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DD OPTS FOR NDS'
DIGITAL SYSTEMS
DD's digitalisation efforts have been
riding on the back of NDS, a leading provider of end-to-end
digital broadcast technology, part of the Rupert Murdoch
media empire. NDS has supplied it with its broadcast
systems and software. These systems are being utilised
by DD for the expansion of the northeast Indian network,
to digitise DD1 and DD2, to establish a contribution
network by Doordarshan for major cities in India and
to extend the number of studios or locations within
DD that can receive digital signals. The order was
awarded to NDS following a tendering process.
"These projects are a major step forward in DD's implementation
of digital broadcasting. It is the first digital regional
contribution network for DD and a significant upgrade
for the digital contribution network between the major
city centres of India. NDS is pleased to be assisting
with the momentous event and looks forward to working
with it on future projects," says NDS Asia Pacific
vice president sales Sue Taylor.
"We worked closely with NDS to supply these systems
to DD, because we felt that only NDS could offer the
complete product range of mobile contribution encoders,
IRDs and encryption technology that was required for
the national network," says New Delhi-based Horizon
Broadcast Systems business manager. Kuldeep Kaul.
NDS provided its NDS digital satellite news gathering
system (DSNG) for the digitisation of DD1 and DD2
in mid-August and its NDS 3+1 system with NDS VideoGuard
conditional access for the extension of digital services
to DD International. DD will also be using NDS encoders
E5410 and DSNG's utilising video compression at the
MP@ML MPEG-2 specification for its digital broadcasts.
For its north-east India expansion, DD has installed
eight NDS DSNG mobile contribution encoders and 16
IRDs. The equipment has been distributed between the
broadcast sites in the Northeast region of India,
which will now be able to communicate with each other
for transmissions, and with the main centre in Delhi
and Guwahati.
For its contribution network, DD has installed NDS
System 3000 and evolution 5000 range of compression
and modulation hardware, NDS E5410 encoders with Director
broadcast control software and 20 IRDs. These will
enable its broadcast centres in Hyderabad and Calcutta
to uplink one channel per site nation-wide (via satellite).
There are plans to expand this system to other urban
areas and increase the number of channels. The system
can be used for single channel per carrier (SCPC)
or multi channel per carrier (MCPC) operation.
DD has also bought 66 NDS integrated receiver/decoders
(IRDs) using NDS' Remote Authorisation System (RAS)
encryption technology for use in broadcast sites around
India to receive secure transmission from its network.
Each IRD can receive an encrypted signal from the
mobile contribution encoders from north-east India
and from the contribution network installed in major
cities.
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