Siticable Digital Service

I upgraded my age old analog cable system to digital using a Cisco STB for Rs 600 only,getting all the new channels and with great clarity on my LCD,local cable guy gives personal service with one fone call,no weather related signal fluctuations,dont see a point to upgrade to DTH without HD transmission comming soon,that too paying a premium amount for the unit and installation charges xtra

Amar if you are happy, then it is great. But remember the following points:

1. Your cable guy is himself receiving TV signals from a satellite, amplifying it and re transmitting it through cable to your house.

2. Most major brands such as Sun, Star, Zee etc., are all spending huge amounts of money on DTH, and the cable guys will disappear slowly. These companies will make it uneconomical for the cable guys to be there anymore.

3. All new technical progress will happen only in DTH.

4. The only weather hassle with DTH is when there are heavy rains.

Cheers

and then IPTV will come along and eat everyone

if you are referring to iptv over ADSL, then its going to take time to reach out to a general population, and even then, it is never going to have full coverage. Our POTS network is of terrible quality, and attenuation beyond a short distance from the switch will make iptv non-viable.

IPTV is already out, one of my friends tried bsnl service, lot of network issues, the no of channels , picture quality and other problems,

If they improve the backbone and broadband speeds to support high data transfer then IPTV will be successful , in the present condition i won't recommend going for the same

Venkat,
This is true. However, the signal strength, directionality and stability of the cable-guy<->INSAT satellite connection is orders better than home dishes.

I don't see this happening. In the US, Comcast and DishTV exists side by side. Comcast has equal (if not more) customers that DTV and it offers all channels in HD. Comcast internet runs over the same cables. Even Verizon offers its cable over their FiOS optical n/w. Dish is good for places where it is expensive or impractical to run cables. Otherwise, a good insulated coaxial/optical cable is the most reliable conductor of HD.

Dish can go away when anything obstructs it's line of sight. But you're right about the rains. I don't own a Dish but I have noticed that my 802.11x wireless n/w starts behaving sluggishly in heavy Mumbai rains.
I remember from my rusted physics knowledge that water in the air affects EM transmissions because of being a polarised molecule but don't have precise information about the interplay of wireless signals and rain. Anyone else here know detailed reasons why this occurs?

The situation in the US is completely different. There is a well laid underground network that carries not only TV, but Internet, gas, phones and a lot of other information. In addition, in the US, well established companies own the distribution channels. These and the TV companies have a lot of interest in each other and will ensure that their investments are not wasted. In other words, the source and distribution comes from the same interested entity. The last mile distribution is extremely organized and of equal quality as of DTH.

In India, the situation is different. There is a lot of politics involved. For example the Maharashtra ruling party has a lot of interest (and maybe even some investment) in Zee network. Here in TN, the ruling DMK used to own Sun, and now owns Kalaingyar TV. In the North companies such as Sahara have huge political interest.

The distribution channel through cables is extremely disorganized, and in many places, owned by ruling MLAs and their henchmen. These are fly by night operators. they will be here one day, and will disappear the next day. I have even seen cases of these operators cutting each other's cables

Since Sun got out of DMK, there has been a huge battle here. The Corporation of Chennai has passed an ordinance that all overhead cables will be pulled down by December, irrespective of who owns it. Many campaniles have scrambled to lay underground pipes, but these are more for Internet and phones, rather than TV, as the last mile is yet controlled by the small time operators. SIFY, for example, is finding it a huge hassle to work with these last mile operators, and is switching to wireless for broadband across the country.

Other cities are following suit. It suits the ruling parties to say they are cleaning their act. At the same time, they want to ensure that their own message reach as many people as possible.

The Central Government is also contemplating some ordinances to control the distribution of TV through cables. This is to control pornography as well as to ensure that terrorists do not misuse the distribution channel. In Delhi and smaller cities in the North, Cable TV operators show 2x and 3x movies with impunity. If you give them money they will show anything. Any many times, NOT show what is important like it happened with the recent cricket matches.

Like India went digital for mobile directly, I feel we will go the DTH way very quickly. I see more and more people switching. With competition such as Big TV coming in, prices will drop, and the day is not far away when you will have 100 channels for 150 a month.

No cable operator can beat that. And there is huge political and commercial interests in wiping these guys out.

Cheers