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Digital interactive TV a success in Taiwan
MUMBAI: One of the sessions for the seminar of technology for information, media and the entertainment industry saw a presentation on Total TV. It is Asia’s first interactive digital television service in Taiwan. This is being done through the digital cable platform China Network Systems (CNS) which is a JV between Star and the Koos Group.
VP Distribution and encryption project CNS May Oh addressed the gathering. She said,” Taiwan has the maximum level of cable penetration in Asia – 80 per cent. However there is chaos on the infrastructure front. There are analogue headends and Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) networks. Providing analogue service is bandwidth intensive. There is very limited use of analogue STBs. In most homes subscribers receive pay TV service through a direct connection between the HFC networks and their TVs. There are 6.66 million households out of which 20 per cent pirate the service. Much like India subscribers receive 90 channels and pay $15 US a month.”
Oh continued saying that, later on the cable industry formed CBIT an industry body which works closely with the Taiwan government to take the country into the next step of television evolution. The cable players were looking to get to the next stage and thus CNS rolled out enhanced digital interactive services last September.
Total TV is being introduced by CNS to over one million cable households. The Total TV set top box incorporates technology that allows for enhanced television and interactive services. Total TV relies on NDS for CAS the box is supplied by Advanced Digital Broadcast. The digital headend and compression equipment is supplied by Scientific Atlanta. Each STB has a smart card which is the CA system’s active security device at the customer end. CNS also specified that Middleware be included in all STB’s.
To bill digital subscribers CNC now needed a Customer care and subscriber management system. One of the requirements was that the system should support Chinese characters.
CNS built a digital master headend facility in Keelung. The headend distributes digitally encrypted channels including Interactive Programme Guide (IPG) and audio channels to all CNS operators. This served as the backbone for the launch of Total TV. CNS invested over $ 20 US million and it took over a year to complete the facility.
The advantages now are that the worry about lost revenue on account of piracy will decline. Pay per vies and NVOD services can be offered. On interactive services revenue sources include banner advertising, management fees from interactive content partners. Subscribers can now be charged transactional fees from applications like home shopping, I-mail, bandwidth fees. The two way functionality wherein all this is made possible is being developed by CNS.
CNS initially launched the service with the one way system. The subscriber enters by pressing the interactive button on the remote control. He is then presented with categories like games, leisure, culture. The technology allows CNS to tier services. CNS also launched with 30 digital audio channels covering Jazz, classical, Chinese Operas. The operator is now adding specialised tiers to bolster the existing channel line up.
As far as creating awareness is concerned Oh said,” There was no precedent. To enter we realised that we needed to educate the market as to what enhanced television is and how it is implemented in other parts of the world. So we used BSkyB in the UK as an example. We handed out easy to use guides and manuals.”
The results show that over 60 per cent of subscribers use the one way services including traffic, news, weather. 66 per cent of subscribers use the IPG regularly while 43 per cent use the audio services.
Besides CNS the other MSOs are UPM, Taiwan Broadband and Eastern Multimedia. They control the last mile. 20 independent system operators across the country control around 25 per cent of the subscribers while the rest are handled by the major operators, Oh said.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
