Category: Software

NEW DELHI:MTNL, the Government owned fixed line and mobile operator in India, with operations in Delhi and Mumbai, today launched the world‘s first “Convergent” Voice SMS service for its fixed and mobile subscribers.

The Convergent Voice SMS Service is based upon the patented “Voice SMS” technology from Kirusa, a leading mobile value added services provider based in New Jersey, USA.

MTNL fixed line and mobile subscribers in Delhi can now send personalized Voice SMS messages to friends, family and colleagues across MTNL‘s mobile and fixed networks within Delhi. This service would also be available to MTNL subscribers in Mumbai shortly.

A truly convergent service, the Voice SMS application allows an MTNL fixed or mobile subscriber to send a voice message without having the phone ring (RingFree Messaging SM).

The recipient is not disturbed, and can pick up the message at his leisure. To send a Voice SMS message, a user simply dials “1*” followed by the recipient‘s phone number, and speaks a short message, in the language of his choice.

If the recipient is a mobile user, the recipient gets an SMS message, and can dial 1*0* to retrieve new Voice SMS messages, and 1*1* to retrieve old Voice SMS messages.

If the recipient is a fixed line user, he receives a call, and the message is spoken to him.

The fixed line user can also retrieve Voice SMS messages at any time by dialing 1*0* to retrieve new Voice SMS messages, or dialing 1*1* to retrieve old Voice SMS messages from his fixed line phone. The recipient can also reply, forward, save, or delete the Voice SMS message.

To support the launch, Kirusa has deployed and integrated the Kirusa Voice SMS platform into MTNL‘s fixed line and mobile networks.

This is a first ever deployment of Voice SMS across the world by a convergent carrier, wherein fixed line and mobile subscribers have an option of sending Voice SMS messages to other fixed line or mobile subscribers.

MTNL fixed line and mobile subscribers will pay Rupee 1 per minute to send, forward or reply to a Voice SMS message.

They will be able to listen to a message free of charge for the first time, and will pay Rupee 1 per minute for listening to the message again.

AK. Arora, Executive Director of MTNL, said, “MTNL believes in offering innovative value add services to all subscribers. The Kirusa Voice SMS is a unique convergent service that works seamlessly for fixed and mobile customers of MTNL.

“This is the first time that fixed line subscribers will be able to benefit from a Voice SMS service. We believe that Kirusa‘s Voice SMS will generate heavy usage as it provides value to our entire subscriber base.”

K. C. Gupta, Executive Director (Operations), MTNL commented on the occasion, “The scale of customization of Kirusa‘s Voice SMS to our desired configuration showcases the flexibility, scalability, and robustness of the Kirusa Voice SMS solution.

“We are confident that the Convergent Voice SMS will be heartily adopted by the MTNL subscribers, and we plan to market this unique service to our customers aggressively.”

Dr. Inderpal Singh Mumick, Founder and CEO, Kirusa said, “We are pleased to work with MTNL to bring the Voice SMS service to fixed and mobile users in Delhi and Mumbai and we congratulate MTNL on the launch of the first ever Convergent Voice SMS service in the world.”

He continued “We are confident that this service would help MTNL to retain and extend its leadership position in both Delhi and Mumbai.”

Taranjit Batra, VP Sales at Kirusa commented, “MTNL is the lifeline of Delhi and Mumbai. We are very confident that the simple and easy to use Convergent Voice SMS will help MTNL subscribers adopt it in a big way.”

Using a single SMS message, users can join any group they choose. They will then automatically receive messages posted to the group as an SMS on their phone. Similarly, users can use SMS messages to create their own groups, invite friends, and post messages to the group. Additionally, users can also run a poll, rating and quiz within their group. Groups and messages are archived online at www.smsgupshup.com, except for private groups. The service is free to users and will be supported by advertising.

Users can join groups to stay connected with friends, to receive alerts and notifications, to stay updated with news and current events, to receive weather updates or sports scores from their favorite sources.

“SMS Gupshup is a fun, new and powerful SMS service for users of any mobile phone. It is an ideal tool for connecting with friends, building new relationships and forming mobile communities. We are seeing rapid user growth, through word of mouth, indicating popularity and usability of the service” said Webaroo co-founder and CTO Beerud Sheth.

He added “This helps us further realize Webaroo‘s goal of bringing diverse content, including user generated content, to all mobile devices.”

NEW DELHI: For the first time in India, a pilot project for providing television on mobile phones is being launched by Doordarshan, although trial runs have been going on since February.

Information and broadcasting minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi will push the key to start the project tomorrow morning in the presence of Prasar Bharati CEO B S Lalli and other dignitaries.

Lalli told indiantelevision.com that the pilot project is only aimed at reaching mobile phones within a radius of ten kilometer of the Doordarshan television tower on Parliament Street in New Delhi. After the launch of this service in Delhi, the system will be replicated in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.

The service will initially be free to air and the channels available on the Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld (DVB-H) mode will be: DD National (DD 1), DD News, DD Bharati, DD Sports, DD Urdu, DD Bangla and DD Podhigai.

While admitting that Nokia had been the first to demonstrate the capability of showing television signals on mobiles, he said the scheme was ‘vendor neutral’ and any mobile provider could download the signals and telecast them. He denied reports of a commercial tie-up with any company.

Lalli claimed that the test runs for DVB-H had been successful, and expressed the hope that the number of channels would be raised to ten to 15 in the next few months.

According to him, the cost of the TV compatible handset had been brought down to Rs 18,000 from the initial Rs 32,000 and may come down further to around Rs 6,000.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Bharti Telesoft is offering its proprietary technology to GSM mobile service providers and expects to have half-a-million subscribers watch TV on mobiles within six months of starting the service in May. The technology involves compressing an audio file to four to five times smaller than MP3 (audio format) and delivers a video format up to 10 times more efficient than MPEG-4 (video format), the company claimed.

MUMBAI: Just before its entry into the Indian market, Vodafone Group PLC has launched two low-cost handsets – Vodafone 125 model and 225 model priced at $25 to $45, aimed to boost sales in developing economies of Asia and Africa.

The Vodafone 125 model, the less expensive of the two phones, has a black and white screen, while the more expensive 225 model offers a color screen.

The phones, each offering up to three hours of talk time, will provide voice and text message service only. Future models will offer additional features, such as an integrated radio, according to a Vodafone spokeswoman.

The 125 and 225 models are the first two ultra low-cost handsets to be manufactured by China‘s ZTE Corp. under an exclusive agreement reached at the end of last year. The new handsets use chipmaker Infineon Technologies.

The handsets will be initially available in Egypt, Romania and South Africa next month. The official release added the new handsets are expected to sell over a million within a year.

The new handsets will compete with entry-level phones from Nokia Corp. as it has already launched seven similar mobile phones for emerging markets, including two intended for shared use by families or entire villages.

With mobile phone penetration rates nearing or already exceeding 90 percent in many of its European markets, Vodafone has embarked on a strategy to expand in emerging markets, like India, where mobile phone penetration is still low. Part of this strategy includes offering handsets that people in these markets can afford to buy — and Vodafone can afford to offer.

For the past couple of years, Vodafone has been slapping its own name on handsets — to keep its brand in front of customers.

In the course of this year, the Newbury, England, operator plans to launch ultra low-cost phones in 14 additional markets where the company this month received government approval to acquire a majority stake in Indian mobile services operator Hutchison Essar Ltd.

However, it doesn‘t plan to offer the low-cost phones in any of its developed markets, according to a Vodafone spokeswoman. “The focus now is on quickly helping bring communications to people in developing markets,” she said.
Numerous other mobile phone operators and vendors also have their sights set firmly on this segment.

Texas Instruments Inc. is developing a broad range of chips for low-cost handsets aimed at developing countries. The company plays a big role in determining handset costs; it‘s the world‘s largest maker of the most expensive part of a mobile phone — the chips that run them.

NEW DELHI: Broadcasters are already beaming with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India issuing a consultation paper on revisiting the tariff regime in non-Cas areas, stating that the previous order is already two years old and there have been several developments, including the coming of DTH, IPTV and other platforms.

One area where the broadcasters would surely look to benefit is the upward revision of 4 per cent additional increase in price that was to come into effect from 1 January last year, with the basic objective of evolving a methodology to compensate for the increase in costs, but which had been stayed by TDSAT, the sector tribunal.

The paper says that TDSAT has now allowed Trai to take this issue up and if necessary fix new upward scaling of prices, as the previous order had remained under stay for almost one year, and even if TDSAT now vacates the stay, it would be impossible for the broadcasters to recover their dues.

Trai has said that the paper, which was issued today, also takes into consideration of the experiences of all the stakeholders during the past two years of control regime, which had been imposed because the market place had not matured for competition to settle the pricing by itself.

Broadcasters said this is a welcome state as the issue had been relegated to the backburners for too long. However, they did not envisage a common front of broadcasters emerging to give a unified presentation, though there would be obvious similarities of views on issues of common concern.

“The costing of content is admittedly a very complex exercise and if it had been possible to work out a standard representative cost of a channel the annual review could have been possible on the basis of such cost itself,” the paper says.

It adds: “In this manner the objective of preventing whimsical price increases in cable TV, which was at that time largely monopolistic in the absence of DTH, was facilitated.

“In regard to the increase allowed on account of inflation, there can be arguments that the ceiling charges fixed by TRAI were not based on cost but on historical prices. Therefore, the increase on account of inflation to cable bills, which is not based on cost, is incorrect.”

Trai has outlined the basic issue for consultation as follow:

a) Should the existing ceiling on cable charges payable by the cablesubscriber to Cable Operator, Cable Operator to MSO and MSO to broadcasters as prevailing on 26.12.2003 be allowed to continue for non-CAS areas with adjustments on an annual basis for inflation based on wholesale price indices as done presently?

• If the existing approach for inflation adjustment based on wholesale price indices is not appropriate, would the method of indexing used for determining cost of assets for the purpose of capital gains tax be an appropriate method?

• If not what other alternative methods would you like to suggest? (Explain in detail the method and with sample working and cite international practices if any).

• In case of the option at (III) (a) is considered should the reference date for determining the ceiling on cable charges be shifted to 1.1.2007 instead of the existing reference date of 26.12.03, and then permitting changes thereafter for new channels and annual inflation adjustment etc?

• Can the existing regime be replaced by prescribing a overall ceiling on monthly cable charges (exclusive of taxes) payable at the level of the end consumers? If this is to be done, how would the following aspects relating to such an approach, in the light of observations in paras 2.20 to 2.27 be dealt with:

• Whether the overall ceiling on monthly cable charges can be determined in the manner indicated in para 2.27? Is there any other method of arriving at the specified ceiling on monthly cable charges and what that method should be?

• Should there be a single overall ceiling on monthly cable charge or should there be different ceilings separately for metros, urban areas and non-urban areas? If so what should that ceiling be in respect of each such category of areas and how such ceiling should be arrived at?

• What should be the yardstick or basis for categorization of areas into metros, urban and semi urban areas?

• Should the overall ceiling on monthly cable charges be accompanied by a prescription of a minimum number of FTA channels and pay channels? Would the suggestion contained in para 2.26 be acceptable?

• If yes what would be the appropriate number of channels separately for FTA and Pay that should be specified?

• If such overall ceilings are fixed, then how and at what periodicity should this be reviewed, in view of various market developments that may come about ?

• An appropriate methodology for factoring in the impact of such market development in the overall ceiling may also be suggested.

• “In the event of the proposal at IV (a) above being considered what method should be adopted in respect of tariff determination in regard to cable charges payable by MSO to broadcaster and Cable Operator to the MSO?

• Can the tariff determination be left to the market forces?

• In view of the fact that even in non-CAS areas, the transmission of channels from the broadcaster to the MSO is in ‘addressable” format, would it be advisable allow a-la carte choice for MSOs in the context of observations contained in para 2.25? If so, what should be the elements of such tariff regulation at wholesale level?

• Should the decisions be different in respect of the residual category of commercial cable subscribers (other than those for whom there is forbearance in terms of tariff amendment orders of 21st November 2006) or the decision applicable to the ordinary cable subscribers should be made applicable to them as well

MUMBAI: Google will soon digitalise about 8,00,000 books, including manuscripts from the Mysore University. Most of the titles are written on paper and palm leaves and it also includes Arthashastra, India‘s first political treatise.

Google will also be digitising 7,00,000 other books free-of-cost. The idea behind digitising for free is to get free links to these materials once the necessary patenting is complete.

It will also provide expertise, software, and manpower for the digitization work. Meanwhile, Mysore University is training some of its select Physics students to help in the digitization process.

Mysore University vice chancellor J.Shashidhara Prasad said that this is an effort to restore and preserve this rich cultural heritage for effective dissemination of knowledge.

“Many manuscripts on ayurveda, mathematics, medicine, science, astrology and economy including Arthasastra and several paper manuscripts of the Wodeyar dynasty of Mysore will be digitized first,” Prasad was quoted as saying, in a release.

He also confirmed that the digitized versions of manuscripts would be patented depending on exclusivity and would be printed, once the digitization work was over.

The process once complete would allow students, scholars, and historians from all over the country to access this vast knowledge base.

MUMBAI: Eros International, a leading integrated media company within the Indian entertainment sector, announced that it has become the first company in this space to launch an official channel on YouTube.

The Eros channel can be accessed at www.youtube.com/erosentertainment. Movie trailers, music videos and other exclusive footage from Eros International‘s catalogue of 1300 films are now available to YouTube users around the world. This is the first partnership between YouTube and a major content owner from the Indian film industry.

The new channel will be featured in YouTube‘s ‘Partner Channels‘ section and will feature film trailers from recent and upcoming movies including Provoked, Namastey London and Cheeni Kum. Additional footage from exclusive film premieres and star interviews will be showcased on the channel. The deal will allow Eros to monetize the channel from a share of advertising revenues generated by YouTube.

On this occasion Eros International chairman and CEO Kishore Lulla commented: “We are really excited about this initiative since we believe in empowering the consumers with the ability to watch what they want, when they want and how they want. The partnership with YouTube allows us to not only promote our content but also monetise it through advertising revenues. Legal online distribution of compelling content is an integral part of our new media strategy”.

Eros also recently concluded a deal with OnCommand Video Corporation (www.oncommand.com) which is a leading provider of in room entertainment technology to the lodging and cruise ship industries to supply its current and catalogue films for video on demand access within hotel chains across USA. On Command is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation.

Eros produces and commissions films and distributes/exploits films across formats globally via cinemas, home entertainment, television formats and new media.

MUMBAI: Motorola will acquire Modulus Video which works in the area of MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) compression systems designed for delivery of high value video content in the IPTV, cable, broadcast and satellite marketplace.

Modulus Video has partnered with Motorola for over two years bringing encoding solutions to key customers around the world.

This acquisition will complement Motorola’s recent acquisitions of Broadbus, Kreatel, Tut Systems and Netopia in the creation and delivery of an integrated, end-to-end video delivery system for multiple network architectures.

Motorola president home and networks mobility business Dan Moloney says, “We are committed to offering an integrated, end-to-end video portfolio designed to meet the current and next-generation requirements of operators.

“As consumers demand more high definition video and interactive services, the need for advanced compression technology is increasingly important. As part of its advanced real-time video encoding products, Modulus Video has a powerful architecture and product development framework that is well suited for continued technological advancement.”

Modulus Video chairman and CEO Bob Wilson says, “Through this acquisition, we will become part of a world-class organization in a highly strategic market segment. Our team will benefit from Motorola’s rich heritage and leadership of video delivery expertise. Modulus Video will bring to Motorola a software-centric platform that ensures flexibility, reduced cost and fast development time.”

MUMBAI: Global consumer electronics firm JVC has announced its second generation Clear Motion Drive (CMD) high-speed LCD television technology that delivers crisp fast action images, typically a weakness in LCD performance.

JVC says that its new Clear Motion Drive II technology, like the original, features a refresh rate of 120 frames per second (120Hz), double the typical rate. But CMD II has been designed specifically for full HD (1920 x1080) displays and improves motion detection five-fold compared to the original high speed driver.

Three JVC full HD LCD TVs incorporating CMD II will be available in the US later this year as part of a new JVC High Speed 2 series. JVC was the first to introduce high speed LCD technology with its launch last year of a 37-inch set with a 120Hz refresh rate.

To reduce blurring of moving images, JVC‘s CMD II uses a frame doubling driver (120Hz) and motion interpolation. A JVC algorithm detects the movement in images and increases the frame rate to 120Hz to create an interpolated image that is displayed as two frames – the original plus the newly interpolated frame – in the same time it takes a conventional (60Hz) set to display a single frame. This delivers moving images without blurring or flickering.

And compared to other frame doubling technologies, inserting an interpolated frame maintains image brightness. JVC‘s original CMD technology was applied to a 720p LCD panel and detected only horizontal motion. In its new full HD incarnation, JVC‘s Clear Motion Drive detects image data from more than 8,000 surrounding dots in a frame to create a pixel and calculate movement from the current frame
to the next. This process is performed on all two million pixels (1920 x 1080) in a frame to interpolate for movement in all directions.

An indication of CMD‘s ability to deliver sharp images is the panel‘s motion picture response time (MPRT). Though liquid crystal response time has long been used as a measure of LCD TV performance, JVC considers MPRT, a relatively new measurement gaining wider use, to be a better performance indicator.

MPRT measures the rate of image blurring and is based on how the human eye perceives speed. A faster MPRT means less blurring. JVC research shows that for any given liquid crystal response time, the MPRT will be significantly better at 120Hz than at 60Hz. In addition, the improvement is more apparent at lower response times. A 120Hz-driven LCD panel with an eight millisecond liquid crystal response time will achieve an MPRT figure that‘s superior to what a 60Hz-driven panel with a zero millisecond liquid crystal response time can achieve. As a result, the 120Hz panel will have
less blurring of moving images.

To get the most out of the double-speed full HD panels, JVC will use its fifth generation D.I.S.T. (Digital Image Scaling Technology) engine on
the JVC-exclusive 32-bit Genessa chip. This optimizes processing for more natural shades of grey compared to an 8-bit panel. JVC‘s 10-bit panel with the Genessa chip also renders more than one billion colors for rich, natural color reproduction. Also, with a 10-bit panel the reproducible color gamut is 102 per cent based on the NTSC standard, displaying full
edge-to-edge color of an NTSC picture. And finally, the single-chip processing ensures superior detection, analysis and control of the signal in real time.

JVC will launch its new High Speed 2 line this fall, comprised of three sets featuring Clear Motion Drive II – the 47-inch LT-47X898, the 42-inch LT- 42X898 and the 37-inch LT-37X898. Each will offer three HDMI (1.3)
compatible inputs.

MUMBAI: SRS Labs, which provides surround sound, audio and voice technologies, has announced that its audio technologies were featured in 38 per cent of the 58 million 2006 flat panel televisions (FPTVs) sold worldwide.

SRS Labs has also announced that one or more SRS audio technologies are being implemented by seven of the top nine FPTV manufacturers.

While SRS Labs has multiple audio technologies for set-makers to consider, the two leading SRS audio technologies most often licensed for use in televisions are SRS TruSurround XT virtual surround sound and SRS Wow audio and bass enhancement solutions.

Moreover, 2006 saw just over 58 million FPTV units ship worldwide with over 22 million (38 per cent) of those units featuring SRS audio technology, based on royalty revenue reports.

According to two years of independent reports conducted by Consumer Reports (2006 and 2007) of nearly 200 LCD, PDP and rear projection TVs, SRS Labs technology implementations dominate the market. SRS technologies were consistently featured in 42 per cent of all models tested at Consumer.

SRS Labs CEO Tom Yuen says, “With global FPTV units predicted to reach 110 million by 2010, it is clear that this market provides terrific growth opportunity for SRS technologies. The combination of leading edge designs from TV manufacturers and the ability to tune and customise SRS sound technologies enable us to partner with the TV makers to address the multiple audio challenges inherent in thin displays. The results are stylish TVs that deliver a high quality audio experience — a truly fantastic product.”