Artificial Intelligence real applications for Broadcast & Media Industries

Courtesy : VSN Media Innovations 

The development of new Artificial Intelligence-based tools has opened the door to new media cataloging, utilization, and monetization possibilities. AI systems such as those of Microsoft Azure, Google or IBM allow the automation of repetitive tasks and processes that would normally require the allocation of greater time and resources, especially in the areas of production, cataloging and media management. How can this technology help us make the most of our resources? We give you the keys to it.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has found its way in the audiovisual industry in the last few years, gaining special importance in the Broadcast & Media industries. The number of solutions including AI systems for the development of editing and media management tasks has increased exponentially, especially the solutions focused on the most repetitive tasks and, therefore, those most likely to be automated.

Reed More at: https://www.vsn-tv.com/en/artificial-intelligence-applications-broadcast-and-media/

Broadcasters unite against TRAI's revised tariff order

Broadcasters unite against TRAI's revised tariff order

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/telecom-news/broadcasters-unite-against-trais-revised-tariff-order/articleshow/73198445.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Mumbai: Top Indian broadcasters shared a stage on Friday to express solidarity against the latest amendments to broadcast sector tariffs by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Under the aegis of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), top executives of Star & Disney India, Zee Entertainment EnterprisesNSE 0.14 % (ZEE), Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), Viacom 18, Discovery Communications, Turner International, ETV and TV Today Network pointed out how the new regulations wer ..

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/telecom-news/broadcasters-unite-against-trais-revised-tariff-order/articleshow/73198445.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Fwd: Handy Tips To Help Maintain Your Android Device

Handy Tips To Help Maintain Your Android Device

Android's open nature may be lauded by many but it also leaves your device vulnerable to malware, freezes & slowdowns. Hitesh Raj Bhagat shows you how you to keep it running like new with little effort.

Guard Against Malware & Bad Apps 

IF YOU DOWNLOAD a lot of apps from unknown sources (places other than Google's Play Store), chances are that your phone is already infected with malware. Trend Micro reports that there are over 500 sources that host malicious apps. While most malware will send texts to premium numbers without your 

knowledge, some could also be mining data (and consequently slowing down your device). If you must get apps from unknown sources, you should get an anti-virus app. Some of the best free options include Avast, AVG, Lookout, Norton, ESET & Zoner. Note that you shouldn't install more than one of these at one time and having one isn't a guarantee against bad apps — but it helps. 

Manage RAM for Smooth Multitasking

ONE OF THE biggest reasons why your device runs out of steam is limited available RAM. This is more true of devices with 512MB and to a certain extent, 1GB of total RAM. Depending on the number of applications you have installed (and how many of them are running in the background), the amount of free RAM your device has may not be enough to smoothly switch between apps. To solve this problem, get a free app called Clean Master by KS Mobile. Not only does it have a task killer (to free up RAM), but it can also delete history (web browser data & history), clean the cache, properly uninstall apps and remove residual files (remnants of previously deleted apps) to free up space on the device memory. 

How to Manage Your Applications 

MOST IF NOT all Android devices have a built in task manager which shows you all the background apps (running apps) and lets you selectively remove them from memory. Keeping them running will pull them up faster when you need them, but beyond a point, too many apps will slow the device down. The app manager is usually pulled up with a long press on the Home or Options button. If you need to install a third-party app to do the same thing, you can get Advanced Task Manager (by Infolife) or Android App Manager (by SmartWho). The advantage that either of these apps can offer is a home screen widget which allows you to close running apps with just one tap. 

Get Your Settings Straight 

TAKE A LOOK at your device's settings page. Are you signed in to any accounts that you are not using? Remove them. You can also check for sync intervals (how often these accounts check for updates). Are additional functions like Bluetooth, NFC and WiFi on when you don't need them? Some of these might keep hunting for a connection and slow down other services. If you are using a third-party launcher, set it as the default. If you use more than one launcher at a time, resources are usually shared between them, making everything slower. It also helps if you remove any widgets that you aren't using (because they keep updating in the background) and remove any extra homescreen pages. 

GET A FRESH START 

Sometimes, whatever you do may not be enough. If your phone or tablet still keeps freezing or drags its feet with even the simplest of tasks, it may be time for a factory reset. A factory reset restores your device to original settings — like the way it was when you first got it. Luckily, every Android device has a factory reset option built in. Initialising the factory reset is a simple, one-step process — just head to settings and 'privacy' or 'backup & reset'. Keep in mind that doing a factory reset erases everything on the device: all installed apps, contacts, calendar entries, photos, texts, videos & any accounts that you're signed in to will be removed. So before you reset, use an app called inDefend to backup your contacts & messages, use App Backup & Restore (by Infolife) to backup apps, SMS Backup & Restore for SMS & Dropbox to save your photos & videos to the cloud. 

ANDROID TIPS 

Periodically Clean Out messages and Gallery 

If you've owned your phone for a while, chances are you have thousands of texts, photos & videos stored. You can take a backup of all essential data and clean out stuff — starting from the oldest first. 

Since these apps won't have to cache as much data, they'll load much faster. 

How much Free Phone Memory do you have? 

Even if you have 16GB storage, some of that is taken up by the operating system and essential apps. You should keep at least 2GB of that free. Move all non-essential data and apps to the external memory card using the file manager and a free app called App2SD. 

Does the Stock Launcher Slow you Down? 

Phone makers have a tendency to use heavy interfaces with animations & features that you may never use. Download Nova Launcher from the app store to give your device an instant speed boost. It's also way more customisable than the stock interface that you get. 

Live Wallpapers use up Processor Bandwidth 

Using a live (animated) wallpaper on your device uses up a fair bit of processing power — power that could easily be put to use by making apps load up faster and making the interface smoother. While this is more true of budget devices, switch off your live wallpaper and you'll also see better battery life.

 Courtesy : Tectonic, Times of India, dated: 03/07/2013 

Google's Latest Plans For World Domination

Google's Latest Plans For World Domination

Google showed off a bunch of new services and upcoming features at their annual Google I/O conference. Karan Bajaj & Hitesh Raj Bhagat analyse the announcements to give you a detailed look at what's new and how they will affect you

MAPS 

Maps for Android will see a number of new features, starting with the Fused Location provider. It uses all your phone's sensors to provide accurate location spotting while consuming less than 1% battery per hour. Maps will also use your phone's accelerometer to determine whether you are walking, running or driving. Another interesting addition to maps is an improved Geofencing feature. Geofencing lets you setup a virtual perimeter on a map. Concrete details were not shared, but we expect this will allow you to set certain functions & apps to start or stop using an Geofencing. For example, it could automatically switch on WiFi and set the ringer to vibrate within your office building. 

PLAY STORE 

A useful new feature is the cross platform, single sign in for third party apps. So, if you signup for Box.net on your Android smartphone, it will automatically sign you in on your Android tablet as well as your desktop Chrome browser. Notifications are also synced across devices — if you dismiss a notification, it will be removed from all other connected devices. The great news for developers is that they can now invite beta testers for apps directly through the Play Store. Previously, beta testers had to sideload apps onto the device. Developers can also get direct feedback from the beta tester from within the Play Store. 

HANGOUTS 

Hangouts will replace Google Chat and offer a unified messaging experience, be it on the web or on a smartphone (Android or iOS). Apart from text chat. it will allow videos call with up to 10 participants, across platforms. It will even offer SMS alerts for incoming chat notifications when offline (select countries only). Since a conversation is not deleted when you log off, you can continue where you left off, even after a few days or months. 

GOOGLE+ 

Your Google+ stream will have a revamped design — new animation and cards — similar to Google Now on Android smartphones. The layout displays content in multiple columns that automatically adjust to your device's screen size and resolution. A new smart hashtag feature has been added for photos. 

Google+ will automatically analyse an image, recognize the location/structure/monument and hashtag it. Clicking on a post or photo will show you content with similar hashtags. Storage space for full size photographs has been increased from 5GB to 15GB. A feature called 'auto highlight' automatically selects the best photos out of hundreds, removing blurr ones and duplicates. Auto enhance offers onetouch image correction within the browser by fixing white balance, sharpening images, removing red eye and auto adjusting colour tones. 

MUSIC 

Google announced a US-only (for now) music streaming service called 'Google Play Music All Access'. Users will get a 30-day free trial after which the service will cost US$ 9.99 per month. The service gives you access to all music on the store and also offers personalised recommendations based on your listening history. You also have control over streaming playlists — it will allow you to rearrange songs or remove them easily. A feature called 'listen Now' instantly start playing tracks from your music uploads or from Google's music collection. 

GAMING 

You can now save game progress in the cloud — start playing the game on one device and continue from where you left off on another device (Android, web or iOS). You also get leaderboards. Using a Google+ account, sign-in to the service, connect with friends and compare game scores in public and private leaderboards. Google Play services will work across platforms: Android, iOS as well as browser-

based games. 

COMING SOON 

NEW IMAGE & VIDEO FORMATS 

WebP, a new image format invented by Google, is a third smaller in size than JPEG while retaining the same quality (if all other parameters remain the same). WebP also supports animated images (like animated GIFs). For video, Google's format called VP9, offers the same quality as the current (and most commonly used) H.264 standard — but is less than half the size. Smaller image and video file sizes will automatically mean lower data costs and faster load times, especially on mobile devices. 

SEND MONEY USING GMAIL 

You will soon be able to send money in an email — as long as you have a bank account or credit/debit card associated with your Google Wallet account. Wallet is already used to make purchases from the Play Store so if you have purchased an Android app, this step is already done. Each email money transaction (using cards; bank account transfers are free) will carry a 2.9% transaction fee. Google is gradually rolling it out to Gmail users.

Courtesy : Techtonic, Times of India, dated: 22/05/2013 

Older Devices With Fantastic Bang For Your Buck

Older Devices With Fantastic Bang For Your Buck

More often than not, gadget updates just have minor changes and a new model number to keep things looking fresh. Hitesh Raj Bhagat & Karan Bajaj point you towards some of the best deals right now

TABLETS

Apple iPad 2 (WiFi) 

Even though there are two new versions, the iPad 2 is the slimmest (8.8mm) and lightest (601 grams) tablet from the range. It has a 9.7-inch display (1024 x 768 pixels), dual core processor & 16GB storage. 

It upgrades to the latest iOS 6.1 and there are absolutely no issues with running any of the newer apps or playing the latest games. Apart from the performance, the battery life that you get is also phenomenal. WAS 29,500 NOW 22,500

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (WiFi) 

If you're looking for a 7-inch tablet from one of the bigger brands, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 is a great option. It may be old, but it still offers a lot in terms of hardware, software, features as well as overall build quality compared to most other tablets in this price range. Specs include Android 4.1, 1Ghz dual core processor, 1GB RAM and 16GB storage. The 7-inch display (1024 x 768 pixels) is sharp & vibrant. WAS 13,900 NOW 9,499

CAMERAS

Canon IXUS 500 HS 

This is one of the few ultracompact point and shoot cameras at this price with 12X optical zoom. It has a unique design, 10MP CMOS sensor and Canon's HS system for fantastic low light photos. It is also capable of full HD video recording and has HDMI output to connect with a TV. The rechargeable battery is good for up to 150 shots. WAS 19,995 NOW 11,990

Canon EOS 600D 

This mid-range DSLR recently had a hige price drop & has an 18MP sensor — similar to the one used in Canon's EOS 7D DSLR. You get a built-in flash, full manual controls and full HD video recording. The 3-inch articulating LCD makes it easy to frame your shots from different angles. WAS 50,990 NOW 34,000

Nikon D3100 

For first-time DSLR users, the D3100 is a great camera thanks to the guide mode that makes it easy to learn. It has a 14MP CMOS sensor, built-in flash, 3-inch LCD display, HDMI and even does full HD video recording. The D3200 doesn't add too many features. WAS 32,950NOW 27,110

BUYING A PC?

Processor 

There are currently two variants Intel Core series processors available — 2nd and 3rd generation. There is a clear difference between the two when it comes to performance and energy efficiency. That being said, if you are buying a PC for basic usage like Internet, multimedia playback and office work, why not save and opt for the older chip? Laptops with the 2nd generation processor can be a lot cheaper compared to those which have the latest third generation Core processors.

Windows 

Microsoft's new and revamped Windows 8 has a lot of new features, but even the older Windows 7 stands its ground. Manufacturers are moving towards Windows 8 and almost all new machines now come with the new OS. However, a lot of retailers have older stock of devices running Windows 7 which they are looking to get rid of — if you ask around and check online, you'll get some great deals on laptops and allin-one PCs with Windows 7.

PHONES

Apple iPhone 4 

The iPhone 4 marked a major shift in design compared to the previous 3GS. It still looks fresh because the iPhone 4S is near identical and the iPhone 5 follows the same design language. Apart from the latest version of iOS, the iPhone 4 also enjoys a vast app + accessory ecosystem and there's currently a great buyback (discount) offer on that drops the price by another Rs7k. WAS 34,500 NOW 24,345

Samsung Galaxy S3 

The blockbuster S3 and S2 were the main factors that catapulted Samsung into the Android big leagues, making them the world's largest vendor of smartphones. Now, even though the mighty S4 has now been launched, the S3 is no slouch. At its new price, the S3 is superb value for money and still one of the best Android phones around. WAS 43,180 NOW 27,500

Nokia PureView 808 

There wasn't much to differentiate cameraphones from one another till the 808 PureView came around. It was unveiled last year - the 41 Megapixel sensor and pixel oversampling technology was inno vative to say the least. It was and still is leagues ahead of most cameraphones – primarily thanks to the sensor being larger than most compact cameras. The Nokia Belle operating system fell out of favour though and is the main reason why it's available at this throwaway price now. WAS 33,899 NOW 17,999

Courtesy : Tectonic, Times of India, dated: 29/05/2013 

Handy Tips To Help Maintain Your Android Device

Handy Tips To Help Maintain Your Android Device

Android's open nature may be lauded by many but it also leaves your device vulnerable to malware, freezes & slowdowns. Hitesh Raj Bhagat shows you how you to keep it running like new with little effort.

Guard Against Malware & Bad Apps 

IF YOU DOWNLOAD a lot of apps from unknown sources (places other than Google's Play Store), chances are that your phone is already infected with malware. Trend Micro reports that there are over 500 sources that host malicious apps. While most malware will send texts to premium numbers without your 

knowledge, some could also be mining data (and consequently slowing down your device). If you must get apps from unknown sources, you should get an anti-virus app. Some of the best free options include Avast, AVG, Lookout, Norton, ESET & Zoner. Note that you shouldn't install more than one of these at one time and having one isn't a guarantee against bad apps — but it helps. 

Manage RAM for Smooth Multitasking

ONE OF THE biggest reasons why your device runs out of steam is limited available RAM. This is more true of devices with 512MB and to a certain extent, 1GB of total RAM. Depending on the number of applications you have installed (and how many of them are running in the background), the amount of free RAM your device has may not be enough to smoothly switch between apps. To solve this problem, get a free app called Clean Master by KS Mobile. Not only does it have a task killer (to free up RAM), but it can also delete history (web browser data & history), clean the cache, properly uninstall apps and remove residual files (remnants of previously deleted apps) to free up space on the device memory. 

How to Manage Your Applications 

MOST IF NOT all Android devices have a built in task manager which shows you all the background apps (running apps) and lets you selectively remove them from memory. Keeping them running will pull them up faster when you need them, but beyond a point, too many apps will slow the device down. The app manager is usually pulled up with a long press on the Home or Options button. If you need to install a third-party app to do the same thing, you can get Advanced Task Manager (by Infolife) or Android App Manager (by SmartWho). The advantage that either of these apps can offer is a home screen widget which allows you to close running apps with just one tap. 

Get Your Settings Straight 

TAKE A LOOK at your device's settings page. Are you signed in to any accounts that you are not using? Remove them. You can also check for sync intervals (how often these accounts check for updates). Are additional functions like Bluetooth, NFC and WiFi on when you don't need them? Some of these might keep hunting for a connection and slow down other services. If you are using a third-party launcher, set it as the default. If you use more than one launcher at a time, resources are usually shared between them, making everything slower. It also helps if you remove any widgets that you aren't using (because they keep updating in the background) and remove any extra homescreen pages. 

GET A FRESH START 

Sometimes, whatever you do may not be enough. If your phone or tablet still keeps freezing or drags its feet with even the simplest of tasks, it may be time for a factory reset. A factory reset restores your device to original settings — like the way it was when you first got it. Luckily, every Android device has a factory reset option built in. Initialising the factory reset is a simple, one-step process — just head to settings and 'privacy' or 'backup & reset'. Keep in mind that doing a factory reset erases everything on the device: all installed apps, contacts, calendar entries, photos, texts, videos & any accounts that you're signed in to will be removed. So before you reset, use an app called inDefend to backup your contacts & messages, use App Backup & Restore (by Infolife) to backup apps, SMS Backup & Restore for SMS & Dropbox to save your photos & videos to the cloud. 

ANDROID TIPS 

Periodically Clean Out messages and Gallery 

If you've owned your phone for a while, chances are you have thousands of texts, photos & videos stored. You can take a backup of all essential data and clean out stuff — starting from the oldest first. 

Since these apps won't have to cache as much data, they'll load much faster. 

How much Free Phone Memory do you have? 

Even if you have 16GB storage, some of that is taken up by the operating system and essential apps. You should keep at least 2GB of that free. Move all non-essential data and apps to the external memory card using the file manager and a free app called App2SD. 

Does the Stock Launcher Slow you Down? 

Phone makers have a tendency to use heavy interfaces with animations & features that you may never use. Download Nova Launcher from the app store to give your device an instant speed boost. It's also way more customisable than the stock interface that you get. 

Live Wallpapers use up Processor Bandwidth 

Using a live (animated) wallpaper on your device uses up a fair bit of processing power — power that could easily be put to use by making apps load up faster and making the interface smoother. While this is more true of budget devices, switch off your live wallpaper and you'll also see better battery life.

 Courtesy : Tectonic, Times of India, dated: 26/06/2013 

How To Get Premium Features On Any Android Phone

How To Get Premium Features On Any Android Phone

When it comes to smartphones, high-end features are usually reserved for those with deep pockets. Not so with Android, say Hitesh Raj Bhagat & Karan Bajaj

Use Multiple Apps, Side-by-Side

Now that many Android phones have really large screens, a single app on the whole screen sometimes feels like a waste of screen space. Samsung's MultiView and LG's QSlide make it easy to run multiple apps simultaneously on a single screen. However, you can get similar multi-tasking functionality on any 

Android phone using various free apps. The free Floating Browser Flux provides you with a resizable browser window that hovers on top of running apps but still offers usual functionality like page zoom and scrolling. Similarly, you can install Floating YouTube to play streaming videos, Air Calc to have a floating calculator, Pluto Messenger (for Google Talk and Facebook Messenger) and the Multiwindow 

Messenger app to have multiple SMS conversations. All these apps allow quick resizing of the floating windows for easy placement. 

Intelligent Screen Timeout 

Typically, a phones's screen switches off if not used for a pre-set time. You might find yourself constantly tapping the screen to keep it on while reading a long article or waiting for an app to refresh. 

Samsung's premium smartphones offer a feature called SmartStay — it uses the front camera to detect when you are looking at the screen and keeps the backlight on. A free app called SmartStay Ex enables the same thing on Android smartphones which have a front camera. 

Motion Gestures 

Some Samsung smartphones offer an interesting set of features that are activated using motion. For instance, you can mute an incoming call by turning the phone over or answer a call by raising it to your ear. Other 'Smart Alerts' can inform you of missed calls and messages. A free app called Easy Answer has both these functions and even offers the option to disconnect the call when the phone is moved away from the ear. For smart alerts, install a free app called Missed Call / SMS Alert — it lets you set reminders and alerts using sound or vibration when you miss a call or have unread messages. 

Intuitive Note-taking and Annotation 

Scribbling notes on a piece of paper is now passé; most people use their smartphones for it. Thanks to features like Samsung's S Note and LG's QuickMemo (on the Galaxy Note and Optimus Vu), jotting notes on the phone is easier. An app called Floating Draw adds similar functionality to any Android phone. With this app, you can start drawing freehand on the phone's screen with your choice of color. The only issue is that to take a screenshot of the note (with the background included), you may need to use a separate screenshot app. 

Picture-in-picture Videos 

If you often find yourself pausing a video to look at incoming notifications, Samsung's Pop-up Play function solves this by allowing you to have the video playing in a floating, resizable window while you access other apps or check notifications. An app called Super Video Player offers similar functionality for 

free. Not only can you have a floating window with an HD video playing in it, it also goes 'one-up' by letting you play two simultaneous videos. 

Phonebook Integration with Social Networks 

A very useful feature in Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10 is the integration of social network updates with phonebook contacts. This allows for quick access to status updates and your friends' activities. A free app called Contacts+ not only integrates Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn with your phonebook, but it also auto-syncs contact pictures and birthday reminders. If that wasn't enough, it can suggest and merge duplicate contact for you plus it has a widget for quick access to favourites. Finally, a built-in messaging function lets you send messages from within the app to your contacts — you won't even have to switch between apps. 

Automate Your Smartphone 

Some Motorola Android phones have SmartActions (available on the app store, but only for Motorola). It lets you define a set of functions that you can start/stop at a specified time or when you reach your destination. Using a free app called Phone Scheduler, you can adjust various supported functions (Wireless connectivity, ringtone mode, brightness level) at a prespecified time. You can also pre-set days of the week when the function should automatically run or launch an app at a pre-configured time and day. 

Language Translator 

The language barrier can be an issue for travellers. LG's Qtranslator scans and converts text between 44 languages to ease things up. You can try the free Camdictionary for similar functionality. The app even goes a step ahead and offers speech to text translation between various languages. 

Live Video Zoom 

LG's Live Zoom functionality lets you zoom into video while it's playing. The ad-supported BSPlayer Free lets you pinch to zoom in a video during playback and also offers automatic subtitle search when required. It support multiple video formats and can even play videos stored in zip archives. 

Advanced Voice Features or an Interactive Voice Assistant 

A typical voice assistant (think Siri) can do all sorts of stuff: set reminders & alarms for you, search the web, make calls and so on. However, your device needs a constant (and fast) data connection because your voice is sent for analysis before an action can take place. With an app called Utter (currently free 

and in Beta), many actions can be performed without a data connection. Plus, unlike Siri or apps like S Voice in Samsung phones, Utter is always on and works in any app throughout the phone — you don't need to tap a button or open an app to start the functionality.

Courtesy : Techtonic, Time of India dated 20-03-2013