News Broadcasting
Analogue systems no less secure than digital, asserts DALVI
MUMBAI: In the ongoing debate on the efficacy of set top box systems that will finally enable implementation of CAS, DALVI, a six-year-old encryption systems company that’s looking to be a major player in the CAS market in India, has refuted the charge that all analogue systems are less secure than digital systems.
Pointing that no single solution will be the best for all in the Indian scenario, DALVI’s business development manager Lewis Zimbler says that security methodology is the same in all systems whether analogue or digital. “The video signal is ‘scrambled’ and a control data stream is simultaneously transmitted to authorise the set top box. It is not true that all analogue systems are less secure than digital systems. Analogue encryption systems have been in the market for many years and range from the older and less secure sync manipulation versions through to state of the art video processing offering excellent security,” says Zimbler.
While DALVI currently operates only for analogue systems, digital systems are also being simultaneously developed, he says. The company has tied up with Catvision Products for distribution and is already in discussions with partners for setting up its own STB manufacturing facility in India, he adds.
The proposed CAS legislation leaves the system implementation choice to the MSOs but offers a variety of choices including digital, analogue, wireless, a hybrid DTH/cable proposal and many others. While security of the system is important as it stops unlawful viewing of the channels, Zimbler says the security methodology is the same in all systems whether or not they are analogue or digital. Digital systems are based on MPEG video encoding and will hence offer a wide range of security, he says.
“The Indian market is not unique in its requirements. It needs secure, reliable and easy to operate set top boxes at an affordable price. Almost every other market in the world asks for these attributes. What makes India special is the unique operating conditions, the potential volume and the expertise of the Indian nation,” points out Zimbler.
While the implementation of CAS will start the Indian cable TV business on the road to legitimacy and profit, Zimbler avers that while the government should introduce the necessary legislation it should not mandate the technology to be used to implement it.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
