Review : Airtel DTH STB & Service
> Installation Date : 05th Jan, 2009
> Connected to :
# 26 Inch Sony LCD (KLV26S400A) via Composite & RF
# 40 Inch Samsung LCD (LA40A550P1). Series 5, Full HD
Since today is my first day with this gadget, I will be adding more details with time...
> Positives :
# Aesthetics : Sleek Finish with Red Glow on front beazel
# Large Dish size (Diameter)
# Toll Free Number
# Technician is very careful while drilling holes, shifting from Hammer mode to Plain drill mode to avoid damage to walls. They also use silicon sealant to cover the holes after running the cable through
# Remote provided with STB has learning feature. You can now forget to shift between two remotes for handling TV and STB
# STB has FTA receiver. Means that you should be able to watch FTA channels even after your subscription with Airtel is over. I have to check this feature, but technically, this sounds possible, provided you point to the right satellites
Negatives :
# Installation guys were late by over 2 hours inspite of appointment
# For signal strength measure, the technicians did not have a dedicated Satellite Field Strength Meter. They used a small TV conected to my STB to see signal strength
# Favorite Channel list is limited to 4 lists of 15 channels each. Cant make a profile for family of four.. just not enough :-(
# No Component Out. This means that these STBs will have to be replaced when/if Airtel starts broadcasting in HD. Note : Big TV DTH has this
# No Toslink connection (Also known as Digital Optical or Digital Coaxial). Again, can't connect to external A/V receiver for Dolby Decoding or DTS decoding or Surround processing. Note : BIG TV DTH model 2 has this.
# The power adaptor provided is flimsy and light, even though it promises 2.5A, my other 2 A adaptor is heavier than the one provided. It's Chinese made and I am expecting a low life out of this. I will be changing to a 12 v SMPS for clean power to the STB
> Connected to :
# 26 Inch Sony LCD (KLV26S400A) via Composite & RF
# 40 Inch Samsung LCD (LA40A550P1). Series 5, Full HD
Since today is my first day with this gadget, I will be adding more details with time...
> Positives :
# Aesthetics : Sleek Finish with Red Glow on front beazel
# Large Dish size (Diameter)
# Toll Free Number
# Technician is very careful while drilling holes, shifting from Hammer mode to Plain drill mode to avoid damage to walls. They also use silicon sealant to cover the holes after running the cable through
# Remote provided with STB has learning feature. You can now forget to shift between two remotes for handling TV and STB
# STB has FTA receiver. Means that you should be able to watch FTA channels even after your subscription with Airtel is over. I have to check this feature, but technically, this sounds possible, provided you point to the right satellites
Negatives :
# Installation guys were late by over 2 hours inspite of appointment
# For signal strength measure, the technicians did not have a dedicated Satellite Field Strength Meter. They used a small TV conected to my STB to see signal strength
# Favorite Channel list is limited to 4 lists of 15 channels each. Cant make a profile for family of four.. just not enough :-(
# No Component Out. This means that these STBs will have to be replaced when/if Airtel starts broadcasting in HD. Note : Big TV DTH has this
# No Toslink connection (Also known as Digital Optical or Digital Coaxial). Again, can't connect to external A/V receiver for Dolby Decoding or DTS decoding or Surround processing. Note : BIG TV DTH model 2 has this.
# The power adaptor provided is flimsy and light, even though it promises 2.5A, my other 2 A adaptor is heavier than the one provided. It's Chinese made and I am expecting a low life out of this. I will be changing to a 12 v SMPS for clean power to the STB
Labels: Review : Airtel DTH
posted by Jeetesh at
5:34 PM
2 Comments:
Hi have you been able to check if it works as FTA? i'm curious abt this one...
I ran through the menu quite a lot and at one point I was able to see 3 other FTA channels off a russian satellite, but as soon as I came to the main menu, my STB hung up and I had reset it back to normal. I plan to run tests after my free subscription runs out. As for the FTA broadcast by the same satellite, I don't see why one should not be able to watch it. After all, it is a mandate by the governament to make FTAs available. If you are planning to experiment, I suggest spending time to copy all the settings first.. I had some really weird problems when I was running the test. If nothing works, just reset the set.
Alternate : Best solution is to buy the Doordarshan STB, or a dedicated STB for FTA channels. You should find it easily in Gaffar market. I have heard that you can get a lot of advice on the streets there.
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