LATEST PROCESS OF TV DIGITISATION IN INDIA A ordinance has been passed by the Govt.

Govt. of India on the mandatory digitization of the Cable Services. According to this amendment made in the section 9 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Ordinance, 1995, the I&B ministry will make Digital Addressable System mandatory. This measure will empower consumers to an increased number of channels and high quality viewing. The concept of a prime band will be pass after introduction of digitization. Viewers will be able to access digital services only through a set top box (STB). PHASES OF DIGITIZATION Phase I: Mumbai & Delhi completely digitized as per the deadline of 31st October, 2012. Digitization is still in process for Kolkata & Chennai. Phase II: 38 Cities on 31st March 2013. Phase III : All the urban areas in India on 30th September 2014 Phase IV : Complete India on 31st December 2014 BENEFITS: Every Household in India must have a Digital Set Top Box post these deadlines to be able to watch Satellite TV. The process of Digitization will definitely benefit the television viewers in India. Digitization will lead TV viewers to more qualitative viewing with access to digital picture and High Definition Digital (HDD) Sound Quality.

PRESENT SCENARIO: TV viewing services in India is currently provided mainly by three mediums

1. Analogue Cable Services, 2. Digital Cable Services and 3. Digital DTH Services.

Analogue cable services have been existing in India for more than two decades in India; however, analogue cable services have limited number of channels and do not have extra features and value added services. Digital DTH services in India have been started less than a decade back and are gaining popularity and acceptance in India mainly because of their superior picture and sound quality. The cable operators transmit the channels in analog signal mode which is very hazy. The common problems associated with the analog transmission include ghosting of images or even hazy and noisy signal. You will notice that after a particular number, the quality of channels become very poor. In high end televisions, cable is more distorted and one will not be able to watch the programs clearly. You need to switch over to the Digital signals provided by a DTH service provider to reap the full benefits of a high end television and its superior features. What is a Digital Signal? How are they superior then Analog signal?

In a digital signal, the receptivity is much clearer and all the channels have the same reception quality. As both the signals are received at the same time, there are no issues with the synchronization of sound with video. Cable operators are currently providing analog signals. There is a huge cost involved in digitization of cable signals and many cable operators are shying away from this kind of investment, barring few organized and large scale cable operators. About DTH

DTH means, Direct to Home Service. Through this service, the recipient will receive the signals directly from the satellite on his Set Top Box. The viewer gets a wider range of channels to choose from which can be activated through packages. The picture quality is much superior and the sound is crystal clear. The viewers are also able to watch High Definition content which is set to make television viewing even more superlative. HD Channels is one of the major advantages for a DTH Service subscriber along with other features mentioned below. One can now watch his favourite sports action or travel & adventure series in high definition; he can now also see all the movie action with higher clarity. There is upto 5 times picture quality over normal or standard definition picture quality and the images carry 16: 9 aspect ratios.