Cable TV

Cable TV shares 70% of the customers . Recently in United states numbers of customers are shifting towards satellite TV.Enterprising operators set up good antenna systems in nearby hilltops or other elevated locations to pick up the TV broadcasts and fed them through coaxial cables and line amplifiers to the community users, by suitable distribution of the signals. They used a number of antennas to pick up various stations, whose TV signals could be received by such elevated antenna locations, thus offering a choice of programmes to make the system attractive. They further added video channels as added attraction, plus gave the operators additional revenues, in the form of ADVERTISEMENT charges for the video ADS. that could be distributed over the video channel, to the installation and rental charges collected from the cable subscribers.

With the advent of Satellite TV broadcasts, the cable operators got a bonanza in the form of numerous additional attractive TV programmes which their subscribers could see at the same time as any TV watcher elsewhere, viewing the large number of Satellite TV broadcasts that came up. This required setting up of 'ANTENNA FARMS' of a number of Dish antennas, pointing in different directions to pick up the satellite transmissions from several satellites in the sky overhead beaming the programmes. To these they could further add the PAY PER VIEW TV pro_grammes, which are encrypted so that only those who pay the special amounts would be provided with the necessary DECODING facility to be able to view the programme, even though their TV set may otherwise receive the TV signal.

Generally cable TV operations started with supply of video programmes over cable in apartment complexes and hotels. A control room located at a suitable place within the complex was used to have VCRs, and video tapes were 'broadcast' over the cable network. The control room was manned to some extent to ensure proper video operation. Sometimes the local Doordarshan transmissions were also fed through the cable network. The cable operators started becoming more risk oriented and expanded their network to include nearby building complexes also, even though crossing public roads and lanes with such cables was illegal. Come the operation DESERT STROM and the CNN transmissions with their fascinating live coverage of the war which could be watched over Sat TV setups. Cable TV operators in the major metropolitan cities exploited. this, in the absence of government regulations prohibiting the same, and offered their subscribers the benefit of Satellite TV. Few months later on, the STAR TV started its operation, which became round the clock 5 channel broadcasts of entertainment, which would be received without too expensive a set up.

With the increase in demand which multiplied rapidly, there was a radical fall in the cost of setting up of direct Satellite TV reception systems for cable operation. The result was a rapid growth in cable operations, which has spread to towns and even affluent villages. With the addition of ZEE TV, once it becomes a 24 hour system, an explosion of demand for DRS systems could be expected. Peak demand for CTV may be expected in the coming couple of years, as it exists today. Thereafter the demand is likely for enhancements of facilities to incorporate technological advances of Ku band systems, Digital Sound systems, decoding and supply of coded transmissions. Lateron High Definition TV, HDTV, transmissions and even pick up and supply of Digital TV transmissions, that could be expected to come up in the coming five years, would become an attractive proposition to the cable TV operators. In this connection it will not be out of place to note that cable TV operators are getting to be more and more enterprising. It has been reported that such an entrepreuner in Bombay, strung up cables all over in the suburbs of Bombay to distribute over the cable TV systems, for a price, special Dandia programme continuously for over a week and collected sound profit from advertisements, over the system. Cable TV is thus full of promise of record profits against low investment.

WHAT IS CABLE TV?

Cable TV has three main elements: 1. The OUTDOOR equipment, 2. The INDOOR equipment in a control room of enclosed area and 3. The networks of CABLES and DISTRIBUTION facilities.

The outdoor equipment is basically one or more Dish antenna with the associated LNBs. The Indoor equipment consists of the antenna Multicoupler, popularly known as POWER DIVIDERS, the Satellite Receivers, Modulators, Combiners or Mixers, Distribution amplifiers, Voltage stabilisation, perhaps VCRs and may be facility for feeding Doordarshan programmes also. From the Control Room the programmes which are multiplexed on the cables, are distributed to the different locations and end users through cables and Tap Offs.. If the cable length is too long a line amplifier would be used to boost the signal to appropriate level for the TV receiver to display a good picture. The broad arrangement would be as in Fig. 6.1. The level of the channel signals at the TV set, is about a couple of millivolts (60 to 70 dBuV). A higher level of signal is not advisable, to avoid overload and distortions. For long lengths and for the lead in from the antenna to the Control Room. Lowloss Video/RF co axial cables are used.