kapilmunjal
Regular
If you are the admin of this Forum, then you should have it installed at your home and help the other boarders. So, just go for it and be a life saver for other users.
Airtel IPTV Ownership Experience
- Thread starter urb0nd
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Airtel IPTV Ownership ExperienceAlright. I have used the device for a couple of hours now. I like what I got. But there are some problems. It's expensive. Initial deposit is Rs 3999. Monthly charge can come to around Rs. 399. Rs. 3999 is including taxes. Rs. 399 is excluding taxes. Airtel has not enabled pause/resume feature on the device yet. Airtel has just 12 channels which are available under time shift technology. You can pause and resume the programming being watched using the time shift technology.You can also pause and resume movies you order from Movies on Demand feature. I did not spend much time on the Movies on Demand. But The Polar Express was available for around Rs. 50 for a period of 24 hours. Price and Availability is variable on different movies. Airtel is also providing packages of movies. You can order a package for a discount and watch it as per your convenience. I have to look into this feature. Another major problem about Movie on Demand is that you can actually place your order on the television itself. No phone calls or SMSing is required. So basically, a kid playing on your TV can order stuff without you realizing it and you would have to pay for it in the monthly bill. I do not think they have password protected this feature yet. There are two value added services I have access to on Airtel IPTV at the moment. I can order from Pizza Hut and I can order movies on PVR. I get to see the various product options from Pizza Hut. You pay on arrival of food. If you place an order, you are supposed to get a confirmation call from Pizza Hut. So, you cannot accidentally order food. For PVR, you cannot yet pick the seats of your liking like you can do online. But, payments are I think made using your credit card from the TV itself. The Airtel guy told me that the tickets can be canceled 30 minutes before the show. I have doubts on this.I might personally check out ordering from Pizza Hut. PVR Tickets? Unlikely. As for the remote... It's not good looking of course. Buttons are soft to press. So if you press them a bit harder, it tends to take two commands in one click. So you can actually accidentally order movies while just checking out if you are not careful.As for the STB, it looks ok. The firmware on my device was upgraded today. The process was fast. You should have the STB on a UPS system or it can break. Thankfully, Airtel is likely to help you out if you end up in a mess. Using the software on the STB is somewhat of a pain. Since it is an IPTV based service, moving from one section to another is slow. I think it's even slow compared to DTH. I would have a better idea after a while. Moving from one channel to other is at an acceptable pace. The picture quality is somewhat jerky for a second or two then it smoothen up. Another thing. I have a 29” TV. Picture quality is pretty acceptable. Nothing exceptional about that. But this is something that depends upon the quality of the cable and internal wiring. So, I cannot really say if it's going to be better or worse for you.From my connection, I can safely say DTH has a better quality compared to Airtel IPTV. This might be different for others.And since it seems like I am the only guy on this forum who has an Airtel IPTV connection... I am open to any question you might have 
i would be happy to answer.
i would be happy to answer.
funny enough... pause and play functions are working on live television on channels which are part of time shift... i did manage to pause star world while watching it.either the airtel dude passed on the wrong information to me because he was no up to date. or they are probably testing it right now.
rachit_1804
Regulars
@ amish, its 450!!! i wouldnt pay 450 per month for this. only for HD channels, would i shell out so much...
rachit_1804
Regulars
^^ sorry i wasnt clear enough. i meant that whenever HD will be available, i dont mind shelling out more but not for the SD transmission.
Well my IPTV was installed today, so I thought I would also share my short experience with the service and my views on some of the things discussed:
I had an existing broadband connection with unlimited 512kbps plan and opted for the Rs.399/- pack
COST
The cost of Rs.3999/- includes a Wifi router & a Set top box. My D-Link wireless router which was already installed had to be removed. Since it cost approx. Rs.3200/- when I bought it, that explains the high initial cost.
The router contains 4 lan ports and iptv is configured to be fixed at port 4 and set-top box is connected via lan cable at this port. Rest 3 ports & the wireless can be used for broadband connection.
----
I used Tata Sky prior to this, and in the first few minutes of usage, the cons of IPTV are more apparent than the pros. However with greater usage, you get used to some of the nuisances and start to enjoy the advantages. Here is a short list of both
DISADVANTAGES FIRST
1. The responsiveness of remote in the menu screens is pathetic. None of the buttons work as you expect them to. Rather than an instant respone like other electronic devices, it feels more like click and wait. You press a button and wait for it to reflect on the screen. Even simple actions such as up and down keys take time to reflect on the menu screen. I got very frustrated in trying out the various options available.
Overall user interface is very poor.
2. There is no Programming Guide for the channels. You just get the name of current program and the next program. In my setup, only 10-15 channels showed even that correctly and no program information was shown for the vast majority of channels. After using Tata sky, that seems a big step backward
3. No audio language option: In Tata sky, there are multiple language options for channels such as Discovery, kids channels etc. No such luck in Airtel IPTV
4. Channels also take a slightly longer time to change. However I have seen dish tv also, which is even worse that this. Audio / Video is good enough to differentiate but I get the feeling its slightlhy lower as compared to Tata Sky.
ADVANTAGES
1. TIME SHIFT TV!!! The one feature to rule them all - one which makes you forget the frustrations is TSTV. I already used it to watch a movie on HBO and a program on Star World. My wife is happy to have NDTV Imagine. Having HBO on TSTV is like having your own DVD collection to choose from. The feeling is awesome to have so many options in your hands.
2. More channels: The pack I subscribed contains all sports channels as well as some music channels & movie channels which are not at all available on Tata sky.
3. Possibility of Movie on Demand / other services: Tata sky has absurd rates for movie on demand, going upto Rs.100/- per movie, that too for a few hours. Airtel has packs such as a golden pack containing 7-8 few Hindi oldies for Rs.50/- which can be viewed for one month. Overall it appears Airtel can be more aggressive in getting content.
4. Other generic advantages: No transponder limitations on no. of channels, future upgrade possibility with newer technologies on horizon such as VDSL. Overall a more open technology. No weather disruptions as compared to DTH disruption in rainy / stormy weather.
I had an existing broadband connection with unlimited 512kbps plan and opted for the Rs.399/- pack
COST
The cost of Rs.3999/- includes a Wifi router & a Set top box. My D-Link wireless router which was already installed had to be removed. Since it cost approx. Rs.3200/- when I bought it, that explains the high initial cost.
The router contains 4 lan ports and iptv is configured to be fixed at port 4 and set-top box is connected via lan cable at this port. Rest 3 ports & the wireless can be used for broadband connection.
----
I used Tata Sky prior to this, and in the first few minutes of usage, the cons of IPTV are more apparent than the pros. However with greater usage, you get used to some of the nuisances and start to enjoy the advantages. Here is a short list of both
DISADVANTAGES FIRST
1. The responsiveness of remote in the menu screens is pathetic. None of the buttons work as you expect them to. Rather than an instant respone like other electronic devices, it feels more like click and wait. You press a button and wait for it to reflect on the screen. Even simple actions such as up and down keys take time to reflect on the menu screen. I got very frustrated in trying out the various options available.
Overall user interface is very poor.
2. There is no Programming Guide for the channels. You just get the name of current program and the next program. In my setup, only 10-15 channels showed even that correctly and no program information was shown for the vast majority of channels. After using Tata sky, that seems a big step backward
3. No audio language option: In Tata sky, there are multiple language options for channels such as Discovery, kids channels etc. No such luck in Airtel IPTV
4. Channels also take a slightly longer time to change. However I have seen dish tv also, which is even worse that this. Audio / Video is good enough to differentiate but I get the feeling its slightlhy lower as compared to Tata Sky.
ADVANTAGES
1. TIME SHIFT TV!!! The one feature to rule them all - one which makes you forget the frustrations is TSTV. I already used it to watch a movie on HBO and a program on Star World. My wife is happy to have NDTV Imagine. Having HBO on TSTV is like having your own DVD collection to choose from. The feeling is awesome to have so many options in your hands.
2. More channels: The pack I subscribed contains all sports channels as well as some music channels & movie channels which are not at all available on Tata sky.
3. Possibility of Movie on Demand / other services: Tata sky has absurd rates for movie on demand, going upto Rs.100/- per movie, that too for a few hours. Airtel has packs such as a golden pack containing 7-8 few Hindi oldies for Rs.50/- which can be viewed for one month. Overall it appears Airtel can be more aggressive in getting content.
4. Other generic advantages: No transponder limitations on no. of channels, future upgrade possibility with newer technologies on horizon such as VDSL. Overall a more open technology. No weather disruptions as compared to DTH disruption in rainy / stormy weather.
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