In the beginning there was the idiot box. Now, there has to be a set top box, too. If you try to watch the former without the latter all you will see is Doordarshan National, Doordarshan International, Doordarshan News, Doordarshan Sports and 20 other DD channels. These are midnight’s children — at the stroke of 12 on December 31, 2006, when the world slept, Indians in south Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai awoke to free-to-air channels.

The implementation of CAS with a DTH option ended a cosy ménage a trios between the broadcaster, the cable operator, and us — one that saw the broadcaster woo cable operators, operators flirt with them and us reap (or weep) the consequences of their romance. With CAS/DTH they propose and we can dispose (of them) by choosing to watch what we want.

You can watch 70-odd free to air channels and pay Rs 77 (plus taxes). Or watch whatever they “dish” out on Direct-to-Home. Or an empty screen’s fuzzy picture. Because what you get for ‘free’ is Moninder’s grizzly beard.

Other than DD News, there are all the usual suspects and many unsuspected ones: Total TV, News Asia and Australia News. For those writing theses on Aaj Tak, there’s plenty of material: Aaj Tak, Aaj Tak Tez, Aaj Tak Dilli and Headlines Today. Entertainment is available but only for the multi-lingual: DD Malayalam, ETC Punjabi, Jhankar and at least 10 ETV regional channels.

Music for your ears, too, except MTV, Channel V and Vh1 (what’s left?) And the One who is always accessible without condition, sorry, Conditional Access System. God.

... contd.