Hello DTH TV, Hello Tata Sky!

DTH (Direct-to-Home) enables you to receive satellite programs on your regular TV using a mini-dish and STB (set-top box). There are currently 6 major DTH players in the Indian market – DD Direct+, Dish TV, Tata Sky, Airtel DTH, Reliance Big TV and Sun Direct.

With DD Direct+, you just need to pay for the equipment (Rs. 3,000 maximum). There are no activation charges or monthly dues. However, the bouquet of channels and radio stations is limited to free-to-air i.e. 19 DD channels, 14 private channels and 12 radio channels (all are ‘All India Radio’ only).

With Dish TV, you need to shell out approx. Rs. 1,590 for the equipment and then pay Rs. 125-325 per month depending on channel package chosen (includes most of the popular channels in India including all Star and Zee channels).

With Tata Sky, the equipment initially costs Rs. 1,599. Then, the monthly dues range from Rs. 125-Rs. 275 per month, depending on the channel package. Channel lineup is similar to Dish TV. However, it is the quality of equipment and customer service that is attracting so many people to Tata Sky.

For both Reliance Big TV & Airtel DTH, initial equipment cost (STB+Dish) is Rs. 1,490 and channel packages range from Rs. 110 to Rs. 330 per month. For Sun Direct, initial equipment+ activation costs Rs. 1,250 and channel package pricing is similar to other DTH providers.

My experience with Tata Sky DTH:

After getting frustrated with inconsistent quality of reception and cable operator’s indifference to my complaints, I finally decided to opt for DTH.

Considering the very limited choice of channels on DD Direct+, I ruled it out. I had to now choose between Dish TV and Tata Sky. Dish TV is cheaper and offers the French channel – TV5 Monde (interesting for me, considering my long association with France). However, after reading people’s complaints about Dish TV’s pathetic customer service and sub-standard equipment, I decided to go for Tata Sky.

I called Tata Sky’s customer care center with my questions and found them to be courteous and helpful. So I went ahead and purchased the equipment from a local electronics store in Vashi on 13/12. The vendor assured me that the installation would be done next day in the evening.

Tata Sky engineers called me 2-3 times during the day to confirm my availability and as promised, installed the dish and STB on 14/12 evening. They were efficient during installation and patiently explained the various features.

It is indeed very rare to see such a professional customer service in India!

Deficiencies in Tata Sky DTH:

A few downsides that I see in Tata Sky DTH, at present, are the following-

If you are living in Mumbai, you will not get “Star Movies” as some moral policing decision of Mumbai High Court had banned it.
(Dish TV users based in Mumbai, please comment on this post to let me know if you are getting “Star Movies” or not).

If you do not pay at least Rs. 125 monthly, you are totally barred from their service (i.e. you cannot watch even free-to-air channels).

The set-top box provided has its tuner in “locked” status. This means that you cannot tune any new channel from the satellite, unless if Tata Sky themselves provide it.

Blessed With An Angel

Advita on Day 23

After a wait of nine long months, our little angel was born on 19th May’10 at Manipal Hospital in Bangalore. Looking at her sweet face and the innocent look in her eyes, we gave her the pet name of “Pari” which means “fairy” in Hindi.

After browsing through several baby names’ sites, we named our baby girl- “Advita” which means “unique” in Sanskrit. Advita now also has her own domain- advita.in where we have mentioned some interesting details about her.

Experience at Manipal Hospital:

Though we would recommend our gynecologist- Dr Praveena Shenoi whom we consulted during my wife’s pregnancy, our experience with Manipal Hospital was less than satisfactory.

We especially had unpleasant experience with nurses on the 5th floor who either didn’t respond or were not available many times when we needed their help.

Manipal Hospital also has some ridiculous practices e.g. not allowing husband in OT AND even in the recovery room! They also keep all newborns under observation in NICU for 6-7 hours where they won’t allow even babies’ parents to enter!

Useful resources for expectant/new parents-

1. babyCenter.in- Affiliate of renown Johnson & Johnson group, this site has very useful advice for expectant/new parents &  a very search-friendly section on choosing your baby’s name

2. welcomebabyhome.com- Another useful site with step-by-step information on various pregnancy/newborn stages

3. What to Expect When You Are Expecting- This best-seller book is simply a must-have for all expecting parents!

4. PregTastic Podcasts- If you prefer listening to reading, these useful podcasts are for you! Expert information & friendly advice. You can also find them on iTunes by searching for “Pregtastic”

5. Last but not the least, create your own pregnancy tickers & keep track of your pregnancy at every stage. Here are the links to some good trackers- Link 1|Link 2|Link 3