Apr 03, 2010 11:24 PM
19058 Views
(Updated May 18, 2010 02:53 PM)
Being a very happy and satisfied customer of BSNL and DataOne for many years, I subscribed for BSNL IPTV in November, 2009 when I was offered a 3 month free trial by BSNL. I paid Rs.1500 in cheque which I was told will be refunded if I wish to cancel my IPTV subscription anytime in these 3 month period. I thought it was an offer from BSNL and didn’t know it involved a third party called “MyWay”.
Even though most of the reviews here about BSNL IPTV were negetive, advicing me not to go for it, I opted for this only because: Firstly it was free for 3 months to try, Secondly I would get my old Dataone modem (Type-I with only one USB and one RJ-45 slot) exchanged for a new Type-II modem(4 RJ-45 slots and wireless) for Rs. 400 extra. I own Airtel Digital TV at home, so am comparing IPTV with Airtel Digital TV here.
Advantages of IPTV over DTH:
Programs and Services :
I really loved the "Video on Demand" option of IPTV. Here we can see few old hindi movies for free, pause them and continue from where left after a while. We can browse internet on TV. For now, I could only check my gmail. Most of the new movies however are paid. There are some old TV serials like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Mahabharat, Ramdev Yoga episodes, which you can see randomly any episode, Pause & Play for free.
TV on your computer/laptop without TV tuner:
One important and interesting feature of IPTV is, you can see all the channels on your computer, even if your TV is off and you don’t have TV tuner card. You'll need to use VLC player and know the ip address of each channel by trial and error changing the last digits in the IP address. (VLC settings: UDP, port 2001, IP address eg: 225.225.225.101, 225.225.225.99, 225.225.225.156)
Disadvantages of IPTV:
Always on Modem:
The connection is as follows: phone line --> Type-II modem-->IPTV set-top box and computer via LAN cables. That implies, whether or not you need internet, your modem has to be powered on, if you want to see IPTV.
All or none service :
Phone, Dataone internet, IPTV all run via a single phone line. Though using all at once doesn't impact or slow down the other service, if your phone happens to get dead, then, you'll loose 3 services all at a time. Believe me, its a nightmare. I experienced it once.
Quality of transmission :
I own Airtel DTH for my LG 42" Plasma TV and I am very satisfied with its quality. I compared many channels side by side, like Discovery, NGC, Animal planet, etc. b/w Airtel DTH and BSNL IPTV. The Airtel TV is crystal clear and far better than BSNL IPTV. The IPTV showed blurred and pixelated images of the same channel, while DTH was very clear for the same channel. The volume is far less in IPTV. BSNL IPTV transmission is in mpeg-2 while Airtel DTH is mpeg-4 DVB-S2.
Conclusion/My Suggestion :
Though, there are many advantages of IPTV compared to other DTH, the very purpose of TV is not served. It may look nice on normal CRT TV, but definitely not better than Airtel/any DTH on a bigger LCD/Plasma TV.
You are happy until you do not get to call customer care, but if you have to seek its customer care help, then it will be a hell. If you dont believe me, read the following "My plight with Myway".
So for IPTV is strictly NO, even if they offer you freely.
Please also see continuation of this review titled as "My Plight with Myway" at
https://mouthshut.com/review/MyWay-188959-1.html
