Discovery Plus Drops Line-Up of Exciting Titles to Celebrate Independence Day with Tales of Valour Documenting War Stories

Discovery Plus, India’s first aggregated real-life entertainment streaming app, which offers of thousands of hours of exclusive content across 40+ genres including Science, Adventure, Military, Survival, Food and Lifestyle, further strengthened its offering in the armed forces led content by dropping new episodes of Tales of Valour in the month of August. Beyond Tales of Valour, another series which will enthrall audiences seeking investigation led content is ‘Autopsy: The Last Hours Of…’ which will explain what killed some of the most famous celebrities including the likes of Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Whitney Hoston & Anna Nicole Smith. While, Planet Child, a three-part series, delves into the way children experience life exploring areas such as risk-taking, independence, morality and gender awareness.

Independence day special

Discovery Plus, in a short span of time, has augmented its position as the hub of armed forces led content. The line-up includes documentaries such as ‘India’s Paratroopers – Earning the Badge’, ‘Revealed: LOC’,’ Battle Ops’, ‘Revealed: National Defence Academy’, ‘Revealed Siachen’,‘1965: India’s Battles and Heroes’ and Breaking Point franchise on Air Force Academy, Indian Submariners, High Altitude Warfare School, Women Fighter Pilots and Commando School Belgaum.

The OTT platform will add new episodes of Tales of Valour this August focusing on

* Battle of Namka Chu releasing on August 05- During the Indo-Sino war of 1962, the Indian army fought in unfamiliar terrain. Celebrate the sacrifice of Subedar Dashrath Singh who lived to tell his tale of valour.

* Battle of Rezang la releasing on August 10 - The battle of Rezang La in 1962 was one of the toughest battles fought in the highest of mountains. Rezang La was the last stand of the C Company of 13 Kumaon, during the Sino-Indo War in 1962 where only about 120 Indian soldiers went up against Chinese troops.

* Battle of Longewala releasing on August 15- The Battle of Longewala was fought during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri and his brave band of soldiers led the defence at the Indian border post of Longewala, against the Pakistani forces.

* Battle of Asal Uttar releasing on August 24- The Battle of Asal Uttar was one of the largest tank battles fought during the Indo-Pak War of 1965.

* Battle of Haji Pur and Dograi releasing on August 31- In the second Indo-Pak war, India launched many aggressive operations to push the enemy out. The courageous capture of Haji Pir Pass and Battle of Dograi were part of it.

Other highlight shows which will keep audiences hooked include

Autopsy: The Last Hours Of…:

This Discovery Plus exclusive looks at crucial medical evidence that explains what killed some of the most famous celebrities as a forensic pathologist attempts to understand what their last days looked like. Celebrities covered in the series include Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Whitney Hoston & Anna Nicole Smith.

Planet Child:

This three-part series, streaming exclusively on Discovery Plus, delves into the way children experience life. The series explores key areas such as risk-taking, independence, morality and gender awareness in a range of scenarios, in order to understand how the development of kids is influenced by how they are raised and where they live.

Restaurant Stakeout

Willie Degel is known for running a tight ship at his restaurants. His secret: cameras canvassing every inch of his restaurant, allowing him to keep a close eye on his floor, staff and patrons. Starting August 24, Restaurant Stakeout follows as Willie takes his practices to troubled restaurateurs looking to find and rectify the hidden problems that lie within their establishments.

Mountain Life

The series follow families who want to get away from the hustle and bustle as they search for the ultimate mountain retreat. From the wooded peaks of the East Coast's Blue Ridge to Hawaii's tropical Mauna Loa, there are remote mountain locations you didn't even know existed.

Killer Whales: The Mega Hunt

Killer Whales: The Mega Hunt takes you inside the world of the predator that rules the oceans. Orcas – also known as killer whales - confidently and effortlessly stalk their prey fearing no other living creature. This fascinating programme streaming on the app on August 28, will give you an insight into how they live, feed and hunt; as well as a variety of incredible facts about their anatomy, behavioural traits and survival techniques.

Will Google-Microsoft war cut down PC prices?

Google Inc's bid to compete with Microsoft Corp's Windows operating system may help lower the cost of personal computers at a time when prices are already being pinched by inexpensive netbooks.

Google said it will offer its just-announced Chrome operating system for free when it is launched in the second half of 2010, a move that could force Microsoft into a price war.

Although Windows is the dominant operating system -- installed on 90 percent of the world's PCs, Microsoft won't take Google's challenge lightly, analysts said. Its new Windows 7 operating system will be available in October.

"Microsoft's strategy is likely to be to compete on price," said Brent Williams, an analyst with the Benchmark Co. "Now there's a competitor with the muscle and the brand recognition. Google is that company."

Google said Chrome OS, which is based on the open-source Linux code, is being designed for all PCs but will debut on netbooks. It makes sense for Google to initially target the stripped-down, Web-centric netbooks, one of the only segments showing any growth in a PC market that is contracting.

Netbooks generally sell for $300 to $400, but prices are dropping as new offerings flood the market and wireless carriers offer subsidies with the purchase of a data plan.

Kaufman Bros analyst Shaw Wu noted that while the prices on nearly all PC components have been falling, "the one thing that has not been coming down is the cost of the operating system. This is going to put some pressure on Microsoft."

Microsoft doesn't say how much it charges PC brands for Windows, but analysts estimate it gets $20 to $40 for the older XP system used in the vast majority of netbooks, and at least $150 for the current Vista system.

Wu said price competition could ultimately give a bump to PC makers' margins.

"I think overall it should improve the profitability for PC vendors. It's really a question of how much they pass on to the customers," he said.

REWRITING THE RULES

Between 20 million and 30 million netbooks are expected to be shipped this year, and the devices continue to rewrite the rules for the PC industry.

Even as heavyweights such as Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell Inc roll out new netbooks, analysts expect new players, including Taiwan-based equipment manufacturers and carriers such as AT&T Inc, to release branded netbooks running on either Intel Corp's x86 chip platform or ARM chips.

Google said Chrome will work on either architecture.

Agencies