Airtel Digital TV has now launched the coveted android TV-based hybrid STB (Set-Top Box) in India. The STB combines the best of over 500 satellite channels and the internet and online content.
This makes Airtel Digital TV, the first company in India to launch such an Android-based STB. The WiFi-enabled STB comes preloaded with popular apps like Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Games, Airtel Movies, Google Play Store, and more.
“Growing broadband penetration is driving the popularity of online content, particularly in urban homes, and with Airtel ‘Internet TV’ we are bringing world-class content from the web and much more to the TV screen. This latest innovation has been designed keeping in mind the needs of Indian homes and it bridges the gap between online and offline worlds to enable an end to end entertainment experience with the convenience of a single device. We will continue to add exciting content platforms to Airtel ‘Internet TV’ and invite customers to experience this innovative offering,” said Sunil Taldar, CEO & Director – DTH, Bharti Airtel.
Some Key Features Of Airtel ‘Internet TV’
1. Transform any TV to Smart TV– You no longer need a Chromecast or any other box like Mi TV or Apple TV to transform your TV into a smart TV. With this device, the customers would now be able to stream their preferred content directly to their TV via internet and Bluetooth. It also supports USB drives and screen mirroring via smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
2. Convert Your TV Becomes A Gaming Console– You can install Android games on your Airtel Internet TV and play games using physical game controllers or can setup your smartphone as a gamepad.
3. Google Voice Search– You can find your favourite content on the web by simply asking the remote (Bluetooth-enabled) of the Airtel Internet TV.
4. Play, Pause, and Rewind Live Content– The Airtel Internet TV offers an intuitive interface and enables the users to play, pause, rewind, and record live TV shows.
5. 4K Ready– Airtel Internet TV is 4K ready so you can watch ultra-HD videos and movies with surround sound on your large TV without any hassles.
Specifications: Airtel Internet TV
Airtel Internet TV is very well covered on the connectivity front and requires a high-speed broadband connection (4Mbps recommended) or a 4G hotspot to deliver a smooth online experience on any TV.
- 2 GHz dual-core CPU
- 2 GB RAM
- 8 GB ROM; Supports up to 128 GB via SD card.
- Dolby ATMOS pass-through
- 4K P60 Video
- Google Voice Search enabled Bluetooth remote
- Supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Multiple USB slots (USB 3.0 and USB 2.0)
- Ethernet port
- Supports external game controller, or the smartphone as a gaming pad
- Record live content to an external storage device of up to 2TB memory
For enabling the users to watch satellite channels as well, a regular Airtel Digital TV dish antenna will also be installed at the users’ premises. Existing Airtel Digital TV users can also upgrade their existing STBs to ‘Internet TV’ STB.
Check out our video on Airtel Internet TV
Availability & Pricing
Those who wish to try the Airtel Internet TV will need to pay Rs. 4,999 for the device that comes bundled with 3 months of Airtel Digital TV subscription. If you are very excited about it, then you can get 1 year of subscription along with the Airtel Internet TV at Rs. 7,999.
Airtel Internet TV will available exclusively on Amazon India starting 12th April 2017. It will also be available via Airtel Digital TV touch points such as retail stores, website, and contact centres soon after its online launch.
It would be interesting to note the reaction of Reliance Jio and other leading DTH operators to this launch. Do you think it is priced on the higher side or will take the DTH market in India by storm? Share your thoughts by commenting right here.
This set top box is useless, previous HD+ set top box is much better than this, recently 1 month back Airtel upgraded it by charging 1600 rupees, after that we are facing lot of issues, and there is no option to downgrade it to HD+, either you need to continue with this head ache or go with other service provider.
Remote is very sensitive, and not user-friendly, very difficult to see recorded episodes, difficult for ages family members and children.
Because of defective and failure product then are upgrading on charging Rs 1600, better not accept if they even offer this up-gradation on free of charge also.
Does it support Google assistant command’s?
No favorite channel access, when you change channel it takes lot of time to appear next channel. My remote AV button is not working, they say problems with software, it is very difficult to understand. The appearance of repeated message about setting hard disk and subscription check is frustrating. In spite of repeated mails about 20 and repeated phone calls Airtel has done nothing. No access to internet, no voot, no face book. On Android there are so many apps, but you cannot download all.
This setup box is useless if there is no Internet still many Framework is needed little difficult to understand it completely changes the usage from previous Airtel setup box Airtel forgot to manage easily accessible of favourite channels so think before you buy have a personal experience then make move
if it has a usb drive and it can play content through external har disk.then what are the video formats it can play .will it be able to play 4k movies via a external hard disk