DD turns to BBC for technology

DD turns to BBC for technology
RITU SARIN

NEW DELHI, JULY 17: Doordarshan has turned to BBC to leapfrog to the digital era. The BBC's consultants wing, BBC Resources, finalizing two agreements worth Rs 2 crore with DD.

The first agreement, signed a few months ago, is for BBC Resources to conduct an exhaustive audit of Doordarshan's technical capabilities and the efficacy of its equipment. BBC Resources will be paid approximately Rs 70 lakhs for the audit and the first part on the facilities at the Delhi kendra has been completed.

The second assignment is for BBC Resources to conduct a feasibility report for Doordarshan to phase out its analogue transmission and go digital. Says K Kunhikrishnan, Deputy Director General: ``There have been a lot of complaints about the quality of transmission and BBC Resources was the best consultant in the field for conducting the feasibility study. The idea is to improve image and signals down to the last mile, which means down to the last receiver.''

BBC Resources will be paid Rs 1.3 crore for conducting the feasibility study, which will be in two parts -- covering the techno-economic implications of the move as well as the roll-out plan on what it means for Doordarshan's country-wide network. Doordarshan has set 2012 as its target date for commencing its digital service.

Sources say some officials have questioned the lack of transparency in Doordarshan hand-picking BBC Resources for the twin assignments. Interestingly, a team from Doordarshan and All India Radio is in Paris right now examining the technical facilities of TDF, a private French broadcaster.

The officials are members of a committee set up a few months ago to look at Doordarshan's technical capabilities. An official of the TDF is a special invitee on the committee, along with three non-official members.

The arrangement with BBC Resources was firmed up after a visit of some top officials, led by Doordarshan CEO Rajeeva Ratna Shah to the UK. It is understood that while the first agreement for the technical audit has been cleared by the Prasar Bharti Board, the agreement for the feasibility study is ready for signing.

Senior members of Doordarshan's engineering wing say that while a foreign broadcaster may have been allowed to enter the hitherto zealously guarded area of examining technical parametres for the first time, the choice of BBC Resources was an obvious one since BBC is also a public broadcaster and the first in Europe to go fully digital.

The European model was, thus, quietely chosen over the American or the Japanese model and BBC Resources will be advising Doordarshan on every aspect of going digital -- from the choice of channels to be offered to viewers to the commercial viability of the switchover.