[Glifford]

Originally Posted by oss

I am planning to get a Home theatre system. The question is do i get input from Sky+ in the 5.1 format (assuming the content has 5.1, say a movie being telecast through HBO)?

I doubt if any service provider offers 5.1 output over the air. BSNL/MTNL IPTV STBs have a Dolby logo on it, but they too are just 2 channel.

Anyway most (even basic entry level) home theatres are Dolby Prologic II compatible. So what Prologic does is simulates 5.1 sound from stereo sources like CD, Radio and TV. This is what I use. It has two modes, Music and Movie and I find them good enough if the source is stereo/mono.

Mainly use it for Radio/CD broadcasts.

[khan_sultan]

Here is my experience:

I have been a customer of TATA Sky for ~3 years or so. Last year I got their annual package and paid in advance and was told that this will allow me ALL channels for the year & also ANY channels that they launch within that year.

To my surprise, in the next few days I started seeing an alert that my account is -ve and subscription will be blocked. I call up their CS and was told that Lifestyle is NOT part of annual package and has to be paid 30/- p.m . I can subscribe to that also annually by paying 300/- for the year.

I then went to pay 300/- through their website and found no option for the same (to pay annually). I called the CS again and they said that don't worry sir, pay 300/- and we will convert it to annual package. I did the same and forgot about it.

Now fast forward to sometime in Dec 08. I again start seeing alerts about -ve balance and call up their CS who say that since I had paid for 300/- towards the monthly so it has expired and I have to pay again. They also said that it was my responsibility to call them up after payment and ask to make the 300 to be taken towards annual and not monthly.

So anyone dealing with TATA sky, be careful.

[deepclutch]

if BIG dth is going to give DVR(sky plus) ,it will be a instant hit.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Are you sure that its not a Hindi channel originally ?

No, its not. Tried Dish TV STB at the same time & it was English.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

No, its not. Tried Dish TV STB at the same time & it was English.

Even I get some kids channels in Hindi---I have Hathway. Good thing about Hathway, however, is that I've been enjoying my connection for free for the past 3 months.
I'd asked them to temporarily disable my connection from Dec to Mar due to my daughter's board exams. Either they are too lazy, or have disconnected somebody else's. But I am not getting bills for the past 3 months !

[mithun]

Originally Posted by deepclutch

and It is almost a month with BIG TV DTH here.I had a sun dth connection ,which I gave to one of my relative's house.
The experience with BIG dth till ,it is very good.In kerala ,customer service(toll free) is working very well.ISP from Thodpuzha reaches within a day's limit to resolve the problems.
YES ,I had small problems.One with the model-1 STB(set top box) hyundai make freezes sometimes and it was replaced with model-2 which kind of works OK.the firmware seems to be buggy and this needs to be resolved.

Picture quality is better than sun direct ,tata sky etc.Their Cinema Halls ,32 of them ,plays same movies for a month or so.and there is the audio options(English ,Hindi) ,subtitles options works OK with few channels which got support.

totally ,good option.
problems:
1)STB firmware is not stable enough.
2)south channels are not given any preference
3)I miss few malayalam channels.

that's it.bigger dish compared to sun dth.

Have you made any complaint to get your Model-1 STB replaced with Model-2 STB ?

I'm also suffering from the same problem here.

[oss]

I have recently ordered a Tata Sky+. As there is a larger MDU dis installed at my apartment complex, i had asked them if they can waive off the installation charges. As usual the guy that handled the call said that is not possible; he also went on to add that the Sky+ dish is different from the one used for the regular Sky.

Now when the local dealer came up for installation he said that there is no difference and he suggested that i hook up to the larger dish installed already. (He also didn't handover the dish, which the TataSky mentioned as will be given to me regardless of i install it or not, and which dish i hook up to)

Anyway, coming back to the core issue, when i called up the helpline, i got to know that the dish is the same for Sky & Sky+, but the feedhorn is different (LNBF1 as opposed to LNBF2). Now the feedhorn is nothing but the torch like thing which you find in the middle which actually collects the signal.

Does it really make a difference on which dish i hook up to??

Though Sky+ is MPEG4 enabled, current the telecast is on MPEG2 only. Not sure if the different in feedhorn is meant for future MPEG4 telecasts?

Any idea/advice from the forum members??

[abhinav.gupta88]

I guess it does make a difference.
This is because the tata sky plus when in recording mode, uses two different signals at the same time.
So the dish which came with the tata sky plus and also the feedhorn gather better signals and at quicker rates than the smaller ones.

[bblost]

Suppose you need to move out of your current house for whatever reason, you can take your dish with you, but not the large common one.

[aka_iitd]

Originally Posted by bblost

Suppose you need to move out of your current house for whatever reason, you can take your dish with you, but not the large common one.

This make a sense also it is an asset for you which you have paid for.

[oss]

Originally Posted by abhinav.gupta88

I guess it does make a difference.
This is because the tata sky plus when in recording mode, uses two different signals at the same time.
So the dish which came with the tata sky plus and also the feedhorn gather better signals and at quicker rates than the smaller ones.

Makes absolute sense. Let me see how this guy had done the installation.

Originally Posted by bblost

Suppose you need to move out of your current house for whatever reason, you can take your dish with you, but not the large common one.

Yes; that is what i had asked the guy that came for the installation and he was trying to tell me that whenever i moveout, i will be given a new installation. I was not convinced on that one, hence lodged a complaint with Tata Sky already.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by oss

Yes; that is what i had asked the guy that came for the installation and he was trying to tell me that whenever i moveout, i will be given a new installation. I was not convinced on that one, hence lodged a complaint with Tata Sky already.

Bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

[bigman]

If anything like Sky+ in the UK, the only difference with Sky+ is that the LNB will have twin output (well the atual LNB's used in the UK have quad output and even eight outputs). The receiver has twin receivers so you can watch and record different channels.

[kb100]

Originally Posted by bigman

If anything like Sky+ in the UK, the only difference with Sky+ is that the LNB will have twin output (well the atual LNB's used in the UK have quad output and even eight outputs). The receiver has twin receivers so you can watch and record different channels.

This is correct

Secondly - the way I understand it - all you need to do is to pay the 600 rupee charges for transfer - and take your STB with you. The dish here will be retained by the local guys and you get another dish at the new place - the price you pay is inclusive of the dish and standard installation at the new place. (15 mtrs of cable or whatever)

Please enure however, that you call TS helpline and book the shift BEFORE uninstalling - and please allow the uninstallation to be handled by their authorised representatives only.

[Ajaybiz]

Whats about the outputs from Tata Sky + heard its got component output and these output performs better then normal co axials inputs.