India’s First 3D LED Screen Launched at ‘Cinépolis Onyx 3D’ at DLF Place Saket, New Delhi

Cinépolis, India’s 1st international and the world’s 2nd largest movie theatre circuit by attendance, today launched, ‘Cinépolis Onyx 3D’, a revolutionary ‘Onyx’ LED technology supporting 3D. The launch reaffirms the brands’ commitment to innovation and offering world class cinematic experience to its patrons. Powered by Samsung, the technology is equipped with advanced cinematic technologies that will transform the experience of ‘going to the movies’.

Cinépolis Onyx 3D LED screen will deliver the most advanced graphics and redefine the cinema viewing experience in India. By bringing the visual power of LED picture quality to the big screen, the new screen will offer viewers more powerful, compelling and memorable content. Backed by brilliant LED picture quality and an infinite contrast ratio, the LED screen will ensure movie clarity like never before.

Cinépolis Asia & Middle East, Managing Director, Javier Sotomayor, commented on the launch, “Since our inception in the cinema industry, we have endeavored to remain at the forefront of innovation and constantly introduce newer technologies. As Cinépolis expands its footprint in India, it maintains a keen eye on the latest digital innovations. We are delighted to once again revolutionise the movie experience with the launch of ‘Cinepolis Onyx 3D’ powered with 3D LED screens.”

The futuristic Cinépolis LED screen eliminates the need for projection-based systems, introducing remarkable enhancement to the movie viewing experience since the industry's commencement. It ensures HDR support, truer blacks, enhanced brightness and sharper sound.

Speaking on the occasion, Devang Sampat, Director – Strategic Initiatives, Cinépolis India, said, “We aim to introduce the most innovative cinema technology in our cinemas to bring movie magic into people’s lives. This new screen has the ability to showcase cinematic content with true black colors and the 3D version of Samsung Onyx truly elevates the experience – making 3D cinema content even more vivid and realistic.”

Cinépolis is poised to introduce innovations and offer unparalleled cinematic experience as it continues to create great moments for moviegoers. Cinépolis cinemas are armed with the latest technology and digital projection systems such as RealD 3D and 4DX, set to offer consumers the best in-cinema experience. The large legroom, a standard in all Cinépolis cinemas is designed to offer utmost comfort to patrons while they enjoy their movie. Uplifting the in-theatre experience, the flagship F&B brand from Cinépolis, Coffee Tree offers a wide selection of gourmet food. The brand also offers a continuous customer engagement program through ‘Club Cinépolis Program’ that allows the patron to earn and burn points on movie tickets and F&B and has exclusive benefits of special screenings, meet & greet with stars and much more.

Cinépolis India has created a strong footprint across 61 Indian cities with strong presence in major metros: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru. Cinépolis extends a contemporary approach which seamlessly weaves the entire range of cherry-picked cinema formats from across the world under one roof offering an unmatched experience to all movie patrons.

Godrej's Interio Index Reveals True Alpha Decision-Makers in Households Across India

About 65% of Kolkata and 58% of Bangalore households involve the entire family when selecting furniture and décor for their homes compared to an all-India average of 45%, according to the latest findings of Godrej’s Interio Index. 

These figures contrast sharply with responses from Hyderabad (55%) and Chandigarh (48%) which reveal women have the final word on home interiors.  The research also highlights cities where the men of the house retain the power of veto; for instance, nearly a third of Mumbai households (31%) and Ahmedabad (30%) believe men are the ultimate decision-makers.

Even in the kitchen, which has traditionally been a woman’s domain, Bangalore (58%) and Kolkata (65%) state they follow a democratic and inclusive approach when deciding on furniture for home.

Godrej’s Interio Index[1] is a light hearted survey designed to understand the decision-making process behind Indians’ choice of home furnishings. It also revealed that while Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Pune, Lucknnow, Bangalore and Mumbai to be more male centric in their home décor decision-making, compared with slightly more feminine-oriented households in Chennai, Delhi, Chandigarh and Hyderabad.

For instance, a third of respondents (31%) in Mumbai are certain of men’s veto on furniture compared to 17% of those who believe women have the final say. In contrast, 48% Chandigarh respondents claim that women have the final say in selecting furniture at home while only 19% respondents observe men sharing the same privilege.

According to the data, this contrast in decision-making styles is prevalent even in the different rooms within the home. In the living room, men have the final say in Ahmedabad (23%), Chennai (39%), and Bangalore (26%) compared to women, 11%, 23% and 13% in each city, respectively. For the same room, in Chandigarh (32%), Delhi (36%), and Hyderabad (39%) women dominate furniture decisions compared to men 17%, 13%, and 9% in each city respectively.

According to Anil Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, Godrej Interio, the Interio Index, in a fun way, helps determine the gender towards which decision-making is skewed across India cities.

“As per our data, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Mumbai tend to take an ‘alpha male’ approach with 29%, 26%, and 29% respondents in each city claiming men make most of the bedroom furniture decisions compared to 6%, 13% and 19% respondents in each city who claim it is the women who decide. When it comes to decisions about the same room, in Chandigarh (54%), Hyderabad (61%), Kolkata (31%), and Chennai (37%) it is the women who have the final say compared to men 28%, 25%, 15%, and 22% in each city respectively. This is a reflection of a larger trend towards collective decisions in a domestic environment,” he said.

“As a brand, our objective is to maintain consistency in the quality of our products and services, and the attitude with which we tend to our customers. At Godrej Interio, we make a conscious effort to appeal to all members of the family, giving equal importance to both men and women,” he concluded.

Amazon.in Announces Summer Sale Starting 12 Noon on May 03, 2019

Amazon.in has announced its annual Summer Sale from May 04 to 07, 2019. Prime members will get early access to the sale starting 12 noon on May 03. With thousands of deals on Smartphones, Consumer Electronics, Fashion, Large Appliances, TVs, Sports & Fitness and more, customers can shop from over 170 million products across hundreds of categories on Amazon.in.

“As the most trusted and visited ecommerce destination, we look forward to celebrating every occasion with our customers. Amazon Summer Sale has been curated to offer everything customers are looking for this season and more! With great deals, instant discounts, no cost EMI and convenient exchange options, customers can look forward to celebrating the joys of summer on Amazon.in.” said Manish Tiwary, Vice President - Category Management, Amazon India.

Customers shopping during the Amazon Summer Sale can enjoy great deals across brands such as OnePlus, Apple, Samsung, Realme, OPPO, Xiaomi, Levi’s, Arrow, Hush Puppies, Symbol, UCB, Puma, Vero Moda, Fossil, US Polo, Being Human, Jack & Jones, Wrangler, BIBA, Aurelia, JBL, Bose, Sony, LG, BPL, TCL, Bosch, Whirlpool, Voltas, Nivia and more. Extra discounts will be offered on Amazon Echo devices, Fire TV Stick, Kindle eReaders and more throughout the Summer Sale.

Customers shopping during the Summer Sale can save more by getting extra 10% instant discount with SBI Debit & Credit cards. Customers can shop for more than 10 crore products with no-cost EMI using Bajaj Finserv EMI card and select Debit & Credit cards.

Suez Water Technologies & Solutions Leverages Digital DNA to Meet India’s Energy Production Requirements

Greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants have been a critical challenge for India and it is a challenge that needs to be addressed head on given the country’s increasing demand for electricity. For example, electricity consumption grew from 375.39 billion kilowatt hours in 2000 to 1.108 trillion kilowatt hours in 2018. Additionally, electric power generation grew from 529.12 billion kilowatt hours in 2000 to 1.311 trillion kilowatt hours in 2018. The aspiration for rapid economic growth leading to industrialization, accelerated urbanization, and mechanization of agriculture is responsible for this growth in demand.

As part of India’s growth in solar energy, Adani Mundra Solar PV Limited manufactures solar cells for the Indian market. To obtain successful operational and financial performance, Adani Mundra Solar PV’s 1-gigawatt solar PV cell manufacturing project requires the continuous and reliable production of ultra-pure water 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Ultra-pure water (UPW) systems are often referred to as the “life blood” of modern solar cell production facilities. The cell products will encounter UPW on many occasions during their production cycle, and any disruption of service and/or “out-of-spec” water can seriously compromise their yield, costing perhaps millions of dollars in lost production.

Suez Water Technologies & Solutions (SWTS) is the worldwide industry leader in the UPW systems business to both the semiconductor and solar industries. SWTS’ patented UPW generation using membranes and filters produces 1-gigawatt-capacity PV cells and modules for solar power plants, enabling the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Adani Mundra Solar PV contracted SWTS to design, engineer, procure, supply, erect, commission, and performance test a new solar PV manufacturing facility. The facility was required to produce 1,560 cubic meters per day in UPW production, plus 2,280 cubic meters per day in the UPW loop. This was made more complicated for SWTS because of the need to take influent flow from an existing 20 milliliters-per-day seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant, which has a high total-organic-carbon (TOC) -5.9 ppm, very high chlorides (380 ppm), and very low hardness/alkalinity, which would cause severe corrosion in carbon-steel and stainless-steel materials. As a result, this project required innovative, one-of-a-kind thinking in both materials, manufacturing techniques, and in new, improved design modeling and project delivery methodologies.

Using a variety of Bentley applications, including OpenPlant, AutoPIPE, Navigator, ProSteel, and STAAD, SWTS created and implemented a digital model for managing this project. From performing structural analysis of polypropylene (PP) tanks to performing stress analysis, performing detailed civil, concrete, and tank design, managing multidiscipline design reviews, and producing detailed bills of materials directly from the digital model, SWTS was able to revolutionize their digital workflows and leverage the digital DNA they have created. Moreover, remote offices were connected via Bentley’s Connected Data Environment (CDE), based on ProjectWise, to ensure that the latest version of drawings and deliverables were always shared by the customer and site teams.

SWTS realized significant ROI by implementing these technologies and techniques. Savings include approximately USD 70,000 through optimized pipe routings and reduced field rework and 30-percent savings in resource hours during the design modeling phase (USD 35,000).

Utilizing Bentley software also lessened the civil, structural, piping, and cable tray site execution time by 60 days, resulting in a flawless construction of civil foundations, concrete and steel structures, equipment, piping plus allied supports, cable tray, and instrumentation within the stipulated project schedule.

A Suez Water Technologies & Solutions Engineering spokesperson said, “Bentley as a single solution provider successfully paved the way for analysis, modeling, designing, detailing, and documenting in a more prudent way, which met SWTS’s patented ultra-pure water generation using membranes and filters for solar power plant execution, on time and with high quality. SWTS’ efforts to industrialize their project delivery have enabled the company to reinforce its position as one of the world’s leading providers of UPW systems.”

Despite Brexit, Indian Investment in UK Raises to £48 Billion

The number of Indian companies investing in the UK registered a jump over the previous year despite the ongoing uncertainties around Brexit, according to a new report tracking Indian investments in the UK.

The annual ‘India Meets Britain Tracker’ released in London on Wednesday finds that the number of Indian companies doing business in Britain has increased from 800 in 2018 to 842 in 2019, with a combined turnover of £48 billion.

The report, published by business advisory firm Grant Thornton UK LLP and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), revealed a more than doubling of the Corporation Tax paid by these companies to hit £684 million, up from £360 million in the previous year.

“The headline figures in the Tracker are startling. They are testament to the strength and entrepreneurialism of the Indian business community, with some companies growing by more than 100% year on year,” UK minister for investment Graham Stuart said at the launch.

The minister pointed out that the figures are likely to see a further jump from next year, when the UK’s Corporation Tax, from the current level of 19%, will drop to 17%.

“We will always welcome Indian investments and we recognise India’s importance as one of our most critical bilateral investors,” he said.

Among some of the other highlight figures from the Tracker, 24% of Indian companies in the UK have at least one woman on their board, up from 19% last year, and they employ an estimated 104,783 people in the country.

“The report brings out in such graphic terms the contribution that Indian businesses are making to the UK. We all wondered how the Brexit process would have affected the investment sentiment from India and now we have the answer – Indian business retains its positive outlook towards the UK,” said Ruchi Ghanashyam, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK.

The report, now in its sixth year, provides a tracker of the fastest growing Indian companies in the UK with turnover of more than $5 million, year-on-year revenue growth of at least 10% and a minimum two-year track-record in the UK.

Among these Accord Healthcare Ltd, Milpharm Ltd and Secure Meters (UK) Ltd have been consistently recorded as fast growing ever since the Tracker was launched in 2014.

Anuj Chande, Partner and Head of South Asia Group at Grant Thornton UK LLP, noted: “Given the continuing uncertainty driven by the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU), it is encouraging to see that Indian investors continue to invest confidently in the UK and in fact, there are now more Indian businesses active in the UK than ever before.”

“The fall in the value of sterling has also had a role to play, making UK assets increasingly attractive to overseas investors. ”

Three companies in this year’s Tracker reported growth of more than 100%, with the fastest growing of these being TMT Metal Holdings Limited, with a growth rate of 649%.

McKinsey Report Indicates India Internet Users on the Rise by 40%

With data costs falling by 95% since 2013, India will see internet users rise by about 40% and number of smartphones to double by 2023, McKinsey said in a report.

It also expects core digital sectors to jump two-fold to $355-435 billion by 2025.

The report ‘Digital India - Technology to Transform a Connection Nation’ by McKinsey Global Institute said the country is one of the largest and fastest-growing markets for digital consumers, with 560 million internet subscribers in 2018, second only to China.

Indian mobile data users consume 8.3 gigabits (GB) of data each month on average, compared with 5.5 GB for mobile users in China and 8-8.5 GB in advanced digital economy of South Korea. Indians have 1.2 billion mobile phone subscriptions and downloaded more apps, 12.3 billion in 2018, than residents of any other country except China.

“Our analysis of 17 mature and emerging economies finds India is digitising faster than any other country in the study, save Indonesia -- and there is plenty of room to grow: just over 40% of the populace has an internet subscription,” it said. While a government push has helped digitise the economy, private sector firms such as Reliance Jio has helped bring down data costs by more than 95% since 2013, it said, adding the cost of one gigabyte fell from 9.8% of per capita monthly GDP in 2013 (roughly $12.45) to 0.37% in 2017 (the equivalent of a few cents).

“Private-sector innovation has helped bring internet-enabled services to millions of consumers and made online usage more accessible.

Samsung Unveils World's Largest 14 Metre Onyx Cinema LED Screen at Swagath Theatre in Bengaluru

Samsung along with group company HARMAN has launched the World’s Largest Onyx Cinema LED Screen in India’s tech capital Bengaluru at the iconic Swagath Cinemas, which will now be rechristened Swagath Onyx Theatre. Academy Award winner, musician and philanthropist, AR Rahman inaugurated the new theatre today.

With a 14 metre screen, the largest Onyx Cinema LED screen format in the world, Swagath Onyx Theatre on Bengaluru’s MG Road will offer powerful, captivating and larger-than-life visuals, transforming the cinema viewing experience for cine lovers. Globally, there are only two other 14 metre Onyx Cinema LED screens installed by Samsung to date, in Malaysia and China.

At 618 seats, Swagath Onyx Theatre is also the world’s largest theatre that is equipped with an Onyx Cinema LED screen. Acoustics in the theatre have been dramatically upgraded with JBL Professional cinema loudspeakers from HARMAN.

The Onyx screen is 3D applicable with active 3D technology for all 618 seats in the theatre.

With the introduction of this new technology, Samsung will transform cinema viewing experience with HDR support offering unparalleled picture quality. With Onyx Cinema LED, movie lovers will get unparalleled picture quality, true colours and greater vibrancy and accuracy, exactly how the director intended it to be seen.

The 14 metre Onyx Cinema LED Screen in Bengaluru was unveiled in the presence of Moon Goo Chin, Corporate Vice President, Consumer Electronics Business, Samsung India; Puneet Sethi, Vice President, Consumer Electronics Enterprise Business, Samsung India; Prashant Govindan, Head – Professional Solutions, HARMAN India and SAARC; Kishore P, Director, Swagath Group of Cinemas and AR Rahman.

“Samsung is the only brand offering an end-to-end movie experience, from stunning visuals through Onyx Cinema LED Screens to phenomenal sound from JBL Professional by HARMAN. Onyx Cinema LED at Swagath Onyx Theatre in Bengaluru will revolutionize cinema viewing experience for film lovers in the city and across India. This is a remarkable milestone for Indian cinema and a testament to our consumer-centric approach,” said Puneet Sethi, Vice President, Consumer Electronics Enterprise Business, Samsung India.

“The current wave of cinema is replete with great visuals, rich soundtracks and background score. The new Onyx Cinema LED powered by JBL’s iconic sound will transform cinematic experience for movie goers. This mighty combination of a revolutionary screen and legendary sound will truly elevate the content and we are excited for Indian cinephiles to experience this epic offering,” said Prashant Govindan, Head – Professional Solutions, HARMAN India & SAARC.

At the inauguration, HARMAN global ambassador and award winning musician & composer,
AR Rahman said “With Samsung’s ground-breaking Onyx Cinema LED Screen technology and HARMAN’s iconic JBL audio, movie goers in Bengaluru will immensely enjoy their experience at the theatre. I have worked with HARMAN and used JBL Professional systems for many years, and I can confidently say that they truly do justice to the music I create. There is no sound like JBL sound, so it makes sense that the brand is powering this amazing new way to enjoy movies and music.”

“At Swagath Cinemas we take pride in our heritage yet strive to provide a futuristic cinema viewing experience to our customers. Our association with Samsung to launch the World’s Largest Onyx Cinema LED Screen in Bengaluru is testimony to our commitment to movie lovers across India,” said Kishore P, Director, Swagath Group of Cinemas.

The large 14 metre screen offers powerful, captivating and larger-than-life visuals with greater attention to detail. The screen is capable of delivering true colors with HDR support with greater vibrancy and accuracy along with sharp contrast, higher levels of brightness and great viewing angles that are unaffected by ambient light; eliminating optical distortion and interference. The disruptive technology is a breakthrough in the cinema industry, which has been relying on projector-based system for decades.

The latest Onyx Cinema LED screen comes equipped with an array of solutions including Onyx VIEW, Onyx 3D and Onyx SOUND, providing a uniquely immersive experience.

The sound system at Swagath Onyx Theatre is comprised of Onyx Sound, an innovative audio solution that incorporates industry leading products from the HARMAN family of brands including Crown amplifiers, BSS signal processing, and JBL Professional’s loudspeakers and exclusive Sculpted Surround technology. The Onyx Sound reproduces today’s dynamic soundtracks with stunning clarity and detail.

The system includes six JBL AM 7315 screen array loudspeakers, four JBL 9300 cinema surround loudspeakers, eighteen JBL 9350 + four JBL SCS 12 high impact cinema surround loudspeakers, six JBL AC28/26 used as underfills for the balcony area and nine JBL 5628 dual 18" cinema subwoofers. Processing is provided by a BSS networked audio system, and the entire system is powered by 31 Crown DSi amplifiers.

Apart from the new Onyx Cinema LED Screen, Swagath Onyx Theatre in Bengaluru has also upgraded its overall look and feel inside the theatre with refurbished interiors and comfortable seats, even as it retains its heritage look on the outside.

About Onyx Cinema LED

The Onyx display easily accommodates any venue configuration while delivering unmatched visual quality, technical performance and reliability over traditional projectors. The screen maintains its advanced presentation capabilities in ambient lighting conditions, regardless of the featured on-screen content. It also allows theatre owners to utilize their theatres for corporate events, concerts and sports event viewing and gaming competitions.

Onyx SOUND: The screen offers state-of-the-art Onyx surround sound experience, the result of research and co-development by HARMAN and Samsung’s Audio Lab, bringing scenes to life through clear and precise audio. This innovative audio solution solves the challenges posed for center channel audio when incorporated with a solid cinema LED screen, which does not allow for the placement of loudspeakers behind the screen, which is the common placement in traditional cinemas.  When combined together with JBL’s Sculpted Surround technology, Onyx Sound creates a seamless, immersive audio experience for viewers, regardless of their seat location, that further enhances the already stunning visuals offered by Onyx.

Onyx VIEW: Combined with an infinite contrast ratio and specialized low-tone greyscale settings, Onyx VIEW delivers brighter and more detail-rich content. The screen delivers High Dynamic Range (HDR) to cinema, showcasing on-screen contents at peak brightness level – nearly 10 times greater than that offered by standard cinema projectors (146fL versus 14fL). The display delivers improved uniformity, free of optical distortion and interference. It is industry’s first DCI-certified cinema display available in 5, 10 and 14 metres width.

3D Onyx Cinema LED: This screen makes 3D movie content more realistic through enhanced brightness and consistent colour amplification. Glass-wearing viewers can now have the benefit of watching subtitle texts, images and even minor visual details with unprecedented clarity.