[k_ajay]

I came here looking to see feedback for Tata Sky HD but i see a more than a fair share of TS users unhappy. Some have even made reference to Videocon D2H.

Are they the better one? I'm currently on Airtel SD and frustrated with them to the core. I have the South Ultra pack and I've lost count of the no. of channels they'll keep changing from the pack, without any consideration of the ever rising cost. I'm sick of them already.

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

I came here looking to see feedback for Tata Sky HD but i see a more than a fair share of TS users unhappy. Some have even made reference to Videocon D2H.

Are they the better one? I'm currently on Airtel SD and frustrated with them to the core. I have the South Ultra pack and I've lost count of the no. of channels they'll keep changing from the pack, without any consideration of the ever rising cost. I'm sick of them already.

Tata Sky used to be really good. They probably still are. However, they have started loosing their edge. They now try strange tactics to milk their customers. If cost is the reason you are trying to get out of Airtel (and I also know firsthand on how pathetic their service is) I think Videocon will score big. They are still reasonably priced when compared to so many others. So if the installation is done right I do not think you will need to interact much with them on a regular basis. So it may very well boil down to the per month outgo.

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by Zappo

Tata Sky used to be really good. They probably still are. However, they have started loosing their edge. They now try strange tactics to milk their customers. If cost is the reason you are trying to get out of Airtel (and I also know firsthand on how pathetic their service is) I think Videocon will score big. They are still reasonably priced when compared to so many others. So if the installation is done right I do not think you will need to interact much with them on a regular basis. So it may very well boil down to the per month outgo.

Thanks Zappo. Cost is not the main reason (in fact I hardly watch 1 hour a day at home and paying close to 635/month for 2 TVs setup) but that Airtel chooses to add or remove channels at their whim and fancy, without any information to the customer, it really annoys. To think I took the South Ultra pack which was supposed to include 'almost ALL channels' but whenever I channel surf and click on some particular channel to view out of curiosity, I get a message saying channel not subscribed (whereas in the Airtel DTH website, it clearly shows the package is available in South Ultra). And I'm not expecting HBO Defined and the other new HBO channel (for I know when something is paid for and when some channels are additional)..

Airtel service is suspect and I'm just fed up with them. I want to move to a provider with whom I don't have to worry about anything other than making my monthly/semi-annual payment. And I'll know that the channels I pay for are there for anyone from my family to watch. And a customer service which can understand the customer requirement and action it.

Knowing a totally problem free provider isn't going to be possible in India, I just want to settle with the best provider. I see Tata Sky HD being claimed as pricey. I also noticed in the DTH thread that Clevermax (?) had unimaginable issues with his Videocon D2H setup. Another member had posted that beyond the initial setup issues, he's not had a problem.

Looking to get a good recommendation from the users who're most happy with their service, post installation.

Funny thing is I just called Videocon D2h customer service an hour ago from my office desk phone and they directly started speaking to a 'Tejus' who is their customer and has registered the office number as his official one (outsiders can only see our board number). They needed to be told several times that I'm not a customer. A guy still went ahead and asked me my customer ID. I'm afraid I'll find it hard moving to Videocon. And for some strange reason, they mostly only want to converse in Hindi. Even if the customer mentions he prefers speaking in English. Also concerning was that they understood me better when I switched to speaking Hindi but initially they didn't have a clue what I was asking for (and I am pretty articulate, I can assure).

[bhp4putuval]

Hi,

I am a tata sky customer since a very long time . Honestly, I do not remember if it was 2008 or 2009. Since then I have been using their service without any major hiccups. Once I had no service for 4 days, but it was because the junction box got damaged in a rain leak.

The cost is very high with regards to the other DTH. The quality and clarity of the picture in Tata sky is unmatched. I have not checked with all DTH, but whatever I had seen, I have noticed that Tata sky is offering the best clarity and quality.

Regarding loss of channels, I also faced this issue. I called up the customer care, and explained that I had lost some 4 to 5 south channels. They said that the set top box is very old due to which there is a channel incompatibility. They told me to pay Rs 500 for the new set top box, and bingo, I am getting more channels than what was available earlier. When I enquired, it was found that most of the channels has been migrated to MPEG4 transmitter-receiver mode, due to which our old set top boxes (tuned for MPEG3 mode) could not understand, and the default not-subscribed message is displayed. Could this be the reason for your not receiving the signal? I am asking because most of the customer care people themselves will not be aware of this technical details themselves.

Regards,

[naveenroy]

Just last month, I removed all the movie packs from my TS HD+ connection. I just do not see the point in paying so much to watch movie reruns - old movies. Now this month, I am planning to chop off all the Entertainment channels - but problem is that I will miss channels like Discovery Turbo and Comedy Central. But I am seriously considering it. I'd rather pay for Netflix and watch them online. Is VideoconDTH relatively the cheapest option? Do they have all the Sports channels that TS is offering?

[Mission_Safari]

Originally Posted by bhp4putuval

Hi,

Regarding loss of channels, I also faced this issue. I called up the customer care, and explained that I had lost some 4 to 5 south channels. They said that the set top box is very old due to which there is a channel incompatibility. They told me to pay Rs 500 for the new set top box, and bingo, I am getting more channels than what was available earlier. When I enquired, it was found that most of the channels has been migrated to MPEG4 transmitter-receiver mode, due to which our old set top boxes (tuned for MPEG3 mode) could not understand, and the default not-subscribed message is displayed.
Regards,

The new box was replaced FOC by tata sky. I presume you upgraded your old SD box to the new mpeg4 compatible SD box. If yes, then i am not sure why you were charged Rs.500.

[bhp4putuval]

Originally Posted by Mission_Safari

The new box was replaced FOC by tata sky. I presume you upgraded your old SD box to the new mpeg4 compatible SD box. If yes, then i am not sure why you were charged Rs.500.

Oh yaa! My bad! I almost forgot this point in my last post. Thanks for reminding me.

The customer care had told me to pay 500 Rs. Accordingly, I updated the account balance through the tata sky website. Even now when I look at the account balance, it is showing the balance with 500 Rs extra. So now from your post, I gather that the customer care representative was not aware that it is free and must have given me the wrong information.

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by bhp4putuval

They told me to pay Rs 500 for the new set top box, and bingo, I am getting more channels than what was available earlier. When I enquired, it was found that most of the channels has been migrated to MPEG4 transmitter-receiver mode...

Originally Posted by Mission_Safari

The new box was replaced FOC by tata sky. I presume you upgraded your old SD box to the new mpeg4 compatible SD box. If yes, then i am not sure why you were charged Rs.500.

Bingo! There you go... This is the third time I see this kind of a case with TS. I was told by people that I will need to pay some price. When i called they said that the new STB will have a price which they can check and confirm. When I protested that if I subscribe to some channels and they are suddenly unavailable because of some technicalities then it is TS' duty to ensure that I get them without they charging me for it. I know I can pay and get everything in this world. In the next call it immediately became free!

The challenge is I see many such non-standard things happening.

@bhp4putuval - if you have paid to get an old SD box upgraded to another SD box with MPEG4 capabilities please immediately raise a concern with TS and ask them to refund it to your account.

[huntrz]

Originally Posted by Zappo

Bingo! There you go... This is the third time I see this kind of a case with TS. I was told by people that I will need to pay some price. When i called they said that the new STB will have a price which they can check and confirm.

The replacement to mpeg4 STB is free. The warranty on the free STB is one month. If paid 500 the customer gets 1 year warranty on the same STB.
Couple of other similar offers to upgrade to HD and HD+
They might be withholding the information on the available options to trick the customer into opting for paid upgrade instead of free replacement.

[bhp4putuval]

Originally Posted by Zappo

@bhp4putuval - if you have paid to get an old SD box upgraded to another SD box with MPEG4 capabilities please immediately raise a concern with TS and ask them to refund it to your account.

I have checked the monthly statement ever since I paid the 500 bucks. They have not deducted the amount so far, and that amount is now used to recharge on a monthly basis. Earlier I used to recharge every month. Now I have to recharge in December only.

[pratyush6]

Originally Posted by huntrz

The replacement to mpeg4 STB is free. The warranty on the free STB is one month. If paid 500 the customer gets 1 year warranty on the same STB.
Couple of other similar offers to upgrade to HD and HD+
They might be withholding the information on the available options to trick the customer into opting for paid upgrade instead of free replacement.

I am using a TS HD+ since 2011, is there anyway I can check if my STB needs to be upgraded? Also, I see they have increased the price of the HD+ to 7k, I got it for something like 4k.

[vvrchandra]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

I am using a TS HD+ since 2011, is there anyway I can check if my STB needs to be upgraded? Also, I see they have increased the price of the HD+ to 7k, I got it for something like 4k.

I believe all the HD and HD+ boxes are MPEG4 compatible from the beginning and feel that there is no necessity to replace them. But, getting this confirmed from an authorized source will be a better option. Thanks.

[huntrz]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

I am using a TS HD+ since 2011, is there anyway I can check if my STB needs to be upgraded? Also, I see they have increased the price of the HD+ to 7k, I got it for something like 4k.

As far as I know only very old(i think pre 2010) customers with SD boxes require upgrade to new STBs.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

I'd rather pay for Netflix and watch them online.

Is Netflix available in India? Or are you talking about subscribing and watching through a VPN?

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Is VideoconDTH relatively the cheapest option?

I have been using Dish since 2005. I think the prices are reasonable.

[Pedaltothefloor]

Not really, can't think of anything and have been using it for about 6 years.