Beware of False Advertisements Selling HD Set Top Boxes as HD DVR Set Top Boxes
The DTH arena in India is heating with DTH operators trying any possible way to get more customers. One of the ways is to sell a normal non DVR HD set top box to customers claiming that it is same as their HD DVR offering at half the price. It is not true and we would like to warn our readers about these false claims.
The reason behind this claim being false is pretty simple – HD DVRs have 2 dedicated tuners in them (this is why they have 2 wires running from the dish to the box). This enables the user to record one channel and watch another in parallel. Also, one can record 2 channels simultaneously and watch a recording (or any one of the channels being recorded) in parallel. This feature will never be available in a HD set top boxes with a software update that enables recording, as they only have 1 tuner. Addition of tuner is not possible as it requires a hardware upgrade.
Both Dish TV and Airtel Digital TV have enabled their HD set top boxes to record to external USB based disk drives through a software update and the other operators are expected to launch this facility in the near future too. However, please be informed that any advertisements/sales guys claiming that the software update makes the HD set top boxes same as their HD DVRs is totally false. They are just trying to close a deal. If you want a real DVR, you should buy the premium HD DVR set top box from these operators.
TRAI Working on Regulating Advertisements on TV Channels in India
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is working on an initiative to regulate advertisements shown on TV channels in India. TRAI is said to be working on a consultation paper to devise new regulations which will set the new guidelines for advertisements on Indian television. The action has been taken up based on complaints & feedback received from subscribers about the increased duration and distracting formats of advertisements in India.
TRAI is specifically looking into the following areas:
- Setting different maximum limits for advertisements on paid and free channels.
- Scheduling advertisements only during valid breaks in sporting event telecasts.
- Defining reasonable gaps between consecutive advertisement breaks during telecast of movies and other shows.
- No more part screen advertisements (only full screen advertisements will be permitted).
- Defining reasonable screen area for news channels to run scrolls & tickers.
- Defining reasonable audio levels of advertisements to match that of the programs.
Watch Indian Television Shows on YouTube
YouTube India has partnered with Indian Television Channels to bring Indian TV shows online. Now viewers can catch up the shows they might have missed by going to youtube.com/shows. YouTube currently has 19000 episodes worth of content available to be watched online. This is a breakthrough in Indian television industry and follows the global trend of TV channels making their shows available for streaming online after they have aired.
The TV shows can be watched on a computer or any device capable of playing youtube videos. I could watch the shows on my iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and even on the YouTube app on my LG smart TV. Some of the shows are available in 720p HD quality and look pretty good on the big screen.
It is a great step forward for the entertainment industry in India. Hopefully, the internet pipes in India will also grow as more such services are available online.
Fix Boot Logo Loop Issue When Updating Firmware on a Samsung Smart TV
This is a guest post by Rajnish Jain. Rajnish is a product development enthusiast having around 12.5 years of experience. He enjoys solving complex technical problems and has worked on wide range of technologies including Open Source frameworks, Unix (shell scripting) & embedded device programming.
Using Non-Samsung Wi-Fi USB Adapter with Samsung Smart/Internet TV
This is a guest post by Rajnish Jain. Rajnish is a product development enthusiast having around 12.5 years of experience. He enjoys solving complex technical problems and has worked on wide range of technologies including Open Source frameworks, Unix (shell scripting) & embedded device programming.
When you purchase a Samsung Smart TV (UA40D5500RR, for example), depending on the model, it may or may not support inbuilt Wi-Fi function. If it doesn’t, then Samsung recommends using WIS09ABGN USB WiFi adapter to let your TV connect to a Wireless router. Samsung has priced this USB adapter at a very huge cost (around INR 6,000) and any other adapter is not recognized by the TV. WTF?
I tried not to fall prey to this monopolistic approach by the company and put myself on work to find out a hack so that any Wi-Fi USB adapter is accepted by the TV. I found this wonderful link which helped a lot.
DISCLAIMER: The author of this article & woikr are not responsible for any damage/malfunction caused to the TV by following the instructions written below. Please continue at your own risk.
Digital Cable Subscribers Will Have the Right to Demand Any Channel
With the government regulation requiring all the Cable service providers in metro cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai & Kolkata) to go digital by June 2012, subscribers of digital cable will soon have the right to demand any channel available in India.
“In the present case the analog cables can carry a limited number of channels. Therefore, a selection is made by the local cable operator of which channels to provide and the consumer is left with no choice. After digitisation consumers will be able to pick and choose the channels that they want and through a Set Top Box (STB), these channels will be provided to them and they would pay money only for the chosen channels” said Rajiv Takru, Additional Secretary in the I&B ministry in a press conference.
Furthermore, TRAI will decide on the price of each channel and consumers will know in advance what price they will have to pay for each channel (just like DTH platforms).
Cable digitization will also pave way for much more accurate TV ratings.
[via ET]
Apple TV Updated to Support 1080p Full HD Videos
The much awaited refresh of the Apple TV is here. The 3rd generation Apple TV retains the same form factor as its predecessor, but supports 1080p full HD video playback, thanks to the upgraded Apple A5 processor. The UI has also got a facelift and looks closer to iOS. The 2nd generation Apple TV also got the UI upgrade with the new software update (though the maximum resolution supported is still 720p owing to the old Apple A4 processor inside).
In addition to enabling 1080p video playback from the iTunes Store, the Apple TV should be able to play 1080p videos shot using the iPhone 4S directly, without needing any downconversion, thus improving Airplay speed. Also, photos should look a lot better with more pixels available on the screen.
To top it all, Apple has enabled streaming of previously purchased movies directly from iCloud with this update. Previously, this feature was only available for purchased TV shows and music.
The 3rd generation Apple TV is priced at $99, the same price as its predecessor which makes this refresh totally worth upgrading.
TataSky Launches Paid Video on Demand on its HD+ Platform in India
As reported by us last year, TataSky has launched a Netflix like streaming service in India which offers paid Video on Demand delivered to your TV over broadband for the first time in India. TataSky has been testing the service by offering free Video on Demand to all its HD+ users for the past few weeks. With a recent software update to its HD+ set top box, TataSky has introduced paid premium content available through this service.
To enjoy the service, users must have a TataSky HD+ connection and connect their set top box to a broadband connection through the ethernet port at the back of the box (no WiFi or other connectivity options are available yet). Once connected, users can browse the VoD collection on their TV by going to the Showcase section of the guide. The content is fetched in real time using the broadband connection, so the user always sees the latest available titles provided the box is connected to an active internet connection.
DishTV does it right, upgrades its STB software to let users record TV on a USB hard disk drive
After coming up with India’s first Conditional Access Module cards to let any DTH user to migrate to DishTV whilst keeping their set top box from another operator, reports are coming in that DishTV is launching Dish trueHD+, an innovative way to enable all their existing subscribers to upgrade to DVR (Digital Video Recorder). Instead of launching another set top box with DVR features which their customers would have been needed to purchase, DishTV has released a software update for their existing HD set top box which lets users plug in their USB HDD (hard disk drive)/flash drive and record live TV on that.
Despite the fact that a user has to purchase an HDD/flash drive for this purpose, this setup is actually pretty awesome considering:
- User can buy desired capacity of HDD thereby enjoying the freedom of recording as many TV shows as possible.
- When a user’s HDD is filled up, they have an option to buy a new one instead of relying on the operator to offer an upgrade program (which, BTW, is not offered by any operator in India currently).
- Users can keep multiple HDDs with their favorite TV shows recorded and can plug them to the STB whenever they want to watch them.
- Users can keep their current HD set top boxes (which would have otherwise been exchanged for peanuts, if they had to upgrade).
A Home Theater which is both stylish & functional!
There are very few companies other than Apple which make beautiful products which are just as functional. Unity by Engage is one such product. It combines a powerful Home Theater and a beautiful media center (TV stand really) in a stylish package.
Unity is a Home Theater built in the shape of a TV stand. The package features:
- 6 speakers
- Blu Ray Player
- iPhone & iPod Dock
- HDMI connectivity
- Capability to support any HDTV unto 60 inches in size
