Mediaboss Marketing

By Saksith Saiyasombut

A media monitoring group set up by Thailands opposition Democrat Party in order to flag news coverage deemed too favorable to the current government recalls the hawkish tendencies towards state media control during their rule between 2009-2011, further fueled by the history of the leader of this media monitoring group.

Satit Wongnongtoey, Democrat Party MP and former Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand. (Picture by The Official Site of The Prime Minister of Thailand Photo 2009, licensed under CC)

The Nation reported on Tuesday:

The Democrat Party has set up a media-monitoring group to be led by Trang province MP Sathit Wongnongtoey. He urged the public to monitor changes closely at Channel 9 and television hosts such as Sorrayuth Suthasnachinda of Channel 3, as well as newspapers, for what he claims is biased reporting in favour of the Pheu Thai-led government.

Sorrayuth failed to explore the details of the national-reconciliation bills in his reporting, while Channel 9 had continually attacked the Constitution Courts order to delay the House deliberation on constitutional amendment, Sathit said.If the party finds a media organisation that is not reporting well-rounded information, it will provide that organisation with information and ask it to disseminate it, he said.

Democrats to monitor pro-Pheu Thai media coverage, The Nation, June 5, 2012

Furthermore, another Democrat MP cites the changes at MCOT, a state-owned media organization that owns dozens of radio stations and the Modernine TV channel (formerly Channel 9). Its president was sackedover poor performance in October last year and replaced by Chakrapan Yomchinda, a former MP of Thaksins Thai Rak Thai Party. He then moved aside last May to pave the way for current president Premkamon Tinnakorn Na Ayutthaya, who reportedly hasclose ties to Thaksin.

The fact that this media monitoring group, established to keep an eye on any news that is not in their favor, is headed by none other thanSathit Wongnongtoey, is somehow revealing about the mindset of some, if not many, in the opposition party. During his tenure as Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister under the administration of Abhisit Vejjajiva, Sathit left a trail of knee-jerk reactions and gaffes behind him as he interfered with Thailands media landscape.

Since the Minister to the PMs Office also oversees the state media outlets of MCOT and NBT, the government has some vital tools to get their message across the airwaves. Ever since the political crisis of recent years, these outlets have essentially become propaganda machines for whoever is government. Sathit went all out in 2009 to use this to counter everything by Thaksin and the red shirts, while already establishing a total disregard for media freedom early on.

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Thailand’s Democrat Party to hawkishly monitor media like it’s 2009

IRVINE, Calif., June 5, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HID Global, trusted leader in solutions for the delivery of secure identity, today announced that the company's mobile access control pilot with Arizona State University (ASU) has been recognized by the National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU) with the organization's inaugural Innovative Technology Award. The award was given to ASU in recognition of the pilot program's ground-breaking work in validating the use of digital credentials on NFC smartphones for physical access control on a college campus.

"We are honored that NACCU has recognized this pilot program, which is an important step toward global deployment of mobile access control technology beyond cashless payment applications," said Debra Spitler, vice president of mobile access solutions with HID Global. "The pilot results clearly demonstrated the benefits of opening doors using HID's digital credentials that have been securely embedded into NFC smartphones, and we appreciate all of the valuable help from ASU and pilot partners ASSA ABLOY Americas, Device Fidelity, Research in Motion and Verizon Wireless."

To conduct the pilot, which was completed during the summer of 2011, a group of ASU staff and students were given NFC smartphones containing HID Global's Secure Identity Object(TM) (SIO) technology, a key feature of the company's iCLASS SE(R) credential and reader platform. SIO technology protects the integrity of identities while enabling the use of multiple form factors ranging from smartphones to microprocessor-based cards, contactless smart cards and other devices. SIOs on the credential side and the SIO Processor(TM) on the reader side work together to execute functions previously performed by traditional cards and readers, using a standards-based, technology-independent and flexible identity data structure that significantly enhances security, portability and performance.

ASU pilot participants gained access to their residence hall and selected rooms by presenting the phones to their door readers, just like they do with their existing iCLASS(R)-based physical campus ID cards. Participants used a variety of popular smartphones connected to all major mobile networks. Feedback from pilot participants cemented ASU's vision of a future where virtual identities can be created for each registering student and then delivered to them via a mobile application. Approximately 80 percent of participants said using a smartphone to unlock a door is just as convenient as using campus ID cards, and nearly 90 percent said they would like to open all doors on campus using their smartphones.

"This pilot proved the viability of the NFC-based mobile access model using secure portable credentials and the next generation of advanced access control systems, and also confirmed the high value that staff and students place on using their phones for more and more applications, including opening doors throughout the campus," said Laura Ploughe, director of business applications and fiscal control, University Business Services, at Arizona State University. "We are very pleased with the results, and gratified to have received this recognition from NACCU."

View the Arizona State University case study video that provides a first-hand look into the pilot and includes commentary from many of the partner participants, or download the case study for detailed information.

Sponsored by ITC Systems, the NACCU Innovative Technology Award is presented to an institution that has introduced a unique technology-based solution to a problem or opportunity. The Awards Committee chooses recipients based on the challenge and/or opportunity, the steps taken to determine a solution, and an evaluation of the measureable results of the solution. Dan Bodalai from ITC Systems presented this year's award to ASU's Laura Ploughe during the 19th Annual NACCU Conference in Seattle.

About HID Global Mobile Access Control

HID Global's mobile access control offering is an extension of the company's Genuine HID(TM) value proposition. It is based on the company's next-generation Secure Identity Object (SIO(TM)) technology, which is a key feature of HID Global's iCLASS SE access control solutions and operates within the company's Trusted Identity Platform (TIP). Within the TIP boundary, organizations can issue SIO-based credentials to Near Field Communications (NFC) mobile devices over the air using a convenient, cloud-based provisioning model. Combined with the proven reliability of smartphone subscriber identity module (SIM) technology, TIP creates an extremely secure and easy-to-manage mobile identity environment. With this model, two-factor authentication can be dynamically turned on when intelligence leads to an elevated threat level, new applications can easily be pushed to the phone, and multi-factor authentication becomes a contextual, real-time managed service.

The HID Global logo is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=12675

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Arizona State University Wins Inaugural NACCU Award for Mobile Access Control Pilot it Conducted With HID Global

TAIPEI, TAIWAN--(Marketwire -06/04/12)- Sigma Designs (SIGM), a leading provider of System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions for home entertainment, connectivity and control, today announced the release of its SMP8674 media processor. The latest member of SMP8670 product family delivers solid performance and advanced features at an aggressive price point for OEMs and ODMs. The flexible SMP8674 can be configured to address multiple markets including hybrid IPTV Set-Top Boxes (STBs), OTT streaming players and WiDi and Wi-Fi display receivers.

"The SMP8674 offers an optimal blend of multimedia features and CPU horsepower for the mainstream STB market," said Waheed Rasheed, Sigma Designs' vice president of product marketing. "Some of the advanced features supported by the SMP8674 include: the widest range of industry standard AV COCECs, including new broadcast audio standards like Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-Broadcast; a new Wi-Fi display API with ultra-low latency video performance designed for wireless display receivers; and a special security facility for chipset pairing used in the latest conditional access systems. With a commitment to mainstream applications, the SMP8674 also achieves very low BOM designs due to the level of integration and efficient DDR3 interface."

To accelerate time-to-market for consumer designs, the SMP8674 offers two ready-for-market reference design kits that offer Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer (P2P) connectivity between televisions and either phone, tablet, or laptop devices. The Wi-Fi Display reference kit combines the SMP8674 with the Atheros AR9342 to provide a compact design with a separate power supply. The USB Dongle reference kit combines the Sigma SMP8674 SoC and the Atheros AR6203 to provide a miniature package configuration utilizing a powered USB port and direct HDMI output. The SMP8674 is also available on Sigma's general purpose Vantage development board for set-top box and other designs.

With the SMP8674, the product family migrates to Sigma's latest Software Development Kit (SDK) which offers an intuitive new porting layer called SAPI (Simple API) for realizing fast time-to-market porting of Hybrid STB middleware. The new SDK improves developer productivity with a range of reference implementations of OTT applications like Netflix and VUDU along with proprietary application frameworks for developing Webkit-HTML5 applications or Adobe Air applications.

SMP8674 will be available mid-July. More information on the SMP8674 can be found here http://www.sigmadesigns.com.

About Sigma Designs, Inc.Sigma Designs, Inc. (SIGM) is a world leader in connected media platforms. The company designs and builds the essential semiconductor technologies that serve as the foundation for the world's leading IPTV set-top boxes, connected media players, residential gateways, home control systems and more. For more information about Sigma Designs, please visit http://www.sigmadesigns.com.

Sigma Designs, Secure Media Processor, and the Sigma Designs logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sigma Designs, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are believed to be trademarks of their respective owners.

Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements about the anticipated features and benefits of Sigma's products and solutions and expected availability date of these products. Actual results may vary materially due to a number of factors including, but not limited to, general economic conditions, including the rate of adoption for set-top boxes in general, or any of the component technologies including media processors, our HomePlug AV with ClearPath and our Z-Wave technology. Sigma's ability to deploy and achieve market acceptance for Sigma's products in its target markets, the ability of its SoCs to compete with other technologies or products in these markets as well as other risks that are detailed from time to time in Sigma's SEC reports, including our annual report on Form 10-K as filed March 29, 2012. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Sigma undertakes no obligation to publically release or otherwise disclose the result of any revision to these forward-looking statements that may be made as a result of events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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Sigma Designs Launches a Feature-Rich SoC for Mainstream Media Players

TAIPEI, TAIWAN--(Marketwire -06/04/12)- Sigma Designs (SIGM), a leading provider of System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions for home entertainment, connectivity and control, today announced the introduction of its SMP8672 media processor, a new platform delivering advanced features and lower power for connected media players, IPTV and hybrid Set-Top Boxes (STBs). With a smaller footprint and low power requirements, the SMP8672 delivers critical features for today's mainstream systems including 3D video and graphics processing, customizable user interfaces and high-performance Over-the-Top (OTT) content streaming.

"The SMP8672 provides the level of performance that OEMs need for building today's 3D-enabled media devices and IPTV hybrid systems. Featuring a high performance CPU, deep L2 cache, and powerful 3D accelerator, the SMP8672 significantly boosts HTML5 and JavaScript benchmarks that reflect the expected user experience with a growing list of OTT applications," said Waheed Rasheed, Sigma Designs' vice president of product marketing. "Furthermore, with its small footprint and low power profile, the SMP8672 can be designed into the most aggressively sized packages while still delivering full performance."

The SMP8672 product series also migrates to Sigma's latest Software Development Kit (SDK) which offers an intuitive new porting layer called SAPI (Simple API) for realizing fast time-to-market porting of Hybrid STB middleware. The new SDK improves developer productivity with a range of reference implementations for OTT applications like Netflix and VUDU along with proprietary application frameworks for developing Webkit-HTML5 applications or Adobe Air applications. The SMP8672 also fully supports the XBMC middleware, which is available royalty free as a turnkey release. The XBMC middleware along with additional OTT plug-ins can enable a custom high-end media jukebox experience. In addition, there is full support for the OpenGL-ES 2.0 to enable new 3D user interface capabilities as well as future applications with WebGL.

SMP8672 will be available mid-July. More information about the SMP8672 can be found here http://www.sigmadesigns.com.

Tags/Keywords: Sigma Designs, SIGM, SMP, SMP867X, OTT, Media Processor, Home Theatre, IPTV, hybrid STB

About Sigma Designs, Inc.Sigma Designs, Inc. (SIGM) is a world leader in connected media platforms. The company designs and builds the essential semiconductor technologies that serve as the foundation for the world's leading IPTV set-top boxes, connected media players, residential gateways, home control systems and more. For more information about Sigma Designs, please visit http://www.sigmadesigns.com.

Sigma Designs, Secure Media Processor and the Sigma Designs logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sigma Designs, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are believed to be trademarks of their respective owners.

Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements about the anticipated features and benefits of Sigma's products and solutions and expected availability date of these products. Actual results may vary materially due to a number of factors including, but not limited to, general economic conditions, including the rate of adoption for set-top boxes in general, or any of the component technologies including media processors, our HomePlug AV with ClearPath and our Z-Wave technology. Sigma's ability to deploy and achieve market acceptance for Sigma's products in its target markets, the ability of its SoCs to compete with other technologies or products in these markets as well as other risks that are detailed from time to time in Sigma's SEC reports, including our annual report on Form 10-K as filed March 29, 2012. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Sigma undertakes no obligation to publically release or otherwise disclose the result of any revision to these forward-looking statements that may be made as a result of events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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Sigma Launches Powerful New Media Processor for Intelligent Media Devices

03-06-2012 00:52 is your source for celebrity gossip, news, and videos of your favorite stars! - Click to Subscribe! - Become a Fan! - Follow Us! Alex Russell just wrapped up brunch at King's Road Café, only to be papped for the very first time by our astute camera guy! Alex informs us that if he could have any super power, it would be the ability to control the media -- both for humanitarian and 'selfish' motivations -- and to control time itself. The 'Chronicle' and upcoming 'Carrie' actor confesses that he's always we can see how a time machine might come in handy in that case. is the global leader in capturing celebrity breaking news as it happens. Launched in 2008, we capture all the latest news, exclusive celebrity interviews, star videos and hot celebrity gossip from around the world every minute of everyday. HTV is on the streets 24/7, at all the industry events and invited by the stars to cover their every move in Hollywood, New York and Miami. is currently the third most viewed reporter channel on YouTube with almost 400 million views, and our footage is seen worldwide! Tune in daily for all the latest Hollywood news on and http like us on Facebook! F3118F6B

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Alex Russell wants to control the media and time itself! - Hollywood.TV - Video