Thread: HD TV Channels In India

Today we find a lot of commercials and advertisements in the TV, newspapers and magazines about HD TV in India. Many people that buy or people that are planning to buy HD DTH connection are not aware that by just going for HD DTH connection they will not be able to enjoy all the channels in HD. It is only those channels that are telecasted in HD can be viewed in high clarity.

In India we have very limited channels available in HD. So before buying your HD DTH connection or upgrading your STB to HD STB, you should first make sure to get the list of channels that can be viewed in HD. If you do not make your research before you buy your HD STB, you will end up a frustrated customer.

If you are planning to go with Airtel, they have just advertised that you will be able to watch football world cup and Wimbledon in high definition at ESPN HD. They have promised to bring in more HD channels in the future such as National Geographic HD. As of now you will only be able to watch certain sports events in HD. You will be paying Rs. 99 per month per channel.

Tatasky seems to offer something better when it comes to HD channels. With Tatasky you will be able to enjoy ESPN HD, Showcase HD, Discovery HD and National Geographic HD.

With SUN Direct HD you can enjoy Discovery HD, Tamil HD service, Sun TV HD, Colors HD and Telugu HD service.

Dish TV offers the following channels – ZEE cinema HD, ESPN HD, ZEE TV, Star Sports HD, Discovery HD and National HD.

With Big TV you will only get National Geographic HD.

These are the major players in the Indian DTH industry and all of them have introduced HD DTH. If you want to enjoy high clarity you should be ready to part with more money. However, it is expected with the increasing competition the cost of the HD DTH STB as well as the channel prices are bound to come down. We have already seen this with the current DTH connections that we have today. Those who cannot wait for the prices to come down before they enjoy high definition TV can always pick the service provider that offers the longest list of HD channels. More HD channels will come in soon and you will not have to be too concerned about it. Indian DTH industry is still in its infancy so you can see great things happening here as it grows further. Just make sure to do your research before you choose your HD DTH service provider.

actually what all these companies are selling is HD transmission in interlaced scan format.the ultimate and the benchmark being progressive scan which are available in other countries.because all available displays are progressive scan,i don't think we can get the ultimate quality with the available interlaced scan.so india has a long way to go to match up with other developed countries.
actually i am surpriced as to why no one is talking about the "scan",because it is a major factor when it comes to "true HD".

Although there are not many HD channels event based sales promotion has helped HD gain huge demand from the market.

Being DISHTV subscriber, I can vouch that DISCOVERY HDWORLD, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HD, ESPN HD (FIFA2010), STAR SPORTS (WIMBLEDON 2010) were all TRUE HD. ZeetV HD & ZeeCinema HD are not upto the HD mark, though.

True all Indian channels giving HD are only 1080i and not 1080p.

But then something is better than nothing and believe me even 1080i is worth the money!

Waiting for STAR MOVIES, HBO, T&L to turn HD!

Here is a link to an excellent issue about 1080i or 1080p

//reviews(dot)cnet(dot)com/1080i-vs-1080p-hdtv

Originally Posted by shinit

Being DISHTV subscriber, I can vouch that DISCOVERY HDWORLD, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HD, ESPN HD (FIFA2010), STAR SPORTS (WIMBLEDON 2010) were all TRUE HD. ZeetV HD & ZeeCinema HD are not upto the HD mark, though.

True all Indian channels giving HD are only 1080i and not 1080p.

But then something is better than nothing and believe me even 1080i is worth the money!

Waiting for STAR MOVIES, HBO, T&L to turn HD!

Here is a link to an excellent issue about 1080i or 1080p

//reviews(dot)cnet(dot)com/1080i-vs-1080p-hdtv

You are not going to get 1080p HD channels. The HD service has been 1080i all over the world too. 1080i is also full HD but less smooth as compared to 1080p. But by having 100Hz or 200Hz TV, the "flicker" associated with interlaced scan will disappear to the naked eye.

The Hindi channels are actually upscaled channels, i.e., SD (480i) signal is upscaled by hardware boosters to 1080i and then transmitted.

Originally Posted by just4kix

The Hindi channels are actually upscaled channels, i.e., SD (480i) signal is upscaled by hardware boosters to 1080i and then transmitted.

upscale made pictures look horizontally stretched ?

My TV tuner have option "Keep aspect ratio", if unchecked, it will show in full wide screen by stretching the picture, not good, upscale is same ?