “Television viewers no longer want to passively watch television, so we develop interactive applications that provide an exciting and active experience that is much more personalized and immediate to the consumer. At Tandberg Television we are committed to providing a wide array of innovative interactive technologies that will alter the television landscape moving forward.” The Flash two-screen application marks the third project developed by Tandberg Television as an interactive application for an NBC special (2006 Golden Globes, 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2006).

MUMBAI: Interworld, a digital cinema firm, has announced the release of its first movie Mr. Hot Mr. Kool on 19 January and is aiming to produce around 15 movies a year.

Mr. Hot Mr. Kool is a romantic comedy targeting college going youth and young professionals. The company says that the other movies in the pipeline would be produced keeping in mind the target audience, trends in cinema and towns with digital theaters.

Interworld Digital‘s platform “DigiCine” claims to be the only platform in India which is based on high end technology and provides opportunity to show movies broadcast by various digital cinema operators in the same theater during different shows. The firm also proclaims to be the first to present a pay per use model for theater owners. “We are proud of being India‘s first Digital Cinema Company certified with ISO 9001:2000.”The company also states in an official release that they are confident that the Motion Pictures Division will make good profits as the first venture itself has recovered the full amount even before the release of the movies by selling various rights.

Interworld is currently in the process of selecting and finalizing of the theaters in Mumbai, Delhi and UP circuit for up-gradation to show movies on digital mode. The distribution of movies to these theaters will be via satellite mode, adds the realese.“DigiCine is end-to-end Digital Cinema Solution. Our equipments are fitted with high precision and are fit to work in extreme Indian climate of very cold, humid or hot even up to 45 degrees. We have designed and architected the equipment like Digital Servers and projectors to suit Indian environment and needs, and they are manufactured in Norway and Singapore,” says Interworld.

MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra is all set to list the direct-to-home (DTH) business of Zee Group after having got the demerger scheme approval from the court. Already listed are the other entities – Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), Wire & Wireless India Ltd (WWIL) and Zee News Ltd (ZNL).

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited today announced the approval of its demerger scheme by the Hon‘ble High Court of Judicature of Bombay. “This approval paves the way for setting the record date for the demerger of the direct consumer business undertaking of Zee into ASC Enterprises Limited (ASCEL), which is soon to be renamed to Dish TV India Limited,” the company said in a release. Dish has 1.6 million DTH subscribers.

Says Zee Chairman Chandra, “This is the last phase of our current restructuring process – WWIL and ZNL are already independent companies listed on the stock exchanges in India. Dish TV would also get listed very soon and we are confident that all four companies will deliver long-term shareholder value.”

The record date is likely to fall in the latter half of February. The shareholders of ZEEL as on the record date shall be allotted 57.50 shares in ASCEL for every 100 shares held.

“Dish TV would then apply for listing of such shares to the BSE, NSE and CSE, in compliance with SEBI guidelines. ZEEL expects the listing process to be completed by February,” the release said.