News Broadcasting
New Medium Enterprises comes out with HD VMD player
MUMBAI: New Medium Enterprises (NME) which developes high-definition platforms, processes and technologies, has announced the release of its first-generation HD VMD player.
The player, which will retail for $175 in the US will allow consumers for the first time to experience high definition at a low cost on a backwards-compatible player, capable of playing existing DVD formats.
TThe player utiliSes NME’s HD VMD format, which the company says is a natural successor to the existing DVD platform. The launch of NME’s new HD VMD player is the culmination of significant research and development efforts in Europe and China, which has resulted in the manufacture of an HD player that combines the latest electronics technologies to deliver a superior viewing experience.
Significantly, NME has already secured content deals in Europe, China and India and expects to be able to announce further contracts in the near future.
NME CEO Mahesh Jayanarayan said, “The release of our first HD VMD player is both a milestone for NME and a significant moment for the industry. NME has worked in close collaboration with our partners, who can justifiably lay claim to be leaders in HD electronics, to bring to the market a high-quality HD player at an affordable price in all regions.
“NME has the platform which will allow content developers to deliver high definition content to worldwide markets now, not at some future point. This is clearly generating significant interest in the market.”
Along with the HD VMD platform, NME also brings a one-stop solution to the HD market, incorporating optical disc solutions, file formats, encryption technology, authoring tools and compression technologies.
NME plans to announce additional products in the near future incorporating other codecs.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
