Last week I had a chance to test run the Tata Sky+ HD DTH service and what better time than the World Cup to have such a service. While DTH has been around for a fairly long time, it seems that many players in the industry are now going pro. So out goes the small, light weight silver TataSky box that we are used to seeing around and in comes a slightly bigger, all black Digicomp.
The installation process at my end went rather smoothly as the installation team could use the antenna already in place by one of our neighbors. So it was a 30 min process from unboxing to getting the cable coming down from the terrace (the happy to help folks from TataSky did all the heavy lifting here). But since most buildings around in Mumbai were done before DTH came in, the cables hanging from terrace / coming in from the nearby window isn’t a very pleasant experience (just like a new broadband connection). So if you can conceal the wire coming till your TV set, its all good! Read on for my experience with the Tata Sky+ HD.
The Digicomp (set top box) has a variety of output options, and the HDMI cable that came along with it was enough to get started with. The good old Sony Bravia 32? (2008 model) at our home supported HDMI input and perhaps for the first time we realized the potential of that 32? liquified crystal. While there weren’t too many HD channels supported on the box, we are told that new options are being added as the time passes, and for now we sure love seeing the World Cup in HD. Tata Sky had an option to watch cricket matches from different angles, but when using that interface, there is a sidebar for navigation that pops up and I certainly like the full real estate of the screen when viewing. So its pure HD love for me, camera angles can be sacrificed, but ‘highlights’ is a nifty feature!
TataSky+ HD is loaded with a 500GB storage (justifies the Rs 3999 price tag!) and promises 625 hours of recording. Now that’s impressive! A few days after getting the Tata Sky+ HD for review at our home, I moved to London and here we have the Sky HD service which is almost identical to the Tata Sky+ (with loads of extra features and different menu navigation). So, as I see my family here interact with the Sky HD, I realize the true potential of this thing. Back, in India we are so used to waiting for commercial breaks to go and grab a bite from the kitchen or to make/answer a phone call. Or for that matter timing our tuitions / college / office / everything around our favorite shows.
And down here, where the Sky HD service has been around for a long time, its so natural to say ‘hey pause for a sec, I would be right back’ or call home and request to record a football match if you are late to arrive home. Its so different. And hey, the best part of having a fews minute of recorded show ahead of you… you can skip the commercials when you don’t need them. Just fast forward!
For decades we have been used to consuming the TV without any intelligence. So when planning your next Plasma/LED/LCD whatever, do factor in the cost of a DTH connection as well. This is a lifestyle that you would simply love.
Tata Sky+ has USB & Ethernet connectivity as well on the Digicomp, but I couldn’t test them out fully. If you are using a Tata Sky+ HD or for that matter any other competing DTH service, do share with us your experience with the same!
hey! can we copy our stored program from tata sky to other external drives is it possible?