Govt clears DD's Rs 1.65 bn HDTV programme

          To allow National  Broadcaster Prasar Bharati to undertake the telecast of next year’s Commonwealth Games from Delhi in High Definition (HDTV) format ,the Union Cabinet has approved  today (31-07-09) a Rs 1.65 billion plan that will allow Doordarshan to upgrade to high definition (HDTV) format. Doordarshan will upgrade its infrastructure in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai to broadcast in HDTV format. Under the Common wealth Games rules, it is mandatory for the host broadcasters to produce a feed of the Games in High Definition (HDTV) format . Since Doordarshan is the host broadcaster, it has to do so. HDTV format requires at least three times more bandwidth compared to the standard telecast currently used by most broadcasters in the country. However, both picture and sound quality in this format is far superior.  HDTV provides viewers with pictures that are 16 times as sharp as those in normal analog television. The viewers would require an HDTV-enabled television set or a set top box fitted television to receive the broadcast.

Since Doordarshan uses analog mode on its 1,400 transmitters, the entire system may require an upgrade to the digital system. By one estimate, this may cost about Rs430 crore

The funding will be met from the Eleventh Plan Allocation of Prasar Bharati.
All the equipment will have to be imported and the total foreign exchange component involved in respect of the HDTV equipment will be about Rs 1.6 billion. The balance Rs50 million is recurring expenditure for project implementation and spectrum charges.

     The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given the nod to a pilot scheme which has to be completed before the start of the Commonwealth Games next year.

           The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has already short listed five broadcasters and their consortium partners, from which the contract for the production of CWG 2010 will be awarded to one, based on financial and technical bidding. Tokyo Broadcasting, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, USA’s International Sports  Broadcasting and International Games Broadcast Services are among the five international production companies that are said to be in the race.