Dish TV launches 30 channels on HD format

[askii2]

I don't think DishTV is aware of the fact that only Dolby Digital equipment is licensed by Dolby Labs. Their protocol itself isn't patented. So it's possible to use open source software for Dolby digital encoding (a52 codecs) and avoid paying a licensing fee to Dolby Labs. The catch is it'll work with all Dolby Digital capable receivers, but they won't be able to call it Dolby Digital.

If they decode and then encode DD5.1 again, they'll need a distributor's license (as opposed to just a user's license required for decoding instruments). Why would they want to do that? Obviously they are not stupid, there has to be an explanation for this. Can someone shed some light on this?

 

[prankey]

If they decode and then encode DD5.1 again, they'll need a distributor's license (as opposed to just a user's license required for decoding instruments). Why would they want to do that? Obviously they are not stupid, there has to be an explanation for this. Can someone shed some light on this?

Probably they what to further "engineer" audio and reencode. Probably they are TAUGHT to do it that way (no option to pass through?). Probably they would like to use their preferred Bitrate for DD5.1 like they do for Video BR for all these channels including HD.

They should IDEALLY PASS through the ORIGINAL (compressed) Video with Audio as they come from the content providers, however it almost never happens with these DTH providers.. So they might want to do the same thing for DD5.1 Audio as well! Silly but ugly truth atleast in India.

I don't think DishTV is aware of the fact that only Dolby Digital equipment is licensed by Dolby Labs. Their protocol itself isn't patented. So it's possible to use open source software for Dolby digital encoding (a52 codecs) and avoid paying a licensing fee to Dolby Labs. The catch is it'll work with all Dolby Digital capable receivers, but they won't be able to call it Dolby Digital.

a52 codec is a software codec (what I am aware of) and they DO PROPER DD5.1 encoding when chosen as an output format which IS VERY WELL DECODED by an AVR (I have tested it), however it may not be available as a hardware codec. Also, just as they are open source codecs, does not mean they are NOT infringing copy rights and are available to broadcasters...

 

[askii2]

Re: Dish TV launches 30 [Now 35!] channels on HD format

Got this info from DishTV by email. Listed new 5 channels are Travel XP, Ten Action+, UTV Bindass, CNN IBN, Zee Marathi. Free preview will continue till 18th April.

I wonder when they'll have REAL HD channels.

 

[prankey]

Me too got it. So silly of them to call other than Travel XP as HD and informing to have 35 HD channels now when in reality its only 4.Its utter SCAM and nothing else.

 

[kamalaravi]

I am fed up with sundirect hd as they have currently the least number of hd channels.just 5 which includes 2 virtually useless channels tamil hd and telugu hd which are repeating about 10 or 15 movies and over again for the past 6 months. since i am a cricket fan i would like to switch to tata sky which has 8 channels.airtel hd has 11 channels but they have no sports channels.which is better tata sky or airtel hd