Category: Software

MUMBAI: Sify Limited a Consumer Internet and Enterprise Services in India, announced its appointment of Mumbai based Big Bang Media as its Exclusive Internet Ad Sales Concessionaire. Big Bang Media will be entrusted with the management of the complete advertising sales of all of Sify.com‘s internet properties including Wallet Watch, Bawarchi, Khel, Samachar.com aleading NRI news portal, Sifymax.com – India‘s leading broadband and video content portal as well as Sify‘s innovative retail advertising product AdPlus that enables desktop advertising across Sify iWays spread across 158 cities.

Commenting on the appointment, Sify Ltd portals president V Sivaramakrishnan said, “Sify presents a unique package to enhance customer reach not only through its popular consumer portals but also through its 3500 iWay network across 158 cities and the unique AdPlus advertising model. Big Bang Media‘s rich domain experience combined with Sify‘s reach will help brand ads work in an online PLUS offline delivery model”.

Sify.com‘s clients and media agencies will greatly benefit from this partnership as Big Bang Media‘s focus will be to generate high interest and highly interactive properties, while taking the existing properties to newer highs in ROI delivery. Big Bang Media as content creators will also be generating interesting, interactive and customised content to support this advertising inventory ensuring an enhanced user experience on the sites. Says an official press release.

Big Bang Media, a Mumbai-based compnay, offers a 360 degree solutions in the media and entertainment space.

Initially founded by Entertainment and Media Industry veterans Madhu Mantena and Ashish Chakravorty, Big Bang Media is in the process of hiring a strong team in both Ad sales and Content.

Sify, network and e-Commerce services companies in India, offer end-to-end solutions with a comprehensive range of products delivered over a common Internet backbone infrastructure. This Internet backbone reaches 186 cities and towns in India. A significant part of the company‘s revenue is derived from Corporate Services, which include corporate connectivity, network and communications solutions, security, network management services and hosting.

MUMBAI: Synovate, a global market research company announced its two major regional media surveys would synchronise their offerings to cover affluent digital consumers.

Global head of media Steve Garton, and head of EMS Reinier Schaper said that both the Synovate PAX and EMS media surveys will now probe into the digital media consumption and lifestyles of affluent consumers and top business decision makers in Europe and Asia Pacific.

The addition of digital media to the current TV and print audience measurement will make EMS and PAX full cross-media planning tools. Synovate has confirmed that CNN will be the first sponsor to commit to PAX and EMS Digital.

“Synovate is moving quickly to address one of the most important things on its clients‘ minds digital media and how its consumption impacts on other media and purchase habits,” said Garton.

MUMBAI: Digital post production studio Prasad EFX has installed new 2k digital projection system for color grading in its digital intermediate facility in Mumbai.

This facility was inaugurated by film-maker Rakesh Roshan in Mumbai.

Prasad EFX, having worked on the DI and color grading of movies including Krrish and Rang De Basanti have upgraded their DI facility by providing a digital theatrical projection system using the high end Barco Projector D-Cine Premiere DP100. The 26 ft x 40 ft theater is located in the Prasad EFX facility at Andheri West, Mumbai and is also equipped with 5.1 surround sound, says an official press release.

Prasad EFX director Sai says ,”Till now digital grading in India has been done on a small monitor or a low end projector & screen. But in the major studios in Hollywood they provide the real theatre experience allowing the cinematographer to see the image being graded in high resolution on the big screen. Seeing the upward trend in India in the DI sector, we decided it is time to provide the best experience and service to our valued customers. Our meticulously color calibrated environment ensures that what you see in our new facility is what is actually seen in the cinema theatres.”

MUMBAI: CG Overdrive will be held from 16 to 22 June at Singapore Expo in conjunction with other events such as BroadcastAsia, CommunicAsia, EnterpriseIT and interactive digital media & entertainment exhibition and conference organized by SES.

Organised by Visual Communication Order an affiliate of 3dsense Media School, the company has signed on Singapore Exhibition Services Pte Ltd as co organiser for CG Overdrive, to propel Asia‘s media industry forward.

VCO project director Justin Chua said, “The success of CG Overdrive last year, it‘s inaugural year, is a vivid manifestation of the desire for a dedicated and committed computer graphics platform in Asia that facilitates the transfer of CG knowledge and vital networking opportunities. We are greatly heartened by the strong and invaluable support from the CG Community.”

“This year, we are pleased to have SES on board as VCO‘s partner in organising CG Overdrive. Their invaluable experience in event organization will be instrumental in anchoring CG Overdrive as a key event for CG buffs and enthusiasts with the aim of growing it together with the booming animation industry in Asia” he added.

Speaking on the synergy between CG Overdrive and BroadcastAsia as well as VCO and SES, SES chief executive Stephen Tan said, “It only makes practical sense to place CG Overdrive side by side BroadcastAsia. CG Overdrive opens the window to inspiring and creating dynamic digital content for different mediums. BroadcastAsia showcases the latest and most innovative technologies for delivery of that content. The computer and animation industry is constantly challenged to produce more ambitious work in a shorter space of time. CG Overdrive and BroadcastAsia will address various techniques for efficient production and delivery in a highly competitive and time-constrained industry.”

The CG Conference will address topics such as character animation techniques, digital paintings, character modeling, 3D film making, visual effects and production of CG cinematics for games and etc. A host of CG Festival activities such as exhibition, digital film screenings and a digital art gallery will also be staged to connect and inspire CG enthusiasts.

The recruitment overdrive section will likewise be held to allow CG talents and aspiring CG artists a conduit to submit their portfolios and present their talent to recruiting local and international studios. A spanking new technologies innovation area will showcase up coming computer graphics and animation technologies.

CG Overdrive‘s line-up also includes masterclasses, forums and networking events, guild meetings opportunities as well as a host of festival activities such as a recruitment zone, software clinics, film screenings and a digital art gallery.

In 2006, the event attracted over 2000 attendees of which 45 percent were from overseas.

Singapore exhibition services is an organiser of trade events with a diverse portfolio of exhibitions and conferences in communications, engineering, machinery and lifestyle industries.

Visual Communication Order is formed on the vision of realising ideas. Visual Communication Order is an affiliate of 3dsense Private Limited.

MUMBAI: Global satellite communications provider Intelsat issued a statement with regard to the unauthorized use of one of its satellites by Sri Lanka-based terrorist outfit Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The Sri Lankan embassy in Washington and Intelsat are in agreement that these illegal transmissions by the LTTE are a violation of Sri Lankan and US laws.

Intelsat officials, including its technical experts, met with Sri Lanka‘s ambassador to the United States, Bernard Goonetilleke, on 10 April to discuss the steps Intelsat is taking to address the unauthorized use of one of its satellites by the LTTE.

During the meeting, Intelsat‘s general counsel, Phillip Spector, said, “Since we first learned of the LTTE‘s signal piracy, we have been actively pursuing a number of technical alternatives to halt the transmissions.”

Following the discussion, Ambassador Goonetilleke said, “I am satisfied that Intelsat is taking these unauthorized transmissions very seriously, and believe it would do all that it can to stop the terrorist transmissions. I am confident that Intelsat will continue to cooperate with Sri Lankan authorities in this matter.”

NEW DELHI: In what is being referred to as the first legal case on voluntary Cas, TDSAT has vacated its own earlier stay order and asked ETV to stream its digital signals to Ortel Communications, an Orissa-based MSO that is seeking to introduce Cas there without any government mandate.

The sector tribunal, in its ruling of 9 April, has ordered ETV to stream its signals to Ortel within seven days.

In a significant clarification, the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal said that its order of 1 March, when it had first asked ETV to stream its digital signals to Ortel, did not violate Section 4A of the Cable Television Act.

It may be remembered that Ortel is an Orissa-based MSO which had decided to roll out Cas in some cities of the state though it does not come under any government mandated area for Cas rollout.

It had filed a case with TDSAT praying that ETV be asked to stream its signals to the MSO, and the latter had agreed to pay the broadcaster as per SMS data, for each customer that would view the channels of ETV.

Though TDSAT had first ruled in favour of Ortel (on 1 March), senior counsel for ETV, Parag Tripathi had argued that this would violate Section 4A of the Act and TDSAT did not have the authority to rollout Cas, which power lay exclusively with the Parliament.

TDSAT had on 14 March granted a stay on the matter, regarding which the order has finally been given.

TDSAT has said that Tripathi had stretched his argument and the earlier order does not violate Section 4A.

That section “…makes it obligatory for every cable operator to transmit or retransmit programme of any pay channel through an addressable system…”

The court has said that its order creates no compulsion.

“Our order does not make it obligatory for the cable operators to transmit or retransmit programmes in a particular form, nor does it apply to all the cable operators.

Therefore, in our view, our order cannot be said to be violative of Section 4A of Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

By our order we are not introducing CAS, nor are we compelling anybody to go in for digital system.

The court observed that Ortel wants signals only in the digital mode, which means that a customer who is interested in having signals in the digital mode alone will come to the petitioner.

It said also that by its own admission, ETV streams signals in both analogue and digital modes, and Ortel wanted only the digital streaming. By asking it to do so, TDSAT has not forced Cas in any area.

“In our considered view, the argument is untenable as we find that there is no violation of Section 4A by our said order,” TDSAT has ruled.

MUMBAI: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. the provider of thin film transistor, liquid crystal display panels, announced that in the second quarter, it will begin producing a 24-inch LCD panel with an LED backlight that enables computer monitors to deliver unprecedented color quality.

With the new 24-inch LCD monitor display, technology demanding consumers, professional graphics designers and digital photographers can get the same true-to-life colors that LCD TVs can provide.The LED-backlit monitor panel has an industry high color saturation level of 111percent of NTSC standard compared to a saturation level of only 72percent of NTSC for conventional monitors and will satisfy consumers used to the crisp colors prevalent in high-definition broadcasting.

The panel‘s 24 inch screen size is optimal for systems equipped with the Windows Vista operating system. While conventional thinking has been that Windows Vista works best with a 22 inch screen, 22 inches is not wide enough to support full-HD . In addition, industry experts now say that 24 inches provides a better Windows Vista fit to also include the Vista right side bar and margins.

The advent of Windows Vista and the spread of HD technology have accelerated the demand for wide-screen monitors delivering true-color imagery. Meanwhile, a steadily increasing number of consumers are using their monitors to watch high quality video images. (174-230 MHz).

The new monitor display also features Samsung‘s Super patterned-ITO vertical alignment technology that provides the widest viewing angle possible – 180 degrees – at the highest contrast ratio for LCD monitors today. It also supports WUXGA resolution of 1,920×1,200 pixels, which is the computer equivalent to full HD resolution.

The new display‘s backlight is environmentally friendly due to the fact that LED backlights do not utilize mercury, an environmentally harmful substance.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global company in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2006 parent company sales of US$63.4 billion and net income of US$8.5 billion.

Big Bang Media will be entrusted with the management of the complete ad sales of all Sify.com’s internet properties including Wallet Watch, Bawarchi, Khel, Samachar.com – leading NRI news portal, Sifymax.com – India’s leading broadband and video content portal.

It will also manage Sify’s retail ad product AdPlus that enables desktop advertising across Sify iWays (Cyber café chain) spread across 160 cities.

Sify president portals Sivaramakrishnan said, “Sify presents a unique package to enhance customer reach not only through its popular consumer portals but also its reach of the consumer through its 3500 iWay network across 160 cities and the unique AdPlus advertising model. Big Bang Media’s rich domain experience combined with Sify’s reach will help brand ads work in an online plus offline delivery model”.

Sify.com says that its clients and media agencies will benefit from this partnership as Big Bang Media’s focus will be to generate high interest and highly interactive properties, while taking the existing properties to newer highs in ROI delivery. Big Bang Media as content creators will also be generating interesting, interactive and customised content to support this advertising inventory ensuring an enhanced user experience on the sites.

The complete Hindi Content Aggregation and Creation function for all Sify.com channels has also been awarded to Big Bang Media.

MUMBAI: vJive Networks, broadband out-of-home media and digital signage network has announced the appointment of Nakul Patel as senior vice president, network development. Based in Mumbai, he will report in to vJive Networks CEO Rajesh Jog.

In this capacity Patel will be in charge of developing and escalating the vJive Network and will pilot strategies for vJive‘s overall business and corporate development. Additionally, Patel will lead customer relationship management for key accounts and will be a member of the company‘s executive management committee, informs an official release.

Jog said, “Having led a successful start-up himself, Nakul comes to us with an expanse of domain knowledge and experience. We look forward to Nakul playing a crucial role in paving our entry into new markets as we continue to implant our leadership in the out-of- home media segment.”

Yahoo! will serve as the exclusive provider of sponsored search and contextual ads to all of Viacom’s 33 broadband sites, including MTV.com, VH1.com,

The deal allows for potential expansion to more than 140 additional Viacom websites across the globe. The ads will be powered by Yahoo!’s newly launched search marketing system, known by its project name “Panama”.

Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman said, “This far reaching partnership brings together world-class content and technology for the benefit of users and advertisers alike. Yahoo! has made impressive strides with its new search marketing system. As a global leader in content for every screen and platform, we couldn’t be more pleased to have them as a partner and we look forward to growing our relationship even more over time.”

Yahoo! provides search marketing products and services to hundreds of thousands of advertisers in 22 countries worldwide. Currently available in the U.S., Yahoo!’s new search marketing system is designed to deliver even more relevant sponsored search and contextual ad results to users. By encouraging advertisers to focus on the quality of their sponsored search and contextual advertisements, Yahoo!’s new system creates a more valuable marketplace for users, advertisers and publishers.

Yahoo! chairman and CEO Terry Semel says, “Viacom is a global leader in entertainment that shares Yahoo!’s commitment to connecting users to the content, products and services for which they are looking while respecting copyrights and other intellectual property rights at the same time. Aligning Viacom’s popular brands, leading content and large audience with Yahoo!’s more targeted, relevant advertising, marks the beginning of a powerful and engaging partnership between our two companies.”