Which is better in India: a DTH or a cable operator's set top box?
First ask yourself -1. Do I have a 40" or bigger TV?2. Can I spend minimum Rs 300+ in every month for TV channels?3. Can I manage my family members if they are not able to see their favourite TV show while your neighbor (having cable TV) revealing the detail of "Saas Bahu" drama?4. Can I pay service charge if there are any issues with DTH installation or STB?If all the above answers are YES then go for DTH. Otherwise cable TV STB can also provide good picture with affordable price depending on your local cable operator reputation.All the so called DTH features are not free. Please check the list below -HD & 4K - Double the cost of SD pack. This is linked with Q1.Recording facility - Chargeable depending on operatorChoice of pack - Ends up with unnecessary channelsChoice of channels - Too costlyValue added services - ChargeableVideo on Demand - Chargeable24*7 Customer service - UselessIn Monsoon (July to September) - Useless. This is linked with Q3 and most annoying issue of DTH. Till now there is no solution for this. DTH operator sales person may tell you that recently the service is using MPEG4 technology to solve this but that is a white lie.Issue with DTH installation, Set Top Box etc - Chargeable for each visit of technician. This is linked with Q4.So in summary if you have a sufficient budget to spend on TV channels then you may think of DTH as the available options are more than cable TV. For small TV it really does not matter if your cable TV operator is providing good service.
How do I watch TV without any set top box?
With DVB T2 broadcasting it is possible to watch a TV which is Cable free, Internet free as well as Set-top box free.It is required to connect your TV with a DVB T2 Indoor or Outdoor Antenna. It is one time investment only.If you have Smart TV (Samsung, LG, Sony, National Panasonic etc) you can watch the TV absolutely without Cable, Internet and without any Set-top box as it can receive a digital broadcast. You only require to set up the Smart TV to receive signal from connected DVB T2 Antenna for cable free, internet free, set-top box free digital TV broadcast by following certain steps involving Auto Tuning or Manual Tuning of TV Set. You may read the article Smart TV set up to receive DVB T2 , cable free, internet free, set-top box free digital TV broadcast for further.Besides TV sets with compatible built-in tuners (Integrated Digital TVs or iDTVs) and set-top boxes are now available in India. If the TV set is having “Digital TV Tuning menu” it can receive DTT signal.For a Normal TV a DVB T2 Set-top Box along with DVB T2 Indoor / Outdoor Antenna are required to watch Cable free and Internet free TV through Digital Terrestrial Television(DTT)- DVB T2 broadcasting. It is again one time investment only. You may read the article Cable free,Internet free & Set top box free TV through Digital Terrestrial Television(DTT)- DVB T2 broadcasting further.Alternatively, for watching free live TV on a Smart TV without any Set top Box you must have Broadband connection. For watching free Indian Live TV channels you may visit AllTv, Cable Free Live TV on TV - PC - MOBILEBesides Yupp TV app also provide few of India live channels on Smart TV. on subscription. You may go for payment based subscriptions to avail Netflix, Amazon Prime for non-live shows on smart TV.
Airtel Dish TV or Tata Sky - which one should I choose?
While buying any long-term device, one thing we have to do is check for service – the better the service, the lesser worries you will have in the future. In this aspect, Tata Sky is the best. They have 24X7 helpline which will assist you as much as possible and get your problem solved really fast. Also, they say that their installation time is 24 hours, but it gets done a LOT faster (my Tata Sky was installed within 3 hours)! I am not sure about Airtel digital TV, but from what I have heard from my friends, it usually takes about 24 hours.After service, we can look at the picture and sound quality. Here, both Airtel and Tata Sky are equal I think – both use MPEG 4 compression and Dolby Digital. But Tata SKy HD gives 7.1 surround sound, and Airtel has only Dolby Digital Plus.Monthly bills of both are nearly the same, nothing to choose here like picture and sound quality.Tata Sky again scores in terms of HD and regional channels – they have the highest number of both. HD access fees are nearly the same, so you will get more with Tata Sky.Both Tata Sky and Airtel provide recording facilities, so nothing to differentiate there.Tata Sky services are much better – games, education, devotional, exclusive content, innovative channels (like classic cinema)... which others don’t provide.Extra add-on services like pausing your connection for 5-15 days when you are going for vacations so that you are not charged – add to Tata Sky’s tally.You can see more about the comparison on this link (bit outdated, but should give you a good idea): DTH Comparison: Tata SKY Vs Airtel Vs Videocon D2H 2017 • Tech ManiyaSo, the final score line is: Tata Sky 7, Airtel 4, and Videocon – 3. Now you decide!
Should we buy Tata Sky UHD set-top box in India?
If you have a UHD TV then certainly one feels that UHD 4K set top box is a better option. But we should also consider the fact that UHD 4K technology is still in its infant stage in India. We hardly has 5 UHD 4K channels in India. Moreover there is no clear info about which of these DTH providers broadcast these channels.However previously Tata Sky broadcasted 2014 FIFA World Cup live on its Sony Six HD. But again if you are looking for regular UHD shows then it would not be a wise decision.Your answer to the capablity of UHD 4K set top box up scaling the telecast quality of a HD channel is a direct NO. A HD set top box only displays the SD channels and cannot enhance or upscale it to a HD display. Similarly a UHD set top box can display the SD or HD channels with the incoming feed only and there is no mechanism or possibility to enhance the viewer experience and increase the quality of incoming display.Standard Displays - Large Screen Resolutions (For reference)480p (720 x 480) - Standard Definition (SD)720p (1280 x 720) - High Definition Ready (HD Ready)1080p (1920 x 1080) - Full High Definition (FHD)2160p (3840 x 2160) - HD 4K, Ultra-High Definition (UHD 4K), Quad Full High Definition (QFHD)4320p (7680 x 4320) - HD 8KIn India the total number of SD channels are 850+ channels, HD channels are 84+, and UHD 4K channels are 5. Below is the exhaustive list of 4K channels in India.D2h Life 4K - 24X7 multi genre 4K Ultra HD DTH channel.Star Gold 4K - 4K Channel for Hindi Entertainment.Sports 4K - 4K Channel launched for Sports during ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.Sony SIX 4K - 4K Channel for Sports during Final Copa América Centenario 2016Nat Geo 4K - 24x7 multi genre 4K Ultra HD DTH channel.The price of the Tata Sky UHD 4K set top box starts from 6500 Indian Rupees on wards and that of HD set top box from 1800 Indian Rupees.Final conclusion is it would not be wise to invest so much on a UHD 4K set top box as you have extremely less or no content to watch. You have to be satisfied only with the HD Quality. Moreover if you want to watch downloaded HD movies of 4K quality then you can directly plug the pen drive into your TV set to watch the same, you do not need a 4K box for it.Useful Links: Tata Sky HD set top box, Tata Sky UHD 4K set top box, Tata Sky HD PVR set top box, Videocond2h HD set top box, Dish TV HD set top box, Airtel HD set top box, Sun Direct HD set top box, All DTH Recharges
How will you choose TV channels as per the new TRAI rule? How does this affect different providers?
New TRAI rules have made the play more or less homogeneous b/w different DTH players and cable TV operators. Below reasons for making the statement:Max channel price has been fixed by TRAI for each channel.Broadcaster now has the rights to fix the channel price and not the service providersNetwork fee component of our TV bills has been clearly outlined by TRAIHence more or less its an even playing surface b/w different participants unless someone comes up with discount schemes. We will have to wait and watch the market for such developments.On your query regarding how to choose TV channels, I will say that we need to be selective in our approach. Opt only for the channels which you view on a daily basis. Add any additional channels on a temporary basis as an when you need it.How to select the best pack?There are more than 300 packs announced by broadcasters under the new regulation. and consumer is also free to create his own a-la-carte pack. If you are planning to choose more than 15–20 channels from different broadcaster, its a time taking exercise to choose the best channel/pack combo. Here is where Bachat24 | Save money on your DTH/ CABLE TV plan comes to your rescue. Its an analytics platform designed to help you find your best pack/channel combo by just providing the list of channels you will like to view. Do try it and spread it with your friends as its a completely free tool and will help common man to easily save money and respect the new regulation.