Digitization : The Future.

I mentioned in my previous post, that DTH as a technology is outdated and slow. The idea behind the DTH Technology was to provide T.V. entertainment to people staying in remote locations, using a geocentric satellite. But look at it today, a full fledged business for so many companies who claim DTH to be better than cable. Well, it used to be better, when cable T.V. used copper cables to transmit the data. The clarity was pathetic, and it made perfect sense for a better technology to take over. But today, most of the countries already have, or are replacing the old copper connections to fiber optics. The transmission speed gets a boost, and the clarity delivered ranges all the way from normal to full HD (1080p), depending upon the customers requirement. This technology of using high speed cables, is called Digitization of cable. It enables two way communication for fully interactive services, like games in which one will compete with his friend next door. Education programmes for children to learn the basics of various subjects. True VOD, with a choice of hundreds of videos. I know it seems impossible, but the 1st world countries have already implemented it, and it delivers what it promises. Specialized foreign channels like a golf or a gardening channel will be available to the local viewers. Currently the cost of launching such a channel through DTH is extremely high as the channel will have specific viewers and the satellite transmission costs are very high. This barrier will not be faced in the digitized cable technology because foreign media companies will have an option to launch the channel in a specific zone first, secondly they will not incur satellite transmission costs.
The points I have mentioned above prove Digitization to be the future of old cable tech and DTH. Looking forward to a fast, HD, interactive future with the dawn of Digitization.

DTH and its Myths

While researching for one of the reports I met quite a few people from the media sector, who exposed the technology behind DTH systems. DTH, or Direct To Home, is the Satellite T.V. technology. In this technology, satellite transmissions are received directly by each consumer/subscriber using a small dish antenna. You must have seen those grey or black dish antenna typically ranging in size from 18 inches to 24 inches in diameter. They are either fitted close to the customers window, or on the terrace, depending upon the signal strength. The dish is connected to a Set Op Box which in turn is connected to the television. Transmission from the satellite to the home dish takes place in the Ku band frequency, which offers moderate speed data transmission.
(Geeks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_band)
Now comes the interesting part, if the transmission only takes place from the Satellite to the Dish, and not backwards then how are we able to use 'Video-On-Demand' (VOD) services through DTH?
VOD is a service which is supposed to offer videos on your demand, your selected movie, on your selected day, at your selected time, in 'real' time. That means there has to be some way of backward communication between the customer and the satellite. That can't be done in a DTH, the puny 18 inch dish does not have the capacity to transmit data backwards. Infact VOD via DTH is not a real VOD service.
Surprised? Let me explain.

In a DTH system, within the Set Op Box lies an encrypted storage disk. The set of movies which the DTH company is currently providing will be displayed on the selection screen along with its date and timings, which the customer can choose. Here is the catch, long before the customer even got the option to watch those movies, the Satellite had already begun transmitting the data to all the dishes in that zone, and all those movies got downloaded to the hidden storage within the Set Op Box. As transmission from the satellite is extremely expensive, and the storage within the box is limited, DTH providers only provide a set of movies for a specific time period. When the customer gets the option to watch the movie, and selects the date and timing, the movie plays from within the Set Op Box, and not directly from the satellite. The storage within the Set Op Box already contains the other movies, as the whole set got downloaded. If the customer wants, he can select another movie and once again, the movie will play on the selected date and timing, but from within the Set Op Box itself. 

You may want to call this technology a lie VOD, fake VOD, etc. But that's what they provide, labeling it as 'almost VOD'. Today with the upcoming technologies, DTH providers have found a way to provide real VOD, but the customer requires an extra internet connection for that, which gets attached to the Set Op Box. This enables backward communication through the internet line, and the video data is sent via the internet, highly increasing the transmission speed and enabling real time VOD services.

For all those who still believe that satellite TV is the future, you are wrong. Digitization of Cable is the future, which provides fully interactive services and real VOD facilities.

Techpecker: An Intro.

You are staring at the header of the website and wondering, why has this nut named it as an initiative? You think about it, but still the words that linger in your mind are, 'I don't know'. The three words commonly used by millions of people everyday when their computing machines or devices go haywire. They jump onto the google seat, spend hours searching for an answer, when the solution to that problem is just a click away. The other set of people, who exist in the 'I know everything' environment, then provide their ultimate advice that the CD tray is not a coffee cup holder, and the monitor is not a TV.

But there is one category of people in the middle of these two jokers, who know a little bit of something. I exist in that category and I am sure most of you do. They have no shame and feel absolutely nothing when they give good advice and the others don't buy it. At the end of the day, they sit on their comfy couch and laugh looking at the fool and the wizard. This website is the compilation of the all the technical research, articles, etc. that I have read or written. It summarizes the technical know-how that I have gathered over a period of time. If anyone finds it helpful or informative, wonderful. If not, wonderful, you have other things to do.
This site is not meant for techies, computer engineers, loud mouths, trolls, and other bacteria that inhabit the web environment.
(Computer engineers will read the above statement and say "This is a blog, not a site." Well you can go to hell.)