Category: Technology

MUMBAI: Tata Sky is increasing the monthly subscription rate of its direct-to-home (DTH) service to Rs 300, sources in the industry say. The revised rate, up from Rs 200, is likely to come into effect from 1 December.

Tata Sky, however, has decided not to offer “tiered” channel packages at this stage of the DTH market. “Bundling channels and fixing different rates is confusing to the consumers. The mobile telephony market has shown that to everybody in this country. Tata Sky will continue to offer a single package unlike its competitor Dish TV,” sources add.

When contacted for a comment on the developments,
Tata Sky CEO Vikram Kaushik remained noncommital.

Tata Sky offers 102 channels (including Star, Sony, Zee, Discovery, Cartoon Network, Disney, ESPN Star Sports and National Geographic) and six interactive services (Actve Khabar, Actve Newsroom, Actve Star News, Actve Games, Actve Sports and an on-screen guide).

Tata Sky claims to have a subscriber base of 250,000 and says it is on target to achieve one million within a year of operations. The southern region continues to be a weak spot with the Sun group of channels yet to join the platform. Tata Sky has moved the TDSAT, hoping to get a positive verdict which would ensure the supply of the channels from the Sun stable.

The Tata Sky set-top box (supplied by News Corp owned NDS), hardware and installation cost has been priced at Rs 3,999 (inclusive of taxes) with a full service warranty for one year.

MUMBAI: A few days ago Paris based communications service provider Alcatel successfully demonstrated Europe’s first broadcast of live TV channels on mobile handsets in S-band. It is using the new DVB-SH standard (Satellite services for Handhelds), which is currently being drafted by the DVB Project. To perform this demonstration, Alcatel was assisted by UK broadcasters Sky, ITV and BBC.

Representatives from European mobile operators, TV broadcasters, industry analyst firms and regulatory bodies attending this demonstration were able to enjoy high quality images displayed on SAGEM myMobileTV handsets. These terminals are using the S-band telecom frequency between 2.17GHz and 2.20GHz, which is adjacent to the 3G/UMTS band. 30MHz of spectrum is currently available all across Europe and in other major regions in the world.

DVB-SH is a new technology targetting the S-band. DVB-SH is a related standard to DVB-H. With DVB-SH technology, Mobile TV signals can be broadcast from satellites as well as from terrestrial transmitters directly to handhelds. DVB-SH handhelds can be designed in such a way that they become compatible with DVB-H so that both standards can be received in one end-user terminal.

In addition, Alcatel demonstrated two possible key technical features using the DVB-SH standard. Reception Antenna Diversity, a feature using two antennas inside the same mobile device, enables improvements in the signal quality under difficult conditions. Furthermore, improved Time Interleaving overcomes fading impairment in mobility conditions. The significant quality enhancement was demonstrated by implementing these DVB-SH features.

Professor Ulrich Reimers, Chairman of the Technical Module of DVB Project said, “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to witness a live Mobile TV demonstration in the S-band even before the new Mobile TV standard has been finally designed. Within the DVB -Project, we have decided to give that standard a new name – DVB-SH – digital video broadcast from satellite for handhelds. DVB-SH is a perfect complement to other standards, such as DVB-H, which is typically using UHF frequencies but is capable of using the L-band. Thus DVB-SH may have a significant impact on the global Mobile TV industry.”

Alcatel’s mobile broadcast activities president Olivier Coste said, “Quality of service is essential for operators to attract and retain Mobile TV users. Today, we demonstrated that high quality live Mobile TV using the S-band works. This can be up and running commercially very soon. With the additional benefits of universal indoor and countrywide coverage, the fundamentals of our solution are already solid enough to enable operators to profit from sustainable mobile TV market growth thanks to the S-band

MUMBAI: Electronics firm Panasonic says that its plasma TVs are the first in the US market to feature lead-free Plasma Display Panels. The display panel is the Plasma TV’s glass-sealed image display device, equivalent to a cathode ray tube in a conventional television.

In addition to the elimination of lead in the panel, Panasonic has made significant advances in enhancing the performance of the phosphors used to render colors on the screen.

In conventional manufacturing processes for Plasma Display Panels, lead oxide glass is used in the dielectric layer, electrodes, glass sealant and other structural elements. Lead oxide glass was valued for its ability to stabilize production yields and quality. Now, as a result of advances Panasonic has made in material sciences and manufacturing processes, stable production yields can be secured without the use of lead oxide. In this way, the company has been able to eliminate all of the roughly 70 grams (0.15 pounds) of lead used in a 37-inch plasma panel.

Panasonic US director of environmental affairs David Thompson says, “Panasonic is committed to achieving a sustainable future through the development of environmentally conscious products. Now with this achievement, we believe that Panasonic plasma displays have outpaced our flat panel TV competitors in an important area of environmental performance: the elimination of hazardous heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, mercury — commonly used in backlit LCD TVs and in projection TV lamps.

“In fact, we estimate that worldwide the elimination of lead from our Panasonic plasma panels will mean a reduction of close to 300 metric tons of lead – the approximate weight of two 747 commercial airliners — that would otherwise have been used in their manufacture each year.”

Noah Horowitz, a Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), commended Panasonic for being the first in the industry to eliminate lead in its new plasma TVs and for significantly reducing the energy consumed by their new models. “NRDC is very supportive of Panasonic’s longstanding record of consistently delivering some of the most environmentally friendly products in the market.

“Panasonic’s leadership in this area is noteworthy and we challenge the rest of the TV industry to implement similar improvements to their products” he says.

Thompson adds, “Panasonic is also making progress on reducing the amount of energy each Plasma TV consumes. There is an inaccurate but persistent myth that Plasma TVs consume much more energy than other types of digital television The truth is that large screen TVs consume more energy than the smaller screened CRT-based TVs they replace. Our research indicates that energy consumption by large-screen Plasma, LCD and DLP TV sets is on average comparable. But as a relatively new technology, compared with LCD, Plasma is capable of becoming considerably more energy-efficient, and Panasonic plans to lead the way to this goal.”

Panasonic’s advanced phosphor technology is estimated to deliver 60,000 hours of use — more than 25 years at seven hours of viewing a day – before reaching half brightness. Phosphor improvements have also led to the virtual elimination of the burn-in phenomenon in Panasonic Plasma TV. Long-life products translate into lower use of environmental resources for the simple fact that they need to be replaced far less often

MUMBAI: People are starting to watch less TV as the online video boom grows, suggests a BBC News survey.

Around 43 per cent of UK people who watch video from the internet or on a mobile device at least once a week said that they watched less normal TV as a result.

Online and mobile viewing is rising – three quarters of users said they now watched more than they did a year ago. The BBC News Website is running a series of special features looking at the future of TV.

The website‘s survey also suggests that online video viewers are still in the minority – just nine per cent said that they did so regularly.

Another 13 per cent said they watched occasionally, while a further 10 per cent said they expected to start in the coming year.

But two-thirds of the population said they did not watch online and could not envisage starting in the next 12 months.

In the survey, one in five people who watched online or mobile video at least once a week said they watched a lot less TV as a result.

Another 23 per cent said that they watched a bit less, while just over half said their TV viewing was unchanged. Three per cent said that online video inspired them to watch more TV.

Online and mobile video is far more popular among the young, with 28 per cent of those aged 16 to 24 saying they watched more than once each week.

An average of 10 per cent aged 25 to 44 were net video regulars, with that figure falling to just 4% of over-45s.

Earlier this year, media regulator Ofcom said that the number of 16 to 24-year-olds watching TV in an average day had dropped 2.9% between 2003 and 2005.

Comedian Ricky Gervais, whose audio and video podcasts have become hits on the web, said amateur video would never replace TV – but broadcasters would harness the power of the internet.

“You can‘t knock up an episode of The Sopranos or 24 on a little handheld digital camera,” he told the BBC News website.

“I don‘t think you‘ll ever be able to sidestep TV or DVD. But TV companies will embrace it.”

The choice offered by new platforms was “exciting”, he said, and any future developments depended on how many people started using the technology.

“I‘m sure when the BBC first launched, they were going: ‘Ah, not many people have got tellies. Who‘s watching this?‘ So it‘s good to get your act together. And then people catch up with the know-how and the means to watch it

MUMBAI: Qualcomm Incorporated, a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies and mobile data solutions, today hosted the second annual Brew Developers Conference – India at the ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton, Mumbai.

The conference saw the launch of several innovative and exciting applications including:

Astute Systems Technology: The successor to the extremely popular ‘BSE Portfolio Tracker’ application, ‘Astute Stock Mania’ is a unique mix of education and entertainment that allows both avid and aspiring investors to experience stock market trading without having to invest real money. Upon download, the game credits the user with virtual money, which can then be used to trade stocks at their real market value in a simulated business environment.

Webdunia: ‘Pre School Education,’ is aimed at facilitating primary education and is a great tool for parents to help their children learn the alphabet and numbers in an environment that is both educational and fun. Currently offered in English, this application includes learning, writing and practice sessions. Webdunia.com also plans to release this application in several other regions, as well as foreign languages, in the near future.

Indiagames: The company today launched a bouquet of entertaining new Brew applications including X’mas Loot which is a Christmas theme-based application and Star Wars® which will allow users to enjoy wallpapers and ringtones based on the movie as well as download a game based on the movie “Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”. They also launched Happy Feet based on the popular animated movie, Worms an arcade game, Cricket World a game for cricket fans and finally Skating Challenge which allows users to not only play the game, but also to submit their high scores to the server and win exciting prizes.

The Brew solution drives the discovery and delivery of wireless data services. Brew operators and their subscribers can benefit from several offerings, which include: uiOne™ for rich, integrated and dynamic user experiences with fast access to high revenue services on wireless devices; deliveryOne™ for differentiated and tightly integrated, operator-managed support and delivery of advanced wireless data content and services; and marketOne™ for a quick-to-market, hosted, scalable content delivery service that includes media titles, flexible management and monetization, content provider settlement and business intelligence services. Qualcomm offers this comprehensive set of Brew offerings to meet the distinct needs of companies delivering mobile products and services around the world.

Qualcomm Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm is included in the S&P 500 Index and is a 2006 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.

announced an aggressive development of more than 20 “hyper-programmed” online experiences or vertical channels, that are web content plays designed for the interactive, on-demand environment.

The channels, many of which have been in development for months, will debut in the first and second quarters of 2007 and will enable their users to explore and engage in their personal interests, obsessions and topics of choice by covering a range of subjects including: music genres and sub- genres, celebrity fashion and style, personal growth and faith and spirituality, among others, informs an official release.

Delivering on a two-way proposition, audiences will be able to actively “hyper-program” a number of these vertical channels themselves through next- generation web tools that allow users to help discover, curate, edit and upload content. MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo will seek to acquire, partner on or organically develop the properties, depending on the topic.

A number of verticals under development will serve as companion sites to existing popular television franchises and focus on relevant topics that resonate with their fans. For instance, a vertical built around VH1‘s “Web Junk 20” is geared toward serving as a guide and daily source of viral videos, while others will be stand-alone creative propositions, without television companions, informs an official release.

Earlier this year, as an experiment in this direction, VH1 launched a stand-alone site bestweekever.tv. As a companion vertical to the popular “Best Week Ever” TV franchise, this new site offers a selection of pop culture nuggets and includes a host of exclusive mobile and video content in real-time. The site also allows users to create their own front page gossip by uploading their own video and news.

Similarly, this past fall, MTV launched ‘Virtual Laguna Beach‘, an entirely stand-alone virtual world tied to the TV series, and a first of its kind. Additionally, in June Logo acquired three stand-alone sites, AfterEllen.com, AfterElton.com and 365Gay.com independently complimenting Logoonline.com and serving the gay, lesbian bi and transgender audience, adds the release.

“These serve as successful models for a new interactive, hyper-programming approach and represent the next phase in the evolution of media for consumers, from broadcast networks to cable channels and now to hyper-programmed verticals,” said MTV Networks‘ Music and Logo Group president Van Toffler. “Just as MTV networks blazed new territory by establishing linear cable networks built around specific interests and lifestyles, we are now developing new online experiences around niche topics that resonate with our current audiences, as well as those subversive web surfers.”

“These verticals can be viewed as ‘front doors‘ into the wide spectrum of passionate and specific interests that reflect our audiences‘ tastes and desires,” added Entertainment for the MTV Networks Music Group president and Logo president of Brian Graden. “Each project gives us a unique and liberating opportunity to indulge the unique aspects of Web 2.0 technology in an effort to do what we‘ve always done well, super-serve niche audiences.”

MUMBAI: Sifymax.com, the broadband portal from Sify Limited, has announced an alliance with Sony Entertainment Television to be the official website of their Indian adaptation of Big Brother, the reality show Bigg Boss. As per the tie-up, Sifymax will feature exclusive footage from each episode, as well as footage not shown on television.

Sifymax will feature the Bigg Boss show format, profile of the anchor, profiles of contestants who are part of the show, weekly results, chats and message boards. Exclusive podcasts-voice excerpts from the evicted participant and Bigg Boss will be also be aired on a weekly basis.

“The site is interactive with Bigg Boss fan polls, task ideas, poll feedback, Big Boss blogs and an exclusive Bigg Boss merchandise store. Apart from being the official broadband partner for the program, Sifymax also holds the rights to market the website www.biggboss.sifymax.com, informs an official release.

MUMBAI: Intec, a leading BSS/OSS software vendor for fixed, mobile and next-generation networks, has successfully completed the final phase of implementation, through its partner HP China, of its multi-service mediation solution, Intec Mediation, at Beijing Mobile (a subsidiary of China Mobile).

China Mobile Communications Group Corporation (“China Mobile Group”) is the largest mobile operator in the world with over 223 million subscribers. The adoption of a robust, convergent mediation solution is to prepare the operator for future growth and new services. It is also driven by a compelling need to reduce operating cost and complexity by managing the mediation of data from many different sources under a single convergent mediation system.

Intec Chief Operating Officer, Asia Pacific, Norm Halvorson said: “Our carrier grade convergent mediation solution supports the business strategies of over 150 of the world‘s leading carriers in fixed, wireless, IP and 3G services. We are not only committed to delivering leading edge technology and robust performance but also to listening to our customers and providing solutions that simplify the way they do business.”

MUMBAI: Jump Games, mobile and web games developer and publisher has joined hands with Virgin Comics in an agreement to expand the Virgin Comics Shakti series characters into mobile games. With this association, action and role-playing games based on three Virgin Comics properties – Devi, The Sadhu and Ramayan 3392 AD are slated to launch globally in January, March and April 2007 respectively.

Jump Games (previously Paradox Studios) CEO Salil Bhargava told Indiantelvision.com that the company had lined up telecom operators across the globe for this worldwide release including DoCoMo in Japan, Horizon in US, Vodafone in Europe. Ofcourse, in India he emphasised that they were in talks with all mobile players including the usual suspects Reliance, BSNL and Idea. The price points will be based on a pay-per download system as per expected rates.

All these mobile games contain multiple levels of game challenges with varying difficulties. Jump Games has developed the mobile applications and will be responsible for marketing the games worldwide.

These comics were released across the US and UK four months ago however, the titles have not yet arrived in India, the company is targeting December end for its launch. In addition, the comany is also looking at releasing localised versions of the same across Europe by the end Q1 ‘07.

There is a need to build the comic industry in India by targeting primarily Indian youth (15-25 year olds) which comprises the voice of a new generation, says Virgin Comics CEO Sharad Devarajan.

Commenting on the new relationship filmmaker and Virgin Comics co-founder Shekhar Kapur said, “Mobile Gaming is predicted to be the fastest growing sector in the entertainment business worldwide, and I am excited by our collaboration with Jump Games. The clearly stated intention of Virgin comics, and indeed my personal ambition has been to showcase Indian talent to bring it to the forefront of international entertainment. I am sure that together we will create some of the most successful mobile gaming platforms in the world.”

Bhargava said, “Virgin is one of the world‘s most powerful youth brands and collaborating with Virgin Comics on this venture has been an excellent experience. Virgin‘s larger-than-life characters provide us with a tremendous scope to recreate the magic of a comic book both on 2D as well as 3D gaming platforms. Our games based on the Shakti series are not only suited well for Indian audiences but also have a strong global appeal. Working with Virgin Comics has been a great start for Jump‘s vision and focus on emerging as a leader in 2D and 3D Mobile gaming.”

In addition to Devi which depicts an Indian female superhero created by Shekhar Kapur, Ramayan 3392 AD is a futuristic sci-fi story inspired by the original Ramayan mythology, also created by Kapur along with author Deepak Chopra. The third is The Sadhu, which follows the story of a British soldier who discovers the mystical powers of Indian sadhus. Actor Nicolas Cage has been roped in to play the role of The Sadhu in the feature film. A fourth mobile application based on Deepak Chopra‘s recent book Kama Sutra will explore Chopra‘s views on the connection between spirituality and sexuality.

MUMBAI: Two university professors in Canada say that the country‘s push for HDTV programming could ultimately threaten its cultural identity.

Bart Beaty and Rebecca Sullivan have come out with a book Canadian Television Today. Media reports state that they argue that while HDTV is offered as part of an expanded choice for consumers, the selection of programming using digital over analogue technologies is almost exclusively American.

They say that Canada‘s integration of HDTV would limit the amount of traditional programming. This is because smaller local programme providers will be passed over for US offerings.

Traditionally television is transmitted in analog format and while HDTV is transmitted in digital. The US wants to end analogue by 2009, but Canada‘s media regulatory body The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has not set a date. The authors in reports have also questioned The CRTC attempt to rush to catch up with the American demand for HDTV even though Canadian consumers and broadcasters are lukewarm about the technology.

The CRTC will begin hearings in Quebec, today 27 November 2006 and, among other things, will “examine options for the most effective means of delivering Canadian digital/HD television to Canadians,” according to a CRTC notice.

While HDTV offers a better quality picture the monitors are pricey and there are still a limited number of channels and programmes available. The authors point out that while with HDTV you can see exactly how thick the makeup is at the Oscar Awards the question is whether or not it is worth the price.