I&B Ministry
India examining new techs like mobile b’cast:I&B minister
NEW DELHI: Information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi today said that India is examining opportunities being thrown up by newer technologies like mobile broadcasting.
Inaugurating the 12th International Conference & Exhibition on terrestrial and satellite broadcasting, organized by BES, the minister said, We are closely examining the opportunities offered by technology such as mobile
broadcasting.
According to Dasmunshi, broadcasting is revolutionizing the world as it heads towards being a global village. Information is power, and India stands today in the forefront of the world economic forum, he added.
I&B secretary SK Arora, who presided over the inaugural function, was of the opinion that since the opening up of the broadcast sector to private participation 15 years ago, India has come a long way and the change is phenomenal.
He added, We are in the midst of an era of convergence today, where the thin line between telecommunications and broadcasting is gradually fading.
A total of 65 companies, representing 300 broadcast equipment manufacturers and solution providers from 25 countries across the globe, are participating in Broadcast Engineering Society Expo 2006.
Over the last 12 years, BES Expo has been providing a platform to showcase the latest broadcast equipment and emerging technologies in India.
Highlighting the importance of the theme of the conference `Broadcast Trends: Reaching the Unreached, Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said that content should reach the masses in an unbiased manner.
Making a strong case for availability of content to all the people, which has its antecedents pubcaster Doordarshan constantly fighting for telecast rights to popular and money-spinning games like cricket, Sarma said, There is an urgent need for a regulator to regulate the content.
Referring to the ever increasing preference for DTH services in the country by the masses, Sarma said the total number of subscribers of Doordarshans (subscription-free) DTH service has reached five million.
Delivering the welcome address, BES president NS Ganesan informed that this years expo will have a live demo of emerging technologies like TV on mobile based on digital multimedia broadcasting and digital video
broadcasting-handheld.
Chairman of Korean Broadcasting Commission Sung Dai Noh was the other guest of honour today, while the keynote address was delivered by James Andrew Butler Sr., director of Public Broadcasting Service of the US.
More than 40,000 visitors and delegates from various broadcast houses, educational institutions, and satellite channel operators are expected to attend this years event.
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.
