Tata Sky vs Big Tv

[bhuvanmisra]

How much does T-Sky charge for re-location ?

Rs. 350 is automatically deducted from your account balance.

 

[manju_sm]

Hi Friends,

Here i would like to share my experience with Big TV.

As the name suggests yes i do have a big tv. But the service from Reliance is really poor..I went for the offer of Rs2190 (1 Year) with all south indian channels+Star+Zee+Neo+CNN+BBC etc. But after one month reliance started showing its real color. They removed Zee Package+CNN+BBC+Neo etc. Now when i contacted customer care "They Dont know. They are telling to pay more!!!!!more!! more".

I feel my cable was far better than this both cost wise and entertainment wise. At least i would get the channels which were important (If cricket is going on he will provide Neo).

Please dont opt for Reliance BigTv

 

[SuhasG]

Sorry to know about all this.

Are you sure Big TV offered the pack for one full year? Because many times they mention in fine prints that 'Welcome / Introductory offer valid only for XX months and regular charges applicable after the trial period '

Check all documents you received / signed while getting the connection, find out any fine print/s . if indeed there is any such fine print then you lost the case else call them again , explain the facts and demand for restoration of entire package (and extending it further to cover the time lost during the interruption) or refund. If you have documentary evidences then Consumer Court will help (sometime just the mention of Consumer Court works like a wonder!) you getting through.

Also check with any other new Big TV customers who opted for same package, if they too are experiencing the same fate then join hands and teach that Big TV , a Big lesson, write letters to Newspapers, magazines etc, there is one dedicated magazine for consumer complaints and companies do take that magazine pretty seriously, (I forgot the name but wait, by tomorrow will update you about it).

But before all that double ensure the terms and conditions you signed . Reliance is far smarter than we possibly could think of.

Hope this helps.

Hi Friends,

Here i would like to share my experience with Big TV.

As the name suggests yes i do have a big tv. But the service from Reliance is really poor..I went for the offer of Rs2190 (1 Year) with all south indian channels+Star+Zee+Neo+CNN+BBC etc. But after one month reliance started showing its real color. They removed Zee Package+CNN+BBC+Neo etc. Now when i contacted customer care "They Dont know. They are telling to pay more!!!!!more!! more".

I feel my cable was far better than this both cost wise and entertainment wise. At least i would get the channels which were important (If cricket is going on he will provide Neo).

Please dont opt for Reliance BigTv

 

[broysound]

Hi Friends,

Here i would like to share my experience with Big TV.

As the name suggests yes i do have a big tv. But the service from Reliance is really poor..I went for the offer of Rs2190 (1 Year) with all south indian channels+Star+Zee+Neo+CNN+BBC etc. But after one month reliance started showing its real color. They removed Zee Package+CNN+BBC+Neo etc. Now when i contacted customer care "They Dont know. They are telling to pay more!!!!!more!! more".

I feel my cable was far better than this both cost wise and entertainment wise. At least i would get the channels which were important (If cricket is going on he will provide Neo).

Please dont opt for Reliance BigTv

My parents also opted for BIG TV, although i warned them abt the problem in customer service and feedback from a company like reliance, but still they chose that , just because i guess there was a heavy advt campaign going on in Rajasthan in late sept.

However the company showed great response during installation period,

but later when problem started due to heavy rainfalls and due to sluggish and oftenly hanging menu, that's when we saw the true color of reliance support. we had to call reliance customer care twice a day for whole week for the mechanic to show his face, even after the mechanic showed his face he did'nt have the necessary tool to fix, had to wait for another one week.

so it's better to not go for reliance ,especially their mutual fund or any other banking scheme.

Can anybody pls know how to terminate the 1 year subscription in middle, and what are the refund rules for Big Tv.

It's just bcos i don't live with my parents, they are in Rajasthan, so i can't comment abt pic quality and cannot converse with big tv guys abt termination , those nightmares are shared by my Mom.

I am going to force my parents to go for Tata sky+.

 

[moserw]

Guys,

Thanks for the updates. This thread helped me to keep away from Reliance and go with Tata instead.

Thanks for sharing and warning others.

 

[frnd08]

Well, I have a completely different experience with Big TV. Before taking Big connection, I wanted to make sure that I was doing the right thing. The only competitor of Big seemed to be Tata Sky and so I did extensive survey of the facilities offered by both companies.

I'll tell you about my findings:

1. QUALITY OF PICTURE: If you're watching it on a CRT (non LCD or Plasma), you wont (and you cannot! no matter what you try!) find any difference between Big Tv and Tata Sky, coz there wont be any pixelations at all.
BUT, if you're using an LCD or Plasma (I'm using a Bravia), Big Tv will not only give you superior picture quality (through component cable, that's 576i compared to 480p/i from Tata Sky), it will also make you feel the DVD quality of the images being transmitted.

SO, BIG TV WINS HANDS DOWN WHEN IT COMES TO PICTURE QUALITY ON LCDs AND PLASMA.

2. QUALITY OF SOUND: In this department, there's absolutely no difference between Tata Sky and Big TV. Both have similar sound quality and no matter what they claim, none of them is CD quality. Although it would seem to be of a good quality mp3.

SO, NO DIFFERENCE HERE.

3. QUALITY OF SERVICE: I had heard about a lot in terms of Bad Service and Customer Care from Reliance (Big, i.e.). But, till date I haven't had any problems which has forced me to call the customer care people. But yes, the customer care guys do take time to respond (Thank god the ph no is toll free!). Installation was done within 1 day of purchase, in my case. So no hassles for me. But let's face it:

TATA SKY SCORES WHEN IT COMES TO CUSTOMER CARE.

4. NO. OF CHANNELS: BIG TV uses MPEG4 compared to Tata Sky's MPEG2. That doesn't mean anything except for the fact that it will be easier for Big TV to transmit more no. of channels (and pay less due to less consumption of bandwidth) without any loss in quality (the difference between MPEG4 and MPEG2 is like DivX and DVD, DivX gives you better quality pictures with lower bitrates and lower memory consumption). Big TV gives its customers the option to get around 200 channels for a max of 175 bucks a month, and Tata Sky has 140 channels to offer max for a price tag of 500+! I dont think I have to mention which is the cheaper option!
I am subscribed to the 2190 pack (Rs.1490 for STB + Rs. 700 for 1 year) and to my utter surprise I'm being offered more channels than what was written on the Big TV Brochure! (I was told I wasnt gonna get Ten Sports, Star Cricket and all, but I'm getting all of the Sports channels Star, ESPN, except for NEO, which costs a paltry 40 bucks for 6 months subscription) Some guys are complaining about less no. of channels. What do you expect in 700 bucks annually? Even a cable wallah would cost you 1300-1500 a year!

And to hide Tata Sky's embarrassment I'm not mentioning Tata Sky's packages!

BIG TV SCORES WAY OVER TATA SKY WHEN IT COMES TO NO. OF CHANNELS.

5. EXTRA OPTIONS: One might wonder Tata is offering Tata Sky Plus (which doesn't even have component and HDMI options!) which offers live pausing of programmes and stuff and what's Big TV doing?

WELL HERE'S THE BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG NEWS! BIG TV PLANS TO BRING HD TV CHANNELS (YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT, HD!!!) TO INDIA NEXT YEAR! DONT BELIEVE ME? FINE, JUST CHECK THIS REPORT FROM THE "FINANCIAL EXPRESS":

Big TV charts plan to bring HD content into India - The Financial Express

So, I really don't know where that put's Tata Sky in terms of competitiveness. It throws Tata Sky out of the scenario, coz so far Tata Sky hasn't even been able to produce an STB with a component option, so forget about HD! Now obviously the HD stuff is mainly meant for people having LCDs and that limits the customer base for the HD enabled STB of BIG, but the way LCDs are becoming popular there's no doubting the fact that in a few years, finding LCDs in household wouldn't be much of a surprise. HD transmission is the future and in India, Big TV is leading the way.

SO, A HIGH FIVE FOR BIG TV WHEN IT COMES TO FUTURE PROSPECTS.

If I sum it all up and give 2 point to Big and Tata Sky for every category in which it wins and 1 point for its loss, the results are as follows:

Big TV: 9 out of 10.

Tata Sky: 7 out of 10.

Let's face it guys, Tata Sky is just an overpriced product boasting of Active Services which hardly anyone uses! Get intelligent, its easy to spend money, but hard to save it.

Big TV currently leads the way for Digital Transmission in India. Stay with the leader.

 

[square_wave]

Hi frnd08,
I was going through the offers / packs in the big TV site.
Couple of questions:

1. Can the top up packs seen here be added to the Offer ?
Top-Up Packs
For example if I take the Smart south pack of 4490, Can I add a top up pack to this to get some channels which are excluded in the offer pack ?

2. Once this offer for the year gets over, If I need to retain the same channels, how do I go about it ?
Do I need to go here ?
Offer - Monthly Subscription
and then design my monthly subscriptions ?


Have you noticed that a decent starter kit here costs 175 per month ? Then you will need atleast another regional pack and then at least 5 or 6top up packs to complete a decent channel list. It easily adds upto at least 350 / 400 per month

 

[frnd08]

Hi frnd08,
I was going through the offers / packs in the big TV site.
Couple of questions:

1. Can the top up packs seen here be added to the Offer ?
Top-Up Packs
For example if I take the Smart south pack of 4490, Can I add a top up pack to this to get some channels which are excluded in the offer pack ?

2. Once this offer for the year gets over, If I need to retain the same channels, how do I go about it ?
Do I need to go here ?
Offer - Monthly Subscription
and then design my monthly subscriptions ?


Have you noticed that a decent starter kit here costs 175 per month ? Then you will need atleast another regional pack and then at least 5 or 6top up packs to complete a decent channel list. It easily adds upto at least 350 / 400 per month

Hi square_wave!

1. Yes, you can top-up to any pack you like anytime you wish!

For example, I used starter kit 2190 and it did not have HBO, World Movies and Zee Studio. So, I selected the English movie plus package (Rs.25/month) and got the channels.

Similarly, you can select any package you like. My advice is: The starter packs of Big Tv are the best. Take full advantage of it. If possible go for a 1 year starter pack, even if its more expensive it will be cheaper if you calculate on a per month basis.

2. The best thing about Big TV is that 1 regional pack is free! Tata Sky or any other DTH doesn't give you that offer. So, for example, if you subscribe to the 175 per month pack you can get any regional pack of your choice completely free of cost. The rates given on the site are for EXTRA regional packs which you want to subscribe, IN ADDITION TO the FREE REGIONAL PACK.

So, forget about paying more than 500 bucks per month. You pay 175 per month and you get standard channels + 1 regional pack of your choice.

If this is not cheap and inexpensive, I really don't know what is!

(Read about Regional Packs here: http://www.bigtv.co.in/regionalpacks.html Check the first line, 1 regional pack is free.)

(Read about Starter Pack here: http://www.bigtv.co.in/starterpack.html )

 

[amol12]

One might wonder Tata is offering Tata Sky Plus (which doesn't even have component and HDMI options!)

Not entirely true. Tata Sky+ does have a component out.

 

[frnd08]

Not entirely true. Tata Sky+ does have a component out.

Yup, Tata Sky Plus does have a component out option, sorry for the error. (but for that you need to buy the STB of Tata Sky Plus, right? So, thats around 8-10K, isn't it? And in Big Tv, you get component out for Rs.1499. So.... ) But if you're comparing Tata Sky Plus with a basic STB of Big TV (A Rs.10000 product vs a Rs.1499 product then its unfair, isnt it? Big TV's HD STB will cost around 5K. So, natuarlly Big TV is the best option even if you're considering high end products.)

And to satisfy everyones query regarding HD channels, let me this clear, Big TV will transmit HD channels (ESPN and Star Sports, Discovery,etc. will go HD next year, and if you didn't know Channel 9X is already HD!!!)

 

[amol12]

Yup, Tata Sky Plus does have a component out option, sorry for the error. (but for that you need to buy the STB of Tata Sky Plus, right? So, thats around 8-10K, isn't it? And in Big Tv, you get component out for Rs.1499. So.... ) But if you're comparing Tata Sky Plus with a basic STB of Big TV (A Rs.10000 product vs a Rs.1499 product then its unfair, isnt it? Big TV's HD STB will cost around 5K. So, natuarlly Big TV is the best option even if you're considering high end products.)

And to satisfy everyones query regarding HD channels, let me this clear, Big TV will transmit HD channels (ESPN and Star Sports, Discovery,etc. will go HD next year, and if you didn't know Channel 9X is already HD!!!)

To be fair to other DTH players including Tatasky, please go through this news. DTH players plan high definition content
It seems Dish Tv iwill be the first one and not Big TV .

 

[frnd08]

To be fair to other DTH players including Tatasky, please go through this news. DTH players plan high definition content
It seems Dish Tv iwill be the first one and not Big TV .

Oh, well, that's good news for the industry, isn't it? But the Tata Sky's component version costs 10K so imagine what Tata Sky's HD version of STB would cost! Sends a shiver down my spine!

And, about your report. Look, it doesn't mention anything about the dates, it doesn't mention if Dish Tv will be the first to produce HD STBs. It just says that Dish TV has selected their satellite for HD transmission, but so has Big Tv! That too, a few months ago!

But anyway, here's another report. This will give you a clearer picture, it says "Reliance BIG TV will be the first to launch HD video services in India.", and that Big TV would have 300 HD & SD channels! (And this report is a month old, so there's no doubting the fact that who's going to reach the target earlier)

[Also, as you see, the satellite bandwidth in India is very limited, so Big TV has a distinct advantage with the MPEG4 technology already launched. Dish, however, hasn't yet come out in the open market with MPEG4. It has to do it, at some stage or the other (Bcoz HD with MPEG2 can be very very expensive, and if Dish does it with MPEG2, then I guess its the customers who are going to bear the burden of the costs, isnt it?). But to be frank, Big has already a head start advantage with MPEG4.]

Here's the link:

Reliance BIG TV to launch 300 HD & SD channels :: Businessofcinema.com - India's No 1 Cinema Business News and Information Portal

 

[amol12]

Oh, well, that's good news for the industry, isn't it? But the Tata Sky's component version costs 10K so imagine what Tata Sky's HD version of STB would cost! Sends a shiver down my spine!

The same STB can be used for HD reception. Remember it has component out which is capable of delivering HD signals.

 

[frnd08]

The same STB can be used for HD reception. Remember it has component out which is capable of delivering HD signals.

Ya, that's true but an HDMI cable is always better with delivering 1080p/i images than a component delivering 108p/i. Isnt it? Plus the HDMI CEC thing comes in handy.

Moreover, Component Video output options in both Tata Sky Plus and Big Tv standard set top boxes dont have the "upscaling" options. As a result, you'll be forced to watch the channels at a max. resolution of 576i. (You can't upscale to 1080i/p) So, even if Tata Sky manages to get HD signals for its Tata Sky Plus users, it will still output the signals at 576i! (Upscaling is usually done by a DVD player and not by a STB)

So, whoever has got a Tata Sky Plus STB, will have to buy a new HD enabled STB (even after spending 10K!) so as to get HD signals! That's not just cruel, thats bad business.

 

[anuragn]

Moreover, Component Video output options in both Tata Sky Plus and Big Tv standard set top boxes dont have the "upscaling" options. As a result, you'll be forced to watch the channels at a max. resolution of 576i. (You can't upscale to 1080i/p) So, even if Tata Sky manages to get HD signals for its Tata Sky Plus users, it will still output the signals at 576i! (Upscaling is usually done by a DVD player and not by a STB)

So, whoever has got a Tata Sky Plus STB, will have to buy a new HD enabled STB (even after spending 10K!) so as to get HD signals! That's not just cruel, thats bad business.

Hi,
The above may or may not be true. Component is capable of carrying HD signals. The STBs not having upscaing option may only mean that it will output SD or HD, according to whichever is available as source. So when it gets HD signal, it would output HD. So what is quoted above needs to be confirmed before arriving at any conclusions.

 

[amol12]

So, whoever has got a Tata Sky Plus STB, will have to buy a new HD enabled STB (even after spending 10K!) so as to get HD signals! That's not just cruel, thats bad business.

frnd08 - if that would be true (which I doubt) it can be true even for Big TV STBs. Why so much of hatred towards Tata Sky? Your statements are biased towards big TV and I would request readers of this thread to verify them before they believe in them.

 

[frnd08]

frnd08 - if that would be true (which I doubt) it can be true even for Big TV STBs. Why so much of hatred towards Tata Sky? Your statements are biased towards big TV and I would request readers of this thread to verify them before they believe in them.

Please read my previous post, I specifically told that Big Tv and Tata Sky Plus both have component options and both cannot upscale images more than 576i. Now Big TV STB costs 1499 and Tata Sky (component enabled) costs 10K and Tata Sky standard STB doesn't have component. I obviously feel that since Big Tv is giving the customers the better options.

Are you suspecting me to be a salesperson of Big? In that case I would request you to go through my previous posts in other categories. Let's face it, you can't find enough logic to prove Big Tv is worse than Tata Sky or Dish! So, plz give up! Read your previous posts, I have answered all your queries diligently. If you think I'm promoting Big TV, that's bcoz I don't want others to go for a wrong option, not bcoz I hate Tata Sky. (Infact I have categorically mentioned that Tata Sky has a better customer care facility in my previous post, so not evrything about Tata Sky is bad.)

When people say Tata Sky is good, they are not biased. And when anyone says Big Tv is good, they become biased! Nice logic pal!

All users are absolutely welcome to verify each and every point of mine.

(Please users, don't be biased towards Tata Sky. Even after all these point if you aren't convinced, here's more proof:

This is the image of Tata Sky Plus STB backside: (there's tata sky plus written on the backpanel, so don't suspect forgery)
http://images.techtree.com/ttimages/story/95351_back.jpg

This is the Big TV standard STB backside image:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2428153197_f8f2683f12.jpg)

 

[amol12]

Please read my previous post, I specifically told that Big Tv and Tata Sky Plus both have component options and both cannot upscale images more than 576i. Now Big TV STB costs 1499 and Tata Sky (component enabled) costs 10K and Tata Sky standard STB doesn't have component. I obviously feel that since Big Tv is giving the customers the better options.

Friend request you to please reread your post. What you said and what I read from it ..

Moreover, Component Video output options in both Tata Sky Plus and Big Tv standard set top boxes dont have the "upscaling" options.

was that both have component

As a result, you'll be forced to watch the channels at a max. resolution of 576i. (You can't upscale to 1080i/p) So, even if Tata Sky manages to get HD signals for its Tata Sky Plus users, it will still output the signals at 576i! (Upscaling is usually done by a DVD player and not by a STB)

but only tata sky+ will not be able to output at non-HD res - no mention of big TV

So, whoever has got a Tata Sky Plus STB, will have to buy a new HD enabled STB (even after spending 10K!) so as to get HD signals! That's not just cruel, thats bad business.

so only tatasky+ users will have to buy new STBs - no mention of big TV again

I would request you to be careful about statements you make as I found them misleading. Another example is "Upscaling is usually done by a DVD player and not by a STB" is also untrue.

 

[frnd08]

Friend request you to please reread your post. What you said and what I read from it ..

was that both have component

but only tata sky+ will not be able to output at non-HD res - no mention of big TV

so only tatasky+ users will have to buy new STBs - no mention of big TV again

I would request you to be careful about statements you make as I found them misleading. Another example is "Upscaling is usually done by a DVD player and not by a STB" is also untrue.

Ah, well. Thanks for the corrections again! But currently there's no "upscaling" stb in the market, right? (and I had mentioned the word about upscaling "usually" being done by a dvd player! ) So, my argument stands as for the time being, right?
But I hope you've got my point about the more economical option.

Look, I'm not trying to convince people to blindly trust Big Tv. Actually, I blindly trusted Tata Sky earlier and was almost ready to get it, when I decided to take a demo of Big as well, and I found the latter better suited for my needs. No matter what, Tata's and Sky's brand names are too irresistible. I'm just asking users to make sure that they actually try out Big TV as well and overlook the brand names for the time being. I'm definitely not asking them to blindly trust Big. But one should check out all options and not go for something blindly. I am just helping them out so that they seriously consider Big TV as a valid option. It's almost become a fashion to bash Big Tv!

 

[amol12]

Ah, well. Thanks for the corrections again! But currently there's no "upscaling" stb in the market, right? (and I had mentioned the word about upscaling "usually" being done by a dvd player! ) So, my argument stands as for the time being, right?

That again may not be true as anuragn has already pointed out above. The STBs (both Tatasky+ and big TV) MAY be capable of HD output. Please go through his post as I cannot find better word to describe the same.