Category: Software

MUMBAI: Siemens Communications has organized a workshop in India titled ‘Open the door to 3G‘ to share the latest trends in the communications industry. The workshop showcased 3G product offerings for network providers, presenting a view on the introduction of 3G in India.

In addition to a demonstration of the technology range of 3G network solutions, the workshop also provided an insight into innovations in delivering effective, controlled and secure communications infrastructure over next generation mobile networks beyond 3G, informs an official release.

Live demonstration of network solutions like HSxPA, Remote Radio Heads, DVB-H, Mobile TV via streaming, SIP-Applications were conducted during the workshop. These advanced network solutions enable carriers to provide and subscribers with a whole package of telecommunications applications.

Siemens Public Communications Networks Ltd MD Michael Kuehner said, “Innovation and continuous buildup of strength in technology are growth drivers in any emerging market. India today is one of the fastest growing telecom markets in the world and the opportunities are endless here. The spurt in spending power in the hands of consumers is further fueling demand for advanced technology. Siemens recognizes the challenges of the Indian telecom industry and offers best-suited products, services and cost-effective solutions. With the introduction of advanced network solutions in India, Siemens will support operators to usher in spectrum efficient, feature-rich seamless roaming, broad bandwidth and high-speed communication.”

“The Indian market is at an exciting stage as it is poised for the rollout of 3G. We are providing technology, which enables smooth transition from 2G to 3G providing carriers the flexibility of adapting networks to meet increased voice and data traffic. With advanced technologies, there will be a lot of demand for strong network indoors as video applications would mostly be accessed indoors. Our Mobile Base Stations offer the best indoor connectivity as they can be placed at strategic locations and can be quite small in size,‘ said Utran Product Line Strategy head and director Dr. Dina Bartels.

Siemens Communications claims to be setting benchmarks in quality and delivery thus targeting key growth areas, which include upcoming opportunities in semi-urban and rural markets, providing cutting-edge technology in urban markets and adding additional capabilities to existing infrastructure by continuously innovating its offerings for the Indian market. The company is focusing on enabling customer satisfaction for fast moving and emerging telecom markets like India, adds the release. 

MUMBAI: Hathway Cable & Datacom has launched an interactive gaming service on its digital cable television services.

Launched on 10 July, the gaming feature would initially be available to all Hathway digital subscribers on a free of cost basis.

For the gaming technology, Hathway has selected NDS, a global provider for open end-to-end digital pay TV solutions. Once the digital box is activated, the customer needs has to select the gaming icon on the screen and access the available games such as Lilly Lovers, Stubby the Sock Gnome and Sumo Temple. Many more games will be added in the course of the year, according to an official release.

MUMBAI: Yahoo Inc. is revamping the finance section of its web site with more interactive stock charts and other features. The redesigned web page will be unveiled on 17 July.

The new system design has the static, two-dimensional stock chart where scrolling elsewhere on the page was required for getting additional data or a different timeline view removed. Instead, users can stay on the chart itself to view major events such as splits or dividends or drag the timeline to a desired period.

Users can also type in specific dates to create a chart and compare the performance of multiple equities within the same graph. They can then easily print the customized chart or send it to others via e-mail, states a medial release.

Google Inc., had introduced similar interactive chart features when it launched a finance section in March 2006. But Yahoo‘s new customisation features raise the bar for its major competitors, reports quote said Charlene Li, an Internet analyst at Forrester Research, as saying. “This takes stock charts to another level. And, you don‘t stay the leader if you don‘t innovate, ” Li says.

Yahoo will also be adding an online tool for other online publishers to distribute stock charts, quotes and news headlines from Yahoo Finance – all free of charge. The syndication offering, christened the Yahoo Finance Badge, lets web sites of all sizes display market data that Yahoo already receives and processes from the leading stock exchanges.

MUMBAI: The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) in the US and the Department of Homeland Security‘s Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) have tested the second phase of its Digital Emergency Alert System (DEAS).

This project demonstrates how the Department of Homeland Security can improve and disseminate public alerts and warnings during times of national crisis through the use of local public television‘s digital television broadcasts.

APTS president and CEO John Lawson said, “This project demonstrates how the capabilities of America‘s public broadcasters can be utilised to dramatically enhance the ability of the President of the United States to communicate with the American public during a national crisis.

“The partnership between APTS and the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA is a major step forward in laying the foundation for a new generation alert and warning system. The current EAS has it roots in the Cold War, and still relies on technology from that era. You had to be watching one of the major networks or listening to a radio station to have a chance of receiving the alert.

Fema director David Paulison says, “What we are announcing is an alert system for the mobile, networked, and digital America of the 21st Century. Digital capabilities will improve the reliability, flexibility and security of the emergency alert system.

“This more efficient system will better serve first responders and government officials, as well as provide the American public timely information so they can safeguard themselves and loved ones in times of emergencies.”

APTS demonstrated the capabilities of digital broadcasting through a two- year project in the National Capital Region. The initial phases of this project included PBS, Wetas, 25 other public television stations across the US and the FCC.

APTS and Fema were also joined by partners in the commercial television, cable, cellular, paging and radio industries. SpectraRep, a professional services firm, provides technology and anagement consulting services to the television stations.

Lawson adds, “Public television is dedicated to public service. Our stations and the communities that support them, as well as state legislatures, foundations and the federal government, have raised over one billion for digital conversion. Our stations are using the powerful digital technology to bring new services to those they serve, including HDTV, new standard definition channels and rich media content delivered directly to PC‘s.

“Now we take a major step forward in using this same digital infrastructure to enhance public safety. The public will be safer because of this project. Public service is in the DNA of public television. Digital television is allowing us to roll out a new generation of content and services for the American people. We have always been about enhancing lives. Now we can help save lives as well.”

MUMBAI: Format creator and distributor FremantleMedia and Arts Alliance Media have signed a deal for users to download episodes to their PCs and certain portable devices and view them either on a rental basis or keep them on their hard drives to watch whenever they want.

Fremantlemedia has granted rights to Arts Alliance Media-which provides digital film distribution services in Europe – to make up to 200 hours of classic comedy available to UK broadband internet users. Programming will be sourced from the FremantleMedia and talkbackThames catalogues and will include hit programmes such as Men Behaving Badly, Goodnight Sweetheart and Tommy Cooper.

The content will be available later this year via a dedicated website as well as via Arts Alliance Media‘s download partners which currently includes download and DVD rental site, Lovefilm and AOL, which has over 2.2 million members in the UK, of which more than 1.3 million are broadband members. Additional partners for download distribution will be announced over the coming months.

FremantleMedia Enterprises CEO David Ellender, says, “This deal represents a central part of our new media strategy which involves us engaging with the consumer across a number of new platforms that are being opened up at present. Arts Alliance Media is the leading download company for the studios and has a reputation and track record second to none in this field. We are very excited about establishing a relationship with them as they move into the TV sector.”

Arts Alliance Media president Mark Livingstone, said, “We are pleased to be the first to partner with FremantleMedia in a deal which further establishes Arts Alliance Media’s reputation as the premier content provider for download services. FremantleMedia‘s content of classic TV comedy adds to our extensive library of feature titles which we look forward to rolling out to our existing and future partners.”

MUMBAI: US broadcaster Comedy Central is bulking up its broadband channel MotherLoad with a new serving of programming.

The network‘s new original broadband development slate will boost the line-up to include more than 20 original shows
 
MotherLoad was launched in November 2005. In the past six months, Comedy Central has unveiled an extensive line-up of original programming including animation, live-action narratives, topical stand-up performances and sketch comedies.

This year also marked, the development of the channel‘s first original multi-platform stand-up series Live At Gotham which premiered as a topical stand-up series on MotherLoad and is now debuting on-air on 21 July, making this the first original broadband programme to migrate to the network‘s linear channel.

One show is the 10 episode Balloonheads. This series features the adventures of various characters who have balloons for heads. Baxter & McGuire is an animated buddy-comedy. It chronicles the adventures of Baxter and McGuire, the closest of pals who never leave each other‘s side.

Good God is a sitcom like The Office about God‘s workplace environment. Moonwalk 1986 deals with the adventures of two astronauts on the moon and their banal conversations during missions.

MUMBAI: The South Korean fixed-line & broadband carrier KT Corporation has called for the government to speed up introducing Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), claiming that a one-year delay would cost the nation about 1 trillion won (US$1.07 billion).

An Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union report quotes The Korea Times on KT‘s warning that Korea might suffer a loss of more than 1 trillion won, if the adoption of IP-based media services was delayed by one year, hurting related equipment makers severely.

Korea has been slow to adopt the cutting-edge services largely due to the protests and lobbying efforts from terrestrial TV and cable service providers, who fear their market share might decline and profits shrink. KT and other telecom operators with solid IP infrastructure want to use their facilities to expand their service coverage and broaden income bases.

Korea is now expected to allow operators to launch IPTV as early as in 2007 and KT plans to invest 300 billion won (US$319 million) into IPTV infrastructure this year for a faster service launch, the report adds

MUMBAI: In another 15 days time, all Star channels may well be made available to the country‘s only private direct-to-home operator Dish TV.

Subhash Chandra‘s DTH service Dish TV has won a favourable judgment from by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) in this regard. As per the tribunal‘s directive, Star India will have to distribute the signals of all its channels to Dish TV.

In an order passed this morning, TDSAT, while directing the sector regulator to set a benchmark for channel prices for DTH services, said that Star channels should be made available to Dish TV at half the price at which they are available to cable operators.

The reason for this, according to TDSAT, is that DTH is an addressable system where loss of revenue down the value chain is negligible if not zero

An interpretation of this observation on rates would mean that all Star channels (comprising bouquets I & II) will cost Dish TV Rs 27 exclusive of taxes, as against the cable operators paying Rs 54 per subscriber/per month.

While issuing the order, which had been kept reserved since 5 July when arguments concluded, TDSAT said, “We have no basis to lay down the actual rates per channel, which we feel is the prerogative of Trai. However, to begin with, we feel that 50 per cent of the rates being charged for cable platform be made applicable to the DTH platform.”

Reacting to the developments, a jubilant Zee Telefilms vice-chairman and Dish TV business head Jawahar Goel said, “The verdict vindicates our position. We will be sending a letter to Star by tomorrow requesting them to conclude an agreement for their channels.” Everybody should respect the law of the land, Goel added.

Said a Star India spokesperson, “We have received the judgment of the TDSAT in the matter of ASC Enterprises vs. Star India Pvt. Ltd. earlier today and we are now in the process of examining it in detail.

“The judgment comes at an opportune time as we believe it will help in clearing the air on a number of critical areas that impact addressable systems in general and DTH in particular and will be a positive impetus to their development. However, it appears to us that there may be some specific areas within the judgment that will require further clarification.

“Our intention is to seek clarification on these areas at the earliest opportunity and make a response accordingly. Star has been and will continue to be an active supporter of all addressable platforms and will work with them to ensure that the viewer‘s interests are best served.”

Interestingly, TDSAT has also said that no minimum guarantee needs to be given by Dish TV for the Star channels and the payments would be made on actual number of subscribers.

It directed Dish to submit a list of subscribers from the subscriber management system (SMS) every month to Star — a model that TDSAT said would be applicable to all DTH operators entering into commercial deals with broadcasters.

Respondent Star had pointed out that the minimum guarantee requirement is an internationally prevalent norm in the DTH industry as it incentivizes the DTH operator to ensure higher subscribers.

TDSAT, in its order has said that in case of any denial of the signals, the DTH operator may approach the tribunal for further relief.

For the record, Chandra‘s ASC Enterprises, which holds a DTH licence, had moved TDSAT alleging that Star India was delaying making available its channels in breach of a regulatory order that states all content should be made available to all platform on a non-discriminatory basis.

Also Read:
Dish moves TDSAT against Star

TDSAT puts a lock on any DTH operator carrying Star channels

MUMBAI: Radio Mirchi will unveil a visual radio in Delhi by the end of this month, making it the third city in the world to adopt a technology that will open up a new revenue for the private FM radio operator.

Radio Mirchi is partnering with Hutch and Airtel to offer this service. The broadcast will be available on Nokia mobile phones with Hewlett-Packard (HP) as the technology provider.

“We have identified four key markets including Mumbai for launching visual radio. Though it is too early to exploit strong revenues from this medium, it will give us a presence in emerging platforms like mobile phones,” says Entertainment Network (India) Ltd managing director and CEO AP Parigi.

Radio Mirchi will speed ahead of Virgin Radio which is planning to launch visual radio later this year. “We are doing test runs and will launch it this year,” says Virgin Radio UK director of digital media James Cridland.

Helsinki in Finland and Singapore are the other two places where visual radio has kicked off commercially. The plan to launch in Delhi was announced today by Radio Mirchi deputy-CEO Prashant Pandey at the India Radio Forum 2006.

Radio stations are turning to new revenue streams as they are facing competition from emerging technologies. Specific threats from MP3, which had an estimated 55 million devices in the market in 2005, and internet webcasting are eating into the earnings of traditional radio. So the way out is to adopt into new digital platforms like direct-to-home (DTH) and digital audio broadcasting (DAB).

Virgin is moving its content to such platforms. “About 28 per cent of our audience is coming from new platforms. As for visual radio, it is important to have a presence in this segment. Nokia will have 100,000 handsets in UK for visual radio by the end of the year,” says Cridland.