Is HD Direct-to-Home (DTH) for You?

Is HD Direct-to-Home (DTH) for You?

Rohan Naravane

Jul 16 2010

It has been only a few years since people in India have been exposed to decent clarity television. Before the CAS (Conditional Access System) enforcement in some parts of the country, we didn't have much choice but to stick to what our local cablewallah provided us. Picture quality wasn't always consistent across all channels. I still remember those times when I used to crib over how the saans-bahu driven channels used to get better clarity, while the lesser-watched English TV and movie channels would have noisy reception.



Now with DTH (Direct-to-Home) Satellite TV technology, all those problems have been solved. Even on a CRT, TV reception looked appreciably better. Their claims of DVD quality video did seem to hold true. Another great boon with digital cable is the Electronic Programming Guide (EPG). Having that small box overlay that tells you what's playing and what will play later is just beautiful. They have rendered those TV listings they print in the newspaper everyday so useless. It also rang the death knell for the TV Tuner laden Media Center PCs.



But as with any new technology, it all comes at a price. DTH was (and still is) more expensive compared to older cable or CAS-enabled non-satellite connections. Don't believe me? They did mask the audience fairly well with low-priced value packs; the public only later realized the concept of optional Add-on packs. So if that sports channel that you wanted to tune into isn't in your basic pack, you'll have to subscribe to a bouquet of channels for extra money per month.

Then these damn LCDs started becoming so popular. I'm not saying they shouldn't have; they're slim and give great picture quality with up to 1080p HD resolution. And that was where part of the problem began. The DTH set-top box that you owned would still transmit Standard Definition (SD) transmission. Also, the reception was adjusted to the 4:3 aspect ratio (in simple terms, a squarish picture), the one used by almost all CRT TVs you see. LCDs have a wider 16:9 aspect ratio (i.e. they're more rectangular). So what was the outcome?



The awesome quality of that LCD TV you drooled over at the electronics store doesn't look so awesome at home. Of course it wouldn't; at electronic stores they're always playing HD content on them. But over your typical DTH connection, your swanky LCD shows just decent image quality that stretches across the panel making people look a little fatter than they are. So, how do you watch TV now?

You have two choices -- keep watching the stretched version till your eyes get used to it or switch the aspect ratio from 16:9 to 'Original' or '4:3' in your picture settings. Both have its pro/cons. The stretched version will look a little crappy (crappier if you have a bigger size), but at least covers the entire screen. The original aspect ratio normalizes the picture, but you'll lose precious viewable inches, which will be replaced by black horizontal borders.

While we were breaking heads to choose from those two mediocre choices, the DTH providers were busy creating a third choice -- HD ready set-top boxes. That's right, these are new generation of receivers having an HDMI port, which you can use to connect to your LCD TV. The three most obvious benefits of you getting an HD set-top box are:

1) Clearer, crisper picture - Operators claim to deliver content up to 1080i in resolution. That's five times as much resolution as a Standard Def reception.

2) 16:9 aspect ratio - No more stretched content on the LCD! Since HD content is formatted in a wider angle, it will fit proportionately to your LCD TV. But mind you, this is applicable to HD channels only. Non HD channels from your HD-enabled box will continue to be streamed in a 4:3 ratio.

3) Multi-channel surround sound - If you have a proper home-theatre system, then the 5.1 channel output would benefit you. But for others, this feature isn't of any use.





There are five providers who've come up with these services as of today. They have just a few HD channels to offer right now, but almost everybody is promising more HD channels soon. However, most of their pricing seems to be the same. Note that these are subject to change whenever they add more HD channels.

Click on the image to enlarge

I have an LCD TV, and don't have DTH. Should I get an HD set-top box?

Poor you, the local cable is doing grave injustice to that beautiful screen you own. The cost of an HD ready set-top box is roughly just a 1000 bucks more than a non-HD one. But you have to watch out for the recurring costs. Some operators charge as high as Rs. 25 per HD channel. So, you add like 4 channels and your monthly cable bill will be up by 100 rupees, along with whatever base pack you subscribe to.

A couple of hundred bucks don't matter to me, I'm getting HD man! Now, I already have an existing set-top box with my LCD. Should I upgrade to an HD one?

By all means. Other than Sun Direct, everybody else seems to be giving some kind of incentive to upgrade to HD boxes. So if you don't mind spending the extra, it will make sense to upgrade.


I don't have an LCD TV as of now. But I'm thinking of getting a DTH connection. Do I directly leapfrog to an HD-ready box?

That depends upon the operator; better read the fine print before buying. For example, Dish TV states that subscription to their 'Platinum' pack and 'HD' pack is compulsory with the HD box. So it wouldn't make sense to pay for something that you cannot enjoy on your CRT.


It's so sad that most don't have a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) function in their HD boxes. I was keen on using this, what do I do?

As of now, Reliance Big TV HD is the only one that has a DVR + HD compatible combo. But Tata Sky's website claims that they will release a HD-ready version of their DVR in the future. Airtel too has a non-HD DVR for now, but they might just want to do the same as Tata sky. In that case, it is better to just wait for them to launch these devices. Either go with the operator that's providing it right now, or wait for your favored one to release theirs. In all probability only the players mentioned above will do anything about it in the near future.


Bottom line


HD is here, and is here to stay. The only thing lacking at this point of time is the availability of HD channels. Also, some would say the pricing of the already expensive DTH is hindering it from becoming popular. But that's what you pay for being an early adopter.

Consider the case of Tata Sky Plus for example. When we tested it at its launch, it was charged at a somewhat extravagant Rs. 10,000, simply because it was a unique product. Now it sells for almost half that price. So, if you are feeling the pinch with this HD thing, it'd be a better option to wait till it gets mass acceptance, and prices hopefully go down.

How To Properly Use Forks And Spoons

The use of forks and spoons differ among different countries, depending upon the food they eat. South Asian, African, and the Arab countries traditionally use their hands for eating food, while using spoons and forks to eat those foods, which are unsuitable to eat with hands, like soups, desserts, ice creams, porridge etc. Nowadays, forks and spoons have made their way into the dining table of various cultures and are considered a part of the table etiquette. For starters, using a fork and spoon, can be fraught with difficulty, so it requires a little practice. There are certain rules, which govern the use of knife, and forks, which are necessary to know in order to have good table manners. In her book, ‘The Rituals of Dinner’, Margaret Visser, opines that table etiquettes are a sort of ritual, that helps to control the violence that is involved, in the preparation and cooking of meals. As forks, spoons and knives can be used as weapons, so there is a traditional rule not to hold or use them in a threatening manner, while having food. Given below are tips to show you, how to use forks and spoons.

Using Forks And Spoons Correctly

• Spoons are used to scoop liquid and semi-liquid foods like soups, broths, and ice creams. Forks are used to hold the food in place for cutting and putting it in the mouth. Forks can be used for eating anything other than bread, sandwiches, rotis and the like.
• Generally, the fork is held in the left hand, with the prongs facing downwards, if there is any cutting to be done, otherwise it can be used with the right hand. Americans prefer to put their food from the right hand so after cutting, they fix their bite with the fork, by the left hand, and then transfer the fork to their right, before putting in the mouth. Europeans, on the other hand, use their left hand and the fork, to put their food in the mouth. So, either way is acceptable.
• Spoons are always held in the right hand (other than left handed persons).
• Use spoons to scoop soup from the bowl, and sip it gently, without making any slurping noises, from the side of the spoon, and not from the tip.
• Hold the spoon and fork horizontally between, the index finger and the thumb. Use the thumb to steady the spoon and fork. Never hold them in your fist, as it is considered a threatening gesture, which is a bad table manner. Also never, point them at your companions.
• The spoon can be used to push the food onto the fork and vice versa.
• Never keep fork and spoon on the table. Put it on the side of your plate.
• Always keep the prongs of the fork downwards.
• Don’t lick the fork or spoon. At the end of the meal, the fork should be placed with the prongs facing upwards.

Asus' UL80Vt 14-inch notebook (Switchable Graphics)

Asus' UL80Vt 14-inch notebook
A little something for everyone

Manufacturer Asus Model UL80Vt-A1 Price (Street) Availability Now

Regardless of what you think of netbooks, the surprise success of Intel's Atom CPU has definitely had a positive impact on the mobile market. The popularity of sub-$400 Atom-based systems no doubt prompted the introduction of Intel's Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage (CULV) processors, pulling previously premium ultra-low-voltage CPUs into budget ultraportable territory. These CULV CPUs offer much better performance than Atom processors while staying within a reasonably modest power envelope. The chips have made their way into cheap 11.6" netbook killers, not to mention a slew of 13.3" notebooks, including an Asus UL30A that costs $750-$800 yet still offers nearly 10 hours of real-world battery life.

New ultraportables simply weren't available for around $800 a few years ago. In that price range, you were looking at 14-15" systems that were relatively short on battery life and not exactly thin or light. Thanks to the advent of CULV processors, that's no longer the case. Intel's latest ultra-low-voltage mobile CPUs are migrating to affordable 14" systems, bringing the promise of better battery life and slimmer enclosures to a segment of the market typically populated by portly, easily winded designs.

Asus' UL70Vt is one of the first 14" systems to feature a CULV processor. It also has the same eight-cell battery as the UL30A, but in a larger chassis with an optical drive and switchable GeForce graphics. Finally, here is a system with the potential to offer excellent battery life and play games.

CULV processors are typically paired with Intel's GS45 Express chipset, whose integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X4500MHD offers abysmal gaming performance and spotty compatibility. Fortunately, the chipset has 16 lanes of second-generation PCI Express connectivity, which the UL80Vt links to a GeForce G210M discrete graphics processor. The G210M sits at the bottom of Nvidia's mobile graphics chip lineup; it's a DirectX 10.1-class GPU with 16 SPs running at 1.5GHz. The rest of the graphics chip runs at 625MHz, and it has a 64-bit path to 512MB of GDDR3 memory clocked at an effective 1.6GHz.

Although Nvidia has the G210M fabricated using 40-nm process technology, the chip's thermal design power (TDP) is still rated at a healthy 14W. To put that into perspective, the UL80Vt's dual-core, 1.3GHz Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor has just a 10W TDP. Additional power consumption is a big drawback for discrete notebook graphics, but Asus has mitigated the GeForce's battery drain by allowing users to turn off the discrete GPU when it's not needed. Toggling between the GeForce G210M and GMA X4500MHD is as easy as switching between power plans, which can be done with the touch of a button located above the keyboard. The process isn't entirely seamless; the screen goes blank for a few seconds when you switch graphics modes. But that's not a terrible hardship to endure.

Rebooting isn't necessary to take advantage of the UL80Vt's switchable graphics, but you will have to restart the system to invoke its turbo mode. The SU7300 processor normally runs at 1.3GHz on an 800MHz front-side bus. However, a turbo button in Asus' Power4Gear Hybrid software pushes the FSB to 1066MHz, yielding a CPU clock speed of 1.73GHz. This turbo mode also kicks the memory bus from 800 to 1066MHz.

At the other end of the spectrum, the UL80Vt's battery-saving power scheme takes advantage of the SU7300's second P-state, which caps the processor speed at 800MHz. Entering battery-saving mode doesn't require a reboot unless you're switching out of turbo, making it easy for the user to shift into low-power mode on the fly.

Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 1.3GHz
Memory	4GB DDR3-800 (2 DIMMs)
Chipset	Intel GS45 Express
Graphics	Integrated Intel GMA X4500MHD with 18MB dedicated memory Switchable Nvidia GeForce G210M with 512MB GDDR3 memory
Display	14" TFT with WXGA (1366x768) resolution and LED backlight
Optical	Samsung TS-U633A DVD+/-RW+DL
Storage	Seagate Momentus 5400.6 320GB 2.5" 5,400-RPM hard drive
Audio	Stereo HD audio via Realtek codec
Ports	3 USB 2.0 1 VGA 1 HDMI 1 RJ45 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet via Atheros AR8131 1 analog headphone output 1 analog microphone input
Expansion slots	1 SD/SDHC/MMC/MS/MSPRO/xD
Communications	802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi via Atheros AR9285
Input devices	"Full size" keyboard Trackpad with multi-touch scrolling Internal microphone
Camera	0.3 megapixel webcam
Dimensions	13.3" x 9.4" x 0.55-1.06" (338 mm x 240 mm x 14-26.8 mm)
Weight	4.4 lbs (2 kg)
Battery	8-cell Li-Ion 84Wh

The rest of the UL80Vt's hardware looks about like what one might expect from a system in this price range. It's great to see 4GB of memory coming standard with these types of systems, and 320GB of storage space should be plenty for folks who don't need to carry around an extensive video library. Kudos to Asus for shipping the system with the x64 edition of Windows 7 Home Premium, too.

However, I'm less than impressed with the lack of Bluetooth support in the UL80Vt-A1 revision we have in for review. Bluetooth is listed as an optional feature, but none of the systems selling online appear to include it. 802.11n Wi-Fi is standard, at least, but the UL80Vt should really include both.

Watch Live Satellite TV on Computer or Mobile with HAVA or Slingbox

Say you have subscribed to DTH TV from Tata Sky, Reliance or Zee Dish TV – they provide you a set-top box that you connect to a Television set in your living room.

Now if you want to watch Satellite TV in another location (say your Kitchen or Bedroom), you are most likely have to go for another DTH connection or would apply for a separate cable TV connection for the other sets.

Enter place-shifting TV from Sling Media (Slingbox) or Monsoon Multimedia (HAVA) – these devices allow you to watch live TV from the video source (like your cable TV or Satellite TV) simultaneously on multiple computers, Television sets or even mobile phones (that use Windows Mobile like the HTC Touch or HP IPAQ).

You connect HAVA (or Slingbox) to the set-top-box and the device will wirelessly stream live TV to the other TV sets in your home. And if you have a laptop computer connected to the Internet, you can even watch live TV while on the road. You can also record TV programs at will.

HAVA and Slingbox are currently unavailable in India but there are some rumors that Monsoon Multimedia may very soon bring HAVA in India in partnership with Tata Sky or Reliance DTH.

That means just one set-top box from your DTH service provider will let you watch TV while you are not in the living room. You can even watch Indian soap operas on Star Plus or Zee TV on your mobile phone or computer via Internet while traveling in foreign locations.

And since it has an inbuilt wireless router, you can also watch on a Wifi enabled laptop anywhere in your home network.

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