Applications
STMicroelectronics drives in-car mobile TV during soccer World Cup
MUMBAI: STMicroelectronics which supplies semiconductors to digital consumer and automotive industries, has announced that its complete system solution for Mobile TV will be used in Europe’s first implementation of Terrestrial – Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (T-DMB ) receivers in the car.
The pilot project, done in cooperation with Blaupunkt in Germany has been timed for the ongoing Soccer World Cup.
As part of the trial, World Cup matches will be broadcast over DMB in 12 German cities, including Berlin, Munich and Cologne. Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) is a digital transmission system for sending data, radio, and TV to mobile devices, based on the Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) standard. The T-DMB Mobile TV service uses the existing DAB infrastructure, which is operational in Germany and most other European countries.
Connected to the Dab radio receiver inside the car, the T-DMB decoder is based on ST’s t Nomadik mobile multimedia processor, the STn8810. ST says that the device emerged as a clear choice for the project, thanks to its video and audio quality, scalable performance, low power consumption, and advanced security features with digital rights management (DRM) support.
Moreover, Nomadik’s software platform including video and audio codecs (e.g. MPEG4/H264, BSAC, ACC+) brings key advantages for product implementation and reduces time-to-market constraints. Nomadik’s distributed architecture combines a ARM9 processor with smart accelerators for audio and video decoding and an advanced power management unit on a single chip.
The Nomadik SoC also features a set of peripheral interfaces for connection to the external components, including the car radio, digital-to-analogue converters for top-quality audio and video playback, memory cards (SD/MMC), or USB. Associated DMB software includes a Receiver Data Interface (RDI)decoder, error detection and correction software, the latest video (MPEG-4/H264) and audio (AAC) codecs, and software blocks for rendering and synchronizing audio and video data.
The in-car Mobile TV solution is part of ST’s hardware and software platform, ready to address the demand for Multimedia convergence in the car. The platform is centered on ST’s Nomadik application processor and benefits from ST’s leadership in GPS receiver, radio tuner and Bluetooth ICs.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
