In September DreamDTH was the first to share that Tata Sky was in the process of launching a Hybrid Android STB under the Binge+ branding. Now we have a confirmation about the launch of the same around 16th December as shared by our community member Airsky. We are excited to showcase the exclusive unboxing and first look at Tata Sky Binge+ set-top box which was shared with us by our community member Vadivelan.
The external box is white in colour and has the Tata sky Binge+ branding on the top. Three symbols for Android, 4K resolution and voice control are placed horizontally at the lower right-hand side corner. The two sides of the box are Pink and Blue coloured and bear the same three symbols vertically placed along with the Tata Sky Binge+ branding.
The contents of the box include 1 Android STB, 1 power adaptor, 1 remote with 2 AAA batteries, and 1 HDMI cable. The STB is hybrid in nature whereby it offers live Tv viewing via RF cable connected to the satellite dish and also offers streaming of OTT content via Ethernet or WiFi connection. The STB supports 4K resolution and is HEVC compatible. It supports 7 days catch up Tv, Tata Sky VoD and OTT apps like Amazon prime video and Netflix.
This set-top box is codenamed as ‘Prithvi’ and is manufactured by Technicolor. It ships with the latest Android 9 out of the box and is powered by 1.8 GHz Broadcom BCM72604 B processor. It has 2 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage paired with Broadcom VideoCore V HW GPU. The front side has the Tata Sky Binge+ logo. The back panel has a satellite input port, standard audio-video composite output ports, Optical S/PDIF output port for home theatre systems, a standard HDMI port, 2 USB ports, an Ethernet port, and a 12-volt power input port.
The remote controller is similar to that of Tata Sky’s HD DVR box but it comes with a dedicated google assistant button for controlling the STB through voice commands. It comes with a dedicated Home, Back and channel guide button along with the standard number keys and volume and channel up and down keys. The remote has a universal function which can be programmed to control the TV set and may support both IR as well as Bluetooth connectivity options.
The Binge+ STB comes with a complimentary one-month subscription to Tata Sky Binge service which offers streaming of content from Zee5, Hotstar, Eros Now, Hungama and SunNxt OTT apps. After the first month, this service is chargeable at Rs.249/month. It is also worth noting that this STB does not offer free 3 months Amazon prime subscription like the Binge firestick offers, though the subscriber can use his existing amazon prime login for the prime video app installed on the STB.
The pricing of this Hybrid STB is unclear at the moment and whether or not Tata Sky will offer a discount for existing subscribers upgrading their HD and DVR STBs to the Binge+ box. It is also unclear whether the subscribers opting for this hybrid STB will have to mandatorily subscribe to the binge monthly pack or whether they can use their individual subscriptions to the OTT apps by dropping the binge pack.
