Category: Technology

MUMBAI: MTV Networks and international game publisher Nexon have announced a partnership to create a new user experience for MTVN‘S Neopets. one of the youth communities on the internet, and includes MTVN‘s marketing of the launch of Nexon‘s casual MMOG game titles in North America via its portfolio of television and online brands.

The announcement was made by MTVN kids and family group executive vice president Stephen Youngwood and Nexon Japan CEO David Lee at the GSTAR 2006 Gameshow.

This new service will provide users the ability to purchase premium level virtual items for customisation and personalisation, in addition to those currently available on the site. Nexon will also provide marketing and promotional support in Asia across its games portal for the new Neopets services.

MTVN will also become a strategic marketing partner for the launch of Nexon‘s first three games to be distributed in North America. Marketing campaigns will be run across a portfolio of MTVN television and online brands including MTV, MTV2, MTV U, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, The-N, Neopets.com, Shockwave.com, Addictinggames.com, Gametrailers.com and XFire.

Neopets senior vice president and general manager Kyra Reppen added, “We are very excited about this opportunity to further widen the creative net for Neopets. This premium level experience will provide our members with an exciting new means to enhance their personal involvement with the site and represents a significant new business opportunity for our company in Asia, where Neopets will benefit tremendously from Nexon‘s creative and marketing expertise.”

NEW DELHI: Rajshri Group, one of the oldest production and distribution houses in the country, has launched a broadband entertainment portal, www.rajshri.com, that will offer streaming and downloading of various forms of content including movies, music videos, concerts, and documentaries.

Rajshri‘s latest movie, Vivah, will be premiered on the portal simultaneously along with its theatrical release on Friday. This is the first time in India that a film is being made available on the internet at the day of its release.

The downloading of Vivah will be at a payment of $9.9 through an international credit card, said Rajshri Media (P) Ltd managing director Rajjat Barjatya. The copies do not run the risk of being pirated because of a special software that has been used, he added.

Rajshri Media (P) Ltd will be the group‘s digital media initiatives arm. This will cover streaming services which users don‘t have to pay for. Among the broad gamut of content available is the historic midnight speech of late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru on 15 August 1947. “We are also soon going to add humor, management-related content and spiritualism to our site,” said Barjatya.

Describing the new initiative as an “historic moment,” Barjatya said the company had been working on this project for the past two years. The aim seems to be converting the ‘non-consumers into consumers‘ while attempting to break the stranglehold of piracy.

Barjatya is also targeting about 25 million Indians abroad, NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) put together, who are “extremely keen to stay in touch with their roots and will pay for rich and origial Indian content as against the pirated one.”

About 51 per cent Indians abroad spent time daily on the net, he revealed. Besides, Indian content was also becoming extremely popular among non-Indians across the world.

“Each of these screens are a different experience and one cannot replace any of the other. It is one thing to see a film on the Net alone, and quite another doing so with the family on a TV set, or watching it in a dark hall with a lot of people, so there is no cutting into turfs,” he added.

The delivery of movies through the internet could also cut down piracy. “If there is a viewer in say Finland, I can now get to him before the pirates can,” Barjatya said.

A key feature of the site is that the movies can‘t be pirated. “We have used a software which ‘wraps around the programme‘ and while it is being streamed, it cannot be copied, nor downloaded. Even while it is ‘sitting‘ on the hard disk for 72 hours, it cannot be made into a CD or DVD,” he said.

The portal is also aimed at the tech-savvy younger audience. “The site has a lot of features. You can actually saute the film, slice and dice it, rate it, send a link to a friend and read what others have to comment about it,” Barjatya said.

MUMBAI: Qualcomm a developer and innovator of code division multiple access (CDMA) and other advanced wireless technologies, has announced the selection of finalists for the company‘s wireless reach Brew application funding programme.

As part of Qualcomm‘s wireless reach initiative, the USD $ one million fund is designed to increase the availability of useful wireless applications in countries around the world.

Qualcomm‘s wireless reach Brew application funding program has challenged companies to create the most innovative Brew public service application in one of five areas: healthcare; education; public safety; governance; and the environment.

Qualcomm will award five grants in varying amounts for up to a total of USD $500,000 for the most innovative proposals for Brew applications. The remaining amount will be used to put one or more of the winning proposals into action through new or existing wireless reach projects.

Finalists were selected based on a careful review of all applications and include 21 developers from 19 organisations in six countries (in alphabetical order):

– Activepackets – Copiague , New York, U.S.A
– Agrocom software technologies pvt.ltd IIT Bombay – Mumbai , India

– Astute systems technology pvt ltd – Indore , India
– Bandung institute of technology – Bandung , Indonesia
– Beijing InfoQuick SinoVoice speech techology Corp. – Beijing
– Beijing Justel technologies Co., ltd. – Beijing
– BeWell mobile technology, Inc. – Walnut Creek , California, U.S.A
– BookBox India pvt. ltd. – Pondicherry , India
– Digital Ignite – Vienna , Va. , U.S.A
– dotPhoto, Inc./DBA exclaim – West Trenton , New Jersey, U.S.A
– MOBSYS informatica ltda – Sao Paolo, Brazil
– MyFoodPhone – Quebec , Canada
– Spiral Jungle, LLC – Carlsbad , California, U.S.A
– SquareLoop, Inc. – Reston , Va. , U.S.A
– Tata consultancy services – Thane , India
– Tata consultancy services – Mumbai , India
– UC Berkeley – Berkeley , California, U.S.A
– UC Berkeley – Berkeley , California, U.S.A
– UCLA center for international emergency medicine/project HOPE/Konami digital entertainment – Los Angeles
– Zaxis technologies – San Diego
– ZMQ software systems – New Delhi

Qualcomm chief executive officer Paul E Jacobs said, “Qualcomm is proud to recognize these finalists on their dedication to creating Brew applications that will have a positive impact on people‘s lives.”

“We are committed to helping increase the availability of useful Brew applications worldwide and we‘re pleased to note that the applications we received are creative, inspiring and show a true consideration for the challenges that underserved communities face today. Our goal is to have wireless reach Brew applications from one or more of the grant recipients in action by the summer of 2007,” he added.

The 21 finalists have been contacted individually to submit a more in depth proposal by December 31 2006. From these proposals, Qualcomm will announce the recipients of the five individual grants by mid-February 2007.

Qualcomm‘s wireless reach initiative seeks to connect communities that have limited or no telecommunications access through the use of 3G technologies.

Brew operators and their subscribers benefit from several offerings, which include: uiOne for fast access to high revenue services on wireless devices; deliveryOne for differentiated 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 monetisation, content provider settlement and business intelligence services

The aim is to to bring an initial lineup of over 1,000 hours of hit TV shows and movies to Xbox 360 gamers in the US by the end of the year.

Microsoft says that Xbox 360 will be the first gaming console to bring standard and high-definition TV shows and movies via digital distribution over the Internet directly to the American consumer. From 22 November 2006, which marks its first anniversary, Xbox 360 will be the first gaming console in history to provide high-definition TV shows and movies directly to gamers in their living rooms. Xbox 360 gamers will have access to the full-length TV shows as downloads to own and movies to rent via download from the Xbox Live® network, the worldwide leader in online distribution of high-definition gaming and entertainment content. This announcement also brings with it several additional ‘firsts‘:

• For the first time, consumers will get an integrated gaming and entertainment experience on a gaming console that includes downloadable high-definition TV shows and movies. This new full-length content adds to the ever-expanding number of choices gamers have on their Xbox 360, whether they want to play games or play a movie on a disc or as a download in high definition or standard definition.

• CBS will deliver high-definition download-to-own TV shows including CSI, Jericho, Numb3rs and remastered Star Trek episodes. Gamers can buy them and watch them repeatedly.

• For the first time on any platform, Nascar.com will deliver download-to-own condensed versions of select Nascar Nextel Cup Series races from Race Rewind.

• The Ultimate Fighting Championship will make 50 of its most intense fights available for download as well as select episodes from the original season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series.

Microsoft corporate VP interactive entertainment business Peter Moore says, “This groundbreaking announcement is a win for everyone. It connects our partners with one of the most coveted audiences in entertainment today, and provides even greater value to our Xbox Live community, allowing them to enjoy the games and entertainment they want, when they want it.”

MUMBAI: Kansai telecasting corporation of Japan has been named as the winner of the ABU CASBAA Unicef child rights award 2006 for its documentary entitled Conquering the Darkness – The fight against memories of abuse.

The child rights award , is given each year in recognition of the best television programming on a child rights issue produced in the Asia-Pacific region.

The documentary follows Aya, a 33-year-old mother, who suffered abuse as a child and subsequently abused her own children. It is the tale of a parent‘s personal struggle to end the cycle of child abuse in the family.

“We are often quick to point the finger at parents who abuse their children, but patterns of abuse so often begin in childhood, creating a chain that can continue over generations, ” said documentray producer Shinichi Sugimoto.

This year, the child rights award received a total of 40 entries from countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Japan, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea and Singapore.

Broadcasting union secretary-general Asia-Pacific David Astley said, “The child rights award is a significant platform that allows broadcasters in the Asia- Pacific to demonstrate their ability to produce quality programming on children‘s issues. The ABU wants to encourage broadcasters to continue to invest in such programmes in the future.”

CASBAA CEO Simon Twiston Davies said, “The continued participation of regional broadcasters in the child rights award is welcome and clearly underlines their resolve towards producing educational and entertaining programmes for and about children.”

The panel of jurors included, Amar Keshar Simha, an independent producer from Pakistan; producer China central television (CCTV) Wang Yan; Mongolian radio and television director of Children‘s Programme Ariunjargal Luvsantseren; Infocus Asia executive producer Francis Smith; Australia Network chief executive Ian Carroll and Discovery Networks Asia vice president programming James Gibbons.

The top ten finalists in 2006 are:

Winner

– Conquering the Darkness – The Fight Against Memories of Abuse (Japan)

Finalists

– Dark Street Kids (Malaysia)- This documentary chronicles the hardship, as well as the stigma and discrimination of children who are born and live in dark alleys or brothels of Malaysia.

– Korean Children – I am All Alone (Korea)- This documentary is about Minho is an 11-year-old boy neglected by his parents. His only friend is a TV set. A stark portrayal of how a child is deeply affected by the problems and negligence of his parents.

– Tuesday Report: Pocket Money (Hong Kong) – This programme documents the life of three children who live in cramped flats and have to sell scrap paper and scrap metal for their pocket money.

– Young People on Wheels (Bhutan) – The documentary follows a group of unemployed youths who are creating awareness of a campaign on HIV and AIDS in Bhutan.

– The Orphans, Childless and Predators (Singapore) – The documentary looks at on how orphaned children coped with the devastating experienceof Tsunami. It also features a child trafficker who agreed to tell his side of story and tries to justify his actions.

– Get Real Child Sex Tourism – Sold for Sex (Singapore) – The programme investigates the plight of child sex workers on the Indonesian Island of Batam.

– Emergency – Junior Boxer (Philippines) – Residents of general santos city are very fond of boxing even children undergo intensive training to become professional boxers during which many sustain grave injuries that sometimes even result in death.

– We Shall Overcome (Bangladesh) – This documentary chronicles the life of an eight-year-old girl who is deaf and mute and believes she can succeed in her dream to become a fine arts teacher.

– School of the Highlands (Philippines) – The importance placed on education by indigenous communities in the Philippines is recounted in this documentary which looks at the challenges families face in schooling their children and promoting their rights.

MUMBAI: US broadcaster CNN and publication Fortune have announced that its business and finance web site CNNMoney.com has launched a new online video platform.

This will offer users a unique library of streaming video content covering the world of business and finance. The initiative will utilize the high quality video production of CNN, which will co-produce each segment. As part of the launch, a prominent video module with eight featured and newsworthy video segments will be posted on the site’s home page at all times.

The segments produced for the site will derive from key stories from each of the four magazines housed on the site – Fortune, Fortune Small Business, Money and Business 2.0 – as well as stories by the dedicated editorial staff of CNNMoney.com. In addition, business news from CNN’s broadcast networks will be available directly through the newly-launched CNNMoney.com video player.

The Time business and finance network president digital publishing Vivek Shah says, “Video is a vital component of the Web experience. The access and insight of our magazines combined with CNN’s video production capabilities will translate into a Web video experience unlike any in our category.”

The site features nearly 50 video segments which build off of some of the magazines’ franchise issues including Fortune’s Fastest Growing Companies, Money’s Best Places To Live, Business 2.0’s The Next Disruptors and Fortune Small Business’ Best Bosses 2006. Video coverage also includes some of the magazines’ events and conferences

MUMBAI: US media conglomerate News Corp has launched a Japanese-language version of its social networking site (SNS) MySpace. This marks MySpace‘s first Asian entry.

Media reports state that News Corp has formed a 50:50 JV with Softbank to operate the site. The venture will initially offer services for personal computers. Later, people will be able to use mobile phones to post photos, write Web logs and download music.

Partial services are available on a trial basis at jp.myspace.com.

Reports add that while it is hard to predict how things will unfold , other attempts by foreign SNS‘ to break into the Japanese market have not fared well. Softbank is a broadband services provider in Japan and earlier this year paid $15.6 billion to acquire Vodaphone‘s Japanese mobile phone service.

Existing social networking sites in Japan – including Softbank subsidiary Yahoo Japan – have about 10 million users. Softbank has a 41 per cent stake in Yahoo Japan.

Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son was quoted in reports saying that his company would guide the new venture so that it met the requirements of Japanese users, while News Corp, which invested in MySpace through its Fox Interactive Media subsidiary, would provide the ‘formula‘ for operating the Web site

MUMBAI: Rive Gauche TV senior VP of sales Dorothy Crompton has announced that they will introduce their slate of series and special programming to Asian broadcasters at the 2006 Asia Television Forum in Singapore.

Rive Gauche Television is dedicated to the production, co-production, acquisition and worldwide distribution of television programming.

The Dog Whisperer (20 x 60‘) is hosted by canine psychologist Cesar Millan, who has appeared on Oprah and the Late Show with David Letterman. Millan trains the dog owners to become the pack leader to resolve their pet‘s behavioural issues.

The series follows Cesar as he visits client‘s homes and works with the dogs and their distraught owners to solve even the thorniest behavior problems. Produced by MPH Entertainment, The Dog Whisperer is already sold in 14 territories including UBC (Thailand), BSkyB (UK), TVNZ (New Zealand), Channel Nine (Australia), TV2 (Denmark) and SBS6 (Netherlands), asserts an official release.

Beyond The Badge (10 x 60‘) is all about thrilling video footages of catastrophic crashes, shootouts and attacks on officers which are captured from police car dashboard-mounted cameras, helicopters and news cameras. The series is a co-production between Matchlight Entertainment and Rive Gauche Television.

Wild Weddings 2 (13 x 60‘) gives a sneak-peek into some hilarious and bizarre events selected from footage of countless weddings that happen every day around the world. For example a bride goes crazy at her own ceremony, attacks a guest and is whisked away in handcuffs by the cops instead of her groom; a groom gets too close to a candle and ignites his tuxedo. The series is produced by Steve Rotfeld Productions and is distributed by Rive Gauche Television.

Documentary Specials:

Dino Lab (1 x 60‘) combines the latest scientific technology with a ratings-proven cast of living, breathing digital dinosaurs created by the same electronic animators who first brought the creatures to life in Dinosaur Planet for Discovery Channel.

A wide variety of prehistoric creatures are dropped into a modern, controlled laboratory setting where lab technicians attempt to test the creatures‘ abilities with a number of laboratory experiments. Outside the lab, the technicians put the digital dinosaurs to “real-life” tests as they demonstrate their colossal size and strength.

Part Olympic trials facility, part obstacle course, the lab is designed to illustrate paleontologists‘ latest insights about these creatures in a dramatic and highly entertaining way. Dino Lab is co-produced with Discovery USA, Discovery Canada, NHK Japan and Sky UK.

Anatomy of a Giant (1 x 60‘) is a special that introduces viewers to 23-year old Sun Ming Ming, a young man from Northern China who hopes to parlay his tremendous size into a professional basketball career with the NBA. Towering over every other NBA player at 7‘-9″ and 320 pounds, he is the second tallest man in the world, adds the release.

MUMBAI: ImaginAsian TV has announced that it will premiere the second season of its original comedy series, Comedy Zen on 10 November 2006 at 9 pm.

Comedy Zen‘s second season-taped at David Henry Hwang Theater-will consist of six new half-hour episodes and a dynamic lineup of Asian America‘s wittiest comics, asserts an official release.

Headed by returning host, Joey Guila (P-Diddy‘s Bad Boys of Comedy, Takeout Comedy Tour 2004), Comedy Zen II showcases two comedians in each episode and highlights their unique styles ranging from playful irony to irreverent life observations.

ImaginAsian TV SVP programming and production David Chu said, “The first season of Comedy Zen received a positive response from our many viewers, especially from those who have long clamored to see talented Asian American comedians brought to the limelight. We‘re very excited to air this second season, which we think is even hipper, funnier, and more sharp-witted than our first season.”

Airing weekly, the second season features many new as well as returning comedians. This season‘s lineup of stand-up comics includes Nigel Lawrence (Comedy now, Vancouver comedy festival), Kevin Shea (Kims of comedy), Mark Saldana (NBC‘s last comic standing), and Bobby Miyamoto (Comedy central‘s premium blend), added the release.

MUMBAI: Yaari.com, a social networking site for Indian youth, has released Yaari Mobile, India‘s platform for mobile social networking.

The product release includes two primary features: Ywords and Ychat. Ywords allows users to browse the network and interact with other individuals on the site using simple Sms functionality. For example, if a Yaari member sends an Sms command ‘Y profile prerna gupta‘ to Yaari, she will receive Prerna‘s profile information in the form of an Sms on her phone. She could then go on to browse Prerna‘s friends in the same manner, and also send them ‘pinches‘, a unique way of interacting with other Yaars.

The other feature, Ychat, uses Sms to enable group chatting on the go. Users log in to Yaari.com in order to create their Ychat groups and invite their friends to join. Once the group is in place, members can join group discussions via their mobiles and can broadcast messages to every person in the group with a single Sms. They can also reply to messages sent by other members, both from their mobiles and online.

Yaari.com also plans to introduce non-Sms based mobile features, such as photo and video upload, in the near future, added the release.

“There are 25 million active Internet users in India. While this figure is large and growing rapidly, it is just the tip of the iceberg. With over 100 million mobile phone users, more than half of which are youth, India is ripe for a mobile social network,” added Prerna.