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Out of the box

With DTH round the corner, television viewing is all set for a revolutionary change

Missing out on your favourite programme because your cable operator does not have power supply will soon be history. Welcome to the world of DTH— the Direct To Home service that promises to revolutionise entertainment options on television. With this paid service, you can enjoy the best of channels in DVD-quality picture and CD-quality sound, set reminders for your favourite programmes and even watch movies of your choice through video on demand.

In July, Tata Sky, a Tata and Star venture will introduce a nation-wide Direct-to-Home (DTH) service, the largest digital television platform, offering consumers a wide array of programming choices including new channels and interactive features. The service will offer viewers over 100 channels ranging from entertainment, sports, movies, music, news and documentaries. "Tata Sky plans to offer flexible packages to customers so that they can select and pay for the package of channels that they want to watch," says Vikram Kaushik, CEO, Tata Sky Ltd. The company has plans to offer all the popular cable channels as part of its product offering.

"DTH will be an icing on the cake for the Indian technology community," says professor Arockiasamy, head of the Department of Computer Science and Applications of SNR Sons College, who recently made a presentation on the future of television in India and the DTH revolution to a group of managers in Coimbatore. "The managers point out that lack of competition has led to complacency in the cable industry. With DTH, problems faced in cable services like different volume levels, changing channel positions, shadow and overlap of channels can be easily avoided. There is also provision to replay and record programmes, though at additional charges," he adds.

Tata Sky has leased all 12 Ku-Band transponders on the INSAT 4A satellite to provide its DTH services to Indian viewers. The INSAT 4A is an Indian satellite that has been developed keeping in mind the local requirements. The high-powered Ku-Band communication satellite will offer superior picture and sound quality with a wider range of channels.

"It is a perfect technology for Coimbatore because a lot of rural areas in Coimbatore and the Nilgiris are still untapped. When more players come in, DTH will become affordable," Arockiasamy adds.

DTH is a form of paid television service. Unlike the conventional service, DTH allows the user to receive all channels directly from the satellite with the help of a mini dish and a box which is installed in the home of the end user.

How does it work?

A channel is a broadcaster to the satellite. The satellite directly relays this signal to an individual mini dish placed at a window or the terrace. These signals are then relayed to a decoder and fed into the television to give an unparalleled viewing experience.

Advantages

* The box is compatible with all television sets; a customer need not purchase a new one to subscribe to DTH

* The box is also portable. This means that in case one has to move out of town, one can carry it with him anywhere as it works everywhere

* It provides the facility of viewing a list of favourite channels and set reminders with the help of Electronic Program Guide functions

K. JESHI

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