Category: Software

MUMBAI: Tandberg Television has provided an interactive television experience for entertainment fans via polls, trivia, winner predictions, fashion critiques and backstage video feeds during the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards on 15 January on NBC.

The Tandberg Television interactive application created for NBC‘s 2007 Golden Globe Awards provided viewers with the ability to vote in a variety of film and television polls and answer trivia questions., informs an official release.

“We are pleased to be working with Tandberg Television again to give our viewers an enhanced digital entertainment experience that adds an exciting element to our live programming,” said NBC Digital Entertainment and New Media executive vice president Vivi Zigler. “NBC.com has been aggressively exploring interactive features for our programming and this is another great example.”

During the broadcast of this year‘s Golden Globe awards, viewers could provide winner predictions, fashion critiques by logging on to http://www.nbc.com/Golden_Globes_2007 at NBC.com. and earn points for their participation or even compare responses to those of other players. Additionally, NBC gave away $5000 to a randomly selected winner from all registered users, adds the release.

As part of the interactive experience, fans could rate the speeches and learn facts about their favourite actors, TV shows and movies, as well as have exclusive access to live backstage video feed and a real-time blog written by a behind-the-scenes NBC producer. “The interactive television (iTV) application we developed for this year‘s Golden Globes broadcast demonstrates the direction that the television industry is heading,” said, Tandberg Television senior vice president, programmer sales Joe Franzetta. “Television viewers no longer want to passively watch television, so we develop interactive applications that provide an exciting and active experience that is much more personalized and immediate to the consumer. At Tandberg Television we are committed to providing a wide array of innovative interactive technologies that will alter the television landscape moving forward.” The Flash two-screen application marks the third project developed by Tandberg Television as an interactive application for an NBC special (2006 Golden Globes, 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2006).

MUMBAI: Interworld, a digital cinema firm, has announced the release of its first movie Mr. Hot Mr. Kool on 19 January and is aiming to produce around 15 movies a year.

Mr. Hot Mr. Kool is a romantic comedy targeting college going youth and young professionals. The company says that the other movies in the pipeline would be produced keeping in mind the target audience, trends in cinema and towns with digital theaters.

Interworld Digital‘s platform “DigiCine” claims to be the only platform in India which is based on high end technology and provides opportunity to show movies broadcast by various digital cinema operators in the same theater during different shows. The firm also proclaims to be the first to present a pay per use model for theater owners. “We are proud of being India‘s first Digital Cinema Company certified with ISO 9001:2000.”The company also states in an official release that they are confident that the Motion Pictures Division will make good profits as the first venture itself has recovered the full amount even before the release of the movies by selling various rights.

Interworld is currently in the process of selecting and finalizing of the theaters in Mumbai, Delhi and UP circuit for up-gradation to show movies on digital mode. The distribution of movies to these theaters will be via satellite mode, adds the realese.“DigiCine is end-to-end Digital Cinema Solution. Our equipments are fitted with high precision and are fit to work in extreme Indian climate of very cold, humid or hot even up to 45 degrees. We have designed and architected the equipment like Digital Servers and projectors to suit Indian environment and needs, and they are manufactured in Norway and Singapore,” says Interworld.

MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra is all set to list the direct-to-home (DTH) business of Zee Group after having got the demerger scheme approval from the court. Already listed are the other entities – Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), Wire & Wireless India Ltd (WWIL) and Zee News Ltd (ZNL).

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited today announced the approval of its demerger scheme by the Hon‘ble High Court of Judicature of Bombay. “This approval paves the way for setting the record date for the demerger of the direct consumer business undertaking of Zee into ASC Enterprises Limited (ASCEL), which is soon to be renamed to Dish TV India Limited,” the company said in a release. Dish has 1.6 million DTH subscribers.

Says Zee Chairman Chandra, “This is the last phase of our current restructuring process – WWIL and ZNL are already independent companies listed on the stock exchanges in India. Dish TV would also get listed very soon and we are confident that all four companies will deliver long-term shareholder value.”

The record date is likely to fall in the latter half of February. The shareholders of ZEEL as on the record date shall be allotted 57.50 shares in ASCEL for every 100 shares held.

“Dish TV would then apply for listing of such shares to the BSE, NSE and CSE, in compliance with SEBI guidelines. ZEEL expects the listing process to be completed by February,” the release said.

MUMBAI: As organizations continue to digitize content in the current business environment, there is substantial need to emphasize the rights on its usage and establish control to avoid any loss of data. This need is expected to have a huge bearing on the enterprise digital rights management (DRM) systems market.

Frost & Sullivan (www.ITservices.frost.com) and World Digital Rights Management Market, reveal that the market was worth $369.5 million in 2005 and is likely to cross the billion-dollar mark in 2011.As companies continue to lose sensitive data such as financial information, customer profiles and marketing collateral through e-mail or other forms of data transfer, there is a rising need to deploy systems that not only track but also control the use of information. Theft of sensitive data can not only cause a company financial loss, but can also result in brand erosion and eventually, reduce its revenue generation capacity.

“The need to minimize liability by ensuring that only authorized users have access to appropriate documents will have a positive impact on the demand for DRM solutions,” says Frost & Sullivan research analyst Zippy Aima. “DRM solutions enable content owners to assign specific rights such as view, copy, edit and print to files that need to be protected and these rights remain active and travel with the protected file unless changed by the content owner.”An official statement issued states that despite these obvious advantages, DRM vendors will find it challenging to convince companies that DRM will not severely curtail access and that organizations can meet their revenue generation goals using this technology.

Apart from the shift in perception, the need to comply with regulations such the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Gramm Leach Bliley, and Sarbanes Oxley is also driving the market ahead,” notes Aima. “Vertical markets such as financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, and energy are focusing on regulatory compliance, thus ensuring the steady uptake of DRM solutions.”World Digital Rights Management Market is part of the Digital Media subscription. The study provides an overview of the enterprise and entertainment DRM segments and the factors that will affect its growth in future. The study‘s evaluation of the market includes revenue and demand forecasts for DRM solutions in the coming years. Also, the study identifies factors driving and restraining the growth of the market along with key challenges faced by the industry.

MUMBAI: Telecom service provider Tata Indicom has launched an online store I-choose for mobile connections. Customers can buy postpaid connections at the click of a mouse with a commitment of activation and delivery of the handset within three days. The store is located at www.ichoose.com and can be accessed from over 400 cities across the country.

The store allows consumers to choose froma range of Tata Indicom handsets, tariff plans and value added services (Vas). Customers can compare and select the appropriate tariff plan. Tata Indicom CEO Darryl Green says that the aim is to break away from the clutter of mobile offers by empowering customers to make an informed decision.“We are committed to introducing services which are in line with the changing lifestyles and needs of our discerning customers. I-choose will ehlp us extend our reach across different segments. It will also allow us to create awareness about our Vas which we have expanded during the course of last year.”

Tata Indicom offers a library of 50 video games for download. One of its latest offerings was a Krrishh themed game. It also offers 3D sports games like motor racing. The games cost between Rs. 20- Rs. 100 a month. One can also access email and the Internet using a phone. That is because the firm provides high wireless speeds for the net. Tata Indicom also has a voice station where the user can listen to film songs, devotional hymns etc. Right now around five per cent of its revenues come from Vas but this is expected top grow.

In terms of promotional activities for the i-choose store the company will use a lot of Internet banner advertising as well as outdoor hoardings. It also sponsors high profile events like the recent broadband convergence conference in Delhi.

MUMBAI: Bollywood is all set to go mobile! Global roaming solutions provider Roamware, Hungama Mobile and the GSM Association have joined hands to launch a Mobile Bollywood initiative. The aim is tio create short films for the mobile. This is one way in which film lovers from across the world can sample what the Indian film industry has to offer.

The three parties have partnered with director Sanjay Gupta to premiere Bollywood short films for the mobile. The films titled Dus Kahaniyah will premiere at GSMA‘s 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona from 12-15 February 2007. Th event is expected to attract 60,000 executives from the mobile world. This initiative follows an initiative by Roamware in the US where it sponsors the Sundance Film Festival Short film Project. This is a JV between Roamware and the Sundance Institute.GSM Association chairman Craig Ehrlich says,”The Sundance and Bollywood communities represent some of the most creative, vibrant and diverse talent in the movie world. In showcasing the films at Barcelona we hope to create a compelling mobile experience for mobile users across the globe. The aim of the GSM Association is to make the mobile experience go beyond text and picture messaging. India is the fourth largest mobile subscriber nase. The GSM Association represents every GSM operator in the world. “

Hungama Mobile MD and CEO Neeraj roy says, “Hungama mobile has exclusive rights to over 70 per cent of Bollywood content on the mobile and digital platforms and trhis content from India. We believe that Bollywood offers tremendous potential as a content category for carriers in over 125 countries. The revenue sharing arrangement will see around 50 per cent go to the content creator.At the first stage we wanted established filmmakers to come on board. Later on when the mobile becomes viral we will look at offering our platform as a springboard for emerging filmmakers. Firstly we want to test the model to see if it works and makes money for everybody in the value chain.”

Each story in the film runs for 10 minutes and stars established stars like Madhuri Dixit, Jimmy Shergill and Dia Mirza. Mirza notes that this represents a huge opportunity for the Indian film industry to move into the international market. This she notes comes at a time when the international market is becoming more interested in what Bollywood has to offer. Gupta thanked the three parties for providing established filmmakers with the chance to make short films.That is something that they do not often get a chance to do. The fact that the short films have known faces will make them reach the masses that much quicker he notes. “It is exciting to be part of a move that has the potential to create a new distribution model for Bollywood. The market for short films has been given an impetus by the fact that the quality of the video experience on the mobile has improved a lot.”

MUMBAI: Yahoo! India has unveiled a new series titled ‘Ask the Planet‘ on its existing knowledge sharing platform Yahoo! India Answers, which acts as a forum and social community for its users.

The internet giant has zeroed in on India and following the launch of what they call the ‘social media search,‘ with the ‘Ask the Planet‘ campaign, Yahoo! has outlined a regionalization plan to be implemented within the first and second quarter of 2007. Similar to the localization of their messenger service ‘Indichat‘ into eight languages, the company is also looking at expanding the ‘Ask the Planet‘ series into several local languages.

The latest series has roped in Indian luminaries from myriad backgrounds to pose questions pertaining to education, health, law and enforcement, games and recreation, society and culture. This series will continue for a period of six weeks, allowing users to answer string of questions posed by these achievers. On the opening day, the first question was posted by the president of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam who asked, “What should we do to free our planet from terrorism?” Taking the campaign forward, the company will conduct an All India School outreach program visiting 25 cities and urging kids to respond to the president‘s question. Finally, president Kalam will select 10 lucky winners who will get the opportunity to go on an educational trip to the Silicon Valley. Additionally, the top 50 respondents will also get to interact with the president on a trip to Delhi. The winners will be announced at the end of February.

Speaking at the launch Yahoo! India MD George Zacharias said, “We are delighted to bring ‘Ask the Planet‘ Series to India. In line with the objective of Yahoo! Answers in creating a rich knowledge repository, the ATP Series will provide an innovative platform for the millions of Indians based on their real life experiences, to answer some of the biggest questions that touch our lives today.”Yahoo! India Answers was initiated by Yahoo! in April 2006. Starting June 2006, Yahoo! began a series called ‘Ask the Planet‘ on Answers where luminaries such as Dr. Stephen Hawking, former US vice president Al Gore, U2s Bono to name a few have asked questions on subjects ranging from survival of human race to eradication of poverty. The service currently exists in 16 languages across the world.

MUMBAI: IOL Broadband Ltd is in the process of raising Rs 390 million through qualified institutional placement (QIP) to part-fund its IPTV roll out in new cities. Prime Securities is lead managing the issue that will close on Saturday.

“We are raising Rs 390 million which will be used for expanding into new cities,” says IOL Broadband executive director Oberai.

IOL Broadband will soon soft launch its IPTV services on the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) network in Bangalore.

The company, which has a non exclusive tie up with BSNL for setting up the content delivery network, is also looking at launching IPTV in Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and Bhopal.

IOL is yet to make a commercial launch of its IPTV services in MUmbai, the first city where it kickstarted operations on the MTNL network.

The company has also signed a revenue share agreement for its IPTV service with Anytime, a consortium of major Hollywood Studios comprising Disney, Fox, Warner, and Universal which will provide access to Hollywood movies.

Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL), which is the holding company of the Times Group, has picked up a small stake in IOL Broadband for Rs 50 million.

MUMBAI: Cellcast Interactive India has launched Sumo.TV, a pioneering product offering India’s first end-to-end user-generated content (UGC) solution for broadcasters.

“Sumo.TV invites individuals to share their personal or creative videos that could be featured on prime time television”, said Cellcast Plc, UK, vice president Mahesh Ramachandra. Sumo.TV has already been launched in the UK and China markets.

“In the UK market we have started a 24-hour channel with the content contributed solely by viewers. This exceeds what even YouTube or MySpace can provide for their communities,” Ramachandra added. All content can be contributed through the newly-launched website, at www.sumo.in, where individuals can view, share and manage their own content.

Said Cellcast Interactive India CEO Pankaj Thakar, “UGC reflects a fundamental change in audience behavior, especially in the 18-34 age group in India where most of them are spending time online or on mobile creating and sharing their own content. Sumo.TV offers them an outlet to share their content with millions through the power of television.”

“Importantly, the content contributors can earn revenue whenever their videos are watched or shown on television,” he added. Every time a user’s content is downloaded by another user, shown on television, or streamed on mobile services, he will receive a percentage of received revenues. Effectively, Sumo.TV users are being invited to set up their own mini-channels.

Sumo.TV, said Thakar, brings together a compelling consumer proposition, offering users new ways of finding that ‘15 minutes’ of fame, new ways of making money from personal content and new ways of expressing themselves and making friends. In the U.K., the Sumo.TV website (www.sumo.tv) alone has an average of 80000 unique visitors per day.

“India is experiencing a truly dynamic phase in media technology convergence and we, at Cellcast, are delighted to launch the revolutionary product Sumo.TV in the market that will help us derive the benefits over a long period. Cellcast India plans to air the video content on local television and are currently in talks with a number of television channels about the same,” he added.

All the best videos submitted to the website or via mobile phone are selected by trained staff and broadcast on Sumo.TV channels and programmes. Broadcasters who license Sumo.TV have immediate access to all the components of next-generation UGC programming including original user-generated content, UGC-oriented interactive TV formats, 3D video jukebox, content management system and production tools Video-sharing and community website mobile services. These tools and services allow a broadcaster to create anything from an hour-long weekly television show to an entire UGC-driven 24/7 television channel.

MUMBAI: Conditional access system (Cas) is forcing multi-system operators (MSOs) to strike alliances as they take up the challenge of expanding their digital subscribers.

The latest to join hands is Incablenet and Vikki Choudhry‘s Home Cable Network. Incablenet will be supplying its feed and digital set-top boxes (STBs) to the subscribers of Home Cable Network in South Delhi.

“We have entered into a strategic alliance with Incablenet. They will be providing STBs to our subscribers. For those consumers who want to take our advanced boxes which are priced at Rs 2150, we will be providing them our systems. Others will have an option to take the Incablenet STBs,” says Choudhry.

Incablenet uses a different encryption system and its boxes will not support the feed from Home Cable Network. “We have agreed to share each others fibre and infrastructure as we go ahead,” says Choudhry.

Incablenet offers subscribers digital STBs at Rs 1500 (plus taxes) while cable TV subscription is free for six months on three bouquet packages. Home Cable, on the other hand, has an outright purchase scheme with the STB priced at Rs 2150. It offers 10 pay channels on a monthly subscription fee of Rs 45 while the 60-channel package is available for Rs 225.

“Smaller MSOs in the Cas areas will find it difficult to subsidise the boxes and will take support of the bigger ones. Besides, they do not have enough boxes and know that any delay will mean that their subscribers will go away to other available options,” says an analyst who tracks the cable industry.

Earlier, Wire & Wireless India Ltd (WWIL) had expanded its footprint in Delhi by acquiring a 51 per cent stake in Satellite Channels and signing up with Spectranet and Sanjay Cable Network for supplying digital services.

In Kolkata, Sristi Broadband takes the feed from Manthan Cable Network. A group of operators of Sristi Cable TV are using the feed from Mathan and Zee‘s Indian Cable Net as it could not make arrangements for STBs.

“Sristi Broadband and a group of operators from Sristi Cable are taking feed from us,” says Manthan director Gurmeet Singh. Manthan has recently introduced a package for the second TV set where subscribers will have to pay Rs 90 a month for 50 pay channels. Manthan‘s STB costs Rs 2599.