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NEWS: Zintec eyes Indian market
Zintec eyes Indian market
By Mohammed Shafeeq, Indo-Asian News Service
Hyderabad, Apr 22 (IANS) Zintec, which develops embedded software systems
for television set top boxes, Monday announced availability of the ZDX-7100
Series Irdeto embedded digital TV set top boxes for the global entertainment
market.
The product, reportedly also the first to meet the world compliance standard
set by the Digital Video Broadcast Group and Motion Picture Experts' Group,
is capable of providing television broadcast reception, electronic programme
guides, Internet access and other sophisticated interactive services for a
television user. Each set top box developed by Zintec costs $100 to $350.
The company, which has an engineering facility in Hyderabad, sees India as a
potential market. Though the Government of India is yet to allow direct to
home (DTH) services, the company is hopeful of marketing its products among
the nearly 75,000 cable operators in the country.
The huge set top box market in India will open up once the government allows
DTH services. The country has 42 million cable homes and the sale of
standard set top boxes will make cable operators obsolete.
Zintec recently signed a deal with VSNL via its strategic partner Novacom
Digitronics. Under the deal, MAA TV, the Telugu television pay channel which
is using VSNL as its uplink provider, will order Zintec set top boxes.
The industry is divided over the set top box issue. Some TV networks are
keen to have their own set top boxes with limited access to their channels.
But the Indian government is concerned about the proliferation of
pornography with access to hundreds of foreign channels, which set top boxes
will provide.
Zintec's software development expertise originates from the Netherlands
while its hardware knowledge and production capabilities are from Taiwan.
Chris De Jong, general manager, Zintec Holding, said the company was aiming
for a six-fold increase in its turnover from $10 million this year. It has
invested $2.5 million in the Hyderabad facility.
--Indo-Asian News Service
