Broadband
HD DVD: big two to end second video war?
MUMBAI: Electronics majors Sony Corp and Toshiba Corp are in talks about their competing standards for future optical discs that will replace DVDs, in an effort to give consumers a unified video technology.
But both sides played down a media report that said the Japanese electronics makers could agree to a compromise “hybrid” as early as this month.
In the battle for a high-definition successor to DVDs, Tokyo-based Sony — which also has movie, music and video-game businesses — leads an international group promoting the Blu-ray Disc format. A rival group led by Toshiba backs the HD-DVD format.
Each side has the support of several big electronics makers and movie studios.
The rivalry could cause a battle reminiscent of the fight in the 1980s in video-cassette recorder standards, between the Sony-backed Beta and VHS supported by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, which makes Panasonic brand goods. VHS eventually won that battle. In next-generation DVDs, Panasonic is backing the Blu-ray format.
Blu-ray has more capacity with 50 gigabytes compared to 30 gigabytes for HD-DVD, but proponents of HD-DVD say their format is cheaper to make because the production method is similar to current DVDs.
The media report was surprising because both electronics makers have repeatedly expressed confidence about their standards. They have been wooing Hollywood studios, and both manufacturers are believed to have placed their futures with their respective formats.
Broadband
ACT Fibernet elevates Aditya Singh to chief customer experience officer
Former senior vp to drive service, retention and delivery revamp
BENGALURU: ACT Fibernet has elevated Aditya Singh to chief customer experience officer, effective 1 January, 2026, as the broadband provider seeks to tighten its grip on service quality in an increasingly competitive market.
Singh, who previously served as senior vice-president – customer experience and loyalty at group level, will now join the executive committee and lead the company’s end-to-end customer transformation agenda.
The move gives him oversight of customer service, customer retention and service delivery, alongside a broader mandate to strengthen network resilience and field operations. The company said the reshuffle underlines its intent to deliver a “consistent, seamless and superior” experience to its 2.3m subscribers across more than 30 cities.
Headquartered in Bengaluru, ACT Fibernet, the consumer-facing brand of Atria Convergence Technologies Limited, is one of India’s largest wired internet service providers. It has built its pitch on high-speed connectivity and responsive customer support, at a time when fibre roll-outs and price wars are redrawing the broadband map.
In a statement, Singh said he was “deeply honoured” to take on the expanded brief and join the executive committee as the company sharpens its focus on simplifying customer touchpoints and turning subscribers into brand advocates.
The elevation signals a clear priority: in a crowded fibre market, customer experience is fast becoming the decisive battleground.
