Actimagine, developer of the Mobiclip video codec, has built a mobile-video retail platform for Mobile Magic in India. The Media Magic system transfers films and music videos from in-store PCs to customers’ mobile phones.
A purchase can be transferred to a phone in less than five minutes. Playback uses Mobiclip and is described as DVD quality.
Mobile Magic created Media Magic Retail Pvt Ltd for the service and acquired rights to more than 500 Bollywood films and thousands of music clips. Each downloaded item is protected by a security code generated by a shop employee through a dedicated web interface.
Actimagine developed the customised system in less than two months, covering encoding, delivery, playback and generation of security codes. Initial deployment covers all 87 Mobile Magic stores, with additional retailers being recruited. The stated target was 10,000 participating stores within one year.
The retail approach avoids reliance on India’s limited broadband infrastructure. Media Magic cited a market adding six million telecommunications customers each month and expected telephone penetration to reach around 40 percent of the population.
The application was initially certified for 14 Symbian S60 Version 3 phones with QVGA displays. Additional handsets were planned after testing.
