I&B Ministry
Dasmunshi to open Cwealth Broadcast Asscn meet
NEW DELHI: Whats common between I&B minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, Prannoy Roy, old BBC hand Mark Tully, ABC chairman Donald McDonald and BBC Worlds Richard Sambrook?
Well, all these TV and media personalities and many more will be sharing their views on broadcasting and latest trends in Delhi as part of the 26th general conference of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA).
The conference, which is being co-hosted by Indian pubcaster Prasar Bharati, will be held from February 15-18 where the theme is `Making A Difference in the Multi-Platform World.
The conference, to be inaugurated by Dasmunshi, is likely to be attended by more than 250 delegates from over 100 Commonwealth nations.
While Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma will deliver the welcome address, I&B secretary SK Arora will give the keynote address.
Though the list of speakers almost looks like a media list of whos who of the Commonwealth nations, the attractions include the media-shy NDTV president Roy who is speaking on the first day on `Making a Difference:
Income and Impact.
On the second day, Prasar Bharatis Sarma and Zee Telefilms director Punit Goenka are slated to speak on `New Content, New platforms.
Doordarshan DG Navin Kumar, BBC World Service and Global News director Richard Sambrook and South African Broadcasting Corporation group CEO Dali Mpofu will share their thoughts on `Survival Strategies for Public Broadcasters.
Other key speakers include the Commonwealth secretary-general Rt Hon Don McKinnon, Irene Khan, secretary-general of Amnesty International, AIRs director-general B. Singh and UNESCO additional director-general (communication & information) Abdul Waheed Khan.
Apart from live demonstrations on the emerging medium of podcasting, a 30-minute compilation of items about the Commonwealth and about Commonwealth countries and peoples, titled `Pick of the Commonwealth will be made available as a podcast.
This means that anyone can subscribe (free) to the programme, and receive automatic downloads. Full instructions and how to make use of this new service are on www.cba.org.uk/pick. It is presented by Robin White, formerly with the BBC World Service. The programme has a shelf-life of a month and is downloadable in broadcast quality.
The CBA Awards will be presented on the evening of 16 February at a dinner at which Sir Mark Tully will be the master of ceremonies.
NDTV, ABC, Bharat Sanchar Nigam, BBC World Service, Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), ONGC and the British Council in India are some of the major sponsors. Exhibitors include SHAF Broadcast, BBC World Service Trust, ABC Asia Pacific, VT Communications, Inscriber, Red Bee, Teko Telecom and Prasar Bharati.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
