Having been an Airtel employee for 3yrs with the associated benefits of a generous phone usage allowance permitting virtually unlimited mobile broadband, I was used to consuming data like there's no tomorrow-be it at home via broadband, or on the move through mobile broadband. I love watching movies, TV shows(Hindi and english) and listening to music. However, I need 3 distinct connections-TV, wired broadband and wireless broadband, for entertainment and mobile internet usage respectively.
Despite the talk of 'cable cutting', it does not quite work in India or abroad for entertainment due
1) to the heavy costs of streaming. 1GB of wired broadband at a speed of 8Mbps(much less than TV but comparable to 3G) costs around Rs 12. Now suppose one watches a TV serial of 30min/day..data consumed is 0.5GB/30min or 15GB/month. Add to this 5GB for watching Youtube Music videos instead of MTV, and the bill quickly starts adding up to average cable bill, and this is without 'normal' usage to watch movies, torrents, routine surfing, office emails etc.
2) TV(cable or DTH) has much higher fidelity and does not experience buffering/disruption except in extreme weather conditions.
Hence, for routine mainstream watching like for me, there is no alternative to a TV connection even if I have a wired broadband connection OR a mobile broadband connection.
The case I outlined works insofar as there is a single occupancy household. But when multiple people want their daily dose of entertainment at the same time, then it is difficult. A secondary DTH/cable connection is discounted, but that still necessiates the investment and the space requirements for more TV(s). In this era of multiple devices per person and for the family, when mobile operators offer a common family data plan for simultaneous data consumption against a shared quota,I used to wonder why were TV/cable operators so backward. However, a recent launch of Tata Sky transfer (thankfully) proved me wrong.
Last week, Tata Sky launched their new product ‘Tata
Sky+ Transfer’ which will enables set top box recordings to be available on
subscribers’ tablets and phones. it will come with a Wi-Fi dongle to enable
consumers to enjoy recorded content on smartphones and tablets without
consuming internet data. The concept is described in depth on
http://www.tatasky.com/transfer/ and also in the excellent online only ad campaign as below
The commercial describes a situation where in a family, people had different
content tastes such as wrestling, Diya Baati aur
Hum, Game of Thrones and Football, and would end up fighting for the remote till the time they got Tata Sky+
The main advantage is that I can now watch my favorite program without being shacked to the room where TV is there, or even the time slot of broadcast. Whether I am in the bathroom or on the move, I can watch the program without spending expensive mobile data which costs Rs 250+/GB. Even if I am getting delayed and will miss the broadcast, I can give a command on the app to record the program and then and transfer it on my mobile devices using
the home Wi-Fi.
I expect that this program will cut down my dependence on YouTube or torrents to catch the telecasts which I have missed. Also, it will ensure more domestic harmony at home. Hence, a great idea
.
