I was in the market for a DTH service and checked out all the options available including Airtel DTH, Sun DTH, Tata Sky and Dish.
I’ve broken up the review into sections so it is easier to read:
Content: Basically, all the channels provide outsourced content in terms of the several 100 channels available, so there is really no contest there. All providers belt out the same content
User interface: Easy to use, intuitive and quick response. I like the feature where a visual bar indicates how much of a program is over and how much time is left. It also has sorting by genre (news, entertainment, movies etc). The program descriptions are short and clearly written making it easy. A huge plus is that it allows each of you in your family to create your own list of channels so you do not have to surf all the channels all the time. Me for example have around 10 of my favorite channels and my little kid has her cartoons and stuff. The list can be named so you can actually say, "Vijay’s list". I think that’s cool.
Technology: Big TV is digital (off course) and follows the MPEG4 format which is very good quality. It’s not High Def, but for India, it’s a start.
I was also very impressed with the fact that the digibox has a "Component Out" option as well as a standard AV out. I use the component out as it will give you the best picture quality coming out of the box. The only better connection you will find in western markets is HDMI which is not available in India as there is no High Def programming as yet. I think this is a huge plus. None of the other providers have a Component Out option for video.
Audio outputs are standard stereo and I was hoping they’d also have a digital out which I can feed into my Dolby Amp. But the stereo output is decent.
The start up time for the box is about 10 seconds from cold power on which is cool.
The dish is standard size although I found that the mounting assembly is not powder coated (like Tata Sky) for example and considering that it is exposed to the elements, could be a cause for concern in the long term. It’s RED in color, so if your Dish is going to be visible, it will be REALLY visible from a mile! But no biggie. I can live with that.
The Remote is also Red! But it’s pretty standard, quick response and the only thing I wish it had was a TV control section.
Customer Service: The customer service is pretty decent with not so long wait times before you get to an agent. They speak decent English and the local languages. I think it’s good value considering you just pay Rs2000 for the 1st year. No complaints here.
Watch out: When the installer guy comes and fixes your dish setup, he will switch on all channels and this all the additional freebie channels will switch off after 15 days. Your basic plan that you signed up for will come into force then and if you want your HBO or ZeeTV you have to shell out some extra moolah. This was not told to me when I bought the box, so I was a little upset about this. Customer service just explained the situation and did nothing about it. So, know before you buy.
Overall: I’m happy with the entire setup and am enjoying great quality, uninterrupted, digital picture on my LCD TV.