MTNL IPTV(icontrol) goes prepaid and becomes costlier

From August 1, 2009 MTNL IPTV from Aksh(icontrol) is going prepaid. One will have to recharge it after selecting Plans. Currently there is only one Plan, i.e Plan 199 for which cost is 199+taxes= Rs 220 with Timeshift feature in many channels and bill comes with MTNL bill. Now from 1st August they will migrate to Prepaid and there will be two plans Rs240 and Rs 299 with the difference of only number of channels supporting Timeshift feature(now they will call this timeshift thing as "chill"... huh!!). I am user of MTNL IPTV (icontrol) since long and was told when booking was being done that Timeshift feature is free for life-time and now they are up to this nonsense thing.For new connection,they have increased security deposit for STB( from Rs 999 to Rs1999) and charging additional security(rs 250) for Modem too for which they wont pay any interest.Users Post your comment here.Thnx

hi Ranjit..Can u pls provide more details about Prepaid thing.......I am Currently using BSNL IPTV in jaipur....and man it suCks!!!!!The quality is really poor.....and moreover they are increasing the charges.?????Are they introducing some new channels like star sports, Espn???? & wht abt this five channels on Chill.....it really sucks.....do u know how to get out of this Iptv mess??....how can i refund my money????Five channels on chill 199 /..... ten channels on chill and Cool..249..F***! I was also told about that life time free thing...and free VOD content but now they are cheating us.... The services of BSNL are really poor...and the response from IPTV customercare is not very appreciable..!!!Thanks...

Oh I was under impression that star sports and ESPN were already introduced on IPTV.But anyway, IPTV has been a disaster in India.

They were only Introdued in Dehli.....I don't know why only DElHi????But i think after prepaid it will get same in dehli as well as in jaipur...or any other place..I think this is the end of AKSH & BSNL/MTNL partnership in IPTV...since it is getting prepaid..????

hi
Ranjit..
Can u pls provide more details about Prepaid thing.......
I am Currently using BSNL IPTV in jaipur....and man it suCks!!!!!
The quality is really poor.....and moreover they are increasing the charges.?????
Are they introducing some new channels like star sports, Espn???? & wht abt this five channels on Chill.....it really sucks.....do u know how to get out of this Iptv mess??....how can i refund my money????

Five channels on chill 199 /..... ten channels on chill and Cool..249..F***! I was also told about that life time free thing...and free VOD content but now they are cheating us.... The services of BSNL are really poor...and the response from IPTV customercare is not very appreciable..!!!

Thanks...

Info above is based on my interaction with Delhi Customer Care and icontrol website. As far as your question about Star Sports and ESPN in Jaipur is concerned, I assume it will be provided in new plan. Visit the icontrol website. Earlier there were different Monthly Plan Rates and different Channel Packages for different Cities. Now all city is showing uniform monthly rentals. This indicates they might introduce these channels in other cities too as in Delhi. Moreover, you can talk to your local customer care for new plan and chill features.

One more thing to notice is that now if we consider new plans proposed from MTNL IPTV(icontrol), Airtel IPTV seems better option. And Airtel Broadband has slashed their monthly rentals drastically.

Hi,From what you have said, I cannot find any written proof of it on iControl website neither does it mention any thing about MTNL IPTV going prepaid and the cost being increased. I had it installed in July 2nd week and so far it has been a nice experience. Reception or clarity depends on how good your phone line is. Ideally it should not have any jumpers (phone connections in between) till the time the cable reaches your STB/Modem. After your STB/modem, you can split the line into required phone connections. This will ensure good picture clarity..Last weekend I saw 2 movies on Bindaas Movies back to back with literally no major issues. A small glitch here and there is acceptable. The sound and video are absolutely fantastic. I don't understand why and how people complain that the service is not good. It might be the case in some part of the city but not everywhere else and it largely depends on the phone line first of all.I spoke to Aksh people and they said initially for some days I might have some problems since they are adding more channels on the Chill feature and so the server might be having some downtime. They also said that the channel list will be increased to 240 channels gradually from the current list of 126 channels.All-in-All a nice experience and I would stay with IPTV until and unless any thing drastically changes, the service quality or the service charges.Regards,Rahul K

Hi,

From what you have said, I cannot find any written proof of it on iControl website neither does it mention any thing about MTNL IPTV going prepaid and the cost being increased.

I had it installed in July 2nd week and so far it has been a nice experience. Reception or clarity depends on how good your phone line is. Ideally it should not have any jumpers (phone connections in between) till the time the cable reaches your STB/Modem. After your STB/modem, you can split the line into required phone connections. This will ensure good picture clarity..Last weekend I saw 2 movies on Bindaas Movies back to back with literally no major issues. A small glitch here and there is acceptable. The sound and video are absolutely fantastic. I don't understand why and how people complain that the service is not good. It might be the case in some part of the city but not everywhere else and it largely depends on the phone line first of all.

I spoke to Aksh people and they said initially for some days I might have some problems since they are adding more channels on the Chill feature and so the server might be having some downtime. They also said that the channel list will be increased to 240 channels gradually from the current list of 126 channels.

All-in-All a nice experience and I would stay with IPTV until and unless any thing drastically changes, the service quality or the service charges.

Regards,

Rahul K


Rahul, whatever I have mentioned about Prepaid thing is based on my conversation with Delhi Customer Care. They said that one will have to recharge via coupons which will be available at Sanchar Haats and also will be delivered to home on request.

I assume they might be in process of this route.

As far as cost is concerned, here in Delhi it has increased from Rs. 199 to Rs249 and Rs299 depending upon the plan selected. This is for New Customers. Existing customer is getting bill of Rs199 only. Who knows,they might increase it for existing customer also and thats why I assume they are going prepaid. You can check the new Rentals on icontrol website. icontrol- India's First IPTV:.The Future of Television


Now, quality aspect as you have mentioned is good for you, its not up to the mark here in Delhi or at least for me. I have DTH (DD Direct+, STB Beetel SD97) too. When comparing with it IPTV, my DTH picture and sound quality is pleasure to my all perception. I am barely 200 meters of MTNL exchange. Often I get 'waiting signal' message. ADSL fluctuates at least once in 20 days for full one or two days. If you complain to CC( CC number is chargeable and takes at least 10 minutes to lodge complain, sometimes number goes busy), they will respond only 4 to 5 days later but by that time ADSL is fine and technician goes back closing the case only to get it down few days later.
Colour and brightness/contrast profile of different channels are not uniform. This is huge issue and need urgent attention to improve picture quality. Volume level is very low. Remote STB interaction/execution is painfully slow.

Despite all these glitches I love IPTV for its TIMESHIFT feature. It gives me freedom to watch when I want to watch, how many times I want to watch, pause, play, forward.....