Sagar Services

18/09/2019

07/02/2019

For choosing your TataSky package, download the TataSky app from PlayStore. Log in with your customer subscriber id or registered mobile number and OTP as your password.

If you have already renewed your annual package earlier, then you don't need to do anything at present.

If you are renewing now, you need to select from the list of channels or the recommended package as listed by TataSky on the mobile app.

07/02/2019

By Disha Sanghvi
On LiveMint

Your monthly TV expense may shoot up under new Trai regime if you subscribe to higher value packs or want more options
It will also go up if you have people who watch different kinds of content

If you are one of the 197 million homes who pay for and watch TV instead of live streaming your daily fix, your life changed when the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai) new regulation on channel pricing became mandatory. Trai has changed the way you are billed for the channels you consume.

Effective 1 February 2019, you will now have the freedom to pay for only what you watch from an a la carte list. Wednesday was the last day to make your decision before your service provider migrates you to a default set of channels and pricing based on what plan you were already on. But will this regulation really reduce your TV bills? There are some winners and some losers.

But first let us understand the charges. Trai mandates that every channel should either be listed as free-to-air (FTA) or have a fixed maximum retail price across all platforms. Every subscriber will pay a flat ₹130 plus taxes as network capacity fee every month. The 26 Doordarshan channels come free and are mandatory, which means among the 100 free channels, spectrum space worth 26 channels is reserved for Doordarshan. This leaves you with 74 channels (excluding Doordarshan) that are called FTA channels. This is the flat cost. Note that these FTA channels include obscure options such as Dangal, Satsang TV, Masti and Divya TV.

Now comes the choice. You now need to pay ₹20 as spectrum fee for every 25 SD channels you want to add. Each HD channel takes the spectrum of two SD channels, reducing the total number of channels in the spectrum band. For example, if you take four HD channels, then you can only choose 17 SD (25 minus 8 channels in the 25-channel band. Even if you choose less channels than the allowed 25, you will still pay the flat ₹20 spectrum charge. The next 25 channels you choose, will follow the same formula.

Next comes the channel pricing. Trai has fixed a maximum price for every channel you choose at ₹19 if it is in a bouquet. There is no upper price cap if you are choosing channels that don’t come in a bouquet and the prices really vary. For example, there are 24 channels that cost 10 paise and the most expensive channel costs a huge ₹1,800. You can then choose the channels you want and pay for what you use. Instead of choosing individual channels, you can also choose a bouquet that is put together by the broadcaster. For example, Star’s premium HD pack which consists of 22 channels is priced at ₹120 plus GST at 18% per month. The cheapest bouquet in the market costs just ₹4 and the most expensive one costs ₹145.

Winners and losers
But has the intent of Trai to reduce the TV bill for Indians actually worked out? According to a report by global analytics company Crisil, prices could actually increase by 25% for most TV subscribers. The big losers will be those on the cable TV network. Sunil Kumar, secretary of the Telangana Cable Operators Federation said that Trai is trying to benefit broadcasters and multi-system operators and not the consumer. “Earlier, for ₹150-250, we were giving you around 350-plus channels and you had the freedom to watch whatever you wished to. Now Trai is saying not more than 50 channels are viewed by a customer and this could be right. But in a family not all people watch the same channels," said Kumar.

Under the previous regime, cable TV consumers in urban areas paid up to ₹250 a month and rural consumers paid up to ₹150 for cable TV for 350-plus channels. Under the new regime, if the cable TV subscribers opt for more than three pay channels, they will end up paying more. The Crisil report says that if you opt for three pay channels along with the fixed base price of ₹130, your total bill including taxes would come up to ₹192 a month. This may be higher in some locations than what customers currently pay.

The winners are those who are on existing high-value plans from direct broadcast satellite television providers such as Tata Sky and can now curate their play lists according to what they will actually watch. “Consumers who restrict themselves to 100 SD channels are likely to see their TV bills reduce. However, consumers who opt for the top 10 channels and up to 100 SD channels may see their TV bills going up by 25%," said Sachin Gupta, senior director, ratings, Crisil.

The top 20 channels account for over 80% of the total viewership. So even if you rationalise your consumption, you are likely to opt for at least 10 of the top 20 viewed channels. Top 10 channels plus the fixed base price and taxes would push up your bill to ₹298 a month. If you’re in a big family and have people across age groups who prefer watching different kinds of content or prefer having many options, restricting your consumption to top 10 channels may not be possible. In such a scenario, if you opt for 25 top channels, you’ll end up paying ₹438 a month. The price will further increase if you add more HD channels and pick more paid options. But in some cases this will be cheaper than the higher value plans subscribers were on.

What can you do?

You can take the default package constructed by your service provider based on your choice. Or you can take the recommended pack they suggest. You can curate your own channel list. Or you can opt for the bouquets that are put together by broadcasters who are bundling a set of channels and pricing them between ₹4 and ₹145.

Your TV bills could reduce if you’re a single-person household or a two-member family. If you are subscribing to the higher value packs or want more options and have people who prefer watching different kinds of content, your monthly TV expense is likely to shoot up under the new Trai regime.

11/04/2017

The details of the plan listed on Jio's website states that Jio Prime subscribers will get 84GB for 84 days on a first recharge of Rs 309, while those who recharge for Rs 509 will get 168GB for 84 days.

01/04/2017

Dish TV is suddenly offering 1 month free on 3 months subscription, 4 months free on 12 and 8 months free on 24 - How come ? Is this a precursor to a Reliance JIO juggernaut rolling out on the DTH platform ?

27/06/2016

06/05/2016

Action cameras Economic Times Mumbai 6 May 2016

06/05/2016

Economic Times Mumbai 6 May 2016

09/03/2016

Mar 07 2016 : Mirror (Mumbai)
DTH FACE-OFF
Mohit Khanna mirrorfeedback TWEET 

Cable TV set-top boxes are getting smarter, with 4K display, recording to USB drives, and Wi-Fi transfer to smartphones
The ICC T20 World Cup is around the corner, but is your home entertainment setup ready for it?
Sure, you may have a shiny new 4K TV, loads of packets of chips stashed in the kitchen, and beer stocked in your refrigerator; but do you have the right DTH service to enjoy the matches?
Having a Full HD or 4K screen isn't going to be helpful if you have a standarddefinition connection, but it also doesn't help that it is so tedious to find a DTH service that will cater to your needs. That's where we come in. We've summed-up and compared the top DTH brands in India to help you choose the best service that will truly have you ready for the upcoming festival of cricket.
4K ULTRA HD BOX

If you have a 4K Ultra HD TV, then you should probably go with a UHD set-top box. In India, only two service providers currently offer 4K services ­Tata Sky and Videocon D2H. Although we don't have many 4K channels as of now, except Star Sports 4K, which too broadcasts at 4K resolutions only occasionally, the service providers offer a set of their own channels that broadcast 4K content.Moreover, the boxes can still broadcast your usual HD and standard content.

The Tata Sky 4K comes with HDMI 2.0, and Dolby Digital Plus delivers an amazing audio experience. The set-top box has a clean UI and isn't laggy. It's priced Rs 6,400 for new customers and Rs 5,900 for existing clientele, and it comes with its Tata Sky Active 4K services, which contains 4K content. Upgrading to 4K will also let you enjoy various existing HD channels and SD channels.

The Videocon D2H 4K too comes with HDMI 2.0, Dolby Digital Plus, and supports 60p playback. The set-top box also lets you record the shows on a USB thumb drive for an additional Rs 30 per month fee. The user interface is a bit laggy when compared with Tata Sky's box, which can get a bit irritating, but once you've picked your channel and settled in, it's smooth sailing. The Videocon D2H 4K set-top box is priced at Rs 6,590 for new customers, and Rs 5,990 for existing customers.

Broadcast quality on both is phenomenal, and the sharp details are breathtaking. When looking at a UHD TV, 4K playback really does make a lot of difference, with the level of detail and sharpness the high resolution offers. Now, the Tata Sky 4K box doesn't come with recording, whereas Videocon does, so Videocon D2H definitely has an advan tage here.

HD BOX

Many won't have a 4K TV yet, but almost everyone now has an HDTV.

Switching to an HD set-top box from a standard defini tion box makes a big dif fer ence.

The level of detail when com pared to a standard defi nition box is phenomenal, and most major channels now offer an HD version.

All the DTH providers in India offer HD connections, the top 3 contenders being Tata Sky, Videocon D2H, and Dish TV.

Tata Sky comes with a HD set-top box for Rs 1,985, which doesn't come with the recording feature. If you wish to avail a recording set-top box, it'll fetch set you back by Rs 7,890 if you're an new customer or Rs 9,655 for existing customers. A third option is the Transfer recording settop box, which will let you transfer your recorded content to Tata Sky's iOS or Android app via Wi-Fi to watch on-the-go.

Videocon D2H's HD box costs Rs 1,900 with new connections, and it also comes with recording function through USB.Also, you get a radio frequency remote rather than the IR remote provided by other brands, which has a much stronger connection. You just need to avail the recording feature for Rs 30 per month.

Dish TV too comes with a similar box, with USB recording for Rs 1,700, but you don't get the radio frequency remote.

All three service providers broadcast at 1080i and support Dolby Digital Audio, but Videocon D2H also supports SPDIF input, which comes in real handy for an awesome audio experience. When comparing image quality, Tata Sky was by far the best, as its set-top box rendered sharp and crisp images.

Videocon and DishTV were at par with their overall quality, which wasn't disappointing and still looked way better than any standard connection.

In this face-off again, Videocon D2H wins, as the set-top box it offers comes loaded with some amazing features, such as SPDIF input, radio frequency remote control, and recording function, which is cheaper when compared with Tata Sky's recordable box.

CHANNEL PACKAGES

Tata Sky's top of the line package, including all channels with HD channels (197 SD channels & services, 41 HD Channels + 4K Service + Star Sports Add on Service HD) would fetch you for Rs 660.

Videocon D2H's top tier Platinum HD pack (471 channels including 37 HD channels) comes for Rs 608 per month.

Dish TV comes with their top of the line New Titanium pack (348 channels and 50 HD channels) including the HD add on for Rs 695, coming to be the most expensive amongst the trio, and also offering most number of HD channels.

BOTTOM LINE

When comparing all the DTH brands and the packages they're offering, here's the summary. If you want the best quality of set-top boxes, broadcast quality, and pack ages, you should opt for a Tata Sky connection. If you want something which is more value for money, and still provides a decent broadcast quality, we recommend Videocon D2H.

23/01/2016

Jan 23 2016 : The Times of India (Mumbai)
GO `PRO'


The Apple iPad Pro and Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 have a lot in common. Both sport the tablet form factor; come with detachable keyboards and baked-in stylus support. Drawing comparisons between these two is therefore inevitable.
Savio D'Souza reviews both devices that have seemingly blurred the lines between the tablet and the PC

THE DESIGN TEST

To test the stylus support on the iPad Pro and the Surface Pro 4, we asked our in-house illustrators and 3D artists to try the tablets. Mahesh Benkar, whose free but sure pen strokes define his illustrations took to both devices instinctively.Within the first 10 minutes on the iPad Pro, he sketched an aging couple out on their evening walk using the Adobe Sketch app and the Apple Pencil. After a few other quickly scribbled caricatures on the iPad Pro, Benkar was satisfied with how responsive the Pencil was to pressure, and how tilting it on the screen gave him broader strokes. “It's almost like sketching with a real pencil,“ he said. “Almost.“

Bhagvan Das, whose favourite software is Adobe Illustrator, was quite pleased by the responsiveness of the Pen on the Surface Pro.It took him around 20 minutes to get accustomed to the Fresh Paint app that came on the tablet and to paint an ascetic in a style that mimicked acrylic colours, pen and pencil on canvas. “This is superb“ is what he kept saying to himself as he `painted'. 3D artist and avid Photoshopper Ram also tried out different software and apps on both devices. Ram has recently picked up a Wacom 13HD Touch for around `70k. “It would be unfair to compare the fantastic stylus response of a Wacom with either of these devices,“ he said, “but these two tablets work very well with large graphic files, and most importantly, they give you portability, allowing you to design and sketch anywhere.“

All three artists agreed that the Surface Pro “felt softer to sketch on“, when compared to the more glassy, harder display of the iPad Pro, but didn't think that this factor was a deal breaker against the latter.

“I like the iPad's larger screen,“ Benkar said.“It gave me room for expansive strokes.“

“Both these devices are ideal for designers, cartoonists and sketch artists, where these is more inking and less shading,“ Ram averred.

Bhagvan liked that you could install desktop software on the Surface Pro. “Superb,“ he muttered for the nth time before he went back to his digital painting

WHERE THE IPAD PRO COMES OUT TOPS

Thinner, Lighter, Larger Screen: The iPad Pro has a larger 12.9inch (2732x2048px) screen (all of which can be used for app display), and it's just 6.9mm thin at the edge, tilting the scales at 712g. In comparison, the Surface Pro is equipped with a 12.3-inch (max resolution of 2736x1824px) screen (some of which might be taken up by the Start taskbar). It is 8.4mm thin and weighs in 786g.

The iPad boasts of a slightly better display overall, but the difference is negligible and borders on absolute nit picking. Buildwise, both devices are crafted beautifully: the iPad boasts of an aluminium unibody , while the Surface Pro uses a strong magnesium casing.

4G SIM: With the iPad Pro, you have the option of a “Wi-Fi + Cellular“ model. This means you get internet connectivity on the move via a SIM slot that supports 4G speeds. With the Surface, you will need to find ­ or create ­ a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Apps and Games: iOS is known for its superb mix of productivity apps, utilities, entertainment and educational content. In fact, there's a complete section on the App Store dedicated to apps for the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil. Here, you can find sketching, design and painting apps from names like Adobe and Autodesk, musicand movie-editing tools, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, as well as productivity apps from other vendors. Also, when it comes to gaming, you can expect to download some great casual and 3D games, and this also gives it a definite edge over the Microsoft tablet.

Speakers: The Surface Pro comes with Dolby stereo speakers, and are capable of fairly loud audio playback, without loss in quality even at high volumes. But when pitted against the iPad's four speakers (two at the top and two at the bottom), these dual speakers seem to be at a clear disadvantage. All of the iPad Pro's speakers are capable of bass output and this makes a huge difference. The device automatically recognizes the orientation of the tablet to serve you mid and high frequencies from the top speakers and bass from the bottom for a loud, fuller sound.

Camera: The Surface Pro has a 5MP front camera, while the iPad Pro has a 1.2MP shooter. But despite the lower resolution, the capture from the iPad was on a par with the Surface Pro during video calls.

When it comes to the rear shooters, the iPad's 8MP cam is a winner over the Surface Pro's 8MP , with clearer and brighter photographs.

Battery: We got around six hours on the Surface Pro on a single charge, whereas the iPad Pro lasted nine and a half hours. These tests were conducted over a few days and the battery life was more or less consistent during that period.

WHERE THE SURFACE PRO 4 SCORES

Kickstand and Keyboard: The Surface Pro comes with its own kickstand. The iPad Pro requires its keyboard to be attached to prop it up. And this brings us to the keyboards... The iPad Pro's 64-key keyboard is just 4mm thin, as well as water and stain resistant. It attaches to the tablet firmly via Apple's new Smart Connector interface ­ and is beautifully balanced, allowing you to type with the device in your lap without the fear of it keeling over. But here, Microsoft's 78-key Surface Pro 4 Type cover has the clear edge. What you get is a touchpad, and a responsive backlit keys, complete with the tactile feel that makes for comfortable typing. Both keyboards, double up as covers for the tablets when not in use.

Stylus: While the iPad Pro's Pencil detects various degrees of pressure, as well as tilt of the nib on the screen for wider strokes, the Surface Pro's Pen scores over it on myriad counts. Unlike the Apple Pencil, which gives you around 10 hours on a single charge, the Microsoft Pen is powered by a single AAAA battery that's rated to last for almost a year. The stylus also has a button on its body that functions as rightclick in Windows. You can also turn the Pen around and use its head as an eraser on the tablet's screen. And yes, the Pen is magnetic so it sticks to the tablet letting you keep it within reach at all times. That said, both styluses work wonderfully with their respective devices.

Software: The Surface Pro might not have an app ecosystem that's as extensive as the iPad Pro's, but whatever software you run on your PC, whether Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, 3ds Max, you can run it on this tablet.

Storage: The iPad Pro comes with 32GB and 128GB solid state drives, whereas the Surface Pro comes with 128GB and 256GB SSDs. Also, the Surface has a USB port and a microSD card slot, and this makes transferring files to and from the device extremely easy.

Of course, you can also connect a printer, camera, or your phone via the USB port so that's another plus. Multi-tasking and Performance: The iPad Pro cannot shoot 4K videos, but it can handle the simultaneous editing of multiple such ultra hi-res clips in its iMovie app ­ this by itself is a fair indicator of the kind of processing muscle under its hood. The Apple device also lets you work with two apps side-by-side (when using native apps such as Videos, Safari, Podcasts or even Adobe tools, simply swipe-in from the right edge of your screen, and you are provided with a list of compatible apps that can be run simultaneously in a split screen). It should be noted that the number of apps that support this feature is limited. And finally , the iPad supports picture-in-picture that lets you view videos in a small window while continuing to work in another app.

In our review, we tested the Core i5 version of the Surface Pro with 4GB RAM, and again, this tablet was up to the challenge, handling hi-resolution photo-editing tasks in Photoshop. And since this tablet runs Windows 10, it also supports multiple desktops and software for seamless and stutter-free multi-tasking.

CONCLUSION:

The Apple iPad Pro is the tablet to buy for its ease of use, fantastic apps, games, music tools, and hassle-free working. With its large screen, stylus support and keyboard, it now makes inroads into productivity territory, allowing you to type documents, work on spreadsheets, presentations and even on design and sketches. Besides, its light weight and support for 4G SIMs make it a truly portable device.

On the other hand, the Surface Pro 4 is a full-fledged PC that comes with the additional functionality of a stylus, allowing you to use it as a no-holds-barred tablet when desired. It boasts of powerful hardware, and could well be the upgrade you were looking for in laptops.

04/01/2016

Jan 04 2016 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)
MAKE YOUR GADGETS THEFT-PROOF

It has happened to the best of us--a phone or laptop lost or stolen. While losing a gadget is bad enough, it comes with the added risk of personal data theft.
Karan Bajaj tells you abou the handy tools which can help you prepare your device for recovery in the event of loss.
NOTEBOOKS
PREY
Prey is a free tracking solution that works across platforms and can be used anywhere in the world. You get features like location and we**am photo capture and it can be used with up to three devices in a free account.Once installed, there is no track of it and it only wakes up when you mark your device as missing. The good thing is that Prey allows you to upgrade to a pro account whenever you want to and you can even upgrade after your device is stolenlost. However, you need to have Prey installed and activate on your laptop before it is lost or stolen. It is also available for all major smartphone operating systems including iOS and Android.
THE BUILT-IN TRACKER
Windows 10 users now get a builtin setting called Find My Device.Click on Start > Update & Security and there you will see the option to activate this feature. You can go to http:account.microsoft.comdevices to track the location of your laptop on a map.For Apple Macbook users, there is a built-in anti-theft feature called Find My Mac. You just need to signin to your iCloud account on the laptop to enable the settings and then you can track your laptop by logging into your account on http:www.icloud.com from anywhere.
SMARTPHONES
ANDROID
Android has a built-in tracking feature using which you can locate your device by heading to http:google.com devicemanager and signing into your Google account. Any Android device associated with your Google ID can be viewed on a map and tracked.Moreover, you can even lock and erase data on the device or make it ring. If you don't want to use this feature, you can use Antivirus app from AVG, Avast, Kaspersky, or Lookout that offer remote tracking with options to lock the phone as well as remotely wipe all the data.
IOS
Apple has a built-in anti theft app for iOS devices called Find my iPhone that works with your iCloud account. If enabled, you can head to http:www.icloud.com to locate your device as well as send messages, lock it or erase all data remotely. You need to have location services enabled on your device for Find my iPhone to work. If you prefer third party app, we recommend Secureit or iLostfinder. You have to buy them for full functionality of the apps.
BLACKBERRY
Anti-theft solution BlackBerry Protect works with your BlackBerry account.Like others, you can track your phone, lock it and erase it remotely as well as mark it stolen to disable it. BlackBerry Protect automatically backs up contacts, bookmarks and other data on to the cloud so that you can recover it on a new device in case your phone gets lost or stolen. Using BlackBerry Protect, you can manage up to seven Blackberry devices.
WINDOWS PHONE
Windows phone users need to sign-in to their devices using a Window Live ID for Microsoft's phone tracking option to work. Head to http:account.microsoft.comdevices and sign-in using the same Windows Live ID that you use on the smartphone. You can then view your phone's location as well as make it ring loudly, lock it or just erase everything on the device. You can even have your phone save your device location details every few hours.