MUMBAI: Argosy, a leading UK-based international supplier of HD broadcast cables and studio infrastructure products, today announced that together with its joint venture partner company, Argosy Cable Asia Sdn Bhd, it has rebranded it business in Malaysia to Argosy Broadcast Asia Sdn Bhd (ABA), to present a more representative name for the company?s expanded product portfolio. Based in Kuala Lumpur, ABA will continue to serve broadcasters, media owners, systems integrators and installation contractors across South East Asia. ABA will showcase products from its wide ranging broadcast infrastructure portfolio at next months Broadcast Asia 2010 in Singapore (15-18 June) on stand no. 7N4-03.

?We have been successfully trading as Argosy Cable Asia for the last eight years, but were keen for our company name to truly illustrate the broad range of products we offer and customers that we now serve in the region,? said Steve Wingrove, director, Argosy Broadcast Asia. ?The new company name Argosy Broadcast Asia is perfectly representative of this expansion and allows us to consolidate our brand ? beyond just the supply and distribution of cables ? and strengthen our operations across the region to more effectively serve customers in these key markets.?

ABA?s portfolio will comprise of an array of high-definition (HD) and fibre optic products including a broad range HD video cables, connectors, high density HD video patch panels, MDUs, routers, audio jack fields, KVM switches, racks, cable drums and Sonarae, its audio monitoring system as well as a variety of video accessories. Argosy is internationally renowned for distributing well-established broadcast infrastructure brands including those from ADC, Belden, Draka, ISIS, Neutrik and most recently, Miranda ? as well as its own Argosy-branded products.

?In recent years our infrastructure product range has expanded to allow us to offer a truly ?one-stop-shop? to customers wishing to fit out their HD production facilities,? said Mike Purnell, director at Argosy. ?Customers will continue to receive the first rate local service and support they have come to expect from Argosy ? and with products stocked locally in Malaysia, we will ensure faster and easier delivery response times to other countries across the region.?
 

MUMBAI: As the Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer pays a visit to India on May 27th & 28th, ET NOW along with The Economic Times will be hosting an exclusive event "CEO Speak With Steve Ballmer", which will be telecast live from the BSE on Friday, May 28th at 6:30pm.

Catch Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra in conversation with Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft as they discuss the new economy and the changing business dynamics, the growth and evolution of IT industry in India and also talk about how businesses can look to IT to increase their profitability.

Ballmer had visited India around the same time last year, when he had flagged-off the India chapter of ‘Tech.Ed‘, a technology conclave for developers, IT professionals and software architects.

Steve Ballmer who was named CEO of Microsoft in the year 2000 is variously described as focused, funny, passionate, sincere, hard-charging and dynamic. He has infused Microsoft with his own brand of energetic leadership, vision and spirit over the years.

So catch Steve Ballmer in conversation with Anand Mahindra, on 28th May at 6:30PM and 11:00pm, exclusively on ET NOW.

MUMBAI: This week documentary film maker Maree Delofsky traces Merle‘s Tasmanian roots, and then, in a journey which takes her to Bombay and finally Canada, her Anglo-Indian one.

The glamorous film star Merle Oberon maintained for forty years that she was born in Tasmania. She even visited Hobart in l978, a year before her death, for a "re-union". However the Australian film writer Charles Higham revealed in his 1983 biography that Merle was in fact Anglo-Indian, and born in Bombay.

The Trouble with Merle uncovers the secret the family did not reveal, even to Charles Higham. Catch the mystery of Merle Oberon?s life on this Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 10:00pm with a repeat telecast on the following Sunday at 5:00pm only on NDTV Profit.
 

MUMBAI: All you talented singers out there, now?s the time to shed your inhibitions and let the country hear your voice! Zee TV announces the first round of auditions for its prestigious music reality show ?Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstars? in Mumbai on Saturday, 29th May, 2010. With overwhelming success of over 18 years under its belt, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is back with a bang this year! Called ?Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstars?, the spirit of the show is younger than ever before. With young geniuses like Sajid- Wajid, Vishal-Shekhar and Daler Mehendi for judges, the show bears the promise of a fine blend of its own glorious heritage with the spunk and vibrancy of today?s times. A fresh look, a hip & happening set, a hit anchor and an instantly catchy brand-new title track will lend a very contemporary feel to the show and motivate the youth to deliver one breath-taking performance after another! The quest at Sa Re Ga Ma Pa this year is to hunt out India?s ?Singing Superstar? ? not just a good voice, not a playback singer but a youthful voice that can rock the nation!

The participants need to be between 16 to 28 years of age and must carry a passport-sized photograph to the auditions. The venue for selection is Ryan International High School, Evershine Nagar, Behind Abrol Tower, Marvey Road, Near Creek Area, Malad West, Mumbai - 64. and the audition gates will stay open between 8 am and 2 pm on Saturday, 29th May!

Known to have created history as one of the longest-running musical competitions on television, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstars will have live auditions in Nagpur, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Jaipur, Indore, Ahmedabad & Jalandhar. An added uniqueness to the show will be participation from contestants in Dubai, New York, London, South Africa & four cities in Pakistan. Local judges of the contest will screen candidates on the basis of their knowledge of sur-tal-laiy, a great voice & a confident stage performance.

With around 2,000 people turning up at Nagpur for the auditions last year, expectations from the city are high. So, will the real singers of Nagpur please stand up?

MUMBAI: Primesite, Mudra MAX‘s out-of-home (OOH) solutions unit has come up with yet another innovative campaign for Aircel. The campaign executes Aircel‘s first of its kind "Music Connect" launch, a dynamic VAS with its vibrant social experience.

The creative which reads ‘Share While You Listen‘ kicked off on 21st May‘10. The aim behind this campaign was to convey its new concepts in terms of Mobile Value Added Services (M-VAS) which provide its users an option to subscribe and share the song one‘s listening to with their friends through most popular social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.

Placed strategically on prominent and busy roads, the campaign has been carried out in Mumbai. Primesite has also brought this idea alive through a 40x20 billboard at the Mahim junction causeway creating backlit boxes, neon tubing and acrylic boxes to portray Aircel‘s Music Connect Service thus giving it a realistic feel. The campaign has been aptly targeted to young music loving freaks thereby allowing one to describe his/her behaviour/mood through popular social networking sites. The execution also talks about its simple application on Aircel MOC (music-on-call), wherein the users require dialing & pressing #, thus updating their Facebook status with the songs.

Commenting on the campaign, Mandeep Malhotra, Senior Vice President said, "Creating disruption and innovation has become hygiene for Aircel. Brands constant innovative nature proves the seriousness of Aircel in the usage of OOH. Our communication strategy for this was to convey the fun and exciting way of updating ones status on facebook. The innovation we created will surely be able to draw huge audiences at a fraction and thus help youth connect with their friends."
 

MUMBAI: Here is your chance to watch the gorgeous Katrina Kaif in a t?te-?-t?te with callers, up close on television! Fans get a chance to speak to and quiz the elegant and talented actor Katrina Kaif this Wednesday, May 26, 8.30 pm on ZoOm ?Ring A Star?. The episode will feature the Bollywood actor in an exclusive interview on her upcoming film, ?Rajneeti?.

Says Katrina to a caller when asked who she is most comfortable with on the set.. ?I don?t have a favourite co?star but if I would have to say right now the person probably I?m most comfortable on set would be probably Akshay Kumar. Because we have done so many films together? he knows my way of working, he knows that I like to pass my time by talking a lot on sets ?. There?s a good understanding between us, we don?t irritate each other, there is no friction and discomfort.?

When asked by one caller whether she and Ranbir going out are rumours or whether they we really seeing each other she very politely answers , ?Well I have to commend you for your directness and fearless approach to question??

Katrina Kaif will talk to callers for an entire hour on anything and everything including her favorite co-star, her relationship with them, her interest, passion and so on. Watch out for Katrina on ?Ring A Star? this Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 8.30 pm only on ZoOm.