Category: Technology

MUMBAI: As organizations continue to digitize content in the current business environment, there is substantial need to emphasize the rights on its usage and establish control to avoid any loss of data. This need is expected to have a huge bearing on the enterprise digital rights management (DRM) systems market.

Frost & Sullivan (www.ITservices.frost.com) and World Digital Rights Management Market, reveal that the market was worth $369.5 million in 2005 and is likely to cross the billion-dollar mark in 2011.As companies continue to lose sensitive data such as financial information, customer profiles and marketing collateral through e-mail or other forms of data transfer, there is a rising need to deploy systems that not only track but also control the use of information. Theft of sensitive data can not only cause a company financial loss, but can also result in brand erosion and eventually, reduce its revenue generation capacity.

“The need to minimize liability by ensuring that only authorized users have access to appropriate documents will have a positive impact on the demand for DRM solutions,” says Frost & Sullivan research analyst Zippy Aima. “DRM solutions enable content owners to assign specific rights such as view, copy, edit and print to files that need to be protected and these rights remain active and travel with the protected file unless changed by the content owner.”An official statement issued states that despite these obvious advantages, DRM vendors will find it challenging to convince companies that DRM will not severely curtail access and that organizations can meet their revenue generation goals using this technology.

Apart from the shift in perception, the need to comply with regulations such the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Gramm Leach Bliley, and Sarbanes Oxley is also driving the market ahead,” notes Aima. “Vertical markets such as financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, and energy are focusing on regulatory compliance, thus ensuring the steady uptake of DRM solutions.”World Digital Rights Management Market is part of the Digital Media subscription. The study provides an overview of the enterprise and entertainment DRM segments and the factors that will affect its growth in future. The study‘s evaluation of the market includes revenue and demand forecasts for DRM solutions in the coming years. Also, the study identifies factors driving and restraining the growth of the market along with key challenges faced by the industry.

MUMBAI: Telecom service provider Tata Indicom has launched an online store I-choose for mobile connections. Customers can buy postpaid connections at the click of a mouse with a commitment of activation and delivery of the handset within three days. The store is located at www.ichoose.com and can be accessed from over 400 cities across the country.

The store allows consumers to choose froma range of Tata Indicom handsets, tariff plans and value added services (Vas). Customers can compare and select the appropriate tariff plan. Tata Indicom CEO Darryl Green says that the aim is to break away from the clutter of mobile offers by empowering customers to make an informed decision.“We are committed to introducing services which are in line with the changing lifestyles and needs of our discerning customers. I-choose will ehlp us extend our reach across different segments. It will also allow us to create awareness about our Vas which we have expanded during the course of last year.”

Tata Indicom offers a library of 50 video games for download. One of its latest offerings was a Krrishh themed game. It also offers 3D sports games like motor racing. The games cost between Rs. 20- Rs. 100 a month. One can also access email and the Internet using a phone. That is because the firm provides high wireless speeds for the net. Tata Indicom also has a voice station where the user can listen to film songs, devotional hymns etc. Right now around five per cent of its revenues come from Vas but this is expected top grow.

In terms of promotional activities for the i-choose store the company will use a lot of Internet banner advertising as well as outdoor hoardings. It also sponsors high profile events like the recent broadband convergence conference in Delhi.

MUMBAI: Bollywood is all set to go mobile! Global roaming solutions provider Roamware, Hungama Mobile and the GSM Association have joined hands to launch a Mobile Bollywood initiative. The aim is tio create short films for the mobile. This is one way in which film lovers from across the world can sample what the Indian film industry has to offer.

The three parties have partnered with director Sanjay Gupta to premiere Bollywood short films for the mobile. The films titled Dus Kahaniyah will premiere at GSMA‘s 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona from 12-15 February 2007. Th event is expected to attract 60,000 executives from the mobile world. This initiative follows an initiative by Roamware in the US where it sponsors the Sundance Film Festival Short film Project. This is a JV between Roamware and the Sundance Institute.GSM Association chairman Craig Ehrlich says,”The Sundance and Bollywood communities represent some of the most creative, vibrant and diverse talent in the movie world. In showcasing the films at Barcelona we hope to create a compelling mobile experience for mobile users across the globe. The aim of the GSM Association is to make the mobile experience go beyond text and picture messaging. India is the fourth largest mobile subscriber nase. The GSM Association represents every GSM operator in the world. “

Hungama Mobile MD and CEO Neeraj roy says, “Hungama mobile has exclusive rights to over 70 per cent of Bollywood content on the mobile and digital platforms and trhis content from India. We believe that Bollywood offers tremendous potential as a content category for carriers in over 125 countries. The revenue sharing arrangement will see around 50 per cent go to the content creator.At the first stage we wanted established filmmakers to come on board. Later on when the mobile becomes viral we will look at offering our platform as a springboard for emerging filmmakers. Firstly we want to test the model to see if it works and makes money for everybody in the value chain.”

Each story in the film runs for 10 minutes and stars established stars like Madhuri Dixit, Jimmy Shergill and Dia Mirza. Mirza notes that this represents a huge opportunity for the Indian film industry to move into the international market. This she notes comes at a time when the international market is becoming more interested in what Bollywood has to offer. Gupta thanked the three parties for providing established filmmakers with the chance to make short films.That is something that they do not often get a chance to do. The fact that the short films have known faces will make them reach the masses that much quicker he notes. “It is exciting to be part of a move that has the potential to create a new distribution model for Bollywood. The market for short films has been given an impetus by the fact that the quality of the video experience on the mobile has improved a lot.”

MUMBAI: Yahoo! India has unveiled a new series titled ‘Ask the Planet‘ on its existing knowledge sharing platform Yahoo! India Answers, which acts as a forum and social community for its users.

The internet giant has zeroed in on India and following the launch of what they call the ‘social media search,‘ with the ‘Ask the Planet‘ campaign, Yahoo! has outlined a regionalization plan to be implemented within the first and second quarter of 2007. Similar to the localization of their messenger service ‘Indichat‘ into eight languages, the company is also looking at expanding the ‘Ask the Planet‘ series into several local languages.

The latest series has roped in Indian luminaries from myriad backgrounds to pose questions pertaining to education, health, law and enforcement, games and recreation, society and culture. This series will continue for a period of six weeks, allowing users to answer string of questions posed by these achievers. On the opening day, the first question was posted by the president of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam who asked, “What should we do to free our planet from terrorism?” Taking the campaign forward, the company will conduct an All India School outreach program visiting 25 cities and urging kids to respond to the president‘s question. Finally, president Kalam will select 10 lucky winners who will get the opportunity to go on an educational trip to the Silicon Valley. Additionally, the top 50 respondents will also get to interact with the president on a trip to Delhi. The winners will be announced at the end of February.

Speaking at the launch Yahoo! India MD George Zacharias said, “We are delighted to bring ‘Ask the Planet‘ Series to India. In line with the objective of Yahoo! Answers in creating a rich knowledge repository, the ATP Series will provide an innovative platform for the millions of Indians based on their real life experiences, to answer some of the biggest questions that touch our lives today.”Yahoo! India Answers was initiated by Yahoo! in April 2006. Starting June 2006, Yahoo! began a series called ‘Ask the Planet‘ on Answers where luminaries such as Dr. Stephen Hawking, former US vice president Al Gore, U2s Bono to name a few have asked questions on subjects ranging from survival of human race to eradication of poverty. The service currently exists in 16 languages across the world.

MUMBAI: IOL Broadband Ltd is in the process of raising Rs 390 million through qualified institutional placement (QIP) to part-fund its IPTV roll out in new cities. Prime Securities is lead managing the issue that will close on Saturday.

“We are raising Rs 390 million which will be used for expanding into new cities,” says IOL Broadband executive director Oberai.

IOL Broadband will soon soft launch its IPTV services on the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) network in Bangalore.

The company, which has a non exclusive tie up with BSNL for setting up the content delivery network, is also looking at launching IPTV in Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and Bhopal.

IOL is yet to make a commercial launch of its IPTV services in MUmbai, the first city where it kickstarted operations on the MTNL network.

The company has also signed a revenue share agreement for its IPTV service with Anytime, a consortium of major Hollywood Studios comprising Disney, Fox, Warner, and Universal which will provide access to Hollywood movies.

Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL), which is the holding company of the Times Group, has picked up a small stake in IOL Broadband for Rs 50 million.

MUMBAI: Cellcast Interactive India has launched Sumo.TV, a pioneering product offering India’s first end-to-end user-generated content (UGC) solution for broadcasters.

“Sumo.TV invites individuals to share their personal or creative videos that could be featured on prime time television”, said Cellcast Plc, UK, vice president Mahesh Ramachandra. Sumo.TV has already been launched in the UK and China markets.

“In the UK market we have started a 24-hour channel with the content contributed solely by viewers. This exceeds what even YouTube or MySpace can provide for their communities,” Ramachandra added. All content can be contributed through the newly-launched website, at www.sumo.in, where individuals can view, share and manage their own content.

Said Cellcast Interactive India CEO Pankaj Thakar, “UGC reflects a fundamental change in audience behavior, especially in the 18-34 age group in India where most of them are spending time online or on mobile creating and sharing their own content. Sumo.TV offers them an outlet to share their content with millions through the power of television.”

“Importantly, the content contributors can earn revenue whenever their videos are watched or shown on television,” he added. Every time a user’s content is downloaded by another user, shown on television, or streamed on mobile services, he will receive a percentage of received revenues. Effectively, Sumo.TV users are being invited to set up their own mini-channels.

Sumo.TV, said Thakar, brings together a compelling consumer proposition, offering users new ways of finding that ‘15 minutes’ of fame, new ways of making money from personal content and new ways of expressing themselves and making friends. In the U.K., the Sumo.TV website (www.sumo.tv) alone has an average of 80000 unique visitors per day.

“India is experiencing a truly dynamic phase in media technology convergence and we, at Cellcast, are delighted to launch the revolutionary product Sumo.TV in the market that will help us derive the benefits over a long period. Cellcast India plans to air the video content on local television and are currently in talks with a number of television channels about the same,” he added.

All the best videos submitted to the website or via mobile phone are selected by trained staff and broadcast on Sumo.TV channels and programmes. Broadcasters who license Sumo.TV have immediate access to all the components of next-generation UGC programming including original user-generated content, UGC-oriented interactive TV formats, 3D video jukebox, content management system and production tools Video-sharing and community website mobile services. These tools and services allow a broadcaster to create anything from an hour-long weekly television show to an entire UGC-driven 24/7 television channel.

MUMBAI: Conditional access system (Cas) is forcing multi-system operators (MSOs) to strike alliances as they take up the challenge of expanding their digital subscribers.

The latest to join hands is Incablenet and Vikki Choudhry‘s Home Cable Network. Incablenet will be supplying its feed and digital set-top boxes (STBs) to the subscribers of Home Cable Network in South Delhi.

“We have entered into a strategic alliance with Incablenet. They will be providing STBs to our subscribers. For those consumers who want to take our advanced boxes which are priced at Rs 2150, we will be providing them our systems. Others will have an option to take the Incablenet STBs,” says Choudhry.

Incablenet uses a different encryption system and its boxes will not support the feed from Home Cable Network. “We have agreed to share each others fibre and infrastructure as we go ahead,” says Choudhry.

Incablenet offers subscribers digital STBs at Rs 1500 (plus taxes) while cable TV subscription is free for six months on three bouquet packages. Home Cable, on the other hand, has an outright purchase scheme with the STB priced at Rs 2150. It offers 10 pay channels on a monthly subscription fee of Rs 45 while the 60-channel package is available for Rs 225.

“Smaller MSOs in the Cas areas will find it difficult to subsidise the boxes and will take support of the bigger ones. Besides, they do not have enough boxes and know that any delay will mean that their subscribers will go away to other available options,” says an analyst who tracks the cable industry.

Earlier, Wire & Wireless India Ltd (WWIL) had expanded its footprint in Delhi by acquiring a 51 per cent stake in Satellite Channels and signing up with Spectranet and Sanjay Cable Network for supplying digital services.

In Kolkata, Sristi Broadband takes the feed from Manthan Cable Network. A group of operators of Sristi Cable TV are using the feed from Mathan and Zee‘s Indian Cable Net as it could not make arrangements for STBs.

“Sristi Broadband and a group of operators from Sristi Cable are taking feed from us,” says Manthan director Gurmeet Singh. Manthan has recently introduced a package for the second TV set where subscribers will have to pay Rs 90 a month for 50 pay channels. Manthan‘s STB costs Rs 2599.

MUMBAI: The Indian arm of IPTV firm Kasenna Incorporated – Kasenna India today announced PortalTV 2.0, a suite of integrated products sporting a user interface and a Web services architecture designed to integrate the Internet and television.

“PortalTV 2.0 is based on open platforms and systems, enabling service providers to reduce their capital and operating expenditures by incorporating the standard server hardware and operating system of their choice – there are no proprietary integrations to work around,” said Kasenna CEO Kumar Shah.

The PortalTV 2.0 suite comprises Kasenna LivingRoom 2.0 (IPTV middleware), LivingRoom Smart Client 2.0.1 (IPTV STB client), MediaBase 8.2 (the video delivery platform), vFusion 1.3 (video network management system), and content from ViewNow, a Kasenna company. Together, this suite of products – running on any industry-standard server – enables service providers to deliver an end-to-end system for interactive television, the release states.

“PortalTV 2.0 has delivered to our telco customers the ability to be the first in offering next-generation MPEG-4 high-definition television,” said Hirendra Gupta, Managing Director and VP – Kasenna India and South East Asia.

MUMBAI: Visiware has announced the release of its IPTV game channel, a turnkey solution with portals, back office and the Playin’TV catalog of casual games, available on Flash and HTML.

This channel is fully compatible with Playin’TV triple play game offering, allowing players to continue to play and compete on TV, mobile and Internet.

More than 25 games are already available, all of them specially made for the big screen experience and remote navigation. Visiware has already provided IPTV networks such as UCC in Kuwait and T-Online in Germany, asserts an official release.

Visiware chairman Laurant Weill said, “This is a great opportunity for networks to generate new revenues and for Visiware to reach new markets. We will not only provide technology and content but also a 10 years expertise in successfully marketing iTV games.”

“Agreements with major IPTV partners raises the bar for compelling IPTV games which are missing from most current IPTV offers usually ported from the net, but on the web this is a very different experience and human interface. We are looking forward to deploying on many more markets within the next months,” he added.

The triple play offer includes specific advantages: cross-platform contests and leaderboards, ranking and offering a game to a friend, adds the release

MUMBAI: Animax, the youth animation channel, in association with Sify Gamedrome, a gaming chain, has announced the first annual “Animax Grand Gaming Challenge 2007”, a gaming tournament to be conducted across 66 cities.

The event will feature top of the line games like Counter Strike, Fifa, NFS UG2, Defense of The Ancients and Gunz Online and aims to provide a platform to youth, recognizing the need take the passion of gamers to a competitive platform.

Trophies along with other prizes such as calendars, hiking bags, sippers, posters and DVDs from Animax, while one lucky winner will get a job as an actual game jockey aiding in the development process at Sify Gamedrome.

Gamers will be able to compete for prizes in several online game categories such as sports, racing, and strategy on-line and first person shooter. Research points to the huge potential of the gaming and animation industry in India. The gaming scenario in India is evolving from a nascent stage to that of a lifestyle hobby.

Participants can enter the competition by registering at any of the Sify Gamedromes or Sify iways across 66 cities by entering the “password of the day” which will be flashed on air on Animax and can also be accessed on-line or via the short messaging service on 2525. The registration kick off from 10 January 2007, informs an official release.

Following the preliminary elimination rounds which will end 2 February, the four zonal semi-finals will be conducted in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore beginning 8 February followed by the mega final showdown at the Atria Mall in Mumbai on 28 February.

Animax country head Sunder Aaron said, “Through the Animax Grand Gaming Challenge, Animax proudly supports a very important and growing activity for the wired generation: gaming. While the core mission of Animax is to entertain youth, we also want to reflect and support the developing interests and passions of India‘s Wired Generation. Working with Sify on the AGGC will truly boost the competition as they are the nationwide leader in online gaming.”

Commenting on the initiative, Sify Ltd. Access Media president Pijush Kanti Das said, “We are delighted to partner with the Animax Grand Gaming Challenge ‘07, the largest online gaming tournament across 220 Sify Gamedromes in 66 cities. Our successful association with Animax in the past has encouraged us to back this tournament with aggressive promotional activities across the country. This year, apart from the multiplayer games we have added single player games to the portfolio of the tournament to increase the number of gamers.”