Dth Talk

[abhay 0]

SINCE DTH (Direct-To-Home) services could/would/should be a HOT topic of dission in comming months with DTH on verge of launching in india. i have Started this topic.

all kinds of

1) DTH services

2)news

3)reviews

4)Complaints

5)issues

ARE welcome we would try to solve it njoi the wirefree world

Govt wants Star-Zee deal before DTH launch

Even as Star India looks at launching three new channels for its Direct-to-Home venture Tata Sky

Even as Star India looks at launching three new channels for its Direct-to-Home (DTH) venture Tata Sky, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is understood to have sent feelers to the leading private channel with regard to making its content available on rival Zee Group’s DTH venture Dish TV before Tata-Sky is launched.

According to the inter connection guidelines made available by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), all content providers have to make their channels available on each others’ DTH platform. Star bouquet, however, is not available on Dish TV, the first private DTH operator which launched its service in late 2004. Tata Sky, an 80:20 joint venture between Tata Group and Star India, is slated to launch its services by July.

Industry sources told press persons that I&B ministry has asked Star India to hurry the talks with Zee for providing its channels on Dish TV. “The I&B ministry has taken a serious note of the constant talks between Star India and Dish TV over content sharing arrangement without any agreement. The ministry wants the private channels to honour Trai’s interconnection guidelines,” government sources said.

On its part Star India told FE that the talks with Zee on content sharing were “close” to reaching its conclusive outcome. “Till date we have exchanged a lot of proposals on the commercial terms and conditions. We will reach an agreement soon,” sources close to the development said.However, on I&B ministry’s feeler to the channel, Star maintained it had not received anything from the ministry. Meanwhile, Star India is looking to launch three new channels on its DTH venture. “Star’s channels could be on movies, gaming and shopping,” the sources said.

http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=12609

Edited May 19, 2006 by abhay

[FEVIN-RAJ 61]

Any launch date announced 4 Tata Sky

fevin

[spdf 0]

^^^ Some where in last week of June....

[abhay 0]

Action time dawns on couch potatoes

Imagine avid Indian cricket fans being able to watch a cricket match from different angles and also access a host of information on the players, their history and scores as well as highlights of the match! Making the idiot box interactive is India’s first direct-to-home (DTH) service, Zee Group’s Dish TV, that promises to offer an entire new range of interactive services to its over one million subscribers.

While Indian viewers are definitely up for a treat with the expansion of the DTH footprint — at least four new DTH operators plan to commence operations in the next six months - technology will play the ultimate decider for subscribers to prefer one service to the others. Under DTH service, subscribers directly receive digital quality transmission of channels on their TV set via a portable antenna. And, new entrants like TataSky, Reliance Bluemagic, and Sun DTH are exploring various technological options to attract new customers on the DTH platform.

Analysts contend that DTH has the potential to change the electronic media landscape in the country. Hong Kong-based Media Partners Asia (MPA) forecasts that India is set to emerge as Asia's leading revenue generating pay-TV market by 2015, with multi-channel video industry (cable, DTH and IPTV) turnover growing from $3.6 billion in 2005 to $7.2 billion by 2010 and $10.5 billion by 2015.

Naturally, Dish TV is sprucing up its act to face impending competition by reinventing itself and making earnest attempts to adopt modern technology. The current channel line up includes: 10 channels of Hindi movies, 5 of Hollywood movies, 15 news channels, 6 sports channels, 5 kids channels, and other general entertainment channels totaling 100 plus channels. Its recent tie up with US-based Open TV to introduce middleware technology is a step in this direction. “This will allow its subscribers to access background information about a cricketer who's playing in a match at that moment,” says Sunil Khanna, CEO of Dish TV.

Then, of course, games are a major attraction. Interactive games have gained in popularity in both the US and UK market. Interactive games have gained in popularity in both the US and UK markets. Companies have designed special games to suit a wide audience - educational games, parlour games, arcade games, and those for remote betting. Dish TV’s initial offerings include ‘soft’ casino games such as themed slots, roulette and dice to 'skill' and tournament-based games such as trivia, word and arcade-style games.

Viewers will also be able to see the weather in Delhi while reading the latest sports headlines and simultaneously checking their horoscope. And, all of this will be possible with the press of a button on a remote control. Dish TV’s technology partnership with Open TV will help it provide various information applications on subscription, advertising, or sponsorship-driven virtual channels along side the normal programming. These information applications will be embedded into a program to provide additional information that is synched to the content the viewer is watching. With the ability to be updated instantly and automatically, each application will be fully customisable and could be tailored to suit specific needs.

Then, even as conditional access system (CAS) continues to be in limbo in the subcontinent, Dish TV has deployed conditional access and payment solutions, from Norway-based Conax, for its 10,000 dealers. High on agenda is to roll out the concept of ‘headend in the sky’ (HITS). In this concept, the smaller operators who cannot invest in expensive digital systems will be able to receive channels and distribute to their cable customers while content and revenues are protected. Making use of the availability of a large customer base in India using mobile phones, the system has been able to provide mobile SMS ordering for pay per view content.

Dish TV is also pushing its digital video recorders (DVRs) as a value added service. This will allow a subscriber to download up to 200 movies, apart from other Dish TV programming, to be watched at leisure. So, get set to experience the next level of TV experience.

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_st...ntent_id=127864

Zee is gearing up it self for the BIG race

Edited May 21, 2006 by abhay

[abhay 0]

Any launch date announced 4 Tata Sky

fevin

heres ur answer

Tata Sky begins publicity, trade activities

Aasman se seedhe aapke ghar (straight to your home from the sky). This could well be the tag line for Tata Sky's proposed DTH service, slated to be launched June-July 2006.

So what's new? Well, Tata, "India's most trusted company", and Star, "India's No. 1 entertainment company,### " feel the people of India should be told that the two entities have "come together to change the way in which television is watched in India." And, Tata Sky has started the process of telling the tale of world's "most advanced" DTH service --- one must admit quite engagingly so.

The 40-slide presentation being made by Tata Sky to the trade affiliates, on the other hand, has upset the cable fraternity. At one place, to hammer home the point that cable operators get eliminated in a DTH service, some funny lines have been used (cablewallah to consumer: I don't have electricity, you can't watch TV or I fight with the channel for non-payment, you pay the price --- here goes the cricket match) that presumably have not gone down well with cable ops of Mumbai.

The text points out that a consumer need not "suffer a poor quality cable service" as he has the right to choose channels he wants to watch and pay only for those. "Could you ever imagine a choice like?" the text eggs on a consumer, who's then told after sales service means "problems are no problems."

Apart from the high quality programming and DVD-type visual experience, free onsite installation of the hardware and maintenance under warranty are thrown in as added sops.

For the gaming freaks, Tata Sky promises a personal games parlour where new games will be made available periodically for the whole family at no extra cost.

The presentation also goes to list step-by-step the installation process and how the digicomp is compatible with most varieties of TV sets.

Unstated however, are the costs involved for a consumer, which is also an indication that the various packages, probably, are still being worked out.

http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/.../may/may273.htm

### no1 entertainment company my a*$ i hate most of its serials

1) dont know how many times these STAR bhau's get married and on top of that with the same people or brothers of their husbands

2) and other thing that i hate in it is how many times will a person die and come back alive after couple of months

[@ksh@T 20]

guys and wat about Sony...no one is getting that is it on DISH,..... and ne news abt bluemagic

[FEVIN-RAJ 61]

ab

any details abt cost?.... dish antena and set top box .....

fev

[abhay 0]

According to the inter connection guidelines made available by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), all content providers have to make their channels available on each others’ DTH platform

for details read the first post

so sony , star , zee and everything will be avaliable on DTH! but i think it will take time

[vmsanghrajka 0]

Zee has been on prowl.. Its slowly n steadly capturing the rural market. They have sought maximum connections in rural south india. When they strike deal with STAR, urban growth in subscribtion is inevitable.

Cheer!!

[abhay 0]

With Tata Sky, the rules of Skies will Change

A television revolution is upon with Tata Sky, the 80:20 joint venture between the Tata's and Rupert Murdoch owned Star TV, as the service has lined up a bouquet of value added services to lure subscribers into its direct-to-home (DTH) platform.

The $500 million Tata Sky is planning to introduce pre-paid cards of various denominations, which will be readily available in retail shelves. The company also proposes to set a benchmark in customer service by installing the hardware and servicing faults directly at the customer premises.

Vikram Kaushik, CEO, Tata Sky, said that currently the company is trying to focus more on customer convenience, for which it has lined up a slew of initiatives. At a time when the pay TV market in India is undeserved by a limitation of the current analogue cable systems, one has to wait and see how much Tata Sky's efforts bear fruit. "In the days to come, the Indian subscriber can expect a wide choice of content, superior picture quality and efficient after-sales service." Kaushik said.

The DTH service allows to bypass the cable operator, thereby allowing you to get uninterrupted transmission, it uplinks all the channels to a satellite, which in turn sends the channels to a mini-dish that is fixed on your balcony or terrace and the dish then relays the channels to the set-top box placed above your television.

With Dish TV, one has to approximately pay a monthly subscription of Rs 60 for the free to air channels and Rs 300 for access to its entire package of a 100 plus channels, which is set to increase. By the end of this year, Dish TV should be offering around 200 channels and this is only the beginning, the company claims.

However, Zee and Star, have still not been able to arrive at a compromise that would allow them to broadcast each other's channels on their respective DTH platforms, says Kaushik, "Our endeavor is to get all existing popular channels on its platform. We are at various stages of discussion with all the major broadcasters in this regard and are confident that they will come on the Tata Sky platform."

According to a recent study, Dish TV and Doordarshan Direct + (the two current players in the DTH market) already have 2.26 million subscribers, the study also shows that rural sector accounts for 88% of their market, with not many cable operators doing business in the more inaccessible and rural parts of the nation, DTH helps those in villages to have access to a more holistic entertainment.

the prices i think might be somewhat similar to what @preset !! may be early bird customers might get some good discounts

what i personally feel os that let ECONOMICS play the main ROLE

there should be no pakages system!! all should be individual channels and with that prices should reduce or increase as per demand

i heard it on the cable TV that these fu*k*n STAR people are charging 60 for the same pakage as what they charge in pakistan for 14RS or so!! i say to stop this let DEMAND play the game charges will automatically come down

Edited May 24, 2006 by abhay

[abhay 0]

TDSAT puts a lock on any DTH operator carrying Star channels

As the second direct-to-home player Tata Sky gears for launch, the Telecom Disputes Redressal and Settlement Tribunal (TDSAT), in an interim order passed today, has ruled that Star channels will not be made available to any other DTH platform.

The development took place as Star India gave an undertaking in this regard to the disputes tribunal, which posted the case for hearing on 3 July on a petition filed by the Subhash Chandra-owned Dish TV.

If this order is interpreted in another way, it could also mean that Tata Sky would not be able to launch before 3 July and if it does so, it would have to do without the Star channels. Its test signals for the service also would not carry any Star channels till 3 July.

Contacted by Indiantelevision.com, a Tata Sky spokesperson refused comment saying they had not received any notification from the tribunal on the matter. Star officials also declined to comment.

The Chandra-promoted ASC Enterprises, which owns a DTH licence to operate a service under Dish TV brand, had moved TDSAT on 25 April alleging that Star was flouting the sector regulator's (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India - Trai) diktat on making available all content to all platforms on flimsy grounds.

The ASC petition states, "The unreasonableness on the part of the respondent is evident from the fact that the respondent has laid down impracticable and unreasonable terms and conditions for supply of its bouquet of channels."

The petition also mentions that discussions with Star were initiated by Dish TV in December 2004. Star is 20 per cent shareholder in Tata Sky, while the remaining stake is held by the Tatas.

Meanwhile, Dish TV’s negotiations with Discovery-Sony joint venture One Alliance, which distributes signals of channels such as Sony, MTV, Nick, SET Max, Discovery to name a few, too, has not been concluded despite industry sources indicating that a formal announcement was due any time.

Dish TV has also won a favourable judgement from TDSAT that has directed MTV Networks to make available MTV and Nick to Dish TV on a commercial basis. MTV has appealed against this order in the Supreme Court.

http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/.../may/may308.htm

Edited May 26, 2006 by abhay

[linuxguy 0]

Broadband service....is it available???

[abhay 0]

Broadband service....is it available???

broadband on what ?????

[cracker 0]

dth

[linuxguy 0]

broadband on what ?????

Where is the real abhay?! Tell me NOW! I demand to know! Where have you hidden him?! Which ISP has done this to you?! Abhaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!!!!!!1111

[abhay 0]

broadband on what ?????

Where is the real abhay?! Tell me NOW! I demand to know! Where have you hidden him?! Which ISP has done this to you?! Abhaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!!!!!!1111

i mean broadband on DTH i dont think its feasiable!!! if we need wireless broadband we need it on a tech dedicated for broadband connectivity!! DTH can have broadband but its made for transmitting DIGITAL TV signals!!

broadband on DTH isint feasiable according to me! though WIMAX would be a good option for broadband connectivity

[linuxguy 0]

i thought DTH could do broadband.....

[abhay 0]

guys a quick ? about DTH set top boxes !!!

1) can we record programming we c on the settop box

2) what will be the quality of the video recorded

3) can we also transfer the same recorded video to PC << very imp for me

edit :-

4) if the company does not provide HDD bases settopbox can we purchase a better settopbox from market and then install the same!! or we haev to purchase the settop box from the service provider

may be reliance NETWAY guys can help me @ this ???

Edited May 28, 2006 by abhay

[abhay 0]

Dish TV to come down hard on pirating cable ops

India’s first direct-to-home service Dish TV today issued an ultimatum to cable operators filching its signals.

In a rear guard action against piracy, a massive operation has been announced to crackdown on pirating cable operators who are using the Dish’s set-top boxes as a medium to illegally distribute TV channels (some of which are exclusively on the DTH platform) to the cable consumers.

According to Essel Group of Indistries additional vice-chairman Jawahar Goel, “It is important to send out the message that product counterfeiting will not be tolerated as it has an extremely detrimental effect on the whole fraternity, including content creators, broadcasters, and the government.”

ASC Enterprises, an Essel Group company, holds the licence for a DTH service in the country, which is marketed under the brand name Dish TV.

According to an official statement from Dish TV, a local cable operator in Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh was caught by the police, along with Dish’s anti-piracy team, on Saturday for illegally showing ESPN and Star Sports through a Dish TV box when he did not have an agreement with ESS to re-distribute the sports channels.

The police has seized the errant cable operator’s infrastructure and the chip of Dish TV, which gives access to the DTH service.

Commenting on the development, Goel added, “We expect support from broadcasting and the film industry as well to take up this effort to curb piracy, which is to the tune of over 10 billion annually.”

The official statement said that of the 1.1 million subscribers of Dish TV, about 5,000 have been found to be allegedly indulging in piracy of signals. While their connections have been switched off, legal action too has been initiated against them.

http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/.../may/may338.htm

!! hey no answer for my prevoius post ?????

[raccoon 53]

1) can we record programming we c on the settop box

Unless I'm mistaken, any output that can be "read" by ur tv can be used as input to a VRC or standalone DVD writer, for recording.

2) what will be the quality of the video recorded

In general, a STB should enable much better quality, as it is digital. We are currently using Hathway's STB (connected to cable). They claim it gives DVD quality picture and sound. In my experience, it isn't exactly DVD quality output, but its definitely MUCH better than what you would get without an STB.

3) can we also transfer the same recorded video to PC << very imp for me

Shouldn't be too difficult!

edit :-

4) if the company does not provide HDD bases settopbox can we purchase a better settopbox from market and then install the same!! or we haev to purchase the settop box from the service provider

Sounds very doubtful ...esp. since most signals are likely to be encrypted ...but cant really comment with certainity on this one.

[abhay 0]

i actully wanted to digitally transfer or record the program on the computer!!

isint there any kind of Hard Disc baed STB's like one in reliance netway for DTH !! and even if we do isint there transfer it to the computer with USB or something

the standard way which u said can be done with TV tunner card with a normal cable also what i wanted was to get the same quality as in TV! its like TVRIP/CAMRIP quality!!

[deepu 0]

I think DishTV is already providing equipment which can record also.

Otherwise you can use a PC to record. You need software also for recording and scheduling. I find WINDVR a good one for that. It can record in DVD format also

[abhay 0]

One Alliance joins Dish TV platform

Dish TV, India's first DTH service provider has teamed up Sony Entertainment TV-led One Alliance bouquet for the channel carriage.

If remembered, Televisionpoint.com, has first ever reported earlier that One Alliance was keen on Dish TV getting the a whooping subscriber base and that it may be lobbying in the capital on behalf of the same. Both the Star bouquet and the One Alliance have been in a long-standing dialogue with ASC Enterprise's Dish TV, but nothing has fructified yet. One Alliance has 15 top-of-the-line channels including a wide variety of entertainment, news and popular programming. The channels which will come aboard are MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Discovery, Travel and Living, Animal Planet, NDTV 24x7, NDTV Profit, Sony, SET Max, Animax, Sony Sabe, AXN and Ten Sports.

Dish TV has been listing channels from the Sony bouquet on its menu in anticipation of the agreement. With all major players in the DTH segment having agreed to the government's downlinking regulations, the path was being paved for all of them to be able to show each others' channels.

The viewers get a complete family entertainment service through uninterrupted viewing of Movies, Historical and Mythological Channels, News, Cartoon programme for kids and much more at home. Further, the set up box comes with a warranty of one year. Dish TV has a vast distribution network of about 5000 dealers / distributors that spans the entire country. Beginning this year Dish TV has set us authorised Dish care centers in all top 10 markets of the country. Also to reach closer to the customers, all major consumer durable outlets in the cities are Dish TV retailers today, this website has said.

The other new service launched by Dish TV only in Delhi and Pune, the personal video recording, is a high-end one. At Rs 15,900 it provides an 80 GB hard disk, which records multiple channels while you watch another. It can also be programmed to record while the customer is away.

Meanwhile, the recent interim order by the dispute settlement tribunal of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) might make a significant impact for the DTH service owners. Responding to a petition filed by ACE Enterprise (Owners of Dish TV), TDSAT had barred Star India from sharing its content with any DTH platform including the soon-to-be launched Star-Tata DTH alliance, the Tata Sky service till it provided the feed to Dish TV.

http://www.televisionpoint.com/news2006/ne...p?id=1149259424

[abhay 0]

Trai brings PVRs, MDU tech under scanner

Broadcast regulator has now turned its scanner on various aspects of a DTH service, including supply of personal video recorders or digital video recorders and rollout of multi-dwelling unit technology by DTH service providers.

In a consultation paper issued today on DTH, the regulator said the need to discuss these issues, amongst others, arises from the “communications of the ministry of information and broadcasting (I& .”

The issues raised by the government are essentially the following:

1) Amendment of the license conditions to exclude personal video recorder / digital video recorder from the requirement of interoperability.

2) The platform services that enable the subscribers to utilize the platform efficiently and inform them of platform functionality and services are exempted or otherwise from the uplink licensing requirement.

3) The use of multiple dwelling unit (MDU) technology.

Trai has said issues that issues like amendment of clauses 7.1 and 7.2 of the DTH license relating to digital video recorders and MDU tech would be discussed with the industry.

The points that need to be ironed out are the following:

1) If digital video recorders are exempt from requirement of interoperability (amongst various services), the safeguards that should be provided to ensure that consumers can switch from one service provider to the other.

2) If not whether any safeguards are required to ensure that consumers are fully aware of the limited interoperability of digital video recorders.

3) Whether the guidelines for uplinking from India should be amended to specifically exclude platform services made available for enabling the subscribers to utilize the platform efficiently and inform them of platform functionality.

4) Whether the use of MDU technology by a DTH licensee is in conformity with the licensing conditions.

5) If not, what is the specific clause of the license conditions that is being violated.

6) Should the license conditions be modified either to specifically permit this technology or to prohibit this technology.

While existing DTH platform Dish TV is in the process of distributing digital video recorders (cost: approximately Rs 16,000) to its subscribers to store programmes and films to viewed at leisure, Tata Sky’s proposed service is aggressively pushing MDU tech in high-rise residential colonies and buildings in Mumbai.

The MDU tech, which can render cable ops almost jobless, has invited the ire of cable operators in Mumbai who have been lobbying against its rollout.

The full text of the consultation paper is available on TRAI’s website (www.trai.gov.in). The last date for sending comments is 26 June, 2006.

http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/...june/june43.htm

[abhay 0]

ESPN considers launching channel on DTH

ESPN Star Sports is evaluating launching ESPN Classic - an exclusive channel from ESPN’s DTH stable in Europe and US.

ESPN Star Sports is evaluating launching ESPN Classic - an exclusive channel from ESPN’s DTH stable in Europe and US. It will be offered on Indian DTH platforms like the yet-to-be launched Tata-Sky and the existing player Dish TV. The sports broadcasting giant is also evaluating a channel on cricket.

ESPN Classic was launched in Europe in 2002, and is available on BSkyB in the UK and Sky Italia in Italy.

Elaborating on the DTH launch plans for India, ESPN Software India managing director RC Venkateish said, “DTH will be a new opportunity and we will look at exploiting it. However, we cannot comment on specific plans.” ESPN India, which is being managed from Hong Kong, is understood to be evaluating the best options for DTH launch in India, sources said.

ESPN Classic is typically customised for various markets. In the US, for instance, it shows sports classics on basketball, American football and Rugby. In Europe, its programmes are mostly on soccer.

ESPN is studying the Indian market for the content that will be shown on ESPN Classic in the country.

Playing Smart

• ESPN Classic is an exclusive channel from ESPN’s DTH stable in Europe and the US

• It was launched in Europe in 2002, and is available on BSkyB in the UK and Sky Italia in Italy

• ESPN Classic is typically customised for various markets

• ESPN is studying the Indian market for the content on ESPN Classic

• It is also evaluating a channel on cricket

http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=12765

When Cable is Off, Dish TV is there for Puneite's

Football fans in the several parts of Pune city kept their fingers crossed, hoping against hope that they will be able to watch the football World Cup live on television. The cause of their anxiety was the the year-long dispute between ESPN Star Sports who have rights to beam the action from Germany and Intermedia Cable Communication (ICC), a prominent cable operator, who allegedly have not cleared dues running into a colossal amount.

Last month, the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) had ordered ICC to pay the outstanding amount due to ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd for services enjoyed during the time period December 5, 2004 to June 8, 2005. TDSAT had even granted ICC the liberty to pay the outstanding to the sports broadcaster in three instalments and directed that in case ICC fails to pay within the stipulated period, it shall then become liable to pay interest as well on the outstanding amounts.

However, ICC seems to have shown little interest in doing so. Several attempts to contact the ICC directors Razzak Khan and Ejaz Inamdar on telephone and a personal visit to their main office in near Pudumjee Park, Nana Peth, were all in vain.

The dispute has come as a big boon to Dish TV as they are doing brisk sales. Sunil Khanna, chief executive officer of Dish TV said, "In the past few days the sales of Dish TV has gone up and we expect them to go even higher as the World Cup kicks off."

Many of the housing societies where the population of Goans, who have a penchant for the game, is large are also planning to move to DishTV. One such society on NIBM road has decided to Start with a DTH in their club house and beam the World Cup on a large screen.

http://www.televisionpoint.com/news2006/ne...p?id=1149873088