Digital TV viewing from today

Digital TV viewing from today
Hathway Offers Viewers Option To Install Set-Top Boxes
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Parts of the city will go digital in television viewing from Wednesday. The viewers of Hathway Cable Networks have been offered an option of installing digital set top boxes for their television sets that will offer digital picture quality and stereophonic sound for a range of 133 video and four radio channels.

The offer comes as a one-time-cost of Rs 3,950, where consumers — covering 30 per cent of city’s cable television viewership, irrespective of their television capacity — can tune into all the 137 channels, categorised under education, entertainment, movies and regional. “Depending on the response we may upgrade the total channel capacity to a maximum 1,000 channels, say promoters.

Over the last week, Hathway has sold about 300 digital boxes with over a thousand advance bookings so far. “At this rate, we feel most of our viewers will certainly go for the benefits of digital set top boxes. We intend to make a weekly sale of a minimum 700 boxes,” Sashi Kumar, regional manager of Hathway Cable and Datacom Pvt. Ltd., says.

He adds: “Viewers are sure to see the benefits of digital viewing. With newer channels coming up, there are limitations in technology in the regular analogous system. Right now a good television set has the capacity for a maximum 90 channels. With the remote operated new system, we can offer a lot more.” These consumers will do away with the regular monthly subscription (ranging from Rs 175 to Rs 250). The local cable operator may however levy a nominal service charges to the consumer.

When Conditional Access System (CAS) is introduced, subscribers are allowed to choose channels or a package of channels of their choice, and differentiated pricing will come to play. As of now, CAS is not implemented in the city.

Hathway is the first cable company to launch its digital cable services. Metros like Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and now Bangalore have this system operational under CAS.

Cable consumers under other operating MSOs cannot go in for the Hathway offer, for now. They can, however, hope for at least two other big players to start similar packages soon, say sources.

THE PATHWAY!
WHERE IT IS AVAILABLE
Hathway, as a multi-service operator (MSO), mainly operates in Frazer Town, Thomas Town, Cooke Town, Kammanahalli, Banaswadi, Indiranagar, Marathahalli, HSR Layout, Sarjapur Road, Ramamurthynagar, Basavangudi, Banashankari II Stage, Koramangala and parts of Rajajinagar and Vijaynagar.

OPERATING COSTS
A one-time investment of Rs 3,150, VAT charges of 12.5 per cent and activating charges of Rs 400. Service charges by local cable operator extra.

ADVANTAGE
Digital picture quality and stereophonic sound for a range of 133 video and four radio channels. No monthly subscription costs; buyback policy available.

Electronic Programme Guide available on the digital box will help viewers to programme channels of their choice.
Parental lock feature is available which could block children from viewing certain channels.