Mediaboss Marketing

The Australian newspaper on the printing press at the News Ltd plant at Mile End in Adelaide. Picture: Brett Hartwig Source: The Advertiser

A LEADING Australian ad buyer believes proposed media reforms would mean the same limits on free press as experienced in Russia and Cuba.

Speaking at a Queensland University of Technology business leaders forum in Brisbane yesterday, Harold Mitchell said the reforms proposed by the independent media inquiry were "crap", designed by people who did not understand free choice.

"Firstly, they believe that there should be no freedom of the press, but, you know, through all the centuries the greatest way a society can ever continue is by having a free society," he said.

"You control thoughts and it just won't happen."

Founder of Mitchell & Partners, Mr Mitchell is executive chairman of Aegis Media Pacific, a company that buys commercial space on all media for some of the world's biggest brands. Mr Mitchell told the QUT forum some of the reforms proposed could have an equivalent effect to jailing newspaper editors who offend vested interests.

"Now, what sort of a world are we living in when that would be a notion we should have?" he said.

The report by retired judge Ray Finkelstein QC proposes sweeping regulation of newspapers, urging the Government to set up a taxpayer-funded body to regulate all news across all media: A statutory watchdog to set standards and handle complaints.

After the release, Kim Williams, chief executive of News Limited - publisher of The Advertiser - questioned the role of government in the proposed body. "The spectre of a government-funded overseer of a free press in an open and forward-looking democracy like ours cannot be justified," he said.

Mr Mitchell also railed at the inquiry's suggestion that some newspapers might need government subsidies to preserve quality journalism.

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Media reforms 'bad as Russia, Cuba'

The lopsidedness of the ownership and control of the mainstream media injures the democratisation process in Malaysia, observes Mustafa K Anuar.

Aliran executive committee members at Dewan Sri Pinang to put forward their submissions on electoral reforms to the Parliamentary Select Committee

Introduction Media, society and democracy

Democracy entails the freedom of citizens to express their views in the public domain. It provides them the opportunity to exercise the right to engage in discussions or debates and to offer criticism that collectively contributes to the common good of a society. This public dialogue is crucial to the notion of citizens partaking of a decision-making process in a thriving democracy. It is in this context that the role of the mass media becomes prominent because they are expected to provide the necessary platform for public discourse. But in order for citizens to express themselves adequately, it is important that they all have easy and equal access to the supposedly free and responsible media.

The role of the mass media in society becomes all the more crucial and urgent when general elections emerge. This is because the media, if free and fair, would bring about a situation where the voters can make an informed choice about the contending candidates in the general elections. The electorate would be able to get sufficient information about the competing candidates and political parties particularly from a fair and independent media. However, as we all know, the mainstream media in Malaysia are not fair and independent to start with. This has got to do with the laws governing the media as well as the ownership and control of the media.

The state of the Malaysian mainstream media

The restrictive laws that govern the media are principally the Printing Presses and Publications Act (1984) and the Communications and Multimedia Act (1998). These are laws that help shape the print and electronic media in the country so that those who own the mainstream newspapers, television and radio stations are closely aligned to the ruling party, and in turn are inclined to be BN-friendly.

Although there are many newspapers, radio and TV stations in the country, they are however owned by a select few, namely Media Prima, Huaren Holdings and Utusan Melayu group, among others, all of which are BN-friendly.

The lopsidedness of the ownership and control of the mainstream media injures the democratisation process in Malaysia because the Opposition invariably gets little, if any, access to the mainstream media. Worse, the past general elections witnessed the demonisation of the Opposition by these media.

The media and general elections case studies of 1990, 1999 and 2004

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Free, fair and equal access to the media

ViXS XCode 5100 family, the first commercially shipping, quad stream HD transcoder and XConnex 1030 enable converged DOCSIS Media Gateway applications

TORONTO , March 9, 2012 /CNW/ -ViXS Systems Inc. announces today two System on Chip (SoC) solutions enabling DOCSIS media gateways - the XCode 5191, a quad HD to HD transcoder, in production today, and the XConnex 1030 MoCA2.0 solution, general sampling in Q2 2012. Both devices are cost optimized to be used in DOCSIS media gateway platforms.

As cable operators near completion of the roll-out of DOCSIS3.0 infrastructure, DOCSIS media gateways allow operators to take advantage of the high downstream bandwidth to deliver IP Video over DOCSIS to subscriber homes. With the rapid adoption of tablets, smart phones and other mobile platforms, consumers are demanding content on any device with a capable display, over any home network or outside the home. The demand for anytime, anywhere entertainment is leading to an explosive growth in the number of client devices in the subscriber home, and dramatically altering the consumer viewing experience. The XCode and XConnex families provide the transcoding and MoCA technologies to address these trends in DOCSIS media gateways.

The XCode 5100 family presents a powerful solution for quad transcoding functionality within DOCSIS media gateways. It is bolstered by the deployed and robust ViXS Xtensiv software including Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), and transcryption capabilities, and by the unique applications hosting capabilities found in the XCode 5191. Integrated with and running on the XCode SOC is the Apple content streaming protocol software called HTTP-Live server or HLS to support Apple iPad devices. ViXS transcoding at low bit rates ensures excellent video quality on iPAD / tablets, PCs and smart phones even in a bandwidth constrained home network. XCode5191 also integrates dual Gigabit Ethernet interface providing seamless connection to DOCSIS3.0 modem SoCs. All of this enables an optimal system architecture for delivery of IP video and seamless integration of video, voice, data, and Conditional Access (CA) and Digital Rights Management (DRM) in a DOCSIS media gateway.

"The XCode 5100 family, deployed with pioneering patented and proprietary technology, has truly set a new standard with its ability to process multiple high definition streams, and to do multiple concurrent operations on each of those streams", said David Jones , VP Marketing & Business Development at ViXS. "XCode 5100 family combined with XConnex MoCA products provide the ideal platform for manufacturers designing converged DOCSIS modem / gateway applications."

ViXS XConnex 1030 MoCA 2.0 SOC delivers 400+ Mbps data throughput over 16 nodes enabling distribution of multiple HD streams within the home. XConnex 1030 also supports 500 Mbps of throughput for two node Turbo mode with full backward interoperability to MoCA 1.1 devices and the ViXS XConnex 1020 and 1025 devices. XConnex 1030 supports MoCA 2.0 power modes and advanced security features. XConnex 1030 paired with ViXS' XConnex 1000 MoCA 2.0 RF Transceiver with integrated LNA, Power Amplifier (PA) and Transmit/Receive (T/R) switch provides a robust high performance end-to-end MoCA 2.0 solution.

Some of the features for XCode 5191 include:

About ViXS Systems Inc.

ViXS is a multimedia solutions innovator providing technologies for processing, managing, securing and distributing high quality video and audio allowing seamless control, conversion, and connectivity between many classes and sizes of digital entertainment devices.

ViXS supplies advanced System-on-Chip semiconductors, software solutions and hardware reference designs for the world's top manufacturers of Digital TVs, DVDs, Set-top boxes, Personal Video Recorders, PCs, Network-Attached Storage devices, Residential/Home Gateways, Blu-ray players/recorders, as well as Broadcast and Professional Equipment OEMs.

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ViXS® Announces Quad Transcoding with MoCA2.0 for DOCSIS Media Gateways

Experience the connected digital home delivered by ViXS' smart processing solutions

TORONTO , March 9, 2012 /CNW/ - ViXS Systems Inc. will demonstrate to cable operators the latest in the connected home digital media processing and networking technologies at the CableLabs Winter Conference in Philadelphia March 11 - 13.

"With the rapid growth in tablets, smartphones, and mobile devices, consumers are demanding anytime, anywhere entertainment on any smart device inside the home or outside the home. ViXS' smart processors put the company firmly at the center of this new TV viewing experience," said Sally Daub , President and CEO of ViXS Systems. "ViXS looks forward to demonstrating how its leading-edge technology enables a large portfolio of new advanced networked media devices, including: media gateways, advanced set top boxes, and streaming media and connectivity solutions."

Transcoding, media processing and home networking are critical to maintaining a managed networked digital media revolution. At the CableLabs Winter Conference, open only to CableLabs member companies and demonstrating vendors, ViXS will showcase its latest solutions to leading cable MSOs. The following demonstrations will be shown in ViXS' private demo room:

About ViXS Systems Inc.

ViXS is a multimedia solutions innovator providing technologies for processing, managing, securing and distributing high quality video and audio allowing seamless control, conversion, and connectivity between many classes and sizes of digital entertainment devices.

ViXS supplies advanced System-on-Chip semiconductors, software solutions and hardware reference designs for the world's top manufacturers of Digital TVs, DVDs, Set-top boxes, Personal Video Recorders, PCs, Network-Attached Storage devices, Residential/Home Gateways, Blu-ray players/recorders, as well as Broadcast and Professional Equipment OEMs.

ViXS is headquartered in Toronto , Canada with global operations and offices in Europe , Asia and North America. ViXS has filed more than 373 patents worldwide with over 114 patents being issued to date. Listed for four years running as one of Deloitte's fastest growing North American companies, ViXS is setting new standards in the way digital entertainment is viewed and transmitted across an endless array of multimedia products.

For more information on ViXS, please visit our website:www.vixs.com.

VIXS, the ViXS logo, XCode, XConnex and Xtensiv are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ViXS. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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ViXS® Showcases the Future of Media Processing, Connectivity and Mobility at CableLabs® Winter Conference

ORLANDO, Fla., March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Mindpix Corp.'s (Pinksheets: MPIX.PK - News) subsidiary, eMax Media Inc., has signed a music marketing licensing agreement with Starfest Direct, a division of PBS Holding Inc. Roxanna Weber, CEO of Mindpix stated, "This is the first of several media licensing agreements that are being signed by eMax Media Group and enables them to monetize their media holdings with royalty income. This contract should generate a minimum of three Million dollars in sales to the partnership over the next year. The extensive music and media libraries owned by eMax Media Group are growing each day."

Starfest Direct and eMax Media Group will jointly market downloadable music through the Starfest Direct Network. Starfest Direct is a direct sales company. The media marketing and distribution licensing agreement allows the Starfest Direct network to merchandise 500 songs from the eMax Media's music catalog. eMax Media plans to add more music titles to the agreement throughout each year. This marketing agreement allows both Starfest and eMax Media Group to promote the songs throughout their networks and to add more entertainment content to their delivery systems. Ed Vakser, CEO stated, "Our team is extremely excited to include this new content into our catalog. In the world where Content is king, this is great content and a great business opportunity for our new venture. We are very excited to launch the content as part of our ever expanding catalog. Our joint venture will create one of the largest "on Demand" content systems for the direct sales industry. The vast content and our sales software will be the catalyst of a new global direct sales model."

One of the major enhancements to the Starfest Direct system is the ability to sell digital products. The new download system includes technologies that will control all access to the downloadable product through the use of encrypted keys; allowing the enforcement of download rights, including limiting the number of downloads within a certain period of time. The digital content will be stored directly in the database for even more protection. This prevents someone from "giving away" a download link which would allow someone to download Starfest's new digital product without paying for it.

About PBS Holding Inc.

PBS Holding Inc. is a Publicly Trading Company trading on OTC Markets under the symbol PBHG, http://www.pbsholdinginc.com. The company is focused on growth by mergers and acquisitions of technology, media, multimedia, television, Film productions and content development. As a wholly own subsidiary, Starfest Direct Inc is utilized for its high end Direct Sales Technology EnterpriseSystem. Starfest Direct is a virtual product and services catalog system designed to facilitate sales, membership accounting and maintenance http://www.starfestdirect.com

About Starfest Direct:

Starfest Direct is a direct sales company featuring an aggressive compensation component for professional distributors in network marketing. Using proprietary software andtechnology, the Starfest Direct plan features a unique custom binary and unilevel combination plan with additional lifestyle, team, and executive bonuses.

About Artfest International, Inc.

Artfest International, Inc. brings together artists, investors, decorators, designers, private collectors and art galleries. Artfest International's corporate site is http://www.artfestinternational.com. Artfest's subsidiaries are Art Channel, Inc. (www.artchannel.tv), and PBS Holding Inc., ( PBHG) Starfest Direct, Inc. (www.Starfestdirect.com), offering the most exciting product and rewards program in the history of direct sales marketing. And Tradestar Resources Corporation, (TSRR) a sports and entertainment production company.

eMax Media Inc.

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Mindpix Corp. Announces Music Licensing Agreement Between Subsidiary eMax Media Group and Starfest Direct