The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : DTH formally launched in Vizag

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 17, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

DTH formally launched in Vizag

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, NOV. 16. The Prasar Bharati Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday formally announced the introduction of direct-to-home (DTH) television and radio service in the city.

Displaying the DTH facility directly from the satellite after installation of Ku band (11-12 GHz) at the All India Radio (AIR) station here, the AIR Superintending Engineer, K.S. Sarma, told reporters that now TV and radio programmes could be accessed anywhere in the footprint area of the satellite with a 60-90 cm dish, converter and set top box (STB). The output of STB has to be connected to a TV set. TV can be used for either watching audio-visual programmes or listening to radio by selecting one's choice during the display. The system being digital, the quality of transmission is very good.

Satellite signals

DTH service is operating through satellite NSS-6 located at 95 degrees east in the geo-stationary orbit. Though the signals are available throughout the country, the DTH service is particularly useful for remote and hilly terrains, which are otherwise not covered by Doordarshan and AIR terrestrial transmissions.

Mr. Sarma said Prasar Bharati had taken the initiative for free-to-air DTH transmission for expansion of its TV and radio coverage by setting up a satellite earth station at Todapur, near New Delhi.

The earth station had the capacity for transmission of 30 TV and 20 radio channels. The bouquet of channels would include 17 popular Doordarshan national and regional channels, 20 AIR channels as well as free-to-air programmes of other broadcasters.

Mr. Sarma said 10,000 `receive systems' were being distributed free of cost throughout the country to give demo effect among public institutions like anganwadis, schools, public health centres, youth clubs and cooperative societies.

Multi-lingual choice

AIR -- the national public service broadcaster -- was broadcasting news and other programmes in 66 languages and dialects through a terrestrial network of 215 stations, he said, adding that even outside the coverage area of the transmitters, one could hear the programmes transmitted by a maximum number of AIR stations when in the DTH mode.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh