Review of Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder

What is Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder?

Image Source

Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder is the latest product which has been introduced in the Airtel DTH family. This product was launched in May 2011. Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder is a set-top box cum recorder with HD capability. 

Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder Features

Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder has the following features:

HD Recording and HD Viewing

This feature enables the user to record content which is available in HD quality. The quality is five times the Standard Definition quality.

550 Hours of Storage Capacity

Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder has an inbuilt 320 GB hardisk which can record 550 hours of video.

3D Capable

Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder is 3D capable which means that it supports 3D viewing of those channels which are available in 3D, even though currently no channels are available on 3D.

Mobile and Internet Recording

You can use your mobile phone (java supporting) to schedule a recording and you can also schedule a recording if you have an account on the Airtel website.

HDMI

Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder has HDMI support which increases the clarity and enhances the viewing experience. The set-top box includes one HDMI port.

USB Port

There is also a USB port on set-top box but currently it has no use. Though it might be useful for some purpose in the future.

Fast Forward, Rewind and Pause Live TV

With the new Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder one can fast forward, rewind and pause live TV.

Universal Remote

Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder also has a universal remote.

Series Linking

This feature allows the user to record all the episodes of a particular TV series or TV show without having to specify each time to record every single episode separately. This feature also ensures that repeats are not recorded.

Cost

At its current launch price Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder is available at a cost of Rs 4890/- onwards. To all the current Airtel Digital TV subscribers Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder is available at a price of Rs 3990/- for an upgrade and for an additional connection it is available at a price of Rs 4299/-. 

Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder vs Tata Sky Plus HD

Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder gives a tough competition to its closest rival, Tata Sky Plus HD. Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder's storage capacity is 550 hours whereas the storage capacity of Tata Sky Plus HD is 625 hours.

When it comes to cost Tata Sky Plus HD is almost the same price as Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder.

The media interface of Tata Sky Plus HD is better than Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder and it is more user friendly.

When it comes to packs and availability of channels offered by both the DTH providers then Airtel beats Tata Sky by a big margin.

The recording and HD aspects of both the products are pretty similar.

Picture Quality of Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder

The picture quality of Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder is DVD like. The set-top box supports both HDMI cable and composite cable. The only drawback is that there is not a huge amount of difference in the picture clarity between the HDMI and composite cable. Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder supports a resolution upto 1080i and the screen can be viewed in 16:9 dimensions which makes the screen more horizontal and less vertical. 

Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder also supports SD (Standard Definition) viewing.

Sound Quality of Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder

Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder has Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound which makes the hearing experience much better and the sound quality is simply amazing.

Pros of Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder

• Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder supports a Search feature which allows you to search for your favourite shows by just typing the name of the show and the system shows up all the related searches.
• Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder has a feature called "Recording by Time" which allows the user to specify a time range which can be recorded. This feature is very useful in several cases.
• Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder provides an easy access to all the recorded data, with the click of a button.
• Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder supports HDMI and there is also a universal remote.
• The series linking feature ensures that the repeats of different episodes are not recorded.
• Composite AV cable and SD telecast is also available for those users who TVs do not support HDMI and HD telecast.
• There is also an option to give command of show recording by using the internet or mobile phone. This is very useful when the user is not at home.
• Both the picture quality and sound quality offered in Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder is extremely good.

Cons of Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder

• In some recordings there may be disturbances and stoppages may be experienced in the recordings. Some recording do not take place properly.
• The HD channels are quite expensive and are not available to Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder users for free even on a trial basis.
• The user interface is not as good as it competitor, Tata Sky Plus HD.
• Using the Series Linking feature can sometimes be irritating because when a user wants to record a show which is broad casted in more than one channel then the recording occurs for the show in every channel. For example a show called FRIENDS is broadcasted in three different channels and as the user specifies the system to record FRIENDS, the system records every episode of FRIENDS from all the three channels.
• Currently there are very few HD channels available.
• To delete a show which is a part of the series link recording the user has to first delete the series link from the show and then delete the episode.

Verdict

At a price of almost Rs 5000/- for a new user, the Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder can be considered a best buy. Users who are already using other HD recorders like Tata Sky Plus HD or BIG TV HD Recorder, for them it is not recommended to make a switch to Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder as there is hardly any difference between Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder and its competitors. Hence, Airtel Digital TV HD Recorder is totally worth it.