Indian broadcasting conference gets close-up look at digital radio
Visitors to the 20th International BES Conference in India have been given the chance to see Digital Radio Mondiale in action.
The DRM Consortium say their three conference presentations, one workshop and the participation of several key members exhibiting – including Ampegon, Digidia, Fraunhofer IIS, Harris, Nautel, NXP, and RFmondial – have attracted considerable interest from the industry.
They say their presence at the Broadcasting Engineering Society of India conference and exhibition on terrestrial and satellite broadcasting in New Delhi from 14-16 January 2014 supported the decision of the Indian Government to digitise all broadcast transmissions by 2017.
All India Radio (AIR) began the roll-out of the DRM Digital Radio standard and the DRM Consortium says the impact of this major technical and financial commitment is currently taking shape.
A spokesperson says DRM transmissions will offer the majority of the population improved audio quality, multi-lingual text news, improved service reliability, diversified content and many additional features.
In their presentations, DRM Consortium members are stressing the extra features of DRM – such as the Emergency Warning Feature in case of national disasters – and are also explaining the latest updates to the standard as well as the new developments in receiver chipsets which increase the potential for locally produced and cost-effective receiver solutions.
“As DRM digital radio starts to become a reality in India, the support and communication by the Government and Prasar Bharati is crucial in building the necessary confidence of receiver manufacturers, retailers and listeners,” the spokesperson says.
To stimulate the interest of Indian stakeholders, the Chamber of Indian Industry (CII) is organising a one day National Seminar on “DRM: The Future of Indian Radio – Business Opportunities for Stakeholders” on 28 February 2014 in New Delhi.