Thursday, October 16, 2008

the premium saga and more......

It has been a couple of weeks now and there is no end in sight for this Premium Package saga. This has indeed left the Dialog TV subscribers feeling sour and frustrated. Questions are being raised on why Dialog TV is placing Free To Air(FTA) channels on the premium package. Even though Dialog is paying royalities to rebroadcast these channels it is an unwise move on the part of Dialog TV management. If Dialog TV are to place FTA channels on the premium package then of course we wonder where they will place the upcoming subscription channels.

If Dialog introduces another package (higher than Rs 1949/=) for upcoming channels, there business strategy will definitely fail. Dialog is not only getting competition from local pay television providers but also from DTH operators from India. Call them "illegal", "run of the mill", "fly by night", etc they have a definite presence in Sri Lanka which is adversely affecting Dialog TV since they are taking advantage of the buzz created by Dialog TV. So instead of just dismissing these operators Dialog should take them seriously otherwise they might lead to the downfall of the company.

Dialog TV is having a lot of problems selecting the English feed of many dubbed cartoons. Instead of getting the English feed, all Dialog TV subscribers are getting the Hindi feed. However on the Indian DTH operators most of these cartoons are available in English too and therefore since Dialog TV does not provide multiple language facility to subscribers they should at least relay the correct audio feed to their subscribers.

An area that has been neglected by Dialog TV is the Tamil television audience in Sri Lanka. Dialog has been taking some steps to cater to their needs but in a country where Sinhala, Tamil & English are the dominant languages Dialog TV's Hindi channels outweigh Tamil ones. Dialog should take steps to introduce popular Tamil channels such as Sun TV (not in the premium package though) in order to be able to effectively market their product to the Tamil speaking audience. In addition channels such as Discovery, Cartoon Network, etc have Tamil Language feeds for certain programmes and if Dialog TV can introduce multiple language facility and include Tamil and English as the options then it will give them a greater leaverage.

We would like to request our fellow bloggers to limit discussions to Dialog TV on this blog and not to drag discussions relating to Dialog GSM, Broadband or CDMA since this is not forum for those services.

Please keep us updated on the latest developments regarding Dialog TV as the days progress.

99 comments:

Mario said...

Check the DTV site under packages: BOOMERANG has been added ONLY to the Value Plus1949 !!!

Unknown said...

The Govenment of Sri Lanka should ban these Hindi feed of cartoons in Dialog tv. It should be in Sinhala, English or Tamil. If this goes on for sometime the chilren will start talking in Hindi. This will be a cancer for the nation.

DLR said...

Most funniest thing is Hindi speeking India has english cartoons & Sinhala/Tamil speeking Sri Lanka has Hindi feed

poor_creature_hurt said...

@ indi

I still await your reply on the future value additions (features and channels).

If you look at other DTH providers (globally), they keep their customers informed of what is to look for. But you guys don't.

MPEG4 is good. But my point is, DTV is far behind on various fronts and they will have to catch up pretty fast with incoming competition.

I really want to know as to what I can look forward with DTV.

Unknown said...

@deshal,
MPEG4 is good for Dialog tv company but not for the customer. With MPEG4 they can compress more channels to a TP. WHY DID THEY CHANGE ONLY THE PREMIER CUSTOMERS DECORDERS???? I smell something fishy.

Lisura said...



Cartoon Network has English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu audio feeds on DishTV. But in DTV it's hindi only !

Nick and Pogo has English and Hindi Audio feeds. Some cartoons have only Hindi Audio but most popular ones are available in English as well as the local audio feeds.

Ideally DTV could provide the English and Tamil audio feeds on CN without much effort !

Ignorance is the root cause for all !

Nokia said...

@ Amd,

Yes you are correct. What I have is 1400 Pkg not 1499. And it's enabled for 1400 Premium (then) Pkg not to other pkg. :)

justavisitor said...

Big TV to slash prices by over 40%
Ashish Sinha / New Delhi October 17, 2008, 0:07 IST

Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG) is all set to begin a price war in the direct-to-home (DTH) market by offering its connection about 43 per cent lower than any of the existing players. Big TV will offer its DTH service for Rs 1,490, while the lowest-priced connection is currently being offered by Dish TV at Rs 2,190, followed by Tata Sky at Rs 2,400.

Big TV, which is the fourth entrant in the DTH space, is selling its service Rs 700 lower than its competitors. “This will be one of the biggest price cut offer by a DTH player for the coming Diwali season,” says Arun Kapoor, chief executive of Big TV.

“We are launching our Diwali offerings for a limited period starting October 17. The offer is simple — get a Big TV connection at Rs 1,490 with three months of free subscription. There are 64 channels, including Star and Sony. Not only that, the video-on-demand service will also be bundled free for a month along with this offer,” says Kapoor.

However, he refused to share the current subscriber numbers of Big TV that was launched about two months ago. Currently, there are over 7.5 million DTH subscribers in the country. The latest entrant in the market is Airtel’s digital TV DTH service from telecom service provider Bharti Airtel.

The current DTH market has five private players and one state owned free-to-air DTH service. Of the five private DTH operators, Big TV is offering the maximum number of channels (200-plus) and at the lowest price points.

Both Dish TV and Tata Sky executives said they were not looking at any Diwali specific price-cut offers on their respective DTH services. While Tata Sky is likely to announce some schemes on its personal video recorders (PVR) called Tata Sky Plus, Dish TV is also looking at launching its own digital video recorders very soon, sources said.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=337628

indi said...

@deshal

New channels (and most value additions) are negotiations and hence can't be revealed beforehand. All the company says is 'More Channels Coming Soon'.

I literally don't know until the channels appear, but I've heard pretty solid news on a few coming soon.

Lisura said...



Indi is twisting the words around to make it sweet. But it isn't !

In DTV letter it's clearly stated how the packages will change after 30th September 2007.

Retail Value of Super = 550
Retail Value of Great = 1550
Retail Value of Value = 2100

And DTV marketing guys have persuaded the subscribers to get the value package before the 30th of September 2007 to avert a future price hike. And they have assured that top package "Value" will remain as it is for the subscribers who join before the said date and the NEW PRICING WILL ONLY BE FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS.

And even according to the letter the people who subscribed for Value package before September 30th are in the 2100 package.

After the said date what dialog did was to introduce a whole new package structure by even changing the pricing like "Bata" (1949 & 1499) to fool the subscriber and put the Value subscribers to a new package called "1400 OLD"

DTV have played the dirty game once again !

Priyantha De Silva said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Priyantha De Silva said...

@ Yakuza,

I've downloaded the Dark Night a few weeks ago. But can't get the same link, I can't remember.
But from the
www.scenepirates.com torrent site. 1st register there and search for Dark Night.
two links are given below. (But you must logon to follow the links)It's good quality DVD. I've copied it to a data DVD and watched using DVD player.

www.scenepirates.com/torrents-details.php?id=24

scenepirates.com/torrents-details.php?id=101

star said...

Airtel digital TV Launches MPEG4 with DVB S2 technology in South India

Bharti Airtel has announced the launch of Airtel digital TV, its Direct To Home (DTH) TV service, in Tamil Nadu and other key markets of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Pondicherry in the southern region of India. The launch is part of the 62 city first phase rollout of the service. In addition to the 8 cities, Airtel plans to introduce the service in 20 cities across the region over the next six months. In the Southern market, Airtel digital TV will be available across 6000 retail outlets, including Airtel Relationship Centres, to begin with.

According to Atul Bindal, President - Telemedia Services, Bharti Airtel, "DTH is the future of television in India and with Airtel digital TV we bring the best combination of latest technology and exciting content to customers. The southern region has been a key market for Airtel and over the years we have delighted millions of customers with our telecom services. Now with Airtel digital TV, we plan to deliver a magical in-home entertainment experience to customers in the region."

Customers in the region can look forward to world-class home entertainment experience with Airtel digital TV that offers over 175 channels including interactive applications, movies on demand, and World space radio to name a few. A variety of attractive limited-period Welcome Offers are available for the customers to choose from, beginning with the South Silver Offer which includes a one time installation charge and 1 year's sub scri ption free at only Rs. 2000. Special channels packs are available starting with the South Value Pack that at only Rs. 99 per month offers a total of 79 channels which includes not only leading regional TV channels but also World Space radio and various interactive channels.


Airtel digital TV uses the latest MPEG4 standard with DVB S2 technology, which translates into exceptional picture clarity and consistent high quality audio for the customer. This latest technology also enables delivery of more complex interactive content and is High Definition ready. Also, Airtel digital TV uses a larger dish antenna that offers better performance during rain.

star said...

BIG TV DTH to increase channel capacity to 400 TV channels

The BIGGEST is all set to get even BIGGER with BIG TV DTH, the Home Entertainment Service offering from Reliance Communications is gearing up to double the bouquet of over 200 channels to 400 channels in the coming months. The fully-Digital Direct-To-Home Service launched by the Anil Ambani Group just a month back, is already preparing to create a significant competitive differentiator to enhance its bouquet to 400 channels when its existing competitors maximum capability is dwindling around the 160 – 180 odd channel mark.

Giving credence to this is the fact that Anil Ambani, Chairman of the group in the AGM held on 30th September 2008 had categorically announced that BIG TV would be soon hosting 400 channels.

According to highly placed sources, the company has ordered for additional capacity on MEASAT satellite constellation which the company would be receiving shortly. By increasing the satellite transponder capacity from the current 8 to 12, a 50% addition, the company would be able to double the number of channels due to its superior and worlds most advanced MPEG4 technology platform.

The growth of DTH sector which was estimated at around 4 lakh new subscriber additions every month is tipped to have accelerated by over 75%, taking the new subscriber additions to the 7 lakh mark last month. The marketing and advertising spends of the DTH sector are also believed to have increased by close to 70% with companies like Tata Sky and DISH TV virtually doubling their month on month advertising spends to tackle the stiff competition from BIG TV.

star said...

Tata Sky has launched its personal video recorder (PVR) technology called Tata Sky+. The company has invested over Rs 2,000 crore on this project and is eyeing eight million connections in India by 2012.

Tata Sky+ service would be rolled out in a phased manner and supported by a 360 degree campaign, which will be unveiled before Diwali. The ads would feature brand ambassador Aamir Khan.

Vikram Kaushik, managing director and CEO, Tata Sky Ltd, said, "This technology will not only help our subscribers to time-shift their TV viewing with the record and playback features, but also give them the convenience to enjoy uninterrupted TV with the pause and rewind live TV features."

As for the technicalities of the PVR advantage, Tata Sky+ has MPEG4 technology and an in-built PVR that enables the viewer to record up to 45 hours of live TV, play back a recorded programme and pause and rewind live TV. These features are not available on the normal Tata Sky service.

The service is priced at Rs 8,999 for the digicomp, with an additional Rs 1,000 as installation charges, and the hard disk capacity of the Tata Sky+ digicomp is 160 GB.

An Tata Sky+ subscriber can have access to over 160 channels, which are offered as part of the base packages or add-on packages. For existing Tata Sky subscribers, a special introductory offer for Tata Sky+ will be announced soon.

Aamir Khan said, "With the launch of Tata Sky+, they have once again reiterated their commitment to deliver nothing short of the best. Tata Sky+ ensures that TV simply fits into my life, allowing me the flexibility to record my favourite programmes and watch them at leisure."

emi123nem said...

Hey INDI

Im sorry about all those attacking u personally i know that u work for dialog and that ur just doing ur job by balancing ur comments in a less aggressive manner. however i dont know whether ur paid for this or not BUT i appreciate the trouble u take to review this stuff and for answering many queries.

However i actually need to clarify a few issues

1) why dose dialog have Nickelodeon in Hindi and no option to change the language to English , BOTH audio channels left & right broadcast in Hindi in this scenario i feel that nickelodeon is totally useless to the majority of Sri Lankans as some people have mentioned earlier. ?

2) Discovery and Natgeo are getting bad with the totally irrelevant tele-marketing infomercials in Hindi taking up useful program time. ?

3) Is it possible for activation of on-demand content like in IPTV. using DTV Technology?

4)I know abt the coverage issue, but with dialog having over 90% of the Pay TV market, why can't u offer lower rates and more channels like LBN which provides over 60 channels, although a few channels are crap(I heard that some are even HD) for just abt Rs 1000. and with less than abt 5% of the market share if they can do it , why cant dialog give us about 100 channels with its 90% or so market share ?

Radikal Zee said...

i will be visiting india next week and am hoping to get an Airtel Digital TV decorder from there. Will it have any reception issues if its used here?

poor_creature_hurt said...

@indi,

Look at what Star has posted and revisit what you have said.

This shows the lack of business focus at DTV. They tell you what is to come. At DTV they don't, it a secret like DTV is developing a long range missle system.

This makes me wonder if DTV really DO NOT HAVE a solid plan to face the competitors.

I don't want to shift. I really want to support you guys. But, I also want a good service. Increased competition means oppertunity for me to receive such a service.

I hope you can keep up with these ground realities. But I just wonder ....

indi said...

@deshal

If the company tells you a channel is coming it has to be true. And channels aren't usually signed and sure until the last minute. If DTV announces a channel then they can't negotiate anymore because walking away's not an option. I didn't read all the press releases above, but did they mention what specific channels they're getting?

@yohan

I'm not paid for this specifically. I actually enjoy the blogging scene more than anything.

There are some negotiations on the Nickelodeon feed, that makes sense. I understand how annoying the Hindi cartoons are, my cousin watches them

Interactive stuff (and Internet) is technically difficult over satellite. What would be very cool is a DVR (like TiVo). I'm just saying that's something I'd personally like to have which makes sense with the technology.

Market share does not mean lower rates if the market is small. The prices are actually still artificially low if anything. There really needs to be a bigger critical mass of TV subscribers.

indi said...

Who can solve your problems with DTV if not DTV?

indi said...

@deshal

Oh, forgot to say, thanks for supporting DTV. Increased competition is good, and DTV is expanding. The company has grown a lot since CBN Sat days, more than I imagined then. There's obviously a long way to go, especially in terms of communicating with and serving customers.

Observer said...

I do not know wether you guys realized the signal redering if the new mpeg 4 decoder is actually very poor when compared to old CBN decoders.

Although technically the quality and signal level remains the same, actual displayed quality of the pictures is poor. I initially thought this could be due to something wrong with the settings but as per the DTV technicians thats the maximum quality.( By the way I am using standard PAL CRT TV)

Compared to this MPEG4 decoder, the picture rendering of the old decoder provided by CBNSat was much better.

Have guys experienced this ? Im not sure if you are able to experience this in an LCD TV as there is always some noticeable pixellation is there. But for CRT TVs which are rather good redering this quality drop is visible.

It seems Dialog has scored yet another sixer by unloading a piece of shit at customer premises while taking away something better. At the same time I cant believe these Banana Mudalali's have forced changed the agreement. I am now more than ever determined to ditch this connection together with another two phone connections that I have !!

indi said...

Won't see improved quality until the 4th transponder comes online. Transponder being space on the satellite.

Then DTV can give each channel more band and compress the image less.

Conny said...

I am havin the Rs.250/- PKG. I want to ask DTV a question..... Does DTV think that all the customers who are in the Rs.250/- PKG are TAMIL AND HINDI people???? Coz I don't find a single ENGLISH channel in this PKG, even the only sports channel I can view,Z Sports is also in HINDI... Am I to go for a HINDi class first and learn HINDI and then start watching these HINDI channels???? Hmm?? DTV's Set Menu scheme is total crap and It is a trick.....

Unknown said...

@indi,
According to your above post, with 3 transpondent it seems you belive the quality of DTV picture is poor. All these days with 3 transpondents DTV was compresing too many channels into a traspondent and that is why the picture quality was bad. If you compear DTV with an Indian DTH the picture quality is very poor.

Observer said...

Indi,

As mentioned in the latest letter, only a few movie channells will move to mpeg4. then it wont have an effect on channels like CNN.
Therefore in y opinion the low picture quality will previal in the foreseable future

alf said...

GUYS,DONT MAKE THIS "BANANA" BOY A PORA IN THIS BLOG,HE IS PAID TO DO THE DIRTY WORK OF DTV AND WHO IS THIS SON OF B WHO HAS SUDDENLY SKY ROCKETED FROM NOWHERE WHEN DTV IS LOOSING ITS CUSTOMERS AND "BANANA" GROUP IS SUFFERING FROM THE AIRTEL SYNDROME.

DONT BE FOOLS AND LET A PONNAYA WHO IS KNEELIN DOWN AN SUCKING THE BALLS OF NUSHAD TO GET HIS INCREAMENTS AND BONUSES CAN SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM,THIS IS PLANT OF THE "BANANA GROUP" WHO IS TRYING TO DIVERT THE DIRTY OF DTV.

DONT GET FOOLED,THIS IS JUST ANOTHER PLANT

sattvmania said...

I for one is not buying indi saying as it is a delaying trick.If truely dtv wants to increase customer base they wouldn't be doing these dirty tricks like removing good chls and playing with set menu plans,add useless chls or fta chls.As i said before no point talking about it.It is up to us to choose a better dth at the same time get max out of dtv by selecting the best pkg.

Unknown said...

hi everybody.i am a dialogtv subscriber since cbnsat.eventhough i dont post comments regularly i have been a keen follower of this blog since cbnsat days.i started with a corporate package(RS1,100)& then upgrade it to RS1650(including vat)both the occasions i was told that i am a premium customer & i would get all the new channels that would be added to channel lineup.it seems they have broken their promises.not only once twice.apart from that they have taken out number of channels at will without considering the consent of the customers.its like we go to see a film in a cinema hall & after paying for the ticket we are forced to see a film which we dont like.
Also we have paid the money for both the Dish & the decoder.so we were the rightful owners of the equipments & again due to this latest upgrade to MPEG4 they managed to robbed our ownership for the decaoder.
not to mention their customer service.It is one of the worst cs i have ever experienced.lack of knowledge,support & lies.Gone are the days u can treat a customer anyway u like.thanks to marketing & competition u can pick & choose what ever u want at u r will.in order to survive in this competitive market u have to be proactive.u have to think ahead of others in order be market leaders.but if u cant be proactive(in order to be proactive u should have well experienced & success full marketing personals)at least be reactive.They have to listen to their existing customers.Now it seems they invest money on lead generation,qualification & account conversion.But u have to remember one thing no matter how many new customers u generate if u cant keep u r existing customers.its like pouring water into a pot with a whole.doesnt matter how much water u put into the pot the water level would be same.
Rather than giving lame excuses to customers for their behavior why dont they listen to their cx & prepare cutomer oriented bussiness strategy.
They continue to ignore two most important elements in the market.
1.customer facter
2.competiters
if u ignore these two factors i dont know how long they will go on like this.
its basic marketing.
And they have to understand this not an essential product in the market.Unlike food,medicine or clothes.people can survive without DTV.until they find some other service provider for their liking.
But why do we all keep discussing all these things wasting our precious time.Is that because we need those few new channels.Good fifteen to twenty years back we survived with one or two channels.Even now major proportion of our tv audience watch only five to six channels.so we can easily survive with 50 channels.Its not the addition or deletion of channels.its the DTVs whole attitude towards their customers.Thats what most of us make worry.Thats why people threaten to find other DTV providers & yet they hang in here hoping against hope.They r the people who were with the Cbnsat from the troubled days.they waited nearly one year or so very patiently.Thats what u called customer loyalty.If u have a loyal customer base u dont have to search for new customers else where.They will bring customers to u.They will talk good about u r products.they will introduce new people to u r service.Even other competitors offer new benefits they will remain loyal to u.Since this is not an essential service it very important u have loyal customer base.Because they will be your real brand ambassadors rather than so called paid brand ambassadors.
Dont prepare u r business strategies in closed A/C rooms.come here & listen to the people.what they have to say.Then act accordingly.
But if u think these strategies(DTV strategies) r tested & proven methods & u can implement in sri lanka directly.Well all i have to say u r misinformed.Even mighty god cant save u.u should understand even major financial institutions like bank(major banks in america,service providers like alitalia airways) are falling apart these days.
So Rather than thinking about profit maximization focus on sales maximization.Built up a good customer base u can rely on.Listen to u r customers.Dont think that u r doing him a favour by proving dtv services.Think they r doing u a favor by subscribing to DTV.Thats why u can also earn u r bread & butters.
And dont ever think we r bunch of fools who are desperate to watch international channels whatever u proved.
Come out from where u stand.open your eyes.listen & observe & act accordingly.Together we can go a long journey.
All of us here Giving their valuable thoughts(sometimes in an aggression manner)because we care.We do really care.
So lets join hands & start afresh
before its too late.
Cheers for everybody

Unknown said...

Hello Guys,

@ Yasanga,

Appreciate your analysis, and agree with you.
But its a futile mission.
Typical monopolistic behaviour of DTV will not change.
It thinks they are doing customers a favour by providing a service, and not the other way around.
Telekom Malaysia, the parent company does not care anymore, as they have siphoned out their money thru the share issue. So, its the dirty tactics of the DTV marketing dept that customers have to put up with.
A little bird tells me that old premium 1400 + vat rental is due to be increased shortly.
That will be the icing on the cake.

I may be wrong, I apologise if I am, but this is what i hear.
stay cool.
Micheal

දිමුතු said...

Guys. Dialog will never learn.

They add & remove channels as & when they like. They never look from subscribers side.

So the best thing to do is make a complain with TRC. Use their agreement to support your complain.

alf said...

MIKEY,

THEY WILL,SUDDENLY THE "BANANA" PLANT WHO HAS PARATUTED WILL PUT THE IDEA THROUGH RIGHT IN THIS BLOG"

SO WHERE WAS THIS "BANANA" BOY DURING CBNSAT DATE AND UPTO THE TIME HE SKY ROCKETED IN TO THE BLOG WITH A SELF PROCLAMATION THAT HE IS EMPLOYED AT THE "BANANA GROPU" AND ERANING MONEY THE SHIT WAY FOR TUNKU MOHOMED IN MALAYSIA.

SATTVMANIA IS RIGHT,THESE BUGGERS WILL NEVER LEARN AND NUSHAD PERERA IS BLOATED "MODAYA" LIKE HIS FARTHER IN LAW OLBON PERERA.

ITS US WHO HAS TO MAKE THE DECESION,NOT SOME PAID ARSE LICKER WORKING FOR THE BANANA GUYS WHO DOES ALL THE DIRTY STUFF

sanjan said...

@ ALL BLOGGERS
ALF is totally correct, but i wish he would have not used that language.
Dont provide indi a good batting pitch to bat! just ignore him. dont direct questions at him, he ll answere some and just ignore when there is no answere. you just post your comments, then readers can decide. how indi can solve your problems if "Hans" cant! he is just writing for money and again PLEASE DONT ALLOW HIM TO GET MORE BONUS!

Observer said...

If what micheal said is true, I will switch to LBN in no time. Actually I missed an LBM promo in our area where they offered a freee decoder for one year contract. Still regretting that !!

Techsavy said...

Gys, This MPEG 4 chang is to have better compression in encoding. I dont think with the added trasponder will give better quality but more advanced encoding will give better data streams for actual data and give better picture quality i suppose. I t seems that there are different versions of MPEG 4 and looks like latest is H.264 which gives the best picture quality in a given bandwith.

Techsavy said...

H.264 is a standard for video compression. It is also known as MPEG-4 Part 10, or MPEG-4 AVC (for Advanced Video Coding). As of 2008, it is the latest block-oriented motion-compensation-based codec standard developed by the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) together with the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), and it was the product of a partnership effort known as the Joint Video Team (JVT). The ITU-T H.264 standard and the ISO/IEC MPEG-4 Part 10 standard (formally, ISO/IEC 14496-10) are jointly maintained so that they have identical technical content. The final drafting work on the first version of the standard was completed in May 2003.

Conny said...

I THINK DIALOG WILL HAVE TO SOON CELEBRATE FOR EVERY 1 MILLION CUSTOMERS THEY WILL LOSE WHEN AIRTEL ENETERS THE SL MARKET...... SO BE PREPARED FOR THE FINAL COUNTDOWN & THE CLOSURE OF THIS " BANANA COMPANY"

yakuza said...

@conny

we are also waiting for it!!!

but when will AIRTEL hit the market?

yakuza said...

@priyantha

thanks mate. i signup

sanjan said...

@ ALL BLOGGERS
ALF is totally correct, but i wish he would have not used that language.
Dont provide indi a good batting pitch to bat! just ignore him. dont direct questions at him, he ll answere some and just ignore when there is no answere. you just post your comments, then readers can decide. how indi can solve your problems if "Hans" cant! he is just writing for money and again PLEASE DONT ALLOW HIM TO GET MORE BONUS!

Conny said...

In the Sunday Times of 19th Oct it says that AIRTEL will commence operartions before the end of this year....

Unknown said...

@conny,
Is it AIRTEL mobile or AIRTEL TV?? Anyway in both cases Dialog will run for cover.

indi said...

It has been a couple of weeks now and there is no end in sight for this Premium Package saga.

The premium is the 1949. I posted the letter from a year ago and it explained that the premium was changing. There will probably be more channels added to the 1949 than other packages. This may frustrate some customers, but these are the market rates that make sense, and packages may go up or down in the future.

@yasanaga

I don't think you technically own the decoder. It's subsidized and rented out (and maintained) by DTV.

poor_creature_hurt said...

@indi,

I take your points. But you need to compare DTV with other well reputed providers such as Multichoice (South Africa). Their channel lineup is great (but expensive - true enough). They provide a number of interactive services (On demand music, Movie library and 40 odd music only audio channels -this was 4 years back).

In 2000, they broadcasted ALL olympic events LIVE via 7 temporary channels. But DTV didn't even had a single channel to broadcast Olympics eight years later. This shows lack of management skills and business vision.

My point is, DTV can never compete on price front with Indian DTH providers. They should look into increasing value. This needs knowledge in what's happening in the global front. You can't think local and act local within a global industry. Signals does not have geographical boundaries.

You need to act fast and strategically. I really hope that you guys will get your act together. Being the market leader is the easy part. Retaining the position IS very difficult.

Unknown said...

"I don't think you technically own the decoder. It's subsidized and rented out (and maintained) by DTV."

@ Indi,

Are you implying that DTV owns the mpeg4 decoder?

If so, the previous decoder purchased by customers - Did it belong to the customer, and was it illegal by DTV to remove it from the customers premises?
Also, there is no mention of the previous decoder (or the ownership thereof) in the new agreement force-signed by DTV in order to place the new mpeg4 one at the customers premises.
There is no document by DTV to claim ownership of the previous decoder, as such how did they remove it by force from the customers premises, and is it legal to do so, in your esteemed opinion?

Your comments with regard to above will be highly apprciated.
Thanks.
Stay cool.
Micheal

sanjan said...

@podiman
i sent a mail. pls see and reply

Unknown said...

@sanjan,
done. check you mail.

sanjan said...

can anyone tell me pettah place to get a tata sky connection. all agents i know ask to pay to them. i want to pay on line. please mail me contact numbers

sanjcal@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

@ Indi,
Looking forward to your definitive reply to my post re the decoder.

Thanks,
Stay cool,
Micheal

Radikal Zee said...

if i still have the old decorder, (no new agreement signed) and i disconnect the DTv service, I get to keep the decorder, right ?

mad rocker said...

Hay Observer you can get the free offer still @ LBN. if you can speak to the sales rep. you get it.

Observer said...

mad_rocker. Thanks for the information mate !! I 'll check with them asap !

Unknown said...

@ Observer,

Please post the result of trying to get the LBN free offer.
I am interested too.
Thanks pal.

Stay cool.
Micheal

yakuza said...

did anyone get the mail with airtel charges? maybe this is a fake mail

indi said...

@michael

I don't think there's a team breaking down doors and forcing new decoders on people.

Per ownership of equipment, the relevant text found on the back of the application:

3.2 The ownership of the set top box, splitter, satellite dish & accessories and LNB [low noise block convertor] installed at the Premises shall be with the Company at all times...

IMHO, this is good for the customer because

3.4 In the event any damage occurs to the equipment... the Company shall replace such equipment free of charge...

etc

indi said...

@Radikal Zee

if you signed up under CBNSat, I believe so.

Unknown said...

@ Indi,

No, no one has broken down doors, yet..

Noted the 'Per ownership of equipment, the relevant text found on the back of the application:
That is in the new contract, forced down the throats of customers who opted for the mpeg4 decoder.
But you have not answered my question,which is -
Was it legal for DTV to take the existing decoder (signed under CBNSat / or DTV) belonging to the customer away?
Should it not belong / be retained by the customer?

Techsavy said...

I have seen DTV Agreement. You have to take lawyer with you to understand it and if so make sure to take a magnifying glass to read it. This show the buracracy of DTV & Dialog.

JPL 244 said...

for a quick comparison of local "cable" TV providers

DTV - 58 Channels - Price 1499 + VAT - Island wide coverage

LBN - 75 Channels - Price 1610 + VAT - limited coverage

PEO TV - 45 channels - Price 1000+400+?? + VAT - limited coverage, but interactive services (additional charges)

Which one is the better deal?

Unknown said...

@prassana,

For DTV 58 channels the subscription is not Rs 1499/= + VAT it is Rs 1949/= + VAT. Now you can do the comparison.

LuckyS said...

Ever since my old CBN sat decoder was replaced last Thursaday I have not been able to watch DTV in the evening due to no signal. DTV guys say that this is due to rain & thunder . However, even without rain & thunder if there are clouds 'no signal' & can not watch DTV. However much I try to explain to DTV guys that I did not experience such problems with the old decoder, they do not seem to accept. But I wish to state that the new decoder has so far done nothing to subscribers and we are paying rental for absolutely nothing.
Fortunately I got my IPTV connection in operation since Monday and that is some consolation.

JPL 244 said...

sorry correction

for a quick comparison of local "cable" TV providers

DTV - 58 Channels - Price 1949 + VAT - Island wide coverage

LBN - 75 Channels - Price 1400 + VAT - limited coverage

PEO TV - 45 channels - Price 1000+400+?? + VAT - limited coverage, but interactive services (additional charges)

Which one is the better deal?

දිමුතු said...

Channel lists & package prices with all the details you can find here.

http://indiandth.blog.co.in/

Use the tabs in the upper coner to change between different DTH providers.

Unknown said...

Dtv monthly rentals incresed
DIALOG TV Monthly rentals will be increased from
1st november 2008 (ONLY FOR NEW CONNECTIONS

patson said...

TVLanka DTH channels moved form ST1 to a New satellite-branded as high powerd,PROTOSTAR-1 at 98.5E.Dialogtv must check this satellite for cost & rain fade etc.

Unknown said...

@warunasat,
From where did you get this information regarding the increase rental. Is dialog tv going to give the same midicine to Rs1949/= package holders too???

Vishkid said...

Going back to this decoder ownership thingy raised by Micheal ... is there anyone here (or anyone you know) who had the DTV/CBN decoder taken back by DTV when they quit DTV?

Unknown said...

@ wishkid,

Yes, my DTV decoder was taken back by DTV installation team when they hooked up the mpeg4 decoder for me, and wanted the newer agreement signed before even setting up the mpeg4 one.
I basically had no say, they bundled up the older decoder, wires and all, and also refused to give me the manual for the mpeg4 decoder. what gives?
Stay cool,
Micheal

Unknown said...

@ vishkid,

Sorry mate, i seem to have mis-read your post. I did not quit, but changd to mpeg4.
sorry for the confusion.

Micheal

HSJAYA said...

Micheal,

DTV actually cannot take away this CBNsat decoder because we have purchased this decoder and dish antenna from CBN.

If you have the CBN agreement, clause 3.2 of the agreement very cleraly says we have to purchase the equipment. So if we have purchased something the ownership is with ours. not with DTV.

But as customers we are helpless because if we are to convert to MPEG4 we have to give this old decoder to DTV. So this is again pushing customers to corner and getting done what they wanted using third class tactics.

Lucky,

This new decoder is working fine with me. Even there is very heavy rain there is no disturbances. Just before start of the rain there is slight disturbances. But otherwise it is working fine.

and other thing I have noticed is picture quality of some of the channell have increased considerbaly with new decoder even though some of the channells are horrible.

Nokia said...

My decorder goes blank even for small rain.

HSJAYA said...

Nokia,
Yes, same happens with my decoder. but that is only for a very brief moment. thereafter it works fine.

Vishkid said...

Micheal/Hsj,

Unfortunately (or fortunately) I don't hv either of the 'premium' packages so I'm not due to replace my decoder. (I hv CBN 900 package and DTV 500 packages)

If they came to replace my decoder I will wait till they hook up, say thank you and then politely but firmly will tell them to f* off leaving MY decoder behind. :)

Vishkid said...

Not that it'll happen exactly like that - but worth trying :P

Lightning_Struck_Tower said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lightning_Struck_Tower said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lightning_Struck_Tower said...

Actually with the new decoder i noticed that both my signal strength and quality were increased by around 15%. There is not as much as rain fade as before.

But it has its share of problems for example the coming-out-of-standby-after-power-failure mentioned earlier. Also i find the user interface less user friendly than the CBNSat decoder. Besides its ass ugly.

LuckyS said...

hsj,
Thanks. Last night I was able to watch DTV although there were dark clouds. Yet half way I lost the signal although the conditions remained same & never got the connection until 11.00 p.m. when I decided to switch off.
About the quality of the picture I agree that some of the channels there is very good improvement. I even compared with IPTV feed of the same channel & found it to be quite good.

Michael,
As I am also a CBN customer I too had the same issues like you. However, before signing the letter I clearly stated in their letter my disagreement with some of those clauses, which included a clause to amend the rental as they pleased and retained a photocopy for my file. It was purely a one sided agreement.

Techsavy said...

"TenSports with IPTV Test Transmission"

Unknown said...

@ Indi,

Your valued comments please, from the DTV point of view with regard to the legality of their action re taking the decoder, and the ethical factor, in any case.,

your comments with actual input from the DTV management with regard to this issue will be most welcome.

Thanks.
Micheal

JPL 244 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JPL 244 said...

@ indi

Sorry to say that you are not better than the useless dialog CC. You are commenting on issues where you don't have any authority and also on issues where you are less informed.

As per old DTV contract (not CBN sat), section 3.2 states that "The purchase and the cost of installation of the transmission equipment shall be borne by the customer". Therefore the customer has purchased the equipment and should be the owner. (Note that they refer to transmission equipment where as it should be receiver in my opinion).

There was the possibility of bringing your own dish; this was reflected on the old FAQ you had on your DTV web.

"Can I use my own Dish? (If customer has one)

Yes, you can use your existing dish, though Dialog TV cannot guarantee reception. However, you will have to purchase the indoor unit-the Set Top Box-from Dialog TV, as the network is locked on to DTV. If your existing dish requires alignment, Dialog TV undertakes to do this for an additional cost, but does not claim responsibility or accept any refunds, if the dish is defective and causes a disruption to reception."

(Note "purchase")

Now you have changed the FAQ on your web. However, your authorized dealer (singer) still have the same faq.

http://www2.singersl.com/singer/products/dialog_tv/dialog_tv_faq.html

Therefore, It is clear that DTV has taken the STB owned by the customers and given a new STB, whose ownership remains with DTV.

I have serious questions about the validity of the second agreement that was forced on the customers upon upgrading. Any agreement that is forced on such a manner without proper explanation is questionable in courts. I will try to speak to few of my friends in th legal profession and get their opinion on this. Comments on any one who knows about these issues are welcome.

This is getting interested. can we take DTV to courts?

Unknown said...

Hello Guys,

There is more to it than meets the eye, this decoder issue.

Consumers in Sri Lanka are now awakening to their rights, boosted by the supreme court judgements, in public interest litigation cases.

As regards cable TV issues, I dont think we should react in too harsh a manner, upon getting stressed out with the illegal and immoral tactics of providers, as this service is not a life and death situation essential service as such. Its only entertainment. Rather we gather all info with regard to all issues within the industry, past and present, in our personal capacities, and maybe collectively for the time being, Knowledge is power.

we should give a fair chance to put things right. If unfair tactics are still being adopted, then the public can proceed with any action they deem fit with public interest at heart.

Say cool people.
Micheal

alf said...

MICHEAL

I AM SURE CJ WILL APPLY THE SAME THEORY TO WHAT HE DID FOR THE ELECTRICITY CHARGES ON WEDNESDAY.PEOPLE ARE PAYING HIGH ELECTRICITY CHARGES FOR WHAT THE POLITICOS DID,AND AM SURE "THE BANANA" BOYS WILL GET THE TASTE OF THEIR OWN BANANA IF WE GO TO COURTS.

SINCE "BANANA NUSHAD" IS JUST A BLOATED UP NO SHOW GUY HE THINKS THAT HE CAN SCREW THE CUSTOMER AND IS ABOVE THE LAW.

HSJAYA said...

Micheal,

I am not a technical man. But in case this new decoder is malfunctioning due to some reason will we be in a position to replace it with the old decoder.

If we can use that, then there is a real issue. otherwise this is not a big issue otherthan the way DTV is doing this cheating.

HSJAYA said...

Micheal,

On second thought I think I know why they are doing this. Because if they allow us to keep this old decoder we could use that with another TV to access DTV channells for some period free of charge.see How smart DTV is..

I hope I am correct on this point.

Vishkid said...

HSJ - but to do that you need to hv two cards! A decoder by itself is no use?!?

ma-hamba said...

hi guys. I am reading this blog sines cbnsat time but newer comment. I am frm hambanthota and feel only one from there.

pl. someone send contact info about dish tv supplier in sri lanka. krish.aja@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Hi guys!

Long time no see but I have been keeping abreast of whats happening at Dialog TV and the Blog.

Anyway I think those who have had problems with the new decoder should call Dialog TV general number and speak to someone since I was able to get some second decoder issues sorted out immediately. I was not able to get this work through customer care.

The day I got my new free MPEG4 decoder now about a month ago. It stopped working a few hours later. I thought the decoder was faulty and when I complained to CC they said that it will take 48 hours to handle the complain. I then called up the same guy who helped me out on his cellphone at about 9pm and he immediately got the technical team to contact me. They arrived the next day and the fault was with the LNB unit. According to the technical team some LNB's get faulty after the new decoder is installed and once they replaced it they rectified the fault.

I have not had too many signal losses due to rain and actually this decoder is handling rain fade much better than the previous CBNsat decoder.

So better try Dialog TV General number and get in touch with someone and get the problems sorted. CC sucks big time but I am now learning not to depend on them instead the direct contacts that you establish are very helpful. Just my opinion and experience.

Vishwa said...

Dear All;
If anyone is selling Rs.100 package! plz let me know..

shit said...

Dialog tv is giving buy 1 get 1 free for minium of 10 connections no rental in advance is required have to sign up for only 500 package

Unknown said...

Shruthi Television has been replaced by Aarti TV. Looks like a new Tamil channel.

thilina said...

what happened to mpeg 4 and new channels?

disney, e.....etc

Nokia said...

DTV New pkg tarrifs.

Lite 500 (same as lite 250)
Super 700 (same as super 500)
Grate 1375 (Same as grate 1009)
Value 1949 (No any change)

THis will be for all New customers on or after 1st November.

Any more infor please share.

IPTV rentals also may go high after adding more channels.

Unknown said...

hey I found some info about Dialogtv from the net. Hope u all like to see this.

http://www.lyngsat.com/intel12.html

http://www.lyngsat-address.com/df/Dialog-TV-LK.html

http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/dialog.html

any ideas... actualy im new to this blog :)

tc

Conny said...

http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/dialog.html

Can anybody explain how to understand thet terms found in the above page (link )
Thanks

Unknown said...

Shruthi is back. Even Aarti TV is still there. It looks like both will be there.

Priyantha De Silva said...

********************************************


There is a message in my "Dialog" phone's inbox. The sent name appear as "DTV" as I've set this name to 0777 679679.It says....

"Final reminder for DTV MPEG-4 connection upgrade.Else premier channels are to be interrupted soon. Pls call 0777 679679 for an appointment. Pls ignore if upgraded."

Anyone else got that one ?

This says "Final reminder" ? I never got a first reminder before that. If something is going to happen , It's unfair (Again) for DTV !

TV & Radio Sri Lanka said...

Please continue commenting under the new post titled "Aarti TV replaces Shruthi TV and new package rates".

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