I&B Ministry
I&B ministry to hold workshop on certification issues
MUMBAI: The information and broadcasting ministry will be organising a workshop to discuss issues related to certification.
The one-day workshop will be inaugurated tomorrow (5 July) by I&B minister Jaipal Reddy.
Prominent film producers, directors, animal rights activists, minority rights proponents and senior officers from the ministries of health and information and broadcasting will be taking part in the workshop.
The recent ban on smoking scenes in films and TV programmes, portrayal of women and under privileged sections in films; depiction and usage of animals in films and electronic media and concerns highlighted by wild life activists and portrayal of social evils, programmes encouraging social even and blind faith are the issues that would be taken up for deliberations during the workshop.
The deliberations have been planned in the backdrop of recent controversy over the screening of films despite having been certified by CBFC.
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.
