What went wrong with old roof top antenna we use to have years back?

Roof top antennas are made of aluminium and catch nearby TV station signal which is free of charge in India. Telecast is done by Doordarshan. These antennas catch analog signal which is not of good quality. Many of hilly region, valley houses or remote houses do not get good signal quality. There are not many channels available with old aluminium pipe antennas.

How does Cable TV work?

Cable TV was invented to solve the problem of the people who live in valley or remote locations where signals are not strong. Cable operator use to put antenna up on hill and send amplified signal to multiple houses in valley.

Nowadays cable operators installs Big dish antennas to receive TV broadcast from channels and pays on behalf of us to TV channel network. Cable Operator receives many channels through multiple dish antennas and puts them into single wire with different frequencies. You can take the same cable to multiple TV sets in the home and play different channels by paying minimum charge or no extra charge.

What is Set Top Box (STB) for Cable TV?

CAS is set top box for conventional cable TV. Years back Indian Government tried to enforce consumer rights with the help of CAS (Conditional Access System). With the help of CAS on cable tv it is possible to offer different set of channels for each consumer. in 2001 Government attempted to bring Free To Air channels to subscribers for as low as Rs. 80. Because of issues from cable operators, Satellite TV operators, set top box manufactures & political parties CAS didn't succeed. This has given great opportunity to Satellite TV operators to increase their penetration in ever growing Indian Television Market.

What is DTH Dish Television?

DTH stands for Direct To Home service which is terminology for Satellite Television. Compared to Cable TV here you have your very personal equipment which allows you to speak to distributor directly through Satellite. No hassles or chaos of Cablewalas.

 Personal Equipment to directly speak to Satellite for TV Broadcast.  Digital signaling gives you great quality when you connect your TV with AV cable or connect your 5.1 speakers with STB.  Facilities like Movie on Demand and Active/Interactive Services.  Some DTH vendors also offer Radio services. Advantages  Latest movies can be viewed at nominal cost in your Hall (Kills the piracy)  You may actually save money when compared to cable TV by going for Festival offers or Annual plans.

 During the monsoon season if there are thick clouds above your Dish Antenna, there will be reception problem. Disadvantages  Television in multiple rooms will require additional Digicomp and service charge.  You will miss local news channel or music on demand channels usualy offered by Cable TV vendors.

What you need to have to receive Satelite TV signal (DTH Dish)?

You need to have these

 Digicomp set top box.  Dish Antenna (LNB).  An account with Service Provider (Smart card).

What is IP TV?

IP TV runs on ethernet network. There is better uplink bandwidth available in IP TV which assures more interactivity. There are limited vendors offering IP TV. These are MTNL, BSNL & Airtel.

What are the options available in India for DTH Dish TV (Satellite TV)? ---- Comparison Table Revised on 2-Nov-2011

Features/ Videocon Apna Dish TV Tata Sky Airtel Reliance Sun DTH Vendors D2H DTH

Logos

http://www.dishtv http://www.tat http://www.airtel http://www.su http://www.videoc http://www.apn Website http://bigtv.co.in .in asky.com .in/digitaltv ndirect.in ond2h.com adth.com Rs. 999 Rs. or 1390 with Rs. 75 days Rs. 1399 with New 1156 with Diamond 1 month No pack free or free installatio Rs. 1290 60 days Rs. 999 Rs. 1490 service Equipeme n cost (2 month Platinum Details Not (2 months (4 month or nt Cost 1 Month any pack free Available Any Pack) service free) Rs. 1640 Grand free) with 6 Sports Buy month pack and online for free 4 Rs. 1690 service showcase and get Rs. movies 200 cash Free back Installatio Rs. 200 Rs. 400 Free Free Installatio Rs. 300 Details Not n Cost Installation Installation n Available charges extra 10 All India Radio channels - FM Gold, FM Rainbow, AIR Punjabi, FM 20 Active Rainbow- Music 23 Radio Not Not Bangalore, 10 Audio Availabl Radio Channels Stations Available Available AIR Tamil, Channels e for Rs. 20 / Available AIR Month Extra Ragam, AIR Telugu, AIR Bengali, AIR Gujarati and AIR Urdu. Rs. 210 / Month for Rs. 123 / 157 Month Rs. 165 / Channels. Rs. 165 / Rs. 150 / Month or Rs. 132 / Details Month Month with FREE 59 Minimum with 89 Rs. 120 / Month for Not with 192 196 Channels Plan Channels Mon 102 Available Channels Channels & Available & (South Channels. for total & Services Services Services Value number Pack with of 119 Channels Channels) Rs. 1596 for Rs. Rs. 12 1815 for 2784 for Rs. Rs. 1366 for months 12 12 months Rs. 3617 for 12 12 months Value Not Long term months Economy 1650 for 1 months Value Pack Pack for Applicabl Plan (89 pack (157 year New (188+3 (102 India. e channels Channels) Gold pack channels) channels) (1 month & 45 days free) Service) extra

South Available Available Available Available Availabl Available Not Pack e with Available classific ation of Tamil, Telegu, Kannada & Malayala m Active/Inte Not ractive Not Available Available Available Available Availabl Available Applicatio Available e ns Latest Movie Available releases Available Available as Tata Available Not Available with pay as Movies as Pay Per Not SKY as Airtel Availabl as d2h per view on View Available SHOWC Movies e movies /On Demand Movies ASE Demand Service Cheap Active Televisions Monthly Darshanf Great and LCD Plan or channel with inbuilt religious offerings set top All people forRegio box. One time Doordarsh MPEG nal cost an Active 4 quality Channel DVD player channelsa Games & set top s South with inbuilt No vailable Festival box. Indians set top box. Monthly stories. CheapestM burden. First Topper ch onthly plan CINEMA Only set top company Topper c annel for Pluspack box options Options to bring hannel for Unique 9th to 12th MPEG 4 where also available DTH to 9th to Selling std quality set South available to recevie India. 12th std Points students. top box movies directly students. are Free on Maximum Worldspa Universal shown Lifetime Computer number of Tie up ce Remote without Warranty. . HD with Radiooffer any Channels Global is no more break 11 PVR leader SK offered. languages option Traffic Y Tamil user also Updates Network and interface Available and ICICI Telegu bank active iPhone/iP HD ad App 12 Picture Services. in Picture Mobile and (PIP) STB for Remote Cars/Vans Control

HD Satelite Sun Box with 3D Direct for Rs. HD 1690 with 3 forRs. month New Tata SKY 2940 with Gold HD for 2 month Sports+45 Dish Rs. 3050. free days of HD HD Box for TrueHD for No service Globe Free Rs. 2590 Rs. 1690. Installatio (South) High Airtel HD or Installation n cost. 2 or Installation Not Defination for Rs. 2790 Charges month Rs. and Available (HD) Box Rs. 2390 with 3 extra and 1 state 3690 with Activation month HD month HD pack and 6 month charges Rs. service Free pack free HD free 1000 extra GOLD service Free (South) Buy 5 months online for for non- Rs. 2590 South and get Rs. pack 400 cash back Tata Sky HD+gives puase, Airtel replay, offers HD Reliance recording DVR Big HD DVR Available High option. Recorder is available for Defination You can at for Rs. Rs. 3990/- Not (HD) Box Not record Rs. 4390 /- 4490/- Not Availabl with Available from or Installation Available e Recording Remote, You can Rs. 4790/- Charges facility Mobile or record with 3 Rs.500 Internet. from TV month HD extra Available remote or service free for Mobile. Rs. 3990/- HD Box can Not Not 625 Record 550 Hours 200 Hours Applicab 200 Hours Applicable Hours Programs le upto HD TruHD HD Gold Rs. 81 / Ultra Sharp Recharg Star HD Not Channel Royalepac Pack Rs. Month for I forRs. 55 / e options for Rs. 55 / Available Service k for Rs. 75 per HD Plus. Month for for HD Month for Charge 550per month for Movies Nat Geo not Star Plus month with currently Now, Star and Movies available HD, Star 276 + 43 available PlusHD, Now HD. on site. Movies HD, HD 8 HD Star World Star world Channels/ channels. HD, Star Ultra Sharp HD, Star Service Movie HD, IIfor Rs. 83 / Gold HD National Month for TruHD Geographi Nat Geo HD World Premiere c HD, HD, Movies for Rs. 55 / Pack for History TV Now HD, Month for Rs. 450 HD, Star Star Movies Nat Geo with 261 + Gold HD, HD, Star HD, 27 HD Colors HD, Plus HD, Discovery Channels/ Discovery Star Cricket HD, Movies Service HD, UTV HD, ESPN Now, Stars HD. HD Travelxp HD, Active Choice iConcert HD HD 3d based per (Free for HD limited HD Globe channel period) for Rs. available. 110for Nat Geo HD, Discovery HD, Movies Now HD, Travelxp HD, ESPN HD, Star Cricket HD, Star Plus HD, Star World HD, Star Movies HD, Star Gold HD, Colors HD Discovery Discovery Movies Nat Geo HD, Nat HD, Nat Now, Nat Geo Discover HD, Geo HD, Geo HD, Star HD, Movies y HD, Discovery Zee Star Plus PlusHD, Now HD, Nat Geo HD, Movies Cinema & HD, Star Star World Star Movies HD, Now HD, HD Zee TV. Movies HD, HD, Star Tamil HD Travelxp Not Channels Event HD, Star Movie Plus HD, Movies, HD, ESPN Available offered based ESPN HD, Star Cricket Telegu HD, Star sports in HD, Star National HD. HD Cricket HD, HD. Cricket Geographi Movies. Star Plus 43 HD HD & c HD, Others are Movies HD, Star Channels Showcas History TV not HD but Now HD. World HD, More e. Event HD, Star Star Movies details based Gold HD, Like HD. HD, Star about sports in Colors HD, Gold HD, Channels HD. Discovery Don't get Colors HD, HD, UTV fooled Active HD Assures Stars HD. with 250 HD 3D there will likeChannel be more s. HD services soon. Additional TV for Rs. Discount of 145. You 50% of can use Multiple TV parent Details the same Details Not connection Yes Yes connection Not FREE Channel Available s orRs.150(w Available package hichever is on higher) additional TV.

Comparison Table Revised on 2-Nov-2011

What is DVR ?

DVR stands for Digital Video Recorder. This is special set top box, which is also doing recording while you are watching any channel. So you can pause the channel and resume where you left. You can also do recording of some other channel while you are watching different channel. Tata SKY Plus was first to be offered in this category. Each DVR box comes with different quality of content to be stored and limits on hours of recording.

What is HD set top box?

Usual Television set with CRT tube is not capable of producing picture more than 480 lines with limited depth of colors. New Generation LCDs can reproduce image quality upto 1080 lines detailing and beyond. If you have LCD with 1080i or above resolution, this is known as High Defination television. 1080i gives you 5 times clearer picture quality. Unfortunately Cable Transmission or Regular DTH dish tv transmission is not capable of utilizing your LCD capability. Old standard transmission works with 4:3 aspect ratio which is like square where as HD offers you 16:9 aspect ratio which is like rectangle the way LCDs are designed today. Old starndard give mono or stereo sound output. HD offeres you 5.1 audio output. This goes to two rear left+right speakers, two front left+right speakers one center and one to woofer. Giving you realistic natural sound quality. Earlier TVs were connected with RF cable, current set top boxes offer 3 pin AV cables. For HD you need to have HDMI port on television. HDMI port is essential part of HD set top box.

If you do not have LCD with 1080i resolution or 5.1 music system, you wont be able to take advantage of HD channels. Regular CRT television is not made for HD transmission. Currently there are only few channels which are offered with HD broadcast. So if you think you are ready to experiment with this new technology you can go ahead with this.

HD Captures from Tata SKY HD Box (Click on images to see the full size capture)