Category: Technology

MUMBAI: US wireless service provider Verizon and chip major Intel have collaborated to enable consumers to play popular PC games on their television sets through IntelViiv technology-based PCs.

This makes the games more enjoyable and accessible than ever before.

The companies will also market a version of PlayLinc, a new game messenger that provides a faster and more entertaining way to enjoy multiplayer games online. PlayLinc, which is free, provides a variety of features, including free private servers, VoIP integration and the ability for players to track when their friends are online and ready to join a game.

Verizon director of new product development Colson Hillier says, “We’re creating a graphics-rich, ’big-screen’ game-playing experience for the entire family. The games that families now enjoy on their PCs will become larger than life, more fun to play and accessible in virtually every room of the house, through linkages between a family’s PC and their TV. This is an extension of Verizon’s commitment to provide customers with the content and service they want, whenever they want it, and however they want to receive it.”

TThe Verizon Games on Demand service enables users to play popular PC games on their TVs through Intel Viiv technology-based PCs running Microsoft Windows XP* Media Center Edition 2005 (MCE). Using a wireless game controller and MCE remote control, consumers can play a broad array of games from the comfort of their favorite couch or easy chair, also referred to as the “10-foot view” of the television set. Consumers can access the service through the Media Center Edition menu system by selecting the service using their remote control.

Verizon Games on Demand combines the power and flexibility of the Intel Viiv technology platform, featuring the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor, with the speed and reliability of Verizon’s broadband networks and the innovation of its growing online gaming services.

Intel’s digital home group VP Kevin Corbett, said”Intel Core 2 Duo processors deliver exceptional PC gaming performance and are the foundation for Intel Viiv technology, which is helping to ignite new digital entertainment experiences. The combination of Intel Viiv technology and Verizon Games on Demand provides consumers with a wide selection of popular gaming experiences for both the PC and the TV, which adds a whole new dimension to online gaming.”

Intel Viiv technology helps connect the PC to the TV and enables consumers to simplify, share and control their games, music and movies with the energy-efficient performance delivered by the Intel Core 2 Duo processor?. The technology is widely supported by a number of PC and consumer electronics manufacturers, as well as content and service providers such as Verizon.

Verizon Games on Demand features click-and-play access to PC games that appeal to many different gamers, including adults and children. The service was named a Popular Mechanics Editor’s Choice at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show. The service will feature:

* 3-D navigation and launch via the MCE remote control

* Schedule game downloading and prioritize or change the schedule for future game play

* Click-and-play experience with no game installation process

* Wireless gamepad controls that create a console-like playing experience

* Ability to choose games based on rating, genre or other criteria

* Automatic system check to ensure the PC has the necessary drivers and available memory, among other things, to run each game, along with automatic system updates

* Accelerated game downloads to begin playing even before the download is completed

* Graphics that Intel says makes casual game playing as exciting as sophisticated console gaming.

MUMBAI: France based comunications services provider Alcatel and Samsung Electronics have signed an agreement to develop mobile handsets compatible with the evolution of the DVB-H standard in the S-Band. This is part of Alcatel’s Unlimited Mobile TV solution.

The two parties will collaborate on interoperability testing in order to deliver a seamless end-to-end solution to operators and a high quality Mobile TV service to end-users. Both companies will support the standardization process of this solution in the DVB Forum undertaken in the DVB-SSP (Satellite Services for Portable devices) Ad-Hoc Group, and join forces to market their combined solution. In a first step, this agreement covers Europe, where the S-band spectrum is available today.

The solution in the S-Band allows complete territory coverage for Mobile TV at the scale of a country or even a continent, including inside buildings. Besides, this solution is compatible with DVB-H in UHF, which also enables the development of dual-mode UHF/ S-Band Mobile TV terminals.

Samsung senior VP Kwang Suk Hyun says, “Samsung values its new cooperation with Alcatel for handsets in the S-Band, as it opens the door to a significant new business opportunity for Samsung in Europe. S-Band is a solution of choice in Europe for Mobile TV deployment and Samsung intends to be a major player in this business.”

Alcatel’s mobile broadcast activities president Olivier Coste says, “We welcome Samsung as a new key stakeholder in the S-Band ecosystem for broadcast Mobile TV, as they enjoy a track record in fast Mobile TV handset development and go-to-market capability. Samsung’s endorsement of our hybrid mobile TV solution in the S-Band also demonstrates the attractiveness of this option for the Mobile TV industry at large.”

The goal of Alcatel’s “Unlimited Mobile TV” solution is to make television available on mobile phones throughout rural and urban areas, including indoors, with a wide range of programming options and excellent image quality, regardless of the number of viewers simultaneously watching the same programme.

This universal broadcast coverage is possible thanks to the unique combination of a high-power geo-stationary satellite for cost-effective nationwide coverage and a network of low power repeaters, co-located with mobile base stations, to provide urban and indoor coverage. This innovative solution uses an evolution of the DVB-H standard in the 2 GHz band (S-Band), a telecom frequency band between 2.17 and 2.2 GHz associated with satellite usage, which is adjacent to the 3G/UMTS band. This 30MHz band is currently available all across Europe.

MUMBAI:The battle for supremacy between Dish TV and Tata Sky has gone up by one more level with Harris collaborating with Tata Sky Ltd., to deliver its satellite television service via an end-to-end system that converts, processes, synchronizes and distributes digital program content.

Tata Sky is the satellite television service for the Tata Group and Star Network in India.

Designed to support 120 channels, Tata Sky‘s facility uses Harris‘ Integrator router for station routing, asserts an official release.

“At Tata Sky, we continuously invest in state-of-the-art infrastructure to provide Indian audiences with a world-class satellite television service, offering unparalleled entertainment with pristine picture quality and sound,” said Tata Sky Ltd managing director and CEO Vikram Kaushik. “The Harris broadcast equipment will help us boost the quality of our digital transmission, enabling us to deliver top-of-the-line services to our customers.”

Harris Broadcast Communications division president Tim Thorsteinson said, “Tata Sky promises to revolutionise home entertainment in India, and we are extremely pleased to work with them in this venture.”

MUMBAI: Infomedia India Ltd., special interest and directory publishing company has joined forces with the Australian business to business publisher Reed Business Information, and its online division, Catch, to launch Hotfrog.in in India.

Hotfrog.in is a free business listings site where the content is driven by its users and is maintained and updated by its users. Users are able to update their listings with press releases announcing news for their business, as well as listing products and services and linking back to external websites, informs an official release.

“Being India‘s largest Yellow Pages and having healthy partnership with Reed Business Information, it was a logical step to launch an Indian-based site as it‘s such a rapidly growing and vibrant online market,” Infomedia managing director Prakash Iyer said.

MUMBAI: Mauj Telecom, a mobile wireless solutions provider has announced their association with Lakme Fashion Week to bring the fashion extravaganza on mobile handsets. Mauj Telecom is the official mobile content partner for this event which is being held from 31 October to 4 November 2006 at Mumbai.

Mauj Telecom has tied up with leading designers like Vikram Phadnis, Sabyasaachi Mukherjee, Wendell Rodricks, Seema Khan and Deepti Toor providing them a platform to showcase their entire exquisite collection to millions of cell phone users across the globe.

People from across the country can stay abreast with the latest happenings at the LFW with exclusive wireless fashion content like animated screensavers, images, wallpapers, themes, video clips of models, interviews of designers, highlights of the shows and all the possible action on the ramp. This will be made available across majority of Indian cellular operators. Content will be available through both SMS and WAP platforms.

Mauj Telecom has also announced a contest, where by sending SMS “LFW06” to 7007 one stands a chance to be the lucky winner of a Sabyasaachi creation.

For entering the world of Lakme Fashion Week- Spring Summer Collection 2006, all one needs to do is send an SMS ‘LFW‘ to the shortcode 7007 or log on to the WAP portal www.wap.mauj.com. One can access designers‘ collection with whom Mauj has tied up by sending keywords to 7007.

MUMBAI: MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom has announced that Mika Salmi has been named President of Global Digital Media for MTVN. Salmi was formerly CEO of Atom Entertainment, the company he founded and which was acquired by MTVN in August.

Salmi will work across MTVN‘s growing portfolio of multiplatform brands to further develop and implement the company‘s strategy of building an engaging universe of music, games, entertainment, networking and interactivity for its communities of targeted audiences. He will report directly to MTVN chairman and CEO Judy McGrath, and will become a member of her senior strategy team, asserts an official release.

Commenting on Salmi‘s appointment McGrath said, “I am incredibly pleased to have his talent and leadership experience on board to lead our digital media transformation, worldwide. With Mika‘s guidance, our digital teams will continue the momentum we have today, to extend our brands across every platform while creating new business, and next generation applications across every device that engages our community. And he brings that upbeat entrepreneurial spirit that is a hallmark of the digital age.”

“What MTVN calls its ‘maniacal consumer focus‘ will be the driving engine for our Global Digital Media strategy. We will engage consumers with an industry-leading digital experience through interactivity and community in all media including video, music and games,” he added

MUMBAI: Thumbplay an online retailer of mobile entertainment content in the US has announced an agreement with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) to distribute products from Sony’s film and television portfolio.

Thumbplay is the first direct-to-consumer mobile company to offer SPHE’s premium content. Thumbplay members will now have direct access to content from SPHE’s entire mobile content catalogue, which includes content from feature films like Open Season and Spider-Man 3 to television shows such as Jeopardy, Days of Our Lives and The Boondocks.

Thumbplay founder and CEO Are Traasdahl says, “Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has been a leader in the arena of digital entertainment. Our partnership with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment allows us to deliver an extensive selection of exciting mobile entertainment to our members, who can now enjoy Sony’s premium catalog of motion pictures and television shows.”

Thumbplay members will have direct access to games, ringtones and wallpapers from SPHE’s extensive mobile catalog. Highlights include content from upcoming and past releases.

Thumbplay’s catalogue also includes Sony’s diverse television content such as 80s hits like Different Strokes and What’s Happening; daytime dramas like Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless and game shows such as Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

SPHE president mobile entertainment Eric Berger says, “We are thrilled to bring a personalized mobile experience to wireless consumers of all ages with our diverse content. Thumbplay‘s success in the direct-to-consumer mobile market represents an excellent platform to further expand SPHE’s vision of making entertainment accessible to consumers whenever, wherever and however they want.”

Thumbplay currently offers more than 50,000 pieces of mobile entertainment content, including ringtones, wallpapers, games and text-based services. Members can purchase content as part of the Thumbplay subscription plan or on ? la carte basis.

Movie lovers can enjoy Open Season right on their mobile phone through a large selection of content featuring original voicetones from the cast, ringtones and wallpapers from the first animated film from Sony Pictures Animation.

MUMBAI: US broadcaster Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) is further expanding its portfolio of consumer businesses on emerging platforms.

It will launch Super Deluxe, an online comedy channel combined with interactive online-community tools, will launch on broadband in January 2007. Super Deluxe will be ad-supported, making the network entirely free to consumers, and will integrate advertising in different ways.

Turner Entertainment Group president Mark Lazarus says, “Super Deluxe is not only the latest innovation from Turner Broadcasting, which pioneered such concepts as the basic cable network and the 24-hour news channel, but also the most recent addition to the company‘s growing broadband network portfolio that includes CNN Pipeline and GameTap, among others. Its combination of original content and extensive online community tools will make it an ideal destination for young adults eager for this type of material in a dynamic interactive environment.”

Drew Reifenberger will be Super Deluxe senior VP, GM. He said, “Today, the online comedy experience is largely comprised of random clips and homemade movies contained within a generic experience. Super Deluxe is focused on original, ‘television-quality‘ programming, presented with a distinct editorial voice and in a highly interactive and social environment. It will deliver an experience more akin to watching your favorite TV show with friends – hanging out and sharing a laugh.”

Super Deluxe will offer original comedy from both established and rising comedy stars, developed exclusively for the network and celebrating the artists‘ creative spirit, providing comedic talents a forum to showcase and share their own inspired concepts and performances. Each artist will have his/her own personalised area featuring exclusive content, a blog and opportunities to promote appearances and projects or further customize their part of the network.

Original programming will range from short films and sketches to episodic series and more. In addition to being available online, Super Deluxe content will be available via cable VOD, wireless devices and personal media players.

Programming is just the beginning, however. Super Deluxe‘s community tools will allow fans to interact with artists and each other, adding an extra dimension of value for the consumer. Through these tools, fans can express their own sense of humuor and interact with artists and others by creating their own profiles, uploading their own videos, rating and sharing content, making comments, sending messages and more. Fans can even join or create groups with other artists and users to share and discuss their favorite humorous topics, comedians or anything else that strikes their interest.

MUMBAI: Mobile games are closing the gap to traditional computer games with the launch of a new technology that enables richer mobile experience.

US broadcaster NBC has announced that The Office Games has produced a flash-enhanced game for its series of six mini-games, based on Verizon Wireless‘ new Flash Lite for Brew technology.

NBC says that the new The Office Games feature cleaner graphics, enhanced sound and quicker relay times and can be played on select Get It Now-enabled phones. As had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, Indiagames had developed NBC‘s The Office Games to be played at the office or at home.

With shorter play times, Verizon Wireless says that its customers will find the intuitive array of games easy to navigate and simple to play — which is good for a break, after a stressful meeting or on an awkward phone call. The
games feature the characters from the television series participating in a selection of cubical game-play including Wasteketball, Paper-Football (Hateball), Table-Top Golf, Office Paper War, Chair-Racing and more.

Indiagames VP US Sean Malatesta says, “We are proud to bring the comedy of The Office to Verizon Wireless using the incredible Flash Lite technology. It truly has been a great partnership indeed. These games are so addictive — and the new graphics make them even more fun!” .

Indiagames is striving to bring high-quality CG games to mobile. With increased mobile phone screen sizes, Indiagames has begun to rollout a series of graphically driven games, similar to desktop games, but made for mobile. The new high-resolution graphics for NBC‘s The Office Games are closer to those seen in traditional video games — with clean transitions during score updates and between games. Similarly, the maneuverability has been enhanced to capitalize on player reaction times.

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Indiagames to develop mobile game on NBC‘s hit comedy ‘The Office‘

MUMBAI: Digital Music Group Inc. (DMGI) a content owner and distributor of digital music and video recordings, has announced three long-term and four short-term distribution agreements with a number of independent record labels totaling over 5,000 audio tracks. Under the terms of the agreements signed with each company, DMGI will distribute these music catalogs to online music stores worldwide.

DMGI chief executive officer Mitchell Koulouris said, “Digital Music Group continues to build its music catalog with world-class content.The transactions that have been announced underscore our continued commitment to expanding our catalog with high-quality repertoire from the world‘s best independent labels.”

The three new music catalogs under long-term distribution agreements include:

– Music for Little People, which is a children‘s music label designed for people turned off by standard commercial kiddie fare, with children‘s albums that feature such artists as Taj Mahal, Maria Muldaur, Los Lobos, and many others.

– DM Records which features the catalog of Ichiban Records, an Atlanta-based label and also includes alternative rock labels Sky and Naked Language, with such acts as Pylon, The Swans, Moe Tucker and whip-hop label WRAP, which features MC Breed, DJ Smurf, Treacherous Three and more.

– The Cryptic Corporation which contains a number of audio and visual recordings by noted avant-garde band The Residents. It features Residents classics such as Fingerprince, Our Finest Flowers, The King & Eye and Wormwood Live. Also featured in the catalog are numerous music videos including versions of Wormwood Live, Eskimo and dozens of Residents classic tracks, informs an official release.

– DRT Entertainment which is an independent record label founded in 2003 by Derek Shulman, Ron Urban and Theodore Green. DRT‘s artist roster includes: Artimus Pyledriver, Blindside, Clutch,The Rasmus and many more. The label also re-masters and re-releases older material from their artists. Last year, they re-released 35 Anniversary editions of many albums by Shulman‘s former band, Gentle Giant.

– ProgRock Records roster includes new, developing artists as well as established artists, including Planet P (featuring Tony Carey), Oliver Wakeman (son of Yes‘ Rick Wakeman), Ajalon, and Erik Norlander.

– Takeover Records, formed by the members of the multi-platinum band, Yellowcard, Takeover Records is an alternative/punk rock label based in Long Beach, California. Takeover Records features albums from such alt-rock stalwarts as Yellowcard, Hey Mike and Bracket.

– FILMguerrero, formed by John Askew in the late 1990‘s as a means to release the music of his friends and close associates, adds the release