I have had the TataSky service for a couple of weeks now and it seems to be worth the money. The dealer I went to fixed the appointment for installation for a couple of days later even as I paid for the settop box, but the Tatasky service manager called me and confirmed that the install would happen the very next day. The install including all wiring and fastening proceeded well and the chaps politely refused any tips. The picture and sound are awesome at 80% signal strength, almost DVD and CD quality respectively and the best part is some of the channels sound so much better in stereo(cabel guys don’t provide this to keep their equipment cost low).
One hassle is the scratch card, which has such a strong cover over its secret number that scratching it rubs out the numbers partly. I had a tough time guessing two of the sixteen numbers after scratching the overlay. Perhaps TataSky would improve their scratch card technology.
The dish is also a trifle large and requries a south-east orientation. So if you stay in an apartment without a south or east balcony or window, forget getting Tatasky.
The channel offering is still less than what the local cable fellow has to offer, what with the Sun network channels all missing and with no plan to get aboard. Neo Sports is a plus now, as would be a few European or Australian channels, if at all they can be added to the package.
Also, there is only one package offered right now - SuperSaver, which includes a big bunch of DD language channels - a waste if you have no need for them.
On the whole TataSky brings for Rs. 300 a month about 35 useful channels(of the 100+, including DD and free ones), making the cost of the service about Rs.10 a channel, double of what CAS would cost. That said, the picture quality and sound and the uninterrupted service makes it well worth it.