After extensive trials in 2007, the Indian state broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) has decided that DRM is the best technology for converting its vast public service broadcasting network to digital. After conducting trials over a one and a half year period, AIR has started regular DRM transmissions from a 250 KW SW transmitter installed near the capital city New Delhi in January this year. AIR is also in the process of converting 4 shortwave transmitters(250 kW) to DRM mode by March 2009. There are plans to introduce DRM transmissions in 42 new medium wave, 36 existing medium wave and 5 new short wave transmitters. However, the cost and availability of good receivers remains the main issue in their implementation strategy for the next five years.
The BES (Broadcast Engineering Society of India) event held in New Delhi on 23rd, 24th and 25th February was a great opportunity for the Consortium to interact with AIR at a very senior level and understand the broadcaster's plans and problems. While Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Chairperson, was the keynote speaker for the event, the DRM workshop on the opening day and DRM session next day was attended by about 300-400 delegates and had excellent
presentations by Lindsay Cornell and Julian Cable (BBC), Thomas Feustel (Deutsche Welle), Joseph Troxler (Thomson), T V B Subbramnyam (Analog Devices), S R Aggrawal, (AIR), Vineeta Dwivedi (DRM).
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(Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India