DDF Exclusive My in-depth review of Tata Sky HD

[shreyaskini]

Now, i was supposed to make this review after a week as per my promise but i was really waiting for the rains to see how it performs. So, i apologize for the late post. In this review i'll be completely unbiased and not sugar coat anything. This is my personal experience and may vary from one person to another so take it with a grain of salt

Reason for shifting
Prior to this i was using DEN HD cable which wasn't my own and was provided on a temporary basis. The experience was mediocre thanks to their poor quality STB which had issues like frame drops etc but PQ wise it was good. I could have immediately switched to Tata Sky at the time but i was going to move to a new place so didn't want to pay for shifting charges. After i moved to the new place where i'm staying now i got cable at the start again. The reason was because my dad changed his mind and felt it would be better if we stay with cable. This quickly changed when he realised the attitude of LCO was not very good and he was lazy as hell.
We had enough just after 2 weeks and the STB which i got here was also a temporary one which i returned. On top the channel selection procedure on cable is a head ache and they refuse to activate channels in the middle of the month so we have no option but to subscribe to all the channels we need even if it's just for one day of the month. I had to pay 350+ thanks to that. We decided that we would shift to TS on 28th of May. The reason to get TS instead of others was the ease of adding and dropping channels through the app and the SD pq which is important for my family.

Installation
Ordered it on the site and it was extremely easy. Just chose FTA channels and 2-3 regional channels since one can activate the channels at any time of the day. As i had booked the connection at 11pm the call was made the next day i.e. 29th May at around 9am by some lady who spoke Hindi and asked me to confirm whether i needed the connection. After that i got a call from Tata Sky dealer in Udupi enquiring about my address. I also specifically asked for the latest technicolor cardless STB and they said it's the only one they had in stock anyway so i was very happy that i was getting the latest STB. Technician came the same noon at 3pm and completed the installation in less than 30mins. It was overall a smooth experience.

Here comes the pics. They're average and don't judge it because it was extremely cloudy and lighting wasn't good. My phone cam is one of the worst on the planet.

Hardware (Dish,STB,Remote)

Software(UI,EPG,Nav Bar) The software is the latest one which was after the update last week.

Signals (This varies with each channel but GSAT signals are stronger than INSAT4A. Gsat is between 12.5-13.5MER & IN4A is between 12-13MER)

Channels PQ (This came really poor thanks to the dark clouds that destroyed the lighting and my poor cam which does not to justice for TS)

HD

SD

Pros

• Excellent Customer Service : After the installation i got multiple calls by TS team asking me whether i'm satisfied and need help with anything which almost no one does and even if they do i don't think they will call 4-5 times asking the same. The first day i had problems adding channels through the app and i used the chat service and it was sorted quickly.
• Picture Quality : Don't take my pics as a benchmark and compare it to reviews/pics of other DTH services since the camera of my phone is the reason it came so bad. The HD channels look phenomenal. Its vibrant & bright with good amount of contrast. Some here said TS PQ is dull. I always used to think Den had bright and vibrant PQ and boy was i wrong. Tata sky is way better and i had to reduce the brightness and colour levels because it was that damn good. I had the benefit of comparing it with DEN's PQ and definitely TS wins here. Some said regional HD channels look poor and i must say the Kannada regional HD channels are the best looking for me. I don't about other regional channels but for me regional channels are the best in terms of PQ. Maybe Airtel has better HD PQ but i can't confirm the same. SD PQ is hands down the best i have ever witnessed. There's no pixelation on any channels that i watch and its very pleasant to watch. I can say for sure Tata Sky SD PQ is the best out of all other DTH brands. I have first hand experience seeing D2h as well and i respectfully disagree that it has better pq than TS.
• Audio Quality : I can only write about the AQ that i receive from speakers since i don't have a Home Theatre. The audio is loud and clear without any issues. I dont have the benefit of checking it AQ though HT and they do provide DD & DD+ on almost all the HD channels.
• Hardware : Tata Sky hasn't compromised on any of this and this is what i love about them. The STB looks & feels strong. The remote although is an IR one works no matter which direction i point at and looks beautiful as well. The Dish looks great too but i like the oval shape of DishTv better and this is just my preference.
• Software : The channel scrolling speed is great and i haven't faced any lagginess doing any other tasks. Only accessing Smart Games takes a bit of time but that's definitely not a SW issue. EPG is accurate and shows programming information for around one week which was missing on DEN. DEN had accurate EPG but only showed info for 24 hours which is a negative.
• Signals in rain : I live in an area where it rains atleast 3-4 months in a year and previously when i had dishtv signals used to go off as soon as dark clouds appeared. Tata Sky works flawlessly in light rains and even moderate rains. When it's moderate the signals go off for few mins and come back which was surprising. It works even in 0 Signal Quality and moderate rains. I can't ask for more than this. Cable claims weather proof signals but LCO's are scared of getting their equipments damaged so whenever there's rains they don't provide signals and there's no guarantees as to when it might return.
• Website & App : This hands down was the reason i opted Tata Sky. It takes less than 10 seconds to add or drop the channel/packs and the channels are activated almost instantly. Also they allow us to watch the subscribed channels on the site which is beneficial when there's storm or other family members that are watching TV. App is designed well and is easy to use.

Cons

• Customer Service : You might wonder why i included this in the cons when i said they have great customer service. This is just a minor issue i had when i was chatting with a representative about Tata Sky Shoppe service. She first said the channel is available on LCN120 and when i said it's not added yet she kept saying give me 2minutes and she kept saying the same for another 15mins and it seemed like she didn't have much info on this. Later she said she has no idea on when the channel would be added. I think this is a minor issue which is the only time i had issue with their CC. I don't know whether the rep i talked to was a bad one or not. This one bad experience doesn't mean their CC is overall bad.

Overall the experience has been pleasant from the time i booked until now and i haven't faced any other issues other than the one i mentioned in the cons. They released a Software Update just after a week of the installation which was minor yet improved a lot of things. If you have any questions feel free to ask and i'll answer it gladly.

 

[Digital Mastermind]

Woah, now bro this is a BIG review, thats what I call a review. Thanks for posting it will help new TS users.

 

[Muthu.svg]

Can we search channels manually using this new model box ? Like DD free dish channels

 

[Digital Mastermind]

Can we search channels manually using this new model box ? Like DD free dish channels

What do u mean manually ??? Like can u elaborate the question a bit more

 

[Bapun]

Can we search channels manually using this new model box ? Like DD free dish channels

No, you can't. Software is same on all boxes by Tata Sky unlike Dish TV/Airtel/Sun.

 

[iDJ]

Tata Sky's CC is great. I am a country music fan when it comes to customer satisfaction. Even after all that I found their customer service satisfying. Anyhow congratulations on your new connection. Hopefully, they add 9XO soon.

 

[anandbb]

Nice detailed review thanks

 

[Nikhil3]

Your stb model name is what bro?

 

[Bapun]

Such a detailed review @shreyaskini bro. Kudos to you.

Tata Sky's CC is great. I am a country music fan when it comes to customer satisfaction. Even after all that I found their customer service satisfying. Anyhow congratulations on your new connection. Hopefully, they add 9XO soon.

After disliking Tata Sky for a decade, you moved into it kya?

 

[iDJ]

Such a detailed review @shreyaskini bro. Kudos to you.

After disliking Tata Sky for a decade, you moved into it kya?

We have Tata Sky at my grandmother's house since 2006. There use to be no cable in her village back then. And I don't dislike Tata Sky. We only watch 7-8 channels in our household. Even it's not present in Tata Sky. Why would I buy Tata Sky connection?