More on digital cable and DTH. Review on General Tips on DTH Service

You should read following review before you read this review.

https://mouthshut.com/review/DTH_vs_Cable_TV-162540-1.html

Let me update you on HD services and then provide you more inputs for choosing the right DTH box. First of all, HD stands for high definition. HD is a new TV technology to display TV content on larger display with better clarity. Older TV sets are called as SD or standard definition TV.

Essentially, your conventional TV video is displayed using several color dots. However, these dots are so small that you don't see any dots but you see video composed of these dots. These dots are logically placed in rows and columns. There will be 720 rows and 576 columns that display video on SD TV. In other words your TV screen is like a 720 cross 576 colored chess board like object. A portable TV has same number of rows and columns as present on a 29" SD TV. Hence, increasing the size of an SD TV beyond a level will expose you these rows as visible lines.

To overcome this size limitations of SD TV, HD TV technology is invented where there are more rows and columns to display video or picture. There are two popular formats, one has 1280 rows and 720 columns(also called 720P standard) and other one has 1920 rows and 1080 columns(called as 1080i). Also, you may have noticed that screen width is more  than the height(as compared to SD video) to provide cinema screen like look.

HD video broadcasting uses superior video compression technology called MPEG4(pronounced as Em Peg 4). HD contents need to be recorded using special camera and transmitted using specialized equipments. HD video is much heavier than SD video. In other words, approximately three SD channels can be broadcast by removing one 720p HD channel. 1080i is much heavier than 720p but offers you crystal clear picture quality on very large HD TVs. If your DTH operator is offering 720p then the quality will be lower than 1080i.

HD DTH receiver boxes are available in two forms, with or without recording option. I recommend you to buy a box with recording option as people buying an HD TV and a HD box will be able to afford recorder box. Also, it offers more features and better usability. Now, I recommend you to buy Airtel Digital TV recordable box(It should be available by Diwali 2010) because you can record more channels using same recording capacity box than Tatasky. This is because Digital TV uses better video compression(MPEG4 for all channels) technology than tatasky(MPEG2 for SD channels, MPEG4 for HD channels) for transmitting SD channels. It's needless to say that considering availability of several SD channels you would record SD channel programs more than HD programs. Please also note that there should be no difference in video size between Tatasky and Digital TV when you record HD programs. HD transmission has 5.1 channel audio that is required for home theater systems. Ensure that you buy a box that has 5.1 decoded output.

Other operators like Big TV, Sun and Dish TV may have these options but in my opinion Tatasky and Digital TV uses technology from the market leader in pay TV solutions. Hence, I recommend you to go with the leader.

I am not aware of any Cable operator offering HD services. This could be a good and cost effective solution.

Thank you for reading this review.