# High Definition Television in India News\Updates



## W i d e S c r e e N (Aug 26, 2008)

*xs330.xs.to/xs330/08340/india_hd_digitforum_widescreen146.png
Fellow Members, this thread is an effort to enlist developments related to High Definition Television "Industry" in India. ​

_Dish TV to Launch HD platform by year end_

SOURCE New Delhi (PTI), May 2008: With high definition technology catching the imagination of premium quality video and audio lovers, direct-to-home service provider Dish TV will launch high definition (HD) platform by the end of this year. The company, which recently announced free set top boxes (STBs) for its subscribers, has plans to introduce the latest Motion Picture Expert Group 4 (MPEG) technology enabled STBs along with the HD platform for broadcasting. It is also holding talks with TV channels for production of HD content. 

*"*We will launch HD platform along with MPEG 4 coming Diwali for the subscribers. We are also talking to a 2-3 TV channels and get into commercial arrangements for High Definition content," Dish TV Managing Director Jawahar Goel told PTI. Existing DTH players Tata Sky and Bharti Telemedia, which are soon expected to announce their entry into the domain, are also equipped to provide HD platforms to its audiences.

"We have the HD technology ready with us, but there is no content in India at the moment. We will bring the technology in the market whenever the market is ready for it," Tata Sky Chief Marketing Officer Vikram Mehra said. Similarly, Bharti Telemedia Executive Director N Arjun said, "The equipment which we are using is HD enabled, at the moment we will launch the service in standard definition but going forward will bring in HD."


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_National Geographic Channel HD to be added to NGC India_

SOURCE May 08.  After a decade-long presence in the country, National Geographic Channel (NGC) India, part of the NGC Network, is set to add four new channels including Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Adventure, Nat Geo Music and Nat Geo HD (high definition). NGC India currently operates NGC and the History Channel, and claims it is making a profit from its India operations. 

NGC has been here for the last 11 years and History Channel for about five years. We are adding four more high-quality channels because they are new offerings for the NGC group globally. The four channels have been launched in last couple of years and we think we have been quick in bringing them to the Indian viewers.



*thumbnails9.imagebam.com/1188/8a610b11872088.gif​
_Discovery Networks plans to launch Discovery HD_

SOURCE New Delhi, July 31 Discovery Networks plans to launch three new channels next year, taking its portfolio to six. The three channels are: a science channel (Discovery Science), a channel dedicated to bikes, cars, boats and “all things motored” (Discovery Turbo) and a High Definition channel (Discovery HD) which would be a premium service and probably cost consumers more than their average channel. 

The High Definition, said Mr Johri, was a medium tailormade for Discovery which featured great cultural and wildlife footage. The audience of high definition television owners, though very small, was a significant one, he added. Declining to share investment figures, Mr Johri said the company would spend as much as was required for a successful launch of any channel. Distribution costs he admitted had “gone through the roof”, however, he said advertising interest was still high.

_
_*Posted News in this Thread,*_
_

_Big TV touches half a million subscriber-mark, promises HD Broadcasts_
_Big TV charts plan to bring HD content into India_
_Dish TV, TataSky plan to roll out DVR technology _
_MTNL and Aksh announce Multi play and High Definition Television viewing for Indian customers on Fibre To The Home (FTTH) _
_Indian Carriers Commit to FTTH_
_ESPN Star Sports to telecast Champions League Twenty20 in HD_
_*Sun Direct ushers in high definition TV viewing*_
*
News*

*www.thehindubusinessline.com/cgi-bin/bl.pl?mainclass=03&subclass=087
*economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/articlelist/13357212.cms
*news.google.com/news?client=opera&...ceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn
*www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/headlineindex.htm

*www.engadgethd.com/
*www.lyngsat.com/


DISCUSSION BOARDS AND THREADS

*zulm.net/
*www.indiabroadband.net/direct-home-satellite-cable-iptv/
*www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=680748
*www.hashhu.com/forums/index.php?

*en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_television
*www.indiantelevision.co.in/indianbrodcast/history/historyoftele.htm


\      ON FORUM 
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/images/Blue/misc/navbits_finallink_ltr.gif *Reliance's DTH (Blue Magic\ BigTV) to use MPEG4?*
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/images/Blue/misc/navbits_finallink_ltr.gif *Bollywood's First Blue Ray Released*
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/images/Blue/misc/navbits_finallink_ltr.gif *Twenty20  Australia Vs India 720p HDTV pics (56K warning)*
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/images/Blue/misc/navbits_finallink_ltr.gif *RCom, Microsoft to launch IPTV*
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/images/Blue/misc/navbits_finallink_ltr.gif * India's Prasar Bharati plans for HDTV in 2010  *
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/images/Blue/misc/navbits_finallink_ltr.gif *HDTV In INDIA ??*
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/images/Blue/misc/navbits_finallink_ltr.gif *Blue-Ray Disc and HDDVD*
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/images/Blue/misc/navbits_finallink_ltr.gif *Blu-ray Vs HD DVD*
 *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/images/Blue/misc/navbits_finallink_ltr.gif*Basic Guide Purchase a new System*


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## hellgate (Aug 26, 2008)

thats gr8 new.at last we'r goin HD.


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## naveen_reloaded (Aug 26, 2008)

Should be stickied for sometime!

Please update this thread regularly..


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## NIGHTMARE (Aug 26, 2008)

thanks


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## iinfi (Aug 26, 2008)

will they change all the existing STBs which they v provided for MPEG 4. or it is not needed?


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## hellgate (Aug 26, 2008)

the stbs that dishtv is providing now r mpeg 2 rt,not mpeg4.


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## naveen_reloaded (Aug 26, 2008)

I dont think they will change stb for free.. I heard that hd stb cost nearly 5-8k... 
Don know for sure...


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## The Conqueror (Aug 26, 2008)

Amazing...


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## shadow2get (Aug 26, 2008)

*@W i d e S c r e e N*
Gr8 News ... have been waiting for HD broadcast to happen from a long time. 
Thanks & keep it updated.


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## desiibond (Aug 26, 2008)

What I really want is Ftv on HD


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## Davidboon (Aug 26, 2008)

great at last we gonna get hd television content, waiting to see discovery in hd
*s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj44/visio159/Unismilies/81.png


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## abhijit_reddevil (Aug 26, 2008)

Good! At last I can utilize the full potential of my LG 32" LCD TV (32LC7R).


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## thewisecrab (Aug 26, 2008)

Finally
HD invades India (still some time left, but what the heck )
It'll be fun to see Nat GEO in HD
Cable operators show it with horrible quality
But,
Will existing operators be able to provide this service? (eg. Win Cable, Set Top Box providers, DTH providers, etc.)


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## amrawtanshx (Aug 26, 2008)

desiibond said:


> What I really want is Ftv on HD


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## NIGHTMARE (Aug 27, 2008)

guys hear  some news the IPL broadcast on only Big Tv


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Aug 27, 2008)

Thank You all for support
I would try and keep this as up-to-date as possible but, please help out.
The "NEWS" bookmarks will get u to pages dedicated to this Industry and would be able to provide reliable news updates.



thewisecrab said:


> But, Will existing operators be able to provide this service?



from your cable operator a fibre optic cable straight to your home which will give you broadband, tv,


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## naveen_reloaded (Aug 28, 2008)

I think he was asking whether the current players like dish ,tata can give this feature... To which i would say NO!. 
Coz their stb is not compatible to recieve HD signal...

So i thing they will start giving stb for 2-5k...


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Oct 23, 2008)

_Big TV touches half a million subscriber-mark, promises HD Broadcasts _

SOURCE Big TV, the DTH arm of Reliance Communications, has touched the figure of 500000 5subscribers within two months of its launch. The company is now targeting five million subscribers within the first year of operations and plans *to double its channel bouquet from 200 to 400 by next year.*

Big TV had already tied up with Thomson Headend Systems for a complete head-end system to boost its number of channels. To augment its growth plans, it had already booked four more transponders of the MEASAT satellite, which would take its total transponder capacity to 12.

The world’s latest MPEG4 technology platform on Big TV enables it to offer double the number of channels in the same transponder capacity as against established DTH players.

On future plans, Mr. Kapoor said the company would launch DVR (digital video recorder) by December-end and also plans to launch interactive cricket and interactive news by then. *By mid-2009, the company expected to have launched 15-20 high definition (HD) channels*.


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## desiibond (Oct 23, 2008)

I think even at this point of time 90% of Indians use non-HD Television sets and I don't think there will be heavy FullHD broadcast till the 90% share comes down to atleast 60%.


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## parthbarot (Oct 23, 2008)

i thnk we should wait for this news to be true... ...may be BigTV can't give full HD...wht u say?they giving MP4... so lets hope wil have HD in a year or so...

regards,
Parth.


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## Zangetsu (Oct 23, 2008)

India Shining


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## sam9s (Oct 23, 2008)

TATA SKY ..... "Tum Kaha Ho"....


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## paroh (Oct 23, 2008)

They are not able to maintain the dvd  so how will they provide HD quality. It is just like that mtnl or bsnl providing 2mbps with 400mb of limited download


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## comp@ddict (Oct 23, 2008)

desiibond said:


> What I really want is Ftv on HD







GO FTV


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## VarDOS (Oct 23, 2008)

wow...waiting for year-end...


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## IronManForever (Oct 23, 2008)

W i d e s c r e e n said:
			
		

> Big TV, the DTH arm of Reliance Communications, has touched the figure of *five subscribers* within two months of its launch.


Great achievement.


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## naveen_reloaded (Oct 23, 2008)

Instead of going to HD first, why wont they ask the indian channels to improve their quality, coz it sucks big time..,

Only sun network is giving quality video...and sound! 
Others suck


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Oct 24, 2008)

@ IronManForever,
Sorry, typo at Source.  

Should've been  "500000 subscribers within two months of launch" .



_Big TV charts plan to bring HD content into India_

SOURCE Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) owned Big TV, that has recently entered the nascent but highly competitive direct-to-home (DTH) segment, is planning to offer high definition (HD) content in India by buying thousands of hours of programming from international channels and packaging them here. With widescreen, crystal clear cinematic picture and surround sound, HD content is expected to attract niche viewership once it catches on in the country. Such content is created through special cameras and high-end technology.

Although dearth of HD compliant TV sets and HD content have stymied the growth of HD services in India, that is set to change by the turn of the year. While television manufacturers like Sony are planning to bring HD-compliant TV sets to India, a few HD channels are also expected to be in place by then. Arun Kapoor, president, Big TV, said, “We can buy a few thousand hours of programming from international channels and package them in India as a channel.”

Broadcasters like Star, Sony and ESPN have HD content internationally, which could be brought to India, say industry sources. Niche services like HD content are crucial for attracting viewership in top Indian markets. As such, in the DTH business, average revenue per user (ARPU) is very low at Rs 200 per subscriber, said Kapoor. Big TV has identified that the revenue in the top 100 markets in India will be driven by value-added-services and HD content and are high ARPU markets, while the revenue for the rest of India will be driven by subscriptions.

“Next year, Big TV hopes to showcase 15-20 HD channels. Currently, the set-top-box of all DTH players except for Big TV is Mpeg 2 compliant which does not support HD content.

---

_edit_


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## rosemolr (Oct 24, 2008)

HD Era Had Already Started!


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## naveen_reloaded (Oct 24, 2008)

@widescreen...

i wasnt able to understand ur reply bro...

anyway keep the news comming .. u rock..

we atleast need one HD movie channel...
anyway thnks agian..

hope i will put my HD tv into real action soon


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## iinfi (Oct 24, 2008)

btw i have Big TV and have Full HD Series 5 Samsung 32" LCD 
in all channels lot of pixelation occurs and images are not clear. there is no sharpness in the images. (images look something like, if u try to zoom the image taken off a 1MP camera fone, the way it gets blur) imagine moving objects in that manner.
is this because BIG TV doesnt support full HD?? i bet there isn't any problem with my TV.
this effect is more pronounced when i watch football when there are fast moving images.

any idea wat i can do abt this.


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## naveen_reloaded (Oct 24, 2008)

^^ feel lucky..

i am on DishTV with 40" LCD

its like VGA picture zoomedddddd...


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## RCuber (Oct 24, 2008)

@iinfi & Naveen : Is the picture aceptable or total waste? Should I reconsider buying a LCD TV? :-s


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## gxsaurav (Oct 24, 2008)

Any LCD TV U buy will upscale the video cos real HD broadcast isn't widely available in India yet. The best quality I have seen on a 24" Dell LCD is with Big TV.


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## s18000rpm (Oct 24, 2008)

in Tata Sky, you can set the Aspect ratio  of output.
4:3 or 16:9

i think other DTH set top box have that option.

video quality is same. i.e. crappy

only the original DVD movies give a meaning to my LG 42 LCD TV. 
ex. - video quality of Chronicles of Narnia is just spetacular

Tata Sky & dvdrips - the video quality is bad.

saw a dvd rip on 42" tv, its too pixelated, but that same video on a 29" CRT gives DVD video quality.

Waiting for Tata Sky+ (existing users will get a offer to upgrade)

@Charan, if you/family watch movies on DVD, then buy the HD tv, otherwise settle for non HD TV & save that money for when some DTH provider/channel give HD stuff.


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## iinfi (Oct 24, 2008)

4:3 or 16:9 the video output is the same ...crappy

i had read quite a lot of reviews wrt to performance and quality of picture and prices of LCD TVs on the net b4 settling for Samsung LCD Series 5.
i didnt know it wud not display images properly even with DTH services.
btw

@Charan. you normally buy a TV which sud serve you for 10 years at least. so i wud suggest you go ahead and buy Full HD TV only and enjoy its benifits in 2-3 years time when many channels are likely to b full HD.
the picture quality is acceptable. you will get used to it in 2-3 weeks of buying the TV. its not that bad ....


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## comp@ddict (Oct 24, 2008)

naveen_reloaded said:


> Instead of going to HD first, why wont they ask the indian channels to improve their quality, coz it sucks big time..,
> 
> Only sun network is giving quality video...and sound!
> Others suck




Ejacktly, but this doesn't strike those teenie minie heads of the people who can make dis possible


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## naveen_reloaded (Oct 24, 2008)

thats true.. coz upgrading cost them hell of a money .. and why would they spend it on a viewing population who needs HD/better video of less than 2-5 % and remaining who dont care how the video clarity is ....

and yes s18000rpm i agree that those option in dishtv where u can select 16:9 is nothing but few letters doing nothin... and this is really terrible considering there is a option in the first place to do something...

why cant they atleast give us 16:9 screen video ??

and how about stereo sound ??? nothing .. only in fee Zee channels.. others.. nothing ...


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Oct 28, 2008)

@naveen
In my earlier post i commented on the "news" that's posted. 

DTH,
in terms of picture quality as seen on a 32' 4:3 signal stretched on a 1366x768 sony panel,

TATASKY   A+ 
DDDirect   B
DishTV      E (You are better off watching YouTube's FLV videos).!


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## desiibond (Oct 28, 2008)

s18000rpm said:


> Waiting for Tata Sky+ (existing users will get a offer to upgrade)



Hold on mate. Tata Sky+ STB price is 8k. may be they will cut 2k for existing users. paying 6k premium for recording does not make sense.


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## a_k_s_h_a_y (Oct 28, 2008)

How is Airtel Digital TV ??
Its also MPEG 4 according to the website.

Isn't Airtel TV, Dish TV all DVD Quality broadcast ?? or is it still same old SD ??

btw, nice initiative *W i d e s c r e e n*
we need more of  True HD now  !


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## naveen_reloaded (Oct 28, 2008)

W i d e S c r e e N said:


> @naveen
> In my earlier post i commented on the &quot;news&quot; that's posted.
> 
> DTH,
> ...



 i dont get ur point widescreen...  ok tell me which one of the DTH player can give me a superior qualtiy video with widescreen resolution .... ??? for all channles..


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Nov 1, 2008)

@naveen_reloaded,

Currently ive seen DWTV on DDDirect+/DishTV having a dedicated feed of 16:9 (widescreen) signals during most of their programming. No black bars, no cropped in videos full 16:9 glory!

Widescreen resolution is a rare sight on other channels.

Do not buy current generation STBs, unless they come with HDMI or component sources/outputs


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## naveen_reloaded (Nov 1, 2008)

Are there stb.s which support hdmi? Man that would be awesome if any player takes advantage... 

But we can only dream...


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## Plasma_Snake (Nov 1, 2008)

Dish TV does provides STBs with D-Sub output port for connection with LCD TVs to get better  picture quality but thing is they aren't officially sold so u need to have a hook up with Dish guys.


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## utsav (Nov 1, 2008)

W i d e S c r e e N said:


> @naveen
> In my earlier post i commented on the "news" that's posted.
> 
> DTH,
> ...



haha. You must be joking! Right?. I have DishTV and my neighbour has tatasky and both have no difference is quality. And dd direct's quality is like cable tv(not very bad though).


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## naveen_reloaded (Nov 1, 2008)

Plasma_Snake said:


> Dish TV does provides STBs with D-Sub output port for connection with LCD TVs to get better  picture quality but thing is they aren't officially sold so u need to have a hook up with Dish guys.




yes i too saw it ... whatever the output is ...  unless the channels themeselves improve the channel quality there wont be any significant quality change...

anyway .. i hope soon some player realise that widescreen with HDMI + HD channels is the most wanted stuff among TV viewers... and provide them...!!! fingers crossed !!


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## a_k_s_h_a_y (Nov 1, 2008)

Most of the TV viewing crowd is not from big cities. But complement of the Set of Cities/Metros.
They can't afford a HDTV or are genuinely not interested in one.
I guess am perfectly right here !

So keep your fingers crossed, you might get to watch HDTV on DTH .. only few channels though, ESNP, NGC, Discovery etc.
Since not all have HDTV it does not make business sense for tv channels to go HD... isn't it ?


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## RCuber (Nov 1, 2008)

If I was a business man in one of this DTH companies, I would go ahead and broadcast HD channels. The companies will claim that their new HD channels will have high quality picture and sound even in regular TV's . The company doesnot care if their customers are having HDTV's or not, all they want to do is push the technology. This is the same case when DVD Players hit the market, people asumed that VCD's will also be DVD quality .


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## naveen_reloaded (Nov 1, 2008)

^^^ absolutely right ....

i have seen many companies teaming with other companies (airtel + nokia for eg ) to push the technology ....

if that's so... then why would dishtv first introduce DTH when there are no other and no one willing to take that costly thing to each house when their cable where just fine ...


may be i am wrong ... but what i am saying is the company which takes initiative will gain more profit than the ones who come late...


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## a_k_s_h_a_y (Nov 1, 2008)

don't tell me ... you can't watch HD on SDTV. Once that fact is out clearly and widely, it will spread faster then fire.. with the laymen about the DTH guys fooling them.
No way the entire middle class can afford HDTV along with the PREMIUM DTH. You know HD is supposed to be PREMIUM that is.


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Nov 2, 2008)

_*Dish TV, TataSky plan to roll out DVR technology 
*_
SOURCE With competition hotting up in the direct-to-home television segment after the entry of Reliance Big TV and Bharti Airtel DTH, market leader Dish TV and TataSky are planning to introduce DVR technology around Diwali time to stay a step ahead. 

The Digital Video Recorder (DVR), which allows viewers to record programmes in one channel while watching another and play according to convenience, is being billed as the next big thing in the evolving Indian DTH market. 

"This, of course, will be a premium productand we plan to announce the launch of DVR technology platform for our DTH service very soon. It w*ill be a* Diwali gift to our customers," TataSky Chief Marketing Officer Vikram Mehra said.    

 Similarly, market leader Dish TV is also readying to roll out its DVR platform.     
 "Our launch of DVR is expected around Diwali and our offer will have *140 hours of recording time,*" Dish TV Chief Operating Officer Salil Kapoor said, adding the set top boxes for the *DVR were expected to cost around Rs 10,000 each.     *

Their new rivals Bharti and Reliance Big entertainment are also readying DVR platform. While an RCom official said soon the company would unveil DVR, industry sources said Bharti DTH may also launch the same thing. 

___________________________________________________________________

one would rather get a PC TV tuner and a 100  dvd  pack


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## naveen_reloaded (Nov 2, 2008)

^^^ awesome .. how many channels can i record at the same time ??? man i will record movies .. while i watch the cricket matches...

anyway is there a away to import them to pc or to hard drive ??


thnks for the news... widescreen.... please keep updating us with more news...


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## Plasma_Snake (Nov 2, 2008)

To prevent exactly that, the PC portability, the DVR will probably have its own encryption and copy prevention system as earlier companies were dead against it citing it as "Piracy" but soon realized its market and have now started bundling it in their STB. BUT who knows they might allow us to do so otherwise u know there is a workaround to everything.


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Nov 2, 2008)

I think it's better to use a TV Tuner card and record in PC. The possibilities of the recording in various formats and sizes is better than "pay 10000 bucks and record 140 hrs of (_copyprotected_) television"


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## Bandu (Nov 2, 2008)

AFAIK, Tata Sky uses the Sky+ STB from UK. Sky+ has the same DVR technology that is proprietary and does not allow copying stuff out of the box, but it wasn't difficult for users to find a way around it. All that was needed was an additional box that would intercept the signal before it goes to the TV and record / rip it off. That signal sure is unencrypted - otherwise that would mean having a Tata proprietary TV.

This Tata DVR has an inbuild HDD (500 GB, I guess) that allows users for upto 140 hours of recording. As Snake said, its proprietary - neither NTFS nor FAT. Its something else that makes hacking it difficult. But, I did read about (long back) a freely available open source software that allows a new HDD (like 1TB) to be formatted to this Sky+ format to replace the one in there. It also has an option to defrag the existing HDD without losing its contents. Due to legal issues though, this so called software still does not allow you to rip off the recorded programs. But someone sure will come up with a tool to rip these programs off from that HDD (or maybe someone already has).

And, finally, just in case, if you are curious about the USB port on the back of this SKY+ DVR box... its not for PC connection, its is a service port (like for upgrading the firmware, etc).

Although TV Tuner card option is much better for the techies, the DVR box would mean a lot for n00bs / non-PC users.

Edit: Some corrections and an answer to Naveen's question:

Naveen: You can record a max of 2 channels. If you are watching a channel, then only one "other" channel can be recorded as its somehow assumed that the you would pause/rewind the channel that you are watching. That leaves you with another channel (that you are not watching) to be recorded. If, say, you are not at home and the TV is switched off, you can schedule 2 channels to be recorded.

Correction: It has a 160GB HDD and not a 500 GB HDD.


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## s18000rpm (Nov 3, 2008)

last time i tried to record a f1 rzce on my dvr lg tv, a msg. popped on the screen, it said "the program/... is copy protected, terminating current recording........"

damn, i thought Tata sky were adding some other feature iin sky+ (like hd broadcast), sky+ is of no use to me, co my tv itself hav dvr function with 33hour of recording space.

crap.

i hate these slooooooooow indian businees men 

btw, how many versions of HD are their?

i know two/three-
1. HD
2. Super HD
3. ultra HD (i think)


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## Plasma_Snake (Nov 3, 2008)

Well AFAIK its HD= 720P(1280x720), FullHD=1080P(1920x1080) and XHD=2500x1600.


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## s18000rpm (Nov 3, 2008)

oops forgot it.

but i saw on "ndtv gadget guru" show, super hd, ultra hd or something.


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## Plasma_Snake (Nov 4, 2008)

Well most of the things that they show on those shows(pun unintended) is old compared to what is new by the time and most of the things is complete BS. These shows are only good for n00bs, I used to watch Tech 2.0 earlier but now don't as don't like ita nymore neither do have the time to do so.


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Nov 13, 2008)

_*
*xs133.xs.to/xs133/08463/mtnl-aksh-optfibre-logos751.jpg

MTNL and Aksh announce Multi play and High Definition Television viewing for Indian customers on Fibre To The Home (FTTH) *_


New Delhi, November 10, 2008- MTNL in association with Aksh Optifibre Ltd, the second largest company in the Indian Optical Fibre cable industry, today launched India’s first Multi play Service and High Definition Television on ‘Fibre To The Home’ Services. Replacing the traditional copper line from the exchange to the home called “the last mile connectivity” with full end-to-end fibre connection would mean allowing the customers of MTNL to experience world class tele-viewing and internet browsing experience from the comfort of their homes. 

MTNL upgraded its broadband infrastructure about three years ago and is currently based on a fibre backbone but the 'last mile' connections between homes and telephone exchanges are almost entirely copper-based. With implementation of Fibre To The Home (FTTH) on last mile connectivity would place India in the league of technologically advanced countries like China, Singapore, Japan and UK where majority of fixed-line operators have replaced their last-mile copper connections with fibre. MTNL with this demonstration have proven the concept of Fibre To The Home (FTTH) creating space for multi play- high speed fibre-to-home broadband internet, IPTV and high definition television. 

“MTNL believes in providing the latest technology at cost effective prices. We are working closely technology partners like Aksh, to meet the challenge of providing fibre based solutions to all homes in our area of operation. This fibre technology will enable us to bring faster higher-quality, high-definition content and more interactive capabilities to our subscribers than any other platform which exists today. This also places MTNL in the company of leading Telecom operators of the world" said Shri. R.S.P Sinha, Chairman & Managing Director, MTNL

Dr. Kailash Choudhari, Managing Director, Aksh Optifibre Ltd commenting on the launch said “The constraint placed by the “last mile” copper wire from providing multi play and high definition tele-viewing services will be removed by the availability of Fibre To The Home connectivity. This will allow the end users who have invested in High Definition televisions to enjoy the benefits of their investment in the latest technology. Aksh is proud to announce that Multi Play and High Definition TV is no more a distant dream but an Indian reality”​


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## naveen_reloaded (Nov 13, 2008)

is it launched everywhere are as usual exclusive for cities ?? ^^^^


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## harryneopotter (Nov 13, 2008)

AFAIK ... MTNL is available only in Mumbai and Delhi ... so wat do u mean by "available all over or as usual exclusive for cities" ???


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## naveen_reloaded (Nov 15, 2008)

sorry ^^i forgot about mtnl being in north ... my mistake !!! ...


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Nov 16, 2008)

_*Indian Carriers Commit to FTTH*_

at least two major Indian operators plan to deploy Fibre to the Home networks over the coming years.

In his keynote address to the 100 or so senior operator executives who attended Light Reading's inaugural industry seminar in New Delhi, Rakesh Kumar, VP of Broadband Planning for *Bharti Airtel* Ltd said there was "no point in building copper access networks any more", and that the operator, which provides fixed broadband services in 94 cities in India, would be deploying GPON from now on. Kumar said the operator had issued an RFP for a trial network, and expected to push ahead with a broader FTTH deployment later in 2009.

However according to thevarticle by Ray Le Maistre of Light Reading, Bharti Airtel isn't the only Indian operator with high-speed fixed access plans. *BSNL*, which currently has about 2.4 million DSL broadband customers, has been considering PON deployments for a few years and has now decided to invest in an extensive deployment.

In his keynote address, Shri R. K. Agarwal, director of planning and new services at BSNL, said the carrier is committed to a FTTH strategy that will see the technology rolled out in 100 cities across the country.


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## naveen_reloaded (Nov 16, 2008)

atlast they have come to know that copper network is past !!!


but still we will need years to get these service ... getting these fibre optic laid and expanded is heck of  a job .. atleast thats wht i have heard....

anyway .... lets seee


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Nov 20, 2008)

*xs433.xs.to/xs433/08473/d821.jpg

*ESPN Star Sports to telecast Champions League Twenty20 in HD*​
SOURCE: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) is awarded the long-term global television production partner for the Champions League T20.As part of the production set-up, ESS will telecast the tournament in High Definition (HD) format, making it the first HD telecast for any sporting event in the Indian subcontinent.Earlier, ESS had won the exclusive global commercial rights of the league for 10 years at $975 million.

ESS will use 34 cameras at each venue to cover all the matches. It will include many angles like aerial views with Fly cameras, a boundary side field camera to showcase fielding and a new mid-wicket camera position to highlight running between the wickets that will deliver another new viewing dimension to viewers."This is the highest number of cameras used to cover any multi venue cricket tournament to date," ESS said in a statement.

To capture every moment of the fast paced action both on and off the field, ESS will use Super Slo Motion cameras at each match, player and umpire microphones as well as new dugout and crowd cameras to capture the reactions and emotions off the field, bringing fans closer to the action like never before.

In addition, ESS will be using a new suite of graphics for the broadcast, specially developed for the Champions League T20 by a Hollywood-based production house, and utilising a range of new statistics specifically tailored for the Twenty20 format to further enhance the viewing experience of audience.Different versions of the anthem composed by AR Rahman will feature n the presentation including title sequence, music video and other on-air elements.


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## a_k_s_h_a_y (Nov 20, 2008)

hey how do we get this ESPN HD Channel Then ????


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## vikrant333 (Nov 20, 2008)

who will provide these signals


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## thewisecrab (Nov 20, 2008)

Which provider is giving HD now?


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## naveen_reloaded (Nov 20, 2008)

W i d e S c r e e N said:


> *xs433.xs.to/xs433/08473/d821.jpg
> 
> *ESPN Star Sports to telecast Champions League Twenty20 in HD*​
> SOURCE: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) is awarded the long-term global television production partner for the Champions League T20.As part of the production set-up, ESS will telecast the tournament in High Definition (HD) format, making it the first HD telecast for any sporting event in the Indian subcontinent.Earlier, ESS had won the exclusive global commercial rights of the league for 10 years at $975 million.
> ...




which will get it first .. i mean which DTH player are ready to telecast ??? none have the settop box ....


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## RCuber (Nov 21, 2008)

naveen_reloaded said:


> atlast they have come to know that copper network is past !!!
> 
> 
> but still we will need years to get these service ... getting these fibre optic laid and expanded is heck of  a job .. atleast thats wht i have heard....
> ...



Yes.. it will take time , but time fly by really fast, I can still remember regestering for the BSNL dialup service .


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Nov 21, 2008)

Charan said:


> Yes.. it will take time , but time fly by really fast, I can still remember regestering for the BSNL dialup service .




+1



> The first edition of the Champions League T20 is scheduled from December 3rd to 10th 2008.


 well we can only wait n see.


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## naveen_reloaded (Nov 21, 2008)

guys my question is who is going to telecast it in HDglory ??? thats my point


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## soham (Nov 23, 2008)

Its probably not for India. English cricket is being broadcast in HD for 2-3 years now. So i think english and probably australian viewers will get the HD feed.


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## gary4gar (Nov 25, 2008)

naveen_reloaded said:


> atlast they have come to know that copper network is past !!!
> 
> 
> but still we will need years to get these service ... getting these fibre optic laid and expanded is heck of  a job .. atleast thats wht i have heard....
> ...


Boss, if they effective utilize current infrastructure. 
Current network can go upto 8mbps and with slight modifications speeds upto 24mbps can be reached. Further using Home-made Govt supported HDVSL standard. Speed upto 36mbps can be reached.

HDVSL is made-in-india stanard.

Optic fibre is good only for new installations  as its costly


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## naveen_reloaded (Nov 25, 2008)

ya but they are not the future platform ... optic fibre is .... 

thats wht i am saying ...

if we are going to expand the current networki,.,, then it better be on optic rather than old copper....


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Nov 26, 2008)

gary4gar said:


> Further using Home-made Govt supported HDVSL standard. Speed upto 36mbps can be reached.
> 
> HDVSL is made-in-india stanard.



Wouldn't it work with fibre optic?


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## naveen_reloaded (Nov 26, 2008)

widescreen , any new update / news ???


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Apr 25, 2009)

*Sun Direct ushers in high definition TV viewing*



*img178.imageshack.us/img178/272/sundthhdchannels.jpg

*broadbandforum.in/sun-direct-hd/44795-sun-dth-hd-newspaper-advertisement-and-website/2/​Hi – Definition Set Top Box (Hardware) 
Rs.9999 + Taxes

Standard Installation Charges      
Rs.1250 

HD Content Access Usage Charge           
Rs 100 + Taxes / Month / Channel       

Basic Package Charge      
Rs.499
(5 Months)
or Rs.999
(10/12 Months)      
​Sources, 
*www.sundirect.in/HD/index.php 
*broadbandforum.in/sun-direct-hd/44795-sun-dth-hd-newspaper-advertisement-and-website/2/


MUMBAI: Direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast major, Sun Direct, on Wednesday introduced high-definition services to India, promising subscribers a
whole new viewing experience.

The HDTV technology, considered one of the world's best digital broadcast platforms, will improve viewer experience by about five times over regular TV, thanks to the higher resolution than the traditional platform, company officials said here at the launch.

Sun Direct COO Tony D'Silva declared that the broadcaster, an 80:20 JV between the Maran family and Malaysias Astro Group, had crossed the 3-million active subscriber base mark in March 2009 to touch the 3.1 million figure.

"This achievement qualifies us to be the No 2 DTH service provider (in India). In the coming fiscal we look to occupy the pole position,'' D'Silva said. "We also have the lowest customer churn at 3%.''

When asked about the tough times faced by the DTH industry, the Sun Direct COO claimed his company's losses of Rs 450 crore were the least among all players for FY09.

Targeted initially at a niche set of TV viewers, Sun Direct's HD services will begin with two channels--one each for Tamil movies and Telugu movies--at a cost of Rs 10,000 per subscription, before the company's plans of eight channels are put in place.

*It has entered into an arrangement with Samsung to supply the set-top-boxes required for the HD services.*

While various international channels and content providers have queued up to obtain permission for HD broadcast in India, i*t is the Commonwealth Games 2010 that will flag off the HDTV wave in the country*, as the mega event is set to be telecast on the HDTV platform, Sun Direct officials said.

Stating that HDTV was a growing market D'Silva said, "In this coming year at least 20% of the 1.5 million LCDs sold will be of the HD format. We look to capture approximately 20% of this market in 2009-10... So we have a target of around 60,000-70,000 subscribers for the first year.''

Having lined up global channels like *Fox International and Warner Brothers* to be telecast on its service, Sun Direct looks to capture 40-45% of the DTH market this fiscal, up from its present 30% share. Towards this end the company has earmarked Rs 150 crore as marketing budget.




> "Sun DTH will launch other DTH channels once the elections are over and channels like National Geographic and HBO will be seen on HD.
> 
> Sun DTH is launching Fox, Fox Crime, Fox Baby, Real and Warner on their regular dth offering but none of them are HD. "
> 
> SOURCE *www.indiabroadband.net/sun-dth/16891-sun-dth-rs-10-000-a.html


POSSIBLE STB HARDWARE FROM SAMSUNG


*www.samsung.com/us/system/consumer/product/2006/10/06/dtb_h260fxaa/DigitalSetTopBox_DTB-H260F_dimades.jpg​ 
SAMSUNG brings you total flexibility for delivering FREE over-the-air digital television signals to a DTVready television or DTV-capable computer monitors. Award-winning SAMSUNG technology easily tunes and decodes all 18 ATSC Table 3 broadcast formats. 

With the SAMSUNG DTB-H260F, you can view HDTV, SDTV, and listen to Dolby® Digital 2.0 stereo or Dolby® Digital 5.1 surround audio through your audio system. SAMSUNG solves output worries with a wide selection of output options including 1080i, 720p or 480p/i DTV formats, and connection options including HDMI (1), Component (1),Composite (1), Audio-Right/Left, Dolby® Digital Optical. Attractive styling and affordable pricing make the SAMSUNG DTB-H260F a perfect solution.

*www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail...=hdtvtuners&model_cd=DTB-H260F/XAA&fullspec=F


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## naveen_reloaded (Apr 25, 2009)

W i d e S c r e e N


thnks and nice to see u bak..

was expecting when this thread woud be  updated....


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## azbokikr (Apr 25, 2009)

naveen_reloaded said:


> ya but they are not the future platform ... optic fibre is ....
> 
> thats wht i am saying ...
> 
> if we are going to expand the current networki,.,, then it better be on optic rather than old copper....




Don't seal copper cable's fate as yet.. Scientists are working on a spectrum management technology which would allow copper wires to push 4 times the bandwidth of Fiber optics.

I found _this_ news sometime ago and was sort of hoping Indian ISPs would take a liking towards it. 

If you are interested to know more about this technology, read _this_ 12 page tech paper.


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## abhijit_reddevil (Apr 27, 2009)

@widescreen: Thanks for the useful information. Hoping that HD subscription prices per channel will also be reduced.


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Apr 29, 2009)

@naveen_reloaded,
glad to be back. but there's no more action here wouldnt u agree? Forum used to be my visits everyday now it' seem's like it's "slowdown" everywhere 

@digitized, 
 Glad it has finally begun!


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## W i d e S c r e e N (Apr 29, 2009)

*SUN HD feeds online!*


Updates from the Forums of IndiaBroadband.  The test feeds of High Definition channels has begun from INSAT 4B NSS 6 Satellite By SUN DTH.Infornation below is the source of this latest news gained from SatcoDX Satellite Chart, an satellite information portal.​ 

DVB-S2 11.668 GHz V9500 INS04BKB

TV-HD-CRYPT TEST  HD -1 
*High Quality Home Cinema* 

VIDEO  
*9.96 Mbps MPEG-4*

AUDIO  
*524 kbps AC3*

TV-HD-CRYPT  TEST HD -2
* High Quality Home Entertainment*

VIDEO 
*9.25 Mbps MPEG-4*

AUDIO
*386 kbps MP2 *​ 


SUN DTH  | 2008-11-20, 01:3 | AutoScan | Thiruvananthapuram 1          ​


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## naveen_reloaded (Apr 29, 2009)

W i d e S c r e e N said:


> @naveen_reloaded,
> glad to be back. but there's no more action here wouldnt u agree? Forum used to be my visits everyday now it' seem's like it's "slowdown" everywhere




ya u r right but i think it would be inappropraite to desert this once great forum..

i think mods / admin will come up with something and bring back life into this forum...


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