Viewing card support?

[trumee]

Most dth provider are going cardless. Is that a good or bad trend? Personally, I feel it is more lockin of the end user. TRAI has been asking companies to open up STB for many years but nothing is happening.

DTH Provider	STB Model	Card or Cardless
Airtel	HS3C02	Cardless
Tata Sky	DSI715TAT	Card
Disthv	?	?

Can people add to this table?

 

[sng_shivang]

Even with smart cards, the complications with STB portability are significant. Of course, if there were some common, open technology from the beginning, we wouldn't have been in this mess.

Now it's like untangling a spider's web. You have different encryption technologies, different compression tech, different software and this all makes portability a very difficult process.

Smart cards were a useless thing anyways, you couldn't even transfer the card to other boxes are they were paired and required engineer visit. Many times, the smart card would not get detected requiring a ₹150 + visit charges expenditure.

 

[trumee]

The right way should have been promoting the use of CAM and unlocking the CI slots. They have gone the other way and locked the STB further.

 

[Esmail]

Only way STB portability can work is through a 1:1 exchange for like to like STB, replace a used SD STB of old operator with a used SD STB of new operator without any charges, same for HD to HD box and DVR to DVR box and the operators can all at the end of the month or end of the quarter exchange the STB collected from the porting subscribers with each other, give them back their boxes and take back their own, and where the exchange is asymmetric, pay a predetermined charge to square off the exchange. That way there is no issue of the different compression or encryption standards and operating systems of the boxes. Cam cards on STB will not be a success, only users of IDTV with inbuilt cam slot might find use for it.

 

[trumee]

Cam cards on STB will not be a success, only users of IDTV with inbuilt cam slot might find use for it.

Most STB have CI slots which take off the shelf CAMs. That is how receivers in Europe work. Agree limiting to just TVs (IDTV) is not the right way.

The CI slot should be unlocked. As a user I should receive a CAM and its card. I will then be able to use this CAM with any set top box.

TRAI recently advised to use USB based CI+ receivers. But they only have been talking about this, there is no enforcement.

 

[Esmail]

Most STB have CI slots which take off the shelf CAMs. That is how receivers in Europe work. Agree limiting to just TVs (IDTV) is not the right way.

The CI slot should be unlocked. As a user I should receive a CAM and its card. I will then be able to use this CAM with any set top box.

TRAI recently advised to use USB based CI+ receivers. But they only have been talking about this, there is no enforcement.

I am aware that the STBs have a cam slot which can accept the cam cards but the user interface with cam card is very basic, no operator specific services, no EPG, only simple channel selection works. An IDTV user who wants to operate the satellite channels with the same TV remote without additional messy hanging wires and want a streamlined operation may still consider a cam card. But if you are going to have a STB with a separate remote anyway, you would rather like the full DTH experience with all the operator specific customisations and services which is just not possible with a cam card in the existing STB of other operator.

 

[trumee]

IDTV option in India is a gimped solution. I dont have personal experience of this, but reports suggests the CAM card given by Airtel and DishTV dont work with 3rd party STB.

 

[Esmail]

IDTV option in India is a gimped solution. I dont have personal experience of this, but reports suggests the CAM card given by Airtel and DishTV dont work with 3rd party STB.

That's coz the DTH operators have not unlocked the cam slots on the STB. They will do it through a software update over the satellite if TRAI mandates it, until then u are out of luck.

 

[trumee]

I can understand the cam slots on STB are locked. What I dont understand is why the IDTV Cams dont work 3rd part STBs.

My understanding was that a normal CAM can be used in any STB. Why is Indian IDTV CAM so special?

 

[kavinamakkal]

Only way STB portability can work is through a 1:1 exchange for like to like STB, replace a used SD STB of old operator with a used SD STB of new operator without any charges, same for HD to HD box and DVR to DVR box and the operators can all at the end of the month or end of the quarter exchange the STB collected from the porting subscribers with each other, give them back their boxes and take back their own, and where the exchange is asymmetric, pay a predetermined charge to square off the exchange. That way there is no issue of the different compression or encryption standards and operating systems of the boxes. Cam cards on STB will not be a success, only users of IDTV with inbuilt cam slot might find use for it.

Bro. i have small doubt. offtopic... set top box has 5.1 output.. but with idtv cam,is it possible to get 5.1 output..tv has hdmi arc and optic. whether 5.1 is possible?