Video Airtel Launches Hybrid DTH STB

Airtel has launched Hybrid DTH STB for 5K. The best part seems to be it has Chromecast builtin which in itself is a 3.4K savings if one is looking for it. Apart from this it has native support for Netflix and Youtube (probably due to Chromecast) and you can install apps from Play Store. I wonder if we can install Prime Videos and watch it.

https://www.airtel.in/internet-tv/
 
Correction: Looks like it is Chromecast Ultra that is built into it which is not yet sold in India by Google. The US Price is USD 65. I am now hoping that Tata Sky will soon launch similar products in India. The Chromecast and Android TV platform seem to be the killer features.
 
They have two options 4,999 for 3 months and 7,999 for 12 months.
Option 1 is expensive

As a TATA Sky user and an Airtel Broadband user I really don't feel like switching as most Smart TVs come with inbuilt Netflix, Youtube etc If not you can always buy something like a MK808 or any android box and add that feature. 25 GB will barely cover 4K streaming and in most places the max speed provided by Airtel is 8 mbps which is not good enough for 4K
 
Option 1 is expensive

As a TATA Sky user and an Airtel Broadband user I really don't feel like switching as most Smart TVs come with inbuilt Netflix, Youtube etc If not you can always buy something like a MK808 or any android box and add that feature. 25 GB will barely cover 4K streaming and in most places the max speed provided by Airtel is 8 mbps which is not good enough for 4K

Not if u are someone who has already subscribed to a lot of channels. 3 months of their top package works out to 2.1k and the remaining 3k is for the box which is what a decent android box would cost u and moreover those android boxes don't allow u to stream Netflix in HD.
 
Not if u are someone who has already subscribed to a lot of channels. 3 months of their top package works out to 2.1k and the remaining 3k is for the box which is what a decent android box would cost u and moreover those android boxes don't allow u to stream Netflix in HD.

I have subscribed to the annual package with Tata Sky. So it is a no go for me till at least March 2018.
 
Not if u are someone who has already subscribed to a lot of channels. 3 months of their top package works out to 2.1k and the remaining 3k is for the box which is what a decent android box would cost u and moreover those android boxes don't allow u to stream Netflix in HD.
This is still costly compared to normal HD DTH since we have to pay cost of HD DTH plus cost of 2-10 Mbps broadband too which depending on area can cost almost the same or more as cost of one year's subscription of HD DTH. For normal DTH there is no loss in quality and no internet charges plus even the live feed comes close to real time without any buffering. Internet tv has so many drawbacks now its not worth it. The iptv android box Airtel is selling is like USD 20 on Aliexpress. The Airtel one looks like it has custom skin plus UI and software so maybe thats why it costs this high.
 
This is still costly compared to normal HD DTH since we have to pay cost of HD DTH plus cost of 2-10 Mbps broadband too which depending on area can cost almost the same or more as cost of one year's subscription of HD DTH. For normal DTH there is no loss in quality and no internet charges plus even the live feed comes close to real time without any buffering. Internet tv has so many drawbacks now its not worth it. The iptv android box Airtel is selling is like USD 20 on Aliexpress. The Airtel one looks like it has custom skin plus UI and software so maybe thats why it costs this high.

This is not IPTV! It is a regular dish box with Android TV.

TV channels come through dish. Internet service is completely optional!
 
I'd also say avoid it for now. Looks like a half baked effort. WiFi randomly disconnects. Apps take quite a while to load. Picture quality is slightly improved though.

I'm just hoping they improve the software over a period of time. The concept is good but for now it isn't ready for prime time.
 
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