News Broadcasting
Tivo comes out with HD DVR
MUMBAI: Tivo which creates television services for digital video recorders (DVRs) in the US has launched the high end TiVo Series3 High Definition (HD) Digital Media Recorder.
This the first stand-alone Tivo product that is HD compatible. The company says that the Tivo Series3 HD box is the world’s first THX -certified, digital video recorder.
Tivo CEO and president Tom Rogers, says, “Tivo continues to be the best way to watch television and we are very proud to extend the TiVo experience into the world of high definition with the release of the TiVo Series3 HD box.”
The Tivo Series3 HD box allows the consumer to experience Tivo’s service features, such as Season Pass recordings and WishList searches, in sharp, vivid high-definition images. Extensive video analysis and performance testing by THX ensures content will always playback at the maximum quality and resolution. The advanced chipset in the TiVo Series3 HD box also lays the groundwork for support for more advanced download features in the future.
Dual tuners allow subscribers to record two different shows in HD at the same time, while watching a third pre-recorded show. With the high quality OLED front-panel display, the TiVo Series3 HD box will show what is recording, even when the television is off. The product enables the user to record up to 32 hours of HD programming, or up to 300 hours of recording capacity in standard definition. The TiVo Series3 HD box also features a new, sleek, backlit remote control.
The product TiVo says is designed to fit seamlessly into the most discerning home theater systems. It is compatible with digital cable, analogue cable and is the first TiVo to support over-the-air digital HD (ATSC). Later this year, it will also support the newly released TivoCast service feature which allows users to access content directly through their broadband connection, introducing the next revolution of Internet and cable delivery. Future software releases can even enable advanced MPEG-4 based download features.
With a built-in Ethernet jack and USB ports, the product also provides advanced connectivity and easy networking, making it simple to access an additional suite of exclusive TiVo features.
Tivo adds that its subscribers have anticipated the day they can use its services in high definition. The product the company states gives customers the best way to experience HDTV in visual and audio performance, an easy, intuitive way to find and record HD programming and a broad set of multimedia and networking capabilities.
Features of the product include :
TiVo Online Scheduling: The user can schedule last-minute recordings from the office or on the road from anywhere one can access the Internet.
WishList Searches: One can find programmes by actor, director, keyword or topic. The Tivo service works to find and record all the programs related to that topic — like an advanced search engine for your television.
Season Pass Recordings: This allows one to automatically record every episode, even if the network schedule changes. It can even skip repeat episodes.
TiVo KidZone: The comes later this year to the Series3 HD box. Tivo gives parents the power to easily create a customized area for their children, with only the programs they have pre-approved.
Broadband connected TiVo Series3 subscribers will have access to a variety of multimedia services, networking options and entertainment choices.
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.
