Category: Software

MUMBAI: Cayin Technology a Taiwan based company, will release its new networked digital signage players, SMP-PRO3 and SMP-WEB3, at Computex Taipei 2007 (Hall 3, Booth G365, 367), which will be held from 5 to 9 June.

Along with the two new products, Cayin will be showcasing the complete digital signage solution, including compact media players (SMP series), powerful content management server (CMS series), and professional remote management tools for administrators to easily manage larger-scale deployment.

At Computex Taipei 2007, Cayin will be introducing the new launch of digital signage media player, SMP-PRO3 and SMP-WEB3, which feature for their live video input function and create the scenarios for visitors to experience the simulations when the media player integrates live video such as TV, CCTV camera, and DVD input.

SMP-PRO3 is a zone type digital signage media player, which is especially designed for those applications which require displaying video, images, tickers, and time/date. With Cayin‘s Skin Editor, an intuitive, simple drag and drop tool, users can create totally up to six dedicated areas on the skin. Cayin also provides multiple skin templates and stylish clocks for users to easily create attractive presentations, says an official release.

SMP-Web3 and SMP-Webplus, web-based digital signage media players, support popular web languages, such as HTML, JavaScript, Flash, DHTML, CSS, etc. They are under an open-structure and can easily integrate with customers‘ existing network facilities. It can also be extended to provide interactive services incorporating with some external devices, such as touch screen.

NEW DELHI: Zee Turner has about Rs 18 million coming its way from the small town of Jabalpur, with the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (Tdsat) ordering Bhaskar Cable Network to pay the broadcasting distribution company seven times more on the declared subscriber base.

Bhaskar, a multi-system operator (MSO) has been asked to pay the amount on the hiked subscription base from September 2006, as Tdsat found credence in Zee‘s argument that the former was having a subscription base of 42,189 with Star and that should be the basis on which Zee ought to be paid as well.

Bhaskar had an initial agreement with Zee to pay the latter for a subscription base of just 4,221.

Zee senior counsel during the course of the arguments had admitted that its subscription base is usually 70 to 80 per cent that of Star channels.

The single bench court observed that though there is no realistic basis of it deciding on a subscription base on the principle of parity, Zee ought to get what Star was being paid for.

However, the court said that since Zee itself argued that its subscription is 70 to 80 per cent that of Star, it would be befitting to settle for the lesser figure of 70 per cent, and Bhaskar should pay Zee for a subscription base of about 28,000 from September 2006.

The court had originally held that parity ought to be the basis on which subscription base is decided between broadcasters and MSOs in the case between Asianet and Star.

Meet Malhotra, senior counsel for the petitioner- Bhaskar Cable Network had argued that its subscription base for Star was much higher, because Star was immensely more popular than Zee, and that at the time of signing of agreement with Zee, the subscribers for the channel were only 4,221.

However, Zee senior counsel Maninder Singh argued that not only was his client tremendously popular, the fact remained that the MSO was supplying the feed to the same cable to the homes of subscribers. So Zee and Star had the same subscription base, but the former was being paid for one-seventh the number of subscribers.

Zee demonstrated that the basic agreement between it and Bhaskar stipulated that the latter would inform the former of exact number of cable homes where services are provided by the subscriber and/or commercial customers / sub-subscribers operating under it.

Zee said that as per agreement, this data would have to be updated every quarter, but that had not been undertaken by Bhaskar.

Singh told the court that Zee came to realise that it was being fleeced when it accessed the invoice raised by Star in Bhaskar, which showed that it had 41,869 subscribers.

The judge observed: “I agree with the contention of the respondent that when there are no separate head-ends and an MSO is carrying the signals through cable feed, signals of all broadcasters are carried together to all the subscribers.

“He, therefore, states that all the consumers have access to Star as well as Zee signals. Therefore, the subscriber base for both Star and the respondent has to be same.

“The contention of the petitioner that all operators were merged under the petitioner as MSO does not prove anything but for the fact that 41,869 is the subscriber base for all the signals being carried by the petitioner.”

The judge concluded: “Prima facie, this subscriber base for the respondent also should be 41869 but since the respondent itself has stated that generally the negotiated base of Zee channels is 70 to 80 per cent that of Star channels, I have to depend on this figure to arrive at the subscriber base of the petitioner with respondent. I have no means to arrive at the exact figure. It would be fair to grant the lower slab of the bracket of 70 to 80 per cent of Star figure as admitted by the respondent.”

NEW DELHI: The total amount of major foreign direct investment inflow in the telecom sector amounted to Rs 118.18 billion in the last 17 years between August 1991 and January 2007.

Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology Shakeel Ahmed told the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, that this FDI investment was on behalf of eight large players.

The largest proposals were by Aircel Ltd. with foreign investment of $800 million by Global Communication Services Holding Ltd, Essar Telecom India with FDI of $500 million by Essar Communications of Mauritius; Bharti Airtel Ltd. with foreign investment of $370 million from Vodaphone of United Kingdom, and a new joint venture to be formed with foreign investment of $100 million by Bycell Holding AG of Switzerland.

The other proposals are from AT & T Global Services of India with FDI of $3.6 million by AT & T Inc. of the United States; World Phone Internet Services with $3.6 million by Advance Internet Services of Mauritius; BT Telecom India with $5 million investment by BT Global Communications of Mauritius; and Spice Communications with $6 million investment by Distacom Communications (India) Ltd. of Mauritius.

The minister said that the recent approval by Vodaphone International Holdings of Netherlands for acquisition of effective shareholding of 51.96 per cent in Hutchison Essar Ltd. did not involve any inward inflow of FDI as the acquisition was by a non-resident entity from another non-resident entity.

While clearing the British telecom giant Vodaophone deal on 27 April, the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) expressed concern on the FDI inflow into India and said the government should review the guidelines relating to foreign investment in the country across all sectors.

Under recently announced Press Note 3 ‘‘Indirect foreign investment shall mean foreign investment in the company/ companies holding shares of the licensee company and their holding company/companies or legal entity (such as mutual funds, trusts) on proportionate basis. In any case, the `Indian‘ shareholding will not be less than 26 per cent.‘‘

Vodafone had bought a controlling 52 per cent stake in HEL from Hong Kong-based Hutchison Telecom International at a total enterprise value of over $18 billion.

NEW DELHI: A National Mission for Education through ICT has been proposed by the Human Resource ministry under which all institutions of higher learning would be networked through broadband connectivity.

HRD Ministry sources told indiantelevision.com that e-content would be developed and made available through the medium of Edusat, internet and cable TV networks.

Looking to the success of World Bank assisted Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme, the ministry would approach World Bank for the sanction of the second phase of the programme on a bigger scale.

All Indian Institutions of Technology and the Indian Institution of Science in Bangalore have jointly developed 225 video and web based courses under the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL). These will be available for use by engineering colleges of the country.

Meanwhile, HRD minister Arjun Singh yesterday informed the Consultative Committee of MPs attached to his ministry that 20 new Indian Institutes of information technology will be started in 11th five-year plan under public-private partnership mode.

Mumbai: BroadcastAsia returns to Singapore this June in a series of conferences – namely Broadcast Asia International, RadioAsia and New Media.

The digital multimedia and entertainment technology event aims to bring the industry together in a discussion of the latest developments in digital technology, radio and new media.

This year‘s BroadcastAsia International conference to be held from 19-21 June focuses on IPTV, content creation, delivery to protection, media developments, digital multimedia broadcasting technology, production tools & methodology, digital radio and more.

Key industry organisations who would be presenting a session include, ABU, IABM, WorldDMB, Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA).

The RadioAsia conference is themed ‘The Future of Radio in the Age of Convergence‘ and will explore the evolution of radio. The sessions will debate and identify radio‘s position within the current media landscape of multiple platform deliveries. It will also discuss how radio can adapt to cater to the fast-changing audience‘s profile and needs.

NEW DELHI: With the number of telecom-specific Special Economic Zones in the country going up to over 50 within the next year, the country will take another step towards becoming a telecom manufacturing hub.The commerce and industry ministry has already notified 42 sector specific Special Economic Zones (SEZs) for Electronic Hardware and Information Technology including Information Technology Enabled Services (IT/ITES) under the provisions of the SEZ Act 2005, adding to the nine already functioning in different parts of the country.

Of the 42, the largest number of ten SEZs would be in Andhra Pradesh, followed by nine in Tamil Nadu, eight in Karnataka, three each in Kerala and Maharashtra, two each in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, and one each in Chandigarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, and West Bengal.The nine already existing include seven which are IT/ITES specific and two – Nokia SEZ and Flextronics SEZ – deal in electronic hardware. In addition, the Moser-Baer SEZ in NOIDA is dealing with Solar Cells which will also come in useful to IT. The IT/ITES specific SEZ are: Mahindra IT, Wipro, ETL Infrastructure, Rajiv Gandhi IT Park in Chandigarh, WIPRO Electronic City, WIPRO Limited Sarjapur, and Biocon Limited in Bangalore.

These are among the 31 SEZ – ten of them multi-product – already operational in the country as on 31 March, and include those which were established prior to the SEZ Act 2005. Commerce and industry ministry sources told Indiantelevision.com that the total export earning from IT/ITES SEZs was Rs 26.82 billion during 2006-07. Nokia led the Electronic Hardware SEZs with exports to the tune of Rs 16.49 billion. Communications and information technology ministry sources added that an ‘Export Promotion Forum’ was also being set up under the aegis of the Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association of India to promote export of telecom equipment and services.

MUMBAI: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged policy-makers and industry leaders to produce suitable technologies, applications and services to facilitate access to information and communications technologies to all those still deprived of the digital revolution.

Noting that the theme of this year’s observance is “connecting the young”, Ki-moon in his message on World Telecommunication and Information Society Day today said young people with access to ICT often surge ahead in their quest for knowledge, and find it possible to “leapfrog” communication barriers with considerable ease. Young people are among the most prolific and knowledgeable users of ICT.

But he regretted that the digital revolution is out of the reach for many of them, especially young girls and women and people living in remote and underserved regions. The digital chasm leaves others out of this picture, and unable to capitalize fully on the benefits of globalization. Young people everywhere must have equal opportunities to rise out of poverty and illiteracy, and to realize their full potential.

He said since the advent of the telegraph in the mid-19th century, the International Telecommunication Union has been among the key players in helping the world to communicate. From traditional telecommunications to the latest advances in cyberspace, ITU continues to provide governments, the private sector and civil society with expert guidance and assistance in addressing issues related to information and communication technologies.

Following the successful conclusion of the two phases of the World Summit on Information Society, the entire UN system is committed to the plan of action strongly linking ICT with development.

MUMBAI: Digital satellite cinema network UFO International, part of the Apollo Group, has roped in Makarand Karanjkar, a US-based technocrat as the Chief Technology Officer.

Makarand Karanjkar was earlier with Dolby Laboratories at San Francisco in 2001 and rose to become senior project engineer in 2005. He brings with him 15 years of experience in embedded system software design and development. He was part of the core committee of Dolby, instrumental in recommending standards for Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) in US and was part of the team that deployed D – Cinema theaters in more than 400 sites across the world.

Makarand played a key role in managing exclusive playback on Dolby cinema servers for Chicken Little Run, the first 3D movies by Disney. The other two achievements to his credit include his contribution to widely deployed digital cinema, Incredibles and George Lucas‘ Star Wars series, which conducted several premiers across Europe on Dolby system.

MUMBAI: Limelight Networks has announced to provide flash video streaming infrastructure for MyToons.com, a new content-sharing web site that distributes user-contributed animation videos to internet audiences worldwide.Earlier, Limelight Network has provided flash delivery of animated content to more than 1.5 million unique visitors after the first three weeks of its launch.

Limelight senior vice president worldwide sales, services and marketing David Hatfield said, “MyToons.com has an exacting base of users with a high expectation for flawless performance in the delivery of rich media content. Our distributed delivery network was built from the ground up to handle rich media content such as animated videos, and our Flash video streaming offering gives MyToons.com a highly reliable and scalable solution for flash delivery of animated content.”
MyToons.com president Paul Ford said, “MyToons.com is the place where everyone who really loves animation, from seasoned industry pros to enthusiastic fans, can share their artistic creations and animated favorites with the entire world for free”.

Mumbai: Yahoo! today expanded the reach of its popular mobile search service, Yahoo! oneSearch beta, to consumers in India. It will go live in beta today in seven countries namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

oneSearch reinvents search on the mobile and is designed to provide consumers instant, relevant answers on their mobile device. It can now be accessed through Yahoo!‘s mobile Web site, on any mobile phone with a browser and Internet access.

Yahoo! Connected Life Asia Vice president and general manager David Ko said, “Consumers want search on their mobile phone to be entirely different from search on the PC. Yahoo! oneSearch is designed specifically for the mobile phone. It understands what busy consumers are looking for when they are on the move and brings up relevant answers in the first screen. It delivers better results with just one search, instead of a sea of websites.”

Consumers in India will be able to access news, finance, weather, image, web and mobile web results and access new types of content over the coming months. For example, if a consumer wants to look for the latest information on a company, they just need to type Maruti into the search box. The search results will list the current stock price, latest news articles, the company website and more.