Seagate Technology, the global hard disc drive major, is planning to leverage the demand for set-top boxes in India after the government introduces the conditional access system regime.

The $6.5 billion multinational is planning to supply technology to various manufacturers which will enable them to offer disc-enabled set top boxes.

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"We are already working with a couple of  consumer electronics firm for this. These set top boxes will be aimed at the premium end of the market and will allow a viewer to record and receive programmes at the same time," Sharad Srivastava, country manager of Seagate Distribution Singapore, said. The Indian operations come under the purview of Seagate Singapore.

For instance, you need not be dependent on a channel for a repeat telecast of the same programme but simply record it using these boxes.

Seagate says that it is a global leader in the hard disc drive segment and claims a market share of about 30 per cent. Srivastava says that it enjoys a market share of over 50 per cent in this category in India.

The government is discussing plans to introduce the CAS regime with various players in the media industry.

If the plan goes through, then a number of television owners will have to install these boxes which will give an accurate picture of viewership figures and also allow customers to choose the channels they want to see.

Meanwhile, Seagate has entered into a tie up with National Insurance for providing cover to PCs for a period for three years. If the cost of the PC is up to Rs 30,000 then it will be insured for Rs 399.

On the other hand, if the cost is between Rs 30,001 to Rs 50,000 then the insurance cost is Rs 599. The PCs have to use Seagate disc drives to avail of the offer.