THIS REVIEW IS IN TWO PARTS BIG TV SD AND THEN BIG TV HD DVR
A. BIG TV SD
I was a Tatasky user for over 2 years. The wiring from dish developed a snag and I found the visit and replacement cost to be a bomb (350 visit + 300 excess wiring). I found a good deal on Bigtv online with Rs.450 discount (valid on HDFC Credit Cards) on their 1790 offer with 4 months Siver plus pack (worth 1000).
- Installation & Picture:- Installation process was done very good but happened with delay. The dish is bigger than Tatasky but loses connection similar to Tatasky during rains though I feel Big TV resumes transmission faster. They charge Rs.12/mtr for cabling over 18mtr free compared to Tatasky Rs.10/mtr over 12 mtr free.
The Picture quality is awesome on my 40" LCD compared to Tatasky, shifted to component cable (bought separately) with Big TV unlike Tatasky which did not have component connectivity option. Further the annoying security code displayed randomly in Tatasky (bright blue background) is more bearable in Big Tv (black background) as it appears in much less frequency.
Packages & Recharge:- Big Tv has a lot of different packages and I am saving Rs50 every month on the same channels as in Tatasky. Big Tv has numerous pay services and movies, have not explored them. My services portal @ relianceada.com is a very handy portal for recharging Big TV online which I am already using to manage my Reliance Mobile connections alternatively Reliance World outlets also sell recharge vouchers.
Interface:- Big TV software is bad when compared to Tatasky. To set a reminder one has to go through many clicks & cannot scroll upcoming programme schedules in the info panel (Have to use Guide option to see beyond the next programme). Guide has just 2 days programming schedule and Select button shows previews of movie channels only. Only Positive is the feature of assigning many favourites with sorting in categories.
Messages from Big TV pops in full size onto the screen without intimation while watching, unlike Tatasky where an icon indicated new message arrival and I could check later. Though it is not frequent, this intrusion is irritating every time.
Remote:- The layout is friendly layout and similar to Tatasky. The remote has a good range.
customtakeouter Service:- Call center IVR is very helpful but executives are not bright and are mostly reading scripts which may may not address problem like Big TV broadcasting out of sync voice on some channels etc. I sent them an email instead and received no communication in response. ( I noticed this unsynced sound and picture in a few english channel (Discovery/Zee Studio/Pogo) which was rectified at the network level almost after 15-20 days).
UNLIKE TATASKY, BIG TV DOES NOT HAVE A ESCALATION OPTION AVAILABLE ON THEIR WEBSITE. So if you have a problem which customtakeouter care is not able to resolve, then there is no hearing elsewhere.
Update:- I am pleasantly surprised on receiving reply to my email after a month:-
This is in response to your email for Big TV issue.
We tried reaching you on 9xxxxxxxxx, but were unable to connect.
We believe that your Complaint/Request has been resolved/attended to. ....
......We apologize for the inconvenience caused to you and delay in reply.
6. Big TV logo:- It is an irritating bright blob of red & blue which has no transparency (Like the new Star Plus Logo). Good that it changes position on channels and is not visible when channel/programme info panel is activated, so as to minimise the obstruction. Over last few months I have got used to it but I still feal a translucent classy logo could have been made so that it would not impede viewing experience..
Bottomline.
Big TV is a Value for Money product but buy with lowered expectations.
B. BIG TV / Reliance Digital TV HD DVR (Updated on 30.01.2011)
After decent experience with BIG TV SD, I bought the Big TV HD DVR box. It brought us another set of wonderful & bad experiences with Big TV.
As I already know that BIG TV is just a value product rather than a quality product, I was prepared for a less than satisfactory hardware/software with great picture quality on flat panel TV. The experience was bang on target. The unit has the same features as the regular STB with some differences...
PRO
- BIG TV now is Reliance Digital Tv so the logo has changed in to opaque blue Reliance which is better than the past but why can’t they give the logo some translucency is beyond comprehension.
Logo is the same but is smaller now with software update in Feb 2011, this makes it non intrusive.
The HDMI cable (bought separately) brings to the regular channels a new crispiness and box upscales SD channels to 1080i.
DVR records upto 200hrs which in the last 4 months I have hardly used 50 %. Recording requires it’s own cable connection so the box has 2 cables running from the dish.
The universal remote does work perfectly with my TV once programmed, but the programming instruction was not in the package and is available on the bigtv/Reliance website via pdf document download.
HD channels are in 16:9 format, so no stretching on the lcd TV screen and the picture is simply awesome, I enjoyed the commonwealth games in HD as if we were there at the stadium. Tried Star TV HD briefly, it is just the regular SD Star Tv with high bitrate encoded signal at same 4:3 screen format , moreover the SD star tv already looks better on HD box, so got the HD channel unsubscribed immediately.
customtakeouter Support has been helpful and I am satisfied till date, online recharge and channel subscription on phone has been without any hassles. The only gripe is that if one calls for software glitches they respond every time to reset/update the software.
CONS
- Hardly any real 16:9 format HD channels. Presently after almost a year of launch the only real widescreen HD channel available is National Geographic. (RELIANCE - WAKE UP AND PROVIDE CONTENT).
Solved as on 01.03.11 :- New HD Channels added, more expected soon like Movie Now.
They provide only 2 days programme schedule in TV guide so cannot optimally use the recorder (DVR).
Glitchy software with lot of lag and freezing. I seems that a new software is running on an antique hardware specifications. I have to reset/restart the box once every week to get rid of random issues with the software (which sometimes erases my favourite channel list). I suspect Reliance procured the worst hardware at throw away rates or moron developed the useless software .
Solved in Feb 2011 with software update, now the menu is optimised for widescreen, smaller non intrusive Reliance logo. No software freeze or lags anymore. Thanks.
Bottomline
If you are looking for a HD box with DVR at value pricing and a best in DTH picture quality then GO FOR RELIANCE DIGITAL TV.