Feb 28, 2007 12:18 PM
2519 Views
(Updated Feb 28, 2007 12:43 PM)
I am residing in rural area of Maharashtra where electricity is absent for 8 – 10 hours minimum. Even when electricity is back there no guarantee that the you will be able to watch the TV as the cable walah is providing the service from his control room(3 kms away from my home) and in between this distance numerous amplifiers are supplying the signal. If a single amplifier is failed(due to power or whatever) tv viewing is out of question. It used to happen at least three times a week(on Sundays for sure). My tragedy was that I own a inverter but it was useless as far as tv is concerned.
Many of my friends have gone for Tata Sky but it’s high monthly subscription charges kept me away. Last week I missed Omkara and KBC episodes and then I decided to go for this service. There was question of thinking about DishTV as some of my friend own it for 2-3 years and it just sucks on technical front. All of them have switched to Tata Sky. Finally I booked it through a dealer(believe me, this is the best way to book it as you know a live person to whom you can held responsible for any trouble or delay). Tata people gave me a date after 2 days. Within 16 hours I received a call from Tata Sky asking if I am ready to prepone the appointment for the installation. They were supposed to come from district place which is 80 kms away from my town. Surprisingly the person arrived at exact time promised by him. Installation was very smooth and clean. I found this guy really well trained and well equipped. He also helped us in planning the cable so it wont look bad and untidy. The device was up and running within 45 minutes.
Hardware:
Tata Sky offers very good hardware(including nuts and bolts). The installation is very neat and technically perfect. Remote works from anywhere(of course within the living room?). ST box is very small, sleek and handy(10 times better than DishTV junk).
Quality:
Picture quality is amazingly clear and sharp. No need to say that all Star, Sony and Zee premium channels are extremely clear and truly DVD quality. Few channel like HBO are not that good but better than cable tv any given time. Sound quality is fine(as good as any good cable network) but not CD quality(as advertised).
User interface:
The user interface is extremely good and user-friendly. You can find the program schedule for one full week for each channel which is a very good feature. User can set a reminder for any given program for anytime in week. Those who are used to fast surfing on ordinary will find it little uncomfortable initially. Using Search and Scan banner user can see what is going on a another channel without missing current channel. Online account status, system settings, and categorized channel listing are other useful features.
Channel package:
Tata Sky delivers most of the important channels(as far as I am concerned), Most of the important Movie, News, Sports and entertainment channels are present. It is strange the CNN IBN is present but IBN 7 is not there. Hopefully they will keep adding new channels(if they want to remain in the game).
Other features:
Pre-paid recharging system is very good and hassle-free.
A system alert informs you whenever a new channel is added.
User can watch channels like History, Nat Geo, Discovery, Animal Planet in English or Hindi.
User can watch a full cricket match in Hindi or English and cal also select preferred commentator.
ACTVE
This is a good feature. I liked the ACTVE News and ACTVE Sports very much. Multi camera angle feature is fantastic. Now for the first time you can skip the ad break and watch what is going on the pitch, behind the scene. I am really looking forward to this world cup.
Though I think that other ACTVE features are still under developed and needs many improvements.
Conclusion:
Overall a fantastic product which provides you more than normal tv viewing. I strongly hope that the high subscription price(Rs.300/pm) will come down when strong competitors like Reliance and Sun are in the game. I do not consider DishTV a real competitor as they are way behind as far as technology is concerned.
Latest 3 months free offer(on 3999 price) and 6 months free(on 4500 price) is a cool reason to go for Tata Sky. Tata Sky is all set to bring cordless sensor(for alternate tv viewing) and DVR device(TV recorder) which will only add to its value. A sureshot winner.
