There is no official word out yet on direct-to-home (DTH) and digital terrestrial transmission (DTT) in India but if the various developments taking place are any indicators, it is not too far away. Canal+ Technologies of France, a Vivendi Universal group company, announced yesterday its intention to provide its conditional access and middleware software to satellite TV channels beaming into Indian homes, the government owned Doordarshan terrestrial TV channels, the cable operator fraternity and all the 13 companies that have recently been granted permission to set up uplinking facilities in India.

Canal+ Technologies has expertise in designing and implementing digital TV systems and in offering its clients open standard solutions. Its technologies today already power more than 12.5 million digital set-top boxes, deployed on every continent on cable, satellite and terrestrial networks, an official release states.

Said Nicolas Andrieu, general manager sales-Asia/Pacific, Canal+Technologies: "C+T was the first to deploy digital satellite and cable in the interactive TV space in Europe in 1996 and 1997 respectively, and, in 1998, was the first digital terrestrial player in interactive TV in the world. It was also the first to deploy a Java-based middleware solution in 1999. I feel certain that Canal+ Technologies will play a major role in India‘s interactive TV revolution as well."

Over 20 digital platforms around the world already use C+T‘s software called Mediaguard and/or Mediahighway, including the Malaysian satellite operator, Astro Measat, which has deployed over 600,000 digital set-top boxes and the US cable operator WINfirst which has deployed iTV (interactive TV), over a fibre-to-the-home digital cable network. C+T has already deployed its CA system with the Zee TV bouquet in India.

Added Bhaskar Majumdar, CEO, Recreate Solutions, the India representatives of Canal+Technologies: "C+T is keen to licence its technology to Indian set top box manufacturers as it has done internationally. It is also in the process of establishing relationships with all the major components manufacturers and software houses using C+T software including Mediaguard and Mediahighway‘s integrated development environments."

As far as the licencing is concerned, one player that Canal+ is reportedly in talks with is Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd (HFCL). ?We are talking to HFCL to make the set top boxes in India. We are working out details of the deal like the licence fee etc,? Andrieu, has been quoted as saying

Canal+ Technologies is an international provider of interactive TV solutions which offers a range of flexible products to broadcasters and digital operators around the world. C+T has achieved leadership through innovation as it has the ability to integrate both head-end and set-top boxes. C+T has been a radical innovator right from inception in the 90s in the fast moving areas of TV Browsing, Pay-TV, Enhanced TV, Internet TV, T-Commerce, Entertainment and Personal Recordings. C+T was the global first to deploy a very popular horse racing home betting application in the millenium year 2000 and was also the first to deploy iTV over a fiber-to-the-home cable network in 2001.

Recreate Solutions is a London-based company, with a major development centre in Mumbai, India. Canal+ has appointed Recreate as its representative in India for the Indian pay TV and DTH scenarios. Recreate Solutions has also been mandated to develop interactive TV applications for Canal+ for the latter‘s Mediahighway platform.

As the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) readies the launch of its multi-purpose third generation satellite Insat-3A sometime in September or October, it is preparing to take a huge leap forward in the communications satellite arena. Seven satellites are planned under Isro‘s next generation of Insat-4 series.
Insat-4A through Insat-4G with Insat-4D as a spare, is what is being envisaged. The transponder capacity has been worked out after a detailed evaluation of the projected requirements by various users, the Press Trust of India has reported.

Isro currently has five satellites - Insat-2C, Insat-2DT, Insat-2E, Insat-3B and Insat-3C - in operation.

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai‘s Mukta Arts Ltd has clarified before the Bombay Stock Exchange that it has not yet entered into any agreement with any of the channels regarding the sale of television rights for its movie library.Mukta said it has been in discussions for over a year with Zee Telefilms, Sony Entertainment Television and the Star TV Network but was still to reach a deal. It made the clarification in response to an article in a leading financial daily titled "Library selloff buzz steps up Mukta Arts".

Delhi-based citizen‘s forum Consumer Action Network (CAN), has censured the Central government for failing to implement the recommendations of the task force on the introduction of conditional access systems.

CAN held a seminar on ‘Cable TV: New Age Dictatorship‘ in New Delhi on 16 April, where speakers denounced ever increasing cable rates and subsequent government inaction. CAN claims the seminar helped raise several related issues faced by cable consumers.

The purpose of the seminar was to highlight and voice issues currently faced by cable TV viewers in the country. It aimed at being a platform for face-to-face dialogue with cable ops and broadcasters. Speakers included former MRTP acting chairman Sardar Ali, journalist Saeed Naqvi, Hinduja TMT executive vice-president Ashok Mansukhani, Delhi high court advocate Shyam Moorjani, and CAN president Ahmed Abdi.

Some of the issues discussed at the seminar included freedom of choice, arbitrary rate hikes, absence of any regulatory authority in India unlike other countries and lack of initiative on the government‘s part.

Abdi lamented the present state of the consumer who has neither choice in selection of channels nor in deciding the rates. Cable rates have increased by more than 400 per cent in five years, he pointed out. He alleged that it suited broadcasters to delay the introduction of conditional access as they would no longer be able to bundle their weak channels and sell them forcibly along with the popular channels.

Naqvi commented that there was a need to create awareness on such issues through forums, debates and seminars. Moorjani stressed on the need for a regulatory authority to be formed that can regulate the broadcasting and cable industry and protect consumers. Cable TV, which has more than 200 million users in India and which is projected to grow into a Rs 5000 billion advertising industry, does not have any regulatory authority, he said.

Speaking on behalf of the cable industry, Mansukhani said that transparency should come in and that the cable industry was sick of allegations of "underdeclaration". He stressed the need for a regulatory authority and conditional access. He also stressed on the need to freeze the rates.

The recordings of the findings and suggestions of the seminar will be forwarded to the information and broadcasting ministry.