Come Home to the Magic. Review on Airtel Digital TV

Ok, (my favorite OK is here again), this is going to be a round-about and scattered review, so baad mein nahi kehna ki bola nahi tha:-p

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted a LCD TV in my room. There's something so alluring about a 32" or a 40"flat TV, that black beauty adorning the wall, it just makes you want toswoon. Swoon? Nooooooo, on second thoughts, it makes me rub my hands in glee.:) Anyways, here I was lusting after an LCD, trying to make up my mind between Samsung and Sony, and there was my cable wala guy, who seemed determined to make a mockery of my dreams to watch a picture perfect picture, (That didnt quite sound right, but I hope you all get my drift) what with ever decreasing visual quality and non-availability of channels. I mean, DVDs and all is fine, but a girl's gotta have her dose of FRIENDS, Roadies, etc. etc., not to mention the movies, and the occasional days when she might want to let the Idiot Box lull her to sleep.

So a DTH connection seemed the best way to escape this malaise. The players I could choose from were Tata, Reliance and Big TV, frankly none of whom inspired confidence, or maybe I was too lazy to go and research. Besides who wanted to get in the hassle of getting a dish installed, all the wiring done, get drilling done on the walls.(you have to understand here what a lazy bum I am, and how possessive I am of my free time.) So there we were, the cable guy and me. and then one day I saw this commercial on TV(a hazy one albeit), and I was drawn like a fish on the line(or is it reel?).

I have to tell you all here that I have been using Airtel broadband and landline for approx 4years now, and I have faced problems maybe 4-5 times in all these years, and the same have been dealt in an extremely professional, time-bound fashion. I am a sucker for good customer service. I dontmind spending money, but then I like professionalism, if you say something will be done in 10 minutes, it had better be done in 9. And this was exactly the way Airtel functioned. So here was my DTH waiting for me. However, due to some personal reasons, I couldnt get it installed then. Anyways, come Christmas holidays, I was determined to get DTH, and bid adieu to the cable guy forever. So, on 25th, I located the Airtel dealer nearest to my place on the site, ( http://www.airtel.in/digitaltv; quite user-friendly, it wasn't when the DTH was first launched. Self improvement, goes on to score marks with me.)I purchased the STB for Rs. 3500, and opted for the Ultra pack, which has all the channels(other than Southies), and was given 6 months free subscription, and a Rs. 500 rebate on my broadband for January'09.Happiness!

Anyways, Set-top box bought, order placed, I was given a time slot of11 a.m the next day. However, going by the past experience, I knew the engineers would be there early, and I was right. By 9:30 a.m., I had received a call from the engineer, asking if it was ok with me if they came by 10, and of course I was all right with it. At 10 a.m. sharp thetwo engineers were there, and by 10:30, the dish had been installed. I was told the functionality, and a proper demo given, my connection activated, we were home free by 11 a.m.

Now, this being a review instead of my enthusiasm for Airtel, I shall try and list out the pros and cons, but again, not being too much of a technical person, these will be more of a laymannish thingy.

1. As harped on above, customer service is exceptional. The engineers are qualified, equipped with the latest gadgets(E61 PDFs), polite and patient.

2.The DTH remote, which can be taught the functions of the TV remote, effectively reducing the number of gadgets, and hence the clutter. And it works.:) Need I mention its slim trim looks?

1. MPEG4 reception, which the internet tells me is supposed to be good(DUH).

   
   




2. Dish Size - Airtel uses a20% larger dish, with 2 satellite uploads- to prevent possible disruptions of picture signals during rain(which supposedly happens a lot with TATA SKY).

   
   




3. Electronic TV Guide(ETG) that gives you almost a week’s schedule in advance and a brief synopsis of the current program. Also, there is a"Time elapsed bar of the current program on the screen" . it shows you exactly how much you must have missed out.

   
   




4. And the piece de resistance, 12 channels of World Space,all free! Now I remember reading in some review as to who would want a blank screen, and just listen to the song playing. My answer is, I would. I love the lack of clutter which Airtel has given me, what with no extra installation required for World Space, and those who know my love for music, will know what a boon it is, and that too absolutely free of cost.

   
   

There's just one con which I feel might make future buyers apprehensive, which is the slightly steep cost. But then I guess, you do get what you pay for. Also, Tata sky does have the "PLUS" feature, which might be introduced in Airtel at some point of time, but again, to each his own.

Oh well, I am tired, lemme go listen to Ranjish hi sahi playing on my World-space:) You guys out there, bring home the magic!

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, I did buy my Sony Bravia:) It dont get any better than this mates!