Arsenal plays Villarreal at the UEFA Champions League, April 2009

Bare-bones cable television, digital cable, direct-to-home and IPTV — life in the couch is getting difficult. Most Calcutta TV homes use cable services, which bring to your drawing room what are known as analogue signals and are yesterday’s technology, but couch potatoes with class can’t just sit back and flip channels.

If they care for quality during the quality time they spend with their beloved box, they must now sit up and decide which of the above quartet of modes of transport that carry their pet programmes they wish to spend their couch lives with. Well, at least, until the next pretty young technology comes around.

No couch potato worth his salted chips will argue that the cable has run its course with its often grainy pictures, uneven sound, random shuffling of channels and, worse, wilful switching off of one and switching on of another. That leaves the other three methods to choose from — digital cable, direct-to-home or DTH, and Internet Protocol Television or IPTV. It’s not enough to pick just the technology, within DTH there are several choices (see chart) and IPTV should shortly offer the same variety.

So how does one pick? As we said, the couch potato’s work is getting harder.

Let’s see if we can lighten your burden.

Correctly set up, there shouldn’t be a great deal of difference between digital cable and DTH but in reality there often is. Cable TV carries satellite signals received in a control room through wires to your home. These are overhead wires where loss of signal quality occurs or, theoretically, should occur.

DTH beams directly into your home through a dish antenna put up on the roof, which means you receive the satellite signal directly with less signal quality loss. Another big difference: DTH offers a selection of packages. Digital cable provides no such freedom: you get everything at a fixed price, which, however, is lower than what DTH operators charge.

But back to the technology question. IPTV is the latest baby in town, though its carrier BSNL doesn’t quite conjure that fetching image. Several of its experiments with IPTV having gone wrong, BSNL has now tied up with a new private player, the Delhi-based Smart Digivision Private Limited, to market the product under the brand name Myway.

Industry experts suggest that Myway — rather the concept it’s peddling, combining a telephone connection, Internet and television signals through a single broadband (the telecom equivalent of a road) connection — is the way to go.

Ah, freedom from the wire jungle, at last. Not so fast. Theoretically it sounds like two heavens, cyber and television, rolled into one. We leave out the third, the fixed phone line, because that immobile god has died.

One’s not sure what kind of service BSNL will provide. There is no track record yet to speak of because IPTV subscribers all over India number only about 13,000.

All we have is word of mouth. Pradip Singh, a 35-year-old businessman from Sinthi More, who has recently subscribed to Myway, is elated with the service. “I had a Big TV connection and analogue cable before that. Picture and sound quality is much better than both those connections with IPTV. And I am sure, with a private player in it, BSNL’s after-sales service too would be good, for it possibly cannot be worse than Big TV’s.”

Kapil Gupta, marketing head of Smart Digivision, which is marketing Myway in 54 cities, says: “We have all the regional content and are in talks with channels like 24 Ghanta, which we still don’t have in our bouquet. That’s the beauty of IPTV, we can go on adding channels unlike DTH. Also, our set-top box lets you record live TV and view it later.”

DTH’s ability to deliver channels is limited, though it can still carry more than a customer can possibly watch. IPTV, as well as digital cable, can beam a thousand and more channels. But it’s in DTH where the competition is the toughest with Big TV, Airtel digital TV and Sun Direct recently joining Tata Sky and Dish TV (See chart for comparison).

Plain-vanilla cable is still the dominant technology not only because of lack of consumer awareness and a reluctance to spend on set-top boxes, but also because the operators are not promoting digital services.

“Triple play will rule the roost not long from now. If we sell our customers a set-top box now, we will have to ask them to buy another, improved version later. We may lose consumers to other options then. That’s why many cable operators do not want to sell too many set-top boxes,” said a technician working with the cable industry that has 23 lakh customers in the city.

the menu card

Tata Sky

♦ Installation cost: Rs 500 and Rs 1,499 for set top box/ Rs 8,999 for Tata Sky+ (old Tata Sky customers will get

♦ Tata Sky+ at Rs 4,500)

♦ Channels: 175

♦ To get all channels: About Rs 400-450 a month

♦ Cheapest package: Rs 125 (60 channels)

♦ Costliest package: Rs 275 (124 channels)

♦ Sports channels: ESPN-Star channels, Ten Sports and Neo Sports at a charge of around Rs 95 a month. The channels are available individually as well. (DD Sports and Set Max are part of the basic packs)

♦ Zee Sports is not available, which means football fans can’t see UEFA Champions League and the national I-League (The Bengali channel 24 Ghanta is also missing, so viewers can’t catch I-League with Bengali commentary)

♦ Bengali channels: Star Ananda, ETV Bangla, Zee Bangla, Akash Bangla, DD Bangla and Star Jalsa available with basic packs at no extra cost

♦ Sony Aat missing

♦ Movie channels: STAR Gold, SET Max, Filmy, Zee Cinema, UTV Movies, Star Movies, Sony Pix, HBO, Zee Studio, UTV World Movies, Showcase Movies DWB Movies missing

♦ When you call technician over: Charge depends on nature of problem

♦ Recharge options: Online using credit card, online using voucher, SMS using voucher and phone call using voucher. The auto debit facility, that authorises Tata Sky to debit your bank account/credit card for a fixed amount of Rs 500 each time your Tata Sky account balance reaches Rs 200. Also through GPRS on a Java MIDP2.0 mobile phone using credit card

♦ Calls to customer service are often kept on hold

♦ Many payment options

♦ Winning touch: Tata Sky+ allows recording of live programmes. Live darshan of pujas in five leading temples around the country. Cooking lessons on demand. Educational programmes used by 823 schools in India, including six in Calcutta. Ramayana and Mahabharata in six languages and general knowledge programmes

Airtel Digital TV

♦ Installation cost: Rs 1,750 to Rs 5,450 with free subscription to different packages for durations of three months to one year

♦ Channels: 174, including 12 radio stations and 22 interactive channels

♦ To get all channels: Rs 460 plus tax for 174 channels.

♦ Cheapest package: Rs 99 plus tax (85 channels, seven of them interactive)

♦ Costliest package: Rs 384 plus taxes (166 channels, 22 of them interactive)

♦ Sports channels: Seven channels — Ten Sports, Zee Sports, Star Sports, ESPN, Star Cricket, Neo Cricket and Neo Sports — for Rs 90 per month. These are available in smaller packs as well. (DD Sports is part of all packs)

♦ Cost-effective sports pack but not too many options of ses of channels

♦ Bengali channels: Star Ananda, 24 Ghanta, ETV Bangla, Akash Bangla, and Star Jalsa available with basic packs at no extra cost

♦ Attractive offering but Sony Aat missing

♦ Movie channels: Zee Cinema, UTV Hindi Movies, Star Gold, Filmy, HBO, Zee Studio, World Movies, Star Movies, Sony Pix, Set Max, MGM, UTV Movies

♦ WB Movies missing

♦ When you call technician over: Free for six months, thereafter Rs 300 per visit

♦ Recharge: Through calls, SMS, Internet

♦ Winning touch: Universal remote (controls set top box and TV) with low-battery indicator. Allows booking of movie tickets and travel packages and provides traffic information and stock updates. Comes with up to 10 ad-free Worldspace satellite radio channels but those offered with low-end susbscription packages are not popular

Sun Direct

♦ Installation cost: Rs 1,250

♦ Channels: 200 channels and services

♦ To get all channels: Rs 300 plus tax

♦ Only basic package: Rs 120 plus tax (130 channels)

♦ Sports channels: Zee Sports (Rs 15), Ten Sports (Rs 20), Star Sports (Rs 38), Star Cricket (Rs 32), ESPN (Rs 38) and Neo Cricket and Neo Sports (together for Rs 46)

♦ Individual channels can be chosen

♦ For fans who want all the sports channels the cost runs to Rs 189

♦ Bengali channels: Star Ananda, ETV Bangla, Zee Bangla, Star Jalsa, Akash Bangla, DD Bangla

♦ 24 Ghanta and Sony Aat not available

♦ Movie channels: Sahara Filmy, UTV Movies, World Movies, Bindaas, WB Movies (in basic pack), Zee Cinema, HBO, Star Movies, Sony Pix, Star Gold, Set Max

♦ When you call the technician over: Free for a year, charge based on complaints thereafter

♦ Recharge options: Through mobile (call/ SMS), online and with vouchers

♦ Winning touch: Each region gets more of what they want and pays for only those channels

Dish TV

♦ Installation cost: Rs 200 and Rs 1,490 for set top box

♦ Channels: 240 channels and services (215-odd broadcasters’ channels)

♦ Maximum number of channels

♦ Cheapest package: Rs 125 for 135 channels and services

♦ Costliest package: Rs 283 for 185 channels and services

♦ Sports channels: Priced at Rs 45 plus tax (ESPN, Star Sports, Star Cricket, Ten Sports, Zee Sports). DD Sports in basic pack

♦ Neo Sports and Neo Cricket not available

♦ Bengali channels: Zee Bangla, ETV Bangla, Star Ananda, Star Jalsa, 24 Ghanta, Aakash Bangla and DD Bangla. All channels in base pack

♦Sony Aat missing

♦ Movie channels: Set Max, Star Gold, Zee Cinema, Filmy, Bindass Movies, UTV Movies, Zee Action, Zee Classic, Zee Premier, Star Movies, Sony Pix, HBO, MGM, Zee Studio, WB Movies

♦ When you call the technician over: Rs 150

♦ Recharge options: Credit card, Netbanking, debit card, easy bill, bank account, banking sites, drop box, rechargeitnow.com, cheque, draft

♦ Customers dissatisfied with after-sales service, especially response to calls and complaints

♦ Winning touch: Dish TV’s USP is “Sabse Zyaada” (the highest) content with 240 channels

IPTV

♦ Installation cost: Set top box costs Rs 2,000. Also available on rent for Rs 50 a month with Rs 1,500 as security deposit. First three months’ content and services free.

♦ Channels: 150 plus other services

♦ To get all channels: Rs 500 (approx)

♦ Cheapest package: Rs 100 (50 free-to-air channels)

♦ Costliest package: Rs 280 (126 channels)

♦ Sports channels: ESPN and Star Sports (Rs 60), ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket (Rs 90), Neo Sports and Neo Cricket (Rs 30)

♦ Like in Tata Sky, Zee Sports is missing, robbing football fans of UEFA Champions League and the national I-League action (The Bengali channel 24 Ghanta is not available either). Ten Sports is also missing.

♦ Bengali channels: Star Ananda, Star Jalsa, Akash Bangla, DD Bangla, Sony Aat and Kolkata TV in lowest pack

♦ Sony Aat at last

♦ Movie channels: List unavailable but all major channels except WB Movies.

♦ When you call technician over: Free for three months

♦ Recharge options: Online or on TV screen (keying in on remote control) by credit card
CInnovative paying option

♦ Winning touch: Allows recording of live programmes. Recording live 94 episodes of B.R.Chopra’s Mahabharata, any of which can be seen by the subscriber
Baba Ramdev’s asanas for different ailments (can be sorted by ailment)
Games

♦ Karaoke for an additional Rs 1,500.

♦ Coming up are banking and railway PNR checking facilities