Based on my own analysis and interaction with many customers like you, I've listed out the main concerns/queries which most of the people have. But other than the questions which are "Frequently Asked", I will also highlight few things which "Should be Asked". So lets list out the things first
A) You need i) Cheapest DTH or ii) Best DTH with cost-effectiveness
B) Would you mind using two remotes - One for TV and One for Set-Top-Box
C) Would you get irritated if volumes keep changing across channels
D) Would you mind paying little extra for superior post-sales service
E) What's most cost-effective if you have multiple TVs
F) You need the dth installation immediately or can wait for few days
And there are few questions, you "Should Ask"
A) Who owns the Set-top-box after making the payment - me or the dth provider
B) What will happen in case I shift to a new place
C) Do add-on packages have some minimum subscription-period or I can unsubscribe anytime
Fine, so we have the complete list now.So lets explore each of these one-by-one.
First of all, if the only thing you are looking in DTH is it's cost - there is no need to even read further. Go and pick up Sun DTH for yourself because there is no doubt that they are the cheapest in market(last time I saw, they were offering a new installation with 5 months free subscription in some Rs.600 change only). No one stands anywhere closer to them.
But if you really need quality service and cost is not the only concern, then you MUST consider these dth providers - Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV or Big TV. I won't discuss others because I didn't find their quality ( in terms of service, picture quality etc.) anywhere closer to these providers. And it didn't make sense to confuse you by adding hell lot of comparisons.( But feel free to pick up as per your choice, these are based on my observations).
Let's briefly go through the highlights of all these services then -
1. Tata Sky
Picture Quality: (5 Stars)
Cost Effective: (4.5 Stars)
Tech./Features: (5 Stars)
Tata Sky Features
• Uniform volume level across all channels – No need to keep changing volume levels across different channels
• Stable set-top-box with almost no bugs or issues even in case of bad weather
• Customer service & after sales support is excellent – Delivery of set top box and installation done within 2 hours in many cases.
• Local numbers for service & support – Unlike most of the other providers who don’t have a local number for customer support, tata sky has given local numbers for most of the cities so that you don’t have to burn money on support issues.
• Transparent pricing system with every price mentioned as net price including tax – No additional taxes to be paid on monthly package charges
• Powered by exquisite technology of Sky clubbed with excellent service of Tata – One of the earliest DTH provider Sky is powering the technology hence excellent features and quality of DTH
• Exclusive offer for multiple television owners – Exclusive package available for secondary connections which can save you money every month.
• Exclusive access to some authentic international channels like BBC entertainment, Ceebebies
Concluding Words:
So if you are planning to go for a DTH service with excellent picture/audio quality and don’t like to have much of maintenance overhead, Tata Sky best fits the need. Go for it even if you have to pay few extra bucks for it because your saving will be huge on maintenance cost and you’ll be buying peace of mind.
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2. Reliance BIG TV
Picture Quality: (5 Stars)
Cost Effective: (4.5 Stars)
Tech./Features: (4 Stars)
Reliance BIG TV Features
• Only DTH with MPEG-4 technology – This helps in serving more number of channels in limited bandwidth but doesn’t affect the picture quality as such.
• Flexibility to customize packages – Packaging of channels have been done in the right way which ensures you can chose the regional pack as per your choice.
• Can watch 12 channels at a time on single screen – This can be of great use when there is some special news being telecasted on multiple channels at the same time.
• Much better performance even if it rains – BIG TV set top box is quiet stable hence you don’t get much of disturbance in case of bad weather.
• Cost effective for most of the people – If you are very choosy about channels and want to see very limited number of channels, BIG TV does have a cost effective packaging. This holds true for most of the users who just want to see regional channels. But just as a word of caution, if you really need variety of channels for e.g. a mix of Regional, Hindi, English and Sports etc., then the cost might go high.
Concluding Words:
So if you are planning to go for a cost-effective DTH service with flexibility to customize your channels package and you won't mind waiting for few days, BIG TV is one of the best choice.
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3. Airtel Digital TV
Picture Quality: (5 Stars)
Cost Effective: (4 Stars)
Tech./Features: (4.5 Stars)
Airtel Digital TV Features
• Universal remote which works both with TV and Set top box – You don’t have to operate TV and set top box with two different remotes
• Exclusive availability of world-space satellite radio channels – If you are a music lover and need international music channels, it comes as a big advantage.
• Sleek and stylish set top box – For all those aesthetic lovers who want to ensure that every thing in their house is sleek and trendy, this has great value.
Concluding Words:
So if you are a true music lover with lots of interest in international music channels or have a great value for aesthetics who don't mind paying a premium for same, Airtel Digital TV definitely wins the race.
But before you finalize, let's also figure out the "Should be Asked" questions.
A) Who owns the Set-top-box after making the payment - me or the dth provider
In case of Tata Sky and Big TV, YOU(subscriber) own it and in case of Airtel the service provider owns it. What that means is - if its service provider's property they can take it back from you if you don't recharge it for few months. And definitely, that's not a good thing. If you pay for the box, it's YOU who should own it.
B) What will happen in case I shift to a new place
In case you shift to any place within city or within India, you'll have to carry the set-top-box with you, call the service provider at new place and get it re-installed. There are nominal re-installation charges for all dth service providers.This rule applies for all three - tata sky, airtel digital tv and big tv.
C) Do add-on packages have some minimum subscription-period or I can unsubscribe anytime
Both BigTV and Airtel Digital TV has given minimum subscription periods(3-6 months) for most of the add-on packages whereas in Tata Sky you can take add-on pack for just one month also. What this means is - in case of minimum subscription period, you might end up paying every month for a channel which you don't need any more.
Hopefully by now, you must have decided as which DTH best fits to your requirement and you would like to know as where you can book it. So here is a common helpline which you can call, figure out the current installation charges and get free home delivery of any DTH you want. Just call 9740111822 in Bangalore and they will arrange the free home delivery for any dth you want. So what are you waiting for, pick up your phone and switch to the new digital experience sitting in your home.
How to Book for Free Home Delivery:
Call the dth helpline 9740111822, tell you delivery address along with convenient time and sit back and relax. When they come just make the cash payment and you are done.
More Related Links:
Big TV Channels List
TataSky Channels List
Airtel Digital TV Channels List
If you liked the report, please feel free to share it with your friends ( you can use email feature below). And if you still have some questions un-answered, please feel free to drop your questions below in the comments section. I will definitely try to answer all the queries.
Wish you an enjoyable DTH experience!
Secret Link for Tata Sky Offer
PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT SUN DTH SERVICE WHICH IS ALSO USING THE SAME MPEG TECHNOLOGY BUT PROVIDES A CHEAPER COST EFFECTIVE SERVICE
ReplyDelete@Bhaskar: If cost is the only factor you are looking for then there is no need to review any other DTH as SUN DTH is undoubtedly the cheapest currently. No other provider is even close to them.But I didn't consider SUN in my analysis because as per my customer interactions and study,SUN stands nowhere close to other providers in terms of post-sales service and quality.
ReplyDeleteAs far as MPEG4 technology is concerned, that's the most misused terminology used by DTH providers to lure customers.This technology DOESN'T help in anyway in improving the picture quality.It just helps in broadcasting more number of channels in same bandwidth ( because of higher compression). And in India, where hardly 200 channels are telecasted by any DTH, MPEG4 is really of no significance.Hope it helps you clarify the doubts.
why is that there is no discussion on DISH TV the first DTH operator in India> how is their quality and service when compared to all the new entrants. how is the technology and pricing of channnels. Can you brief and make a comparison of all DTH providers??
ReplyDelete@Jay: True that DISH TV was the first entrant in this business but it seems they still feel that there are the only one in the market. At least their non-friendly attitude towards customers[call STD numbers if you need any support], no availability of recharge vouchers anywhere in Bangalore[you just try calling up some dth providers and ask if anyone has their recharge voucher] say the same.As I said earlier in my post, I didn't want to overwhelm readers by comparing all the dth providers - so I just picked up the selected ones who are providing good service as of now.Hope that answers your question.
ReplyDeleteDish TV seems to have good list of channels in a package for affordable price. No others have given the best content in package as compared to Dish TV. Do you say that we should not go for Dish TV at any cost?
ReplyDeleteExcept Big TV, no others have Kasthuri TV (Kannada Channel), which is a main criteria for Kannada Viewers sticking to local cable and not going for DTH. In general, everything is OK with dth (quality, price, connectivity...), except number of all-important channels in a package and that's why some viewers still hesitate to go for dth and stick to local cable.
Let me contribute by making a quick comparision between sun and Big (I am a bigTV subscriber since last eleven months and have to decide whether to stay with Big or not)..Sun TV has captured a bigger share in the rural market purely cos of the cost factor as mentioned in the article, whereas BIG TV with their good channel packaging has been a hit with Urban subscribers as i feel they are more value-for-money. Their Starter3(210 rs/-)+15 Sun TV channels package(50 rs/-) + tax comes to somewhere 300 but offers almost all good channels including most regional south channels, colors,zee,espn-star etc..
ReplyDeleteAfter going thru SunDTH website, Sun tv+ all channels available on big TV will easily surpass 400 rs/-..As such,I have nt bothered to check Tata and Airtel packages as I dint want to invest on a Settop box again. Tata & Airtel are also good,as this article suggests.
BIG Tv's website has to provide 'compare packages' feature without which customers find it tough to make a quick decision as I found out.