Zee to launch DTH in Kolkata

KOLKATA: After weeks of speculation, DTH will finally make its debut in the city on Thursday under the Dish TV brandname, courtesy the Zee group.
DTH broadcasting uses technology that enables consumers to see and hear satellite television programmes without the need to go through cumbersome cable wires — and by extension, ''friendly'' neighbourhood cable operators as well.
Armed with a 12-inch pizza-sized KU-band dish antenna, a set-top box, a smart card and accompanying paraphernalia, you can now access a minimum of 38 satellite channels for a one-time payment of Rs 6,950 (as the all-inclusive amount for total cost of installation) and a monthly charge of Rs 110.
In case you want to see five more premium channels, you will have to shell out an additional amount of Rs 110 per month. However, the Star bouquet comprising Star Plus, Star Gold, National Geographic etc and One Alliance comprising Sony Entertainment Television, AXN etc would not be available now.
"Getting a DTH connection in Kolkata will be quite simple. We have set up a call centre where consumers and distributors can phone in and get information. Prospective customers have the option of paying either by cash or cheque for the service while the dishes can be obtained from cable operators, TV showrooms, local hardware shops or from other specific dealers," says Sanjay Srivastava, spokesperson for Dish TV.
For the technophile, the benefits of DTH are mind-boggling. DVD-quality video and CD-quality audio apart, cricket blackouts in the city may soon become a thing of the past. The only lopside is that Dish is yet to sign any agreement with ESPN or Star Sports to carry their signals on the platform.
Then there is the electronic programme guide that will show a list of all TV programmes available on all channels; teletext that can be compared to an electronic newspaper; and the exciting possibility of converting all old ‘few-channels enabled’ TV sets into 400-channel capable sets.
Although adult programming is being left out of the programming mix at the moment, access to channels like Playboy could become a possibility later, depending on legislation. With a suitable set-top box upgrade, e-mail, Internet access, home shopping, Net-banking and tele-education may also be viable.
Interestingly, local cable operators do not appear to be perturbed by their new adversary. As Mrinal Chatterjee, spokesperson for Cable Operators’ United Forum says, "We will not be affected by the entry of DTH. With high costs involved, there will not be many takers for DTH in most areas of the city."
Chatterjee has a point. In countries like the US and the UK, cable and DTH systems of signal delivery co-exist in a complementary fashion instead of competing with each other. Cable, with its low costs, stands for the masses while DTH stands for class. And a city like Kolkata, known for its price sensitivity, may not be an exception. But the cost factor apart, DTH will provide Kolkatans with that much-needed empowerment tool in a democratic setup — choice.