Category: Software

MUMBAI: Dalet Digital Media Systems and Omneon announced that they are advancing their technology partnership by optimizing integration of the Dalet Enterprise Edition News and Sports Production and Media Asset Management (MAM) solution with the Omneon video and storage infrastructure.

Announcing this at the NAB Show, the two parties said that this joint solution offers an ideal production platform for large-scale organisations such as Time Warner Cable‘s flagship newsroom NY1 and the multi-lingual newsroom of Voice of America (VOA) which recently deployed Omneon Spectrum video servers and Omneon MediaGrid production storage, fully integrated with Dalet Enterprise Edition. 
 
Dalet director of product management Kevin Savina said, “Dalet has been working with Omneon for a long time now. We have leveraged the full range of functions offered by the powerful Omneon APIs, and collaborated intensively to optimise and certify that the Omneon MediaGrid delivers the high performance required for complex news workflows.

“Because Dalet provides advanced production features such as edit from live feeds and playout while rendering with many users editing directly from the production storage, it needs high-bandwidth, low latency performance, which the Media Grid offers. This enables us to make transparent to the users the complexity of the underlying infrastructure required for file based workflows.”

Designed for content creation, management and delivery, Dalet Enterprise Edition combines journalist tools, a solid MAM framework and a workflow engine. It integrates newsroom computer system (NRCS), video production, delivery automation and archiving. 
 
The Omneon video storage and delivery platform is based on the Omneon Spectrum media server and Omneon MediaGrid storage server.

Omneon senior director, solutions marketing Dave Frederick said, “Dalet has high expectations when it comes to video infrastructure performance and reliability. We are very pleased that we have been able to meet those requirements. The cooperation between the two companies has been great, and the result is an outstanding solution for our customers”.
 

MUMBAI: Sun Direct is continuing the exchange offer that it started on 10 April, despite other DTH operators threatening to use the beating stick on the south player who has created a stir in the market with its predatory pricing. 
 
The offer, which will go on till 20 April, allows subscribers of any DTH operator to exchange their existing DTH set-top box (STB) and take Sun Direct HD for Rs 7,500.

Earlier, Sun Direct had started promoting the new offer via television commercials. Other DTH players have opposed this as an unfair practice, saying they provide STBs to the customers on lease and it is their property.

Sun Direct has clarified in a note today that this offer is valid for only those customers who own the STBs. 
 
In this offer, subscribers will get seven HD channels and over 100 popular channels on a one-year subscription, including the cost of STB and installation charges. Sun Direct HD claims five times sharper picture quality than normal TV.

MUMBAI: Airtel digital TV is telecasting the historic double century made on 24 February by master blaster Sachin Tendulkar against South Africa in the ODI in Gwalior on pay-per-view (PPV).

The content, being released exclusively for Airtel digital customers, is available on channel 182 of Airtel digital TV in the three shows starting at 4 pm with the last one at 10 pm. Customers can book this content for just Rs 50 and enjoy multiple shows running on this channel.
 
Announcing the TV premiere, Bharti Airtel chief marketing officer DTH Sugato Banerji said, “We believe that with the T20 season on in full earnest and cricket enthusiasts gearing up for the T20 World Cup, audiences would love to relive the exciting moments that the game has seen this year.
  
‘Salaam-e-Sachin‘ is a tribute to the ongoing cricketing fervour that has enthusiasts around the country, cheering performances of cricketing heroes around the globe. The PPV phenomenon is rapidly growing in India and Airtel digital TV is committed to offering more exciting and varied content to its viewers.”
Airtel‘s PPV service has been consistently showcasing the most recent Bollywood and regional titles like Wake Up Sid, What‘s Your Rashee?, Kaminey, Right Ya Wrong and Ishqiya for its customers.

NEW DELHI: Six clock rounds bidding happened on the fifth day of the 3G auction, completeing a total of 28 rounds by the end of Thursday. By the end of the day, the All-India price had reached Rs 48.31 billion, 38 per cent up from the base price of Rs 35 billion.

Gujarat continues to top the bids at Rs 4.88 billion, while Delhi maintained the lead among the cities with Rs 4.64 billion.

The bid for Tamil Nadu rose to Rs 4.56 billion, while that of the rest of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh went up to Rs 4.51 billion each. The price for Mumbai service area went up to Rs 4.44 billion. Kolkata received a bid of just Rs 1.63 billion
 
Karnataka was the only other state to cross the figure of Rs 4 billion, with the bid reaching Rs 4.42 billion.

While east Uttar Pradesh received a bid of Rs 1.93 billion, west Uttar Pradesh bid for Rs 1.67 billion. Rajasthan received the next highest bid of Rs 1.85 billion.

The bids for Assam, Orissa and Jammu & Kashmir service areas remained at Rs 300 million each and that of the north-east remained at Rs 303 million while Himachal Pradesh managed to reach the figure of Rs 300 million. Bihar had a bid of Rs 324.4 million.

The telecom operators in the race are Aircel, Bharti Airtel, Etisalat DB Telecom, Idea Cellular, Reliance, S Tel, Tata Teleservices, Videocon Telecommunications and Vodafone Essar.
 
The successful bidders would be allowed to start commercial 3G operations from 1 September.

MUMBAI: Star India has once again filed for FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) clearance to up its stake in Tata Sky, after making modifications in its application.

“Star has resubmitted the proposeal to increase its stake in the DTH company,” Tata Sky MD and CEO Vikram Kaushik said, while declining to elaborate further.

The modifications could be regarding certain associated rights but has nothing to do with the original stake acquisition proposal.

“Star intends to effectively hike its stake in Tata Sky from 20 per cent to 29.8 per cent. There is no change in that in the fresh application made by Star,” a source familiar with the development said.

The amount of Rs 3.24 billion that would flow in as part of the transaction also stays unchanged, the source added.

Star, the Indian subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, had proposed to up its effective stake in February this year. However, the FIPB had deferred the proposal following which the company had withdrawn its application.

As per the plan, Star India will buy a 49 per cent stake in Tata Group’s investment firm TS Investments.TS Investments will, in turn, buy a 20 per cent stake in Tata Sky for Rs 3.24 billion. This will give effectively an additional 9.8 per cent stake to Star India in Tata Sky, increasing News Corp’s total holding in the DTH company to 29.8 per cent.

At present, there is a cap of 20 per cent FDI in the DTH sector, while the ceiling on foreign holding is 49 per cent. However, the government made amendments to the FDI policy last year that stated that investment through companies owned and controlled by Indians would not count in the calculation of foreign investment.

The Tata Group holds 70 per cent in Tata Sky and 10 per cent is with Temasek. If the Star proposal sails through, the Tatas will get diluted to that extent.

Tata Sky, which is incurring losses, requires funding to further ramp up its subscriber base. The DTH company has already pocketed over five million subscribers, but trails behind market leader Dish TV (seven million) and Sun Direct (5.3 million).

Meanwhile, Tata Sky has launched three new features on its premium PVR (personal video recorder) offering, Tata Sky+.

The features include True Video-on-Demand (TVoD) service, dual access remote recording and auto standby technology to save electricity. All three value addition features will be available to existing as well as new subscribers of Tata Sky+.
 
“We are continuously trying to give more value added services and quality of service to our subscriber. We were working on these initiatives since over a year,” said Kaushik.

Though he did not disclose the amount, Kaushik asserted that a significant investment has been made towards development of this technology.

The TVoD service will help users to sample 45 hours of content, which will be updated on a regular basis, as per their convenience. This will include programmes, movies and documentaries with different genres like travel, comedy, drama and food and drinks.

Unlike other pay-per-view (PPV) and video-on-demand (VoD) services offered by other DTH players, Kaushik said that TVoD will not have any time constraint. The data will be pushed by Tata Sky to the PVR set-top-box (STB) hard disk directly.

“Based on the consumer feedback, the data will be updated,” Kaushik added.

The already downloaded content can be viewed anytime and the service is free for three months. However, Tata Sky is yet to finalise the way to charge for the service. 
 
“We are not looking at the TVoD service from revenue point of view at this level, at least for one year,” Kaushik added.

Among the other new features, the dual access remote recording service will be available by the end of this month. With this free of cost service, Tata Sky+ subscribers can use their mobile phones or internet to activate their PVR STB and record the programme.

Meanwhile, the auto standby technology will put the Tata Sky+ STB in sleep mode, whenever it is not is use, saving the electricity.

Tata Sky+, available for Rs 5,499, claims over 100,000 subscribers at present. The DTH operator hopes to have 10 per cent of its new subscribers opting for Tata Sky+.

Tata Sky claims to have almost two million subscribers using its value added services. Moreover, quoting internal research data, Kaushik said Tata Sky subscribers spend 180 minutes on TV everyday, out of which 34 minutes are spent on interactive services.

BANGALORE: Samsung Electronics has launched Corby TV and Metro TV EVDO handsets with integrated broadband Mobile TV on the CDMA platform.

To promote the new products, Samsung will roll out a multimedia campaign created by Samsung’s agency, Chail. 
 
While the print campaign will be launched next week, the television campaign will follow within the next ten days of the television campaign.

The integrated customised TV solution for Corby TV has been developed by Samsung in collaboration with Apalya Technologies Private Limited (Apalaya).

MimobiTV Mobile TV (Mobile TV) service is the streaming of live TV/recorded content where each handset gets a unique direct one-on-one TV content streaming on the mobile network through Unicast technology.  
 
Samsung says that EVDO handsets like Corby TV and Metro TV support high speed data and the possibility of a good quality video streaming is immense, thus contributing to the growth of mobile TV.

Samsung says that EVDO handsets like Corby TV and Metro TV support high speed data and the possibility of a good quality video streaming is immense, thus contributing to the growth of Mobile TV.

MUMBAI: GlobeCast has signed a contract with Argentine broadcasting giant Pramer that will see the group base its playout and origination facilities at GlobeCast’s technical operations center in Sunrise, Florida.

GlobeCast will also uplink eight of the broadcaster’s channels via the NSS 806 satellite to the entire Latin American region.
 
Pramer channels – El gourmet, Cosmopolitan tv, Europa, Film and Arts, and Reality TV – will originate from GlobeCast’s Sunrise facility and be uplinked by the content management and delivery company.

A Liberty Global company, Pramer is a leader in Latin America for the production of pay-TV content and distribution via satellite networks, already reaching over 14 million homes in Latin America, Spain and the US Spanish-speaking market.
 
The agreement with GlobeCast will allow Pramer to expand its coverage to even more homes through DTH (Direct-to-Home) satellite reception, as well as cable, IPTV and Mobile TV headends.

GlobeCast, which offers ground services, content and media asset management as well as worldwide satellite and fiber distribution, has been stepping up its activities in Latin America over the past few months, upgrading its facilities and connectivity in this key region. Most notably, the company’s international fiber network now reaches Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo.

MUMBAI: Continuing its aggressive and highly successful drive to bring The MGM Channel into every corner of the globe, MGM Worldwide Networks has entered into a deal with On Digital Media (ODM) to launch The MGM Channel in South Africa on the basic tier of its new pay TV satellite platform, Top-TV.

The announcement was made at the television trade event MipTV in cannes, France by MGM Worldwide Networks persident Bruce Tuchman and ODM CEO Vino Govender.
 
While The MGM Channel is widely available in markets across Sub-Saharan and North Africa, securing the launch agreement on Top-TV represents the first time The MGM Channel will be available in South Africa as MGM Worldwide Networks continues its rapid global expansion bringing a range of Oscar winning favorites, modern movies, gems from Hollywood‘s golden age and cult classics to viewers around the world.

MGM Worldwide Networks now offers nearly two dozen separate branded networks broadcasting in over two dozen languages and reaching markets across every inhabited continent, including channels in both standard and high definition, the most recent of which — MGM HD — launched just a few months ago in partnership with Sky in the UK. 
 
In South Africa, the MGM Channel joins the launch lineup of Top-TV, which will debut to consumers on 1 May, 2010. ODM will launch Top-TV as South Africa‘s second pay satellite TV and the service will offer a total of 55 channels with 25 channels in its basic offering. Top-TV promises to make a big impact on the multichannel television market in terms of choice, flexibility and affordability.

Tuchman says, “This is an exciting launch for The MGM Channel to be part of since consumers will now have more choice at affordable prices at the hands of their remote controls. MGM is proud to be part of this exciting move as we plan to entertain viewers with a special, hand-picked selection of some of the greatest movies ever produced in Hollywood with top stars, directors and writers. We are also very pleased to add South Africa to our extensive and still growing global footprint.”

Govender says, “We are pleased to offer our new subscribers the ability to enjoy the MGM brand of movies with great blockbuster titles and renowned classics alike. As we build out our channels, we believe that The MGM Channel will be a valuable proposition in attracting new subscribers.”

The MGM Channel in South Africa will feature films like Get Shorty, Hoosiers, The Madness of King George and Some Like It Hot.

MUMBAI: Flo TV, a subsidiary of Qualcomm, has announced at the 2010 National Association of Broadcasters (Nab) Show in Las Vegas that it is working to enhance its mobile TV service with new applications that integrate video with Web-based content and social media tools.

The expanded capabilities are in response to the ways in which consumers today are simultaneously viewing and interacting with content. 
 
Flo TV president Bill Stone says, “With consumers’ mobile entertainment habits evolving rapidly, FLO TV will be integrating its current live linear video with relevant, on-demand content and interactive features that complement the programming viewers are watching in real-time. Our innovative, nationwide multicast network is at the heart of this solution and will allow us to distribute live mobile TV and rich mobile media services to a range of new devices – from smartbooks to e-readers and tablets.”

In addition to integrated experiences, Flo TV announced an expanded suite of mobile TV services, including interactive capabilities, pay-per-day and event passes, and time-shifted viewing options. The new features will be available on the Flo TV service across a range of mobile devices in the second half of the year.  
 
New service applications will include:

• Interactive features that will enable users to interact with programming and advertising, allowing consumers to click for more information about a show or click to buy an advertised product.
• Pay-per-day passes designed to offer pay-as-you-go flexibility, providing consumers the ability to watch the FLO TV service without committing to a recurring monthly subscription. Event passes will provide an easy way for existing FLO TV subscribers to add premium content such as limited engagement, special events to their programming lineup.
• Time-shifted viewing, or ‘catch-up TV,’ that will allow popular shows to be stored on FLO-enabled mobile devices, thereby granting viewers the ability to watch their favorite shows on-demand, even outside of a coverage area.

At a time when mobile devices such as smartphones, e-readers and tablets are proliferating and data consumption is increasing, FLO TV’s nationwide network can alleviate cellular network congestion to meet the growing consumer demand for mobile media access across a wide range of devices.

The FLO TV service is currently available on multiple platforms, including mobile handsets and the recently launched Flo TV Personal Television, the first-ever portable digital television with a dedicated network. In collaboration with Audiovox, Flo TV also offers Flo TV Auto Entertainment, an in-vehicle entertainment system that delivers high-quality mobile TV.
 

MUMBAI: Nagravision, a Kudelski Group company which provides value-added content protection solutions, and SkyLife have announced that they will be expanding their relationship to collaborate on 3D television.

SkyLife, the sole DTH pay-TV service provider in Korea with 2.5 million subscribers, and Nagravision are jointly demonstrating a 3D user experience at the 2010 NAB Show in Las Vegas.
 
In January 2010, SkyLife had launched Sky 3D, a 24-hour 3D channel on its satellite pay TV platform. SkyLife recently announced an investment of $4.4 million to extend its 3D activities. Equipped with high-end 3D production systems by this coming May, SkyLife will produce a variety of 3D content, focussing on live sporting events and concerts.

SkyLife is planning to add two more 3D only channels to its offerings by 2012. Nagravision‘s own extensive 3D initiative aims at enabling its customers to launch seamlessly 3D services.

As part of its 3D initiative, Nagravision has developed a comprehensive 3D content sourcing and distribution operation. Nagravision is licensing original 3D content including full features, sponsored and short form programming to SkyLife. 
 
Nagravision will provide SkyLife with a full push VOD solution, enabling SkyLife to offer a new service called 3D MRS (Movie Rental Service). 3D MRS is expected to be available in 2010. The new service will allow SkyLife subscribers to watch the 3D content of their choice at their own convenience.

SkyLife CEO Lee Mongryong says, “Nagravision has proven to be an exceptional partner. With their a unique expertise in the 3D end-to-end production chain as well as on the 3D technology made available to us, our subscribers will benefit from the expanded relationship of our two companies.”

Kudelski Group chairman and CEO André Kudelski says, “SkyLife is the most innovative pay TV operator in the field of 3D services. They‘ve become a trendsetter in the market by providing their subscribers with new content choices and exceptional service quality.”

As part of the new agreement, Nagravision will provide SkyLife with consulting services in the field of 3D Production. Those services range from management of live event productions to post production and extensive training through the Nagravision 3D Academy programme. Additionally, Nagravision is also developing real-time 2D to 3D conversion technology.