Tata Sky - Best of the lot, as of now. Review on Tata Play

We have Tata Sky in our office cafeteria since a few years. It is very good in every way. I have never seen it down at any point of time. I also have several friends who are using Tata Sky and all of them are very happy with the service. Most of them never even had to face any technical issues though they had used it for over a year.

Recently, I also took Tata Sky and for me too the installation went very smoothly. I got a call the very next morning after buying the kit (as promised by the dealer) and the person asked me when they can come for installation.

A while later, I got an SMS that had the time of installation as confirmed by me, and the phone number of the installation guy. The guys came before time and did the installation, which was of a highly professional quality! I'm very happy with the installation and system performance.

To summaries:

• Channels are very clear but in MPEG2 format (by contrast, some of the newer players like Airtel Digital TV and Reliance Big TV use MPEG4 format)

  
  




• The channel guide is very well designed, informative and easy to navigate. It tells you clearly the current and future programs and timings and you can set reminders. This is the major difference between Tata Sky and the rest of the lot. The user interface has been designed by a professional company (NDS) and has given priority to ease of use and elegant simplicity.

  
  




• The Set-Top Box (STB) is simple and elegant with minimal buttons for the important functions. The slot for the subscriber's smart card has a flip cover that keeps it shielded.

  
  




• One disadvantage is that there are no radio channels. Airtel Digital TV scores here by providing WorldSpace channels for free.

  
  




• Remote is BAD!!! The remote of Airtel Digital TV is far, far better in comparison! This remote is very large and uncomfortable to hold, since it doesn't fit into the palm easily. However, one good thing is that the keys are big and the important buttons are distinguishable from the rest as they are blue in color, which is good for the elderly as they won't have trouble pressing the right buttons.

  
  




• As mentioned, the installation is good and the people usually turn up on time, unlike some other DTH providers who really harass their customers initially while setting up the system.

  
  




• Packages are a tad expensive, probably the costliest of all the DTH options. I think it's better to pay a bit more for a hassle-free experience, than to go with the cheapest option (Dish TV) and suffer!

  
  




• Known to be trouble-free during operation. I haven't heard of too many complaints against it, though many people I know are using it. Even for me it's working great so far!

  
  




• Payment for recharge can be done online via their website (via credit/debit card or net banking) or through auto debit (ECS). Payment via cheques is also accepted. Online recharge is very easy, quick and hassle-free, and you get the confirmation on your STB within minutes.

  
  

All in all, under the present circumstances, I think it's best to go with Tata Sky. Not to say that it's perfect -- far from it! But of all the DTH service providers, I think Tata Sky is the safest bet.

Just wish they would lower their package rates and make them more reasonable!