IndianMascot
Core Member
Cable operators dismissed the state government's claim that close to 90 % television connections in Mumbai had been digitized . They said the actual figure is around 70%.
President of Cable Operators' Association Anil Parab said if the government stopped analog signals to the TVs of the remaining 30 % homes in the city from November 1, there would be no channels to watch, which may lead to widespread anger on the streets , especially against the operators .
Over 3,000 cable operators led by Parab reviewed TV digitization at a meeting on Sunday with only three days to go for a 'blackout' of analog signals by the Centre in four metros of the country, including Mumbai . "Who will take the responsibility of attacks on operators ? Because of poor awareness about digitization among the low-income group ,the confusion over share of operators and consumers in the paid channels , and the shortage of Set-Top Boxes (STBs ), the switch over has been delayed ,"he said .
Parab demanded that the date of 'blackout' fixed for analog signals on the midnight of October 31 st should be extended till midnight of December 31 so that in the new year only digital signals are allowed in the metro. "By that time we hope to achieve digitization as cable operators are not opposed to it," he said.
Abhay Dudhale of Maharashtra Navnirman Cable Sena and Jagdish Joshi of Eastern Cable Operators Welfare Association demanded more time to bring transparency in revenue sharing and to achieve total digitization. In the analog system the cable is directly attached to the TV to get you 100 channels at Rs 150 to 200 per month but without any interactive system .However ,in a digitized system there are two types - direct to home (DTH) and Digital Access System (DAS ).
President of Cable Operators' Association Anil Parab said if the government stopped analog signals to the TVs of the remaining 30 % homes in the city from November 1, there would be no channels to watch, which may lead to widespread anger on the streets , especially against the operators .
Over 3,000 cable operators led by Parab reviewed TV digitization at a meeting on Sunday with only three days to go for a 'blackout' of analog signals by the Centre in four metros of the country, including Mumbai . "Who will take the responsibility of attacks on operators ? Because of poor awareness about digitization among the low-income group ,the confusion over share of operators and consumers in the paid channels , and the shortage of Set-Top Boxes (STBs ), the switch over has been delayed ,"he said .
Parab demanded that the date of 'blackout' fixed for analog signals on the midnight of October 31 st should be extended till midnight of December 31 so that in the new year only digital signals are allowed in the metro. "By that time we hope to achieve digitization as cable operators are not opposed to it," he said.
Abhay Dudhale of Maharashtra Navnirman Cable Sena and Jagdish Joshi of Eastern Cable Operators Welfare Association demanded more time to bring transparency in revenue sharing and to achieve total digitization. In the analog system the cable is directly attached to the TV to get you 100 channels at Rs 150 to 200 per month but without any interactive system .However ,in a digitized system there are two types - direct to home (DTH) and Digital Access System (DAS ).