Digital cinema, FM, IPTV - the future of broadcasting

Monday, 06 November 2006, 20:30 IST
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Mumbai: Interest is growing in India's broadcast sector, a segment opening up fast in part because of its liberalization, organizers of a major event dedicated to it reported. "More than 22,000 trade visitors, 400 plus companies from 31 countries spread out in five halls made the Broadcast India 2006 event a big success," said Kavita Meer, organiser of the annual event. Held in end-October at Mumbai's World Trade Centre, the two-day event sought to connect varied interests - both hardware and software (programming) - in the field of video, film, television and radio. "(In India, the interest in) film is growing very fast. Digital cinema is coming up in a big way. We've had a lot of film companies (apart from Mumbai), especially from Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata," said Meer, director of the Saicom Trade Fairs and Exhibitions Private Ltd, told IANS. This event, which attracted company presidents and owners, directors, executives, engineers, technicians and technologists, also saw a spurt in interest in the radio sector. "FM licences (to the commercial sector, and also campus radio) have been given out. Radio is coming up in a big way," Meer said. There is also the possibility that New Delhi will shortly allow the launch of community radio stations in places beyond the educational sector these are currently restricted to. "But the biggest interesting development (for India currently) is IPTV," said Meer. IPTV, or Internet Protocol Television, is a digital television service delivered using the internet protocol over a network infrastructure, which may include delivery by a broadband connection. In businesses, IPTV may be used to deliver television content over corporate LANs and business networks. In simple terms, IPTV would be television content that, instead of being delivered through traditional formats and cabling, reaches the viewer through technologies used for computer networks. "One company exhibiting, Createcna of Spain, had a product which allows one to telecast live, just using a mobile. You don't need to wait (for a huge infrastructure like mobile outdoor) vans to come," Meer said. Createcna's technology allows for the live telecast of events and news through a mobile phone and was selected by the organisers of Broadcast India 2006 as the "most innovative product" of their show. Others like JVC, Panasonic, Sony, Ikegami and Hitachi- leading Japanese companies -presented their hi-definition cameras and recorders and a new range of film and TV equipment. Studio presentations by Apple, Quantel and Monarch attracted a number of visitors. There was a Bavarian pavilion - coming from the southern German province - with a range of products covering film and TV technology. Organisers said some 80 percent of the stand space was re-booked for new year, by labels like JVC, Panasonic, Sony, Matrox, Hitachi, Apple, Harris, Thomson Grass Valley, ARRI, AVID, Canon and Cooke Optics. Intel sponsored this year's graphics, animation and visual effects exhibition -which preceded the event - at the same venue. There is a growing interest in India's animation skills. Among the prizes handed out was a lifetime achievement award to V.G. Samant, the creator of the hit animation film, "Hanuman".
Source: IANS