(23 May 2006 8:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Aasman se seedhe aapke ghar (straight to your home from the sky). This could well be the tag line for Tata Sky's proposed DTH service, slated to be launched June-July 2006.

So what's new? Well, Tata, "India's most trusted company", and Star, "India's No. 1 entertainment company," feel the people of India should be told that the two entities have "come together to change the way in which television is watched in India." And, Tata Sky has started the process of telling the tale of world's "most advanced" DTH service --- one must admit quite engagingly so.

The 40-slide presentation being made by Tata Sky to the trade affiliates, on the other hand, has upset the cable fraternity. At one place, to hammer home the point that cable operators get eliminated in a DTH service, some funny lines have been used (cablewallah to consumer: I don't have electricity, you can't watch TV or I fight with the channel for non-payment, you pay the price --- here goes the cricket match) that presumably have not gone down well with cable ops of Mumbai.

The text points out that a consumer need not "suffer a poor quality cable service" as he has the right to choose channels he wants to watch and pay only for those. "Could you ever imagine a choice like?" the text eggs on a consumer, who's then told after sales service means "problems are no problems."

Apart from the high quality programming and DVD-type visual experience, free onsite installation of the hardware and maintenance under warranty are thrown in as added sops.

For the gaming freaks, Tata Sky promises a personal games parlour where new games will be made available periodically for the whole family at no extra cost.

The presentation also goes to list step-by-step the installation process and how the digicomp is compatible with most varieties of TV sets.

Unstated however, are the costs involved for a consumer, which is also an indication that the various packages, probably, are still being worked out.

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