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This story - first published in the Pioneer (New Delhi) edition on 30th-December-2003 is where noted Consumer Activist Sarbajit Roy has also shown how the HUMAX Korea ND-1000C Digital Cable Set Top Box for CAS (Conditional Access System for Cable Television) is unsafe and do not meet the BIS Standard - which is mandatory. The ruling right wing Hindu BJP party had attempted to force citizens of New Delhi to compulsorily purchase these dangerous and explosive set top boxes.
Go BACK to INDIA_PIL Legal WEBSITE
The Pioneer Reporter Abraham Thomas is well respected in press circles for his factual accurate reporting and attention to detail
This story in the Pioneer was the last nail in the coffin of CAS.
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| STBs don't meet BIS norms |
Abraham Thomas/
New Delhi |
The
Set-Top boxes (STBs) available at your nearest
cable operator may be attractively-priced but they
do not fit the proposed Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS) specifications. |
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The STBs available
with the multi-system operators (MSOs) do not meet the
operational temperature and electricity requirements of
BIS as specified for the digital set-top boxes. Since
these factors decide the safety of any electronic
equipment, failing to meet them can prove hazardous to
human life when used at homes.
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The Humax technology
used by Hathway Cable, specifies that the STB has a
voltage intake range of 90-250V AC while the range
mentioned for such STBs by BIS is between 90-270
V.
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The other aspect is
its operational temperature range. As per the BIS norms,
a STB must have the capacity to operate in adverse
conditions - between 0-50 degree Celcius. This is
derived after the STB is made to undergo dry heat test
of the severity of 55 degree Centigrade, damp heat test
and a cold test for the STB to withstand -10 degree
temperatures. Humidity range of five to 95 per cent is
also specified.
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However, Hathway's
ND-1000 C and CX-1201 C models operate at 0-45 degrees.
They, however, have shown that the STBs could be stored
at temperatures ranging between -10 degree and 70
degrees Celcius, which is insignificant. The humidity
specifications for the same are not indicated.
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Experts dealing with
electronic goods claim that BIS specifies high
temperature range bearing in mind the inherent hazards.
"All domestic appliances draw power supply between 220
to 260 V. Obviously, if an appliance is slated to draw
power till a maximum of 250 V (as in the case of the
available STBs), they will get heated quickly increasing
possibilities of a short-circuit," claimed Sarbajit Roy,
an advisor with a reputed electronic firm.
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Moreover, these
instruments having metal covering get heated up quickly.
Also, there is a Line Filter Capacitor (LFC) fitted in
the STBs which are placed so close to the metal top that
if pressed, the current running through the LFC is
enough to provide a shock 20 times more than what can
kill a person, Mr Roy added.
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To ward off these
dangers, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
had set up Broadcasting Engineers Consultants India
Limited (BECIL), as an authority to certify the STBs.
This team had even visited the Korean firms to evaluate
the STBs. But none of them could suit Indian standards
since the power input range in Delhi's household is high
as compared to USA or Canada where it is only upto 120
V. Moreover, even the BIS has accepted that there is no
global standards set for evaluating STBs.
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Hathway's Northern
India (Sales) Head S N Sharma said, "Our STBs have been
seen and certified by the government." Responding to the
potential hazards due to the failing standards of STBs
as against BIS, Mr Sharma said, "If the boxes were this
dangerous, they will not have been approved by the
government at the first place." Though the I&B
Ministry has cleared the STBs, the BIS is yet to respond
on the credibility of these boxes.
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Forecast:
Cold day. Fog till forenoon. Minimum temperature is likely to
be around 6 C
Max Temp 16.5 C (-5)
Min
Temp 8.0 C (0)
Max Humidity 92%
Min
Humidity 70%
Rainfall -
Sunset (Sat)
5:35 pm
Sunrise (Sun) 7.12 am |
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