What is DTH service and its uses

DTH services are available in every nook and corner to avail the service just buy DTH setup box and the service is bundled with 6 months free with 120 channels according to your selection of the package.. These are all sim based , we have to charge it and enjoy the required channels providing by the service provider..

Doordarshan will launch its Direct-To-Home telecast from April 1. Broadcasters like Star and Zee are pushing hard for DTH services in India [ Images ] too.

So what is this DTH all about? How, if at all, does it help the customer? Is it good? Let's find out.

What is DTH?

DTH stands for Direct-To-Home television. DTH is defined as the reception of satellite programmes with a personal dish in an individual home.

DTH does away with the need for the local cable operator and puts the broadcaster directly in touch with the consumer. Only cable operators can receive satellite programmes and they then distribute them to individual homes.

How does DTH work?

A DTH network consists of a broadcasting centre, satellites, encoders, multiplexers, modulators and DTH receivers.

A DTH service provider has to lease Ku-band transponders from the satellite. The encoder converts the audio, video and data signals into the digital format and the multiplexer mixes these signals. At the user end, there will be a small dish antenna and set-top boxes to decode and view numerous channels. On the user's end, receiving dishes can be as small as 45 cm in diametre.

DTH is an encrypted transmission that travels to the consumer directly through a satellite. DTH transmission is received directly by the consumer at his end through the small dish antenna. A set-top box, unlike the regular cable connection, decodes the encrypted transmission.

How does DTH really differ from cable TV?

The way DTH reaches a consumer's home is different from the way cable TV does. In DTH, TV channels would be transmitted from the satellite to a small dish antenna mounted on the window or rooftop of the subscriber's home. So the broadcaster directly connects to the user. The middlemen like local cable operators are not there in the picture.

DTH can also reach the remotest of areas since it does away with the intermediate step of a cable operator and the wires (cables) that come from the cable operator to your house. As we explained above, in DTH signals directly come from the satellite to your DTH dish.

Also, with DTH, a user can scan nearly 700 channels!

Does one need to put two dish antennae and pay double subscription per month if one has two TVs [ Get Quote ]?

For multiple connections in the same premises, one can use the same connection. However, every television set will need to have an individual STB.

Also, DTH is a national service and the STBs enable a viewer to change service providers without changing the STB, even if one moves from one city to another.

Can a CAS set-top box be used for DTH?

No, these are different set-top boxes.

Why is DTH is being discussed now?

Doordarshan plans to launch its DTH telecast from April 1. The government has said it will provide 10,000 dishes free across eight states for increased community viewing of the DTH service. The government is estimated to be investing over Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) in this DTH venture.

There are four serious contenders for DTH services in India: Doordarshan, Star, Zee, and Data Access.

Is DTH superior to cable TV?

Yes. DTH offers better quality picture than cable TV. This is because cable TV in India is analog. Despite digital transmission and reception, the cable transmission is still analog. DTH offers stereophonic sound effects. It can also reach remote areas where terrestrial transmission and cable TV have failed to penetrate. Apart from enhanced picture quality, DTH has also allows for interactive TV services such as movie-on-demand, Internet access, video conferencing and e-mail. But the thing that DTH has going for it is that the powerful broadcasting companies like Star, Zee, etc are pushing for it.

So why are broadcasters pushing for DTH?

In DTH, the payments will be made directly by the subscriber to the satellite company offering the service.

A big problem that broadcasters face in India is the issue of under-reporting of subscribers by cable operators.

Consider the cable operators pyramid. Right at the top is the broadcaster. Next comes the Multi Service Cable Operator (MSOs) like Siticable, InCable, etc. Below them are the Access Cable Operators (ACOs) or your local cable guy who actually lays the wires to your house.

The local cable operators or the ACOs then allegedly under-report the number of subscribers they have bagged because they have to pay the MSOs something like Rs 30-45 per household. Showing a lesser number of households benefits ACOs.

With no way to actually cross check, the MSOs and the broadcasters lose a lot. Broadcasters do not earn much in subscription fees and are mostly dependent on advertisement revenue to cover their costs, which is not sustainable and does not offer high growth in revenues for broadcasters.

The way out of this is to use a set-top box so that it will be clear how many households are actually using cable or going for DTH where broadcasters directly connect to consumers and can actually grow revenues with a growth in the subscriber base.

Why do Doordarshan, Zee, Star think DTH will work in India?

Today, broadcasters believe that the market is ripe for DTH. The prices of the dish and the set-top box have come down significantly. Overall investments required in putting up a DTH infrastructure has dropped and customers are also reaping the benefits of more attractive tariffs.

The major thing that DTH operators are betting on is that the service is coming at a time when the government is pushing for CAS (conditional access system), which will make cable television more expensive, narrowing the tariff gap between DTH and cable.

Will DTH be cheaper than cable or more expensive?

DTH will be definitely more expensive than cable as it exists today.

A set-top box is a must for DTH. Earlier, when CAS made set-top box mandatory for households, the costs between DTH and cable would not have been too wide.

But CAS on the backburner now -- which means no set-top box (a must for DTH), the price gap between DTH and cable will be wide.

In Oct 2002, Siticable, which is owned by Zee, said that the cost of the installation equipment, which includes the receiver dish and the set-top box, would be priced at around Rs 3,900. Siticable is looking to rope in 1 million subscribers in 15 months.

Other estimates say that digital cable set-top box may cost Rs 4,000, a DTH decoder dish is unlikely to cost less than Rs 7,000.

DTH's minimum subscription could be priced around Rs 500 per month.

Some reports say that an entry level DTH STB will cost about Rs 7,000 (including taxes and installation cost at consumers end). A more advanced STB with value added features like PVR (Personal Video Recorder), PSTN connectivity, Gamming console, channel management system, etc. may cost as much as Rs 15,000.

What is the history of DTH in India?

DTH services were first proposed in India in 1996. But they did not pass approval because there were concerns over national security and a cultural invasion. In 1997, the government even imposed a ban when the Rupert Murdoch-owned Indian Sky Broadcasting (ISkyB) was about to launch its DTH services in India.

Finally in 2000, DTH was allowed. The new policy requires all operators to set up earth stations in India within 12 months of getting a license. DTH licenses in India will cost $2.14 million and will be valid for 10 years. The companies offering DTH service will have to have an Indian chief and foreign equity has been capped at 49 per cent. There is no limit on the number of companies that can apply for the DTH license.

So, what's the buzz? Will DTH finally be the one that rules?

The cable system is well entrenched in India and is showing quite rapid growth. If DTH had come to India in 1996-97 (like Star had originally attempted), then it could have made a significant breakthrough.

Europe is an example of this. DTH developed there before cable and now controls nearly 80 per cent of the total satellite television subscriber base. But in US, cable rules because it came before DTH.

DTH will definitely cut into the existing cable user base. It will make the local cable operator less important and take business away from him. It will give consumers greater choice.

But it is likely to be an up market premium product and most middle class households will stick to cable.

 

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Contact with Extra-Terrestrial life within 12 years

 

Contact with Aliens likely within 12 years

Humans could make contact with alien life within 12 years, with the aid of the world’s largest radio telescope, a leading UFO expert has claimed.
One of the key questions whether extra-terrestrial life exists, could be answered by 2024 with the development of a supersized £1.3 billion radio telescope, the Daily Express reported.
The development of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope will unleash “new and exciting possibilities”, according to former UK ministry of defence UFO project leader Nick Pope.
“I will be controversial and give you an exact year of when I believe first confirmation of contact will be made and that is 2024, the year in which if everything goes according to plan the Square Kilometre Array will be fully operational,” said Pope, who studied UFO sightings for 21 years.
The SKA, to be started in 2016, is set to be the world’s largest radio telescope and will answer some of the fundamental unanswered questions of our universe.
Made up of thousands of radio wave receptors covering 4,921 square km of the Earth’s surface in the Australian outback, scientists have claimed it will provide alternative views of the universe than those seen with optical telescopes.
Scientists leading its development have suggested the SKA will be 50 times more sensitive, and will survey the sky 10,000 times faster, than any other telescope.

NASA to turn asteroid into space station

 

 Asteroid  space station to orbit the Moon

London: NASA scientists are planning to capture a 500,000 kg asteroid, relocate it and transform it into a space station for astronauts to refuel at on their way to Mars. 
It would be the first time a celestial object has ever been moved by humans, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported.
The White House’s Office of Science and technology will consider the USD 2.6 billion plan in the coming weeks as it prepares to set its space exploration agenda for the next decade.
A feasibility report prepared by NASA and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) scientists outlined how they would go about capturing the asteroid.
An ‘asteroid capture capsule’ would be attached to an old Atlas V rocket and directed the asteroid between the Earth and the Moon. Once close, the asteroid capsule would release a 50 ft diameter bag that wrap around the spinning rock using drawstrings, the paper said.
The craft would then turn on its thrusters, using an estimated 300 kg of propellant, to stop the asteroid in its tracks and tow it into a gravitationally neutral spot.
From here space explorers would have a stationary base from which to launch trips deeper into space.
“The idea of exploiting the natural resources of asteroids dates back over a hundred years, but only now has the technology become available to make this idea a reality,” the report said.
“The feasibility is enabled by three key developments: the ability to discover and characterise an adequate number of sufficiently small near-Earth asteroids for capture and return; the ability to implement sufficiently powerful solar electric propulsion systems to enable transportation of the captured asteroid; and the proposed human presence in cislunar space in the 2020s enabling exploration and exploitation of the returned asteroid,” it said.
NASA declined to comment on the project because it said it was in negotiations with the White House, but it is believed that technology would make it possible within 10-12 years.

1960 Classic Ferrari is world’s most expensive car

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Auctioned for 4 Million Pounds

A 1960 classic Ferrari could fetcha whopping four million pounds and become one of the world’s most expensive cars when it is auctioned next month.
The stunning 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione is one of just 74 models built by the Italian car maker.
It’s three-litre V12 engine gives a 0-60mph time of less than six seconds.
A similar model sold in 2011 for over 3.1 million pounds. The classic Ferrari market has skyrocketed over the past 18 months, The Sun reported.
The 250 GT was the 17th model in the series to roll off the production line in 1960 and has had just four owners over the past 52 years.
US auctioneer Shelby Myers said: “There is nothing that trumps the magnificent style, drivability, and sound of the 250 SWB Berlinetta.
“Ultra-exclusive, it is certainly one of the most desirable Ferraris ever produced. Rarely do such important cars come to public market,” Myers said.

Witness a new Phase of computing in 2013 says Intel

 

NewDelhi: “Intel foresees a renewed vigour in computing in 2013 in the highly connected multi-device landscape. Traditional input devices like keyboards and mouse will be challenged by new input methods like voice and gesture recognition,” Intel South Asia Director (Marketing) Sandeep Aurora told reporters.
Tablets, convertibles and newer devices will enter the market blurring the boundaries between PCs and tablets, he added.
Intel, which has a lion’s share in the global computer chip market, will launch its fourth generation of Intel Core processor family in 2013.
This, it claims, will bring faster, thinner, lighter, cooler and more secure systems with built-in graphics.
“The new generation of processors will significantly boost performance of devices from mobiles to tablets to Ultrabooks. As the world of personal computing continues to evolve, Intel will be at the forefront of advancements,” he said.
In March this year, Intel had partnered with handset maker Lava to launch XOLO X900, which marked the chip maker’s global foray into the smartphone segment. Also, lighter and less power consuming laptops —— Ultrabooks —— based on Intel processors hit the global market.
“Ultrabooks were launched in later part of the year and we think 2013 will be the year, we get to truly understand their potential. We will also see device makers bringing out ultra book convertibles (which converts into a tablet),” he said.
Also, Intel will focus on the National Digital Literacy Mission in India, its initiative with industry body Nasscom and other industry players, to create a digitally literate population in the country.
“Intel has impacted over 1 million learners through its Intel Easy Steps Digital Literacy programme in India in 2012.
We remain committed to working with the ecosystem and will work towards fulfilling the government’s vision of having one e—literate person per household by 2020,” Aurora said.

China launches tests 500 km/h super high-speed train

China launches tests 500 km/h super high-speed train

Beijing:  China has launched its first test train that is said to be capable of reaching 500 km per hour from the present 300 km per hour a feat if accomplished would be a big leap forward in high speed train technology.

China's largest rail vehicle maker, CSR Corp Ltd, over the weekend launched the train.

The six-car train with a fair shaped head is the newest in the CRH series.

It has a maximum tractive power of 22,800 kilowatts, compared with 9,600 kilowatts for the CRH380 trains currently in service on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, which holds the world speed record of 300 km per hour.

The grey-coloured train carries testing and data processing facilities, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Ding Sansan, the company's chief technician, said the concept of the the super-speed train design was inspired by China's ancient sword.

The bodywork uses plastic materials reinforced with carbon fiber.

Shen Zhiyun, a locomotive expert and academician said the testing of the super-speed train with speeds of up to 500 km per hour will provide useful reference for current high-speed railway operations.