I&B Ministry
Film Visa & FFO make India filming destination: Rathore
NEW DELHI: The minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore has said the new category of visa to foreign film makers is a step towards easing issues related to their entry into the country.
Both the Film Visa and the Film Facilitation Office (FFO) aim at promoting India as an attractive filming destination to the world.
Rathore said this during a meeting with the Russian Delegation led by the vice minister of telecom and mass communication of the Russian Federation Alexey Volin here.
During the discussions, Rathore apprised the delegation about the National Centre of Excellence for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) to be set up in Mumbai by the Ministry. Both the Ministers agreed to explore the possible collaboration between the two countries in the field of animation, graphics and visual content.
Cooperation between the field of content generation and content delivery mechanisms for different target audiences, specially children and young people was also discussed.
The Ministers while discussing the role of films as medium of cultural exchange between the countries emphasized on exhibiting films in each other’s country through the medium of Film Festivals.
A possible collaboration between the National Film Development Corporation and its counterpart from the Russian Federation in the Film Bazaar was also discussed.
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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.
