Indian DTH space is a rapidly rising industry. Since the time, it first arrived in India, more and more new players are joining the bandwagon. Because of arrival of new entrants, this industry has become very competitive which ultimately results in customers having more benefits and options
of latest
technology.
DTH stands for Direct-To-Home television. DTH helps in keeping broadcasters in direct touch with consumers thus, eliminating the need of local cable operators. DTH technology works through direct reception of satellite programmes with a personal dish.
The latest technology of dth network includes satellites, multiplexers, broadcasting center, modulators, encoders and dth receivers. Technologically speaking, the process starts with dth service provider leasing Ku-band transponders from the satellite. Thereafter, encoder gets into the process of converting video, audio, and data signals into the digital format.
Once encoding is done, multiplexer mixes these signals. Users have to install a small dish antenna and set-top boxes which decode those mixed signals and lastly users get to view numerous TV channels. Primarily, dth is an encrypted transmission received directly from the satellite by the consumer at his place with the help of dish antenna.
The history of dth services in India dates back to 1996. But, the proposal couldn’t get through policy hurdles because of concern over national security. It was finally allowed in July 2006. As of now, number of total customers stand at 14 million whereas total cable TV households number is 75 million. That reflects the huge potential of this industry in the long run.
Major Indian DTH players are; Dish TV which is also the largest private dth player. DD direct, Tata Sky, Sun Direct, Big Digital TV etc are other major players. New entrants are Airtel Digital TV and Videocon. Old and established players like Dish TV and Tata Sky employ MPEG-2 technology while majority of other players use MPEG-4 technology. MPEG-4 technology is more efficient in broadcasting superb quality video and more channels as well.