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| indiantelevision.com's Breaking News |
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| Cable ops dissect CAS implications at
Scat workshop |
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Indiantelevision.com
Team
(18 February 2003 7:00 pm) |
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| MUMBAI: Pandora's box is finally open. The
CAS bill, which has thrown up more questions than answers at least
for the present, was the subject of intense debate and discussion
at the opening session of the two day Scat Bombay Workshop that kicked
off in the city this morning. |
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Over 150 cable operators from all over the
city who converged in Mumbai today were treated to a critical analysis
of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2002
by Scat editor Dinyar Contractor. While assailing the bill for leaving
vague the definitions of terms like 'pay channels' and 'addressability',
Contractor said the Bill had also left certain issues un-addressed.
The government, he said, has not specified retail margins for CATV
delivery. While cable ops' margins in countries like the US are often
as high as 50 per cent of the total subscription revenue, the Bill
has left the matter to market forces here. There is no clarity on
sharing of revenues between satellite broadcasters and CATV delivery
MSOs and last mile operators, or on audits and ratification of SMS
figures. Consumers here will have to choose channels a la carte instead
of in tiers as is done overseas, says Contractor.
Also, the question whether MSOs will permit local generation of the
basic tier has been left unanswered, he said.
The definition of a pay channel, in respect of a cable television
network, as a channel the reception of which by the subscriber would
require the use of an addressable system to be attached to his receiver
set, can also give rise to several possibilities, Contractor pointed
out.
Since the definition does not link it to whether a broadcaster asks
for payment for his channel, an associated network can even arrive
at an all India settlement with an associated channel by paying a
flat sum for its subscribers. It can then put that channel on the
basic tier, reaching a wider audience, Contractor noted.
In a similar manner, an unscrambled FTA channel could be scrambled
by a CATV network and delivered through an addressable system, making
it a pay channel on that network, Contractor claimed.
Despite some of its apparently vague clauses, the CAS Bill, said Contractor,
is clear that the carriage of pay channels without an addressable
system post 14 July 2003 would be tantamount to a cognizable offence
under section 4A. The CrPC defines a cognizable offence as one for
which a police officer may arrest without a warrant.
The spectre of police harassment in the absence of clearly laid down
guidelines and the prospect of an addressable system that could be
hacked were clearly among the prime concerns of participating cable
ops. Some, like Mrugesh Golatkar, an operator from a Mumbai suburb,
said there will considerable confusion regarding the physical implementation
of CAS, but staunchly maintained that they would prefer a digital
addressable system to an analog one.
Col V C Khare, a member of the BIS committee on set top boxes, however,
stressed the need to mull the considerations that have guided the
government's guidelines.
The Analog vs Digital Debate
Analog and digital system providers, who have descended on the country
to reap the first harvest of CAS, were among those present at the
Scat debate to educate participants on the benefits of their products.
Arcom Labs' regional vice president Basil Dillon Malone extrapolated
on the benefits of the analog MDI system. Other than offering over
117 channels in 860 MHz and video on demand, TV consumers' needs can
be satisfied either through analog or digital technology. The MDI
set top box, he said, offers BIS approved good quality descrambled
pictures, is compatible for the pay per view system which may make
its entry into India shortly and is able to use electronic countermeasures
if a breach occurs. The analog set top costs lesser than digital ones,
at Rs 2,500 as against Rs 7000 for a digital one, apart from the headend
costs, which too are considerably higher than one for analog systems.
NDS' business development manager Danny Gershon who detailed the company's
digital STB profile, said the digital STB keeps content more secure
than analog systems, and keeps subscribers honest with its employment
of control words, secure packets, electronic counter measures, smart
card authentication, pairing and fingerprinting which eliminate the
possibility of hacking.
Operator controlled features in the NDS digital STB include varying
levels of encryption for each channel, allowing taping control for
different shows, and blackout of certain areas if the operator wishes.
Subscriber controlled features include passwords, parental rating
and a check on spending limit (in case of PPV). Under the system,
the cable op is also able to telecast electronic programme guides,
offer multiple language support (dubbing in different languages for
films) as well as send out local bulletins and personalized mail.
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