I was very much excited to own an IPTV as it is a different technology and has many advanced features - comparing to DTH or cable available in Kerala. I registered my phone number at MyWay web site when I knew that BSNL is going to offer IPTV in Kerala through MyWay.
I got a call from MyWay when IPTV is launched in Kerala and fixed an appointment with me to send a sales person. He came home on time and gave me an overview of plans and features of IPTV. He also said that the service will be free for next 3 months (I got connection in August). So I decided not to purchase the STB for now even though they had some offers like home theater, holiday package, cash vouchers etc. I thought I will try this for next three months and if it is not usable, I can throw it away - costs me nothing. I gave them a cheque for Rs.1500 and signed the application.
Cheque got cleared in next 3-4 days. Another 3 days - a person came home to give me the IPTV connection! He gave me an STB from AirTies and a universal remote.
Due to some bandwidth issues at BSNL side, it took 3 hours to install. He gave me an introduction to user interface and remote. All channels were locked - he told that it will take another day to activate my user account at MyWay servers. Next day, I got access to all free channels available in my package.
I am using IPTV for a month now. Time shift is not yet available. Nothing more than DTH. I was told that these features will be available soon.
Pros and cons I find:
Pros:
[*]Movie on demand is really on demand! You can pause/rewind/fforward the movie just like you play a DVD. I found recent movies in the Movie list.
[*]MyWay radio - good song collection under “all time hits”/”International”/”classics”.
[*]My Account - really helpful to manage your account.
[*]Services yet to launch - Time shift, Recorded programs and some add on services like train ticket reservation etc.
[*]MyWay technicians I met were very helpful and efficient.
[/list]Cons:
[*]Boot time: The STB takes 3 to 5 minutes to get ready.
[*]Response to the remote: Many times I get irritated with the delayed response to the remote. It is like, you press a button, wait for a second or two, the screen is updated, and press another button. I heard that Airtel IPTV, which is now in test run, also has the same problem.
[*]User interface is not very impressive. I was using ADTV from Asianet cable. Even it has a far better usable user interface than this.
[*]BSNL. If you have a problem, you need to fix appointment with three persons: the line man to check the wire, the broadband technician for broad band related issues and the MyWay technician for IPTV related issues!
[/list]
I opted for IPTV because I always wanted to try it out. Besides, I cannot get a DTH in my apartment, and cable service is not that great in my area. IPTV is good as you get all you want from one service provider and through one cable. If you can compromise on some disadvantages I mentioned earlier, it is better than DTH in terms of its capability.
Hope this helps 🙂
