AOL takes the next step in its ambitious global expansion effort with the launch of new local language versions of the AOL India portal and the launch of Truveo’s popular video search engine serving eight countries, including India. AOL.in is launching content channels in the Hindi and Tamil languages, improving the breadth of AOL’s offerings at a time when the online audience in India is skyrocketing. The number of Internet users in urban India has grown by 28% in the past year, and about 60% of all active online Indians (30 million) prefer to read in local Indian languages. The Hindi and Tamil language portals will have language sections in News, Cinema and Astrology.

PermissionTV announces its interactive Internet video technology platform powers BostonPops.TV, the inaugural online video initiative by an orchestra. The Internet TV programming is available free of charge and includes an array of video features, including award-winning music ensembles, behind-the-scenes footage, expert interviews and conducting lessons.

MTV and Metacafe are teaming up to give virtual world fans the tools to showcase their creativity and directorial savvy with the first-ever “MTV’s Virtual Worlds Virtual Music Video Contest.” Music fans and aspiring directors will get their creative juices flowing as they use audio tracks from some of the hottest up-and-coming bands, video clips and online editing tools – supplied by MTV and Metacafe – to direct and film their own virtual music video in one of MTV Networks’ seven virtual worlds and submit it for the chance to win a Sony Vegas Pro 8 professional video/audio editing and DVD creation software package. In addition to submitting music videos, fans can go to the MTV’s Virtual Worlds channel on Metacafe to check out and vote for their favorites.

PeerApp's new software provides higher-quality subscriber experiences with HTTP video streaming traffic from YouTube, Google Video, MySpace and other video-sharing web sites. The new software, a module for PeerApp's carrier-grade UltraBandT solutions, supports the HTTP video streaming protocol and caches traffic from Windows Media Player, Adobe Flash Video, Apple QuickTime, RealNetworks RealPlayer and other Internet video applications without requiring ISPs to install proxy servers or to change definitions or configurations.

AT&T U-verse TV and Internet services are now available to 300,000 living units in Southeast Michigan, marking a significant expansion since AT&T U-verse launched locally in May 2007. Since introducing U-verse services in Michigan, AT&T has expanded availability of the service on an ongoing basis. AT&T U-verse is offered today in parts of Southeast Michigan as far south as Wyandotte and as far north as Lake Orion.

The expansion of AT&T U-verse services in Michigan follows progressive legislation passed by the Michigan Legislature and signed in December 2006 by Governor Jennifer Granholm.

AT&T is the only national provider to offer a 100 percent IPTV service, making U-verse TV one of the most advanced television offerings available anywhere. The company recently reached the milestone of more than 100,000 U-verse customers, and AT&T U-verse has been recognized as the 2007 Best Business Strategy by industry analyst firm Stratecast.

FORA.tv closes its seed round of financing with an investment from Adobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe joins noted investor and venture capitalist Will Hearst who has invested personally in the seed round. In addition to leveraging Adobe Flash Player compatible video technology as its content delivery platform, FORA.tv is distributing video content via the new Adobe Media Player. The Player offers high quality video and allows users to view their favorite content both online and offline via IPTV.

Best Buy launches Best Buy Video Sharing, an online-based solution for customers to safely store and share home movies and videos via the Web. Best Buy Video Sharing is a subscription-based service for users to upload their personal videos for sharing on web sites and blogs, with family and friends, or in e-mail messages. Unlike many other video sharing services, Best Buy Video Sharing allows the user to choose who can view their home videos, and enables the user to do so in an advertising-free environment.

Best Buy Video Sharing was created in partnership with Mydeo, a provider of quality streaming video hosting for home and business users. The service will be merchandised online and in Best Buy’s retail stores. Best Buy will also take a minority, equity stake in Mydeo.

Searchles recently launched in beta Searchles TV Remash, a universal online video editing tool that allows users to edit any YouTube video and subsequently mash-up the video cuts into a Searchles channel -- an embeddable and easily updated player that streams the video clips back-to-back seamlessly for effective presentation and ease in sharing. In launching this groundbreaking social media feature, Searchles provides users with an in-browser, straightforward editing tool without requiring downloads or investment in costly video-editing software.

Hulu launches beta of its online video service, offering viewers a vast selection of streaming, on-demand, premium programming on a free, ad-supported basis. Hulu content includes full-length current and archived television programming as well as clips and an initial selection of feature films.

Hulu announced it has signed licensing deals with MGM and Sony Pictures Television, marking a major milestone in its mission to bring consumers the most comprehensive selection of premium video content online. A collection of over 40 television shows from Sony will be made available at Hulu.com, while full-length television shows and feature films from MGM will be available through the Hulu service. Hulu will also offer content from two leading broadcast networks (Fox and NBC), over 15 cable networks (Bravo, E! Entertainment, FX, Sci Fi, USA, and more), four of the largest Studios (Fox, MGM, Sony and Universal) and a broad array of independent, web-centric content providers. In addition, Hulu announced content partnerships with such leading programmers as Reveille, Smithsonian Networks, and World Wrestling Entertainment.

NBCSports and NBCOlympics, in conjunction with online sports broadcaster Media Zone, will provide LIVE online coverage of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon from New York City on Saturday, November 3 and the 2007 ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 4. All the latest marathon action can be accessed at NBCSports.com/marathon and NBCOlympics.com.

The action kicks off on Saturday as the top American male athletes compete for the chance to represent the U.S. in Beijing next summer with LIVE streaming coverage of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon. The race is set to begin at Rockefeller Center and will be streamed in its entirety for FREE via the Web. The start of the race will be broadcast LIVE nationally on NBC's "The Today Show" at 7:35 a.m. ET. This marks the first time ever that an Olympic Trials event is available LIVE online.

TV Worldwide has been selected by Pulvermedia to partner in creating and launching VON TV, a state-of-the-art, community based Internet TV channel for the IP Communications Industry. As part of the initial launch for VON TV, TV Worldwide will showcase the channel during webcast coverage of the Fall VON Show in Boston, October 29 - November 1 including extensive coverage of the show's Video on the Net conference. The new VON TV channel will host live and taped webcasts, archived event footage and other IP industry video programming. Charter VON TV sponsors include Reef Point Systems, a leader in fixed-line and mobile connectivity solutions.

TANDBERG Television provided a combination of compression products and managed services to NBC Universal for the launch of its new high definition channels, including Bravo HD, USA HD, Sci-Fi HD and CNBC HD, which premiered October 3rd. The deal enabled NBC Universal to expand its program offerings to cable, satellite and IPTV service providers throughout the United States.

TANDBERG Television supplied its DVB-S2 8PSK modulators with Prekor to distribute programming to service providers. The DVB-S2 modulation standard is designed to increase the throughput of a satellite transponder, or increase downlink margins for better reception. Prekor, which recently won the award for best satellite contribution/distribution/transmission solution at the Cable & Satellite International Product of the Year Awards during IBC 2007, optimizes the use of DVB-S2 8PSK modulation by pre-correcting for distortions that can greatly reduce the maximum transmitted bit rate.

OPTICOM unleashes www.PEVQ.org, the new test & measurement industry's market overview on Video QoE Testing. The new web portal comprises an up-to-date listing on commercially available video quality testing tools which can analyze the picture quality for video telephony, Mobile TV and IPTV by providing a MOS score, just as subscribers would perceive the quality of a service.

OPTICOM's Perceptual Evaluation of Video Quality, a patented technology proposed for international standardization, measures degradations occurring through a network by analyzing the degraded video signal output from the network. QoE testing is based on modeling the behavior of the human visual system and besides the overall quality abnormalities in the video signal are quantified by a variety of KPIs, including PSNR, distortion indicators and lip-sync delay.

Akamai announces The HDWeb, a ‘proof-of-concept’ portal designed to showcase the experience consumers can have with high definition content online. The Website, available at www.thehdweb.com, showcases content from a variety of industries including music, movies, professional sports, games and news. Akamai customers are now delivering a consistent, high-definition video experience on Akamai’s uniquely distributed edge delivery platform that is specifically tuned for optimal delivery of high-definition files online. As an industry leader and pioneer in online video, Akamai has raised the bar for what a service provider must offer companies in order to deliver this content effectively and efficiently online today.

The Now Film Festival announces an exclusive partnership with MySpace to present the 3rd annual Now Film Festival. As part of this partnership the festival will select one short film per week for the next 24 weeks to be showcased on MySpace's Film channel as well as on MySpaceTV. The MySpace community will also have the opportunity to watch the films and interact with the filmmakers on the Now Film Festival's official MySpace profile.