Category: Technology

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: The switchover to digital delivery of television channels largely happened in Delhi and Mumbai on Thursday without much hassle, but a sizeable number of cable TV homes still to convert to digital for non-availability of set-top boxes (STBs) and also because of consumer lethargy where STBs were available.

A member of one of the teams deployed by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry to make area-wise checks in Delhi told Indiantelevision.com on the condition of anonymity that he has sent complaints to the police about non-implementation of digitisation in about 20 areas in the capital city. He, however, declined to name the areas in which cable TV homes continued to received analogue signals.

In Mumbai, Mumbai Cable Operators Association (MCOA) President and Shiv Sena‘s member of state legislative council Anil Parab said cable operators in the metro would continue to transmit analogue signals till the end of this month to about 600,000 customers who are yet to install STBs at their homes.

Parab said the association will not tolerate any action by the police against local cable operators who continue to provide analog signals due to pressure from consumers. He said this situation has arisen because of faulty reporting by the collectors of Mumbai and Mumbai suburban districts to the I&B Ministry on the deployment of STBs by multi-system operators (MSOs).
The status in Chennai, which is the fourth city included in the first phase of digitisation, will be known on Monday, 5 November when the Madras High Court orders further hears a petition by Chennai Metro Cable Operators‘ Association (CMCOA).

The ministry on Thursday claimed that digitisation in Delhi was 101 per cent, in Mumbai 118 per cent, in Kolkata 85 per cent and in Chennai 63 per cent. It did not explain how digitisation in the cities of Delhi and Mumbai could be more than 100 per cent. The digitisation data given by the ministry is apparently about the number of STBs deployed by MSOs and many homes in metros have two or more television sets, each requiring separate STBs.

The areas in Delhi where analogue signals are still being transmitted are in the south and east of the capital city.

Cable Operators Federation of India President Roop Sharma too said fear of a law and order situation had forced MSOs and LCOs to continue delivering television channels in analogue mode to customers who are still to go digital.

Vikki Choudhary, owner of Home Cable TV, an MSO, said he had installed only 9,869 STBs till 18 October and still needed 40,000 STBs more. He placed orders for 30,000 STBs from China on August 9 and would be able to deploy the boxes in homes of his subscribers by 31 December.

MCOA‘s Parab on Friday led a protest in front of the office of collector of Mumbai suburban district and said the collector should take the responsibility of providing security to cable operators if consumers react on discontinuance of analogue signals.

“The Collector should take the responsibility of providing security to cable operators because the DAS (Digital Addressable System) has been implemented in Mumbai as cable operators are faced with this situation because of the figures provided by the collector,” Parab told reporters after meeting the collector.

The MCOA claims that only 70 per cent homes in Mumbai have been digitised. The association is seeking an extension from the union government so that there is smooth transition to digital cable television from analogue.

Parab said he and his associates will meet the six members of Parliament from the city in a bid to urge them to take up the issues of cable operators with I&B Ministry. He is also planning to meet Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to apprise him of the situation.

MUMBAI: With India having begun digitising its cable television, there will be more interest in technologies at this year‘s Scat than ever before.

Keeping this in mind the television technology trade event Scat which takes place from 3-5 November 2012 has become bigger.

Scat Magazine MD, CEO Sudeep Malhotra says that 160 companies from 21 countries will exhibit this year compared to 125 companies last year. “Technologies for conditional access, headends, etc will be displayed. There will be a live demonstration of the Hits platform.”
 
He adds that the floor area has been increased by nearly 50 per cent this year. “There will be more live demonstrations. Last year we had around 14,000 visitors. This year we expect to cross this mark.”

Companies that will exhibit include NDS India, Arris, Pace India, Verimatrix, Gospell India.

MUMBAI: NDS which is now a part of Cisco has announced that at the television technology trade event Scat India 2012 which kicks off tomorrow in Mumbai it will showcase proven solutions that enable the streamlined and cost-effective deployment of future-ready digital pay-TV services in India. The event runs from 3-5 November 2012.

At SCaT India 2012, NDS will demonstrate proven solutions, developed locally to support the deployment and growth of digital cable TV services in India. Addressing all tiers of operators, NDS technologies provides cost-effective and future-ready solutions to support its customers through the digitisation process and as they expand their services.

NDS adds that its solutions are currently deployed in over three million cable TV homes – equivalent to over 50 per cent of all digital cable subscribers in India.

NDS counts a number of cable operators in India as customers, including: ADN, Atria, CCN, Darsh Digital, DEN Networks, GTPL, Hathway and Jak Communications. As part of its presence at the show, NDS will be showcasing deployments for Den Networks and Hathway.

Den Networks CEO SN Sharma said, “Underpinned by NDS technologies, Den is one of the fastest-growing MSOs in the Indian cable TV industry. The programme to digitalise cable TV networks has significantly changed the dynamics of the market and innovation and time to market now dominate. Today, we have more than a million satisfied digital cable TV viewers on our platform and this has been made possible due to NDS‘ market leading technology and intuitive user-interface. NDS has effectively partnered with us to deploy new technologies and next-generation services such as interactive TV and HD.”

Hathway Cable and Datacom MD,CEO K. Jayaraman said, “As NDS‘ partner since 2003, I have seen the company evolving as the market leader in India. NDS has come a long way and now supports some of the leading cable operators and DTH players in the country. Our association with NDS has always allowed us to upscale our technology and rapidly grow our subscriber numbers. NDS‘ local R&D and support facility does a commendable job in the overall execution of a particular technology. The company has supported us to offer new services and advanced features for a superior viewing experience which in turn will satisfy our customers and encourage growth.”

NDS country head, GM India Jayant Changrani said, “The Indian pay-TV industry is in a state of flux and our role as solutions provider is to support our customers through this transition by providing the most effective technologies and a differentiated, revenue generating platform that enables them to satisfy and grow their subscriber base.” He continued “At SCaT 2012 we will be showcasing solutions that provide the most accessible framework for digitisation and the monetisation of television services.”

Demonstration at the show will include:

• End-to-end solutions with additional revenue generating opportunities; including digital video recorder (DVR) functionality, video on demand (VOD), progressive download, interactive services and HD.
  
• Customisable electronic programme guides, that enable operators to further differentiate their offering and build their brand identity. Including through the deployment of addressable EPG based advertising.
  
• Scalable, managed solutions, enabling even the smallest operator to launch digital cable TV services with significantly reduced, hardware, software and operational costs.

MUMBAI: James Murdoch has been reappointed as a director of UK pay TV service provider BSkyB with the support of 95 per cent of shareholders at the company‘s annual general meeting.

James Murdoch had stepped down as chairman in April after the phone hacking scandal at News of the World tabloid. Murdoch now serves as a non-executive director.
 
At BSkyB‘s previous annual meeting a noise was made over how Murdoch had dealt with the phone hacking scandal. The phone-hacking scandal forced News Corp. to pull its bid to take full control of BSkyB.

NEW DELHI: Digitisation of cable TV began in India on Thursday with the complete switch-off of analogue signals in Delhi and Mumbai, but the government faces resistance in Kolkata given the opposition to the shift from the ruling party in the state.

The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has instructed all multi-system operators (MSOs) to certify that their analogue signals have been switched off completely, a move that’s seen as a means to prevent piracy of signals to serve customers still to switch over from analogue.

The status of Chennai, which was the fourth city included in the first phase of digitisation, will be known on Monday, 5 November when the Madras High Court orders further hears a petition by Chennai Metro Cable Operators’ Association (CMCOA).

The ministry has avoided direct confrontation with the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee by not sending its technical teams to Kolkata to ensure the MSOs there do not continue to deliver television channels in analogue mode.
The technical teams were deployed by the Ministry only in Mumbai and Delhi, where they have ensured that analogue signals are switched off at all the head-ends of MSOs. The ministry, however, has received mixed information from Kolkata on switching off of analogue signals.

I&B secretary Uday Kumar Varma told Indiantelevision.com earlier in the day that the government would not allow analogue television signals to be delivered parallel to digital signals for the benefit of TV households which are still to install digital set-top boxes (STBs).

The government has laid out a road map for digitisation across the country in phases with the last round ending in December 2014.

The ministry has claimed that digitisation in the four metros has touched 91.75 per cent, based on the data provided by MSOs on installation of STBs which then was extrapolated with the 2011 census figures on television households in the four metros.

The ministry has estimated cable TV households in the four metros to be 6.53 million based on 2011 census data. The ministry said the MSOs have informed if that they have installed a total of 6.43 million STBs in the four metros, including in homes with more than one TV sets.

The ministry said digitisation in Delhi had gone up to 101 per cent, in Mumbai to 118 per cent, in Kolkata 85 per cent and in Chennai 63 per cent, but it did not explain how in Delhi and Mumbai the STB installation could be more than 100 per cent. Apparently, the number of STBs deployed include homes with two or more TV sets.

The ministry has asked MSOs to set up canopies/kiosks in poorer colonies to ensure STBs are made available to consumers at the determined price of Rs 799 on the spot. MSOs have also been asked to ensure consumers are not overcharged for the STBs and advised to advertise their telephone numbers where consumers can lodge their complaints against those taking undue advantage of the situation.

MUMBAI: Kolkata remained largely unaffected by the digitisation deadline thanks to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Bannerjee‘s diktat to cable operators not to swtich off signals to analogue homes.

Siti Cable Kolkata Director Suresh Sethia said that the West Bengal government had told the operators against discontinuing signals to analogue homes as it feared that there would be chaos in the city since a large number of homes are yet to be digitised.

“All the channels are available to analogue subscribers,” he claimed. “The Chief Minister (Mamata Bannerjee) had clearly told cable operators that the signals should not be switched off, otherwise there would be law and order situation.”

As per the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2011, it is illegal to transmit TV signals to analogue homes after the sunset date. As per the law passed by the parliament, the country will switch to digital cable in phased manner by 31 December 2014.

The deadline for first phase of digitisation in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata ended on 31 October. While in Chennai the deadline was pushed to 5 November due to the Madras High Court order.

Sethia‘s claim was supported by the head of a rival MSO who did not wished to be identified, “Let‘s be practical, we are doing business in Kolkata and we can‘t go against state government‘s diktat. The state government is obviously concerned about the law and order situation if analogue homes go blank,” he said.

He claimed that only 50 per cent homes have been seeded with STBs in contrast to I&B ministry‘s latest figure of 85 per cent.

Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) which had earlier asserted that it will switch off signals to analogue homes was caught off-guard. Talking to Indiantelevision.com, IBF president Man Jit Singh had stated that it had set up teams to conduct raids with police in case there is a case of piracy.

“We have switched off signals to analogue cable. We are following the law of the land. I can‘t say more than that,” Singh said when asked to clarify on the Kolkata situation.

Singh also said that IBF was studying the ground situation as it is just the first day after the deadline.

The senior MSO executive quoted above asserted that none of the cable operators have gone against the state government‘s direction and analogue customers continued to receive all the channels.

“The analogue and digital homes are existing together for the time being,” the executive added. He remained non-commital when asked how long this arrangement would continue.

Sethia, however, asserted that the MSOs and LCOs are committed to digitisation. Their only demand was to extend digitisation deadline a demand that was rejected by the Union government.

“There is robust demand for STBs,” he asserted adding that the cable operators would continue to seed boxes.

What incentive will analogue customers have to install a STB if they are anyway getting all the channels on analogue cable?

“They know that this arrangement is only for the time being and eventually they have to switch to digital cable,” Sethia replied.

MUMBAI: Even as television went blank on analogue cable, a last-ditch effort was made by cable operators in Mumbai to push digitisation behind by two months so that they could place set-top boxes (STBs) in consumer homes.

Fear of losing customers to direct-to-home (DTH) service providers due to switching off of signals to analogue cable homes across the city brought hundreds of cable operators together under one roof.

The meeting was called by Mumbai Cable Operators Association (MCOA) headed by Shiv Sena Member of Legislative Council Anil Parab to protest against the Union Government‘s tough stance of not extending the sunset date for first phase of digitisation.

Desperate for more time, the MCOA is also planning to move Supreme Court hoping to get some relief from the apex court. The cable operators had to face disappointment on Wednesday as the Bombay High Court refused to extend the digitisation deadline by pointing out that the operators were given time in June to seed the set-top boxes (STBs).

MCOA president Parab demanded that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) should give at least two months time to cable operators to seed the boxes. He also said that the government‘s decision to switch off signals to analogue homes has resulted in 600,000 black homes.

“The broadcasters have switched off signals due to which 600,000 homes have gone black,” Parab told reporters after the meeting of cable operators.

He also cautioned the government that if things continue as they are it would disrupt law and order situation as the development comes close to the festive season.

The MCOA is planning a protest march to the Collector‘s office to demand security for cable security. Parab called on cable operators from across the city to converge at the Collectors Office in Bandra at 11 am on Friday.

Earlier, he also accused the government of working under the pressure of broadcasters to force digitisation down the throats of common people who are already bearing the brunt of inflation.

Parab was, however, quick to add that the cable operators were not opposed to digitisation, “We (cable operators) are fully committed to digitisation. All we are asking for is that the government should give us at least two months time so that there is smooth transition from analogue to digital,” he said.

He also said that the 31 December deadline would be sacrosanct and there would be no going back after that deadline, “We will switch off signals to analogue homes after 31 December, the government wouldn‘t even need to intervene,” he stated.

While asking the government to sort out issues like revenue share between MSOs and LCOs, he also said that the government had deliberately kept the cable operators out of the Task Force.

He also demanded the State government to bring down the entertainment tax in the state, “Our demand is that the entertainment tax should be decreased. If there is an entertainment tax of Rs 45 after December, we will organise a massive protest,” he warned.

“The cable operators don‘t have any representation in the Task Force set up by the government. The MSOs were instead representing the cable operators due to which our interests were not taken into consideration,” he told the gathering.

Parab also pointed out that Kolkata operators are not adhering to the MIB‘s diktat and analogue homes there continue to receive signals. The deadline in Chennai, he said, has already been extended till 5 November. Even Delhi, he claimed, was not adhering to switching signals.

“Why should only Mumbaikars suffer from the government‘s tough stance,” he questioned adding that Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and executive president Uddhav Thackeray have directed him to ensure that the interests of cable operators are taken care of and ordinary Mumbaikars don‘t suffer due to television blackout.

The MCOA president also smelled conspiracy in the government‘s stand of not extending the deadline. “The government wants to benefit DTH operators at the cost of cable operators. If a lot of cable homes go blank, there is a possiblity of customers switching to digital but we won‘t allow that to happen,” he averred.

Supporting Parab‘s stance cable operators who had gathered at the venue for a show of solidarity said that extending deadline was inevitable as there are many problems to be sorted out despite seeding of STBs.

“The customers don‘t know what packages are available and how much they have to pay. Shortage of boxes (STBs) is another problem. Like I am under DigiCable and they don‘t have STBs,” said an operator from South Mumbai.

Stanley Edward of International Digital Services said that he is yet to receive a DAS licence despite applying for it in September. IDS operates in the Kalachowkie area and has 60 cable operators under its belt.

“We have invested close to Rs 7 crores (Rs 70 million) for setting up digital control room and buying 7,500 STBs but we can‘t go ahead since we haven‘t received the DAS licence yet,” Stanley rued.

MUMBAI: Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), the global digital content operations specialist, has said it has signed a multi-million dollar deal with one of Hollywood’s leading film studios to supply media processing services to ensure full compliance with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations for new media.

PFT will leverage Clear, its hybrid cloud content operations platform to handle the assets, automated QC, approvals, workflows, delivery and archiving of the content.

PFT is already managing over 180,000 hours of TV and Film content each year for its clients in Europe and Asia. By leveraging the relationships that parent company Prime Focus has built up through its high-end visual effects and 3D conversion work for major studios, PFT is now gaining traction in providing CLEAR™ led services in North America also.

Prime Focus Technologies President and CEO Ramki Sankaranarayanan said, “We’re starting to see real growth for our business in the North American market and this deal will provide us with a solid foundation to expand our services and client-base within the region. CLEAR™, the hybrid cloud platform, backed by PFT’s global network of supporting services is proving to be the preferred option for Hollywood studios that need to process large volumes of content within the existing time frame and cost limitations without compromising on creativity.”

To cater to the burgeoning demand for its services, PFT is setting up a 100,000 sq ft facility at Andheri (East), Mumbai. The facility is being built to suit the requirements of the increasing list of elite clients, with whom PFT has an exclusive vendor relationship for its variety of services. This facility will also house the Digital Broadcast Hub, and will be the new global headquarters for the company. The facility is expected to be commissioned in February, 2013.

NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting (I&B) secretary Uday Kumar Varma on Thursday ruled out allowing analogue television signals to be delivered parallel to digital signals for the benefit of TV households which are still to install digital set-top boxes (STBs).

Varma was reacting to a suggestion that since a majority had switched to digital systems, analogue signals could be allowed to continue for some period till everyone switches over to digital.

Talking to indiantelevision.com, Varma said a section of the population always acted only when it was put “face to face with a situation”.

Officially, the compulsory switch over to digital delivery of television channels has happened in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata from today. In Chennai, the Madras High Court has extended the digitisation deadline in the city to 5 November on a petition by local cable operators.

Asked about the non-compliance by multi-system operators in Kolkata, he said the situation was being studied since Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said the eastern metropolis would not go digital now.

When it was pointed out that some MSOs were switching on analogue under pressure from consumers and local cable operators, he denied this and said teams of the ministry were visiting various headends in the capital and other metros to make sure this did not happen.

He also denied that there were any areas in Delhi with black and white TV sets.

However, Centre for Media Studies Director P N Vasanti said her estimates have shown that around 30 per cent cable TV households in Delhi were still to switch over to digital. A S Kohli of the West Delhi Cable Operators Association put the figure at 50 per cent.

MUMBAI: Yahoo! India and Mediacom (P&G‘s media agency) have announced the launch of a custom branded content and entertainment site for Proctor & Gamble (P&G) named Style Factor.

The new site is inspired by â€?The Thread‘ on Yahoo! Shine developed for P&G in the USA.

Style Factor will bring the latest celebrity news and information on fashion, skincare, hair care and makeup to users in India. It is available on Yahoo! India Lifestyle.

The site offers locally produced content, hosted by model and actor Nauheed Cyrusi. Yahoo! will draw from a range of syndicated and original editorial material that will be rotated each month according to the P&G brand featured.

The site is a showcase for P&G brands in India including Pantene, Whisper, Ariel, Oral B, Olay and Head & Shoulders.
Video entertainment will be an integral part of Style Factor.

Developed by Yahoo!, the video series will integrate P&G products through localised and thematic storytelling.

According to MediaCom India managing partner Hemen Desai, by creating customised content, P&G aims to go deeper and draw insights into how consumers engage with their brands online.

P&G India country media manager Archana Aggarwal said, “Style Factor is a site for a digitally savvy woman who is smart and discerning about engaging with brands online. In keeping with P&G‘s vision of touching more consumers‘ lives more completely, this partnership with Yahoo! has shown how custom branded content will help us to engage with our consumers and create meaningful conversations around our brands.”

Yahoo! India senior director and head of sales Vishal Maheswari said, “The timing is just right to bring in Style Factor to India, in partnership with P&G to offer the audience an essential guide to celebrity trends and star style.”