Category: Technology

MUMBAI: The Interactive and Digital Media (IDM) Research and Development (R&D) Programme Office has unveiled its comprehensive initiatives to support and develop IDM R&D in Singapore. The move is already garnering local and international industry support.

The news follows last year‘s announcement that the National Research Foundation had allocated SGD $500 million (USD$325 million) over the next five years to fund the development of a strategic IDM research programme. The foundation was to set up a multi-agency IDM R&D Programme Office within the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) to spearhead the growth and development of Singapore‘s IDM sector.

The following four initiatives have been formulated to create an effective IDM eco-system involving all stakeholders including entertainment companies, institutes of higher learning (IHLs) and consumers:

Drive demand for IDM services: To anchor and jumpstart the demand for IDM services, the IDM R&D Programme Office will seek the proposals of companies interested in developing applications, services and platforms that could generate new business models.

Grow a network of local and international research organisations to augment the capabilities of the local IDM sector: Under this initiative, the IDM R&D Programme Office will call for research proposals from the world‘s top IHLs and Research Institutes (RIs) to address key focus areas and custom-tailor R&D results to the needs of both the local and larger international IDM industries.

Encourage the generation of innovative ideas and projects for the IDM R&D landscape: An online virtual jam session for idea sharing, i.Jam will be piloted in late January 2007, encouraging consumers to contribute their ideas and explore R&D projects. Ideas with potential for commercialisation will be further supported by the IDM R&D programme office through mentors from the industry or IHLs. With a full-scale launch slated for July 2007, i.Jam is envisioned to be a platform to capture and nurture ideas into viable projects.

Establish Singapore as an international test-bed for IDM-enabling infrastructure and applications: The funding of innovative applications and services generated by the IDM R&D Programme Office will be administered by MDA, the Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA). This extensive governmental support will help elevate Singapore as a global R&D leader.

Speaking on the issue , Mica permanent secretary Dr. Tan Chin Nam said, “The economic potential of IDM is tremendous and its impact transformational. Collectively, the implementation of the four initiatives, together with the efforts of the agencies including MDA, EDB, IDA, A*STAR, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Mica, will help position Singapore as a global media city.”

MDA CEO Christopher Chia added, “Going forward, as we prepare to move into the digital age, MDA will actively engage the community and work closely with our industry partners to ensure that consumers will enjoy more tangible benefits with the roll-out of these initiatives.”

To provide focus for the R&D initiatives, three R&D directives have been identified:

– Animation, games and effects – to strengthen investments in technology R&D, tools and platform development, as well as explore new genres.

– Media intermediary services – to invest in technical capabilities in the organisation, distribution and security of digital media.

– On-the-move media services – to invest in R&D to identify new ways of reaching and interacting with mobile-connected people who are always on the move.

IDM R&D executive director programme office Michael Yap said, “We aim to bring together all the stakeholders including IHLs and businesses to build sustainable and vibrant industry sectors around these R&D focus areas. The four initiatives unveiled today provide the IDM R&D Programme Office with the necessary means to do so.”

The IDM sector is projected to make a significant contribution to the growth of the media industry that aims to realise a value-added contribution of S$10 billion (UDS$ 6.5 billion), up from S$3.8 billion (USD$ 2.5 billion) in 2003, as well as create approximately 10,000 new jobs by 2015.

MUMBAI: United Film Organizers (UFO) Moviez, a subsidiary of Apollo International Ltd, has raised $22 miilion (Rs 1 billion) of equity financing from UK-based 3i Group to fund its expansion plans.

3i Group has subscribed to cumulative convertible preference shares and has the option to invest an additional $3 million at a later date. Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that UFO was in the process of raising venture capital (VC) funding of $25 million (Rs 1.13 billion) and had mandated Ernst & Young for this.

“3i has the option to put in an additional $3 million within this year. The exact holding of 3i will be arrived at based on our performance by FY09. That is the time when the preference shares will be converted,” says UFO Moviez CEO Sanjay Gaikwad.

UFO will be using the capital to invest in hardware as it plans to expand its footprint in India and overseas. The immediate expansion plans include Middle East, South East Asia and Africa and the company says it is ready to roll out in January itself.

UFO Moviez is currently present in 600 theatres across India and plans to create a chain of 3000 digital cinema houses worldwide by 2008.

3i had entered the Indian market when last year it picked up around 33 per cent stake in Mumbai-based Nimbus Communications for Rs 1.97 billion

MUMBAI: Computer major Apple has announced that more than two billion songs, 50 million television episodes and over 1.3 million feature-length films have been purchased and downloaded from its online iTunes Store

Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs says, “iTunes has crossed another major milestone by selling over two billion songs—with over a billion of them sold in the last year alone—making it by far the world’s most popular music store. By selling 50 million TV shows and over 1.3 million movies to date, iTunes is already the largest online video store in the world as well.”

The iTunes Store now features over four million songs, 250 feature films, 350 television shows and over 100,000 podcasts. iTunes has just added more than 100 movies from Paramount Pictures priced at $9.99. They include School of Rock, The Italian Job, Mean Girls and Zoolander.

MUMBAI: Apple is moving steadily towards its aim of changing the way consumers view entertainment in the digital arena. The company‘s founder and CEO Steve Jobs has unveiled a new mobile phone and a set-top box that allows people to stream video from their computers to their televisions.

Apple TV, the company says allows users to wirelessly play iTunes content from the Mac or PC onto the teelvision. This service can be used for movies, TV shows, music, photos and podcasts.

Using Apple TV’s interface, one can browse and view his/her entire collection of digital media from across the room using the simple and intuitive Apple Remote. Apple TV connects to almost all modern widescreen television sets.

Jobs says, “Apple TV is like a DVD player for the 21st century—you connect it to your entertainment system just like a DVD player, but it plays digital content you get from the Internet rather than DVDs you get from a physical store.

“Apple TV plays the same iTunes content that users enjoy on their computers and iPods, so now they can even watch part of a movie in their living room, and watch the rest later on their iPod.”

Apple TV has a 40GB hard drive to store up to 50 hours of video, 9,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each and is capable of delivering high-definition 720p output. Apple TV can be connected to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home theater systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analog and optical audio ports. Using high-speed AirPort® 802.11 wireless networking, Apple TV can auto-sync content from one computer or stream content from up to five additional computers right to your TV without any wires.

The integration of Apple TV and iTunes lets users choose from over 250 feature-length movies and 350 TV shows in near DVD quality; four million songs, 5,000 music videos, 100,000 podcasts and 20,000 audiobooks.

Apple also unveiled the iPhone. it has partnered with and Cingular which cloaims to be the largest wireless carrier in the US. It will be Apple’s exclusive US carrier partner the iPhone. As part of this multi-year partnership, Apple and Cingular are working together to provide innovative new features to mobile phone users, such as iPhone’s pioneering and unique Visual Voicemail, a first on any mobile phone in the world.

MUMBAI: India may still remain a significant absentee but Malaysia has just been added to the list of countries beaming BBC Entertainment.

An official communique announced the launch of BBC Entertainment on Malaysia‘s dominant Astro direct-to-home (DTH) platform. The BBC-branded general entertainment channel reportedly started beaming on Astro (Channel 26) as of 28 December, 2006.

BBC Entertainment‘s line up of British shows include Doctor Who, Footballers‘ Wives, Waking the Dead and comedies like Extras, Suburban Shootout and My Family.

BBC Global Channels Asia, the part of BBC Worldwide that handles the roll-out of the Corporation‘s recently relaunched package of international channels, first launched BBC Entertainment in Asia, replacing BBC Prime on StarHub in Singapore, UBC in Thailand, Skylife in South Korea and Now TV in Hong Kong on 8 October, 2006.

“We are delighted to be part of the Astro platform and to be reaching new viewers in Malaysia,” Christine Leo-McKerrow, BBC‘s SVP of global channels for Asia has been quoted as saying. “BBC Entertainment has had a great reception from both critics and viewers around the region, and we are sure viewers in Malaysia will respond in the same way.”

The launches are part of a global rollout of four new TV channels that will include preschoolers‘ channel CBeebies and BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle. The plan is that all four channels will be broadcast across all media: linear TV, VoD, mobile and online.

NO WORD STILL OF INDIA LAUNCH TIMELINES
In India meanwhile, there is no official word yet on the launch status of BBC Entertainment, as too CBeebies, which according to the announcement made in early September, are the two channels that will be making their entry in the country in the first phase.

Present indications though are that the BBC is looking at an April-May launch window. The man in charge of operations here is creative head content and production India Saul Nasse.

The BBC is looking at further rollouts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East in the course of the year, replacing BBC Prime in these markets.

MUMBAI: The Frost and Sullivan research service titled Asia Pacific IPTV Market provides an in-depth analysis of IPTV scenario in 12 markets across Asia Pacific.

The research service identifies the market demand, competitive landscape, key drivers and restraints for the IPTV market.

Further, the study presents detailed forecast patterns for revenues and ARPU trends for various countries in Asia Pacific. In this research service, Frost and Sullivan‘s expert analysts thoroughly examine the markets of Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Growth of Broadband Spurs IPTV Deployments

Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is fast making headway across the entire Asia Pacific region. The deployment of IPTV in the region has been further hastened by the explosion of broadband in various high growth markets across Asia Pacific, even as service providers across the region have invested heavily in the network infrastructure required for offering these services.

IPTV has generated a new revenue stream, amidst dwindling fixed line revenues, and rapid advancements in compression, transmission, and watermarking technologies have enabled more and more service providers to jump onto the IPTV bandwagon. In line with these trends, the Asia Pacific IPTV market is set for considerable growth over the forecast period, with the number of IPTV subscribers expected to increase from the existing 1,47,000 to 27.4 million by 2013.

However, poor broadband infrastructure in key growth markets such as China, India, and the Philippines coupled with lack of quality content have restrained the growth of IPTV in the region. Furthermore, access to quality content has been a common challenge for service providers.

The analyst of this research service said, “While partnerships with content providers and broadcasting companies go a long way in securing access rights, the cable TV providers or the IPTV market leaders already have exclusive access to this content. This arrangement makes it difficult for other service providers to scale their service to meet the users‘ requirements.”

China and India expected to be high growth ,arkets

With respect to individual regional markets, Hong Kong is already a mature market for IPTV services, and is expected to be heading toward saturation by 2009. China and India are perceived as high growth markets for IPTV by 2009. By 2013, China along with Hong Kong is expected to contribute nearly 60 per cent of the total Asia Pacific IPTV revenues. With 47.8 million subscribers, China has the largest broadband subscriber base in Asia Pacific in 2006, out of which nearly 70 per cent are residential subscribers.

In Australia, IPTV is entering a crucial stage in its development, moving away from a technology under trial, into full commercial deployment. While it could take another three years for IPTV to enter the growth stage, service providers‘ early adoption of IPTV services and aggressive pricing strategies are expected to contribute to the success of the technology in Australia.

Presently, IPTV is deployed in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. The service is expected to be introduced in India and the Philippines in 2007, and despite the lack of bandwidth in most markets, the demand for interactive entertainment has lured service providers to offer IPTV-based content in the form of video-on-demand (VoD) and channel-based offerings.

Analyst further added, “As the service providers take the first few tentative steps, response from IPTV users has been positive in most markets. Service providers need to look beyond immediate revenue opportunities to understand the long-term importance of IPTV as a carrier distribution platform, over which many consumer communication and entertainment services can be offered simultaneously.”

MUMBAI: Bennett Media Worldwide (BMW) has licensed select productions from its vast library of high-definition programming to Microsoft Corp. for the company’s Xbox 360.

Included in the programming slate from Bennett are series like Bikini Destinations, The Wild Side, and The Extremists.

Together, the content companies are responsible for delivering an initial line-up of more than 1,000 hours to the vast community of Xbox 360 gamers, asserts an official release.

Bennett Media Worldwide president Paul Rich said, “With Xbox 360, Microsoft is leading the way in integrated game playing with entertainment and at the same time building a unique bridge for producers to connect directly with this extremely important consumer marketplace. We are delighted to be a part of this exciting new entertainment platform.”

MUMBAI: The Casbaa Convention 2007 will be staged from 30 October to 2 November at Hong Kong‘s Academy for Performing Arts. The theme this year has been set to ‘It‘s all about content‘.

Casbaa chairman Marcel Fenez said, “Focusing on the most vital market driver for pay-TV services, video content, the Convention 2007 will highlight how the relationship between content, carriage, customers and revenue is indivisible.”

“There is now a deeper industry-wide recognition that whether the platform is cable, satellite, broadband, mobile or any other delivery mode consumers ultimately pay for the images on screen,” he added.

According to Casbaa, with the need to maximise viewership and revenues in a world of proliferating channels, the delineation of quality niche products is gaining ever greater relevance. Meanwhile, a more sophisticated understanding of consumer behaviour and the development of related marketing campaigns all flow back to the core product: compelling content.

The ever-changing technology landscape will also feature strongly during the Casbaa Convention 2007, as will the mega-markets of China and India and the still green-field markets of Indonesia and Vietnam, asserts an official release.

The annual Casbaa Convention brings together broadcast executives and technology specialists from Asia and around the world to exchange views and information during high-powered interactive debates.

Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies said, “This is where Asia‘s pay-TV decision-makers meet market dynamics head on. First comes carriage, but then you need content.”

MUMBAI: The Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC) and the BBC are backing Miptv‘s Content 360, the international competition to commission innovative, interactive content and applications for mobile and broadband.

The event is a part of Miptv featuring Milia, which takes place in Cannes between 16 to 20 April.

WPP‘s OgilvyOne Worldwide is partnering the competition for the first time, alongside returning partner National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

Content 360 provides the opportunity for international multimedia and application developers to present original ideas which fully exploit the creative potential of new digital platforms and maximise the interaction between audiences and broadcast television. The call for entries is now open, with winners of the competition sharing €100,000 in development funding, asserts an official release.

KBC director Jinny Kwak said, “DMB has created a whole new culture where people are creating new lifestyles by experiencing completely different forms of broadcasting. At Content 360, KBC hopes to serve as a fresh motivation for new media platforms, such as DMB, to create and develop their own unique content.”

“The BBC wants to build relationships with the most creative companies out there and together deliver successful services across all new media platforms. This explains our involvement from the inception of the Content 360 competition,” says Jonathan Kingsbury, Head of External Supply, BBC New Media and Technology.

Milia director Ted Baracos added, “Content 360 brings together the creative ideas and digital applications which are key ingredients in the new multi-platform world. As part of Miptv featuring Milia, it also provides an unparalleled networking and financing opportunity between traditional and new media.”

Content 360 entrants have time till 9 February to respond to written briefs provided across various categories, each of which has its own specific criteria as established by the event partners.

KBC will reward the best entry in the cross-platform formats including DMB (mobile TV-centric) category and NFB is offering co-production financing for innovative new forms of socially responsive media. The BBC categories include : localness on bbc.co.uk, children‘s content, cross-platform documentary, teenage drama and entertainment, and on-demand participation. OgilvyOne Worldwide has created a cross-media brand marketing category.

Mint Digital Ltd Tim Morgan said, “Last year‘s Content 360 was truly a great opportunity for a creative and technology company like ours to engage the global TV industry. Before Content 360, Mint Digital was a web design company. After Content 360, Mint Digital became a leading provider of social and user-generated web applications with new relationships with broadcasters and producers from around the world.”

Content 360 finalists will promote their projects during a series of pitching sessions in front of a panel of key decision-makers. The competition winners will be announced on 19 April during the Content 360 zapping show.

In addition to the pitching competition, Content 360 will focus on creative conferences such as learning from games, impact of virtual reality, tools and platforms enabling user-generated content, video search and social communities, adds the release.

The Content 360 initiative also includes a dedicated pavilion for networking between digital creators and the international TV industry executives attending the Miptv featuring Milia exhibition.

MUMBAI: The second season of Desperate Housewives and Lost are out on DVD and are released by Excel Home Videos.

Excel Home Videos managing director M N Kapasi said, “Keeping in mind the high demand with the first season, we have increased the number of DVDs released this year to cater to the same.”

Desperate Housewives the series that chronicles the lives of women at Wysteria Lane, has new plots with extra features like unaired story lines, deleted scenes, fashion and culture, juicy bites, directors views among others on the DVD.

Lost, the drama about the survivors of the Oceanic Flight 815 now discover that they are not alone in the fight with the others.

The second season reveals new realms of mystery and intrigue.The DVD consists of over two hours of bonus features like the Lost flashbacks, deleted scenes and bloopers amongst others.