Harshit
Member
- Joined
- 24 Jul 2011
- Messages
- 106
- Reaction score
- 313
Dear All,
I am using Both DTH connection, Airtel Digital TV from last 4 years and Tata Sky from last 6 years. But now i am very much confused about which operator to go for as a Multi-TV connection for a new TV purchased this Diwali. I thought of taking other DTH operators like Videocon D2H or Dish TV, but it wont be economical to take individual connection rather than Multi-TV connection and also my family is not agreeing on it. So i have decided to do a detailed comparison between both the operators and your suggestions are most welcome.
Before comparing, let me clear that all my connections are Standard Definition and i am interested in Standard Definition Multi-Tv connection. High Definition Channels exceed my monthly budget of maximum Rs 300 per connection.
The Comparison:-
1. Packages:- In Tata Sky, Base Packages are very well designed and truly genre based with certain exceptions. The Add-On Packs are purely Genre-Wise. Like Dhamaal Mix pack contains all Hindi Entertainment, Hindi Movies, Hindi News, Hindi Music Channels and many more with no channel left out in the above genres. But in Supreme Sports Kids Pack or Grand Sports pack, Ten Sports, Ten Cricket and Ten Action are being left out. These are exceptions. But mostly all packages have been tried to be made Genre-Wise.
But in Airtel Digital TV, Packages are very random and confusing. Like Zee Premier and Baby TV Channel are available in Ultra Pack onwards. Also the Chota Packs are not Genre-Wise. But that also results in a great convenience as we can opt as per requirement without subscribing the whole genre.
2. New Channels:- With reference to the above point, During Addition of new channels, in Tata Sky, we are sure that if the new channel is not a Special Category Channel then it will be added in Base Pack containing channels of similar genre. Like Zindagi and Sony Pal added in Dhamaal Mix Pack. I am not considering South Special and South Sports Pack because it does not contain all the channels of Hindi Entertainment.
But in Airtel Digital TV, we are not sure that it will be available in Base ck like Value Prime or not. Like when Ristey was added it was from Economy Sports Pack onwards but later on added in Value Prime pack or consider the case of newly added channel ID (Investigation Discovery). And also I have seen that channels being added in Base Packs or Regional Packs lately after few days or weeks after it got added in the STB.
3. Lock-In Period:- In Tata Sky, we can change the Base Pack anytime we want to change. Like i change my Base Pack to Supreme Sports Kids Pack or Grand Sports Pack when i want to want to view any sporting event or any other channels which are not available in lower base pack and once again change my package to Dhamaal Mix Pack on the same day before 12:00 A.M. mid-night. So, in that way i can view any channels available in higher packs without paying extra. Also with Add-On Packs or A-La-Carte Channels containing the channels available in higher Base Pack like English Movies and English Entertainment channels, i can drop the Add-On Pack or A-La-Carte Channels on the same day of subscribing it or on any day i wish by just changing my Base Pack to the pack that contains the same channels and once again changing the base pack to lower packs. For Example- I subscribed English News Pack and then changed my base pack to Grand Sports Pack which already contains English News channels, so English News pack is automatically dropped and now I can again change the base Pack to Dhamaal Mix Pack. But it can only be done through customer care either through phone or chat from mytatasky.com.
But in Airtel Digital TV, we can Downgrade i.e. changing from higher to lower package, only after a period of 30 days is completed. And for the Chota Packs, the cost for the whole month is deducted at once and if we drop it afterwards, no balance is not refunded generally.
4. Toll-Free Customer Care Number:- Both DTH operator have their toll-free number, but from last one year i am seeing that Airtel Digital TV's toll-free number 1800-102-8080 is not working properly. I am Non-Airtel user. Whenever i call this number, I get the following automated reply- "The Network you are calling is Busy". I tried it even from my family members phone but same response. Trying this number for 15-20 times, the call gets connected once and an SMS comes to please call Regional Customer Care from next time. As per CC, their toll-free number will be closed within few months.
But in Tata Sky, their Toll-Free Number 1800-180-6633 works very smoothly. No problem at all. Earlier there was a limitation on call time of 7 and half minutes but now the restriction is lifted.
5. Channels:- In my view, Airtel Digital TV has more number of channels than Tata Sky in some of the genres. The channel i miss the most in Tata Sky is Zee ETC Bollywood.
6. Interactive Services:- In Tata Sky, there are more number of Interactive services than Airtel Digital TV and in my view Tata Sky Interactive services are much better.
7. Special Offers:- In Tata Sky, they provide special offers every Saturday known as "Jingalala Saturdays Offer" which gives good offers most of the time, generally for a subscription period of 1 Month.
In Airtel Digital TV, they provide offers whenever they wish and generally for a subscription period of few days or weeks.
8. Subscriber Account Management Through Internet:- Tata Sky has a dedicated Subscriber Account Management Website mytatasky.com. This Website also has a Mobile Version which can be easily accessed from any Mobile whether a Basic Phone or a Smartphone. Mytatasky.com gives almost full access to the Subscriber to View, Add or Drop Packages, Edit Personal Information, Chat with Customer Care Agent and many more.
But Airtel Digital TV has no dedicated Subscriber Account Management Website. We can log-in through airtel.in/digitaltv under My Account Tab. The Website gives very limited options that can be accessed by the Subscriber. Also I have faced log-in issues many times.
One more point in my opinion, which i felt in both my Set Top Boxes is, Airtel Digital TV's Font size is little bigger and readability is much better than Tata Sky. I understand that the thread has became lengthy, but it was needed to compare the DTH Operators properly.
Thank You
I am using Both DTH connection, Airtel Digital TV from last 4 years and Tata Sky from last 6 years. But now i am very much confused about which operator to go for as a Multi-TV connection for a new TV purchased this Diwali. I thought of taking other DTH operators like Videocon D2H or Dish TV, but it wont be economical to take individual connection rather than Multi-TV connection and also my family is not agreeing on it. So i have decided to do a detailed comparison between both the operators and your suggestions are most welcome.
Before comparing, let me clear that all my connections are Standard Definition and i am interested in Standard Definition Multi-Tv connection. High Definition Channels exceed my monthly budget of maximum Rs 300 per connection.
The Comparison:-
1. Packages:- In Tata Sky, Base Packages are very well designed and truly genre based with certain exceptions. The Add-On Packs are purely Genre-Wise. Like Dhamaal Mix pack contains all Hindi Entertainment, Hindi Movies, Hindi News, Hindi Music Channels and many more with no channel left out in the above genres. But in Supreme Sports Kids Pack or Grand Sports pack, Ten Sports, Ten Cricket and Ten Action are being left out. These are exceptions. But mostly all packages have been tried to be made Genre-Wise.
But in Airtel Digital TV, Packages are very random and confusing. Like Zee Premier and Baby TV Channel are available in Ultra Pack onwards. Also the Chota Packs are not Genre-Wise. But that also results in a great convenience as we can opt as per requirement without subscribing the whole genre.
2. New Channels:- With reference to the above point, During Addition of new channels, in Tata Sky, we are sure that if the new channel is not a Special Category Channel then it will be added in Base Pack containing channels of similar genre. Like Zindagi and Sony Pal added in Dhamaal Mix Pack. I am not considering South Special and South Sports Pack because it does not contain all the channels of Hindi Entertainment.
But in Airtel Digital TV, we are not sure that it will be available in Base ck like Value Prime or not. Like when Ristey was added it was from Economy Sports Pack onwards but later on added in Value Prime pack or consider the case of newly added channel ID (Investigation Discovery). And also I have seen that channels being added in Base Packs or Regional Packs lately after few days or weeks after it got added in the STB.
3. Lock-In Period:- In Tata Sky, we can change the Base Pack anytime we want to change. Like i change my Base Pack to Supreme Sports Kids Pack or Grand Sports Pack when i want to want to view any sporting event or any other channels which are not available in lower base pack and once again change my package to Dhamaal Mix Pack on the same day before 12:00 A.M. mid-night. So, in that way i can view any channels available in higher packs without paying extra. Also with Add-On Packs or A-La-Carte Channels containing the channels available in higher Base Pack like English Movies and English Entertainment channels, i can drop the Add-On Pack or A-La-Carte Channels on the same day of subscribing it or on any day i wish by just changing my Base Pack to the pack that contains the same channels and once again changing the base pack to lower packs. For Example- I subscribed English News Pack and then changed my base pack to Grand Sports Pack which already contains English News channels, so English News pack is automatically dropped and now I can again change the base Pack to Dhamaal Mix Pack. But it can only be done through customer care either through phone or chat from mytatasky.com.
But in Airtel Digital TV, we can Downgrade i.e. changing from higher to lower package, only after a period of 30 days is completed. And for the Chota Packs, the cost for the whole month is deducted at once and if we drop it afterwards, no balance is not refunded generally.
4. Toll-Free Customer Care Number:- Both DTH operator have their toll-free number, but from last one year i am seeing that Airtel Digital TV's toll-free number 1800-102-8080 is not working properly. I am Non-Airtel user. Whenever i call this number, I get the following automated reply- "The Network you are calling is Busy". I tried it even from my family members phone but same response. Trying this number for 15-20 times, the call gets connected once and an SMS comes to please call Regional Customer Care from next time. As per CC, their toll-free number will be closed within few months.
But in Tata Sky, their Toll-Free Number 1800-180-6633 works very smoothly. No problem at all. Earlier there was a limitation on call time of 7 and half minutes but now the restriction is lifted.
5. Channels:- In my view, Airtel Digital TV has more number of channels than Tata Sky in some of the genres. The channel i miss the most in Tata Sky is Zee ETC Bollywood.
6. Interactive Services:- In Tata Sky, there are more number of Interactive services than Airtel Digital TV and in my view Tata Sky Interactive services are much better.
7. Special Offers:- In Tata Sky, they provide special offers every Saturday known as "Jingalala Saturdays Offer" which gives good offers most of the time, generally for a subscription period of 1 Month.
In Airtel Digital TV, they provide offers whenever they wish and generally for a subscription period of few days or weeks.
8. Subscriber Account Management Through Internet:- Tata Sky has a dedicated Subscriber Account Management Website mytatasky.com. This Website also has a Mobile Version which can be easily accessed from any Mobile whether a Basic Phone or a Smartphone. Mytatasky.com gives almost full access to the Subscriber to View, Add or Drop Packages, Edit Personal Information, Chat with Customer Care Agent and many more.
But Airtel Digital TV has no dedicated Subscriber Account Management Website. We can log-in through airtel.in/digitaltv under My Account Tab. The Website gives very limited options that can be accessed by the Subscriber. Also I have faced log-in issues many times.
One more point in my opinion, which i felt in both my Set Top Boxes is, Airtel Digital TV's Font size is little bigger and readability is much better than Tata Sky. I understand that the thread has became lengthy, but it was needed to compare the DTH Operators properly.
Thank You
tup:tup
