DTH (Direct-to-Home) services has gained immense popularity all over India, especially after Government policy has moved the unregulated cable television business from the grey area to one where everything is in black and white. With digitization of cable television, it has been supposed that both audio and video quality will improve; however, it will still not be able to meet the standards set by hi-definition programming provided by channels on direct-to-home services. With easy setup, interactive services, and competitive offerings, DTH services are expanding their horizons. However, along with their growth there has been detonation in promoting owing to the increasing competition, which is making it harder for people to choose the best service provider. There are mainly 7 DTH providers in the country, all competing for the consideration of the consumers. These are Listed Below : Dish TV Tata Sky Sun Direct Videocon d2h Reliance Digital TV Airtel Digital TV DD Direct Plus Dish TV : A division of Zee Network Enterprise (Essel Group Venture), Dish TV is the first ever DTH service in India. It is cost effective and offers the maximum number of channels at a lesser cost. Moreover, the software used in Dish TV STBs is stable, which makes the switching speed between channels fast. It also gives its users access to exclusive international channels, which are not available on cable TV. Tata Sky : Tata Sky is the first and only DTH service in India that has made a joint venture with a reputed international DTH brand, Sky, which is famous for its high-end technology. One of the best features of Tata Sky is that it offers the best audio and video quality as well as provides access to some of the best international channels like BBC. Another noteworthy aspect of this DTH service provider is its Customer service, which offers amazing after-sales service to its users. Sun Direct : Sun Direct is an Indian direct broadcast satellite service provider that uses MPEG-4 digital compression Sun Direct technology. This is a low cost DTH service that offers a good number of channels at a very low cost. This DTH service allows users to watch several Tamil channels with a pack of just Rs. 100/-. Videocon d2h : Videocon d2h is comparatively a new DTH service provided by Videocon. It is one of the best service providers that offer DTH at a low cost with maximum number of channels. It makes use of MPEG-4 technology that provides better video quality along with high-quality audio output. In addition, Videocon d2h offers good after sales service, which is not very common among other DTH services. Reliance Digital TV : Reliance Digital TV, also known as BIG TV has incorporated MPEG-4 technology unlike other DTH services that still works on MPEG-2 and it is ranks second after Dish TV in terms of offering the highest number of channels. The service provider is well-known for its audio and video quality and offers the maximum number of channels even in the base packs unlike other DTH operators. The Active or rather “Select” services on Big TV allow users to watch 12 channels at a time on a single screen. One of the biggest advantages of this Big TV is that users can enjoy their favorite programs even during heavy rains as it is capable of withstanding it. Airtel Digital TV : In terms of overall tech rank, Airtel ranks the top as it is the most futuristic and tech savvy DTH operator. It offers true DVD quality picture and CD quality sound which are absolutely flawless. Airtel offers universal remotes for its users and there is no hassle of using two remotes at a time. It is the only DTH service that offers 10 popular and premium World-Space satellite radio channels to its subscribers. DD Direct Plus : DD Direct Plus is India’s first and only DTH service that offers its services absolutely free of cost. Besides the DD channels, it also airs several popular private FTA (Free-To-Air) channels, especially those from Dish TV’s satellite which are FTA from time to time. Direct to Home Satellite Television Subscriber Data Base [TABLE="class: grid, width: 500, align: center"] [TR] [TD]Service Provider Name[/TD] [TD]Subscribers in Millions[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Dish TV[/TD] [TD]15[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tata Sky[/TD] [TD]11.5[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Sun Direct[/TD] [TD]8.5[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Videocon d2h[/TD] [TD]7[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Reliance Digital TV[/TD] [TD]4.1[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Airtel Digital TV[/TD] [TD]8.5[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]DD Direct Plus[/TD] [TD]7.6[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Each of these service providers offers attractive packages to lure the consumers. Here are some tips to help you select the best DTH service. Compression Technology Compression Technology is what one should look for before buying DTH television. As superior Compression enables platforms to be more effective and transmit more channels without compromising on quality. Tata Sky and Dish TV promises MPEG-2 compression for their standard television boxes, but new operators such as Videocon, Reliance, Sun Direct, and Airtel DTH have brought MPEG-4. Videocon and Airtel also have access to DVB S-2 technology which renders more interactive services. Rain Once the monsoon starts, disturbance in the DTH network is quite common. So, it is important to choose a DTH operator that can endure the rains while keeping the signal intact. Tata Sky seems to lose signals more easily and even in light showers there seems to be great interruption in signals. However, other DTH operators are most likely to perform fine even during heavy rains. Portability in Automobiles In today’s busy life, entertainment has become must in order to rejuvenate and television has become a major source of entertainment. Portability in automobiles has become essential as some people owing to lack of time watches TV news while on the move. Dish TV and Airtel are the only ones that provides the comfort of TV portability in automobiles. HD and 3D Approximately every service provider offers some level of high-definition services. Reliance Digital TV HD leads the race, offering 250 HD-like channels, though Videocon offers the most 'real HD' channels (12 channels). Reliance's box has the ability to upgrade content to 1080 p (a higher resolution), higher than competitors' 1080i functionality. Reliance, Airtel, and Videocon are the only ones with 3D ready option. Number of Channels Another important thing that needs consideration is the number of channels that are offered in a particular package. DTH Pioneer Dish TV offers more than 280 + plus channels, the recent operators Reliance, Airtel & Videocon offer more than 225+ channels while Tata Sky and Sun lag behind with just over 189 + and 178 + channels. Thus it is important to choose the one that provides quality services along with maximum number of channels. The above mentioned points should be kept in mind while choosing a DTH service provider; however, your choice should be based on what you care about.
