HDTV SAT RECEIVERS ?
Q: I read the April 08 issue on HDTV in India.
I would like to receive the VOOM HD TV channel. Can you please indicate where in India can we get MPEG-4 FTA satellite receivers with HDMI output ?
Dr. Karthikeyan - Trichy
ANS: To the best of my knowledge, HDTV, MPEG-4 satellite receivers with HDMI output, for receiving free to air broadcast, are not currently available in India.
The ICC network that currently receives these broadcasts, have spent a substantial amount, importing professional grade HDTV, MPEG-4 receivers.
However, I believe that as the number of MPEG-4 satellite broadcasts over India increase, these receivers should be available in the retail market, during the next 1 year.
Currently, the INX channels (Music & News) utilise MPEG-4 compression. However, these receivers are only provided to cable TV networks. Further these receivers will only receive the INX encrypted signals which are SD TV (Standard Definition Television) and not HDTV (High Definition Television). They also do not have an HDMI output.
Reliance's BIG TV DTH service to be launched shortly will utilise MPEG-4 compression. However, they will not provide HDTV reception. Maybe, in future, their premium DTH receivers will provide HDTV, though they may or may not be enabled for FTA reception.
ENCODER ?
Q: What is the function of an 'Encoder' ?
Reshmikant, By E-Mail.
ANS: Conventional television signals are analog signals for both the video and the audio. Analog signals vary gradually in response to changes. As a result, a band on the TV screen which changes from full black to full white will be transmitted by a video signal which varies in intensity from zero (for the black) to full signal level which is typically 1 volt (for the white). This is of course a very simple explanation.
Digital signals however consists a series of 0s (no signal) and 1s (full signal). Long digital words, of say - a series of 16 Zeros & Ones (a 16 bit word) can be used to convey all the gradual variations in colour, brightness and contrast on the screen.
A digital 'word' with all 16 zeros could represent a black dot on the screen. A digital word with 16 Ones will represent a white dot on the screen. All other combinations of 'Zeros' and 'Ones' will represent and re-create several million shades of colour on the screen.
The encoder converts the analog (continuously varying) signal to a digital signal consisting of a series of 0s and 1s.
WHY DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES ?
Q: I am from Mumbai and a regular reader of your magazine. It is very interesting Book. Please Give the Reasons as to why Uplink Frequency is Different than Downlink Frequency? Also mention Reasons for keeping uplink Frequency higher than downlink frequency ?
Rakesh Singh, By E-Mail.
ANS: If the uplink & Downlink frequencies for a channel were the same, these would 'clash' similar to two trains traveling towards each other on the same track.
Separate frequencies guarantee that the Uplinked signal does not interfere with the downlinked signal.
The Downlink frequency band could have been chosen above or below the Uplink frequency band. By international agreement, the C band frequencies from 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz have been chosen for downlink, and 5.9 GHz to 6.4 GHz as the uplink frequency band.
The C band downlink frequency band can be notionally split as 24 transponders each 36 MHz-wide. To allow more downlink 'paths' without interference between each other, or between adjacent satellites, 'Cross Polarisation' is used. ( eg: Horizontal / Vertical polarisation, and Left or Right Hand Circular Polarisation).
These and several other concepts are explained in the 'Dish Doctor' and 'HOW TO…?' books that you can buy at our website at www.satcab.com
DISH-TV DTH STB UNUSABLE !
Q: I have a DishTV receiver. The card has lapsed a year ago. I want to use the receiver with any other card. Is it possible? Where I can find such card ? Are there any Free-To-Air or adult channels that I can view with this Dish TV receiver, which I have paid for ? Otherwise, can I return it and get a refund?
N Jain - By E-Mail.
Q: If a customer purchases a DISH TV connection & does not want to view pay channels, can he use it for viewing DD Direct+ Free-To-Air channels, without paying any Dish TV subscription ?
Neelesh Varma, Jalgaon
ANS: Very unfortunately, for you, the Dish TV DTH box cannot be used for receiving ANY channels if the subscription has lapsed. The box will not even receive FTA channels from any other satellite. (Old Dish TV STBs could be used for FTA reception but the new boxes cannot.)
Once the Dish TV subscription lapses, the set top box is effectively non-functional until you renew the subscription to activate the box.
Activated boxes will work only for reception of Dish TV signals.
Interestingly, though Dish TV charges Rs. 2650 for the box + installation + 3 months subscription, this is a dead investment for the subscriber since Dish TV claims that "This Is Company Property Despatched For Installation At Customer Premise. No Sale Involved"
Surprisingly, we are aware of a case where a Dish TV subscriber's STB failed after 1 year. The STB model has been discontinued by Dish TV and Dish TV has refused to take back its own property and refund any amount to the subscriber. Even worse, Dish TV has asked the subscriber to get a new STB after paying for a fresh STB + Subscription!
By Dish TV's own admission, as of 31st March 2008, Dish TV has seeded the market with 3 million STBs but has only 2.5 million paying customers. As a result there are 500,000 Dish TV STBs that are not being used by consumers and no refund is offered to these consumers.
Further, the law requires that consumers must be provided a Conditional Access Module (CAM Module) by Tata Sky which can be fitted into any Dish TV STB and utilise for shifting to Tata Sky DTH services. However, no CAM Modules are provided by either Tata Sky or Dish TV.
We believe that this procedure is unfair to the consumer and consumer should vigorously contest this decision with complaints to the Consumer Guidance Society & the TRAI.
DTH ON SHIPS
Q: One of our customer's ship is fitted with a Seatel Ku-Band TVRO system. The ship moved recently from Sri Lanka and is currently at Dhamra, Orissa.
They used Dialog TV services when the ship was in Sri Lanka. Now they want to use Dish TV.
What is the procedure to activate DishTV's service ? What receiving frequency should be set in the system? What is the LNB type ?
S Suresh Kumar
V V Kay Marine(P) Ltd.
ANS: Dish TV is available from the NSS6 satellite as a Ku Band transmission. Dialog TV - the DTH service in Sri Lanka is also a Ku Band transmission.
You can therefore use the same LNB and satellite dish antenna as used to receive Dialog TV, though you will have to re-position the antenna.
You will however need to buy a new Dish TV receiver with subscription. You cannot use the Dialog TV receiver to receive Dish TV.
Dish TV receivers with subscription should be easily available in your town, from its local agent. They will come pre-set to the DishTV frequencies, so you do not need to set the reception frequency. n
