DTH operators seek dropping of set-top box compatibility clause

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In what may turn out to be an anti-consumer move:wall:, the direct-to-home (DTH) service providers have urged the government to drop the clause that requires DTH set-top boxes to be compatible with all service providers from the licensing norms . The demand has come to resolve the issue that arises due to technology differences existing between the yet-to-be launched DTH services of Reliance Communications and Bharti and the existing DTH service providers (Dish TV and Tata Sky). If accepted by the government, the move will deny about 5 million existing DTH subscriber a chance to switch to the DTH services of the new entrants. Interoperability of set-top boxes, the device that is used to access DTH signals, allows consumers to change their DTH operator without changing the set-top box. This was incorporated in the DTH licensing norms to give the consumers a choice. As the DTH services of Reliance Communications’ Big TV and Bharti will use an advanced MPEG-4 technology compared with the MPEG-2 technology being used by Dish TV and Tata Sky, the set-top boxes of the two different technologies cannot be interoperable without adding some other hardware, experts say. Currently, only the DTH boxes of Dish TV and Tata Sky are technically interoperable as they use the same compression technology. The recent recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) says that while the Bureau of India Standards (BIS) reviews the current interoperability norms for DTH set-top boxes for advanced technologies, new players such as Big TV can go ahead with their DTH service launch. If this happens, the existing DTH lincesing norms would be violated as the DTH boxes of Big TV or Bharti will not be interoperable with the DTH boxes of Dish TV and Tata Sky. In a meeting held between the representatives of both existing and the new DTH companies with the secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) recently, the DTH companies have sought removal of the interoperable clause as the “best possible solution” to the existing tussle between Dish TV, Tata Sky on one side and Big TV, Bharti and Videocon on the other. “Dropping the interoperablility clause is the simplest solution, else either the existing DTH companies or the new DTH operators will have to shell out at least $7-10 to make their DTH boxes interoperable thereby increasing the DTH subscription cost significantly,” said a senior executive of a DTH company. But the largest DTH operator, Dish TV, has opposed this move. Instead, it has urged the government to drop the “reverse interoperability” clause, as suggested by Trai. Reverse-interoperability means that the existing DTH companies like Dish TV and Tata Sky will be responsible to upgrade the DTH set top boxes of their existing subscribers to make them compatible with MPEG-4 based DTH service providers like Big TV, Bharti and others. Instead it wants the onus of interoperability to be put on the new DTH players. “We have put our views on the matter before the secretary of the I&B ministry. I am sure there can be other solutions to the interoperability issues. Dropping the interoperable clause from the DTH licensing agreement is not the best option,” said A Mohan, executive vice president, Essel Group. Dish TV belongs to Essel Group though it is listed as a separate company at the Bombay Stock Exchange.

DTH operators seek dropping of set-top box compatibility clause
 
Just $7-10???? I am ready to pay that to get an interoperable STB. Someday, we can have consumers buying their own STBs from the market and just getting a SIM card from the DTH providers. Its "like this only" in the middle east.
 
I hope that this plea from Dish TV & Tata Sky will not get accepted by the government b'coz it's not good for the customers if they ever decided to change their services to new entrants like BIG TV or Bharti DTH.
 
Somebody pleasemake a poll and post as how many wants interoperability and how many doesn't?
 
As i said earlier nothing with change in Tata Sky everthing will remain same they will stick will mpeg2 with less channels and ask more money for add on packs (like beggers) :hysterical:. will be loosing many customers by that time and only vikaram kaushik & co will be watching tata sky dth. :hysterical:
 
It's interesting to note that Dish are not against interoperability and this may well be a deciding factor in the final outcome. They do have a point with the reverse interoperability issue though. Forcing them to upgrade the stbs of the existing customers to make them mpeg4 compatible is ridiculous. On the other hand i expect Reliance to come up with something through which they can also target the existing subscribers of TS and Dish. They have apparently developed a technological solution to make Mpeg2 Stbs Mpeg4 compatible.
 

I have started a poll in this issue. Please participate in this and I am sure more than 90% of the people in this forum will be interested in having interpolability.
 
I have started a poll in this issue. Please participate in this and I am sure more than 90% of the people in this forum will be interested in having interpolability.
:thumbsup:
 
One thing nobody seems understood.Tata Sky or DishTV will eventually have to upgrade existing users STBs by providing a free or cheap replacement, becauseThey can't use MPEG2 transmission for ever, Once they start switching to MPEG4 they won't be able to afford to broadcast in two different formats of streams considering their limited TP capacity.So when they start switching to MPEG4. existing subscriber's STB have to be replaced with MPEG4 capable STBs, cos as most of you know, MPEG4 STBs can process MPEG2 stream, but MPEG2 STBs can't process MPEG4 stream.So eventually every existing subscriber would get compatible STBs.
 
Along with interoperability clause, TRAI must also insist that DTH operators must not insist on compulsory purchase of STB from them and allow customers to buy the STBs from the open market; this will partially blunt the sting. As with cell phones which allow dual sim cards, the customers may be allowed to subscribe to more than one operator at the same time using a single stb and special prism antennae for catching multiple satellites.
 
I have started a poll in this issue. Please participate in this and I am sure more than 90% of the people in this forum will be interested in having interpolability.
So far 100% people voting for Yes, including me, although technically I know it is now too late for DISH/Tata Sky to make any changes in technically with less investment. Now any upgradtion for MPEG4 or encryption means setting up from scratch. Only option remains is to atleast provide option of CAM interface (like DISH already does) and provide CAM+card so users can use it in any CAM supporting STB
 
I agree too: IO should be allowed. DTH STBs should not be provided by the DTH providers, but by equipment manufacturers. Subsribers should have the freedom to choose their service providers or switch them in the event of mediocre services, solely by changing their DTH Account card .Off topic here, but I can see Sunil Mittal loosing more hair on his head, due to the ongoing DTH war. He may own the No. 1 Telecom Company in India, but past success is not an indication for the future. Moreover, he will the 6th DTH Service provider (after DD Direct Plus, Zee's Dish TV, Tata Sky, Reliance's BIG TV and SUN DTH). Videocon thinks its smart too. It will be the 7th provider.Wow..I just voted and as of now all 15 people say yes to IO. Kewl..!
 
I Insist that DTH Set top Boxes to be interoperable.But existing providers cant take all the blame.Our Government is so slow that they will add recomendations and amendments only after it is 3/4th popular in india.They should have added this Mpeg 4 clause way before in 2004.When DTH is at its nascent Stage.Support me if I am correct.
 
What is a CAM supporting STB? Please expand CAM for me and why cheap STBs of Chineese / Taiwan make is not available in markets in India with Viewing Cards?
 

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