TVs won’t go blank on Nov. 1: Arasu Assures Chennai residents.

[HOUSE-MD]

TVs won’t go blank on Nov. 1: Arasu
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Cable TV viewers without set top boxes (STBs) in Chennai need not panic. Your TV sets won’t go blank on November 1.

This was the loud and clear message from state-run Arasu Cable TV Corporation Ltd (ACTCL) authorities on Tuesday, two days before the TRAI-set deadline for switching over to digital mode of cable TV services from decade-and-a-half-long analog mode of transmission.

TRAI had set the October 31 deadline for all four metros for the switchover that mandates STBs in all cable TV households.

Though ACTCL has floated tenders for procuring STBs, in the meantime, it launched analog mode of cable TV services a fortnight ago and has tied up with Railtel to take its analog mode cable TV signals to reach Chennai households quickly.

They are determined to give connections to as many households as possible before the deadline.

However, a few operators have raised doubts about how they could reach several lakh cable TV houses lacking STBs amid heavy downpour in the one day available before the deadline.

In this backdrop, subscribers are concerned that their TVs might go blank, as warned by TRAI, if they did not purchase STBs before October 31.

Asserting that TVs won’t go blank after the deadline, sources in ACTCL said though there might be a few problems for a few hours on November 1, when broadcasters may opt to stop services on insistence from the ministry, there will not be much of a problem after that. “We are confident that the ministry would extend the deadline as sought by us.”

While private DTH operators come out with lucrative packages to woo subscribers, cable operators headed by Mr Kayal Ilavarasu staged a protest against digitisation braving the heavy downpour in the city on Tuesday.

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TVs won’t go blank on Nov. 1: Arasu | Deccan Chronicle
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I really wish that i get the digital connection sooner from Arasu. But no updates from the cable guy and i see that most of Chennai is not in any rush as they dont have any updates as the TRAI and I&B ministry still airs ad's in Hindi which not even 1% Chennaites understand.

So as a chennaite i would say that both the TRA and I&B ministry is both TN Govt for us so why bother what the Indian Govt says as TN govt will take care of this process.

 

[Karthik]

Enjoy chennai viewers
Good share by pearlpearl

 

[M@zh@R]

Karthik broo
Local State govenment should not do this work.
They are not implementing Central govt orders

 

[Biswajit.HD]

What is the use of delaying digitization?? Its the failure on part of some operators not meeting deadlines.... :huh No personal issues, but how much to cater with analog cable when whole country is set to go digital....

 

[nskaran]

I think it is only a temp releif and will be digitized as soon as possible.

 

[Gagan]

Indian govt. :damn

 

[nskaran]

I agree with Gagan bro.

 

[HOUSE-MD]

Karthik broo
Local State govenment should not do this work.
They are not implementing Central govt orders

Yes, but i cant blame the state Govt on the Central govt has much more responsibility to make arrangements for STB supply and purchase. Similar to US they can waive the cost or atleast provide easy loans to MSO & LCO to purchase and supply STB and in return collect 20 or 30 Rs additional every month from subscribers and repay the loan in 12 or 24 months.

SO the issue now is that the MSO (Arasu) dont have STB for those who can pay and others cant simply cant afford to pay even if available.

And my question is why cant Arasu get a loan for the STB from the Govt and increase the cost from Rs 70 to 100 and use the Rs 30 to pay as EMI??

It seems that Arasu doesnt want to do any good and MSO's dont want to trust Arasu as they have no STB to supply nor list of channels to be made available or any other worthful details.

 

[HOUSE-MD]

What is the use of delaying digitization?? Its the failure on part of some operators not meeting deadlines.... :huh No personal issues, but how much to cater with analog cable when whole country is set to go digital....

I too feel the same, why delay a good service in Chennai when other cities receive them, all i can say is that the Chennai people are unlucky to receive such quality service.

 

[HOUSE-MD]

Madras High Court's stay on the digitisation deadline till Monday.
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CHENNAI, OCT 31:
With multi-system operators in the metros — barring Chennai — set to switch off analogue TV signals to comply with the Union Government order, close to two million households in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata will go without TV programmes from early Thursday, say industry sources.

The Madras High Court's stay on the digitisation deadline till Monday means analogue signals will continue to be beamed in Chennai till Monday.

According to a senior Ministry of Information and Broadcasting official, the switching off of signals in New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai will go as per plan.

The Government got a shot-in-the-arm as the Bombay High Court today dismissed the plea for a stay on digitisation.

By government estimates, nearly 94 per cent of television households have been digitised across four metros. However, figures from local multi-system operators (MSOs) put the total digitisation in the 60-65 per cent range.

A spokesperson of an MSO with operations in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, said at least five lakh homes in Mumbai alone will go without TV entertainment from Thursday. In Kolkata and Delhi the number could be much more.

K. Jayaraman, Managing Director and CEO, Hathway Cable & Datacom, which has installed about 15 lakh set-top boxes in the three cities, said there was no shortage of boxes. Ravi Mansukhani, MD, Incablenet, which has deployed about one million boxes, said some of the low-income households are still shifting to set-top boxes. “We anticipate some households will face a blackout in these three cities.”

In Kolkata, according to sources, nearly 16 lakh households had installed set-top boxes till Wednesday. Four major MSOs control about 40 lakh cable TV connections. Operators said 10-15 per cent users would digitise their connections only after the blackout.

In Chennai, contrary to the I&B Ministry’s claim of 85 per cent digitisation, cable operators say hardly 65 per cent of TV homes in the city are digitised.

D. Vivekanandan, Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Ltd, says the I&B Ministry’s statistics refer to the Chennai revenue district. “However, if we consider Greater Chennai, which is the CAS area, the number of analogue homes would be much more.”

Cable operators say there are close to four million TV homes in Chennai. Of these, only about nine lakh homes are digitised (seven lakh homes have DTH and the rest cable with set-top boxes). Arasu’s MD said the Government has sought extension of the deadline to December 31. The State Government-run cable TV operator has placed orders for one million boxes in the first phase. “The procurement process is on, and we expect the first consignment of boxes to arrive by the end of November,” he said.

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Business Line : Industry & Economy / Marketing : 2 m TV sets may go blank as digitisation deadline ends

http://dinamani.com/latest_news/article1321630.ece

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Arasu says that only by Nov end or Dec start they will receive the first supply of STB so they want extension till Dec 31, so seeing this Chennaites wont have Digital Cable anytime before Jan 2013 cause for 10 lakh STB they want time till Dec and for 40 lakh STB only god knows when they can procure and supply.

I wonder why was Arasu cable waiting for such a long time to even try to start the service and has just ordered STB and that too exactly on the deadline. It is clear the the Chennai people want this service and also ready to pay for it, but the Arasu seems to drag it as far as possible adding to the frustration.

I wish and hope that the "Madras High Court'" slams them on Monday for delaying the process in snail pace.