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Best Technologies to Watch Out for in Video Tech and OTT
TRAI Order on DTH Has Evolved to Rain Heavily on Subscribers’ Pockets
Microsoft’s Windows 365 Will Let You Use Windows on Your Tablet, PC or Phone
Smartwatches, Do They Make Any Sense in 2021?
$499 Freedom Phone Might Not Guarantee Freedom to Its Users
Bharti Airtel Offers 12 Prepaid Plans With Same Validity

Best Technologies to Watch Out for in Video Tech and OTT

Posted: 18 Jul 2021 08:33 AM PDT

The highly dynamic video and OTT (Over-the-Top) industries are rapidly changing in response to a radical shift in consumer behaviour. Digitisation and streaming services have made video technology and OTT the tour de force in the media and entertainment sectors. Here, we examine what kind of emerging VideoTech and OTT technologies offer innovative and game-changing solutions that empower the consumer:

Immersive Video Combined With Virtual Reality (VR)

In today's world, immersive experiences using a dedicated VR headset is a powerful sales and marketing tool that transports the viewer to the actual physical space by merging the physical and virtual worlds. The technology showcases varying levels of interactivity, depending on specific use cases. However, the overarching objective of blending VR into video technology is to help people collaborate effectively even in the absence of physical face-to-face meetings. The easy access to VR technology makes it the ideal tool to integrate video capabilities into it to drive the future of video. It's important to lower the latency number drastically to deliver an effective VR display and to offer an immediate and immersive user experience. In addition to a fast download speed, the immersive video also requires enhanced latency to avoid lagging and poor VR quality that could frustrate the end-user. The arrival of 5G technology is expected to pave the way for single-digit latency. In my view, transcoding will go a long way in resolving low latency video issues as the process is scalable and can adapt the streaming for multiple devices. Further, interacting with the audience and keeping them engaged with complete backend management is essential for video platform players in today's competitive market. This feature generates interactive content that adds value to the event.

AI-driven video conferences

Today's flexible work environment has widened the scope of video conferencing by leveraging the power of AI. Top-of-the-line video conferencing solutions are trending amid the pandemic that could elevate a staid video conferencing session to a highly efficient and interactive experience. Video conferencing services harness valuable user data and decipher audio data by leveraging the power of natural language processing (NLP). Sophisticated AI-driven video conferences can also lead to better business outcomes that boost collaboration among teams and conduct critical tasks, such as meeting follow-up and dissecting data in real-time. Further, advancements in Augmented Reality (AR) and computer vision transform video content into a highly interactive and seamless experience for users. OTT

Intelligent video analytics powered by Augmented Reality (AR)

According to industry experts, 2021 will be marked by machine learning and deep learning technologies that will be leveraged for video analytics. Innovations in video analytics will drive not just the security industry but also business intelligence. For instance, actionable business intelligence can be gathered from video content analytics that will aid in the management of large-scale events and facilities. The technology offers insights into the venue based on the available data and uses heat maps to help organisers track visitor demographics and other related trends. The pandemic has popularised the demand for AI-enabled video analytics as the need for remote security and surveillance measures has increased manifold. High-resolution digital cameras and smartphones with IP video surveillance systems are emerging tools that perform video analytics by following the government mandate for social distancing.

OTT Deployment in the Cloud

The OTT video market has grown to be a lucrative slice of the pie for the media and entertainment industry and is expected to touch 237.86 Bn by FY 2025. The pandemic has witnessed an unprecedented spike in the consumption of OTT content, a trend that is expected to continue beyond the current period. However, there is a downside to the upswing in OTT consumption. When the user base steadily swells for the multiple video-streaming platforms, it puts a severe strain on the traditional streaming workflows. Thus, broadcasters grapple with the challenge of scaling up their video streaming IT infrastructure to ensure high-quality content is delivered without interruptions. As a result, many brands are shifting to a cloud-based infrastructure to manage complex workflows. OTT cloud streaming is less resource-intensive compared to traditional streaming infrastructure and offers more flexibility at affordable upfront costs. In cloud-based video streaming, a network of live encoding and streaming servers is dedicated to delivering on-demand uninterrupted streaming to viewers. End-to-end cloud video streaming has the capability to transcode a variety of video files into formats of different sizes, thus ensuring that they get rendered into user-friendly formats and are transferred to end-users through cloud servers. OTT cloud video empowers consumers to have more control over the type of content they watch. The technology enables broadcasters to upload their videos to their OVP (online video platform) and deliver a high-quality VOD (video on demand) experience to their growing consumer base. In my opinion, it's critical that video and OTT players remain on top of the innovation game to best serve the changing needs of consumers. The industry lacks a fully integrated solution that results in complexity and a dissatisfied end-user video experience. Instead of offering piece-meal solutions, organisations should provide a range of solutions that deliver a personalised video experience at scale. Enterprises should also educate and engage their consumers in how to derive a superior video experience. Undoubtedly, video technology has come of age in the digital era. The video streaming and OTT markets contain valuable data that will help broadcasters serve their consumer base more effectively in the years to come. It needs to be seen, however, whether a scalable and robust IT infrastructure can be built and sustained in the long run to deliver exceptional experiences to end-users without compromising on quality. By – Mr. Vikash Samota, Founder, MultiTV

TRAI Order on DTH Has Evolved to Rain Heavily on Subscribers’ Pockets

Posted: 18 Jul 2021 05:40 AM PDT

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) introduced the New Tariff Order back in 2020; however, at the time, the regulator was very optimistic about it. So, were the subscribers of DTH services were as well. After all, as the regulator, the responsibility that rests with TRAI is to protect the consumer interests. During the time, the most positive point about the NTO was its ability to let the consumers choose the channels that they want to watch and nothing else. The subscribers finally had the freedom to pay only for the channels that they wanted. However, on the flip side, many surveys and observations revealed that the NTO did not only bring choice to the customers, but it also brought havoc on their bills which increased by quite a margin. Now, more than a year later from the last update, it's quite possible that the nightmare of TRAI NTO might be worsening for some of the subscribers.

The National Tariff Order in Brief

The first thing to note about the National Tariff Order from TRAI is that it makes a split between the cable operator and broadcaster, wherein the DTH operators are paid for carrying the channels and providing the bandwidth for the same using their satellites and set-ups. Whereas the broadcasters are paid for the channels depending on the number of subscribers they get. From a bird's eye view, this arrangement seems very convenient. However, the trouble begins to surface when the customers realise that they have to purchase the channel capacity from the cable or DTH operators at premium costs, most of the time which is fixed at the maximum allowed, i.e. Rs 130 per month for 100 channels.

The Grim Evolution of the NTO

On top of it, the regulator has mandated that the subscribers will have no option to remove the 26 mandatory channels. To recall, this figure used to be 25. Now, the subscribers are left only with the option of adding 74 channels of their choice in the base NCF pack of Rs 130. If their channel choice count goes beyond this figure, they would have to pay for 200 channel capacity, with an additional amount which ranges from Rs 50 to Rs 100, even if it's a single channel that they want to add on top of their total 100 channels. In the latest HC ruling, the bench struck down a part of the order for being arbitrary, which now gives more freedom to the broadcasters to price their channel. This only means that the bouquets will cost cheaper than the a-la-carte channels. But, getting a bouquet instead of a single channel means paying for some unnecessary channels as well, which would take up more channel capacity. The customers really face a dilemma in this regard. In this situation, the subscribers cannot help but feel pinched between the increasing mandatory channels, the highly pegged NCF fee, and the price rise of bouquets and channels. Already, the subscribers were paying almost 40% more as compared to the previous regime. Now, this evolution of the TRAI Tariff Order paints a grim picture of how the DTH bill payments would look like a few months from now.

Microsoft’s Windows 365 Will Let You Use Windows on Your Tablet, PC or Phone

Posted: 18 Jul 2021 02:49 AM PDT

Microsoft recently announced the Windows 365 service, with the company adding that it would not be disclosing the pricing options prior to the launch of the Cloud PCs, slated for August 2. Interestingly, the company revealed one such pricing option, which will allow businesses to use the virtual PC for around $31 per user on a monthly basis. This pricing option was unveiled a couple of days ago, during a Microsoft Inspire session, wherein the company was demonstrating how businesses can sign up to the service, with the $31 subscription offering two CPUs, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, this will be a part of the Windows 365 business option. It was revealed later via a statement to Verge that the pricing was for just one such SKU. Microsoft has added that it will be offering many additional options, in terms of both configurations and pricing, which will be shared when the product is available, which is on August 2. Do note that this is not the lowest priced option, since Microsoft will offer an SKU complete with just one CPU, 2GB RAM, coupled with 64GB of storage. But, you might be wondering as to why we are discussing this.

What Is a Cloud PC?

This prospect comes after Microsoft had revealed that it was working on a new virtualized desktop experience dubbed ‘Cloud PC’ that could help administrators make use of and manage Windows 10 PCs that are in the cloud by making use of a browser, mobile app or second PC. For those of you wondering, Cloud PC will also let Microsoft handle your organization’s device configuration via updates security improvements regularly and properly managed support. Cloud PC is based on Azure and Windows Virtual Desktop and it won’t replace any version of Windows. Instead, the PC will be offered as an option for enterprise customers who want to access their Windows PC from anywhere at any time. Do note that it is difficult to compare this to the Azure Virtual Desktop offering or Amazon Workspaces, as there are certain additional charges, whilst Microsoft has taken a different approach to make Windows 365 simpler, with the pricing including all licenses, usage and computes, all of which are mentioned below. Prior to the listing, do keep in mind that each such Cloud PC will allow for access to internet connections with 10 Gbps download speeds and 4 Gbps upload speeds. The best way to experience the same will be via a connection from an older Windows PC since certain features are limited to a Windows connection.

What Are the Windows 365 Configurations?

1. 1vCPU / 2GB / 64GB Frontline workers, Call centers, Education/training/CRM access. Office light (web-based), Microsoft Edge, OneDrive, lightweight line-of-business app (e.g. call centre application – web-apps), Defender support. 2. 2vCPU / 4GB / 128GB Mergers and acquisition, Short-term and seasonal, Customer Services, Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams (audio-only), Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support. 3. 2vCPU / 4GB / 64GB Mergers and acquisition, Short-term and seasonal, Customer Services, Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams (audio-only), Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support. 4. 2vCPU / 4GB / 256GB Mergers and acquisition, Short-term and seasonal, Customer Services, Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams (audio-only), Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support. 5. 2vCPU / 8GB / 128GB Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home, Market Researchers, Government, consultants Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s) , Defender support. 6. 2vCPU / 8GB / 256GB Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home, Market Researchers, Government, consultants Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s) , Defender support. 7. 4vCPU / 16GB / 128GB Finance, Government, consultants, Healthcare services, Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, PowerBi, Dynamics 365, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support. 8. 4vCPU / 16GB / 512GB Finance, Government, consultants, Healthcare services, Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, PowerBi, Dynamics 365, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support. 9. 4vCPU / 16GB / 256GB Finance, Government, consultants, Healthcare services, Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, PowerBi, Dynamics 365, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support. 10. 8vCPU / 32GB / 128GB Software developers, engineers, Content Creators, Design and Engineering workstations Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Access, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, PowerBi, Visual Studio Code, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support. 11. 8vCPU / 32GB / 256GB Software developers, engineers, Content Creators, Design and Engineering workstations Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Access, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, PowerBi, Visual Studio Code, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support. 12. 8vCPU / 32GB / 512GB Software developers, engineers, Content Creators, Design and Engineering workstations Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Access, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, PowerBi, Visual Studio Code, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support.

Smartwatches, Do They Make Any Sense in 2021?

Posted: 17 Jul 2021 11:50 PM PDT

We have always been keeping tabs on the latest technological advancements and tools, with one of the key ones being fitness bands and smartwatches. As users who have been testing smartwatches and fitness bands ever since the launch of the original Mi Band a couple of years back, it has been refreshing to see how far the industry as a whole has come. But, with all such products, there ought to be a need or utility, otherwise, they become mere fashion statements. Prior to 2020, one could make a great case for the purchase of a smartwatch or fitness band, but in 2021, they seem to be less than useful, considering how we have noted the shift in usage, from daily wear to occasional wear. This led us to list out some key things that smartwatches get right and what might make them a good decision in today’s day and age, at a time when users have stopped going outside owing to the global pandemic.

1. Smartwatches are Great Notification Devices

Smartwatches nail the delivery of notifications. It is always appreciated to see notifications at one glance and deal with them without having to turn on the phone. As someone who gets multiple notifications each day, from news to chats, this small feature seems very useful. Wearing a smartwatch also reduces smartphone usage to some extent, as, at least in our case, we go to check one notification and end up scrolling applications, be it Twitter or Youtube. In contrast, a smartwatch just tells us what is what and helps separate important information from random notifications. With some smartwatches, users can also take and start calls. It is not as easy as phones, but still having this feature is quite handy if you do not wish to whip out your phone in certain scenarios.

2. Home Fitness Still Exists!

For those paying attention, it’s in the name of the former, fitness is the key deal with a fitness band and smartwatch and, if the user is active, it is the best thing to keep track of the same. The multiple sensors on offer provide detailed information and, at night, you can easily check how you slept with charts. Fitness has changed in the last year or two, with gyms still being closed or partially open, parks having been shut and swimming pools or tennis courts inactive, the only good option is to go for walks or runs and, at the peak of the pandemic, you could just take walks around your house. If you do indeed do such things, it still makes sense to wear a smartwatch, but if fitness is your only priority, a fitness band might be the best option, both specifically and economically.

3. App Control is Pretty Handy

One good thing for any user is the ability to control music from the watch or band, be it via Spotify or Amazon Music. One can also opt for a watch that has assistant support, to look up certain things. NFC-enabled watches can make payments quite easy too. Overall, it does make sense to get a smartwatch or a fitness band, at least according to us, but as of now splurging on expensive watches might not be ideal, so maybe take a look at budget offerings from the likes of Amazfit, Realme or Xiaomi, rather than Apple or Fitbit.

$499 Freedom Phone Might Not Guarantee Freedom to Its Users

Posted: 17 Jul 2021 09:23 PM PDT

Former US President Donald Trump has been missing from social media for the last year, owing to how he has lost access to social media platforms such as Twitter. His account was permanently suspended from Twitter and other platforms like Facebook, post violation of the policies against violence and hate speech. Prior to that, Google had been responsible for the removal of the Parler app amidst the 2020 US Presidential Elections for what the company said was a lack of content moderation. This led many conservative right-wing members to think that there was a bias brewing against them and their ideas. To cater to this crowd, 22-year-old Bitcoin millionaire Erik Finman recently introduced the Freedom Phone, a $499 (approx Rs 37k) smartphone that as per the founder is meant to free users from Big Tech's censorship and influence. He added at the time of launch that the Freedom Phone was the first major pushback on Big Tech companies that had set their sights on American conservatives. The phone supposedly uses an uncensorable app store that offers all such apps that have been banned from big and key app stores.

Is there Something Amiss with the Freedom Phone?

In case you didn’t know, the official site for the Freedom Phone fails to mention any specifications or details, but it does mention that the Freedom Phone is set to be compatible with all major US domestic and international carriers. The smartphone supposedly runs a free-speech first operating system that has been dubbed named FreedomOS, which features a privacy tool called Trust. Interestingly, XDA Developers have pointed out that this device looks quite similar to the Umidigi A9 Pro that retails in the US for $119-179, but given how we do not know the exact specifications, we ought not to judge too much. Coming back to the privacy situation, the folks at XDA have pointed out a very interesting thing, the so-called uncensored app store present on the Freedom Phone is technically a rebrand of the Aurora Store, which, for those unaware, is basically an open-source front-end for the Google Play Store. This means that all the apps present on the PatriApp Store are most likely sourced via the Google Play Store. This also hints that if it is truly a rebrand, the company run by Finman might not have any control over the contents and in turn cannot actually guarantee the censor-free claims that have been made. A report in ArsTechnica also points out that the app drawer features many stock apps sourced via LineageOS, which is an Android-based open-source OS. The hands-on video present in the Arts Technica report clearly shows that the Freedom Phone is running on LineageOS. What this means basically is that a phone that claims to give you freedom over the influence of big smartphone companies might be operating its phone on the basis of one such company. There are multiple concerns regarding this device and, to us, the only customer base seems to be right-wing members who are convinced that there is something fishy in the US, with most rational consumers opting out of this sketchy venture.

Bharti Airtel Offers 12 Prepaid Plans With Same Validity

Posted: 17 Jul 2021 07:13 PM PDT

Bharti Airtel, one of the finest telecom operators in the country, has got its short-term validity recharge users covered with a plethora of offerings. The telco offers 12 different prepaid plans to users looking to recharge with a plan with a validity of 28 days. The twelve plans that I am talking about cost Rs 249, Rs 219, Rs 298, Rs 149, Rs 398, Rs 349, Rs 289, Rs 448, Rs 128, Rs 79, Rs 49, and Rs 401. Let's take a look at the benefits of all these plans.

Bharti Airtel 28 Days Prepaid Plans

Bharti Airtel offers 12 different 28 days plans. All the plans and their benefits are mentioned below. A) Rs 49 plan – The Rs 49 plan comes with 28 days of validity, Rs 38.52 worth of talktime, and 100MB of data. Users are charged 2.5 paise per minute for calling. B) Rs 79 plan – The Rs 79 plan comes with 200MB of data and Rs 64 worth of talktime for 28 days. The user is charged at 60 paise per minute for calling. C) Rs 128 plan – This plan comes with a validity of 28 days. Note that this is all the benefit that you will get with this plan. It is meant to keep a user's number active only so that he/she can receive calls. D) Rs 149 plan – The Rs 149 plan comes with a total of 2GB of data, 300 SMS, and truly unlimited voice calling for 28 days. There are Airtel Thanks benefits included. E) Rs 219 plan – The Rs 219 plan from Bharti Airtel comes with 1GB daily data for 28 days, along with truly unlimited voice calling and 100 SMS/day. Airtel Thanks benefits are included with this plan. F) Rs 249 plan – The Rs 249 plan comes with a validity of 28 days and offers users truly unlimited voice calling, 100 SMS/day, and 1.5GB daily data along with Airtel Thanks benefits. G) Rs 289 plan – The Rs 289 plan again offers 28 days validity with unlimited voice calling, 100 SMS/day, and 1.5GB daily data with Airtel Thanks benefits. However, with this plan, users also get a free over-the-top (OTT) subscription of ZEE5 Premium for 28 days. H) Rs 298 plan – The Rs 298 plan offers 2GB daily data with unlimited voice calling, 100 SMS/day and Airtel Thanks benefits to users for 28 days. I) Rs 349 plan – Users get 2.5GB daily data with the plan for 28 days along with unlimited voice calling and 100 SMS/day. There are Airtel Thanks benefits as well. J) Rs 398 plan – The Rs 398 plan from Bharti Airtel comes with 3GB daily data along with unlimited voice calling, 100 SMS/day, and Airtel Thanks benefits for 28 days. K) Rs 401 plan – Bharti Airtel offers only 30GB of data to users with this 'data pack' for 28 days, along with a free OTT subscription of Disney+ Hotstar VIP for one year. L) Rs 448 plan – This is the most expensive 28 days prepaid plan from Bharti Airtel and comes with 3GB daily data, unlimited voice calling, 100 SMS/day and other Airtel Thanks benefits. Users are also eligible to receive a one-year free subscription of the Disney+ Hotstar VIP with this plan.

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